Archive for January, 2013

Show Down at the O “K” Corral

For the first part of this story, please click on the She Builds tab…

This post is in honor of the letter “K” and part of Jenny Matlock’s Alphabet Thursday. For more kicking “K” posts, please click here http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

Standing at the countertop with its uneven tiling and it’s sad droopy top, I stared Dick down. He had trouble meeting my eyes at first, but then he looked straight at me and lied through his teeth. He leaned across the counter and snarled, “I say the house is done.”

“With no garage doors? With no glass panel in the front door? (the wind was blowing through the space where the panel should be while we were standing there. I had put cardboard in it previously but took it out before Dick got there for the dramatic effect of wind blowing through the house). The toilets and sinks are different colors, the lights on the outside are not the ones I ordered, there are no appliances, I could go on and on.”

He leaned across the island and stared me in the eyes, “If I were you, I’d release that last draw so you won’t have to deal with me anymore.”

I felt a chill go down my spine. My trigger finger twitched nervously on my cell phone. We were all alone in a half finished house on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere and he is a lot stronger than I am. I sighed dramatically.

“Fine”, I said. “I’ll call the mortgage broker as soon as you leave an tell her to cut you a check.”

“You better”, he said walking out the front door, leaving it open even though it was about 20 degrees. I pulled out my phone and showed him it through the window and then dialed the number of my attorney.

He wasn’t getting one more dime of my hard earned money. There was no way in HELL that I was going to release that last draw!

to be continued…

Blood, Bones & Butter

For food obsessed folks like me, this kind of book is pure gold. It not only satisfies my desire to learn more about and immerse myself in my favorite subject, food, it is also a memoir of outstanding value in its own right.

It is gritty at times,profane at others, honest to a fault, funny and sad just like life itself.

The author is basically abandoned by her family in the middle of the divorce of her parents. She eventually finds her way to a kitchen and in the process finds herself as a cook. Her marriage starts her on a love affair with Italy which lasts longer than the marriage itself does. She eventually opens a little neighborhood restaurant called “Prune” in New York. It’s a foodie fantasy – she notices this grimy little space and then turns it into a neighborhood eating joint where you can get comfort food with class. I think every dedicated cook has some sort of fantasy of doing something like this. She did it and was successful at it.

There is a saying among writers that goes something like, “Write Down to the Bones”. It means get to the meaning, to the grit. Ms. Hamilton writes down to the bones.

xxoo,

RMW

RED MOOSE

I was down in Salt Lake doing a little shopping the other day and found myself hungry (as always). I drove by this place:

I noticed the WiFi sign and decided I could get a little work done AND eat a sandwich. I really wasn’t expecting much, I’ve never heard of this place and it looked fairly nondescript from the outside. When I walked in the door, though, I was greeted by a bank of pastries, one looking yummier than the other. A very nice young man took my order and then I found a seat by the window and waited. I had a ham and swiss sandwich that was on a roll with just the right amount of crustiness and a sweet, spicy mustard that perfectly complemented the meat and cheese. It was amazing! Surprising! Revealing! I’m coming back some morning to try their coffee and pastries…

Anyway, if you happen to be in SLC, and happen to be hungry and want to get a little work done, I highly recommend this place…

Here’s the website, if you’re interested http://redmooseroasting.com/
xxoo,

RMW