Blue Skies and Cold In Connecticut

A Dinner Of Adobo Chicken and Rice

It's just after 7:00 and I am sitting here with Beth, and we are drinking coffee, waiting for the storm of adults and kids to descend.  The quiet is almost too much but I will take it for a few more minutes. At least Evie seems to be sleeping in some which is a good thing.

Tuesday we all had a few things to do which was good I suppose.  Early, Rami took me to drop my car off; there was another strange noise in the front end which I wanted to have checked out, so we left it at a mechanic near by which Beth and Rami liked.  Marisa came with us because she knew we would be stopping at Starbucks on the way home and she wanted one of their delicious hot chocolates.  The kids knows her way around.  When we got home, Mitch, Evie and Beth were up and Mitch wanted breakfast, his usual egg and cheese sandwich.  Evie of course was more than happy to spoil her grandson and made one for him and Rami.  Of course, Marisa was not hungry until a half hour later when she wanted a sandwich so Evie made another.  Ah grandkids.  I had my usual, plain yogurt with homemade granola and blueberries and Beth made herself a healthy shake.  So by 10:00, we were all happy and full.

Marisa and Granny, Ready To Shop At Stew's

Marisa had been wanting to go to Stew Leonards, so we took off about 10:30 but first stopped at Total Wines & More in Norwalk, 15 minutes away, a mega store with a huge inventory and good prices.  I picked up a case of 'crappy but cheap' sauvignon blanc, to enjoy here in Darien and take the rest home to the lake.  We then drove to Stew Leonards, surprisingly empty, as we are usually there on weekends when you can hardly move through the crowded aisles.  Stew's, an old fashion grocery store, is as much an aesthetic experience as a food gathering one.  Amazing spreads of food, a narrow, one way aisle, and old time musical displays, like the one below, to amuse young children.

Music By Farm Fresh Five

It's always a mistake to go there because you end up buying more than you need or want because it's so tantalizing.  I love their coffee, bakery, cheeses, and vegetable aisles.  We cannot pass by with out buying something in each. And the highlight for Marisa, we get a free dipped ice cream cone at the end of shopping.  We then drove home, a twenty minute drive on Interstate 95.

A Free Dipped Soft Serve, Compliments of Stew Leonards

The rest of the afternoon we all took it easy, Evie thinking about dinner, Marisa watching more of The Office, Beth and Rami catching up on some of their TV shows as Rami has this week off from work.  It was cold but sunny, so I took Cody out for a long walk, about the only exercise I am getting these days.  It felt good to be out even though it was cold.  The garage called about 4:00 and Mitch drove me to pick up the car.  The mechanic found nothing wrong, perhaps some rusty old struts but no danger.  And he did not charge me a thing!  Amazing!  I was so happy that I stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home and picked up some goodies for dinner.  At 4:00, Marisa went off to play at her friend Mary's house, as the kids have this week off from school.

Around 5:00, Evie started our dinner, Adobo chicken, a Filipino dish, where the chicken is cooked in a soy, garlic, vinegar sauce.  Yum.  And we tasted both bottles of the wines I bought, neither were spectacular, both drinkable though we liked the one from Chile better than the American one.  Dinner was great, the chicken and sauce, with rice, asparagus, and a salad.  Everyone was hungry so there was little leftover for lunch, alas. After dinner, Marisa was in a crazy mood, so we sat around the table, listening to music as Marisa put pig tails in her father's hair. Fortunately, she stayed away from me!

A Wild And Crazy  Daaughter

We then watched the Westminster Dog Show on TV with Marisa, loving especially the big dogs, and when she went to bed, we are starting to watch the first two seasons of House of Cards again, as the new episodes begin in a week.  I had forgotten how good this show is, especially Kevin Spacey, and because we know much of the plot, we can pick up many of the subtleties that we missed first time around.

So far, it looks like a sunny day, with blue skies.  No snow forecast.  Not sure what is on the agenda for today, but I am sure Marisa will have ideas.