My niece’s birthday was this past weekend, so my mom and I drove over together. My mom is still pretty independent, but a 2-hour drive to Chippewa Falls wasn’t necessary for her to do since I was going to the same place at the same time, right?
We took the scenic route through Wabasha, Nelson, Durand, Mondovi, Eleva, and then through Eau Claire north to Chippewa Falls. It was a beautiful day to just leisurely toodle down the two-lane country roads.
Apparently not everyone else was of the same mind because at one point another car when flying past us (in a no passing zone on a hill, mind you). Five miles later when we caught up with him at an intersection in one of those little towns, my mom turned to me and said, “Should we flip him off?”
Mother! NO...do not flip him off. Do you even know what that means??
I told her to stick her tongue out at him instead. Yeesh!
Road rage tends to be rampant in our family. Captain has no tolerance for stupid drivers, and this mild-mannered, soft-spoken, gentle man becomes a fanged monster in the face of driver stupidity. He yells things like Nice use of your turn signal, peckerhead! Or maybe Hey dumbass, when you go in the ditch driving 70 mph on glare ice, I”m not stopping to help you!
Captain’s mom handles dicey driving situations differently (as a passenger). She will gasp and grab the oh-shit handle or the dashboard. Like that’s going to prevent an accident. All that will do is break both of her arms if there is a collision!
I do a lot of yelling and screaming at other drivers (like they can hear me???) when I see something stupid. What the hell? Do you KNOW there is a speed limit here? Did you eat a big bowl of stupid for breakfast??
But, stupid drivers aside, we had a nice visit on the drive over there. Mom stayed there for the weekend, and I came home so I could attend another niece’s last high school choir production. I took the express route home down I-94 to Baldwin and down to Red Wing. I like this route because (a) it’s faster and (b) I pass through Ellsworth, Wisconsin, and must stop at the creamery for fresh cheese curds that are still warm and squeak. Their retail shop also sells bratwurst seasonally that are flavored. Our favorite is bacon and cheese curd brats, so I loaded up on cheese curds and brats and headed home.
Yesterday was plant the garden day. Most years, this task falls to me and Captain’s mom. We always get the stuff in the ground, but it isn’t always pretty. We have crooked rows and haphazard hills of vining things. This year, Captain was present and accounted for to help, so our rows are military straight thanks to two stakes with a string tie to them to make straight rows AND a measuring tape to make certain the rows and plants were all far enough apart to get our rear-tine tiller through. It’s a very pretty layout. I love garden planting day because there is so much potential as I look at it. It doesn’t always turn out that way. Last year, our green bean crop was a dismal failure, even after replanting.
This year we planted tomatoes, kohlrabi, green peppers, eggplant, zucchini, green beans, Swiss chard, radishes, leaf lettuce, cucumbers, potatoes, and squash. If everything grows like it should, I will be able to restock my pantry shelves with canned green beans, salsa, stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, and vegetable soup. Although I will have to go to a farmer’s market to get the carrots for the soup because those just don’t do well in our garden. We have way too much clay in our soil.
Tonight I am taking Mama Bear to the nursery to help her buy a few annuals to do a couple of pots. Baby steps...you have to start small. That way you aren't out much money or time if you find it is something you just don't care to do. Or, if you absolutely love it, you can add to your container addiction over time until you're like me and have 28 different pots!
I'm glad I ended my weekend on a peaceful, content note in the garden and left the irritation of stupid drivers behind!
Images from
http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/08/you-know-youre-a-gardener-when/?ext=Pinterest_Gardening_OP_BLOG_2032&utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=Social%20Engagement&utm_campaign=Pinterest%20Followers-Registrations&initialPage=true
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