Christmas vacation - Day 8

I awoke at 6:30 AM to the smell of coffee brewing (I set up the pot and the timer last night). I wrote some bills while having my first cup.

I started right in and deep cleaned both the kitchen and main bath. During that time, my lungs seemed to be filling up and I was coughing a lot. I thought I must have inhaled some of the Formula 409 that I was cleaning with. I finished just before 9:00 AM and then shaved and showered.

It's freakishly warm here today and raining off and on. The warm air on top of the packed snow is making a fog and the melting snow is creating flooding on the roads. But, I head out none the less!

I went to the bank. Then dropped off my cable bill and finally stopped at Westborn Market for fruits and veggies for my out-of-town guests (who should be here sometimes this afternoon).

I was back home by 10:30 AM and, after unpacking, I started to prep the salad fixing. I removed the cores and turned the cauliflower and broccoli heads into florets. I took the English cucumber and sliced it to 1/8 slices on the mandoline. All of this went into baggies for easy salad assembly.

Next I went out to organize the garage (so they can get their car in). Now, that might seem like a chore (and, I guess it was) but since the tile project started, the garage has been an absolute disaster! So, it's kinda nice to see it back in some semblance of order. I was done with that just before noon. Lu called from the road to say they just got into Ohio and should be here around 5:00 PM. She asked me why I sounded so congested and I told her my Formula 409 theory.

Next, I washed the downstairs, kitchen and main bath floors. While they were all drying, I vacuumed and dust mopped the wood floors. When I could walk on the floors again, I made myself some breakfast/lunch: I heated up a can of Dinty Moore beef stew and ate it with a hunk of that Italian rustic bread, watching a Survivorman rerun.

I did a little of this and that and then at 4:00 PM, I started supper: Garden Vegetable soup.

I heated up four tablespoons of olive oil in my cast iron Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once it was hot, I added the two cups of chopped leeks, (white part only), two tablespoons finely minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. I sweated them until they begin to soften, approximately seven to eight minutes. I added two cups of sliced carrots, Two cups of cubed potatoes, and two cups of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut to 3/4 inch lengths. I continued to cook everything for four to five more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then I added two quarts of homemade chicken stock, increased the heat to high, and then brought it back to a simmer. Once it was simmering, I added four cups of seeded and chopped tomatoes, about one cup of frozen corn kernels, and some fresh ground pepper. I reduced the heat to low, covered the pot, and cooked it until the vegetables were fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. At that point it was 5:00 PM and I still had not gotten the second call (when they cross the Michigan border) from Lu or Sadie, so I shut it off, letting the heavy cast iron Dutch oven keep it warm, but not cooking it to mush.

They pulled in about 6:00 PM. We unloaded a massive amount of stuff from their Explorer and, when things finally settled down a bit, I asked if they were hungry. They were, so Sadie started making a salad and I warmed the soup. So this, along with some more of the Italian bread, was dinner.

I ate too much, because they always make huge bowls of salad. This time it had Romaine and head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, and roasted sunflower seeds. Sadie added raisins to hers and Lu added some dried cranberries to hers. I just tried to get through mine, LOL.

At dinner, both Lu and Sadie commented on how the glands in my neck were swollen. By that time I was coughing and blowing my nose like crazy. So, I decided the Formula 409 theory sucked and I had the beginnings of a very bad cold.

After dinner and cleaning up, we went into the living room and exchanged presents. My birthday present was still en route, but for Christmas, I got a Gnome door (it goes on one of your trees for a bit of whimsy) and an assortment of the goat milk soaps that Lu researched for the past year and is now making and selling under the name of Waqua Creek Kids Soap.

I got Rosemary & Oatmeal Scrub, Peppermint Infusion, Grandma Lu's White Lye, True Grit, Heather, Green Tea, Chamomile and Creamy Oatmeal. The milk was contributed at various points by her goats Chloe, Mya, Daisy, Bell and Bea, BTW.

So, it was around 8:00 PM and they were ready for bed. I proudly told them how I had kept the daybed covered with heavy duty plastic for over a year so there wouldn't be ANY cat hair on it. However, Lu discovered that the top sheet and comforter was being brushed by Caley's trips under and out of the daybed for that same year and were literally covered with her hair!

Consequently, bedtime was postponed until the bedding was washed and dried. Finally, everyone could go to bed. I stayed up and read because my face hurt and I kept coughing and blowing my nose. Finally I fell asleep around midnight.