I felt more like myself this week as the cold I had finally receded. I found myself actually wanting to try to get stuff done during the week after work.
That’s not to say I did a ton, but a few things: walking the dog; getting bean seeds into packets; shopping around for a cheap hotel room for the wedding we are going to this Friday; picking beans and tomatoes; inspecting the brassicas at night with a flashlight for pests (none). I also shopped around for new car insurance, and was ready to pull the trigger on a cheaper quote, except that there was a problem with T’s license. This is an ongoing issue he needs to have fixed — some kind of mismatch inside the DMV that makes his license get rejected. So… waiting on him to do that…
The fall garden continues to sputter along. It sure is getting a ton of rain from the nor’easter this weekend. The carrots and turnips look good. The brassicas have pest damage, but I know from last year that they can recover. All the lettuce I planted sprouted and then froze, as sprouts. That is, except for one or two, they haven’t grown for weeks. I don’t really understand it. Maybe I didn’t thin them soon enough, but it still seems weird.
The strawberries keep putting out flowers but the berries tend to look weird and I haven’t had any ripe berries in a while.
The parsley and the thyme I transplanted look good. I picked and dried some thyme last week. Still tons of sage and oregano. My indoor basil died after I moved it to a different spot, so I’m trying again with a new sprig. The beans and tomatoes are definitely winding down. The peppers are going strong, but I need to give them away.
Next year I need to remember to not plant flat and round beans too close together. It’s unlikely they will cross because beans self pollinate, but it’s possible. I also learned that those black bean seeds that come out of the dried pod are in fact the same thing as “black beans.” I had always wondered about that. However, there are certain varieties that are better for black bean purposes (mainly, the Black Turtle variety).
On Saturday I woke up really early. After taking F to volleyball, I went to the farmers’ market in the rain. It was a reduced lineup because of the storm, but I was able to get carrots, potatoes, garlic, broccoli, corn, a cookie, and sourdough bread.
After picking N up from a sleepover, I got busy in the kitchen baking banana chocolate chip muffins.
With all the bananas we have in the freezer, I could make a lot more. I was glad to use some up, as well as some vanilla yogurt that had been languishing.
After lunch I roasted more tomatoes. The rest of the day was spent washing Ziploc bags, cleaning, doing laundry, paying bills, packaging up lettuce seeds, watching nor’easter coverage and driving kids more places. At night Tom and I started a new show, “The Americans.” So far, very good. The NYT’s list of the best shows of this century has given me some ideas and that was one of them.
Today, I slept late. Saturday felt like I had all the time in the world to putter and declutter, but today I felt like I was on the clock. I managed to go to CVS and food shop during a break in the rain. Thanks to coupons and various accumulated rewards, I saved $14 at CVS and $18 at Acme (in addition to buying things on sale). It seemed like not long after that, it was time to start cooking dinner. I made shepherd’s pie, and most of the ingredients were on hand, including tomato paste in the freezer. The boys and Tom wolfed it down (F was out having a sushi night with friends).
It was nice both days to be cozy in the kitchen (instead of hot and sweaty).
After dinner I blanched and froze some green beans.
I was a little bummed that I couldn’t do much outside as far as gardening, mowing, working on the mosaic flowerpot, or decorating for fall. The big things I want to do inside (finish painting, steam clean the couch) also weren’t possible with all the humidity. Somehow this led to me spending money on a flag to hang from the house, from Etsy. It was one I had saved before and the price had been reduced.
What I should have done is preserve the broccoli and corn I bought. Now I’ll have to work on that this week.
Meals this week:
Monday: F and friends went to Chick Fil A after their volleyball game, which I got to see. Tom and N got Taco Bell; I ate cheesy bread from Wegmans.
Tuesday: scrounge; leftover cheesy bread and green beans for me.
Wednesday: premade chicken penne Alfredo picked up by Tom
Thursday: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, blueberry muffins
Friday: cheesesteaks from Cheessteaks
Saturday: pizza from Nick and Joe’s
Sunday: Shepherd’s pie
Lunches: Tuesday and Friday bought; Wednesday free pizza at work.
Spending: I had to spend $21 on an umbrella Tuesday morning after F filched our only one. Also: $10 on a copay; $73 on delayed billing of tolls from the AC Expressway (ugh); $40 added to the school lunch accounts; $27 on the house flag; $185 for the hotel room.
I received a refund on my state taxes ($145) and hopefully my NJ Anchor payment (like a refund on property taxes) will be hitting my account soon!
This week: I’m off Thursday and Friday!
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