Palm Sunday

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and grabbed a cup of coffee. I immediately started filling in the rather extensive Blog entry from Saturday. It was 23 degrees F., BTW.

I watched the morning news until 10:00 a.m. and then finally shaved and showered (hey, it’s Sunday, dammit!).

I had originally decided to eat ham salad sandwiches during the day, since I really, REALLY need to clean the house. So, I fine-diced half of a yellow onion, then an equal amount of celery. I peeled and cut up four hard boiled eggs and they went into the bowl. Then I added a package of small-diced ham.

I was just about to mix up some mayonnaise, a dab of yellow mustard, salt, pepper and some dried herbs when I realized I really wanted a Sunday supper, instead. So, I covered the bowl with cling wrap and stuck it in the fridge.

I have a bag of sauerkraut in the fridge, so I checked the freezer. Bingo! I have one package of Dearborn Brand smoked kielbasa.  So, I stuck that in cold water to thaw it out.

I checked the pantry in the garage, but only came up with three small russet potatoes. Damn! Then I had what may be an inspiration (I don’t know just yet). I still had two large parsnips. They have a mild flavor and might be (might be) a good substitute for potatoes.

I realized I missed an errand yesterday, so I put on my winter coat and headed to CVS. I got what I needed and got my butt back home.

I saw that leaf rake and told myself to bite the bullet. So, I started raking out the garden on the south side of the garage. I got it all done, but then watched the damn wind blow most of it back!!! So, I gave up and went inside.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and tried calling my friend B___ again (we’ve managed to miss each others calls for the past three weeks). Finally, he picked up.  We chatted for a while and caught each other up.

I had to go in the attic, so I did. Brrr…

Back downstairs, I put together my dinner in the Dutch oven.

Sidebar: I realized today that I seem to use the Dutch oven more than any other cooking utensil I own. Which is okay (I love it) but it’s such a b*tch to clean! I usually end up using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to "try" and get the stains off.

I turned on the Michigan State basketball game for background noise. Now, I am not that big a fan of basketball (NBA or college), but it’s a crucial game, they are the underdogs, and a lot of my biker-chick friends were watching.

I swept (broom and dustpan) the downstairs and washed the cat box (I set out a temporary one while it dried). There was enough yelling on the TV that I went in to see how the game was going. It was close enough that I ended up watching the game until it ended in overtime. State won!!!

Oh, crap! Do I really need to set my couch on fire? I dunno… I’m new to college b-ball.

Sidebar: That’s a Michigan inside joke. The only college sports sh*t I’m sure of is “Roll, Tide, roll!” That may get you an extra piece of pie in a diner in Alabama!!!

Now I was late! I moved the kitchen chairs and the rolling cart into the living room and vacuumed the kitchen (works better than a broom on cat hair). Since I was “cleaning” rather than “maintaining,” I mixed up a bucket of Pine-Sol and hot water, got the mop and got ready. I used a sponge to wash the bathroom fixtures and then mopped the floors.

I stopped when I got to the stairs leading to the kitchen and dumped the bucket. The dirty water was disgusting and added to my shame…

Note: I try to “maintain” with the Swiffer WetJet, but apparently I’ve been slacking…

Sidebar: It was about 5:30 p.m. and I looked outside. The winds were still strong, but along with the blowing leaves (and trash) I had snow...

I fixed a plate for dinner and set it in the bedroom. Then I refilled my bucket and washed the hell out of the kitchen floor.

So, now I was locked into the bedroom, office, main bath and the living room (if I take a giant step).

I watched the last of the evening news while eating dinner. It was excellent. The parsnips, instead of mimicking potatoes, added a new, strange, taste element. I will probably add them from now on.

It was around 8:00 p.m. when the kitchen floor had officially dried. So, I moved everything back from the living room. Had I not watched the damn basketball game, I would be sweeping the rest of the floors and washing them with the WetJet.

But, it was late. I checked the cable menu and didn’t see anything to watch (several of my favorite movies, but nothing new). So, I watched taped shows until I got sleepy, switched to reading (without my glasses, thank you) and then fell asleep around 10:30 p.m.