Yesterday both Odin and Pixie were waiting for me when I got there, ready to play, so we did!  Normally I’d be in a hurry to bake challah at Avdi’s, but I made an exception for circumstances, and –gasp–bought challah to save time, along with ingredients for the meal.

Stacey was traveling to join us for the weekend in order to take S and his large quantity of belongings back to Michigan to stay.  It took a while for everyone to realize Shabbat was not on vacation along with them and clear the kitchen!

I made a Greek-style dinner of baked flounder and perch, salad, olives, lemon basmati rice with snow peas from the garden, raw veggies with tzatziki/feta dip, and Greek yogurt.  Everyone was at the table, and then each of the kids spent some time with Mom.

Packing up S to go to Michigan has been a difficult transition for Avdi, though everyone (especially S) is on board with this new chapter.  It will be interesting to see the effect and adjustments his departure will bring about.

PS–But is it challah?

Having Jess’s car, I was able to check in on Odin and Pixie, stop at the store for beer for Avdi, and drive over.  Then we just hung out while S and friends had his going away party.  Avdi was finishing up an almost all-nighter of packing up S’s room, a daunting undertaking.  The rest of the family hid in their rooms!

It was like a mini-B&B.  Despite the cold and rain, some of the kids were determined to play in the pool for quite a while.  Others, like Joyce’s daughter R, wanted to just chill with the grownups under a big canopy that A set up on the patio.

It continued to rain harder, until eventually most of us retreated inside and played games on the big screen and ate taquitos and pizza.  Both kids and adults had a lot of fun together.  I’d say all-in-all it was a success.  Nobody got murdered.

Summary of jobs done: created another hideout for S in the wooded area; transplanted variegated solomon’s seal to the big shade garden; weeded and mulched (carefully) the prickly pear bed; mulched Y’s rock garden; weeded and mulched the hollyhocks; and other cleaning and weeding.  Call me the Weed Queen!

S bravely initiated the very cold pool.  Today he’s having a going-away party with his friends, while grownups “supervise” i.e. stay out of the way of the sugared-up hordes.

I got to borrow Jess’s car through the weekend, so as to do cat duty!  Doodie.

With the kids home, I mostly stay outside gardening.  Sometimes it takes maneuvering around S, who will follow me around chattering nonstop about his fantasy world, but often that turns into a learning moment about plants and gardening.

Yesterday, (probably mostly motivated by money, but still), he kept asking if he could help me in the garden!  Hey, whatever it takes!  So I found him a few jobs he could do (with some demonstrating by me) to get paid, and he was happy for a while.  It mostly keeps him from accidentally trampling flowers.  I even found him his own “secret” hideout, like E’s “secret garden”.

I reseeded some empty veg rows with beets and onions, picked snow peas, weeded, and replanted empty flower spaces with more flowers.  There was even a moment with E talking about what we can and can’t plant on the property, being constrained by renting.  He would like more trees, an orchard, and more woodsy paths!  So would I, in an ideal world.  I have a feeling he will end up being the first of the kids to move out and try to find a more conducive situation.

We finally have cukes!  Tiny baby ones in different shapes.  Also, the tomatoes finally have flowers, so they shouldn’t be far behind.  The only thing that was a bust so far is beans, but the corn, sunflowers, okra, zucchinis, pumpkins, and watermelons are coming up.

The pool is just about open for the season.  Naturally, it’s been unseasonably cool out!  Which works for me, I get a lot more done.

My latest project was to rototill the formidable rooted-in compost mountain.  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.  I even uprooted a small tree that was growing in it and dragged it into the wooded area.  Now it’s a nice usable mulchy compost I can use in all the beds.  Which I proceeded to do, starting with the strawberries, and the front entrance garden.  I felt very accomplished.

Meanwhile, Avdi has resigned himself to activating and reopening the pool for the season, so he was working on that.

Then most of the family went to a BBQ, but I chose to stay and continue my new project, then clean up the house a little.  Jess came over and we talked about the coming rearrangement of all the rooms and furniture to accommodate the reshuffling of kids once S moves to his Mom’s.  My little cubicle downstairs is no more, because I can use A’s when he’s not around.  I sorted all my accumulated stuff to take home or give away.  Another crossroads moment at the Avdi’s.

What’s a “day off”?!  J.K.  It was raining all day, I slept through half of it, Avdi didn’t need me to come over, so I got procrastinated stuff done.  I even opened the windows!  The list of chores would bore you to sleep, but it felt like guilty pleasure.  Sometimes just having my own space and time is a privilege and luxury, considering all the folks who no longer have roofs over their heads, or time to rejuvenate.

K made “himself” a large cheesecake from scratch (to celebrate graduation, I think).  It was his first time baking anything  like that.  Some of us were allowed to try it.  In my humble experienced opinion, it could rival the best authentic NY cheesecakes I’ve had.

Erev Shabbat featured challah (Avdi claimed it was better than ever), a big salad from the garden, a stir fry of fish and greens from the garden, and Asian noodles.  S said it was the best stir fry he’d ever had!  High praise from someone afraid of vegetables.

In a change of pace, I spent Friday overnight, so Avdi could go out to a rave fundraiser for the tornado recovery.  I got to wake up to real live birds and fresh air (not the bird cuckoo alarm)!  Real coffee, and later a nice steak and egg breakfast by E for Avdi (and me).

It’s been cool and breezy (not rainy?!), ideal for gardening.  I reseeded lettuces, oregano, cilantro, and Thai basil.  I cut back all the greens and herbs that were going to seed.  I dug up a volunteer dogwood sapling to transplant.  I weeded the strawberries, prickly pear, asparagus, and horseradish beds.  I refilled the hummer feeder.  I watered.  A chipmunk sat still near me. Even Avdi had a few minutes to sit still with me at the patio table, watching bird dramas unfold, and admiring all the handiwork.

I’ve been feeling exhausted and nauseous a lot, so Avdi drove me home and I immediately fell asleep for a couple of hours.  Probably the damn leukemia.  Never mind.  I’m thankful for all the luxury I’m privileged to take part in.  Many St. Louisans are not so lucky, living in tent cities or camping out at destroyed homes with no power.  The huge relief effort by ordinary community groups and volunteers continues, on its own, while the overlords destroy social safety nets and relief programs.  Their karma and injustice is coming back to them, rest assured.

The kids are mostly done with school other than finals and related events, so there are constant comings and goings and kitchen takeovers.  K finally mowed.  E was baking.  Y was in and mostly out.  S had his last day.  I worked in the garden.  Avdi got to go to the Black Rep Theatre in the evening (sadly by himself) while I stayed with kids.

Today I’ll attempt to bake challah etc. for whomever is home this evening, and spend the night while Avdi goes out.

The tornado relief and rebuilding effort continues in the city, still mostly organized by local nonprofits and volunteers, still not supported much by gov.  It’s how stuff gets done in a fascist dictatorship, and worthy of respect.

I’m getting behind as usual, what with all the waking and sleeping, so here are pretty pictures, draw your own conclusions!

Like I said, flooding.  Inevitably, Avdi’s yard was under water, with pool toys floating around in the swamp, obliging him to pump it out as usual.  Needless to say, no gardening (or mowing) got done, though the veg seedlings really appreciated the inches of rain.  I was in a dental anesthesia fog, anyway.

The tornado relief and cleanup effort continues downtown, mostly by local orgs and volunteers, not the gov.  We’re contributing more supplies like tarps and first aid/hygiene items to the cause.  Neighbors and friends are following our lead.

STL reminds me a lot of Baltimore–proud, resilient, and self-reliant.  When the powers-that-be can’t be relied upon to even call it a disaster or emergency (i.e. fund it), local groups (Black, Queer, etc.) didn’t wait, they got out there right away, organized, did what needs to be done, and are still at it.