Shhhh, Ke-Bab

Well, it wasn't really a secret cooking on our new grill, but thought that if I could be punny with the title, I wouldn't have to be so witty in the post. Shish ke-bab I believe is Turkisk for skewer meat or something like that. So we had ourselves an old Weber charcoal grill that really needed replacing. Our grill was so old, we couldn't buy briquets we had to make them in a kiln. I've always thought a shelf or counter would be handy when grilling, so we decided to spend a little more and get an upgrade from the usual grill. Gas under pressure kind of spooks me so we decided to stick to the old ways. Besides I like the taste better, I know most say it tastes the same, but I don't think so.

On the Ides of May we invited three generations of women friends over to help us break in the Weber. We probably didn't need to do that, but it was required with the old grills for luck and I believe in the tradition of the "Grill Girls". Now me...I'm a burger and hot dog guy, but the women think vegetables are important in a diet so we tried ke-bab as a happy medium. Decent compromise I guess as long as we have lots of beef. May was wonderful weather here in Minnesota's Great North Woods and so was this particular evening.
Three women and a poor soul sole man. Connie, Barb, Ashley and Rachelle skewer the vegies and I do the meat. Way too much color here.

“Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat”. ~Fran LebowitzFilling up the grill, be a bit more room for meat if we got rid of all that color. Oh well. One of the funny things about women? They order salads all the time and keep chocolate bars in their desks. Men are more honest...in my view.

“A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.” ~Gertrude Stein

Benson the Llasa Apso boy dog patiently waits. He happens to agree with me and prefers meat to vegies. Doesn't give a darn about color. Nope, he's color blind like me.

“Dogs have not the power of comparing. A dog will take a small piece of meat as readily as a large, when both are before him.” ~Samuel Johnson

Too many cooks on the grill...well standing near it.

"That outdoor grilling is a manly pursuit has long been beyond question. If this wasn't firmly understood, you'd never get grown men to put on those aprons with pictures of dancing wienies and things on the front and messages like 'Come 'n' Get It'". ~William Geist, 'New York Times Magazine'Aha! Arrg, snort, snort. I have a stringer of pineapple and peppers. Ooooo, ish ke-bab. Where's the beef? See, it's starting to look silly to you too isn't it?
Ashley thinks my hand puppet is really hot, or cool. Somehow to her those two words are synonymous. What's up with that?

“I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad a turkeys. There's turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastromi,.Some one needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself.” ~Mitch HedbergConnie listens as I tell her about me stalking the wild asparagus, skewing it, and tying it to the hood of my Mustang pick-up.
The new brick red weber charcoal grill. It has a working area and a place to put a 20 pound bad bag of charcoal. Sorry, no crisper drawer.
Another meat eater, Queen Emma.
The humming birds visit for sugar, which would be my second choice after meat and long before vegies. My youngest daughter always called them honey birds, appropriate moniker don't you think?
Now ya know I just had to order these cute little salt and pepper shakers if for nothing else a conversation piece. Now what does one use these condiments for? Color? Hardly. It's black and white.
Now through eating, we retire to the screen porch where Barbara points out how big I'l get if I don't add vegies to my diet.

“I'm an old-fashioned guy... I want to be an old man with a beer belly sitting on a porch, looking at a lake or something.” ~Johnny DeppBenson gets his ears scratched. For awhile I thought I might eat more vegies if I got mine scratched, but I've noticed that it hasn't worked for Benson. So I was wrong there too.

“The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had.” ~Unknown
Near the campfire, Rachelle pins daughter Ashley's arms down being overly protective or hoping she won't get away. But I've got bad news, she will in a couple more years.

“Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people.” ~Garrison Keillor

Me and the girls and the most fascinating thing to look at is the fire. Ablazing? Amazing.

“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.” ~Bruce Lee

Sun down over the mighty Mississippi, but here rather calm and calming.

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator”. ~Mahatma GandhiMakwa the Tomcat must be after a drink as I'm sure the birds have gone to bed having been good little birdies and eaten their vegetables.

Now that could be the moon or the Cheshire Cat.

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls.” ~Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Alice: You've gone quite mangy, cat... but your grin's a comfort.

Cheshire Cat: And you've picked up a bit of an attitude, still curious and willing to learn, I hope.