Day Five: Green Eggs & Ham

The weather was gorgeous today.  It was warm and sunny, and made you want to go sit down on the sidewalk and play with a leaf.  Days like this feel like a gift from the past, a little reminder that Fall is way better than Winter will ever be. 

This kind of weather is just right for grilling outdoors, and we were happily prepared with a ham in the fridge.  At lunch, Mike had plenty of time to fire up the Big Green Egg and get the ham prepared. 

It was easy enough: just mix up a little honey and brown sugar until it's goopy, then slather it all over the ham.  I must acknowledge that we have never done this before, but it seems like you really can't go wrong, so we proceeded with confidence.  

Mike popped the ham on the Egg and headed back to work.  By the time he got home at 5:00 and prepared the side dishes, the ham was a nice, toasty little sucker. 

Dinner was ready in a jiffy tonight, but Jack and I still found a little time to play in the backyard.  It felt strange, since it has been too cold to play in the backyard for over a month.  Jack exclaimed with joy each time he rediscovered a familiar object.  The fire pit: aha!  Garden: hello, old friend.  Stairs: I remember you!

We opted for easy side dishes that we had on hand tonight, because I just couldn't handle another grocery store trip.

The people at Price Cutter are beginning to wonder if I've lost my mind; my usual once-weekly trip having become nearly a daily affair.  Our dinner was perfect: healthy, easy, cheap, and yummy.  Of course Jack refused everything expect the pickle. 

I actually did see him eat a green bean.  I was afriad if I shouted out for joy that he might become alarmed and spit it out.  I sat very still with my eyes wide, trying to signal to Mike.  Mike gave me a puzzled look, and looked around for a spider or bug or something else that might provoke such a strong reaction.  He never saw the green bean.  Thus, there is only one witness to this small miracle.  Jack did not go back for seconds, unfortunately.  He chewed and swallowed and didn't make a fuss, so I consider this a very good sign.  We're making progress.

One step at a time, people.  I don't do sweet potato.  While kicking his feet and shaking his fists to demonstrate his true feelings about sweet potatoes, Jack discovered the tablecloth.  We enjoyed several rounds of peek-a-boo.

What could be better to finish a meal than a great big piece of cake?  Mike's mom, Kay, spent the day making German Chocolate Cake, and brought two pieces by to keep us going strong. 

Kay always has a homemade dessert to serve after dinner.  This means that dinners at her house always end well.  This also means that you can sneak a bite of something sweet at her house any time of day.  Since I like to eat cake for breakfast, this works pretty well for me when we spend weekends together at the lake.