Stop the presses: This is NEWS

Sorry to light your pants on fire, but I made dinner and dessert tonight and do believe that constitutes a news flash. The day started in a sub-par way when I went to the farmers market and came home as tired as if I'd just climbed to the Empire State Building's second observation deck, singing and poo-poohing the elevator all the way up. I felt utterly pathetic and sank into just a bit of despair during which time I started puzzling Wine Country on my trusty card table. A greater sense of self-pity ensued, and then after I'd asked the boys seven times each to stop climbing up the back of my couch -the one Percy marks and Nutmeg kneads his nails on, so really why do I care at this point, but I do because even though they act like animals sometimes, the boys are actually humans who must/will learn proper behavior- I just dissolved into a fit of tears (not helpful in the congestion department), sent them upstairs and wallowed over a Riesling bottle whose color rendering really did not translate accurately between the box cover and the pieces.

I did manage to pull it all together, enjoyed a conference call with my writing group, bathed Ol, read him Polite as a Princess -again; curiously, he can recite the entire book and regularly applauds the princesses for their unparalleled Emily Post-like etiquette but he seems less enthused about incorporating these lovely ladies' suggestions into his own behavior. Alas.

Then I decided that come hell or high water, I would make my husband dinner. Fresh pesto with basil from this morning's market + sungold tomatoes + homemade ricotta + this fabulous perciatelli. It needed salt but after a generous addition of it was wonderful. I also made Amanda Hesser's plum tart which is so good it renders me speechless every time I make it, which is often. Last summer, I think I baked this about 87 times. Tonight, I didn't have enough plums so interlaced those I did have with fresh apricots. Gorgeous, yes?!?!?!