One of my friends hosted the monthly prayer gathering at her home, today. I had told cousin P that I could give her a ride to the prayer gathering, so, she came over at noon and we left a few minutes after that. My friend lives about 40 miles away and the drive took me a little over one hour. It was a relatively small gathering , today, just eight of us. After the prayers were said, we sat down to a lovely lunch.
My friend had prepared quite a feast! I hadn't mentioned to her that I was trying to eat low-carb; I was going to eat whatever she had prepared to the extent I could and, if it meant eating some carbs, then, that was fine with me. She had prepared a baked pasta dish and a potato gnocchi and vegetables dish, But, in addition, she had spinach salad, roast chicken breasts, and baked salmon, as well! So, I could have easily kept to my low-carb diet. I don't care much for gnocchi, so I just took the vegetables from that dish, but, I did have a small amount of the baked pasta, as well. For dessert, my friend had made a fresh fruit salad, as well as flan and pomegranate flavored agar-agar.
We had a nice visit and it was past 4 o'clock when we left to come home. It was on the way home that we saw the double rainbow. If I hadn't been driving, I would have taken a photo of it, it was so vivid.
After I came home, I had a cup of tea and chatted with my neighbor T. Later, I did the dishes and cooked the pork chop I bought, yesterday. I also wiped the shelves of one kitchen cabinet and organized it, a bit. I wasn't very hungry for dinner, so I ate a portion of the pork chop and had some yogurt, afterwards. Later, I video chatted with my daughter.
Today, I am grateful for:
- A safe drive to my friend's house
- Being able to give my cousin a ride there and back
- A pleasant afternoon with family and friends
- Seeing a double rainbow
- Video chatting with my daughter
Plans for tomorrow include doing more grocery shopping and a load of laundry.
How was your Sunday? What are your plans for Monday?
Sounds like a nice variety of food at the prayer gather, something for everyone including you. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, she really tried to accommodate everyone's special diets; the pasta was gluten free, as well! My cousins and I had offered to bring a dish or a dessert, to make it easier for our friend (she has her own health issues to deal with), but she insisted on cooking. She is a good cook and enjoys cooking.
DeletePomegranate flavored agar-agar sounds interesting. I don't think I've had that dessert.
ReplyDeleteNil, they sometimes call it China moss. My grandmother and mother used to make it in Sri Lanka because it sets without refrigeration. My mother used to also say that it was very "cooling". One can buy the dried agar-agar as sheets or strands or blocks in Chinese grocery stores, some without any additional colors, some with added color, then, soak and boil them with water and sugar and/or fruit juice, flavoring, etc., then, pour into a dish and let it set. I guess one can flavor it with broth, too, to make a savory dish, but, I've always had it as a dessert.
DeleteGood for deciding to just eat whatever was prepared. Diets are a way of life, but sometimes real life gets in the way of them.
ReplyDeleteDouble rainbows are a gift! I live on the side of a hill overlooking a valley. Very rarely, when conditions are perfect I get to see a rainbow over it. I think I have only seen a double one time, and it was breathtaking.
Thank you, Anne; yes, I figured that going off the diet, every now and then, especially when eating at someone else's house, would be fine. My friend tried to accommodate everyone's special needs, preparing gluten-free pasta and asking if anyone was allergic to nuts before adding some to the salad, etc. My cousins and I hastened to assure her that she didn't have to worry because we were all nuts, ourselves! :D
DeleteThe double rainbow was beautiful! The colors were so vivid.
Rainbows always remind me of my mum. We were in the car after going to say goodbye to her in the Chapel of Rest and (in my head) I just said 'give me a sign that you are okay' and as we turned the corner there was a vivid rainbow filling the sky!
ReplyDeleteOh, Eileen, how lovely! That was, indeed, a sign from your mum!
DeleteRainbows remind me of my step-dad. He used to call me his rainbow. :)
What a lovely spread, and it certainly sounds as though there might have been lots of leftovers. Too bad the gathering was smaller than usual. It was wonderful to have such an assortment for different tastes.
ReplyDeleteYesterday was my friends birthday lunch. While the rest of the ladies enjoyed the restaurant's specialty of creamy mac and cheese, I had the Caesar salad with grilled chicken and no croutons. Restaurants are generally very accommodating for people with dietary restrictions. It was a lovely meal.
It was a wonderful meal, and my friend really did try to cater to many dietary needs. Yum, to both mac and cheese and Caesar salad! When my taste buds were off during chemo, Caesar salad was one of the few things I really enjoyed. I was told to avoid salads and raw fruits like berries that couldn't be peeled, but, I would rinse the lettuce in vinegar and eat a salad, occasionally.
DeleteRainbows are so amazing, I can never get over the fact that white light contains so many beautiful colours. I have a couple of ornaments that act like prisms when the sun is in the right position and I love to see where they create a splash of vivid colours somewhere in the room. So in a way I have something akin to a rainbow whenever the sun is shining at my house!
ReplyDeleteYes, rainbows are pretty amazing, aren't they? Who'd ever think that white light is composed of colors? Sometimes, when I water the garden with a hose, I see a rainbow in the spray of water. :)
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