The Saturday Story

I woke up at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday. I eased into the day with a couple cups of coffee and the morning news. Then I shaved, showered and headed out into the rain.

First stop was my massage. She ran 15 minutes over just trying to work out all the kinks from these weird nerve spells I’ve been having.  I told her I was going to go to Home Depot for some paint, a bag of potting soil and two bags of garden soil for the planters. She mentioned that the Aco Hardware near her house has to sell all their stock before Ace Hardware (which bought them) can take over. So, everything is 20-40% off!

I asked if all Aco’s are doing that (hers is at Ann Arbor Trail and Merriman, mine is at 5-Mile and Middlebelt). She said she didn’t know.

Her office is on Schoolcraft, so I stopped on the bridge over I-96 to take a couple of pictures for Jake and Carla. The Newburgh overpass has been demolished and they put up a flashing sign this morning that the Inkster Road one (the one I went over this morning to get to 5-Mile) will be closed in “mid-May.”

Next came a haircut. Then Kroger’s for a few items I either needed this weekend or ran out of.

The Aco I talked about is on the way to the Home Depot. So, I stopped in. Sure enough, it’s all got to go and it’s all on sale. So, I got my two bags of Miracle-Gro garden soil and on of potting soil (my magic mixture) and some paint for the downstairs bathroom.

Last stop was the cheapest gas station I could find on the morning run. I filled up the tank and headed home.

Note: I wish I had thought to toss the lawn mower gas cans in the truck!

I stopped at Inskter and I-96, parked the car in the bank and walked over to take more pictures of the project. 

I-96 at Inkster

I got home around 10:30 a.m. Caley was watching cartoons and I think I ticked her off when I switched the TV to the DIY channel. But, I gave her treats and she forgave me. I unloaded the truck and then messed around on the computer for a while. I changed clothes and went back out to deal with the top soil/potting soil in the truck bed.

I got the wheelbarrow (which had been banished to the back to allow room for the motorcycle) and wheeled it up front. I walked back to the back door, came through the house and opened up the garage door.

Sidebar: I never, EVER, leave the garage door open if I’m out back. Security concerns…

I slit the bags on the edge of the truck’s tail gate and poured in the contents (easy-peasy). I did one garden soil, then the potting soil and finally the other garden soil. I used my hoe to break up the moist garden soil and mix it with the potting soil. Then I filled up the porch planter, the kitchen window box and used the rest to top off the raised bed herb garden.

Sidebar: In case you are wondering, in the picture of the raised bed garden you can see a pile of patio furniture. Well, the rain had stopped, the sun came out, but the winds really picked up. So, I moved the patio furniture behind the raised bed garden so it wouldn’t get blown all around.

While I was out back, I took a picture of the small hyacinths blooming near St. Francis. Out front, I took one of the daffodils that didn't bloom this year (I'm not sure why).

Then I put everything away, washed up and went to take a well-deserved nap.

I woke up about 4:00 p.m. I was starving and realized I’d missed both breakfast and lunch! I decided to put dinner in the oven before I tackled anything else.

So, I heated a skillet to toast 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. But, I found I didn’t have any regular bread crumbs, so I used Panko bread crumbs, instead.  When they were golden, I pulled them off and dumped them in a large aluminum bowl.

Next. I added some canola spray to the wiped-clean skillet and added in a cup of chopped onions. Please note: the recipe called for adding two cloves of fresh chopped garlic at the same time. I didn’t do that, knowing the garlic would burn and turn bitter. I waited until the onions were softened and then threw the garlic in for about 30 seconds.

When the onions were sautéed, I dumped them and the garlic into the large bowl. Then I added the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley, two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, one tablespoon of horseradish, one tablespoon Dijon mustard, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, pinch of salt and some fresh black pepper, three ounces of white cheddar cheese (diced into 1/4-inch chunks), 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck and (finally) one large egg, lightly beaten.

I mixed that all together and formed it into a loaf on a sheet pan. The recipe called for topping it with just a 1/4 cup of ketchup, but I added a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the ketchup first to cut some of the sweetness.

Then I oiled some Idaho potatoes, then rolled them in kosher salt. I put the potatoes on the rack next to the meatloaf in a 350 degree F. oven and set the timer for an hour.

It was after 7:00 p.m. when I finally ate, but it was delicious. The melted cheddar cheese took it from plain comfort food to something excellent! I put butter, sour cream and fresh snipped chives on the potato.

I watched a little TV but went to bed early.