Surviving the Storms

Today, X, S, and I went picking raspberries down the road. All together, we got about 3/4 of a gallon. There’s still more than that on the vines, but they weren’t ripe yet. I’m waiting about another week to go back. In the meantime, I started my jam making. I forgot to take pictures before, but here’s the during and after:

My jars look weird with all of the steam -

The raspberries cooking with the pectin and sugar -

And 4.5 pints later -

I don’t strain the seeds from mine – too much work.

I also forgot to take pictures the other day when I started canning my green beans. So I took the pictures today. I decided that for every bunch that I pick, what we aren’t going to eat that day or the next, I am going to can right away. It’s so easy to do since I am cooking them in my crock pot first. I just cook them on high, add a few onions from the garden and about 4 hours later, I boil some water with jars in it, then pour my green beans in the jars, lid them, and be done. So far, I have two jars of them.

Yeah, yeah, so I want to be fit. I am working on that. Two days in a row, first thing in the morning. Can you believe that? Feels so good that I have extra energy during the day, and I slept better last night. Actually, I slept all night for the first time since my surgery. I didn’t have to wake up and go pee or take pills or anything. YAY! It’s about dang time too.

Today I realized the garden had a lot of vegetables that needed to be picked. Green beans, lettuce, broccoli (already going to blooms – NOOOOOO!!!!!), onions (already going to seed – again, NOOOO!!!!), a few pea pods,  and a lot of little green tomatoes that will be ready soon. The raspberries are turning ripe, so we picked about a cup and a half of them. A few more days and there will be enough for some jam. A small batch anyway.

Another thing I realized today is that I have had gardens in the past, and I got bored with them. Quite a few vegetables went bad, too many weeds went unpicked, and too much time went by before I would visit the garden again. I can’t do that this year. My family (even more than just my household) is depending on this garden. We are more dependent on it to save money and feed us, while some others are just depending on it for some yummy foods that they didn’t plant (or that died early) for themselves.

I have to keep this garden alive. I have to weed it. I have to look at it everyday and decide what needs to be done that day. I have to pick the veggies when they are ripe and I have to take care of them that day. That means I have to cut, cook, freeze, can, and store in other ways what we won’t be using right away. I also have to plan my meals around what vegetable is currently ripe or in my fridge needing to be eaten right away. This is going to be a very busy summer.

I can do this. I know I can. I have to keep the ambition flowing and the desire to do this for my family. It’s so easy to run to the store to buy it. But right now, for us, it’s not. The prices are too high. Heck, I just bought groceries on a credit card for the first time ever. (I hate the thought of that!!) I will do this! Wait and see.

So, this is my challenge!

Who in there right mind would come by at such an hour? Well, actually I know a few people that would. But last night, I was busy…I just recently got into House, MD and have been watching it on Netflix. Extremely important part of the first season last night when I heard this weird sound.

Paused the DVD, muted TV (just in case there might have been a sound escaping the paused show) and then I sat there. Finally I realized the sound was coming from outside the window. I opened the door and heard a little, low pitched, long-lasting, growl. Hmmmmm…..Then I saw it…..

Yep, just a small baby opossum coming to visit Martin, the cat. Sorry, little opossum, but I don’t really want to share Martin’s food with you, but I am not about to force you to leave. You might be small, but … yeah, I am not touching that varmint.

Jamie told me this morning that this opossum has been there two nights in a row when he was leaving for work. Well, make sure you tell it to be quiet tonight when you go to work so I can get some more Greg House in my system, PLEASE!

You’ve got to be kidding me! Almost 4 weeks post-hysterectomy and I’m feeling the effects of PMS upon me. The headache started yesterday. I thought of it as sinus pressure since that was there too. The hormonal-witchiness started this morning… not as bad as it can be, but it slipped out once already. (Please forgive me, Honey. I’m truly sorry.) Now, the boob (yes, only one boob)…itches, swollen, hurts, sore, ugh!! The big ole “why me?” is starting. Cramps are here too….weird – no uterus, no cramps, right??

WRONG! It’s cramping in my ovaries. I guess being all pushed, prodded, pulled, and messed with, they both are coming back with full revenge and squirting eggs out at the same time.  Nice, huh?

So after this vengeful pain in the side leaves, I will be happy to not have the after effect. (And to think that I thought the joys of womanhood were over…yeah right!)

Today my boys have a dentist appointment. Xander is getting his teeth cleaned, then taken off to another room to have two teeth pulled. While eating an apple, two of his teeth broke off. He has such brittle teeth. I sure hope his permanent teeth are going to be stronger. So far, they are, but I won’t know for sure until he has a whole mouth full of them.  I was really hoping the kids would get my teeth – white, strong, and no cavities. So far, Maddox has those teeth. He might be only two, but I have hope! He’s getting his teeth “cleaned and counted” today. We keep telling him that, and he’s real excited. We’ll see how much of that excitement he still has when the time comes.

The day is beautiful, we are going outside for the day again. I love 70° days!

so here I go.

JV put up a Summer Challenge to blog more, so I have to follow her orders ( *snort* ) request, right?

Not just kids, sports, gardening, crafting, moaning & groaning, arguments, and STOP LYING TO ME demands…but a mixture of it all.

I challenge myself to blog my life, my thoughts, or something of that nature at least twice a week…
while my biggest challenge is to focus on my body in a more positive way. Yep, the challenge of America…I’m serious though. I would love to firm up the stomach muscles that were sheared apart by a scalpel last month. I want to learn to breathe deep without having to tell myself to…just do it naturally. I want to be able to run with my stepson, ride bikes as fast and as much as my oldest son, dance with my daughter and never tire while chasing after my youngest…I can do this, Yes, I can!