This week started with a burrito bowl and ended with me standing motionless in the middle of my kitchen, trying to quietly assess whether a bee had taken up residence in my pants. It had.
Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
I Ate Chipotle For the First Time
Normally if I get Mexican food I'd definitely be ordering a full burrito in a tortilla wrap but my friend swore by the bowls and she's a Chipotle expert so a bowl it was because I'm a freewheeling adult and I can accept change.
The verdict: pretty darn delicious. This Chipotle place knows what it's doing.
Real flavour, an indecent amount of salt, and my burrito bowl weighed approximately 12 pounds. Which made it two meals.
All of the food is made fresh on site. They famously don't have can openers, freezers or microwaves in their restaurants. They DO have an excellent guacamole.
The Community Garden Harvest BBQ
I helped host our annual harvest BBQ at the community garden this week. There were about 40 people, a giant table of food, and two Rons.
One Ron was in charge of the grill—sausages, burgers, hot dogs. The other Ron was in charge of the corn station. His method? Fill a huge pickle jar with hot water, melt a pound or two of butter in it, and dunk the cobs. The melted butter rises to the top so as you pull the corn out it passes through three inches of melted butter. It’s the most Midwestern thing I’ve ever seen happen in Ontario.
Everyone brought a dish made with something from their garden. I brought flower arrangements this year, which were less exciting than the cotton candy I brought last year, but much less prone to atmospheric collapse.
The dessert table was full of zucchini cookies, zucchini bread, and lemon squares.
Yes, lemon. No, we don’t grow them. And no, I’m not asking questions. Zucchini cookies, zucchini bread, lemon squares. I’m choosing to ignore the fact that nobody grows lemons around here. Maybe they’ve got a secret lemon orchard at home. I’m not asking questions.
No one got sick. No one got drunk. No one got into a fist fight and 3 people went home with a mason jar of flowers. That's a classy night.
I Found a Bumblebee in My Underpants
I was out cutting flowers in the evening, wearing pajama bottoms. I felt something. Not painful, just a little brush of something where you don’t usually feel things when you’re picking flowers.
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I ignored it.
A minute later, I felt it again. Still nothing major. Just a vague awareness.
Then I felt buzzing.
I froze. Stood there completely still for a few seconds and then walked straight into the house without moving.
Inside, I grabbed the waistband of my pants and peeked in.
Bumblebee.
Somehow still alive, not angry, and not dead. Further proof that I am indeed Snow White.
I Canned 19 Jars of Peaches
They are beautiful. They are golden. My floor is still sticky. You’ll learn how to make your own next week.
I Made a Rubber Stamp
I carved my very first rubber stamp this week. It’s a tiny head of lettuce I designed for the seed packets I gave away at the BBQ.
Does it look like lettuce?
Yes. But only if I write “lettuce” underneath it. Which I did. Because brains are hard.
Still, it was very satisfying. I already want to make five more. I assume you will want to know how to do this so a beginner tutorial coming soon.
So that was this week.
A 12-pound burrito bowl, a communal butter bath for corn, and one surprisingly composed underwear extraction.
See you next week.
Susan
I am consistently delighted by and grateful for your writing, thank you
Leenie
We did up 18 big jars of peaches last week! They are fantastic this year!! Your flowers are beautiful, let's hope the rain gods wake up. It's so dry!!
CathyR
I love a good handmade rubber stamp. I was quite the crafter back in the day, had over 4000 stamps though none handmade. I think I stamped some towels for you once. Also Chipotle is the bomb dot com. My Fella and I regularly split a bowl. I can’t be trusted with their chips and guacamole because it’s like crack cocaine. Except legal.
Elizabeth Long
Same thing happened to me about 30 years ago.
But I was in an antique shop! Wearing long, soft floppy (read comfy) pants. I too felt something odd but transient. However this bumblebee got to the top of my thigh and lost her temper because she couldn’t get any further.
So she dug in - think white-hot screwdriver. I yelped and dove behind an antique dresser, where I pretty much removed my pants and shook them out. The result was a slightly wobbly bumblebee who staggered off in the direction of some expensive glassware. I stepped back into my pants in a frenzy of pain and it lasted a good 4 hours even with ice when we got home.
You were fortunate indeed
KimS
Love your shenanigans! Have you ever tried peaches in basil? To DIE for : https://food52.com/recipes/5500-peaches-poached-with-basile
Cindy
You never cease to amaze me!!!
And I mean that in a good way!!!
Joan
I’m trying to decide which is worse- a bee in my pjs or a lone star tick in my hair- no bites just walking around. Thank goodness my husband noticed it. Of course I’ve been itchy ever since and think I have checked my body about every hour since. The joys of gardening!
sharon
KAREN, I really enjoy reading your stuff. Thank you.
Babs
Ran over the border into Michigan yesterday for peaches. The line was seven deep when I arrived before opening. You had to have gray hair and bushel basket to fit in. Your jars of peaches are inspiring! Me, myself and I make peach jam.
Moved a pile of sweet corn shucks from the deck yesterday morning. Sure enough Mr./Mrs. Bee was inside. Another strike and the message, "Leave me alone". My night of slumber was not so slumbering!
Jae
The bumblebee story cracked me up. 🤣 🐝 glad to hear neither of you were harmed!
Marc Greenstein
I love how even though you had a bee near where it should never bee(lol), you had the presence of mind to take a picture for all of us to see! Glad you escaped any damage!
Clarence Harris
I live in Michigan and many years the peaches we purchase at the bulk food store in Snover, come from Canada... 😂
Ann
I love seeing how your picnic had such diversity. Young and old. Black and white and in between. Men and women. Food and flowers. Gardening should be for all and bring everyone together.
The worst thing I have ever had get into my clothing while still wearing them are Japanese Beetles. Quite unsettling, even tho they can't sting...so I can't imagine the emotions once you found it had been a bee buzzing in your bottoms.
Jan in Waterdown
Yeah but Japanese Beetles chew…. voraciously! Yikes. I woulda seriously freaked out, they’re really creepy.
Emie
It's oddly satisfying to make your own rubber stamps. The design is totally unique and there are many methods to make one. Your lettuce stamp does look like lettuce. Have fun with it.
mia pratt
I love the mason jars with flowers, absolutely marvelous. And the seed packets. And everything else. Nice!
TucsonPatty
I liked how you walked into the house without moving. I could actually "see" it!!
I once (probably 1971) stripped down at the lake shore, in front of everyone, as my first ex-husband gleefully informed me that where he had sent me to semi/privately pee in the tall bushes, most assuredly had ticks! I was horribly terrifyingly hysterical. Yes, there were ticks crawling inside my jeans. Yes, the other, nicer people, took them off of me. Yes it was underwear, like you, not a swimsuit. Yes, I divorced him. I was so young and so stupidly naive.
All this to say - I'm so glad your bee got out alive? Nice underwear! 😂❤️