Beans and Cornbread

I went to my in-laws this weekend. They live in the country--God's country, y'all--picture horse trailers hitched to muddy pickups, hay bales, and tobacco hanging up in the barn to dry.

In any case, I think I might have gained roughly five pounds in two days. We drove over to the next little town and ate at Cathy's Country Cupboard and let me tell you, it was some good, down home, stick-to-your-ribs kinda cookin'! We had a mess o' fried catfish, white beans, coleslaw, fried potatoes, cornbread, and sweet tea. I have to say that the white beans surprised me. I'm used to pintos (you know, cook 'em up low and slow with some ham hocks or fatback), but these white beans were even better. And then the desserts ... Lord have mercy! This old country gal named Frieda comes in early in the morning and makes all the pies and cobblers from scratch. Coconut pie, pecan pie, peach cobbler, lemon meringue pie, and blackberry cobbler were the selections when I went. Frieda makes what she wants to make. The blackberry cobbler had big, fat, fresh blackberries all through it and the crust was perfection. Frieda is an artist.

That was just one meal. I'm not going to get into the biscuits and sausage gravy, grits, and hashbrowns that happened at breakfast. I'm going to have to eat nothing but salad for days just to get the gravy out of my bloodstream. It was totally worth it though.

A few random Monday morning home shopping thoughts:

I had tons of emails about Lisa Robertson--where did she go? Was she fired? Which I found really funny. We have become so accustomed to the powers that be just canning people with no warning that if someone misses a shift or two, we're pretty sure that the worst happened--post traumatic host firing disorder, maybe? So, calm down. No, she's not fired and she didn't quit. She's back. Word is that her father had a stroke and she--quite understandably--needed to go be with him. I certainly hope that all is well now.

And the other Lisa--Lisa Mason--her hair is to die for! Props to Gino that big Hawaiian hair dresser husband of hers. Love him!

Sterling Silver Designer Day was a total bust for me. I haven't checked out the message boards yet to see how other people felt about it, but I wasn't impressed. The Ripka TSV was covered in hearts and I don't do hearts--Queen Bea is a heartless shell of a woman, you know. There was also waaay too much old stuff, too much expensive stuff, and not enough special deals. I know that the Q is allergic to having "sales," but we are in a recession. Tough times call for some sales on silver.

Speaking of sales, my diva hoops arrived! I totally rocked them down at Cathy's Country Cupboard.

On a side note, I've had some email conversations with several of you about writing. Yes, I enjoy writing. That's why I started this blog to begin with. I wanted somewhere to write that would be fun and freeing. Writing books is a long process that involves more planning, editing, and rewriting than actual writing (writing is rewriting, right?) I wanted instant gratification and I didn't want to fuss over perfect grammar--I wanted to let my participles dangle freely! This blog is a perfect outlet for that.

Anyway, I've once again been bitten by the nasty book bug. A little seed was planted in my head while I was watching a news story one day. That's what happens when your at home laying on the couch with the flu. Your brain is all mushy and fertile--ripe for planting. That little seed has since grown into some characters who I adore and a funny little plot for them to play in.

I know that a few of you are also writers and I know at least one of you is writing a book and another is thinking about it. I'm looking for some buddies to go through the writing muck with me and sit in the dark, lonely trenches. If for no other reason than to provide little word count encouragement. Trust me, it helps! If you've ever done NaNoWriMo, you know that a little peer pressure and competition will spur you to higher word counts. If you don't already know, writers are expert naval-gazers and need a little motivation to actually do something remotely productive. Any takers???