Monday Random: cleaning out the refrigerator

• Buying healthy for two instead of four is challenging. I hate throwing food away, and did, often in the first months. But now I’m savvy
• It’s less hot and low humidity today so that means it’s time to make Italian red gravy and chicken vegetable soup for the month
• It was really scary opening the veg drawers in the fridge, and I did throw out half a cabbage and some potatoes that were beyond thought of food
• Celery–not too many stalks went in the bin, the rest chopped fine. Some for the soup, a little for the red sauce, the rest in the freezer in a container I keep for lean days and busy days
• Carrots–same as above–when I learned recently to make Bolognese sauce and put diced carrot in it–which I forgot to hide from hubby–I was astounded. Delicious addition my mother would not have approved of. It helped also with the acidity so I didn’t have to add sugar
• Green pepper–pepper and egg sandwiches for breakfast and the rest in the freezer for when I make chicken cacciatore
• So far–on one cup of coffee– the sauce is bubbling with meatballs in it, and the sink is full of sudsy water to wash dishes as I go.
• It should be noted here that when we were first married, my husband said, ‘if you just cook like this all the time, I will the dishes’
• Let’s not re-open that wound and put lemon juice in it
• Seriously, I should not be able to count on two hands how many times he did dishes in 27 years. That should be at least 27 Mother’s Days
• Okay, okay, we’ll skip to something positive, haha
• I wanted to show you this rose:

• I don’t know what type it is, but it was supposed to be a large yellow bloom. We planted the bush in remembrance of my mother-in-law and the other deep pink one for my own mother, may they rest in peace.
• If anyone knows what variety this is, do tell. Now that we have it, we love it. So delicate
• You may recall my neighbor mowed over these struggling bushes when the landlord let the grass get too high. One, this one, had a few mangled leaves left and the other was completely gone. Just a broken twig was all I saw left in the dirt
• My mother’s now has fresh growth on it and this one, well as you see, there is still life in the old girl
• The metaphor did not escape me for something that felt dead and was mangled and beat up, like my life was for awhile, and finding that there is still a spark inside
• If it weren’t for God I wouldn’t be making it. I was barely breathing. So grateful–

I can’t help but feel much hope that I have yet another Monday to work and grow and write and share.  I bid you a good day and wish for you a great, productive, creative week–

–Rose