Saturday, December 1, 2018

Yesterday Was a Good Day

Late yesterday morning David, my youngest, showed up at my door bearing gifts.  Now I love seeing my kids even when they come to see me empty handed.  But these gifts were really welcome.  He came through the door, hauling a large tote bag full of meat.

David buys a quarter beef every year and this year's order was ready.  He needed to make room in his freezer, so he brought two packages of steaks and a good sized roast.

He had gone deer hunting this fall and had brought down a nice sized buck.  The rest of the bag was packed with venison summer sausage, steaks, chops and roasts.  He made me promise to share with his brother and I said I would.

David had time to sit and visit for awhile.  I got caught up on what his wife and kids had been doing.  He told me he was leaving Sunday for a week-long seminar in Long Beach, California, for his work.  By the end of it, he hopes to get his irrigation certification.  He told me that he would have a view of the ocean from his hotel window.  He knows how much I loved being at the ocean, so he promised to call me from the beach so I could hear the surf again.  :)

I left a message for Duane to stop over after work because there was venison and beef in my freezer with his name on it.  When he arrived, he found me sitting at my living room window, watching a parade.

Every year my town has a huge Christmas tree set up in the middle of the old part of downtown, just a block away from my apartment.  The Friday a week after Thanksgiving, they have a tree lighting ceremony, followed by a parade.  I can't see the tree from my windows, but the parade goes by in the street right in front of my building.  Everything was decked out in Christmas lights, including the dancing elves and kids on bicycles doing stunts.  There were floats and a fire truck and all sorts of trucks with elves in them, tossing candy to the kids lined up watching.  Santa was in fine form with his own Christmas tree and a huge candy cane.  It was fun to watch.

Duane came in while I was watching the parade and then we sat and talked for a time before he raided my freezer.  It isn't all that often I get to spend time with both my boys on the same day.

After Duane left with his bounty, I had just settled in to do some crocheting when I heard a couple of loud 'Booms.'  I went to the window to see what was going on, only to discover the town had added fireworks to the celebration and I could see them perfectly.  It was a nice ending to a very good day.

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like a day well spent, Vicki!

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    1. Gorges...Yep. It was one of the better ones.

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  2. WOW - what a great day. You certainly raised some great kids/now adults.
    I surprised myself and cooked a full dinner yesterday - baked pork chop, baked potato, steamed fresh broccoli and a salad.Have all the fixings for a chicken and broccoli casserole for tonight.
    We had thunder, lightening and pounding rain and hail yesterday. But warmer temps then normal for this time of year. I'll take it all over snow.

    Poor MrDog was shaking when the thunder storm went through.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. SJ...It was fun. It is nice when the kids can slow down long enough for some talking.

      You have more ambition than I do. I remembered the 'microwave meals' I had frozen a while back. I didn't like the way they turned out from the microwave so tonite I'm putting it all into a casserole dish and baking it. Pork chop, dressing, baked potato and carrots. Great minds and all that!?

      MrDog would not have been happy here with all the noise from the fireworks last night. Years ago I had half Golden half Irish Setter who hated thunder. If he happened to be outside when the thunder started he would stand on his hind legs and ring the doorbell until I let him inside. :) Who says dogs aren't smart!!

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  3. Good morning.
    Yes, definitely a similar menu - and I had meant to bake carrots and forgot.
    Cooking the entire meal in one night hadn't happened in a while. Usually,I cook enough meat for 3 dinners and on that night have a side of rice or potato that's already cooked. And a salad. Then, on the night's I'm reheating the meat, I might cook a side dish from scratch.

    I'm only slowly getting back to having freezer ready homemade food. I got away from it when I was still cooking family sized amounts and freezing the leftovers. But somehow I neglected to eat the leftovers. Now, I only stock the freezer with 2-3 quickie meals like frozen soup or chili. Or, right now, I have some cooked chicken breasts that are individually frozen. I got a great deal on them on the store's 10% off day, cooked them all in my big Pyrex baking dish and froze half. One of them was part of the casserole I cooked last night. With leftovers so no cooking tonight, yipee.

    Have to say MrDog is not the smartest dog I've ever had but he's beautiful and a gentle giant. He does forget most every day where his toys are - there is a pile of them at the end of my sofa. But when he wants me to play, he can't see the toys and I have to remind him where they are. Every.day. Or maybe, that's part of his game.
    Take good care,
    SJ

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    1. SJ...I think I just am tired of cooking. Or perhaps it has to do with the difficulty in standing next to the stove for any length of time, stirring things. I tend to go for meals I can just pop into the oven. I freeze foods like chili but then forget about them. Is that an old age thing, I wonder. Lately I have been mostly opening jars like my vegetable soup base and adding a jar of chicken or beef for a meal of soup or stew. Quick, easy, only one dirty pot. :)

      I suppose if I were better organized I would do things differently. Some folks, like my youngest son, plan meals a week in advance, He is very well organized. Has to be, with his job and running his kids back and forth to their activities. Me...I usually don't think about supper until I feel hungry, unless I crock pot something. That baby crockpot David got for me is working out well. I can get two meals out of it and that is just right. If I can only remember to thaw out the meat ahead of time. :)

      I'm not so sure an overly smart dog is a good thing. I had a smart Cocker Spaniel who trained the cat to knock things off the counter or table onto the floor for him. He got ahold of a one pound box of expensive chocolates and ate the whole thing. After which every time he started to throw up or squat, my husband had to rush him down the stairs and outside. After about the fifth or sixth trip up and down the stairs, my husband said, "If this dog lives, I'm gonna kill him."

      My Yorkies were smart, but one had a laid-back personality and stayed out of trouble. The other was sort of like the Energizer Bunny - kept going and going and going - barking at any little noise and getting into all sorts of mischief. I'm guessing MrDog knows where his toys are. He just likes the game. :)

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  4. Replies
    1. One Family...Any day that includes time spent with adult children, venison and a Christmas parade has to be about as close to perfect as it gets. :)

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