I was too tired to do much last night but scramble through some emails and fall in bed. About 9:00 I sent my dinner guests home, for which I still have a guilty conscience, because they looked like they would be content to sit on the porch all night. I think maybe they went to Sue's patio. They are younger and can drink more wine than I can. I hosted a potluck for the neighbors on either side, and we ate royally. I made a spinach/cheese/Rotel dip but Jay couldn't resist bringing avocado-stuffed smoked salmon rolls (I ate too many and spoiled my dinner). Julia brought bruschetta with a cucumber sauce and a tomato topping, and, for dinner, she made pesto pasta with artichoke hearts (except for the appetizers, it was an Italian menu). Jay's entree was veal meatballs, stuffed with fontina, in a chunky, light but absolutely delicious red sauce--I've asked for the recipe and am prepared to beg if necessary. Jordan made her Greek salad, which is always wonderful. Julia brought tiramisu for dessert, but by then the only ones who could eat it were herself and Jay. Jacob said no to everything we tried to offer him. So here's Jay, trying to encourage Jacob to eat, and here are the rest of them at the table. Fun evening, and I am so grateful to have such warm-hearted neighbors.
Yesterday afternoon, four of us did a program on Grace & Gumption at my church and were enthusiastically received by about 70 women, twenty of whom bought books--a good record. We didn't have books, so as the others spoke I raced to the office and got books only to remember that on Friday I had stashed some in the mail room at the church--but not enough so my speed trip was worthwhile.
And before all that, in the morning, I scrubbed the porch--company, you know!, made my dip, made a bison meatloaf, taking great liberties with the recipe. Jeannie cautioned against the dryness of bison, so at her suggestion I added a quarter lb. ground sirloin. But the recipe had a half pound chopped musrooms, which I'm sure kept it moist, and I added the leftover half can of Rotel (from the cheese dip) in place of the tomato sauce and then added a half a small can of tomato sauce. By then I was afraid I had it too moist and used my mom's old trick of throwing in some instant tapioca. I'll take half the meatloaf, with mashed potatoes and aspargus to Jeannie and Jim Wednesday and feed the rest to Jordan and Christian if they want it. Christian has started a new job--praise be--and is now waiting tables only on weekends, so he's around for supper some and I'll get to see more of him.
The ladies of G&G, as we refer to the book, have become a small community, and we've demonstrated it lately as a support groups for two women whose the husbands were ill with life-threatening conditions. The first was Katie's husband, Gayland, who spent four weeks in the hospital, first for a bypass and then following emergency surgery for a bleeding ulcer. He's doing well. Now, Ruth K.'s husband is in the hospital with acute leukemia and was nearly gone a week ago but has rallied to the point that they're again talking about getting him well enough for stem cell therapy. Susan, Ruth, Katie and I had lunch today, and Katie and Ruth were able to share each other's experiences. Ruth had some hair-raising medical stories to tell, but she said to us, "Who knew when we thought of this book that you all would turn out to be my main support system?" Funny how life works. I feel like I know three "miracle men" now--Gayland, Ruth's Armin, and of course Jeannie's Jim.
Jacob is pictured and discussed often in this blog, because he's the child I see most often (once a week or better), but the others are just as cute. Here's my youngest grandson, Kegan, helping himself to a drink of water. His mother said in the email with the picture, "So self-sufficient and gets his own drinks." I wrote back and asked if she meant Kegan or his father, and she said she's still working on Colin. She meant Kegan.
More busy days ahead.
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