SNAKE!

This weekend was . . . eventful . . . in a not-so-great sort of way.

It started out with a backed-up sink. 

Our kitchen sink has been draining slowly for the past week, and finally stopped draining altogether Thursday night.  We plunged and plunged and poured hot water.  Nothing.  Friday I came home from the hardware store armed with a new plunger and a bottle of some sure 'nough drain cleaner, "Guaranteed to Work."  We let it soak all night Friday night, but there was still water in the sink come Saturday morning.  I went back to the hardware store, bought ANOTHER new plunger, one that pumps like a bicycle tire pump, a drain snake, and another bottle of drain cleaner (should've taken the old bottle back, instead).  I will spare you the details of why there was water running from UNDER the sink an hour after we put the new equipment to work, but it had to do with both the plunger and the snake, which became irretrievably hung deep within the drain pipes.  I made a third trip to the hardware store for replacement pipes.  We ended up calling a plumber, anyway.  Miraculously, we found one who would come on a Saturday afternoon. 

While we were waiting on the plumber, I took the "compost tea" to the garden.  I'd made 5 gallons of "tea" in a 2-gallon bucket (one uses what is at hand), figuring I could just dilute it before applying it, which I did.  I gave all of the tomatoes a good dose and spread the left-over silt around the puniest plants.  The squash needed picking, so I did that, and also grabbed a few cucumbers to soak with onions in vinegar, a summer favorite in this house.  When the plumber finally finished re-assembling the entire plumbing system under the sink (I kid you not), I cleaned up the kitchen, put the sopping towels in the washer, and spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on some computer work.

Yesterday was quiet.  After breakfast, I took my laptop out to the piazza and spent most of the day digitizing and test-sewing and uploading new embroidery designs.  (Shameless plug: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sfancy?ref=shop_sugg ) Around lunch time, when my tummy got to rumbling, I recognized a hankerin' for meat loaf and decided to make one for supper.  I stirred it up and put it in the refrigerator, thinking I'd put it in the oven around 5.

I like creamed potatoes with meat loaf, but my potatoes were getting puckered and sprout-y, so I had to come up with some side dish alternatives.  There was a bag of dried Ford Hook butterbeans in the pantry.  I'd given Cousin Roger the squash I'd picked the day before, but I'd left some growing, and if Nanny hadn't already picked them, there should be enough for our supper.  Butterbeans and sautéed squash and meatloaf and cucumbers with onions soaked in vinegar.  Sounded good to me!  I put the beans on to soak and asked The Husband if he would go to the garden and get us some squash around 5.  He said he would.  I went back to my digitizing.

By five o'clock, I'd decided that I'd go get the squash, myself.  My neck was stiff, and I needed to move after sitting most of the day.  So, picking sack in hand, to the garden I went.  Nanny saw me go past the window and came out to the porch to say hello.  She said she'd take a few squash, if we had enough to go around.  I said I'd bring her some.  She went back in the house.  I headed for the zucchini.

When I bent over to raise the first zucchini leaf, a black, 3-foot-long, hoe-handle-thick snake shot out from under it.  I hollered, "OH!" and jumped back.  It's amazing how quickly stiff joints can un-stiffen in certain situations.  Mercifully, the snake had headed AWAY from me instead of TOWARD me, but it still took a few minutes before my heart resumed its normal beat. 

Between the zucchini and the yellow crooknecks, there was enough little squash for our dinner and Nanny's.  I brought ours home and sautéed it with onions in olive oil until it was caramelized and sweet.  Man, it was good. 

But, next time, I'm sending The Husband to get the squash.  ;)