grilling in the dark

We like to squeeze every possible grilling date out of the season. I know lots of people grill all winter with gas but we use charcoal and it gets hard to keep the temperature up enough when the temperature gets down below 50 degrees. So, here we are in the dark, with the charcoal glowing red. It looks like the blaster on a rocket ship.

Big steaks were worth standing in the cold and dark. We got a split side of beef from Mike last week so these are delicious and not from some factory farm which gives me the creeps. We get out chickens from Mary and from Mike. If I could only find a local source for tuna.

I chase the dark away with lights. Halloween spider lights, hula girls (thanks to Bob and Betty!) and turkeys at Thanksgiving, lots and lots of lights in the month of December. I have been known to wrap myself in lights. 

I don't believe I published this photo before but it's from last year. Apparently I felt the need to go incognito in my own home. You never know when you might be put on the witness protection program and not notified of it. In case a bad guy were to look in our windows, I would not be recognized which is a good thing, You can't be too careful.

Regis just went off to the store to buy a long list of groceries. I used to accompany him but Gus is not feeling favorable toward being left alone in a big, metal crate these days so he goes and I stay. We don't buy groceries often and this will probably be our last trip until the big Thanksgiving trip.

I suggested going off the beaten path and serving something other than turkey this year. That went over about as well as the time I served roasted root vegetables instead of mashed potatoes. Damn traditions. I'm going to buy a turkey from a real farm, though, and not one of those poor poor pitiful things I see drive through town squashed in the back of a giant truck. Ack.

I started my Thanksgiving planning because I had a nightmare that I forgot and when people showed up, I had no turkey and had to go all over town looking for one that wasn't frozen. It was a good lesson.

Regis had a dream last night that we went to England with our friend, Sam Kelly. Somehow we hooked up with the Queen of England who feigned interest in Sam's new discovery about gasoline. The dream was not specific about what that discovery was but it intrigued the Queen enough that she traveled back to America with us, to Sam's delight. Turns out she only wanted to come here to get drunk which distressed Sam no end. In Regis's dreams the people in England do not drink apparently.

I think I mentioned before that we are going to be programmers for the day on Shuffle Function, a radio show we listen to on KMSU. We have had to develop a play list of about 30 songs for the two-hour show. That has involved sitting at the table, shuffling through all of our CDs and negotiating about which CD, which cut, which version, how many by which artist. Here's our draft list:

Play List for Shuffle Function

1.  Sons of the Pioneers

2. Buddy and Julie Miller Dang Me Track 5

3. Decades Neil Young Needle and the Damage Done Track 17 (Disk 2)

4. Leo Kottke Embryonic Journey Track 12 (Disk 2)

5. Sinatra Summer Wine Track 13

6. Dylan Things Have Changed Track 11 (Disk 3)

7. Buffalo Springfield Mr. Soul Track 2

8. Greg Brown Good Morning Coffee Track 6

9. Willie Nelson I Never Cared for You Track 2

10. Reverend Raven The Woman I Love Track 8

11. City Mouse Moonlight Baby Track 7

12. Becky Thompson Carryin’ Fire Track 9

13. Warren Zevon Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner Track 4

14. Delbert McClinton Tell Me About It Track 2

15. Trampled by Turtles Codeine Track 3

16. Lyle Lovett She’s No Lady She’s My Wife Track 7

17. James Taylor Bartender’s Blues Track 5

18. Peter Ostroushko The Whalebone Feather Track 1

19. Dire Straits Money for Nothin’ Track 2

20. Dylan Farewell Angelina Track 5 (Disk 2)

21. Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter Track 1

22. Stevie Ray Vaughn Little Wing Track 4

23. John Gorka People My Age Track 14

24. Johnny Cash Bonny Prince Billy Track 6

25. Tom Waits Long Way Home Track 3 (Disk Bawlers)

26. Loudon Wainwright White Winos Track 3

27. Lucinda Williams Concrete and Barbed Wire Track 5

28. Dave Carter and Tracy Gramm Crocodile Man Track 6

29. k.d. lang Trail of Broken Hearts Track 3 

30. Buddy and Julie Miller

I'd say that is the play list of folks who have been around the musical block once or twice meaning old but not too old. There's no Elvis on there, notice that.

It was an interesting exercise. Kind of like choosing five favorite books to take to a deserted island. Or writing a letter to the editor with only 300 words. The list might be different if Regis were doing it alone but he wasn't. I can get a favorite CD and listen to it over and over for months like I did with Wonder Boys and Crazy Heart.

Our show is on from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. We get a CD of it so if you are even slightly curious, don't feel compelled to get out of bed before the crack of dawn to hear it.

Have a great Wednesday!

And a comment from my husband will follow. He is such a character and writes such funny stuff. Didn't want anyone to miss this:
First off the Queen would come to America to get drunk for the same reason that teachers used to go go out of town to drink. You just don't want the locals to know. Secondly, I don't want some lame ass scrawny bird on the table for Thanksgiving. Tom, the butcher at Hy-Vee told me that their turkeys are massaged nightly and, when their time comes, are given a ride to Mankato in a seed filled stretch limo. Obviously it is ok to buy one at the Hy-Vee.