Here are a few photos from this past whirlwind when Cappy was off the boat. We had so much going on that I'm hard-pressed to remember all of it, and I don't know why, but this darned chest cold has been hanging on and on and on, despite antibiotics even, so that didn't help matters, feeling all down and sick most of the time. From talking to folks, tho, I see that I'm not alone in the matter. Seems everybody has got it.Well, ANYwaze.
Cappy's sister, Maria and her fun, wonderful family came over for the first family bbq of the new year and brought me a couple gifts for my birthday. Dan and his family sent a big very pretty bouquet of flowers with balloons, and Jude and Sonia gave me a lovely bunch of pastel orange roses, which I just love in front of the mirror in our orange and white hall. 
I was in the shower when from what, to my wondering (plugged inner) ears did I hear, but such a wild commotion going on. When I finally got dried off and 'decent', I went out to the kitchen where Cappy presented me with the big basket full of flowers, festooned with a colorful batch of balloons that had just arrived from Dan. He said that when the doorbell rang, as usual, the dogs 'exploded', barking the paint off the walls, then ran out their back doggy door and 'greeted' the delivery lady by jumping all over her. In all the hubbub, the balloons somehow got loose and tried to make an escape across the lawn, with the dogs in hot pursuit, and the poor lady, basket in hand, was hot on their trail, petals fluttering in the wind behind her. The dogs caught up to the balloons before the lady did, and were having so much merry fun, but Cappy somehow managed to 'call off the hounds' and rescue the terrorized gas bags; however, one of them did not survive. (I hope he gave her a nice tip.) By looking at my beautiful gift, I would never have guessed what it had just gone through; it looked lovely, and it was only after I heard the 'tail' that I found the dangling string, still holding on for dear life to the hapless, broken and deflated orange balloon. Poor thing. No matter; it was a wonderful birthday present.
I was in the shower when from what, to my wondering (plugged inner) ears did I hear, but such a wild commotion going on. When I finally got dried off and 'decent', I went out to the kitchen where Cappy presented me with the big basket full of flowers, festooned with a colorful batch of balloons that had just arrived from Dan. He said that when the doorbell rang, as usual, the dogs 'exploded', barking the paint off the walls, then ran out their back doggy door and 'greeted' the delivery lady by jumping all over her. In all the hubbub, the balloons somehow got loose and tried to make an escape across the lawn, with the dogs in hot pursuit, and the poor lady, basket in hand, was hot on their trail, petals fluttering in the wind behind her. The dogs caught up to the balloons before the lady did, and were having so much merry fun, but Cappy somehow managed to 'call off the hounds' and rescue the terrorized gas bags; however, one of them did not survive. (I hope he gave her a nice tip.) By looking at my beautiful gift, I would never have guessed what it had just gone through; it looked lovely, and it was only after I heard the 'tail' that I found the dangling string, still holding on for dear life to the hapless, broken and deflated orange balloon. Poor thing. No matter; it was a wonderful birthday present.Before the bbq, Cappy and I rode around rounding up the supplies. After a couple of stops and a phone call to our good buddy, Sam, we finally found the perfect butcher shop, located in Thibodaux. Sam had told Cappy that when we got near the place, all we had to do to locate it, was to roll down the windows and take a deep breath; that we would smell the meats smoking, and sure enough it was true. We bought a bunch of meat, and for langiappe, they gave us samples of their beef jerky. Oh Mama! My mouth is watering again, just thinking about it. We've just got to get more of that stuff sometime.
Now since this whole cookout dealy was supposed to be for my birthday, and I hadn't had real cake since 1995!! when I came down with celiac disease, and although Cappy's sisters, Maria and Melissa had made our wedding cake from one of my gluten free cook books, I honestly can't remember eating more than a bite of it, in all the excitement of the day. So, in light of that, for our bbq party, I made a German chocolate cake, with white frosting. What a production. What with all the precise measurements and the unusual ingredients, like xanthan gum, an hour later, two sinks full of dirty bowls, measuring spoons, cups, whips, beaters, etc., I had the cake in the oven, finally. Sam and his pretty wife, Mrs. Louise showed up,
as Cappy was lighting the pit and hurrying around getting ready to start cooking. (I feel guilty now, because instead sitting down to visit with Mrs. Louise, as this was the first time I had met her, I was rushing around in the house trying to chop, peel, dice, and put together the other dishes for the meal. I should have gotten all of that taken care of the day before, tired as I was from all the running around shopping, etc., but I didn't. She offered to help, but when I'm in the 'hot and heavy of cooking', I get nervous when people are in the kitchen with me, for fear that I'll get burned...remember I was badly burned as a child..., so I left her outside with the guys. In hindsite, that was so very rude of me.) As I was frosting the cake, Maria and her family arrived, and what a joyfully boistrous time that always is...I just LOVE those people!!! The dawgs just love those people!!! And they love us. As Cappy would say, "It works out well that way". 
It was also Claire's 16th birthday 
(Maria's daughter) a few days before,
and our friend, Melissa's birthday, so she and her younger daughter, Melan showed up...YAY!!
as Cappy was lighting the pit and hurrying around getting ready to start cooking. (I feel guilty now, because instead sitting down to visit with Mrs. Louise, as this was the first time I had met her, I was rushing around in the house trying to chop, peel, dice, and put together the other dishes for the meal. I should have gotten all of that taken care of the day before, tired as I was from all the running around shopping, etc., but I didn't. She offered to help, but when I'm in the 'hot and heavy of cooking', I get nervous when people are in the kitchen with me, for fear that I'll get burned...remember I was badly burned as a child..., so I left her outside with the guys. In hindsite, that was so very rude of me.) As I was frosting the cake, Maria and her family arrived, and what a joyfully boistrous time that always is...I just LOVE those people!!! The dawgs just love those people!!! And they love us. As Cappy would say, "It works out well that way". 
It was also Claire's 16th birthday 
(Maria's daughter) a few days before, and our friend, Melissa's birthday, so she and her younger daughter, Melan showed up...YAY!!
Between my making Cappy's bbq beans, our special chopped coleslaw, running hither and yon between the patio and kitchen for sundry things Cappy needed me to do, and making my Mom's special recipe barbecue sauce, when our cabinet-maker, Keith, showed up needing to re-measure important things in the kitchen, and ask very important questions. It needed to be done right then. It really did. I tried to keep up with my boiling pots, while chopping bell pepper, wielding a sharp knife, trying to think of what I needed to do next, as Cappy said that the ribs were ready to come off the pit, and I still had things that really had to finish cooking, holding one end of the tape measure for Keith, and trying to make decisions about certain details of cabinet design and kitchen layout. (He said he really couldn't come back later, and was patient, despite, in answering a couple of his questions, I'd run outside to see why Cappy had just called to me.) It was a madhouse. I kept thinking, "This too shall pass", and it did. That phrase has helped me a lot in the past. I remember one time years ago, in a similar situation that I had put together, when my Mom, a professional chef and dietician, who was very organized in her approach to big cooking affairs, found herself overwhelmed by all the commotion and confusion. I just calmly kept going, doing the best I could under the crazy conditions, chopping and peeling, and doing. Mom, standing beside me, whispered, "I don't know what you are on, but I want some!"
(Boy! I miss that woman.) This is a picture of Mom with my neice and nephew, Chrissy and 'Little Danny'...
But that's what I truly believe, "This too will pass". The whirlwind of Cappy's two weeks home passed all too quickly. This chest, head-cold will get over and done with some time; it just has to.
The party ended that night with the worst karaoke singing ever...it was wonderful!! The good times and the bad; it all becomes history eventually. I like that no matter what I'm going through, that I know The Real "Cabinet Maker" is standing beside me, enjoying the goings ons, or comforting, or offering advice, or "just" Peace.
The party ended that night with the worst karaoke singing ever...it was wonderful!! The good times and the bad; it all becomes history eventually. I like that no matter what I'm going through, that I know The Real "Cabinet Maker" is standing beside me, enjoying the goings ons, or comforting, or offering advice, or "just" Peace.I love the song in this video, and I always have. I don't care if it's been "politicized"; I just love it, and I sing it to the Lord, strange as I am, perhaps.
(If it doesn't load and play well on one link, then it will on the other. If you have the option of viewing in the "high quality", go for it; this version gives me the 'freesones'...mispelled, I'm sure...means goosechills) And hey! I recognize "Papa Elliot" from New Orleans, and the duolian guitar player near the end of the video, too.
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