...having set upon us yet, but nonetheless yesterday was a day to enjoy while sitting under the shade of a good tree, drinking a tasty beverage of your choice, and eating a good meal cooked over an open fire. The birds were singing in the trees and flocking to the backyard bird feeders, the squirrels were scampering about looking for a treat, the dogs were under the tables in the shade also hoping for a treat, as a good number of my family sat around those same tables to enjoy our first barbecue of the year. As luck would have it, my daughter's boyfriend decided to fire up the grill, and in no time the aroma of hamburgers and franks filled the air, and made tails wag. How I got that lucky, not to have to cook, is beyond me - but why question good luck!
The talk was light, and festive, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood with one possible exception, but I really should not go there, so that is all I will say about the one possible lone dissenter. Everyone except for me was enjoying a non-alcohol beverage like iced tea, root beer, diet Pepsi (yech) and the like. I instead decided to let the back lawn have a drink, lest I forget later in the day, so that it wouldn't turn yellow as we sat and watched it wither in the heat. In almost no time, as if by the same magic that had turned it into such a nice day, the food arrived at table and was served. I hastened the self assigned chore of watering the grass, then rushed inside and grabbed a beverage, and when I came back outside I was surprised to see my neighbor Jim manning the grill. Keven was already feasting and had abandoned chef duties. I sat down with the small assemblage and had a dripping red centered burger and a couple of Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Biers; E. Coli be damned! The stoneware stein kept my biers cold as I drank, and I hoped the higher than usual alcohol content for a beer would kill any E. coli in by blood dripping burger. Despite the temps in the high 80's, maybe even into the low 90's, those biers kept me chilled.
Everyone but me feasted on burgers, franks, homemade bean salad, homemade German potato salad, pickles, and whatever else my wife had put out. I kept it to a burger ad a hot dog, saving some room for dessert. Suddenly I realized the main course was finished, and the table was cleared, more or less; and the talk went on. Just family and neighborly chit chat, as I relaxed and watched the Purple House finches eat from the bird feeders. Bold little creatures indeed they are to come to feed while within mere feet of a throng of festive party goers. On and off I would take my nephew Daniel to look at a tortoise, or see a snake, or the hamsters - all to keep him from getting too bored what with no other young ones around. Then we dug for worms to feed the turtles, and instead of a worm he found an old beer bottle buried in the soil. I wonder how that got there??? By the way, I don't mean old as in yesterday either, I mean really old from a long defunct brewery in New York; my guess would be from at least 75 years ago. It had a light aquamarine sheen to it, funny color for a beer bottle nowadays, but I guess more common back then. It was as if treasure had been uncovered; you see the little one's dad (who sadly had to work and did not attend) has an old bottle collection. I hope he remembered to take it home to add to dad's collection, I'll have to take a look around later this morning.
In almost no time it was time for dessert. Out came a cheese cake of multiple flavors, a homemade chocolate layer cake frosted in white icing, a couple of boxes of Dunkin Donuts, and some other goodies. All of these good treats were accompanied by a pot of coffee from which the aroma was heavenly. No it was not Chock-Full-Of-Nuts that heavenly coffee of years ago, this was coffee I had picked up at the Porto Rico Importing Company a few days before, a Guatemalan Maragogipe. I had mine black, others as they please, and then we dove right into dessert. Mmmm, mmmmmm goooood!
All too soon after dessert it was time to do the dessert dishes, which I gladly got out of the way since my wife Linda had done so much already. Luckily there were no dishes from diner, since we had used paper plates for the main course. Once finished it was back out to the gang, for a bit more talk. Then suddenly it was as if the clock had struck midnight, and everyone was heading for the door in a mad dash of gotta get out of here to beat traffic home. That left me, the wife, my son Brendan (who had spent the whole time in the basement trying to get over tonsillitis), and my mother-in-law at home. Even my daughter Celina, and her beau Kevin had beat feet. Well, I was left with a bit of tidying up, and once done, I had plenty of time to relax or so I thought. My next door neighbor Nick, as me to give him a hand putting up the tented portion of a sort of tented gazebo he had just erected. I helped him out, and in about an hour or so we had it finished. I am only hoping my wife does not ask him where he got it, because if she does I anticipate putting one up at our house. Rest came after that.
All in all it was a great day. Hopefully you all are having a great weekend too. Lest we forget, one of the reasons it was a great day, and one of the reasons we were all there to enjoy it in safety and comfort, was that we have had, and have, a strong military protecting us. The men and woman of the U.S. Armed forces who have given there lives, or been injured, or who have served, protecting our nation and all of its people should never be forgotten, especially on Memorial Day weekend. My thanks to them for the good time we had. I hope they know at least, that they are in our thoughts, and in our prayers too; and we support them and there efforts 100 percent.
All the best,
Glenn B
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