Once again, I sit here looking back on a month that has just flown by. It saddens me to see how quickly time passes the older I get, and makes me want to put the brakes on anything that takes time away from home and family. Like yard work, appointments, phone calls, standing in line, running errands. But since we can't stop time or even slow it down, all we can do is throw ourselves in headfirst and spend every waking moment of our lives doing what pleases us. Like playing with our children. And developing relationships. And celebrating every day. And reconnecting with friends and family. After all, there are only 2 things we can take with us: our faith and our relationships, so make sure you work on those things each day!
So now that's over, what have you done this month to be better prepared for winter? I know. It's crazy talking about winter, but it will be here before you know it. Get ready now so you can sleep when the wind blows!
Store Something: It's time to start saving seeds for next year's garden. We let one lettuce plant go to seed, along with some onions, herbs and greens.
Grow Something: Our green bean harvest was very disappointing this year, so tonight we're ripping out the old vines and planting a short-season Italian green bean. Hopefully they'll make up for what the first planting lacked. It's also time for a second planting of carrots, beets, spinach.
Harvest Something: Green beans, carrots, blackberries, red raspberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers.
Preserve Something: This month we put up green beans, applesauce, peach butter, blackberry jelly, and lots and lots of pickles.
Practice/Learn Something Useful: I've been practicing a good deal with firearms this month and am giving consideration to a CCP. That's still way up in the air though.
Do Something the Old Fashioned Way: We built our own deck over July shutdown. Does doing-it-yourself count as old-fashioned?
Have Fun! This month we took the kids to the AF museum, played card games on rainy nights, spent time in the pool, surprised Mamaw with donuts for her birthday and watched fireworks on the 4th. We also finished up an incredible series on Revelations at church.
So what was your July like? Any lovely productiveness you'd like to share?
3 comments:
July seems like it was spent at the pool with the swim team. But now that it's over, I can concentrate on the remaining summer projects. Despite it all, my garden has finally started to produce something. And I'm pleased that I am learning to garden on a bit larger scale, organically repel gophers (with at least SOME success if not all), and I've learned some new techniques. The new fence is up around the garden and my husband is planning the drip system as we speak (since it does NOT rain in Southern CA). I really need to get out there and plant some fall crops, harvest some peas, and start some serious plans for extending the season on my tomatoes since they're late. Oh, and I learned a LOT about berries and got both ollaliberries and cherries put away in the freezer. Raspberries are next.
Can't believe we'll soon be staring fall in the face. Beans have not worked out well here either. :( Hope your having a good summer.
We didn't get as much done as we'd have liked, but we never do, do we? Our green beans did well enough for us to enjoy them with supper once or twice a week, but not enough to put any up for the winter. It was just lack of experience on our parts. We have never tried to grow in excess of what we would eat right away and we underestimated. We are just about finished prepping the beds for a second planting though. This time, lots more green beans! The cucumbers, on the other hand, are thick as fleas. I put up 11 pints of bread and butter pickles a couple of weeks ago and am canning dill pickles this weekend. A friend from work is coming over after church on Sunday to assist. She wants to learn how to use a canner and I'm always glad for the company.
It's too hot in central Texas to do much outside this time of year. So we will be focusing on indoor projects for the next few weeks. Reorganizing our food storage space and adding some shelves is the primary goal.
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