Added note: I finished writing this post on Thursday but woke up to the news that Roe v Wade is no longer. I don’t yet have any words, but my partner Regina does – go check out her Twitter thread. Her words are my words today. And now the rest of this post feels silly and surreal and too normal for this morning, but I suppose I’ll post it anyway.

At what point do those of us with the means choose to leave?

Where is the line?

Because it doesn’t stop with abortion.

PAGE BREAK – BACK TO NORMAL FRIDAY UPDATES LIKE TODAY IS A NORMAL FRIDAY

The summer solstice showed up this week, and along with it, we’ve actually had a few warm and sunny days. After being below average temperatures for pretty much the whole spring, we’re now looking at possibly ninety degrees on Monday. Whiplash, but my garden sure could use some warmer weather.

I’m enjoying the sunshine and the warmth for now, but my PNW raised kiddo ran for the shade yelling about how it was too hot the first day we hit seventy-five degrees this year. Given that much of the country is in drought and/or in a heat wave, perhaps we shouldn’t complain too much about the cooler, wetter weather. It’s still nice to see the sun occasionally, though.

Friday’s Frugal Five

1. As should be my new normal, I biked to and from work on Friday and Monday. I hadn’t charged the battery though, and because of a perverse interest in how much battery life it had, I pushed it a bit too far on Friday afternoon.

I babied the battery both ways, making it a bit slower and more difficult bike ride, but I didn’t quite make it up the final hill home. Biking without that boost reminded me just how big the hill home is though, and how much of a difference an e-bike makes. Instead of a miserable slog home, it’s a joyful ride. Really, I’ve become my bike’s fangirl.

2. I bought myself a new purse backpack! Well, I suppose I bought it a week ago, but it arrived this week. The two physical items I’ve been wanting / looking at for a long time now were the e-bike, and a purse backpack. After buying the e-bike, I ended up finding a purse/backpack I really liked while waiting for my flight to Virginia – within the same week I’d bought my bike.

I was texting Regina, telling her that a) airports are not the cheapest place to buy anything and b) I’d just bought my bike, so that was too much spending in a single week. She then looked up the purse/backpack online and found that Macy’s was having a super deal that weekend only. She then badgered me for a couple days while I waffled about it.

Since it arrived at my house, I’ve worn it around every day and I seriously love it. Sometimes you need a friend who pushes you to spend your money, not just to save it. So thanks, friend. I needed that. And I’m sure happy with my money spent (happier that I got it on sale, for sure).

3. With the cool weather, the garlic and onions have been doing fabulously, even if everything else outside of the mini greenhouse is growing pretty dang slowly. We have scapes now! If you’ve never eaten garlic scapes before, go pick some up from your local farmers market. They are delicious.

The strawberries are finally starting to turn ripe, which means that the kiddo and his neighborhood friends are snacking on them right off the plant. Not enough to bring inside yet, but I’m never mad to see kids eating fresh produce right out of the garden. What it’s there for, indeed.

4. The new chicks are finally big enough (about ten weeks now) that we’ve been integrating them into the existing flock this week. The coop and covered run aren’t big enough for that, because the new girls need space to be separate from the rest. After keeping them enclosed for the better part of two months due to bird flu, I’m hoping that I made the right decision to let them back out into the side yard to get used to each other.

The little girls are still sleeping in a pet carrier separately from the rest just in case, but I think I can be done with that in the next few days as well. Here’s to hoping I didn’t make a bad decision and that bird flu is indeed on the retreat for now (*knocks on wood*). If the last two and a half years have taught me anything, it’s to go with my gut and not talk myself out of something because I might be overreacting.

5. Thanks to the mini greenhouse, I was able to grow a bunch of seeds to take to my parents’ garden. This week, I helped them plant beans, peas, cucumbers squash, sunflowers, broccoli, and pumpkins. The difference between seed starting out in the yard and starting in the greenhouse is huge, and I can’t wait for early next spring – I might be done buying any starts at all in the future.

Exercise Update

Friday was my 6+ mile bike ride home to and from work, and it was a bit more of a workout thanks to the aforementioned low – and then no-setting on the battery. Sunday was a two and a half hour hike at the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. We’d hiked there years ago but I’d forgotten how big the space was, and thanks to a limited parking lot size, the trails weren’t busy at all, even though the day was reasonably nice (ie not raining).

Monday was biking to and from work, this time on a full battery. The difference between conserving battery and using full power is pretty shocking, and a good reminder of how much of a boost I’m getting. The difference is between a rough workout and a seriously fun bike ride. (Can you tell I prefer to run over biking for my workouts?)

Tuesday I managed to squeeze in fifteen minutes on the elliptical before leaving for work when no one was in the gym, and then went for a walk with the kiddo and dogs when I got home. Wednesday was more walks, and then Thursday I went for a run in the seventy degree “heat.”

Have I convinced you to get an e-bike yet?