Yep, it's already November 2nd. All of this still applied in October though, and I'm really running behind lately 😄 so here's how things are going...
SITTING: Indoors, where it's warm. That will be the way it is for the next 6 months at least. I'll jazz it up a little with "sitting inside and the woodstove is going" over the winter but that's as about as adventuresome as we'll get until next spring. To save on heating costs, I'll be using wood a lot more this year and I'm looking forward to that. Home just feels more homey, heated with wood. 💖
BEEN BUSY WITH: Lots and lots of mulching leaves & covering all my raised beds & pathways, finishing putting summer things away, planting garlic (62 cloves went in today - to be harvested first week of July), moving the hot tub into the "winter spa" (aka, the garage) and getting that set up for the winter, and making lots and lots (and lots) of soup. The last week of October has sort of become known as Soup Week around here. Soup for dinner, soup for leftovers, soup to freeze and soup to freeze dry. I don't use a pressure canner but you could easily prep it this way as well, to stock up for the winter months. It's a really great way to use up all those veggies you've harvested all summer that are taking up freezer space. It's also a really good way to meal prep for the next few weeks and months where a hearty bown of homemade soup is on the menu on those chilly fall and winter days. The last couple of weeks I've tucked away Cheesy Ham Chowder, Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, Loaded Baked Potato Soup & Creamy Tomato Soup. I think the young folks might call this "soup maxxing". 😊
FEELING: US presidential election fatigue. Big time. I suspect everyone is feeling it, at least in part. Hoping for the best, either way. But I have to say, I'm not feeling very optimistic. Since I believe God both raises up leaders and takes them down for His purposes and for His glory, and also ordains each leader put into place... I'm going to just keep reminding myself to trust in Him. He knows what He's doing, even when we have no idea.
THINKING: about my grandpa McKinsey. Tomorrow 11.03 would have been his 115th birthday. Ironically, my very first blog post at this blog (now archived) 20+ years ago, was all about my grandpa's ICU salvation story as told by my brother, a year before he passed & met Jesus face to face. I last saw him 32 years ago, a week before he left this earth. We joked about things like we always did, my kids ran over to him in his lazyboy chair and hugged him while he patted their wee heads then gave them each a piece of saltwater taffy candy he always seemed to magically produce from some bowl near his chair, and then we smiled as we left after a pleasant visit. One of the last things he said to me as we were leaving that day was that he decided he'd stick around at least until his birthday. He honored that and passed 6 days later. I will be forever grateful I have that last precious memory of my grandpa.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: planning out Christmas baskets. Lots of kids, grandkids, in-laws, outlaws & jars of garden freshness to get all sorted out. From sauces, salsas, jams, jellies, fruits, pickled veggies & soups, there's a lot of goodies to get all organized in each family's basket. It's a labor of love I look forward to every year.
The stand-alone review will be coming soon, with all the good stuff you need to know before you buy one of these battery operated gizmos from Ryobi.
Well that wraps up this month's status report (which is really good since I'm technically 2 days behind). Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have an incredible, blessed and fantastic day. 😊
If you have any questions, please feel welcome to leave a comment.
Lovely update that certainly reflects some on my feelings as well. Winter doesn’t hold tone appeal , to me, that the other seasons do. Our yards are also bedded down for the season. Your political comment is spot on.
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