Purging and Schmoozing

I don't know if purging is the proper word for ripping plants from the ground or stuffing garbage bags full of decadent refrigerator items, but I did both yesterday. 

And, when I finished each project, both areas had abundant breathing room. 

The garden spot where I pulled out tomato, potato, bean stems and cucumber vines will have a whole winter to breathe.

The refrigerator:  not so likely.

Won't be long before I dread opening the door again.

Even though we've had some beautiful September weather, colder nights tend to bring on a handicap for any more cucumbers wishing to grow on the vine.  

And, as always, green tomatoes eventually turn red wherever they happen to be. 

I just decided to clean up the garden before all that stuff froze.  It seemed much more appealing.  

I was surprised how many cucumbers were hiding under the sea of vines competing with raspberry plants on who can take up the most garden space. 

They'll get sliced and go into another batch of bread-and-butter pickles. 

In the case of the refrigerator project, I saw no need to take pictures of a moldy slice of cantaloupe hiding in the back corner behind the egg cartons.  

Lord knows how long that's been sitting there.  

Half full containers of jelly, applesauce, salsa, pickles, etc. also went into the bag (S) with no photo ops.  

Anything that had been in there for more than six months went----container, contents and all. 

The refrigerator project took patience and endurance, especially getting down on the floor to clean out some yellow sticky, gluey stuff stuck to the bottom layer beneath the storage drawers.  

Ever tried to pull out those drawers and feel the need for a crowbar? 

Well, that problem has been rectified until the next sticky substance leaks down there. 

I felt almost like a new woman after lugging those three full garbage bags to the garbage container and heaved them inward. 

I also warned Bill that when he takes the garbage to the transfer station next time, it's gonna be heavier than usual. 

In other Lovestead news, the Virginia Creeper start, given to me three or four years ago by my friend Gail, has been creeping along on its own pilgrimage to parts unknown inside the barn. 

It always dies every year, but the next year, it creeps a whole lot further.  I hope it doesn't take over the hay storage area and, like the evil and hungry red blob of the '60s movie, eventually threaten the horses in their stalls.  

In readiment for winter, Bill has been making frequent trips with the 4-wheeler to load up wood from neat piles he's been forming over the past few years. 

The wood supply in the shed is looking fairly ample, but, as Bill says, you never feel like you have enough wood.  

So, the trips with the 4-wheeler will continue.

And, so far, the flowers and sunshine are hanging around.

  

Finally, this morning, I'd like to send you to a link for an article written by a friend in Jerusalem.

I actually connected face-to-face with this friend for a grand total of an hour back in the 1990s when she had come to Sandpoint to work on a story. 

Barbara Sofer came to my newspaper class and talked about journalism.  She's a year younger than I.  We shared the experience of each serving as editors of our high school newspapers. 

After that visit, we kept in touch, comparing similar and different aspects of our lives as professionals and as mothers.  

Barbara was also kind enough to endorse the back cover of my second book Postcards from Potato Land.

Over the years, with the changes in social media, we've continued to connect, and when I read her piece this morning, it did for me what writing should do:  connect with the reader by sharing a universal experience.

In this morning's case, Barbara's "Shopping and Schmoozing at Macy's with an old Friend"  involves two friends from forever who don't necessarily see each other that often, but when they do, it's quality time. 

While reading Barbara's piece about how she visits with her friend Mona, I immediately thought of my friends, Chris, Mow and Susie, whom I've known for decades.  

Though our lives have taken different paths over the years, we've always found ways to make up for lost time.  

I do believe that Barbara's piece strikes a chord in most of us and would love to see comments about other longtime friends and their methods for reconnecting and catching up.

It's a fun and interesting phenomenon of life AND such experiences can be inspiring. 

https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2019/09/05/at-macys-with-mona/

Enjoy Barbara's meaningful piece about friendship, and Happy Thursday.