Labor Day Weekend

 

At the Park: Waiting for the Play to Start

On Saturday, I got up at 8:00 a.m. (after going to bed around 4:00 a.m.) to feed the chickens.  I thought I'd go back to sleep for another couple of hours, but, then, I noticed that M had left behind a shovel and a rake on Friday evening, so I texted him to let him know that they were here.  He said he'll swing by to pick them up, so I didn't go back to sleep.  Instead, I stayed up so I could unlock the gate for M (he used to have a key to my gate, but, he lost the key and I haven't made another key to give him, yet).

While I waited for M, I juiced the rest of the calamondin fruit I had picked, earlier - I juice them by hand because they are too small to be juiced with the juicer.  I also put some eggs to boil to make egg salad sandwiches for later in the evening.  And I put away a load of laundry.

M arrived around 11:00 a.m. and collected his tools.  I offered him a piece of the chocolate cake I had made on Friday night and he enjoyed that before he left.

Later in the evening, I made egg salad sandwiches and calamondin-ade (like lemonade, but, made with calamondin juice) and packed a picnic meal to take with us to the park.  My late friend A's daughters had invited us to attend "Shakespeare in the Park" with them, which is something we had done when A had been alive.  A group of actors and performers team up with the City's Recreation and Parks Department, every summer, to perform Shakespeare plays at an outdoor venue in Griffith Park, which is one of the largest municipal parks in the US (4,300+ acres and includes the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, the Los Angeles Zoo, etc.)  The performances are free of charge and people bring blankets and chairs and picnic meals to enjoy. 

My late friend A's younger daughter (also named A, whose bridal shower we attended in mid-August) gave us a ride there and back.  She dropped us off as close to the venue as she could and then, went to park the car and meet up with her sister C, who had driven herself separately.  There was a bit of a walk up hill, including three flights of stairs, to where the play was to be performed, but, I managed it.  

Saturday's performance was A Comedy of Errors and we enjoyed the performance.  C had brought a charcuterie board, popcorn, and cans of flavored sparkling water to share and we enjoyed some of that with the sandwiches and calamondinade I had brought.

We left the venue just before the play ended, in order to make it back to the car park before the rest of the audience left and the path down (and the three flights of stairs) got too crowded.  

After we came home, daughter and I relaxed while the last load of laundry dried.  I really enjoyed Saturday's outing and Shakespeare in the Park performance.

On Sunday, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to the sound of rain!  How wonderful!  It rarely rains before October over here, but, this time, it rained practically all day!  Light rain for the most part, but, we received about one inch of rain, which is quite a lot for us; the garden got a thorough soaking!

Daughter woke up early and tended to the chickens around 7:30 a.m. and I slept in.  After I woke up, I made a bread pudding to take to my cousin's house.  Cousin V was hosting a Rosary prayer gathering in memory of our cousin P who passed away seven days ago, and a lunch.  I had asked her if she wanted me to bring anything and she asked me to bring a dessert if I could.  I know that V likes my bread pudding, so, I made one.  She was so happy when she saw that I had made a bread pudding.  She said she didn't want to ask me to make one, but, was hoping that I would!  LOL.  Cousin P's daughter S who is in Florida and Cousin R who is currently in Scotland joined us over the phone and an app during the prayers.  

Afterwards, S thanked everyone for praying for her mother and told us that, since her mother had loved to dance and we were all there together, to  dance in her memory.  So, all of us got up and did a line dance in Cousin P's honor and had a good laugh because the majority of us didn't know the right sequence of steps and at least some of us, including me, were a bit off the beat!  

Then, we had the delicious lunch that Cousin V had prepared - savory rice, beef curry, sauteed chicken, spicy shrimp, sauteed green beans, dhal, spicy sauteed potatoes, and a salad of cucumber, tomato, onions, and beets.  Others had brought desserts, too, so, in addition to the bread pudding, there was flan, jello in custard, fresh fruit, and yogurt.

Cousin V asked us to stay to dinner, saying she was going to make hoppers, but, we declined as we wanted to get home before it got too dark to tend to the chickens.  But, I told her that I'd love to have some of the hopper batter, so she poured some into a container for me to bring home.  It was still raining when we left and some of the roads and intersections were flooded, and the tire pressure light came on when I started the car, but, we made it home safely.  

Daughter let the chickens out, but, they decided that they didn't like being out in the rain and went back to their enclosure almost immediately.  I picked a few more calamondin to juice and made us some tea. 

Later, I made us hoppers for dinner.  The Sinhala word for them is Appa; the Tamil word is Appam.  They are called hoppers in English.  Hoppers are like bowl-shaped pancakes with crispy edges and a soft spongy center.  The batter is a mixture of fermented rice flour and coconut milk, which gives the hoppers a slightly sour taste.  They are made in small wok-shaped pans which give them the bowl shapes. We ate them with chicken curry and lunu miris (sambol).  

A Hopper (Appa)

We had chocolate cake for dessert.

Plans for Monday (Labor Day) include taking the car to a nearby tire place (if they are open on Labor Day, it being a holiday) to have the tire checked and repaired if there is a puncture.  We also have an appointment to pick up two cat traps to trap the kittens so we can get them fixed.  Hopefully, the tire can be fixed so I can drive to collect the traps.  If not, we'll have to reschedule that.

This Labor Day weekend, I am grateful for:

- Being able to attend a Shakespeare in the Park performance of A Comedy of Errors
- Being given a ride to the performance and back
- Being able to attend the prayer gathering in memory of Cousin P at Cousin V's
- Spending time with family and friends, sharing food and laughter
- A safe drive home in the rain with the low tire pressure light on

Joyful activities this weekend included spending time with family and friends.

How is your Labor Day weekend?  Are you planning anything special for Labor Day Monday?