Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Winding Down

August 22:  Yes, I've missed a few days.  I didn't mean to miss them but somehow, I did just the same.  Never mind.  I'm here today.  

Summer pleasure:  My first marigold bloomed!  Now if only all those other plants that are so slender and delicate looking will follow suit.

Sorry to say that I've had a case of what a Brit friend calls "Evil Head" and it's made me snappy and sharp spoken.  I don't want to be either of those things but if I open my mouth, out comes the snark.  So mostly I've kept my mouth shut and tried to keep my temper under control.  

I made pie today. The base for a lime meringue pie and a pecan pie.  I've been so envious of those who have garden produce or access to canning equipment and are participating in the #everybitcounts challenge that Jessica of Three Rivers does each August that I felt purely whiny over it all.  And today I decided to do what Patsi suggests on A Working Pantry blog:  ask myself "What's that in your hand?"  Well, what I had in my hand at that very moment was a goodly portion of a 5-pound bag of pecans given to John this past fall.  That has been sitting on my kitchen counter for months.  So, I took up the big bowl next to the bag in which I'd poured most of the pecans and sat down and started shelling them out.  I mean to shell them all out this week, though I will work in increments.  I'll put them in the freezer and perhaps share some with Katie and Bess if there proves to be lots.

I took some of the shelled pecans this afternoon and made a pecan pie because I (a) came across the recipe Granny gave me 45 years ago and (b) because I recalled that it was the first baking she ever let me do in her kitchen when I was growing up.   Granny's recipe came right out of a twin pack of Pet-Ritz pie crusts which is what she used all the years I knew her.  I know she did make pie crust because once a summer she'd make a lattice topped fresh peach pie (always in a white enameled rectangular baking dish) and a Green Apple Pie with a crust on top (same pan), but all other pies received the Pet-Ritz treatment for crusts.

The recipe is called Funsten Pecan Pie.  Funsten is a variety of pecans, grown mostly in Texas I think but we have always used Georgia grown pecans and oddly enough the pie still tastes great.

Funsten Pecan Pie

1 9-inch pie crust

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup (we've always used light corn syrup, but the dark makes a more traditional looking pie filling)

1/4 melted butter

1 cup pecans (I used more than 1 cup)

Mix eggs, sugar, corn syrup, and butter until well blended.  Pour into pie shell then drop pecans over the top.  Some people arrange halves in a pretty pattern.  I just take handfuls of whatever I've got on hand and drop them in.  Honestly broken pecan pieces taste just as well and make the pie easier to cut and serve.

I didn't have a Pet-Ritz crust on hand, nor any other type so I made my own.  I was reading a recipe just last night that I shared on Blue House Journal Recipes, and I mentioned that the Mom's Apple Pie to Beat All Moms' Apple Pie recipe had been a winner in my home for 40 years, and I'd always used the crust recipe that came as a portion of that recipe way back then.  WHY am I looking for the perfect pie crust if I've been making a rather nice one for 40 years from that recipe?  I do wonder sometimes just how bright I am!

So, I used that recipe today to make my crust.  I don't usually bother to roll it out.  I just dump it in my pie pan and then press it all into place until it's fairly even.

Why has it taken me years upon years to make Pecan Pie once more?  It's so doggone easy!

And there you are.  Pie making hasn't sweetened my temper in the least, but I do feel productive...

August 23:  I have been so sleepy all day today.  I slept very well last night though this past week I have awakened due to being cold.  In August!  

This morning we were up quite early.  I didn't do much of anything today and that's the truth.  I've been working on shelling out the pecans and I am very nearly through the big bowl which was about 3 pounds.   I have a quart bag of shelled pecan meats now.  I suspect I'll get another quart or so from this bag of pecans.

It's funny but I've 'heard' Granny's voice throughout this whole process.  In my childhood, shelling out pecans was a child approved chore.  "Get all that nut meat out!  Don't waste any of it!"   So, I've picked up the teeniest little pieces of nut meat that have attempted to escape.   Granted it all does add up, as Jessica of Three Rivers says but doesn't mean quite this literally, 'Every bit counts,' lol. Well, it does count and while I'm not so desperate as to need those teeny bits, I can't get around Granny's desire to not waste food.

We used to forage for blackberries and wild blueberries, scuppernongs and muscadines and I can hear her fussing gently all these years later.  "Don't leave any of those berries!  Get them all.  The birds and deer are just going to eat them if we don't get them."  Mind you when we foraged it wasn't for just her benefit.  It was also for our family and my cousins' family, as well.   We were a family of five, they were a family of six and Granny often served these items to both families when we all visited so there was a desire on her part to get all that she could for the year ahead.  

No, I'm not Granny but I did smile as I sat there shelling out those pecans and heard that little whisper from the past.  

Summer Pleasure:   I picked my first zinnia today.  And there are more buds out there.  I noted that a plethora of those seeds sown last week or so have come up as well.

I made Chicken Noodle Soup for supper tonight.  The noodles absorbed most of the liquid left in the crock pot and I put that in a 9-inch square pan which went into the freezer.  Future Chicken Noodle casserole, just add breadcrumbs to the top!

August 24:  May I please make a confession?  The nearer we come to the end of August the harder it is to maintain the spirit of summer and it's pleasures.  I went to Kroger today for flowers and the flowers were gorgeous...Fall colored beauties!  Roses in rich deep reds, warm golds, and fiery oranges.  Chrysanthemums galore.  Asters.  

Instagram and vlogs and blogs are already decorating for the next season.  And though I am resistant, the trees are beginning to change colors, the goldenrod is blooming in many places (only in bud here on the property).  Every bit of nature points to an early autumn.

While I was in Kroger, I found new season produce.  Grapes, Pears, Apples, Butternut and Acorn Squash...

Today was overcast and a good bit cooler than it's been.  The skies spit rain at me all day long.  Never a heavy shower.  These fitful bouts of sprinkles are not summer like!  

I have touched on only about half my list of supposed Summer Pleasures.  I won't finish that list.  Partly due to lack of want to on John's part, partly due to an inability to find items I'd thought would be easy to find, and partly due to lack of funds.  We have had a fairly straightforward year financially without the usual mid-year tightness, but it hasn't loosened the financial belts either.

All that to say that while I think the idea of a month of summer was a good one, waiting until August to start wasn't the best idea I've had.

Summer Pleasure:  Mightn't sound like a summer thing but the advent of a new fruit season does please me and it is right on time.  There are pears lading the trees in yards all along the way home.  I admire those trees full of fruit and remember that it was this time of year that we canned pears, made pear relish and pear preserves for the months ahead.  The rhythm of eating seasonally is deeply ingrained in me from childhood.

August 25:   It's been raining off and on since yesterday afternoon.  Just as we think it's about to clear up another group of clouds moves in, another shower occurs.   I wasn't sure what I'd do today...It's not conducive to much with this sort of weather.

Bess texted me that Millie had come to her, showed her hand and said "Gramma....Pritty"   Bess thought it funny that Millie apparently felt only Gramma could make her pretty.  I thought it perfect timing and suggested to Bess that she bring Millie by here and I'd do her nails.

In walks little miss with a pair of flared pants, a cropped top with a ruffle, sandals, a hairband, looking like a very young hippie.  This amused me because that is pretty much Bess' own style and Millie is apparently following in her footsteps (Millie picks out her own clothes btw).  As soon as Bess left here Millie went to my room and took off her shoes.  We did her nails.  She chose her own colors and I have to confess that the combination of sparkling sheer polishes she chose turned out super pretty together.  She was very pleased with the 'little stars' on her fingernails.

She's started to call John Papa Daddy and I am Gramma Mommy. After her nails were done, she pulled ALL the toys from the toybox.  Not altogether a bad thing since it gave me an opportunity to remove some things that really don't belong in there, but Caleb had acquired them for his own play.

Katie called and has another case of strep throat, sigh.  Millie asked to speak to 'Tatie'.  Katie is 'Tatie Mama'... That pleased her aunt and made Katie laugh.  Little Miss was tired enough to have climbed into a chair and lounge a bit when her Mama arrived to pick her up.  She readily enough went home with her, no fussing.  I'll have her back again next week.  I've made up my mind that I'll have her here one morning each week, a little longer than I had her here today.

After clearing up behind lunch, I finished shelling out that big bowl of pecans.  I've about 1/3 of a bag left to shell, but I'll wash those off well before I start shelling them.  I'd forgotten how rough the dry dust on the pecan shells makes my hands.  I had a quart sized bag packed full of nut meats when I'd finished today.  I used about 2 cups or so in the pecan pie I'd made.

I went into the kitchen a few minutes ago to see how supper was progressing in thawing.  I put the doggone container right back in the freezer!  What was I thinking?!  Oh well.  I'll just have to heat it a longer amount of time to thaw and heat it

Summer Pleasure:  Butterflies.  It might be overcast but once glance out into the yard highlights butterflies fluttering around everywhere.  The lack of flowers doesn't seem to bother them in the least.  Apparently, there are enough blooming weeds to satisfy their need for nectar.

August 26:  Earlier this morning John suggested that we 'might' go this afternoon to pick up a toilet and ceiling fan for the town house 'after all our work is done'.  I am always a bit testy about open ended statements like this because it triggers a little bit of anxiety.  Do I do ALL I intended to do and then say when I'm ready or do I do the hard basics and then say I'm ready to go and leave off a few things like baking bread and hope we get back in time for me to get it done when we return?  Do I just do the very basics and then sit idly about and wait or zoom through doing all I can cram into what I think is the morning window before it's 'afternoon'?   Does he literally mean 'after noon' or does he mean sometime later in the afternoon?  You see why I could stress myself when he makes such a statement, can't you?

I decided after careful contemplation to do the zoom through all I can cram into what I think is the morning window...Which means I did the cleaning, the bread making, cake making, dishwasher load, bills for the end of the week, showering, makeup, gathering so I could do a few errands while we were out, etc.  And at noon, I told John, "I'm down to getting dressed..." and he says, with a glance at the clock, "What's your hurry?"  Ok.   So, he meant later this afternoon and not literally after noon. Which frankly made me want to crumple up and whine because I was tired after the morning whirl.  

I asked if he was hungry; he assured me that he was not and eventually he got himself ready to go out the door.   In the meantime, I did get a little hungry, so I made myself a small snack.  Of course, at that very moment, he was ready to go, lol.  I grabbed my things to go (pack of crackers and a bottle of water).

We loaded up the car and I mentioned how nice it would be to return to a cleaned home and have nothing to do when we got here.  Go on and laugh, y'all.  It's funny.

We stopped to do some banking, and John texted Katie to tell her what our plans were.  She texted back that she'd really appreciate some orange juice and an orange energy drink if we didn't mind running it by her office.  Her office was within a mile of where we planned to be anyway so that was not a problem.  We stopped and picked up her requests, stopped another time to fill up the car with gas and finally arrived at her office.  Then we went to Lowe's.

The whole bit of shopping in Lowe's took about 15 minutes total.  We found what we wanted on sale, and I was glad that John had the notion to go today to get the items.  I had no illusions of it being a 'date' day.  He was going to be hauling the toilet onto the dolly at the store, into the car, out of the car, and into the shed at the town house.  John doesn't like to eat before working and I knew that we weren't getting lunch out or even a snack.  I felt regret only because I felt I looked rather smart today with my white jeans and my pretty green and white print top.  It seemed a waste to only go out to get a toilet when I felt so nice, but then I thought, "Never mind.  I looked nice for John."

Somewhere on the way home, things went wrong, and we had words.  And more words and then still more snipping and snapping and finally I realized that John had two things warring inside himself.  Number one, and probably the larger reason, he was hungry and thirsty.  We ate our breakfast together today.  He'd only had coffee to drink.   He'd refused the offer of the package of crackers I'd brought.  He never brings along a bottle of water as I do, and he won't drink behind me.  Even if I bring a bottle of water for him, he rarely will drink it. 

Number two, he'd suddenly decided that I was disappointed that we weren't going out to eat.  And that had nothing to do with my expectations at all.  I explained that to him, but he was having none of it.  And just to prove that he could be contrary if he chose, he declared that when we'd dropped off those items at the town house he meant to come home and mow the yard next door...right after he changed blades on the mower.

I said "Okay" and didn't say anything else, but he was testy as could be from there and of course felt that everything I said was testy and admittedly after a bit of him being testy and accusing me of the same behavior I took on a bit of a testy attitude myself!  

While we were at Katie's he insisted we load up some of the landscape blocks into the car because you know it's not nearly enough to haul a toilet in and out of the car and all that good stuff, we must now lift heavy landscaping blocks as well.

Now I'm not an idiot.  I knew he picked up those blocks today because he was trying to make up to me for disappointing me.  I know my husband well and I know that he hates to feel he's disappointed me.  And I hate being disappointed!  But I wasn't, and I'd told him so.  I'd had no expectations beyond us doing exactly what we did.  I had thought to ask if he wanted to stop and pick up a snack of sorts in town before we headed home but decided against it when he made a snarky sort of comment.  Truth was he was disappointed himself that we hadn't done more than we did while we were out.  And he's such a silly man because he just doesn't believe that he can get a bit ill-tempered when he's hungry and thirsty.

Words and more words and then silence.  We came home, unloaded the blocks and he went right in to change clothes and go outdoors without stopping to eat a cracker, half a sandwich, drink a soda or a glass of water.  After a little bit, I took a glass of water and packet of crackers outdoors to him and asked him to eat and drink and he took one tiny little sip and then told me he had more important things to do than drink a glass of water and I decided then and there to mentally toss my hands up in the air and leave him to stew and brew.  I left the glass out there with him, but I'll bet you it's sitting right where I left it and just as full as it was after that tiny sip.

You know that stupid mower wouldn't cooperate with him and the putting on of blades turned into a repair job.  Because goodness knows you can't feel contrary without things going contrary with you!

This week I listened to the Homemaker Chic podcast with Angela (Parisienne Farmgirl) and Shaye Elliot.   They were answering questions from listeners, and they were asked how Angela and Shaye resolve upsets in their marriages.   Shaye shared that a woman she'd known long ago had told her she made her husband supper...That service was her love language and when she and her husband were upset with one another, she made him supper.   So, I'm making supper.  I've got a steak, German potatoes and a salad.  I've frosted the cake I baked this morning.   Angela said she always offers to make Joel a cup of coffee.   I've got John's cup set up ready to make coffee as soon as he comes out of the shower.

He's coming across the yard now.  I'll just go fix him a nice cold drink...

Summer Pleasure:  Walking across the yard barefoot.  The grass was cool and soft and just a little wet.  I can't name the number of years it's been since I walked barefoot outdoors.

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