Donated blood yesterday. Had my teeth cleaned today.
Brought the truck to Midas for replacement of the rear catalytic converter. Unfortunately, the check engine light came on today.
Ron and I went to the SPEA meeting last night and came away as disgusted as ever: same old clique, same old BS. I checked out some options for transfer of their website so I can be done with all of it.
We changed sheets, did laundry and transfer station run, and I dug up the rest of the grass around the tomato garden.
Seems I mended fences with Laura. Hope it sticks.
Dropped the truck off at Hyannis Toyota and picked up two excellent vegetarian entrees at Not Your Average Joe’s. They gave 20% off on take-out orders because the Patriots were playing.
We were on the phone for quite a while today getting info and guidance from the people at One Exchange about our health and RX plans for next year.
Turns out, we can get pretty solid coverage and substantial RX savings for Ron without exceeding our HSA joint account.
Ron put together the second shelf unit for the kitchen.
Yesterday, we did a 7-stop run: transfer station, which was crazy; Panera; iCape; library; Green Goddess; Job Lot; Stop & Shop. I mowed most of the back yard while Ron ran errands, including filling up the truck at Cumby.
The engine light went on some time earlier this week, so we’re dropping it off at HyToy tomorrow night. Spent some time today reviewing service records for a similar problem last year that was due to a bad gas tank gasket.
We got better than halfway through weeding the “tomato garden”. Ron finished the lawn.
I did some front yard work, raking, cleanup and picking up acorns.
We enjoyed another free vegetarian meal, at Craigville Pizza.
Took a drive through Falmouth later; filled Ron’s van at Cumby’s.
Removed the CDs from the living room and set up the plants. Fed them this morning.
At the tail end of a serious rain storm, a pleasant volunteer from the Chamber of Commerce dropped off a vegetarian feast for us yesterday.
I found a nice cart for the plants at Job Lot, and we like it so much, we might get another for the kitchen.
Ron and I collaborated on the worst pumpkin pie ever made.
I baked the pumpkin this morning. It ended up swimming in an inch of water, and I made a mess trying to drain it: colander, Foley mill, a couple of bowls.
Finally got the pumpkin, enough for two pies even with all the manhandling, to a workable state. I left Ron with the project of mixing and seasoning the filling while I went thrifting for a plant stand (no luck but I fetched his new overalls from the tailor and got a splendid apres shower robe for $2.50).
Ron used a 1/2 Tbl. for a full Tbl. measure and half as many eggs as called for in the recipe.
We had no cinnamon or ground cloves. I tried grinding whole cloves and cinnamon sticks in a coffee bean mill.
This might have worked except that we foolishly dumped in the full amounts called for in the recipe rather than gradually adding the spices and sampling.
The result was a toxic, almost inedible blend of molasses, white sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with the “kick” of a mild but nevertheless insistent chili.
The pie is tolerable with lots of whipped cream, about a 1:1 ratio. We ate so much cinnamon that we should have immunity for the rest of the season.
There are two more pumpkins in the cellar. We know what to do.
It’s costing me a fortune to complete the dinnerware set we found at the swap shop! On the other hand, Ron pointed out that it’s an almost exact match to the teapot that the gang gave us a few years ago.
We caught up with chores today, changing sheets, some light shopping, last CSA and transfer station run.
Stopped at Coonamessett Farm on a whim and got $5 worth of winter greens and berries for the front steps. Good deal, considering that we have plenty of greens here for fill in.
I made a vegetable stew with potatoes, carrots, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, beets, onion, salad greens and turnips, seasoned with ras el hanout. Peter was pleased: “Moroccan!”
Tomorrow, I hope to do something with at least one of the pumpkins.
We visited Ron’s oldest friends this past week and got to attend a hearth cooking session at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture and a splendid art show at the Jaffrey Civic Center. We also picked up a dinnerware set at the Jaffrey Transfer Station swap shop and were the first to see Betsy and David’s new shed!
We were lucky enough to get several minutes of great advice from James at Mahoney’s yesterday on feeding and watering the hibiscus. He assured us it is normal for it to look sad in the winter. Suggested 14 hours of grow light and feeding once a month with Jack’s.
Ron has been ferrying Peter back and forth to Wareham for warranty work on Bonnie’s car.
The other day, Dear One was fretting about a dentist bill, which we found out had been paid by his insurance, and “not being able to afford to have work done on (his) van.”
Turns out, the “work” was a $25 charge for putting on a tire, which has been in the basement for months, and an oil change. I paid for the oil at Walmart yesterday and gave him an $8 coupon for JiffyLube, to which hied he a short time ago.
I was able to gather and clean enough rocks to create a “vapor curtain” for the hibiscus before the rain started a short while ago.
Al
so dug up and repotted the non-perennial herbs: sage, parsley, rosemary. Washed and bleached the containers and put in new potting soil. They are getting rained on now.
