I am loving the thoughtful comments about whether or not I should tattoo eyebrows on myself. THANK YOU. I have truly found My People.
Here are six things on my mind this morning.
School Year Frets In Session: While it seems like a lot of the country has already headed back to school – in fact, school buses appeared this week in my neighborhood like a noisy flock of migratory birds – we are still holding onto the last tatters of summer with our teeth and fingernails. It has become increasingly difficult to ignore the impending school year, though. And I am STRESSED. Middle School, y’all.
Maybe I need to write an entire post about all the things that are freaking me out about Middle School (top of the list: MY TINY BABY IS GOING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL), but right now I am thinking mainly about the schedule aspect of it. A bunch of wonderful extracurricular activities have manifested themselves, and I am doing my very best to walk the fine line between “my kid would LOVE that” and “if she does this activity we will all go insane.” For instance, there is a local activity that she would enjoy SO MUCH, but it begins at 3:45 after school and school pickup begins at 3:10 and it takes 30 minutes to drive between school and the activity, so it would be doable but only if I got to the carline at, like, 2:30 and she got out the door immediately at 3:10 and we didn’t hit any sort of traffic or need to pee or any of the other delays we have faced in the past. So. That activity is just not going to happen this year, and I have to trust that it will be available in a more workable form at some later time, or it just isn’t Meant to Be.
We have also signed her up for two sports this fall, which is GREAT. But the one sport is notoriously weird about assigning practice slots – like, they wait until the week of to say, “Hey, your practice day and time is X,” and then they are unable to accommodate any change requests. I learned this the hard way last year, and fortunately the coach was very kind about allowing Carla to be on the team even though she was fifteen minutes late to every single practice because she had a conflicting extracurricular. So: I am trying to wait to find out the sports schedule before I schedule her for anything else, but that’s HARD, because spots are filling up.
I did reach out to an instrumental teacher who comes highly recommended, because I guess I thought we would have some sort of conversation about Carla’s experience with this instrument and how practices go and whether there are recitals and what practice expectations are etc. etc., but instead the teacher wanted to know Carla’s availability and I don’t know that. Whoops. I guess I should have waited to reach out????
The other sport is going great, but Carla has no set lesson time. This worked fine during the summer, because it was the only thing we had going on. But I need to KNOW. I want to have a calendar that has everything arranged very neatly IN ADVANCE.
There is an academic extracurricular I want Carla to take as well, but I am waiting until we know the schedule for the previously mentioned activities, and ideally I would want to see how school goes for awhile first, before adding it on, but I don’t know if that’s feasible????
And then Carla will probably try out for the school play, but auditions take place later in the fall so I cannot worry about it now.
I know this sounds like A Lot, but it feels a little bit more workable than last year’s extra curricular schedule. At least now, when it is half formed and entirely theoretical. I just want things SET.
Friend Visit Fret: While I am fretting about things, I might as well fret about an upcoming visit from my dearest friend. We have known each other for THIRTY-TWO YEARS which sounds bonkers to me. Anyway, she is coming to visit and I am so excited I can think of little else. It’s quite an emotional ping-pong match in my brain right now, what with the Middle School Scaries bopping around with the more Happy Excited Anticipatory Anxiety of hosting my friend. What will we DO? What should we EAT? Would it be nice for her to meet some of my Here Friends, or would that be weird for everyone? Do I need to schedule a bunch of touristy-type activities so she can experience the city? Or should we just take relaxing walks together and then hang out by the pool? I think she is looking more for the latter, in which case I need the weather to cooperate, but it might be nice to do one or two touristy-type things, just so she can say, “Yes, of course, when I was in City I did The Thing That City Is Known For” when people ask.
Listen. This is my best friend. She is probably still going to be my best friend even if she has a boring time here, even if she hates my cooking, even if hanging out with an intensely enthusiastic eleven-year-old drives her bonkers. I KNOW THIS.
Here’s why I am fretting: We have never spent this much time one-on-one together! In fact, the bulk of our relationship has taken place via phone. We used to see each other regularly once or twice a year, but I haven’t seen her in two years now, and before that it had been about a decade. Will we have enough to talk about? What if she gets annoyed with me???? Or sick of me??? Despite knowing each other for a million years, we are fairly new at voicing our needs with one another, so I am a little afraid she will just agree to whatever I suggest even if it doesn’t sound good or fun to her. Also, I am a little shy about her seeing me in Mom Mode, which sounds silly even as I’m writing it, but… the shyness is still there. She’s only met Carla once, and for a very short time, and I don’t know, it just feels weird to be this whole other person than I was when we grew up together.
Also, I have asked her some questions like if there are any foods she hates/won’t eat, but my knowledge of her likes and dislikes mainly comes from high school. It’s kind of amazing how LITTLE you can know about the day-to-day life and habits of someone you love very much.
I am EXCITED, and I trust that it will be okay. But still, underneath all the happy anticipation is a little trepidation.
My Garden Continues to Delight: Let’s move on to LESS STRESSFUL THINGS, shall we? My garden is still producing flowers and I am loving it. The hydrangea bushes are scaling back, but we have several hydrangea trees that are in bloom and they are SO pretty. We also have an abundance of coneflowers, which are not my favorite flower, but which look quite stunning in a big bunch. The hibiscus are blooming as well, and they are ALSO not my favorite flower (and wayyyyy too big and unwieldy to cut and display in a vase), but they are pretty and a nice vivid red. Now I just need the garden to continue to look gorgeous for a little longer so my friend can enjoy it.
Who Recommended These Shoes? Because I LOVE Them: My plantar fasciitis is pretty well controlled these days, thank goodness, and I attribute that to regular shoe-wearing in the house. Usually I wear sneakers, but I have been wanting to try out some flip flops because I hate wearing socks, and it is a pain to tie and untie my sneakers all day long. I’ve had this pair of flip flops in my amazon cart for AGES, and I am pretty sure someone told me they were amazing which is why I added them to my cart. But I only just bought them in the past few weeks, and I love them so much. If you were the one who recommended them: THANK YOU.
They are much cuter than I expected; I guess I thought because they are “orthotic” that they would automatically be clunky and ugly, and they are not. Best of all, they are SO COMFORTABLE. I am getting a second pair to wear outside of the house because I love them so much. (Also, they are $30 right now, down from $50, so if you are looking for magic flip flops, this is a good time to go for it!)
How to Eat a Cucumber: There is just no way to write this bullet point that doesn’t sound like a euphemism, but please trust that I am looking for RECIPE IDEAS.
My husband brought home a cucumber one of his colleagues brought home from work. I am looking for creative ways to prepare this cucumber for consumption. (I don’t really like cucumbers.) I could make a big Greek salad, which I enjoy. But it is QUITE a large cucumber, and also I feel like that’s a little boring??? Maybe I should make this green goddess cucumber salad? Or this creamy cucumber salad? Or this smashed chili-soy cucumber salad? What’s your favorite cucumber recipe?
The Fall Birthday Procession Cometh: Okay I guess we’re back to fretting. ALL THE BIRTHDAYS are coming up in September and October and I am wholly unprepared and have no idea what to get anyone. My brother and his wife are typically very “no gifts, thanks” kind of people, but I would love to get them something little if possible. (They are both outdoorsy, they have a cat.) My sister-in-law and mother-in-law are always baffling, from a What to Give Them perspective. My friend who is visiting will have just had a birthday when she arrives, so I kind of want to have something here for her. (She is a runner and an avid gardener. I am thinking something garden-y? We don’t usually give each other presents, so I have no idea what she might want or need!) My husband’s birthday is also coming up! I have NO IDEA AT ALL what to give him! My mind is a complete blank. The only things that I know he has been looking at buying are a) a new external hard drive, which is a useful but way-too-boring gift, and plus I would need him to give me the exact specifications of the one he wants which would spoil whatever level of “surprise” goes along with “I got you an external hard drive for your birthday,” or b) a new travel backpack, but that again seems like something he’d really want to choose for himself. I guess it’s more exciting than a hard drive, but that’s not really saying much, is it?
Help???? Do you have any idea, based on the Very Limited Information I have shared about all of these complete strangers to you, what should I get them???? I am so bad at gift giving, and this year I feel especially useless.
And all these birthdays are right before CHRISTMAS, so there will need to be gifts for all of these people – and more! – again, and ugh.
Okay, Internet. That’s all I have for you today. Shoe recommendations and flower brags and double entendres and tons of random fretting. Hope you have a glorious weekend!
I’m sure your friend would like to hang out but also might enjoy a trip to the city. When I visit, I’m all about not imposing or inconveniencing my host so she’s probably fretting too. 🙂 I ordered some of those sandals; I had to be careful though since only some of the colors were the low price or even available in size 7.
Ooooh I hope you love the sandals!!! Which color did you get? I just went with plain black.
I got the silver so that I can wear them with blue, black and white pants. If I like them, I will probably order another pair.
Oh goodness now I want the silver…
Listen, if you’ve been friends with your friend for 32 (!) years, I have no doubt that you’ll just have the BEST TIME hanging out together… and even though your relationship has been mostly over the phone, I think you should be comfortable enough to be honest with each other about what you want to do during your time together.
I am so excited for you. My friends all live so far away so I’d love some BFF time like this… you’re going to have the best time!
I just looked, I think I have not shared my cucumber salad recipe on my blog yet and I have to remedy that, but my favorite way to eat cucumber is like this:
Slice the cucumber in thin slices. For the dressing, combine olive oil (4 tbsps), white distilled vinegar (5 tbsts), sugar (1 tsp), half and half (1/4 cup or more), fresh (or dried) dill, salt and pepper. Combine and let sit for a few hours (preferably over night). Optional: add a small onion (chopped).
Oooh thank you for this recipe! And thank you for the supportive comment about my friend’s visit! It is going to be great!!!!
Oh, I hope you have an amazing time with your friend! Privately, selfishly, I wish it were just the two of you. I love my BFF, we met in 1982. She lives on the East Coast, and I live in California, so we don’t see each other often. For years, if we did see each other, it was with husbands and kids, which was great, I love her husband and kids, but it’s just not the same. Then, in 2019, I ended up going to DC without my husband and daughter. My late father was being honored there, and my step mom was going, and one of my sisters and her kids. My BFF drove down from SE Pennsylvania and joined us one day, and at first we were all together as a group and then my family went on ahead at a museum and it was just me and my BFF, the two of us alone, and it was magic like when we were in high school. We walked and talked and had lunch and walked and talked some more. She spent the night and we shared our bed like we were teenagers and stayed up whispering until 2am. Then, only a couple of months later, she was in Los Angeles visiting her son, and I flew down, and again, we had just the two of us time. We went to museums and gardens and had fancy tea and walked on the beach and watched her son play baseball. Magic. SO, you are going to have an amazing time, it is going to go by far too fast, she is going to love seeing Mom Suzanne, who is admittedly not the same person as growing up Suzanne, though there were surely be glimpses there. For her birthday gift, I would try to carve out some time, just the two of you, and take her for a really nice lunch with wine or whatever. I have no other advice for other gifts.
Your daughter sounds so different than mine at that age. My daughter didn’t really want to do a lot of activities. She did some sports, didn’t love them. She was in Girl Scouts, which met maybe 2x a month. I don’t remember a lot more than that. She has always been very protective of her down time, which I respect. I hope you find the perfect balance of activities to keep Carla happy and busy and not TOO busy. (My niece and nephew are so different than my daughter…they are always involved in several activities…instruments and sports and ballet and art and robotics…it exhausts me just hearing about it. But they love it.)
This made me all kinds of teary! What a wonderful couple of visits! I am so glad you and your friend have each other and had that time together!
I 100% see your point about Us Time vs Time with the Whole Family, and there should be a good mix of both, since my husband will be workiing and my kid will be in school. PHEW.
The three people I consider my closest friends are all people I USED to see in person, and now hardly ever do, entirely because of the distance now between our houses. Well, and this is something I could FIX: I could literally arrange to see them in person. And yet—I have anxieties. What if they don’t like me in person, what if they only like me now in writing, when I have time to think/edit? I did get together with one of them, halfway between our houses, and it went very well, and we both talked just like we write.
There are two things I noted that I would do differently next time, not that either one of them was a big problem. One, I would build in some Separate Time. We talked so easily and comfortably that we basically never stopped, and by the time we said goodbye I was wrung out. If there had been some prearranged time to regroup (maybe I suddenly develop a habit of “lying down for half an hour after lunch” or something), that would have helped. The second thing is I would have made more of our plans ahead of time, while we were in our more familiar writing mode. We were, as you say, new at voicing our needs to each other, and also the thing you mention about being surprisingly unfamiliar with day-to-day things like foods and so forth. So there was a lot of uncertainty, and everything still went totally fine, but I think we might have done even better if ahead of time we’d made some plans.
Yes to ALL the anxieties. I really like the idea of built in separate time. I think we will automatically have this, because of school dropoff and pick up. And I am going to go ahead and move forward with my in person writing group meeting that week (I think????) because we can meet at my house and my friend can meet my writer friends and then she can go for a run or watch a movie or whatever while we do our thing.
Okay, I am going to try to fiurwe out a way to do more planning. Right now I am so AHHHHHH about the whole thing I have next to zero. plans and that does not seem like the way to go. Well. Maybe it will be okay.
By the way, I had my other oldest dearest friend come visit last summer and I had all the same anxieties and they were completely stupid. She was the easiest houseguest I have ever had in my life. So I wish I could just LEARN from that, but maybe if I can’t, you can???? (It was the first time we’d met in person since 2008 and we had only communicated via email/text in most of that time.)
I have started adding cucumbers to my green bean salad because my boss keeps putting 2-3 cucumbers on my desk weekly. I did not ask for these cucumbers, but I will not say no, you know?
When people come visit me, I like to have a small list of things they can choose from. You can do Tourist Thing, Walk the Dog Thing, Reading Thing, Game Thing, or Local Thing of Dubious Interest. And then we decide what fits best into their vision. But when Bestest Friend and I get together (once every 1-3 years) we always, always, always schedule a 2-3 hour siesta in the middle of the day for us to be away from each other. We generally use this time to read and then spend the rest of the time talking about what we are reading. Because that’s what friends do, right?
I mean, free cucumbers are a gift.
Tell me more about this list. Like… is this a daily roster of choices or more like a loose plan for the entire visit? I LOVE the idea of a built in siesta. LOVE.
Suzanne!!
Okay, well, here’s the thing. If people are coming to visit me in my house, there are just things that I will still have to do. Like deal with the dog. She needs to go out three times a day. Now some of that can be done by my husband, but let’s be honest, she doesn’t like that. So when Kyria came (she was only here for a day), here’s what I offered:
1.
We can do a dog thing (walk to a county park, go to the dog park)
2.
We can do a local thing (the community center was doing a fundraiser with live bands and a silent auction, go see all the cow sculptureshttps://ngradstudent.blogspot.com/2024/03/quarterly-goal-cow-parade.html in my town, go to the local museum.
3.
We can do a lazy thing (watch the Olympics)
4.
We can go out to eat
5.
We can play a board game
If it had been someone who was staying longer, the list might lengthen to include going to the nearest big cities (Madison or Milwaukee) to something there like a museum or a shopping district, depending on what the person likes to do.
What Kyria ended up doing was a dog thing (Sunday morning we did a long off-leash walk), a local thing (briefly went to the community center, saw the cows), watched about 20 minutes of Olympics, and went to eat dinner/got ice cream at the ice cream stand. When Anne came to visit, we did a local thing (went on the water tower & museum tour), got ice cream, and fussed around with Hannah. She was also interested in where I worked, so we went to the university where I work, about twelve miles away.
When my best friend and I visit each other, we plan for two activities a day. Activity 1, siesta, activity 2. And there have been times when Activity 1 is literally planning meals and going to the grocery store to get materials for any meals each of us may cook. We are also frugal, so we tend to plan activities based on what we can get free passes from through the library (when I was last in Columbushttps://ngradstudent.blogspot.com/2022/11/12-entertainment-weekend-in-columbus.html, we went to an art museum and a botanical garden for $0 because we got passes from the library). Also, we went to a free nature center. ANYWAY. The best parts were honestly when we were in the car listening to music and joking/talking.
I’m not saying you have to do it like this. I just think it’s best to have options for people. Maybe they are the go-go-go-go type of people. Or maybe they are the type of person who wants to do a tour of your small town and look at cow sculptures. And if part of your day is that you have to get your daughter to an activity, I bet your friend would be happy to do that with you!
Do the specifics help or are they just annoying?
D
THESE ARE VERY HELPFUL! Thank you! I feel like I am both over- and under-thinking this visit, so it’s very nice to have a blueprint! Thank you!!!!
I also LOVE this plan and am going to remember it next time I have a visitor. I tend to strong arm people into doing what I want to do, while trying to make it sound like their idea. (Would you like to go eat the best pasta you’ve ever had in your life and then go to a bookstore? No? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?)
CARLA IS GOING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL?! My mind is officially blown. How is this possible? The extracurriculars will work themselves out as school settles into a rhythm.
I’m so excited for you that your friend is coming to visit. You are going to have THE BEST time; I’m sure of it. My oldest friend still lives in the Houston area; so we rarely see each other. But when we do, it’s like we pick up right where we left off. Generally, if I’m there I’m perfectly content to sit on the couch and gab away rather than going anywhere specific (except to a Mexican restaurant; that is always on the agenda at least once) since I lived there and there isn’t anything I would necessarily want to see or do. If she were coming here, I’d probably plan an outing or two as she is unfamiliar with the area. I’d definitely have her meet my closest friends here since she’s heard me speak of them.
Your garden is one to envy, that is for sure.
Don’t ask me about cucumbers; I DESPISE them. To the point, that I’ve pretty much forbidden The Husband to eat them when I’m around – the smell, ugh! But I do love a pickle – how does that make any sense?
Oksy Gigi, I actually totally understand the pro pickle/anti cucumber stance. I used to HATE cucumbers. They have no flavor! I think I started eating the ones my mom grew in her greenhouse to be polite and ended up feeling okay about them, in certain situations.
Middle school! It’s wild!!!!
Lol about the big cucumber.
My best friend was just here for four days! It was a delight. Since Mark and Rob didn’t get back until yesterday, it was just the two of us, plus Jake, who, really, I hardly see except at dinner anyway. It was so lovely to have her, we mostly just hung out and read books and did puzzles and drank booze, but we also went to a wine tasting and for a walk and to a bookstore. So, a little mix of things. We have spent a lot of time together over the years, but never just the two of us – there are usually at least husbands, and often our children, involved.
That doesn’t answer your question. I would say hang out, and then maybe do a couple of things around town?
I wouldn’t say no to any cucumbers. I love cucumber and they are added to most any salad…
That flower bouquet looks very gorgeous. I am sure your garden is even more so.
Enjoy having your friend over.
I think you and your friend will have a wonderful time no matter what. One of my closest friends (over 50 years) has lived in England for the past 40 or so years so we rarely see each other. Our friendship was mostly letters for years (we are a little older;) and now it’s email & what’s app. But when we see each other, it’s like we pick up where we left off the day before!
I live in flip flops at home and am going to order a pair of those!
I read once that anxiety is just anticipation, and anticipation is a good thing…. Maybe you can spin it that way?
It’s extracurricular sign up season for us too – it’s definitely schedule Tetris to figure out how to fit everything in. I’m all for anything my kids can do at school – one less place to have to schlepp someone. My kid was in her middle school play last fall and spring and it was great – rehearsals right after school, and she walked home after that and was home by 4:30pm, which still left time for her to eat dinner and go to basketball practice by 6pm. But I also get a wave of guilt and anxiety when we have to decide that some activities won’t fit into our lives. I *know* it won’t make or break our kid’s future, but what if she’s a budding tuba genius and we never figured that out because we couldn’t fit in tuba lessons???????
I love a smashed cucumber salad. There’s a dumpling restaurant near us that makes two different cucumber salads – one is the smashed cucumber salad and one is some kind of cucumber salad with chili garlic sauce. It’s so good!
Other cucumber things we do:
-eat it with cream cheese and every thing bagel seasoning.
-sprinkle it with furikake seasoning
-put it in sandwiches
-When we were growing up we ate cucumbers dipped in sugar as a dessert. Not sure if that was a Taiwanese thing or what.
I was not the one who recommended those flip flops- but they look amazing and now I want a pair! I’ve been wearing Oofos, which have amazing arch support but are not as cute as these are.
Ah, middle school! It’s funny, the things you’re worrying about are not the things I worried about when my kids started middle school. i was worried about bullying and social issues, but neither of my kids had any issues. They actually both liked middle school! The only activities they ever did were band, which was easy, because there were never any conflicts.
Your upcoming visit with your friend reminds me of the angst I had before my sister came- I just didn’t know what we would do, but we ended up lounging in the pool a lot and just hanging out, and it was really fun. We did go to one museum- you could have a backup like that in case the weather is bad. I’m sure it will be fun!
I missed the conversation about tattooing eyebrows but will mention, not knowing if someone else has said this so excuse me if I’m repetitive, that for some people, like me, there aren’t any dyes light enough to look good on me. I wanted to do the eyebrow thing but was told that my brows are so naturally pale that any color [blonde or gray] would look ridiculous. I was bummed.
Those are my sandals! Perhaps they are also someone else’s sandals but I have the silver ones and I think I told you about it.
I am also struggling with after school activities. The paid ones start immediately as school begins. But! The ones through the school don’t start up until September or October. So I have to wait until those get scheduled and then try to find paid ones that don’t conflict with the ones that the older two choose to do through the school. Last year, Elizabeth ended up with something after school Monday through Thursday so this year I have put Alex into Acro on Fridays (which is really going to ruin Friday but what else can I do?) and all of them in sports on Sundays and I await the school plans so that I can figure out everything else COME ON.
HOWLING at “yes i am aware” hahahaha
When I went to stay with Kim for a weekend, we got on Facetime a few weekends before the trip and nailed down our plans. (Well first, she texted me and asked “Do you want a firm schedule or a loose plan? And I am ALL ABOUT SCHEDULES, so that’s when we schedule time to talk about what we wanted to do). For me, knowing what I’m going to be doing throughout a trip helps my anxiety SO much. I do *always* worry that I’m boring/no fun/low energy/lame when I don’t pick all the BIG FUN THINGS to do, but I’m trying to get over that. If you’re feeling anxious about things, maybe getting on the phone and figuring out your plan for the weekend – even if it’s a loose plan! – might be really helpful. I know it was for me!
I would love this too! But I don’t know if my friend would?! Or if it would stress her out?! I do like the choice between “loose plan” and “firm schedule” though. Very smart.
For your brother & SiL’s cat. I mean not for the cat, but to deal with the cat hair. I really can’t recommend this thing highly enough. Sorry the link is “War & Peace” long.
https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Dog-Cat-Hair-Remover-Couch/dp/B00BAGTNAQ/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=WV9Z18HY8QRA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.w4x9VgJOcOKmWYTyqplGC0gXSmALWDZP12RN0fo5lBfk_zmdxdt4hy08f1T2KluAWTy-ZVug2XJXeVtdewBFyJ1CqdMap46-w6jWSMBQcGsB2OFrrU9I2pDekSXvXuqjer6FXxZFEyHa0ES564gHJtPjT7-kNpUsidhEyo0GTsi4gqpZrNEmBRO-YoSIBxT0JbupFqO_LybxexNChkUs3Mw1u4FrwCiCYTT0MQWmlXP8luJDe7j1MO1ZbIgud8kvkW9Nj3a1k4MOV8JXU4FyukFeEUTC_ZSLkjUOV–MMMk.ywo7EgqQCxxbzw6E2_l4Nj7FEFKc3i9kruolPhaInFA&dib_tag=se&keywords=chom%2Bchom%2Bpet%2Bhair%2Bremover&qid=1724095883&sprefix=chom%2Bchom%2Caps%2C267&sr=8-1&th=1
That looks amazing! Thank you!
“I have a very large cucumber” hee hee.
I am familiar with the friend visit frets, and I know it’s not really helpful to say “it will all fall into place”, even though it will fall into place. Maybe just bake some muffins or biscuits just before she gets there? Baked goods are always nice to have around, and grocery shopping and meal planning are more fun with a friend anyway.
The only thing I can think of that I’ve been given as a gardening gift that I loved was a really nice gardening handwash with pumicey bits in it, so I didn’t have to scrub under my nails with a brush, the handwash took care of it.
Oh, and I don’t know any cucumber ‘recipes’, but I love cucumbers in Vietnamese caramelized pork bowls.
https://www.recipetineats.com/vietnamese-caramelised-pork-bowls/
I bought the sandals too! I also hate wearing socks and am resentful about switching my orthotics between my outside shoes and my inside Rothy’s slippers. I’ve tried OOFOS, but they didn’t work for me. These just arrived and seem very comfy- and cute! 🙂
“I have a very large cucumber” – LOL
Gift giving is my absolute LEAST favorite thing to do s I feel your pain I so not do a good job unless it’s my kids then they’ll be happy with whatever. For gardeners I would think a new pair of gardening gloves (whose don’t last) or a pruning shears (those don’t last either).
I hear you on the kids’ activities. I want everything set, as wel, and then I can exhale.
Both NY Times and WaPo have run multiple cucumber-centric recipes recently, so let me know if you want help getting those. I know this is old, though, so maybe you’ve moved on to a different vegetable crisis. 😉 I hope you had a wonderful visit with your friend! I have good friends from the past (e.g., college roommate) whom I have not seen for… getting close to 15 years, if not that already. Sigh. I don’t know how it would go if I were able to see them, though. Same kind of anxieties as you have, for sure. <3