An interesting morning

 Yesterday I gave 2 drivers a meal.  One, a man, not Buddy.  He is a nice looking guy about my age, trim (!), very quiet. But today he was asking me a lot of questions about myself and saying, repeatedly, how the food was so delicious.  Who knows?  I need to find out if he likes cats.  

And cats.  Spotty gave me a heart attack.  I went outside to take out the trash and I found Spotty laying in the street.  

I screamed and ran to him, he jumped up and ran away.  He was fine JUST AN IDIOT ORANGE BOY    I gave him a good scolding.  Over 20 years in that house and I 've never had such an idiot!  Ahh!  Blood pressure going up just thinking about it!  

Someone gave me a cash gift and told me to buy myself the graphic T-shirt I had been talking about "NOPE Not Going To Happen". Perfect for riding the bus!  

Taking chances

 "Would you like some green chili stew?"I asked a driver today.  He is a nice guy about my age.  "I hate cooking for just myself so I made extra". He was thrilled.  

I also brought some beef burgundy for C, a very nice male coworker who is a hard worker, loves cats, and an Army vet.  

I also brought some beef burgundy for my first driver, who recently lost her Mom. 

Nothing for Buddy.  He set a boundary "Don't bring me food" and I am going to respect that.  

Wow wow! A good night sleep and I woke up early with energy!

 For me sleeplessness is a Hallmark of a mania or a depression so this must be "normal".  

I got up and made sauce for my beef burgundy, out of the crock pot juices.  It turned out very well.  I just did the cornstarch trick.  Put some cold water in a glass pyrex in the freezer for about 15 minutes, put the juices in my tiny sauce pan, put 2 T cornstarch in the water and whisked well, got the juices up to boil, added the cornstarch slowly, let thicken for a few minutes while stirring.  

Then I cooked up some pasta for it.  I plan to get whole wheat pasta today though that will be much heartier.  

I ate some of the pasta with salt and olive oil only.  

Then I took out some of the green chili stew juices (not a whole lot there) and used them with some seasoning to make green chili rice.  That is still cooking.  

#6 is going to work now, it's 4:30.  Sucks to be him!  

Then I washed my little plastic containers, I had bought new ones.  Those can dry while I'm taking my shower and the rice finishes up (it's in a rice cooker so I can).  

Shower time.  I'm going to wash my hair with conditioner rather than shampoo - it works, I want to give the henna the maximum time.  I will shampoo it tomorrow.  

It's going to be a high of 97 today so I'm really glad I did my cooking now.  

Sauce or gravy?

 I don't believe in keeping secrets.  But, I will, tonight.  

I did a LOT of cooking today, a package of sausage, 4 chicken thighs, 2 and a half pounds of pork chops (still in my big crock pot), 2 pounds of beef shank in the small crock pot.  And 2 pounds of pasta.  

Cooking up the chicken the pan drippings looked so good I tried my hand at a cornstarch gravy, that turned out very well.  I made another gravy with the pan drippings from the sausage later.  I am very very happy.  

For some reason I don't have trouble making a cornstarch sauce/gravy.  But I am going to refer to them as "sauces made with cornstarch" when I talk to my Dad because he is a gravy fiend.  I guess I inherited that although I am a brown gravy woman.  Dad isn't picky.  

I haven't made a gravy in a good 20 years.  But I still have it.  My trick I put the water in the freezer for a little bit before I hit it with the cornstarch, then pour it in the skillet after I mix it.  

That's it for now, I'm going to take a little nap.  

A trip to the store

 So I went to the grocery store; pretty busy actually at 9 am.  

I couldn't find boneless skinless chicken thighs but I can pivot, I went and was looking at pork chops.  "So High!" I thought, like all my customers say.  Every now and then I find a huge (as in pounds of meat) tray of bone in pork chops for very cheap.  I spotted one and whisked it into my cart.  

The only punch line on these they need to be cooked today but I can do that.  Five pounds!  Five dollars for the whole thing!   Thank you JESUS!  

I love being a Christian I have NO issue with pork.  I love eating it, in fact.  I could and have eat(en) pork every day.  

I got some fruit but did not get any frozen mixed vegetables which I had planned to get.  I love frozen mixed veggies, that I can also eat every day.  Just a nuke a big old bowl in the microwave with a little butter and salt, if I'm feeling creative maybe a little seasoning.  

I also found some beef shank (not cheap) but pulled the trigger on it as I have been wanting beef in red wine sauce.  Red wine, onions, garlic, pepper, a little salt.  I forgot to buy beef stock so I used 3/4 cup red wine instead of the usual half cup.  I did something different today.  

I am blessed enough to have 2 crock pots, a large one and a small one.  I did the beef in the small one, with a liner.  I added seasoning and garlic in between the 2 slices of beef shank I feel that will contribute more flavor.  

Since I had all these nice bone in pork chops (I love them for crock pot not so crazy about the skillet although I will be making some in the skillet later with a pan gravy), I made green chili stew in the large pot  Again, I did not have stock but I used water.  I put all the seasonings in a bowl and sprinkled it on the pork chops as I layered them in the crock pot with whole garlic cloves and diced, roasted, green chilis.  

Crock pots use very little wattage so they can hang out by the southwest kitchen outlet together.  I need to cook up the chicken thighs (going in pasta with sausage) and the pork chops but that's it.  I have tons of food for the week, a variety, unlike the one thing I usually cook and end up sick of after the third day in a row.  

I got the driver a snack he was very happy to see that.  One driver on the route (not Buddy) has commented "There's no good food at either end of the route".  

I need to do up my pills.  

Early Sunday

 I had a little bit of a headache creeping in last night so I tried out a theory.  Hairbrush (I use the stiff plastic bristles, the cheap ones).  1 drop patchouli oil on hairbrush.  1 drop lavender oil on hair brush.  Brush hair seriously.  While I had a small headache it wasn't bad.  

And when I woke up today WOW.  

I feel I did a good job on the roots!  

Off to the store!  

I found this very interesting.

 Not this: I have found I am a vain bitch and will do my hair every 3 weeks in spite of the fact I get terrible migraines from the henna and last time vomited in my bucket for an hour after I applied it.  

Today I did 2 things different: I did not put lemon juice in the mix (just a half cup apple cider vinegar and a cup of water, 5 ounces powder), and I also remembered the patchouli oil.  Henna has a very strong, heavy, pervasive, grassy aroma.  I find it "gets in my head" and makes it pound.  

But I'm vain enough the compliments are worth it.  

Last month I had bought a small bottle of patchouli essential oil and thought maybe that would help, if I could put a drop in the paste and mix it "real well" before I applied it.  I was halfway through my application henna up to my elbows when I remembered.  So I finished, wrapped my head in plastic.  

I am getting much better at wrapping my head.  

I put on the two shower caps, one in the front, one in the back, after I did the hairline with some petroleum jelly so the henna wouldn't stain.  And I put a drop of patchouli oil at the bottom of my throat at the collarbone.  

And I did not have a headache.  The patchouli was nice and pleasant, I did not smell the henna much.  I am glad I have a whole bottle of the patchouli!  

It always takes a while to rinse it out, about 25 minutes or so.  Not necessarily a good thing in a drought area (I did live in CA 15 years) but fine for Houston.  I like to use the Garnier Whole Blends Cocoa Butter conditioner after I'm done.  I apply it, put my hair up in a clip, washed my body, rinsed it out.  

I don't understand the biology enough, but henna, while very conditioning long term, makes my hair very coarse and dry for the first day or so.  Or at least it has when I used the lemon juice.  We will see when it dries.  It feels pretty soft now.  

I have decided I like to do the henna every 3 weeks.  I don't think it's too long because a lot of ladies with braids at work spend hours in the chair every month or so.  

Biscuit was in my bed, on the pillow, didn't want to share but I was "mean", moved him, took a nap.  

That's it for now!