The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

A rriving home from a weekend away isn't always so happy. I found my neighbor had lost her beloved "Pearl," The Coon Cat.

As the week progressed, I'd hear Sally outside calling randomly for her kitty, her best friend, and it became unnerving, bringing back memories of when my kitty, Shoes The Creek Kitty, disappeared.

In the country, you have to realize there are all sorts of predators out and about, and it just might be that the Barn Owl's coo isn't as friendly as we thought!

People who don't have pets or know what it is like to lose your best animal friend, paws or claws, might not know how saddened you can become over your animals passing or its disappearance. If anyone knows where Pearl is, please let us know. Pearl has blue eyes, weighs-in at 25 pounds, lives in the green cottage behind the cannery in Dayton and is a female Coon Cat who seems to have her priorities in tact -- she loves men!

Hoping to make my neighbor feel better about her loss, I opened a bottle of a 'Maurice'08 Syrah Grenache, 88 percent Syrah 12 percent Grenache, a red wine lined with a frilly pink rim. I really like the 100 percent French Oak and unfiltered mouth -feel of this wine. Your cheeks are swooshed in jammy black fruits and a tongue wrapped in smoky tight tannins. Because a'Maurice winemaker, Anna Schafer has brought this suave, red blended wine sophisticate to red wine lovers everywhere, yours truly, Judith Henderson of Wine and Country Living, gives a'Maurice '98 points for great wine making! Congratulations Anna and crew! A Walla Walla Winery at: 509-522-5444.

Until next week, "eat art drink imagination!"

Ruby Red Vinaigrette

Organic Mixed Lettuce

Serves 4

4-cups organic mixed lettuces

3-minced hard boiled eggs

frac14;-cup red wine vinegar

frac34;-cup olive oil

frac12;-cup honey

1-teaspoon each: salt, pepper, chopped garlic, marjoram

Whisk well to emulsify, drizzle over lettuces and serve.

Hear Judith's wine and food commentary, photos and recipes @www.chefjudithhenderson.com.