Fourthly Fun

I'm spoiling the heck out of my kid this weekend. Tonight, we're going to the circus (see previous post). Since there is a chance they will be selling peanuts, Jamie has agreed to go wearing a face mask, and I have declared he cannot sit down or touch anything until I have wiped our seats down with antibacterial wipes to remove any peanut/nut antigens. He said he doesn't care what he has to wear, he's just happy he gets to see a circus. I think that's a fine attitude to have, don't you?

Tomorrow, we're going to make some banana pudding, work on the old house, I'm going to do some homework, and Spencer is coming over to play with Jamie for a few hours. We may also give both dogs baths, as Ziggy is turning grey and Buddy no longer has much visible white fur - although he is naturally half brown and half white.

Saturday, we're going to spend the morning with homework, housework and cooking, then we're going to go to the San Antonio Symphony's Fourth of July concert and fireworks show that evening. The symphony will be playing "Lincoln Portrait" (narrated by some local DJ), then after the concert is "San Antonio's largest Independence Day fireworks show". I had to purchase my ticket for $20, but Jamie gets in free. Also, coolers and picnics are greatly encouraged at this event. The city is also hosting a July 4th event downtown with fireworks that is free, but you are not allowed to bring in coolers or your own food. You have to buy it from the vendors who paid for the privilege of selling their wares there. Considering the fact that 1) the food is way overpriced, 2) I don't know how dedicated each individual vendor is to cleanliness, and 3) I don't know who uses what-all kinds of oil and/or nut/peanut products in their food - I think I'd much rather pay $20 for me to get in and be able to bring food that I know is safe for Jamie. Plus, as the vendors are so dang expensive, I bet you anything I'd pay a lot MORE than $20 for food for the two of us at that supposedly "free" event. Not to mention paying for parking.

Sunday, I'll finish up homework and (maybe) study for my finals - they're next week. But mostly, I'm going to spend time with my boy. Maybe we'll order up a movie, maybe we'll do more cooking. I don't know yet. I'm just going to spend time enjoying my boy.

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Funny story: I'm currently teaching Jamie how to cook. Right now we're working on simple meals of the "one-skillet" or "one-dish" variety. Thanks to Tooz's link to "Depression Cooking with Clara" on R.O.U.S.-es a bit ago, I found Clara's recipe for "Poorman's Meal" (episode 2 of the series, if you want to try it). Apparently, they ate a LOT of potatoes back during the depression. For this recipe, you have to peel the potatoes before cooking. I was showing Jamie how to peel, and he was trying to peel them very gingerly. I asked why he was being so slow and careful. "I don't want to cut myself" he replied. I glibly stated, "Oh, you can't cut yourself with a vegetable peeler. Look, see?" At which point, I cut open my thumb. Now Jamie has learned the wisdom of not pulling the peeler toward yourself when peeling potatoes.