We went picking yesterday and retrieved these baby eggplants.
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-003-1-650x488.jpg)
Baby eggplants will be dinner tonight!
Mary planted lettuce, and I modified the sprinkler system to cover this garden area better.
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-004-650x867.jpg)
Working way!
The Shishito Peppers are doing quite well, so we’ll have to invite Bob Duda over for a Pierogi and Pepper night!
Shishito Peppers are sweet and delicious when eaten raw. Blistering the outside of the pepper helps to accentuate its sweet flavor.
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-005-650x488.jpg)
We have peppers
After being cooked for a few minutes, they are delicious to eat.
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-012-650x974.jpg)
Yummy!
At 11:30 am, we headed for the Elks Lodge. The freeway was almost stopped, and there were red flashing lights everywhere. Oh my!
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-000-650x867.jpg)
Oops
A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget’s Thesaurus crashed on our way to the Elks, losing its entire load. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.
We finally got to the Elks for Girl’s Night Out and ordered wine, which we needed after the freeway incident. All of a sudden, we heard a buzzing sound, and here came a Kamikaze Fly showing the Japanese War Flag. He dived right into the wine, head first, splashing wine all over the table.
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-006-650x867.jpg)
Protein in our wine.
Mary and I played a fishy game at lunch. We were like seafood traders, swapping salmon for swordfish like it was a high-stakes fish market. Who knew lunch could be so fishily fun?
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-007-650x488.jpg)
Swordfish at the Elks.
We visited Mr. Elk as we departed.
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-008-650x867.jpg)
The Elks is in the center (in case you wondered)
No whistling at my legs!
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-009-650x720.jpg)
We said goodbye before heading home.
We decided to stop for a glass of wine at Bejies, a NY-style deli known for its famed corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and 1960s-era decor. During our recent cruise, I discovered a gimlet, so I ordered one, and Mary tried it. The results were interesting.
The gimlet is a classic cocktail recipe similar to a martini but made with lime juice and a splash of simple syrup rather than vermouth. Traditionally served straight up, the gimlet is also refreshing on the rocks—there’s no right or wrong way to drink it!
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-010-650x488.jpg)
Mary does not like my Gimlet.
Mary tried the pink iced tea and found it more suitable for her taste buds!
![](http://lilesnet.com/dailydiary/wp-content/dailydiary/uploads/2024/08/2024-08-22-011-650x488.jpg)
She does like her iced tea.
We departed Benjies and went home to rest after a big meal! A little later, we almost returned to the scene of the crime; we went to the nursery across the street to buy a gift for a friend and to look through their delightful assortment of veggies and flowers.
We got home, and it was still hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, so we called Jeff, our neighbor, to see if he wanted to come chill. Jeff had wisely decided to stay indoors with the air conditioning on full blast. Meanwhile, we thought, “Why not take a dip in the swimming hole?” We were having a blast splashing around like a couple of kids on a hot summer day. After a while, we noticed our skin starting to resemble prunes, so we hightailed it out of there and plopped ourselves down by the fireplace. Who says you need snow to enjoy a good fire?
We watched some TV and finally declared victory over the day and crashed!