Sam Is Seven Today!

Happy birthday, Sam! We hope you had a really wonderful birthday.

This evening we took a break from our work and went to Jean's for a game night. When we walked in the door, she handed each of us a frosty mug so we could try some of her son's "Aggressively fun" beer.  He is one of the founders of Daredevil Brewery in Indianapolis. Tonight we had his Lift-Off IPA, very flavorful and definitely lives up to the description: "A bounty of American hops deliver the signature clean and crisp finish of a perfectly balanced West Coast style IPA."

Jean had taken some of the lemons that are in season here--maybe even some from our lemon tree--and gone with a lemon theme for the meal and dessert. She made lovely lemonade, lemon-garlic chicken with new potatoes and green beans, a perfectly luscious lemon meringue pie, and just for good measure, lemon bars. And just in case we didn't get enough to eat, she also made macaroni and cheese (with secret ingredient, cauliflower). All yummy. Jan and Steve brought an interesting appetizer: cream cheese topped with a great sauce (cranberry and jalapeno) and crackers. Jan also made a delicious fruit salad.

After dinner we played Five Crowns, which David and G.W. had brought. We played this game last spring, but we had forgotten how to play, so first we had a quick refresher course in the rules. Jan had the lead from first to last, so she was the winner. The rest of us seemed to be competing for most points (this in a game in which points score against the player). Everyone had fun.

This morning when we took our walk, we stopped to check on the lot that John and Sandy are renting. They had sent an email asking their Green Gater friends to check and make sure that the lot had an electric meter. Last spring when they arranged to rent the lot, much to their surprise, there was no electric meter. We saw a brand new meter, but it appeared to be on the neighbor's property. To be sure, we turned on the breakers and turned on the lights in the shed. They came on, but not for long.

Just as we were trying to figure out what to do next, Bob from across the street walked up. He takes care of the lot for the absentee owner. We left our phone numbers with Bob, who said he'd make sure the electricity was working. Later this afternoon, he called to say that the electric company had come out and repaired the problem, so our friends will have electricity when they arrive next Wednesday.

The rest of the day was more working on the Texas room and patio. Ken strung some LED lights on the patio. We made a list of things we needed and headed out to shop again. Then on the way home from Jean's we stopped at Target. It looks like we'll have to try Bed, Bath, & Beyond for the tablecloths. None of the stores we visited had much of a selection.