back online...

...well, I have been online for about a week and a half, but that time has just whizzed by!

Moving was successfully accomplished, although we moved most of the garden slowly over the course of the month, then insuring my sister's truck this past weekend to bring over some of the numerous tractor scoops of garden mix we've purchased over the years.

Yesterday was also a marathon canning session, finishing off the last of the 40 pounds of peaches my father has gifted me recently (Dad works in Penticton Mon-Thurs, and from home in Mission on Fri, so he often drives through Keremeos). We canned a dozen pints and 3 quarts of peaches, and hubby made both peach and peach-plum jam, also canned.

Apples are next, the main crop is just starting to come in. Dad gave me a half a box with the last box of peaches, and he says he'll keep buying for me as he goes by the stands every Thursday evening. I'm seeing yummy jars filled with spicy apple sauce, sweet apple juice and thick apple butter.

We've also yanked all the tomato plants out of the garden at the old house - two Tiny Tim plants, two other varieties of cherry, a Russian heritage, two Brandywines and two Roma/paste tomatoes. My cupboards are crammed with green tomatoes! I'm envisioning salsa galore! I'm also planning to try several interesting green tomato recipes - pickled, salsa, relish, even green tomato mincemeat.

The semester is really heating up, with papers and presentations and reams of reading.This is my last academic semester of my degree, and I am filled with both excitement and trepidation - will I actually like Child Protection? Will I find a job with MCFD? If not, will one of the delegated Aboriginal agencies hire me? Will I have to move out of the Fraser Valley to find a job?

Oh, yes, and I won that writing competition I wrote about back in May :) First place in my category, Upper Level Discourse Analysis, and $100. There is an awards ceremony tomorrow, and I get to speak about my paper for 3 to 5 minutes... off to write that speech!