Thursday, Aug. 8

We were awake for quite awhile last night, thanks to a severe thunderstorm cropping up. At 1:30, I was awakened when I began hearing thunder in the distance. I started counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder...ten (storm about ten miles away), eight, six, five...and wham! Crashing thunder letting me know it was right on top of us.

The storm arrived quickly, but once here, it stalled, then boomed and crashed continuously for over an hour, causing power havoc. About a dozen time, the outside night light went off, then on, while at the same time, the cable box indoors went off and on, the backup unit to the computer squealed, and the bedside lamp came on automatically. I'd turn it off, and before I knew it, it would come on again.

Finally, at 3 a.m., the storm moved on, and we drifted off to sleep. When we got up, we discovered that the storm had turned on the TV in the den. We got about two and a half inches of rain from the storm. Our veggie garden likes the rain, but we'd prefer it would be delivered in a less frightening way. More storms are predicted for tonight.

Got a message first thing this morning that Son and Daughter-in-Law, and possible other members of the family, will be here tomorrow, so that Son can repair Mother's roof.

So I decided to skip my exercises, and get to work making dishes for the weekend. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house at 9:30, and then he went to a Master Gardener meeting. While he was gone, Mother and I made jelly-filled muffins (these are for Saturday, when Daughter and Great-Granddaughter will be here).

Then we made a recipe of baked beans...these are for tomorrow, to be served with barbecue/hot dogs.

Hubbie returned at noon, and after lunch, he peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor. Mother diced carrots, onions, and celery. Then I made potato soup, also for Saturday.

While I put the soup together, Hubbie went to the barbecue shack, and to a grocery store for a few items.

It was 2:30 by the time I finished in the kitchen, but by 3:30, I was in there again, this time to start preparing supper. I sauteed seasoned beef strips, added onions and mushrooms, and beef broth, and let it simmer for awhile, until the beef tenderized.

Later, I cooked noodles, and added them, along with sour cream, to the beef. I like to serve spinach with this meal, but since I didn't have any, I opted for a choice of Lima beans or butter beans.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward, and then went to the WDCS for sandwich makings for Saturday. While he was gone, I spruced the house a little.

It was TV time after that. Around 8:30, we began hearing thunder in the distance.