It Was Hiding

 I was in the garden giving the green tomatoes a talking to when I glanced at the cucumber

vines and saw a big cuke hiding in the leaves.  How have I missed this?  It's almost as big as a bratwurst and just about ready to pick.

See the tomatoes?  Green, green, green, not a hint of pink or even the lightening that comes before color change.  Blog shaming worked last time so I'm trying it again.  Shame on you, tomatoes, for taking so long to ripen.

I dug out the potatoes today.  Last year I planted three and got thirty.  This year I planted three and got... six, and four of the six have been nibbled by something so they're inedible.  Gah!  I'll be having potatoes tomorrow.  This is proof positive that I didn't do the right things when using second year bales.

I went downstairs to sort through a tote of kitchen gadgets.  In the tote was a big bag of spatulas and I found another double handful of them in the tote.  I find I'm unable to sort through them and decide to give some away.  Durwood got such joy finding them and gifting them to me in creative ways, I can't just toss them away.  Many of them have a message on the handle.  He took such good care of me.

When you knit for three hours your project grows.  Imagine that.  I did find a purl stitch that should have been a knit stitch about halfway back.  I'm debating whether to drop that stitch down and fix it or leave it.  I'll probably fix it because now it'll bug me whenever I see it.  Tomorrow in the daylight.

04 September--Barbara Malcolm, Better Than Mom's. 

A car with a pizza sign on its roof pulled in and tooted the horn.  Brady motioned the guy to carry the pizzas around back and went to meet him pulling his wallet from his pocket as he went.  Fay and Naomi were glad to strip off the hot rubber gloves and masks, and to wash up in the Ladies’ room.  They were sorry to see their sweaty dirty faces in the harsh light of the florescent fixtures over the sink. 

“We look like hags,” Naomi said.  “Do you have any lipstick in your pocket?” 

Fay patted her pants pockets and her shirt pocket.  “Nope, I do not.  At least you look semi-human with your dark eyes and olive complexion.  I look like a corpse; my eyes are that washed out hazel and I have sweated off the make up I put on this morning.  I look like hell.” 

Naomi was squinting at herself in the mirror.  “You really think I look all right?”

Fay looked at her.  “Why?  You got a date stashed in back?” 

Naomi shook her head.  “No, I just do not want to look like a washerwoman, do you?” 

“No, I do not.  I do not even know what a washerwoman is, but I do not want to look like one, whatever it is.”  She bumped Naomi with her hip.  “Shove over.  Let me see what I can do with this mess.” 

Naomi watched in amazement as her friend pinched her cheeks and bit her lips.  Roses bloomed in previous pale cheeks and her lips were suddenly cherry red.  “I always knew you pale girls had it easier.  Look at you!  You look like you got make up on.” 

Fay looked at her friend in the mirror.  “You know, Naomi, I would bet that if you tried the same thing, you would not get all the color in your face like I did, but you would look fresher.  Give it a try.”  

With a shrug of her shoulders Naomi leaned closer to the then pinched her cheeks and bit her lips.  Fay was right.  She did not get the flush of color that suffused Fay’s pale skin but her face did brighten up.  “Thanks, Fay.  I will remember this trick.” 

A man’s voice at the door made them jump.  “If you two do not get out here soon, either I will eat all the pizza or it will be stone cold.” 

Naomi and Fay said together.  “Coming, Brady.” 

The three of them sat around the high counter in the kitchen on stools gobbling down a couple of pizzas and sipping Cokes. 

“Mm, there is nothing like a good greasy pizza and Coke after a long hard day,” Naomi said. 

Brady set his can of soda down.  “Are you saying you do not like my cooking, woman?” he said. 

Naomi’s eyes darted between Brady and Fay as she tried to decide if he was really offended or teasing.  The Brady she was familiar with did not tease much.  “Um, no, not at all.  I love your cooking, Brady.  It is just a treat to have good pizza once in a while that is all.” 

Fay piped up.  “Me too.  I love your food, Brady, you are a world class cook, but every once in a while, a girl has to eat greasy pizza just to remind her stomach who is boss.” 

He grunted and kept eating.  By the time there were only smears of grease, strings of hardened cheese, and a few stray olives in the pizza boxes it was fully dark. 

“Hey, it is after nine o’clock,” Brady said.  “Where did the day go?” 

Fay groaned.  “My aching bones know where the day went.  I do not know when I have worked so hard in one day.  I am ready to go home, take the longest shower on record, and fall into bed.”  She turned to look at Naomi.  “Are you ready?  Because I am fading fast.” 

Naomi looked at Brady who gave her the smallest flicker of a wink.  “No, I am not ready just yet.  You go on.  I will help Brady clean up in here and get ready for tomorrow.” 

Fay shrugged and looked at the two of them.  “Okay, if you all want to wear yourselves to a frazzle, I do not.  I am out of here.”  And she stood up, slung her purse over her shoulder, and left with a tired wave. 

Today's toss was the box of cookie cutters that I haven't used in fifteen years, yet another teapot (that makes five donated, I still have two left, and I don't drink that much tea), and a handful of toasting forks.

Good news at the dentist today.  What I thought was a gigantic cavity in the side of my molar turned out to be the space where a filling had been.  Whew.  There was no new decay so he just replaced the filling and I'm good to go.  It still cost a bundle but not as much as all that drilling and stuff would have.  I think.  I was afraid it'd have to come out.  Double whew.

--Barbara