Apple time!
My friend from our old parish always calls me up when their apples are ready. They seem to ripen earlier than other apples in this part of the country, and sometimes we have been in a kind of craziness because they arrive during fair time. But this year it seems earlier yet! Which is fine. I have time this week to do stuff with them. I am thankful that my friend always thinks of me and is so generous. She gave me 2 huge boxes of apples. Probably equivalent to 2 bushels. I started thinking about what to do with them - last year I made apple butter, put sliced apples in the freezer and made pie filling. Some of that stuff we have not finished eating yet. Also last year, I learned that you can make apple butter without peeling the apples- a huge time saver! So I decided to make apple sauce with the same sort of method - cut up the apples, boil them to soften, and then put them through the blender to puree the peels. It worked like a charm! I made 5 pints of regular apple sauce, and 8 pints of rosy (cinnamon) apple sauce. I also have apple butter cooking in the crock pot. I am done with one box! I have plans to do the same thing with the other box. Applesauce is something that we all like, and the shelf life for canned appleasuce is fairly long.
I took Harper out to practice driving this evening. I was excited to see that the elderberries are blooming. I have permission to take some cuttings from the edge of the neighbor's field. (He wants wine). I am planning to put them in the area with my other fruit trees and bushes. Unfortunately, unless they are blooming, I cannot seem to identify them from the rest of the bushes and grass. I didn’t cut any tonight- I’m going to have to hike down in a ditch, and I just didn’t have on the right shoes for that nonsense today! Harper is so vastly different from other kids I have taught to drive. She is actually cautious. And careful. It is refreshing!
A few thoughts I have running through my brain - summer time is going by too quickly. My morning exercise/gardening/pool upkeep time with Grace is now starting in the dark. I hate how fast time flies by. I am not ready to think about school/bus driving yet. No, it is not the worst job, and no I don't hate it, but I like not having my day dissected, and I love my morning conversations with Grace. I think I also function better when I get up and do some work before going to work. I do get up and do chores and work in the winter time as well, but it is just not as enjoyable. Mostly, I think it is because I don't enjoy being out in the dark, and of course, you know how I feel about the cold. But also, because although I love my husband and I like visiting with him, a girl needs another girl to gossip and gab with! I am dedicated to visiting with Grace, but not dedicated enough to get up at 4 am in order to have enough time! :)
I managed to get the pool back to blue - now to get the clarity back! The new sand in the filter is making a difference - I am hoping by the end of the week it will all be normal again. I am not sure what I am doing wrong this year, but it has been a bit more of a struggle! Last year, the weather was warm enough I probably could have swam even into October - but I broke my shoulder and had surgery and it was just not in the cards. I hope this year we can use the pool well after school starts.
My nuggets - they had a great time at the library swimming party! Wrenley even won some passes to the Rolling Hills Zoo. Evelyn has discovered she can facetime people from her Ipad. I told her I will only answer once a day - I love you but I can't be facetiming you all day long! She also quickly figured out that Aunt Bubba is a sucker! Amusingly, Aunt Bubba told me "this is her 4th time calling - and I don't mind talking to her, but right now she wants me to watch her play Barbies! Poor aunt Bubba!!
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