Oh, I am stiff and sore!! Got the back yard raked, not that it is that large, but it is my first big job of the year. Two loads of laundry dried and away - so happy. Now it is raining, so I do wish I gotten some seeds scattered - maybe tomorrow. Well, you all guessed (or knew?) correctly. Most etymologists believe that barbecue derives from the word barabicu found in the language of the Taíno people of the Caribbean and the Timucua of Florida, and entered European languages in the form barbacoa. It has been suggested that both the word and cooking technique migrated out of the Caribbean and into other languages and cultures, with the word (barbacoa) moving from Caribbean dialects into Spanish, then Portuguese, French, and English. The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first recorded use of the word in the English language as a verb in 1661, in Edmund Hickeringill's Jamaca Viewed: "Some are slain, And their flesh forthwith Barbacu'd and eat." It also appears as a verb in the published writings of John Lederer, following his travels in the American southeast in 1672. The first known use of the word as a noun was in 1697 by the British buccaneer William Dampier. In his New Voyage Round the World, Dampier writes: And lay there all night, upon our Borbecu's, or frames of Sticks, raised about 3-foot (0.91 m) from the Ground. When I first went to the Caribbean it was to St. Lucia. There most households cooked on a coal-pot like the picture here - no luau type feasts, certainly no alligator!! The top was a type of olla, or clay pot. We bought chunks of hardwood charcoal at the market, and actually used them to grill chicken and fish. So there you go!! the weather is so nice, maybe TM got his boat out? Perhaps he'll tell us later. So for Annette, Cynthia and Bobbie: Clever bunch - I'll have to try harder next week. See you then!! Nancy.

Thanks, OA ...that was a real pain in the rear to do each pic!!! Went back to the 'old' PBkt...hope it just stays around as my pics 'download' automatically to the right size I want to share as an HTML file. Here's a centerpc I'm working on for my round mesh top table on the patio... old canning jars in a 'canner rack' ...zinc lids on the the surrounding jars filling with pinecones, Buckeyes from our tree, rose hip, cinnamon sticks & that sort of thing...the center old jar has a solar lid I made a couple yrs ago & it's still going strong in all weather! Cold & wet here so must wait a bit to collect some more goodies for the jars! I'll be able to 'wire down' in a couple places ...the canner rack to the mesh table ...so wind shouldn't hurt anything...problem will have trouble w/moisture collecting inside & maybe breaking a jar...giving it a go this yr!

My day started like any other work day. Alarm goes off at 6:15am. I stumble out to the sofa, pick up my laptop, check email and the KT. I add a photo to the daily "...Show me yours" post and then check my Facebook page. Might play a round or two of Spider Solitaire. 7:15am, I close my laptop and head to the shower, plugging in my curling iron and clothes iron before hopping in. 7:30am, dry hair, put on makeup, press clothes (after I've sorted through and rejected a number of options), dress. 8:00am, take vitamins, maybe eat a bite of something. 8:15am, head to work. 8:30am, work day and headaches begin. I check the KT and FB several times a day just as a sanity check and mental health exercise. :-) After that, it's anyone's guess. Work as a designer is so deadline and project driven that I seldom get a break of any kind during the day, and often have to cancel lunch or evening plans. Once home again (can be any time between 6:30pm and 10pm) I often shower and then settle in on the sofa again and watch TV programs I've recorded. And of course check all my fav places while watching TV. Midnight - 1:30am, head to bed only to start it all over again the next morning. ugh Jodi-

Shirley, our weather is very similar, and today was nice, wasn't it? Your meal is nice and comforting. I couldn't imagine not having leftovers, or living with someone who doesn't like them. I know people like that, and it's a fresh meal every nite. Jim, how nice having tomatoes and green beans from the garden. Our tomatoes aren't even ripening yet. The landlords gave us a bunch of pole beans, which are long and flat and they went into the soup the other day. They were really good. Raven, was your dinner as good as it sounds?? Do tell. Pam, pizza is good anytime but I'm sure even more so, with your grandson Georgy ravioli with your marinara sauce would be awesome! Rhizo, hubby loves ordering BLT's for breakfast when we go out. Angela, I'll take my cool summer over your heat any day! But a chicken salad is perfect. OF, you must finally be happy! You got some summer temperatures. And you still put the oven on! :)