Heart-pounding fun!

I got up and got going on Saturday. First stop was my haircut, then to Casual Male (they were having a sale on shirts and I needed some), next to Famous footwear (for a sale on shoes and I needed some of them, too) and then I took a break. I stopped at Leo's Coney Island and had breakfast. Finally, I went to Meijer's for the bulk of my grocery shopping.

I got home at 11:30 AM, put everything away (except for the shirts, I'll deal with them later) and got to work again! This time I was making brownies. Carla's mom is up for the weekend and they invited me over today, so I said I'd bring dessert. Why brownies, when I don't eat that stuff? Well, I saw an article about a woman who won over some 350 contestants in a brownie contest that Zender's (a famous old restaurant up in Frankenmuth, Michigan) had put on. They printed her winning recipe and it intrigued me as it used white chocolate chips and Godiva white chocolate liqueur and no nuts. Booze, chocolate and no nuts? Perfect for Carla!

So, those went in the oven at 12:30 and I went and washed more dishes in that damn laundry tub. After the recommended 30 minutes, I checked it with a tooth pick and got just goop. So, I put it back in for 15 minutes more. I checked that and it still seemed a little sticky on the second toothpick. Fearing burning the top, I covered it with tin foil and left it in five minutes more. Then I put it on one of my cookie racks to let it cool.

It didn't cool that fast, so I was about 20 minutes late to Jake and Carla's (and it was still cooling) But, I got there. We all sat outside in the shade, enjoying the mild temperatures and nice breeze.

Carla and Jake got going on making dinner; while Acenter and I chatted outside (I did like this part - just visiting, no work, lol!) Jake and Carla played a little bit of the ladder game, but the biggest competition today was to get inside or outside without letting any flies in the house.

So, today's dinner was an all-German one (with substitutions for her Mom, who doesn't eat pork). And, I am NOT kidding, (and not bragging, either) I didn't do one damn thing to make it happen, other than I did turn on the gas grille outside when Carla asked me to. Usually, I at least do some prep work for them.

We had bratwurst, which was fresh, so they boiled it inside and then grilled it outside (you boil it first so it doen't split on the grill and lose its juices). As each piece was judged done, it went into a beer and sliced onion bath, also sitting on top of the grille. We ate it with whole grain mustard. Yumo!

They made German potato salad (potatoes, green onions, vinegar, sugar and whole grain mustard). We sprinkled bacon bits on top as we were served, as Carla's Mom doesn't eat pork. Served warm, it was delicious!

We also had boiled cabbage, made with bacon fat, again whole grain mustard, salt and pepper. They made a separate pot without the bacon grease, too. Being German, I had smelled this dish when I walked in the front door!

Carla grilled chicken legs and wings for her mother's meat dish. Now, I never grille chicken, I always deep fry it, but that made a believer out of me. It looked fantastic, even with no sauce at all, nothing but seasoning. I gotta try that!

So, all of that was served with a round loaf of artesian pumpernickel bread Jake sliced and some Samuel Adam's Oktoberfest beer (Carla's mom opted for water, of course). We all ate with great gusto! It really was an excellent meal. They all tried the brownies for dessert and said they were good, so I was glad.

Jake jumped up and started cleaning up and then was joined by Carla. So, again, no work for the Captain. They made me a big plate of food to take with me, so I made my grateful goodbyes and hit the road.

I got back home just before 7:00 PM. I hooked up the hose way in back and proceeded to give the back garden a good drenching.

When I got back inside, it was after 8:00 PM, but I decided that I would clean the tiles one more time before grouting them tomorrow. So, I used my painter's knife to scrape off any excess mortar and then wiped down each section with warm water. You would be surprised at just how many little spots of mortar were still on the tiles. Trying to do a final quality check with bifocals is really a bitch!

I finished up at 9:30 and went in to watch the fights on HBO. I managed to stay awake until it was over, then I went to sleep.

Now, normally, this would be the end of the post, right? Nay, nay! Because, at just about 2:30 AM and while deep in sleep, I was roused by a terrible racket. It sounded like the Special Forces were landing several Hueys on the front lawn, or somebody was on my roof using a jack-hammer to break in!!!

I jumped out of bed at the same time the cats were all jumping off to go hide. I grabbed the shot gun and raced to the living room: Nothing! By the time I got back into the kitchen, the noise became familiar and I realized that, on Tuesday when I installed the wood spacers around the window, I apparently had never unplugged or shut off the air compressor in the back room. It had finally leaked enough air out to turn it on...

My God, that scared me! As a result, I could NOT fall back asleep. I eventually (and reluctantly) turned on a movie, watched it to the end and went back to sleep just after 5:00 AM, which is why this post is so late.