Pumpkins and applesauce
Though I seldom update, I still lurk on this thing from time to time and read what’s going on in everyone else’s lives.
Things in Oregon are good. I’m enjoying fall and have yet to tire of the rain or morning fog. On Saturday I spent several hours with my Aunt, who lives nearby on several acres of land. She’s got chickens, and woods and ponds and grapes and apples and berries in the summer. There are deer that frequent her grape vines and raccoons and coyotes that come out at night. But Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day - the sun was (actually) out, the air was cool and the leaves were colorful and crisp. We took a walk through her property and into the woods before going inside, where we made applesauce. She had buckets and buckets of fresh organic apples from her trees, which we peeled and chopped and boiled. We added brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and let it simmer some more. We mashed and mixed and then poured it into jars with hot lids. We set the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes to seal them. The jars cooled and are now sitting in my utility closet above the dryer for another day. The applesauce is like nothing I’ve ever tasted and has re-kindled my desire to learn to cook and can and bake.
Next week I am going to Florida to take care of my mother. I never thought she’d need “taking care of” this soon, but cancer is a nasty disease. Luckily they caught it “early” and she only has two lumps in her breasts instead of 5, like they originally thought. And luckily she’s only having one breast worked on instead of two. So, despite our many, many, many challenges, I am going to take her to surgery and I will be there when she gets out. I’m staying for two weeks and plan to play nurse maid to her the way I always wished she’d done for me when I had the flu growing up. I’m lucky enough to have an employer that values the idea of “working remotely” (though I think it has more to do with enabling us to be work addicts than it does for times like these) so I’ll only be taking one or two “vacation” days.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is on TV tonight - one of my favorites. And when I get home I’m planning to carve a pumpkin for probably the first time in about 10 years or so.
Things in Oregon are good. I’m enjoying fall and have yet to tire of the rain or morning fog. On Saturday I spent several hours with my Aunt, who lives nearby on several acres of land. She’s got chickens, and woods and ponds and grapes and apples and berries in the summer. There are deer that frequent her grape vines and raccoons and coyotes that come out at night. But Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day - the sun was (actually) out, the air was cool and the leaves were colorful and crisp. We took a walk through her property and into the woods before going inside, where we made applesauce. She had buckets and buckets of fresh organic apples from her trees, which we peeled and chopped and boiled. We added brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and let it simmer some more. We mashed and mixed and then poured it into jars with hot lids. We set the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes to seal them. The jars cooled and are now sitting in my utility closet above the dryer for another day. The applesauce is like nothing I’ve ever tasted and has re-kindled my desire to learn to cook and can and bake.
Next week I am going to Florida to take care of my mother. I never thought she’d need “taking care of” this soon, but cancer is a nasty disease. Luckily they caught it “early” and she only has two lumps in her breasts instead of 5, like they originally thought. And luckily she’s only having one breast worked on instead of two. So, despite our many, many, many challenges, I am going to take her to surgery and I will be there when she gets out. I’m staying for two weeks and plan to play nurse maid to her the way I always wished she’d done for me when I had the flu growing up. I’m lucky enough to have an employer that values the idea of “working remotely” (though I think it has more to do with enabling us to be work addicts than it does for times like these) so I’ll only be taking one or two “vacation” days.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is on TV tonight - one of my favorites. And when I get home I’m planning to carve a pumpkin for probably the first time in about 10 years or so.