Life is funny sometimes

I've been pretty busy lately, as you can see from the previous post (squash pics). Right now I have four crates (probably 200 lbs) of tomatoes in the kitchen, waiting to be processed. But for the moment, I'm having a well deserved break with some fresh zucchini bread and OJ.

A lot has happened in our lives recently, all of it good. Big Sis is home for a visit, is moving back to be near us, and is expecting! She is thrilled, and so are we. Yes, she was headed to med school. But med school will still be there later on if that's what she wants to do. Right now, Baby is her priority, and no one can argue with that (without risking a sharp stick in the eye from the ever present Nana Bunny).

The farmer's market has taken off like I never expected. Remember how nervous I was? I needn't have been. Everyone has been uber nice, and I find myself looking forward to Saturday mornings. I have regular customers and new friends. It's been nothing short of amazing.

I do things a bit differently than the other vendors, and people have taken notice. As a result, things are already expanding. I've started a market blog, printed business cards, and am already working on some ideas for next season. Biggest Brother has been a huge help with the graphic design work.

Eventually, we may open an actual farm market here at the farmstead. Or maybe just offer gardening and farmsteading workshops. Or maybe both.

I'm still working on my book, and I'm still Country Wife at heart, but I seem to be evolving at a rapid pace, so I'm curious what the next year will bring.

The future is wide open.

You pick squash for 3 straight hours...

...and what do you get?

A heckofalot!!

I'd rather be outside

More canning on today's agenda. *sigh* It's so nice out: the air is cool and the sun is shining.

I have to go outside to get garden goodies for salsa. I know I'll get distracted and end up roaming the garden, which means I'll be up canning till the wee hours for the second night in a row. I can't help it. Being outside is just what I like.

I don't mind canning. It would be a lot more enjoyable if I could do it all in the middle of winter, though. lol Guess you can't have everything.

Speaking of having everything, I know we are very fortunate to be able to grow our own food. There's no way we'd be able to eat as well as we do if we had to purchase produce. Holy cow, Walmart had cucumbers for 68 cents EACH, peppers for $1.30 EACH, and tomatoes for $1 a pound. And that's for produce that had been shipped from goodness knows where, and looked pretty road weary.

I never take for granted that I can walk out my door to the garden and pick a complete dinner. I am thrilled to be able to go out today and gather the goods to make enough salsa to last the winter.

It's a lot of work to plant, tend, harvest, and process all of this food. But it's worth it.

Now that I've given myself the pep talk, I guess I'd better get to work!

And so it begins....

Over 100 lbs of fresh picked, heirloom tomatoes, ready to be canned. The green ones are Aunt Ruby's German Green. Guess I'd better get busy!!

Don't scare me like that!

Here I was, up in the garden, happily digging in the dirt, ready to put out an oregano plant, when I hear Little Sis yelp, "Mom!!! Come quick!!".

I run down the hill, pell mell, trowel in one hand, oregano in the other, wondering what it could be.

A snake? No, Little Sis never freaks out over snakes, unless maybe it's half eaten one of her pet chickens? No...coming from the wrong direction...

A stray dog? Maybe. I speed up.

All the while, I'm running down the hill. Well, not really. It's black plastic. I was barefoot. Ever been on a slip-and-slide? Yep, I pretty much slid most of the way to the bottom, heart pounding, ready to take on Freddie Kruger...only to find...Little Sis, in the duck pen, bouncing around, holding three of the cutest, fluffiest little Muscovy ducklings you ever saw!!!

Photo by Little Sis

The waiting is the hardest part...

***paces***

*taps foot* tap. tap. tap.

Ooooo....hurry up already!!!!