Welcome To The Extended Stay Inn

That's what we are calling ourselves now.

Well, the turtle is still in our driveway, and last night Kerry's sister and brother-in-law arrived. Doug got to meet more of the family. If he stays long enough he'll meet everyone. I'm really glad that he feels so comfortable here; it means that this is a warm and loving home. I knew Susan and Gary were coming so on Sunday night I made dinner for both Sunday and Monday night. I know, this cooking thing is getting a bit old; but not for me, I'm still on a roll.

We had garlic mashed potatoes, meat loaf and roasted brussel sprouts on Sunday night. I made Monday's dinner early because I was making a platelet donation on Monday afternoon and that always wipes me out. I made my pasta shells stuffed with spinach, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, garlic and onions and smothered in tomato sauce. You can refrigerate it overnight and heat it up the next day. We had garlic bread (I believe in real garlic bread which means lots of butter and a ton of garlic) and salad with blueberries and tomatoes to keep with the 12 best foods concept. We also had edamame (soy beans) for an appetizer. I love them. Doug introduced us to them in the frozen food section of Safeway. Just a bit of time in the microwave and they are ready to eat. Delicious, filling and healthy; can't beat that. I'm really into semi-colons at the moment.

Gary and Susan wanted to go to Reno this morning. As Gary put it, he left some money there last time so wanted to recover it (and he didn't leave it in a safe deposit box). Well, the weather gods said no. It was snowing like crazy on Interstate 80 and people were driving quite crazily so there was an accident and the whole road came to a halt. They finally turned around and headed for Interstate 5 and home to Washington. I wish they had come back to stay with us for another night rather than brave the bad weather in northern California and on into Oregon. They live in Washington about an hour north of Seattle so have quite a trip ahead of them.

I spent most of today working on my taxes. When you are self-employed this is never a fun time of year. I'm determined to get them done before we leave for Costa Rica so I can go and have fun without thinking about returning to finish my taxes. I wish I felt better about how my taxes are being spent.

It's still raining here. We even had some thunder today. Our duck friends Dame Olivia and Sir Laurence have returned from wherever they spend the winter. For those of you who are new to my blog, Olivia decided to lay her eggs on our roof last spring. The first batch hatched out, got down from the roof (I have no idea how) and promptly were eaten by cats, possums, raccoons and bass on our pond. She laid another batch of eggs in the hundred plus degree heat of July. The eggs cooked and so did she. We were really worried that she would die up there when it got to 115 F. We cleaned all her nesting material off the roof so hopefully she won't try again this year.

Something to ponder; if Cheney had been killed in the bomb explosion today, Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House of Representatives, would have become Vice President. I certainly don't want anyone dead but I do enjoy the thought of Nancy and George working together. She would whip his Texas ass. Has anyone noticed how Laura Bush has disappeared from the news? Enough for now; time for leftovers.