Mita: The Angry Squirrel

I like it when lots of things are going on, but nothing's happening. For example: we went horseback-riding Friday, but we're not being audited, or some other such tomfoolery. The human condition is such that people always have some stupid thing on their minds... but I don't really. It's neat. I feel like I'm defying convention.

I'm glad Tim's got nerve. Riding my family's horses can be a practice in monk-like, Zen self-centering techniques because they like to do things like scraping you off on bushes, kicking fenceposts and stopping, mid-canter, to pee (the horses, that is, not my family). Tim did amazingly well for someone who's never ridden a horse past a walking pace, which is to say he didn't freak out and he didn't fall off. And even though my cousin Amanda got stung on the forehead by a wasp, and my saddle nearly slipped off sideways... it was a great ride that ended without any major catastrophies. I also got a free spaghetti dinner, and my cousins and I picked gooseberries for the first time since Amber and I were wee.

Yesterday went much the same way... a whole of doin' stuff but nothing really happening. The Hotchkiss pool (where Trina was a lifeguard for a million and a half years) was as exciting as ever. My cousin Sam, who is the only little kid I ever babysat (because he's the only little kid I never wanted to throttle) is eleven years old. That means I'm like 80 and need to retire. I'm glad that my cousins are finally old enough to swim because I can do cool things like throwing them across the pool and swimming along the bottom while they sit on my back. I like not having to worry about accidently killing people I love.

Gooseberry Pie

3 Cups Black Gooseberries (Grandma's rolling over right now, she always used green ones)
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Heaping Cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Flour
pinch salt

Combine, place in nine-inch pie crust and cover with second crust. Cut slits to ventilate and place in 350 degree oven for about one hour. Voila.