I made cranberry sauce for the first time yesterday. Rumour had it that cranberries pop as you cook them. Popping cranberries! I envisioned little volcanic explosions, enhearded satisfying garumphls. As much pleasure as my first pomegranate, surely.

It turns out they pop invisibly, silently. The taste, at least, was startling. For those who revel in the pleasures of lists, a recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 navel orange
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
4 cups fresh cranberries, sorted, rinsed, and drained
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
PREPARATION:
Grate the peel from the orange, being careful to omit the white part. Juice the orange. Combine the orange peel, sugar, and ginger root in a heavy saucepan and stir with a whisk to blend. Add the orange juice and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved (5-10 minutes). Then add the fresh cranberries. Cook and stir until cranberries begin to pop (this should take about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the toasted pecans. Cool sauce, stir to blend, then cover and store in refrigerator. Makes 3 cups sauce.

My taller little brother completed the Chicago marathon yesterday. He finished in 3:40, and that with no formal training.

My miles today? I think maybe 4-5. They were enough. Satisfying.

But:

I missed you today
As I ran through the rain
Mud-spattered like
Stuttered words.