Morning Mumbles

Gainesville

A rare daytime post. This morning is even slower than usual here in the tank, and I'm afraid if I start reading, I'll fall asleep.

The staff moves into the new building are back on schedule and should be finished by the end of today. Of course, there are a million niggly little things that need to be fixed, but getting this far is a huge accomplishment. People complain about this and that, but the biggest complaint seems to be getting lost-- that's how much different the building is from the its pre-rennovation/ addition state. We are going to have to distribute maps to help staff get around. It's going to be even harder for the public, once we let them back in.

Thanks for more great roofing pictures, Sandy. What a job that must have been! I like the shot from the back, showing the new kitchen and deck. It was the first picture that gave Bill a clear idea what the addition was all about. And it will be fun to watch those tiny little rows of shoots transform into a small forest of corn-- probably the most spectacular of garden miracles.

Mom, I got the card (cute, and so true). Thanks for it, and also for the tour item from the paper. Nice picture of your deck with the new flowering baskets, too.

Pork Diane is similar to Steak Diane-- medallions of pork loin flattened a bit, sprinkled with lemon pepper then sauteed quickly in butter. Pan deglazed with a lemon juice/ Worcester/ Dijon mustard combo and topped with chopped parsley. Very easy, very tasty.

And speaking of tasty, the leftover pasta from Monday makes splendid leftovers, just miked a bit. I'm not usually that fond of leftover pasta, but this one is an exception. I'd have brought some in for lunch, except usually we go out for lunch on Fridays

"La auto linda" -- interesting that "auto" is feminine in Spanish! We are still trying to establish the gender of Moonbeam. It continues to be exciting and fun to drive or ride in-- it's not yet become just the car. It's so easy to get in and out, and what a luxury to be able to open a door to the back seat and just set briefcase, lunch, etc. back there, then just step into the front seat. In Babe, you couldn't set stuff in back without risking it rolling down into the doorwell by the sliding door, so I would have it all underfoot in the very small legroom area after climbing in. Much nicer start to the morning.