While outside it’s raining, and sleeting and freezing,
inside my crockpot is bubbling with fragrant stew,
offering me generous comfort and companionship,
embracing the entire house with its delicious aroma of
tasty promise, a guarantee of sorts against the
cold and hunger,
hunger for food to comfort my body,
hunger for food to feed my soul with
culinary love and friendship.
Oh the good fortune that blesses me
with appreciation for the simple joys of life,
for nourishing food, and most of all,
for dear friends.
Susan P. Blevins, an ex-pat Brit, lived in Italy for twenty-six years, traveled the world extensively, and has now settled in Houston, Texas, where she is enjoying writing stories and poems based on her travels and adventures. She had a weekly column on food in a European newspaper while living in Rome, and has published various articles on gardens and gardening while living in northern New Mexico, before moving to Houston. Since living in Houston she has been published in various literary magazines, both in hard copy and online. Her passions are classical music, gardening, nature, animals (cats in particular), reading and of course, writing. She has written a journal since she was about nine. She is a true bibliophile and has books in every room of her house.