I have eaten the awfullest mess of garbage today that ever was. Just like I didn’t learn a thing from Thursday night’s escapade. Oh well.

It was a rainy, stormy morning here in East Tennessee and I just couldn’t see the effort in driving to work and spending the day with Sniveling Jake. So I didn’t. And I’m glad of it, I’ve had a rather cozy day here eating whatever didn’t eat me. I feel like I stayed on the phone all day, and checking my log, it appears I pretty much did, from 10-6. Not all work, but some. But you gotta keep up on current developments with friends. And I did get my latest Lisa Jewell book knocked out mere moments ago. It was a hum– dinger and I recommend it to those of you who like “what if” type books or books about amnesia. The title was The Truth About Melody Browne. I liked it, I liked it a lot.

Some adulting things I’d like to share: stop buying Rice-a-roni, the San Francisco treat. It pales in comparison to Uncle Bens. I know Uncle Bens fell victim to the marketing attack a few years ago, and I also know it’s a smidgen more expensive, but I’m telling you, it’s worth it. It cooks better, it tastes better, and it makes more.

Adulting #2: like everybody else and their brother, I have Pyrex storage containers. They’re really great, they’re clear glass so you can easily discern what’s in them, they’re durable, and they’re easy to clean. I’ve noticed several lids cracking in the last few weeks. Not a big deal for refrigerator use, but if I need to freeze it could be problematic. And I can’t complain the lids are giving out, because they’re 12 years old this summer. So I get on Amazon to buy replacement lids. You probably know what I’m fixing to say.

I can buy the whole new set for $10 more dollars than what the replacement lids are gonna cost! I would have thought the glass would be the expensive part. Nope. Or maybe they just know that the majority of people are just gonna want the lids and have driven them to the threshold of pricing, where the public will teeter totter on “I don’t need them but…..”

The lids, at $21.99, are in my basket. The entire set is not. I am not wasteful. But dang.

It’s unsettling how many people don’t like tomatoes, or only like tomatoes in cooked form. It should please me, because that would equate to more tomatoes for me. But I’m under no false illusions that I could consume any more than I already do. A friend who eats only the cooked varieties (salsa, spaghetti sauce, soup, etc) asked me today how to even eat one. This is not a young person, and obviously it’s evident people eat them on burgers and sandwiches, as a rule, not an exception. But I took the opportunity to share my favorite tomato recipe. Many of you have seen it multiple times over the years.

First, get you two slices of white bread. Any will do, but if I have my druthers, I like that Nature’s Own Crafted bread. The wheat is what I use when it’s not tomato season. Getcha a jar of Duke’s mayonnaise. Lightly toast bread, slather on mayo, sprinkle salt & pepper. Peel garden tomato, or hothouse if that’s all that’s available. Slice into thick slices. Put as many as you want on the bread. Cram it in your mouth as hard as you can go while preparing a second, identical sammich.

That’s how you eat a tomato.

I will leave you with a quote from The Legend (self appointed). John Alan had to work overnight Tuesday. So, in other words, when he got up at 6 on Tuesday, he worked all day, then got called back in before he ever went to bed, worked all night, and then all day again Wednesday. He said he was asleep before his head hit the pillow Wednesday night. “I mean, hell, I thought I was younger than that.”

Yeah, no. Not in a long time, cuz. And all I’m trying to do is stay awake long enough to write a little something. Till tomorrow ~~~

Love from Appalachia,

~Amy