Aaaaand we're off. Again.

Recital #2 is tomorrow near Raleigh, North Carolina. I'd originally thought I might just drive down in the morning and return Sunday, but that would leave me little-to-no time to spend with the family, so I called a couple days ago to alter the plans.

Me: Would it upset your weekend plans if I came down Friday and spent an extra night?
Daughter-in-Law: Oh, my, no! It never upsets our plans when you come for a visit!

Now that's a daughter-in-law! So gracious, and she seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming for an extra day. We'll go to the technical rehearsal together tonight, have plenty of family time tomorrow and attend the performance tomorrow night. I'll be back sometime Sunday.

I'd planned to walk this morning but it is precipitating at the moment and looks to continue for hours. I knocked out three miles yesterday morning, two of them in the rain, but it was dry when I started out. If I were training for a marathon and this was my only chance to get out there, I'd go. But I'm not, so I won't.

I'm truly glad for the rain, not because I get to miss a workout (I really enjoy my morning walks), but because I finally planted tomatoes and it's always good for them to have a nice long drink right after they hit the ground. I planted them in two smallish beds on either side of the garlic, which put out scapes in the last couple of days when I wasn't looking. I probably should have snapped those off right then and there, but I was intent on digging holes for the tomato plants. I won't have time to get to back to the garlic until Monday. (Scapes make great pesto, and snapping them off will provide more energy for the still-growing heads of garlic.)

Speaking of pesto, I took a jar of the basil variety from the freezer yesterday and mixed some into ground beef before I grilled burgers. What that means (in addition to IT WAS DELICIOUS) is that I've broken my Whole30 (which ended up being a Whole60) because my pesto has Parmesan in it. I can't imagine that the teeny bit of cheese added to that burger in the form of a tablespoon of pesto will make a difference in how I feel or what I weigh, but one never knows, does one? That's what this science experiment is all about.

And, of course, since the weekend will be spent in someone else's home and I'm not in charge of the food, I may be experimenting a bit more. I love the relaxed approach some of you have about meals, and I especially like the idea of being an 80/20 primal eater. It may be possible to stick with it 100 percent of the time, but for me, that would mean never traveling, never visiting anyone, never celebrating with food.

Food has been my enemy for decades. This plan has turned that around. I'm not scrounging around the pantry or refrigerator looking for something to fill whatever void was there. THERE IS NO VOID. I'm eating three meals a day most days (sometimes I skip lunch) and I'm usually only rrrrreally hungry in the morning. The combination of more protein/fat and zero starchy carbs is – miraculously – working for me. And for my sister. And another friend who started her Whole30 May 1.

It's a movement! A revolution! I know we're all a little late to the party, but whatev. We're here.

And we're staying. Or at least I am.

Finally, I saw this on Pinterest this morning. Y'all know how I call the local grocery Tiny Kroger? Because they don't stock cilantro in the produce department? Apparently Kroger is expanding in some areas in an effort to compete with Meier or SuperTarget. I think Tiny Kroger is safe. The only way they could expand it is to overtake the parking lot.