Unfortunate Day

Gainesville

Bill came in the door tonight with the news of what Mom rightly calls "the horrors." (I hadn't heard.) He graduated from VA Tech, so it hit him particularly hard. What can you say. So awful. We seldom watch TV in the evenings, and neither was in a mood to wallow over something like this.

Heard from Lee's wife Linda that her mom died this afternoon. She was 90, and it was not unexpected, but still. An unfortunate day all around.

But we keep on keepin' on. Bless the house. Change towels. Wash clothes. Fix dinner. Realized today I'd forgotten to put the Dijon in the herb butter, besides leaving out salt and pepper. D'oh! no wonder if was kinda bland. Still, a tablespoon or so of butter on top of any steak can't be bad-- and Bill commented on how good it was. The small boneless sirloins were tasty, but quite tough. I did not have the patience or jaw strength to finish mine.

Using Louisey to make turnip fries was not a success. She made turnip chips, which might have been okay deep fried, but I tried to bake them. They either got overly browned/burnt, or were flabby and strong-tasting. I realize I'm in a period where my new hammer makes every recipe call for nail to be driven. I still have her out on the counter. Today the disk holder arrived, which takes up another precious square foot or so of that precious real estate. I'm meditating on what I can move where in the kitchen, but really need to be thinking in terms of remodeling. Alas, there is neither a Charlie nor a Sandy in my life here to help me make thinking into reality. I do so envy you both that ability.

Mom, we do not have such quaint things as weather warning sirens here-- they would be going off constantly, and annoying the hell out of everyone. Potentially dangerous thunderstorms are a near daily occurrence over half the year. Even if we did have sirens, we live too far from downtown to hear them anyway. If we're worried about weather, we go online, or turn on The Weather Channel.

Speaking of weather, it was very cold this morning. I had to put on the heater by the computer to make it possible to be in the room. This has got to be a record late in the year day for me to need a turtleneck and a sweatshirt. Enough already! I know I'll regret saying this all too soon, but... Bring on the Heat!

And, sooner: bring on the sleep. Raveled sleeves need attention.