Potpourri ...26º

Monday was a cold, snowy, rainy day here on Barton Heights...Clam chowder simmered on the stove, wood stove crackling downstairs and Herb catching up on the laundry, while I unpacked from my weekend getaway...Then I made myself open one of my essays started in 2011 named "Dumpster Diving Mama"...This essay is an important part of "the book" but one that for me has been a struggle...We start a new session with Katey next month and I'm determined to edit, rework and cut this piece until it is finished...GRRRR... Neighbor Marsha brought a box of tomatoes to our front door, that she gleaned from her greenhouse, sure that I would find a use for them, so she didn't have to throw them away.

On Tuesday morning I sliced and diced tomatoes and onions, place them on three cookie sheets and topped them with chunky sea salt, basil, garlic and a dab of oil, then into a 400º oven where they quickly cooked into a thick, fragrant sauce...I decided to try some homemade catsup by adding lemon juice and sugar and used the immersion blender on it...Still chunky and tasted pretty good so jarred it in 4oz jars and froze it...The other two pans were divided into small portions in baggies and labeled tomato paste, they also went into the freezer.

While this was cooking Herb was putting the garden to bed for the winter...He had covered the garden plot with a think layer of chopped leaves from our maple and aspen trees, then sprinkled llama poop over top...I joined him and started scattering straw as the next layer and topped it off with alfalfa pellets...We have lots of straw bales so a thick layer of straw was laid down on all the paths and the garden perimeter to keep the weeds at bay...We gave out before it was all done so will finish it this morning as we have one more sunny day before October ends...Chance of showers are in the forecast for Halloween...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Gail Swart as she finished her concert on Sunday night.