Summer is Coming

                It’s already May and the students have left for the summer.  It feels like they just got back from the winter break.  I don’t know how this year has already slipped almost halfway by.  I suppose the fact that the weather has remained relatively cool might have something to do with it not yet feeling like summer is almost upon us.  We have had a nice period of cloudy days and thunderstorms.  Winter storms in May?  Top temperature in the 50s?  That’s almost unheard of in Texas this time of year. 

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                Everyone is so excited for the summer months to arrive.  I don’t know what the big deal is.  You like being hot & sweaty?  So you like feeling miserable?  Because that what it is to me.  Miserable.  I have to wonder about people that find that alluring.  Do they also like being punched in the eye?  Do they enjoy being stung by bees?  Falling down a stairwell their idea of a good time?  Baking in the summer heat is the equivalent.  Yay to high electric bills!  Yay to high water bills!  What a time to celebrate!  Mosquito bites & sunburns!!!  Hip hip hooray!!! 

I realize this is basically a long winded complaint about my least favorite season.  I’m sorry for that.  I hate complaints.  I hear too many of them all day long. 

                Yes I’m living in the wrong state if its summer I fear.  As stated previously, I love the cloudy skies.  The rain.  Cold weather.  And I have gotten pretty lucky this spring.  It has been a wet one.  Our lakes look like lakes again.  My memory doesn’t recall seeing so much water in Twin Buttes.  The last time they were at this percentage was July 5^th 1993.  Places that I use to spend a lot of time at are submerged.  If only they had practiced some land management.  So many water hazards out there.  It’s still very nice to see, nevertheless.  Saturday morning we got blasted.  Wind damage all over town.  Old tree’s snapped like tooth picks.  Somehow my house got lucky.  All around us: apocalyptic.  Positive note: 2.9 inches of rain.  Most that I’ve measured all year.  See our lake levels go up again.

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                One good thing about summer is the quiet campus.  After the hustle & bustle of the two proceeding semesters, it’s just so nice to have a little silence.  Honestly, it takes a little getting time to adjust.  I can now drive the golf cart across campus worry free.  Most of the year it’s a game of dodging the deaf & blind hooked to tiny computers.  Zombies completely engaged in the devices they carry that they neither see nor hear what surrounds them.  I wish they would disconnect & enjoy the beautiful world they let pass by.  I had an English professor tell me to take a moment out of each day, sit down, and write a little about what you observe either by sight or sound.  Just a small sentence or more.  Every day you will have a moment to take with you.  Memory is an unreliable camera.  Maybe more people should take that moment?   Oh Well.  That’s a rant for another time.

                To those of you that enjoy this dreadful time of year, cheers!  I Hope your deodorant holds up.   I will be cranking my AC & hiding from the sun whenever possible.  If you see me out in it, know that it’s not by choice.  I am probably miserable & day dreaming of temperate climates far from west Texas.  I’m envisioning glaciers in Alaska.  And if I hear you complain about the heat, I will remind you:  YOU wanted this.

                Jalapeño

                Teriyaki chicken w/ pineapple & jalapeño.  I now know how to make leftovers!  Just make a meal so spicy that Bekah can’t finish it.  Walla!!!  Leftovers!  I only used 2 peppers for goodness sake.  I guess this meal falls into the “only eat when Bekah is gone” section of our menu.  Bekah ended up making Mac & Cheese.  Insult to the cook!

                Coconut chicken curry served over broccoli.  I mean, this is just a good dish. 

                Ground chicken Asian style lettuce wraps.  This is only the second time that I’ve cooked with ground chicken.  I’m now looking forward to finding other delicious ways to incorporate it into my diet.

                Italian seasoned blacked pork tenderloin w/ raspberry chipotle sauce & Brussel sprouts.  NO JALAPENO!!!  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it doesn’t need the green pepper.  The sauce is warm enough.

                Beef bulgogi.  This is a HelloFresh meal that my friend gave me.  I was a bit hesitant.  Bekah was excited.  I prefer chicken if I’m having bulgogi.  This was my first time to have ground beef.  It turned out pretty good.  Beef was a little too high of fat content for Bekah.  She said she needed to scrape her tongue after eating.  But it was a hit.  I had to spice it up a bit.  One thing that I’ve learned from meal kits is that they are generally bland unless you add some extra flavor.  I get this.  Provide the basics and let customers determine how much “kick” they want to add.  Most people don’t like their tongues to burn.

Cocktail of the week:  Scotch on the Rocks