Dem Bones

What do Rasta Joe's, Maui Wowee, Kinder's, Razorback and Sweet Meat have in common? A dinner that I didn't have to cook!

Labor Day has meant the Best-in-the-West Rib Cookoff to us for twenty years. We've even packed up our tent and rolled up our sleeping bags early (back in the camping years) so that we'd be back in time to get our ribs. Nowadays we traditionally go to the Cookoff with our neighbors and bring back ribs from several booths, mix up a fruit salad, add fresh sourdough bread and feast outside to celebrate the end of a wonderful summer.

This year our hunter-gatherering (is that a word?) at Victorian Square was wives only, so we celebrated being temporarily husbandless by strolling through the craft vendors. This is the first time in twenty years I've ever been able to do that. Men just don't appreciate a leisurely walk peeking at jewelry, wooden signs, metal garden art and straw hats when the smells of barbecued ribs, corn on the cob and beer-battered zucchini are beckoning. We women managed to stroll and still come home with three and a half racks of ribs.

My tummy is happy, my fingers have just about had their skin licked off in my pursuit of each flavorful drop, and we have a large pile of bones in our kitchen. Our favorites this year? Razorback had a nice spicy dry rub and Kinder's Hot BBQ Sauce rocked! Since we all enjoyed the spicier meat, next year we are opting for hot over mild when squirting a liberal amounts of sauce over each box of ribs we buy.

Kharma and Zelda were in dog heaven with all the rib bones that came their way. And I'm praying that all those bones agree with them since I'm the designated scooper tomorrow.

Farewell, August. One more day of summer vacation and then it's back to a regular paycheck!