Only 35 Days Left Before We Leave For Arizona

Today was a fairly laid back day. Well...it started that way. I made pancakes with bacon for breakfast. Diet pancakes and only one slice of bacon. I won't let anyone bring cereal into the house. It would be so bad if HTP had the will-power to eat a single serving of cereal...but he doesn't so that's the end of cereal in our house. Diet and will-power must go hand in hand. One must remove all temptation that would break will-power. Anyway, we had pancakes...diet pancakes.

I was in the kitchen bottling blackberry vinegar and mixing up a batch of raspberry vinegar. #1 son was mixing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies to bring back to the dorm with him tomorrow. Chocolate chip cookies are not allowed in this house either. I have no will-power when it comes to chocolate chip cookies so they can only be cooked here...not eaten. #1 son had a load of laundry in the washer and a load of laundry in the dryer. HTP was on his computer. And then the phone rang....

My mother called the ask for help. A tree had fallen and smashed their dock. My father was down at the dock, their smashed dock, trying to see what he could do about removing said tree. My mother wanted to know if #1 son and I could come and help them with the tree. I mentioned that I thought that my father shouldn't be doing anything. Wait! Take pictures! Call the insurance company. We're on our way!

#1 son turned off the oven and shoved the bowl of cookie dough into the fridge. He headed for the basement to prepare himself for battle. I covered my raspberry vinegar with plastic wrap. HTP jumped into one of the cars and headed over to the disaster scene. He took his camera. I grabbed my purse and #1 son and I followed in the other car. At this point you're probably wondering why we took two cars. We took two cars because I had to leave to take #1 son into the big city for his haircut at 1 PM.

We arrived at the scene of the disaster shortly after HTP. By this time my father and HTP had both decided that there was no way that any of us were going to shift this huge tree off any smashed dock much less this smashed dock. Over the phone my mother had hinted at a tree with 12" diameter trunk. HAH!!!!! This was no light-weight tree, despite the fact that it was a poplar. This toppler was 20" at its base. Its rotten base. I fear that ants had been munching. Irregardless, the tree had managed to topple in perfect alinement with my folks dock. It was a pitiful sight to see. My father will have to call a professional to remove this tree and only then can we see what can be salvaged from the dock. The ex-dock. Poor dock. At least the boat survived...sans anchor. The anchor is trapped somewhere between the smashed dock and the tree.

By the time sympathies were properly expressed, it was time to take #1 son into the big city for his haircut. We took the time to do a bit of shopping before and after though we didn't make too many purchases. Nothing was found at the thrift stores that was of interest to us.

After returning home, #1 son returned to his cookie making activities and helped start a batch of "knots". Knots are a favorite of ours. We make them from bread or pizza dough. They are like bite-sized knotted soft bread sticks, slathered in garlic butter. The perfect side to go with the spaghetti we planned for our supper.

It was at the point when I was making my spaghetti sauce that I noticed that I didn't have a key ingredient. Basil. AHHH!!!! HTP had to run out to get some for me. Thankfully he found some...a little...but just enough. I'll have to add basil to my next shopping list.

My folks came just as the knots were coming out of the oven. I dumped the basil into my sauce, drained the pasta and then discovered that I'd forgotten to cook up the italian sausage. You can see where this is going. That's OK. #1 son directed me out to the deck with my mother and a nice glass of merlot. He finished up cooking the sausage and the rest of the meal.

After supper, we all enjoyed the movie The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks. I know a lot of people weren't too fond of the movie but I liked it. I'm not sure if they needed to swear so much but all in all it was a good movie. As my mother said, "It was so Edgar Allen Poe'ish". So true. A dark comedy. I liked it but I suppose I'm just twisted that way.

And so ends another quiet and peaceful day at The Lake and a wonderful evening. I forgot to make dessert. Oh well...#1 son returns to college tomorrow. I'll stay here at The Lake to plant pansies.

Murphyism of the Day

Good's Rule For Dealing With Bureaucracies

When the government bureau's remedies do not match your problem, you modify the problem, not the remedy.