Rainy Day

So it’s raining again – what else is new?? What do you do on a rainy day when you’re retired? I started on some projects that have been bugging me for ages. I organized the pantry so that I could fit all that jam into it. There were things in there with expiration dates back to 2005 – Yuck!! How does that happen? Note to self – stop buying things that you don’t actually plan to use in the very near future. That way there’ll be fewer outdated things to throw out!!

I also sorted my sock drawer. Since I’ve started making socks there’s very little room in there. I actually got rid of all the socks with holes in the toes that I just couldn’t throw out. Now, I just need to take a walk on the treadmill and then I can sit down to knit more socks!!

Making Jam (or One of the Things I’m Doing in Retirement)

DH and I went to the local berry farm and picked over 8 pounds of strawberries. The season is winding down and the berries were hard to find, but we were persistent. Many of them are small, but they are very tasty. We filled our flat in a little over an hour.

I went up to attic and found my old water bath canner. There must have been a time when I thought my canning days were over because there was a sticker on the canner that said $3. I guess it was left after a garage sale – good luck for me! I guess some decisions are not final after all.

I started on the strawberry preserves and quickly realized that I didn’t have tongs for the picking up the hot jars or a funnel for filling them. DH made a run to the hardware store in the next town and came home with a nifty little set – tongs, funnel, magnet for lifting tops, and a gauge for measuring head space – the last one on the shelf. I quickly made 7 jars of strawberry preserves. I hardly made a dent in the strawberries and I realized that I needed more sugar. DH made a second trip to pick up sugar – the market was down to only 3 five-lb bags, so I guess I’m not the only the one making jam!!! While he was there he bought some rhubarb, too. Next came 5 jars of strawberry rhubarb jam. Then back to the strawberry preserves. I made 14 jars of the preserves and 5 jars of the jam.

I cleaned up the kitchen and collapsed on the couch. I still have a lot of berries left – maybe I’ll make strawberry rhubarb pie for the family 4th of July celebration.

It's Official

I notice that the last time I updated this blog it was the first day of school. Needless to say, the school year is over and tomorrow will be the first day of my second week of retirement. I remember commenting that I didn’t think I would feel retired until school started again, but to my surprise, that is not the case. There is a different feel to this summer and I find myself doing things that I had not done in previous summers. So, I’ll use my next few entries to catch you up on what I’ve been doing. You’ll have to wait a while for the first installment, because I’m about to make strawberry jam with the 8 pounds of strawberries DH and I picked this morning.