happenings

Well, I’m not much for getting blog posts together these days. There is so much happening and we’re (mostly) having a great time. And while I’m in no way ready for summer to be over (or school to begin, gasp), I’m secretly looking forward to the slightly more scheduled rhythms of autumn.

In the meantime, we’re enjoying visits with friends and family, market trips, canning adventures (and lunacy), summer storms, and long days.

Since complete sentences seem to be beyond my scope these days, or more likely at the best of times, here’s the bullet version of some highlights:

• I am head-over-heals in love with my clothesline. Some may call it a sickness, I call it hugging Mother Earth while showing the neighbours our underwear. It is a bizarre kind of high.
• Our baby, although Daddy tries to tell me she’s not really a baby anymore – I baulk at that, is growing. She is trying to stand unassisted and walking holding fingers, clapping with joyful exuberance, and just generally being a most wonderful little person. Plus her hair makes a crown of curls when she gets hots. There is nothing not to love in that.
• Petting rabbits is fun. I’m trying to convince Dan we need a couple. It’s doubtful I will win this but I have cute children on my side.
• I’ve been canning lots, but not as much as last year marathon of canning. We’re still eating our way through last year’s abundance (or excess depending on where you’re standing). If only Canada Post didn’t cost an arm and a leg I would send you all a jar (or two).
•  Currently, I have 29 – 1 ltr jars of dill pickles lined up on my counter and outside on my canning table*. I think that should get us through the year…
• *Yes, Dan – angel of canning innovation that he is, bought me a propane burner. Canning outside is a whole new world. I love it even more outside.
• I’m knitting again. I never truly gave it up but through this summer of unexpected twists and turns it was more an afterthought than a constant. Well, I’m back, baby, and I’m knitting my first sweater for me!! A shalom in Cascade Eco to be exact.
• Our garden is growing! And we are harvesting from it! This is an exciting surprise…every time something grows it feels like a wonderful miracle.
• I’ve discovered Pomona’s Universal Pectin. This stuff is amazing! Thanks to its wondrous gelling powers I’ve been making jams with honey rather than sugar. Thanks to that fact I’m now actually letting my children eat the jam I crank out so fiendishly.
• I finished the 10-day fast. I made it through, and learned things about myself, and will definitely bring fasting in more often. Oh, and Laura Emily, is my hero. Really, truly, she is an amazing woman. I’m so excited I signed up for this next adventure with her.
• By way of Anna Marie Horner I discovered this cause and this fundraiser – what an incredible program. I love what they are doing (and they’ve made donating so sweet).
• My genius friend (thank you, Sally) let me on to the BEST fruit fly solution ever. Okay, perhaps you are of the sort who is above killing them (you’re a better person than me), but if you aren’t and you spend frustrated minutes trying to catch the darn things while your family and friends laugh at you, ahem, then this is the ticket for you: An inch or so of apple cider vinegar in a jar with a couple drops of dish soap (to break the surface tension) left uncovered. I didn’t think it would work and the smell of ACV makes me almost as batty as the fruit flies but low and behold I had near twenty fruit flies dead at the bottle of the jar in an hour. Well, I never!

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How about you? How is summer, or winter depending on your hemisphere, treating you? Are you ready for a change or do wish it would never end? Happy Friday!