(no subject)

South Carolina, where you need to be warned about setting fireworks off near propane.

( No photo from Sat, so here's one from Thursday )

Because the gas station sells both.

--== ∞ ==--

I finished Hail Mary Project last night because i had a beer at dinner and my self control was just that much reduced. I didn't wanna go for a walk in low 90°F with high humidity. I enjoyed it, but Christine and i had a nice chat critiquing various plot and characterization aspects. I look forward to finding out why KT gave a side eye at one point (but she enjoyed it as well).

Mushroom stew turned out well, and Grandmámá liked the tiny conchigliette pasta. The small container of thyme in the cabinet had never been opened and was "best by" 31 Jan 2017. I used lots. I think the new seasoning stood out for her. I didn't have rice flour and used double wheat flour -- i don't think i needed to double it, but it was still lovely. No veggie stock, so i used Goya sofrito as a veggie base.

(no subject)

( Fresh tropical fruit? No such luck. )

I was disappointed in the little outing i took today: the self service stamps one can buy from kiosks are printed on demand as QRcode-esque stickers. I'd bought some so that i could have some extra postage on hand beyond forever stamps. I was hoping for definitives. But no. I got out of stamp collecting when they went to stickers, and i'm glad.

And i also looked for fruit stands but nothing was to be found. Fie. I suppose it's NOT the growing season here.

C-- doesn't ever leave Grandmámá alone in the house, i think, but my Dad does, so i've not felt guilty in my two outings nor my walks in the evening. But now the work week begins and i need to try and work. For some reason i have felt compelled to wash my clothes. I'm not sure why -- because i can? because i don't want to hang worn clothes in my cousin's closet? because i don't want to put sweated in clothes near others? I dunno but i ran the tiny load.

And then there's the weird probable sewage leak. If i leave a towel down where the wall meets the floor it becomes sodden. And i just know it's gross. So i am washing tiny loads of towels because i can't bear the thought of those wet towels festering at the bottom of the washer. Ugh, ugh, ugh. And i won't tell Christine about the sewage issue because she will resent it on my behalf, like it's someone's fault. Dad's, i guess, for being willing to wait a week.

I did adjust the hvac, so it will be cooler at night. Cooking in the kitchen does get a bit steamy and hot. Cooking with tamarind was intriguing; and the tamarind and ginger fish curry turned out fairly well. My grandmother say she appreciates it, but she eats so little it's hard to tell if she's just being polite or really appreciating someone else's cooking. C-- says Grandmámá is like a two year old. I have never had a two year old: she seems plenty cat-like to me. Some ritual of moving from room to room, a bit of finicky eating, and much sleeping.

I finished The Monogram Murders. I did try to speed up the reading, but the accent for Poirot and the dramatic changes in volume made that problematic. Knowing that i would not get the book back in time to keep listening on this trip was part of the motivation, but i also have a compulsion to finish the story. If i was in need of audio books, i think getting this series from my library would be pleasant, although i certainly have found a number of other period mysteries far more enjoyable. Here period was incidental, not part of the story to be told.

Christine has the amazing-to-me capacity to put down a book or a movie. I've just borrowed an Isak Dinesen collection from Open Library to read the rest of this week. I don't trust myself with a novel. I am hoping the short stories will be engaging but leave me free to close the book. I would like to develop a habit of reading before bed without the risk that i won't stop until i am done or will be distracted and craving finishing the story.