Saturday

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday. I got a cup of coffee and filled in the Blog. Then I made some soft-boiled eggs for breakfast.

I shaved, showered and headed out. I had a lot of errands to run! First stop was Big George’s barber shop for my 9:30 a.m. appointment with Michelle.

From there I headed up to Farmington to my eye doctor to get my glasses fixed. I explained what happened and added that I probably could have fixed them myself if the damn screw was longer. They told me that they use a longer screw to install it and then cut it off flush! No wonder I couldn’t get it back in.

Sidebar: It took them over a half hour to get it in, so I felt vindicated.

On the long way back to my stomping grounds, I stopped in at Steinkopf nursery and asked if they had any Flowering Almond. The kid I asked checked with his boss and came back to tell me they “thought” there might be one left, back in the bushes area. He asked me if I knew what the leaves looked like. I said, “Um, no. I know what the flowers look like in spring, and that’s about it.” So we spent about 30 minutes looking at tags of bushes and never did find one. The kid suggested that I come back next spring when they are in bloom and buy one. I thought to myself I had figured that out, about 20 minutes ago…

Next stop was Kroger’s to resupply. I bought about 10 items I needed (milk eggs, horseradish, English muffins, etc.) and two bone-in rib eye steaks on sale. I put the perishables in the cooler with an ice pack.

Then I went to Aco/Ace. They are still trying to sell everything off, so the deals are fantastic, but the availability is limited. I wanted some tack cloths, but they didn’t have any left. I did see a 6,000 watt portable generator that normally sells for $700.00 on sale for $340.00, though! I don’t really need one, but what a discount!

I stopped at a gas station and filled up my truck. I came back down Inkster Road and found the bridge was now open!

I stopped at CVS and picked up a prescription I didn’t need (damn auto-refill).

Next stop was the Post Office. From there, I headed back north on Beech-Daly to another hardware store on Five-Mile. Now the bridge on Beech-Daly is being repaired, but this time they are doing one side and letting people through on the other (unlike Inkster or Merriman, where they shut the whole bridge down).

The hardware store had the tack cloths I needed.

Sidebar: I need some butter, ‘cause I’m on a roll!

I finally made it home about 1:30 p.m. I unloaded the truck and then prepped the steaks. I took them out of their packaging, wrapped them tightly in cling wrap, stuck them in labeled freezer bags and put them in the freezer. I find that cuts down on freezer burn.

I cut up the bell peppers and two onions and fried them in canola oil. I had a plan! I let them cool in the skillet.

I went out front and felt up the container plants. They were dry. So, I watered them. I also filled up the bird bath. The coleus is doing great!

But that rose bush my Brother Carl recommended last year looks terrible. It looked fine in the spring.  I think some bug must have gotten to it. So, I got out some Sevin and dusted it after I watered it.

I went out back and watered those container plants. I was worried about the tomatoes. About this time last year and for all the years I can remember, I was tying them up to the structure I built. But these are just staying small. Did I buy miniature Italian tomatoes?

I chatted with my neighbor over the fence for a while. Then I pulled out the pea plants. I’ll plant more seeds in late August for a fall crop.

I taste-tested the lettuce (my last salad had some bitter bites. I determined that the leaf lettuce and the Romaine had gone bad on me, so I pulled them out. Now I only have the red leaf and bibb lettuce left.

I came back inside and took a nice, long nap.

When I woke up, I was hungry. So, I warmed up some of the peppers and onions and a brat. I sliced the brat and put it on an onion roll with the peppers, onions and deli mustard. It was a pretty good combination.

I went out in the garage and lightly sanded the wood project with 220 grit sandpaper. I wiped all the dust off it with a tack cloth and then applied the second coat of polyurethane.

I came back in the house and washed up. It was already 9:30 p.m. so I just watched TV until bedtime.