Ernie: R.I P.



I received the sad news this morning that Ernie the cat has died. Although I was not one who cared for Ernie when Babz was traveling I was one who cared about him. I know how hard it is to bid farewell to a true and faithful pet; I've had to do it twice. Here is part of the lovely and poignant obit by his temporal keeper, Babz:

"Unfailingly cheerful, good-natured, and curious about everything that came his way, he shared my home, my friends, my good times and the not-so good ones, too; in short, he shared my life. We never took a vacation together, and he didn't join me on walks or bike rides, but he was always here waiting for me, happy to see me, ready to chat and enjoy a brushing or just hang out. Not a day went by that he didn't make me laugh. I will miss that, and him."


Have you ever cooked with celery root, or celeric, as it is called? I have never bough the stuff, although I love it when it is turned into céleri remoulade. The next time you are in Paris go to Alesia in the 14th and buy some at the charcouterie on rue Alesia. You won't be sorry. It is the best in the world. As I am always looking for relatively bland dishes to please the palate of the Patient, I bought a celery root, chopped it up, boiled it and incorporated it into some mashed potatoes. It was a hit!

Gina and I were going to walk the UC Davis Arboretum this morning but it was so foggy we turned around and stayed in the neighborhood. We'll try again tomorrow. The redbud should be just about to burst into bloom and I don't want to miss it before we go.