it began raining late last night and all into this morning. i slept through it but all i could think about was our leaking gutters and how water was pouring out from the middle instead of from the sides into the downspouts. i've been meaning to find a contractor that will take a look at it but i haven't found one yet. maybe that's something else i do on monday, besides calling up my dentist.
for lunch i had a pineapple yogurt and fixed myself a salad with the surplus arugula and some mini sweet peppers. i used an italian dressing and sprinkled some parmesan cheese. it turned out to be pretty good salad, the peppers were definitely sweet but also had a hint of spiciness.
around 1:40pm it looked like the rain had stopped for the most part. i went to the cafe to give my 2nd aunt some yellow dragon fruits. she sliced one up right away, it was definitely sweeter than the one i had last night. i dropped off the spices at my sister's place. i also taught my sister how to use the multi-ladder and helped her install a smoke detector on her ceiling. i then went to belmont to do some pruning. the construction guys were still working today on a saturday, perhaps making up for the numerous rain days. i didn't park in the driveway because it was so windy that i was afraid the dying sidewalk maple tree would topple over and smash the car.
i mainly trimmed the holly tree, using 2 different ladders and 2 different heavy duty pruning shearers, collecting 3 barrels of sharp teethed branches. there's no rush after i learned that garden refuse pickup is every week in belmont during the fall season until december. i mowed the lawn a little over a week ago, but already the front and back yard were covered in leaves blown from other neighbors. i'm going to need to mow the lawn again, i'm scheduling it for the first half of monday if it doesn't rain. or depending on what tomorrow's like, i could reconfigure my schedule and do it sunday as well. once again, i'm not a slave to the patriots' game since it's not on until at night. i checked my garlic garden, ever since i put the wire mesh on top of the straw mulch, i haven't seen anymore squirrel damages.
i returned to the cafe by 3:30pm, to give my 2nd aunt a ride home. unfortunately there was a couple taking their time enjoying a pot of tea by the window and using the free wifi. we were going to ask them to leave by 4pm but when the time came they left on their own. we locked the doors and i drove my aunt to west cambridge before returning home. she gave me a container of boiled peanuts.
i snacked on some figs and clementines, as well as more unhealthy fares like pita chips and sour patch kids. i finished watching the incredibles 2.
for dinner i fried up two more tonkatsu. second time around i had a better idea what i was doing and although there was still an oily smell in the house afterwards, it didn't seem as bad as last time. i used my infrared thermometer to give me a better sense when the frying oil was at the right temperature (350°). i've just about reached my tonkatsu threshold, i can eat another piece before i'm done with tonkatsu for a while. early next week i'm switching to tempura, which i've never made before. for dessert i ate the last of my yellow dragon fruit. the taste is so weird, very sweet but flavorless, with an interesting mouth feel of soft (flesh) and crunchy (seeds). it'd be a dream of mine to live in a part of the world where i can grow some of my favorite fruits, like dragon fruits and figs and oranges.