Happy Saturday! A big thanks to Natalie of Natalie the Explorer for hosting WeekendCoffeeShare each weekend.

It was a rough week this week thanks to the self-appointed extended 4-day weekend last week. It was like going back to work after a long vacation, except I didn’t have a vacation, merely a longer weekend. Still, I had to get into my work-mindset and had a lot of trouble doing that this week.

I ended up spending most of the 4-day weekend at home. The only day I really went anywhere was Saturday. That’s when I drove almost 500 miles in a single day doing a round trip to Crater of the Moon National Monument with a slight detour to the world’s first nuclear power plant. All of that are located in southern Idaho. It turned out, Idaho is a pretty interesting place to visit. I’ve never thought about exploring the state but after this trip, why not?

Unfortunately, the trip did a number on my car’s tires with construction going on for the interstate. I had to drive a very rough section in Idaho, which was not fun. I think it might had attributed to one of the sensor in the wheels to go bad because there I was, on Wednesday, driving to work when I got a message to service the tire pressure monitor.

It scared me so much that after getting to the office and calling the car dealership to make a service appointment, I wondered if this repair would cost me an arm and a leg. Thankfully, it did not cost me an arm and a leg and I was able to pay with the points on my credit card but it took me away from my work, which meant I would have to make up the hours on Friday.

Through the process, I also found out the car’s tires are worn out and need replacing. The tires were the original ones that came with the car. I guess, after 7 years and almost 37,000 miles later, it’s time for a replacement.

Now, on to something happier. My co-worker brought me home-made lunch this week – short rib and rice with sausage and chicken. It was a little too spicy for my taste but still, it was so good. He’s from the south, so it has the southern food taste mixed in there and I love southern food. Of all the regional cuisines I’ve tried in the US, southern food is, by far, my favorite.

“Better than the ribs my mom makes,” I told him, which is true. My mom believes whatever she makes is good because I don’t want to complain and get a lecture, so her ego got a boost each time she makes something different.

The garden is doing okay, I guess. I think it’s struggling less than July. Maybe it has to do with the sun’s angle now that we’re approaching autumn. I’m continuing to pull cucumbers off the vines every few days. I still love the mini-cucumbers, this is the salad I made yesterday with balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, and a dash of MSG.

I know what you’re thinking, MSG?! Strangely, I’m someone who loves a couple drops of MSG in my food, to give the food that umami flavor. Just a tiny bit won’t hurt, right?

Anyway, I appreciate you stopping by and hope you will have a wonderful week ahead.