Day With Darling Daughter*

Or darling daughter day--whichever.  I left my place at 10:00 am in order to get to Ellen's at noon. Two hours? Yes, driving it takes only 35 minutes or so, but when you go by public transport, you go by their schedule. Actually, I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me at all.

We chatted at her place, played with kitties, and otherwise enjoyed each other's company. We then went to Bart's Books, saw Greg, but he said he wasn't hungry and didn't join us for lunch. At Bart's, I foolishly bought a book (by one of Obama's staff members; it's mildly interesting), although I have six or more I haven't even opened yet. Can't seem to resist. 

El asked if I had ever gone to Yume, the Japanese burger place. What? No, never. I don't eat red meat at home, so don't buy it, but often enjoy it out. So we went there and it was, bar none, the best hamburger I ever had. The burgers are made from some kind of special beef called Wagyu, from Japanese cows, and you can choose from lots of variations and additions. Mine included teriyaki sauce, shredded cabbage, and a fried egg and other things. It may sound gross, but along with Sapporo, a good Japanese beer, it was wonderful. 

I chatted with the owner and told him my son has lived in Japan for thirty years. He asked where, I told him Setagaya-ku prefecture and it turned out that's where he was born and brought up himself. Later, Ellen said she had taken Mike and Violet there when they visited in the summer and they were able to chat with the proprietor in Japanese.  (Violet studies it in school and, of course, is a quarter Japanese herself.) 

Back to El's and we sat and talked, then she drove me to the bus stop; She took a selfie while we waited for the 16

 

While I was riding home, Tony C., my landscaper guy, called and said he's look at the tree next week and give me an estimate for trimming it. Got in after 5:00 and walking to my place, ran into Vickie. Mary's daughter has come from Ireland, which is where she lives, and has talked to the doctor director at the facility; Vickie's optimistic that things will improve. 

Wasn't very hungry for dinner, so did the roasted cauliflower thing and ate most of it. The very simple recipe calls for blanching it, then putting it in a 375 degree oven for twenty minutes after spreading the top with a cup each of mayo and shredded parmesan. Boy, that shoots  up the calorie count by a lot, so the second time I tried it, I halved the topping--still yummy. Last night, I used only a quarter cup of each and it was just as good! Goes to show you sometimes have to question your recipes--and everything else in life, for that matter. 😉    

* A highlight: our hilarious discussion about the abomination, "anyways," one of those linguistic horrors the hoi polloi seem to have embraced--it drives me crazys!