The Trying

Lots of crawly friends in the garden this week:

The swallowtail caterpillars are growing.

And this spider, perhaps a cross orb weaver or spotted orb weaver, built a web between two of the garden posts and now has a tasty treat stored there.

Sunsets are creeping earlier and I have to rush into the garden as soon as I walk in the front door if I want to see it. (Days that I work from home, it’s easier.)

Today I transplanted an orange mum from a container to the ground out front. It is about to bloom. I’ve had it since at least last fall. Fingers crossed that it likes being in the ground. It had gotten huge.

This week I processed another batch of tomatoes for the freezer, using the stewing method from the paste recipe since it was too warm to roast them. Those seeds went into another glass jar to ferment. The first batch of tomato seeds, from last week (on the left), is just about done.

Saturday, I took a critical look at the fridge before going food shopping, and tried to plan some meals that would use up what we have. Dinner that night was ground beef from the freezer, with gravy made using things on hand including frozen beef broth. I had potatoes I had to use up so I bought some more of the same kind. I roasted carrots that needed to get used.

Now I have to do something with all these apples we have (Tom and I both bought apples that F didn’t like). But first, I made strawberry banana bread this morning, since I had a lot of both fruits in the freezer. (And I still have enough for another loaf).

I defrosted some meat to make meatballs, but guess that will have to be tomorrow as I’m out of time. I’ve been partying all weekend, you know. I went to the Porchfest pre-party on Friday night, out with Tom Saturday night, and out to watch the Eagles game with friends today. Who am I?

I also left work early on Friday and went to see F’s volleyball game. It was great to see her play! (and great to escape work early on a beautiful day).

None of these weekend events was too pricey. I did buy a gift for a suddenly sick friend, and I bought F’s official volleyball pictures. I also had to buy new foundation. It’s kind of ridiculous that drugstore brand foundation is up to $18 a bottle. Once I make my move to the farm… no more makeup!

[“When I move to the farm…” is becoming my equivalent of “When my ship comes in…,” which my grandfather used to say all the time.]

Additionally, T has racked up some speeding and parking tickets. So I have to decide if I should make him take the responsibility of paying them, or just handle it myself and get the money off him. Since it was my car, I’m inclined toward the latter.

Little wins this week:

• I went to Wawa Saturday morning but forgot my phone, meaning I couldn’t scan my Rewards card. The cashier said I could call and ask for the points to be added. I sent a message online later asking about it. If I must use the phone, I will. Anything to get those points.
• I scanned that receipt and others into Fetch. I’m up to around 4,000 points.
• At CVS, I got an ice pack for 39 cents! It was summer clearance. F. needed one for her lunch bag.
• I used a 40% coupon on a box of Q tips, also at CVS. Wish I had saved it for the foundation.
• We had a lot of leftover pizza Monday night, so I froze it. It heats up perfectly in the oven.

Meals this week:

Sunday: pulled pork and carnitas (ready to eat from Sprouts) on rolls, roasted potatoes and roasted carrots.

Monday: Pizza from Cafe Antonio

Tuesday: Shrimp scampi

Wednesday: Grilled chicken, Rice a Roni and corn

Thursday: Thai food from Circles plus sauteed green beans

Friday: Leftover Thai food

Saturday: Ground beef with gravy, roasted carrots, corn, and parslied potatoes.

Lunches: bought twice, brought a turkey/avocado sandwich once.

I don’t think we’ll have an official dinner tonight. Everyone is in and out. I have to go pick up another used planter from FB Marketplace in a little while. This one will probably be for my garlic, once it arrives.

Sometimes I still think about that book I read this summer, The Good Life, and how the authors were vegetarians in the 1930s and onward. They described how they would basically just eat produce straight from the garden for all three meals. I think they actually were vegan? They did not believe in keeping animals. Wikipedia says they were inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame. I could live without meat but not without carbs or dairy…

Another random thought: one of the things I love about gardening/farming is that it is endless. You’ll never grow everything. There will always be a crop you could add, something else you can learn about.

As T.S. Eliot said (according to Robert Redford, in one of the tributes I read), “There is only the trying. The rest is not our business.”