August: Week 2

Flowers on the Serrano Chili Plant

The First Serrano Chili Pepper!

The Serrano chili plant, which Bun Bun ate right to the ground, earlier, has recovered and has flowers and the first chilies!  I am looking forward to picking them to use in my curries.

Over the weekend, I watched the Olympics games, did several loads of laundry, watered the garden, did some cooking (a smoked sausage and zucchini stir fry, another batch of pasta sauce from the home grown tomatoes and zucchini, a chicken curry with tomatoes, but, no zucchini, etc.), cut up and froze 4 quart sized bags of tomatoes that we had picked earlier and picked another nearly 3 1/2 lbs. of tomatoes from the Roma tomato plant:

Roma Tomatoes

Almost 3.5 lbs.

I also picked another zucchini that was growing on the last remaining zucchini plant; I believe this is Zucchini No. 133!

No. 133!

I think I am ready to pull out that last zucchini plant!  LOL.

We also picked two Asian pears and enjoyed them, but, I didn't take a picture.  There is one last Asian pear, still ripening on the tree.

Meanwhile, my daughter vacuumed the house for me, as that is still one task I am unable to do.  

We spent a pleasant Sunday morning, enjoying more date filled pastries that neighbor S brought over and making birthday cards to send to Aunt C.  We used some of the homemade paper we made, earlier in the spring.  Later, daughter printed out some photographs for me to scrapbook!

My daughter and I watched the Olympics Closing Ceremony, last night, and we enjoyed some of the last of the Japanese treats we had bought! We finished all the cookies, but, we still have some of the chocolate left!

Daughter checked the Jury Duty reporting website, last night, and found out that she didn't need to report in person, today.  Which was a big relief for both of us!  She will have to check, again, tonight, to find out if she needs to report in person, tomorrow.  She will have to do that every day, this week until she is either told to report in person or is excused at the end of the week.  Much as I recognize the need to do our civic duty and serve as jurors as needed, I am hoping that she will not be called to serve during this particular time of increased Covid cases!  2,919 new confirmed Covid cases reported in our county, today!  

I slept in, a bit, today (woke up when daughter woke up for work, but, she told me to go back to sleep and I did!)

I've had a fairly relaxed day, so far.  Both daughter and I had rice, chicken curry, and cashew curry with some peach chutney for lunch.  Dinner will be leftover spaghetti with homemade pasta sauce.

Meal planning for the week will include pasta with homemade sauce, keema curry and/or curry puffs, ham with rice and vegetables (or ham fried rice), and leftovers!

Still to do today:

- Take the trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning
- Water the back yard
- Pick more tomatoes!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter didn't have to report in person for jury duty
- The garden harvests
- Being able to sleep in
- Phone calls with family and friends
- Working appliances and electricity to run them

Today's joyful activity will be harvesting more tomatoes!

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August Decluttering Challenge: 

8/1 - 1 pair gardening gloves

8/2 - non-working heating pad

8/3 - old purse/handbag

8/4 - 1 computer CD containing a report

8/5 - 1 plastic lid that cracked and broke in two

8/6 - 1 hooded sweatshirt (received a new one to replace it)

8/7 - old make-up I no longer use

8/8 - 6 plastic laundry detergent scoops (I use powdered laundry detergent; each new box comes with its own scoop; I don't need to keep the old ones, but, it seems such a waste to toss them in the recycling bin)

8/9 - 1 sponge paint brush (unused, but, so old, the sponge is no longer spongey!)
         1 plastic food container

Decluttering plans for this week include going through my clothes closet.

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for the second week of August?