Santa Maria’s parents came into town over the weekend, and we stocked our refrigerator in anticipation of many great meals together. Fresh tarragon, for A la Recherche du Flounder Perdu (otherwise known as Rose Revived Flounder, a shrimp and flatfish extravaganza), fresh Romaine lettuce for a side salad, parsnips, for the hell of it, and so many other things that it is hard to close the door.

Saturday morning, Santa Maria’s 86-year old mother, who was holding a glass, tripped on the rug in our dining room, fell over a chair, and struck her head on the hardwood floor. The glass shattered, and her face was seriously cut. We called 911 immediately, and the EMTs rushed her to the hospital, where she and Santa Maria and her father spent the day.

Santa Maria’s mother came home with a broken humerus, or upper arm bone. The fracture is on the 'neck' of the bone, near the joint with the shoulder, and she needs surgery. It has not been the weekend we expected. There has not been much cooking to speak of.