Bad Things

Yesterday I figured out why mamas of the olden times were always so fat. Sure they worked hard, but most of that work was in the kitchen. And spending your energy rolling out pie crust doesn't go far by way of exercise when you then eat all the leftover trimmings.

Yesterday I made a peach pie. The crust didn't turn out very well because I initially forgot the salt and had to add it later and it just wasn't the same. The filling was fine. But after I'd made the pie and stuck it in the oven I started cleaning up the counter where all the discarded crust trimmings were. I like raw pie crust, it might be one of my favorite things... and it's especially good if you sprinkle a little extra salt on top, roll it up into a tube and dip it in the bowl that once held the fruit filling. Needless to say, I came out of yesterday at least five pounds heavier.

The other bad thing is the place that once was the U.U. church at the end of Alabama Street. They U.U.'s aren't there anymore and the black people have moved in. I wouldn't care so much, except that they put a shiny new coke machine outside by their parking lot and when I am taking walks during the day, here I come down 7th Street and I see that happy Coke machine glowing at me, and I know that as soon as I get home Anja will go down for a nap and I'll have some time to myself, and how can I NOT stop to spend 75 cents on an ice cold Coca-Cola, go home and add some chocolate to it in a frosted mug?!? Too tempting!!!!! So on the one hand, I'd like to thank the Church of Greater Macedonia, but on the other, I wish the U.U.'s and all their healthful habits had never left.

But I'm telling you, a surprise chocolate coke in the middle of a hot afternoon is pretty nice. And sometimes I sit out on the patio to drink it while I look at my garden.

Last night we had intended to do lots of yardwork. Martin got home at his usual time and he wanted to mow the lawns right away, so I put off making dinner until he started mowing. How mowed and trimmed the bushes and when he got back we ate dinner (lemon-garlic chicken and blanched grean beans with peach pie for dessert) and Anja had been asleep and I'd woken her up at 6:30 and she was not happy with my decision to do that, so instead of sticking her in her exersaucer in the yard while we did more yard work, we packed her up and walked down to the Dulcimer Gathering where there was a birthday party going on for a certain 5-year-old friend of ours! When we came home afterward, Martin said that sometimes people have parties that are fine, and other times people have parties where everyone walks away talking about what a great party it was. That was the kind of party it was last night. Since we just stumbled upon it we didn't have any sort of high expectations for fun, and it wasn't anything special--just a bunch of moms and dads sitting in the grass drinking strawberry lemonade and talking while all the kids were running around playing. But it was so much fun! I'm definitely glad we left the yardwork for that.

I got a lot done yesterday morning and now this morning I'm feeling particularly lazy. I think Anja and I might take a walk over to campus.... if she ever decides to wake up.