I have been so busy fixing, painting, sewing, repairing and more to be ready for October and the excitement of friends coming to visit the Farmlet, that I am afraid that I haven’t posted anything for over a week! Sorry!
However, today I had to give it a rest. Seems I have OD’d myself on paint fumes. Gonna have to back off and concentrate on other tasks while my lungs get better.
Phooey!
Well, it’s not like there aren’t other things to work on. It’s just that the painting makes it L@@K like you did something…
And yes, that post is getting written and will go up soon.
Washed tomatoes and chop. Seed and deveined one pound of Jalapeño peppers, chop. Peeled and chopped one pound of onion. Peeled and chopped 6 large garlic cloves. Added all of the above to my large dutch oven with the lemon juice and two teaspoons of Kosher Salt, Simmered on the stove for 10 minutes. Washed, patted dry and chopped 1/4 cup cilantro.
Meanwhile, I sterilized 6 pint jars and put them into the oven 175 degrees to keep warm.
When the salsa was done cooking for the recommended time, I quickly stirred in the chopped cilantro, and then packed the salsa into the jars.
Following good canning (or jarring) practice of course! I then placed the jars into a hot water bath with two inches of water above the lids and boiled for 15 minutes to process.
When the timer went off I then carefully removed the jars to a wire rack to cool. Listening with delight as each jar made that certain ‘pop’ which told me I was successfully sealed.
12:45 PM WHERE DID THE TIME GO!!! Realizing I need to be in downtown Huntsville for a Dr’s appointment at 2:10 I run for the shower, finish, jump out, get dressed, brush teeth, gargle, spritz hair and run my fingers through it briskly.
Looking in the mirror I realize I no longer look like the sophisticated and lovely Judi Dench
(My recent hair cut given to me with scissors, behind closed doors by moi.)
And far too late to do aNyThInG about it I have suddenly realized I am the spitting image of…
(Christopher Walken Photo Credit linked to picture ~ click)
1:30 Shove dogs out door to pee.
1:40 Call dogs back in so I can go!
1:45 Jump in car drive like hell, get to Dr’s parking lot, ACTUALLY FIND A PARKING SPACE! (Will miracles never cease!) Fly into the building take elevator to second floor…
2:10 ON TIME, OH YEAH! Dr. ex-rays hand, finds that damage from large box of books that fell onto my hand (when moving three yrs ago) has caused the cartilage, in the joint that holds my thumb in place on my wrist, is gone. Yeah, it hurts like heck all the time. Dr. gives me a shot that hurts way more than ‘Like HECK,’ then puts a band-aid on the injection site and sends me home. (I am allowed three of these injection treatments by the way, and then it’s surgery) Eh…
3:45 I leave Dr’s office and go to the Fresh Foods Market because, hey as long as I am here, I might as well get some of those awesome gluten free wraps I found there the last time I was in… OH no! GONE!
I asked the supplier, who just happened to be there, “Where were they moved to?”
He replies in a very blasé voice, “Sorry, they’re discontinued.”
Sigh.
4:10 Hop in car, get on highway, drive home.
4:30 Waiting fourth in line to make the left hand turn that leads to the home stretch in HeAvY traffic. The dude in front of me is just sitting there looking over his shoulder, and seriously, he’s trying to get back into the traffic lane!
What the… Are we serious? Now the light has turned red again and he jackrabbits into the car wash parking lot, blows through onto my road home, and follows the light through to continue north on the highway! Seriously.
4:50 I am home. I walk in, my kitchen is a hot mess because I didn’t have time to deal with it before I left and I realize I have a smile on my face.
Why you ask?
Because in spite of the hot mess, and the tired feet, and the shot of cortisone that hurt ‘way more than HECK,’ I am home. I have 6 pints of summer put up for this winter, with more to come, Bob just walked through the door, and now it is the weekend!
No, your eyes do not deceive you,there really are only five jars… Bob couldn’t wait and opened one up! 😉
So what makes you smile on days like this?
UPDATE
Peggy, a good friend of mine, shared this little video and song on the topic of canning and a “little bit of summer.” I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with all my dear readers.
I imagine that most of us have stories of getting lost in the mall or department store when we were young. As children we were easily distracted from our parents warnings about getting lost, and could be stopped in an instant to look at the latest bright and shiny new toy. Then looking up we suddenly felt fear, followed by tears, and finally the joy of being reunited with our parents…
Early this morning I went out to let the geese out of the barn and being in a hurry I did not want to make a return trip to freshen up their bed. So instead I took the time to do it right then. Grabbing a flake of straw I quickly shook it out onto the remains of last nights damage. It took all of about three minutes. Then, walking out of the roll up door I see…
NOTHING.
Now the gate to the back yard and the path we take to the goose side of the world is about 20 paces. Each and every day I have to convince Polly and company to actually pass through instead of stopping to eat the goosegrass that happens to be growing nowhere else on the Farmlet but there.
(Picture compliments of Aggie Horticluture, click the photo to be taken to the site and learn more than you ever wanted to know about this species)
And so it was, that I mistakenly counted on them running to the goosegrass to keep them preoccupied while I put the fresh straw into their bed.
Silly me.
Listening I hear them out front on the lawn. They are busily grunting at each other and nibbling at some fresh new delight they have found. I walk towards them, they move further away. When advancing three more times produces the same results, I decide that divide and conquer is the best method. Circling a wide berth around them I single out Polly. Polly is so much more submissive and obedient than the Hueys.
Arms outstretched I heard her back around to the gate and watch as she casts nervous glances over her wing at the disobedient Hueys. She keeps waddling however and for her obedience I give her breakfast right away. As I turn to leave I hear some terrified squeals from the front yard. Seems that the Hueys have discovered they are lost!
I call to them, “Pip-PIP!”
Their reply in triplicate, “Honk-Honk-Honk – HEEEAH!” And although I can’t see them, I envision them running back round, wings outstretched, to find Polly and me.
Polly, on hearing the ruckus, has forgone eating for the moment and comes from behind the well house to find out what’s going on. Seeing them from across the yard she runs to them, with neck outstretched, giving a scolding and sounding eerily and every bit like your mother when you were young! The scolding elicits the same cries of relief and remorse from the Hueys, as similarly you’d have done on seeing and hearing the scolding mother gave.
When finally the scolding and remorse have subsided, the four of them turn to waddle into the goose yard and to their breakfast which is waiting.
That’s better!
~*~
Translation: “HEEEAH” is the goose equivalent of a scream. I think it is a sound that you would have to actually hear to appreciate.
So named for its beautiful blue depth and resemblance to it its namesake.
But for all her beauty and grace, the Morning Glory is a common hussy! She grows everywhere here, rambling in field and lawn, scrambling up cornstalks and fences, and all but swallowing my roses!
Sigh…
and for all my searching, pulling, and destroying, she persists.
Yet, she beguiles me.
When on a humid, sunless, dare I say cheerless day in August I go out in the early morning only to find…
that she has sent out her snake-like tendrils to take over the fence surrounding the silkies hutch.
And reaching out to clutch her, intending to rip her from the fence, I grab a handful of leaves and realize…
I am holding her heart in my hand.
I grab again to pull…
and there amongst the perfect heart-shaped leaves I find her dew kissed face. I’m drawn to her intense blue, her clear white throat, and I think,
(Click on her face and have a closer look at her beauty)
“She is perfection.”
Thus, I find myself for a third season, unable to remove Morning Glory from the Farmlet. So she stays, having once again stolen my heart.
And in that moment
I consider the idea
of actually planting her in her own spot next year…
Life on the Farmlet 