MY BEST BEAUTY QUEEN WAVE

 LIZARD COUNTER:  16

A good hot morning to y'all.  We've been roasting for a while, and now we are in the melting stage.  It's a good thing my plan was to stay home all day.  

Breakfast was the last of that fabulous cantaloupe.  I've never been good at picking ripe fruit, so I was happy Dole made the choice for me.

Remember how Cooper used to follow me everywhere?  This one is even worse.  She's taken to patting me on the head when I don't pay her enough attention.  Kind of a weird picture with the window light on her back.

On this day she didn't get much in the way of pets.  I had those plums in the freezer since last week and they needed to be cooked.  I'm setting up here.  What you can't see are the two pans of jars in water on the stove and the pot boiling water to pour over the lids in the middle.  

I used a different recipe this time, which was okay I suppose.  I don't use pectin, so it cooked and cooked until 220 degrees.  Of course that depends if you remember how to use the fancy thermometer I have.

Almost an hour later, having used a hand held blender, I turned the heat up high to start the boil.  That caused enough burned spots on my hand from boiling liquid spitting over the top that I required gloves.  In no time, it was ready for the jars.  I just love these small jars and the new lids.  

After filling, they go into the boiling water bath (the big canner) for ten minutes ... and VOILA!  You have jam.  It's not as sweet as the last version, but quite tasty.  It's funny how no two batches ever come out the same.  Those lids popping when they seal ... they scare me every time they are so LOUD!

That's when I got a call from the Doc.  Doc Chef Patty that is.  After all, she was an ER nurse most all of her life and probably knows more than the doctors.  She said I needed to keep my arm UP.  Okay, I promise I will follow Doctors orders.

That lasted until I remembered the Reese's in the fridge.  Pumpkin faces, right?

Well that would be a big fat NO!  I ate THREE just to be sure ... and there were none to be seen. RATS ... I'm back on the couch with my hand up in the air, doing my best impression of a Beauty Queen Wave.  You know the one ... sweep left, sweep right.  I actually did that for real once, I think a hundred years ago.   Just imagine ... a cowgirl in a prom dress with ..... wait for it ..... cowboy boots.  Sadly, I didn't win, but at least I made the top three.  

Yup here I am in the outfit I made on my sewing machine, just for the occasion.  Obviously I didn't eat many Reese's peanut butter cups back then!!

Here's another one ....  you know, just checking for the Halloween face that wasn't to be.

So how is my finger doing?  Not so great on this afternoon, but the beauty pageant wave seems to have helped this evening.  Looks like it's dead, YES?   Pill number three coming up.  This stuff better start working SOON!!!!  I'm on the verge of panicking once again!!  The interesting part is it doesn't hurt at all.  Weird.

I was still home when Amazon delivered this stuff everyone recommended.  Here's the problem.  I cut the top off of two before I read the directions.  DO NOT USE AROUND PETS.  Well shoot ... I've got a cat inside and multiple cats outside, so I'm not sure where I can put it.  I finally dumped it down the wall between the walkway and the office.  Maybe the ants will find it there.  

I pretty much never left the couch from noon until bedtime, with my hand up in the air.  AND I propped it up all night long.  Surprisingly it doesn't hurt at all, but is still rather swollen.  I'm just so excited to see what color it will be today!!   

And so ended the day with me still wishing my sweet boy was here to make my boo-boo all better.  He was really good at that!!