Big afternoon for forgetfulness & error, walked to town oblivious to the ongoing sidewalk sale, terrifying, ran into Bill Nace while getting burrito, he reminded me of music fest going on in Brattleboro today, tried to go to Serio's for eggs & butter thinking they closed at 2 on Sundays, close at 1, turns out. Got my eggs & butter from State St. Fruit Store instead, local eggs, hurrah.

Needed eggs & butter as I decided to make Russian fruit cake which I used to make frequently but had lost the recipe for years back. Found the cookbook while sorting videos yesterday, seemed a good use of some of the nice tart local peaches I bought.

The recipe is as follows:

"Fruit Cake (Belsky)

Almost any fruit can be used for this cake.

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
3 large apples, pears or peaches, peeled, cored or pitted and coarsely chopped, or 6 plums, pitted & chopped

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs one by one & continue to beat. Blend in flour & when dough is smooth work in fruit. Bake in a greased and floured 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven."

Never been quite sure if the omission of salt is intentional but it makes for an interestingly pronounced buttery, eggy quality which I find goes nicely with the floral notes of peaches or pears.

Waiting for the butter & eggs to come to room temperature.

Strange having so many of the things I love most tinged by dreadful loneliness & melancholy- baking, Skee Ball, the seaside, information retrieval, etc., etc. Doesn't stop me loving them, pressing on, weaker & worse, empty & hurt, pressing on.