Not Dead After All

I dragged out the hose yesterday morning to water the garden, looked to the lot line and there were lipstick lilies blooming.  I thought only the day lilies had survived but there they were, proving me wrong.  (I probably should have weeded over there, shouldn't I?  Then I'd have known they were alive. Oh well, it was a lovely surprise.)  And the not-so-hardy-seeming hardy shrub rose is blooming too.  Hooray!

We rediscovered how much we like our old standby teriyaki meat marinade this weekend.  On Saturday I thawed out a bit of sirloin intending to make it into shish kebobs but instead I tucked a couple halved-the-long-way zucchini in the marinade about 20 minutes before the coals were ready and just grilled them along with the slab of meat.  (so much easier than all that cubing and skewering)  That was a brilliant idea.  While the coals were heating and I was mowing Durwood chopped a few veggies for salads that we ate while the meat was grilling.  Then yesterday we marinated chicken thighs in the same teriyaki marinade recipe, and I added a partly-cooked, halved sweet red onion near cooking time, and grilled those while we ate our salads.  I have never liked bottled Teriyaki sauce, it's too salty and sharp, but I love this recipe I got from a high school chum's mom ages and ages ago.  (It's a snap to make:  For anything up to about 1-1/2 lb. of meat, stir together 2 Tblsp. each soy sauce, salad oil, and orange juice [or lemon or lime, whatever citrus you have on hand] and 1/2 tsp. each garlic powder and ground ginger.  Pour over meat in ziplock bag, marinate in fridge at least an hour or up to overnight.  I double the marinade when it hits 2#, and I leave out or halve the quantity of oil if we're cutting back fats.)

Durwood wanted to go to Woodman's for veggies (we were nearly out of fresh--gasp!) and Festival for a rack of BBQ ribs ($5 off) and then I had a 3 o'clock nail appointment, changed the sheets and towels, and went to Fleet Farm for birdseed, so it really wasn't much of a relaxing day.  Not much knitting got done either.  RJ called to talk about blueberry cultivation and how to overcome tomato blossom end rot and I talked to DS, but DD forgot to call.  Or maybe she was busy or exhausted.  I hope she calls tonight.  *hint, hint*

June 30--France, Chasse with the Crucifixion and Christ in Majesty.  Leo stumbled out of the suddenly dark crypt and stood in the moonlight bent over with his hands on his knees.  The squeak of bats swooping overhead sounded to him like the last cries of the souls buried around him.  Coming here was a stupid idea.  Coming here and not checking that the lantern's batteries were fresh was monumentally stupid.  No amount of mental toughness or telling himself that there is no such thing a ghosts kept his imagination from jumping to conclusions.  He found he was talking to himself as he catalogued the burials listed in the crypt's register.  It was barely nine o'clock, for god's sake, it was probably three hours before the spooks and zombies that lived in the cemetery got up and really got moving.  He straightened up, squared his shoulders, and turned to replace the batteries and get back to work when a hand tightened around his ankle.

Do you realize that today's the last day of June?  Already?  Time = flying.  One good thing, in 6 weeks Durwood and I will be motoring off for 2 weeks in the Wild West.  Yellowstone!  Cody, WY!  Dinosaur fossils!  I'm getting excited.  Happy Monday.
--Barbara