Four days in

So, I've been on my own since last Tuesday. It's been really strange: I haven't been cooking or eating much. I dip carrots into hummus and that seems to satisfy me... I have a bowl for fruit... eggs on toast. I have, however, been invited for lunch three times! On Thursday, I went to our friends, Cindy and Larry, who live in Santa Maria. Back in Canada, we bought a pressure cooker and I've been clueless on how to use it. And scared. The whole pressure thing freaks me out a bit. Well, Cindy promised she would teach me how to cook with it because she swears by it. It takes a lot less time to cook anything! It would be practical if I could get used to using it because we would save on propane gas that way. So, I showed up with my pressure cooker and Cindy had all the ingredients ready. We had a Chicken dish with onions, red peppers, spices, and boy was it ever delicious. We will be making that again for sure. Cindy even photocopied a bunch of other recipes for me. So awesome! Kevin will be pleased, I think. Then on Friday, I went over to my friend Jodi's place. She also made a tasty lunch. I brought a cauliflower and green onion soup. One of Jodi's dishes was peeled carrots with red peppers, ginger, garlic, salt. Yum. I made a version of it today, but I added a spoonful of coconut oil in the bottom of the pan, a spoonful of raw honey, balsamic vinegar and onions. It was pretty darn good, too. I've decided I really like peeled carrots... there's no need to boil them to get them tender. The thin slices cook quickly in a frying pan. Today, Adriana and Roberto invited me and Roberto rustled up some sausages with and green avocado salad and roasted potatoes. I've been spoiled, but I've not felt the need to eat much more than that, really.

As for my chores... I've been doing them religiously. Everything is going really well. I think I can finally say that I've mastered the aqueduct gate. The gate and I have become one... I definitely don't have the problems I had in the beginning. Practice makes perfect and all that. When another friend came by on Friday morning, she had a look at our garden to give me some advice on what I might do to help the soil. It's always really dry and appears like it has no nutrients. She suggested that our soil desperately needed some mulch of some kind because it's obvious that even with the amount of watering we're doing, it's bone dry. So, I've been collecting dead leaves to add on top of the soil and then I've added some of our rich compost on top of that. It's only been two days, but already I feel the plants are happier. I'll be adding leaves and compost to all our flower beds, too, not just our vegetable garden. Part of my chores is to clear the grate of all the leaves that gather as the river flows through the aqueduct opening. Usually, we simply thrown them back down the river. Now, I'm sweeping the grate and creating a mount of leaves to use as mulch. It's nice when a chore serves two purposes.

Other than that, I've been reading and getting my book formatting issues resolved. I'll be ready to press the 'publish' button tomorrow! Yikes!!! It's finally here... finally happening. Once it's up and available, I will send out a link for easy access. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Will it sell? Will it not sell? Will people care? My head has been so stuck in the doing... it will be strange to let it all go and allow the book to have its own energy out there. I keep telling myself that all I need is one person to buy my book and I'll be a published writer. A dream come true. Anything is possible, if you show up, step up and get 'er done. Hmmm, I wonder what my next project will be?

I wasn't sure how I would feel in the house all by myself, especially at night. It's been fine though. I don't feel isolated or scared. Sometimes the wind makes the house creak so for some people that might be a little unnerving, but so far, it's fine. I Skyped with Phoenix for two hours last night! That was awesome... we haven't had such a long session in a while. And the night before that, I was chatting with Jude most of the night... so really, I haven't been all alone. Last night, I also played my guitar for the first time in about ten years. And no, it's not like riding a bicycle! My dear brother-in-law, Eric, was nice enough to tune it when he was here a few weeks ago, so at least my ears weren't bleeding. Having said that, much practice is needed if I want any song to sound like it's supposed to. Saying that I'm rusty would be an understatement, but I had fun nonetheless. Both Kevin and I do well together. We never get sick of being in each other's company, but a break from each other is never a bad thing, either. We're both pretty independent, but I don't mind saying that I'm looking forward to having my honey back home. Just a few more days! Woot!