I'm home from Birthday Bash Weekend!
I arrived with Barkley, an overnight bag and a pistol and accessories at Mr. B. and Midwest Chick's home.
Look, there's presents!!
And a beer! Yuengling, no less.
OK, twist my arm, time to open the presents!
They tell me to open the big one first. I fondled it. I shook it. I have NO idea what this is. It's the worlds biggest bag of tasty popcorn. Awesome. If you've ever wanted to know what two and a half pecks of popcorn looks like, this is it.
Ok, that's the "fun" gift. Open the little ones. Wow! An Ipod Nano. It's the size of a matchbox and has a touch screen you just scroll with your finger. You will appreciate this more
if you know that I'm probably the only person on the planet who doesn't have an Ipod. I don't have a blackberry. My phone is the size of a boat anchor. I opened it, started playing with it while Mr. B chuckles "
quick, call Tam and tell her we dragged Brigid into the 21st Century!" Mr. B. had taken the time to set it up with all the programming needed and accessories to play it off home stereo, computer or car stereo. Midwest Chick had also pre-programmed it with a ton of my favorite songs, still with plenty of room to add more. What an assortment. She knows just what I like.
AC/DC, Adele, Aerosmith, Alberto Luzzio, Alison Krauss, Alison Moyet, Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin, The B-52's, Billy Joel, Blackmore's Night, Blues Brothers, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Tyler, Burkhard Glaetzner,
Cher (
just so Midwest Chick and I could sing "Gypsies Tramps and Thieves" really loud while washing up dishes, Chris Wood, CCR, David Bowie, Dire Straights, Don McLean, Dobie Brothers, The Doors, Dubravka Tomsic, The Eagles, Earth Wind and Fire, Eddi Rabbit, ELO, Emerald Rose, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Enya, Eric Brockington, Eric Clapton, Estelle Parsons, Etta James, Eva Cassidy, Finger Eleven, Foreigner, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Garth Brooks, George Thorogood, Godsmack, Golden Earring, Gordon Lightfoot, Grand Funk Railroad, Guns N' Roses, Herbert Von Karajan, I Solisti Di Zagreb, Jackson Brown, Janis Joplin, Jethro Tull, Jim Croce, Johann S. Bach, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Cash, Josef Bulva, Led Zeppelin, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, Metallica, Michele Campanella, The Moody Blues, Motley Crue, Nicolaus Esterhazy, Pink Floyd, Poison, Queen, REO Speedwagon, Roberta Flack, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Roger Miller, The Rolling Stones, Santana, Sarah McLachlan, Smokey Robinson, Stan Getz, Stevie Wonder, Supertramp, Thin Lizzy, Three Dog Night, Vivaldi, The Who, Willie Nelson, Yuri A. Rozum .
Barry White? Mr. B. laughs from the kitchen and says "
Come on it's Barry White?, which started much laughter about what music NOT to play on a romantic date - Zamfir and the Magic Pan Flute. William Shatner singing Greensleeves and The Chipmunks Rock the House.
We set up the Ipod to play through the stereo and pretty soon we are dancing around the living room, giggling like school girls and Mr. B. comes in, smiles and shakes his head and returns to drop off a plate of 12 year old cheddar and crackers for us all to sit and share. OK, break time while MC shows me how to download tunes from ITunes and Mr. B. goes back to create dinner (Mr. B. being probably the best cook on the planet).
Dogs like 12 year old cheddar you know. Sorry Barkley. You and Schmoo the black lab will have to have a rawhide, this stuff is too good to share with the canines.
Mr. B. is firing up the grill. Pork chops marinated in blood orange infused olive oil, fresh lemon juice and orange juice then rubbed on one side with fresh crushed rosemary from the garden and a mixture of cumin, fresh ground pepper and garlic on the other and grilled. Served with cayenne spiced baked beans and fresh corn from the farmer's market.
Oh yeah. I had a choice of pie or cake for my birthday. I went with Midwest Chicks homemade Chocolate Cream Pie. I'm no fool.
Full and happy we nestled down in the living room to watch it storm and watch a movie (hey, I have popcorn!). Pirates! Sword fights! Bad puns! Things blowing up! "How come the heroine had red hair in the last scene and now it's blond?"
Then a nightcap before sleep as it rains. There was tiny bit left in a bottle of whiskey which Mr. B. let me have, of course chuckling evilly with "
I'm going to tell everyone you polished off a bottle of Makers Mark".
After a great night sleep in my comfy little guest room with Barkley laying in their room next to Miss Schmoo, it was time for breakfast. We were up early, hoping the weather might clear enough to get to the gun range.
Bacon!
Perfect to make some breakfast burritos as the sky gets light. Eggs and onions and pepper, and crispy hash browns and BACON with two kinds of cheese and sour cream to top it if one wishes as well as an assortment of hot sauces.
Eat My Dust, Pop Tarts.
The rain was not going to abate so no outdoor range time today. We just settled in over good coffee for good conversation. Then too soon, it was time to leave. I was sent on my way with a Styrofoam cooler of pie and leftover pork (for defense purposes in case I'm waylaid by Jihadists on the way home).
It was a great time. Such days are best spent with friends, especially friends who know what is important in life, and how best to live it.
I didn't think the week could get any better but it did.
I'm making the drive home, listening to tunes, the giant bag of popcorn next to me in case the airbag fails, when the phone rings. It's a good internet friend driving across the state towards his home in a neighboring state. "
Where are you at?" " I'm 20 minutes north of there!" "
Do you have time to meet? "
Coffee!" (the first peripheral)
We meet at a little restaurant with a train theme and chat for a couple of hours. Due to the storms, it's in the low 60's and after a potty break, Barkley is quite happy to sleep in the extended cab of the truck on his dog bed with a bowl of water while we catch up on our travels.
Too soon, again, time for a quick hug and goodbyes to make that last hour or so drive home.
It couldn't have been a better birthday. Thank you all.
Love - Brigid
I've kept a number of Mom's old cookbooks from the 50's, 60's and 70's, including several for grilling ideas. When I saw this one with Bar-B-Tricks I had a vision of Barbie wearing a leather bustier, holding a little quirt. Probably not what they meant by that. An interesting book, tinfoil hat cover and all (though I'm not sure why he appears to be seasoning up an empty grill with ketchup).
Cook bacon in a cast iron skillet. Remove bacon and drain off about 1/3 the grease. Add garlic and shallots to the remaining grease in the pan, cooking and stirring about three minutes, until softened. Add that to the bacon and let cool. Once cool, mix in the ground meat, Worcestershire sauce, Guinness, remaining spices and egg until evenly combined. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
click to enlarge photo.
