Clay Day

Clay was coming up!  As I do whenever company comes, I start thinking about what I can serve.  Especially if there's no time to go to the store, I have to consider what I have on hand.  Hmmm.  Chicken in one freezer, okay.  Marinara sauce in the other, that'll work.  I took those items out to thaw and put cans of green beans and sliced beets in the fridge to chill.  A menu was taking form.

My son from another mother, or my plus-one kid, rode up on a motorcycle I hadn't seen before, a Buell.  These boys and their toys.  Clay and I never seem to run out of things to talk about, and yesterday was no exception.  NASCAR didn't start until 3, so we watched an old, B-grade Bruce Lee movie with terrible dubbing.  Clay had been a big Bruce Lee fan as a kid and then had been more interested in the martial arts than film quality, but he had to laugh along with me at this one.

Before the race at Darlington started, I was able to introduce Clay to Stump.  Evidently things were quiet in the woods because she was back, immobile as usual.  My driver, Clint Bowyer, had bad luck and his engine blew at lap 21, so I had no trouble going to the kitchen to fix dinner.  I pounded the chicken breasts flat, then breaded them with well-seasoned flour and egg wash and browned them well.  They went into a baking dish to be topped with Parmesan cheese and the marinara and put into the oven to finish.  Beets and beans were drained and mixed together with tarragon, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar for a cold salad of sorts.  I was happy when Clay gave the meal a thumb up.  I think it made up for not having a/c.

The race finished about sundown, so Clay went down with me to put the girls to bed.  All was well until I stopped to top off the water trough.  What had been a perfect day came to a terrible finish when I realized there was no more water coming from the hose.  I mean, not one drop.  Aarrgh!  It's bad when the power goes out, but there is nothing worse than not having water.  Clay and I said our goodbyes and I went in to make a call to Go-To Guy.  It was after hours on a Sunday on a long, hot holiday weekend, but I left a message anyway and hoped for the best.  Bless his heart, GT and his wife called back in a few minutes and arranged to come out this morning.

I always keep bottled water on hand and so was able to make coffee today to put in the new mug Clay brought me from the race at Pocono.  Fingers crossed for the day.