When The Cat's Away - Day 3: I Have Always Depended Upon The Kindness Of Strangers

Day 3 of Bee's absence, and I think the universe is starting to feel sorry for us, so it has given us several breaks today.

First of all, I slept well, awakening around 8:30. Mr. C remained quietly in his room, giving me time to lounge in bed and read awhile before starting my day. And, to answer the question I know to be burning within the depths of your very soul: yes, my book is deliciously awful, and I'm enjoying every degrading moment immensely. Oh, and I know you're in a moral quandary because you secretly want a barbarian to seduce the virgin slave, but don't worry: unlike many, he's an honorable savage, who would never 'ravish' a woman without her consent.

Allow me to give you a taste of what I get to experience:

“Something cold settled in Julia's stomach. She tried to tell herself he had meant it when he said he did not believe in ravishing women. Surely he did not think he would not have to? That she would willingly
 . . . Oh, no, my arrogant barbarian, if you think that broad shoulders and big muscles are going to seduce Julia Livia Rufa, you are in for a major disappointment.”

With conviction like that, I'm just not sure she's ever going to give in to him. Oh, what's going to happen next?!

In other news, Mr. C and I also got another nice break today in the form of a playdate: swimming at the YMCA. A friend got us in for free with her pass, which is an especially nice bonus, as I can now use that money for a day pass to instead buy another pint of ice cream. The only downfall is that my affair with Ben & Jerry is taking it's toll on my waistline: hence I somehow managed to vaguely resemble a bloated walrus as I lumbered around the kiddie pool, alarming the lifeguards and frightening small children.

Lunch was another freebie: one of the stops on our Meals On Wheels route wasn't home to accept their meal, so I just fed the leftover meal to Mr. C instead. I believe – although I'm really not sure – that it was chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes, all swimming in gravy. Not knowing what I'm eating has never stopped me before though, and it was actually pretty tasty.

Yes, I gipped some nice old gentleman for THAT.

While Mr. C napped, I worked on today's remodel chore: grouting the tub.

Oh, don't freak out; that's the picture before I cleaned up the grout. You'll see the end result tomorrow, after I've caulked. Or used dynamite.

However, the universe's biggest gift to us today was dinner: Dee had us over for chicken tetrazzini.

Although she graciously waved aside my thanks and said how much she looked forward to having us over and what a highlight it was to her day, I know Dee really invited us because she cares too much about Mr. C to let him starve.

Not only was dinner lovely, but it provided the added bonus of giving me a reason to try another recipe from Cooking Light: Grapefruit Pound Cake.

Note the glob of grapefruit juice-infused powdered sugar on top of the cake. That's supposed to be a liquid glaze. But how you make a liquid from 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar mixed with only 3 tablespoons of juice is beyond me. But, hey, who am I to question the professionals at Cooking Light? (I did, however, add a bunch more juice to make a fully-functioning glaze. And, by the way, it was delicious. Take that, snotty magazine!)

Alright, it's now waaaay past Mr. C's bedtime, and I'm still letting him watch tv. I must be off to tuck him in, clean the kitchen, and check on the grout situation. I hope I can do it all quickly, because I just must see what that savage (but honorable!) barbarian is up to.