Winding Down

 Check out those shish-ka-bobs folks. Let me tell you, they were tasty. My daughter Autumn brought a pineapple home with her. I'm not sure why, but not wanting it to go to waste, I cut it up and skewered it with some peppers,onions and a zucchini, and of course some tasty venison that I shot earlier this year. I found a great marinade recipe for the meat so I let it soak all day and by evening it was ready to barbecue. Oh my that was delightful. As you can see, there was a little table top ping pong tournament being played out in the dining room last night. I don't know why I even attempt to try and watch a movie while so much noise is being created in the adjacent room. Jen brought over some jalapeno poppers and some potato skins, and I provided the beer, so we just celebrated the new year at home. It was pretty uneventful, except for trying to eat some of those poppers. They can be deceiving. The outer coating is pleasantly warm, one might even say inviting, but once you bite into the cream cheese filling inside it's like trying to swallow hot roofing tar. Thunderation that's hot! You can't very well spit it out, so you inhale some semi-cool air and hope the mixture doesn't get sucked down into your throat and blister the passage way to your guts. Of course I never learn my lesson; they're so darn tasty I have to keep eating them. Shortly after midnight Jen and her tribe went home, but not before agreeing to meet at 8:30 in the morning to go dig for some lead at the beach today. That was doable, or would have been if Autumn hadn't forced me to stay up until 2:00 AM watching Law and Order SVU. When I went to bed I fell right to sleep until shortly after 3:00 when some incredibly inconsiderate dolt decided to celebrate the new year with fireworks. I guess whoever it was must have been sleeping when midnight came and went and didn't want the skyrockets and M80's to go to waste. God forbid that the cops should be on duty during that hour of the night. The display went on for half an hour. If I'd known it was going to last so long I might have gotten dressed and driven up to watch them.

Needless to say we didn't make it out to the beach as early as I wanted to, but we did make it and actually found a coffee can full of lead. It was fun. I went out to do some work and check on the boat today and when I returned, the house was all cleaned up, the dishes were washed and put away and even the Christmas decorations were boxed up and ready for storage until next year. I, for one, am ready for things to wind down, maybe have a little peace and quiet and get back to eating some more traditional meals.  Man was not made to live on chicken wings and assorted smoked meats and cheeses alone. Who knows, tomorrow I may even eat a stalk of broccoli. Happy New Year everyone!