Market Day

I heard my alarm go off at 7:30 but did not feel like getting out of my warm bed. Chris was already up. When he came back to get showered, I got up and dressed. He left and I prepared to exercise. I got on my laptop to find the latest Philosopher's Notes video which is usually just the right length. But when I found it, it sounded like a repeat. So I went looking for another one. I got caught up in reading e-mail and before I knew it, they were here. I saw their reflection in the french doors. So I opened the front door. Maybe they were surprised since they hadn't rung the bell yet. The Korean men from housing came in and got to work replacing some parts, just like they did for Myra yesterday. I cleaned in the kitchen. Then I sat to sew the hole in Chris' sock. He had given me a shirt that wore out at the collar and I was going to use it to patch his laundry bag. But I have already patched it several times and thought it might be better just to make another bag. Or line it. I jotted notes for my blog, waiting for them to finish. I did today's Sudoku puzzle and would have been finished before they were, but I made a mistake and had to work it over again. I looked for something to play while I exercised and got caught up again reading e-mail. MaryAnn skyped me and we talked for an hour I think. She said the command channel advertises the events that MWR puts on. So after she hung up, I turned on the TV, thinking I could listen to that while I exercised. But I was unable to find any channels. So much for that. I found an audio and played while I exercised, but it ended early. While I was looking for another one, MaryAnn skyped me back. But the call did not last long. So I finished my exercises and started making breakfast. I made two since I have to be ready early tomorrow. I had to refill some of the containers. Then I sat in front of my laptop to eat. By then it was noon. Chris came home for lunch while I was eating. After I finished eating, I put turmeric in a bowl and filled empty capsules with it. After Chris left, I rubbed iodine on my arms and took a shower. I used hot and cold water. I got dressed and grabbed my coat and sling purse. I wanted to bring my rolling cart to see how much trouble it would be on the bus, but I did not want to be rolling it into HomePlus. I walked toward the school to meet Nela, but Myra flagged me down. I waited for her and we walked together. We met Nela and Sue (who is Korean), and walked to the bus stop. We caught 305 and rode to Home Plus. Across from it was the five-day market. All I wanted was some fresh pressed sesame oil, which we found right off. But, as we made our way through the stands, with Sue to read the signs and question the sellers, I bought things I would not have known about otherwise. I bought Korean honey from the maker. I could taste the floral undertones. The seller gave me a dried lotus blossom to make tea with and some other dried buds. I bought a slab of acorn jelly, and a bag of dried sweet potato curls. They tasted like candy but I was assured that no sugar was involved. We all bought bowls of some wild weed that tasted like chickweed. I got some normal stuff too, like spinach, sprouts, cashews, and mushrooms. I was fully loaded by then and then someone offered us a taste of toasted seaweed. So I got some of that, too. We got on the bus back to post. At one point, a large group of schoolboys boarded the bus. I was afraid I would not be able to tell when we arrived at our stop, or to get over to the other side to disembark. But it worked out. Walking up the hill toward our quarters, Sue told me how to prepare acorns. She said she would show me how to make the jelly once the acorns were suitably soaked. Inside, I put away the foods that needed refrigeration. I ate some of the toasted buckwheat (did I mention that?). I tried mixing it in a small bowl with sesame oil, garlic, and salt. It was pretty good. Then I washed and cut up half of the mushrooms. I fried them in sesame oil and butter, and added some diced chicken. I ate that while reading e-mail. When Chris got home, he said it smelled really good. (He hates mushrooms) He made his own supper. I worked on the green star ball. That goes slowly because the glue has to dry in between adding pieces. Reading e-mail, we got an alert of suspicious activity on our credit card account. We had to call Bank of America and cancel the card. I felt like pouting because I had memorized the number which makes ordering online convenient. Then we watched another episode of Sharpe's Rifles. Chris went to bed and I stayed up long enough to post to my blog and set my alarm early for tomorrow.
* These are live slugs for sale. I did not buy any. *