At about 4:30 this afternoon I was sitting in my room working when Nathan popped in and said, HI MOM!  I looked up and screamed a little because he was holding up a chain with two big trout attached. 

I asked him to go OUTSIDE.

I followed him out.

Our next door neighbor, J, took Nathan fishing today.  I didn’t really think ahead to the possibility that he might come home with fish, and I stood there on the porch, taking his photo and praying that J would clean the fish so I wouldn’t have to.   I did it maybe once or twice when I was little and used to fish with my Poppa, but that was enough to last me.  I’m good with the gutting and head chopping offing. 

Turns out, one fish was J’s and one was Nate’s, and J was happy to clean them both.  Nate came back, again, this time just carrying the cleaned fish in his hands, Let’s cook it! I looked at the fish’s eyeballs and walked Nate back next door.  J graciously took care of the head and tail for me, and we went back home.  We’d decided to coat the trout in cornmeal, and then pan-fry it in butter and olive oil.  But, after being gutted it still needed some carving.  I wasn’t about to fillet it, so I just cut the rest of the way through it until it was in two pieces.  Nate and I consulted Mr. Bittman, who advised that we cut off the fins with sturdy scissors.  I swear that Nate’s eyes lit up when I got out the kitchen scissors.  Between the two of us, we cut off the fins.  It was really gross, and I totally had to go to my happy place as I was the one wielding the scissors. 

Nate did lots of the cooking, though with the hot oil I took over the frying duty.  I have never really cooked fish (successfully), and there was a whole lot of pressure on me to not screw it up.   And I didn’t!  He loved it, the girls loved it, and I even snuck the tiniest bite (that I chewed but didn’t really swallow because I’m on day EIGHT of the master cleanse).  It was really good, but not wise of me to taste it.  Just ask Gwendomama.

gwendo: hey there. hows the fast going?

me: okay. i just snuck a teeeeny bite of pan fried trout and my stomach is all DUDE WTF? but i had to try it, nathan caught it and we cooked it together

gwendo: Ur stomach needs transition time. . . like a toddler

me: i know, it was a dumb thing to do

gwendo: FRIED? yes a bit.

Strangely, frying a just-caught fish wasn’t the only thing I did today that I was different.  I also signed Willow up for soccer and somehow left the registration a future AYSO referee.  Then I went and bought a toilet. 

It was a good day; kept me on my toes.  I am trying, though, to imagine how this bumblebee ref uniform is going to fit into the spectrum of Stuff I Will Wear.  So far my imagination is not vivid enough.  I will have to get some better sunglasses or something.  Maybe pink cleats?  Or ORANGE ones (that cost more than the toilet I bought today).  Seriously, though, I don’t wear shorts.  Or yellow shirts.  The black knee socks with white stripes at the top are pretty okay, I guess.  Obviously I have a bit of the vain and shallow going on here, but how am I supposed to pay attention to who kicked the ball out of bounds if all that is echoing in my head is OMG. I LOOK LIKE A GIANT BEE ?

Tomorrow = Maker Faire.  Hooray!