Dark and Stormy

It's raining out there, and it looks like we might get more all through the day. We can hope. The pond is receding from it's banks, and we're in the August Doldrums. Back to conserving water and praying for rain. Today, prayers have apparently been answered.

I puttered yesterday. Cleaning up, unpacking from my trip, taking care of details like birthdays and get-well cards. I chatted with daughter Juli about wedding cakes ("Just what IS the deal with the little plastic 1950's couple on top?" she wonders), and son Alex about financial planning, 401-k options, and the stock market.

I made a killer oven-sizzled Eggplant Parmesean for dinner (less fat than fried), and Bill ate it happily, despite its meatless nature. This is momentous. One of the "rules" has been that dinner must contain meat, and any attempts to move to a more vegetable-based diet have been met with complaints and proverbial heels dug in. Perhaps we have some hope of growth in this area after all. He says it's a textural issue, so perhaps thick slices of eggplant, drained and pressed, passed the meaty-mouthfeel test.

I find I still have the capacity to learn new tricks in the kitchen, and I still enjoy cooking, even if it is just for the two of us, or even just myself. The thrill of trying something new and having it turn out fabulous never pales. And yes, there are still plenty of kitchen failures. Bill eats them without making a face, bless his heart (though I usually find him eating cereal at midnight after said failure). Last night, he had seconds on the eggplant, and no cereal. So I count that as a success.

Today I will go over to Ray's and see what I can do to help with things like painting and moulding and little hardware jobs. He is almost done and ready to show the house for rental next week.
Tomorrow, Bill goes for his pre-boarding physical, so they must be getting ready to put him on a ship for four months. We expect he will be leaving sometime next week.