I decided to call the new grill Updike. It was Rabbit Angstrom, a great suburban character that helped John Updike became a major American writer, that made me think of the name. Rabbit loved to grill on his barbecue, at least before he deserted his family in the amazingly wonderful book “Rabbit, Run.”

My first meal was deliberately modest, I’ve never used a propane tank before, or grilled anything on a grill. This one looks a bit human to me, especially with arms outstretched. I figured out how to light the thing, it was pretty simple and cooked three organic beef patties (lean and pasture fed), one for me, one for Maria, one split between Red and Fate.

I also sliced up some fresh mozzarella and tomato from a farm market to go with it, I wasn’t up for cooking vegetables yet. Tomorrow, I need a wire brush to scrub the grill down. The burgers were great, I missed the charcoal taste a bit, but it was delicious, well and evenly cooked.  I seasoned it with sage I mixed in, salt and pepper and put some think slices of Gouda cheese on top.

Tomorrow, I’m going to grill some ground turkey, then later, some cod and mixed vegetables. It’s hot here, and I was happy not to  have to turn the stove on and warm up and smell up the house.

It took about ten minutes. I like it, Emma was right, I will enjoy cooking on the grill. A new chapter, another thing I would never do scratched off the long list.