Monday, September 15, 2008

and the rains came down and the floods came up

Whew, I really need to do better about updating. I'm still blaming my fickle laptop and unbelievably slow and dinosauric pc (although with any luck the laptop issue will be fixed in the next week or so. Yay!)

I could tell you all kinds of things about what has been happening in my life since I've last posted.. all the newsy things, such as my parents' visit in July, or my quick trip home at the beginning in August (which was absolutely wonderful!), or the new Bible study I just joined at church, or the happiness of finally walking into a church where the greeters greet me by name, or the relaxing Labor Day I spent in Madison where I got to play Christmas and open boxes of lots and lots of books... but I won't.

Or, I could also tell you the random things that have been going on in my life of late.... the wonderific experience of melting a piece of chicken in my microwave a week ago (seriously, chicken melts?!)... how to ReaLemon your pet... the experience of salting my carpet to kill flea eggs... the bug-bombing of my house this weekend as a desperate attempt to finally rid my poor doggy of his flea-riddenness, which resulted in my having to go down to the basement to shut off the gas valves to my drier & my stove (how handy am I?!), which resulted in my finding the several inches of water that had flooded my basement (despite the 2 sump pumps and back-up system, all running at full speed), which resulted in a visit from my landlord twice yesterday (with more to come), which resulted in my finding out that not only had all the water put out the pilot light in my hot water heater, but also had most likely screwed up the thermocouple, which resulted in my washing my hair for two days in the cold, cold water in my flooding sink (thanks to a water-logged sewer system) and heating water on the stove to give myself an Ingalls-style sponge bath so I don't get pneumonia. But, I'll spare you the really gory details. Although, finding something to do for 2 hours outside of your house with your doggy on the day that has seen the highest level of rainfall in the Chicago area since they've been keeping records? Very creative.

However, I will tell you about this. Last night was a very significant moment in my life. One I will cherish forever and always. (drum roll, please!) Last night, I made the best biscuits and gravy I've ever made! (you know, out of the 3 times I've attempted...) The sausage gravy was perfect. Not too thin & runny, not too thick, perfectly salted, perfect taste (as perfect as you can get with the sausage choices available up here). And on top of all that, the biscuits & the gravy were done at the exact same time. Um, that was a total accident. But hey, I'll take what I can get! This truly was a momentous occasion. I'd like to thank my dad, for all the Sunday mornings that he spent slaving over the stove when I was in high school to provide my family with such wonderful vittles to partake of, and also for teaching me how to actually do it without making a nasty sausage-flavored paste (that would be attempt #1). I'd like to thank my mom for dragging my butt out of bed all those Sunday mornings so that I could enjoy all the blessings biscuits and gravy bring to one's soul. And lastly, I'd like to thank my local Wal-Mart for providing all the ingredients.

A perfect ending to an eventful weekend.

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