If yesterday’s post appeared to end rather abruptly, that’s not your imagination. After several hot hours outside, and several gin and sodas, things kind of got away from me. First, Tara tried to video call me, but I couldn’t figure out the screen. Then I decided I should make dinner, so I cooked up a spicy pork stir-fry. Dished myself up a plate, sat down on the recliner, took a few bites…and the next thing I knew, it was a few minutes before midnight.
WTF?
My plate was right there beside me, mostly uneaten. The cat hadn’t been fed. The sprinkler had been running for hours. And I hadn’t published my blog post, nearly ruining my streak. I leapt from my chair, dashed out a few hurried lines, and got it published with about three minutes to spare. Whew. I’m just thankful I pre-wrote most of it earlier, while still coherent.
BTW, I didn’t remember the sprinkler until I’d already crawled into bed, which necessitated a mad dash outside to turn it off. Do not ask me what I was wearing. I’m just thankful the neighbors were all inside and/or asleep.
Guys…this is why I shouldn’t be left alone for extended periods. Thank god Tara is on her way back now. She’s the only one who can save me from myself.
I woke up feeling pretty humiliated, but fortunately, not hungover. I honestly didn’t drink any more than I normally would—I just did so outside, in the stifling heat, on an empty stomach. Whoopsie. Anyway, I made coffee and returned to the scene of the crime (the back patio) but it was overcast and really windy, so that didn’t last long. Tara called, and this time I knew how to work the phone. Things were looking up! The wind died down, the clouds dissipated, and I spent 90 minutes weeding. In the hot sun. I really should’ve timed it better and gotten an earlier start.
Showered, read some blogs, ate the spicy pork stir-fry for lunch, and then watched as some really ominous clouds built up.
Holy mammatus! That was directly overhead, and no filter. We had a lot of lightning and thunder, but the storms were just spinning around over the Black Hills and eventually petered out.
After that drama, I watched another drama unfold. “The Departed,” from our DVD collection (yes, we still have one). It had been years since I’d seen it, and I’d forgotten just how brilliant it is. So many great performances. Then I grabbed my wireless speaker and adjourned to the patio, accompanied by Brussel’s sprouts and a ribeye steak, which got cozy with the CharBroil while I caught up on Instagram et. al.
The steak was a recipe I’ve had tucked away for years but had never tried: a MEXICAN SPICE-RUBBED RIBEYE W/ LIME BUTTER. I wrote it in all caps because damn, that meat deserves respect. Tara called from Rock Springs just as I was finishing up—her overnight stop. She’ll hit the road early and should be here before dinnertime.
Now that the sun is going down it’s pretty pleasant out, so I’m going to hang out back here for awhile. No fireworks for me. I do see some dark clouds on the horizon though, and I don’t mean that metaphorically…
Mark My Words 
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