Tuesday in August

A gray and rainy Tuesday offering me a respite, Time at arm's length from the exigencies of life. 77F, 90% humidity, I'm inside looking out toward The Pass, Linda is on 7H porch tending to plants, though I know that husband gets more tending, for this very caring person.

Yesterday was unduly busy. Highly successful visit to my PC physician for annual checkup, super lab results, expected report from my echo, all my known facts showing, no surprise to me except the excellent 45% ejection fraction. All meds continued and prescriptions renewed, plus Dr advised me to take a Furo tablet daily instead of waiting for the gross ankle swelling and weight gain, so, okay. All this is what happens, you see, but it's all good for Time. Years ago I heard someone say "you pays your money and you takes your choice" and that's about right with life.

The doctors appointment was yesterday morning, and, weighing in even three pounds below my target, for noon dinner I grilled my reward to myself, about a 20 oz prime ribeye steak.

Superlative, seared on the outside, warm red on the inside. I like to see the whole steak on my dinner plate even if I can only eat half of it and the five or six okra from Tanya's Market.

Out at Tanya's on the right (east) side of 77 just north of the Eye Center, the okra are in a bin, and you select your own. Linda prefers the smaller ones. I once had a close parishioner friend, Rhett, who, Alabama born and bred, once told me as we were sitting down to our weekly lunch visit, his plate with one fried chicken drumstick and piled high with okra, that he loved okra tiny and tender or woody and tough, made no difference to him. One of these days I'm going to roast okra in the toaster oven, but haven't done that yet. I like okra steamed, fried as a side at Hunt's, especially as the primary ingredient of thick dark brown seafood gumbo prepared liberally with Zatarain's gumbo filé for flavor and thickening, loaded with shrimp and oysters.

What, is this a food blog? IDK. Breakfast, one slice very dark brown whole wheat bread toasted, lightly smeared with butter, cut and folded over, thick slice Limburger-like stinky cheese. Second mug of hot, black coffee.

Yesterday's other event, dealing with the dead battery in Linda's car. I know it was unusual, but this. As I got off the phone with the AAA rep, she said that the AAA tech would call me before he arrived, and that it would be about fifty minutes. As I was turning my cellphone off it began to ring: it was the AAA tech telling me he was on 9th Street, two blocks away, and would arrive in a few seconds. With some modern power ZIP ZAP ZOT he had Linda's car going within a minute, and we drove it to BayTown Tire for a new battery.

Quite a busy Monday for an octogenarian who's looking over the fence at ninety.

Praise the Lord anyway, eh?

... and to all a goodnight.