4 Blessings on a Weds. - Julia Child

Life is good, and here are a few reasons why:

1) Julia Child

I do not own a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but I love Julia. Today she would have been 100.  And, truly, the only reason that I do not own her famed cookbook is because French cooking is too far above me, and I haven't the time currently to climb the cuisine heights to master it. I'm still biding my time at base camp, waving cheerfully at those on their way up, and relying on grilled meat, steamed veggies and canned beans for my family's sustenance.

Today on a radio program they were asking home cooks to call in with their cooking disasters in honor of Julia's birthday. Well, I've done it all - started a fire in the microwave, dumped a whole tray of chocolate chip cookies on the oven door, forgotten to add sugar, leavener, or half the butter, made snackle when I meant to make frosting, and served raw cinnamon rolls to my unsuspecting in-laws.

But, like many home cooks, natural or unnatural, I carry the light of Julia Child in my heart.

2) My husband would throw me across the Swiss border...

(movie spoiler alert!)

At the end of the movie Shining Through , Ed Leland (Michael Douglas) carries an unconscious Linda Voss (Melanie Griffith) over the Swiss Border while Nazis shoot at them. I recently watched the movie with my husband on Netflix, and I found it as romantic as the first time I saw it - just a young girl dreaming of a man who would do the same for me. Well, now I have that man, or I thought I did. I asked him the next day whether he would carry me across the Swiss border under enemy fire, and he replied, "No, I'd throw you across. Then you wouldn't slow me down, and we could both get across quicker."

It may not be as romantic, but it made me laugh uproariously. Eat your heart out, Michael Douglas!

3) City Parks

In a metropolis like ours, city parks prove as diverse as America itself. We have one in a rougher part of town with a beautiful meditation garden. There's one near South Mountain that has so little shade it ain't funny, but it also has some of the neatest, most life-threatening playground equipment that reminds me of my childhood. There are many with splash pads, ponds and kiddie trains. And there's one close to home with a wide open field, tall trees and great shade that makes you feel as if you're in a world without smog.

4) We ate, we played, and I lost all our spending money...

My husband and I had our first date night in months, and for a change we went to a casino. When I told my mom we were going for the buffet with crab legs, she told me that I would stay for the slots. I didn't believe her since I had never really understood the attraction.

For the date I wore new and quite uncomfortable heels and a sexy little red dress that probably had a "not for mothers with four kids" warning label on it. I wore it, anyway, and despite the fact that it fought to be a whole two inches shorter than I let it.

While we ate we watched a huge dust storm blow in, a typical enchanted summer's evening in our part of the world. The buffet was okay, but the slots were a blast. My husband played only a little, because in his words, "I have more fun watching you, because you're so cute." Of course I should have stopped when I was a couple bucks ahead, but I was fired up for the big pay off and spent us down to our last eight cents.  We left early to pick up our kids, but the quiet car ride was even romantic. We were satisfied.


P.S. I'm thankful for all your comments lately.