9.14.2015

love and food and words


love.  this girl.  I will not pretend that she doesn't drive me insane sometimes and that often I come up short in the patience department.  of course, if I'm thinking about owning my own emotions I suppose it's that I choose to allow myself to feel overwhelmed and frustrated by things she does when I could choose otherwise, but it's so much easier to just say "they made me feel.......".  anyway.  gosh, that love.  papa worked two nights in a row and she snuggled in bed with me both nights after we read our  Little House chapters (we're currently reading These Happy Golden Years) and both nights after she fell asleep I nearly woke her by holding her so close and trying to smell a little bit of that long gone baby smell.  I thanked the stars and all above that I had her close and that I was warm and safe and dry with a full belly and loads of love.  and not floating adrift in the Mediterranean or cowering in fear in my war-torn neighborhood.  goodness, this world.   I look at her sometimes and feel myself teetering near tears with gratitude.


food. on the counter.  apple rings.  sprouts.  fermented carrots.  here I will admit something that is maybe a little gross.  maybe a little 'she took thrifty a bit far, yeah?'.  so we have the rental house.  people often leave groceries they don't finish and sometimes, depending on what it is, we eat it.  (that's not the gross part.  if you think that's gross then read no more.)  so there's a compost bin at the rental and recently a nice woman left and when I went over to clean I found a whole produce bag of odds and ends in the compost bin.  beneath a few half cucumbers and lettuce leaves was a pile of about a dozen (very clean, really!) already topped and peeled whole carrots.  and well, there you go. that became our next batch of fermented carrots.  also, I am hereby soliciting ideas for delicious fall crockpot meals.  any ideas?


words.  for a while this year I had a hard time finding my groove reading.  I started off with several good novels and then was floundering around for a while feeling a bit 'meh' about my selections.  lately I've been back on track and have been enjoying having both a novel and a nonfiction going at the same time.  some of my favorites so far this year have been The Grapes of Wrath, A Tale for the Time Being,  and Life from Scratch.  and I am loving, loving, LOVING Ben Hewitt's new book, The Nourishing Homestead.  I don't often get a book from the library and then go on to purchase it, but I'll definitely be getting my own copy of this excellent book.  and now I am again dreaming of land......

25 comments:

  1. I just got a notification from the library that my request for the Nourishing Homestead has been fulfilled, and is waiting for me, there on the shelf. Perhaps it's the copy you've just finished. :)

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    1. oh wouldn't that be perfect? I actually still have it- about halfway done and just soaking it all up. I need to get back to you soon- hopefully we'll hang this week! xo

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  2. I really love Ben's book. It read it all in a week. I need to re-read to take more notes.

    As for the carrots well as long as they weren't rotting and you washed them why not use them!

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    1. I feel the same way reading through it, which is why I'm thinking I just need a copy for myself.

      oh yeah- they looked totally fresh and crisp.... score!

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  3. I'll check out that book. I finished reading Cutting for Stone lately and loved it. I want to read other books by the author. And, I understand that heart-full love feeling with the little ones - and the frustration at times. And, my crock pot recipes are so simple that I feel a little silly telling them to you: chicken on top of 2-4 halved onions (add any herbs you want), beans (with garlic, onions, and herbs/spices), pork butt rubbed with spices with a little vinegar, minced onion, garlic, and sugar dribbled over top.

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    1. Cutting for Stone has been on my list forever! I need to pick up a copy and check it out.

      Simple crockpot recipes are definitely just the right ones- thank you for sharing!

      It was nice seeing you at the market this weekend, and I'm so glad you'll be able to make it to the swap!

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  4. stewing steak with root vegetable, parsnips, carrots, onions, swede, onion, celery, leeks. Leave to simmer on the stove for a couple of hours. I make enough for a few days. Replace the beef with lamb or chicken.

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  5. Once you start dreaming of land, it never (truly) goes away. It's like that itch you just *have to scratch. It'll come, you're already on that path.

    Just found you and so very glad I did.

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    1. You are so right- we've been thinking about it, dreaming about it, for about 10 or 12 years. Sometimes it is right up close in my mind, sometimes we push it away for a bit. I'm not ready to leave our sweet little space in town just yet..... I like what we've got going and that we can easily walk or ride bikes to town.... BUT I would SO love to get our hands on a piece of land as soon as we are able and start readying it for the future, and have it as a place to camp out and play for now. though who am I fooling? If we could just dive right in I know we would in a heartbeat!

      welcome, welcome!

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    2. Hey. Have you seen this listing? It is fairly near Black Mountain - a little farm on a river with camping spots. https://www.wncrmls.com/wnc/maildoc/wrmh_1442785721-Sep-20-2015-5_48_41pm.html

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    3. we just looked at it last night after I saw your comment. I had no idea they were selling that farm, but wow. seems like a great little pocket of land right on the river! I wonder how much of it is in the floodplain?????

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  6. Ben's book is fantastic - so much knowledge and I earmarked many pages! I shared a little today about similar feelings with my daughter. She drives me absolutely nuts sometimes, but at the end of the day, snuggled in bed with my little "mouse", I am so thankful for all of it - tantrums and all. (I think it is great that you fessed up to compost diving!)

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    1. I really do love it~ and I love how it feels like a resource and a memoir and a reference all at once. I'll have to head over and read your post- it can be such a tricky dance, parenting, but yes- at the end of the day, what an immense gift!

      compost diving! love it.

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  7. My husband and I listened to Girl on the Train while driving from WI to SC labor day weekend. I was expecting a thriller/who-done-it mystery but we were both really bored by the book. I can't recommend it. Maybe the book reads better than the audio version? One of my fav reads so far this year was Orphan Train. Such a crazy piece of our history that I didn't even know existed!

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    1. I read it and found that the short chapters lead me not to want to put it down, as I kept wanting to see "just what happens next". so in that way, reading versus listening would be a bit different. I actually stayed up until 3:30am to finish it (um, WAY past my bedtime) because of those deliciously short chapters. but in the morning, it was gone. in that, it had no staying power, you know? which I suppose these sorts of books typically don't since it's more about the suspense and such. but me, I like a book that I can't stop thinking about for a few days. I like it when a book really affects me. so all in all, I feel a bit 'eh' about this one. now Orphan Train I loved. I remember chatting with you a bit about it earlier in the year-

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  8. Oh yeah - slow cooker recipes. I recommend the America's Test Kitchen slow cooker cookbooks. I have 3 of those cookbooks on loan from the library right now and I've been loving the results.

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    1. thanks! I'll see if our library has some of those~

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  9. Dreaming of land is often a good thing. "I look at her sometimes and feel myself teetering near tears with gratitude." Yes - that. :)

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  10. when you rescued the carrots I thought about george on seinfeld who ate the pastry...lovely pile of books and I'm reading the girl on the train, so I hope I like it!!

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    1. ha!

      I liked it- it didn't have the staying power of the types of books I usually read, but I enjoyed the drama and read through it pretty quickly, wanting to know what happened next.

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  11. haha! your carrot story completely reminds me of something my husband would do... not gross to me at all :) sad to think of good food going to waste. i should get ben's book... i always LOVE his writing.

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    1. compost diving is definitely not beyond me ;)
      loving his book, for sure~

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thanks for taking the time to read and comment~