Sunday 4 October 2009

Nothing Big

There is just too much to write about. Well, I will try to pick a direction here. Okay, lately, I have been very, very busy which is not unusual as it is my preferred state of being. Of course, PonyGirl is taking up much of my time what with walks, runs, lake swims, training etc. She is so much fun! I had forgotten how everything is so new to a puppy and their reactions to the most mundane things are so entertaining. Like when she discovered the cow skull on the wall...at first she was astonished and then she took a sniff and thought 'hallalujeh...a great big bone!'. It took some convincing to get her distracted from that, let me tell you. Then there is the bounty of fall. Tomatoes and hazelnuts to name just two. Spent an afternoon canning the delectable San Marzano tomatoes grown by my dear friends Carmela and Luigi. They live just down the hill and actually brought these seeds with them to Canada, 54years ago from Napoli, Italia. WOW....what did I do to get this lucky? If you know anything about tomatoes, you should know that the San Marzano is the coveted tomato for making sauce. Which brings me to the hazelnuts. This year was a bounty crop and for no special reason that I know of. The tree in the yard is lovely and we all enjoy it. The blue jays and the squirrels and us. We share the nuts as it is only fair. They need to get through the winter and I need to make pesto. So for now, that is the long and short of it. Oh... one more thing. Today at the Anglican Church was the Blessing of the Animals (St. Francis of Assisi Day). I brought PonyGirl and she was a little angel -- so well-behaved and patient. She has been blessed. How incredible is that?

9 comments:

ingrid said...

Sounds like a wonderful place you are in at the moment! I love the pictures of PonyGirl!

I just recently heard of St. Francis of Assisi!.
And I didn't realize he had his own day! I had simply come across a quote of his;
"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men."

I wish I had that in my brain over the weekend during my confrontation with my family. And thank you Gina, by the way, for your wonderful and comforting words! I'm trying.

Joey Boshart said...

Ah... St Francis of Assisi....A GREAT Patron Saint. I too, adore his teaching, and heard a quote of his.

"Preach the Gospel without ceasing. Use words when necessary." St. Francis of Assissi

Isn't it funny? Animals never have to use words. Things that make me go... "Hhhhmmmm..."

BOBOJOJO said...

Pesto from hazelnuts?
Sounds great
You goin retro Gee with all the old school domesticity.
My mom wouldn't allow canning jars in the house, after spending her formative years in a ninety degree kitchen canning beets for a family of fourteen.
Damn Catholics.
I suppose it's more enjoyable when you do it for love and fun as opposed to having to do it in order to get you thruogh the winter. I think she probably would have rather been hangin out with her sisters teasing the neighborhood young men.

Dog By Nature said...

You are going to have one well stocked pantry for the winter! Leave it to a pup to set eyes on a decorative skull, hee, hee, you can bet she's formulating a plan to get to that giant bone:)

Becca said...

I love the story of the tomatoes- they look wonderful. The pesto will be amazing I'm sure. Looks like a good day filled with simple pleasures.

Appalachian Muse said...

I planted my first tomato plant (ever) this year. It was generous. I was told to can (why isn't it "jar"?) the tomatoes that I couldn't keep up with. I even collected a few canning recipes. I went as far as to make a special trip to buy the mason jars in anticipation of a sublime day cooking and canning. I don't even eat pesto. Ketchup is just reserved for my scrambled eggs. I had good intentions. Maybe next year I'll get around to it. But it was enjoyable enough just to think about being so self-sufficient.

Congrats!

kevel88 said...

Ponygirl is just too cute. Be sure and same a jar of sauce for when I get there.

Eric said...

Hey Hey... our birthdays are comin' up... some of that pesto would be a GREAT B-day present!! :) And I'm sure those coveted tomatoes make the BEST sauce or the best anything that requires tomatoes! Sure is nice to have friends like Carmella & Luigi... they are good people! Stay warm up there in the Great White North!

Sparky's Mom said...

Aww, how sweet. I love your stories about ponygirl, she seems like such a sweetheart!

I have to tell you, the other day, for the first time in months, I was able to get a good night sleep. I haven't been able to sleep well since Sparky had gotten sick, so that tells you! Anyway, at the end of my dream, whatever it was about, I remember being at a beach and seeing a 'blonde' Sparky in the water ... clearly felt that he was special to me... I was watching him and then I look down and there was a black and white dog looking at me sweetly, and I felt comforted. When I woke I had to immediately think of you and Cowgirl :) Just wanted to tell you that. Hugs.