The 66th Annual Buckwheat Festival......

....and I have the tee-shirt to prove it. We went fairly early as it was Saturday and that is one of the most crowded days of all. They do the animal judging in the morning and then have the Farmer's Parade around 12 where the grand champions get shown off - it's a very big deal in Kingwood. The first thing I headed for was the Fried Dough stand - you have NO IDEA how good that stuff is - it's not for the  weak of heart or the the cholesterol impaired though. They take a piece of dough the size of a dinner plate, deep fry it and then roll it in sugar thereby covering all the food groups in one fell swoop. David made me share with him as he refuses to put up with the aftereffects of my eating something like that by myself for the rest of the afternoon. After that we headed for the livestock barns where all the 4-H kids were sitting with thier show animals - the pigs were huge as were the cows and the goats and sheep were adorable. We did the craft building next and then went shopping. I bought some buckwheat flour that now has to be shipped off and got my official tee shirt of course. by now it was closing in on afternoon and we headed out as the traffic and people were pouring in - this is one of the biggest fairs in WV and people plan thier vacations around it. As you may have noticed Jackson was not with us - he was off having a ball with the car which we let him have for the entire day,  much to his amusement. I checked the local calendar of events and the person that told me it was Homecoming this weekend was wrong so Jackson headed off with no restrictions other than be home before dark. He and Becky tooled around for most of the day just enjoying the freedom no parents bring.

Buckwheat, Food Of The Gods.

We're headed off to to the Buckwheat Festival this morning, some of us more reluctantly that others - but as long as I'm happy who cares? Jackson will be lent my car which I'm a bit nervous about as we will be out in Kingwood while he's back here in town doing heaven knows what in the CRV but the weekend is the only time he has to drive and we all have cell phones. We did get in touch with the pool guy but he's overwhelmed this time of year so it'll be a few weeks more before it gets closed up for the winter. Since the leaves have started falling they all seem to head for my pool, I'm actually cleaning it more now that I did all summer. Pearl is still using it though, she runs around the yard til she gets all hot and then flings herself in the pool, paddles around and then gets back to the business of Rubber Frog Fetching which she takes very seriously. David took her to Ricki's for the day this week and she'll be doing another day this coming week. Ricki had her out in the main drag but she was freaking a bit so Miss Pants got taken in the house with the other two vizslas and did better there. Maybe Pearl is just a Dog Snob. Pearl was also entertaining the neighbors the other night, they were out in the lower acres scouting out - David told them they could hunt the deer down there - and I put Pearline in the house so I could say hello. She was up there barking her head off and then stopped which I was grateful for until I saw her little red self hurtling across the yard straight towards the neighbors.Since she had time to kill she spent it figuring out how to open the screen door in her desperation to Visit With The Neighbors.Not to mention being  very serious about her hostessing duties and will not be thwarted.  Much to my surprise she behaved herself and of course since they are hunters and she is a hunting dog everyone got along. I am ALMOST done with the dentist, dammit. I got to my appointment and was told there was an emergency so I had to wait almost an hour. Then the tooth he was working on turned out to be way more difficult than he had anticipated and then the part he had to make took longer, plus he was doing another patient at the same time - and the whole upshot was I ended up being at the dentist for 3 hours. So I had to make another appointment to have the impressions made for the partial I'm getting for the back and then I will be done. Forever. Or at least 6 months which ever comes first.

Is It Fall Yet?

You would think it is - after all we had our first day of fall, yada yada. The weather however, would not agree with you as it's zipped back up to the 80's and even 90's at times. Gone are thoughts of down and leather, my shorts remain in the dresser, my flipflops will have to hang on a few more weeks. The only sign of changing seasons is the pool is A) too cold to swim in and B) full of leaves every morning. I guess it gives me something to do while Pearline zips around like a lunatic. Pearl is having an adventure tomorrow - we're planning on traisping to Janet and Diane's for Adam's birthday - this will be the first birthday we get to spend with him in 5 years, can you believe that? However Pearl The Pest has never spent a night away from her queen sized bed with the comforter and the pillows she sneakies up on when we are asleep. ( I was looking at dog beds in Sam's Club and David came up behind me and demanded to know who was going to sleep on THAT - he then announced there was no point at looking at them as he didn't think he would fit on it...). So rather than freak her out we decided to have her give it a go at Rickie Anderson's Doggie Daycare so she can see how the other half lives. Rickie has Vizsla of her own and also has an enrollee that she claims is more spoiled than Pearl the Girl - we'll see who wins that contest. In other news, Jackson went to the interview and found they will not hire him as all the positions available are for 18 and over - I think someone didn't look at  his birthdate close enough. He was a bit disappointed but will survive. I'm awaiting another package from Knitpicks ( I swear it's the last! Really!), I got the email yesterday that it had been shipped out so I can start hanging out by the mailbox Monday I think. I ordered some more of these -

http://www.knitpicks.com/Options+Harmony+Wood+Interchangeable+Needle+Tips%3cbr%3eUS+Sizes+4+-+17_NDKPNDETipWD.html

Even though I swore I wouldn't. The Buckwheat Festival is this weekend so that will take care of my Saturday and Sunday will find me (hopefully) on the sofa knitting and watching Junk-O-La televison.

Getting There, Slowly

It's very hard to take pictures of some things and make them look like they do in real life. Yesterday I hooked up another 60" cable and knit halfway around so I could stretch out the shawl and get an idea of how big it is and what it really looks like. Most are a little fuzzy but you can see the pattern. I think it'll be bigger after I block it and I have the pins to do it. Not much going on yesterday, Jackson went to Becky's as expected - David and I deposited a bunch of checks which added up to more than I thought it would. We did the bookstore(s) of course and then back home. I did do a (tiny) bit of cleaning just so I would look good and then David and I proceeded to have a little arguement about what we are doing after we hopefully sell the house. I'm open to all possibilities but his big problem with me is that I LIKE West Virginia. Sorry, can't help it. I told him that makes no difference because I like other places too and when you get down to it my main requirements are a place to run Pearl The Pest and no neighbors within peeking distance. As I get older I truely realize I am a happy little hermit, my dog and my knitting needles make a good day for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my friends and (some) family but people being nearby would make me crazy. And after we sell this place I'm sure I will miss it and cry, but life will go on as it usually does. I just told David he needs to carefully consider where he can live - and be happy. Moving - even down the road - is such a big undertaking that after this I don't want to do it again. David is busy plotting out the final renovations of this place, I can see the carpeting is going to be the biggest annoyance - since David will also be pulling the giant bolts out of the ceiling from the overhead hoyer lift he took down when we moved here and then the ceilings will have to be repaired. He has Jackson's bathroom almost done though which made Jackson's week.

Lay About

It's almost 8 o'clock and I've already thought about cleaning the house twice. As to wheather I'll actually do it is a mystery to us all. David said there's a bunch of exercise bikes in the local bulletin so I suppose I'll be checking that out, he said he will NOT buy another one until I look at it. And I have to do something, since the weather has gotten cooler (inspiring pie eating and so forth) and I'm not swimming in the evening anymore my weight has been creeping up pound by pound. Jackson is heading over to Becky's today, I would prefer he go tomorrow but he was giving me all sorts of static so I said FINE and I'll have to think of something else to do. We have to stop by the pool guy's store as we cannot get ahold of him - if we can't today I'll have to find someone else to close the pool. I am now completely sick of cleaning and maintaining a pool I cannot swim in - after Sept starts the water temp takes a nosedive and stays there. We had briefly considered closing it ourselves but I'm afraid we'll do something wrong and burst the pipework over the winter or something. And we are getting too close to the finish line for that to happen. I'm still working on the Shawl That Will Follow Me To My Grave, I think I have about 50 more rows to do and I'm done. That doesn't sound like a lot until you realize each row now has almost 600 stitches and will have more than that in a few more rounds. I have to sneak an order out to Knitpicks this morning, I'm like an addict I admit it, just one more order and then I'll stop.... but they keep coming up with such good - and cheap! - products. I mean honestly - lace weight wool for $3 a skein? Pinch me! That's another task I have to do is go through all of my knitting stuff, the stash has grown to the point I'm not sure what I have in there anymore. And it's overflowed from Grandma's dresser to the guest room closet. And the basket. And the drawer in the entertainment center.... you get the idea. Sigh, the burden I carry............

A Grave Situation

Are you all tired of the graveyards? Too bad for you that I live amongst the Not So Recent Dead AND have an unhealthy fascination with them. This graveyard is in Waynesburg, PA and I've always driven past it but never had the time to go trotting through the tombstones. I was in the area around lunch time so I spent it hiking about and sightseeing. The graveyard dates about the early 1800's and most were buried during the victorian era in which everything was Excessively Frilly And Big. There will be more pictures tomorrow of course - the stones actually soar to heights of 20 feet, there are multiple crypts and everything is beyond fancypants. I was peeking in the mausoleums as I'd been rather effectively locked out of them - I did rattle the doors but to no avail. Of course if you actually get in, then you have to worry about the door swinging shut behind you I suppose so it's a no win situation. One of them had the most hilarious stained glass window of one of the decedents. I had to assume she hadn't spent her entire life looking that old and stern - I bet she would love to beat the relatives that commissioned it! If I had to be stuffed in a mausoleum with a window I would like it to make me look like a Playboy Bunny or very athletic or something - not like I had a mouthful of lemons. But that's me. I'm not sure what I'm doing this weekend, cleaning would be practical but doesn't sound like a whole bunch of fun. David is working out in Fairmont and will be done there next week, then he'll probably spend some time working on our house. We're probably going to have to tighten up the budget as he's got to take some major time finishing up the house for  the spring. He's tried in the past to do it weekends and evenings but it just doesn't work as you can't get anything completely done and it gets discouraging.

That's How I Roll

As I get older, it takes a bit more to get me excited or upset. Today was one of those days where the whole thing just seesawed back and forth and I just teetertottered along with the best of them. I got some (guarded) good news about one of  my peds patients, not out of the woods but at least is heading for a metaphorical path out. Of course then there was the other visit which involved Trained Medical Staff so that was not good. I got back to the office and finished up my calls, then headed home to finish up paperwork under the trees with Pearl.  I called David to let him know I could pick up Jackson today and the phone rang right before I left - it was Sam's Club looking to interview Jackson. There was a huge accident in Granville which was surprising as I didn't think they had enough room for anything huge (you can pretty much spit across it) -once again I was in a nest of Trained Medical Staff so I turned around out of that traffic jam and headed to town so I could sit in another jam. When I finally got Jackson I remembered today was one of the last days for Senior pictures and he hadn't worn a nice button down shirt - but you can have them taken again tomorrow. Jackson said he had thought about that as he didn't like the tee-shirt he had on, he had planned on wearing his Jay and Silent Bob shirt (that should make Grandma VERY happy) - I was informed only ONE person wore a suit and tie and he was a big Dork. Since I don't want Jackson to have to join the Dork Protection Program and have to relocate I suppose I'll let it alone. He called Sam's and has an interview for Tuesday since he's getting his haircut on Monday.  Speaking of Dorkiness, David finally found me an exercise bike (used) and brought it home sight unseen. It's a brown and beige Huffy circa 1852 with a big rubber tire. Jackson finds it hilarious and thinks it needs a basket or something. Maybe I'll join the Dork Protection Program.

In The Fix

David decided to take yesterday off and finish up a few projects. He framed out the upstairs windows he'd replaced and is well on his way to finishing Jackson's bathroom. He gets a bit overwhelmed at times, altogether it's about done but there's so many little projects and then there's the carpet issue. We don't want to spend a lot on it of course since we're selling it, but it has to be somewhat decent enough to sell. Some of our furniture has to go into storage, especially the dining room table set that we brought from Pennsylvania. The PA house had an open floor plan so it was ok to have a huge table and chairs but here we have an actual dining room and it fills it too much. The RE told David the dining room is very big but the oversized table makes it look smaller so out it goes. He still has to finish the last bit of siding and then there's the back room......I've getting overwhelmed and I'm not even doing it! Anyhooo, I got my latest order from Knitpicks, David doesn't bother saying anything he just puts it on the table and sighs. This month they have Harmony Bamboo needles that fit the Options set so I was VERY stoked for that! I did however restrain myself and only buy the sizes I knew I would really use instead of buying one of each size in the event I might possibly use them someday. I'm backing up on projects - I have the yarn for the sleeveless leaf sweater and the yarn for the grey socks, hat yarn, the afgan just needs a border and it's done, the shawl is getting there, I suppose if I stopped eating, working, sleeping and speaking with other people I could get a handle on it.

Sightseeing and Other Activities

We've had a very good weekend - it started off rainy and but then ended and then it was just sort of crappy and cold. Yesterday we hit the stores - I took Jean to Gabe Brothers for shopping and got a couple of things. There were tons of things I liked, but I really need to get down my winter clothes and start sorting - I always end up with way too many clothes. When we came back we headed out again to Ray's favorite activity, Barnes and Nobles and I got a good deal on a book and also the newest They Might Be Giants CD - whoo. Hoo. We ate at Tibarios, an italian restaurant  - I've been drinking red wine all weekend - 3 glasses total which is more than I've drank in the past two years I think. At this rate I should be an alcoholic by the time I'm 90. This morning we all went out to breakfast and then when we came back I took Ray, Jean and Jackson out to the cemetery in Core so they could take pictures. We also crossed the Mason Dixon line (it's about 12 miles from my house) and showed them the little park. Jean wanted to see an Antique store, there aren't too many of them around so we went to the Seneca Center and she got her antique fix in - then off to the Beanery. As you can see it was a fairly quiet weekend punctuated by large heavy meals - if Ray lived here they'd have to roll us down the driveway to get to work - I'll be on the treadmill til I expire this week! David found an exercise bike for me and will be picking it up on Tuesday - I think this will be the perfect time to get one, don't you?

What A Day

Friday started out well, I had four patients that I know and had called them the night before to set up times and I had all thier paperwork in order. The game plan was to see the first 3, go to the office to finish up paperwork, and then see the furthest one out on the way home. The best laid plans of mice and men - my cell went off at 8:10 - one of my peds had critical labs from the previous night and the oncall had been unable to find the family. So an hour and a half later and 6 phone calls negotiating between two hospitals my patient was on the way to being readmitted and I got to cry in my car - kids can be a little hard on you sometimes. The office had called my first patient to let them know I would be late and then I stopped in at the office on the way through to patient # 2 as I had forgotten supplies for patient #3 - it was almost 11 by then. By the time I got to patient #4 I was whupped - and he was being so cantankerous on the phone I had to laugh - I headed out right after he slammed the phone down. Then I got to stand on a porch negotiating AGAIN, but in the rain this time.On my way home it had let up and that was when I stopped and took a better look at that silly graveyard. It's hilarious as every piece of kitsh known to man exists in that cemetery. When I got home Ray and Jean were here, David had gone to pick up Jackson and took Pearl with him so we got to say hello without an overexcited vizsla in the mix. We went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays and didn't get home until eight, we just went to eat as I think they were both tired from thier long drive. I have no idea what we're doing today, but I'm sure it involves shopping!

Going, Going, Gone - FINALLY

Ok! Ok! I'll stop with the graveyard pictures - those of course were taken at Dolls' Run Cemetary out in Core . I have to say it's one of my favorites and I could spend a few hours taking pictures and hanging about. Anyhoo, David finally decided to put the Stinkin Hot Tub in the local bulletin paper the other day. It had turned into one of those situations where everyone you tell wants it, they're going to come get it, etc... and then no one actually does anything about it. Wiith fall on the way we couldn't wait any longer as we were afraid once it started getting cold we would be stuck with it. And yes, we did give it away as we'd never run it and quite honestly we just wanted it gone. So David puts the ad in Monday, it runs on Wednesday and yesterday the phone started ringing at 7:30 am. David gave it to caller #1 since he also said he would come get that night. David came home to 12 messages on the answering machine and they still kept calling - Jackson (who is amusing himself by keeping track) counted 19 phone calls in one day. And this was the first day. The guy did come as promised and loaded it up with the help of a friend and Jackson. Amazing that  after offering it around all summer it's gone in one day. Of course we all know now that it's gone EVERYONE will suddenly decide they wanted it after all - I suppose it's like that guy you dump, they don't look attractive until someone else gets him. And in between the phone calls Poor Pearline had diarherra yesterday, David suspects she found an alternate food source in the woods which might have been comprised of Poo so it made the day interesting. Ray and Jean are due in later today, David is working half a day and then will be home to greet them around 1pm. I have to finish getting the guest rooms ready - I am really looking foward to this weekend.

Home Sweet Home

Well, the real estate was here yesterday around 10 as promised - she and David went through the entire house. She suggested that aside from finishing the projects that we replace ALL the carpeting in the house. We had talked about doing a carpet allowance, but she said replacing would increase the value. We knew the carpet had to be replaced, the previous owners appeared to have an affection for large incontinent dogs and despite 3 steam cleanings, Urine BGone, woolite carpet cleaner, etc all the stains are permenent. She was very impressed with the property, so hopefully we won't have a problem selling it. Other than that we got a good number and her only other suggestion was to hire an inspector now to fix whatever we needed to. Ray is coming down this weekend and he's bringing another friend of ours - Jean who is from Minnisota and we haven't seen for years, I'm pretty excited about it. Jean is really funny and great to hang around with - she's also quite the shopper so you know we'll be heading out to Gabes!! I have to wash the beddings and get the guest rooms ready, kick the cats out and David has to put the blinds back up. I'm not oncall until Oct 6th - whoopee! That would mean I get to go to the Buckwheat Festival again this year, I am TOTALLY looking foward to that.

How Much Is It Worth?

That would totally be the most important question,wouldn't it? The real estate agent is due here tomorrow for the first walk through at 10 am tomorrow. We're still sticking to the original game plan of not doing anything until Jackson is through with high school but we've decided to bring the RE in now instead of waiting. That way they can get an idea of what we have, etc and have time to advertise it. David has been worrying the house all day, it's funny how when you buy a house all you can see is what you love about it and the rest lies outside your Rose Colored Glasses Area. When you go to sell the same house every imperfect glares out like a neon sign flashing FIX ME - and the imperfections appear like ants at a picnic. There's no need to panic, I figure we have about 10 months or so but David is frantically scrubbing doors and framing out all the windows. I think this time around we should be much better organized, don't you? He's put the hot tub in the local paper under the giveaway section - I am so tired of looking at the silly thing I could scream. And of course it rained today so I'll have something to do tomorrow (bail out the hot tub). The weather turned cool today, it's the first whiff of fall we've had - you know that just a certain tempeture, not really cold but just the tiniest bit of chill? Just one of those and I'm lost to pumpkin pie making and Halloween decorations, I can't find my big sweater fast enough and the pool instantly loses all attraction.  We are thinking about going to my sister and Diane's for Adam's birthday since he will be working, Pearl is going to do a "dry run" at the local kennel to see how she fares. Cross your paws for her!

The Scary Side Of The Street

Well, Jackson and Becky are excited. Jackson asked me last night if he could take the car today - to take Becky to an afternoon movie. First off, you need to realize my Powers Of Supreme Being have been significantly reduced due to the Bumper Car Incidents -  I'm in no position to lecture on safe driving and so forth since I obviously am not capable of that behavior myself. Jackson is a  safe driver and this will be thier first date in which there are no adult participants so I had to say yes. I did make him ask Becky's parents if it was alright with them and it is, so now I have to worry about TWO of them - arrgh!! In other news my shawl is moving right along and I have the next project plotted out, not to mention I've been doing a bit of yarn related shopping. My order from Knitpicks has still not arrived and I'm already plotting my next order in a devious way since there is only so much I can sneak into the house at one time. Heavy is my burden. Pearl and I continue to play in the pool daily, the weather has once again turned our yard into an Easybake oven, I don't how Pearl stands to race around like that all day. The nights have a little bit of chill to them lately and I've been thinking of my winter clothes, I think I should probably take my coats to the cleaner now instead of waiting for it to get cold - that's what I usually do and then I can't take them because, well - I'm wearing them of course. I've also started rummaging through old magazines and belongings, I cleaned up the family room yesterday and did the dining room last week. Instead of tackling the whole house at once I'm trying to do it a bit at at a time but the problem is once I head off to the next area, the first area starts to slide back into Previous Behaviors. I suppose my only options are to either move everyone out or make everyone stay in one area.

I Wish Fall Were In The Air

The tempeture is supposed to go down to the high 80's - big whoop. It's hard remembering that it is almost fall, it feels like summer will be here forever. I know I'm tired of it - I'm even getting a bit disenchanted with the pool! The leaves and other flotsem are finding thier way to my pool so I spend twice as much time skimming it out then swimming in it.I was in Michael's yesterday and they had all the Halloween stuff out but how can you get in the mood for that when everyone is running around in shorts and tee shirts? I always feel like there should be this clear weather marker - that on September 1st the temp should drop down, the coats should comeout and the BBQ retired until next year. It never works like that, does it? The summer clothes and winter stay in transition around here until October or so, because the minute you put the shorts up it gets hot again and you're  stuck in a turtleneck and jeans dying of the heat.  David and I are going to be looking for an exercise bicycle for me this weekend - I'm still using the treadmill but have had to cut way back on it's use. I have a repetition injury to my right foot and if I overdo it, it gets very painful. I figure if I get an exercise bike I can alternate which would be less boring anyhow. I did consider getting a bike for outside but the coal truck thing is a bit scary and there are no real shoulders on route 100. Work has been alright, I am for the first time in months caught up on my paperwork! My new Arch Enemy is Navinet - a stupid creation of the insurance company. They've come up with computer program in which you plug in the information to ask for authorization to do visits. I had to call Tammy at the Uniontown office to negate my way through screens and windows - after a couple of tries I was able to get it in - and accepted. So I check yesterday and it's still pending after two days. So I called Tammy and she said that was normal, it could take up to a week and a half (or more!) before I heard anything, no, you can't call at all either. Please keep in mind the companies I call (which is 99.9% of them) authorization takes between 5 minutes and 24 hours. This is not good since I have to go see the patient next week without auth most likely - Tammy said they've had to do that too - it just sounds like a bunch of crap to me. I'm still waiting for my order from KnitPicks which I mailed off 6 days ago, I suppose I should stop waiting for it daily. You know what they say about awatched pot.....

Is It Friday Already?

We've had to leave the big umbrella up all week -there is a persistant little bat that has been calling it home and  we needed him to find another place to roost. I didn't object to him using the umbrella, I did however object to him pooping all over the deck which he seemed to do with great abandon. This week has been slow, not much going on. Adam has a job and is starting on Monday and has completed his first english assignment - he's found he really likes college. Jackson has NOT found a job so I think we may have to light a little fire under him. I got a letter from my insurance company about the fact they settled with my last bumper car incident - $2800 personal property damage but I was thankful she didn't go for the gold like the last two shysters. Just thinking about those frauds makes me mad - and it makes me madder that my insurance company paid it out. David has been helping a friend this week vinyl side his house, he's had a few small jobs but is trying to work on our house and get it ready for spring while he has the chance. I think he's helping Cecil just for a little change of pace and to relax. We have to call the pool guy next, I can't believe we're already heading into the second week of Sept. The pool is more than swimmable still, but you can feel the change in the weather so I think it may hold out to the end of Sept, but not much beyond that. I do have a solar cover but I have to say what I've discovered is it keeps the top of the water very warm - but keeps the bottom freezing!!

Happy Labor Day!

 I got a call first thing yesterday morning and ended up driving over 120 miles round trip for one visit - that would be the downside of having to cover both offices when you're on call. The upside however is getting to see the little towns and places I don't usually get to see and better yet, having the time to do it. I also got to stop in at AC Moores but didn't buy anything. Right now my next obsession will be sock knitting right after the green top with the leaves knitted right into the pattern, and the hat, and oh, oh! that lace pattern sweater I marked in one of my books.... I either need to win the lottery or get therapy- maybe K.A. - Knitter's Anonymous? Anyhoo, AC Moore only had one type of sock yarn which I didn't like and no sock knitting books so I made out my order for KnitPicks and will be sending that off tomorrow. I was in the pool yesterday of course, as was Pearl the Squirrel and the beloved frog toy which she can fetch until your arm falls off. Jackson spent most of the day yesterday helping David and watching bad science fiction movies. he also took David's truck up to apply for more jobs, David would like to kill him as he waited until AFTER all the college students came back which makes it way harder to get anything. I couldn't believe David let him take the truck out with all the out of towners lurking about but he did ok - although he did tell me he was a bit overwhelmed by all the traffic. Today he'll be going to Becky's and I'll be doing one visit - I've worked everyday this holiday weekend. David went to measure a garage in Fairmont yesterday but for some reason that required bringing two guns and plenty of shells and a call to Cecil, his gun range buddy. Hmm.

What's For Dinner?

I've been trying to find something to feed the Boy People for supper - this time of year the idea of anything "good" - lasanga, turkey, stew, is too time intensive and too heavy for August. On the other hand even though I don't eat meat I am VERY tired of the roster -hamburger, chicken, hot dogs, speghetti - repeat as needed. Part of the problem is time - I get home around 5:30 - if I'm lucky - so most nights it needs to be pretty fast. I made Hamburger Helper the other night but they stopped at McDonalds so they had to have it as left over. David called me on the road just to let me know he had reheated the Hamburger Helper. Then he looked in his bowl, he looked in Pearl's bowl and stated he thought the dog had the better deal and pitched it in the trash and they had peanut butter. So tonight I broke and used my own personal stock of Iron Chef orange sauce glaze with ginger. Anyone not familar with this substance - it is the BEST stuff in the universe. I swear you could stir fry garbage with it and it would taste good. So I stir fried chicken with vegetables and brown rice -two rather despised things for the Boy Team -and they loved it. Jackson didn't state he loved it, he said it was "okay" and "edible", but considering he was eating like a refugee that just hit dry land I took that with a grain of salt. Of course now they know what Iron Chef Orange sauce tastes like which means I'll have to share once in awhile, hadn't thought that one through. In other news I did two admissions today, had a heck of a time getting from point A to point B as Pittsburgh is in town for the first game of the season and it's the usual mayhem. And everyone is dressed in thier Tacky Best. Jackson is a tad pouty as he can't take the car out this weekend with traffic being such a mess and so many out of towners - I saw license plates from Ohio, NC, Michigan, New York, etc and most of them are lost. David is almost done with the pool, I can't tell you how great it looks but I'll be taking pictures tomorrow!