so I'm feeling good...
...and thought I'd take time to update before another crisis hits.
Yesterday I spent almost $200 in foodstamps on groceries at Wild Oats. So there is plenty of good food in the house. I was also able to make it to the chiropractor, which helped my back immensely, and got bleach and blue so I'm finally ready to dye.
I had to get up around 3 or 4 am to walk Arthur, Elisabeth's dog. But this morning he didn't wake me up- and waited patiently for Elisabeth to get up. Very nice.
Then before Patrick and the little kids got up I was able to get cash in the bank. Now I have money! We can pay the utility bill today.
I drank some grapefruit juice and put some Beeler's bacon in the oven on low heat and took my vitamins before I went to the bank. When I got home, I fried free-range eggs and made French Meadows toast for everyone so we all had a good breakfast. I am glad to have favorite foods and healthy food back in the house.
Then my mom called and offered to take Peter for the afternoon. And Peter took a nap at his usual time- he fell asleep on the tit yes, but he let me take him off and Patrick laid him down without a peep. So he was out of action from 12:30 till 2:00, then mom picked him up. Peter has a very special relationship with my mom. He gets all serious when he sees her, and demands to be picked up. Then he lays his head on her shoulder and lays very still and quiet and serious. He'll stay that way for a long time too, most of the time she has to put him down before he wants down. I'm not sure if it's because until the last few months he hasn't gotten to spend a lot of one on one time with my parents, or what. My mom picks up the other kids on Wednesday nights to take them to fellowship dinner at her church, but Peter doesn't go because he's not old enough (IMO) to stay in the nursery while she has choir.
After breakfast I got some exercise wheed wacking the lawn. I can't say I enjoyed that, though I like the results. My hands felt like I'd been using a jackhammer, and it was hard on my back. I much prefer a mower. But, the yard looks much better. I spent a good hour and a half or so scraping the weeds off the sidewalk and driveway and front walk too. I still need to sweep up the residue, but the front walk and stairs are swept and rid of ancient leaves and crabgrass, and look much nicer. I also got a few items in off the porch so it's not quite so junky.
Patrick and I had a private interlude before my mom got here, which included a few extra calories and a good back rub for me. Thanks PBS! Then he got the kids moving on doing their chores. Elisabeth washed a bunch of dishes and Isaac took care of folding and putting away a load of laundry. His throat is still hurting, but he's feeling a bit better.
Then Patrick stayed here with the kids while I went to Easy Way. Easy Way is this awesome local chain. Little concrete block building painted bright orange, inside and out, dotting the city. They stock the equivalent of the produce my grandmother used to buy- sold from a truck on the side of the road. Bushel baskets of okra, tomatoes and peaches. Summer squash, turnip greens, and all kinds of melons. The kind of fruit you take home in brown paper bags but that doesn't need to ripen because it was picked ready to eat. It's not organically grown, but it smells like a tomato and tastes like a tomato. Easy Way also has your typical bananas, apples, oranges, and some of the more trendy produce like cilantro and avocados. Basically a lot of produce as close to homegrown as possible. And jars of brandied peaches and mango salsa from a farm in Texas, and homemade jams and jellies and breads and cookies and fried pies (real fried pies) from the Mennonites in Whiteville. Non-homogenized milk in glass jars from a dairy in Whiteville. Cheeses and butter from Amish farmers in Ohio and Iowa. Salt pork and country ham (unfortunately all has nitrates) to go with the piles of greens- Kale, Collard, Smooth Mustard, Curly Mustard, and Turnip. And near the checkout, bags of peanuts, pork rinds and a few potato chips, after all this is the South. I love Easy Way. AND they had seedless watermelons for $2.99. THE SAME conventionally grown, seedless watermelon that I bought from Wild Oats for $10.99 yesterday! I've missed Easy Way- there wasn't one near us because we had another local grocery called Market Basket (that I never made it out to) in the same niche in Berclair. I'm glad to be near one again.
Got home with my loot. I have a problem with grocery stores that I love, I bought a lot more than I went for. Fit it all in the fridge since Patrick's friend across the street with the empty fridge agreed to store the $11 watermelon.
Had a bowl of sliced tomatos and cumcumbers with unrefined sea salt and a small glass of grapefruit juice for lunch. Followed up with some organic nitrate free turkey breast and cream cheese. MMMMmmmmm.
A conventional pork roast Patrick bought is in the oven- covered with chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, and pepper, brushed with the bacon fat. The kitchen smells good. And now the neighbor kids are home. I hope Nolan (3) can come play with Abinadi. I have some more thoughts on our new neighbors and our relationship to them but I'll save them for another post.
Patrick is doing a bit of work for Matt now, and I think I'll go wash the rest of the dishes and switch the laundry (clean bedding! Yay!) and then start my curly mustard greens and make oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and cranberries.
Yesterday I spent almost $200 in foodstamps on groceries at Wild Oats. So there is plenty of good food in the house. I was also able to make it to the chiropractor, which helped my back immensely, and got bleach and blue so I'm finally ready to dye.
I had to get up around 3 or 4 am to walk Arthur, Elisabeth's dog. But this morning he didn't wake me up- and waited patiently for Elisabeth to get up. Very nice.
Then before Patrick and the little kids got up I was able to get cash in the bank. Now I have money! We can pay the utility bill today.
I drank some grapefruit juice and put some Beeler's bacon in the oven on low heat and took my vitamins before I went to the bank. When I got home, I fried free-range eggs and made French Meadows toast for everyone so we all had a good breakfast. I am glad to have favorite foods and healthy food back in the house.
Then my mom called and offered to take Peter for the afternoon. And Peter took a nap at his usual time- he fell asleep on the tit yes, but he let me take him off and Patrick laid him down without a peep. So he was out of action from 12:30 till 2:00, then mom picked him up. Peter has a very special relationship with my mom. He gets all serious when he sees her, and demands to be picked up. Then he lays his head on her shoulder and lays very still and quiet and serious. He'll stay that way for a long time too, most of the time she has to put him down before he wants down. I'm not sure if it's because until the last few months he hasn't gotten to spend a lot of one on one time with my parents, or what. My mom picks up the other kids on Wednesday nights to take them to fellowship dinner at her church, but Peter doesn't go because he's not old enough (IMO) to stay in the nursery while she has choir.
After breakfast I got some exercise wheed wacking the lawn. I can't say I enjoyed that, though I like the results. My hands felt like I'd been using a jackhammer, and it was hard on my back. I much prefer a mower. But, the yard looks much better. I spent a good hour and a half or so scraping the weeds off the sidewalk and driveway and front walk too. I still need to sweep up the residue, but the front walk and stairs are swept and rid of ancient leaves and crabgrass, and look much nicer. I also got a few items in off the porch so it's not quite so junky.
Patrick and I had a private interlude before my mom got here, which included a few extra calories and a good back rub for me. Thanks PBS! Then he got the kids moving on doing their chores. Elisabeth washed a bunch of dishes and Isaac took care of folding and putting away a load of laundry. His throat is still hurting, but he's feeling a bit better.
Then Patrick stayed here with the kids while I went to Easy Way. Easy Way is this awesome local chain. Little concrete block building painted bright orange, inside and out, dotting the city. They stock the equivalent of the produce my grandmother used to buy- sold from a truck on the side of the road. Bushel baskets of okra, tomatoes and peaches. Summer squash, turnip greens, and all kinds of melons. The kind of fruit you take home in brown paper bags but that doesn't need to ripen because it was picked ready to eat. It's not organically grown, but it smells like a tomato and tastes like a tomato. Easy Way also has your typical bananas, apples, oranges, and some of the more trendy produce like cilantro and avocados. Basically a lot of produce as close to homegrown as possible. And jars of brandied peaches and mango salsa from a farm in Texas, and homemade jams and jellies and breads and cookies and fried pies (real fried pies) from the Mennonites in Whiteville. Non-homogenized milk in glass jars from a dairy in Whiteville. Cheeses and butter from Amish farmers in Ohio and Iowa. Salt pork and country ham (unfortunately all has nitrates) to go with the piles of greens- Kale, Collard, Smooth Mustard, Curly Mustard, and Turnip. And near the checkout, bags of peanuts, pork rinds and a few potato chips, after all this is the South. I love Easy Way. AND they had seedless watermelons for $2.99. THE SAME conventionally grown, seedless watermelon that I bought from Wild Oats for $10.99 yesterday! I've missed Easy Way- there wasn't one near us because we had another local grocery called Market Basket (that I never made it out to) in the same niche in Berclair. I'm glad to be near one again.
Got home with my loot. I have a problem with grocery stores that I love, I bought a lot more than I went for. Fit it all in the fridge since Patrick's friend across the street with the empty fridge agreed to store the $11 watermelon.
Had a bowl of sliced tomatos and cumcumbers with unrefined sea salt and a small glass of grapefruit juice for lunch. Followed up with some organic nitrate free turkey breast and cream cheese. MMMMmmmmm.
A conventional pork roast Patrick bought is in the oven- covered with chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, and pepper, brushed with the bacon fat. The kitchen smells good. And now the neighbor kids are home. I hope Nolan (3) can come play with Abinadi. I have some more thoughts on our new neighbors and our relationship to them but I'll save them for another post.
Patrick is doing a bit of work for Matt now, and I think I'll go wash the rest of the dishes and switch the laundry (clean bedding! Yay!) and then start my curly mustard greens and make oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and cranberries.