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.

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).