Giant Puffball - Growing at the side of my driveway

Kylee

The Last of the Tomatoes?

Word of the Day

Opup - To push one's glasses back on the nose.

Tuesday was a total loss when it comes to getting anything accomplished. I'd promised BW Babe and JC that I'd help them drive their second car into the big city. They were trading both their old cars in for a brand new GMC Sierra pickup truck. They were SO excited to have this new truck with all the bells and whistles. Although I regret the loss of time, I don't regret helping out. Besides, they treated me to a wonderful meal. By the way, riding in the back seat of a pick-up truck...even a brand new one, isn't good for your back. I was happy to get home that night. It takes a LONG time to sign all the paperwork and learn how to use your new car. I read two Smithsonian magazines and TOTALLY regret that I didn't bring my book.

My new Foodsaver came on Wednesday so I spent a great deal of time on Thursday, vacuum-sealing frozen packages of cooked puffballs, ratatouille, homemade spaghetti sauce, fried Italian peppers, fish, and miscellaneous meats that I don't want to get freezer burned over the winter. I still need to vacuum seal a few more things but...I still need to eat so it'll have to wait another week? I SO am starting to panic at how time is flying by. However, the food items that I'll be bringing back to Arizona with me are ready to go.

Seasonal Toys came and picked up my big boat so they could winterize it. The dock is looking a bit lonely. However, they brought the boat back on Friday and helped me stow it in the garage. They even pressure washed it and said something about vacuuming it and cleaning the inside next spring. I KNOW that I'm going to be paying big bucks for this but....

Friday was spent canning. I canned another three quarts of diced tomatoes. And...then, BW Babe asked me why I don't can my frozen lemon juice that has been taking up space in my freezer. Huh...hadn't thought of that. So, I "canned" four pints of lemon juice. I put the work "can" in quotes because you don't really need to "can" lemon juice. It is so acidic, no real canning is necessary. All I had to do was bring it up to a boil, ladle it into jars, add lids and rings and wait for the jars to seal. They did. I labeled them and stored them down in the basement.

Fall is coming fast and furious. Kylee and I sat down on the dock last night. It was peaceful...until Kylee noted some leaves floating by and under the dock. At this point, she HAD to bark at them. *sigh* Crazy dog. The leaves are turning and starting to fall.

I NEED to get moving here. I'm looking forward to getting back to Arizona. I'll miss my folks and my time here but it's past time to go home. I miss my HTP! Plus, I'm am so looking forward to visiting with my children and my grandchildren on my trip back home. Too bad it takes so much time and effort packing and loading. Once I'm on the road again, I'll be fine. It's getting to that point that always drives me a bit crazy.

Monday? I'm going to take some me time. While Kylee is at the groomers, I'll be enjoying a relaxing pedicure. That night, I'm having BW Babe and JC over for hamburgers on the grill. We're going to watch the season premiere of The Big Bang Theory. And...we're going to enjoy dessert with a present that Sarge and D Buddy left for me when they visited this summer.

For the most part, I've been making my 10,000 steps per day....but some days it's harder to do that than others.

***

Update: I got my 10,000 steps in...after hiking three times up to the main road and back with Kylee AND hauling in my crayfish traps and bringing those and my fishing gear up to the house. Now...I'm just waiting for the pot of water to come up to boil so I can cook the crayfish that were unexpectedly in the traps. It looks like we might get some rain tonight so I didn't bother bilging the rowboat. The mosquitoes are back so I dragged out the Thermocell lanterns. I WILL sit out on the deck to enjoy this evening and not darned mosquitoes are going to stop me. Kylee decided to spend her time in her nice safe kennel. Someone has been target practicing and she doesn't like the sound of gunfire.

Random Quote of the Day

Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.

- James Bryant Conant (1893 - 1978)