Can I get an AMEN ??

 Oh lordy...is that a chicken butt photo bomb ?  

  I was sitting here this morning, thinking about  things.  You know...THINGS.  Things like the water shortages in California. Things like the Ebola virus in Africa.  Things like ALS,  and cancer research and my beautiful sister-in-law's MRI yesterday.  Things like how I have way too many books in this room and that I'm finally getting around to reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (and how much I love saying his name).  lol  Don't they have medications for people like me ?  (And how I just typo-d MEDIVACATIONS...and thinking--wouldn't that be a great concept?  A time away where they medicate you and you just lay around in a vegetative state...and REST.)  

  I'm sure that my poor pea brain is whirling like this because I've been running  full speed. This time of year in the garden is  feast or famine, and in our case, in this year...it's feast.  So much stuff still coming out or ready to come out, or should be out.  House overheated from running canners and dehydrators.  Counters all full of jars cooling or waiting to be labeled or just waiting to be put away.  Empty jars, full jars, clean jars, dirty jars. I've said it before and I'll say it again--because it makes me feel better-- from about mid June til the end of October my house is a mess.  It's just a fact of life.  I used to love watching Little House on the Prairie, and marvel at how Mrs. Ingalls  did all the works she did and still kept the house spotless.  My house is not spotless.  I need a maid. Or a wife. Or both. lol

 As you've probably guessed by the fact that I'm posting on the blog again and it hasn't been a week or more...there's a bit of a lull right now.  There  are 2 canner batches sitting on the island right now...one of  marinara and one of candied jalapenos.  There is NOT a small tub of jalapenos or a basket of tomatoes sitting in the house right now.  YAY !

There are tomatoes on the vine that might be ready for picking, and probably some more green peppers too. I pretty much stripped the jalapenos trying to get enough to make this batch of  Cowboy Candy.  The potato vines have all died back. The sweet potatoes are still looking pretty good out there.  The carrots are thriving this year and we've been picking them randomly, not time for an actual harvest yet.  There are still green beans coming--we didn't have to plant a second crop this year thanks to the bizarre cooling off we had in July and much of August.  Then the heat came back with a vengeance and everything thinks that it's all systems go.  The basil and the parsley and chives are all going like gangbusters. The oregano didn't make it and the thyme is hanging on by a thread. 

  And this is just the way of it.

  So...today I need to make bread.  I need to go to the market. I need to straighten up and vacuum at least. I have got to get into that spare room and reorganize it and clean,  but the job seems daunting and I am hesitant to even start.  Rooms that have doors that close to hide all the clutter have been being closed while I try to just manage the main living areas.  Is that cheating ?  lol

  Why do I think I am hopeless ?  Why do I look around and chastise myself for being such a lousy housekeeper ?  I would give ANYONE else a much wider berth than I give myself.  Sigh...

  Look at what I HAVE accomplished--

 Not to mention the dried tomatoes,  okra,  bell peppers,  apples, peaches, onions, mushrooms, pineapple ??  And the fewer all the time things in the freezer, but still it's full.  I  look at all this bounty...all these stores of goods that will feed my family through the coming year... and I think  "What's the harm in a little clutter or a few dustbunnies ? "   I am making a list of dry goods that I need to purchase, things like oats and flour and nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts).  More canned protein, like tuna and salmon.  All these things that keep my pantry stocked with a variety of foodstuff that I can make interesting and tasty and nourishing meals with.  When I have a little extra money, I buy at least one thing in bulk that is either hard to find or a necessity.  For instance, I have an insurance settlement check coming (small, but nonetheless...) and when it comes, I am ordering another 25 pound box of organic quinoa.  Quinoa is expensive, but it's a complete protein that also contains all the minerals and amino acids that the body needs. It's versatile.  When I buy it at that size, I get a really decent price on it. So, in the long run, my philosophy is that yes, I could live without it, it's a bit of a luxury. But if I can get the price down to a reasonable number and I happen to have the money...why not ?  I will do the same thing with oats, which are NOT expensive, but are one of the most useful things you can have in your pantry.  And now I see that the local market has the 10# bags of leg and thigh quarters again, for 59 cents a pound.  And it's everything I can do to not go out and get a couple. Can more chicken and more broth.  How much did I do last time ?  I think I wound up with a grand total of something like 25 jars , some plain broth, some all chicken, some a   mixture of the two. Is that enough ? Do I dare pass up this source of  inexpensive healthy protein ?  Am I turning into a food hoarder ?  Or am I just being prudent. Frugal.  Planning for things.  I just read a line in The Alchemist that said..."We must be prepared for change..."  Am I prepared ?  Probably not prepared enough.  But at least I'm thinking about these things. First aid, medications, pet foods, people foods, matches,  water... most of these I have covered. 


  Too much deep thought for one day.  I think I'll mosey out to La Vista and see what's shaking out that way. A day off...that spare room can wait...



  Namaste.