Winter

In the East, the sky is becoming a very anemic pink. It’s 7:30 AM in Michigan, mid-winter. Snow, at times mixed with freezing rain, fell all day Saturday, but we’re prepared, here, and the snow removal services both private and municipal made sure we were able to get out of our houses, driveways, and streets. Still, it’s cold and dark —- far below freezing, in fact. Not, however, quite as bad as last year when we had a Polar Vortex. But that could come again.

Snow in my front yard.

I've been sort of holed-up in my house reading a long history book, and also starting and not finishing a few other books. It's a new week, now, with new things to think about and to do.

Remembering a Leader

Martin Luther King speaking in Berkeley, California, in 1967. I attended this speech. (Washington Post Photo)

Martin Luther King Day is today. I remember KIng's leadership and his tragic death vividly. I heard him speak three times, and he was a memorable orator in a style that's no longer very current among American leaders (that I know of). Every year on his day there are lots of speeches and articles and marches to say what we learned from his life, what we should have learned, how things have changed, and how things have remained the same. I don't need to repeat this.

Cooking

This kind of weather demands comfort food, obviously. I’ve been experimenting with flavors, some new. Not all my experiments are photogenic, though! I’ve bought a second new cookbook by the author Maki Watanabe titled Asian Salads. Like her book Asian Noodles, which I bought a few weeks ago, it explains the ingredients and gives recipes for a variety of interesting dishes.

Stir-fried broccolini salad.

Chicken basted with Hoi-Sin sauce to go with the broccolini.

Snowy Weather Demands Movie-Going

There was nothing that we wanted to do outdoors in the cold grey weather yesterday, so we went to see the recent movie "Knives Out."

It's a very tightly plotted murder mystery with two rather featureless detectives, a very unpleasant set of the victim's relatives, and Daniel Craig.  Craig is a private investigator who doesn't quite know why he's been asked to look into an apparent suicide. Also featured: a creepy, creaky mansion filled with little oddball collectibles that belonged to the dead man. All the actors were just great!

We loved it!

I've been working on this post since the anemic sunrise, and now it's becoming a sunny morning. Maybe a bit of a walk will make this a better day!