The Garden is Done!

Tatsoi in December

As of last week we were still cutting and sharing greens from our garden.  Yesterday I finally closed it up.  Although I'm sure some of my crops could have benefited taste-wise from a couple more cycles of frost and thaw, I mentally and physically needed to shut it down for the season.  December 6 is by far the latest my garden has ever gone, which is fantastic and all, but towards the end here it was quite stressful thinking about whether the snow would beat me to the punch in pulling the plug for 2011.  All weekend--despite our wonderful visit with friends--I was sort of in a fog, feeling like I was watching myself enjoy the weekend from outside my body.  Some recurring back pain was no doubt partly to blame, but I think having something lingering on my to-do list for so many weeks and months--whether it was the garden or some other project--was making me anxious.  Like magic, after I cut and trimmed the remaining white kohlrabi, plucked the last of the salvageable Swiss chard and kale, pulled the tatsoi, and ripped out the tomato stakes and dead plants, I felt like myself again.  I needed closure.  And that was all it took. (P.S. We'll see if the cold-frame gets placed and planted this week with spinach before the ground freezes!)

While Kohlrabi in December

Rainbow Chard in December

Brick Road Skirt #1 Completed

Not to mention, another load was off my shoulders as of yesterday when I finished one of the many homemade holiday gift projects I've dedicated myself to this year.  I don't believe my sister or sister-in-law will read this, nor will their daughters who are the recipients of this/these particular item/s on my list so I feel safe posting a photo of the finished gift.  It's called a Brick Road Skirt and I got the pattern/idea from a library book called Sewing Bits and Pieces: 35 Projects Using Fabric Scraps.  My goal for the gifts this year was not to spend any money--just put a ton of elbow grease into it and enjoy the process.  I love how fun this skirt is--reminiscent of a Spanish dancer's costumes--and I think it will be adorable with a pair of striped leggings.  But I must say two things: 1) just because it was made with fabric scraps (of which I have an endless supply) doesn't mean it was simple; in fact, it was likely more difficult because of the intricacies of all the piecing, 2) I'm glad Vera isn't a ruffly, lacy, flouncy girl (yet!?) because it would be murder to sew many more projects like this.  I believe the second one will come together more easily now that I have some experience, but I'm glad I only have two nieces for which to sew these.  I used fabric, thread, elastic, and interfacing that I already had and even re-used some elastic from a pair of yoga pants that I had recently disassembled and reassembled into a circular scarf.  Now I'm on to some doll clothes for Vera and a couple of other novelties before I start my nephews' gifts, which I cannot mention because I know THAT sister-in-law DOES often follow my blog.

Layers upon layers of ruffle!  Oy!

 

So, back to the garden closing.  The grand total of 137 lbs. from this season seemed far below last year's final count, but then again I didn't grow melons, zucchini, slicing cukes, and other heavy items of that sort.  I was still very happy with this year's totals especially because I felt like it was hardly an effort.  I suppose there's a trade-off.  I was able to put up more food (canned, frozen, and dried) this year than ever before.  So if I wasn't able to spend time in the garden it was likely because I was hovering over the kettle in the kitchen.  Fair enough.

The Left side of my basement pantry

The Upright Basement Freezer

Root Cellar Shelf: Onions, Squash, Garlic, Potatoes, etc.

The carrot powder turned out well yesterday and I put a tablespoon or so into a smoothie for an interesting flavor.  The small jar will live in my spice cabinet until it's gone, which will probably be in just a couple of months based on how much I've enjoyed it thus far.

Carrot Powder: Juicing by-product, dried and ground

Taking it Day by Day

Christkindlmarket, Chicago

Keeping the holiday schedule simple is no easy task as I've found in the first few days of December.  I keep reminding myself to take it day by day though, ironically, holiday simplicity feels like it takes more planning.

View from our friends' place downtown

Daytime view from our friends' place

We kicked off the month with a jaunt to Chicago for the weekend.  If we get down to the Windy City for the holidays at all, it's usually just a short weekend so we try to see as many friends as possible in one trip.  (Again, making one trip versus three trips to Chicago for the holidays required making the connections way in advance to see this person, that one, and the rest.)   We met one of Ben's buddies after work on Friday.  They've known each other since they penned letters back and forth between Germany and the United States in middle school.  Now Carsten's in Chicago, at least semi-permanently, and much more available to get together with us.  We landed downtown at the Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza, found some authentic Bavarian sausages for dinner, sampled some gluhwein and beer (for the gents, of course) then perused the outdoor stalls with traditional glassware, ornaments, fiber arts, wooden toys, candy, etc. then turned in early.  Saturday allowed time for breakfast with one of my favorite college chums and the evening brought a semi-annual holiday party at the cozy home of some long-time friends and others who are more like family.  One of the best things about being away from home--and I believe I've said this before after last summer's travels--is that Vera's naptime brings quiet time for me as well because there are no to-do lists staring at me from the chaos that can sometimes be my desk at home.  Overall, it was a fantastic weekend, which ended with us back in Milwaukee putting up our holiday tree.

Tree at Daley Plaza, Chicago

My favorite vendor at the Christmas market

A highlight of our weekend in Chicago--our German friend's Angela Merkel reamer!

I'm still displaying the same tabletop tree I've had since my first holiday in Milwaukee in 2000.  It was a gift from a big box store and has served me well through my urban adventures even as my current values would now lead me to support a local grower and cut/buy a fresh tree.  I figure that as long as this tree is relatively in tact--though it loses more and more of its artificial needles every season--I will hang on to it. No sense in wasting the resources that were used to make it--however high impact--now that it's here.  Plus, having it up on a table offers fewer temptations for a curious two-year-old.  Afterall, I hang my great grandmother's glass ornaments on the branches.  Some are probably 100 years old and although at least one breaks each year, I don't need to create an opportunity for more damage.  I do look forward to having a tree which Vera can help decorate in the future without any anxiety on my part.  On a simplicity note, Ben and I have more or less vowed to keep our holiday decor contained to one plastic bin (plus the small tree box).  The tree holds three strands of LED lights, the antique ornaments, and a few small strands of gold and silver beads I believe were castoffs from some of my mom's Christmas decorations in the last decade.  Ben has a very simple ceramic creche he bought while living in Chile, my mom made appliqued fleece stockings for us in recent years, and I set out a few sets of wooden nesting dolls.  I've added a little extra sparkle this year for Vera--an extra strands of LEDs around the front hall tree, and some shiny antique garland bits I found at the flea market a couple of years ago (actually that isn't new, but was re-placed this year for a new effect.)  Perhaps V and I will make a garland together this season before it's all said and done, but otherwise that's it.  It takes me an hour or so to decorate then we get to sit back and enjoy the glow for the next month.

Our cozy living room with holiday decor

A little extra sparkle

A little extra sparkle on the mirror too

Ben's Chilean creche

Front entryway and stockings

Great Grandma Spang's ornaments

Oh Holiday Tree!

The tree at night

As I was reminded this morning (typical rough Monday) of the potential chaos of anxiety that this month can bring and was commiserating with a girl friend about it all, I realized that there are a few super important and relatively simple things I can do this month to keep myself in tact: eat healthfully, get enough sleep, don't overimbibe, keep exercising, and take time for myself each day.  As I mentioned in my last post, I'm doing my best to enjoy the silence each morning with a cup of coffee before Vera awakes.  I'm also trying to keep lots of veggies at the ready for salads and quick meals/snacks--there are always plenty of colorful, crunchy foods in the house, but I need to make sure they are at least minimally prepped and ready to grab and go.  Forcing myself to get in bed early will be tough.  Lately I've been lingering an hour or so after Ben's turned in and often wasting time in front of the computer.  Even if I get into bed before my usual bedtime, I can relax and unwind with a book (I just started an excellent, inspiring, quick read over the weekend--Learning to Breathe.)  Exercising actually isn't a problem for me because I've quickly gotten back into the groove of going to the gym just three days per week, which allows Vera to have some play time with the kiddos at the childcare facility there.  I once thought that gym time for me was too luxurious, but was reassured after hearing that it can make me a better parent by giving me time to myself (even if it means me just plugging into my headset and slowly riding a recumbent bike while flipping through a magazine for an hour), but also because it helps me build strength and stamina, which will ultimately help me get through the days and weeks with an energetic toddler.  I'm realizing that all of these steps to staying healthy throughout the hectic holiday schedule should be carried on always.  Do I see a New Year's resolution here?

I haven't posted many--if any--recipes lately, but will get back to that soon I hope.  But I do have to say something about carrot juice.  Speaking of keeping healthy things at the ready, there's a huge bag of organic carrots in my fridge just waiting to be sucked down in a glass.  I juiced some with a few homegrown red beets recently and Vera even went for this beverage.  I recommend adding a hint of ginger juice to spice it up.  When I make juice I often feel bad about the great fiber that's lost in the process.  So I saved and temporarily froze this "pulp" and today I'm drying it along with my standard almond meal in the dehydrator.  I will then grind the dried carrot pulp and use this "powder" in smoothies, soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, you name it.  Once again, nothing goes to waste.

Carrot and Ginger--a great combo

A little hand grabbing the carrot juice--I won't complain

Looking forward to the simple things this week like enjoying the sweet little voice in this house that always makes us laugh.  Last week I heard Vera reciting "This Little Piggy..." and the first line was "this little piggy went to the farmers' market..."  Only my daughter.  I was cracking up.  Our bedtime ritual lately has been to read a chapter from The House at Pooh Corner, an old fragile copy which I found in a small bookshop in Wellfleet on Cape Cod over the summer.  Those moments as well as rubbing up against my husband's new seasonal beard are my intended focus for when the going gets crazy this holiday.  Peace to you!

Trying to keep it simple with some art projects

And crayons!

At least someone is using my old watercolors!

Keeping It Simple

I ended my last post with the lyrics to a favorite holiday tune reminding me of the value of simplicity.  The month of December (which is already TOMORROW!) will be a test of my intention.  I was corresponding with my cousin yesterday via e-mail.  She asked what our plans are for the holiday season and I began my response with "I'm hoping to keep it simple."  Yet I followed with a whole list of week-to-week activities that don't pause until the third week of the month and then pick up on the 23rd and go full force again until the new year.  As I punctuated my last sentence I thought "that doesn't sound simple."  Although a few of December's activities are more or less set in stone, there are a number of others scheduled simply to get us out of the house on a predictably cold day.  And of course, this is the time of year when so many events are planned citywide, especially happenings that attract the kiddies.  And who doesn't want to do it all?  Well, I really don't want to do it all, but will at least pencil in some of the more rare opportunities.  (Breathe, keep it simple.)

Ready to "host" her first dinner party

We began this week by having friends over for dinner on a "school night."  Originally we'd planned Sunday brunch then shifted the schedule because of an impending holiday party in a land south of the Wisconsin border.  But this was a great opportunity for me to put some of last week's feast's leftovers to good use--with full disclosure to our guests.  Roasted root vegetables and chickpeas were worked into a quinoa and mung bean entree, gravy was given new life as a base for a rich turnip gratin, cold broccoli and cauliflower salad was fluffed and re-served, and my homemade caramel decorated yet another apple dessert along with the rest of the Purple Door Ice Cream (made right here in Bay View.)  And you can bet that I sent food home with our lovely guests.  As I was planning last night's dinner, Ben, knowing how I can get carried away with the hors d'oeuvres spread, menu planning, table dressing, etc., reined me in a time or two and said, "remember this is a regular weeknight supper, keep it simple."  He's such a wise man and my perfect counterpart!  We had a wonderful time with our friends, even if all of us were up and down trying to keep track of the girls and make sure they had something on their plates at the "kiddie table."  The night wound down with dessert and simple conversation in the living room.  It was just right.  (Breathe, keep it simple.)

We're beginning to open up more about the Santa thing with Vera.  I talked to her a little bit this week and, after a short explanation, asked what she wanted Santa to bring her.  She was in the tub at the time when the fun-shaped soap we'd brought home from our hotel in Yellowstone finally disintegrated (actually, this was the second of the soaps recovered from our trip).  She said she wanted new bear soap.  I said "Anything else?" and she responded, "just bear soap."  How wonderfully simple.  A friend told me her son wanted only a jar of honey for one of his first Christmases and a former classmate recalled that she would have been satisfied receiving a single bunch of green grapes when she was the same age.  These confidantes went on to warn that things get a bit more complicated as the years go on--and the kids get wiser.  But I'm going to savor the moment for this year and hope that she always keeps her wants so simple.

On the topic of simple things: during an errand run the other day I finally made it to the local cobbler shop to pick up some red shoe polish to shine up my secondhand Dansko clogs.  Vera has a pair of thrifted red leather Mary Janes that also needed a new coat.  I'd polished a pair of her shoes with her before, but the task doesn't seem to lose its luster (no pun intended.)  Upon returning from the store, we excitedly rushed down to the basement box of old socks and other polishes set aside for shoe shining and I went to work.  I always think of my dad when I polish shoes because he taught me at a young age how important it is to take care of your shoes (repair, polish, etc.)  He had a fancy wooden box for his supplies that had a foot rest on it where you could settle while you or another polished your kicks.  I also recall having to line up all the male servers one Sunday morning at a nice restaurant I worked at in college to show them how (and why) to polish their shoes.  Hopefully Vera will carry on this tradition and care for her belongings to make them last.  A simple wish, but valuable lesson.

Amazing what a coat of polish and a shine can do to secondhand kicks!

There's a framed original John and Yoko print hanging in V's room that says "A Small Pig is a Happy Pig."  Our interpretation is that small is beautiful, less is more, simple is better...  I refer to this idea frequently and was reminded of it again as we read from the library book The Biggest House in the World whose synopsis follows:

"A young snail dreams of having the biggest house—or shell—in the world. Then one day, his wise father tells him the story of another snail with the same dream. He grew and grew, adding bright colors and beautiful designs, until he found that his house came at a terrible cost. The young snail decides that a small, easy-to-carry shell might be best for a life of adventure and exploration."

This was a pretty good find for a book randomly pulled off the shelf.  It perfectly sums up my current goal for life and could provide inspiration for this typically "insane" season as well.  My simple vision for December (as I wake up earlier than my little one each morning--even if just by 20-30 minutes): I intend to savor the still warm coffee my wonderful husband has left insulated in the French Press before heading out the door.  I may sit quietly and sip, I may pick up a little knitting, I may do some reading, but it's going to be something for myself in the tiny quiet space I have alone in the partial darkness.  (Breathe, keep it simple.)

What will you do this season to keep your life simple?

All I Want for Christmas...

Holiday Lights in downtown Milwaukee

It seems as though our family of three (or at least Mommy and Daddy) is still batting around ideas about how we want to celebrate this holiday season in terms of traditions, meaning, and activities.  I grew up enjoying what seemed like fairly traditional American Christmas celebrations with a balance of religion (the story of the Christ child's birth) and Santa (the story of the rosy-cheeked jolly old elf and his workshop).  My husband's childhood probably wasn't as gift-focused around the holidays, but there was still a good combination of both holiday figures.

City of Milwaukee Holiday Tree Lighting

Presently, I find myself balking at both of these traditions.  As Unitarian Universalists--and individuals for that matter--we choose not to base our celebration so much on faith and salvation, though we feel the Christmas story is a good one...just as much as the legend of Hanukkah is symbolic, Dickens' A Christmas Carol teaches compassion, and tales of St. Nick shed light on the reason for the season.  This year so far, Vera seems to be understanding and delighting in the holidays more than ever as Halloween and Thanksgiving demonstrated.  That means she may finally take note of "the man in the red suit" as well as the lights, sparkle, and glow all around.  As you might imagine, because of my connection to nature, I'm more interested in celebrating the Winter Solstice, or "Yule," and the rebirth of the Sun.  I suppose many of these feelings come from the disillusionment I feel with the commercialism of "Christmas."  We all (or at least many Americans) sit at our Thanksgiving tables showing gratitude for what we have only to hit the stores the very next morning (or in the middle of the night) for Black Friday shopping madness.  To spend money we don't have and possibly throw down so that we may put gifts under the tree that show our kids and loved ones that we'd go to any length (even physical harm) to give them what they "want" all while pouring money into the accounts of national chains.  For what?!  (For the record, I observed "Buy Nothing Day" the Friday after Thanksgiving.)

Now more than ever, our society craves meaning and community.  I see this as the perfect time to reconnect, relax, sit quietly, share a meal, volunteer, enjoy the tiny lights through all the darkness, and reflect on the previous year.  Though we're still deciding how to present the Santa Claus idea, we are almost certain that we will encourage Vera to believe, at least in her heart.  Thanks to a friend's recent recommendation, we checked out The Polar Express from the library, which opened my mind a bit and made me remember that no matter what you believe, this is a magical season.  And how better to view it than through a child's eyes. I may add a little extra sparkle to our home this year--hopefully with Vera's help as we craft a special garland, wreath, or gift for a neighbor or friend.

On the topic of gifts, my homemade offerings are well underway and I'm enjoying every minute of crafting them, hoping for smiles on the kids' faces when the packages are unwrapped.  I received a treat myself the other day when my father-in-law unloaded a box of vintage canning jars that he'd acquired from a friend and antique-collector who'd recently down-sized.  They're not suitable for heat processing, but will make beautiful additions to my dry storage of nuts, seeds, noodles, and grains in the pantry.  There was also an interesting glass funnel type piece that I've decided must be a jar filler.  I really am easy to please and I want nothing more this season than to be safe and healthy with family and friends.

Beautiful, shining, old canning jars

Drey brand, hard to find these days

Interesting shapes and sizes

A very large, unique "jar filler," I think

I wish all of you a simple season starting yesterday.  To recall a favorite song from a high school holiday dinner theatre performance, "'Tis the gift to be simple..."  I hope you find joy in simplicity, meaning in the season, and hope in the new year.  Peace to you all through December and this winter.