Sarah's Birthday

Well, it's Italo's girl, Sarah's birthday. Or close enough to it to have a party for her this afternoon. It was going to be a big one until Chepa decided she had to leave town for a few days, taking her babies--and one of her sisters--with her. That cuts out the other sisters and their families, and eliminates my friend Lynn and his family--his wife grew up in part with Chepa in Peru--and leaves Italo, Madeleina, Sarah and I, as Marco is working. But as I've made food for 25, I think I'll be posting a "Free Bar-be-Que" sign on the front lawn just so it doesn't all go to waste. What food, you ask? Good question.
Let's see: For the carnivores there are a few pounds of good steak, a couple of formerly whole chickens, now cut up and marinating, some hot links, and hamburgers. For the people who just want to get fat there is macaroni salad, couple of pans of mac and cheese--which Sarah loves and it's her day--the traditional BBQ Gorman potato and egg salad and a bunch of avocados that will wind up as guacamole. And then beans.
And for the health nuts: Good old salad with romaine, cukes, tomatoes, some walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. And then a nice dish of spinach with red pepper and garlic; plus steamed asparagus in a sauce I haven't thought of yet.
And birthday cake and fireworks and a bottle or two of Jagger--again, Sarah's request--and whatever else we can come up with.
And why is so much of this food ready already, you ask? Good question. It's because we've got a stuck kitchen sink and I don't have the money for the plumber at the moment, and Italo is desperately afraid I'll embarrass us all if I keep pouring water from the sink into the ice chest and then emptying the ice chest out into the back yard as we've been doing for a few weeks. So yes, most of it is made or near made and it's only 9:30 AM with the party not slated till 3 or 4.
Only now there are no people. Hmmmmm.....it all falls on Chepa because without her, her sisters don't come.
On the other hand, some of that food will wind up with Boots, the Wonderdog and (the non-meat stuff) with Meat, the pig, and the two new goats (yes, both sackless this time around as I learned my lesson from the Goat From Hell on the last go round) that I am about to pick up in the next town. Yes, Sarah wants them. I hope she'll remember to feed them this time.
And in return for me having to care for damned goats for the foreseeable future, I'm returning the favor by buying her a whole lot of flowers in tiny pots that she'll have to plant around the house.
That ought to work off some of the weight she's about to put on this afternoon.