If this is retirement . . .

I don't recognize it. I was up at 6:45 to make an 8:30 office meeting and get a little work done beforehand that had to be done at the office. Wrapped up a couple of details and came home where I worked on office stuff all morning and then an hour and a half tonight--contracts, catalog copy, our annual big autograph extravaganza, email correspondence, etc. When am I going to write the Great American Novel? I have a new office project, which my boss is now anxious for me to complete--and I'm still struggling with the cookbook, though it's wrapping itself up. Really need one more read through of all the chapters to check recipes for consistency. I know I'll still miss a lot--it's tedious changing teaspoon to tsp. and tablespoon to Tbsp.
Scooby is mad at me tonight and I'm none too happy with him. I brought him in about 1:30 because it was so hot. Around about 5:30 I began asking if he was ready to go out and eat his supper. He just hunkered further down in his bed. By 7:30 I decided he had to go out--took a leash and a lot of guidance to get him out. But he did what he always does when he's mad at me--dumped his food and pawed the bowl down on the grass instead of leaving it on the step where it's easy for me to refill. So tomorrow what he gets for breakfast is his leftover dinner, which he will have to pick off the steps.
Did have a nice lunch with my friend Carol at the deli. Carol wrote the professional women's chapter in Grace & Gumption and devoted her cookbook chapter to Lucille Bishop Smith, a black woman who broke color barriers to become a professional cook, taught at Prairie View College, and was famous for her chili biscuits. When I first came to Fort Worth, everyone bought these roll-like biscuits frozen, popped them in the oven, and served them as appetizers. I blogged earlier that with all the recipes Carol found, we couldn't find the chili biscuits--and lo and behold somebody wrote me that her sister in Rhode Island had the recipe, used to go to Lucille's house for biscuits. By then Lucille was teaching students in her home, but the chili biscuits were available in specialty grocery stores. It's a fascinating story, and I think we're just beginning to unravel the threads. Thanks to Carol Blakely (check out her website www.jalopenocafe.com) and her sister, Gail Moore, who owns one of the only copies of Lucille's first edition of her recipes--a filebox full of cards. The world of blogging opens up lots of possibilities.
Excuse me--I'm going to chill out with a book, and maybe read some blogs first.