We had such a good time last night. Judy, Roman, and Susan came promptly at 6:00 and we enjoyed a glass of wine and some nibbles for a half hour before dinner. The table looked beautiful, with the yellow tablecloth matching the flowers on the dishes. Our somewhat (well, more than somewhat) eccentric neighbor, Anne Mary H., had stopped in earlier to give me a "late Easter" gift. It was a pretty candle in a soft green, which I happily put on the table.
If I say it myself, dinner was superb. When I have people over, I always try to have everything possible done ahead, so I had put the salad (covered with a damp paper towel) in the refrig, had all the ingredients for the parsley rice measured out, and had the applesauce and rice ready to go. I wish I had thought to take banana bread out of the freezer--I didn't, but I don't think anybody missed it. (Whenever I have soft bananas, I make the bread--usually 2 loaves at a time--then freeze one for later.)
The pork was incredibly tender, flavorful, and easy to prepare. I would recommend this, whether for company or just family, to anybody. It's the kind that comes in a long, vacuum-packed case and you can get a variety of flavorings. I chose "rotisserie style" and barbecued. (Actually, the flavors are not strong, but the meat itself is so good, you don't notice). There are other brands, but I bought what I thought was the best, Smithfield, and yum, yum, yummy! Everybody had at least two helpings and there's just enough left to give Pat leftovers tonight. Susan brought a wonderful Boston cream pie and Pat and Roman each had two helpings of that. As for me, because I had gone back to WW yesterday morning, I admired it from afar.
Speaking of WW, the last time I weighed in was March 3. I was prepared to take my lumps by seeing the scale go up by at least 2 pounds, but guess what? It must be because I'm such a virtuous and deserving girl--the fact is, I lost a half pound! (Don't ask me why--may have been all the pretzels and ice cream I've been shoveling in.) Anyway, Leslie and I were delighted to see that the lecturer was Chris, whom we had had at the clubhouse last year.
After our company left last night (at about 9:00), I stayed up to load the dishwasher, wash the silver by hand, and otherwise clean up. I simply can't go to bed knowing I'll face all that in the morning. That meant I got to bed more than 2 hours later than usual, but I feel pretty good and will soon stop at Susan's for our morning walk.
I'm leave for the retirement party at Rider at about 11:30. Will first meet former colleague Helen for lunch at Simply Radishing, a restaurant in the Lawrence Shopping Center. The party isn't until 3:00, so I'll have time to hang out and chat with old friends beforehand.