Yeah, that's me! Here I am today... but its anyone's guess when I'll be back! The daylight hours are shortening as the daily activities are increasing.
Lets see, we've been CANNING like CRAZY! In the past I've canned peaches and apples sauce. Maybe the occasional batch of dilly beans. Really, not much more than that! This year we've been dabbling in LOTS of things: Tomatoes, Spaghetti Sauce, Corn, Black Cherry Juice, More Tomatoes, LOTS of Dilly Beans, too many Pickles, Wild Plum Jelly... it has been fun! I'm also experimenting with drying things like green beans, zucchini/summer squash, and lots of leafy things. We're looking forward to making another BIG batch of sauerkraut, hopefully at the end of the month. We've tried lacto fermenting plums (!), tomatoes, cucumber slices, celery, radishes, garlic... I can't think of what else. I'm looking forward to trying turnips!
The kids are riding bikes, and running around outside like wild indians. Today they made fishing poles and bows and arrows; who knows what it will be tomorrow! We're trying to incorporate some steady schooling, but I confess that with all the harvesting the most we do on some days is read together.
And, much to my discouragement and frustration, my nemesis has returned. I had the upper hand for about 2-3 weeks... and then I don't know what happened! Now I'm swamped with two loads on the line (it is 9:00 and they are going to stay there til tomorrow), innumerable loads of dirty laundry lurking in the far corners of the bedrooms, two loads that need to be folded (in addition to the two on the line), and this one basket full of rags washcloths, dish towels and the like that need to be put away downstairs... but the basket keeps walking upstairs!!! (By now you're probably wondering how we can own so much laundry - and still have extras to wear! I wonder that, too!)
In spite of all that lurking laundry, the days have been lovely! Golden sunshine streaming through the trees, their green leaves just beginning to be edged with the colors that Autumn will unveil. We live in wine country and the vines are laden with their fragrant grapes - we are eager to take the kids picking so they can be surrounded by the heady fragrance (and so we can have grape pie!!). The crickets still chirrup at night and the blue birds still dance from tree branch to the ground and back again - one of my favorite sights! And the golden rod, lovely golden rod! I'm so glad I don't have allergies! Smelling a full stalk of golden rod is like inhaling the scent of honey!
We sure are enjoying the last not-so-lazy days of summer!
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