Yesterday morning Jason and I picked up our new car. We’ve given Chris Jason’s Protoge which was newer than my Civic but had nearly double the mileage on it. Jason’s taking my Civic and I’ll drive the new Civic. We’d hoped to buy a hybrid and really liked the Toyota hybrid but it was just too expensive. There were so many electronic things that could go wrong. I’ve got the stripped down version of the civic with windows you roll up yourself and manual locks. The driver’s door must still be locked with a key so you can’t lock yourself out, one of my favorite features on the car. Daniel was really happy to hear it wasn’t black. So was I!

When I finally got home from the dealership I started to work on the stripes in Daniel’s room. The base coat needed to cure for 48-hours before taping so I’d had to wait awhile to begin. I thought I’d use a snap-line to mark the stripes but forgot to get Jason’s help with that before he had to go to work so I ended up penciling them all out with a level and ruler by hand. I was still taping stripes when he got home at 6 so he cooked dinner while I began painting them. They’ll need a second coat this morning. I plan to do a second color stripe as well and then it’ll be all finished. The I-pod Jason gave me as a birthday present came in really handy. I listened to Agatha Christie’s "Destination Unknown" while I worked.

Strawberries and Feta Salad with Chicken

1 pound chicken, seasoned, pan seared until cooked through and cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sugar
6 cups salad greens, rinsed and dried
1 cup quartered strawberries
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Whisk together juice, vinegar, oil and sugar with a pinch of salt. Toss greens with dressing in a large serving bowl. Layer on cheese, strawberries and chicken.

The Rudbeckia is coming into bloom now. I need to find a neighbor or someone in town who’d like some. There are a few volunteer plants who’ve strayed a bit far out into the garden. It’s done so well and always puts on a lovely display in mid-summer. There was a tiny bee visiting it yesterday.