roasting

 I stood in the middle of the kitchen, around me was an organized mess with tomatoes in various stages of preparation. A giant basket of tomatoes was half empty, a bowl of roasted ones hot from the oven waited to be transformed into soup, the instant pot had fragrant onion sauteing, a dishtowel cradled 2 piles of tomatoes, each pile carefully weighed out. Another jumble of red orbs was cut, read for the oven. Rock and roll tumbled from my little green speaker. I stood and smiled, a feeling of complete bliss washing over me. I snugged my apron around my waist and spun to the next task.

It was a long day and hardly the best day to have the oven blasting out heat, but I had a giant basket of tomatoes from Trudie that had to be attended to. When Carm came in with the basket yesterday my stomach dropped… what the hell was I going to do with close to 100 tomatoes? Well, I slept on it. When I woke up this morning, before the sleep had even left my eyes, I checked online for a recipe for tomato soup that used skin and all… I found a promising one that required the tomatoes to be roasted for 45 minutes… I got up and turned on the oven. Did I mention that it was 31C today?

While those were cooking I started washing others to freeze them whole… I didnˋt get far into my task when I decided to roast them all in batches to make up the soup (after looking for containers of course). So there went my day… chopping, roasting, chopping, roasting. I did 5 batches and have already entered soup days into the calendar for the next 6 months!

There are probably enough tomatoes left for 2 more batches but they arenˋt fully ripe… Iˋm out of containers too!

I use Google calendar to menu plan, lately when weˋve been stocking up on things I make an entry in the months ahead… the actual day might get changed around when Iˋm within final planning range… but they wonˋt get forgotten!

It was one of the most satisfying days Iˋve had in a while and the feeling of peaceful easy feeling is still in my limbs.

And the soup? Carm thought it was the best tomato soup heˋd ever had (thatˋs my honey always supportive).

Awesome!

“my kitchen”

“peaceful easy feeling lasting all day”

“creamy roasted tomato soup”

“picking fresh basil to store with the roasted tomatoes”

“a quick dunk in the pool when I took a break from the kitchen”

“the smell of flowers on the back deck”

“Spike running down the hall with the zoomies”

“the little white flowers on the spider plant”

dark already

 It struck me this morning that there are only 4 months until Christmas and that yes, it is the end of August already… in a few months the weather will flip from +30 to -30 boo hiss. Next month weˋll be happy to have weather in the teens (celsius of course). Some trees have already started their transition to their winter hibernation. The hawthorns are always a harbinger of fall fast approaching.

The calendar is not the only indicator of oncoming winter… itˋs pitch dark now way before 8:30.

Spike seems to be having a few bad days - this morning he had a poo accident in the house and at some point peed in his bed (which was a devil to get the cover off - so many zippers). Yesterday heˋd been outside at 7am, had breakfast then slept in the bedroom until past noon. He seems a little more disoriented. He can still get up on the futon which I consider an indicator of health. Thankfully heˋs nowhere near a trip to the vet as his quality of life is good.

Adia of course is fit as a fiddle. She made a leap onto the deck yesterday that took her into the chairs - a good 4 feet in from the edge. It might not seem impressive in the writing of it but the deck is over 3 feet high there!

Awesome!

“early morning golden sun across the hayfield”

“that first sip of coffee”

“a yummy supper of leftovers”

garlic stored

 Itˋs been another sultry day where outside activity is slowed. This afternoon we trimmed the garlic and after ½ hour outside I felt sick and woozie… Iˋve never been good in the heat and itˋs certainly not improved with age. I remember lying on a sofa one hot dusty day when I was staying with Auntie Rena all those decades ago. I felt that I wasnˋt trying hard enough and was weak. Silly really.

We did end up with a wall of garlic in the furnace room - a shield against any neighborhood vampires. The crazy thing is that weˋll go through it all and more by next summerˋs harvest!

We also dug up the potatoes that weˋd thrown into the dirt in the spring on a lark as they were sprouting in the pantry. We didnˋt get buckets but enough for a few meals. Tonight weˋll have some with the brisket that Iˋve got cooking in the instant pot. (my mouth is watering at the thought). I might make a browned butter sage sauce for the little gems.

Spike is walking circles around the living room so it must be almost time to take him outside before bed. He may be thinking about his bedtime snack too ;-)

Awesome!

“warm pool water encouraged me to float around for ages”

“Adia doing the zoomies around the potato patch”

“little potato gems hidden in the earth”

“huge bulbs of garlic”

“trying a new recipe for brisket - the dry rub smelled wonderful and the cooking water with onion and a bunch of spices smelled promising”

“lots of music”

condensed into a bottle

 Iˋm rocking gently on the swing bathed in the scent of wildflowers. The hot and humid air has trapped the fragrance; if it were condensed into a bottle Iˋd have the perfect winter room freshener. Alas, all Iˋll have is my memory of this perfect morning.

Music was blasting until I picked up my tablet to jot down some sentences for my blog - I need less distraction to fish up the words that will form my recollection. 

Itˋs beautiful here… the plants on the deck are lush and colourful; the view across our land is pastoral; the cool blue waters of the pool are a contrast with the parched, hot landscape; the hawthorn trees in the summer pasture have already started turning reddish brown giving texture to the land. I wish I could paint. The buzz of cicadas remind me that itˋs August and that summer will soon be over.

The sky is not cloudless… fluffy clouds are slowly gathering together… I imagine weˋll have thunderstorms this afternoon. (edit: no thunderstorms yet at 6:30pm)

Not much has gone on over the last week (yes! a full week since I posted). We got home from Kirstenˋs on Tuesday, in time for Adiaˋs mani/pedi. Sunday Spike had 2 pee and 1 poop accidents in the trailer so obviously his schedule was mucked up… I stayed with the dogs for most of the day Monday, not wanting a repeat. In the shade of two sprawling locusts Grace enjoyed her time outside while I relaxed, ready to host Graham and Kirsten for leisurely visits. I think we were all a little tired though from fun the night before! The dogs also relaxed in the shade, Adia choosing to spend some of her time baking in the sun while Spike sprawled on the grass, sound asleep. 

Carm golfed a few times. Heˋs up to his 34th game this summer - his legs look like Iron Man legs after all those steps.

The weather has been a mixture of hot and humid with a few days of impending rain so we havenˋt had anybody over to visit. Except Pat - she came one sunny midday when the shade was still on the deck for a lovely visit. 

The days have been lazy with not even much cooking. Very lazy.

Iˋve been getting into the pool almost everyday, missing only a few days this summer. The weather has been hot and cold so thereˋs been a lot of arctic swimming! Iˋve set up an outdoor shower on the back deck so most mornings swim, shower, then swim again. It is a certain kind of bliss feeling the water from the hose turn from hot to icy cold.

I did have a few days where my mood plummeted but thankfully with a bit of hard work I was able to get that turned around. As a reminder, I just saw another article about being grateful for the small things in our lives. Itˋs hard to remember but is a good habit to get into!

Awesome!

“heady scent of wild flowers”

“the distant sound of a lawnmower”

“hearing exciting news”

“reading about my last few weeks of work before retiring”

“picking a giant yellow summer squash - Iˋll make fritters tonight”

“harvesting big handfuls of lemon-thyme”

“a monarch butterfly”

rekindle

 It had been years since weˋd seen them but our seats hadnˋt even warmed the chairs before it was like weˋd seen them yesterday. I often think that Iˋm so chill, but I had tears in my eyes when we left. Ruth used to hand raise our baby parrots; Carm and John played golf together so weˋve known them for decades!

Itˋs cooled down tremendously - we went from a sweaty sleep to one burrowed under the covers. But thereˋs not a cloud in the sky to shadow what will be a perfect day for hanging around outside. 

On Ray Bradburyˋs writing advice Iˋve started a list of words and phrases that will hopefully trigger some memories that can be woven into stories. I had trouble coming up with words other than what I could see around me, let alone a story about it, but Iˋll persevere. Iˋd like to get back to writing like I did when I was part of the writing group.

We had a conversation last night about the steadiness of our emotions and if they fluctuate wildly or are a smooth line. I realized suddenly that Iˋve finally settled into a into a comfortable evenness, but more than that itˋs become a pleasure.  For years I struggled with feeling flat, it seemed so blah after years of ups and downs, but now I welcome the feeling. Awesome!

Iˋm on real medications for bipolar but on a lark in January I started taking CBD daily. I have now had 7 months with no anxiety (which was a nearly daily experience), and not only that, I feel great! Almost euphoric but not quite. Iˋm pretty sure Iˋm not having an extended period of hypo-mania although in some ways I feel like I do in the first few hours/days of that mood shift. It might be psychosomatic but thatˋs okay too :-) 

Awesome!

“catching sight of old friends”

“gathering around the table for fun conversation”

“stepping into the villetta”

“Grace said ˋOh my Godˋ when we stepped back into the camper”

“flashes of insight”

dugout

 No precious moments were dredged from my memory today, instead the story of a strange man clawed its way out of the tar pit. 

~

It happened when I was 7 during summer vacation on one of those carefree days that seem to stretch into eternity. I was horse crazy even then and rode around the base where we lived, my bicycle standing in for a four-footed steed. There was nowhere that my blue pony wouldnˋt take me and I ranged far and wide.

One morning I ended up near an old baseball field so I dropped my bike and went to investigate. The dark shadows of a dugout caught my attention - stepping down into the cavern the smell of old urine clogged my nose and as my eyes adjusted to the dark a man stepped out of the shadows, his pants down. I remember staring for a moment and then turning to run, his image forever seared into my brain.

I got outta there fast and probably peddled hard until I was in more familiar territory. Was I in danger? I donˋt know. I may have just interrupted some strange man with a fetish for baseball or maybe he followed me there, Iˋll never know. 

I donˋt remember it affecting me much as I probably just chalked it up to experience and I certainly didnˋt tell my parents as I knew enough that my bike riding would be curtailed. I remember stopping at home for lunch, sitting at the table, my feet dangling, and eating a peanut butter sandwich. But that might have been another day.

~

The weather has continued to be hot and humid, a final blast of summer. Of course it means lots of dips into the pool and dinners of salads with pan fried meats. I made the tastiest chicken breasts the other day: first they were cut into cutlets, then pan-fried in a mixture of butter and garlic olive oil. When they were done I set them aside and added more garlic and a dollop of cream. In just a few minutes the tasty sauce was completed. Easy and a new favorite!

I think we harvested our last zucchini :-(  Next year when we plant the plants from the nursery weˋll toss a few seeds in as well for a staged approach. I want more zucchini bread! I saw an interesting recipe with nuts and dried cranberries. And I saw an interesting recipe that includes garlic, lemon, thyme, basil, walnuts and zucchini.

We gave a try at clipping Spike a few days ago but he was almost hysterical so I gave him ¼ tablet of trazadone and waited for it to take effect. It did the trick (mostly) but gosh he was stoned for almost 2 days. Luckily we had a vet appointment for something else so I was able to talk to Dr. Cardi about it. Weˋve got another drug to try if ⅛ of a tablet doesnˋt work. Poor little guy!

Awesome!

“makeshift outdoor showers”

“garlic”

“Adia doing the zoomies in the field”

“walking through acres of wildflowers”

the dishpan

 I was on the swing reading Ray Bradburyˋs “Zen in the Art of Writing”; the humid air seemed to caress me as I digested the words and started travelling to places in the past. The book doesnˋt describe how he writes - grammar and syntax - but is more of a trip through his memories and how they triggered his stories. Iˋm not much of a fiction writer but one memory wedged itself into my consciousness, forcing me into the house to pick up my tablet so that my fingers could draw the story from my mind.

I wasnˋt remembering an adventure or tragedy but instead one of those sweet moments that are somehow fleeting but the emotion remains vivid.

I was 15 years old… you know how that is, old enough to think I knew everything, but too young to realize I didnˋt. Kirsten was an innocent 10 year old. A 5 year age difference when you are 15 is a lifetime. 

We were out with the family sailing in the 1000 Islands and docked for a few days at Endymion Island. There was a huge freestanding wood stove built of stone and cast iron and a few picnic tables off the end of the dock. The night was dark with a sky filled with stars. Kirsten and I stood around one of the tables washing the dinner dishes…. Anyway, we were talking and laughing, having the sort of time that burns itself into oneˋs memory. The pile of dishes was almost washed so I kept re-dipping each dish into water so sheˋd have to dry it again. You may think that itˋs kind of mean, instead it was the opposite. A part of me knew that some moments are short and that if the dishes ended the spell would be broken and weˋd be back to being a 15 year old and a 10 year old. 

I sometimes wonder if this was a gift from the future to show us that those moments around the dishpan would someday be the norm. 

Awesome!

“bread fresh from the oven”

“zoom calls”

“sitting on the swing on a hot summer day”

“music blaring by the pool”

“crunchy grilled cheese sandwich made from fresh bread”

people who need people

 Joy! Bliss! The words roll around my mind as I finish a morning stroll around the field through the wildflowers. Queen Anneˋs Lace continues to dominate with isolated pockets of hot humid air dripping with the scent of honey - summer air. I paused for a moment in the breath from heaven. The only thing missing to trigger a time travel event is the tarry scent of creosote. 

Back at the house, sweaty but happy, I stripped down and slipped in the cold pool water. Nirvana.

Of course I had my camera along for the ride to the field. Looking through the lense focuses my attention on the awesome, bringing another dimension to the walk. I couldnˋt capture the feeling in the air, but I did manage a lame reproduction of the glory of nature.

People who need people… thatˋs us these days. Weˋve been feasting on company with only one day last week and this weekend without someone extra in our lives. Itˋs as if we were starving as words tumble out of our mouths in a frantic pace racing to make up for 1 ½ years of isolation.

Mom and Dad came for a short visit on Thursday. We huddled in the shade on the back deck, surrounded by planters, pots, and barrels of plants. 

Friday Bruce & Tina came for an early supper, on the deck of course, we still arenˋt venturing inside for serious visiting except with the family. Every year they visit overnight for meteor shower watching, but alas, this year and last year, weˋve kept it a daytime visit. Actually I donˋt think they came at all last year, at least it seems that way as there seemed to be so much to catch up on!

Weˋve been pretty lucky with the weather with rain forecast only one day last week. Unfortunately there are thunderstorms in the forecast today so we canˋt continue our amazing socializing streak :-(

“People,

People who need people,

Are the luckiest people in the world

We're children, needing other children

And yet letting a grown-up pride

Hide all the need inside

Acting more like children than children”

~Barbara Streisand

Awesome!

“slipping into the cool pool waters on a sunny morning”

“friends laughing around the patio table”

“harvesting bunches of herbs for the freezer”

“turkeys in the hay field”

“remembering a friend from grade 1 that had a toy that played ˋturkey in the strawˋ”

“wondering if it was the same friend that my little dresser came from”

“walking through a patch of humid air heavy with the scent of honey”

“a memory of Presquˋile waterfront - a few Queen Anneˋs Lace plants clung to the cliff leading to the water and just over our fence”

off the edge of the earth

 I havenˋt fallen off the edge of the earth but have been going about my days in a partial haze. Itˋs been busy: we had friends over on Friday night, packed up and went to Kirstenˋs for Saturday night, had Trudie, Leo and Pat for a visit yesterday afternoon, and finally, today we had lunch at Trudie & Leoˋs in her lovely garden.

Looking back at the past few days I could almost be tricked into thinking that covid was no longer going on, but alas, distance and visiting outdoors proves the facts.

Iˋve continued to use huge bundles of herbs and should do another harvest this week to process and freeze. On the weekend we ate raw zucchini on the charcuterie board which stood in for crackers wonderfully. We planted yellow zucchini cause thatˋs all the nursery has left and Iˋve become a convert. The skin is slightly thicker and itˋs perhaps more dense (?) which makes it a good choice for raw dipping. And the bright yellow colour is awesome!

Iˋm still staring at that trug of apples and wondering what the heck Iˋm going to do with them!

Awesome!

“laying out a grazing supper”

“wandering around Trudieˋs amazing garden”

“a tiny hummingbird in the flowers beside where we were having lunch”

“pulling up to Kirstenˋs house and seeing the whole family in the laneway”

“Carm getting the truck in place to hitch - it was tricky!”

“legendario”

“a distant rumble”