Memorial Day Weekend, Day One

I was jarred awake at 3:30 a.m. with the smoke detector  in my room screaming "carbon monoxide warning." WTF? So, I jumped up and checked if I'd left the stove on. Nope. But the smoke detector in the office joined in the chorus, so I checked the furnace and the water heater. Nothing looked weird. The dryer is electric and it was off so that couldn't be the problem.

With nothing to blame for the alarm (and this was the first time I ever heard it) I cracked open the kitchen and bedroom windows (to shut off the smoke detectors) and went back to sleep.

Sidebar: Is there naturally occurring carbon monoxide? What the hell was that all about, anyway?

So, I woke up late and had to hustle. I wanted to be at Home Depot at 8:00 a.m., (before it got crowded) but it was almost 9:00 a.m. when I got there. Today I was only buying dirt and the plants for my planters. I'll get my veggies on Sunday or Monday.

I did good until I couldn't find any asparagus ferns. I walked up and down every damn aisle. But nothing. Who the hell doesn't sell asparagus ferns???

Then I went to Kroger's and got the makings for my Memorial Day go-to: another pasta salad.

Sidebar: I would have just gone to Westborn (my favorite market) but they don't sell cat treats. I am getting dangerously low and afraid of what Caley might do if I run out...

So, I was back home around noon. I left the truck outside to unload it.

Then I started making my pasta salad. After determining the "snap" point of the asparagus, I cut the ends off and cut the rest all into bite-size chunks. I boiled them for a quick two minutes and then dumped them into ice water (to stop the cooking process).

While the tri-colored pasta was boiling, I chopped up the veggies. Kroger's had three bell peppers on sale, so I bought a yellow, orange and red one. I diced them up and put half in the freezer for later. I did the same with the green onions (two bunches for whatever).

So, I put everything together and dressed it with Italian dressing. I taste-tested it and it was boring.I completely forgot to get some shredded Parmesan cheese. So, I drove up the the little grocery store on Joy Road, off of Beech Daly. They didn't have any shredded Parmesan,  so I got two tubs of feta cheese.

Sidebar: I also grabbed a tub of honey in the comb. Haven't seen that in years!!!

I added in the cheese and it was great. I put the salad in the fridge to get cold and went outside to plant the mailbox garden.

While I was out there planting, my neighbor (from two doors down) came over. She was admiring my planting and asked if I would like some food. She said her husband had barbecued way too much and a lot of invited guests didn't show. So, I said sure.

She brought me two big take-out boxes! There was potato salad (store-bought), more pasta salad (not as good as mine), sweet corn, baked beans, grilled chicken, a hamburger patty, a hot dog, a brat and lots of ribs. Plus, there was a slice of pie and a cupcake for dessert. So, I didn't even bother to grill anything for the rest of the weekend.

 I quit for the evening and chowed down.