Good morning ladies! It is already sticky and it is only 6 AM! We are having an influx of cicadas and there are dead ones on my deck! UGH! They are harmless pretty much, but they are huge and nasty looking. Guess I will have to get out there this morning and take a hose to everything! I have been putting it off because of the heat, but maybe I will just come back from the pool and do it in my swimsuit while I am still wet and cool!
Susan: That is just great about your DH! I know that has to relieve your mind a lot. Glad you can get away for awhile to your quilt guild. We always need to have something we love to do and get away once in awhile! Our pool stays open Memorial Day through Labor Day and one year we stayed open for 2 extra weeks. I think they close it just because of all the hassle. I know we are still having people who don't live here go swimming at the pool, but they won't fork over the money and pay someone to stay over there or security of any kind so I am not raising my blood pressure being the one to chase them out all day. The pool is right across the courtyard from our front door, but the clubhouse blocks my view so I don't know when people are in it. I would have to go out and walk around the clubhouse and I don't get paid to do that. Jack and I were in the pool a couple weeks ago in the afternoon and a pack of them walked up to the pool. I knew they didn't live here because they came in clothes and shoes, etc. One kid came inside the gate, but when the other adults saw me (I think I had a tussle with them last year) in there they called to him and left. When we got out of the pool, I locked it up and called one of the board members and told her why I locked it.
Jean: Jack doesn't like the pool unless it is really warm. I like it just cool enough to be refreshing. It is hard to exercise in a pool that is too warm. The cooler nights have kept it cool enough that I don't get too tired out swimming. I do try and put everything into it when I swim and dragging this chubby ole body around the pool in laps is hard enough work.
GLoria: We desparately need rain here. It clouds up, but all we get is a sprinkle or two. I guess Memphis is on top of a huge natural artisan well and that is where our water comes from. We have to be careful if we have drought conditions. We seem to still be ok, I guess though the weather guys are always talking about the "drought." Sounds like your friend can really use her friends right now. It is so hard when you get older and incapacitated and alone all at the same time. I am well and able to get around and get pretty lonely sometimes being in the house so much by myself so I am sure she gets very lonely in her situation. I am glad you had such a very nice visit.
I want to just strangle Jack sometimes. He signed up for NASCAR trackpass, which allows him to listen in on the drivers during the race. He got 3 months of Sports Illustrated, but HAD to contact them and cancel it after that or they would charge him for a year's subscription. I reminded him several times and you guessed it, he forgot and I saw a whopping $50 charge for a magazine he doesn't even read on our credit card online statement this morning. I told him this morning that there was a reason I nag at him, so next time he thinks I am nagging he should remember this conversation. I contacted the magazine online and canceled, but who knows how long it will take for them to credit our money back.
I am down almost 10 lbs over the past two weeks! WOOHOO! We had Hungarian Goulash over noodles for dinner last night with a salad. It was so yummy and not too many calories. I used the other half of the flank steak and cubed it and only used 2 tsp of olive oil to brown it, the onions and garlic in and used half water half ff beef broth, a tsp of tom paste and cooked it down then served it over no yolk noodles. It was spectacular. I sauteed some mushrooms with the meat then when I took the meat out and set it aside to do the rest, I took out my mushrooms and set them in a covered bowl to put over my part. Jack won't eat mushrooms at all. We had small wedges of chocolate pie that were almost totally ff and sugar free so the whole meal was only like 600 calories or something. Anyone that says you can't cook a tasty lowfat meal doesn't really try very hard. Of course, if you don't like to cook, it becomes more of a problem, but I really like to cook. I think next time I will get some ff sour cream to mix in mine. Jack won't eat it either! Ah, the cross I have to bear....
My sister was married years ago to a man from Hungary so I learned how to cook it and Chicken Paprikash. If you do it their way, it is pretty fatty, but you can use ff products, less oil, chicken breasts or lower fat meats etc and make a good meal out of it with lower calories and fat and not less taste. Paprikash has sour cream in it, so you guessed it, Jack wouldn't eat it, but I may make it for myself sometime and make him something else.
Well, it is almost 6:45 and I need to get upstairs and get the bathrooms cleaned and the dusting done so I can go to the pool in another hour or so. Have a great day gals!
Faye
I took "Mom" in this afternoon to have her shots updated. I couldn't get her stuffed in the carrier so called to make a later appt. Bob was out and about and stopped by. He called her and she came out of hiding so he could grab her and get her in the carrier. We had a scruffy looking cat show up on the deck yesterday afternoon . . . it did eat, but doesn't look very healthy. It spent the whole time under a chair and was in the chair this morning. I hope it goes somewhere else if it is going to die! 
Also glad to hear the doctors' appts. were good. Those check ups always make me nervous -- our son was in a brace for 22 months when he was 8 and had to go for monthly check ups. I hope it works out so you can go to hear the quilt speaker. 
Now I am 5 stockings behind! Hope your DH gets a good knee report! I wish we would get some of your rain . . . send it back please!
I'm with Jack when it comes to mushrooms . . . they are slimy and have no taste imo! 
The rest of your dish sounded yummy! 
You should get a sign to post at the pool when you are there . . . something like "Pool Patroller on Duty!" 
from Iowa!