The stock pot will be leaving the porch soon, and it turns out she has the same use I did - to soak fabric in a large non-reactive pot. Sounds just about perfect!

Friends were over for lunch, comfort food today with a big batch of macaroni and cheese with steamed cauliflower as our veggie and banana bread for dessert. I was going to make hummus also but it was taking too long (once you start it's quick, but it was either make everyone wait 20 more minutes or just get on with the mac and cheese.) I'll do hummus tomorrow and then freeze most of it.

We enjoyed looking through old cookbooks from my mother's collection; this is about the only time they ever get looked at, and it is interesting. Recipes from the 1940s and 50s, suggested menus, and some of the frugal cooking of the war years are all there to examine. One friend also searched on a few and found them on eBay. I've already sold quite a few of them, figuring getting them into the hands of collectors who really want them is a good move (less fuss for the kids in the future.)

Laundry this evening will include towels used to dry dogs and several damp mats. This has been a soggy couple of days and the dog door area is covered with muddy prints.