Last night I was really hungry but could muster energy for only the simplest of meals. Fortunately, simple is often divine. Such was made the case with a fresh baguette, two amazing cheeses, and my obsessive favorite, the kale salad. Wine and my crossword moved dinner into utter perfection. And then T got home and all was even better. Have you tasted Meadow Creek Dairy's Grayson cheese? It is pale orange, maintains a firm wobble, has a delightful amount of stink, and I adore it. A washed-rind, raw milk cheese from Virginia, it's not available all year, so when I can enjoy it, I seriously do. A nice wedge of it was Star A last night. Star B was a modest chunk of Humboldt Fog's Truffle Tremor, a goat-milk cheese infused with black summer truffles. It's got a nice rind and then a runny, gooey shell that gives way to a firm interior. Ridiculously good, especially at room temp when the runny factor is maximized!

On another note completely, I do wonder about Oliver's passion for creating "found art." I am all about and and wildly supportive of environmental stewardship and kids making their own toys and treasures, but this pile represents just part of one day's work. He swears each piece is beyond important and special to him, but honestly y'all, if I didn't recycle 95% of this each day, can you imagine what the state of my home would soon be?

Jack is already verging on hoarder behavior, and it appears that Ol is rapidly joining his team. They attempt to save every gum and candy wrapper and have a special drawer for them (I empty that every day), Oliver's paper clip collection is monstrous, his teacher now brings him box tops from her home because she knows how much he loves them, and Jack's desk is a terrifying mound of notes, half-drawings, banana peels, bookmarks, Legos, old erasers....