What’s with men and applesauce??
Is it unmanly to eat applesauce?
Is there some rite of passage where a male child stops eating applesauce to show the world he has become a man??
Last night we prepared an antipasto. There were sliced meats, cheese, a variety of peppers, pickles, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine, eggs, crusty bread and assorted dressings. In addition, I put a dish of applesauce, and one of canteloupe on the table.
Of course, there was too much food, so there was fruit left over. I was talking to Dear Husband about eating up the left overs and he agreed, until I mentioned applesauce.
I swear he has a male union card, and it’s written in the by-laws that any member caught eating applesauce will immediately be ridiculed and ousted from the union, to the accompaniment of loud jeers. They probably let the air out of your truck tires, too.

When you prepare dinner, how long on average does it take you?
I was listening to the radio, and this was being discussed. On average, it takes us close to 45 minutes to prepare dinner. We are now eating mostly fresh veggies and salad, in addition to meat. Salad preparation seems to take the most time, with veggies eating up the rest. And, now I’m getting more help in the kitchen preparing dinner than ever before, and it STILL takes us around 45 minutes.
I use a crockpot occasionally, and we also have a wok. But we eat a lot of soup in the cooler weather, and soup takes time to make.
There are a number of cookbooks out there that feature 30 minute meals. I rejoice when I find a 30 minute meal that is tasty. Unfortunately, a lot of them taste terrible. My palate has passed the point where I see a TV dinner and go “YUUUUUUUMMMM!”
I don’t mind giving up casseroles for healthier eating, but I’m surprised at the time it’s taking us in the kitchen. How long are you willing to spend on meal preparation?

Do you have one family member you call first when there’s a problem?
I have three sisters and a brother. Two of my sisters are older than I am, and so is my brother. The family falls into “girl, girl, boy, girl, girl” formation.
My oldest sister (the nurse) is the one I call when there is a family problem. Unfortunately, right now she is in Australia. She’s a jet setting Gramma. Her daughter, and her daughter’s family are living in Australia, and my sis has been visiting for a month so that her daughter and son-in-law could attend a conference. I can reach her by computer or by phone, but she’ll be home on Sunday, so I hate to ruin her visit.
My second sister was admitted to the hospital Monday night. She is in extreme pain, and the doctors don’t seem to be able to pin down exactly what’s causing the problem. It could be a pinched nerve, or something having to do with spinal nerves. At any rate, she couldn’t deal with the pain and they admitted her to the hospital. She had an MRI and a procedure on Tuesday that didn’t work, and today they have added steroids to the morphine drip that she’s been on since Monday.
I would try almost anything to avoid surgery, but she’s been in so much pain she wants the doctors to take the surgical approach. It sounds to me like they don’t know WHAT to cut…..so I hope they find some alternatives for her.
Normally, I’d be chatting with my oldest sister, trying to find out what she knows about the situation. As a nurse, she usually has a different take, and certainly more knowledge, and it can be reassuring to talk with her.
So, we are in “wait and see” mode, hoping for a miracle to make my sister comfortable.

A for real storm, not one of those man made things. We’ve been without rain for weeks. I’ve been schlepping water to all the container plants, and talking myself out of hooking up the hose. We really NEED the rain, but it’s going to come in hard and fast. What we need is a gentle rain.
The day started sunny and hot, and gradually the cloud cover has come in. It’s rather still right now….the calm before the storm. One of the sites I visit online is the NOAA radar for our area. Based on their information, I’d say the hardest early storms are going to hit north of us…..LOOK OUT WISCONSIN! But, we should see some of that rain, and a bit more, through out the night.
I was a bit under the weather this morning. I think it’s mostly due to allergies; I feel this way each Fall. I spent a quiet morning in the office, tidying up loose ends and getting ready to make a back-up of the company files for the CPA. I need a day to house clean, or maybe that should be “office” clean. I have some filing to do, and I want to pitch some things, and reorganize others.
What I’d really like to be doing is sitting in a comfy chair, wrapped up with a quilt, a mug of apricot tea at hand, and a good book. But, my eyes are scritchy, and I suspect I’d just fall asleep in the chair. Maybe if I blog for a bit, I can stave off snoozing.
I’d like to fall asleep later tonight to the sound of rain on the roof. I miss that sound.