Pirates Went Off-Script!

Last night’s “playoff game” was not what I would have written, but unfortunately what I was prepared to watch. The Reds have the stuff, but this year they just didn’t click, not in a going to the post season kind of way. Too many key players spent time on the DL. (Because losing Joey Votto to knee surgery last year wasn’t enough.) So we start again in the spring and guys, try to stay in one piece next year! I really hope they negotiate with Shin Soo Choo and keep him as a Red. He’s been magic this year. Also David and I have matching shirts so we say “Choo-Choo” when we wear them together and we want them to be correct when we wear them!

On the other side of things, Pittsburg has been building steam for a few years, just until this year that steam was gone by the All Star Game and the second half hasn’t been kind to them. I’m not ready to give them the whole ball of wax this year, not while the Tigers and Red Sox are still in it. Actually Cleveland has been pretty amazing this year too. I hope to see them carry us Ohio fans tonight. Of course next they’ll face the Red Sox so they’ll lose our house after tonight, but tonight, GO TRIBE!


As a segue to cooking I have to confess that I might have had something to do with our loss last night. I’ve been craving my mother’s baked macaroni and cheese. I picked last night as the night that would be my first try at making it. Mom was a huge Pirates fan. Could be that the power I summoned was too much for my Reds. But look at my first try!

I noted last night that it turned out okay. My first attempt at going to act baked macaroni and cheese pieces much like Mom’s as Olive Garden’s crostada tasted like Noni’s; just enough to make me want to perfect it. I’ll definitely make it again.

We’re starting to get just a touch of harmony in the house. I think a lot of the time Carla and Marco fighting is really Carla and Marco playing. They just playe rough. Kaline is still pretty sincere with her growls but we found out the spraying wasn’t so much her acting out as it was not feeling well. She has a mild urinary tract infection. Now our greatest challenge is giving her medicine. She has to take it twice a day for two weeks and she does not like it! We tried mixing it with “Kitty Milk” the first night and she slept in Marco’s room. She drank the milk and got the medicine and then we wrestled with her to get her morning meds. That was not fun. Last night she was on to us and didn’t touch the milk. And this morning I meds were an even bigger struggle. We’re going to try one night with a medicine mix–in. Wish us luck.

One of the popular items Carla and Marco argue about is Marco have decided he likes Carla’s hammock. Kaline used it too but nowhere near as much as Carla. Marco finds it very comfy. We’ll see what happens in this new feud.