Today is a Good Day

Today is the forefeast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (O.S.). Katherine has been feeling under the weather and, while I remember she has a growth spurt every year around her birthday, I fail to be reminded she always gets sick around her birthday too, until she comes down with something. This year, it is a little early and we are considering whether we can only make it for the liturgy for the feast, since she is congested, though not worsening. She is doing well with taking her supplements, but she still sounds a little funky, with an occasional sneeze.

I suppose it is a good reminder to slow things down a bit and let things ride. This summer has been so fast, it seems, that I can hardly believe it is over and we are already canning for the winter. We have a bunch of things already in the works and are planning another trip for an abundance of raspberries to make sure Katherine has her fix for the winter months, until the next berry season is upon us. I also hope to make apple butter and sauce, as well as, peach halves and spiced jam. Good golly, I am tired just thinking about it.

We have Katherine's birthday in under 2 weeks! Can you imagine, she will be 8!?!?!?!? It is hard for my brain to really comprehend, but I find myself remembering her tiny days lately, since she is growing into herself exponentially in the recent past and I can only think of how much more that will be setting in soon. She is a good girl, mostly she just has bursts of personal preference and takes us all down with her in a mini fit of stubbornness that would shame any donkey. She can be reasonable, but often is more in touch with her contrary streak when she is dealing with her papa, poor fella. Thankfully, we have all been matched accordingly and we can usually help each other wind down from a whirl with a flash of temptation. Ha ha! We are good for each other and I can often see how God gives us those people in our lives for the working out of our Salvation. I love them, but not because they always make me feel warm and fuzzy. In fact, it is more often that I am growing in spite of myself, due to a need to be something more for one another. A simple, yet enigmatic, symbiosis.

Well, I am off to can some marinara! I will catch you all on the flip side! Congratulations with the feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Theotokos, Mary!

A Quickie

So, I only have a few minutes because I ought to be sleeping to rest up for a big day at Berry Patch Farms in the morning. My goal is to can a load of stuff so as to supplement every dinner (or, at least on meal per day) with something canned from home. We will be making pickles, relish, marinara, jams, peach halves, applesauce, salsa, etc. I will keep everyone updated as to how it goes! I keep telling people that I will go broke/hungry now, just to have some things this winter and it will be well worth it.

I picked up the book, "Pearl of Great Price: The Life of Mother Maria Skobtsova 1891-1945." So far, it is a good book, rather an easy read. For those of you who know me, that is saying something, since books and I have a splotchy past. We like each other, just not all the time, every day, nor every subject. I wanted to get this book because her life is interesting to me, as a contemporary saint, who lived during some of the most deadly, brutal and darkly monstrous times the world has ever seen. Little did I know, she wrote poetry, which I think is fantastic and hope to find some writings intact. I will leave this posting with a short bit of her poetry she apparently wrote while she travelled.

"Again I leave, the poorer,
for some more distant part.
The world, try as one might,
will not fit in one heart."

Lately

Where to begin....? Well, let's start with the washing machine deciding that it is a great time to go out and stop working. Oh joy! We have a front-loader and it has served us well for just more than 6 years, but replacing that sucker will likely cost a small fortune, of which we do not possess, and it will probably be half or more, to have it fixed. Jay is in contact with the woman he is working with through the Traumatic Brain Injury program to see if there is anyone who might be able to help solve this predicament. For now, laundromat's and friends' houses.

I have gotten out my jars to take inventory of what we've got to find out what we need to get. We have a fair amount of jars and even some lids, plenty of rings and varied sizes of everything. I want to get a couple more gallon jars for Jay to make some salt pickles because I think they will store better and not take up so much space or jars. The plan is to can with more fruit juices instead of too much cane sugar, or other granulated. I am going for more natural. It looks like we will be canning some peaches and pears that way and for jams; raspberry, strawberry, peach, plum (already made some), apple butter, etc. We also want to make some marinara, salsa, applesauce, pickled beets and green beans, and Jay wants to make hot sauce. The main goal is to have something to add to most meals throughout the winter months. I noticed last year, when I didn't can the summer before, we were all missing the supplemental yumminess from canning. Since I don't have a pressure canner, I can pickle, jam and preserve, which is quite fine by me! Happy canning to all of you out there who embark on this delicious adventure.

Katherine is becoming more mature lately, which is great, but sometimes a little hard to believe. She is in dance camp this month on saturdays, which is going great. She will begin art camp with sketching and watercolors on monday morning for 4 consecutive days, 3 hours each day. Kung Fu is going well and I can already see her improvement after being in for only 3 weeks. I call her my Kung Fu Kitty :o)

It is roasting hot outside and I might drag myself to the pool if it didn't require so much effort with the dressing and sunscreen business. We have to be aware of our lotions and shampoos, etc. due to the food issues, so we get the most basic sunscreen, but it does cost more and has to be applied more often. Oh well, it could always be worse. I guess I am just tired of the going and doing, so I think that is why I prefer going out in the autumn. It isn't so hot, the light begins to fade and people draw themselves indoors. I am an off-season sort of person. I like to camp at almost all times BUT summer, hiking makes that list too, I suppose that cycling is one of the only things I don't mind doing in summer. Summer has never been my favorite, not even as a kid. I like the calm, cooler, dark, quiet of autumn, it is my time of rest, or that is the intended plan.