I hit the ground running at 5:30 yesterday morning.  There was still a lot to do to get ready for the birthday cookout.  

I'd spent most of Friday working in the yard.  Two or three weeks ago, I'd spent a whole weekend raking sweet gum balls and picking up sticks, but had not made it all the way around the yard.  So before I could mow on Friday, I had to pick up sticks and limbs - three wagon loads full, plus several big limbs that would not fit in the wagon.  The yard was pretty much an all-day job.

The first thing on yesterday's agenda was to make the custard for the ice cream so that it would have time to cool before starting the freezer.  The recipe called for six egg yolks, some milk, and some sugar, cooked in a double-boiler until thick.  I must've had the double-boiler too hot, for the eggs scrambled, and I had to throw out the mixture and start over.  (Good thing I had all those extra eggs, huh?)  I made the next batch in a skillet, the way I make custard for pies.  These eggs scrambled a little bit, too, but a few whizzes in the blender took care of that problem.

The next problem was that the recipe did not make enough to fill up the ice cream freezer.  I added extra cream and sugar but didn't have any more strawberries.  The ice cream was good, but it could've used more strawberries.  

It was a good party, though, and worth every minute of the work it took to pull it off.  All of my children and grandchildren were here, except for one grandson.  It was so good to have them all together.  Nanny came, and some other relatives from the hill were here.  We had a few unexpected guests, but they just added to the fun.  Our two sons brought their guitars, and after the meal we had a jam session on the back porch.