Thursday, August 23, 2012

Gearing Up

It's almost School Time.  I'm trying to ignore it, but Time has a way of ignoring me.

1.  Weather change.  It has been hot (for me, anyway) the past two weeks, but on Wednesday the temperatures dropped and the weather has been practically perfect.


2. On the weekend, the fruit guy at the farmers market gave us around fiften pounds of his 'culls' which were bruised of blemished and he couldn't sell. This week I made a batch of peach/nectarine freezer jam, put up seven quarts of frozen peach/nectarine slices (think: fresh fruit pies in November!), and dried six trays of plums in the dehydrator. That's a big bunch of fruit preserved for fall and winter! And if I'm working in the kitchen I can ignore the date on the calender that says it's almost the end of summer and time for school.



3.  Monday a spinning/weaving friend came to visit.  She agreed that the changes I'd made in my selvedge edges were a great improvement and she gave me some more pointers.  Maybe I will figure out this weaving business.


4. I've been working on lesson prep for the school year and I discovered that I had made a big mistake in the yearly plans starting just before Christmas that had a negative trickle down effect all the way to the end of the school year. That's the bad news. The good news is that I caught it before I had made any more changes and now it's fixed. The fave is that it only took 3 hours to correct which truly is an easy fix.



5.  It's back to school time for the university, too.  The Professor has been diligently working on campus this week preparing for his full complement of classes for the fall.  It's always fun to attend the Librarians' Reception for faculty and staff which always includes a yummy appetizer buffet complete with chocolate fountain and wine bar.  The best part of the reception is meeting the new faculty and greeting the people we haven't seen for a few months.

This is a short and sweet update on Willow's Week.  I'd love to hear how your week went and the little blessings and points of gratitude that you noticed.  Susanne has a link up on her blog to share Friday Fave Fives and you can join in if you want.  Photos are all from the Orchid House at Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia.

20 comments:

nikkipolani said...

Boy, it sure doesn't feel like you should be gearing up for school again! Lovely fives this week, Willow. You certainly put those fifteen pounds of fruit to good use!

Faith said...

Love all your flower pics!! we are starting to prep for going back as well...I am still in denial that it's the end of august! lol
ENJOY your weekend!!

roxie said...

The orchids are gorgeous! I especially love the white catelayas. Remember when an orchid corsage was the height of sophistication? I may treat myself to one for my 65th birthday in a few years.

So you just slice the peaches and freeze them on a cookie sheet? Clever you! And the jam must be divine!

Well, if school is starting, can Christmas be far behind? Time flies whether you're havingfun or not. You may as well enjoy it. And Momma, you be jammin'!

Melanie - Author/Editor/Publisher said...

The flowers are so pretty!! I can't stand the heat and am looking forward to cooler weather. We have actually had some cooler mornings and evenings where I live :)

ellen b. said...

So good to hear the professor has a full load of classes! Glad things have cooled down, especially with all that fruit prep you did!

Jerralea said...

Love it when it cools down!

Look at you, being all Suzy Homemaker weaving and preserving! Isn't it an awesome feeling to have things "stored up" for the winter? (The closest I get to that feeling is when Kroger puts their berries on sale and I freeze them in 2 cup bags for cobblers.)

Maria Glazacheva said...

Quelles jolie photos!!:O) J`adore!!!
Et j`adore votre blog il est just MAGNIFIQUE!!
Avec l`amitier de Moscou!!
xxx Maria xxx

Bethany said...

Those are really beautiful photos Willow! I'm so happy you haven't given up on weaving... it really isn't easy. But it sounds like you've made some progress. Great job on the fruit prep. This is reminding me that I really need a separate freezer so I can do that too!

Marg said...

You are getting ready...and I am recuperating and getting ready to travel with my two little boys and give them that one last get away before we release them back to their teachers.
My teacher children are also preparing...I sort of hear all sorts of sighs...

Barbara H. said...

Wow, that's a great use of bruised fruit!

If it takes 3 hours for an easy fix, I'd hate to think what a worse one would take, but I'm glad you caught the error before it was any worse.

I love chocolate fountains.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

NYC does not go back to school till after Labor Day, but that isn't so far away is it? Summer vacation always seems to fly by at the end. I hope you have a very happy new school year and a nice new class of students who will be eager to learn!

Your fruit freezer stash sounds wonderful and I loved all your beautiful orchid photos!

Knitting Linguist said...

This all sounds familiar! The girls went back to school last Monday, and it was report-back week for me; classes start tomorrow. Where did the summer go?

Annette Whipple said...

I understand the problem that is still a favorite bc the solution wasn't as awful as it could have been!

Remind me again what you teach??

Lemon juice is also fabulous for cleaning with baking soda. That is how I cleaned our dishwasher stains (from well water). :)

snoopydogknits said...

Beautiful flower pics! Our school holidays are coming to an end also. I have work to do this week, but seem to keep on finding other things to do instead. Everything gets done in the end; I just need the pressure of time before I get going! Ros

Sharon Lynne said...

This is the third time of typed a comment on this post and lost it. So excuse me but this is a test

Sharon Lynne said...

You are very productive! That will be so nice to have fruit in the fall.

Sounds like school is winding up. We start on 9/5

Your bikes would be okay on the Mammoth Lakes Basin bike path, because its paved.

But you could rent if you wanted to try something different. There are also many beautiful drives and hikes, short and easy or longer.
You would love it. The beauty of the Easter Sierra's is indescribable.

Tracy said...

GORGEOUS orchids! Orchids...and roses...my fave flowers. :o) Wishing you all the best this new school term. All that fruit putting up sounds so good. Our own fruit from the yard hasn't amounted to much due to the rainy summer, but there will be a few apples & plums to do with. Lovely to catch up with you after a brief hiatus! Happy Weekend ((HUGS))

Z said...

Flowers are beautiful. Thank you.

Julene said...

A quick visit today....and I can't believe that summer...real summer is almost over! I'm sure your plans are made to perfection and you'll have a good start!
We will be thinking of you during the next days!!

Claudia Bugh said...

My sister teaches second graders and so I know all about the wistful wishing that Fall would delay a bit LOL I like the idea of a "meet and greet" to reconnect with colleagues, it sounds like a good idea to build team spirit and connections for any work environment ~

PS I picked up my first fallen pine cone on my walk this weekend ~ which is a sure sign of Fall.