Guess who's coming to dinner?

The last day of the month…. a Friday…a full moon...a blue moon in fact.  You just know it’s gonna be a strange day.

Left Brain and I seem to have trouble handling our busy social calendar, most likely because we’re not used to having one.

He would drive his bus and I would work in the garden, but that’s all gone now and suddenly our life is full of people.

While he was off golfing with Biker Boy I checked my calendar and found that the dinner guests we thought we were having Saturday night were actually coming Friday night.  Hmmm. What’s a girl to do?

So, I quickly tidied up the house and yard, arranged the lawn chairs, put the tablecloth on the picnic table, swept the patio rug, grabbed my shopping list and left…..to go to a movie.  Yeah, I know.  That’ doesn’t seem like the sane thing to do, but it was an early movie and he was out golfing with his friend and I wanted to play with my friends too.

 It has been so long since I’ve been to a movie and with the absence of TV and internet I had no idea what was playing.  But who cares? It’s all about the shared experience and popcorn.   I would have plenty of time to pick up my groceries and return to my nice air conditioned RV for a couple hours of baking desserts and cooking and still have enough time to clean up the kitchen for the showing of the RV.

I had a little extra time so I ran Henri into the garden center for some new “hair” as I wanted things to look pretty when they came.  He waited in the car for me while I enjoyed a weird but funny movie and after hugging my buddies goodbye I started toward home.

As I pulled into the Wal-Mart there were the two squad cars at the entrance to the store.  There was a plump older woman with her hands handcuffed behind her near the squad car. It just seemed strange to see what was probably somebody’s grandmother being arrested, but she must have done something seriously wrong to have two squad cars pulled into action.  You just never know what you’ll find at the local Wal-Mart.

  

I raced up and down the aisles with my silver chariot scooping up everything I needed to fix supper and even got some flowers for the table.  The crime scene was vacant when I exited so no more excitement to be had here and I went home to prepare my feast.

As I pulled up in front of the large metal box we call home I noticed the door was open.  What!  As they say in that one commercial on TV “Shut the front door!”  This was not good.  This means Left Brain arrived home before me and turned off all the AC to enjoy the 80 something degree air.  Rats!

So I schlepped the multiple bags into the RV and started to prepare the dessert first.  It would have to bake while I made the pasta dish.  The butter sauce for the dessert was on the back burner and the water for the pasta was on the front.  I had full production going within minutes and the small space was heating up quickly.  While waiting for the water to come to a boil I did up the breakfast dishes to make room in the sink for what I knew would be coming.  In a small space you need to wash as soon as you’re done to put things away, especially when you want to show off your new digs.

Thirty minutes later the dessert was ready to come out and I could turn the oven off.  Hmmm. Where can I put this?  There’s not much surface area in RVs, so I grabbed a cookie sheet to set them on and placed the whole works on the bed to cool.   The pasta was done and ready to come out opening up that burner to start the onions and spinach. I dumped the pasta into the strainer, luxuriating in the steam bath it provided, and then washed up the large pot so it could be tucked away.  While that concoction was simmering I washed the molds for the desserts and put all evidence of my baking away.

 

Somewhere in this production I assembled a salad, set up the bread and got the plates out…I can’t recall exactly when that happened.   Every time I turned around I expected to see Lucy and Ethel and find myself in an ‘I love Lucy’ skit.  At this point I went past glistening and was sweating like a race horse. Let me interject here that Left Brain is not known for his great sense of timing.

As I’m about to wrap it up with just enough time to run a wet washcloth over my face, cleavage and pits to prepare for our guests arrival he comes inside and asks “Do you want me to put the air on?”  I was speechless.  Now?   Seriously?  This had the potential for full blown yelling loud “discussion” but we company coming in minutes so we sat outside in the breeze to wait for them.

This couple is one of many we seem to have inspired to unclutter and downsize and recently bought a condo and are in the process of selling their house and disposing of goods.  It was fun to sit and visit with them and hear their journey and catch up a bit.  After enjoying some beer and conversation we moved to the picnic table for the salad.  After that was served I ducked back into the RV to heat up the pasta meal and get the bread ready.  When the pasta meal was served I ran in to heat the butter sauce.

I was so excited to use my decorative little molds to make the cranberry cake recipe I got from one of my former garden club members.  It’s attractive, tasty and decadent with the rich butter sauce poured over the top.  Little did I know that this recipe had come full circle!  As it turns out this was Francie’s recipe and it had went through many people before it worked its way down to me.  As Owen said, it was the dessert that made him propose.  Wow!  Maybe this was all caused by the Blue Moon coming tonight.

This is the best thing about our new lifestyle…the people.  I have no more gardens to work in or artwork to prepare for shows.  He has no more buses to drive.  We now have the luxury of being able to relax and enjoy the company of friends, both those we now have and those we will meet on the road.  It’s a good life.

Long Live the Queen