A perfect Sunday

Woke up at 6:30 AM for the second day in a row. It was deliciously cool outside (I had the window opened again), so I decided to wait on the shave, shower and breakfast and went out to water all the gardens. I am using the Miracle-Gro Liquifeed again (it says to use every 7 - 14 days. I did it for the first time last weekend and I will switch to 14 days as soon as I get these gardens back in shape!) Next, I came in to write the Saturday Blog, then back out to water all the container gardens.

I noticed several things while I was watering, so I grabbed my pruning shears and headed out to the back garden. Trimmed up the bushes as needed and weeded the whole garden.

Then, I grabbed the electric trimmer and worked on the bushes up front. Finally, I got the weedwacker and cleaned up the grass next to the front garden.

It's almost 11:30 AM and now I am back to the kitchen floor and paint cleanup. I finished up and found there was a unexpected side benefit to my efforts! The "Goof Off" (nasty smelling stuff that eats off latex paint) also removed the scuff marks from my old chairs! Anyway, I finished up, so I stopped and shaved and showered. Got dressed to go grocery shopping, then filled a bucket with Top Job and washed the kitchen floor on my way out.

This time I tried the Kroger's at 5 Mile and Merriman. Much more to my liking! Wide aisles, good selection, etc., I must have liked it as I filled out the form to get a Kroger Savings card (Hey, it knocked $20 off my bill! I ain't complaining!) I admit I had an ulterior motive, too. They had baby back ribs and sweet corn on sale. I got two slabs of ribs, one for today and one to freeze.

On the way back home, I stopped at the Feed Store and got another 40 pounds of bird feed and some suet cakes for my fine, feathered friends. I forgot to mention it, but I had two adult male blue jays sitting on the two shepherd's crooks that hold the feeder and the suet cage this morning. I was struck on how big those suckers really are! Magnificent looking birds!

So, I got the groceries put away and the oven pre-heated to 250 degrees F. I cut the ribs in half, put them in the roasting pan on a rack and poured a cup pf apple juice and a cup of bourbon over them and the rubbed them with a mixture of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Montreal steak seasoning and chopped garlic. Put the pan in the oven and set the timer for 3 and � hours. Yes, I am making my sweet bourbon baby backs and corn for tonight's dinner. Since I will have the grill fired up anyway, I'll also make 8 hamburgers and 8 hot dogs for quick meals in the upcoming week.

Next, I took the eight eggs I still had left (I just bought another dozen) and put them in a pan to make them hard-boiled. Then I took the first load out of the dryer (my bedding) and made the bed. I put the load in the wash machine in the dryer and started the last load (the rugs for the kitchen and the main bath).

I don't really have time for a nap today, but I determined I earned a break so, at 4:00 PM, I got my book and sat on the couch, reading, for exactly � hour. I got up and went out and re-stained the baseboards and shoe molding. BTW, did I mention the weather is perfect today? Not too hot, a nice breeze and enough puffy white clouds to make the sky interesting.

After that messy job, I cleaned up, lit the charcoal in the grill and went in to make the hamburger patties. I browned the remaining ground chuck in a pan with some chopped onions, and then added a can of Bush's Baked Beans.

I grilled the burgers and hot dogs perfectly, and then roasted the sweet corn. The corn went on a cookie sheet and into the oven (set at "warm") while I finished the ribs. Unfortunately, I messed them up by leaving them on a bit too long (there IS but a slight difference in time, but a big difference between "caramelized" and "burnt"). But, hey, it's just the barbeque sauce, not the actual meat, ya know?

Got everything inside and closed the garage door for the night. Made myself a big plate of ribs, sweet corn and baked beans and settled in for some TV. I fell asleep before 9:00 PM, but woke up at midnight which gave me time to clean up the mess in the kitchen, fill and run the dishwasher, throw the throw rugs in the dryer (that's fun to say! Try it!) and write this entry before going back to bed for real.