too short of a night

Well, last night I intended to put together a couple of little posts. One about a book I just finished reading and wanted to recommend. The other about some music I'm groovin' to these days. However, I ended up wrestling with our check book most of the evening. The unfortunate part? I still didn't find where my error is...argh!

On the other hand, I did have a respite of a movie with Rob and Tiika (big surprise, eh?). We watched "Harvey", a Jimmy Stewart movie from 1950. A very sweet, zany movie. It was adapted from a play and in some parts it was almost like watching a play. Something about how the actors presented themselves. Especially the women. One of the women won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her role. I recommend it.

Time to dash off to the showers. Happy Friday! It's a three day weekend. Yippee! What are you doing with your Labor Day weekend?

awesome

I wish I had pictures to post. Tiika and I walked out on an amazing site this morning: a lunar eclipse. I vaguely recall seeing a headline about the upcoming event last week some time but didn't put two and two together to realize that we would have the opportunity to witness it.

And witness, wow. It was so cool to watch the last sliver of the full moon become a crescent of brightness then a smoldering circle in the sky. I wonder what the ancient people thought when they saw such a sight. I was awestruck just thinking about how the glow I saw was the sun reflecting off the surface of the moon but from an unusual angle. An angle that was giving me this unique experience. So wonderful.

it was a hit

It appears the cole slaw was a hit. There were only a few bites left at the bottom of the bowl by the end of the luncheon. A few people directly told me they thought it was good. Even more important in my book is that Rob liked it. He's big into coleslaw and will usually order it when it appears as a "side" at a restaurant. This recipe seemed to pair well with the ribs and corn on the cob yesterday, too. Sweet success.

tonight's project: cole slaw

I'm not a real big cole slaw fan but when I saw that our upcoming (tomorrow) all staff potluck luncheon was being supplied with corn on the cob and ribs, it seemed a fitting dish. At the time I signed up it was 90+ degrees out and the thought of cooking even potatoes or pasta for a salad seemed too much. I opted to try something new.

Since I've barely eaten cole slaw let alone made it, I turned to the internet for a recipe. The fewer ingredients, the better. I came up with this recipe that swears it's a fool proof classic.

Cole Slaw
1 large cabbage, shredded or chopped as you like
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 1/2 cups mayo
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
salt to taste

Mix everything together and let sit for 2 hours to overnight, chilling. Taste for salt and pepper before serving. Keeps 2 days in the fridge then it goes watery and isn't as nice.

As you can probably tell from the picture, I couldn't resist messing with the recipe just a little bit. I grated a couple of carrots and some red cabbage to add for color. I'll let you know what the verdict is after the luncheon. Looks and smells pretty good to me.

movie: FairyTale A True Story

On Monday night we watched a sweet little movie, FairyTale: A True Story. We both enjoyed it. It's about two little girls in the English countryside toward the end of WWI. They lived on a beautiful property that was simply enchanting for them. In fact, it was so magical they were able to take pictures of themselves with fairies! Somehow Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ("Precisely, Holmes!") came across the photos and ... well, you'll have to watch the movie to find out the rest. There is a better description here if you're interested. It stars Harvey Keitel and Peter O'Toole and was made in 1997. We both thought the two little girls were outstanding in their roles.

Mandy M - I think your kids would like it. Caitlyn might be a little young but perhaps not with big brother or mommy by her side.

Bob & Valerie - Rob thinks you two would especially enjoy it.

Let us know if you check it out.

PS I ran as planned this morning. It went better than Monday even though about half way through it started to smell smoky. My lungs hurt for a bit this morning either from that or the cold air. Depending on the smoke levels, I'm shooting for a third run on Friday.

rain!

Yippee! I woke up this morning to a delicious downpour of rain bouncing off our metal roof. What a lovely sound. By the time Tiika finished her breakfast, it had abated enough that we ventured out into a lighter shower. Ahh, I like walking in rain like that...and to know that it must be helping all those firefighters out there to douse the flames, even better.

PS I did get in a short run yesterday. Man, oh, man is it hard after not running for a while. I walked more than I wished. At least I was out there. I intend to go at it again tomorrow.

home again, home again

We arrived home last night at the beginning of some rain showers that lasted for a couple of hours or so. What a relief.

We had escaped our smoky town by heading east on Friday afternoon and not returning until 7:30 last night. It was great to breathe clean air for a couple of days. It was an additional treat to arrive here and have the rain begin. It seems to have cleared the air, at least out at our place. Hopefully town is cleared, too, as I'd really like to get in a run. It would be the first in what feels like forever.

(I suppose I could have run over the weekend since we were camping in National Forest and the road was right there. Somehow, sleeping in seemed a higher priority.)

Regardless of the smoke status, the temperature is supposed to stay cool for a day or two. Very much a good thing in my book.

Time to hit the showers. Have a good week.