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March 23, 2004 ~ A Weekend in My Life, Illustrated.
Part II
This is part of a series. You may want to start with the first entry.
Friday, March 19th.
While I don't work on Fridays, Morgan does, so I've established a tradition of making him a big breakfast every Friday, while he showers and gets ready. Unfortunately, we were out of things like veggie "sausage" and other typical breakfast foods (heh, well, typical for us, anyway), but I made pancakes and grits, with oranges on the side.
Morgan enjoys breakfast
Fridays, I generally use for errand running and finishing up projects around the house. I had quite a bit set aside to do for the day. First I did some light cleaning and wrote some emails, then about an hour's work on the environmental education website I code on commission, then I sat down to write some letters. When I write letters on real paper, to be put in the post, I usually sit at the antique writing desk (found at the Goodwill. I love that desk) and I use my dip pens, writing in long hand. (A romantic? Who, me?). Dip the nib in the inkwell, blot, write, dip blot write, etc.
writing letters
Next, I put together and wrapped up some packages that I'd been meaning to send for a while.
addressing packages
(That's my email open on the monitor. I generally check my email a gazillion times a day, if I'm near a computer.)
Since I knew that my errands were probably going to take several hours, I made lunch a little early. Lemongrass and chili rice noodle soup, and a large spinach salad with roasted red pepper, pepperoncinis, grated carrots, and a red pepper vinaigrette.
lunch
It's a very warm, clear day. I head out to Pokey, since Morgan took Ryoga to work. Pokey, whose passenger side door is falling off, and driver's side door won't open from the outside at all, now. Even though it was very warm, she still took twenty tries to start. Pokey is ailing. We're hoping she'll hold out maybe one more year, and maybe then we'll be able to afford a different car. (Yeah, right.) In the mean time, we need to get some amusing bumper stickers, like, "Honk if anything falls off." (Not a rare occurrence.)
poor, poor Pokey
(The sticker that is on her reads "ALONE" in huge letters. See, some hippie in town had a gazillion bumper stickers printed up that said "ALL ONE" in a special font and put them in every. store. in. town. For free. So damn near every car in town has a bumper sticker that says "ALL ONE" as in, "we are all one" and "harm you do to others harms yourself." Now, I appreciate that sentiment, and generally agree with it. However, the bumper sticker epidemic was a bit... overkill. I couldn't help but notice that, if you cut out the middle "L" and space, it would read "ALONE" thus completely reversing the meaning. Tempting. I mentioned it to Morgan, and he, ever the skeptic and pessimist, loved it. "That is SO Pokey!" Thus, the sticker.)
first stop, Goodwill
I try to go to Goodwill once a week. Friday is best, because then you have a whole week's worth of donations built up before the weekend rush hits. I look for nice used furniture (like the writing desk, and last week I found a beautiful solid wood mission-style table to go under the front window for our plants), books, CDs, work clothes for Morgan, electronics (our stereo receiver--fifteen bucks at Goodwill) etc.
This week, I didn't find anything extremely exciting, but I did come away with a dress shirt for Morgan at work, a candle holder, a huge piece of dark green velvet that I'll use in one of my sewing projects, a thermal shirt, two canvas bags, two nice picture frames, and a pair of bellbottoms, all for under 15 bucks. I love the Goodwill.
Yeah, bellbottoms. (Say it. "Melissa, you hippie!") See, I don't have any jeans. I haven't worn jeans in probably at least eight years. I've never thought they were particularly comfortable. But, for some reason, on Friday, I tried some on. I still didn't like them. There's something about the cut of women's jeans that bugs the crap out of me. Especially the tiny ankle holes that you can't possibly wear boots with. However. That pair of bellbottoms--they were quite comfortable. And, obviously, I can wear boots with these. heh.
Yes. I'm barefoot, too.
lowe's
You would think that you would be able to get a replacement standard-sized glass cover for the overhead light in your living room (which you broke) at a place like Lowe's, wouldn't you? Well, apparently not. Hrmph.
They did, however, have organic composted soil without chemical fertilizers, which the local nursery, much to my dismay, did not, so I picked that up along with several little peat pellets.
post office
Next, the post office, to mail all the packages and letters.
I brought everything home, then walked down the street to the Bledsoe Building.
Orbit DVD
Returned Morgan's DVD to the little rental place.
In Your Ear Music
Checked out the brand new CD store, got a used classical CD for three bucks.
the Co-Op
Picked up dinner supplies at the Co-Op.
Then home.
checking the mail
In the mail were our student loan bill and a mysterious package. Morgan had warned me not to open any packages addressed to him if they arrived. Hmmm... He'd been dropping hints about a surprise all week.
meanwhile, crows were roosting in the tree across the street
I put away all the groceries and other purchases, opened some windows, started a load of laundry, and emailed a friend, whose message I'd missed while out. Then I called Morgan. "Hey, your package came."
"You can open it if you stay on the phone with me."
"Oookay..."
Inside was the entire first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD. (Yes. I used to be an avid Trekkie. Shush.) He'd ordered it online, used. "And the second season will be coming along shortly!"
It has been almost seven years since I've watched any television, and, when I'd stopped, Star Trek: TNG and X-Files were all I ever watched anymore (TNG on re-runs). Couldn't stand the commercials, though, or most any other programming, for that matter. Now, TNG, on DVD, without commercials. Oh boy. I feel an addiction coming back.
Before the light failed, I wanted to get my herb garden planted. I went out on the porch and started expanding peat pellets into peat pods with water, and filling planters with dirt.
filling with soil
Once that was done, I filled my pots and pods with seeds.
planting seeds
In the pods I planted basil and cilantro, to be taken back inside and kept under the front window, as it's still a bit early for them. In the outdoor planters (which will be under the covered porch, so not so susceptible to frost), I planted the more hearty seeds, like sage, thyme, oregano, and parsley. (Chives, red thyme, rosemary, and lavender are already planted, from last year.)
dinner
For dinner, I made spaghetti with marinara (that's fake parmesan and fresh parsley on top) and a steamed artichoke with garlic dip. I sat down at the computer, wrote a few emails, called my grandmother to catch up, and started to write another entry, but then Morgan got home early!
I showered, we cuddled, talked a lot, then watched the extras from the Star Trek DVDs. He was exhausted from his long day at work, so he went to bed while I read a few journals and wrote another email to a friend. Bed late.
...retreat to Part I OR continue to Part III...
A Weekend in My Life, Illustrated. Series.
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV
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