Almost like summer!

23.IV.07 - MoM

My quickie dinner (chicken pie and ice cream. yet again) is done and now I can have my drinks. This morning I had just finished my cookies and tea when Sandy popped in and out leaving me a big bunch of Red Lobster biscuits. There was an authentic recipe in the Star Trib, along with some other things from various restaurants. They were fresh out of the oven and she was on her way to a school in Hudson. They arrived at a perfect time -- I was trying to decide what to have as I wasn't in the mood right then for the tomato juice. (I am almost out of my "Cheese Chex" packets that I eat with it.) The cut fruit from the health food store was still good so I ate some more of it. I also had my noon time Boost and my Orange Juice/Meta mix.

I needed to get going on the forsythia notes -- the ones Sandy picked on Saturday were waiting in water. I managed to put together a design with a little blue flower that I need to find out its name. Somehow, when I tried to change a margin on the scanner I must I ended up getting it enlarged so that a ½ of the design took up a whle page. I had the manual out and eventually got it back to normal, but it messed up my time line. I am a little disappointed with it but I am getting used to it. Perhaps it would be better with very fresh blooms.

The sprinkler system is turned on and should start tomorrow morning at 4 a.m. It has seldom been as dry as it is this year. I am really enjoying the new things from Ted's major planting last fall. Also, I saw the first violet today. I had a lot last year but they are still buried under the leaves.

My other accomplishment today was to take my oldest, rattiest pair of slacks to experiment trying to partially take them apart at the crotch, try to redo them and put new elastic at the waist. I will hand baste them before I try the sewing machine just yet. They well could end up in the rag pile.

By the way, DoD died two years ago last January. Of course, I miss him a lot. I still have occasional little sad spells, but they only last a few minutes. We knew for a year that his kidneys were so shot and there was nothing they could do and he lived longer than the doctors thought he could. I remember how well Dan handled Pa's death. I could not have imagined that we would have so many years together and such a interesting life.

Didn't have time for naps today so bed it going to feel great. It was 71° high today but seems to be good sleeping temp tonight.

* * * * *

And now for the rest of Suzy's letter of March 2, 1986. I loved the details of your culinary prowess! Love your letters and so sorry that you didn't write more of them.

I'd bought myself a turkey to roast that day [Christmas] so stuck it back in the freezer. On New Years Day, I had Lee and Bonny over for a huge feast. This was the first time I'd ever cooked and entertained for dinner on my own, and I must say, it was a spectacular success. I slaved for days doing nouvelle cuisine things out of a cookbook called The Silver Palate, even doing the turkey their complicated way, and it all turned out to be well worth it. With that success under my belt, I felt brave enough to invite Nan and Ralph over two weeks ago. That one was a four course Italian spectacular, out of the "bible of Italian cooking" by Marcella Hazan. I'd sent away to specialty shops in New York for various authentic delicacies. I managed to make a reasonable facsimile of that wonderful "fruit di mari" seafood appetizer (my first dealings with preparing fresh octopus and squid) as well as duplicating that pickled carrot thing we loved so much in Como. The main course was a delicious Spaghetti al Carbonara (Nan providing freshly made pasta). You can see what an influence European travel has had on me. Broadening, indeed; the bad part is, I have gained quite a bit of weight! I can no longer wear any of my jeans or skirts. After 46 years of eating whatever and how much I wanted, I've got horrible eating habits, and it's a drag to have to start thinking about exercise and light beer!

Sales of the program seem to have topped out at about 70. The second version is still not out; documentation lost in the maze of typesetting. There turned out be a second bug in it, a very serious one. In the course of gathering evidence to present to a programmer, I isolated it and fixed it myself -- which made me very proud of myself, I can tell you. Terry called me last week, after six months of silence. He says he wants to work on it again and asked for a system disc, but I feel sure he won't really do it. I had a long letter from a systems librarian at U. of N. Carolina, who told me it was "a landmark in library training" and "its excellence will set a standard for those that come after it." That's nice.

Planning on visiting Chris in April, going to orioles opening day. Enough for now -- I'm coming down with a cold, and am worn outl.

Love, Suzy