As our story left off, I was jonesing for a real meal. I fixed huevos rancheros from my existing inventory, using some Cuban-style black beans from a canner named Teasdale.

They are very nicely seasoned. Unfortunately, Publix had them on clearance, so finding them again is gonna be sketchy. I’ll just fix my own frijoles negros in the pressure cooker, which is what I usually do.

I took another nap, then J and I had an antipasto salad at a locally owned Italian restaurant. When I came home, I emptied then loaded the dishwasher. I threw out some plastic I could have recycled. It was dirty, and washing it to recycle would have wasted water and energy.

Now I’m watching my favorite Manchester You Tuber, Martin Zero tour around the surrounding counties looking for abandoned industrial sites. Half of the fun is trying to comprehend his Midlands accent, so thick, you must cut it with a Sheffield steel knife.

These urban explorers do valuable work, often recording sites facing demolition. Sadly, not all buildings can be repurposed. Manchester was one of the premier industrial cities of England. The British Labour Movement had its origin there. The Manchester Guardian was Labour’s flagship paper.

Now we know Manchester for the football team Manchester United, the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium. Its industrial heritage is disappearing. The industrial fortunes made in this part of England were instrumental in giving us the modern world. Friedrich Engels’ documentation of urban poverty is critical to Marxist thought.

Martin emphasizes the architectural and engineering artifacts, buildings, bridges, canals, culverts and viaducts. These inspired amateurs are so enriching our world.

Teasdale Simply Especial