Green Smoothies, Shakespeare, and Porch Sales

So I have been trying to eat more greens ... which I hate. I could never willfully buy them in the store, but once in a while I receive them in my weekly CSA. So in an effort to digest these healthy, leafy plants, I asked Dr. Google what I should do.

He replied that I should process my greens into a smoothie. What's that? A SMOOTHIE? What a wonderful idea! Combine the nasty stuff with bananas! Peaches! Honey! YES!!

But one little problem: my blender was purchased in my college days and primarily used for bad margaritas and more recently, gazpacho. When I made my first green smoothie with that old thing, I almost gagged on little chunks of beet leaves that were stuck in the back of my throat after a large sip.

So...

Yes, you guessed it. The old blender sold for $5 in a yard sale, and my $300 CSA suddenly turned into a $700 investment, because it cost me an additional $400 in a blender. Ladies & Gentlemen, meet the Vita Mix Turboblend 4500. This blender ROCKS! I couldn't be happier!

And it still makes a GREAT margarita. :)

My new blender

This particular photo shows me attempting an Apple Pie Martini ...

... which actually looks better than it tastes, especially when I add the "bling" of cactus stirrers, little umbrellas, and flourescent plastic mermaids lounging on the rim.

So I am sorry, but we are still in July. I guess it was a busy month! This particular weekend, Nicole, Janeen and I went to see Hamlet at Agecroft Hall, which is an amazing house on the James River that was actually shipped here - piece by piece! - from merry ol' England.

Nicole and Janeen in front of the gardens

Agecroft Hall - it doesn't get much more Shakespearean than this!

Hamlet!

And the sale. I actually ended up having two Porch Sales this year, and although I got rid of quite a lot of unnecessary stuff from around my house, I can hardly say the hours of cleaning, hours of planning, advertising and pricing, lost sleep in the early Saturday mornings, delicate discussions with the rude folks who come an hour early, and subsequent trips to Goodwill anyway after it's all over make it very worthwhile. Still, it's an American tradition!

This was the crazy yard sale cat that I don't remember seeing before and haven't seen since, who made himself totally at home amongst our wares.

Sale at its peak

Shopper ... and cat. Actually, this is the lady who purchased said blender as referenced above! Blender is displayed next to the bizarre kokopelli candlestick holder that was left in my house by the last tenants.

This really was a funny cat.