Lo, I am with you always

If only I could have remembered THAT yesterday.

As I told the Cowboy, yesterday was a "build character" day. You know, when something terrible happens that you have to deal with, your very loving brother/father/grandfather tells you: "Builds character!"

Turns out a full-size freezer can completely thaw in two days. It also turns out that when you're at home by yourself, it takes a long time to lug everything out of said freezer, decide what's good or not, and find places to stash the good stuff to keep it cool until you can deal with it. And when you throw away the yucky room-temperature stuff, the bag becomes so heavy that people my size can't lift it. All the while, your fingers are freezing to the shelves and sides of the freezer and you have to tear them back off again.

That was about six hours of my day, including getting all the now-thawed beef bones into stock pots to boil out broth. This is when Cora realizes again that it is her oldest brother's birthday, and she is supposed to make him a birthday dinner. Not only that, she has no present for him.

This is when Cora falls into a chair and cries, "I can't do this!" *flails*

But she did, because she had to. Knowing something is required does wonders to your reserved energy. I made dinner. Score 1 for Cora.

My darling brother came home, gave me a silly grin and said, "Well, I guess I'll get my birthday dinner and then mosey on into the ER." Oh, no... :-( He's been having problems with wonderful afflictions such as stomach ulcers and other internal bleedings lately.

When Mom got home, she convinced him not to go because he wasn't in a great deal of pain, but it was entirely traumatic for Cora. Her mother said, "This is just the first of many disasters you'll have to deal with while you're married. Especially if you have kids." Builds character. Thanks, Mom.

Today, Cora will be cooking more meat. Anyone want some steak? We have lots to eat in the next two days...