my roommate has been going to bed later and later so i wasn't surprised that he was still asleep when i woke up at 10:00 (my usual wakeup time). maybe his alarm just didn't go off because when he finally left for work 30 minutes later he didn't even have his usual microwave oatmeal breakfast.

i saw my previous roommate on the other side of the street while i was heading to the supermarket to get some ingredients for dinner. i'd forgotten her name so i rang my bike bell to get her attention. she was on her way to her landlord's place to drop off the monthly rent check (which reminded me that my roommate has yet to pay for this month).

i came back home and made myself some oatmeal for lunch before riding my trek to belmont. my mother was home, and when my father returned, she left for the cafe to take up his shift.

i came to belmont primarily to get some plastic cups drilled so i can use them as pots to plant some more seeds. but i ended up doing everything else but that: i recharged my motorcycle battery; we tested the portable backup power source and determined it was the dead battery that needed replacing; we restarted our rain barrel stations; i dug out some dandelions, garlic mustard, and celandine; and i edged the backyard with the pile of bricks my sister got from one of her nanny care families. there was already a brick border but there were gaps.

i returned to cambridge before the start of rush hour. with less than 2 weeks before the due date, i finally started doing my taxes. last year i got them done in february because of health insurance reasons; this year with my health insurance secured, i wasn't as rushed. i had an idea in my mind how much i owed; after i put in all the numbers, i was shockingly surprised how off i was, and i owed 3x less than what i thought i owed. at this point i'm pretty much done, but i like to sit on them for a few days, in case i think of anything that might reduce my taxes even more.

for dinner i made my ricotta spinach pie with bacon:

it's basically this epicurious recipe with the addition of bacon. i learned that without bacon the ricotta spinach pie was a little bland. i always remember the ricotta and spinach, but i always forget that there's also some mozzarella cheese and eggs. the recipe also calls for parmesan but i just got an 8 oz. package of shredded mozzarella/provolone which seems to do work just as well. i thawed the spinach earlier, from a leftover bag courtesy of marco. i chopped the bacon into little bits and cooked that first in an empty pan. once the bacon were lightly crispy, i removed them with a slotted spoon and sauteed the chopped onions in bacon fat (instead of butter). later i added the chopped spinach.

baking at 350°, i ended up going 50 minutes instead of 40 minutes, and even then the pie was only a little brown on the side (nothing on the top). the slices can't out without any problems; maybe because i dusted the bottom with some flour before i pressed the crust into the glass pyrex pie dish.

i ate two slices; usually i do a little snacking afterwards (some dessert if you will), but that ricotta spinach pie was so filling my mind couldn't even think of eating anymore.

i also did a load of laundry which was drying while i was cooking. i've never done such a large load before and at one point i was afraid i broke the washer because it was making a sound i've never heard of before. when i opened the dryer the clothes just fell out because it was so full.