A Rainy Night in Redford

I woke up at 7:30 AM on Sunday. I warmed up another cup of coffee and put the last load of wash in the dryer. I got cleaned up and when the dryer was done, I folded or hung up everything.

Then I left for Meijer’s. I got bare necessities (some onions, milk, some canned soup, kitty litter and cat food, etc.) Then I went to look for a new terrycloth bathrobe. I gave up and asked for help, and was told that that was a winter “seasonal” item. Huh? People just walk around naked in their house in the Spring, Summer and Fall?

I checked out their walking shoes (very limited assortment) and didn’t like any. Why am I looking at shoes? Well, a couple years ago, I bought some Rockport walking shoes for work at Famous Footwear and stumbled upon a sale (buy one, get one free). I wore out the first pair long ago and now the second pair is splitting at the seams (it has been for a while, but I didn’t have the money to do anything about it). So, I paid for my purchase and went over to Famous Footwear.

I browsed for a long while and ended up buying the same shoes again (unfortunately, they weren’t on sale this time. Then I went to Home Depot and bought the GFCI. On the way out, I treated myself to a hot dog. I don’t know why they taste so damn good after shopping, but I suspect it has something to do with the cute young girls who man the stand.

When I got home it was after noon, so I figured I better get tonight’s dinner on. I’m doing a riff on a soup Luanne used to make on Palms Road (when the boys were young). I’m raiding the pantry and freezers for this one.

So, I browned up a pound of hamburger and seasoned it with salt and pepper (but not a lot. I’ll re-season it later.) I added a sliced medium-sized yellow onion and when it got translucent, I deglazed the pan with a can of chicken stock, scrapping off the brown bits stuck to the pan.

I added three cloves of minced garlic and a four-ounce can of drain mushrooms. Then, I hit the freezers. I put in frozen green beans, peas, corn and some cauliflower (she always used canned veggies, but I like frozen better). I can’t tell you the measurements; it was just what looked right.

Back to the pantry, I added one 28-ounce can of hand-crushed whole tomatoes and one 14 ounce can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans. Then I cut up three medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes into cubes and threw them in. I added two bay leaves, some oregano, some thyme and some parsley. I brought it to a boil (it smelled great), then turned it down to simmer. I let it simmer from 1:30 PM on, so it could all get happy. It wasn’t until much later I realized I’d completely ignored the fresh carrots and parsnips sitting in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Oh, well...

It was sunny, but much cooler and windier than it has been. It’s supposed to rain later in the afternoon and I noticed the clouds were building up. So, I ignored the waiting GFCI swapout, got on my coat and work gloves and got out a trash bag and my stick with the nail in it. Yes, I was going out to pick up trash.

I got the front yard done first (there was even a broken plate in my ditch! Who breaks a plate and then throws it in somebody’s ditch?) and then reluctantly moved to the back. I guess living next to a wall and parking lot with a fast food restaurant, a Chinese takeout place and CVS (I really hate those bags) has its downside.

I used to think it was kids (all the candy wrappers and small chip bags) or careless shoppers, but now I’m suspicious. There’s too much additional trash not from around here (Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, etc.) I’m beginning to think it’s the truck drivers who park their rigs across the wall to spend the night.

Anyway, I gave myself one hour to pick up trash, but I had the garbage bag full to overflowing in 55 minutes (and there’s still a little more left. I came in about 3:00 PM and filled in the Blog to date. I posted the pictures of the trash so you can see what I mean.

I did a taste test on my soup by pouring a little of the broth into a small bowl and sipping it. I decided it needed a little more salt and a lot more pepper. So, I added that.

I was going to take a nap, but my daughter Melissa called just before 4:00 PM. We talked until 5:30. I noticed it was sprinkling on the patio. I was really hungry so, instead of installing the GFCI, I dished up a bowl of soup and watched the evening news.

I must say, the soup was excellent!

NONE of my Sunday night favorites was on (again), so I watched an old favorite movie, “The Hunt for Red October” with Sean Connery, on the BBC America channel.

During the commercials, I put the rest of the now cooled soup into three freezer containers and into the fridge.

Just after 10:00 PM, the thunder and lightning started. I took a break from the TV, put on my coat and stood on the porch for a while. The thunder was very loud, the lightning impressive and the rain was coming down hard!

I finished the movie at 11:00 PM. I thought about watching the news, but decided to hell with it. I went to bed.