There must be something wrong with me.
It’s quite obvious that I’m a glutton for punishment.
That’s right, we have more tomatoes. About 40 pounds that we picked from the farm on Sunday.
We had to pick something, the sunflowers weren’t ready yet.
Is there a support group for canning addicts?
I went to the closet the other day to decide what to wear to work… and couldn’t. Decide that is.
Not because I don’t have enough clothes to choose from, but because of of the time of year it is. April and September always bring a challenge for me when choosing the right outfit for the day. It may start out in the 40s but be 80 by noon. On the flip side, it could be muggy and 60 at 5 am and a cold front will come through and I’ll be freezing my tuckus off at 10 am.
But the trees are showing me that we are once again in a transition month where radical temperature shifts are the norm. This week started out in the balmy 80s and will end in the mid-60s for daytime highs.
For the normal person this wouldn’t be a big deal, but it’s no secret that I’m a freeze baby and have been known to turn on my space heater in the office to get feeling back into my fingers even though it’s July. I love the summer months! I love the heat and humidity! But I also love living in an area with 4 seasons (although I could do without the subzero temps of January).
So once again my closet becomes a mish-mash of summer/fall clothes and I have to depend on the accuracy (HA!) of the weatherman to select the appropriate clothing for the day.
I’ve always joked that when I’m in full-blown menopause and have a hot flash I won’t notice it because I’ll be “comfortable.”
Which will probably happen in the middle of January and I’ll be standing on the deck in minus-10 degree weather and a foot of snow with no coat on saying “Isn’t it a beautiful day!”
At which point Rick will faint.
Living in the Northwoods I have to put up with lots of bugs.
The biggest pests of all being ticks and mosquitoes. They bite, suck blood (eww) and leave nasty, itchy reminders behind. I will go to great lengths to keep them off of me and I can generally keep them out of my house.
Another insect that I can’t stand are spiders. We have them in all shapes and sizes around these parts with the majority being non-toxic. These pests, however, think that my house is a vacation spot during the warmer parts of the year.
And even though I get the heebie-jeebies from these 8-legged web spinners, I find them quite fascinating when they are in their natural environment (which is not in my house).
For the most part we live in harmony unless they are super creepy like a wolf spider, in which case they get booted out the door. I try not to squish them because in Ojibwe culture that is considered bad luck, and gawd knows I don’t need to invite bad mojo into my life.
Daddy Long Legs are the most popular variety that I notice in my plants and around my house, and until a few years ago I was unaware that they were amongst the most venomous spider there is. Fortunately, their fangs aren’t able to pierce human skin so I should rest easy knowing that I’m not going to be a spider buffet.
But then I saw this Granddaddy lounging in my Hasta’s.
What really set this guy apart was that he had a pair of fangs that I could clearly see.
Mutant spider? Arachnid implants?
Whatever the case, it had better stay the hell out of my house. Bad mojo or not, that sucker will go splat.
It was a busy weekend on the homestead, which really isn’t anything new.
What is new was the delivery of this on Friday:
That collection of wood and cement blocks will form the foundation of my new studio that Rick is building for me, so I can have my own creative space to make my jewelry.
Having to live with the letdown from our town council not allowing us to built on a couple of the lots we bought across the street, we had to decide if there was a suitable area on our original lots.
And in order to do this, we (meaning Rick) had to frame out the areas that looked like possibilities.
Once a suitable site was chosen it was time for him to slap on his pouch and start building.
And the only place to start is with the foundation.
And my carpenter-turned-computer-nerd didn’t waste any time getting the framework set and floor in place.
We are going to try to build the rest of the building with recycled/repurposed materials if possible. We have some wood, siding and a door, but are still looking for more materials like framing wood, windows, etc., that we can acquire through Freecycle, auctions, and perhaps any of you that live close to us and may have some stuff laying around.
Needless to say, this is going to be a work-in-progress for… well, as long as it takes. I’ll give updates along the way and “shout-out’s” to all the wonderful people that contribute time/materials.
And what kind of fun was I having while all of this was going on? Canning salsa. Lots and lots of salsa. About 3 gallons worth that should get the family through until next summer.
At least I’m hoping it will. I may have to ration it just to be on the safe side.
I have GOT to get one of these!
The music makes the video extra special.
Actually, I could see the yard dotted with them. It would bring me smiles all winter long.
So Rick, will you build me one or six? Please? Pretty please??