Saturday, September 2, 2023

 I've been somewhat MIA lately. We have had family from out of the province staying with us for a few days. Prior to them coming, we had to get two spare bedrooms ready for company. If you are like us, or if you have a "project husband", you may use a spare room for storage, the place where crap goes to live that you think you can't live without but you don't have a proper place to put it.

As well, materials from an unfinished upstairs project were living in one of the spare rooms. Dust and detritus from the project had created a coating over pretty much everything in that spare room, so plenty of putting things back (into the garage), even a little purging (yay!!), and a deep cleaning was in order. 

There has been plenty of egg collecting and garden harvesting. August was incredibly wet and not consistently hot, so things grew and grew and grew. Every day the hens get some bolted spinach or lettuce, sending them into a rapture of excited clucking.

I have baked two kinds of zucchini muffins (which were consumed whilst the out-of-towners were here) and two kinds of zucchini loaf. I still have lots of zucchini left. That might be tomorrow's project for me. I can just freeze things for some other time. I have already frozen some shredded zucchini as well.

Today, I decided to make pickled beets. These are not my favourite. I prefer hot cooked beets with butter, salt, and pepper. But husband and daughter's boyfriend love them. 

Here is a great big pot of them, ready to boil. I wash them, cut off the tops and bottoms, and cut into chunks. Later, when I run cold water over them, the skins just slip right off. 

It only made four jars, but aren't they a beautiful colour? This is the stage at which I poured the hot syrup over them and put on the lids. They aren't done with their water bath yet.

Whilst the company was here, husband took advantage of extra hands (i.e. 3 young strong men and one older, but still strong husband) to bring a giant tank out of the basement. It is scheduled to be purchased by someone this coming Wednesday. It was an ordeal getting it out of our very old basement.

Only one finger injury and one snagged shirt ensued. There was a great deal of sweating, stopping and starting, reconfiguring, swearing, placing of mats on the floor, getting soaked from the rain when it went from front porch to carport, and then finally victory. 

This is the beginning of the long weekend in Canada. Monday is Labour Day. For thirty-one years, I would have been already getting my classroom ready, and experiencing that combination of excitement and anxiety as a new school year is about to start. Like that old Bits n' Bites commercial, you never know what you're going to get each year, a "whole new ballgame". ( I hope this link works)

https://www.google.ca/search?q=old+bits+n+bites+commercial&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:9719b280,vid:MJLF6hQGZwk,st:0

 Sometimes new students would arrive (AFTER you have labelled everything, created a seating plan, and figured out you had JUST ENOUGH hooks on your coatrack), and sometimes there would be a shuffle of students. 

But alas, it is now someone else's task to prepare for a new school year. Yes, I will still do some supply teaching, and that suits me right now.

Did you see the "blue moon" the other night? We stood outside to look at it, and son said, "It's not even blue. It should be blue." That made me laugh, because I don't even know why the term "blue moon" was adopted (yes, I realize it is the second full moon in a month, but did the term happen first and then the expression, or did the expression precede it?).

I love this time of year with the purple and yellow colour combination in my beds, the crickets chirping, the pre-fall feel in the air. I hope you all have a contented weekend.