Monday Musings: 07.11.2011

And so it begins.  I’ve picked my first green beans from the garden.  Don’t get too excited, though – it’s not enough for dinner.

But. . . added to the beans I’ll undoubtedly be picking tomorrow, we’ll be all set.  Now it’s time to put a second crop in – if one row of beans is good, two is better, right?

Back when Peeps and I closed our business, one of the things we ended up bringing home (besides, of course, the mountains of debt!) was a  partial roll of food-service plastic wrap.  It sat in storage for a while, then, one day, we decided that was nuts, so we pulled it out, gave it a corner of the counter, and started using it.

Well, we finally used it up this weekend.

But the funny thing is that we’ve grown so accustomed to the convenience that we went out and bought another roll!  Peeps dated it because he was curious to see just how long 3000 square feet of plastic wrap would actually last.

When Peeps and I went to the Public Market this weekend, we visited our friend the Meat Guy.  Beside a lovely hunk of pork belly, we  picked up a bag of dog bones – not the little, wimpy bones that any reasonable dog can chew up, but serious BONES.  Knuckles.  (I don’t like to think about it.)

So we got them home and wrapped them individually (in plastic wrap OF COURSE!) to go in the freezer.  Now we can pull one out at a time as a sort of outside-toy puppy pacifier.

Every now and then, The Jar goes upstairs and sneaks back down with his Wubba.

How did that Wubba get down here?

Where did you get that Wubba?

And he looks so guilty, doesn’t he?

He ought to, too.  One morning I caught him climbing ON TO the bed to snatch the Wubba.

We are having none of that.

Boy, it’s just a good thing Peeps was on vacation this week – he went to the market with me, and GUESS what?

Sour cherries are in season!

I got a market basket, which equals a peck, which is a quarter bushel, which is 8 quarts.

And BOY was I lucky to have him to carry it for me at the market  – and to help pit them when we got home!

Round about Saturday afternoon, I like to start making a list of what needs to get done each weekend – this week included cleaning the bathroom, wrapping and freezing bones, making bacon, and making burritos.

The weekend has been brought to you by the letter “B.”

Oh, the Kitty is sure getting brave, isn’t she?

She’s decided, I think, that she’s had all she’s going to take, and she’s not going to take any more.

So while the dog was not looking, she decided to lick his dish.

Zing!

I’m still working on my 101 Things – and with regard to #55, the word for this week is. . .U.  Usufruct.    Almost like an easement, but rather than real property, a usufruct grants the right to use someone else’s personal property, without destroying it.  As in, the Boy is currently enjoying  a usufruct right to my car.  As long as he doesn’t hurt it.  . .

You know what makes for a tired puppy?

First, he gets a long walk with Papa (who’s on vacation) and Mama.

THEN he goes to the B-E-A-C-H for the first time this year.

And THEN he gets to take a shiny new bone to the back yard.

Best. Day. Ever.

And once again, it’s time for the weekly menu plan.  We’re looking forward to a particularly warm, sunny, humid week, but that’s okay – we are ready!

Monday – According to the forecast, the weather has the three H’s in store for Monday – Hazy, Hot and Humid.  The last thing we want to do is heat up the house with stove, and the second to last thing we want is to hang out on the deck, with the sun and the heat and the humidity, so we made a sort of cold bean salad with ham.  It’ll be good.  Really.

Tuesday – It’s Burger Night!  We’ve got the trimmings from a whole NY Strip, which will make awesome burgers, and Peeps is (hopefully) going make some rolls, and we’ll do potatoes of some sort.  Hello summer!

Wednesday – We’ve got swim class, and we’ll be late getting home.  We’ve got mahi mahi that will cook in mere moments on the grill, and will be complemented nicely by a lime-ginger vinaigrette.  We’re going to also enjoy fresh green beans and probably some rice.

Thursday – Again with the grill – I’ve got some cinnamon-fennel spice rub which, I think, should be awesome with pork chops.  Since we’ve got lettuce to burn, we’ll have salad, along with some sort of potato-y thing.

Friday – Yay, it’s pizza night!  I’ve got artichoke filling in the freezer that Peeps brought home for me, and, while it’s not the same as actual artichoke hearts on pizza, it’s still pretty darned good.  I’m still holding my breath waiting for fresh tomatoes, but. . . soon!

Be sure to click on over to The Organizing Junkie’s Monday Menu Plan post for loads and loads of other ideas.