I have been scarce here. I have been cooking up a storm, but it has all been for groups and it feels like everything I make goes straight into a steam tray and is eaten off paper plates.

It started on Thursday August 24, when we had our block party. WIth two blocks participating, we had about 40 people. I grilled burgers, ribs and hot dogs.

The next day, Friday August 25, we had a large BBQ for activists from many neighborhoods. I think we had a thread about that. There were 45-ish people here, I think. The night before, I filled my big cooler with hot water and ziplock bags of ribs and chicken wings, and ran the sous vide stick all night. The next day, I stood at the grill with a bowls of buttermilk and panko crumbs, pulled out bags, and grilled, pan-fried, and deep fried all afternoon. SWBO made big bowls of pasta salad and I forget what else.

On Saturday September 14, we had an adult slumber party for about a dozen ladies from SWMBO’s political activism group. It was still warm enough to eat outside, so I made deboned and roasted chicken, more ribs, more deep fried wings, and salmon cakes. I sous vided salmon (1 h at 130F with salt, sugar, lemon and dill), added things, made cakes, and deep fried them. We also had Other Stuff. Memory fails me.

Friday September 20 was the big celebration for our new Historic District. We were donated use of the dance hall that used to be the neighborhood social club, I mean used to be like a century ago. DD used her commercial cooking chops to help us make tray after tray of stuffed mushrooms, meatballs in gravy, bacon-wrapped melon, multiple salads, cheeses and various baked goods. SWMBO and her helpers did all the decor and settings, and set up the wine, coffee, and kegs of beer. We conscripted DS and DD as unpaid bartenders, although they did get tips. We had about 300 neighbors for drinks, dinner, music, dancing, videos and speeches. We pulled the whole thing off for about $1,500.

On Tuesday October 8, my house was pressed into service for an emergency meeting of about ten people who were starting to organize a search for a missing teenager. I cooked something. No idea what.

The Democratic Presidential debate was Tuesday October 15, and we had a debate watching party. Again, whatever I made has disappeared from my recollection, but I do remember being too busy cooking and serving to watch the debate. Drinking may have taken place.

My neighborhood has a printed newsletter, that about four dozen volunteers deliver five times a year to our roughly 1,860 houses. I’m the newsletter editor, so I decided to have an appreciation party on Friday October 18 for the delivery volunteers. Turns out they have never, as in ever, had an event put on for them. Crazy, but one couple has been delivering newsletters since 1988 and they swear it is true. So that was a fun party, about 24 attended and I got to use some of the leftover wine from the September 20 event. We served a tableful of food. I think there were more stuffed mushrooms and some mini pizzas, but I can’t remember anything else. Everything is becoming a blur.

On Saturday October 19 SWMBO and I were assigned to bring (a lot of) coffee and (a little bit of) breakfast to a city park, where that day’s search party for the missing teen was starting. About 150 people got coffee, heard from the boy’s parents, were organized into search teams, briefed and given with maps and flyers, and fanned out to search different parts of the city. They had been searching for almost two weeks.

That afternoon, I joined one of the search teams on part of the Portland riverfront. This was an area of rocky coves and small sandy beaches, flanking railroad tracks, ruins of industrial buildings, steep tangled ravines and areas of pretty-much rainforest, as well as a toxic Superfund site. The boy’s father was with us, in a blue rain slicker and boots. A lawyer, he’d been out searching for his son every day since the 8th. We found remains of homeless camps, bottles and food containers, small piles of discarded items, girls’ underwear, children’s shoes.

We had been asked to provide food for a gathering of the missing boy’s family and the leaders of the search effort, at the family’s house on Sunday October 20. I made pulled pork sliders, salmon hash sliders, and SWMBO made a big salad and other things, along with an AirPot of coffee. During the gathering, the detectives arrived at the family’s house and sent everyone else home.

That evening we learned that a body had been recovered from the Willamette River. On Monday October 21 the family announced that the body had been identified as their son.

The next day, Tuesday October 22, we hosted a gathering for everyone who had led the effort to find the boy. The publicity/media team, social media team, family support team, and all the search team leaders. The boy’s mother and father came. They are remarkable people, strong and full of grace, and surrounded by many close friends. The dad talked to me about Owen’s love for music, his vinyl record collection, his plans to study in Tokyo next summer. I went outside and cried.

On Sunday October 27 we threw a baby shower for an infant who, SWMBO has informed me, is our granddaughter. Or god-granddaughter. I am unclear. Apparently her parents were disowned by their respective families, on account of theirs being a same-sex marriage. So SWMBO, Heather and Mallory decided that we need a new child in our family. At least this takes the pressure off DD and DS, so it’s been pitched to me. Anyway, we had about a dozen ladies here for food - exactly what food, I couldn’t tell you, but I recall making tea sandwiches - and painting onesies. The infant got onesies that instruct her to Challenge Stereotypes, Persist and Resist, and Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down. I think that’s a bit demanding for a one-month old, so the onesie I painted just says KEEP CALM AND EAT.

It is Monday October 28. Owen’s funeral mass will be on Wednesday October 30, and the parents asked us to do the food for the memorial gathering afterwards. I don’t know how 100, or 200, the numbers keep rising, people are supposed to fit in their house, especially now that the weather is cold. I got the dance hall as an alternative location, but the decision is that the event will be in their home, so I will just cook. I have never cooked for a funeral before. I won’t be able to go to the mass. It will be another blurry day.

The good thing is that I installed a new kitchen faucet. Aside from reminding me how much I hate plumbing, the new faucet and my Hobart dishwasher lets us wash and put away hundreds of pieces of flatware, glassware, and serving platters in a couple of jiffys. For some reason we now own all this stuff, as well as four or five chafing dishes, a 100 cup coffee maker, multiple AIrPots, table cloths, and folding tables, in addition to and three more chafing dishes and a mess of hotel pans borrowed from SWMBO’s caterer friend. I am seriously thinking about buying some of those insulated carrying containers for trays. You’d think we actually plan on doing more events.

Which I don’t. Not for a while. When this is done, I’m going to cook nothing for awhile and then I’ll start small. Maybe I'll sous vide an egg.