Things in Their Truest Form

Things in Their Truest Form

There are things that you learn about yourself. Things that only come with age.

I have learned that I love to read when I am down with a cold. This is new to me. In times past I would pass the time sleeping in between dosages of over the counter medications. Keeping my nose in check with name brand tissues. Now, I settle in with books and a carafe of water with piles of pillows to support my neck and back. It's especially nice in the summer (did I say summer?) when one isn't fixed position beneath blankets. Crumpled used tissue getting lost between mattress and bed frame or collecting bunnies worth of dust on the cool wood floor below.

Somehow I managed to keep the tears in check while I finished reading about Henrietta Lacks. I now find myself bounding through the home cooking memories of Laurie Colwin. I'm halfway through Home Cooking (in just one lazy cold-suffering morning) and I have yet to order the Anne Sexton biography from Amazon.

I have also learned that I suffer from a terrible affliction. It is called cherry fever. It starts out with bulging eyes and a zombie-like stance when one spots cherries for $3.99 a pound at the market. It's not cherry season yet. And then you find yourself toting home almost $13 dollars worth of cherries (a little under $10 dollars when you use your bonus card).

Cherry fever can be costly, but it's all about management. Don't rinse all of the cherries, just what you plan on using. Otherwise they'll mold. Don't bang the cherries around or grab them like you're pulling a load of towels from the dryer. Pull them out one by one (or by the bunch) by the stems and place them ever-so-delicately into a strainer. And then rinse with cold water. Admire them while they glisten in the afternoon sun, ceiling fans on high keeping the unseasonably high spring temperatures and humidity in check.

In closing, just because I'm feeling slightly better due to high water consumption and moderate doses of whole foods doesn't mean I should thumb through Joy of Cooking for a chocolate chip cookie recipe. With a sliver of brownie still left and enough dark chocolate to feed a crowd of six, it is wise to save one's energy. After all, there's still a pot of red that needs to be made for tonights dinner.