As much as I hate the orange bastard, I do agree with him discontinuing benefits for illegals. Why should those breaking the law get some comfort at the taxpayers' expense? I also agree that gender is totally binary, no matter how one may feel. When Andy and I escaped the slums of Springfield and moved to the apartment complex in Phoenix, it made us feel rich but that doesn't mean we were. I think it's perfectly okay to feel a certain way, but it's not okay to call something what it isn't and delude ourselves. Gender simply isn't subjective but fixed.

I brought up the idea of letting my teeth go to save money, but Tom thinks we should keep up on them for the next six years because when I'm on Medicare Advantage, both dental and vision will be covered. Since quitting sugar, I'm hoping that will help prevent cavities right there. Nothing can really change my soft enamel that much since that's a genetic thing, but hopefully, healthier eating will help.

I had a dream I won a trip somewhere. Now that is a serious change of pace in Dreamland for me! I don't usually have happy or positive dreams, but I was thrilled to win this trip to wherever it was.

I'm looking forward to the hydroponic system! The one we want has 15 pods, a mister, and is 20 inches long with a grow light that can extend 20 inches high. It's too bad we can't grow most of our food. To grow everything that doesn't come from an animal would be way cool. He’d still have to buy his bread, and of course, we'd have to buy non-edibles and meat. Growing all the fruits and veggies we like would be great, along with potatoes.

I diced yellow potatoes, smothered them in cream of chicken, sprinkled the top with rosemary—one of the things I hope to grow—and baked it for 35 minutes in a glass dish at 425 degrees. It came out great. I'm definitely amazed and proud of how far my culinary skills have come. I can now make things I once wouldn’t have dreamed of making years ago. I hated to cook and swore I never would, but now I really enjoy it. I still like the variety of processed stuff, but I do try to limit my intake of it since it's not good for me.

Remembering that we still had some packets of seeds in the hutch drawer, I pulled them out. There are two types of basil, and I didn’t even know that sage was edible, which we also have. I've never cooked with sage before. I don’t want to grow those yet, but I’ve got oregano and cilantro seeds for two of my starter picks. I'd like to start with:

• Spinach

• Kale

• Green Onions

• Bell Peppers

• Cucumbers

• Tomatoes

• Zucchini

• Green Beans

• Arugula

• Strawberries

• Rosemary

• Oregano

• Cilantro

• Lavender

• Jasmine