. . . Boy do I have a long list. But the item that I think deserves top priority is this one. I know I can do it if I just try hard enough..
The rest of that list will get up here eventually. Me? I'm off to join the softly snoring kids in my bedroom.
C
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I (heart) fall
Over the years I've learned to enjoy all of the seasons. I see the short, sort of hot summers for the great things they can bring. Tasty berries, sun-kissed skin, long days knitting at the beach while the kids explore the rocky coast or weedy shoreline. As a kid I found summers just too hot (I know, I know) and longed for the months when I could once more hide in cozy sweaters and go inward. and I can see the beauty in the long dark days of winter, how February can stretch on forever, and any excuse to decorate and celebrate is latched onto with great zeal. Chinese new year and valentine's have grown to matter around here.
But I cannot say I've learned to love any season more than fall. I just love it. The crunchy leaves, the crisp air. Suddenly the rare hot sunny day is to be celebrated and cherished, soaking it up as much as possible before sunset. Then the chill sets in. Celebrating the harvest, my birthday and hallowe'en just set the tone for the season, and then we tumble into winter.
So many pumpkins . . how to choose?
I celebrated my birthday with a great gaggle of women. We held a clothing exchange at my house, and everyone tried on various things, smiled at our changing bodies, ate tasty snacks and shared great laughs. A friend remarked later that it was a night when everyone gathered not because of work, or because they're in a book club or gym together, but because they love me. That if you can fill a room with people who enjoy your company that's pretty great. I agree, and feel so blessed and lucky to have such great friends. I have sweet reminders of this throughout the house.
Ivy has been toiling away at her new skill . .
I never put Leif or Hannah in any lessons at this young age. Seeing her all suited up on skates is beyond words of cuteness! All three of us sit on the benches and watch her fall and get back up and then fall again.
Hannah is trying something new this fall as well.
Every week she goes to a lovely stable and spends time with this horse, Nevada. The stable is full of rescued horses, who need gentle words and loving hands. Hannah is learning the art of natural horsemanship, connecting with this sweet animal, and getting her feel for being in the saddle as she trots around the ring. I have a feeling this will be with us for awhile.
This month my time is taken up with getting ready. Ready for fall, ready for the end of summer, ready for whatever might come my way. As well as growing tomatoes this summer, I also threw some zucchini plants in the ground, and they produced some giant fruits. And my wonderful bees are doing great, having extra honey for us to share this winter.
I made sure to capture every drop I could from the frames I removed. It is this deep golden brown because of the huge blackberry patch in our alley.
Then I went to work putting the ladies to bed for the winter. I check for bugs and that they had enough food, and tucked them away to huddle together through the coldest months. (Ivy snapped this one while I tended the hive. I know you love my top.)
One of the gifts fall gives us every year is apples. We picked 4 heaping recycling bins full of our own apples this year. Those I usually turn into applesauce and apple crumble. Then my neighbour across the street brought me another recycling bin full of her tasty, tiny Macintosh's. Suffice it to say I am now feeling overrun with apples that need processing and a dire lack of time in which to do so.
C
But I cannot say I've learned to love any season more than fall. I just love it. The crunchy leaves, the crisp air. Suddenly the rare hot sunny day is to be celebrated and cherished, soaking it up as much as possible before sunset. Then the chill sets in. Celebrating the harvest, my birthday and hallowe'en just set the tone for the season, and then we tumble into winter.
I celebrated my birthday with a great gaggle of women. We held a clothing exchange at my house, and everyone tried on various things, smiled at our changing bodies, ate tasty snacks and shared great laughs. A friend remarked later that it was a night when everyone gathered not because of work, or because they're in a book club or gym together, but because they love me. That if you can fill a room with people who enjoy your company that's pretty great. I agree, and feel so blessed and lucky to have such great friends. I have sweet reminders of this throughout the house.
Ivy has been toiling away at her new skill . .
Hannah is trying something new this fall as well.
Every week she goes to a lovely stable and spends time with this horse, Nevada. The stable is full of rescued horses, who need gentle words and loving hands. Hannah is learning the art of natural horsemanship, connecting with this sweet animal, and getting her feel for being in the saddle as she trots around the ring. I have a feeling this will be with us for awhile.
This month my time is taken up with getting ready. Ready for fall, ready for the end of summer, ready for whatever might come my way. As well as growing tomatoes this summer, I also threw some zucchini plants in the ground, and they produced some giant fruits. And my wonderful bees are doing great, having extra honey for us to share this winter.
I made sure to capture every drop I could from the frames I removed. It is this deep golden brown because of the huge blackberry patch in our alley.
Then I went to work putting the ladies to bed for the winter. I check for bugs and that they had enough food, and tucked them away to huddle together through the coldest months. (Ivy snapped this one while I tended the hive. I know you love my top.)
One of the gifts fall gives us every year is apples. We picked 4 heaping recycling bins full of our own apples this year. Those I usually turn into applesauce and apple crumble. Then my neighbour across the street brought me another recycling bin full of her tasty, tiny Macintosh's. Suffice it to say I am now feeling overrun with apples that need processing and a dire lack of time in which to do so.
Now my early cup of tea mornings are split between peeling these babys or sewing Hallowe'en costumes. Stay tuned for the reveal on those.
C
Friday, October 21, 2011
Homemade
Before I make it a whole year without writing, let's jump in at random and I'll tell you what we're up to.
Making things, that's what we're doing. We made our own corn tacos this week. Our family has gone through a big dietary change, as the girls and I have had to stop eating gluten and dairy. Thankfully we all LOVE mexican food Hernande'z style (a great local eatery) and they sell masa corn flour for us to try our hand at homemade tortillas. The results?
Yummy!
This summer I have had a lot of yearnings for rural farm property, for growing some of our food and keeping some animals. Don't worry, we still live in the city, and are constantly debating the pros and cons of both locations and lifestyles. In the meantime Kit started a bunch of roma tomato seeds in June, and I planted them all in July, too close together, without much knowledge of what they needed. This fall I ended up with this:
I actually harvested twice as much, those pics are of the green ones that have yet to ripen. I had to pick all of them green, then lay them out in the windows to ripen in the sun. I didn't think they would, was googling green ketchup recipes, not sure how I'd use 50 pounds of green romas. But half of them ripened, and the other half are well on their way. So I checked my fave food blogs and found a simple ketchup recipe. I don't feel ready to make pasta sauce or salsa, because we all like different flavours for each, and I don't need jars of food I have to force on my family. Ketchup felt easy, we can always eat more oven fries right? I have zero canning experience, but I have experienced friends, so I jumped in.
Trying to fit the canning process around my busy schedule was a challenge, and I ended up starting the final stage last night after 9pm, and stayed up into the wee hours. But oh was it worth it!
I can't wait for lunchtime today when we WILL be having oven fries with this tasty ketchup. I feel so amazed and proud, having succeeded at canning anything, and also having canned something I grew on our tiny city property. Woohoo!
This week we met with our weekly group and learned to light fires. We went to a beach in the rural part of town (there's that longing again) and we talked about the various ways you can build a fire, what fires need and fire safety in the outdoors. Then we let them loose with all the supplies they'd need, to see if they could get a fire going.
They built a bunch of different fires, trying their own ideas or trying some of the standard styles we had talked about. There was a lot to learn, and the day couldn't have been better, dry after a rainy night, windy and overcast, but not dark or dreary. Fires blew out, matches broke, paper burned up and blew away, the wood left untouched. After some time, success! And then more and more, their fires lit and burned away the cold air. Then they ran off to dam up a nearby creek that ran across the beach. A great fall day on the coast.
Hope you're enjoying the chill of fall.
kisses
C
Making things, that's what we're doing. We made our own corn tacos this week. Our family has gone through a big dietary change, as the girls and I have had to stop eating gluten and dairy. Thankfully we all LOVE mexican food Hernande'z style (a great local eatery) and they sell masa corn flour for us to try our hand at homemade tortillas. The results?
Yummy!
This summer I have had a lot of yearnings for rural farm property, for growing some of our food and keeping some animals. Don't worry, we still live in the city, and are constantly debating the pros and cons of both locations and lifestyles. In the meantime Kit started a bunch of roma tomato seeds in June, and I planted them all in July, too close together, without much knowledge of what they needed. This fall I ended up with this:
I actually harvested twice as much, those pics are of the green ones that have yet to ripen. I had to pick all of them green, then lay them out in the windows to ripen in the sun. I didn't think they would, was googling green ketchup recipes, not sure how I'd use 50 pounds of green romas. But half of them ripened, and the other half are well on their way. So I checked my fave food blogs and found a simple ketchup recipe. I don't feel ready to make pasta sauce or salsa, because we all like different flavours for each, and I don't need jars of food I have to force on my family. Ketchup felt easy, we can always eat more oven fries right? I have zero canning experience, but I have experienced friends, so I jumped in.
Trying to fit the canning process around my busy schedule was a challenge, and I ended up starting the final stage last night after 9pm, and stayed up into the wee hours. But oh was it worth it!
I can't wait for lunchtime today when we WILL be having oven fries with this tasty ketchup. I feel so amazed and proud, having succeeded at canning anything, and also having canned something I grew on our tiny city property. Woohoo!
This week we met with our weekly group and learned to light fires. We went to a beach in the rural part of town (there's that longing again) and we talked about the various ways you can build a fire, what fires need and fire safety in the outdoors. Then we let them loose with all the supplies they'd need, to see if they could get a fire going.
They built a bunch of different fires, trying their own ideas or trying some of the standard styles we had talked about. There was a lot to learn, and the day couldn't have been better, dry after a rainy night, windy and overcast, but not dark or dreary. Fires blew out, matches broke, paper burned up and blew away, the wood left untouched. After some time, success! And then more and more, their fires lit and burned away the cold air. Then they ran off to dam up a nearby creek that ran across the beach. A great fall day on the coast.
Hope you're enjoying the chill of fall.
kisses
C
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