Palm Sunday

I woke up at 7:00 AM on Sunday. I had insomnia for most of the night, so I only slept in fits and starts.

I watched the morning news and heated up another piece of that biscuit egg casserole for my breakfast. It was a lot more rubbery when heated up than it was when fresh out of the oven.

I took my pills and then refilled the box. I shaved and showered and headed out. First I went to Home Depot for some sanding sponges, and plain old sandpaper sheets (I got both in coarse, medium and fine). I also got some sanding respirator masks.

Next, I went to the gas station on the corner. I filled up the gas tank and swapped my empty propane tank for a full one. Then I went home. I left the car in the drive and carried in my purchases.

I set up and fired up the propane heater. While it was warming the space, I went inside and treated the cats. I returned a call from B___  and we caught each other up on the week’s activities.

I went out back and measured the old foundation for a possible new shed  (one of my upcoming projects). As I suspected, a 10’x12’ shed would fit nicely on it. The only thing I have left to do is to dig down and see if there is an existing rat wall (its required by code). But, the ground is still frozen, so that will have to wait.

Back inside, I made a small alteration to the sanding fixture. It was annoying yesterday when I loosened the clamps to reposition the clock and the board would fall down. So, today I drilled oversized holes in the board and put in 3 1/2 inch deck screws to hold it up when I undid the clamps.

I shut off the heater and started sanding again. When I had everything sanded the first time with coarse sandpaper, it was after 1:00 PM. So, I blew myself off with the air gun and took a break inside. Well, I say “took a break” but what I did was change out the kitty litter for garbage day, bagged up the kitchen trash and replaced the kitchen trash bag, washed all the dishes from last night’s supper and cleaned the stove. Oh, yeah, I also scrubbed out the tub with cleanser and a brush (my old tub just laughs at “Scrubbing Bubbles”). Then I took a break.

I rested for an hour or so. Then, at 2:30 PM, I went out and turned the heater back on. It took about a half hour to warm up the garage. The temperature was above freezing (for a change), but there was a wicked wind from the north.

I finished the second round of coarse sanding about 4:30 PM. I blew everything off (including me) with the air compressor. I opened the garage door and used the leaf blower to get the dust out of the garage. I took the clock inside and moved the sawhorse with the sanding jig back out of the way. Then I pulled the car in for the night.

Now, I had remarked about the amount of sawdust before from using the miter saw. Well, this sanding dust wasn’t nearly as big an amount, but it was far more insidious. It was like talcum powder and was everywhere. So, I went inside and threw all my clothes, including my coat, into the washer.

Then I took a shower to get it off me. I put on clean clothes and started dinner. I had missed both lunch and a nap today, dammit!

I was making Pork Scaloppini. So, I started by cleaning a box of Brussels sprouts. I took off the outer leaves and cut back the stem on each one. I left the small ones whole and cut the bigger ones in half. They went into a pot of boiling, salted water. I also put on another pot of salted water to boil for egg noodles.

I took a large pork tenderloin (about one pound) and cut it into four equal pieces. I put each piece between two sheets of cling wrap and pounded them until they were 1/4 inch thick. I used my new meat tenderizer this time, but you could do this with a rolling pin just as easily.

[Sidebar: No “beating my meat” jokes, please!]

I patted the cutlets dry with paper towels and seasoned both sides with salt and pepper. I melted a tablespoon of butter in my 12-inch non-stick skillet and cooked two of the cutlets over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through (two or three minutes per side). You can only fit two at a time in the pan, so I put the first two on a platter, covered with foil, when they were done. I added another tablespoon of butter and cooked the other two next.

When they were finished and removed, I added another tablespoon of butter and two minced garlic cloves. I sauteed the garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Then I stirred in 3/4 cup of chicken broth, two tablespoons of lemon juice and one teaspoon of brown sugar. I simmered that until it had slightly thickened (about five minutes).

I removed the skillet from the heat and stirred in two more tablespoon of butter and a heaping tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley (you could also use tarragon, basil or chives, BTW – I just happened to have fresh parsley in the fridge).

I plated the cutlet on top of egg noodles with a side of the Brussels sprouts. I poured some of the sauce on top of the cutlet. It was all excellent! I was full, but I went back for a second helping of Brussels sprouts (I love those things!)

My back was hurting again and I realized it was from bending over and sanding that clock for hours. I should have figured that out yesterday…

I watched TV, stopping to hang up the clothes from the dryer and later to put away the cooled leftovers. My brother Jim called just to check in, which was nice.

I tried to go to sleep at 10:00 PM, but was still awake with back pains at 11:00. I finally gave in and took a pain pill. I laid back down and eventually fell asleep, but I’m not sure what time it was.