Wow, it’s May 19. How did that happen? Sorry for the gap in blogging. To find out what happened, I refer you to my memoir, set to be published in 2047. According to something I read on Twitter dot com, the title of my memoir is the last text I sent:

“My Stomach Hurts, I’ll Just Have One Slice of Pizza.” Nailed it!

Anyway. Unlike last spring/summer, when I was working on the farm, my Saturdays are free now so I’ve been able to go to the local farmers’ market. My market pal, Gemma, goes with me. Yesterday we were there about 9 am and the weather was simply gorgeous. We stopped at Wawa first for coffee and a donut and then strolled the market, picking up carrots, Bibb lettuce, parsley, scallions, and organic Jersey strawberries (yay!). We need to start bringing a wagon or something. Last week, we got eggs, lettuce, and probably some other stuff, plus a big basil plant.

This week, the local Facebook Resource Exchange Group had a table sent up with stuff people wanted to give away. Gemma had a great time looking through these treasures and came away with some good finds. Next time they do it I’d love to bring some stuff up to give away.

Later in the day, I used the scallions and parsley to make Parmigiano Ranch Peppercorn dressing and made a salad for dinner with the lettuce and carrots and some chicken. I have made this dressing a lot lately and have brought salads to work fairly often as part of my ongoing quest to NOT EAT OUT FOR LUNCH. (Sometimes I buy a grilled chicken breast from our cafeteria and use that in the salad though ($4, not too bad).)

I am behind on my gardening and really would like to get some things planted today (Sunday), but I don’t know if that will happen. Aidan has a soccer game, Gemma has a playdate. My in-laws are coming over later. Maybe some night after dinner this week, instead. I have some herbs I want to try to grow for the first time: sage, rosemary, thyme. I need to get tomatoes going. I’m so out of the loop as far as dates and timing; I need to sit down with one of my old gardening journals and remind myself how some of this stuff works! The arugula and herbs I planted a while ago are doing well, though, and I’m able to toss some arugula in my salads, use cilantro for tacos, etc. The basil from the farmers’ market has been great for gravy and caprese sandwiches; my own basil has yet to really take off.

I’d like to get a Philly Food Works order this week. Although we have the farmers’ market now, I do like coming home to that box on my porch.

A few nights ago, I took a whole bunch of clothes that were stained and applied the magic formula to them (dish soap + baking soda + peroxide paste, then soak in water + OxyClean). One of them was Aidan’s new Sixers jersey that my husband bought him. The first day he wore it to school, he got soy sauce on it. While not all the stains came out of all the clothes, most did and the jersey came out perfectly clean!

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff was the last book I read. Wow! Good stuff. Maybe I’ll read her Florida next. On Overdrive, of course. But I did have two recent media splurges: $4 to watch a documentary about MOVE on Amazon, Let the Fire Burn. It was completely composed of archival footage. No commentary, just a few titles on screen to explain certain things. Little Birdie Africa/Michael Ward being deposed broke my heart. 😦 The second was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, on Friday night for the kids ($5?). Aidan suggested it, the other two said “Yeah!” and it was worth the $5 just to hear them agree on something so quickly. And wow! What stunning animation.

Time to get going and get a handle on this busy day. Need to pay bills, call Verizon and hassle them about a problem, plan meals for the week, do laundry, clean up, make sure the soccer uniform is clean, etc. After a pretty long spell of not buying much, Gemma needs new sneakers, I need some new work clothes and shoes, and Aidan needs a haircut. I’ll have to try to hit the thrift shops this week and look for a good deal on shoes somewhere. I received a check from eBates yesterday for around $5, which reminded me that I should still try to shop through it when possible! Gemma developed a cold the other night, which necessitated a run to CVS for medicine and a new humidifier. Nothing more annoying than a cold in May! (unless it’s July, I guess.)

I would like to take this moment to give a shout-out to all my friends and family. You guys are the best and I’m sorry that most of my communication comes in the form of texts/Facebook messages hastily composed on the train. 🙂 Hope to see more of you in person sooner rather than later.