Basics

Gainesville

Today began the next to last dress rehearsal for the Real Thing: a week off. Only one more week off to practice being free before I actually have to ... do it. How weird is this?

I Blessed the house: floors, carpets, dust, sheets, towels. Did a few loads of wash, waiting for the last, the towels, to finish so I can fold and put them away.

I continued experimenting with meals. My current hypothesis is: breakfast is evil. Just wait for lunch.

I guess the basic hamburger/macaroni casserole is programmed somewhere deep within the genes. I knew what to do, but felt it necessary to check online. I was dead right. And it was amazingly wonderful. Bill was very happy with it, and there is a ton leftover. Had some frozen mixed veg miked at last minute with it. Nice to know what I'll have for lunch the next few days. This is comfort food at a very basic level.

Some football on the tube tonight as I continue reading Rainbows End. Alas, it got electric-stormed out.

And speaking of weather... the E-storm. Sigh! Looks like it wants to scrape the east coast of Florida in the pre-hurricane stage. We should be okay if that plays out, but you never know. We still have most of our hurricane supplies from last year at the ready. And this year, we have a cute little generator parked in the garage, which we call Moonbeam.

I enjoyed tonight's Saalfelden entry, Mom. But I have to wonder, why in the world did you want to cook on a Farber grill in the middle of rural Europe, with all electrical conversion problems?! I guess you had a sort of "camping out" mentality, where you wanted to be in the land of Heidi, but have the 20th century conveniences of home too? If it had been me, I think I'd have settled for a hibachi or something when I craved grilled stuff.

I hope you do give some thought and effort toward meals beyond frozen chicken pies. You deserve better than this, and all it takes is a little planning.

I have some retirement decisions to make in the next week or two. It all boils down to the question of what do I need to be happy. And in my head I keep hearing some old 40's songs: the sun in the morning and the moon at night... the flowers of spring, the robins that sing...to which I would add: Time to call my own. Love. Books. I think I'll be okay.