My husband was very happy last Sunday when he won some money at the casino. It was his birthday and winning was a terrific birthday present.

I consider myself very lucky. It seems that ever since I gave my husband a smoker, he has been a cooking fiend! He loves to try out different rubs and spices. He has smoked chicken, pork butts, vegetables, and more food than I can remember. Today he smoked ribs. He started them at 9 this morning and we ate them this evening. They were divine. He has smoked ribs before but was not happy with how they tasted. They had been coming out dry. He smoked them longer and at a lower temperature this time and they were perfect. We also had fresh fruit and potato salad.

Hubby’s aunt and uncle were visiting from Arizona and we invited them to help us eat ribs. We had not seen Carol and Dave for a few years and it was fun to get reacquainted. Dave has many of the same interests as my husband and they could have spent hours looking at guns and knives. Carol had been involved in a hand quilting group and enjoyed looking at my quilt projects.

We put the dogs in our bedroom because they can be a bit too friendly when someone new comes to visit. We let Brody and Elsie out after dinner and they got to know Dave and Carol in their normal fashion. Our dogs flunked obedience school. They think that making people feel welcome means wallowing all over them and giving plenty of doggie kisses. Ai yi yi. Be warned; when you visit our house you will be loved by dogs.