Field Notes- Monday July 18th. So far, at 8:18 it's still cool. The construction next door continues.

 Purple Smoke Bush in bloom.  I can see it from the desk chair. Quite fabulous. 

The saw and the nail guns woke me before 8 am- I actually think they start at 7.  The siding application is endless.  I have to get up to close the window.  Then I am awake.  No newspaper this morning- they stopped printing a Monday paper- guess they didn't want to pay weekend rates for the employees putting together a Monday paper.  

And really- what news is there?  Ukraine.  Uvaldi- and the school shooting/police etc. Trump (who now has one less thing to worry about as the "chatty"ex Mrs Trump has died).  Here in Maine the ignorant blow hard who was once the Governor of the Great State of Maine (a Trumper) is planning to run again.  I was going to say the man has the intelligence of a Turnip but that gives Turnips a bad rap.

I cooked yesterday.  I had "harvested four yellow crookneck squash" so I used the always very dangerous slicing machine and thin sliced the squashes and salted them.  No fingers were sliced- and that rarely happens.. Then cooked the slices down into browned mush with a thin sliced onion- now that was dangerous- and some butter- takes a long time- I watched an episode of Law and Order.. and cleaned  OLD mouse poop off the top of the refrigerator.  I hadn't noticed they had carried candy up there and ate and pooped.  I had to use the tall ladder.  I am lucky I didn't fall and knock myself unconscious. 

The squash would have burned up. 

I was taught how to make this "meat and three" side many many thousands of years ago in a small apartment kitchen in Riverdale, Georgia. Was reminded of the "sides" by the recently delivered Gun and Garden magazine I subscribe to.  Yes.  It's about Gardening and Hunting with dogs and guns and buying high priced Bourbon, leather handbags, jewelry and going on vacation.  Usually there is a full page picture of a very deliciously good looking man being all moody.  Not this month. This month we got a messy fat man.  

Okra would have been a nice addition to the rice and fried squash.  And a sliced ripe, warm tomato. 

I don't think I like the 'No- Show" book.  It's too "wordy" and I have lost track of who is who and what man stood them up and the business of cutting down trees.........it's all way too confused. It's going back.I guess I will hit publish and go make my oatmeal and coffee and get on with today.........y'all be sweet.