Improvise, Adapt and Overcome

I'm sure many of you have come to know how much my husband, Kevin and I love Clint Eastwood movies. I've posted several times about one of our very favorites, "Heartbreak Ridge". Clint very famously said, "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome" as Gunny Highway, and this quote is also the unofficial motto of the United States Marines. These are qualities of a good leader- someone who can think on their feet and use what is at hand to get the job done. I modestly think that I try to follow these principles- at work, and when cooking. After that long, roundabout explanation, I wanted to share with you a delicious cocktail that I am enjoying as I write...a Watermelon Mojito.

Today was the Sacred Heart Church Picnic at gorgeous Moore Park. The park overlooks Upper Klamath Lake, and has a cathedral of beautiful enormous pine trees in the picnic area. It also has a huge grassy area, so it's the perfect place for a Church picnic for 250+ people to attend Mass, eat and have fun with children!
The weather was also wonderful...but it was HOT this afternoon. After trotting all over the place, taking pictures, talking to everyone, handing out registration forms for Religious Education Classes (which start on September 9) I was sweating up a storm.
I checked in with my husband, Kevin, who was a volunteer cook with the other Knights of Columbus, to let him know I was heading home to my lovely air-conditioned living room. He sarcastically said something like, "You better have a cold watermelon mojito waiting for me with extra rum when I get home." We had purchased one of those cute little watermelons earlier in the week, and never got around to eating it, so we had briefly discussed making watermelon mojitos a couple of days ago.
Not one to back down from a challenge, I replied that he would have to hope I was kind enough to save some for him when he got home later in the day, which of course, drew a couple of laughs.
I drove home and exhausted, walked into a hotbox from hell. I had forgotten to turn on the air! Argh!
Anyhow, after I got the air on, watered the garden and played with the dogs and the chickens, I got busy making mojitos.
I found this great recipe from Sunnny Anderson of Food Network that seemed simple and tasty.  Here it is if you would like to see the actual recipe: Sunny Anderson's Watermelon Mojito 
Unfortunately, I didn't have most of the ingredients.
No agave syrup? No problem! I made some simple syrup. (We used all of the lovely lavender simple syrup a few days ago)

No limes or real lime juice? No problem! We had some Rose's lime juice left from the last batch of cocktails we created.

No mint? No worries...parsley will be just fine.
Not sure how much watermelon you have that is cut up? Deal with it- just chunk it all up and dump it in the blender. You can always add more or less rum.

No clear rum? That's OK, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum will probably be just fine.
Blend it all up, strain it, and pour over ice. It's cold, and pretty tasty.
Slainte!