Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
There we were. Here we are. An update.
We have returned from our recent adventure to visit a friend in the small interior (Washington) town of Twisp, and I’ve got photos of that trip and an almost-finished crochet project to share this week! But at the moment I’m just re-orienting myself to the fact that school starts in a mere seven days and we are at the end of summer travels for one more year. (Never mind the fact we have three more camping trips planned for the fall).
Despite the late start, I think it’s been a brilliant summer – and we met our intention to get out of the city as frequently as was possible. Two trips to the island, a trip to Hornby, an extended excursion in the Cariboo, and a dip down into Washington State….. not to mention getting out a few times to fish around the edges of Vancouver. In this vein we have planned to extend “summer trips” by dressing warmer and getting out more in the fall too! Next up is Porteau Cove, then Sloquet Hot Springs at the end of September, followed by a week in the interior (outside of Kamloops) mid-October. Now that we have a real four-season tent we might even brave a later-season trip in November to catch the edge of hunting-time before the dark really closes in.
We opted to do less canning this year – really more by accident than anything (I didn’t want to drive to Keremeos during the heatwave) – but still I have managed enough small batches to replenish some of our favourite things. This week I’m going to give lacto-fermented pickles a try and do some regular pickled beets – just five pounds worth of each. I’m also going to put my hand to sauerkraut if I can get some decent cabbage at the farmer’s market tomorrow. Having tried my fermented dilly beans on the weekend – I am *totally* converted to lacto-fermentation. My only worry is having cold enough storage for the jars of beans and pickles since our basement is perhaps a little on the warm side. It might be that I have to make some space in the back shed mid-fall to store my jars of ferment. Without the water-bath seal they aren’t storeable for as long as a traditional pickle is… though from what I’ve read I suspect we’ve got several months before they get too soft.
And on the “totally-organized” front, I officially started making Christmas presents this week! One, anyway – because I can really only work on one thing at a time. I’m hoping to show it off here shortly as the person it’s intended for doesn’t read this blog. I’m hoping to tackle my list of gifts as early as possible this year so I can get a balance going on over the fall between school, work and life in general.
The next week or so I’ve got a focus on getting the house and garden organized before I start classes again. My grad class this semester is titled “Self and Society” and I have started some of the readings, though a little half-heartedly. While I look forward to a semester discussing human nature, I feel like the philosophical conversation falls somewhat short (where evolutionary biology, psychology and anthropology have extended the discussion to a much greater degree in the last two decades). As much as I’ve been glad to take the summer off, I am totally into going back for more reading, wine-drinking, late-night philosophizing ….. and learning. Of course. And learning.
Overall I’m feeling good – recharged from my various adventures and looking forward to more camping fun in the golden fall. Plus! By scheduling my late summer with attention-holding things I managed to completely avoid my (annual) August depression. So now onto my favourite seaon: early autumn….. shorter days, cooler nights – but still lots of sun and campfires!
Red Cedar 
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