Emerging from my revision cocoon
What happens when writers finish a major stage in their novel-in-progress?
On Friday afternoon, I finished my hand-written and new chapter revisions for my YA work in progress. I still have to ENTER all those revisions in the computer now, but that is the very least of the job. I am coasting downhill and I can see the finish line up ahead.
So now I am emerging from my cocoon. All those things I had to let go, and set aside, are clamoring for my attention. I got my first haircut since April, and had about 6 inches chopped off my hair. Today Little Dude gets a haircut (thankfully, we hadn't waited since April for that). Then yesterday I spent an entire hour weeding our backyard's planting beds (whew! crazy way to celebrate, I know). Then we made a family expedition to Larriland Farm in Woodbine, MD (which, as an aside, I highly recommend for any DC or Baltimore folks who are looking to pick apples, peaches, tomatoes... you name it, they've got it. And in October they let you actually wander into the huge pumpkin patch and cut your own pumpkin off the vine.). Our little family of three picked 21 pounds of apples, 24 pounds of peaches and 10 pounds of tomatoes. Yes, 55 pounds of produce. Then we picked up 12 ears of corn just for the heck of it. And a cute little French melon. And a luscious-smelling cantaloupe. And a bunch of blackberries. Plus two snowcones but at least those have already been consumed!
Which leads to my next non-writerly project: what to do with these masses of apples, peaches and tomatoes. Apples will store for months, so we just fired up the mini-fridge in the basement and stuffed them in there. But what to do with all the peaches and tomatoes?
For a few insane hours, I contemplated canning them (mind you, we have no canning equipment) but then my father reminded me of the hazy steamy August nights of my childhood. I remember my mother canning countless jars of tomatoes and tomato sauce, and helping her push tomatoes through the food mill. "Do you like that new paint job in your kitchen?" he warned. "Then skip the canning."
So, here's plan B:
--Nathalie Dupree's peach cobbler tonight
--Grilled chicken with peach salsa for dinner
--Peach muffins for breakfast (yes, by tomorrow at noon we will all be tinted orange)
--Nachos with fresh-made tomato salsa for Monday lunch
--Homemade spaghetti sauce for Tuesday's dinner
--An entirely different homemade tomato sauce for dinner later in the week
--Corn salad (bonus, it uses tomatoes AND corn, double whammy!)
If all else fails, we can do anonymous midnight drops of produce on friends and neighbors' porches... hey, they should just feel lucky it's not zucchini (shudder... another childhood memory)...