Its a Monday kind of Tuesday

Well Monday came and went and I did not get this posted, and even though it is legally already Tuesday, I am still counting it as Monday since I have not been to sleep yet.

What was planned but only somewhat happened:

1. Veggie meal, cornbread

2. Meatloaf, corn on the cob, collards, tomato cucumber onion salad

3. Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

4. Sloppy Joe's, coleslaw

5. Out to eat or takeout

6. Chicken bog, green beans, tossed salad

7. Pork chops, brussels sprouts, au gratin  or scalloped potatoes, tomato slices

Monday: Had a surprise visit from Son2. He was over on my side of town for work so he stopped by for a few minutes. It was nice seeing him, even for a little while. 

My Beloved Sister stopped by for a swim. The water was a little cooler than I like, but we swam laps anyway. Once we got in and started swimming it felt fine un till we got out of the pool. The wind and a cooler day, plus the entire pool was in the shade by then made dripping off a little chilly. 

MBS hopped into the hot tub to warm up, but I have something I do instead, whenever I get out of the pool. I turn the water on faucet connected to the hose on low. The sun heats the water left in it from the last time it was used, and I rinse my suit out (still on). When it is really hot outside I have to wait until it cools off to rinse my suit off, but the very warm water felt great that afternoon, and all I had to do afterward was take my suit off and hang it up to dry.

After swimming, I ran by ThePig to do some cherry picking shopping and to snag both the weekly free item and the Monday free item*. They have had ground chuck at its new lowest price for a couple of weeks now. I needed some to take to Independence Place Tuesday and just went ahead and bought another 7 pounds of it. 

No wonder my freezer is overflowing, but this winter when it is time to makes soups or stews I will be glad for the excess.

Monday dinner: TheHub had to go to one of the nearby towns City Council meetings. He is the current v.p. of the Alabama Parkinson's Association board, and the city was declaring it Parkinson's month. ( He did ask me to go, but I am so glad I didn't. Extra reading time for me!) It meant dinner would be late, so I chose an simple meal. If I am going to be cooking late, it's going to be simple.

Meatloaf, corn on the cob, collards**

Tuesday: The day was beautiful, slightly warm but not blazing hot with a slight breeze and much less humidity. My beloved Sister and I went to my happy place. I have not been in a while and I really do miss seeing the participants of Independence Place. 

Some of the participants go every day, some a couple of days a week and some only once a week, so each time I go there is a revolving cast of characters. I love Tuesday's group.  One participant is an incredibly high energy young woman who loves to dance. Tuesday she wanted to show me some of her moves. Actually she wanted me to dance with her, but my knee was having no part of it. I had to settle for just watching her for a bit.

When we got there we gave each participant a nickel and told them they had to hold on to it.

Together we made slug burgers, which was not made with ground slugs, but is a depression era padded hamburger patty.  After we finished making them, they had to pay their nickel, which was once called a slug, hence the name.

They enjoyed the food and I enjoyed being there with them. Win/win.

MBS and I had planned to swim but we got home a little later than planned, so we booted it and I spent the late afternoon reading.

Tuesday dinner:  Veggie meal night

Squash casserole, okra, tomato cucumber vidalia onion salad.

Wednesday: I woke early and went to my Wednesday morning class, came home for a quick lunch then swam with My Beloved Sister. The water was chilly at first but once we began swimming laps it felt wonderful. I know some of you are ready for the weather to break and cooler temps take hold. I personally am thrilled our highs for the next week are in the 90's. More swimming!

After the swim I went back in the house, dressed and read. I have been on a reading tear lately, partly because I can't make a lot of noise, or do what I want to be doing while TheHub is using the dining room as his office. (I suppose I could go upstairs and attack the room of horrors but that would make to much sense and would ruin my pettiness)

Wednesday dinner: I waited pretty late to even be thinking about cooking, fortunately when I was in the freezer Saturday, I found some frozen chili (enough for one person). TheHub said it sounded fine to him, so I thawed it. It was not chili***!

Spaghetti with meat sauce or half a sandwich TheHub brought home from a luncheon meeting earlier in the week.

Thursday: I did a lot of organizing and planning for the rest of the month while doing laundry. At least it was a quiet activity.😏

Though the day was gorgeous we did not swim. And other than changing out some clothes I will not wear again until next summer, I did little except reading, folding clothes and putting them away. 

Did I have a ton I could do? Yes! Did I do it? Nope! Do I feel guilty? Not in the least. I am still in petty mode, and I can be petty so well! In fact I might be a master of it.

Thursday dinner: Instead of pulling the pork chops out to thaw I changed my mind and grabbed something else from the pork bin****.

Pork tenderloin, baked potato, brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes

Friday: It was another beautiful hot day and I am not exactly sure what all I did. TheHub and I did a little running around and some sitting on the screened porch and talking while planning our October. The day was gorgeous for sitting and talking (as long as the porch ceiling fans were going full blast). 

Once inside I made dinner, but also prepared things for a few extra meals. I figured as long as I was cooking I might as well make the most of it and get ahead in advance of a busier week

Friday dinner: We had planned on going out to eat, but changed our plans once he decided he would be going to the early ballgame Saturday morning. Fortunately I had everything on hand for a quick meal.

Sloppy Joe's, coleslaw, pickles . . . lots of pickles

Saturday: Ball game day! Son2 came over to ride to Tuscaloosa with TheHub for the game. They left and I was sitting still drinking coffee when I heard the door open. Much to my delight, DIL2 had come over to watch the game with me. My Beloved Sister joined us and we settled in to watch the game*****. After those games were over we watched (again I use that term lightly) the Georgia/Tennessee game until TheHub and Son2 got back to the house.

Saturday dinner: Everyone went home and TheHub ran and picked up a chicken meal at Jack's.

Chicken, green beans, coleslaw

Sunday: We woke early (way to early for me since I did not go to sleep until well after 3) to go to our early communion service, followed by church then Sunday School. The day was beautiful and neither of us were ready to go home. We figured we might as well have an early lunch and wound up at Saw's BBQ. 

We have always had this running joke that Methodists schedule their services just so the congregation will beat the Baptists to restaurants. 

Though I have no idea what particular affiliation or beliefs anyone in the restaurant had, we did have a table as soon as we walked in as the place was less than half full. By the time our food arrived the joint was full with a wait for the ever growing groups of diners wanting to be seated.  

Their portions were so large I brought more than half of my meal home. Another night, another meal.

Sunday night:  I am not sure what we did all day but all of a sudden it was 8:30 and neither of us had thought about dinner. We planned to run to Taco Bell (TheHub's idea) but once we got there the drive through line never moved. They seem to be perpetually understaffed or badly managed. Not sure which, so we left. TheHub still wanted a taco and we wound up at a taco truck ( No idea what their name is)  in the parking lot of Hoover Tactile Firearms ( an indoor shooting range). 

Sometimes the best things happen when plans change. The food from there was delicious!

Chicken torta******

What might happen this week:

1. Out to eat 

2. Leftover smoked brisket, tossed salad

3. Taco salad

4. Fundraiser dinner

6. Veggie dinner

7. Grilled tuna steaks, tossed salad, baked potato

Books read in September:

None Of This Is True

Forever Odd

Wishin' and Hopin'

The Case of the Missing Marquess

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan or with no plan at all.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* They have these items free with a $10 dollar purchase, but I only get them if they are things I will use and if ThePig has a sale on something I either need now or for the freezer in the future.

**When I was organizing the freezer Saturday, I found a bag of cooked collards I had frozen. Score!

*** This is why labeling leftovers is necessary.

**** I have all of my frozen proteins in separate plastic bins on the freezer shelves, red for beef, ivory for poultry, blue for seafood, and white for pork because "its the other white meat".

***** By watching the game, I really mean we mainly talked, MBS swam laps, we ate lunch, talked some more, all while the games were on tv. We did glance at it sometimes, as we flipped back and forth between the Alabama and Auburn games.  (MBS went to school there.)

****** We put this on our list of "must returns"