chock-a-blog

a bag made by my friend Gretchen (back) to match the mama-made bag I've used for years (front)

Today is a fill-me-up kind of day drinking coffee watching UFC with JW eating bacon and eggs crocheting Goodwill shopping (maybe GUI but I won't tell ;-) ) motorcycle riding (in the rain even! off-road even!) hiking (in the rain!) picnicking (in the rain, with the water rising at Tanque Verde Falls)

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It's been a long time since I hiked, alone or with friends. My bestie from childhood, Ana, has begun exploring trails around Tucson. Today I joined her for a 6 mile hike starting at the Richard Genser Starr Pass trailhead in Tucson Mountain Park. I plan to join her for as many Sunday mornings as I can manage. We've been friends since second grade. That's three decades plus. I'm totally rockin' the Brett Michaels vibe. Those must be Ana's favorite ratty shorts. She's had them forever. Our hiking companion, Chel, who Ana knows from high school. saguaros and chollas, oh my

You cook the crust first, at 425 or 450. I used a bag of Trader Joe's grilled cauliflower riced in the Cuisinart with a bag of Trader Joe's shredded mozzarella and as many eggs as needed to hold it together. Herbed it with some dried basil, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Topped with a pound of browned hot Italian sausage and some shredded parmesan. Bake til browned. Scarfed it down, me and my hunny.

Sometimes I dream of operating a food truck specializing in gourmet wok-popped popcorn.

So many reasons it's been a long time since we took the boys out thrift store shopping. Yesterday, Tuesday, both of us had a full day off to spend as we pleased. First we ate at Chaffin's Diner. They seated us in the less-dinery back room, which ended up being a good thing because we sat directly beneath a fan and didn't notice so much the heat. E drank decaff coffee with cream. I didn't notice sugar. Decaff, like his Uncle D. Coffee, like his Mimi. We hit Shop for a Cause first, where the boys found nothing and subsequently sulked. Next we pulled into the Humane Society Thrift Store, which I haven't visited in a long time. Historically I haven't found anything there. Today we hit the treasure jackpot. A $2 Ziploc bag containing the comprehensive plastic presidential contingent from Washington through Eisenhower. Of course E had them ordered in a matter of moments. Finally we escaped the store with a trove of treasures (more than I&#