It’s been a gorgeous few days but the rain moved in today. After nearly a week of low humidity, blue skies and temperatures in the mid-70s, today is rainy with a high in the upper 60s. Not bad, but not fantastic either. Still, for two people who spent the last two days doing yardwork and taking care of garden produce, a little rain is a bit welcome. I mean, it’s hard to dig up potatoes in the rain.
I’m not sad its raining today. Yesterday was an epic canning day. My friend came over and we did marinara, dill pickles, peach jam, bourbon-soaked peaches and ketchup. We canned for about seven hours and that was after I had spent a few hours the night before prepping all of the food. Meanwhile, Darryl spent two days mowing, trimming and taking care of compost. The fact that Mother Nature forced us indoors with little left to do is not making anyone in this house upset. These kind of days are rare in fall.
But here’s the gig: I (and we) do it to myself (ourselves). Every plant in the garden, every jar of canned produce on the shelf and ever dried spice is a reflection of a choice we made. We chose to live this way. And while it is definitely a harder lifestyle, it’s a rewarding lifestyle. To know where your food is coming from, exactly what is in it and how it was prepared is super affirming. But to also have the reward of your own efforts, that is just amazing.
I saw one of those silly Facebook memes today where it asked the question, “What is the one thing you did for yourself that you wish you had done earlier?” People had some great responses. I didn’t respond there but I will respond here: I took a chance and met my husband.
Okay, so easy answer. Meeting Darryl was a start to all of the positive changes in my life that led me to where I am today. Still, not such an inspirational answer. I mean, just about everyone could say that. Choosing a spouse is the number one, single most important decision a person makes in their lives. Choose badly and the consequences reverberate. Choose well – and this is regardless of if you choose a husband or a wife – and the benefits are enormous.
But outside of that one decision? Is there a number two? For me, yes. I quit my job and took a part-time, work-from-home job. Yesterday, I was able to spend my Saturday canning with a friend. No big deal, right? I could have done that any Saturday and still worked full-time and at an office, correct? Ummm, no. I mean, yes, I COULD have done it, but no I WOULD NOT have done it. Why? It would have been too much to try and squeeze into a weekend – even a long weekend – and not end up stressed out the following week. Let me explain.
On Friday, I cleaned my house. I mean, top-to-bottom, throw-Twister-out-of-bed-so-I-could-strip-wash-and-remake-the-bed, vacuum-everything-in-sight and polish-each-piece-of-furniture kind of clean. Then, I worked my canning prep list. Did a load of jars, lids and rings in the dishwasher. Went to the farmer’s market to get the fruit we needed. Picked up the sugar, lemon juice, and bourbon. Went to four different stops. Came home and prepped both tomatoes and cucumbers. Went out and picked more tomatoes. Washed a load of kitchen towels. Set up the kitchen. That was a few hours of work.
Then came Saturday. We started at 10 but I tried to lay everything out so we could get started. Then, we canned, had lunch, talked about life and listened to jars “pop” as they sealed. At least four loads of dishes got washed in the dishwasher and pots and pans had to be repeatedly washed as we moved from item to item. Finally, the canner was turned off and set outside to cool and the last jar popped. The kitchen got an extra hour of cleaning, but all is good. Last night’s dinner of leftover seafood gumbo went down easy.
And on to today. If I were still working full-time and it wasn’t a holiday weekend, I would be back to work. Instead, I work part-time and it’s a holiday weekend. I’ve got two more days. Today and tomorrow stretch out in front of me. I’ve got to order a gift for a girlfriend’s wedding and find something to wear. There are also books to read, a potential movie to watch (have you seen the Aretha Franklin movie previews?!) and a dinner or two to make. Maybe there’s a little sock hop in the dining room tonight with my hubby. Maybe I get a little work done on my book. Maybe there’s a nap in there somewhere.
Whatever it is, it is not work. After starting work at age 16 and working full-time since the week after I graduated from college, the past four years have been nothing but a slow gradual return of the number one most useful commodity in my life: time.
When canning yesterday, my girlfriend asked me how long I had been canning and how I got into it. I thought of my usual pat answers, “My mom did it,” and “I remember my gramma’s dill pickles.” But while tangentially true – I certainly preserve food to feel closer to my mom – it wasn’t the reason I originally got into canning almost 20 years ago. Instead, it came down to one thing: I loved fall. I loved the bounty of fall, the back-to-school, the farmer’s markets, the cool nights, coming holidays and smells and sights of the fall season. Canning was a way to more actively participate in fall. As my job got busier and busier, there were parts of my canning that got pushed aside. Total autumns went by when I canned nothing. I sometimes would take a full week off of work just to can. Ultimately, as with most things, I realized that I was sacrificing the things I loved to do to fulfill the obligations in my life and no one had asked me to make those choices.
Today, I am so grateful for so many things. That I did take a chance and meet my husband and that I found someone who enjoys providing for himself as much as I do. Without his support and interest, I am not sure we could make this yuppie homesteading lifestyle work. I’m so grateful for my firm for taking a chance on me and being the flexible place to work that allows me to have more personal time. I’m thankful for the sun and rain and a good garden year. And I’m thankful for smart choices, though I don’t always make them.
The things I do for love? Well, I sometimes walk in the rain. But mostly in the fall, I make sure what we grow gets bottled for winter. And that is hugely satisfying.
The Yuppie Homesteader 