Farewell to a Friend
Monday, April 27th, 2009
Bogey lived with us for over 14 years. One thing about her: she was always herself. Always one ear cocked to a distant drummer, maybe a bagpipe in the border lands. She had games that only she understood, strict rules about the timing and boundaries of a rousing game of ball, for example. The hinge on the back door was an object of studied contemplation, and efforts to violate its space on the part of our dog Sunny, or any passer-by for that matter, were met with stiff resistance and frantic circling.
She loved to circle; we imagined her herding imaginary sheep, following an inner gyroscope invisible to the rest of us. She loved it so much we had to set up an obstacle course in the back yard to change her tracks and save the grass. (more…)
I’m a real Texan, and ashamed to admit it: I’d been duped, a frog boiled into believing that the fast-food, slam-bam Tex-Mex chains proliferating on the frontage roads were pretty decent. Searching for lunch, and after finding another favorite down-home dining spot in McKinney had closed, we said “Oh yeah! What about San Miguel?” Hadn’t been there in years. 
Yep, he’s got a knack for them. Gary’s deviled eggs are a masterpiece of simplicity and subtle flavors that elevate the dish beyond a “slider”; they make me pause and say, “Thanks, chicken!” Two key ingredients: Fruth Farm-fresh eggs ($4.50/doz at Flavors From Afar) and Spanish Smoked Paprika ($3.99, same place). 
We spent a week in Abruzzo last September, looking for lost relatives of the Donatelli family (see September 2008 posts for more). L’Aquila was our base, home camp where we returned at night to refuel, to sleep, and, honestly, to watch the Dow crater at 10:30 at night Italy time.