Daily Notes- September 2nd

My flower.  I have drawn this and made it into cloth for years and years. This one, from my drawing book, is fancier than usual.  Makes me happy to see it here.  Perhaps I will add yellow to the paint plate and try and paint a flower. Sort of looks like a Spirit Flower? If you see this..think of me.

I had sliced about 10 or more very hard green tomatoes and one medium onion (salted overnight) to make the green tomato pickle.  I cooked it with vinegar, sugar and mustard seeds yesterday.  Gave it a taste test.  Added more sugar.  Tasted again.  Good.  And a use for any green tomatoes in the next week.  I didn't process in hot water canner.  The recipe just made one jelly jar.   The figs are plumping up.  I will use the canner to make G's fig jam when the figs are ready.  And the grapes are getting big.  Still very green.  I will have to decide whether or not to make grape jelly.  It's been many many years since I did it.  And it was QUITE the job.  The canner in September is okay.  July and August it's really heavy going.

And I am getting ready for cloth and plants in the big steamer kettle as things turn.  I have a carton of soy milk to use as mordant for the first time and I have been watering and tending my very own eucalyptus plant out on the back deck.  It's waist high.  Soy mordant and fresh eucalyptus leaves.  Could I possibly get that gorgeous orange?  I am hoping my daughter remembers to collect the purple smoke bush leaves- big ones that gave me such good prints last Fall.  And I must remind the owner of the Black Walnut tree to send me walnuts. For dye and ink.

The kitchen will be a very busy place in the next few weeks.

Riley is here beside me-- just staring at nothing.  G thought he had found the dog whistle.  No. Riley and I went out to get the paper this morning....and the re-entry into the house was like old times.  No problems.  He's had morning pills, not eaten his breakfast, and helped me write my first Morning Pages of September.  Last time I did pages was Aug 28th.  Birthday is coming in just over two weeks time.  Raspberry Jelly Doughnut instead of cake.  But first our Fifty First Wedding Anniversary. That always makes me stop and be gobsmacked.  How the hell did we do that?  Benign Neglect.

So, its September.  Cooler at night and very overcast today.  We are expecting rain.  I checked the tomatoes for water.  They sure do look raggedy.  I might just make G a pot of homemade tomato soup with little cheese dumplings.  He hasn't had a proper supper in weeks and weeks.  But I'll use a can of tomatoes.  I don't have enough ripe ones for soup.  An excuse to drive over to the bank, library, grocery store triangle and return my books and buy canned tomatoes.  A few more onions.  A box of cereal, milk and heavy cream to drizzle over the soup.  And lettuce.  I forgot lettuce for the BLT I was planning on eating this weekend.