Scattered Sundays

Who wants to hear the wildest and weirdest tale that has ever involved a plumber, potential flooding, and a pipe?

And you’re like “nah, Sarah, you already told us this story over the last six months. We know”.

My friends. You know NOTHING.

Early in the week, when Troy was at work, Bill the plumber showed up at my house. Bill is the neighborhood plumber and works with the contractor who is our neighbor and also restored our basement.

Bill told me that Troy had called him last week to say that a hose bib on the back of the house seemed to be leaking. And that he was sorry that he just got the message that morning, but could he please take a look at it?

Troy hadn’t said a word to me about this, but whatever. I told Bill to go ahead and he headed out behind the house. He checked it out and said that the bib was definitely busted and needed to be replaced. He didn’t have the part but said he would be back tomorrow.

Troy got home the next day and it had been a brutal 24-hour shift. He was exhausted and settled in for a long nap. While he was sleeping, Bill showed back up with the part and got to work.

At some point during this process, Troy woke up and I said “gee thanks for telling me about the busted hose. I was so confused and looked like an idiot when Bill showed up yesterday”. Troy was still exhausted and looked confused and said “what in the world are you talking about”?

I explained how Bill stopped by after Troy had called him and was out there right now fixing it. Troy looked at me and told me he had never called Bill. Never happened. He doesn’t even have Bill’s phone number.

We ran out to tell Bill he had us confused for a different family, and as we approached him, he was pulling the pipe out of the exterior of the house. My friends, IT WAS BUSTED.

We just stood there and looked at it and him. And all of us were so confused. This pipe was behind my dad’s kitchen wall and would have burst during the next hard freeze we had. And you know, flooded his newly restored apartment.

The three of us were pretty dumbfounded. And then Bill said “Well if you didn’t call me, who did? Who is waiting on me to come and fix their hose”?

Growing up, wildfires were an Eastern Washington problem, and we knew that late every summer for 4-6 weeks, the news would be reporting on them. Starting 5-10 years ago, we noticed more and more smoke in the western part of the state, usually starting in late July or early August.

My friends, it’s mid-May and we’re already dealing with wildfire smoke from Canada. I’m truly terrified for what this summer will bring all of us in terms of wildfires, smoke, and air quality. Stay safe, people.

Mother’s Day was really nice. We went to church, I took a long walk, had a delicious brunch that Troy made (above), got some fantastic cards (below), worked in the garden, and had a tasty dinner with my lovely inlaws.

I had two wins this week in the recipe testing department. They’re not all home runs (remember the 8 attempts at those dang air fryer cheese curds before I got that right?), so it’s really nice when something goes right.

One is a main dish and will be on the site in September and another is a dessert that you’ll see in August. Yep, food bloggers plan that far ahead. My kids have very much enjoyed the trial run on the summertime desserts.

Analytics have proven time and time again that my readers don’t want desserts from me, but I still sneak 1-4 in each year. If it were up to me, this site would be 50% soups and 50% desserts.

In the Garden This Week

This week has been all about more weeding and watering. With temps ranging from the mid-90s to the low-80s, this unseasonably warm weather has me constantly watering our newest additions to the garden.

Usually this time of year I plant things and then ignore them until July when I start to do some light watering. Not this year, my friends! Not this year.

My Mother’s Day garden clean-up afternoon last Sunday was great. It was 90˚F and therefore disgusting, but I was alone, listening to podcasts, covered in dirt, and happy to be improving the yard.

The strawberries are fully weeded, half of our blueberries have been weeded, and I tackled about 75% of the raspberry patch. I finished trimming the old growth leftover from last year’s raspberry canes, and now it is just a matter of removing as much of the morning glory as I can.

The weeding will never end, and the area closest to the road looks like a hot freaking mess. But, I can only do so much. A little bit of work each day and eventually…it will still be covered in weeds. That’s how gardening works.

What I’m reading this week

I finished The Golden Couple and while it wasn’t exactly my kind of story, it was a quick read and full of some good twists and turns.

I started Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie. I’m not too far into it, but I think I’m going to like it. We’ll see! It is set in Pakistan in the late 1980s. Every time they mention a food or a word I don’t know, I google it. This book is making me very hungry.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

OG reader, Elaina, left this five-star review on our Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole {Pin this recipe}:

Ohmygosh is this goooood! I messed up when I made it and added things out of order but that didn’t take away from the flavor. This is a meal that is going into rotation at my house! 

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

Tortellini Pasta Salad – This Tortellini Pasta Salad is a simple and easy meal that you can throw together in 15 minutes or less. Perfect as a fast side, main dish, or quick lunch, this cold tortellini salad will become a family favorite. {Pin this recipe}

Pickled Vegetables Recipe – This recipe makes amazing and delicious spicy quick pickled vegetables that are so good, and easy to make. Once you try these tasty vegetables, you can’t stop eating them! {Pin this recipe}

Yogurt Ranch Dressing – Creamy, tangy, and packed with flavor, this homemade Yogurt Ranch Dressing is ready in just 5 minutes. Made with pantry staples and ingredients you can actually pronounce, this healthy ranch dressing is also kid-approved. {Pin this recipe}

MEAL PLAN

Monday:: Organic hot dogs, fries, and veggies.

Tuesday:: Takeout on the way home between (our last!!!!) cross-country meet and a soccer kick-off meeting for the new season.

Wednesday:: Troy is making dinner and we’ll be excited to eat it.

Thursday:: Pasta, veggies, and garlic bread that we’re collectively shoving into our mouths as we jet between multiple events.

Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.

Saturday:: Having some friends over for dinner. Her husband is currently deployed and her kids have been dying for burgers. So, you know what’s happening! Troy is making his famous burgers (using his famous burger seasoning) and we’ll figure out the sides as it gets closer to the weekend.

Sunday:: Angling myself into bringing dinner to my sister’s so we can meet their new puppy. This aunt is VERY excited. Jack and I fighting over who gets to nibble the puppy’s face first.

What’s on your menu for this week?