Here we spin, from unpacking to making shelves, to reassembling my studio, to rebuilding life. Today is new. We cooked. Not only for dinner, but for the freezer. This speaks of our plan to be here for a while. We made Minestrone, from the chicken I cooked for dinner last night. All last evening the house got richer by smell as the hours passed. The meat and bones made broth like the elixir of gods, a soul satisfying aroma. Today we minced garlic, chopped onions and celery and carrots. The beans were rinsed, kidney, garbanzo. The summer squash, stewed tomatoes, green beans, and pesto stirred in by turns, and simmered until the flavor was full of mmmm. Now there are 6 packages frozen for another day. Lunches.

But that wasn’t enough.We needed dinners. So we made spaghetti sauce too. While the soup was simmering, I browned the beef, chopped onion, squeezed garlic, shook pepper. The bottled sauce was added, and we put our own spin on it. Though we didn’t start with raw tomatoes, the flavor is unique to us. Parsley, oregano, a dash of dill, and the secret ingredient, a spoon of Hatch Green Chili Powder, bought in New Mexico. This is not a hot flavor, but richness itself, umami. That wonderful taste you recognize as being the reason people love to eat. It feels like the last time your whole family came together for the holidays, and it was still early enough in the visit that you loved all mankind. The taste makes you tear up with gladness. Now 5 dinners of that in the freezer.

A few more days like this, and we’ll belong here.