You're all going to think I'm nuts.

I just spent ten minutes on the phone with my boyfriend. (Hereinafter referred to simply as "Matt." Because that's his name.) No, that's not the nutty part. I spent ten minutes on the phone with him, mumbling because I was sitting at the dining room table next to my napping son's room, making myself incomprehensible in the little Bluetooth doohicky, trimming dandelion seeds off tiny bits of fluff with a pair of scissors.

Yeah.

I'm cultivating dandelions.

Here's what I know about dandelions: They're related to lettuce. They're really good for you. But they're bitter as Hell unless you catch them early. And the final point: I never manage to catch them early.

So when I went down to water the garden and I found some dandelions all fluffed out, well the rest of it all seemed natural to me. Probably because with school out I now have a surplus of time on my hands during the day. But also possibly because I've gone off the deep end with this whole "local" thing.

I also did manage to find violets from a safe-to-eat location, and I've got them put away in my fridge for tonight's salad. They wilt absurdly quickly, but I'm hoping they'll be okay on the nest of moistened paper towel I've got them on. Parsnips and carrots are grated up for the latkes, and the breast portion of the last local chicken is waiting in the fridge to see what diabolical plans I have in store for them.

Probably breading. I love a good breading.