i decided not to go see the annual spectacle known as the boston marathon. it was easy to rationalize myself out of it: need more sleep, cold outside, seen it before. usually i watch from heartbreak hill, so i wanted to try a different place had i gone. but all the other spots were too much of a hassle to get there due to traffic closures. in the end i did see the marathon on television though (WBZ), which is easier to follow versus watching it live from the street.

i went to market basket to pick up a few things for the cafe. i figured my milk crate could carry 2 gallons of milk, which is what i ended up buying. however, once i got outside, that's when i realized the obvious. it's funny, but i use milk crates to hold everything except for milk. so imagine my sudden surprise when i realized milk crates are designed for holding gallons of milk, and that i could've carried 6 gallons if i wanted to (although balancing 50 lbs of moo juice on the back of the bike would probably make for a wobbly ride).

after dropping off the groceries at the cafe, i biked to belmont. i always pass by fresh pond with its faux wilderness. there used to be a lot more trees around the reservoir (so much so that you couldn't see across to the other side of the pond) but many were chopped down for whatever reason (security concerns, or maybe the city really hated trees).

besides digging for dandelions, i also planted some sweet peas and some snap peas. sweet peas are not edible but they do produce some pretty fragrant flowers. i had to uproot some mint that's been slowly taking over the garden area. they're so dense that i can pull them up like pieces of minty carpet. i have to find a large container to plant them in although where is the more important question, since all the sunny spots will be used for vegetables.

digging for dandelions, i encountered a lot of japanese beetle grubs, which is surprising because the backyard doesn't get a lot of japanese beetles. they do damage the lawn though by feeding on the grassroots, but hailey using the backyard as her bathroom probably does more damage. in any case, i want to dust the lawn with milky spores in the late summer to kill off the grubs, maybe add some beneficial nematodes as well.

i wasn't scheduled for dogsitting today but my sister had a last minute nanny appointment, so i promised to be home and take care of hailey. after playing with her in the backyard, she went to sleep for the rest of the afternoon. when my sister came home around 5:30 i returned to cambridge.

for dinner i had some herb chicken tortellini with a garlic alfredo sauce.