Leaky Roofs and a Plethora of Basil...

It was definitely a Monday today. The day began with me walking sleepily to the bathroom to begin my morning routine and finding a wet spot on my carpet. I was surprised but I was half-asleep and not thinking. As I slowly woke up, I realized that the wet spot was really wet. I looked up and discovered a leak in my ceiling. This meant that my roof was leaking. We'd had some really heavy rain again last night so I should have figured that out sooner. Nevertheless, it still surprised me.

I took a quick peek up in the attic to see if I could see where the rain had come in but though I peered and used my handy flashlight, I couldn't see it. Since I had to get to work, I decided that it would have to wait.

I still haven't gone up there though. The ladder I have is very old and very rickety and to get up in the attic, I'd have to use the very last tread on the ladder. Since it wobbles horribly and I have no balance, I have horrible visions of falling off the ladder, knocking myself unconscious and having the puppies attempt to revive me by licking me to death. Even with cute puppies, this wasn't a picture I liked having in my mind.

Since we're not supposed to have any more rain for a while, I think I'm safe. I do think I'm going to have to track down the leak though. This past month has been my first in which I've really learned that being a homeowner means a lot more responsibility than being a renter. I've now replaced a ceiling fan, a kitchen sink and a kitchen faucet, all within the last month.

I'm really hoping that since it's such a little leak, it doesn't merit something so drastic as a new roof. That would be expensive and I quite like the roof I have, anyway- leaky or not.

Regardless of how big or small the leak turns out to be, this was not the way to begin a Monday on a positive note. My day was actually quite busy which was a little annoying since I wanted a day of working slowly and not getting much done. I was thwarted in my attempt.

When I finally made it home from work, I didn't feel like doing anything. Still, I decided to try and cheer myself up with a nice dinner.

I decided to make pesto. Aside from the pine nuts, I have all the ingredients in my pantry or in my garden, particularly the basil. Oh, yes, I have basil. You see, my mother and I have cultivated a love for the herb since we both started cooking properly. In the winter, it's expensive to buy and it's a bit of an extravagance to buy it regularly. Thus, this summer, we both planted basil in our gardens.

The thing with basil is that it grows. I planted some seeds and, when they were little seedlings, I put them in a big tub in my garden, expecting only a few of them to grow. They all grew. I have a large plethora of basil. To make it even more ridiculous, I had assumed my plants weren't going to grow so, since my mother had also ended up with a huge supply of basil plants, I took some of her extras. I now have a tub of growing basil as well as many, many plants scattered through my garden. I'm not complaining; I like basil. I'm just a little afraid of wasting it.

So, tonight, I made pesto. I made a quadruple batch so that I could follow the advice of a recipe site I found and make pesto cubes by freezing the pesto in an ice-cub tray. This way, I would have a supply to last through the winter. I have to ice-cube trays full now and with all the basil I still have, I think I could probably last through several winters.

I'm sure I'll find another use for the tasty herb though. It's just a treat to be able to go and pick what feels like a bushel of basil and still have a garden full. It's also an amazing feeling to be able to eat something you've made from something you grew from seed. This year is really the first year I've done that and it feels nice. Despite the weeds in my garden, it's starting to come along. Thanks to my mother's generosity, I've got far more plants than I expected. I love planting the cuttings and plants she digs up from her garden. I like the feeling of planting them in mine with the soil from her garden still attached- it's like a very organic bond is forming and will continue to grow each summer.

My pesto turned out very nice so Monday is looking up. I still have a leaky roof but since it's not raining, I think there's no need for panic. I need to mow my lawn but it's looking a little like a swamp out there after the rain last night. I should really do something productive but, alas, since it's Monday, I think I'm going to do what I meant to do at work today...pretty much....nothing.

Happy Tuesday!