So far with my new insurance I haven’t had to pay anything up front, no copays, for drugs, doctors, or dentists!  I say dentists plural, because today I went to the endodontist that my dentist referred me to for a root canal.  So far so good.  I just wish every American could afford medical and dental care through universal single payer healthcare, but that seems farther off than ever.

Last night’s storms, supposedly less fierce, were still pretty scary, and no doubt made things a lot worse for the tornado relief effort, what with all the rain and probable flooding.

Well, off to Avdi’s, so I leave you with the obligatory flowers.

This is like communal survivor’s guilt.  Just down the road parts of our city are devastated by the tornado.  The randomness really bothers me.  Even the kids can see how human behavior (or lack thereof) creates climate change that causes these disasters to be more frequent and deadly, and it makes them angry and scared.  Of course I’m thankful we were spared, but this hit so close to home.  Our people and city were directly in the path of destruction.

It’s amazing how diverse community groups have all pulled together to organize a relief effort on the ground, while state and fed do whatever.  This is what it takes to survive a terrible disaster now, regular folks all gladly pitching in, volunteering, providing emergency supplies and shelter, clearing debris, and starting to rebuild homes.  Avdi saw the wreckage firsthand, while delivering food, first aid, supplies, and personal items we all donated.  He wished he could stick around to volunteer, but we do what we can and will continue to.

Meanwhile, back at the fort, I spent the night as usual so Avdi could get out.  Sunday was a beautiful sunny day, as if nothing had happened, but fortunate for all the volunteers working to provide services before it rains again.  I worked in the garden and talked to the neighbors.  Kim (and W.) came over to recolor Y’s hair on the patio, while the kids played.  We got to have a good conversation as she worked.  It was almost like an informal B&B.  Avdi hung out with us for a while.

Later on we (kids and A and I) went to Global Foods, something we all look forward to.  Avdi has it down to an efficient system wherein each kid gets to spend a specific amount and time shopping, then all meet up, which works well.  I always take up the rear, trying to rush around getting my few basic healthy staples while I can.  This way I can accept fewer food pantry items that I don’t need and others do.

The first snap peas have appeared!  All my squashes, melons, and okra are coming up.  New flowers keep blooming.  Sometimes I just sit in wonder and soak up the beauty of all the trees and life we’re privileged to enjoy for the moment.

The evil jigsaw puzzle (pictured) was finally finished by E.  Now a new one has begun.  Insidious things!

I spent the day as usual preparing for Shabbat, baking challah, cleaning, making dinner (a big salad mostly from the garden, and my own version of chicken taquitos), and some watering, as it was a hot sunny day.

Then we started getting the tornado/t-storm warnings and sirens.  The kids were all hunkered down at their schools.  Avdi rolled his eyes at the “tomato warning”!

For us it just involved some dark, fast-moving clouds and thunder, not much rain, that passed over quickly and headed for the city.  But parts of StL got slammed with damaging winds, at least one actual tornado touchdown that friends witnessed, downed trees and power lines, destroyed buildings, and a death toll.

The reports were coming in as we had our drinks on the patio under huge white clouds moving fast across a blue sky and clearing out.  It was surreal.  These things are so random and unpredictable, as well as more frequent.  It’s one thing (besides evil deranged repubs) that I hate about the MW.

Anyway, we dodged another “tomato”, and Avdi and Joyce got to go out, which they both needed.  I prefer real tomatoes to this BS!  Fortunately, the whole backyard is covered with volunteer tomato seedlings from last year, on top of the many I planted, so there should be no shortage.  I’ll have surplus to throw at the sky (or evil repubs).

And now back to our regular boring program.

I got off to a late start, what with being schnockered and all!  Plus it was really hot and humid, not very motivating.  Still, flowers never stop for a hangover.  Neither do some slow germinators that finally got their act together, like the squashes, melons, and okra.  The peas are blooming like crazy.  Even the eggplant is starting to bloom.  Still no sign of beans or sunflowers, though the corn mostly came up.  I guess one of the three sisters took a year off, or something.

Today I brought the last holdouts from the lab to outside, and officially shut it down for the season!  That calls for a –no, never mind!

Here are flowers and stuff.  Oh wait, one’s a ‘shroom.

Read on at your own risk.  I didn’t reveal the location, or, if I did, I’ll have to kill you.  You’ve been warned.

Avdi and I actually finally got to go on our “Mom date”, and it was worth waiting for.

First we checked out Mac’s Local Eats, a beer and burger joint, which was excellent.  We ended up talking to Mac, the owner, who told us about meeting Anthony Bourdain while shooting episodes of his show, only a month or so before AB left this world.  That story alone was worth the visit.

Next Avdi showed me The City Foundry, a reinvention of the historic district, with outdoor and indoor upscale eateries of all kinds.  Just the architecture alone is fascinating, but we weren’t there to eat.  Have I said too much?

Somewhere tucked inconspicuously between other watering holes is a plain door with a red light.  You wander down through a spooky cavelike corridor that ends up at a scary metal vault door.  Someone’s head pops out of a panel and checks you out first.  Then they let you into a classy dark speakeasy with all the trappings!  If you want a drink other than the house handcrafted cocktails and classics, the bartender will make one to order, which I did.  Our drinks were excellent and unique.

If our date (or my life, or my drinking) had ended there, I’d die happy, but we eventually finished out the evening at The Handlebar in the Grove, up on the breezy roof under a cloudy sky.  I couldn’t even finish that drink, being way over my limit, but like I said, worth it.  It’s always a learning adventure.

The peas are finally blooming, and I harvested some radishes.  I cleared out and weeded several areas, and made a space for Y’s veg plants.  I brought all the houseplants outside.  Avdi and E and I re-covered the pool with yet another new cover.  The fate of the pool is up in the air.  More trouble than it’s worth.

Joyce stopped by in the evening while her kid was at an activity nearby.  Since they had to move, we rarely get to see them, so it was good to spend even a short drop-in.

Which is kind of how I feel about this Blahg lately: I rarely have the time to spend writing much except a garden summary every couple of days, I’m so busy gardening etc. at Avdi’s, which is fine, but I make the time, however limited.  If nothing else, it helps me keep track of the swirl of life events.

The veg garden is officially “done”.  Ahaha.  I planted the last of the seedlings, eggplants, in the last remaining space, with a path around the whole garden.  Y tried it out and approved.

Then I collected remaining miscellaneous seedlings, plus Y’s veg seeds, and planted them in little pots in a flat, so he can have his own potted veg garden.

I also brought out the dormant elephant ear bulbs and planted them in the big shade garden, just to be different.

Then I tried out another new beer (for mother’s day) and surveyed “my” domain.

Avdi asked me what I’d like to do for M-day, and basically it was all the above.  Stay home with the Fam and avoid the crazies.

Then I took a nap downstairs.  (That’s after having actually slept through the night using Avdi’s vacant bed, sooo relaxing.)  Then I slept in this morning in my own bed, cheerily dreaming of being prisoners in a sort of internment camp, where they kill you for talking.  Hmm.

If success is measured by old and new friends all chilling with drinks, kids playing badminton and enjoying themselves, and most of all, Avdi getting to relax for a change, then this one was a major success.  So much so, that he’s decided to preschedule the next couple of B&Bs, so everyone can plan ahead.  I myself really enjoyed seeing Avdi get to depressurize.  Also, the beer (and non-beer) selection was excellent.

Today I prepped for erev: baked challah, made dinner : sweet bbq chicken, scalloped potatoes, and the first salad from the garden.  I helped clean up the patio for our first b&b tomorrow.  Avdi mostly worked outside, which I was glad to see.

Just to be different, it rained (!) during my morning “commute”, so while I waited, I actually got stuff done at home.

At Avdi’s, I continued to clean up the patio in prep for the B&B on Saturday.  There wasn’t a whole lot of gardening for me to do, just waiting for seeds to germinate.

However, Y came up with a use for me!  Not so much a job as a well-intentioned but ill-advised/timed project.  They/he (going by “he” now) wanted to build a small greenhouse right behind the veg garden (?!), despite both A and I having misgivings.  I suppose Y belatedly wanted in on the action.

We weren’t exactly “Bob the Builder”, having little-to-no clue how to use which tools for what!  We eventually got a “floor” down, a “frame” up, and were trying out the actual greenhouse plastic cover Y had obtained, when A came along and put a hold on the whole misguided affair.  Y was pissed, but I was secretly relieved.  The things we do to humor Gkids!

Here are some more (surprise) irises.