How 5 days all rolled into one - Vernal wrap-up

The Bermuda Triangle has been acting up again. Days are disappearing without a trace. Thursday, for example. Completely gone. Only the time sheet on the desk at work proves it really happened.

Friday I busted out of work midway through second shift, That means I left the office after 8pm. 3 hours later I was rolling down towards the sea under the brightest full moon I've seen in a while. A small group of folks had rented out a seaside campground for a birthday celebration. Usually spring camping near the beach is an exercise in foggy, icicle-coated shivers. But the weather was incredibly accomodating - it was cold, but not so cold your nose falls off within 15 seconds of exiting the warm car. The moon was sailing high, and was bright enough to read by. AND there were many, many visible stars. Often the marine layer is too thick to see through and the stars are invisible. Bonus.

Despite a snarly start due to accumulated stress, and a few other glitches, it was a really nice evening. I sat up near the bonfire for a while. Someone was tossing magnesium flakes into the fire, it makes for very pretty fire effects. I put the wreath and sage left over from 2007's winter solstice onto the fire. Good bye 2007. Come ye never again.

Saturday was as gorgeous a spring day as you can imagine. I lingered with the campers, attempting to learn to hula hoop (permissible now that I'm in my dotage and beyond all shame). By early afternoon I was feeling restless. We concluded my role in the rites of spring by performing Carmina Burana in the nude, slaughtering a helpless slyph and three dryads, and roasting a spitted tule elk. And cavorting.

Mid-migration home I hit a very snarled Nordstrom Rack, and picked up 2 pair of shoe possibilities for the wedding. MLE called as promised, and I high tailed it home to drape camo netting over the house. Camo netting is great. It looks cool and it's very effective at masking my recent slobbitude. As predicted, they rolled in right around 8pm. We introduced Dan to the local burger chain, purveyor of the half pound of bacon cheese burger. Mmm arterial sclerosis.

The easter bunny did NOT visit my abode on Sunday morning. Which is probably just as well, as no one really needs all that sugar. Racoons would have eaten any eggs in the yard. After a big home cooked breakfast we took a lengthy detour: Easter Closure 2008, wherein we discovered just how many shops observe Easter. This torpedoed many of the engage-ed couple's errand-running plans. However, the world's Largest Long's Drug store was open; it's always an entertaining destination.

I rounded the weekend out with another dress fitting and a dinner party. I'd wanted to have a birthday dinner for MLE. Dan's birthday is next month, so it was birthday dinner for both. Their lovely friends from Oakland were able to join us. Happily I had a few things already on hand. With some dough hoisting assists and getting things from tall shelves help from Dan, and some juicing and muddling help from MLE I served up:

- Meyer lemon mojitos
- marjoram/parmesan and garlic/parsley flat bread

- baby greens with avocado and cold shrimp in a mild vinagrette
- north african spiced wild rice
- panfried turkey cutlets in a cumin ryecracker crust

- apple tart with ice cream



This morning I ran the dishwasher twice. Now it's time to get dressed and run off to work.