Family time

A week ago we went to visit S & S and the kids.  K had come home from school with a temp.  Her cat, Humphrey, was trying comfort her.  She only missed one day of school and was able to go back to attend her Valentines party.

  B and I spent time putting a puzzle together. 

 Then Shawn decided he needed a mental challenge so he put the puzzle together with the printed side down.  Better him than me.  I think we went home before it was completed, but I am sure he did it.

Weekend roundup

On Friday night G and I attended a play, "Flyin' West", at the Weathervane Theater near Akron.  The story is about four Black women who homesteaded in  Nicodemus, Kansas in the 1800s.  It was interesting to me having just read the book on the migration of Blacks from the South during that time (see last post).  Both groups moved to escape the Jim Crow laws. February is Black History month so that explains the theme.

On Saturday, G spent several hours repairing a ladder (that he had picked up on the side of the road).  We had been using it and I asked, "Why is there Duck tape on the legs?"  He pulled it off and found cracks on the legs.  He reinforced it with steel so now it probably is stronger that when new.  He looked up how much a new one would cost. It was less that $150 but he said it was relaxing to him to work on that project.  And knowing G, he would be much happier fixing up a find from the side of the road than buying a new one.

On Sunday we were invited to a "Chocolate" party.  Each guest was to bring something made with chocolate.  I made chocolate eclairs filled with whipped cream and mascarpone and flavored with rose syrup. But the most interesting item was chocolate crackers, which were flavored with smoked paprika. These were served with cheese.

Book Club

On Monday my book club had a discussion on The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. It is about the migration of Blacks from Southern states to Northern states from about 1920 to 1970.  Millions moved North to escape the Jim Crow laws. The book follows the lives of three families and has a lot of history in it. I am amazed at how little I knew about that time in our country.  The book is extremely educational but at times a hard read when she describes the torture and lynchings that took place. It was a good picture of how life was without any protection of your safety, not being able to vote, and living in substandard situations.  One reason I am in the book club is to read books like this that I would not normally know about.

Keep the Audi alive

I may have mentioned previously that the estimate on the repair of the exhaust system on the Audi (220,000 miles on it) was in excess of $1200, which is more that it is worth.  So G decided to repair it himself.  A metal sleeve holding to pieces together had rusted away, there were holes in parts and bolts were completely rusted in.  He found an acquaintance who machined the sleeve for him, then he cut off the bolts and had to drill the remaining part out.  This drilling took a few hours because the bolts were hardened steel and he could only drill for a minute or so before sharpening the bit.  He also welded the holes.  On Saturday we worked on this in the shop from 3 pm to 2 am the next morning.  He  reports it sounds much better, but still has a rattling sound and maybe a small exhaust leak!  So it is driveable.

We  did have second thoughts though because on Saturday we looked at a used car (Mazda Miata) which cost $3500, sometimes wishing we had bought it.  But the Audi seems to have a good engine and transmission yet and goes great in the snow, which the Miata would not.

Another Feast

G and I attended the Ambassador's Dinner sponsored by the Friends of International Students at Wooster College.  We are a "Host Family" for a young man from India.  This dinner was for students and their Host Families.  It was held at the Wooster Inn, where their chef made dishes from China (Egg Drop Soup), Uganda (Ugali with Tilapia), Zimbabwe (Peanut Butter Stew - Dovi), Sierra Leone (Beef Stew with eggplant) and Pakistan (Lamb Biryani and greens).  Included were drinks (8 Treasure tea, and Ginger Beer) and desserts from these countries. I noted no chocolate in the desserts. Students from the countries would tell about the dish they chose.

The main courses had a lot of starches in them so we were stuffed.  I am tempted to make one of these for our Fabulous Friday Feast.  But it will take a lot of research.