Friday, under a deluge of tomato pulp, it finally came to
me. My day had been worth approximately
$12.53. Thursday, I had seen a sale on organic canned
tomatoes… $1.79 a can. I did the math in
my head. My mood as well as my weekend
started to slide downhill. I went out to
the garden to see what is still coming, unless we have a frost (do I want one,
don’t I want one) . I felt like slinging
little tomatoes across the field while reciting a ditty similar to the one lovers
recite while picking the petals off daisies (substitute here small tomatoes
from the vine). I checked the freezers. No way, not one more package can go
there. If I wanted the tomatoes, I’d
have to can them. The freezers are just too
full for more tomatoes. Pesto is on its
way, and apples. I’d rather have apple
pie frozen than bloody tomatoes. By
Saturday, with the rain, and knowing that I had tomatoes splitting out there
(they don’t like to be pelted by the rain) I made an executive decision. I called a friend or two and asked them to
come pick. That helped moderately. It’s sunny this morning. My turn, I know, after the basil and after
the applesauce.
On other fronts.. I
spun another one ounce bobbin of the bunny crack from Kim and another 4 oz. of
the hairy dark grey llama. The llama, I
Navajo plied. I skeined several bobbins
of Shetland, colored mohair, and masham. (spell check does not like the word ‘skeined’, possibly it doesn’t
exist??)
Bu reminded me that I had promised to take a walk with her
as soon as it cleared. Don’t ask. I know what she’s saying most of the time and
she understands me. The woods were
lush. All the cool weather and last
weeks’ rain has made the moss jewel like.
Mushrooms, all kinds of fungi, have sprouted up everywhere. I was checking to see what soft woods I might
like to have culled out. Building
products have gone up over 30% since the hurricane. If we want to build, it’s a good thing to
do. The pole shed came in around
$300. Not bad, that was the cost of the
metal roofing and the screws, nails, etc. Bu was just checking things out. The cats and I used to hike all the time; nearly everyday. Sometimes we’d go miles. After we began to see the fishers moving in,
we decreased our roaming area to be what we could sort of monitor from the
house. Bu is the only cat old enough to remember the
walks.
ONE last thing… I
finished the latest Harry Potter book. I
am so glad that I did not peek at the ending. I am so glad no one told me the ending. I probably would have quit reading way before I had finished it, IF I
HAD KNOWN. I really prefer happy
endings.
pps. for those of you who DO know of my pie crust (mis)adventures.. I have now successfully produced not one, BUT TWO, very successful piecrusts, from scratch (Mark’s recipe) and eaten them!






8 responses to “a days pay”
Oh, that is a discouraging feeling when you feel your efforts are worth so little. But truthfully, there is no substitute for the flavor of home-canned. But you know, when you’ve done enough, you’ve done ENOUGH. Just let the rest rot on the vine is my position.
Don’t look at the dollar amount……..think of the happiness that gardening brings you……..and how yummy those fruits of labor will be this winter.
Between you,Norma and Liz, my garden is going to be resurrected!!
I am so jealous! I have been wanting to quit my job and can full time. I know that is very strange. I think it’s partly the impending winter. Eating canned stuff in the winter makes me less depressed.
Man, those tomatoes are almost worth a drive to Vermont! Keep offering — pickers will come. I can’t let stuff rot either.
That pie sounds mighty tempting. I guess it’s been an apple week;I gave in and had apple cranberry crisp! It was soooo good.
It’s not just flavor. It’s knowing that there are no bad things sprayed on either to help growth, kill bugs, or prolong shelf life and shipping life. Do what you can. The rest is nature’s fertilizer for a crop next year on that ground.
I feel the same way about blanching and freezing spinach. So much work for so little end product.
Off to make tomato sauce…
Just discovered your blog, and I love it! And what kind of paradise do you live in? It looks to me like part of the Adirondacks or maybe Ontario. I’m probably wrong on those, but wherever you are, it’s a very photogenic landscape. Also, how do I go about buying your yarn?