Peas, Flowers, Derby Wive...

I went to my P-Patch tonight after work to pay some much needed attention to the peas who had been trying to reach the heavens. The plants had long given up their plight and were leaning down on the ground - rather yellowed. I started pulling off the leathery pea pods and was extremely doubtful about how good they would be. I decided I would only pick the more green ones and toss the rest in compost pile. I was doubtful that they would be anything but shriveled up and rather gross. Of course, when I got home with by bag full of peas, I read on the University of Illinois extension website, that I should have picked them - when they were still mostly green and immature- starting about two weeks ago. When I opened them up though, they were rather beautiful - sealed in a water tight pod, they were softer then I expected, waxy and greener too. However, let's face it. I'm not a master gardener - there is a pretty good chance that they will be starchy and not sweet and tasty.

The flowers are beautiful.

I went skating with Weedy (my derby wife), Lara, Kelly Rae and Steph on Monday. Actually only Kelly, Lara and I skated and the other two walked (Steph not knowing how to skate and Weedy needing a break.) We had a great dinner at Cactus and on our way home, I was telling Weedy about my rather crappy Sunday. I was tired, slightly hungover (more tired) and had to unload the skate floor and return the GIANT rental truck. Luckily, there was a great group of skaters who turned out to help. As I was leaving the storage facility, I cut the hair pin corner too close and scraped the mortar facade on the building - causing teaspoons sizes of cement to fall of and scratching the truck. I was BUMMED - to say the very least. The storage owners weren't upset as it was just the facade and as long as the truck was ok... Heading down I-5, I had an empty truck and was going about 55 mphs - in the center lane, driving carefully when a flock of gulls came swooping down the road and right into the truck - there was little I could do - breaking was definitely not an open. At least one of them didn't clear the truck and exploded into a burst of feathers onto the freeway. That added to the shitty, slightly hungover, damaged a rental truck feeling when Weedy smirked. What's funny? Of course you hit a bird Michelle. Don't you remember when we were driving in Spokane and you were like "run birdies run" as you sped down the road toward them. OMG - that made me laugh. And it put things in perspective. She's such a great derby wife!