Friday Five: Ahead of Schedule

1. Buster and Belle were both asleep on the couch earlier tonight (so strange). Both of them had their legs simultaneously stretched out and curled around and cuddly. (How do they do that?) I thought, with such clarity and conviction as to be both startling and settling: These are my babies.

Weird, no?

2. I need to get much work done on The Thesis this weekend. The situation is rapidly approaching the category of DIRE. A. will be out of town ice-fishing in the northern part of the state so I should be able to hunker down and work. I hope.

3. I swear I heard A. mention to a friend on the phone that someone died going through the ice last week on the lake he will be fishing.

Dear God, how am I going to concentrate, what with all the fretting I will be doing?

4. I made Sloppy Joes for dinner tonight (Thursday). I used butter instead of oil. It was yummy. Here is the recipe for your own enjoyment. (Make them. They are YUMMY.)
A.'s Mom's Sloppy Joes

• 1 1/2 lb. hamburger (we used ground moose)
• 1/4 cup onion (I just eyeball it and use about half of an average yellow onion)
• 2 T. shortening (I've never used shortening, used to use canola oil and just this time used butter. Mmmm... the smell of onions cooking in butter...SO GOOD)
• 1 C. celery, diced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 C. catsup (How do you guys spell ketchup?)
• 1 C. water
• 2 T. vinegar
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce

Brown hamburger and onion in the fat of your carefully informed choice. Add other ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Oh, how I love A. I am ridiculously fond of his nose. I remember, quite clearly, falling in love with that nose on our first date.

Doesn't he have a great, stupid, fake-for-the-camera grin? *sigh*

He had this picture filed under "family." Damn, I love this man. I sure hope all this butter keeps him around for a long, long time.

Dancing on air above a rocky slope!

A. just called me at work and he is ECSTATIC!! He just drew his Big Horn Sheep license!!

These are very difficult to draw - you have to build up "preference points" for 12 years before you can even qualify to apply for a license. It usually takes years to draw the actual license. Many people never draw in their lifetime.

That is one happy man on the phone.

This is also one of the very rare instances that I've witnessed A. exercise foresight and planning. And for 13 years, no less! Actually, I know he will be diligently planning and researching all summer for this hunt. These animals live in rocky, hostile terrain, and it will take special planning and preparation for a successful (and safe) hunt.

I am really happy for him. Who knew my day could be made by a hunting license?