halfsies.

half-finished projects.
ugh.
looking out into my mysterious mess of a yard,
where i sweat my A* off;
and pulled my meager muscles to their limits;
and stomped through poisonous rash-thrashing vines;
and dug up root after rootball of well-entrenched oft-cut saplings;
and powered out a few hundred pounds of granite from the soil
in this summery septembery granite state.
damn, neighbors.
i uncovered more problems than i solved,
and i barely made a dent in the messed-up fix-up process.
that's a hard style, and one i did not enjoy in the slightest.
i spanned a few early morning hours pulling stumps
and raking away shrapnel and scrub brush shrubbery,
as my actual next-door neighbor looked on from her window,
furtively peeking out, index finger undoubtedly just itching to dial any authorities,
from any department,
for any perceived infraction or invasion any and all personal space-
hers, theirs, or maybe even mine.
ew.
i didn't expect an audience, let alone a hostile one-
i'm at home, not at work.
y'know?
it's supposed to be different here within the protective shield
of the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress.
then again...
wherever i am, wherever i go, whatever i'm doing,
there's just got to be SOMEone who takes exception
to the things that i'm involved in,
even when i'm doing my dirt, in the dirt, all by my lonesome self.
weird.
you'd almost think i exude a secret chemical compound, huh?
a ferocious pheromonal fuming attractant/repellent that cultivates
the opposite of happy accidents,
and instead draws in those folks who act more like tragic accidents.
gross.
so,
i mowed most of my lawn, too.
the newly upturned dirt around the recently ruined hillside made doing any more
a journey into a self-stirred sandstorm of dry earth and airborne irritants.
not cool.
also,
i started a project i'll need a ladder twice as tall for.
awwwwwww.
i had such high hopes for the day off,
and instead, i completed only half of what i wanted.
hell,
i even called all the laboring laborers who'll be needed to finish
some of the tasks i'm unsuited or under-equipped to complete to around here.
..... and i left messages.
jeez.
nothing got done, but a lot got started.
i dunno, duders.
that's not a rewarding feeling at all.
*
do you know what IS a rewarding feeling?
fancy dinner.
yuuuuuuuuuuuup.
with the rest of the day diving deep into the doodiehole of disappointment,
and therefore to be jettisoned into oblivion as another 'nother day off disappeared,
but,
with amber coming over after work for mutual cheering-up
after an all-day-long span of weak sauce and shallow gains-
it was time to bring a little more hottness to the already scorching afternoon.
uh-huh.
fancy dinner is good for you,
and that's no joke.
and for the record, from what i understand,
real men don't eat quiche, unless you leave off the crust, and call it a frittata.
then it's cool.
word up.
check the rally-around-suppertime-type teleport:

BAM!
one fresh-baked burly vegan jauns, sliced in a wedge,
loaded with nootch, and g.p.o.p., and sauteed garlic, onions, herbs,
tofu, tapioca, a pinch of flour, and a lot of olive oil.
i stirred in some scallions after the big food processor crushing combination,
and before baking, i fired a few more on top, too.
scallions are good.
like,
really good, and i want more of the in my life.
anyway,
once that bad mama-jamma thickened up and popped out, ready and willing
from the hot hot HOT oven,
i gave it the ol' too much is the right amount treatment-
what was great on it's own got activated even MORE
with caramelized sweet onions, and pan-seared brussels sprouts.
expert.
with oregano flowers as a garnish?
yeah.
fancy is what's up.
how about that beige business on the right?
quinoa, red lentils, brown rice, acini de pepe pasta, celery, onions, garlic, and chick peas.
is that elite pilaf?
i guess it is.
boiled in broth, and stirred up with a little green leafy garnish!
starches are delicious, guys.
i needed a heavy dose of hearty food.
i didn't even realize how hungry i was, or how cranky that made me,
until i got the first forkful into my mouth.
then, like a berserker shark-gluttonous fattie-o,
i devoured almost all of it with a minimum of breaths in between.
mmmmmmmmm.
oh.
yes.
it's september.
that means apples.
so,
i sliced up a few paula reds. (really.)
and i browned 'em up,
and hit 'em with fried rosemary sprouts,
and then finished 'em with white balsamic and black pepper.
that's right.
i get nice with it.
i get nicey-nice with it.
i get nicey-nice very nicely with it.
i love food,
and i hate yard work.
i don't like watching my weight,
and i love a lovely garden.
it figures.
everything costs something, kids.
eating treats and raking up big ol' piles of sh!t?
i s'pose that's the best deal going around these parts.
it's all really happening;
never quiet, never soft.....