TheCapeBlog

Finished the cooking yesterday: green bean casserole (a hit), pumpkin pie, brussel sprouts (a miss). The grands asked for the sweet potato casserole recipe. They left early, James had plans to meet a friend. We kept the conversation to a neutral subject: politics.

The truck is fixed. Got a ride with Patrick. Traffic on MacArthur Boulevard was surprisingly light.

Ron did another shop and scrubbed the bathroom counter, which now looks great. I did the bathroom floor and dusted the living room. Ron did a magnificent job with cleaning up the kitchen after the boys left.

I cooked the seitan, meatloaf, cranberry/orange dressing and mashed potatoes yesterday to get ahead of our entertaining, which starts this evening.

After a stupid argument, Ron spilled some of the cooked potatoes on the floor. It infuriated me because it felt like reprisal for ignoring his unwanted, useless advice. I was not especially nice to him, even while he was cleaning up the mess; starch is a son of a gun to pick up.

Dropped off the truck to Falmouth Toyota and got a ride in the shuttle with Patrick. The problem is minor, cost-wise, and they hope to have it ready today.

It was close to freezing, but I got the garlic planted yesterday, almost 60 cloves. Froze a bunch more and filled the little jar for cooking near term. Used up the bale of straw on the garlic and strawberry beds. Cursed the post office for not getting the cloves to me early enough to allow planting the day before. I was ridiculous to wait so long.

We did a short walk, a little over a mile, late yesterday afternoon. Felt good to be outside.

Uploaded NEPS changes a couple of days ago. Got the expected results.

It’s Monday morning and I can’t remember doing anything even close to 16 hours of time well used from this past weekend.

I tried to get the garlic shipment from the post office yesterday, but the best they could do was to leave a note for the carrier that I’d be picking it up.

The carrier, of course, ignored the note. Another demerit for the Mashpee PO.

I did find vital wheat gluten flour at Roche, of all places. This was an unexpected and most appreciated surprise. Now I can make the mushroom seitan for the Thanksgiving/anniversary dinner.

Ron seems to have finished the window boxes – finally. He’s satisfied that he learned a lot. I think they look great.

Saturday, I did the MTR standout and drove with Geri and Free to Chatham for the Georgia voter postcards and balsamic vinegar at Gustare. We didn’t hang out in Chatham center; too crowded and not “my” kind of shopping. On the way back, we did find a nice conservation area, Texeira Conservation Lands, and did a very short walk. It was dark by the time I got home.

Yesterday I wrote and mailed the postcards. Three of the twenty people on my list are deceased, so I have extras. Aside from the shop, laundry and changing sheets, that was about the only productive use of Sunday. I did start watching “Rise of the Nazis”, with all its blatant parallels to Trumpism.

Made arrangements to have dinner on Wednesday with Robert and James!

I did finish cleaning up the last two vegetable garden plots.

It was freezing yesterday; 22° this morning. I temporarily hurt my hands by working without gloves.

We did the transfer station run and a short shop.

Ron shut off the sillcocks; I turned off the water to the outdoor shower and drained the sillcocks. The placement of the ceiling tiles is a nuisance. Poor Ron tried for a good half hour to put them back; I suggested he give up and have lunch, then found that a coat hanger worked pretty well.

After trying unsuccessfully to order holiday foods online at Whole Foods, which for some reason didn’t want to accept either of our debit cards, I decided to cook instead and figured out a menu for Thanksgiving/our anniversary.

Finally cleaned up the list of compromised passwords.

Watched a documentary about George Soros until about quarter to ten last night. It wasn’t very informative.

Ron worked on the window boxes. I’m looking forward to getting them back up for winter decorations.

Today Ron had an appointment at Beltone and did a small shop for next week. I dropped off the little Green Machine, cleaning solution and instructions to Geri, who reciprocated with coffee and blueberry muffins. I pretty much finished the front of fence fall pruning.

Thoroughly sick of non-news about Covid19 (“it’s bad”) and Trump & Co’s shenanigans (“they’re a danger to the republic”).

I miss the grands.

It seems impossible, but even after al the weeding I did this summer and hours of it this fall, I pulled out plenty more yesterday.

I got the garlic garden ready for planting. The old strawberry garden looks pretty good. I hope to finish the last two today.

Yesterday I made soup from on-hands: kale, cabbage, three kinds of potatoes, carrots, peppers, onion, garlic and red wine. Also made a salad.

Paid bills this morning.

Free was ailing, the vet thinks it’s pancreatitis. As of yesterday, he seemed to be better.

I’ve been cleaning up the flower gardens.

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Joined the MTR standout late on Saturday due to intestinal distress. Did a walk at Falmouth Heights. Mowed the front of the fence.

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Spent about two hours planting garlic at the farm yesterday. Picked up prescriptions and shopped at Walmart afterwards, redeemed two of the three gift cards on groceries and staples.

Fierce storm last night, brief power outage but was restored by 5:30 am.

Did more weeding and pruning this morning and a transfer station run that was less crowded than what Tony described over the weekend.

Good news about Free!

Called around for garlic but not finding any, ordered some from Gilroy (!)

Did buy shredded straw from Waquoit, enough for both garlic and strawberries.

Spent some time weeding the oldest veg garden. Pulled out feet (yards?) of hairy, rope-like milkweed roots.

We got to bring Free to the house while Geri had dental surgery in North Falmouth. I was impressed with the doctors.

She stayed with us for a couple of hours so she could eat and get her bearings. Free devoured treats and eggs with cheese! Ron did a good-sized shop for her and drove the lot of us to West Barnstable. We stopped at S&S on the way home.

I didn’t do a whole lot else. Dropped off kale to Cindy’s car at work and washed/prepped/stored vegetables from the prior day’s CSA.

Roasted a pile of vegetables this morning: carrots, turnip, brussel sprouts, cabbage, spaghetti squash, broccoli. Baked potatoes. Made a medium-sized salad.

Brought in the new chair so Ron could put rust preventative on it. Stupidly, I’d left the wheelbarrow and a hoe outside, so put them in as well. The wheelbarrow needed a brief wash. Unpleasant, it’s been raining all day.

Spent yesterday morning at the farm harvesting kale and carrots and bagging potatoes. Final box was a very good one, including two stalks of brussel sprouts, which I cleaned and washed this morning along with kale for us and for Cindy.

Stopped at Job Lot and CVS and didn’t do too much else yesterday besides eat and watch tv: dog tired.

Did a little home gym, dusted, paid bills, and helped Ron reconcile his checkbook with the bank this morning.

I’d received a full credit earlier this month from the lamp people. They emailed that we can keep it.

Also received three gift cards from Harvard Pilgrim yesterday: $125 for reporting preventive care activities, like annual checkup and flu shot!

Continued weeding the vegetable gardens, did a transfer station run yesterday.

Ron removed the last of the old window boxes, and I painted underneath. We put up a sheet of heavy plastic between his shop and the laundry area.

Put the un-useable hanging lamps in the attic for now.

Turns out, Jo Jorgensen may have thrown the election to Biden: her vote total exceeded his margin of victory in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. I tried, unsuccessfully, to explain this to the Move to Removers.

Geri treated us to a fine lunch yesterday: crudities, fruit, salad, soup pizza and tiramisu.

I got to visit with Free while Geri and Ron visited the horse farm.

Afterwards, we exchanged ROKU streaming sticks at Target, and I set up the new one: big difference!

Did more veg garden weeding.