The News from South Philly

It is humiliating to have your bike fall over, and to have you fall over with it.

It's also pretty painful. The back muscle that has been unhappy for the past few months became extremely unhappy, in a crampacious fashion, and my shin made "a hematoma is coming!" sensations.

This contretemps occurred while I was in the process of dismounting at the Trader Joe's. I wobbled into the store and picked up the things that were on my list -- green beans, coffee beans, Clif bars. I forgot a couple things I'd been thinking about getting as long as I was there, but oh well.

This is perhaps divine retribution for my putting off the Trader Joe's run until today. At least I also made it to the PathMark, where the biggest free turkey I could get was 15.5 lb. Waaaahhh. I don't need my big new roasting pan for such a puny turkey. But the really big ones weren't free. Waaaaahhh. On the other hand, I was able to pick up three of those uncut loaves of stuffing bread and four boxes of Bell's Poultry Seasoning, which is hard to find at other times of the year. Other than a quick run for mushrooms on Wednesday, I think I'm set for the Big Cookathon.

While at the Trader Joe's I did pick up several bags of petits pois. (Because I felt this hematoma coming on, you see, and frozen peas make the greatest icepacks.) I came home, made my lunch, set up big pillows on the love seat so my shins would be higher than my heart, positioned the peas just so, covered the rest of me with sweaters and lap robes and The Scamp, and napped for a sinful, decadent, three hours.

One more nice thing. The young folks in the neighborhood are enjoying civic mindedness. They convinced the elementary school four blocks away that trees on their sidewalks would be a good thing, made the arrangements with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and planted eleven trees this morning. Pictures will be posted. We are hoping this will convince the rather more suspicious principal at the school right behind us that trees are A Good Thing.

P.S. -- I have a lump about the size of a pea on my shin, not much of a hematoma, thank goodness. And the back spasm pretty much gave up during the mile ride home.

FORGOT TO MENTION: I also bought two 4-packs of pansies. They'll go in my window boxes tomorrow. In Sept/Oct I forgot to water the window boxes and all the dusty miller and feverfew died, waaaaah.