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Today's harvest. Things are pretty pathetic out there in gardenland. The heat has had its way with everything. There are a very, very few cherry tomatoes and some peppers. That cucumber somehow escaped our attention, and that tiny little tomato is the last of the big tomatoes. The field peas are still going strong and the zinnias are continuing to bloom, even as they collapse and lie down on the ground in weariness. I know how they feel. 

When I woke up this morning I was thrilled to hear that the power had come back on in the night. Hurray! I could quit worrying about gas and also feeling guilty for having everything my neighbors didn't when it came to anything that requires electricity. When Glen told me the good news, I literally cried. 
And then of course the gas man came today and filled up our tank for one million dollars but what are you going to do? 

One of the things I've been freaking out about is the fact that Jack's supply of pills was about to run out. I know that he was supposed to get more bloodwork about a month ago and I was going to take him in when we got home from Roseland but of course...Covid, so I couldn't do that. But I called the vet's office today and just asked for more pills and they said they'd get them ready for me to pick up. I also needed some things from the grocery store like vegetables (how ironic) so I masked up and went to Monticello. I stopped by the vet and got the pills and then went to the Winn Dixie which is definitely not Publix but it's not as bad as it used to be. 
I have to tell you that people in Monticello are so sweet. Each person I interacted with asked me how we'd survived the storm. Asked as if they were genuinely interested to know. One of the cashiers at the Winn Dixie was having a problem at her register and the manager, an older woman, came over and put her hand on the cashier's back and said, "Hey darlin', what's going on?" instead of something like, "Yeah? What's the problem?" 
I saw lots of downed trees on my way into town and lots going home on a different road but overall, I think we were very, very lucky right here in our own little neck of the woods. I also saw power trucks and workers dealing with the wires in this brutal heat and once again, I said a silent "thank-you" to those who labor outside to make all of our lives bearable, from construction workers to power company workers to people who cultivate and pick the crops that we depend on to live. These people, to me, are the super heroes in all regards. 

That little trip about wore me out and I did not even try to haul any of the many, many branches that fell in our yard to the burn pile. I was outside long enough to take the compost out and pick those zinnias and the cucumber, pepper, and miniature tomato and it took me half an hour to cool down from that. The temperatures are in the mid-nineties and the humidity today is 97%. 

Of course Mr. Moon, who does not listen to a thing I say, decided that he needed to go over to Tom's to clear some fallen trees out of his driveway. Tom is actually in St. Augustine right now as he has a duplex over there that needs some attention. Tom's brother used to live in half of it but he recently died and the renters in the other side have moved, I think. As with everything concerning Tom, it is complicated. Anyway, Glen sent me a text while he was at Tom's property saying that he'd already cut through two trees and cleared them out of the road only to discover this. 

At that point, he decided he was clocked out and that Tom needs to hire a professional. You may or may not have any idea how much work it would take to remove that tree from the drive which is more than any of us would want to do or probably could do. So he called Tom who said, "Oh, no problem. I can get in the back way." Glen had completely forgotten there was another way in. 
We have absolutely determined that Tom will not be moving into the Tiny House. He does not want to and he will not. 

The Saga of Tom. 

So of course my husband came home exhausted and already having muscle cramps. I keep asking him why he feels that he has to do all of this for Tom and he always says, "I just think I need to."

I was a little afraid after a week of not cooking a darn thing beyond toasting bagels in Roseland, I would have forgotten how to cook but this turns out not to be true. Our second night back we had tacos and beans that Rachel had all the ingredients for when she thought she'd be staying another night. Bless her. Last night I made snapper au gratin and tonight we'll be having a ground beef and noodle dish with mushrooms and onions and peppers and pasta sauce and cheeses. Anything with noodles and ground beef pleases my husband a great deal. I got spinach in Monticello and will make a salad with that and different basils from the garden along with a handful of arugula that I picked from one of the canvas planting bags where I threw some seeds a month or so ago. 

And I figure I'll feel better tomorrow than I do today and can perhaps spend a little time outside, hauling some of those branches to the burn pile. Glen is going to have to do a lot of the work because a chain saw needs to be involved. 

One of these days I figure I'll get to see my family. 
Sigh. 
Jessie's working nights tomorrow through Saturday and August has a fever which Levon did have as well as all of the NC cousins. I miss all the kiddos. I suppose life will return to normal again some day. 

Whatever normal is. 

Love...Ms. Moon