I finally get something done...

I was a total mess Sunday morning. I could barely get out of bed! I had to hold on to doorknobs, the wall, the furniture, etc. until I got out to the front hall and my cane. The front hall is one step down and getting back up that one step took like 10 minutes. WTF? I know I abused my body on Friday, but this is ridiculous.

I finally figured it out after I stripped the bedding and took it downstairs (stairs, again) to wash. I went to get my morning pills and found I didn't take them yesterday. So, all the Celebrex (which keeps me moving without pain) apparently leached out of my body.

So, I took my pills and a mild pain pill and went back to bed for a bit. Somebody was knocking on the front door, so I hobbled out there. It was Jake and Carla. Jake wanted to borrow my electric hedge trimmer, so he did. After they left, I went back to bed for a while.

The bedding was done, so I got it out of the dryer and made the bed up. I took another pain pill and went out to cut the grass (it had to be done). I knew I couldn't use the push mower, so I cut all the lawn with the tractor. I can't do as nice of a job up front, but at least the majority of the grass is cut.

I went back inside and rested for a bit. Then I started supper at 6:30 PM.

I'd thawed out a nice-sized roasting chicken. I was planning on also making mashed potatoes and turnips but no way can I walk in the Westborn market today.

So, I got the chicken out, took out the giblets and rinsed the chicken. I patted it dry with paper towels (helps to get the skin nice and crispy) and set it on a plate. I went out on the patio and harvested some sage, thyme and flat leaf parsley.

Back inside, I reserved about eight sage leaves and stuffed the rest of the herbs into the cavity. I also added half a fresh lemon and half a yellow onion. Next I spread the skin apart and put in some butter and a sage leaf in four spots under the skin.

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F.

I trussed the bird with kitchen twine, drizzled it with olive oil, seasoned it heavy with salt and fresh ground black pepper and put it on the rack (inside my roasting pan) breast side up. I tried to put it in the oven, but the rack had to be lowered (Note to self: Next time check this out first, BEFORE preheating the oven).

I set the timer for 20 minutes and went in to fill out the Blog entry. I also forgot to turn on the blower and open the kitchen window, so I had that lady yelling "Fire" for a bit.

When the timer went off, I turned it breast side down and seasoned the back of the chicken with salt and pepper. I put it back in for another 20 minutes. Then I turned it breast side up again, rubbed the skin with some softened butter (using a fork) and put it back in for the final 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I cut up and boiled about two pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes with a bay leaf. When they were done, I removed the bay leaf and drained them. I added a half stick of butter, a cup of sour cream and two tablespoons of horseradish. I mashed that all together and seasoned with salt and pepper.

The chicken had been out of the oven and resting for 10 minutes, so I carved off a good sized chunk, added the potatoes to my plate and limped in to eat my supper and watch my Sunday night shows.