General Life Update

Mom called this morning, my cousin Helen passed away yesterday. She lives in Hagerstown, she was in her early 80s and had recently had complications from a hip replacement, etc etc. Funeral is on Saturday, so I’ll be going to that.

The Lasagna Garden veggie patch project is going well, I have the newspaper almost all down where I want it with a thin layer of peat moss on it. You haven't lived until you've spread wet newspaper around during 40 degree weather. Matt’n’I layered it with some hay and watered it down, then I added some dead leaves, and am in the process of adding some dead grass clippings on that. I don’t know what’s next, mushroom soil? More peat moss? I’m hesitant to use so much peat moss, it is a non-renewable resource. I’m not sure what to use instead. I’ll have to check Ashcombe’s when my mother and I head up there the beginning of December.

I also put down the cardboard (for the pathways), and hay and a couple large stepping stones on that. I found two garden snakes while moving the rocks. I collected long-needle pine and put them around the blueberry bush, they like acidic soil. Matt and I then pruned the blueberry bush. It didn’t produce nearly as well this past summer as previous summers (when we were swamped with blueberries). I’m not sure if it is the lack of rain or the lack of bees.

I spent some of the morning Sunday straining out the fruit vodka into a bottle to age. It's pretty good, this is the mixed fruit kind. It has undertones of the lemon I put in, not bad. I have another bottle started with an apple and some raspberries, to which I added yet another apple. Yesterday I infused the honey I bought with rosemary and also roasted the last of the tomatoes with some garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They're in the fridge, I need put it through a sieve and freeze it for sauce for the winter. If I don’t just eat them.

We replaced the screen door. It cut down on wind and noise noticeably, I'm impressed.

I made applesauce and froze it, it was ok. I’ll try something else next time, different seasoning, peel the apples. Blend it more.

I have some craft projects in the works. I have herbs and things drying for an herb wreath. I have some cranberry spice scent that I mixed with water and soaked some pine cones, I'm waiting for them to dry. I have some Styrofoam balls that I hot glued with attractive herb leaves from the garden (golden sage, broad-leaf sage, etc). It didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, they turned black because of the heat of the glue. I’m going to have to use craft glue instead. I went and collected seed pods to add to a few grass-woven bird houses, too. I had to buy a new hot-glue gun, they don't make the sticks for the old one I had anymore. I also finished the wine cork corkboard last night, and I have a huge box of corks so I have to start several more. Anyone need a corkboard?

My Christmas shopping list is almost complete, I have some things already and some to buy. We’re not doing a big Christmas this year, mostly cookies supplemented with a few gifties. I’ve been having the most trouble with my niece-in-law Susanne in San Diego. She is 11, and if things are now as they were when we visited 3-4 years ago, I’m sure she gets everything she wants. I’ve gotten the suggestion of books (from her mother, who said she especially likes mysteries), and I’ve been making a list on Amazon of things I read at that age as well as some things that look interesting that I haven’t read. I’ll probably send her a mix of such.

I have off all next week. I’m going to be cleaning out the garage and making my seasonal cookies. I’m going to do the bourbon balls this week, but everything else next week. I made out the shopping list already. I was surprised that only one recipe called for milk, but I’ll be buying lots of unsalted butter this weekend.

Today I go to the small business class in Carlisle. Stay tuned!