Lunga di Napoli Score

Today I processed one Lunga di Napoli squash because it had some nibbles that might have compromise long-term storage. It’s the largest of five, and it weighed in at 25 pounds 'n' 13 ounces.

So... there's 16 pints in the canner, 8 trays in the dehydrator, two quarts puréed, and another two quarts raw, for the oven tonight.

Not too shabby for one squash!

Peace. 🕊

Patience

We're perched on the rim of autumn's arrival in my part of the world, and my work table awaits me with projects, mending and repairs, art journaling, and some adulting to be addressed before November's arrival.  And even though November's arrival still feels a long way off, methinks we all know... tempus fugit. 

And it's because of that winged time that my focus points only to the gardens right now, on the harvests, and the preservations in progress. Today there's Lunga di Napoli, a winter squash, that needs harvesting so the curing may begin... there's harvested crabapples that need attention... autumn crops that need some love, and the daily garden harvests 'n' maintenance that go with growing 'n' preserving a lion's share of our food. 

It's work, no doubt, yet it is profound enJOYment and magical Medicine that nourishes 'n' sustains us in oh so many ways. Plus, I dig "shopping" in our pantries, in a far out way. 

So today, as my work table holds its pattern in this seasonal suspended animation, I'll be harvesting green beans for dinner as well as for the dehydrator... making crabapple juice... prepping tomatoes to dry, and bag for the freezer (for future purée), harvesting those winter squash, some amaranth, broom corn, various greens, summer squash, and more... and managing the seasonal lists for the days ahead. 

So for my creative friends participating in this week's What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday, that's my deal... a work table in the waiting. And I do look forward to the days of opening a jar of homemade garden soup for a quick meal so I can catch up on those projects patiently waiting.

Peace. 🕊 

 

Sam the Cat

It's been forever since I've participated in a creative challenge. It's been forever since I've participated in any online art community. But I want to get back to it, because it's such a good Medicine, and so I shall. I need to be patient with myself, as this is a very busy time of year for us on our little acre, what with growing, harvesting, and preserving a lion's share of our own vegetable food. That said, I do journal in some way most every day, be it words, scribbles 'n' doodles, some thing… because creative expression is good Medicine.

I used to be a regular participant of Art Journal Journey, and it's been years - literal years - since I've engaged. Yet this month's theme inspired me to catch a sketch of Sam the Cat, sitting on a book, gazing out the window, while I sipped a cup of tea. After all, this month's theme is Books, Cats and Tea. 

So there it is: A baby step to return to the fab community of art journalers out there. It feels good. ::nods::

🕊