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changing plans
November 16, 2015

Friday, I had a crazy-busy morning, followed by a drive-thru lunch and a long nap in the afternoon. Friday night was supposed to be Lodge night, for ribs. But that plan changed once Spouse found out that they were having kids movie night at the same time. He backed out, and we just went to Culvers and got takeout.

And, well, I had a definite plan for the weekend. Saturday was to be laundry/housework/shopping/errands, so that Sunday could be given over to the Big Bake--it was going to be fruitcake weekend. And the first half went according to plan...but Spouse got free tickets to Trainfest in Milwaukee, and it was a freaking gorgeous day--so I put off the baking and we ran off to have a nice day looking at model trains and railroad memorabilia, treating ourselves to "Sunday Dinner" at The Melrose in Franklin, and just enjoying being out on a lovely, sunshiny day. Then we came home and had a quiet afternoon, reading, snuggling, and napping.

Which means next weekend positively HAS to be fruitcake. Not to mention that the B needs a new batch of his very special custom biscuits--so I will be baking till I drop. (Actually, I'm going to see if I can squeeze the biscuits in some evening this week, just to get them out of the way.)

We did have one other plan for Saturday--the annual Thanksgiving shop/donation to the Shalom Center. But we changed that one, too. We found out that Meijer was matching Shalom Center Donations 2 to 1 on Saturday, so if we donated money, we could TRIPLE the amount through their program. Not nearly as much fun as doing the actual shopping, but I know that this was a much better deal for the Center.

This was, if I'm calculating correctly, the 19th anniversary of our donation tradition. I think I started the ball rolling in 1996 or so. Been so long, I can't really remember! I started with a complete Thanksgiving dinner for four, and I think it cost me like 25 bucks--those were the days! But it is something we really enjoy, and we will always donate in some way, as long as we are able.

We did a lot of shopping, anyway--it was a Costco week, and we went to Meijer, Aldi, and Dollar Tree as well, picking up various things I need for the upcoming cookie season, and working towards being fully stocked going into the Thanksgiving weekend, so as to be able to completely avoid any shopping during the HELL that is Black Friday.

In addition to the usual Costco purchases like fabric softener, dish soap, and paper towels, I splurged on a Sunbeam heated throw to keep me warm on cold winter evenings. My chair is near the front door and the picture window, so it can get a little nippy. This is a nice little throw, a solid on one side, plaid on the other, in a warm brown. 3 heat settings, which is plenty. Super-soft plush, too. I could have waited for Christmas, but Spouse thought it was better to get it now and be sure of snagging one. He's thinking about buying one for his god-daughter, because she's another one who is always freezing and loves an electric blanket.

Spouse made a lovely dinner on Saturday--he took a small pork loin roast and cooked it in the pressure cooker with 3 cups of apple cider, then finished it in the oven with a barbecue glaze.

To go along with that, he did roasted root vegetables with garlic and herbs--he cut up potatoes, carrots, and onion, tossed them in butter-flavored olive oil with chopped fresh garlic, shallots, herbs, and even a little crumbled bacon that was left over from the previous Sunday's breakfast. He took that mix and put it into a 2-quart Ball jar, then sealed it with the Foodsaver so it could low-pressure marinade all afternoon, before roasting it in the oven.

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That man gets to be a better cook every day. This was one of those meals where he just got a couple of ideas and ran with them--no recipes involved. Sheer inspired genius.


FWIW:
The horrors of Friday the 13th were by no means lost on me. Bombings, earthquakes, death and destruction. But I don't talk much about that stuff, and I try not to do it here. This diary really has quite a narrow scope. I discuss my friends and family very little, likewise work. Mostly just weekends and life with Spouse. It doesn't mean that those things don't occupy my mind and my time--I just don't talk about them here. I made the decision some time ago to limit or omit most topics, as not being suitable for the internet.





Reading: "The Hammer and the Serpent" (2015), By Alexander Rupp. It's a modern YA, and a first novel. I wouldn't normally be reading it--but I happen to be acquainted with the author.

Listening: B52s, "Time Capsule".

Inked Up: Parker IM Premium, medium nib, with Pelikan 4001 Green, and Skilcraft Burgundy fine nib, with Binder Burgundy. Still in the process of "writing out" my inked pens.

recede - proceed

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