today, tomorrow & always; there shall be cake

it's october 1st, the sun is shining bright, the sky is azure blue, and it's in the low-70's outside. one couldn't ask for a more beautiful early-autumn day. this morning, i made an earlier-than-usual round at the farmer's market to buy heirloom tomatoes & yellow summer squash. (i'll pick a pumpkin next week). the winter squash was tempting, but i think i'll wait till the weather cools a litte bit. on a cool fall evening, there's nothing like the smell of acorn or butternut squash, baking in the oven with a tad bit of brown sugar & butter, and a touch of cinnamon. mmm! anyway, i had to hurry home from the market to shower and get ready for the memorial service for my co-worker's son, andy. 23 years is much too short a life.

the church was packed, and it was clear that he had been loved and well-liked. but the real tear-jerker came when we saw his mom (my co-worker) there. earlier this week, she had been holding up okay (and probably numb). faye and i dropped by her house with a basket of assorted teas and a stuffed bear. but today, she broke down and was sobbing. it was so sad to watch, and i felt so very very bad. when we visited her on thursday, she showed us a gift he had made for her for his h.s. graduation. it was his high school senior portrait in a silver frame that he had engraved with: "Mom, you were here today, tomorrow, and always". he was her only child, her baby boy, and from what i hear, he never ever missed an opportunity to tell his mom he loved her. as sappy as it may sound, i hope that debbie knows that in a way, her son is still with her�today, tomorrow, and always.

switching gears, today is my dad's birthday. yay! that means my mom and dad are coming over here later so that we can go out to dinner at maharaja, and then celebrate with cake and presents**. i stayed up late last night vacuuming my apt, and baking a red velvet cake. the cake came out beautifully, and will be iced with cream-cheese frosting in just a bit. red velvet has always been a "special occasion" kind of cake to me, so i think dad's birthday is a fitting time for one. Note To Self: curry & naan is delish�but remember to save room for cake!
time to get out and enjoy the weekend!

**[Remind me to tell you about the challenges of buying presents for my parents, sometime!]