Aftermath

Whew....we rested up real well last night. This morning I packaged my suppers for the rest of the week: Three meat balls leftover from the Smart and Final package, Deloris' leftover wild rice, grape-chili sauce. Three meat balls and plain rice anad sauce. Plain Rice and Chicken. Chicken, sweet potatoes. Rice, mushroom soup, paprika and chicken. Throw in some sauteed onions. Saute celery to go with onions and rice and chicken. A chicken and sweet potatoes are roasting in the oven with garlic. I've already packaged snacks...'Nilla wafers in a little baggie (less than 100 calories). The secret seems to be, eat a little, but often, and drink lots and lots of water. Fill up on vegetables. I've put the carcas from the leftover smoked chicken in a pot with plain water. That way I'll have a good broth basis for another sauce.

BB and BB (former Red Bluff residents) took KJA and me out to Millie's for lunch Sunday. JA and DA and JA went with us. KJA had her favorite oriental chicken salad...young JA had a hamburger and fries. The rest of us just happened to have tilapia. I brought half of mine home for supper tonight. BB and BB shared their meal...The portions were very generous.

Finally, after two years, my next door neighbor's house sold. The new owner is Sonia or Sonya, I'm not sure of the spelling. She's about KJA's age and works for Deutsch, I don't know doing what. I'm just glad the house is not empty any more.

I sure wish I could know whether or not this blogging is a waste of time...I need to get going again on my sestina for Thursday morning.

A new day, Monday 21 May 2007

After a busy, busy week-end, I slept in until Schnicklefritz told me good-bye before she left for her new shop. I'm all rested up. I had my coffee, breakfast and EmergenC. I'm about to clear away all the papers beside my computer. In reality I'm trying to find my Medicare Card and my Scan Card and my State ID (the one that looks like a Driver's License, but isn't).

Two weeks ago Jeanette gave me her father's automatic bread making machine, since at 92 he's decided not to make any more bread and has retired from being the family baker. I've just put the makings for another loaf of bread in the machine. This time I'm trying for raisin-nut. Schnickle bought me an instant thermometer so I can get the water temperature right. Even though I do not do any of that extra special kneading by hand, I do feel quite noble. Last week's attempt was a partial success. I did garlic bread with powdered garlic and parsley flakes. It smelled wonderful while baking, but it was lacking in good flavor. I think that maybe the garlic was old as were the parsley flakes.

My old Wayfarer friend, Sharon, who now lives in Germany, has encouraged me to write a sestina. It is a real challenge and I'm working on it. It is a 39 line poem. six verses of six lines each plus an envoi of three lines. First off you choose six end words. Then end each line with one of those words...Each verse has the same words at the end of the line, only varied in order. The last three line verse has two of the ending words in each line. If you are really interested look up the pattern under on internet. Some examples are given. I especially like the one by Damon McLaughlin. I guess you could find it by searching just for his name.

Our time at CC's and Cupcake's Tenth Anniversary party was a happy time...we ate and ate and ate and I don't even like Mexican food. Uncle BB shared a few scriptures about caring. The children had a great time driving around in a battery-operated car and with the pinata. BB didn't manage the car, but she did push around an empty tricycle and draw on the driveway with chalk.

Yesterday we had lunch at Arturo's with EW and GW. Schnicklefritz had a great salad, EW had fish, GW had Abondigas and I had a seafood salad. Worked a little while on the computer last night doing some research. I don't want to make mistakes in my facts again. (Like using plastic bags in the supermarket in 1957 when in reality they were not used until the mid 70's).

The bread machine is humming away in its kneading cycle and it is time for me to get out in this gray day and do some watering. My purple petunias are calling me.

Just one stop on the way home

Thursday mornings Kedg drops me off at the Christian Church (Diciples of Christ) on her way to her new shop on Acacia. That is where the surviving Wayfarers meet to encourage each other and critique what we have written. CC and Ladybug pick up Glitter at pre-school and then come and get me to take me home. This week they said "Do you want to go home now or do you want to go to Smart and Final with us?" What a question! I can always find something, anything, that I really need there. How about toilet paper? How about meatballs for our Memorial Day meeting? How about
paper towels and honey and syrup and croutons and grated parmesan? How about, about, about? How about $88 dollars later?

I did pick up some flour tortillas flavored with sun dried tomatoes and basil for wraps...great for breakfast scrambed eggs with cheese and chives. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get back to this blogspot again.

I've been having a great time writing Pantoums again. You remember the formula...write 10 lines and then repeat each once. Like:

First verse lines 1, 2, 3, 4
Second verse lines 2, 5, 4, 6
Third verse lines 5, 7, 6, 8
Fourth verse lines 7, 9, 8, 10 and lastly
Fifth verse lines 9, 3, 10, 1

Just pick a subect and write around it...it can rhyme but doesn't have to. My latest:

Red Rose

I guess I'm having a "senior moment"
My climbing rose--what is its name?
Until I remember, I'll be in torment
Just forgotten? No, that's not the same.

My climbing rose--what is its name?
I raise the blind and open my window.
Just forgotten? No that's not the same.
I'll sleep on it and then I'll know

I raise the blind and open my window
The fragrant rose buds nod in the morning breeze
I'll sleep on it and then I'll know
Chandelier clusters are what one sees

The fragrant rose buds nod in the morning breeze
Celebrity is red, but a tomato, that's wrong
Chandelier clusters are what one sees
BLAZE! Of course! I knew it all along.

Celebrity is red, but a tomato, that's wrong
Until I remember I'll be in torment
BLAZE! Of course! I knew it all along.
I guess I'm having another "senior moment."

My next story will be about two German Shepherds, two Muscovy Ducks and a pair of cats, one Burmese and one gray Tabby. Must do some research so I don't make a mistake like having plastic grocery bags in 1956 (they weren't introduced into supermarkets until the mid-seventies).












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