Tag: around the house (Page 9 of 27)

Preparing for the Snow

October 26, 2012 / Lindsey / 2 Comments

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After what has been one of the hottest, most wearisome summers in my memory, it seems that the autumn season has finally, completely (mercifully!?) clunked into place. We had our first snowfall, which began on Wednesday night by way of a steady rain. I was delighted to see this, so armed with an umbrella and steaming tea in a to-go cup, I ventured out for an enchanting night walk. And an hour after I got back, the rain switched over to snow, falling fast and blowing sideways, blizzard style. By that time the two of us and the cat were all squashed together on the couch, side by side by side, vegging out in front of PBS. A cozy, snowy night.

The next morning, we awoke to the wonderland you see above. Cold and still and silent.

I love the snow because it’s so peaceful.

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If we back up a little bit, though, Tuesday was a gorgeous day with temperatures in the mid-70s, and I was out in shorts and a tank top getting the last of the garden chores in order. It was a busy garden day and I was exhausted at the end, but the progress felt good.

Here are some pictures from my end-of-summer preparations:

The garden in early October just after our first frost nipped a few things.

Potting up the thyme to take inside for the winter

Red Siberian heirloom tomatoes, (c) The Herbangardener

Red Siberian heirloom tomatoes -- I'll definitely grow these again

One of the leeks from the harvest

Cabbage and potatoes, (c) The Herbangardener

Cabbage and potatoes just harvested

The rest of the tomatoes, picked and ready to store.

Storing the green tomatoes in the coolest spot in the house (the coat closet).

End-of-season applesauce making

Bringing some of the garden stuff indoors

Tilled in our homemade compost and made a "nursery bed" for the garlic. I'll transplant them in spring to their usual spots around the perimeter of each raised bed. This nursery bed thing is a new thought I had -- never done it this way, but I'm counting on it working like a charm.

Putting the garden to bed

Dusk, my favorite

The first snowfall

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Retreat

September 28, 2012 / Lindsey / 3 Comments

Well, after the completion of 10 months of my two heavy-duty antibiotics, I sensed that the time was finally right to receive some acupuncture. So I went for my first treatment on Monday, and woahhh!! The stuff is powerful. My body was still metabolizing the drugs anyway (it’s slow at that), but the treatment seemed to really kick things into high gear and now I can see why all this time I was getting the feeling to ‘just wait’ — because any sooner and I’d still have been on the drugs and it would have been altogether too much for my sensitive body. So I laid extremely low all week long, pretty much just ‘surviving it’ and resting and reading and sleeping and drinking mugs of tea and plain hot water, and finally today I’m feeling quite a bit better.

And I have to tell you about a strike of brilliance! It was cool, cloudy, and sorta rainy most of the week, and on Wednesday I had this idea to bring my electric blanket and down comforter outside onto the chaise lounge on the back porch. A heated outdoor lounge. OH YES! And so I was able to be outside all day long, and all evening too, with chilly air against my face but all cozy and toasty at the same time. The electric blanket went under me with the comforter over me. It was as decadent as it sounds. It also really helped to be outside; I have trouble being laid up inside because it just screams “SICK!” and that’s depressing. I love being outside!!

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View from the lounge:

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I was craving fresh juice, so I gathered apples that we just picked off our tree, as well as some celery and parsley out of the garden, and juiced them all. It was incredible!

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F ordered two storm lanterns and they arrived yesterday. They are awesome! We love the ambiance they lend. And I loved being cozy on my lounge past dark with the lantern light on the porch.

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I hope you’ve all had a good week. Happy Friday!!

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Late night catnip party

September 26, 2012 / Lindsey / 3 Comments

If you have a cat,

and you harvest catnip seeds,

and you leave the seed packet lying out on a table overnight,

you might just wake up to something like this:

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Waiting

September 19, 2012 / Lindsey / 4 Comments

The energies must really be flying; have you felt the intensity? I’ve had a rough time of it lately; “severely distressed” would not be understating it. I feel awfully uneasy when I begin brushing against the outermost edge of my sanity, feeling trapped on all sides by that which feels utterly hopeless, questions I don’t have answers to, have-to’s I don’t want to face, and complex decisions that need to be made which will have very real ramifications now and in the future.

But it’s a solitary experience that one can only resolve for oneself; nobody else can, or should, do it for you. So outwardly, while I quietly peel apples at the table, inside I feel blown apart amidst the deafening maelstrom.

And my poor Honey, too, is mucking through much, and we both walk around with furrowed brows, preoccupied with what weighs so heavily upon each of us.

Such intensity right now.

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At times it feels like the most that I can muster is to just wait. Wait, and hope that it please just starts feeling lighter.

So whenever I can, I insert into my day that which is as light and life-affirming as possible.

I make applesauce from the apples off our tree. I have tea. I sit outside and put my face in the sun. I go barefoot. I read fluffy magazines (because that’s all I really feel like doing right now anyway, cause I’ve just about been done in otherwise). I cook cool things in my solar oven. I sing to my kitty-cat and attune myself to her zen-like vibe. I hug F, and hug him again. I sit by the garden in the long shadows of the evening.

And slowly, I work through these decisions — pairing purposeful action with sitting peacefully within the unknowing (still practicing), and at the end of the day, simply hoping it’ll all turn out okay.

Slowly, the world feels a tad lighter.

And then the next day, maybe even a little lighter still.

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Calendula

Solar-powered sun jar

A cup of tea, thoroughly enjoyed.

Apple peeling

Applesauce through food mill, (c) The Herbangardener

Applesauce making

The mice are active in prep for autumn, so Liz too has been active.

Waiting for mice

She caught a moth here near the light, and is waiting in case of another one.

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Functional Art

September 14, 2012 / Lindsey / 4 Comments

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It’s nice to make mundane things beautiful.

Instead of purchasing a standard “No Solicitors” plaque to post next to our doorbell, I wanted to make one that was a little prettier and a little friendlier (but not too colorful, and heavens, no smiley faces).

F and I tinkered with wording, trying to state it in the positive — the way a sign at a public garden might say “Let It Grow!” instead of “Don’t Pick the Flowers.”

We thought “We admire your persistence, and yet we thank you for allowing our doorbell to remain un-rung” was nice, although perhaps a bit…meandering.

We wanted our statement to be friendly, yet firm, but “Please no solicitors, Thank you” had the subtlest undertone of ‘beg.’

(This is important stuff. Worthy of lengthy discussion.)

“No Solicitors Please” was F’s suggestion, and it seemed just right.

We like it.

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(And its batting average, you ask? 0 for 2! And they shoved Romney campaign fliers in the mailbox before leaving. Hmph…)