Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Odds and Ends


Mrs. M. Dove and her children are doing fine, thank you. I knew you were wondering, so I decided I should show you the latest family portrait. As usual, Mr. Dove was out collecting whatever it is that doves consider The Bacon, or he'd have sat, too.

This has been a morning just for me, interjected with one obligation, to get a DVD of the MRI I had done on my hip a couple of weeks ago to show to the orthopedist I'll be seeing on Thursday. I looked at the pictures and I trust they will make more sense to the doctor's trained eye than to mine.

It's still too hot to do anything outside, but inside beckons and my indolence will end after lunch. We have weekend visitors coming and the house must be presentable, so I'll be picking up a duster and a broom. Since the house has been closed for the past week or so, it isn't overloaded with dust, so the job should not be overly taxing. (Of course, there's always the kitchen, that busy place with all its footprints and grease spatters. That'll take a little elbow grease...a word to the wise based on personal experience: never buy a shiny black cooktop. It shows every speck of dust and the tinest drop of whatever may have boiled over. I didn't understand the multitude of sins made invisible by a baked-on white porcelain finish until I decided to get fancy with a black one. Never again.)

The weekend visitors due here are Steve's sister and her husband, who will be passing through on their way to visit their daughter, an officer with the Air Force who is about to be moblilzed. I'm using the occasion to get my own sister here for a rare visit. On Friday, the weather having cooled considerably, we'll have a dinner for the in-law siblings on the deck. I'm looking forward to it.

It's not only my sister's visit that will be a rare occasion: the entire get-together will be a one-off affair. My sister lives not far away, but her life, with four grown daughters and their own family dramas, seems to be in a constant state of upheaval. (I don't know how she puts up with it, but she does, cheerfully.) It's hard to make long-term plans with her, such as booking her for a dinner. Scheduling visits is further complicated by the fact that we are in town ourselves only every other weekend during the summer. And Steve's sister and her husband live in Florida and get through DC very seldom. When I saw the opportunity to get everyone together, I grabbed it.

And now I must face the music and ask the vacuum cleaner for a dance.

8 comments:

jack/andrews said...

Thanks for the dove update. We watched a dove nest fledge this spring in our neighbors spruce tree. I love the gentle dove.

We chose a shiny white ceramic cooktop with our recent kitchen redo. We had a shiny black one before. If you think the black one is a bad choice . . . be grateful. You chose well.

Ralph said...

Michele, interesting you should say that about the white cooktop. My comment is based on a comparison of the dirt that shows on the cooktop here with what doesn't show on the white stove in Delaware. I'm speaking of splatters and dust, not stains. I know stains hide in black, but I don't have stains. It's the spatters and dust that stand out.

jack/andrews said...

Dust on the black I understand. Light broth splatters-- probably equivalent on the two surfaces. But John in full-out cooking mode--give me a black surface that I will only have to seriously clean every two-three weeks rather than once a week as I do for the white surface. I knew what I was in for when I chose the shiny white ceramic. Perhaps you are "more restrained" in your cooking, because you also do the cleaning of the kitchen. The bargain I have with my spouse is maybe different-- "you feed me, I'll clean up". After all, how big a mess do Steve's wonderful trifles make on the cooktop?. I think perhaps John takes advantage. Bad John. You need to talk to him.

Anonymous said...

You gots Doves, I got kits. I always look forward to visiting DC once a year as a vacation week. Missed getting to Annapolis which I also enjoy. Will make that my first stop in the Fall.

Mim said...

Ralph
Sounds like you are in company mode getting ready for the family. And for giving us heads up on stove tops. I need a new stove soon and am debating gas.
Didn't get to try your chuck recipe this past wknd but am anxious to try it.
Mim

Ralph said...

Mim, see above what Michele has to say about white vs. dark colors in cooktops. Her experience is the opposite of mine. Dunno. As far as gas vs. electric cooking, for me it's a no-brainer. Don't know if it's because it's what I grew up with and am therefore more comfortable with, or what, but I feel I have much more immediate control over a flame than a heating element.

Ralph said...

Z&You, (see, I changed from Z&M!)keep me posted on when you're up this way.

Kat said...

Ralph,
Great picture of the doves. Nice to know the family is doing fine.

I hate the white top as it shows everything, every little splatter and even dust and pollen. I think black hides a multitude of sins.

Have a wonderful weekend with family!