Soul Food
8:48 a.m. - 2005-06-05


Had a rough week at work, learning the new desk, full of stress, humiliation, triumph, and hassle. But I can see ahead to a place where I actually know what the heck I am doing, so will hang in there.

On Friday, 6 of us went out to lunch to celebrate the upcoming birthday of my new boss. I was wondering what 6 ladies who work together would talk about over pasta, and was surprised to learn that we talked about movie stars, who was gay in the entertainment industry, and stuff like that.

This weekend I have spent sewing. I made a pair of black slacks by sewing a little each day before work (I now go in later), and on the weekend I have so far finished two T-shirts and put the buttonholes in the black crepe shirt. I am now sewing on a coffee-with-cream-colored t-shirt, and am almost done. I am also tending my plants, the new sprouts for the garden, which is going in late this year. I have almost 50 cucumber plants started, plus basil, other herbs, and flowers. He is gradually digging up the yard, and we are attempting to perk up the lagging baby orange tree.

In food news, we went for a drive yesterday to go to book sales in Pleasant Hill and Antioch, and after that we decided to try a restaurant he had seen reviewed in the paper last February. It was for Leola's, a soul food restaurant in Pittsburg. This was a very nice restaurant, clean and homey looking, and the food was terrific. We tried the fried chicken, smothered pork chops, and BBQ ribs. I was especially interested in the sides, and I tried the mixed greens and yams, while the others tried the red beans and rice, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese. Everyone was friendly and proud of their food, and the location is very nice, in the old town section. One dish we didn't get to try was ox tails, which looked like pot roast, and I bet it is delicious too. We finished up with peach cobbler, which got the Abby seal of approval.

Off to church, then more sewing and TV watching.