Fuck You Pope!

Who, the fuck, do you think you are, Pope Asshole? 

The above is a headline from this morning’s CNN website. I’m appalled by the gall of the world’s most notorious cabal of pedophiles and sexual abusers judging me and others like me, not for the things we do, but for being who we are. Fuck you all! It’s you who sin, you fuckers. 

•

Sunday was weird. There was a soft, gentle rain, excellent for my newly seeded lawn; it stated early in the morning and lasted until one-thirty in the afternoon. I read my fabulous, wonderful book, Dirt, by Bill Buford, about his five years apprenticing in celebrated French kitchens.

He lived in Lyon for the bulk of the story, a city celebrated for its non-acceptance of others. I knew of what he writes because I invited French people for dinner at my place once I’d gotten to know them—all from work and school. I was quickly told that wasn’t done.

In his second year in Lyon, two women who ran a respected Lyonnais restaurant, invited themselves to the Bufords’ for an Italian dinner. (Buford had already finished an Italian course of culinary study, years before and is a passionate advocate of Italian cuisine.) The women brought heir husbands, their restaurant manager (and partner) and two others.

They ate as ten and after an extraordinary feat of cooking and timetabling, Bill was exhausted, and they had consumed a lot of wine. Bill invites everyone into their salon to wind down, opens French doors that lead to their patio and they look out at the view of the city lights and the dark ribbon of the river. And as I read, I started crying. I could imagine I; I could feel it. 

He’s a magnificent and inventive storyteller; he’s funny, revealing, honest, casual, knowledgeable, brave; he’s just clever, clever, clever. Just like Derek DelGaudio and his story: In and Of Itself. Thank God for clever, clever, multi-skilled people! Especially when it’s raining.

After spending the past couple of weeks outdoors, I wanted to be outside yesterday. At about two, the rain stopped, and the winds came, and the sky started clearing. I had a spa and went back to my book, eat and watch Belgravia and The Great Canadian Baking Show. Yay CBC!

•

Today and until Wednesday we’re predicted to have sunshine, so I’ll be able to spend the days outdoors before the rains return on Thursday. Hooray! This morning will begin with a dog walk with my friends, and then I’ll be cleaning up the back lawns, getting rid of the Winter forest fall. I’ll likely burn a lot of it in my incinerator. I love having it going because when my hands get cold, I can quickly and easily warm then.

I love being outside!