Scattered Sundays

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In Fall, Bennett’s school paired with the advanced ceramics class at the local middle school. The first graders drew a monster and wrote a very short story about their creation. And then the ceramics students brought the monsters to life.

Bennett got to bring his monster home this week, and this was such a fun project. The kid who made Bennett’s monster wrote him a little note about how he liked the creation and gave Bennett props for a flying monster.

Gross foot story incoming. Feel free to skip down if needed.

I’ve been suffering from a toe issue for months now and finally saw a podiatrist on Monday. It was a pretty gnarly ingrown toenail and the doctor pulled that bad boy right out.

Cassie had prepped me for the process, but I was under the impression that nothing would be numb and that it would suck but be fast. You can imagine my surprise when he busted out some numbing spray and then started injecting local anesthesia right into my toe.

I’m not sure if you have ever heard the rumor that redheads and people with strawberry-blonde hair need more anesthesia than normies. That’s proven to be true in every situation where I have had dental work done. And it turns out to be the same for minor toe surgery.

I could feel everything and was likely only half numb. But, I didn’t want to wait any longer so I just kept my trap shut and did some deep breathing. The hand, foot, and boob sweat situation was real.

The doctor was incredibly fast and the entire thing maybe took 60-90 seconds before he started bandaging everything up. I wiped the flop sweat off and went to pick up my prescription for antibiotics and some special hoof ointment.

Around midnight, whatever anesthesia he had used started to wear off, and my foot was on fire. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t get comfortable, so I just tossed and turned, listened to podcasts, and popped Advil like they were Tic Tacs.

Between the pain and the way the toe was bandaged, I could barely walk once I got out of bed. I was hobbling around like a real baller.

My plan for that day had been to photograph a canning recipe, but there was absolutely no way I could be on my feet that long, let alone move comfortably. I also had to keep my foot propped up or the pain would become intense.

I couldn’t sit at my desk because I couldn’t prop my foot up, so I set up camp on the couch for the day. And since I never ever watch TV while I work, I thought my little pity party would be made better by finally watching Shiny Happy People on Prime. Boy, was I wrong. That show was d-e-p-r-e-s-s-i-n-g.

When I was messaging Cassie the next day, I felt like such a big baby. She had been fine after her procedure and she hadn’t even been numb! It was after a few minutes that we realized we both had vastly different procedures performed.

My doctor removed about 15% of my total nail from the tip to the bottom of the nailbed. That’s like 1 inch missing. Just gone. So yeah, no wonder it was bothering me so much.

I have to soak my foot twice a day in an Epsom salt water bath. I’m using a disposable casserole dish, and every time I fill it up, I say “I’m making foot soup. Who wants some foot soup”? It’s good times around here.

Everything started feeling better about 24-36 hours after the procedure. Walking hasn’t been happening and running absolutely hasn’t been possible. I hate sitting still and I’m bored, but I recognize that letting myself fully heal is better in the long run.

I had previously volunteered to chaperone Bennett’s zoo field trip on Friday and was thankful that I was able to go. I was fairly sore by the end of it, but it’s ok. It helped detract from the intense overstimulation of being surrounded by 60+ screaming first graders.

After a month of having these reusable water balloons in our cart, I finally bought them this week. Bennett has two birthday parties coming up and we’ve been told that both boys like “outdoor stuff”. I wanted to test them out for ourselves before gifting them to friends.

They’ve been a fun addition to the household, and I love that they’re essentially zero waste. Water balloons are fun, but having to clean up the trash afterward is necessary but annoying.

Sometimes our chickens will do a jailbreak out of their yard, and little bits of water balloons probably look absolutely delicious. Plus, I’m worried about wild birds picking them up.

A reader and friend said hers have held up for over a year. That is encouraging in terms of longevity. Another person told me that they don’t work well with rose bushes. 🙂

We learned through trial and error that a deep bowl won’t work for filling them up. An actual bucket resulted in fully filled water balloons that made a bigger splash.

I liked that they took a bit of time to fill but that the boys could easily do it themselves. I’m always looking for more ways for them to kill time during the summer, and stay out of my face.

For anyone in the upper Midwest or the New England area, I’m sending good thoughts your way. The photos I’ve seen of the smoke are really awful, and it breaks my heart for the people dealing with it. And the poor people in Canada who are dealing with it firsthand.

Wildfire smoke and the resulting terrible AQIs (Air Quality Index) have become the norm for us in the PNW in August and September. It’s sad and scary and I’m sorry anyone else has to be exposed to it. Stay safe out there.

In the Garden This Week

More watering this week as we again faced unseasonably high temps. This isn’t really garden related, but every morning when I water the garden, I have also been hosing off the solar panels that are on the west side of our house.

We formally clean them twice a year, but our bonkers dry spring has meant that there is no rain to rinse off the excessive pollen that has accumulated on the panels (and in my sinuses). A 30-second hose off from the ground seems to really help, as our production went up an average of 3 kWh per day once I started this.

Our grass is about 80% dead, which normally happens at the end of June or into mid-July. It’s ugly but I don’t waste precious water on keeping it green. It will become green again late in the fall.

We picked our first strawberries of the season and there is nothing like fresh warm local berries. A grocery store berry could only dream of this deliciousness.

Copious amounts of lettuce continue to be picked, but I seem to be dealing with an aphid attack on the bed. And that is making cleaning very extensive. But the taste of tender salad greens is worth it. Even if sometimes they come with a little extra protein…

What I’m reading this week

I finally finished Best of Friends earlier in the week. I don’t love how it ended, but such is life.

I started More Than You’ll Ever Know and it’s totally my jam so far.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

GOAT reviewer, Erin, left this five-star review on our Air Fryer Meatballs post {Pin this recipe}:

Delicious! We made these with the oven instructions for a recent dinner with family. They were a huge hit! We will definitely be making them again soon.

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

It was a very fruit-focused week on the blog!

Dehydrated Peaches – Learn all about making dehydrated peaches in a food dehydrator or in an oven. Drying peaches is a simple project for adults and kids and makes amazing healthy snacks. {Pin this recipe}

Pineapple Jam – Homemade Pineapple Jam is a delicious sauce or topping for ice cream, waffles/pancakes, yogurt, or more. This tasty homemade condiment is so simple to make with just a few ingredients. No pectin is needed for this recipe. {Pin this recipe}

Strawberry Syrup – Made with fresh summer berries, you’re going to love this delicious Strawberry Syrup. This is a delightful homemade treat for pancakes, waffles, baked goods, drinks, and more. {Pin this recipe}

THE FIVE MOST POPULAR POSTS THIS WEEK

MEAL PLAN

Monday:: Breakfast dinner before (and after) soccer practice.

Tuesday:: Troy will be making dinner and we’ll be excited to eat it.

Wednesday:: A new restaurant opened near us and we’re going to support this local small business.

Thursday:: Air Fryer Steak Bites, Garlic Butter Rice, and veggies. Yes, this was on the menu for the last two weeks but we had leftovers instead.

Friday:: Jack will be at his 8th-grade dance, so we’re letting Bennett have his own mini-movie night.

Saturday:: Going to a street festival so we’ll see what we can find.

Sunday:: Father’s Day, so Troy’s choice!

What’s on your menu this week?