We had a delicious meal last night; with everybody bringing a dish, it was quite a feast. I cooked Calico Beans, but made the mistake of draining the canned beans before mixing them to bake. Needless to say, it was not the juicy casserole it was supposed to be. Once we got to our host's house, I doctored it with additional ketchup; and much to my surprise, it got rave reviews from several people. Here is the recipe:

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped bell peppers

8 slices bacon

1 lb. ground sirloin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tblsp. vinegar

1 can pork and beans, do not drain

1 can lima beans " " "

1 can black beans " " "

Brown bacon in skillet, then saute onions and peppers in bacon grease. Brown the ground beef. Mix all ingredients. Bake at 350* for 1 - 1.5 hrs.

Christine got a truckload of wedding gifts. This is a generous group of people. It's always fun to hear men's reactions at showers, especially after the older women pepper the young woman with advice, and their husbands realize how that advice relates to them. I laughed all the way through the gift-opening. And I was the one the bride handed her camera to to make pictures. Sorry if some of them are a little shaky, but it's hard to hold the camera still when you're laughing so hard.

Mike wore his new hoodie that his friend Jon gave him for his birthday. It was easy to tell who the Monty Python fans were (there were several), and who were not. He has maintained his sobriety for over a month now. I'm so proud of him. The numbers he got from the blood tests this week were so much improved that the nurse called and asked what he was doing differently. He's even lost 5 pounds.

I got an idea last night for a walking cane with a light near the bottom of it. There may already be something out there like that. If so, I'd like to know about it. It would help people like Mike when he's walking in an unfamiliar place that is not well lighted.