So Much To Do

Weekends are starting to look a bit more precious now with the advent of school days upon us. We all seem to live for and look for Saturdays and Sundays. There seems to still be plenty to do around here, more than plenty some days.

We still have a few tomatoes popping on and ripening but with such cool weather it will be interesting to see how long they last. I’ve managed to can only about 8 quarts of beans; I was hoping for 20-40. no luck.

The tomato harvest wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’ve been dealing with blight and so many of my plants look like death, especially on the lower branches. This does not make me a happy cowgirl. I am grateful for what I have been able to harvest so far 52pints of tomato produce ranging for mild salsa, medium salsa, pasta sauce, pizza sauce and chili sauce. Not bad. I want to make tomato soup, my latest obsession, thanks to my friend Teri. I never even knew I liked it and now I can’t get enough.



My chicken coop may be on its way. Chad is now home much more with the end of rodeo season winding down. He knows that I really want chickens and the fresh, delicious eggs that they deliver. He is going to look at plans/costs for building a little coop. I have big plans for this place come next spring. The chickens are going to be my bug controllers. We’ll be doing an entirely different garden design with raised beds so I can plant a fall crop. I also would like to have a milk goat by then so I can make homemade cheese. (He’s so less than thrilled about that idea! We’ll keep working on him though!) I’d also like to get some fruit trees planted and see if we can’t get something creative done with the backyard. And I haven’t even started on the inside projects yet. Still have a bathroom to tile and finish, a craft room to slap floor down in and a storage unit to clear out so I can see into the canyon again, (right now it is parked in front of the basement). Oh well. I guess I can NEVER complain about being bored.

My creative juices are still running high. I am happy to report that I am picking up the violin, not fast mind you, but I am still with it and learning more every day. I had been secretly checking out knitting supplies and looking for a teacher. Funny how things appear when one is ready; on my way to violin lessons the other day I happened to glance across the street and saw a sign in a window that said knitting. BINGO. I walked in, introduced myself and signed up for knitting class. Fate! I can’t wait to learn. (I think Grandma Ruth may have something to do with all this creative stirring going on within me.) Her sewing machine is fixed and ready to go in my craft room. I hope to crank out some amazing and fun Christmas presents.

For now though, my house is in dire need of attention. A week of canning and working on the computer has left my usually picked up place in a state of utter chaos. I must go tend to it.