Project Frenzy

Disclaimer.  This post is beyond obnoxious. It is not a reflection of what every day looks like.  It's not a statement that anyone else should do all or any of these things.  But doing these stupid things make me happy, and often I get asked how I find the time.  The long days of summer are a big help -- here's how today went.

1:15 a.m.,  I go to bed after attending a long Giants game in San Francisco last night.

6:45: I'm awake and bitter

7:20: We pick up the kids who had stayed the night at my parents' to allow J. and I to have the aforementioned Giants game date night.

8:05: Family Picks berries at U-pick Webb Ranch.   We went a mere 10 days ago, but we ate so much of our supply fresh, that we didn't have enough berries for other projects that I enjoy, like blackberry BBQ sauce and homemade ice cream. 

9:30-:11 - Nap #1  (So, J. and I have this inside joke.  My parents went on a vacation and were reporting back to us how many naps they got to have each day.  So, on days when we're especially tired, we joke about needing nap #1)

11:00: Make green salad for pot luck (our cucumbers, tomato, onions, herby salad dressing). 

11:25: Marinate feta in olive oil & herbs -- with feta block leftover from making the salad.  Toss sliced onions into leftover pickle brine as a component for dinner.

11:30: shower

12:00-2:00 potluck picnic with local democratic club.  

3:00 - 5:00- Nap #2.  Yup. Totally needed it.  

These purple peppers are amazingly gorgeous! And Stella is on nap #12

5:00: Save seeds from arugula.  This to-do item has been bugging me for 2 weeks.  We cut back all of our arugula that had gone to seed and dried it in the back yard.  Like with every new project, you start doing things the long hard way and then you figure out the short cuts.  I started by breaking each pod individually and sprinkling the seeds into a bowl -- a long but meditative process.  Later I shifted to grabbing large handfuls of the plants and rubbing them together over a large bucket.  Gathered tons of seeds this way, and it was ultimately much more satisfying.  

6:00: Craft project with kids.  Had them make drawing/label for seeds.  

7:00: Crap. People in this house probably want to eat something....  Pick sun-gold cherry tomatoes for Max and Ginger.   Make a ground beef on bread with homemade pickles as topping for Max.  Ginger eats the tomatoes with leftover tequila lime chicken (made by J. earlier in the week).  I pick tomatoes, purple peppers, fresno chile, and grab onion from earlier today.  Toss tomato, onion, green onion, olive onion, leftover pickle brine into magic bullet, to make a quick salsa.  Chop up onion, purple peppers and sauté.  Throw in a pound of ground beef.  Assemble soft tacos with meat/veggie mixture, pickled onions, salsa and jack cheese.  Everybody eats.

Celery seeds.  There's more seed buds on
the plants that will be ready in a week or two

8:15 - Save seeds from celery plant.  It smells like bloody mary on my hands! mmm.

8:30 - Scoop up tomato seeds from beautiful heirloom that I used for Salsa, start fermentation process.

8:30-9:10 bed time routine with Ginger.

9:10 - browse recipes for berries from earlier today.  

9:30 - start boysenberry ice cream.  Base made, will chill overnight before churning tomorrow.  Can't start blackberry BBQ sauce because I didn't have chicken stock defrosted.  Project for tomorrow morning.

So, like I said, is this normal? Hell no.   Are all these things critically necessary?  Nope.  Can virtually every deliverable represented on this list been obtainable by a 30 minute trip to a grocery store?  Yes.

I can't explain it, but I feel drawn to doing this stuff anyway.  It could be that it's because I have a stressful job and this is one way to decompress.  It could be that I'm gearing up for a life when I have less to do and that these projects will be how I leisurely pass the time when that day comes.   Or, it could be that there are little joys here that can't be created in any way other than primitively having these experiences.  Would I savor the smell of a celery seed if I bought it in a seed packet or as a spice jar?  Would I excitedly share seeds with friends if they were not ones that I had harvested myself? Would I cram as many vegetables into a meal if I didn't have them in my backyard, begging to be used?  All of these small steps bring a measure of satisfaction, and I am open to receive it. 

I'm normally lazy on my ice cream recipes, but this time I'm making the full custard.

Boysenberry ice cream