Piquant Pumpkin Soup

These early December days seem to be zooming right on by. Memories of the past week's events replay in my mind like fast-forwarded scenes on a VHS tape.  Many times my only interaction with Joe has been in the car, commuting to and from opposite work shifts; as he completes night shifts, I begin day shifts.  Thankfully, the past few days of being cooped up in a stuffy office or convention center have coincided with the harshest winter weather slam that Denver has received this season. We received three nights of consecutive snowfall with temps dipping down into the negative digits! 

Today, however, all that I have on my itinerary is to spruce up the ol' apartment, enjoy a bit of sunshine, and blog. I can already check the first two items off my list. The AM hours were spent vacuuming, dusting, doing three loads of laundry, taking out trash, washing dishes, and scrubbing the bathroom, kitchen, and hardwood floors. I am always amazed at how quickly a small 1-bedroom apartment with two tidy residents can explode into messy chaos. How does anyone manage kids, pets, and more square feet, in addition to full-time employment? I stand flabbergasted!  

By mid-day, the temperatures have risen to a balmy 40 degrees. My running shoes were sloshing all the way around the snow-packed trails of Cheesman Park, but I sort of enjoyed the irregular acoustics. Crunch, crunch, splash. Crunch, splash, crunch!  Squirrels were all a buzz in the warm sunshine, scampering through the snow with bushy tails twitching. They seemed to be baiting every leased dog to a game of chase.  

Then for a slow lunch, some leftover, spicy pumpkin soup: 

As it turns out, I dined in my bedroom to escape the gritty banging taking place right outside my table window:

There I still remain, comfortably lounging in an old IKEA chair with feet propped up on the bed corner, completing the last thing on my list. Blogging. My digital escape. I can't describe what compels me to continue posting about the amateur happenings in my kitchen. There seems to be hundreds upon thousands upon millions of food bloggers out there.  Each with, what seems to be, well-planned signature themes or goals, and professionally edited photos.  The Curious Cook appears to be without rhyme or reason to the foods prepared, or the nature in which events are posted. Some entries capture detailed cooking processes step-by-step, while others only highlight the finished products. Some are recipe-oriented, others are life-oriented. I have no cooking merit, nor interest in becoming famous. But here I am!  Typing away during any free opportunity, because I simply find joy in it. Because I love to write. Because I hope to inspire others to play with food. Because it inspires me to continue inspiring myself. 

For those of you reading these posts, I want to say, "thank you."  You always make my kitchen feel warm and buzzing with company, even though we may be hundreds of miles apart.  

The sun is now low in the late afternoon sky, setting my beige walls ablaze with orange. A sort of spiced pumpkin color, I decide.  Supper is on the horizon. This is my signal to, once again, return to the kitchen...