How to Change a Lightbulb - Dill Pickle Egg Salad

The house was suddenly cold. It was very cold. It was one of those snowy winter days where the heat is on constantly. You can hear the hum of the system as it pumps out hot air, keeping us all warm and toasty. But suddenly, the cold had started creeping in from the edges of the room, something was amiss.

Poet and Flower spent the weekend playing in the snow, more mud outside than snow, but they were two delighted little kids. They came in covered head to toe and loving it. After peeling off boots, gloves, snow pants, hats, coats, and clothes, this left me with a pile of very muddy clothing. Casually, I tossed everything in the washing machine, business as usual. But the machine kept spinning and spinning. I was sure the machine had broken. There was a soggy heap of clean but very wet clothing.

I got out the owner's manual (a very long booklet filled with obscure illustrations and numbers.) Slowly I pieced together that I could unplug the machine and try to reset it. But I could not reach the back, and the washer and dryer were much too heavy to move. I was officially frustrated and turned to G for help. He was calm, thoughtful, and reflective. He suggested flipping the circuit breaker to see if that would reset things—a much simpler idea.

We flipped the breaker. But nothing happened. And then we waited. I realized now that the heat had shut off. In trying to fix one thing, we had broken the heat. Now we were left with a soggy heaping pile of clothes, no washer, and no heat. The list was slowly growing.

When all else fails, you turn to Google. After all, Google has all the answers (It was G's idea). G googled how to fix everything, or actually first the heat. We managed to turn the heat back on by resetting it. And after some trial and error realized the machine had never been broken in the first place. The heavy, bulky winter clothes had unbalanced the machine, so it spun and spun without shutting off.

How many people does it take to change a lightbulb? It is these littlest of things that can go amiss in a day. And it's easy to become frustrated and a little disheartened by these setbacks, no matter how small they may be. I am lucky to be able to turn to G for help and advice. Family and friends are the scaffolding that helps hold our lives together.

It was late and we were all tired. I remembered one of my mom's classic sandwich recipes. She would occasionally make egg salad. Eggs are incredibly easy and can be prepared in so many delicious ways. Here I've added a little celery salt and a dill pickle to give the egg salad a little twist. The dill pickle gives it a little crunch and some tanginess. With some chopped shallot, you have a sweet tangy egg salad that is not one dimensional. We don't have it too often, but it's great to make every now and then.

Sometimes the every day can be overwhelming. A little patience, some help, (and some yummy food) can go a long way. A little patience, some help, (and some yummy food) can go a long way.

Dill Pickle Egg Salad

A twist on the classic egg salad. Fresh dill and chopped pickles give traditional egg salad a lift with a little tang and crunchiness.

Serves 3

• 4 large eggs
• 2 shallots (minced)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1. In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the eggs, check to see that they are submerged by about 1/2 to 1 inch. Then turn the heat down, and simmer briskly for 10 minutes. Place in an ice water bath to cool and set aside.
2. Peel the eggs and chop them roughly. Add in the shallots, mayonnaise, dill, salt, red wine vinegar and dijon mustard. Mix well.
3. Serve on crackers or good sandwich bread.