The clear skies of Monday feel oh-so-far-away at this point. After another lovely backyard tea (so lovely I forgot to take any photos!) celebrating my neighbors baby due this fall and an afternoon of pizza & beer with Andy's sister and mom, we were caught completely by surprise at the wildfire smoke that quickly rolled in as we were enjoying a dessert of plum cake. By Friday the air quality had rocketed up to Unhealthy, so we had the house entirely closed up, and were only stepping outside as absolutely necessary. By Saturday, conditions were wavering between Very Unhealthy and Hazardous, so we spent the entire weekend revisiting an old favorite video game - Fallout 4. It felt especially bizarre to find clearer skies in a post-apocalyptic video game than we had outside, but 2020 just seems to be one strange and uncomfortable experience after another. One hilight in a gloomy week - after hoarding my slicing tomatoes for about weeks (stupice, if your curious), along with my first harvest of jalapeños and a precious onion (of which I planted far too few) I made my first batch of homemade salsa. Charring veggies under the broiler with such poor air quality probably wasn't the best idea, but it was well worth it. Thankfully Andy managed to fabricate an air purifier for us using an old fan from our woodstove and a couple of HEPA filters, so we were able to keep out indoor air safely breathable after my broiler adventures!
Read moreLife: Week 35
While this week wasn't quite as action-packed as the last, it was equally lovely. With Andy's sister visiting for the long weekend, we took the ferry to spend the day with both his sister and mom on Whidbey Island. Standing on the deck, watching the sun set, Andy and I realized that it was a view we hadn't enjoyed since February - one we'd greatly missed. We spent our Saturday mostly sitting on the deck, drinking wine, and relaxing together. It was a peaceful, low key way to spend the day, something we all needed. This year has just slipped by. I’ve barely enjoyed summer, and already Labor Day is here and soon it will be fall. Hopefully I manage to savor fall a bit more that I have summer!
Read moreLife: Week 34
After months of anticipation, I have finally tasted the first of my homegrown tomatoes! It started with just a couple each day (all of which I immediately ate) but by midweek, I was harvesting enough cherry tomatoes to make for a delicious pizza. Amazingly, my first tomato harvest wasn't even the high point of the week. I took a couple of much needed days off work, and with the opportunity to hike while avoiding weekend crowds, I met up with a friend to revisit the Dirty Harry's Balcony trail where Andy and I did trail work back in 2017. On a August weekend in a typical year, this hike would probably have felt entirely unremarkable, but this year is far from typical, allowing me to see the magic of the young forest. The fresh earthy scent of the trees energized me, and the soft bed of pine needles muted my steps as our small group climbed up the trail. I pointed out a few spots along the trail I remembered working on in 2017, excited to recognize them so easily. We took our time, hiking at an easy pace to save our breath for conversation, catching up on all that had changed in our lives since we'd last seen each other. It was a short outing, but also perfectly rejuvenating.
Read moreLife: Week 33
The bruise colored sky of a welcome summer rainstorm
After the brief retreat of uncomfortably hot and humid weather, summer returned this week with extreme vengeance. Temperatures climbed to nearly 100°, leaving both me and my veggie garden feeling horribly wilted. Thankfully we had a dramatic summer storm roll in Friday evening, followed by a cooler, rainy Saturday. I was so happy to hear raindrops drumming on our covered patio that I ran outside to stand in the dark, soaking up every bit of the rainfall. The one upside of this latest heat wave — it ripened the first tiny but delicious plums from the unruly tree in our front yard. Still no progress on my many green tomatoes though. I may need to start searching for green tomato recipes!
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