Out of the mouths of babes!
It was a rainy day, and Mary was getting cabin fever even though she was not 100% cured yet.
At 11:00 am, the “clock wizard” came by. These folks cleaned and repaired our old clocks about a year ago, but Mary’s Grandmother’s Clock would show one time and chime another (right after the cuckoo came out).
He fiddled with the clock for about 90 dollars worth, and the clock is now happy, swinging her little pendulum back and forth with great aplomb and striking out the hours as advertised on her face!
As he made the necessary adjustments, we saw evidence of a witch’s brew and a small dead rodent on a string he swung around his head while singing a song you might remember!
Now we have our grandfather’s and grandmother’s clocks set to go off a minute apart, and it sounds like the bells of St. Mary’s on the hour! Scout keeps looking at his wrist watch and at three minutes until the hour, he disappears squirming his way under the bed in the master bedroom!
I told Mary that years and years ago, my granddad died at exactly 3:45 pm, and at precisely the same time, his grandfather clock stopped. She responded, “That’s amazing.” I had to tell her, “Not really. That’s when it fell on top of him.”
So, I took the horn by the bull and decided we were going out for lunch, thinking no one else would be out in this remain. I was correct; we went to Renata’s Italian Bistro and were the only ones there!
They have been in business for 29 years; Freddie was our waiter today!
We ate inside the restaurant; their patio was NOT heated, and it was in the mid-50s outside. I hate to sit across from Mary when her teeth chatter; it drives my hearing aids bonkers!
The inside was warm and cozy and we could hear our waiter, James, puttering around in the kitchen!
We were alone today, but it was raining!
The lunch was delightful; I had the best seat in the house, directly across from a beautiful lady. Mary had the Veal Piccata, a milk-fed veal sauteed in wine and lemon sauce, accompanied by capellini and steamed veggies.
My excitement level go very high when I thought the little round green things were mouse deposits but they turned out to be capers.
The veal looked great!
I had the Capellini Pescatora ($18.95): angel hair, shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and fresh herbs in a light tomato sauce. Since I am now 192 pounds, I asked them to box up one-half BEFORE it gets to the table! I have a plan!
Mary thought it odd when I stuck the calamari rings on my finger. I told her there were no black olives, so what was I supposed to do? I got a look of scornfulness, contemptuousness, derision, disrespect, disparagement, condescension, superciliousness, hauteur, haughtiness, arrogance, lordliness, snobbishness, aloofness, indifference, dismissiveness, distaste, dislike, and disgust; I may have to rethink my eating habits!
There was an ulterior motive behind my box-it-up-early move. The rest of my order was added to the capellini in oil and butter we ordered for Jan. Think about it: Jan gets the rest of my meal, the frig does not get stuffed, and I save myself from finishing it. It was a brilliant idea!
We both had tea, Mary’s was hot, and mine was iced! Italian lunch sans wine is a good thing! We are doing well; the old BP is back where I was as a kid.
It’s been a week!
On our way home, we stopped at Ace Hardware before making a slight turn to the left and did a fly-by at Jan’s home. Jan was quite pleased, and you should know she is a capellini-ologist!
Did You Know? Capellini is a thin variety of Italian pasta with a diameter ranging from 0.85 to 0.92 mm. It is made in the form of long, thin strands, similar to spaghetti. Capelli d’angelo is even thinner, with a diameter ranging from 0.78 to 0.88 mm. It is often sold in a nest-like shape.
Originating sometime during the Italian Renaissance in northern Italy, capellini is a similar shape as the well-known spaghetti but makes up only around a third of the latter’s thickness.
If it came in gray, I would put a few strands on my head to cover the bald spot!
The rest of the day, Mary rested, and I took care of business, calling my lawyer for a will/trust modification appointment, canceling our reservations in Catalina (we are not going to the ball), speaking with a property management lawyer about the rental properties, and getting ready for the tax person on Monday!
We watched TV together until almost 10:00 pm when Scout wanted to use the facilities; I have to go with him these days.
We crashed about 10:30 pm, and the old BP was in the low 130s’ life is good.
