Canning it

It's not kinfolky around here. Not pictured -salsa, poire belle Hélène And dried peaches. Tomorrow there will be more peaches to dry and one more batch of salsa. I'm knackered. #100daysofsummer #232/365 #2015yip #theyearthatis2015 #f52gram #canvolution

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 21, 2015 at 9:49pm PDT

What I accomplished today in the world of preserving -

Dried Peaches
Salsa
Plum-Apple Chutney
Poire Belle Helene - pear and chocolate spread
Tomato sauce

The damage -
one minor cut to my hand

The upside -
no pepper burns
no cracked jars

I love and hate canning this time of year - it is warm during the day, but the time the last batch of salsa that goes in the canner, it has cooled off enough to make it pleasant to be in the kitchen. I'm happy to say that after tomorrow's  next batch of salsa and the remaining peaches, I'm done preserving until the apples come in and we're inundated with another crop of tomatoes.

Last year, we did a pretty decent job of eating through most of our stuff. I'm starting to distribute the last of the marmalade and jams from earlier in the year and I'll make some effort to enjoy the remaining stash from 2014. This year, my goal is to have nothing go to waste.

In my desire to Kon-Mari my stash and make my canning a more pleasant experience (read: no longer dread), I'm thinking we'll skip peaches and canned tomatoes as neither give me joy.  Salsa gives TH joy and is easy to make and I would stand each jar of chutney up so that I could admire it before diving in and devouring it.

The lost weekend

Some days are better than others #theyearthatis2015 #100daysofsummer #toofuckingtired #2015yip #214/365

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 9, 2015 at 7:14pm PDT

Ever had a weekend that seemed like it was going to be full of excitement and just ended up meh. 

One would think with the amount of sun and fun we're having here in the 98105 that this weekend would be no exception.

It was.  Thanks to a lovely set of clouds and precipitation that did not appear.

I'm talking a lot these days about the weather and it seems to be taking a toll on my patience.

I did get two books read - neither of which I will recommend, my vexing needlepoint completed and a lot of big pruning done. At least my once very sunny back yard beds will be more like partly shady beds.

 I heard a little of this on NPR this morning and I'm putting this book on hold stat.

I'm fascinated by the connection with how trauma, triggers or emotional distress earlier in life causes people to hold on to things both physically and mentally. It also makes me wonder if the KonMari will only work for really happy people who have no issues or think they don't. In any case, Mess looks like an awesome read.

The upcoming week seems to be much of the same old, same old and I'm getting tired of it.

Staying Alive - or how I spent July

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Jun 21, 2015 at 2:00pm PDT

Welcome to the new reality, weather forecast for Seattle, late June 2015. I'm not going to sugar coat it - it is August 1st and I'm over Summer.  I love the long days, waking up to the early morning light and being able to walk the dogs late into the evening. I enjoy seeing neighbors out watering, walking, weeding and visiting with each other.  What I am definitely over, along with millions of others in the Pacific Northwest is the relentless temperatures over 85 F.

I feel like I spent the whole month of July just keeping things alive - running hoses to newly installed plantings, checking on dogs, my parents and trying to stay as sane and calm as possible given that we all feel like limp rags by the late afternoon.  Planning an out of town trip - two days to Orcas or four days at a conference had us cringing at the seven day forecast and writing long detailed notes to our awesome house sitters on what needed water, and when and hoping that they (the house sitters) would be willing to come back after all we put them through.

Unfortunately, this is the new reality. This shift in climate regimes means we're going to have to learn to mitigate and adapt to adjust to this new reality.

I am coping by escaping to the garden early in the day to get in a good deep watering of our vegetables.   I try and get to the gym before it gets hot. I encourage  and coax E to do walk early in the day as well.  We try and get all the things done (errands, writing, job applications, editing and chores) before the heat of the day. Our work your butt off and through lunch culture in the United States does not lend itself well to the siesta - a chance to recharge and rest before taking on the rest of the day.

Maybe this is where we're going to have to start adapting.

Ditto for the garden, ditto for home energy efficiency and definitely to how we eat and function.

I see more watermelon for dinner and  planting garden succulents in the near future.

Stay cool and pray for rain.