TGIF

At the end of a very long, grueling two weeks punctuated by meeting a rather ambitious deadline, I sat on my deck with my trusty sidekicks and a cold glass of Groth.

Here's to the weekend, ya'll.

Friday Night Bridge Show

Here they are, the Friday Night Bridge Show.  Plus me.  But I couldn't photoshop me in, so I used this photo.  Marlene, Cindy, Sammy. 

One of us is leaving in about a month to go work in Alaska until September.  Yep.  That's our Marlene, mistress of adventure. 

That means it will be 5 months until we can play bridge again. 

I fear what passes as my bridge skills will atrophy.  Just when I was getting the hang of it, too.

Shush, ladies. 

This is my blog and I can say I was getting good better tolerable if I want.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Work

So I was slowly driving along, enjoying the morning.  It was Friday, so it was take the dogs to run-around-wear-yourselves-out-so-I-can-do-what-I-want-Friday-night day.

My Stars!  What was that?  I stopped the car and looked back - yep, that was no ordinary mailbox.  It had a hawk finial.  So I backed up, whipped out my trusty camera while the hawk looked over it's shoulder and eyed me---until I lowered the car window.  Then it barely twitched it's wings and sailed about 10 feet to this tree.

'I vant to be alone.'

'Are you gone yet?'

'I vill change branches.  See my fierce talons?'

'Still there.  How rude.'

'I vill permit zee profile shot. Now, kindly begone!'

So, I've looked up the hawks common to the area, and none exactly fits.  Any ideas?  There was no rust color on it's front and the down on it's legs isn't spotted.  And there's no red on it's tail. 

Still, so very fierce and beautiful.  And a lot of fun to spot sitting on the mailbox post at 9 am Friday morning.

My Office on Good Friday

TGIF!

[Before I start let me say that you should all visit my brother's blog - yesterday's post about being a practicing attorney while studying for the seminary was downright funny.]

TGIF because I took the day off.

TGIF AND I took the day off because it's bridge night.

Because otherwise the ladies would have not been able to find the dining room table for all the junk that lands on it during any given week.

And the kitchen would be a middle school science experiment.

And Cotton would have created a puddle the size of a small pond on the bathroom floor due to her inability to keep the water in her mouth when she drinks. Well, that may still be true because a dog's gotta drink, right?

So with the day off, I am going grocery shopping, dropping the dogs at doggie daycare (alternately called wear 'em out please i am having guests), and then I shall cook.

Tonight's menu:

Guacamole with chips (i've never made it myself before. aren't guests good for experimenting? after all, they go home and you don't have to deal with the fall out)

Simple salad of romaine and grape tomatoes with homemade ranch dressing (homemade ranch dressing = YUM)

Southwestern Soup (i always lose the recipe and have to get it again from my sister in law, who is a saint for always giving it to me without pointing out my obvious shortcomings. i think maybe this time i've got it though because she sent it to my office email, which means it's now permanently part of the company's records and I can search for it) with maybe a yogurt/cucumber/cilatro relish on top

Corn sticks (canned from the cold case)

Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings (kid tested, mother approved, by my same sister in law above)

And for grins, I'm making myself some Fall Couscous that I used to be able to buy from Eatzi's before it closed. Then I had to conduct a no holds barred search for the recipe because it is my favorite. But that's another story.