my plan was to return the merrell hilltop at the harvard square EMS, then with the 15% off coupon, purchase another pair of merrell moab, and return the pair i got from REI. such was my thinking, until i read the fine print on the coupon and realized that most hiking shoes were excluded from the discount. regardless, after some apple chicken sausage oatmeal for lunch, i biked down to harvard square to return the hilltop. normally i get to harvard square via oxford but today i came through mt.auburn street. the cashier was helpful, reminded me that EMS was no longer fulfilling returns for used items (didn't even know they did that), but this wasn't my case. i did look for some hiking socks but the cheapest pair was $10 so i decided to look elsewhere.

returning home via chauncy-mass ave, i stopped by sacramento street to water my community garden plot. as was the case today, i'm normally at the CGP in the early afternoon, when most of the time i'm the only person around. i didn't stay home for very long, just long enough to drink some passion fruit juice before heading out again, this time to the somerville target to buy some new boxer underwear.

i'm a hanes man myself, but they were all out of my size, so i got a 5-pack of fruit-of-the-loom instead, in tartan plaids print, for $16. is underwear supposed to be this expensive? and these are supposed to be the cheapest too, so what price is premium underwear? i must admit, it's been a while since i'm gone underwear shopping. boxer briefs seem to be all the rage these days in mens undergarments, but i still prefer classic boxers because i can briefly be seen outside in them (like taking out the trash) without the neighbors calling the police to file an indecent exposure report.

i then went next door to the cwprice store, which was having an extravagant going-out-of-business sale. everything seemed to be just a few dollars, so i bought a bunch of quick dry t-shirts and an assortment of socks. what i paid for everything ($25) equals the price of 4 pairs of REI hiking socks.

by the time i returned home, it was almost 2:00. i relaxed for a bit, before leaving again at 2:30 for belmont. nobody was home yet, but there was plenty to do in the backyard: weeding dandelions; pruning the diseased plum tree; clipping bamboo stalks; pulling out chokeberry runners; digging out any invasive weeds like greater celandines, swallowworts, and garlic mustard; weeding the raised beds; adding wire mesh fencing to the corners of the fences to prevent rabbits; setting up a simple bird watering station; watering the raised beds and outdoor plants; planting some more seedlings (eggplants and hot peppers). i was outside for 2 hours of non-stop gardening work, finally called it quits by 5:00.

my mother came home with the dog. my 2nd aunt's eye swelled shut from allergies so my father worked the evening cafe shift so she could go rest. we had noodles and a simple plate of kielbasa sausage stir-fried with green peppers and onions. i left soon afterwards, trying to get home before it got dark.