Thursday thoughts

in which our plucky heroine notices that the season is shifting, as the daylight hours grow less. Still hot in the afternoons, but it cools down at night now, and this morning's ride to the hardware store was cool enough that a cardigan would have been useful...

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~ a dream of pie ~

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It may have been a bit better to start picking the plums last week, as far too many of them are either windfalls or partially eaten by birds or squirrels, and it wasn't really a good crop this year to begin with. Still, I've been going out early in the cool of the morning, before the danger bugs wake up, and filling a bucket or basket with what I can reach. They get washed, and cut in half, pitted, and frozen to be part of my daily meals for the rest of the year. It might be necessary to deploy the fruit picking stick this year.

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~ pear candy ~

Filling and running the food dehydrator twice means that the big Fido jar is now full of dried pear "candy" (slices and bits). There may be enough pears still to do as much again...

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Another thing that happens this time of year, is the annual invasion of arachnids. I've learned to check the tub before showering... Three times in the last two weeks there have been rather large spiders  in the bathtub. Fortunately, spider-catching stuff lives in the bathroom and the combination of transparent solo cup and postcard is usually enough to catch and release. 

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~ conundrum ~

Our plucky heroine is baffled. Promised to make a set of four pillow shams with inserted ¼" flat piping around all four edges... which I thought would be straightforward, (though I've never done flat piping on outside corners). Turns out to be a technical challenge for which I've been unable to find any diagrams or instruction online or in my reference books, yet ready-made shams have that edge?!? My first idea, tried last night, didn't work well. 

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I'm trying to make homemade mustard, but unsure of eventual success. Despite soaking for over 24 hours, neither my mini food processor and/or my stick blender made much progress actually grinding the softened seeds. Maybe soak for another day and try again? The appliances may just not be robust enough for this task? The mortar and pestle worked well, but only a spoonful at a time, so not going to attempt the whole cup and a half! 

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 barkcloth tea towels	box fan grille	greenwaste bin
2	yellow triangle pouch	needle gauge herb stripper	greenwaste bin
3	knitted pony	pruning elderberry	recycle bin
4	8 jars quince apple  rosewater sauce	pruning nandina	-
5	6+ jars fig lemon marmalade	picked moar figs	-
6	dried pears	picked plums	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- eight hours of sleep
- multiple spider catching cups
- plum thicket

Time of Isolation - Day 1915