I really got down and dirty in the garden yesterday, and E enjoyed helping out.  We were astounded at each new gorgeous discovery.  No two popcorn ears were alike, and the “glass gem” really does live up to its name.  E found some large mystery beans that looked like pink and purple precious stones.  They harvested okra for pickling, and as I cut back greens, they rescued some and used them for making dinner.  K even came out to the patio and read his book.

It was hard work, digging and chopping out all the stubborn crabgrass and other weeds that had taken over, but eventually it began to look like a garden again.  More baby melons and cucumbers emerged from the rubble.  A few more days of intensive labor and it should be under control.  Next up: digging up potatoes.

Meanwhile, Y was doing their creative crafting thing, accessorizing their new school backpack, and making bead jewelry, including a bracelet for me.  E was bustling around in the kitchen making dinner for everyone.  S was doing his usual thing, in his imaginary gaming world.  Avdi was back to juggling work, multiple food orders, upcoming school orientations, and more school shopping trips with kids.  I helped hold down the fort.  He was back to his exhausted self.

I got to join the school shopping expedition yesterday, with K and Y.  Half a dozen or more stores later, we made it to Avdi’s, where E and S completed the reunion.  Back in the saddle again.

Y really attached themself to me and we spent some time on their latest craft project.  I threw together a casual buffet-like dinner.  E and Y and I visited the garden in the rain and discovered the colorful Indian popcorn was ready to shuck.  Also a small round watermelon, which we proceeded to eat.  Meanwhile, Avdi, who was exhausted from mopping up puke, the long round trip, and little sleep, collapsed on his bed.  Back to “normal”.

Somehow the only photo I thought to take was of this “fruit salad” margarita I made Avdi.

Our last kid-free day was spent getting lots of outdoor work done.  I watered, harvested the last of the leeks and onions, and dug up the weeds in the now-empty rows.  Avdi mowed the lawn and did some trimming.  I did some yard cleanup, and helped Avdi while he scrubbed out and vacuumed the pool.

In the evening we had pizza and watched Sense8, which I turned Avdi on to.  It was a pleasant evening to walk home, with tiny droplets in the clear air.  Tomorrow Avdi will go pick up the kids in Chicago.

Last night Avdi and I had our “last supper” before the kids descend upon us.  He was tired and distracted by things, so we kept it close to home in Old Webster, at The Block for steaks.  The weather was perfectly comfortable, so we ate out on the patio and watched the sunset.  He said it must be the beginning of “the long autumn” in MO.  I hadn’t had a good steak in decades or centuries, so it was a fitting finale to our freedom!  Hopefully next summer he’ll get to enjoy a full summer kid-free, not trying to compress work and grownup relaxation into an abbreviated time frame.

Today was another bearable day for walking roundtrip and working in the garden, where I got a lot done.  I weeded and reseeded the whole perimeter, then started in on the interior of the veg garden.  I discovered some peppers, at last!  I dug up all the carrots, and will work my way from front to back, digging up stubborn weeds, cleaning up crops, and cultivating.  I may go ahead and plant fall greens, then eventually till the whole thing under with compost and leaf mulch/wood chips.

Avdi worked all day, and I made us lunch.  A boring but productive day.  Edit: I almost forgot the best part: a hummingbird flew right up to me and hovered there, looking at me!  I’m pretty sure I didn’t look or smell like a flower, but it was curious.  That was not boring!

Once again, MO weather never fails to…confuse!  One day it could boil seafood, the next it’s like early fall.

Needless to say, I got busy in the garden.  So much needs help, I didn’t make it past the outskirts of the veg garden so far.  The green zucchini was officially a lost cause (possibly also my green thumb), so I reseeded the space in hopes of a late harvest.  The good news is, I found the first tiny red cherry tomato, finally!  Avdi got the honor of eating it.  On the other hand, the neglected okra is having no problem turning out huge middle fingers of defiance!

Later, I made us dinner using up some produce from the garden and leftovers.

Note this butterfly having just emerged from its chrysalis and flexing its wings.

I had to keep reminding myself, it’s just the primary, but looking at some of the counts, albeit incomplete, there may be some hope for this state yet (cautious optimism).  The main race for Prez and our future is still to come, but those numbers are looking up, as well.  Tim Walz was a great choice for VP.  It may just tip the scales to Kamala.  Dare we hope?  I’m out of practice, need to dust off my optimism, if not idealism.  I mean, if a drag queen can win a city election, seems to me that’s a good sign.  Go Maxi!

After voting, I continued on to Avdi’s to water the garden, etc.  It’s been so hot and humid, I couldn’t safely work out there, but there’s always stuff to do inside.  Later, we ate dinner at a local sports bar and watched election returns coming in, and the Olympics.  The Cards were playing Tampa Bay; I think “we” won, wasn’t really paying attention.

It’s supposed to get cooler as of today, so I can get more done in the garden.

I finally got to meet some of the other tenants–from the other building– yesterday evening.  It turns out they all know each other, like an actual community, and they decided to host a little family-friendly block party in a corner of the parking lot, with BBQ, music, all kinds of homemade food, and drinks.

Interestingly, though both buildings got invitations, I was almost the only one there from mine.  Representing, I guess.  A totally different vibe from my building.  Also, as it happens, I was one of like two white people there, and the other guy was tight with all of them.

There were big cigar-like joints being passed.  I still can’t get over that it’s legal!  Once they realized I was into it, they even gave me some weed to take home!  There was a whole bin full of homemade “punch” made by dumping bottles of every kind of booze in it, renamed “Rikers Island Iced Tea”.  Between the punch and the smokes, I was feeling very at ease!

Everyone was very nice.  The people I talked to were also transplants from other states–finally, other people not born and bred in MO!  There was a tiny dog there, a pug, usually not my favorite breed, but hey, an animal!  He and I got to be on very friendly terms, once I kept feeding him some of the delicious food, which just kept appearing in big aluminum pans.  A couple of guys presided over the grills.  A card game got started.

Several people hosted and provided all the food.  It was hot and humid out, so I got my big oscillating fan and they rigged it up.  I just sat and got stoned and enjoyed the whole euphoric vibe for a couple of hours.  It was interesting, being the minority there, but no one made me feel unincluded.  I made sure it was OK before I took these few photos.

Eventually I wandered “home” and had a good sleep!  No after-effects.  It was a completely different kind of “wonderland” from the Museum, but the same exact euphoria of reaching out of my usual boundaries and experiencing another dimension of reality and community.

Last night was my most memorable outing with Avdi yet.  Words won’t even begin, but I’ll try.  Maybe the photos will elaborate.

First we went to the famous Broadway Oyster Bar (“BOB”) and had Cajun food and tropical cocktails.  We ate out on the patio.  I felt like we were back in Baltimore.  Casual, eclectic, and colorful, and the food was excellent and more than enough.  It set the relaxed mood for what was to follow.

Drumroll…at last, my first experience of The City Museum, which isn’t so much a museum as a magical sensory labyrinth of dark mysterious caverns, tunnels, narrow stairways to heaven, trippy fantastical marvels, bars and dance floors here and there, and a fabulous, windy panorama on the roof of the city far below.  All the installations were creatively constructed using salvaged pieces of the old city.  At night, it’s even more atmospheric and Lovecraftian, minus the kid mobs.  We practically had the place to ourselves, until we found our way to the roof party.

We had beers at the iconic Beatnik Bob’s, like a hippie hangout at the end of the universe.  Everything in the Museum is totally interactive and hands-on.  There’s even a museum-like section with “antiquities” and nature specimens.  You could lose yourself just navigating all the secret passageways snaking up and down throughout.  Avdi persuaded me (it didn’t take much prodding) to explore, climb, crawl, and even go on the ferris wheel and slide down a chute.  I think I even surprised myself.

The whole experience is seriously like tripping through the looking glass in wonderland–I actually felt a little high and yet more myself.  Hard to describe.  Thanks to my son for encouraging me to stretch my limits and have fun doing it.  Here are the photos to prove it wasn’t just a hallucination.

I got to see Avdi again after his weeklong trip to Knoxville.  He looked more rested.  We did our respective jobs, and later we ate takeout Thai.  We had a video call with Y on their birthday.  The garden was doing fine in the boiling heat, me not so much!  Inevitably I found more indoor projects to make things more organized.  Scintillating, isn’t it?