hearts of palm

ok, so.....i just got back from a round of saturday shopping...starting at the big lots, where i was thrilled to find jars of roasted red and yellow peppers, as well as cornichons, nicoise olives, and hearts of palm....all at bargain prices.....and there were more of the rose bubble bath that i bought out the last 2 jars the last time i dropped by.....on to the krogers and the aldi....and then the bonafide liquor store, which has relatively empty shelves and none of my favorite box white.....i did leave my picks on a wish list......and so now i have a pork shoulder roasting in the crock pot for barbecue, and a load of wash going, and the oven on self-clean.....and the luggage dragged up from the basement for the preliminary packing for london.....that trip is less than 2 weeks away......the birth mother's annual visit comes first and i must survive that weekend before flying away......i have downloaded 2 books for the trip.....in all truthiness, i had already downloaded pride and prejudice, but i couldn't help but listen to it now that i am walking at lunchtime at the h-burg baptist church....and so now i must hold myself back from listening to these books.....it is not like i have nothing in print available to read in the numerous stacks and shelving units spread over these three floors....i am simply spoiled with the luxury of being read to......so now.....i have water boiling for pasta (salad using those lovbely hearts of palm and roasted peppers).....and then i could either start into the upstairs shower stall with the lime-remover i remembered to purchase....or i could sit out on my terrace with the new yorker.......

sunday.....

ok, so i had earnest intentions of sleeping late this morning...or at least til 7:30 am.....but my dog took up the spot next to the bed where his whining could best resonate in my upturned ear......and so i dragged myself out of bed, grabbed my robe and cuppa....and walked with him up the road.....where he could not be bothered to actually accomplish the only task for which i would drag myself out of bed to aid/abet.....and so i am fixing to take my iphone and my growing library of audiobooks out to my terrace for a few minutes before i get ready for church.....i am listening to Michael Pollan's Second Nature......his tome dedicated to gardening.....so far i find his observations on the growing of roses and the grappling with weeds to be satisfying.....especially when one listens to the book read by the author while sitting in one's own work-in-progress......i have felt validation in that sense.....that gardens evolve....or at least that people who live to garden cannot quite see their planting schemes as complete and/or finished.

i do need to point out that i sat about listening to the book yesterday rather than actually working in my garden.....i DID step off the terrace from time to time to deadhead cosmos and take out completely dead stalks of phlox......but mostly i sat and thought about what i will do with my beds when i have the time.....and the money and cook weather and a bit of help......the next garden project is a low wall at the bottom of the garden just up from the brick walk to the compost pile..... this will add at least 12 inches of depth to the plot where we hope to grow vegetables in summer and install a purchased cold frame for extended season goodies like lettuces and onions.....we did get the played-out privet hedge taken down, but the stumps must be dug out before we can move ahead......and neither of us had the gumption to get out the ax in 95 degree heat......i could slip in a secondary project while i wait on the hedge job.....the drought kinda burned off some Achillea that had gotten out of hand and spindly to boot.....the empty space could accomodate rosa shailer's pink provence that resides behind the deck by the wall.....where the dirt is deepest and possibly problematic for transplating a settled-in plant.....after i move the rose i can put in a new display of srping bulbs.....hopefully may-flowering to complement this rose that tends to bloom in early may.....ah yes......so many things one can do to upgrade one's garden....or at least day-dream about on this glorious sunday morning....

altercation

ok, so.....someione in our neighborhood had it out at 3:30 am......loud voices that become screams...with at least 3 people contributed to the argument.....could not discern whether the voices came from a boat on the lake, or the cabin on the bend of our circle, or neighbors prone to disagreements who live up the creek.....i suppose i drifted back off to sleep at some point despite my determination to listen intently enough to make out actual dialogue.....i could really use a nap right about now.....

the pound and pedal

ok, so.....the annual pound and pedal is over, possibly over forever.....this event has evolved over the past 23 years(give or take a year) from a one-way 20 mile bike/run from a friend's law office in downtown d-ville to his home in forkland.....when the friend moved his family to town, the venue changed to our house, and became a 10 mile out and 10 mile back bike/run.....in those 20+ years the original participants have aged, moved away, or passed away.....young blood has been recruited, the particpation choices ammended to include the option of biking the entire route has helped keep the event alive.....but the competition from the uk/uofl game as well as the tri-for-sight dramatically diminished the crowd this year.....we still ended up with 30 for lunch.....but it is disheartening to put time and effort into the preparations only for your friends to say that they have better things to do that morning.....