Stacy Appel

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One activity in my life that falls under the category of Gainful Employment has never felt exactly like a job. A few nights each month I work at a music coffeehouse, where I am now paid to listen to the same remarkable concerts I used to pay to attend. The coffeehouse offers a sturdy oasis no matter what stressors invade me by way of my other work. Though I took the staff job without much thought, just to save on ticket fees, I now experience it as a haven for my feeling self and over-taxed intellect.

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Snow sifts down from the sky in light flakes, a fine dusting of powdered sugar that begins to melt almost as soon as it reaches the ground. Still, it is snowing!— a rare occurrence in Berkeley, so even this one glimpse is exhilarating. I’m walking in the hills just before dark, as lights come on in the houses around me. The stucco cottage on the corner is festooned with colored lights and pinecone wreaths; next-door, a gaudy procession of painted reindeer marches across the lawn. Though the holidays are still a couple of weeks away, the chilled air feels charged and enticing.

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Perched on the slopes of Rutherford Hill, the Auberge du Soleil resort is surrounded by a 33-acre olive grove, and boasts panoramic views of the Napa Valley as well as the gastronomic delights of a Michelin-rated restaurant. In fact, Auberge du Soleil, or “Inn of the Sun,” was a spectacular place to play hooky on my final day of school. I was invited by my friend Bea’s mother for a lunch there with just the two of them, and since it coincided with the date of my college graduation, I skipped the formal school ceremony in order to join them.

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When I was little, the world was a treasure chest of lovely things to eat. My father made vanilla-scented French toast on weekends as my mother slept in upstairs. He carefully grilled thick cheese sandwiches in a cast-iron skillet for lunch and toasted pound cake to be spread with butter. On chilly evenings my mother served fragrant hush puppies rolled in powdered sugar, or chili and spaghetti under a mantle of Parmesan cheese.