Sunday Dinner Party

             

              Open Diary actually seems to be functioning. I’m going to add the entries I posted over to ProseBox to keep my journal current. I was so worried OD would disappear. With as "wonky" as this site can get, it is my first Journal home. The friends I have made here have so enriched my life. As long as this site is up, I’ll be posting!

              It was a foggy 28° this morning when I got up. The weather report predicted temps were supposed to warm up and sunshine all day. It was daybreak as I hung a load of laundry on the icy clothes line. Those warm wet clothes were steaming into the chilly air. What a great way to start the day.

My journal website has been down for many days. That site has been acting up for many months: I hope this is not the death knell. I sure do miss not being able to navigate visiting my “Diary family” and friends from all over the world. It might sound crazy but it is like I’ve lost an important part of my life not being able to access my journal on line.

The Concept 2 Challenge has had me at the Y working out every day since Thanksgiving. What an effect that daily exercise has had. It is more than the work out; it is interacting with other people. Losing my cat Dagney sent me into the “blues” or maybe even a mild depression.  I can’t downplay the effect that cat had on my life. I don’t mean to sound like a “spinster cat lady” but I miss my “little girl” so.

I needed to take some action. I put together a supper for Sunday night. There is no greater incentive to get things in order than to have company over! We used to throw impromptu suppers of this fashion all the time back in Lockport.

Friday was the big shopping day. I found a beautiful chuck roast with lots of fat marbled in. I even got flowers for the mantle!

 

Saturday was cheesecake baking, cleaning, and a fast shopping for what I had forgotten; cabbage for the cole slaw, and red potatoes being the most important things. I had the cheesecake cooling on the kitchen table before going into the ice box when Stumpy sampled it out! That bad boy…all I could do was laugh!

 

Early Sunday morning I put the pot roast in to cook for many hours. Went to the “Y” early as they close between 9:00-12:00. I drive the record keepers on my virtual team crazy by the meters I erg. I started out at 10,000 then I went to 10,111, 10,222 up to 10,999. Then I went to 11,111, 11,222. Sunday was my erg day for 7’s. In two days I’ll cross the 200,000 threshold and will get my pin and then my fundraising jumps form .02¢ to .04¢ per kilometer! To date I’ve raised $5.37.

Oh, the house smelled so good when I got home. The scent of a slow cooking pot roast with LOTS of onions would make such a great perfume to catch a man!

I had just taken the roast out of the oven to “rest” and make the gravy when Lee stopped by with his granddaughter. He had a favor to ask. He needs help distributing the luminary supplies Saturday for the “walk around” on Sunday. I was tickled in being considered and jumped at the chance. Lee’s granddaughter sang me some of the Christmas songs she performed in her choir. There is something so innocent about little kids. She told me about the treasures she had found that morning on her walk with her granddad. I told her I had something in my back yard for her. I gave her half of a circle sidewalk brick as it was more “kid size”. She was thrilled!

As I was cleaning up the kitchen I made a split second decision to make up cornbread sticks. It has been ages since I have made them last. I knew I had all the ingredients. The oven was preheated to 400° with the cast iron pans inside.

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e=”font-family: ‘Bookman Old Style’;”>Once the oven was set and the batter was all mixed the “corn ears” in the pan were wiped down in bacon grease. I have a can of the stuff on my stove. The corn bread batter recipe calls for a ¼ cup bacon grease! I close my eyes as I mix that in! The hot cast iron makes for a crunchy “kernel side” of the sticks as it bakes faster.

Doug was right on time, but he was absent his partner Joe who was sick. Graham and Rick were right behind.

The gaslights were all going along with the gas logs in the fireplace. We were able to have a great visit before it was time to smash up the potatoes.

It was like old times in Lockport dishing and telling stories under the flickering gaslights around the supper table. Nothing can compare to simple home cooking. I have to admit this turned out to be one of my better pot roasts. It just fell apart and the gravy was so flavorful.

The boys loved the cheesecake. Once again stories to be told: my good friend Doris gave me that cheesecake recipe over 35 years ago. I always think of her whenever I bake it.

I often wonder if this kind of interaction with the past is common in others. As I washed up the dishes and silverware this morning I was reliving the adventures in turning up the serving dishes and silver pieces. I had my guests laughing out loud over my gravy ladle story.

When I was putting together my silver service I was working a lot of overtime at the factory. The way the overtime worked I kept edging out a co-worker Phil for the overtime hours. Phil was a piece of work. He complained to me that he was trying to save ahead for his kid’s college education. He had worked my last good nerve. I told him, “Screw your kids! I’m going to Tiffany’s next month to get me a gravy ladle!”  That really pissed him off and I’m still laughing about it 25 years later!!