Tuesday 5: Grocery Lists and Google

1. Laura Ingalls Wilder is just two months short of turning two. Mrs. British Neighbor asked me today what her birthday theme was going to be. I suggested, “Mommy loves you even when you scream like a banshee.” So, if you were wondering, yes, Laura Ingalls Wilder is still doing the brain scrambling, ear shattering scream. It’s just as endearing as you'd imagine, Fellow Adventurers.

2. All my Catholic friends are excitedly posting updates about Pope Francis landing in the U.S. I’m over here like, “Well, technically, I was geographically closer to him when he was visiting Castro.” I’d like to reassure those of you who support my political campaign that if you actually get me on the ballot, I promise to stand up during a debate and say, “I can see Cuba from my house.” in my best Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin impression. 

3. Today on our neighborhood garage sale page, someone posted a “beautiful black pant suit with sequence collar.” I swear, Fellow Adventurers. Really? I am not perfect at grammar. I make mistakes. I misspell things, too. Frequently. Here’s a hint, though. If you’re on your phone or computer to post something to the internet, anyway, you can type the word into Google to see if it’s spelled correctly. You can also ask Google those dumb questions that you’re about to type on social media to keep you from looking like a moron. For example, if someone says tomorrow is Yom Kippur (yes, I just Googled how to spell that) and you don’t know what Yom Kippur is, you can put it into Google instead of commenting, “What’s that.” You’ll also get handy links to articles with information about the holiday. It just makes me a little crazy that, in this day of instant information, we don’t use it to expand our basic knowledge. Ok, my soapbox is a little high. Pardon me while I step down.

4. People have asked me my process in writing the Random 5. It’s really not very refined. I make notes on my phone throughout the week with little passing thoughts that might turn into ideas. I write the whole thing Tuesday night and post it almost immediately, with little or no editing, which is probably pretty apparent. Tonight, I opened the notes section on my phone and couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to be writing about “Diet Coke, Soap, Toilet Paper.” Yes, I was looking at my grocery list. I bet you guys would be thrilled to read that. 

5. I have a free evening this evening. I’ve been working on cleaning out my closet and drawers. I’m at a good point to take a night off. I think I’m going to turn off the TV and go sew for a few minutes, then go to bed and read. What do you like to do when you have a free evening?

Tuesday 5: Dinner Menus, Dreams, and Dolls

1. Fall has come to Florida. While the rest of you are enjoying cooler mornings and a crispness in the air, we’re enjoying fall, too. It’s still miserably hot and humid. I was outside for 15 entire minutes today, while I picked up Arthur Dent and then we hung around for a few minutes to say hi to Gertrude Bell while she was at recess. When I crawled back in the car, my hair was dripping and my clothes were wet with sweat. I still knew fall was here, though—there were love bugs on and in the car. If you don’t know what they are, consider yourself, and the bumper of your car, fortunate.

2. In the interest of trying to get some things done now that the kids are back in school, I’ve been trying to take on some projects that I’ve been putting off. Today, I reduced the number of tops in my closet by one third. I’ve also gone through handbags and jackets in the past week, and started on shoes. I need to get a handle on scarves and jewelry next. I feel so much better when I have less “stuff,” so I’m lightening my load. 

3. I’ve been having some unusual dreams lately. Last week, it was a dream about trying to buy feta cheese in a blizzard with David Duchovny.  Monday morning, I sat straight up in bed after dreaming that I was being attacked by a giant frog. I was saved in the nick of time when Agent Doggett shot the toad as it jumped at me. Coincidently, that precisely corresponds with Season 8, Episode 19 of the X-Files, which we watched tonight. Totally normal, right?

4. We had a major crisis on our trip to Georgia last week. We were five minutes from Reagan’s Godparents’ house when Gertrude Bell let out a scream of pain that almost ran me off the road. Once I regained my composure and made sure Gertrude Bell wasn’t injured, I found out that her doll, Mary, had a hole in her body. For those of you not familiar with Mary, Gertrude Bell got her for Christmas the year she turned three. Mary has been around the world with Gertrude Bell, literally. She is Gertrude Bell’s most prized possession. Gertrude Bell sleeps with her every single night, and takes her almost everywhere she goes. It’s not a shock that Mary has a hole, it’s more of a shock that it’s taken so long. Today, Gertrude Bell broke down in heaving sobs as we packed Mary in a box (with lots of insurance!) to mail to Grandma for repair. This will be the first time she’s spent the night without Mary, ever. Every hotel room we’ve stayed in, from Bangladesh to Kansas, Mary has been beside Gertrude Bell. She’s been to almost every show-and-tell day at school, and now she’s been entrusted to the U.S. Postal Service for a two day trip to Grandma’s, and another trip back. Fingers crossed, send some good vibes, Fellow Adventurers. In the overall scheme of things, no big deal, but in the Intrigue Family, the hugest deal. 

5. What’s on your dinner menu this week? We had crock pot chicken tacos last night. Tonight, pad thai. I stabbed myself in the palm with a dry rice noodle. It was no joke, Fellow Adventurers. I need a band-aid. The rest of the week is shrimp with dill and farro, veggie lasagne, and frozen pizza. The Intrigues always have pizza on Friday. Now that I’ve found a cheese free version that I like, I feel even less guilty. Seriously, though, Fellow Adventurers, I’d love to hear your meal plans, especially if they include anything that can be completely pre prepped or cooked in the crock pot. Now that school is back in session and activities are in full swing, that’s a necessity.