Back in the spring, my mom gave me a container of herbs to put on my apartment balcony. I’m sorry to say that two of the three herbs (thyme and cilantro) have since perished, but the basil is thriving. In fact, I think the basil may have been so tall and bushy that it choked out the others, but that’s just a hypothesis from a non-gardener.

I started off storing the container on my balcony, but the heat has been so excessive that I moved it indoors, beside a window for sunlight.

I moved the container back outside on Saturday because the heat wave has broken a bit, and while I was at it, I decided to find a way to stake the basil so it would stand up straight — my plants are so lush they were starting to topple over. My do-it-yourself method? A chopstick (part of a set I obtained but never used) and twist ties.

Paul and I went to a cookout Saturday night. I wouldn’t call it a challenge not drinking around my friends — my body wasn’t physically craving it or anything — but it definitely would have made the social experience easier. I enjoyed listening to the conversations around me but I wasn’t joining in as much as I normally would.

Two weeks without a drop of alcohol is longer than I’ve gone for quite some time — longer than I can remember, in fact. Multiple years. I don’t drink during the week very often anymore, but I typically have alcohol on Friday and pretty much always on Saturdays. Last weekend we were out of town at my nephew’s birthday party so I didn’t think about it as much, but I definitely did this time.

Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled in coconut oil, one apple

Lunch: Pulled pork and cauliflower from Friday night’s dinner

Dinner: Two mini hamburgers with mustard, grilled veggie kabobs, raw cauliflower and mushrooms, fruit (strawberries, blueberries, pineapple)

(Reminder: I’m following the Whole30 for the month of July. Here’s why.)