peach tree in bloom

It was a lovely day, with a high about 70 degrees, even though it was just above freezing when I got up. The windows were open for several hours.

Ray slept in, after staying up late. He has been fascinated by the earthquake and tsunami, watching lots of coverage on his computer. I cannot say I felt the deaths of thousands, because it was not until after I heard about it that I was very saddened. I can imagine the many people lighting candles for their relatives and the many whose homes are lost. But Ray is incorporating it into a midterm exam for one of his classes.

peach blossoms

We bagged pilates class and walked to Nancy's house to check on her chickens while she is out of town. There are many more of them and a big feeder and waterer. They seemed happy to have more food, but there was plenty. One hen was in the nesting box, but she says they have not been laying. Since we have so many eggs, that is fine with me, but it is a mystery.

I worked on the garden, weeding around the strawberries; they already have a few blossoms. The peach trees are blooming beautifully and I saw bees doing their work. I did some weeding in the spinach as well. And added manure to the strawberries. I let the chickens into the beds and hope they are eating lots of baby grasshoppers. I am imagining a run that goes around the outside of the garden, to keep them from wandering into the woods, which they seem to prefer.

Just before noon, I was so hungry and tired I could barely eat. Ray made me a lovely sandwich on  homemade bread and I perked up. We had some canteloupe, too. It wasn't great, but it was a different fruit. We are out of apples and bananas.

I made a double batch of brownies for Alison's reception in a few weeks. I need to make 2 or 3 more like that. I started the mini-quiches too, but it turns out I don't have any Swiss cheese, so they are waiting in the fridge. (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1373732) I spent some time looking at cookbooks.

Chickens taking a dust bath

Nancy S. came by to get some lettuce plants and asked if she could buy some eggs--the first I've actually sold. As long as they keep reliably laying 3 a day, it doesn't take long to get a dozen. Although I need some for mini-quiches and brownies...And my parents will be back next week. I hope I have a dozen to give them. Anna was with her and her boyfriend, Hallem?

I spent some more time outside and also started a soup for supper--Gypsy Soup from the Moosewood Cookbook. It is so yummy--chickpeas, sweet potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes and some interesting spices. We added some leftover pasta and some spinach from the garden and it was great. We had talked of going to the gymnastics meet, but Ray wanted to see Harry Potter at the dollar theater, so we ate a bit early and went to that.

There was a line, Saturday night, 7:00, but it moved along. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I spent my money, but I had only $2 and some change. Ray had none. He was quite annoyed, because he had asked me and I had assured him I had $9. He was able to scrounge enough from the car (parking meter stash) to pay for a second ticket (the dollar movie is $1.99). And we had almost $2.50 more. But the cheapest Coke is $3.50...

The movie was good--excellent special effects and the depressing brooding atmosphere of a world gone wrong. I found myself admiring the beautiful settings and thinking about the logistics of making the movie (gruesome makeup, love the clothes), rather than really getting into the movie, but I am not the target audience. Here is one of my quibbles--if they can transport themselves to anywhere in the blink of an eye, and carry around a giant tent and many other heavy items in a bottomless purse, why can't they solve all their problems? Once you start using magic as a literary device, where do you stop? Also, it just wasn't that fun to watch. I liked the McCarthy-esque witch hunt, in which people were accused of not being witches--as well as Hitler-style arrests for not being purebred. How about the cool, multi-room tent with wooden floor? And the strange, spontaneous dance sequence, choreographed just right to not seem like professional dancers, but two awkward friends.

When we got home, Ray made popcorn and then we had ice cream and cookies--all delicious, but not quite the same as having it at the movies. And not great for my digestion to eat so late at night. We were up until 10:40 (old time). I woke at 5:30 (old time, 6:30 new time), to roosters' crowing, even though it is still very dark.

The other thing I spent some energy on yesterday is fantasizing about opening a restaurant. I have a list of names and menu items. I figure we can make it friendly for knitters and maybe sell some craft items, too. And books and games on the walls? Cozy Corner...Mom's Cozy Corner...Treats from Days Gone By. How much money could I lose? I can freeze the cookies--buying ingredients will be the most expensive. Rent, utilities, publicity. $10, 000? It might be really fun. After the movie, I thought, yes, if there were a dessert place, we might very well go there. As Becky pointed out, I will have to learn to stay up late, at least until I have a reliable employee to lock up.