Charmion, even without the incredible loss of a spouse, you're describing how many of us who live alone cook. There are seasons that make cooking more inviting, but the ratio of dirty pots and bowls to the number of meals and people to eat them is something to calculate, even if you do it subconsciously most of the time. And there's almost no point in cooking if you're not going to make a few meals out of it. I make oatmeal with cut up dates overnight in the 1 quart crockpot and save the extra for usually three more breakfasts.

Yesterday for lunch I made a batch of chicken teriyaki with a thawed pack of six boneless skinless thighs, and set up the rice cooker to do two cups (dry). That was lunch. For dinner I cooked a package of four pork sirloin chop portions that I'd also thawed recently, and ate one with rice. That will add up to several meals. I have salad fixings and I need to use it before they turn into a compost project, so I'm cutting and spinning dry enough lettuce for two or three salads at a time. There are some meals when it's all ready ahead for me. This works if you're someone who doesn't mind eating the same meal several days in a week. I tend to steam vegetables a pan at a time as well (though the dogs get some of that on their food so it doesn't last me as long).

Once the garden gets going, it changes, but there is also the gardener's pride in the crop to urge me to process it promptly so it is in good shape when it is next seen (frozen or canned).

Jon, another gardening topic: I have a sieve I made years ago out of pieces of 2x4 cedar planks and 1/2" hardware cloth. I set it on top of the wheelbarrow and scoop compost into it, then shove the dirt around to knock out sticks and weeds. Last week I made myself a more flexible sieve with two pieces of 1x2" wood and more hardware cloth stapled around each piece of wood. I can shovel onto this then pick it up completely, or just one end, and wiggle it around to filter out the soil and leave in the grassy rhizomes. So I told a friend about this - he grew up in New Hampshire and his family had a large garden. He told me about how his father made something like that but it was the size of a door! He put the hardware cloth across the open middle of the frame and would prop one end up on a stand or posts and shovel dirt onto it, and the kids would work it to send the soil through and toss the weeds.

Have you ever made yourself something like this? I suppose I should Google it - there must be a million designs for these homemade things to filter out weeds.