Lil' Lillian

Hello friends,

I am thrilled to announce the birth of my new niece, Lillian! She was born yesterday morning to my sister Christine and her husband Jonathan. Everyone in my family has been overjoyed with the news. And it's cool that my own baby now has a cousin, and I am now officially an uncle. We visit my sister pretty often, so it'll be great to see the two girls grow up together. Say hello to the next generation of Americans: Generation C (for Concord, of course)!

Two

Hello friends,

It's hard to believe, but it's been exactly two years since I began this blog. This is a bigger achievement than you may think. It's rare for any blog to last that long; for a blog with only three readers, it's a freaking miracle. So for this glorious occasion, I decided to celebrate with some Concord gelato. (Actually, that was two weeks ago, but the rules of time don't apply around here, as at least one of my readers can attest to.) Similar to the Concord sorbet that I made last year, this recipe calls for a little added cream which gives it a richer flavor. It was a big hit around the Concord household, and I'm sure it will become an annual tradition.

But there was another reason to celebrate. To fully understand this, you must go back to my very first post and remember the original purpose of this blog: to spread the word about Concord grapes to the people of America. And then you need to know what happened to me recently on a cold October morning in downtown Seattle. Here's the scoop: a couple weeks ago, I attended a fundraising breakfast for a local charity. Most of the guests arrived before the dining area was open, so people were mingling in the lobby and waiting. In that lobby was a long table with coffee, tea, and various little hors d'oeuvres for people to snack on, as well as a fruit platter. And on that fruit platter were the usual suspects: pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit. But here's the crazy part: there were also Concord grapes on the fruit platter! Not green grapes, not red grapes, not even black grapes (which look a lot like Concords but are, in fact, far inferior); no, these were honest-to-God Concords. I was shocked. Granted, nobody touched them, but there they were, on display for everyone to see. Actually, I did see one person eat a Concord, and then I witnessed her look of disgust as she realized that there were seeds in it and proceeded to spit it out. Regardless, my heart warmed with the thought that these grapes were finally beginning to break into the mainstream. Now, I don't know who catered this event, but I wouldn't be surprised if a friend of a friend of that caterer had stumbled upon my blog, got inspired, and started spreading the word. And that, my friends, is what keeps this blog going. Concords Are Better may be two years old today, but there are many more years to come!

Goodbye, Herkie

I am sad to announce that one of the Concord family's beloved cats, Hercules, has died. He passed away two weeks ago today from feline myelodysplasia. More than most cats, he was extremely playful and affectionate. He was also the smartest cat of all time, as demonstrated by his ability to open the latch on the bathroom window while balancing on the cabinet below. He may have teased his sister Pandora a bit too much, but it was all in good fun. I think she'll miss him, too.

The Littlest Concord

Dear Readers,

It's been ages since I last wrote, and big changes have been happening around the Concord household. What kind of changes? If you guessed diaper changes, you are only partly correct. Friends, I am excited to announce the arrival of Baby Concord! This little bundle of joy came into our world just two months ago, and since then she has been the center of our lives. I'll tell you more about her in a moment. Now, I think you can understand why I've been slacking off on my blogging duties lately. But I am going to get back into it in a big way: I will attempt to write a new post every week from now on. You're probably asking yourself right now, "How is the laziest blogger in the world going to accomplish such a feat?" Well, I'm lowering the bar. You heard me right. As far as I'm concerned, raising the bar is overrated. Everybody's doing it, and it just creates a lot of stress and misery. What I mean by lowering the bar is that I will post something every week, regardless if it meets my previously sky-high blogging standards. So one week you may get a three-sentence post about beef jerky, but then the next week you may get a five page manifesto concerning the socio-economic implications of tort reform. So there you go.

Now back to this week's topic- Baby Concord. And really, she should be the subject of every week's post, considering how big of an impact she has made on my life. Just how amazing is this little munchkin? First off, she is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Incredible, considering that she got half of her genes from me. She's also unusually well-behaved, judging from the numerous screaming gremlins that I have encountered in airplanes and eye exam rooms over the years. It's also surprising that she has already grown so big, especially considering that her parents are skinny folks. The thing that really blows my mind, however, is that Mr. and Mrs. Concord have created a new life. Right now, she depends upon us for everything, from eating to bathing to getting her diaper changed. But someday this baby will be a walking, talking kid, and then she'll be a rebellious teenager with opinions and strange musical tastes, and eventually she'll grow up to be a mature adult with a job, responsibilities, and perhaps a family of her own. And if everything goes according to plan, when I'm old and feeble, she'll be changing my diaper. Like I said, mind-blowing. Right now, though, I'm just enjoying her for who she is today: a sweet, precious baby. Each week is a new discovery, such as her first smile or a new vocal sound, and it's such a cool thing to experience. Friends, say hello to Baby Concord!