Ah, Saturday! I love the weekends, it’s so nice to be able to sleep in a bit (only til 7am today though!) and have two whole days ahead to get things done at home. This morning, I’m going to finish the ridge cap on the Duck Tractor and put all the tools away from building that. I like that step of a project, of putting everything away when it’s done.
Next, I am going to assemble a wood picnic table kit I bought at Home Depot. I debated on this one, the design is very simple, and the cost for the kit is about double the raw materials- $70 instead of maybe $35. But, it would take me several more hours to build one from scratch than to put this one together, and I have other things I want to get done. So, the kit it shall be today.
Kirk is hoping I’llĀ dispositionĀ one last pile of spare lumber, that’s covered in a very pathetic looking, and no longer waterproof, blue tarp. So, I’ll try to get that done to make him happy. (Well, it’ll make me happy too, to say goodbye to the last of the necessary, but tacky-looking, tarps that were in use during the phase of putting this place together. But, I have a higher tolerance for putting up with such things while I’m getting other things done, I might have left it there another year, who knows?)Ā And, I want to squeeze in setting a wood fence post or two. And, cleanĀ house. Oh dear, you can see how that is slipping in priority (again)! š®
This evening, my parents, siblings and sister’s kids are coming over for dinner. My parents both had birthdays last week, and tomorrow is Fathers’ Day. This will be the first time I’ve offered to host a family gathering here. The accommodations are still very spartan, to say the least. But for my family, I think they’ve concluded “beggars can’t be choosers”- my brother is currently between houses andĀ “shacking” with the sis, and my sister and mom get weary of always hosting family events. So,Ā they’ll be glad to delegate to me, regardless of my lack of a formal parlour for house guests! š And, as I’d hoped, the weather is supposed to be nice, so we can spill outside, my favorite place to be, enjoying the view and maybe a campfire of rotten barn wood.
On the menu: Appetizers shall beĀ tortilla chips & made-from-scratch fruit salsa, also crackers with a cream cheese covered with raspberry chipotle sauce (from a jar). Dinner is marinatedĀ flank steak on the BBQ, green beans and/or a green salad (I’ll see what looks best at the store today). My dad wanted to bring a Walleye fish they caught last weekend, but said there isn’t enough for a whole meal. To complement that, I’ll make basmati rice cooked in coconut milk, and use more of the fruit salsa-that’sĀ my favorite combination for fish. For dessert, I ordered a cake <sigh>- I knew there wouldn’t be time to bake today; and I’ll serve it up with ice cream for good measure.