So...whats for dinner?

Eric, I remember all the lovely stories about your mom, and was so sorry for you when she died. If I recall correctly, she did not have a long time in decline, and that felt suitable for a woman of her life accomplishments. She never seemed to be someone who would want to linger while missing her abilities. She was a special mom, for sure. And sorry for her disappointment about those Indians!

Carole, I'm glad that you enjoyed your coolish summer, and I got a kick out of the description of the Campground LD dinner/party. Our LD food contributions are pretty varied, but basically there is a lot of carb loading going on each year. But we dance it off, so not too bad.

We head home tomorrow mid-day, and after a very rainy Sunday we were pleased to be able to catch a sunny (not hot by any means) day today, enjoying it with our neighbors at the beach. Always a bit sad saying goodbye to everyone. We would probably stay here a few more days except for my oral surgery follow up appt. scheduled for tomorrow.

Nance, I hope your pizza was delish! And of course your mention of your cherry pie had me salivating!

Speaking of pizza, while planning to bring our little granddog into Southie this Wednesday to be cared for by DS2's best friend until they return from Hawaii (belated honeymoon), DH decided that we should plan to have dinner in the Seaport area. Specifically, he reminded me that he has never been to Mario Batali's Babbo, and wanted to go there. Quite a while ago, Susan and I had lunch there, and it was really good.....pizza with an egg over top. Eating with Susan is always an expanding experience. Once I am back home, I will be in touch to see how she is doing. I have really been out of touch with so many folks during the past five months. It will be nice to be a bit more grounded at home than I have been for a while.

I am always amazed at Susan's strength with all that she endures, and the joy she experiences with that doll of a DGD.

DG, I am glad to read that your DH does not have yet another scary condition to deal with. As my mother always said, "It never rains but it pours!" Hopeyou two can hve a bit of smooth sailing for a bit.

Tonight for dinner, I used up some leftover chicken we had and made a mexican chicken salad, with lots of lettuces, carrot, grated pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, black beans, cukes, carrote, red onions and an avocado dressing. A valiant effort to use up stuff in the fridge since we are cramped for space with one car going home tomorrow. Wasn't too crazy for how the dressing tasted until it blended with the entire salad. Nice...and very filling.

Now I must get my act together packing all that I brought up here over a month ago so we can leave at a decent time tomorrow.

Bye bye summer......

I just got put on deployment alert.

eric - I hope this is not how we end up meeting, but if we do, I will try to cook you something, lol!

minus - I'm afraid of that too. DH wants me to evacuate to his sister's in N. He has to stay here as the liaison between Special Operations Command and the City of Tampa services (police, fire, etc) inside the football stadium from the pre-12 hour point. He doesn't panic easily and he's pretty worried. He grew up in Miami and has experienced many storms - but this one is scaring him.

I still remember when everyone thought Katrina would be just a Cat 1 event over s. FL. Hoping Irma misses the mainland, period--Atlantic and Gulf shores.

Spending the next few days in the Swissotel downtown with Bob while he takes a grueling cardiology-review course to keep his CME current. (Gonna get a massage tomorrow, hoping it'll help loosen up my locked lower back). We went downstairs to the Palm for dinner. Since we're 837 Club (their loyalty program) members, they had a special on lobsters. We ordered a 5-pounder to share (there's a fridge in the room), but they were out--and offered us two 3-pounders for the same price. Started with a "Gigi" salad (chunks of jumbo shrimp, bacon, hard-boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes over lettuce).

Then they brought the lobsters. "Congratulations, they're females," said our waiter. He cracked the shells for us and presented them. Bob dug right in to his--he was starving. But something was very, very wrong: yes, there were nice crunchy red lumps of roe but instead of tomalley there was this black goopy fluid along the tail (which had been split before broiling). It looked like squid ink staining the tail meat (which looked undercooked). I Googled "black stuff in lobsters" and got responses from "undercooked roe" to "raw tomalley" to "lobster poop, like the veins in shrimp." I was so rattled nearly PM'ed our own "NativeMainer" from the "Drinking" thread.

I called over our waiter, who said, "Oh, that's the roe." I replied that in the 60+ years I've been eating lobsters I'd never seen roe that wasn't red. I asked him to talk to the chef. He came back and said "Chef says that's just the tomalley." I repeated that this was the first time I'd ever seen tomalley that wasn't green & creamy instead of black & liquid, and would he please bring either the chef or the line cook on the fish station over? The manager came over, took a look, did a double-take and said, "You have a right to be upset. This is unacceptable. These lobsters are not cooked to our standards and should never have been sent out of the kitchen. The black stuff is raw roe & tomalley. And the tail meat is undercooked. We could fire up a new one, or I could have the chef steam these a bit longer." I opted for the latter.

Ten minutes later, they were returned (with fresh lemons & butter), and sure enough, the roe was red, the tomalley green, there was no black and I could no longer see through the tail meat. I methodically worked my way through the stuff in the shells, knowing it'd be impossible to eat that for breakfast without the usual implements of destruction. Good thing we had a tall booth behind a wall--I looked like the Tasmanian Devil laying waste to the legs. I asked to have the claw, knuckle & tail meat (which I extricated) packed to go. The manager brought over a container with iceberg leaves and a cup of the cilantro-lime dressing they use for their lunchtime lobster rolls, so I could make lobster lettuce wraps for breakfast tomorrow. And she deducted my lobster from the bill and knocked off another 10% from the check.

Omigosh Sandy, how did you remember all that lol? What a feast!

Off to see the MO today for six month visit. She said I could go to yearly but I don't know if I'm ready. Crazy isn't it?

auntie - I was at the MO today too! I was diagnosed about six months before you but I am not ready for annual visits either - I like to go every six months. I am still on letrozole, so there is that - plus, my MO draws a bunch of labs each time. This is easier, and closer, than going to the base to have this done, so I will keep on doing it this way. I also got my Prolia injection today, and hoping it wont make me feel weird just in case I am in the middle of evacuating, lol!

joycek - that is so crazy that you saw your own house on the news! Waiting on DH to get home from his latest briefing. I spoke to him on the phone for a minute, and he sounded ok - he did not say I needed to start getting stuff ready, so... I am hoping we can stay put. My house was built in 2001 and is cinderblock, but this a super powerful storm capable of tearing the roof off. Eeesh! I don't know if it is easier to leave and be worried from afar, or stay and be scared here. DD just called and she is now in a mandatory evacuation zone and must leave tomorrow - not surprising as she is a block off the water. My car is already full with her art, photos, some clothes. She is about 20 miles south of me, and I will return tomorrow and get more of her stuff out with her.

Special thinking of you.They constantly change the 'track'. I remember my days in florida when all the tracks were off and we got slammed each time. Here in NC folks were prepping, but I'm sure they will quit with the latest 'track' which could be a mistake. Our power goes out here during a big thunderstorm. I'd hate to see some real wind. So I'm ready just in case. I dragged out all the stuff to take an inventory.

Dinner was beef tacos, homemade guac and salsa or corn tortillas.

Hugs to you SK!

SpecialK, please stay safe. The storm itself is wider than the entire FL peninsula and the edges will still hit most of the Panhandle, too. My sis & her DH own a fishing cottage on Big Pine Key, which survived Andrew & Wilma but probably not Irma. My octogenarian cousins are in a seniors’ independent living bldg. in Aventura; their middle daughter in Delray Beach is taking an extended vacation in Seattle; their son is a Daytona Beach cop who has to stay put as a first responder; and I haven’t heard yet from their oldest daughter in Hollywood.

Last night we had a devil of a time finding a reservation at anywhere we wanted to go to dinner w/in 2-3 mi. of the hotel. Even the Palm downstairs couldn’t accommodate us. Besides the cardiology course there’s another med. convention in town. Since we were craving beef (been 2 weeks since I had any red meat), we did manage to get a table at Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Been years since we ate there—the formality & opulence of the decor, and the career waitresses in their starched caps & uniforms were in sharp contrast to the casualness of most of the diners. We had the prime rib (duh), got the classic cut because it was twice the size of the light-eaters’ Calif. cut but only $7 more. Bob tore through his like a bear through a backpack; I left over most of mine because our hotel room had a fridge and I brought it home this morning. Gonna head out to WF in a bit to stock up on fresh wild coho fillets—ten bucks a pound. Will freeze some and pan-sear the others tonight. Bob’s coming home for dinner (he left the course early to go to his office today, and will drive back early in the a.m. to finish up before driving to the hospital).

I grew up in 29 Palms.

I was a counselor at a girls camp in the mountains out of 29 Palms when I was in college. Small world.

illimae - do you make your beans with ham hocks? Looks like what my Mom called Hamhock & Beans with less water. I love them but DH and DS would neither one eat them. Come to think of it, my Mom probably made them when my Dad was out of town since he was a 'meat & potatoes' guy too.

I was talking to a navy friend of mine....they are in Florida, near Miami.....I got a gallows kind of laugh from, "Set material condition zebra throughout the state." ...on a warhship that's when every watertight door, hatch, vent, fitting and so on is secured (shut) to minimize potential flooding should there be battle damage.

I'm still in Arizona....I think people from our team are being used to fill "holes" in other teams' rosters..so that's what's happening with me.

Oh, and I didn't mean to forget to send safety wishes to you, Eric. It's hard to imagine that you will not be activated soon given this forecast. Thank you for your competent help to those who need it