Cardis update

I received a copy of the supplement approved by the insurance company for the Cardis repairs. Their initial estimate was just over $2,500; the final total is $4,357.79. Yowser. I'm pleased to see the car listed as being in "Good" condition on the estimate and am still more than a little surprised they didn't total it.

The Cardis has been on the road since June 2002; it just turned over 193,000. And it still retains 25% or more of its original value. Based on info I could find online, I'm pretty sure my insurance company uses 80% instead of 70% as the repair cost/retail value ratio when deciding whether to total a car. I'm okay with that.

The whole thing remains a bet, of course. The Cardis will wear out at some point. That point could come at any moment; it could still be a year or more down the road. I'm hoping for the latter, but not counting on it.

They're painting the Cardis on Monday; it may be ready on Friday. If not, soon after. Yay!

The other driver's insurance company is covering a rental car while the Cardis is in the shop. The light blue Camry in my garage currently has a trunkful of minnehaha B's books and art for our trip over Cambridge on Monday. Susan brought them from Minneapolis and we'll move them into B&K's condo after picking K. up at Logan airport. Tomorrow, the back seat and front seat will likely be filled with Gavi's boxes as Susan and I head over to Smith in the morning to aid in Gavi's move out of Hubbard House. It's not a Cardis, and it drives like a sofa, but it's getting me around and I'm thankful for that.

Onward!

Dinner for a cool, rainy night in early May

I needed more space in the freezer, so the smoked turkey carcass that went in after Thanksgiving came out Wednesday evening. I made stock that night and, in its usual way, it gelled beautifully. I really ought make stock more often; after a bad start 40 years ago and avoiding even trying for a few decades, it now seems to be something that comes naturally.

So, super-yummy smoked turkey stock. Friday evening, I added some of it to the water the wild rice cooked in. I knew I wanted to add some of the baby bella 'shrooms we picked up. Thanks to Susan's suggestions, I sauteed the 'shrooms along with some onion and celery in butter'n'olive oil. About 7 cups of gelled stock quickly melted back into broth, and I added the cooked wild rice as it was doing so. I added a goodly number of shakes of Penzey's Sunny Paris seasoning mix and a few generous splashes of cooking sherry (oh, the shame -- I know I should keep the real stuff on hand and not use the salt-laden "cooking" version). As the soup continued heating, I took scissors outdoors and cut several blades of garlic chives for garnish.

I made one of my international grilled cheese sandwiches (flour tortilla in a bit of melted butter and sprinkled with Aussie bush spices and garlic plus 6-cheese Italian blend, folded in half and crisped a bit). Susan had enjoyed some Channa Masala a bit earlier, so opted for a light serving of the soup.

Totally delicious, and plenty of soup for the next few days. It's the first time I've used wild rice in soup without making the dairy-based Byerly's recipe. My only regret at this point is that I didn't see the Burgers' Smokehouse buy 1, get 1 free deal on smoked turkeys until 15 minutes after the sale ended earlier this week. But even that's okay, as there's no room in the fridge for the turkeys or in the freezer for their carcasses.