Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I woke up giggling because of yesterday’s situation. OK, it is 2:30 pm, and Mary has been sitting watching TV and doing her needlepoint for quite a while. As a dutiful husband, I stepped out of the 85-degree heat to check on Mary and see if she needed anything. She said, “Yes, please get me some sockies.”
The TV was on, and I was sure I heard what she wanted even though it was early in the afternoon. So, I go into the kitchen and find a new, unopened box of fine “sake”. I poured it into a nice glass and proudly brought it to Mary.
She looked at my kinda funny and said, “Sweetie, I wanted SOCKS, my feet are cold!” We both had a good laugh. Yes, Mary did finish the glass of sake!
The weatherman forecasts a high of 82 today. We talked to Colleen yesterday, and it was four (yes, 4) degrees! She is ready for her visit to begin next Sunday.
This morning I made my first omelet after watching several YouTube videos, and it came out perfect. By accident, I cooked the cheese-and-mushroom omelet perfectly. I added sliced pears and yougart ot the meal, plus some sliced Dave’s bread and butter. To top it all off, I opened a bottle of champagne, and we had a feast! OK, I did get a little creative.
Contrary to popular opinion, Mary does not have to address me as “Chef Sweet Cheeks”; a simple “Chef Paul” will do nicely.
Breakfast was done, and Mary headed for her resting spot in the Living/TV room while I waddled outside to face my nemesis, the garden!
I checked on her several times, and her back seemed to be getting better. My guess is her back will be normal that day, AFTER I finish preparing the garden for summer planting.
We checked the weather in New Hampshire and decided to see if we could get Florida to send their only snowplow! Mark would look great driving this around his neighborhood, perhaps holding a tin cup to collect donations.
Since Mark will be driving, we will send the vehicle to Mark’s Brake Repair before it hits the road!
Meanwhile, I was fanny-up and head-down in the berry garden, cleaning out the last remnants of last year’s crop and tying up the canes so they would have room this year. Note that each cane is tied to the horizontal steel wire, which, through the use of turnbuckles, is taut. The twelve bags of acidic planting soil were worked in by hand, hoping to bring the pH down to the 5.5 range.
Thank goodness for the new gloves.
By 5:00 pm, Mary had magically transformed from “Couch Potato” to “Inspector Gadget.” Armed with her trusty walker—now upgraded with a dazzling set of streamers—she waddled outside like a queen surveying her kingdom of tomato beds in waiting. To everyone’s surprise, she not only inspected my work but also signed off on the inspection sheets, declaring it “Tomatomania Approved!” With just some minor cleanup left, we were practically ready for a tomato-themed parade.
I needed a shower, so off I went into the house to make myself pretty, which was NOT an easy task! It’s like I stepped into a reality show called “Survivor: Bathroom Edition.” I fought off a rogue sock monster, dodged an army of dust bunnies, and navigated the treacherous terrain of my shampoo collection—seriously, who knew I had enough bottles to start a small salon? By the time I emerged from the shower, I felt like I had completed an Olympic obstacle course—and let me tell you, the medal I earned is just me, wrapped in a towel and questioning all my life choices!
It was time for magic. Mary needed to be fed. This morning, I made my first attempt at an omelet, and this evening I went for the gusto: homemade chili! I browned the beef, added a can of roasted red tomatoes, added some of Mary’s beans from a few weeks ago (after defrosting them), and then a box of chili mix! While everything was simmering, I made bowls of sliced peaches and then microwaved two potatoes.
The dinner was fit for a king. I brought everything to the Living/TV room, and we used TV trays. Topped with cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, I was pleased with the result. We both finished off the plate, almost licking it clean.
We finally sat down to watch TV, and I began with Apple TV and selected an “action-comedy” called “Instagators”. SPOILER ALERT: Within the first five minutes, the brainless, dimwitted, lackwitted morons who produced this [Rotten] Apple TV junk said the “F-Word” twelve times. We changed the channel, and my hope that Apple would be above the norm was slowly disappearing. Note: The movie could have been watchable if the writers, whose vocabulary was severely limited, had used other phrases instead of foul exclamations.
We found another action movie and watched it until 9:00 pm, then headed to bed. We want Mary’s back to get better, so plenty of rest is what Dr. Liles ordered.
The gardening did a number on my back, also!
Good night, all!
P.S. I am experimenting with two-column layouts. When the text gets too long, I switch to two columns to make it easier to read. I want some feedback. Please hit this link and let me know what you think!
