Errands and a Quiet Dinner at Home This Week

The week has been steady so far. Work kept me at the studio longer than usual on Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday I had cleared enough time to handle a few things that had piled up. I started with the fabric samples I needed for a client project. The store had restocked their linen selection, which saved me from having to order online again. The bolts were stacked high near the front window, and the late-morning light made the natural threads look almost golden. I spent a good ten minutes running my fingers over the different weights, trying to picture how they would drape once they were cut and sewn. A small fan hummed in the corner, pushing around the faint smell of starch and dust that always seems to hang in fabric shops.

After that I swung by the grocery store to grab basics and whatever looked good for dinner. The produce section had decent tomatoes and corn, so I picked up enough for a simple salad later. The tomatoes still carried a little garden dirt on their skins, and the corn husks crackled when I stacked the ears into the cart. Ren had texted that he would be home early, so I added a couple of steaks and some potatoes. Nothing fancy, just things we both like. I also grabbed a block of butter because the one in the fridge felt too soft from the warm kitchen the day before.

On the way back I stopped at the post office to drop off a package for my grandmother. She has been in Halverston for the past few months, and mailing things is easier than trying to coordinate a drive. The line moved quickly for once. I also grabbed a small tin of preserved star apples while I was near the import shelf. Ren has been curious about them since he saw them last time we were out. The tin was heavier than it looked, and the label had a faded illustration of the fruit cut open to show the dark seeds inside.

Traffic on the way home was heavier than usual because of ongoing work near the old capitol route. It added about twenty minutes, but I had a podcast on so it did not feel too bad. The host was talking about old city maps and how streets used to follow the shape of long-gone creeks. Once I got in I put everything away and started prepping the potatoes. The skins were still a little damp from the store misting system, so they kept slipping on the cutting board. Ren walked in around six thirty with a bag of rolls from the bakery down the street. The paper bag was already spotted with grease from the still-warm bread inside.

We cooked together, which usually means I handle the salad while he watches the grill. The steaks came out right this time, and we ate outside on the small patio. It has been warm but not unbearable, so the evening air felt decent. A neighbor’s radio drifted over the fence every so often, playing something with a steady guitar line that mixed with the sound of the steaks sizzling. After dinner we cleaned up and put on a documentary that had been sitting in our queue. It was the new one about Lincoln’s second term and the changes that followed. Ren had read a book on the same period last year, so he filled in a few details I had missed. Every time the narrator mentioned a particular battle, Ren would pause the screen and add a quick note about supply lines or letters that never made it to the front.

We talked a little about weekend plans while the credits rolled. Nothing set in stone yet, just a loose idea to check out the new hardware store that opened on the east side. I still need to replace a couple of cabinet pulls in the kitchen, and Ren wants to look at tool organizers. We might combine it with a stop for coffee if the timing works. The store apparently has a whole wall of sample hinges, which sounds like it could eat up more time than we planned.

Before bed I watered the plants on the windowsill. One of the ferns is still struggling from the last dry spell, but the others seem fine. The soil in the fern pot was pulling away from the edges a little, so I gave it an extra splash and watched the water darken the surface. I made a note to ask Lissa if she has any tricks when she comes over next week. The rest of the evening was quiet. Just the usual wind-down with the lights low and the windows open a crack.