i planted some tomato seeds my father had saved up from last season. it was from a wild plant that produced large 1 inch diameter sweet cherry tomatoes. i couldn't tell if the seeds were viable so i decided to pre-germinate them first in some wet paper towels. that way i could make sure to plant only 100% viable seedlings, no point in planting the seeds in soil only to have them never sprout. the seeds took a bit of effort to collect, as they were stuck to the plastic container and the paper napkin they were originally dried upon. some scraping and picking later i got enough seeds to plant. i ended up pre-germinating 28 seeds on a wet napkin.

today was also the day i thinned out my seedlings: tomatoes, ground cherries, eggplants. i should've done it weeks ago when the seedlings had just emerged, but i was thinking maybe i could replant some of the additional seedlings. but now that i see i have too many seedlings. if space in my grow closet wasn't any issue i might've tried to save some more seedlings, but i need the space for other plants so i can only grow what i need, no spares. the tomato seedlings were the most developed. instead of tossing them out, i decided to save them. as for the tiny flower seedlings growing in the seed starter cells, i still don't have a strategy for them. some of them are cold hardy (like the stocks) and i feel like i can either grow them outside on the backyard deck or transplant them directly into the garden. i may transplant a few into individual pots.

i bumped into victor on my way out. i asked him if he'd been vaccinated yet, he said he wasn't getting the vaccine because he didn't want the government injecting him with stuff. he also added he didn't trust doctors. i'm surprised but at the same time not that surprised, since victor has always been very anti-establishment, given his own political refugee fleeing from the soviet union history. he's also been very anti-mask, most of the time i've spoken with him around the neighborhood, he's always maskless.

i decided to transplant my spare tomato seedlings directly into my community garden plot. i cut a half gallon milk jug in half so i could have 2 makeshift green houses to protect two of the seedlings. using a heated awl, i melted a few holes. passing by the school, there was a crowd of parents outside waiting for their kids (now that MA has mandated all public elementary schools to open). this was my first time in the community garden this year. nothing much was going on in the garden overall, just some daffodils, some hyacinths. i planted the seedlings but i'm not sure if they'll survive, though a better fate than the trash. i probably have the earliest tomatoes in the garden.

after i came back home i went to market basket to get some groceries. i wasn't planning on it since i have plenty to eat in the house, but i wanted to make some ham egg avocado bagel sandwiches with the leftover easter ham, so i needed bagels and avocados. i also got some drumsticks on sale for my mother.

i bumped into jack. it was the first time i've spoken with him since he broke his upper arm in a fall and had to get surgery. surgeons put in a plate along with 6 screws, the whole procedure taking 2-1/2 hours under general anesthesia. he's currently undergoing physical therapy - his insurance will pay for 16 visits, he's already gone to 6. he also told me he got vaccinated with the pfizer vaccine at longwoods, but bruce is still searching, just recently becoming eligible. i asked him about the wool poncho bruce got him, he said it was more of an indoor poncho, that's why i never saw him wear it.

for dinner i made an egg and ham egg sandwich. i was going to add some avocados but the ones i got are still raw and need a few days to ripen. i grilled the ham to bring out the flavor and added some more bagel seasoning on the butter-fried egg along with some sriracha sauce. normally bagel sandwiches are reserved for lunch, but i've seemed to have stop eating lunch for the past few weeks. later i ended up putting the ham in the freezer, while waiting for the avocados to ripen. tomorrow i'm making korean rice cakes for dinner.

my parents went to vote in the belmont local election this morning. i don't think they've ever voted in a local election before. but this year the town was trying to enact a tax override to cover the budgetary shortfall. taxes in belmont are astronomical as it is, and my parents didn't want to see it increase even more. when i checked the results in the evening, i saw the no vote against the override had won by 56% over the 44% that was for it. i immediately called my parents to let them know the good news. it doesn't mean their property taxes won't go up next year - it definitely will, as belmont will increase the maximum it's allowed under law which i think is 2.5% - but it won't go up anymore than that.