Saturday, Aug. 31

The last day of August. This has been one of the mildest Augusts in memory. It's usually the hottest month of the year here in the south, with humidity so high that we wilt as soon as we step outdoors. By now, the trees are dusty and drooping, and leaves are crisping. Grass is brown and dead. Cars and trucks are covered in dirt from unpaved back roads. "Wash me," is a message frequently seen scrawled into the dirt.

Sis is here today, and she accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning. I expected Daughter to arrive before lunch, but she was later getting here. I was a little anxious about her, and was glad when she walked in the door.

She was obviously tired, so she wasn't here long before I suggested she go take a nap. She ended up sleeping until suppertime.

In the meantime, Mother, Sis, and I visited until time to prepare supper. I'd cooked and sliced the ham yesterday, and today, we fixed two large dishes of scalloped potatoes. Well, actually, Hubbie, Mother, and Sis did the honors. Hubbie peeled and then sliced the potatoes in the food processor, Mother grated Monterey Jack cheese, and Sis put the dishes together.

The potatoes were in the oven for two hours, but were still not as soft as we would have liked. Next time, I'll pre-cook the potatoes a little before making the dish.

But they were still good with the ham, as side of fried okra (okra from the garden), tomatoes from the garden, and homemade sliced bread provided by Sis.

After supper, we watched a 2002 movie..."Charms For the Easy Life," starring Gena Rowlands. In the 1940s, three women, a grandmother, a mother, and a granddaughter, who live in a North Carolina town and do things their own way. Good movie.