Long Hollow

…makes a great pot of chili!

A cold front dropped in for a visit this weekend and has decided to stick around for a few days, so Tom and I took advantage of it tonight and made our first pot of Winter 2010 Chili.

We made a great team – he browned the meat and chopped onions…I added the tomatoes and seasonings and came back periodically for tastings (and adjustments) while he kept an eye on it. He knows I'm not good at the "keeping an eye on it" stage – I get distracted by too many other things, like laundry, loading the dishwasher, cleaning off my desk, decorating the tree (as you can see, the only common theme on my tree is sappy sentimentality…)

We made way too much chili for just the two of us, and we'll be sick of it by the time we finish it all, but, man oh man, it hit the spot tonight!

A little of this and a little of that makes great chili…and also a great weekend!

We started off right, with friends, music under the stars, and a bonfire. Hootenanny!

We have fun even if it's just a handful of us out there, but Friday night there was a real crowd – so many talented musicians playing all kinds of music, and enough others in the audience that Tom and I didn't feel alone. Thanks again to Jim and Liane for hosting this every week.

Saturday Tom and I took advantage of a day at home to scratch things off of our dusty to-do lists…but we threw in a walk with the dogs and a game of ping-pong (I won!), and a movie, because, after all, it was Saturday!

Sunday after Mass I needed to run into town to the bank…to the grocery store…to Goodwill to drop off boxes I've been moving from room to room for months… Normally I would procrastinate, but I knew if I didn't just go, I'd end up having to go late one night this week (NO!) or I'd be late to the infamous St. Mary's Adult Christmas Party, where we get to visit with friends, and enjoy Rudy's Barbecue (sigh), complementary "adult" beverages, and a dance floor almost all to ourselves… 

When was the last time you did the Hokey-Pokey?

I've known Mary, on the left, for years, but I just discovered that in a previous life she interviewed Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and other celebrities while working at a radio station years ago in California. People are full of surprises (and I love that about people!)

My friend Karen didn't realize when I encouraged her to come to the dance even though her husband was out of town that I had ulterior motives…getting her to fill in on dancing with me when Tom pooped out. I think this was taken right after her first "chicken dance".

We never get to spend time with these two anymore…Tom D. helped us build our house (we couldn't have done it without him!) and I loved subbing for Berniece's English and theater classes in my other life…she is an amazing teacher!

And this couple is proof that you should never give up on love popping up where you least expect it (and they're also the best dancers, although I couldn't catch a good one of him flipping her.) 

A little of this, a little of that…works with chili and weekends!