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.

Superman, work, and sleeping late--or wishing I could

Superman reigns! Though I never knew Superman wore Spiderman pajamas and carried a gun, but Jacob is obviousl pleased with both. I've seen a lot of him this week--kept him over the dinner hour Tuesday, had dinner for him and his parents Wednesday, and am keeping him all night tonight. For supper I fixed him chicken nuggets with lots of kethcup, canned peas and carrots, and a few pieces of my sauteed squash. He ate maybe the equivalent of one nugget, plus lots of ketchup, and a pretty good helping of peas and carrots. Meantime while fixing that I was trying to saute my squash and grill salmon on my George Foreman grill--the squash was delicious, but I over did the salmon--I like a crust but this was impenetrable and the meat was a bit dry. I warned Jacob that if he didn't eat more of his chicken he couldn't have strawberry ice cream (his latest favorite) but it didn't faze him, and when I ate fresh blueberries for dessert, he declined. Now all is quiet and I'm catching up at my desk.

One of my great pleasures about retirement is sleeping late--I usually get up about 7:45, which for me is late. I doze the last hour or so, but the other day Lisa called at 7:20, and I didn't even hear the phone. This morning I had to pop out of bed at 6:45 to be at the office for an 8:30 meeting--but I got there at eight so I could do a few things and ended up staying until 11:30, plus working at home an hour tonight. And Monday I have to do it all over again. My complaints to my boss fell on deaf ears--she assured me she'd give me coffee.

I'm still deep in the cookbook project. Loose ends keep popping up. Today, though, I was delighted to receive by email a copy of the recipe for Lucille Bishop Smith's chili biscuits. They were legendary in Fort Worth in the '60s--you bought them frozen and popped them in the oven and voila! Instant appetizers that everyone loved. Many people remember them, but my friend Carol, who wrote the chapter on Smith, couldn't find the recipe anywhere. I mentioned it on my blog and got a response from a foodie (woman after my own heart) who said her sister had the recipe. She sent it, so thanks to Carol Blakelely, whose website is www.jalopenocafe.com. Check it out if you like hot stuff!. If I do my annual tree trimming party this year, I'll have to do chili biscuits--longtime Fort Worth residents remember them well.

This evening, as I often do, I read while Jacob played--sometimes we were in the playroom, sometimes we were in my office where he likes to draw--he's very careful to give me the caps to the pens he uses, which I much appreciate. So I got some pleasure reading done and read a good portion of a manuscript I brought home to review. Now to write the author, and then a bit more reading before I go to bed. I realized when I put Jacob down that he expects me to go to sleep as soon as he does--after kissing me goodnight, he pointed at my room and said, "Go night night."