random thoughts – Day 2,270 (Thursday) – adventure day

My sister has the week off from work and I got to spend time with her (and Mom) again today. The adventure du jour was a trip to Market Basket in Rindge, NH. This is another new stop on my Market Basket world tour for which I have been woefully negligent in making notes to document my successes.

The transportation plan had been based on the criteria of largest cargo area and functioning A/C. My car has A/C but a miniscule cargo area. My sister’s car has great cargo space but no A/C. Mom’s car met both requirements. We piled in and buckled up. And the car wouldn’t start.

StepDad had just arrived home and was waiting for us to exit the driveway before he pulled in, except we couldn’t get out. He assessed the situation and determined it was a dead battery. After a quick strategy session, we exited Mom’s car and headed into my sister’s. Some stuff was removed from her trunk and set in my driveway and we were on our way. The absence of A/C didn’t bother me, but Sis was warm. This is nothing new and it’s possible I have ice water in my veins.

It was a nice ride to Rindge, but I can’t claim that Market Basket to be my favorite. My list of needs was short (11 items) and was made using the flyer.  The stuff I wanted the most (goat cheese crumbles on sale for $3.99) was out of stock, but I got the 99-cent English muffins, the last package of cheese ends, and they had my favorite ramen flavor (creamy chicken) so that was good.

It was the kind of day I’ve been longing for. One that had activity but still felt was long and leisurely like the summer days when I was around 10 years old. I started a book this morning, went shopping with Mom and Sis, then came home and finished the book (it’s only 177 pages). It felt like it was 5:30 or 6:00, but it was only 3:15. Nice!

A trip was made to Tractor Supply to look at yard ornaments and to Aldi for the produce items I knew cost less than the ones I didn't buy at MB. TS had more of their never-ending stock of metal roosters, both big ($200) and small ($50). I was amused but not fully tempted. I must have been hungry, though because I ended up with a cart full of tempting stuff in Aldi.

Veggies baked with sliced feta.

At home, I decided to try a recipe I’d seen for sheet pan baked veggies and feta cheese so I got busy chopping. I should have consulted the recipe before shopping because I didn’t have all the ingredients (no fresh lemon, onions, garlic cloves, or orzo) and improvised.

Green beans (not in the recipe), broccoli, and grape tomatoes were cut and drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Feta cheese was sliced and placed in with the veggies and the whole thing was baked. The tomatoes took on a more intense flavor, the feta browned a bit and it was really good plated with ditalini. There will definitely be more iterations of that dish.

Paving season continues.

After supper I took a walk around the very quiet neighborhood and dropped three books off at the little library box and took two out. Asphalt paving equipment is parked again by the mailboxes so paving season may not be fully done yet. 

Yesterday, a section of the main entrance road was dug out and patched. Today I noticed a couple smaller street patches and several more homes with fresh driveway pavement. Two houses on my walk have roofing company signs planted in the yards. ‘Tis the season for upgrades in the neighborhood.