We promenaded through the backyard, which always results in us seeing something new! Indeed, we saw the latest crop of apples getting ready to fatten up so they can become pies!
Oh my, the second crop of apples is on the way!
In the back forty, the lime tree is giving it all it’s got, while the lemon tree, closer to the house, is still trying to find its zest for life! All I see is nice cold Gimlets on this tree.
The classic Gimlet cocktail is a three-ingredient masterclass in simplicity and balance. Composed only of gin, lime juice, and sugar, it helped pave the way for countless cocktails, from the Margarita to the Daiquiri and the Sidecar. Mary’s recipe does NOT use sugar; she is watching out for me!
Our lime tree is just in time to support my new drink!
As we rambled back toward the house, the eggplants said hello. They are getting ripe, so next week, we will make some serious eggplant casseroles.
Despite the word “eggplant” being synonymous with a deep purple color, some early cultivars were, in fact, white and egg-shaped. Eggplant is called aubergine in most of the rest of the English-speaking world. Eggplant is technically a fruit.
Peeling eggplant is not necessary. The skin starts chewy when the eggplant is raw but turns super-tender as it bakes on the sheet tray and then again in the casserole.
The eggplants are coming along nicely.
We have a secret recipe which we will be trying, and the results should look like this:
Yummy!!
We cleaned up, and I went to the barbershop to get the old rasty beard trimmed. I dropped off the ladies at the mortuary so they could do some last-minute negotiations with the staff. The mortuary owner, Alan Bisbee, stopped by to say hello. He is an old friend from the Elks and a good gy!
We did chores around the house and got ready to pick Dianne up for a visit to Old Ranch. It was Friday at 4:00, but the 22 Freeway going west was wide open! We zipped along at 70 mph all the way there. I was greeted by several of the staff members who were welcoming us back. We generally go at noon for lunch but the other shift at night was on duty.
The veranda was the perfect spot; we had shade from the sun and a slight ocean breeze.
Dianne saw the appetizers, especially the shrimp, and we set out to empty the display. We got the best table in the house, sitting next to the fabled fire pit. Stories were told and retold over the years.
Dianne surveys the appetizers.
The music was pretty good, most of it danceable. When the line dance started, Dianne and Mary hit the road and never looked back—probably because their dance moves were causing traffic jams!
Charlotte got into the groove and gave us the Danish version of the Texas line dance.
Moving to the line dance.
Mary noticed only ladies were dancing, and without a second thought, Dianne and I hit the stones, showing everyone what an actual swing dance looks like. We swirled and twirled around, and I noticed the guys looked a little jealous! I had the moves, but I must admit that the two glasses of wine helped!
Dianne and I show people how it is done.
Meanwhile, back at the table, the girls were chattering away,
Hello ladies.
Charlotte was my best instructor ever. I was never a good golfer, average at best. She saved me lots of money, as the number of balls lost and clubs thrown into the thickets around the course drastically reduced after her hints.
Charlotte, my long time friends and occasional golf instructor, was an absolute delight.
Mary and I are like two peas in a pod, or maybe more like two clowns in a circus! Every minute we spend together is a non-stop comedy show. We laugh so much that the neighbors probably think we’ve hired a laugh track!
Just us.
We headed home around 9:00 p.m. and made a one-drink stop at Aces. We played Johnny Cash and the Statler Brothers and danced a couple of dances before going home.
Today was an excellent day!
