This week has been one that contained more planning than actually doing. With the change of seasons comes yet another To Do list with everything being done a little at a time. However, there was a change in plans from the "doing" to the "planning on doing" when I had a rather freak accident which left me limping.
For you see, I keep a few whole chickens in the deep freeze... each in an individual plastic grocery store bag. That makes them easier to pull out if at the bottom of the freezer. Well, as I was taking one of them out of the deep freeze last week, the handle of the bag broke and sent the (heavy) frozen chicken landing on my toes.
Ouch. Note to self... double bag whole chickens.
The pain has subsided after a few days and the toes are turning a dark bruisy kind of purple... and the reaction from those who know what happened has been a mixture of concern and laughter. It is not everyday one gets injured by a frozen chicken. Which is now defrosted and will be turned into soup today.
All prayers are still appreciated as my doctor gets concerned over the slightest scratch on my feet and I can just imagine what he would say if he saw them now. All that to say... life happens and plans change with a couple of days keeping the bruised foot propped.
Which also means my Procrastination List and Fall To Do list are kinda' merging. Fall in this part of the world brings with it the undoing of what was planted in the spring. The garden has mostly gone to seed except for cherry tomatoes. I let the green beans dry to become seeds and everything else go to seed for the birds and butterflies and bees and everything else that appreciates it.
After the first frost, I will cut back and dig up the growth of the garden 2016. Some of it to go in the compost bin while some of it gets thrown in the forest (nature's nearby really big compost pile). It was so hot and humid this summer, there was more bug damage than usual and I really don't want those plants in the compost pile.
The flowers on the deck are in various stages of dying so they are slowly being tossed in the forest. As much as I love fall, it is always a regret to say goodbye to the deck flowers and plants. This year we invested most of our flower budget on deck flowers and I must say it was worth it. We will do that again next year. God willing and the creek don't rise and all...
My outdoor list includes cleaning the porch (yet, again) and I've divided it on the list by doing the easy cleaning one day (including bringing in indoor plants) and that part of it which needs a deeper cleaning for another day. Hubby is going to give the siding a good wash down after my part of the cleaning is finished.
I'm just beginning to write down the needed indoor fall cleaning chores. That will include everything except the garage. Fall is when I give the wood furniture a rubdown with lemon oil, getting them ready for the return of heat from the furnace. We have a few pieces of furniture we bought through the years and quite a few nice inherited pieces that we want to keep looking good for the next generation.
I'll not bore you with all of the list and I'm only writing about it as a reminder to all of us that regular seasonal maintenance is part of living the pantry lifestyle. What we can keep well maintained usually means it either stops or slows down the need to replace it.
Now for a change of subject! I'm on the launch team for Shaye Elliott's new book called Family Table. I loved her first cookbook so I was happy to help spread the word about her new book.
Family Table is a beautiful cookbook, she provided the ebook version to the launch team so we can view it before recommending it to you. It has yummy recipes with full color photos of the food and their farm.
Since Shaye is self publishing this book, she is offering everyone who preorders, through this coming Wednesday, free access to her Whole Foods Kitchen Course. You can find more information on the product page of her website... here.
Of course, this is not an Affiliate link. At this time, she does not plan on making this cookbook available on Amazon.
NOTE: There was concern in a Comment last week about me giving chili to a nursing mother. No need to worry, my daughter-in-law knew the chili was coming and she already knew I'd never make anything for her that was spicy or had any sort of hot peppers. She doesn't like these things even when she is not nursing.
Image: Rooster and Four Chickens: Allposters.com
4 comments:
Planning has been the order of this past week for me as well, but not due to poultry induced injuries. I do hope your foot is soon back to normal.
Do you by chance re-use your potting soil in your potted plants? I generally buy a very good soil each spring and I've found I can actually reuse for two or three years running and then mix it with more fresh soil about the fourth year. I plan to see if I can't make a screen sieve to sift out the roots of former plants with this fall but I've had great luck reusing the soil and no problems with disease etc. Just a thought since you mention having potted flowers again next year.
Your poor tootsies. Being injured by a frozen chicken may be a first. You sound organized with your planning, I have long "to do" lists but not as organized as you are.
I have a funny frozen chicken story too. Several years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to teach a summer school class in China. After the classes ended we were to fly from a southern province to Beijing. A lady we knew asked if we could take something to her friend in that city. The friend would meet us at the airport. We were very surprised on the day of departure to be given four frozen chickens to take on the plane. They were allowed with no questions asked. :)
Well that chicken deserves to be made into soup!
Wonder why your cookbook author friend feels as she does about Amazon. I am
often conflicted about it myself.
I washed the siding on the front of my house as far as I could reach with a long-handled brush. Obviously, John and I did not select the right shade of green for our siding. Emerald green...hmmm...wonder what the house would look like wearing that everywhere.
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