What a Weekend

It was one of those weekends that just reaffirms my love for fall. Bright and crisp and filled with fun. My daughter had Friday off so we ran errands that needed running and we planned for a dinner party that night. It was a luxurious day together. Adding to the fun, we have a guest at our house this week:

 

Her name is Sprout and she’s around 4-5 months old, extremely cute and extremely crazy. I’d forgotten just now nutty kittens are. I’d also forgotten how deeply sweet that purr can be – particularly when the kitten in question is curled on your lap. I’m thinking the Sirens learned their trade from cats, because that purr can make me forget all kinds of things that I’d be wiser to remember. 

The kids are having a wonderful time, and it’s pretty entertaining to watch, since I think this kitten might have met her match in a certain 4 year old. 

It’s Fleet Week here in SF, and on Saturday the boys went to watch the Blue Angels – my daughter and I wanted to join them but there was a good chance we wouldn’t make it back in time for the soccer game that afternoon. Too bad, since it’s always awesome to see the air show.

 

They had fun, though, and the soccer game was exciting. There was a grass fire along the ridge just south of Mt Tam that afternoon, and since the soccer games are played on a field next to one of the fire stations, it was exciting to watch the response. Trucks from two other Marin towns rolled in to wait on standby, and the firefighters were typically friendly and informative about what was happening. They mobilized several firebombers but ended up not needing them – but it was comforting to see the response, since it was windy this weekend and Mt Tam is primed for a big fire, with lots of underbrush and homes just ready to go. 

Now we’re all watching the news because Angel Island is on fire – check out the photos on SFGate. Yikes. 

On Sunday we had an amazing day with our friends – brunch, pumpkin patch and even dinner together! It was dreamy. One of my favorite parts of fall is the cooking, surprise surprise. I love making a Butternut Pomegranate Pasta that I first concocted years ago. You cube butternut squash, roast it for a little while and finish it off by caramelizing it with a little olive oil and brown sugar. Then toss with your favorite pasta shape, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese and brown butter sage. I’m crazy about that crunchy sage on top. Back in the day I’d put in some toasted walnuts, but that was before Hot Wheels got all anaphylactic on us. Shame, because they are gooooood.

Then last night, as if the weekend couldn’t get any better, Tom spent some time fixing my laptop! He posted a photo of the surgery if you’re interested in the gory details. But now! The joy! It’s completely rehabilitated. Get this – I click on programs and they open right away. I forgot that was possible. Thank you TOM!