Sunday

I woke up off and on during the night, but finally got up at 6:30 a.m. It was lightly sprinkling here, but it was supposed to clear up later. However, it was only 47 degrees here in Redford and not supposed to get much warmer.

After a wake-up cup of coffee while watching the news, I stripped the bed and started the weekend wash. Then I did the usual Sunday morning chores (wind the clock, refill my pill box, etc.).

Finally, I shaved, showered and got dressed for the day. I decided that going without food all day until dinner (like yesterday) was stupid. Not only are you starving, but then you overeat.

So, I made myself some scrambled eggs with fresh chives and toast.

The sun finally came out around 10:00 a.m. I remade the bed and put the second of three loads in the dryer.

I finally decided what I wanted for my Sunday supper and realized I didn’t have any mushrooms. So, I hopped in the truck and went to that weird grocery store at Joy Road and Beech Daly. On the way back I stopped at a gas station and filled up the mower gas can.

I went right by my street and went into the quarter car wash. I had noticed that I somehow got bird shit on the side of the truck! I don’t mind dirty, but bird shit is unacceptable.

Since I was there anyway, I spent another 75 cents to vacuum the truck out.

I drove home and used paper towels to clean and dry the windows and mirrors.

Back inside and after treating the cat, I got started on the main project for this weekend: the downstairs bathroom.

Now, my theory was that I could wash the walls with the TSP and then paint it with good paint. This would eliminate wiping the walls with the dry cleaning (also called “smoke”) sponges. And, if the soot didn’t bleed through the paint (I was told you have to wait at least two weeks before you can say with certainty that soot or grease, etc., doesn’t bleed through) I could avoid the time and expense of painting it with one coat of Kilz and then repainting with my preferred color. .

And, regarding the dry cleaning or “smoke” sponges, you can’t just buy them at Home Depot or Lowe’s. You can order them online and have them shipped to the store, but they are not readily available.

Anyway, so I took everything out of the downstairs bathroom. I set up the main bathroom so I could get ready Monday morning in there (thinking the downstairs bath would still have drying paint).

Then I prepared a bucket of Pine-Sol to wash the shower tiles, the sink and the toilet. That’s where the project went horribly wrong!

Instead of washing off the soot, the sponge just smeared it around. I was using a tile sponge, so I turned it over to the rough side, but that was no help. I went and got a scrub brush… Nope!

P*ssed off, I washed the entire shower but with no effect other than to turn the water in the bucket black. I dumped the water and refilled it with more hot water and washed the toilet, sink, cupboard and shelf. The toilet and sink were cleaner, but the cupboard and shelf still had soot on them.

I was very, very annoyed. So, I guess I have to order the dry cleaning sponges anyway. If soot doesn’t come off something as slippery as tile, it sure won’t come off the downstairs ceiling and wallpaper, or the walls and ceiling in the kitchen. Damn!

I took the second load of laundry out of the dryer and folded it. I took the third (and last) one from the washer and stuck it in the dryer.

Then I took a nap.

When I woke up, I changed from the shorts I was wearing (to wash the bathroom) to long pants. It was time to ride my motorcycle!

Thankfully, it was still cold enough that wearing my leather jacket wasn’t uncomfortable. I put on my helmet and was surprised at how “top-heavy” it felt.

Now, I had given this a lot of thought. The last time I successfully rode a motorcycle was back in St. Clair, when Jake bought one and I drove it home for him. I’m not sure if I ever told him, but I damn near dropped it a couple of times when turning. So, I thought I would start small (baby steps).

I went out and opened the back yard gate. I went in the garage and fired the bike up. I got it out of the garage (shutting the door with the opener I stuck in my jacket) and then spent the next half hour riding in back.

My theory was if I did drop it, it wouldn’t get messed up in the rain-softened grass (and maybe I wouldn’t either). So, I practiced starting, stopping and turning. I have a long back yard, but never got it out of second gear.

That sucker is sweet!!!

My neighbor Rick was out back, changing the oil in his wife’s SUV and came over to the fence. So, I stopped and we chatted a while. His dad had a BSA and rode all around America with it. So, Rick knows about British bikes. He really like it. He also mentioned that after seeing my 4x4 truck, he decided he could stop plowing my driveway. I told him no problem, I’d picked the perfect winter to buy a four-wheel drive truck.

He said one day he’d bring over his gas-powered chain saw and cut up the pine tree. I told him thanks, but that I really didn’t need it.

Then I fired Big Thumper back up and did donuts and figure-8’s for a while. I quit when I realized I was putting ruts in the grass. That’s all I need! I thought (briefly) about going to the vacant lot next door. But, my grass is short and his is long and (for some reason) I fear hidden stumps.

Back inside, I put the bike up on the center stand and shut down for the night.

Observations: I think I got the bike thing down. But the helmet still feels weird.

Once inside, I checked on the freezer items I was thawing out: a bag of hash browns, 8-ounces of ham and some thick cut bacon. They were getting limp.

Background: When I took in the rhubarb dump cake, Michelle excitedly asked what it was. When I told her, she seemed a bit disappointed. She explained she thought it was some sort of egg casserole. But, she ate it and loved it!

So, I thought I would bring in an egg casserole tomorrow. But, when I looked up recipes, most of them called for a roll of pork sausage (which I don’t have on hand). And, the ones that call for ham chunks need two cups (I have 8-ounces). So, I thought I’d supplement the ham with thick-cut bacon lardons.

Sidebar: When I work out of Building 73 in Farmington, there was a signup sheet and every Friday, two people would bring in treats. When it was my turn, I just took in donuts or bagels. But Amy Bodke always brought in an egg casserole that was fantastic.

So, I cut five slices of thick-cut bacon into 1/4 inch lardons and put them in a cold skillet. I raised the temp to medium-high and, after they were about halfway cooked added a small onion, fine diced. When I thought they were about done, I tossed in the ham chunks. When they warmed up, I turned off the heat and drained the pan.

I greased my 9x11-inch Pyrex pan and dumped in all the hash browns I had (the recipe calls for two pounds, but I had maybe 1 1/2 pounds left). I whisked up five eggs, a half cup of whole milk, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder, a pinch of Kosher salt and several grinds of fresh black pepper.  I poured that over the hash browns.

I topped that with six ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. I added a layer of the bacon, onion and ham.  I topped that with another six ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. I covered the dish with aluminum foil and popped it into the preheated (350 degrees F.) oven. I set the timer for one hour.

After an hour, I took off the foil and stuck it back in for 10 more minutes. Then I took it out and let it cool. I tried a small piece: not bad. I would have liked more salt, but that’s just me. Amy's was better though.

Then I started my Sunday supper: Linguine with clams. I gave up on getting the littleneck clams and found a recipe that used canned clams. I have those on hand for clam chowder, you see.

So, I filled my pasta pot with water and salted it. When it came up to a boil, I put in a package of linguine.

Meanwhile, I put a whole stick of butter in my skillet. Once it was melted, I added one medium yellow onion, fine-diced, eight ounces of sliced mushroom and four cloves of minced garlic. I sautéed those until they were tender. Then I poured in one cup of white wine and let that simmer for 10 minutes.

I opened and drained four 6.5 ounce cans of chopped clams, reserving the juice. I added the clams and the juice (which made no sense to me. Why did I drain them?) along with two tablespoons of sour cream, fresh ground black pepper and 1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley.

I let that simmer for 20 minutes. Then I added the pasta to the pan, mixed it in and served up a helping. It was pretty good and satisfied my craving.

I watched TV until yet another early bedtime.