Bow-Wow Blam Bake & Sugar Cookies

The sky is gray outside, washing my whole house in dimness. Already it feels like the day has faded away drearily, though the clock reads noon. I wish it adjusted to how the days actually appear, the atmosphere of them. Yet it ticks on relentlessly, a lonely scorekeeper of ages upon ages and beyond. Outside, the air is heavily-moist and humid; the rain wants to fall desperately to chill the earth down below. I stand in my kitchen on the almost-freezing tiles, and I begin to battle the day's innate loneliness. In my hand I carry an old family recipe, from my husband's side, previously untried in our home. It's a strange one in which molasses marries with mustard and pork-and-beans. Grilled onions and sliced sausages are added here and there, and this queer coupling of ingredients fascinates me. I gather ingredients and arrange them neatly in an accessible line on my counter. My casserole dish is already waiting beside them, thrilled at the attention to be bestowed upon it shortly. I mix and add, subtract some truly strange ingredients...and suddenly, a casserole forms. It is strange, yet it presents a delicate balance of sweetness and saltiness. I cannot resist a nibble, and I am surprised. The oven, a happy 350 degrees, opens it mouth to swallow the meal, a Cave of Wonders in my very own kitchen. Soon a pleasant aroma fills the house, and I dimness recedes a bit in the golden glow of the kitchen light. Or perhaps it simply decided to join us for lunch.
While the casserole bubbles warmly in the oven I begin to make sugar-cookie dough. If nothing else cheers the soul, cookies can always do the trick. The dough is a sweet reminder of spring, and as the rain begins to streak down the windows and drum on the walkway politely, I wonder if it too recalls the sugar-cookie days of spring. Select cookie cutters tumble about- a truck, a dinosaur, a star, a teddy bear...- all press themselves eagerly into the soft dough. Tiny sugar candies lend their colors to the creamy pallet, and soon the kitchen is warm and practically sunny. The rain falls, the time passes, the clouds continue to burst and the sky remains slate-gray...here in my kitchen however, only happiness stays.