Ryans' Visit and Belated Birthday Presents

Yesterday, while waiting to hear back from Tomi, our landlady about the status of our hot water heater (we'd been without hot water for 30-some hours because our pilot light had blown out somehow), I heard a knock at the door. Not Tomi or the furnace guys, but Kellie! I'd nearly forgotten that she and the kids were going to swing by after they Boogled (Kellie's clever term for trick-or-treating at the Google offices). We all squeezed into our already cluttered living room, Iris commenced wailing, and Gail clung to me, seeking safety from Che (of whom she's terribly frightened; no doubt Kellie's tales of how Che was an unwelcoming hostess to baby Jack when she first brought him by my Baltimore apartment to meet me have influenced and magnified her fears of domestic cats), and Jack watched and listened to Rob singing and playing kids's songs on the guitar. Kellie was a real dear and brought by a box of birthday treats for me: a little pomegranate-hued ceramic colander for tiny eats like cherries and berries, a tin of Smith's Rosebud Salve (made in Frederick County, MD's very own Woodsboro!), and - the icing on the cake - a multi-print ruffled apron! I'd wanted one since getting my job at Cosimano e Ferrari, so it was the perfect gift. I've already gotten loads of compliments on it from other vendors at the market. It's dear. Thanks, Boot! Good job, as usual! We sent them off with a carving pumpkin I'd picked up from Mose, my Amish buddy who runs the farm stand across from Cosimano at the market; we don't have knives sharp enough to do the job, and I knew Kellie and the kids were going to be jack-o-lanterning it up.

I just need Rob to snap some photos of me modeling my new apron, so check back in the next few days. I've been keeping pretty busy, so thecramerlemon has taken a back seat, and with the holiday season quickly approaching I can't imagine that I'll be finding myself with more time on my hands, but I'll do the best I can.