I was freezing when I woke up. It wasn’t that cold in the house (66 degrees inside and 50 degrees outside) but it was the wind. So, I threw on some clothes and shut all the windows. That helped a lot!

I put a half pot of coffee on to warm up these old bones. I was gonna eat some cold pizza for breakfast, but was afraid (I really was sick last night). So, I waited until the afternoon to eat.

The temperature climbed up to 68 degrees with the sunshine, but that didn’t really help out the house. So, around 2:30 PM, I reluctantly opened two opposing windows and turned on the furnace! Yes, the furnace, on September 3!!

The windows were opened again to eliminate that damn burnt smell you always get, BTW.

I walked outside (with a sweater on) to get the mail about 3:00 PM. This temperature is sooo not cool. Well, I suppose it is “cool” but you get my drift, right?

I took another nap (I love naps these days) and then slowly set about demolishing the rest of the pizza.

I wish I could tell you what I accomplished today, but I had “switched it to glide” (which seems safer that my other favorite, Tom Petty’s “Free Falling”). So I just cruised through today. I watched some great movies and went to bed after “Saving Private Ryan” ended (around midnight).

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I happened to be channel hopping and came across "Saving Private Ryan." This reminded me I forgot to mention that September 1 marked the anniversary of the start of World War II, when Germany invaded Poland.

Now, I realize most of my readers think of the World War II and the Korean war and (probably even the Vietnam war)as ancient history. Sad, but true.

But it brings to mind a little know fact that that was the last reported cavalry charge in history. A troop of Polish cavalry, sabers drawn, charged the Germans.

Romantic, glorious, but tragically doomed. For they charged against German tanks, which cut them to ribbons with machine gun fire...

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Hey Judy, get Judy
Ya said to call you up and I was feelin' moody
Hey little Donna, ah still wanna
Ya said to ring ya up when I was in Toronto

I have lots of friends that I can hang at anytime
In moments have some laughs with just one call
Like a bunch of lunatics with action way that's done
Sure we'll be rockin' till our strength is gone
Yeah, this beat goes on

And on, and on, and on

Hey lady, ooh you crazy
Well, me and Zero request you in the Mercedes
I met my ride, so zoom me inside
The skies the limit this time I'm switchin' to glide

I don't give a hoot about what people have to say
I'm laughin' as I'm analyzed
Lunatics anonymous that's where I belong
Sure cause I am one till my strength is gone
Yeah, this beat goes on

And on, and on, and on

I have lots of friends that I can hang at anytime
In moments have some laughs with just one call
Like a bunch of lunatics with action way that's done
Sure we'll be rockin' till our strength is gone
Yeah, this beat goes on

This beat goes on, this beat goes on
This beat goes on, this beat goes on
This beat goes on, this beat goes on
(Repeat)

THIS BEAT GOES.......

Nothin' matters but the weekend
From a Tuesday point of view
Like a kettle in the kitchen
I feel the steam begin to brew

Switchin' to glide, switchin' to glide
Switchin' to glide, switchin' to glide

Energy can be directed, I'm turnin' it up and turnin' it down
Even love can be effected, harmony is the sweetest sound

Switchin' to glide, switchin' to glide
Switchin' to glide, switchin' to glide

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It was still lightly raining when I woke up at 8:00 AM. By 10:00, the sun had come out, so I went out on the patio to check the rain gauge: less than 1/4 inch. Not nearly what I was hoping for. It was only 67 degrees F., so I opened all the windows and shut the A/C off.

I started the weekend wash by stripping the bedding (much to Scruffy’s disgust). I skipped shaving and just showered. I ate the last of the linguine with clam sauce for my brunch.

I took a long nap after that (there’s nothing like a large load of carbs to make you sleepy). I walked out and got the mail. I walked back through the front lawn and decided it was dry enough to cut. So, I gassed up the mower, checked the oil and cut the front lawn.

Since they were dying off, turning brown and generally looked bad, I cut down the tiger lilies, too. Let’s face it, summer’s about shot!

I had gotten an email from Pizza Hut advertising a large pizza with three toppings for $10. Since I haven’t had pizza since Joe’s graduation party, I thought I’d treat myself. So I ordered one with pepperoni, mushrooms and banana pepper rings.

When it came, with the delivery fee and the driver’s tip, my $10 pizza turned into a $15 one, but it always does. The crust wasn’t as thin or crispy as I would have liked. I’m sure I wrote about this before, but my brother Carl worked in a space-themed pizza joint (I think it was called the “Orbit” – hey, it was the late 50’s and everyone was crazy about space!) and he made the best, crispy crusts (and this was long before they started using wood-fired brick ovens).

But, it tasted great and, for a change, I pigged out and ate three slices watching TV. Then I went to sleep.

Then I woke up in the night with a terrible tummy ache. The wind had picked up and the temperature had fallen. I thought about walking around and shutting the windows, but I just walked to the linen closet, grabbed a blanket and went back to sleep.

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"Switching to glide, switching to glide..."

~ The Kings

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Thursday was yet another warm, humid day. But, this time it was moderated by a nice breeze.

They said there was a possibility of rain, maybe even thunderstorms all day, all night and into Friday morning. I had an offsite meeting at 1:00 PM and, just as I got back to my building, it started to sprinkle. And, that’s all it did: sprinkle.

It was dry when I went home at 5:00 PM. I kept waiting for the storms that never showed up. Again, I think the storms were south and west of me. Man, I could have really used that rain!

I warmed up the rest of the mashed potatoes, sweet corn and the other country fried steak for dinner. I found the gravy didn’t turn back to liquid, no matter how long I nuked it. It still tasted good, though.

I watched TV until 10:00 PM and then went to bed. When I woke up at 2:00 AM for a bathroom break, it was lightly raining again.

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Wednesday started out hot and sticky again. There was a chance of showers after 3:00 PM, so when I came back from lunch, I left the windows up in the car.

But, it still hadn't rained when I left for home at 5:00.

Back home, I changed into shorts and t-shirt and went out to retrieve the hose from the raised bed garden. While I was out there, I refilled the bird feeder.

Back inside, I started the Wednesday night wash and loaded the dishwasher. I turned that on while I cleaned up the kitchen counters.

I went into the living room and sat on the couch, reading. About 8:00 PM, I was talking on the phone when it started to rain! Hurray!!

At times it was heavy, at times it stopped. I think I'm on the very eastern edge of the storms moving up the state. I checked the rain gauge on Thursday morning and there was a little over 1/4 inch of water in it. Not as much as I'd hoped for, but some...

I decided against a heavy dinner and just cut up the two largest tomatoes into thick slices. I drizzled them with olive oil, seasoned them with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and then topped it with fresh basil (cut chiffanade-style) and more of the crumbled feta goat cheese.

I ate that watching TV, but switched back to reading at 10:00 PM until I fell asleep.


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Tuesday was a repeat of Monday, weather-wise.

I did get the garbage out to the road in time and that was a good thing. I threw away a lot of old leftovers Monday night (no more food poisoning for this ole boy) and it wouldn’t have been pretty to keep them in the hot garage for another whole week.

When I got home from work, the first thing I did (after treating the cats) was to change into my shorts and t-shirt. Then I went out back and hooked up the square head sprinkler to water the raised bed garden. I picked six tomatoes and then turned the water on.

Back inside, I set the timer, went through the mail (nothing good) and talked with B___ for a bit.

When the timer went off, I shut off the sprinkler and closed up the house for the night. Then I started making dinner.

Tonight I’m making what should have been my Sunday night dinner: Country fried steak and milk gravy.

So, I peeled four or five potatoes, cubed them and put them on the stove to boil. I took out two cube steaks (the recipe called for four, but that’s too many leftovers) and seasoned them on both sides with salt and pepper). I mixed one cup of AP flour with another teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper and put that in one dish. In the other, I put two eggs, slightly beaten.

I heated up 1/4 cup of lard in my large skillet over medium-high heat. I dredged each steak in the flour, then the eggs and then in the flour again. I fried the steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side (until golden brown). I pulled them off and drained them on paper towels.

I poured off all but about two tablespoons of the fat. Then I sprinkled in two tablespoons of the dredging flour. I cooked that over medium heat for about one minute, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Then I gradually whisked in one cup of whole milk. I cooked that, whisking frequently, for three to four minutes (until thickened and bubbly). I added 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper (gravy should be quite peppery).

I mashed the potatoes while I steamed two servings of frozen sweet corn. I plated one steak and half the potatoes and corn. I added some butter and salt to the corn and just butter to the potatoes. I topped the cube steak and potatoes with half the milk gravy.

I went in to eat dinner watching some taped TV. My dinner was excellent! I stopped watching TV about 9:00 AM and read a book until bedtime.

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Back to work on Monday and it’s already stifling. It’s not the heat (yet – supposed to get to 92 degrees F.), it’s the humidity - 98% or some crazy thing. And, still no rain in the forecast until “possibly” Wednesday night.

So, when I got home, I had to water the front flower beds (I’d done the raised bed garden on the weekend.

Back inside and in the air conditioning I sat and relaxed until I stopped sweating. Speaking of the A/C. it ran most of the evening until I manually adjusted it upwards to 78 degrees. Yeah, it wasn’t as comfortable, but I was afraid the old girl would burn up or something.

Between the water and electrical usage, next month’s bills ain’t gonna be pretty!

I was inspired by a dish Jake said Carla made a couple weekends back: Linguine with clam sauce. I love that stuff and it’s been a long while since I made it.

I put on a pot of salted water to boil for the linguini. Meanwhile, I added about a 1/4 cup of olive oil to my biggest skillet and turned it to medium heat. Next I minced four big cloves of garlic and chopped four fillets of anchovies

I added the anchovies and garlic, plus a teaspoon each of dried thyme and some red pepper flakes to the oil. I added the dried linguine to the water and cooked it just BEFORE it was al dente (it will continue to cook in the sauce, you see). I waited until the anchovies melted (and, they do) and then deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine (I used a mini-bottle of Sauvignon Blanc) or you can also use dry Vermouth.

Then I added one can of chopped clams with the juice and two cans of chopped clams, drained. I drained the linguini and added it to the skillet. I tossed and coated the pasta until the pasta absorbed the sauce (about 2-3 minutes). I removed it from the heat and tasted-tested it (perfect!) and then added a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley from the patio. I plated it and topped it with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I watched taped TV until 10:00 PM when Bourdain’s “No Reservations” came on. I watched that, putting away the leftovers (and there were LOTS) during commercials. I went to bed at 11:00.

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Sunday was another snooze. I aired out the house until the AC kicked on, then I shut all the windows. I took a nap in the afternoon. While I was sleeping, the remote got knocked off the bed. It’s happened before, but this time I couldn’t get it to work again.

So, I had to get up and change channels manually. I’ll take it in Monday and get a new one.

I watered the raised bed garden and, while I was out there, I picked four big green tomatoes. Back inside, I fried them up for dinner. They were very, very tart!

I went to bed early and slept lousy.

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I woke up to the alarm on Saturday morning. I have a 9:00 AM haircut appointment. So, I shaved, showered and dressed and left just in time.

I got my haircut and headed up the road to the Value Center market. I bought some cube steak (I got a plan for my Sunday dinner), some anchovy paste, some smoked oysters (a reminder of Canada Cathy) and three cans of chopped clams (a replacement for tonight’s dinner).

Back home, I made some breakfast while I watered the front garden. I poached two eggs (perfectly) and put them on top of two buttered, toasted slices of sour dough bread. Excellent!

It was after 2:00 PM that the AC kicked on. So, I shut all the windows and went outside. I took a nap in the hammock for a couple of hours.

I actually had a dinner in mind but the wedge I cut out of the lettuce and covered with French dressing filled me up. So, I skipped it.

AMC had a John Wayne movie marathon on, so I watched Rio Bravo and then Hondo. Then I went to bed.

Oh, I forgot to mention I bought a motorcycle.

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