random thoughts – Day 1,895 – (Sunday) – flora and fauna

The irises are beginning to pop.

The deep purple irises in the front yard are blooming and the rhododendron has sprung to life. The echinacea plant and one of the mums that were eaten by some yard critter last year seem to have disappeared, leaving spaces for some new plants that I hope will be critter-proof. It would help, of course, if I knew which critters were the culprits. 

The sky was cloudy but wasn’t expelling water so that felt like a win. It was still on the chilly side of the temperature scale though, so it was a limited victory. 

Dance practice went well all the way around and it feels like we are ready for the June 6 showcase we are dancing in.  After practice, I went to a cookout and saw folks I hadn’t seen in a couple years. Not seeing these people was totally my doing because I had been invited to previous Memorial Day and Independence Day cookouts, but for various reasons, I didn't attend. I was glad things worked today and I was able to be there.

Sweet Chloe takes a rest.

It was fun seeing everyone and there was a ton of food, and a sweet little dog named Chloe. Chloe is a sweetie pie and was interested in letting me pet her and it was adorable. I will take canine and feline attention wherever it is offered, and it that means I’m needy, well, that’s okay. I’m not that afraid of labels.

On the way home, the car automatically piloted itself into Market Basket yet again. There was no real need for anything and I’m now thinking that maybe the MB team and the Jeep Navigation programming team are in cahoots and have commandeered the steering system. It's the best explanation I have for being at MB three times this week with no list or actual need.

There were lots of empty spaces in the MB lot which set a false expectation for the disproportionate number of people found inside. I visited dairy first, and clearly I haven’t paid attention to that corner lately. A pound of Land O’ Lakes butter was $8.59. For real? What insanity is that? I got the store brand for $3.99.

Two women had carts parked side-by-side blocking access to the bags of shredded and grated cheese. They stood there having a lengthy conversation while their several children shrieked and ran around in the limited space available around the carts. With just a hand basket, I was able to squeeze through the sliver of aisle not occupied by chatting adults, carts, or kids. I had been in the store for only about 60 seconds and was ready to flee. 

The rest of the visit was similar – conversation clogged aisles and kids running around. The bonus was at the border of the ice cream cases and the produce section when a kid who had been running around began screaming bloody hell when scooped up by a parent and placed in the wagon. That’s when I bolted for the express checkout with my Friendly’s maple walnut 1.5-quart ice cream, quart of half-and-half, pound of butter, head of broccoli, cans of black beans and sweet corn, and bottle of peppercorn ranch dressing because the Ken’s Steak House parmesan peppercorn has gone extinct again. I’ve conquered olive oil and vinegar dressing, and it seems it may be time to learn how to make my own creamy salad dressings.

I wondered if I smelled of Chloe the dog and Kiki the Feline Sovereign would shun me, but that didn’t happen. Kiki met me with the usual greeting and requests for affection. It was a relief, but I still felt like I had cheated on her.