Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday
I woke up at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. For some reason, the small
of my back hurt like hell. Damn! I must have overdone something yesterday.
So, I slowly and carefully went through the Sunday morning
routines after a cup of coffee and posting the Blog entry.
I was hungry (apparently beet greens are not that substantial
a dinner). So, I made some sausage gravy. Sorry, Jake, but I just made a can of
Grand’s biscuits instead of your magnificent homemade ones.
Breakfast was excellent! My friend B___ called and we caught
each other up.
Then I finished watching the Sunday morning news shows,
shaved and showered. I got dressed and went out back to check my traps. I
really wasn’t expecting anything, but found a big dead rat. He managed to get
out of the trap, but didn’t make it to the fence. I went back into the house
and got on some latex gloves. I threw him into the field next door as a warning
to other rats. Then I reset the trap.
It was sunny, so I checked on the crocus in Jake’s patio.
They had just started blooming.
Back inside, I went out to the garage. I opened the door for
more light and got back to work on the compound miter saw table. It took about
another hour, but I got it put together. All that remained was to attach the
saw. But, my back was hurting, so I took a break.
I took the Styrofoam covers off the rose bushes. I put out
the birdbath. I put the gargoyle end onto the downspout. I set the frog in the
tree garden. But, when I went to put up the birdhouse, I found the cleanout
door on the back was missing.
I didn’t have any wood that thin to replace it with, so I
cut a chunk of tin out of a coffee can. I pounded it flat, then cut it to
shape. I bent the top end out a bit (so I could easily open it in the Fall).
Then I hung it up.
I hung up the climbing gnomes and then decided that was
enough. So, I buttoned everything up and went inside.
It was about 5:00 p.m. so I decided to make my Sunday
supper. So, I started by making my mise en place.
I measured out two ounces of bread crumbs. I minced three
cloves of garlic. I cut up enough fresh asparagus in 2-inch diagonally pieces to
make 1 1/2 cups. I got out a cup of frozen peas and fine-diced 1/3 cup of sweet
onion. I measured out one tablespoon of AP flour, 1/4 cup chicken broth, one
cup of milk, three ounces of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan
cheese.
I filled my pasta pot up and started heating the water. I
used my 12-inch non-stick skillet and melted a tablespoon of butter in it. I
added in 1/3 of the garlic and sautéed that for about a minute. Then I added in
the breadcrumbs and sautéed them about another three minutes until they were
toasted and a golden brown. I put them into a bowl and set them aside. I wiped
out the pan and added a tablespoon of olive oil.
I salted the pasta water and then added 8 ounces of dried
fettuccine. Once it re-boiled, I set a timer for 12 minutes. I added the
asparagus and peas to a saucepan of boiling water. I cooked that for three
minutes or so until crisp-tender. I strained them, rinsed them under cold
water, drained them and set them aside.
I added the onions into the skillet and sautéed them about
three minutes (until tender). Then I added the other 2/3 of garlic and sautéed that
another minute or so. Meanwhile, I put the flour in a small bowl and gradually whisked
in the chicken stock. I added that and the milk in to the skillet, whisking
constantly as I brought it to a boil. I reduced the heat and cooked it a minute
until thickened.
I removed the pan from the heat. I added in the cheeses,
salt and pepper and stirred until the cheeses melted. Then I added the pasta,
asparagus and peas and tossed well. I plated some and sprinkled it with the
breadcrumbs.
It was good, but just that. I ate two bowls and put the
leftovers in the fridge. I left the breadcrumbs in a container with a lid, but
not in the fridge. So, I can have it again this coming week. I’m not sure I’ll
make it again, though.
I cleaned up the mess and found I had enough to run the
dishwasher. It was then I remembered I hadn’t done the weekend wash! So, I ran
the clothes in the basket through the washer.
I swept the floors and washed the main bathroom floor as
well. Then I put away the laundry and
settled in for what was left of the night. Couldn’t find anything all that
interesting on TV, so I watched a couple of taped shows and then went to bed.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
You can’t beet this Saturday’s story
I woke up at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, after a restless night.
I filled in the Blog and then got ready to meet the day. I showered in the main
bath, merely to smooth out the wrinkles in the liner (which had sat so long).
I got dressed in my “bum” working clothes and headed out. It
was cold! First stop was Home Depot. I had been asked to build a sofa table by
the receptionist at work. It was not a big deal, as only the two ends and the
top will be visible. But, the length of it is daunting: 123 1/2 inches long!
When I asked why, she explained their couch is much like Jake and Carla’s: a
sprawling sectional.
So, I got the wood I needed (after a long search for
straight 1 x 8 boards) and the hardware (L-brackets and wood screws) and loaded
up the truck. This was the first time I used my truck bed extender. It worked
pretty well, except there were two straps that must lock into something I
couldn’t find (Note to self: I gotta read the damn Owner’s Guide!)
Sidebar: First thing I found I didn't like about the truck: When the tailgate is down, the backup camera is covered. So, when you put it in reverse the trucks thinks you're hitting something and screams at you!
I took that home, unloaded the wood and then headed back
out. I went to Costco for coffee for me and peanuts for the squirrels. I made
two impulse buys: a big bag of Sunsweet dried plums (prunes) and a container of
cashews. I haven’t had either in years!
From there I went to Meijer’s. I got the few items on my
list and made another impulse buy: a beautiful bunch of beets with lovely
greens.
I dropped all that off at the house and ran my final errand:
the post office. I was home and done with errands just before noon.
When I got everything put away, I headed out back to refill
the squirrel feeder. It was cold, and cloudy, BTW, so I had my hat and work
gloves on. I had to open the shed to get the rake, so I checked it all out. No
visible signs of winter damage or water leakage.
From there, I raked the ground level herb garden and then
cut off the dead herbs in the raised bed garden.
I walked the yard, picking up branches. When I got to the
back wall, I took a long time pulling as much kudzu (or Virginia creeper) off
of it. I got everything except for the two places I had put up chicken wire
back in the day. The chicken wire was supposed to support morning glories but
now it holds kudzu. Sigh…
I heard a diesel-powered something so I looked over the
wall. A big front end loader was dropping chunks of the wall from somewhere
else onto a pile in front of mine. That’s cool. Less trucks potentially backing
into my section. When he had unchained the piece he was carrying, I called him
over. I asked him if he owned the loader or just drove it as I had a side job
for him. He said no, but he could get me a card from the company he worked for.
Sidebar: I need “somebody” to scrape that mud off my
driveway!
I noticed the flowering plum was leaning a bit (again). If
you remember, this happened several years ago (they must have shallow roots) so
I added a metal stake pounded deep into the ground. Then I added a wire to hold
it straight. Where the wire touched the tree, I ran it through a rubber hose
(so it wouldn’t damage the tree).
I was going to loosen the wire and retighten it when I
noticed the tree had grown around the rubber hose! I’d seen that as a kid with
barb wire stapled to trees on the farm, but never a rubber hose.
I also noticed I didn’t trim back the raspberries I have
been trying to introduce back there. I should have done it in the late Fall,
but I figured it was still cold enough I could do it today, so I did. We’ll see…
I finished picking up the branches and then checked the bait
boxes. One was empty and the other just had a little bit left. Am I killing
these damn rats or just feeding them? So, I donned some latex gloves and
refilled them with the last bait I had in the garage.
Sidebar: I am using Decon mice and rat poison. Is there
something stronger I could be using?
I remembered I had bought two rat traps last fall that I
never used. I was afraid if I baited them with peanut butter, I’d catch
squirrels instead. So, today, I dug them out. I baited them with cheese, then I
wired them with heavy-duty picture wire to the trailer.
Why? Because I KNOW I shot at least three of them with the pellet
gun. I saw them flip up, go down and stay there until it was too dark to see.
But, the next morning, all there was left was a big blood spot. I swear they
carry off their dead! So, I’m looking for body count!
Before I went inside (I was getting really cold), I went to
check on the emerging daffodils and hyacinth. I showed you a picture a few days
ago, if you remember. I was dismayed to see they were all gone! The only things
left were holes. My guess is the squirrels ate the bulbs! Maybe I should have
put peanut butter in those traps!
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Last Sunday |
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This Saturday |
Back inside, it was almost 4:00 p.m., I was cold and hungry.
So, I warmed up some of my Ham and Bean soup I had thawed last night. I ate
that watching a DIY show.
I really wanted to just take a nap, but I had things to do.
Before I can build the sofa table, I had to assemble the miter saw utility
vehicle (LOL! That’s seriously what they call this heavy-duty cart).
Let me backtrack. When I got my tax return, I put most of
it into my savings account for retirement. But, I did buy that compound miter saw and cart I
wanted. It wasn’t for this project (I didn’t even know about this project
then), but it will let me cut a 1” x 8” board. That’s something my chop saw
couldn’t do. If you remember, I had to cut out the boards for Yanessa’s crib
with a circular saw and the angles were a damn pain!
So, I started to assemble the cart. Unfortunately, the
instructions were vague and the illustrations were not under each step, but all
together in the back of the book. I got about half of it put together when I
suspected I had used the bolts I needed for the next step somewhere else (they
did not have pictures of the hardware and all the lengths were metric). I got
p*ssed and decided I better quit while I was behind. So, I put away my tools
and shut off the garage lights.
Back inside for the night, I washed up. I wasn’t all that
hungry, but needed to eat something with my evening pills. So, I cut up and
boiled the beet greens. I drained them, splashed them with white vinegar and
topped them with a little salt. Excellent!
I turned off all the lights in the house from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for Earth Hour (to proclaim my commitment to protecting the planet). Nobdy mentioned the TV, so I left that on...
I turned off all the lights in the house from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for Earth Hour (to proclaim my commitment to protecting the planet). Nobdy mentioned the TV, so I left that on...
I watched the newest taped episode of the Vikings. Then I
went to bed.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Friday
It was surprisingly warm Friday morning, but the
temps were supposed to fall all day and the winds to pick up. Before I went to
work, I went to Meijer’s to see if they had my squeeze bottles. Nope! Where the
heck did I buy them???
I stopped at Time Out for lunch again as I had to
go to Best Buy. It didn’t dawn on me to walk next door to Bed Bath & Beyond
to check there for squeeze bottles until after I was back at work. Duh!
Sidebar: It was definitely colder and windier by
then.
When I got home, I had to take care of some computer
work. I paid bills, wrote out checks for others (why don’t doctors allow you to
pay online?), balanced my check register, filled out the ToDo list and a
shopping list, etc.
When I finished, I was hungry, but uninspired. So,
I made a grilled cheese sandwich and some Campbell’s tomato soup for dinner. Cliché
comfort food, but still good!
I tried to catch up on my taped shows, so I
watched as many as I could before I got too tired and went to bed.
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