Multiconstruct

birthday pickles are done, did 5 quarts, 1 pint & 1 cup of dill pickle slices. used garlic, dill, grape leaves, and asian basil out of the garden, cukes from betty & bill & hot peppers and green peppers from the market. from the store used a pint of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup balsamic, & 3/4 cup white vinegar, quart of water (from the tap not the store) & 1/2 cup kosher salt plus mixed peppercorns. in each jar i put a couple few peppercorns sorting out different kinds for different jars, couple few cloves of garlic, couple of grape leaves, couple few asian basil leaves, couple few hot pepper rings & green pepper slices and 1/2 a handful of dill leaves (hadn’t gone to seed yet). considered putting in bitters. next time.

market was nice. saw many people i knew and talked to none, just like i like it. i am there to shop and managing the crowds about the best i can do. i got flustered buying a chocolate card. do i want a loyalty card? i’m not ready for that kind of involved decision making, i barely decided to buy the chocolate bar. after that it was smooth sailing. the line was too long for peaches though, that’s how i know i’m spoiled. can’t wait 5 minutes for  local peaches in season. plan on grabbing some at wilson’s and i got a cantaloupe.

harry came by and offered to take me for breakfast. i decided to make it an event and enlisted john’s help in buying a fancy hat at larry’s boots out at midway truck stop. fame hasn’t gone to their heads out there though they are busy and need to hire some more help in the kitchen. Our waitress was very pretty but didn’t know how to hold a coffee pot, or a tray, or take an order without writing out every word slowly. She said “truck stop people drink a lot of coffee, I mean they guzzle it”. ah, the glamor. at least she didn’t have to hitchhike to the mean streets of LA to try to be famous, just learn to pour bad coffee.

i got a stetson, black, kind of dressy. almost went for a brown one that looked even more cowboy but i was looking for a dress hat. i didn’t have anything to wear on ‘wear a fancy hat day’. next year i’m covered and for when i MC the trivia for the Phoenix Fringe.

john and i are pretty well ready to float, except for loading the boat. we decided to do the 203 to the 219 on the gasconade so our pull out was by a bridge and we wouldn’t miss  it in the dark. decided to skip going out to dinner since we had the big breakfast. i had the hamburger steak and eggs, dad would have been proud and we sat in the smoking section but didn’t smoke.

didn’t get a nap in so it will be a long night perhaps, i think the excitement of the whole thing will keep me awake and you dear faithful reader, i will tell all about it when we return. lord willing. mostly though i am grateful for the love and support of family & friends. many times an attempt at a life well lived leaves you alone and unappreciated but not me. people have been good and i am thankful. as my buddy kalil gibran says: “to give when asked is good, but to give without being asked, out of knowledge, is better’.