“The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” - GK Chesterton

Yesterday at home, while I was at work, H was searching for the stapler.

Unbeknownst to him, I had organized all my office supplies in a cute little basket that lives on the bottom shelf of a table in my room, so that they would be close to hand when needed. He thought they might be in the drawer of that table, which, to be fair, is where they used to live. But when he opened the drawer, he discovered my deep, dark secret – my chocolate stash.

The lovely and kind Lazy Cow had sent me a bag of peppermint M&Ms, and a mint Aero bar, and various other minty and chocolaty delicacies from Down Under (and some books and a cool postcard, and some neat stickie-notes, the wonderful woman. Thank you, thank you!). Her chocolates were in the drawer, along with a bag of almond M&Ms, a roll of caramel chocolates from IKEA, and a box of chocolate-covered pretzels.

In MY defense, I will say that due to pregnancy hormones or some such crazy thing, my taste for chocolate has waned, and most of these have been in there for at least a week, some longer. The very fact that the pretzels were unopened, and that half a bag remained of an OPEN bag of M&Ms, is not only amazing but in my house, nothing short of miraculous.

Primo happened to be standing close by when H made this gruesome discovery.
According to H, he surveyed the treasure and solemnly said, “Dad, she LIKES chocolate.”

***************

I idly picked up Nick Hornby’s Housekeeping vs. the Dirt this afternoon, and while leafing through it, read an excerpt from Jess Walter’s book Citizen Vince.

I was under the mistaken impression that Walter’s books were YA – maybe because he first came to my attention via Garish and Tweed, and Jess does enjoy her YA lit.
(EXCEPT, I just went and searched Jess’s archives and no where does Jess Walter appear. Huh. Which blogger raved about The Zero? Who was it, ‘fess up...)
Anyhoo – I thoroughly enjoyed this three-page excerpt and promptly requested Citizen Vince from the library. His books are billed as both novels and thrillers, or mysteries. So right up my alley.

In non-thriller land, I am loving the leisurely reading of Ahdaf Soueif’s Map of Love, but I do wish I knew more about late-19th-century British colonialism in Egypt. Fortunately I happen to know an excellent reference librarian...

I am reading, between-times, Susan Cokal’s Mirabilis, which is odd and disturbing but for all that, incredibly engaging. I am trying to figure out just how Bonne the heroine is twisted, or if she will turn out to be very normal. The book so far has a Year of Wonders feel to it: Gina said, when I told her what I was reading, “Oh, you and your Black Plague!”

*****************

The school year begins in earnest tomorrow – Primo in school all day, Seg at preschool the full time (three hours), and The Baby and I will commence the cleaning and vacuuming that have been woefully neglected this summer, because H’s wine-tasting club is coming here Wednesday. And it would not be good if they stuck to the furniture.

But first I must go buy them cheese. Lots and lots of delicious cheese. And some crackers and olives and nuts and things. But mostly cheese. The Baby and I embark upon a Cheese Expedition tomorrow morning. And if the cheese store just HAPPENS to stock Kinder Bueno as well...well, no one will be any the wiser.
Especially since I have relocated my chocolate stash. Just between you and me, I have placed it in the Chocolate Protection Program and it is safely hidden once again.
Shhhh...don’t tell anyone...