Once again, I woke up early, got up and found the yellow blanket on the floor and pulled it up over me and slept some more until the birds and the light woke me. Today it is cool inside even though the windows were not open. There was another thunderstorm lat night--not much rain, but it cooled everything down nicely and was too damp to keep them open. Hotter days are coming, but yesterday was still good.

I stayed home during the day. My Dad came just after Ray left and did some gardening, although we find there is not that much to do right now. He brought me my birthday present, which he ordered from Williams- Sonoma after not finding it in a few stores here. It is an asparagus steamer. Part of me thinks, oh, no, where am I going to keep it, and why do I need one more piece of specaialized kitchen ware. But, it's pretty cool to grow your own asparagus and cook it in your own aspaaragus steamer. Ray says it's really a present for him...

For lunch, I had no choice, but to eat a sandwich--no leftovers hanging around. But when you have homemade bread and fresh homegrown lettuce, it is quite a treat to add some salami and cheese. And surprisingly filling. The bread is wheat bread and delicious.

As usual, in the afternoon, I was on the computer, and I'm not sure what I "accomplished." By the time Ray got home, I was very happy to get up from my chair and move around some more.

I took another pass through the garden and cut a few asparagus spears and a small bolting lettuce. I had started some spaghetti sauce in the morning by sauteing half a pound of our sausage and a few small (homegrown) onions. I didn't dare add any seasonings, because I wasnt' sure how strong the sausage would be. For instance, since the freezer smells like garlic these days, I didn't want to add garlic. Then I just added a large can of crushed tomatoes. I tasted it a few times and added a 1/4 cup or so of fresh chopped parsley and some ground pepper. We don't eat pasta much anymore, but enjoyd this, with a little grated Parm of course. And steamed asparagus--about 3 spears each.

Then we had a lovely treat. My Dad got an invitation to an event at the UGA Performing Arts Center. They decided to have a free evening to announce their upcoming season (and hopefully sell tickets). It featured a man named Franc D'Ambrosio, one of those minor celebrities I never heard of. He grew up in the Bronx, over the Italian bakery where his parents worked, hanging around Broadway whenever he could (at least to hear him tell it). He was the son of the godfather who sang operat in Godfather 3, and then he was the Phantom on Broadway for a long time, followed by national tours and working in San Francisco for a while. The show he did for us, with an accompanist/musical director, featured music from years ago ( mack the knife, for instance), and To Dream the Impossible Dream, Bring Him Home from Les Mis, and the two biggest hits from Phantom. Incredibly difficult music that requires really high notes held for a long time that must be exhausting to sing over and over in cities around the country.

They showed snippets of the acts scheduled for next year on a big screen and had cookies and water and lemonade in the lobby, where we picked up packets of information. At least they will save mailing costs. We saw lots of people we knew and had a lovely time. Ran into Brenda Poss, who said she had to hire someone to stay with Tom. Apparently he has dementia or Alzheimer's. She just had her children grow up and move out and now her husband is turning back into a child. Heartbreaking!

We were home a little after 9, time enough to watch our game shows before bed. Finished Janet Evanovich and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.