Our neighbor, Linda, called last night and asked me to help out today at the library plant sale. I really would have preferred to stay home and ready a book from the library, which rather got to the heart of why I needed to go help the library to raise money for the new expansion.
However, when I got to the library, no body had brought in any plants to sell. Having just heard that it was a plant sale yesterday, I hadn’t gotten any plants into pots either.
So I returned books and checked out some more – gardening from the shelves and two Sci-Fi that were on hold. Then I browsed the book sale and bought a couple.
Then I went back to the shelves of the pottery sale. Last spring, when Carl 
had helped out at the plant sale, these same folks had been selling pottery….. their 2nds. Absolute beautiful, but “not perfect enough to ship” the guy told me. The potters are actually neighbors and live just over the mountain in front of us.
Carl had bought 4 bowls from them last spring. These bowls are a favorite of mine, and usually the first ones I reach for.
There were 4 more bowls of the same size for sale. The same size is an important consideration, as that means they will fit on the dish shelf, just stacked on top of the others. 2 of the bowls were blue, which we didn’t have, and 2 were brown. So I got all 4.
Since there were no plants to sell, I decide to leave and do chores. The first on my list was to drive to Ferndale (about 40 minutes) and get a pickup load of pallet wood for the stoves. But it 
was just an hour till noon, so instead I called Joy, Carl’s mom, who was just putting a rice pudding into the oven. I suggested we go out for lunch, and headed south.
It’s about an hour drive from the library to Mount Vernon, but I kept getting distracted on the way
First, I saw the sign for the “Mama’s farm” and hit the brakes…. The Mama’s are the women from several farms in the valley. Many have their own gardens, but they also have a joint garden down by Hwy 9. They have a new farm stand and an expanded garden this year.
I got some corn, apples for Joy (who has expressed some willingness to make apple cobbler), patty squash cucumbers and a small head of purple cabbage for Joy. They had flowers bouquets 
and u-pick flowers, so I picked a bouquet. When I went to pay, a husband was coming in from the garden with a large bowl of green beans. I opened my new purple shopping bag (71 cents at Puget Consumers Coop in Kirkland) and added a dollars worth of beans.
About 5 minutes later I was in Acme and stopped at the Post Office. The main feature of Acme is the general store, across the highway from the PO. The house next door has a mural pained on the garage..
13 minutes further, I couldn’t pass up the Flower Lady veggie stand.
I was hoping to find some small red potatoes for Joy, but no potatoes. More corn and cucumbers. So instead I got Joy a very pretty gladiola stem.
Another 10 minutes down the road and I was waylaid again at the Bow Hill gas station, $3.49 a gallon ;-( The tank was only down about a third, but at that price….
On into Mount Vernon, just in time for a major backup from an accident somewhere south of town.
I had to do a major shuffle to get Joy into the truck as the front seat was full of books and bowls and veggies and flowers and….. I showed her the bowls and she immediately exclaimed over them. So gave her a blue one and a brown one.
Headed out, trying to figure where we were going to eat lunch. It was the usual “it’s your decision”, “no I decided last time:”…. Joy mentioned reading of a new family restaurant down by Lowe’s. The Knife and Fork.
It turned out to be the Steak House on the corner next to the Chinese restaurant. I had noted it as I drove by the last time I was down in Mount Vernon, thinking, “a steak house in one restaurant I won’t be going to.” Famous last words.
So in we went. The first bright spot was seeing baklava in a refrigerated display at the entrance. Then the man who seated us looked to be from India or middle eastern.
The menu was pure steakhouse, but there was a small appetizer menu in addition….Middle eastern….. baba ganooj, humas, falafal, etc. I tried for just the baba ganooj, but the waiter, who had greeted Joy and I as “gorgeous women,” pressured me to get the combo plate.
I later asked where his family was from. He said he was born in India, but spend 15 years in Israel, and this food was from Israel. Also that everything was made there, not bought elesware
My meal was quite tasty!
Joy got the soup broccoli in a bread bowl, and salad. The soup was too thick for her and the dogs will get the bread bowl and center for dinner, which they are reminding me is past due.
Stopped at the Goodwill. I got yet another dog couch cover. The last one I got there was machine knitted and is already getting seriously snagged by Cuca’s claws.
Back to Joys and ate some of her rice pudding. Then I needed a nap. Woke an hour later and came on home.
As I opened the first, Department of Natural Resourses gate, I remembered that I had agreed to feed the neighbors animals. So went on up and fed the chickens, cats, rabbits, and pigeons. Didn’t see the elk herd that often hangs out in their pasture.
Cuca and Poco greeted me at our gate. Now I need to go unload the truck, check the bees, feed the dogs and ducks, move watering hoses, and start fires in both stoves.
