Yeah, I totes need to update this thingummy more often, but in my defense, I am busy containing a human baby and having a giant garden and stuff. Regardless, I will make an effort to blog it up like nobody's business marginally more often. Sorry, pals.
We are once again super busy around here. Tomatoes are kind of going crazy, so I have also been going crazy doing a lot of picking and canning and all that good stuff. I have quickly overcome my fears of feeding everyone botulism or some other sort of poison I've never ever heard of. Apparently everyone who told me that canning was max easy (probably the same sensible folks who told me that gardening was easy, another thing I refused to believe before this year) were correct. We've got tons of salsa, tomato sauce, applesauce, pickled beets, and frozen corn and tomatillo salsa so far, and I'm hoping to get a bunch more done while there is still fresh food around. Our giant box of garlic arrived in the mail (our rad post office lady said she was sorry to see me pick it up, as she'd been wandering over to smell its garlicky goodness every few minutes), so that needs to be planted pretty soon, and we're going to be transplanting a buttload of strawberries into the garden for next year, so right now we're just trying to get everything pulled out and make space in the garden. I've been pulling out finished beans, corn, broccoli, peas, and winter squash, and Devin has been working on getting our borrowed tiller fixed up and ploughing through the garden with it. My sister is living in Nelson now (!!!!), so she is being awesome and fun and helpful and things and pulled out a million squash vines with me this morning, as well as aiding and abetting the cooking of delicious foodstuffs all weekend. I am stoked that she is here.
Right now everyone is outside working on the garden still, and I am dealing with the fact that I am four months pregnant and can't do everything I used to do all day anymore. I know this should be obvious and easy and all that, but it's really hard for me. I tend to feel like I'm not doing enough anyway, and when I can manage way less than my normal workload and still feel all out of breath and wonky, then I end up feeling totes lazy. Absurd? Hells yeah, but that is how I roll. It's nice that I know some other ladies who have had kids who are good about telling me in no uncertain terms to stop throwing the damn bales of hay around and go sit down because I'm being ridiculous. All in all, pregnancy is good stuff so far. I am in my second trimester, so I have way more energy and way less inclination to puke. I'm starting to show, which is cool, although I am still at that weird in between stage where it's unclear whether I have a beer gut or a future human baby. My midwife is rad and posi and tells me that both the baby and I are healthy and doing well thus far.
In animal news, the pigs are getting dropped off at the abbatoir tomorry morning in preparation for the big chop on Monday. I am stoked. I have really enjoyed taking care of them and spending time with them, but I am also max excited to start eating them. I got a lot of expired dairy for free from the rad grocery store down the valley, and we were given a ton of apples and pears, so they've been eating well for their last week and should taste pretty good (apple finished pork is apparently pretty awesome). Also, we now have ducks! Muscovy ducks! I will take pictures of them soon and maybe even write another post on here without waiting a whole month, and then you can all see the radness that is ducks. They are really friendly, and will also be tasty times. Devin was pretty stoked about how soft and velvety they are, and I must concur on that point. We got them in Victoria last week, and after a small incident with them breaking free of their improvised cage in the backyard of our old house (thanks again for the epic duck catching Jen and Vrinda!), they made it home just fine. Devin drove back in a truck full of ducks and dogs, and I had a more peaceful drive back on my own in the car. We are also getting some more Icelandic sheep for the winter, which is rad. They are pretty boss to hang out with and look at, and they will provide lots of shit for the garden in the spring, so a good deal all around. Plus they are tasty and fleecy.
And that's about it, I think. Stuff is busy and challenging and exciting and posi ... a damn fine combo, in my opinion. Rad to see friends in Victoria again last week, but just as rad to get home and start eating out of the garden and working on projects again. I feel more and more settled in and more and more stoked on our decision to stay. So come visit, everybody.
