Warming Up On A Saturday

6:48

6:49

7:06

7:10

It actually felt cool (59º) when I walked downstairs this morning around 6:20, surprising me as yesterday was quite warm.  Unfortunately, the cool morning gives way to another warm, high 80's afternoon here at the lake, what I am beginning to think of as Miami Beach North.

I began yesterday with a good yoga class, just six of us, but varied enough to make it interesting and fun.  Afterwards, I got my coffee, some organic eggs, than stopped at our new go to grocery (read cheap) Save A Lot, chain that's popping up all over the US because of its cheaper prices.  As I was shopping, Evie texted me to let me know that she had invited two of our neighbors over for dinner, so I was to pick up a few more items than just those on her list.  When I got home, Evie was already organizing things for dinner, making up the dough for homemade noodles, poaching the chicken thighs, and making brownies for dessert.  All this was done by 1:00, so she could then spend the afternoon enjoying the outdoors, the dock, the water.  I tried to help out (sort of) by cleaning up the kitchen and making my lunch, a bagel, with cream cheese and fresh tomatoes.  I watched another Ray Donovan, almost caught up and didn't venture outdoors until around 4:30 when I deemed the heat and humidity pleasant enough to head out to the dock and join Evie.  She, fortunately, has an umbrella to shield her from the sun, so she gets the breeze.  And she's into her book, one of Elizabeth Strout's earlier novels, AMY AND ISABELLE.

Dinner With Our Neighbors

Around 5:15, we both went in and started to get things ready for our guests, the table set, the appetizers out, the noodles put through the pasta maker into long sheets, ready to cut into fettuccine.  And I went outside about 6:00, heated the grill and barbecued the chicken before our guests arrived.  The Leonard's and Pat Jones arrived around 6:30 and we sat out on the front porch with drinks and appetizers to enjoy the late afternoon.  It was pleasant enough to sit out on the porch, out of the sun, with the fan.  We sat out talking until 7:30, when we sat down to piping, hot homemade noodles (cooked in chicken broth from the poached chicken), a watermelon, basil and feta cheese salad, coleslaw, and barbecued chicken.  Everyone seemed hungry, most had seconds, and we sat around the table until it was time for dessert in the living room, brownies and ice cream.  We sat around talking, finishing up our desserts until 10:00 when everyone decided it was time to go home.  Evie and I then cleared things up and did the dishes before watching some TV to relax and then heading up to bed.  It was a good night with the neighbors, as summer seems to have waned, all the guests, mostly family have been and gone and all that's left are the locals like us and summer people.