I would be sure to cook the Mexican cheese; it can be a source of gastrointestinal discomfort (I learned from experience when I lived at the border). It can go in the freezer in the meantime. Maybe if you cook up a storm before you leave you'll have a gift to yourself of many prepared meals. I hope all goes well with your sister.

Today I got the tiller to run (the last attempt was probably the usual problem - the "on" switch wasn't in the right position). I worked two of the four beds beside the driveway. I put in red potatoes in the bed closest to the street and tomorrow will work on the one closest to the garage for tomatoes (I'll pick up tomorrow morning at the nearby nursery). I plan to put in some okra seeds around the potatoes (so the okra doesn't shade the potatoes while they're producing but by the time they're dug out the okra will be big and producing on its own.)

A bunch of boxes (offered by a friend to use for my eBay shipping) in the garage were stacked out of the way. There were burlap bags of mulch out there and I used most of it, with one bag left. Tomorrow I'll go get more mulch (the free stuff at the nearby city site).

Meanwhile, I called my representatives today to ask them to act responsibly. Not gonna happen, but I made the calls anyway.