I'm feeling like culling out some things in my house, or re-decorating on the cheap. Nothing new, of course. More like re-arranging. I have some art I want to put up, and some gadget-y things I don't want anymore.
And I'd like to get some more indoor plants for this winter. The ones I have are all dead, or looking pretty sad, and without the windows open to the summer sun and getting my blast of nature that way, I want to have some more living things inside this winter.
I'd like to have a winter garden, but friends have said that it's a little too late to plant for that now. Which I was totally surprised at. Now that I think of it, it's not though. The plants need to be in the warm ground long enough to establish a root system, so the the cold doesn't kill them off. This is our first week of Fall in Eugene, Oregon. It's cooled off enough for the heater in my bedroom to kick on a couple of times, and for my mind to start shifting to the chopping of firewood and kindling. But perhaps our local Backyard Farmer shop still has some starts that I could put in the ground.
Other outside projects weighing on my mind these days are trimming the trees, shrubs, and rose bushes. Everything is overgrown and looking pretty gross. I can't even take out the compost without bending over in half to shuffle under the plum tree branches to get to the outdoor compost bin.
The other thing I really need to do is pick all the plums I have left on the trees and try to process them best I can. Dry them into prunes with the oven, and maybe even try my hand at plum jam, or even just freeze them after pitting them. That would take a long time to do though because I don't have a chest freezer.
This morning I felt inclined (on this rainy day) to make a pot of bean soup, and some fresh bread. Maybe I'll still have the gumption to do it. It's 2:30 p.m. I'd still have time to start a project that size, and then I can get in some furniture rearranging, and dog hair vacuuming.
Kombucha and Other Brews
My kombucha brewing is going well. I like the taste of it. I'm trying different brewing times and different teas, different bottling times. I'm not keeping any records except for one or two details, like I write down when I start brewing a new batch so I know when to bottle it up, and I label the bottles with when it was brewed and when it was bottled and what kind of tea it is, or if I've added juice to it. The rest I file away in my head -- which is dangerously apt to be forgotten.
Here's what I know:
1. I let it brew one week at least. The last batch I did for two weeks, so we'll see what that tastes like. It certainly fizzed more when I bottled it than any other batch.
2. I bottle for about a week before I refrigerate and drink it.
3. The first and last batch I made tasted the best. Remembered factors: I used decaf black english breakfast for the the last batch, and oolong tea for the first one. The yerba mate tasted good, too, just a little lighter. Less zing.
4. I don't like adding juice when I bottle it. I've tried cherry juice -- which was terribly sour. I gave it all away, couldn't drink any of it. Apple and pear juices made the kombucha too sweet for me. Perhaps I could use less juice and try again (current recipe I use is one quart of juice to one gallon of kombucha). But aside from the sweetness, it really seemed to mask the bite of the kombucha, which I like.
Maybe I could make both kinds though. Make some of the plain hard cider-y tasting kind for me and Ali, and make some for the kids with added juice. Probably they wouldn't like it anyway though.
Jun is another thing to try brewing. As I understand it, it's made the same way (with the scoby) but only using green tea (instead of black) and fermenting with honey (instead of sugar.)
I also found a recipe for making ginger beer (alcoholic and non) that I wanted to try. Maybe I'll turn my office pantry into shelves of brewing concoctions.
Homesteading Classes
Ali and I are going to take a soap (and maybe candle) making class at Glory Bees. And if I ever see a cheese-making class again, I'll get us in.
Spanish
In January, I'd like to get us in Spanish classes, too.
I personally am content to pick it up half-heartedly over the next six years and get a tutor once we are in Costa Rica. But this seems to be Ali's main concern. Not deciding what job to focus on there, not solidifying our land purchase, and not on becoming farmers now so we'll know how later, but speaking Spanish.
Yes, he's concerned about all those other things (and lots more), and we talk about them all periodically. But the conversation always seems to end with,
"But we don't even know Spanish yet."
As if none of the rest of it is relevant until this one Herculean task is accomplished. Like none of the rest of it is really real, unless we can speak the language first.
It's sweet actually. In a little boy sort-of way. And I'm happy to do things in this order if it brings him peace and order.
"I pride myself in my ability to communicate my ideas," he says.
I don't mind learning Spanish now and it makes such a big difference to him. <3
