Keep Trying & Happy New Year!

Today has been great, even though we had no sunshine. This morning after Tony and I did our early morning chores outside, on the last day of the year, we came back inside so I could cook us breakfast.

Since tomorrow I am starting a 3 -5 day raw vegetables and fruits only fast, I decided to cook us homemade blueberry pancakes, thinking that the healthy blueberries and the organic maple syrup would reverse the bad effects of eating the unhealthy, but tasty stack of pancakes.

When I starting cooking the first two blueberry pancakes the phone rang—it was Kinky. "Good morning, Nance. Can you and Tony come over in a little while?"

"Sure. What's going on?" Then Kinky explained to me that he and Brian Molnar had discovered that there was a small six inch long by one inch wide hole, in the bottom of his fireplace and he was concerned about it. And after he had asked me to please bring along some tin, to patch the hole, I told him, "Sure, we can do that after we eat our homemade blueberry pancakes. I'm fixin' them right now. Would you and Brian like some? I've got plenty." That was my last dumb question I asked for 2014.

Twenty minutes later, Tony and I arrived, at the Lodge, bearing our gifts. I carried the foil-covered, hot pan with the delicious pancakes and Tony carried the cold scrap of tin we found by the barn.

Before Brian and Kinky helped themselves to my delicious, tall stack of pancakes, Kinky showed Tony the hole in the fireplace and then the three men went outside to check things out.

A few minutes later, they came back inside the Lodge. Then we went into the kitchen, so Kinky and Brian could sit down and eat their healthy/unhealthy breakfast, which they told me was delicious even though I already knew that.

Halfway through their meal, Kinky looked at me and said, "Tony told me that the fireplace is fine and for me not to worry about it."

I immediately laughed out loud, and shot back, "Famous last words." That made Kinky laugh and it caused him to nearly choke on a healthy blueberry. "When y'all get home tonight, after the show, the only thing left standing will be the fireplace with the six inch long hole, in the floor. Knock-on-wood. I am only kidding...."

This afternoon has been quiet. I cooked us leftovers for lunch. We ate a bowl of delicious, vegetarian chili and then Tony also ate the BBQ chicken breast, brussels sprouts and another baked sweet potato. Then I cleaned up the kitchen, took a short, sleepless nap, with our dogs and then I did some more paperwork.

Speaking of BBQ. This afternoon I got an e-mail from Eileen, my dear friend/volunteer. She wrote:

     Nancy, I looked really hard at the picture you posted on your blog of the BBQ sauce. 
I know you are unable to give out the recipe, but you said we could guess what's in it! 
I want to guess it has dry onion soup mix in it. There are bits & pieces in there that kind
 of look like it!
     You have a nice New Year's Eve. We're sticking at home due to the weather. I made a
big batch of chili & have black eyed peas ready for tomorrow! I forgot the cabbage. Oops!
I'm counting on those peas to help me in 2015, have good health & prosperity!

Happy New Year!
Eileen

Her "dry onion soup mix" guess made me chuckle, because Jim's friend's secret BBQ sauce recipe does not have dry onion soup mix in it or any other of the stuff people have been guessing. So I am going to write Eileen back, in just a few minutes, and say, "Keep trying, Eileen! You'll never guess all of the healthy ingredients in the BBQ sauce recipe. It's Jim's friend's, Jim's and my little secret. And Happy New Year to you, too! See you next year!"

Y'all have a great New Year!