Meyer Lemons

We have a sweet fruit native to China that is very popular in this region -- the Meyer lemon. It is great as an ingredient in many dishes or just as a raw fruit. I like it with fish, for example. You may be able to get it elsewhere in this country -- I really don't know. But California exports lots of fruit, so maybe check it out.

Speaking about fish, I had brunch with Aidan and Julia yesterday at a restaurant called Al's on Mission Street. The former owners collected movie memorabilia, and the kids and I have been going there since thy were tiny. Yesterday I ordered fish and chips.

Then, Julia and I went over to El Cerrito, where we hung out with Laila and Sarah and their kids. Loic's mom again cooked a French meal, this time  chicken with potatoes au gratin. Delicious.

Later in the afternoon, Dylan got back from his three-day trip to South Lake Tahoe, a long rock concert and snow. Today, all three kids went off to Asilomar with their mom.

So, rarely on a Friday night, I am alone, and guess what. I am thinking of cooking fish sticks, Maybe I am getting in touch with my British roots, even though I have no British roots. Just Scottish and Irish and French so far as I know.

Maybe I will squirt some Meyer lemon on those fish sticks.

But if you want to know what I really wish I could do it is this. I wish I could be back in Michigan as a boy with my family at Rolling Hills and my mother cooking a freshly caught bass or pike over the grill. A fish that my dad had caught.

I'd like to squirt some Meyer lemon over that meal, along with butter.

That obviously will never happen again.

Such is memory and such is aging. We remember things through our senses, in this case my sense of smell and taste. Those are very strong senses that render the past as present.

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Happy Year New

Well, there goes 2014! Here, it was a good year, with the arrival of Daisy Julia Comolli a highlight almost a year ago. She's been walking since taking her first steps on Thanksgiving.

Aidan and Dylan moved away to Missoula and their first year of college.

Julia adapted to her sophomore year in high school. She said she would like to add classes and graduate after three years because she feels ready for college now.

Laila and Loic and their three beautiful children hosted many of our family get-togethers and I hope to go to their house again tomorrow, the first day of 2015.

Sarah and her three beautiful chldren moved to San Jose, closer than Sacramento!

Peter and Claire are moving to Pasadena in March.

The Giants won the World Series -- again.

An epic drought, the worst in at least 1,200 years, has been punctured a bit by huge winter storms.

I feel older, tired much of the time, but grateful for my family and my job. I managed to save money for my "retirement" this year; I was doing the math today.

It is what passes for cold out here, but many of you have much worse weather.

Bless all of my family and friends and anyone who happens to pass by this blog.

Feliz año nuevo!

Merry Christmas!

Pre-Holiday Get-Together

Why?

Every time I write a post like my last one, debating whether to stop, I suddenly start finding little reasons to continue. It might be sighting a hummingbird in the backyard, or a pretty woman smiling at me on the street, a conversation with a neighbor, or the patterns the wet leaves make on the sidewalk as I walk back and forth to my job.

All that happened to me today!

It's only a blog. It gets barely any traffic -- a visit or two a day. In its heyday many people read this but that was then.

Now is now. I'll keep going, for now.

Happy holidays.

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Time to End This?

I am truly not sure this blog is serving any real purpose any longer. There was a time it was infused with energy. I thought I had found away to communicate through my own personal lens about issues and dilemmas that touch all of us.

But I was a lot younger then than I am now. And my energy, to be frank, is waning. It is hard to muster the strength to write anything of any interest beyond my own family. My focus is inward, not outward.

I am working in a very demanding job. Actually, I have the equivalent of three jobs. Physically, it is proving hard to hold up.

Truly, at this point, the most rewarding moments of life are the little things. Very small and personal and inside the family. I do not think sharing them is likely to be useful to anyone reading this words.

I am old beyond my age. My body hurts in more ways than I would ever admit. My mind wanders. If this were a public blog, which it is not, the world would deserve better.

The very, very few of you who read this crap deserve better. I just feel too old, too ill and too exhausted by my day job to continue this blog.

I think it is time to sign off. I've tried to do this before, but I think this is finally the year. I've been publishing for 49 years, come January.

Maybe enough is enough.

Holiday Time

Really happy to have my two tall redheads at home for the winter break. Crossing fingers for their report cards. Cooked spaghetti last night. Went to Best Buy this morning. Looking forward to the holidays.

Life is good here.

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