Things come in threes, love. It's the third anniversary of your talks, three years that I've been back in the saddle as a librarian, three years I've kept to my mission here in the Kitsap house and stayed to continue the good fight here in Port Orchard. And I can truthfully say that it's all to the good.
Good in that I've come back to life again. Today is a good example of that. I've been knocking around the house most of the day, getting it ready for a visit. I have a handful of friends stopping by this evening to eat a bit of supper, chat some, drink some, watch the sun go down. As a matter of fact you know them all. Three of them are old workmates of yours, one of which you used to work with at the Port Orchard branch. She's bringing her man along, someone who's now a good buddy of mine. As you know I was sorely lacking in men friends for awhile. Happy to say that I have a few in my life again.
I brewed up a presspot of coffee a moment ago. I don't usually indulge in coffee this time of day but the constant hump I've been on since eight this morning makes that cup of coffee sound really good. The house, I must admit, looks sharp. It's great to see it clean, the way that I was more inclined to keep it a few years ago. I'm glad that I'm back to the old standard. Nothing worse than a man who let's his housework slip.
Dinner parties are good for that. This one is a small affair, which makes it easy to herd all the cats that go along with feeding people. This one is quite unlike the one you attended here in this house three years ago. Instead of having the whole SW paging crew come by to wish me a fond farewell, I get to have a solid cadre of couples come by instead. A good feeling all the way around, this breaking bread with people thing. It was a standard I set for myself on New Year's, this whole once a month dinner party thing. I started getting back into it last spring with that old school teacher friend of mine. We made a habit of getting together on Saturday nights. It was great for me to be able to cook for someone again, to watch movies with a like minded soul, but this is something completely different.
As I said, my new goal is to have a get together at least once a month. I missed March, but that was voluntary. I had ample opportunity to get out and about but I let those myriad opportunities go by. The little house project, as you remember, was all consuming, both as far as time and emotional content were concerned. I couldn't ask any more of myself than that.
The coffee is cooling in my cup as I type, going a bit below that ideal temp that you love. "So, what have you done today to get ready?" you might ask. Let me tell you. As far as kitchen duties are concerned I cleaned the fridge, assembled carrot and potato salads, pressed a platter full of hamburger patties, got togethe a couple platters of condiments, steamed a couple of artichokes, pulled together a cheesecake, boiled up a pot of black beans and kneaded out some dough for flat bread. I have that lamb shank dish aching to be eaten and I figured it would make a tasty appetizer along with those 'chokes.
The rugs are vacuumed, the cat box changed, the bathroom scrubbed and the house generally picked up. My next duty, after I finish that cup of coffee, is to knock out a little bit of yard work. The bulk of that will be done tomorrow if I'm up to it. Today I'll just keep the focus on the front yard, the porch and the Sound. Awfully nice day out there, quite a bit like that day when my old hands gathered here to wish me well.
That was a great day alright. Sunny, pretty, warm, just like today. The emphasis wasn't so much on cooking, but I pulled off a number of sides and desserts, not too much different than today. The biggest surprise was not my friend Nick showing, but that the Detective didn't come around. I pretty much expected your old man to show that afternoon, as he was already snooping around the branch by that time, working overtime to knock out that resolve of yours, the one that looking for a way to get out of your less than ideal marriage. The party went swimmingly, chilly by late afternoon, a fire and company helped heat the house up just fine. My old pal Nick, well, he was gentleman enough to scram right after the party broke up. We had our fifteen minutes of solitude there on the couch, just you and me and a house made sweet by an afternoon filled with good friends, good vibes, soft jazz and the scent fresh fried lumpia. It was a nice party, made all the better because you were there.
But you're here today too, M, in your own ghostly kind of way. I labeled that frame in my library, to let the world know that Jane is the patron saint of cookbooks in my house. I found that making cheesecakes was a breeze today, too, but who started that, eh? I found that pitcher that you used a few years ago to make lime water with and that's ready to go. See, everything comes in threes.
I need to finish up, Senora. I need to hit the yard, shift the chiminea, shower, drink some wine, get ready to grill. Burgers, salad, dessert, wine, chat, laughter, smiles in abundance. Yahtzee, maybe? Some parlor game or another? All the way through it's what the cosmos ordered up, and I've been good to go with all of it. Love having company, love feeding folks.
Just the way I used to love feeding you, my paramour.
Your WHMB
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