Good Times, Bad Times, Give Me Some of That...

It's been a wild summer. Brutal and blessed. So many things have happened. So much done. Visitors galore.

Zeppelin is more than twice the size he was when we brought him home two and half months ago. The garden is in full bloom and we've just pulled our first big harvest of peas, carrots, zucchini, and green beans. The corn is tasseled and we're starting to see little cobs and silk. The squash is just starting and the radishes are all cleaned and in the fridge.


Just washed carrots, fresh from the garden

Last week we canned 100 pounds of tomatoes, and this week we did another 100 pounds. The cabinets are packed to bursting with jars and we're picking up another 100 pounds this Saturday. I think this next batch will be split into frozen and sun dried. Tonight Jeff will be freezing the 15 quarts of broth that's finishing on the stove. We had to use the 46 quart pot we've been using for the tomatoes because it was the only thing big enough to hold the two giant yak shanks that are becoming the broth.

We're still making it into the 80's during the day; which here in the high desert mountains feels like the low to mid 70's. At night the temperatures are really starting to dip. Sweaters are a must for our dinners on the patio and last night I had to get up to close the bedroom window because I didn't have enough blankets on the bed. Some little person had hidden the thermometer so I couldn't check the temperature, but I'm guessing it was the upper 30s. That would be the second time in the past 6 weeks that we've dipped into the 30s at night. It's definitely time to get the row covers on the gardens.


Behind the house. Yes it really was this intense. That's why they're called the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Blood of Christ)

The fire restrictions are finally off the forest that surrounds us, but the landscape didn't recover this year and we're hoping for a good heavy winter. I can feel, smell, and see fall in the air already and my thoughts have turned to planning the kids' halloween costumes, oiling and storing the patio furniture, and stacking the firewood in it's place. Jeff has just a few months now to pull down the trees, haul the logs out of the forest and begin splitting it all for the kids and I to stack.


Morning Ritual

It's been a busy summer for Jeff. He still has a corporately held contract as Senior Systems and Network Engineer. On the side he has been taking a bit of local work for one of the banks, as well as a few websites, e-commerce sites, and preparing to launch his own company. If that wasn't enough he's in negotiation for a part time senior level position for a company in Santa Fe that needs him in order to be able to take on some bigger needs clients. If you can't tell, we're trying to diversify. :-p Getting paid on time for contract work seems to be mostly a dream. We often wait up to 7 weeks for his company to pay on each 4 week invoice; which, yes, equates to them always running farther and farther behind.

We've worked out some great barters this year as well. We've had our chest freezer full of some amazingly wonderful, locally raised, free ranging, grass-fed exotic meats. I'm about to begin a 20 hour course in Tarot; something I've always been interested in, but would never have been able to prioritize, and more 2 hour massages than we've been able to schedule for.

I've been busy as well. I've fallen down on my Medicine Wheel studies and decided to take a great class from a woman that I have sooo much respect and admiration for. It's getting me excited again, forcing me to get into action with my studies, and begin to integrate these soul expanding rituals into my life and thoughts.

All in all things are good. I can't really think of much that I would trade this life for.