Some People Call it Geezer Romance

I spent my evening the way a family gathering should be spent--talking with the family.  Actually, it was more than just talking.  It was a lively discussion about the problems some people have with church and how to figure out what the real rules are.  This is my excuse for not having gotten very far with Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, but it's a pretty good excuse, if you ask me.

I'm sure I can sneak in some more reading here and there, but what I have covered so far is a drily comic story of a widowed British gentleman, caught in a moment of bereavement.  There's conflict over a family heirloom.  There's a visit from the three town busybodies, one of  whom is single.  The other two busybodies make sure she's dressed-up, made-up and perfumed up.  Then they shove her forward to express condolences and make pleasant conversation.

Then there's the Pakistani woman who owns the village convenience shop.  A cup of tea starts a friendship.  Then, more tea, more friendship.  Nobody's calling this thing a romance yet but, my, my, the major's step sure is lighter when Mrs. Ali comes around.

No telling what the proper Britishers villagers will think of a romanc . . . er, . . . friendship between one of their own and this foreiger lady.

I'll keep you posted.

In the kitchen (mine, not the Major's), I decided not to let the remainder of a jar of Alfredo sauce go bad.   Don't we love websites where we can type in an ingredient and a recipe appears before our eyes?

Summer Squash Chicken Alfredo

Yep, this is the one where I got rid of the sauce, but now I own a wealth of sun-dried tomatoes, all looking for a way to get on to Bye-bye Nesquik's dinner table.  I'm sure allrecipes will furnish some tasty options.  Hopefully, this doesn't become some vicious cycle where using up the tomatoes requires balsamic vinegar and cooking with the vinegar requires pine nuts, ad infinitum.   You get the picture, I'm sure.