|
Mulberry tree |
Lightness! Finally! I've written a few updating blog posts and then deleted them. Too much to say but no way to say it. There's been a lot going on in a lot of different ways. On the positive side, I'm working out a bit more and am about to go back to a normal workout routine. There's a bit more accountability now because we're actually getting together with our workout buddy several times a week starting today.
I'm nearly done regular physio appointments, with my last one done in person rather than video and my physiotherapist did a few crunchy things in my wrist so now I can finally make a fist! Although I've still got some stiffness in my hand, I'll be picking up the violin again really soon. I've been able to get some projects going and have made progress on the violin restoration as well, so within the next couple of weeks will be taking it to the violin guy for final touches. And I've been able to get out and see family, which has been great, especially after a bit of a health scare within the family.
|
Trimming a tree |
I've been working in the gardens more this year than I have ever before. I was able to reduce my work travel by quite a bit, and COVID took care of the last bit I would have been doing under normal circumstances. This has made a huge difference. We've planted a bunch of fruit trees and grape vines and a few other fruits and veggies. We're planning stage 2 & 3 of the food garden and as we build them I'll be posting updates.
I've been wanting to do some farming and looked into some options which intrigue me and will allow me to actually make good use of a wee farm, but there are a few big potential start up costs that I'm just not sure if I'm willing to invest in yet, so in the meantime, I'm starting with some homesteading. Might as well start smaller regardless. I'm learning about beekeeping from my Dad, and preserving foods from YouTube and books.
|
Mulberries |
Today I picked 3 pounds of mulberries, which is a surprisingly lengthy process, and midway through picking berries, I realized it would be easier if the branches were positioned differently so grabbed the saw and cut a few branches off a neighbouring tree that was holding a few big branches up. Since I was using scaffolding to get higher in the tree (I'm smart enough to not use a ladder unsupervised), I just pulled it over to the tree and starting sawing. I'm such a problem solver!
|
Mulberry Jam |
Spending time on a scaffold, up a tree, picking berries was very meditative. Just me and the birds and focused on finding the ripe ones among the next month's harvest of still unripe berries. I'll need to do this every 4 or 5 days for at least July, and figure out what else can be done with them. Today I learned how to make real jam. Between the hours of picking each individual berry, cleaning them, squishing them, juicing them and cooking them into jam, I've made 8 extremely expensive jars of homemade jam. I never thought I'd be so excited about the little popping sound the lids make when they seal after the water bath processing is done.
No comments:
Post a Comment