It's surprising how many kitchen staples I find essential, and spices are expensive!

I need to purchase minimum quantities up there this year because I can't leave them up there over the winter. Canned goods turn to mush, and spices solidify from freezing and thawing repeatedly for months. People who cook understand just how many items are required staples. (I may make an exception for my Indian spices because I am not even sure there is a good market for those near Otter Lake) So maybe a small staples box in the trunk.

I will note that Oaktown Spice ships all their spices and blends (which are fresh and top tier). So you could just order them after you arrive in Otter Lake and order-to-need.

I'm sure you've considered that kind of option, but it seems like it would mitigate the hauling of stuff and over-supply that will go bad in the winter.

Matilda is socializing all weekend between her two proms and a birthday today, so I've barely seen her. But I planned for that and had a social day yesterday.

Called up my downstairs neighbor, Jamille, to go get coffee and baked goods because I knew her son was away with his grandfather this weekend. So that was lovely ad hoc, no planning get together. I really love having her as my tenant and it's been fun growing that relationship into a friendship.

I had planned a call with another friend in the morning, but she's got Covid was feeling rundown. But later in the day we were texting and she was feeling low so I called her and we talked briefly and I think it cheered her up.ing

Had a difficult but overdue talk with an in-person friend as we needed to address some hurt feelings and miscommunication. I'm getting better at this kind of talk, even though they're squirmy. I have to coach myself before hand to keep it from being confrontational or accusatory, don't try to "win" the argument, don't litigate the facts.

Just go in open hearted, not defensive, and talk about why you feel that way and offer some solutions (better communication, better scheduling, separating certain activities etc.). It turned out to be a good talk and resolved the main issue. We both had some good insights in how the other processes/expects and it returned us to a place of happy affection.

Finally another phone call with a friend who is going back into the Peace Corps in her 50s after a fairly difficult and dark time in her life (father's death, dog's death, career stalling). So planning on her coming out for a visit in August before she goes to Macedonia in September.

It's good to hear that your difficult decision went well, David. The anticipation of such talks is so stressful.

Reflecting on our visit to SF last week, we were impressed by how the hotel's security staff interacted with the homeless with compassion and good humor. They had obviously established a relationship with the regulars. They were kind and friendly with both hotel guests and the street people. It made me feel better about humans.

Wow entering the peace corps in her 50s is quite a change! Good luck to her.

I bring spices for baking to Palm Springs every year because it’s just easier and cheaper than buying them once we get there, and I usually want to bake Christmas cookies. But I’ve also bought other spices once there and brought them home so now have double the like, onion powder.

Wow entering the peace corps in her 50s is quite a change! Good luck to her.

She worked in the Peace Corps before, and also several years on a Reservation.

I bring spices for baking to Palm Springs every year because it’s just easier and cheaper than buying them once we get there, and I usually want to bake Christmas cookies. But I’ve also bought other spices once there and brought them home so now have double the like, onion powder.

Too bad my friend is selling her vacation rental there, because she has so many spices and supplies! After being a vacation tenant in many places without the stuff you need to actually cook in the kitchen.

I was just starting to fret about not getting everything done this weekend, especially computer work I need to do for church, but I realized I had an hour, so could at least start working on one thing. Well, I opened it up and it actually took me 20 minutes to go through it to the point I wanted to. Ha-HA!

So much love to y'all. {{{}}}

Yay new pup!

Texted earlier to a friend something that I thought could be funny taking out of context: "Congrats! And good luck with finding a shallow grave, let's celebrate on Friday!"

(context: she's awesome and won a professional award, but being herself she feels super awkward about it and expressed the want to find a shallow grave for herself to hide in until everyone will stop congratulate her).

Man, that wedding reception was a full-out Bollywood/20-something folks' 3-hour dance party. It was wild. The groom's female relatives put all Buffista gatherings to shame, because they wore lovely but sedate Indian clothing to the Lutheran ceremony, then changed into Indian party clothes for the cocktail hour and dinner, and then a fair handful went back to their rooms and changed into even more blingtastic outfits for the dance party. Truly dazzling to behold.

The food was the best Indian food I've ever had, and I might be ruined for our regular take-out place. The cupcakes (in lieu of a wedding cake) were carrot cake, which is a favorite of mine, so tiny unexpected bonus there. The groom's cousins/siblings performed a choreographed dance, joined by the groom, and then eventually the bride. Absolutely wonderful.

Our 4-year-old great-niece is fanatical about dancing, and she spent a good 45 minutes of the dance party on her dad's shoulders and was having the time of her life being above the crowd and bopping along and waving these blinky-lights-in-styrofoam-sticks that were passed out, while wearing sunglasses with blinky neon frames that were also passed out. I'm pretty sure she out-partied all of us.

I am doing absolutely nothing today, other than a very very likely nap.

Man, that wedding reception was a full-out Bollywood/20-something folks' 3-hour dance party. It was wild.

That sounds utterly fantastic! I think you'll need at least two weeks to recover.

What an amazing wedding. Recovery time seems to be a good plan.