Visiting with the Family

I took some time off of work and am visiting with my folks. I have been a lean, mean (DO NOT LAUGH) cooking and cleaning machine since I got here. I've cleaned out closets and cabinets and drawers, and believe me...its been a fight every step of the way.

So here is how it's gone.

Saturday morning I accidentally opened a can of sweetened condensed milk, so I decided to make lemon bars and not waste it. This involved a trip to the Piggly Wiggly for lemons and butter. I came back and shelled peas and washed them before putting them on to cook. Then my sister called and wanted to go out shopping. We hit TJ Maxx, Target, and Publix. Back at Mom and Dad's, I made the lemon bars and put some squash on to boil with an onion. And made a meatloaf. Then made a squash casserole. So for supper we had meatloaf with squash casserole, peas fresh from the garden, and sliced tomatoes, also fresh from the garden.

After supper I met up with my sister and her family to go to the Alabama Theater in downtown Birmingham. It is magnificent and I am so proud of the efforts made to presserve this amazing venue. We saw a Tom and Jerry cartoon, and yes, I laughed. Then the curtain closed and the music began. Up from the floor came The Might Wurlitzer and we were treated to a brief concert and then a sing-a-long. The movie is not one of my favorites, but it was such a lovely experience. I thought of my friend Kim when I saw that on the 18th and 19th of August they will be showing Gone with the Wind.

Yesterday was quiet. I fried okra to go with the left-overs from Saturday and made zucchini bread later in the day. I also washed Mom's hair and styled it for church.

I started cleaning house at 7:30 this morning and am only now taking a break. I started in the guest bath before moving into the kitchen. I cleaned up Mom and Dad's breakfast dishes and then started scrubbing countertops. I pulled out the silverware divider and emptied it, putting it to soak in Clorox water. I was allowed to toss one of the three oven temperature guages Mom had in a gadget drawer, but was not permitted to get rid of the handles that convert Corningware casseroles to skillets. (These were last used in the late 60s.) I found 7 pairs of scissors.

Then I moved into their bedroom. While it no longer looks like a sick-room, it was still a bit of a mess. I dusted everything, including Dad's change. Then I scrubbes their bathroom.

During all of this, Mom had her final visit with the home-health pysical therapist. She suggested Mom was dishes to build up her endurance. Hmmmm. After she left, I fixed a snack for the folks, bowls of watermelon, before swinging back into action.

I had done all but the vacuuming when it hit me it was one o'clock, so I decided to fix some lunch. Mr. Peoples had come knocking on the back door this morning with corn from his garden, so I decided to grill it, with some onions and some smoked sausage. I also made cornbread and sliced some tomatoes and cucumbers. I think my Dad was as happy as I had seen him in a while.

I have to admit, I'm pretty full and happy myself at the moment.