Daily Notes- August 9

Yesterday's harvest.   I managed to find another cucumber this morning.  Not as many flowers on the vines so the plants might be getting tired.  I did get about 10X as many as last year (2) so I am happy. My daughter was over  to get a can of gasoline and some lawn mower oil.  She is giving up on the battery powered mowers.  They last two years and then you have to buy a whole new mower.

Anyway, while she was here I fed her late lunch and she picked herself two large pints of blueberries and asked me to make salty pickles for her.  I need to buy a few more things but will be happy to make them.  I might just do a quart of the cucumbers for a start.  Then move on to the cauliflower and carrot ones.  The recipe is from a Smith and Hawkins recipe book.  I really miss that company and their Japanese Farmer Pants with the padded knees.

While reading the cookbook this morning I discovered why my grandmother tucked a grape leaf or two in her jars of pickles.  It takes the place of alum in pickling recipes.  Alum.  So the pickles are crisp. Fascinating.   I wonder who figured that out back in the old days?  The recipe book has a few interesting (currently) recipes for squash casseroles.  I might enjoying making one now that I have enough zucchini pickles.

I realized I hadn't posted yesterday.  It's wasn't a great day for me and the dog.  He was having a really hard time of it.  Finally ate some food and fell asleep.  He seemed to have had a good night. Wanted me to go check the tomatoes first thing this morning.  Really protective of the tomato plants.

I let go of a friend yesterday.  Just out of the blue (I thought) saying having a nice life-goodbye. But now I am seeing this loss and the first one years ago in a different perspective.  I am feeling relief.  And I am seeing that that first friend was feeling relief at letting ME go.  The wheel of Life.  It goes round.  And, it was good.  I was easy for the first time in years after that sudden break up.  I understood.  Sometimes we have to see a situation from both sides.  We outgrow people.  Things and circumstances change.  We let go. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong.

Things on the computer seem "sticky" today and some updates need to be installed. I'll hit the install button when I post this.  I haven't been very productive.  I did clean the entire house (mostly floors and shedding dog hair and drool) but I also cleaned sinks and did laundry.  I even folded it and put it away.  New content on Jude's classes.  I need to catch up.  Sew some patches.