Right Now September 2017

Here's what is going on for me Right Now on this penultimate day of September ...

Reveling In -  Cooler temperatures (finally!) and the slow approach of fall. I wrote this exact same thing last month, but then we had several weeks of heat and humidity. Now it seems like autumn may really be here to stay for a while.

Hoping - That we see some color in leaves instead of them just drying up, turning brown, and falling. We haven't had rain for 6-8 weeks and all we've got so far is dead, crunchy leaves and the remains of the squirrels' acorn feasts all over the driveway.

Drinking - I'm almost ashamed to write this, but I've been drinking Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Creamer in my morning tea. I don't even remember why I bought it in the first place, but I'm on my second bottle of the unhealthy stuff. It's 35 calories/tablespoon, so I've started actually measuring it into my tea so I don't "accidentally" pour in a big glug or two. It's not the worst vice a person could have, but I really do try to eat and drink real food, and there is barely anything real in this stuff. Hopefully I'll break free of the obsession soon. 

Planning - It's a big maybe, but I might visit Ryan in Fort Collins for a long weekend next month. I can't get him to commit to a specific weekend, so I'm trying to decide if that's due to his busy schedule or if he'd rather not have his mother visit for his birthday. 

Watching - Call the Midwife. I'm very late to this show but I had started to watch it once before, and John said that hearing the screams of all the women in labor made him feel faint. I don't doubt that at all (he had to leave the delivery room several times when the boys were born), so I'm enjoying it myself this week while he is in Denmark. All those hand knit baby clothes!

Making - Cheesy Panade with Swiss Chard, Beans, and Sausage. I came across this crockpot recipe while looking for something to do with Swiss chard. John plants it, but I think it tastes like weeds, so I tend to ignore it in the garden. I've got my cubed bread drying out and the rest of the ingredients ready to put in the crockpot for dinner tonight, with high hopes that beans, sausage, and cheese will hide the taste of the chard. I misread this as "Cheesy Panda" and emailed John that's what's for dinner when he gets home tonight; somehow he has managed to hide his excitement. 

Picking - The last of the garden produce - tomatoes, peppers, a few string beans, and some zucchini. By next month, probably only Brussels sprouts will remain.

Making, Part II - Zucchini pickles. I already have enough shredded zucchini frozen to last me until next year, so I'm making pickles. This is a win-win because I pick the zucchini when they're small, make something we'll eat, and don't have to leave giant zucchini on my neighbors' porches. I've already made dill pickles; the bread and butter variety are up next.

Purchasing - Another freezer. Just last month, I wrote that I was dreading cleaning out our two freezers after all the garden produce is harvested, processed, and frozen. The universe may have heard my whining and said, "Hey, I know how to help you clean out the freezer quickly!" Several weeks ago, our big 23 cu. ft. freezer died, and I was forced to clear it out, decide that three-year-old shredded zucchini, defrosted limp string beans, and freezer-burned chicken breasts were not worth saving, then consolidate what was worth saving into our smaller 12 cu. ft. freezer. Our big action plan now is to buy another smaller freezer, transfer all the garden produce into it in an organized way, and defrost the old freezer so it will be ready to use for the rest of the stuff from the garden. I've got 15 Brussels sprouts plants and they are busy making lovely little sprouts that will need to be blanched and frozen.

Getting Rid Of - The big old (heavy!) broken freezer and hopefully an old refrigerator at the same time. I'm prepared to be extra-nice (and also pay extra) to get rid of these non-working appliances.

What's going on in your world right now?