To get myself ready for the Big Push in the week ahead, I tried a little cooking therapy today. It worked better than I hoped, because it filled the house with an aroma that penetrated even my defective sense of smell. I got started this morning by dicing an assortment of mostly root vegetables and roasting them in the oven. That was for the Roasted Vegetable Soup recipe that I found on the Amazon Daily Blog site.

I wasn’t expecting the scent to be quite that soothing, and after I put the vegetables in the slow cooker, I had it with me all day. I even stirred the soup more often than technically necessary, just to get an extra whiff. And I cooked it on low to make the experience last as long as possible. I only wish I could say it tasted as good as it smelled, but it was good enough to try again — maybe with different vegetables, maybe with different spices.

Meanwhile, I made quick work of the state sales tax return, and I got some of the tedious busywork required by the audit done as well. And I even found a few precious minutes to sit and read this afternoon. All in all, it wasn’t a bad way to get myself in a calm frame of mind for what will no doubt be a frantic, stressful week. I know that. I don’t know how I’ll handle it, but I will have leftover soup to reheat whenever I think that will help.