Cranberries, Rod Picott and Tornadoes

This morning I was restless, wanting to get out of the house. The weather was looking forbidding however so I checked and when I saw what was going on a ways west of us I decided I wanted to stay put. We are so fortunate that we just got high winds and rain. Part of me was disappointed....I love the drama of bad weather...but then I saw the reports coming out of Washington and Pekin and Gifford and the tornado damage I felt foolish. We no longer have family in Gifford, but Ernie's parents lived there so we still have that automatic shot of adrenalin when we hear the name in news like that. We're just hearing now about the damage so we don't really know the extent yet but it breaks my heart and that personal connection just makes it hit a little harder and makes me more appreciative of my safe rickety home.

So it ended up being a day at home....the wind seems to be calming a bit. The sky is beautiful and the temperature warm so we tried going outside to sit earlier once the storms had passed but the high winds were unnerving when I looked up at the old trees around us so we headed back in. Instead I experimented further with cranberry sauce....a classic uncooked cranberry-orange relish, which oddly enough I'd never made, and then a version of a cooked cranberry sauce with port and star anise. Oh MAN is it good!

Now we have chicken stock simmering, a pork roast slow cooking in the oven, shallots chopped for a brussels sprouts experiment and I can feel the weekend coming to a close. Owen is practicing his trumpet and his bass and Leo is doing homework. I'm not quite ready to let go of the weekend but I guess I must. Ernie's playing the new Rod Picott (incredible) and doing a crossword puzzle. I guess I'll go join him.