Monday, June 23, 2014

Five Good Things











Our Anna's apples, and Golden Dorset apples are ready for eating, for baking, for sharing... for picking! But how can eat all of them before we leave for Wisconsin? Alex will be here, but that's too many apples for one man, and we'd feel deprived if we couldn't fill ourselves silly with our delicious little apples. Naturally, I turned to the Internet for answers. And searching "saving apples," I found a link to a helpful guide for storing the best apples, so they can last for months. We'll be happy if they can keep for a few weeks... long enough for us to get back to them, and bake, and feast, and share. Maria and I carefully harvested the two varieties, even taking care to separate them: If one stores better than the other, it will be good to know for future harvests. Any with bumps or bruises we can make into apple sauce, today. {Have I packed? Are the tickets printed? Did I make the list of every important thing that must get done asap?? No. Okay. Make apple sauce.}

Our tomatoes are looking good. There will be plenty, and I cannot wait to enjoy those wild goat horned tomatoes! All the tomatoes, growing everywhere in the yard, are volunteers, and they fare far better than any I have ever planted myself. There are pomegranates in the tree! I am trying not to count them, but I cannot deny I have high hopes of eating those sweet gems this fall. And our white fig... the stick I planted when we moved here, it's big, and full, and loaded with fruit. We won't miss the harvest of those lovelies.

Somehow, I cannot bring myself to pack, to leave. I love my Bird House, the garden, the goats, chickens, children in the yard, Legos on the dining room table. Nothing piques my earnest wish to get things in order, play, create, dust, sort, toss, and harvest, plant, and make myself at home, like knowing that I am leaving. Everything is in good hands, I know. And we have thunderstorms, and family, barns, and cornfields to look forward to. Really, there's no reason to feel hesitant, right? Next week, I will lament our departure from Wisconsin, and look forward to life in our Bird House & Barn.

Good Things...

1. Aunt Becky and Grandma Eunice hold the keys to their new home, in Oregon, and unpacking will commence at any moment!

2. My father-in-law is recovering remarkably well from the stroke he suffered in the spring, and he is getting much deserved recognition for just a few of his many accomplishments in the cycling world! Ride on, Pee Oui!

3. We went to see Bambi's last ballet recital... she began dancing in kindergarten, and Sunday she danced one last time with her class. There was a lot of beautiful dancing... and Bambi's solo was the best.

4. With Alex here, to defend the homestead, I have no worries... but I do wish he were coming with us.

5. Our flight leaves much later than I thought. {All this time I was dreading an O-dark hundred departure, but then I saw it's a late morning flight! It's like holding a winning ticket!!}

Are you holding a winning ticket? What's good, great, pleasing, satisfying, or dear?

6 comments:

Anna Banana said...

1. Friends going on a much-deserved vacation and coming back with tales to tell.
2. Reading about Tasha Tudor in her own words.
3. Being gainfully employed.
4. Long days mean evening walks, so pleasant.
5. Was given two ancho poblano plants and one Persian cucumber plant for my garden.

April, Jennifer, Carol said...

aren't anna apples the best? we had a tree in the yard when we bought our home and have since planted additional trees.
i was glad to find your blog. i had seen a comment you posted on soulemama a couple of weeks ago, and thought to myself, she must live in southern california. and when i saw you were in san diego i smiled. we are in lakeside. have a good trip. - jennifer

Line said...

Will you be blogging from Wisconsin? If not, I hope to see a recap of your adventures which always make me smile. Safe travels to you and your family!

Here are my five good things (in no particular order):
1. Summer vacation - a chance to recharge my batteries.
2. Art supplies - the power to create and express.
3. ChickenBlog - a beautiful respite on the Web.
4. Family - to keep one sane and grounded.
5. Moving - a great opportunity to shed unwanted items.

Anonymous said...

My five good things would be: 1)the mower continues to work, 2) the ducks keep happy, 3) the tomatoes keep growing - ready for a good BLT, 4)It stops raining so the grass will not grow so fast) 5)everyone stays healthy.....Cindy from Nebraska

Brienne Moody said...

Beautiful post. What a treat to see all of the wild things growing. Hmmm. A golden ticket - I love this idea. Mine is something about the weather here by Lake Superior still being cold enough to warrant wool sweater knitting. My hands are staying happily busy while I watch the rain with a blanket and slippers:)

Kate said...

Isn't that the truth about rogue tomatoes doing better than the ones we plant and baby along? Cracks me up.