This Week

71f this morning, 21.667C, but not too humid. A few clouds, otherwise another sunny day, unfortunately. High of 88f expected.

An unplanned bouquet, because the watering hose snapped off the lilies, and the dogs broke over the gladiolus. Flowers live a fraught life here.

So, onward we trudge through this unpleasant summer. Not all is bad of course; mornings and evenings are often quite nice, and we enjoy them to the fullest. This morning I was out in the garden by 8:30, and it was lovely, for the first 30 minutes. But then I began hoeing and weeding, and the sweat poured. By 10:30 when we came inside, we were both completely soaked with sweat, but 15 minutes under the fan on the porch, and we were comfortable, if not quite dry, again. 

Beautiful golden light after a 2 minute shower the other night. No real prospect of rain until next Wednesday.

It has been one of those weeks where unexpected things keep cropping up. Like my son calling to see if we wanted 5 boxes of tomatoes for free. Of course we did, although I gave 3 to my young friend whose garden is doing very badly this year because she can't water it.

Then the washer quit working, at about the same time the dryer vent clogged up. We fixed the dryer, taking it apart to clean all arounf the inside, and blowing out the vent. The washer, however, will have to be replaced, so I am on the lookout for one. Our son Derek has an extra, which he thinks works, so Larry will go over to check it out tomorrow morning. 

We spent Monday restocking our booths, and Tuesday I canned bread and butter pickles. We took a day off, sort of, on Wednesday. There was a planned power outage for most of the day, so we elected to go out. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel for practically free, and Jim you know why. Delicious. Then we went junking, as we call it, or sourcing, as the pros call it. We visited a ReStore where Larry found a like-new power washer; since ours seems to be broken somewhere, we needed a replacement. I found a few things for resale. Then we moved on to a vendor mall, which sells new, vintage, and antique items. We found all kinds of good stock there, and I added a couple pieces to my Early American Pattern Glass spooner collection. 

Last stop was one of our favorite restaurants, The Lafayette Bar and Grill in Marietta, Ohio. 

We met some of the nicest people there: a couple 84 years young who were dating, having been friends since high school and both recently widowed; a young couple out for a daytime date--she manages those little gambling places and put in the new games, he is a truck driver, and they met when she was working at a gas station after dropping out of college; then a couple of middle-aged teachers, taking a mini-vacation in Marietta--we were able to tell them about a few places they might enjoy visiting. The bartender was late to work so the manager was tending bar and knew nothing about mixing drinks, so everyone was offering tips and helping her get through. Talk about a nice, friendly place. 

Oh, and this big cruise ship was docked by the hotel while we were there. I have never been anywhere near a cruise ship, so I was fascinated. I hoped it would be one of the big sternwheelers that stop in Marietta in the summer, but no. Ah well. 

Yesterday I worked in the gardens, then canned tomatoes. In the evening we were back in Ohio to pick up some auction buys. Today, after the garden work, we shucked early sweet corn and ate it for lunch. Why not? That. sliced tomatoes and cucumbers make a great meal. And now, I must get back in the kitchen to can the rest of the tomatoes. Such is life in this backwater of the USA. Ending with the pretty sky from yesterday evening.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.