11:53 a.m.

It was a bolt-out-of-bed morning when, atypically, the phone rang before Farmbeau was awake. Fortunately Barney had half an hour to wash, dress, and eat some toast before the schoolbus arrived. I threw some muffins and cheese into his lunchkit in case the school party was in the afternoon and was only junk food. The shock of a hurried shaking and my “Barney, wake up! We’ve slept in!” had tears ready to roll down his cheeks, but a hug and a hold and a “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get ready” made all the difference and he went smiling and jaunty down the driveway, with a full belly, looking forward to a day of partying.

You think toast can’t give a kid a full belly? Try my bread; you’ll see. I have to make the loaves small, otherwise two slices of bread make a sandwich too filling to finish.

Granola is hot out of the oven; cheques are in envelopes to send for my herb teacher’s new book, The Standing People, and my annual donation to Friends of the Earth, an environmental group. We finally found my sister Suzanne’s birthday card, a month late; it had been in Barney’s art box for him to draw a picture for her, and he’d forgotten it. When I was looking high and low for the card to get it into the mail, he didn’t remember putting it there. Oh well, I’ll mail it now.

Don wanted an omelette for breakfast so he is busy chopping mushrooms, green onion, and green pepper. It takes him a long time but it’s an ability he will be glad to have in the future, and now that we have three weeks where he doesn’t have to hurry in the morning, we’ll take advantage of the leisure to work on his kitchen skills.

It’s still cold out, but we have had no rain. Areas all around us have had some, but here: nothing but a sprinkle to tease.

I have used the last can of tuna, and will buy no more. Farmbeau bought two frozen, fresh salmon from his uncle when he came out from BC in the fall; it has been cleaned and put in marinade for supper tonight. That is it for large ocean-fish purchases around here, although I won't of course control what my spouse buys.

With 90% of the world’s large-fish stock depleted, all I can do is withdraw my addition to consumer demand. I won’t be solving the problem, but I won’t be contributing to it anymore, either.

I am going to miss tuna.

xoxoetc
~~Kate