It’s about doing errands with joy and you own your time. You can choose not to do anything or make yourself more productive.

Twin I asked if I could make lasagna even though we no longer have a slow cooker (I gave it away). I picked a box of dried lasgna noodles, a small pack of Italian spaghetti sauce and figured out the rest at home. I researched online how long can I cook lasagna in the Instant Pot. One recipe says 20 mins. I didn’t have the pan that it prescribed so I decided to just plop everything straight into the inner pot.

I already have ragu sauce in my fridge (leftover from my previous spaghetti dinner), made béchamel sauce, then added the cream cheese that has been in my chiller for quite a while. I threw in some quick melt cheddar cheese to finish the small cube that has been hanging around my fridge.

I alternateded the layers of ragu, beéchamel,and noodles. I also made sure there was enough liquid to help create pressure.

The noodles are still al dente, not mushy as I feared it might turn out, while the cheesy sauce is gooey but good.

We went to the weekend market this morning to have my hand soap pumps refilled (I’m more into sustainable consumerism these days) by a green store I patronize. It makes environment-friendly products and bringing your own containers for liquid hand soaps, laundry detergent, and dishwashing liquid soap is a must. They also make shampoo bars and conditioners, and handmade soaps that I also buy for myself.

Aside from buying breakfast and lunch for me and my girls, I lugged home three plants that I bought for PhP 50 each. I didn’t bring a car and we just walked from our house as a form of exercise.

What I dragged home were herbs that I will use for cooking. I realized I have more success keeping herbs alive than ornamental flowers. 😒 My sweet basil and dill are still alive despite the horrific summer that we had.

So I bought very leafy Thai holy basil because I wanted to make pad kra pao at home. Spearmint is for tea-making, while tarragon is for cream sauces. I can also make omelettes with tarragon and cheese. My rosemary died after the blazing summer that we had because it drowned in the torrential rain in the last week of May. Rosemary doesn’t like water that much.

I tied the herbs on my balcony railing because it’s near my kitchen. Culinary herbs should be accessible so they won’t be forgotten.

Since I was already gardening, might as well go all the way.

I removed the dead plants or whatever that’s left of them. I used the grow bags with the same soil to grow the seeds of bird’s eye chilis and bell peppers I had been collecting from my kitchen scraps. I also sowed some Chinese cabbage seeds in some grow bags. I placed them on my stairs so I can easily monitor them. If I’m successful, then I will start building my garden beds. But first I have to have the huge sampaloc/tamarind tree trimmed so there will be more sunlight in the garden.

I figured that I would be better off planting lettuce and pechay or bok choy in hanging planters to keep them off soil parasites and for them to have access to more sunlight since my fruit trees are giving too much shade.

Hopefully the oncoming typhoons will not destroy my starter vegetable garden.