Sunday, Dec. 29

Up at 7:30, but skipped my exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and she diced veggies...onions, carrots, celery, and banana peppers...for making a base for Dragon Soup. I sauteed the veggies in a small amount of olive oil, and then added beef and chicken broths, and frozen tomatoes preserved from our garden, plus various spices and herbs.

While these veggies cooked, I did this and that around the house, including storing some Christmas decorations. I like to get all the extra stuff put away, and then take the trees down right after New Years Day. The Christmas village on the mantel will remain as a winter village through January.

Later, I added several containers of veggies/gravies/pastas/meats to the soup. Whenever there are leftovers that are too small for a serving, or that will not work into other meals in a day or two, I put them in quart size plastic containers and freeze them until there are enough to make a big pot of soup.

It's called Dragon Soup, because I'm "draggin" stuff out of the freezer to make it. It's delicious every time, because of the blending of flavors, but it is also different every time, because there is always a different combination of foods.

Later, Mother mixed a batch of cornbread for the oven, and she and Hubbie enjoyed it, while I opted for biscuits and honey.

After lunch, we watched a  2010 movie borrowed from the library..."Country Strong," starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and Tim McGraw. A rising country star works with an alcohol sodden star on her way down. Romance plays a role in complicating matters. Rated PG-13.

We followed that with an HBO TV series, "VEEP," also from the library, but not long after beginning it, we realized there was too much language for Mother's ears .So I stopped it, and looked for something more mild on TV. Meanwhile, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle.

After a while, Mother returned to the den, and we watched a Lifetime channel movie, " The Wrong Woman," about a woman who is accused of murder, is represented by a dude of a lawyer, and eventually has to act as her own attorney.

Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we continued watching TV...episodes of "VEEP." We binge watched the first season, and if we want to see the second season, we'll need to request that the library to order it.