Busy days
I knew it was a
busy week, but I didn’t realize quite how bad until I got up one morning and
discovered the breakfast dishes from the day before still in the sink! And then
there was the day I took a nap, woke with a start and wondered, “Why am I in
bed? Did I forget to get up this morning?” Some weeks go by without my feeling that I am engaged with the world. This week was definitely the opposite, and I loved it.
Part of what kept
me busy and distracted, of course, was the impeachment hearings. I wouldn’t say
I was glued to every word—I tend to wait for summaries I trust. But I kept it
on, watched the way people talked and held themselves, and listened intently
only occasionally. I am in awe of the quiet, calm professionalism of the career
people from the state department, and I am mightily impressed that women made
such a strong showing. Maria Yovanovitch, Jennifer Williams, Laura Cooper, and
Fiona Hill were unflappable, knowledgeable, self-confident, quite a contrast to
the sloppy posture and presentation of their Republican antagonists. I saw a
cartoon depicting Devin Nunes as Dopey, Gym Jordan (somebody buy him a jacket!)
as Sleazy, and Castor, the Republican lawyer, as Sleepy—he was slouched so far
down in his chair, he was almost horizontal. Not a pose that bespeaks alert
intelligence. In fact, I read somewhere that he elicited damning information,
on trump, from people he questioned.
The men were no
less remarkable—confident, knowledgeable, unshakeable. Bill Taylor got most of
the accolades, but I was impressed by David Holmes. He seemed almost amused by
and a little disdainful of some of his interrogators. All in all, it was quite
a show. The question is now, what next? Republicans are crowing that they will
never abandon trump—they apparently recognize his guilt but don’t care. Will
they hold firm when push comes to shove? Will they take into account the
various signs that indicate trump and his cronies are Russian puppets, the
abandonment of the Kurds being he most blatant. The Ukraine affair may easily
be tied to Russia too—just listen again to Dr. Hill’s testimony.
My week beyond
watching TV was one of sociability—lunches at Black Rooster and Nonna Tata,
where I discovered that my favorite dish, braseola, is still available if no
longer on the menu; dinner at the Tavern, where I discovered my good friend
Betty does not eat artichokes, even grilled and slathered in butter and
lemon. Last night, while Jordan went to a work event in Dallas, Christian and I
went to a Connections Dinner at church. The point is to get members to dine and
visit with new faces. At our table there was only one face new to me, but the
others were people I rarely talk to more than to say “Good morning” on Sundays,
so it was fun. The food was delicious, prepared by Louise Lamensdorf, formerly
of Bistro Louise (there are perks to belonging to UCC and Louise’s occasional dinners
are one of them). It was a beef stew kind of dish but with distinctive
seasoning, a little bit sweet and sour, and a wonderful vegetable and white
bean soup. I believe she said the dishes were Tuscan.
So today, chilly
and wet in the morning, was a perfect day to stay home and regroup. I did odds
and ends at my desk—how did I get so many of them? And began to get things
together to go to Tomball for Thanksgiving. I’ll go Sunday and be gone most of
the week, leaving behind Jordan and Christian to host their first big holiday
meal. Oops, no—I remember that we had Alter Christmas at their house in Hulen Bend one year, but it was a long
time ago.
And tonight, it’s me,
a copy of Food & Wine, and a new cozy mystery. Life is good.
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