A Waterin' Fool

I woke up at 7:30 AM on Sunday. I threw some clothes on and started watering again (this time the rest of the side lawn, by the patio and the raised bed garden). I kept setting the stove timer and then putzing around while waiting for it to go off (drinking coffee on the porch and so on).

When I was done watering those, I hooked up the hose to the back garden. I took the wand out back, hooked it up and hand watered, giving each plant and bush 30 seconds of drenching water. I finally finished up at 11:30 AM, then I remembered I need to water the container gardens (sigh... there goes the water bill!) Since I was out there anyway, I weeded the front garden. I got everything done before noon. Finally NOT having the water turned on, I was able to shave and shower.

I was not sure why, but my knees and legs were hurting. So, I took a break and watched a few taped cooking shows to give them a rest. I got back up at 2:00 PM, feeling a lot better.

I went out into the garage and started a little preventative maintenance on the car. I checked the oil and refilled the windshield washer fluid reservoir. Next I refilled all the tires up to the recommended air pressure. Then, I got some Windex and paper towels and washed the inside of all the windows.

Back inside, I decided to watch a movie: The Fellowship of the Ring (the first of the Lord of the Ring trilogy, and the only one I own). I finished that about 6:00 PM and decided to make dinner.

So, I was making the Coal man's wife recipe: Pasta alla Carbonara (why the hell they call it that, I have no idea, but they always do, lol!) I took 1/2 a pound of bacon and cut the strips into two-inch chunks. I put them in my big cast iron pan on medium-high heat. While that was getting crispy, I put a pot of salted water on to boil.

Once the bacon was done, I added five cloves of minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. After two minutes, I added 1/2 cup of white wine (you could also use chicken stock, BTW). I reduced that by a half (about 2-3 minutes).

Meanwhile, I separated two egg yolks and scrambled them with a whisk, then added 3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Still whisking vigorously, I added in one ladle of the boiling pasta water. To that I also added a handful of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped, and a few grinds of black pepper.

I drained the penne pasta when al dente and added it to the fry pan with the sauce. I thoroughly tossed the pasta, then stirred in the egg mixture and continued to toss until the sauce was absorbed and thickly coated the pasta. I dished up a plate and topped it with a little more of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and dinner was served.

I watched my Sunday shows and went to sleep at 10:30 PM. It had been a nice day, with a good mix of getting things done and getting some rest.

BTW, the Webmaster posted a poem I started about four years ago and just recently finished, called Blood Brother, if you're interested.