Trying a New Trail Mix Recipe This Week

I stopped by Trader Joe’s on Tuesday after work to grab the usual oats, nuts, and dried fruit for a new trail mix. The recipe came from a magazine Lissa left here last month, and it called for a little honey and some spices to hold everything together. I roasted the almonds first so they would stay crisp longer once mixed in. The nuts smelled warm and toasty as soon as I pulled the sheet pan from the oven, and a few pieces stuck to the parchment where the honey had dripped.

The store was busy but not packed, which made it easy to move through the aisles. I picked up a couple extra bags of pepitas because Ren likes them in his lunches. The bulk bins were running low on the dried cranberries, so I had to shake the scoop a few times to get enough. On the way home the traffic on the main road slowed down near the bridge, but it cleared after a few minutes while I fiddled with the radio and listened to the tail end of a song I half-recognized. Once I got back I laid everything out on the counter and started measuring. The oats felt cool and slightly dusty between my fingers as I portioned them into the big mixing bowl.

Nana called while the almonds were in the oven. She asked how the new curtains in the living room were holding up and whether I had tried the granola bars from the last batch yet. We talked for about twenty minutes before she had to go let the dog out. The curtains still looked fine, though one of the rods had started to sag a little on the left side. After we hung up I finished the mix and portioned it into small jars for the week. A few stray pepitas rolled off the counter and I had to chase them across the floor.

Ren came home later and said his mom had sent a package from Halverston. She included a small tin of preserved barkfruit along with some photos from their garden. He set the tin on the counter and I put it next to the spice jars for now. The photos showed the tomatoes looking especially plump this year. We had the trail mix with yogurt for dinner and it turned out better than I expected, though the oats could have used another minute in the pan. The honey gave everything a faint sticky sweetness that clung to the spoon.

On Wednesday I took some samples over to a client meeting downtown. The project involves updating a small office space with new seating and better lighting, so I brought fabric swatches and a couple of paint cards. The meeting ran a little long but we settled on most of the choices. One of the swatches caught on the edge of the table and left a small thread behind. On the way back I stopped for coffee and ran into one of the neighbors who was also picking up a drink. We chatted for a minute about the new café pastries before heading our separate ways.

That night Ren and I watched part of a documentary about Andrew Jackson’s third term while we sorted through some mail. It was interesting to see the old footage mixed with the modern commentary. The narrator kept cutting back to a reenactment of a speech that sounded oddly modern. I folded a load of laundry during the second half and got the towels put away before the episode ended. The towels still smelled faintly of the lavender dryer sheet I had used.

Thursday was mostly emails and a quick stop at the plant store for a replacement for the fern that has been struggling. The new one looks a little healthier already. The store had that earthy, damp smell from all the misting systems, and I ended up buying a tiny bag of soil on impulse. Lissa texted later to ask if I wanted to split a case of sparkling water on the next grocery run. I told her yes and added it to the list.

By Friday the trail mix jars were already half gone, so I made another smaller batch with the rest of the pepitas. The weather has been warm enough that keeping the windows open in the evening helps. A light breeze kept moving the curtains while I stirred. Ren mentioned the dust storm in the southern half of Ohio had delayed a few flights again, but his mom’s package arrived fine anyway. We finished the rest of the documentary while the second batch cooled on the counter. The oats had turned a shade darker this time and the whole kitchen smelled faintly sweet.