Monthly pilgrimage

Yesterday I made my monthly pilgrimage to the grocery store. I have never been able to explain the quiet, intense, joy that I get from shopping for groceries. We are so fortunate in this country that we have such an abundance and variety of food to choose from. Food is so cheap, although that seems to be slowly changing. I spend about forty dollars a week on food. The only thing that I purchase that is pre-made is B&M beans. I just can't make beans that are as good and they are really inexpensive. I make my own bread and I grind my own hamburger. This week the market had pork loin on sale. Not a small tenderloin but a whole loin. It weighed eight pounds and when I got it home I cut it up into chops and roasts. There are now fifteen beautiful, boneless, pork chops in the freezer and two roasts. I wish that there was a way to have fresh produce and fruit keep for a month. I renew the supply three or four times a month by walking to the grocery store. It is about two miles to the grocery store and I enjoy the walk. I usually walk at least that far each day so I might as well head in a direction that I enjoy.
It is satisfying to see that life has come down to a few simple pleasures. Cooking, cleaning, reading, and napping are what I enjoy. The attempt to stop watching television is going well. I still occasionally turn it on while I am eating but find that it detracts from the enjoyment of the food. A few simple things, cooked with patience, once a day, seem to suffice. I have been slowly losing some weight and that seems like a good thing.
I have been dreaming a lot lately. Dreams about things that happened long ago. It is pleasant to have such memories. It is also pleasant to know that the memories are still there, tucked away in some dusty corner of the brain, instead of wiped away by time. There are also daytime dreams. Dreams of things that I would like to have happen. It would be so nice to have the resources to open up a food kitchen for people that are down on their luck. I could spend the whole day cooking for people and watching their faces as they eat. This would also justify going to the grocery store every day!!!!! Dreams, what pleasant, insubstantial things they are. They are sort of like cotton candy. Wisps of fluff, spun out of sweetness, that give so much pleasure. Sort of like memories.