It All Went Away

 Not sure how things are going in your area,

but we have had the strangest year in the garden.

Everything is a full three weeks later than normal.

This basket is a good 20"-22" diameter.

As of writing this,

it is mid October.

Our beans and tomatoes are finally "coming on."

My eggplant has produced 2 fruit since spring.

At the moment it has 5 fruit on it.

We are expected to have mild temperatures for the next

week so I should be able to harvest them.

Typically, by the beginning of October,

I have already or am in the process of putting the garden

to bed for winter.

I currently have a couple tomato plants I will be pulling this weekend but the others are loaded both with ripe and green fruit.

We ran pretty low this year since we weren't getting much

in the way of fresh produce from our garden.

It's been a good lesson for me

to get as much as I can while I can.

The current prices at the grocery store are also 

pretty good incentive.

We also got a ton of delicious mild onions.

Well, not a full ton (heehee) but a lot!

I've been sorting them into boxes with brown paper

between layers to preserve some for fresh,

but I've had the dehydrator earning its keep, for sure.

 

In addition, we've been going full throttle at work

so extra time off hasn't been possible.

I could work full time at work and full time at home lately.

Thus the reason for so few posts.

Now to get to what the title is all about.

This year, Hubby put in for an elk hunting tag in Montana

with a long time friend of his who also enjoys bow hunting.

Bow season is earlier than rifle seasons so it's usually quieter.

FYI: MT hunting licenses and tags are expensive!

Well, two weeks before they were scheduled to leave,

his friend had a massive heart attack and flat-lined twice.

He has miraculously lived to tell it himself,

but needless to say, he wasn't able to go hunting.

Hubby went for two long weekends by himself

which neither of us were really wild about.

There is no phone service out there, and it's not an area

either of us is familiar with.

(His friend has hunted there for years.)

The third week of the season, 

he asked if I'd want to go if we took the trailer

and left on Tuesday and came back on Sunday.

For both of us to leave the business,

and for me to leave the garden and kitchen

right when everything was going nuts,

was a difficult decision to make.

I finally thought, you know what?

It's all going to be here when I get back.

I could work myself to the grave, or I could go

and take a break that was very much needed.

So we went~

The first day there, I took three, 3, III naps!

It was beautiful!

We camped right next to a creek off a very remote dirt road.

And for a few days,

it all went away.

No work.

No politics.

No banking or balancing books.

No urgency.

No food preservation.

No worries.

No people.

No noise.

It was so wonderful.

It was the longest vacation we've taken since we've been married, going on 12 years.

We somewhat reluctantly returned home Sunday night about 8PM, and the alarm went off at 4:30 Monday morning.

We've both been going non-stop since we returned,

but for just a couple days,

it all went away.

 

Finding Home

I've been thinking of Christmas lately.  
I know, weird.  

But do you remember the feeling of Christmas, being home, 
and that feeling that was just as present as another being.  
A comfort of sorts - in the smell of the cookies baking, or the sugary frosting, or the lights playing peek-a-boo from behind the boughs of the tree, 
or the simple prospect of a hug from a loved one.  
That feeling void of global turmoil, political correctness, or weight of expectations. 
 I've been craving that feeling like one craves a specific flavor.  
It's a certain kind of peace - not naivety or ignorance, but a knowledge that "it is well."  Whatever "it" is, there is peace in its wellness.  
So I've been trying to figure out how to satisfy that craving, and it's proving a challenging feat, but that's my quest at the moment.

Each of us has our own level of comfort and what we can handle before we go crazy.  
One of the things for me is having some form of order in our home.  
I'm not sure how, but paper clutter has been breeding like crazy.  
I have stacks to sort through.  
It's also canning season.  

I canned the first batch of green beans last week and just picked our first ripe tomato.  
I have set up a makeshift "summer kitchen" out in our shop so we don't heat up the house.  We've had a few weeks of triple-digit weather 
and aren't expecting a break until the middle of next week.  
That has created more shuffling of items and more 'stuff' to go through.  
I thought I'd gone through it all, but alas I was wrong.  
I've found two  more years of taxes that can be burned (when it cools down,) 
even more papers to go through - sort, file, pitch, 
and various things that are just the result of living in one place for nearly 20 years. 

My goal is functionality. 
 I think I've always been a function over fashion sort of person.  
How our home needs to function in order to meet our lifestyle changes over time 
so it needs to be altered or adapted to how we live.  

I used to can some jellies here and there but baked quite a bit.  
Now, I can a significant portion of our veggies and we eat very few grains/sweets.  
The equipment and supplies used for each is different.  
The kitchen still seems geared towards baking but there is a shift so in reality, 
it's not really convenient for baking or canning - go figure. 
 It's getting a going-through.  
Soap making supplies can go out to the summer kitchen 
as well as fiber dying materials and supplies.  

It's really a big rearranging of stuff.  
Buuuuuutt.... all of this rearranging kinda creates a chaotic scene 
which makes me walk with a bit of a twitch.
Our fruit trees, berry bushes and garden are loaded, 
and that produce needs tending or soon will.
With a full time job, a 'spare' job, and tending to our winter's food supply,
I feel like I'm running in mud.

With that, I've decided to take a couple months off from the blog and Etsy shoppe.  
I will still be 'here,' but it's such a busy time,  
I need to focus on home and family and try to make our home function 
for us rather than against us.  

I hope you will understand. 
 I will return the beginning of October as the leaves begin to fall ~ a beautiful time. 
I'm hoping to take this opportunity to update and clean up a few things
on the blog and in the shoppe as well as our home. 
I want to thank each of you reading this.  
I appreciate your time and your comments, and hope you have a superb summer.

I also hope you are able to find a relaxing spot to enjoy a cup of something cold
and appreciate the season we are in.

PS~ These pictures are just some of the produce growing in our yard/garden as of this morning.

  

Taking Notice

Over the course of the past few years, 

I have continually made and effort to work plastic out of our home.

I began with the kitchen since I really didn't want to be eating 

whatever mystery chemicals were being leached from plastic containers.

Some things are easier to replace or do without than others.

I haven't used saran wrap for years, but one of my favorite pitcher bowls

with handle and snap on lid - well,

I still have that.

So it's a slow process, but it is moving forward.

The easiest rooms to unplastic have been the living room,

the main bathroom, and our bedroom.
But it seems there is still some trace of plastic even in each of those.
The computer, the shower curtain, the alarm clock...
I have figured out not to get worked up over such things but just do what I can.
The computer is actually in a closet, so I can shut the door when it's not in use.
The shower curtain is needed and used.
The alarm clock - I would love to do without, but. . . 
Maybe it's just me, but I feel more grounded and relaxed 
in rooms without plastic.
There is a certain "calm" that is present when plastic is absent.  
Maybe it's the modern rush that plastics seem to trigger in our subconscious.
And so. . . .I continue.

Recently, I decided that our bedroom needed some attention.
Of all the rooms where one would want calm and repose, 
this should be up there on the list.
Not that there is a lot, but it's there, 
just hangin' out, sayin' "Hey look at me. Ha! I'm plastic so take that."
How rude!

Doesn't it seem odd how we don't really see what we are used to?
I was straitening up and actually noticed all the plastic in the closet.
Yep, in the closet.
I've de-cluttered the closet (my clothes) before.
It was when Mr LB said we to buy more hangers.
Instead, I went through my clothes and got rid of a bunch.
After that initial purging, it's much easier to get rid of clothes that are stained, damaged, or just don't fit right.
It seems funny now. 
Why was I so afraid to get rid of them?
How ridiculous.
Now even though there are far fewer clothes,
there are still too many and all hanging proudly from white plastic hangers - Ouch!
How did that happen?
The really sad part is a couple years ago when my grampa passed away,
Mom asked me if I wanted their wooden hangers.  
I said no so she took 2 black garbage bags to the thrift shop.
At the time we were getting so much "stuff" we just didn't want more.
The good news is I called the thrift shop.
Patty said, "Come on in.  We'll see what we can come up with."
So I went in and got wooden pant hangers - 
the good sturdy ones!
There were a few regular ones for shirts, which is what I needed most of.
There was also a basket of the ones that were crocheted.

You know the ones.
I asked what she did with them.
She said they usually go in the garbage - so I got them,
knowing what they were.
Once home, I began with the pants.
As I took each pair off the plastic and put it on the "real" hanger,
they gained something.
A couple pairs didn't even go back in the closet.
I don't have fancy, expensive clothes,
but there's dignity in being well cared for.
If I ever get to retire, half the clothes in there will go away.
Until then, I have office clothes and home clothes.

I'm not through the shirts yet, but have already eliminated about half dozen.
What about those crocheted hangers?
Well, I have scissors and have cut the yarn off 
to reveal the treasure hiding within.  
Some of them are wonderful reminders of times past.

It was a little tedious, but they were free so a little tediousness is okay.
I'm grateful for them.
I could go out and buy all new hangers, but I would be out the money and probably wouldn't have the same appreciation for them as I do this way.
Now when I walk in the closet, I notice - really notice.
It's strange how things invade our lives and we don't notice.
More and more, I'm trying to notice those little things and 
create an "intentional environment."
As I do, I take care of whatever it is and gain another level of peace.
That saying (cliche) "A place for everything and everything in its place."
There's wisdom in that.
Peace in it.
We still have a long ways to go, but each step closer lets us know we are headed in the right direction.
The less we have, the easier it is for that to happen.
Even using all these words, 
they seem inadequate to express the feeling I'm after.
But have you ever visited someplace, and upon walking through the door,
you feel like "Ah yes, this is it.  I'm Home."
You feel like you could just pick up your life and live there?
That's how I want our home to feel.

How 'bout you?
Is your home your sanctuary?
Or is it someplace you dwell?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

                                    

PS~ About this time of year, I like to put a little cedar oil on a rag and run it along the bar of the closet and the underside of the shelf.  I also take my sweaters and put them in the dryer for a few minutes with a few drops of cedar oil on the dryer balls.

Making Do in the Garden

It's almost spring!  Yay!!!

I enjoy all the seasons, but we've had such a harsh winter

that spring is impatiently awaited around here.

Last weekend, Mr. LB was able to run the rototiller through the garden

(with only minimal mug-bogging:)

We spread the previous year's compost over the garden in fall 
then till it in spring.

It's been a pretty wet spring so far.

This early in the season, 

there are a couple of "tools" that are indispensable to me.

The 'Old Farmer's Almanac," a blank calendar page, and a pen or pencil

for making notes all over the page.

This is how my weekly "to-do" list is formed.

With my seeds handy, I jot down dates for planting each item in my seed box.

We are right on the border of two zones.

This year I am going with the earlier planting schedule 

and will see what happens.  I can always replant these few items as I have plenty of seeds.  If I was scarce on seeds, I wouldn't be so risky.

I plant by the moon signs figuring I need all the help I can get.

So far I've planted spuds, Brussels sprouts, celery, kale, and spinach.

You can see what I use as garden markers and how to make them here.

The next couple of weekends are now all planned out.

Since we can finally begin to get outside a bit, 

there are a couple of repairs I'd like to share

just for the sake of putting ideas in your head.

Just because an item breaks, which newer tools in particular seem to do,

doesn't mean it needs to go to the dump.

Both of our spring rakes had broken handles.

Rather than purchasing new handles, Mr. LB used some PVC

that we already had on hand along with a couple of screws

and made the rakes usable again.

(Obviously, I should practice using it.)

The other is my little hand fork that I purchased about 25-30 years ago.

The plastic handle finally gave out.

I had the leg of a broken foot-stool so drilled a hole in the end,

added some gorilla glue, then the metal fork, 

and now have my favorite garden fork again.

I probably use it more than any other one tool, especially come weeding time.

The frogs have began croaking in the last couple weeks which is the first sign of spring around here.

I love listening to them as I close my eyes at night.

I figure they know better that we do when it's safe to hatch.

If they hadn't started croaking, 

I probably wouldn't have been quite so antsy to get out in the garden

since it is still pretty chilly out there and I am a wimp in the cold.

Have you began planting where you are?
I'd love to hear what tips/tricks or signs you use.