The day started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out for me. Nancy lingered a little longer. After my quiet time and the posting of this ramble I ate a lite breakfast before heading out on my bike to the rec in the fog for some 2 hours of pickle ball. It was advanced players day only so we had 2 courts in action with lots of wet shirts. I'm still about 10 pounds overweight for what I set up for myself, so I've passed on all of those sweet smelling Christmas cookies Nancy has been making the past 3 to 4 days. I think I counted 8 or 9 different ones that she has made. Last evening we decided it was time to pass them out to our 5 surrounding neighbors, mailman, garbage man and now she takes some to our dentist's office and of course some go to Bobby and Amy's houses. This is Nancy's project and she loves to bake and then give then out at this time of the year. The grand kids love it when she bakes.
After pickle ball I headed home to work outside in the yard and gardens. Everything looks great but of course I'm watering everyday and some times twice a day. The mulched leaves help with holding the moisture in this sandy soil. I picked a nice mess of collards for supper. I like this new way of preparing them without having to cook them for hours. I just take out the stem and cut them into small pieces and put them in a skillet with some water and butter and sauteed them for about 30 minutes or less. Wow were they ever delicious and so good for you, an along with some Jasmine rice we called that our supper.
Amy, GG and the kiddos came for lunch and we dined on some honey baked ham Amy had leftover from her Christmas party along with some salad. I must say the smells coming from our kitchen made it difficult to pass on those beautiful cookies. Sam has been eating my share and watching grandma make the cookies as well as helping to decorate them. I've been entertaining Eliza while the girls and Sam are busy in the kitchen. We have been playing our Bose and Sam loves the Star War theme soundtrack and we have grown fond to the Dances with Wolves soundtrack. What awesome sounds come from that music machine.
Well Amy dropped Eliza off as they headed to a dinner party at church for the family. She was so cute as we played and loved up on her and then she fell asleep in Nancy's arms. She loves the Santa figures on the entertainment center and I would hold her up and let her hold the littlest ones. She would look into your eyes and give the biggest grin and just melt your heart. Amy came back a little after 8 as she needed to get Ava and Sam really for school tomorrow. Well after they left I settled into the Fox News channel on the happenings in the world and was disgusted with the news of 140 or so innocent school kids being slaughtered by the radical muslims in Pakistan and our POTUS is once more off to Hawaii for a couple weeks of vacation. Seems to me he has been on a vacation his whole term. We need some leadership before we are fighting a war in our streets. He has racially divided us, stood up for our enemies abroad and made them into victims and now is turning the police into the problem while canonizing criminals. I must say he is drastically or fundamentally changing America as he promised and to those who fell for his rhetoric; I hope you now see the damage he is doing to our culture, LATER
Here are a look at some of those gastronomic delights that I so far have passed on..It's not been easy to do so!!!! The pork roast was from Monday nights supper with the family.
