Negative Eight degrees Fahrenheit.

Yesterday Buster refused to frolic outside. He did his business as instructed, then insisted that I pick him up and take him back inside the house IMMEDIATELY. He would not budge. The little dog knows his limits.

I read this morning that a boy in Indiana actually got his tongue stuck to a flagpole. By the time help arrived, he had gotten it un-stuck, but an ambulance worker had to tell his mother how to care for his wounded tongue.

Buster is pretty smart.

Having recently joined the FACEBOOK community, I am unsure of how to feel about it. One friend's perspective on FB is that people who live on the coasts (and I think she meant to say in cities, as well, but that's my assumption) are more accustomed to letting it all hang out and tend to worry less about the loss of privacy associated with social networking. My brother wouldn't touch FB with a virtual ten foot pole, for fear of possible professional ramifications. I was oddly delighted to find this
http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2009/01/09/facebook-the-ultimate-nostalgia-killer/
on Andrew Sullivan's blog, having recently confessed to my coastal friend that having "friends" from several distinct lifetimes all jumbled up together evokes feelings I haven't been able to nail down with words I use regularly. There hasn't been anything so effective as a reminder of just where one stands in the social pecking order since picking teams on the playground.

I'm still not sure how I am supposed to use FACEBOOK. Once in a while, while snooping around looking for some long lost acquaintance, I happen upon someone who "has no friends". I have to wonder if that's really the truth. Is that person is new to facebook, or has he done what I have considered in moments of FB discomfort, which is to delete all "friends" in an attempt to eliminate the feelings of social retardation that this new form of interaction evokes. Often I find that I'm not as interested in being "friends" with people as I am in simply knowing that they are alive and well after all this time. Is there something wrong with finding my new step-children and in-laws in the friend pile with people I partied with decades ago, or is it just me? What do I really have to say to someone I dated 25 years ago? Or to an acquaintance I haven't kept up with? It depends...

MmmmmOnion Soup:

3 lg yellow onions, julienned

1 lg red onion, julienned

2 lg shallots, julienned

1 bunch leeks, white part only, sliced and cleaned

2 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil sufficient for caramelizing onions

6 oz Chardonnay

4 c good quality store bought beef stock

4 c chicken stock

fresh thyme--a couple of tablespoons, chopped

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

croutons

Comte

In a heavy pot, heat olive oil (start with about 1/4 cup, you may need to add more) over medium-high heat. Add onions, leeks, and shallots and allow to caramelize, stirring to prevent burning. This will take some time, and more olive oil may be needed as the onions absorb it.) When caramelization is near done, add garlic and cook enough to soften. Add the thyme and stir around for a minute or two. Pour in the wine, scrape any naughty bits off the bottom of the pan, and allow this mixture to bubble for a couple of minutes. Add the stock. Bring to a boil just long enough to skim off any "scum" that may rise to the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Season to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls, top with croutons and then cheese, broil until cheese is bubbly, enjoy!