Ah, steak wrapped in bacon sauteed in a pan, scraping up the bits and add mushrooms, green onion, and red wine, is DH favorite food. A stuffed baked potato, and a salad with Blue Cheese dressing is over the top. I can see why you enjoyed your meal. I hope you had a super day.

Sometimes after living on the edge for eons.......a routine feels comforting, like chicken soup. For those of us whose bodies awaken, but it takes the brain an hour or two to kick in (the reverse is also true.......when the body stops to rest the mind keeps ticking) if it weren't for a morning routine the day would start noonish. The key to the conundrum is to change routines often. LOL.

I was too busy to ramble much Friday, so I'll do a Saturday ramble. The DH is off on one of his little excursions today, so my doggie, the cats and I are holding the house down. The sky is darkening, and I hear a boom of thunder now and again on the horizon. At times like this, I think of blue body paint, and old times at the GW and the rain dance. We need it badly. I just finished off a leisurely brunch. The simple repast as John used to say. I cracked an egg I gathered yesterday into a ten inch cast iron griddle, and it filled the whole bottom. I had to fold it over to fit the spatula under it and put it on the plate. Doubtless left by one of the old biddie hens, who is smart enough to know that the pullet's legs are banded this year. That means it's culling time at the henhouse and she's smart enough to know an egg the size of a tennis ball buys her a presidential pardon. LOL. I made a potato pattie to go with the egg, and toasted a couple of slices of the bread I baked yesterday, sopped them in real butter, and drowned them in homemade strawberry jam. It doesn't get much simpler than that, but it also doesn't get much better. Last night, we had the first veggie soup from the garden. Cabbage, green beans, celery, baby carrots, tomatoes and probably a few things I've forgotten, simmered all day in the broth from a big beef knuckle and served with a loaf of bread so hot from the oven, you couldn't even slice it. The DH and I had a ceremony early last week, honoring the first ripe tomato. It was cleaved in half, still warm, and served up with the salt shaker. You have to grow tomatoes to appreciate what I mean. I still haven't been fishing or swimming yet. It's coming down the pike. Hopefully I can scoop up a g'kid or two for the occasion. I asked myself last night is my vanity worth giving up swimming? I said no. I hope that never changes as when I was a young woman, I used to really feel sorry for the older crowd who sat by the beaches, never bringing their swim gear, and having that 'look' in their eyes. It's a positively wonderful experience for an older person. Such gentle exercise, almost weightless. I starting to see some butterflies, finally......but not the wild orgy of them I used to see before the industrial park went in nearby. The dragonflies are abundant and venture away from the pond regularly. The crawdads are burrowed deep into the stream bed and the first good rain in months should bring them back out. Summer.

I love the pic, Coco, and have a feeling I'd love the dog as well. Jan, the "fun" never ends for you, does it? Hope Sassi recovers soon. Cataracts are only OK in that they are something that can be repaired, but I'm sure you (and Sassi and Neil) could have done without the excitement. Dorph, that sounds like a party I'd love to go to! It's almost 11:00 and I'm still in my PJs --- and not thinking about changing that anytime soon. My big conference is over as of last night. It went very well. I just need to tie up loose ends, but I get to start my annual 2 month hiatus from work in a month and a half, and I'm counting the days. Tomorrow morning I'm checking in to a very peaceful place for a full day of pampering. Cleansing bath ritual, massage, swimming in a very heated outdoor pool, spa pampering, fancy lunch, unwinding with a girlfriend... heaven! I get home just in time to have some of our Bulgarian friends over for trick or treating fun. We've known the husband for seven of the ten years he's lived in the states (6-9 months out of the year). We finally witnessed him become a citizen just last month. His wife of four years (whom we met when we were in Bulgaria a few years ago) finally got a Green Card, so she and their two year old son, who were unable to enter the US prior to this, took their first plane rides to leave their country for the first time ever two months ago. They think the boy is too young for trick or treating, so I asked them to put him in a costume and help me pass out bags of Sun Chips to the 125-ish trick or treaters I expect between 5-7 on Sunday night. (He's the only kid in their apartment building, so I doubt Halloween would be much fun there.) I thought it would be both a fun way to get acclimated to a new country, and an engaging way for the boy to practice the whole "thank you" / "you're welcome" exchange in English. The puppy is growing so dang fast, I hardly recognized her after three days away at a hotel. I'm looking forward to getting her prepped for her first hunting trip to ND the week of Thanksgiving. No, I don't expect her to be any good, but my dad has a young pup too, and our goal is to introduce them to what is genetically destined to be their life's passion in a gradual and fun way. So I'm vacillating between extreme excitement and extreme relaxation this weekend. And I'm excited to be extremely relaxed tomorrow...