More Brews

Today a made a number of things that fall into one of two categories: Unphotographable or Whowouldwanttoseeitevenifyoucould. But I did bottle two gallons of sacred ale, one of Melissa and one of Cardamom. Pretty, aren't they?

I replenished my yeast stash and got that make-up Melissa mead going and started a batch each of Wormwood and of Sage. My Monarda (bee balm) will be blooming any day and I plan to make a batch of ale with those blossoms. Brewing season has indeed begun!

Bubble, Bubble ...

... no toil ... no trouble!

The Most of a Sunny Day

Today was a mostly sunny day - the first one in weeks, and I made my way into the garden to face facts. Many - if not most - of the seedlings that were put in or sprouted in the past 2-3 weeks are no more. Several of my peppers are in question as well, yet most of the tomatoes seem fine enough. I did more transplanting and put in more seeds and offered blessings yet again. I harvested another half-pound of Melissa to start the infusion for my next batch of Melissa mead - one to make up for the "bad situation" batch the other day. Halley liberated herself and upon her return I hosed her down and then chilled on the late afternoon deck to enjoy the last bottle of our Hopped Porter Variation that I humorously labeled "HPV." Well - I think it's funny. This was one of the best dark ales we've ever made and I savored every drop.

My latest little "Figures of Love" were finally fully dry and I started painting the first layers. Today I cleaned earth and paint from under my nails. Today I made the most of a sunny day.

The Best of a Bad Situation

After a lovely visit from my sweet friend Granny Annie I got to work on two one gallon batches of mead. What's bad about that? Well ... yesterday I harvested and prepared a half-pound of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) for steeping overnight. This morning I added green tea, lemon juice, cooked banana and 3 pounds of delicious local honey. What's so bad about that? Well, I hydrated the wine yeast, got a PA reading and got to vigorously stirring oxygen into the mead-to-be. Thing is, for my one gallon wine-n-mead batches, I start the primary fermentation in glass jars and normally I stir with my plastic wine spoon, and today I was stirring with my stainless steel spoon, that is until ...

CRACK!

And I watched with a stunned despair as what would have been five bottles of delicious Melissa mead cascade down the kitchen drain. So sad. So very, very sad.

Even so I was glad that I was stirring the batch in the sink. All I could really do is sigh a blessing down the drain and out into the deep, dark depths of the septic system. Such is life.

But I had yeast waking up on the counter, so I had to act fast! I had some rose petals and earl grey tea leaves steeping and bananas cooked for another project, so I measured out three pounds of honey, heated it with as little water as I could get away with, added cool water, the rose infusion, strained tea, mashed bananas and stirred it with the plastic spoon. I pitched the yeast with a cheer of love and gratitude. What else could I do?

I'll be naming this batch "Emergency Mead." It will be as close to a "straight" mead as I've ever made. In any event I continued with the rose petal batch, making the adjustments for the stolen elements. Both are bubbling away nicely.

And me? I'm delighted and grateful to have sweet friends to share it with. When the time comes. Slainte!

My Way into the Light

Daybreak arrived with a strange light shining down from a blue sky. Quite frankly, it was a bit like waking to an alien landscape. I asked, "Is that the sun?" Really - I did. Well, it came and went, dancing with cloud cover throughout the day. No rain though. Like a miracle. Afternoon came and I hit the mostly dry gardens. I harvested a few quarts of strawberries, some cat mint and peppermint. The catmint, while past-prime, will be dried for teas and the peppermint will become a pesto. Several seedlings did not survive the last several days of constant cloud cover and rain fall. Such is life. Time for contingency plans. After all, I don't garden as a hobby. I garden to grow a large part of my own food. Most folks don't understand this - even when they say they do.

The strawberries were sorted. Fresh picked garlic scapes were chopped and last week's infused vinegar was strained onto today's fresh pickings to continue the infusion. Gonna be good! I love garlic scape infused vinegar, to me it has a buttery flavor. Somehow, a bottle of mead and a bottle of cranberry wine found their way to the harvest table. Hey - the sun was shining - and I should too!

Now ... while my little acre is mostly dry, I have more Melissa to harvest so I can start a Melissa MEAD! Later!

This & That. You?

I spun some custom Spirit Chokers and my wheels a bit again today, though not without some positive gain. I started some paint layering on a fresh set of "Impressions of Nature" and that activity always bring my pleasure.

I made my way into the damp gardens, I made dinner and I made time for a friend. I made this and that. That's what I made today. You?

(A Healthy) Attitude

Today was one of those days filled with the ordinary angst-n-excitement of Getting Things Done. You know, the kind of day filled with tasks that take far longer than you plan, leaving you with a feeling of accomplishment for all that was overcome and achieved, pitted against the feelings of disappointment and frustration for all that is still left to be done.

But then ... I hug my dog, I hug my spouse, I watch a movie, I read the first paragraph of a "new" library book and harmony returns to me and all that crap that still needs tending matters not an iota to me, for it will all - most likely - be there tomorrow and I can continue this journey rebalanced, harmonic and with (a healthy) attitude.

More of the Same, Only Different

There is a static energy around me these days and I am doing what I am able to manage it (without actually throwing him out of the hut). My morning derailed and I ended up skirting my duties, missing already-late deadlines, picking ripe strawberries in the rain and playing with clay. Now I'm off to burn a bit of sage and wander the hut with my healing drum.