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Monday And Reality Sets In

What do you call a girl with one leg that’s shorter than the other? Ilene.

It is a new week, and I am ready for it!  Well, as prepared as I can be!  Today nothing was in the calendar, so I will wash, dry, pay bills, and get the Avalon ready to meet its new owner.

Mary found out that if one takes a Senior Drivers Course, many insurance companies will provide reduced costs for their insurance packages.  I signed up through AARP and am now taking a seven-hour online course.

Late in the afternoon, Mary called, and we decided to have dinner together at her home.  I was happier than a pig in poo!  Home cooking and fantastic company, wow!

When I arrived, Mary was also arriving as she had some shopping to do for Diane.  We poured a glass of wine and began our kitchen activities.

It’s great to be in the kitchen with a doctor, especially at my age!

I looked at the spaghetti squash and was indeed a hard-shelled winter squash.  The squash had a tiny label on the side, which said, “Maybe substituted for a football!”

I finally decided on my approach!  I threw it up in the air and repeated the Ginsu knife commercial from TV.  That was a big mistake.  On the bright side, my initials are now carved in Mary’s kitchen cabinet doors.  We won’t talk about the dark side.

Did You Know? Here is a neat way to cut the squash safely:

1. Use a sharp knife to poke a few holes in the squash where you want to cut. It should look like you’ve drawn a dotted line lengthwise on the squash when you’re finished.

2. Place your squash in the microwave for 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Let it cool slightly before removing it from the microwave. Cut along the dotted line.

Next time we will try that technique.

Mary worked the magic over on the stove, combining hamburger, onions, mushrooms, two types of sauces, the eye of a newt, the tooth of a tiger, at least two bat bones.  Then things got serious; she went to the spice cabinet, and bottles were flying.  I stood back, WAY back, in amazement.

The frenzy soon subsided, and we went to the patio for horses doo-vers!

We finished off our wine while sharing our day.  We had hummus for an appetizer.  I was in the middle of a story, and I knew Scout was close by, and then all of a sudden, my appetizer went AWOL.  Scout has a smile on his face.

Scout is so well behaved!

Back inside, the main course preparations began in earnest.  It was my pleasure to stand back and watch how a strand-ectomy is supposed to be done.  I was waiting for Mary to say. “scalpel, please,” but no luck.

The process was unique, a thing of beauty, so was the squash!

Now that the spaghetti was ready, it was time to apply the magic.  Mary mumbled her incantations, probably an old family secret.  Scout and I were drooling and stood at the door, waiting for the plates to pass by.

Mary’s magic sauce.

We decided the patio would be good tonight, and we had better use it as summer will be over tomorrow, and Fall arrives Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at 6:30 am PDT.

This face is Mary’s “No pictures of me eating look!”

So technically speaking, eating is defined as “put (food) into the mouth and chew and swallow it.”  We have NO chewing and NO swallowing here!

No entirely eating yet… 500 milliseconds later, it would be eating!

We finished off the delicious dinner and did our kitchen chores.  Everything was cleaned up by 8:00 pm.  We didn’t watch TV but sat on the couch and talked about family, our kids.   We must make a road map for each other’s families.

A special evening with a truly fantastic person!

The Silver Fox and I pulled out about 8:45 pm as Mary needed to crash as Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are her long days.

We, the Silver Fox and I, were given another secret assignment from Miss Mary!  Tonight is the Silver Foxes first “Meals On Wheels” delivery.  We are off to Jans’ where I visited her for a few minutes before heading home.

What can I say?

I got home at about 10:00 PM and crashed also.  The rest of this week will be busy.

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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