Unintentional snapshot of life



While chopping onions and freezing greens that didn't sell at farmers market I noticed how photogenic my table was at that moment, so I grabbed the camera.  Going through the pictures I noticed that this one in particular captured this weeks activities in a nutshell.

In the upper left hand corner of the photograph you will notice packages of seeds.  These are for the sugar beets which will feed the pig(s) through the winter.  They remain in a package on the kitchen table because it has either been to dry to plant or we just haven't made it down into the garden.  Immediately to the right of that is an envelope containing a filled order from our website that is ready to be mailed when I leave for work or walk up to the top of the driveway.   In between the package and the engagement calendar is my Epi-pen.  A fatal allergy to bee-stings (mine) is the only thing keeping us from making our own honey here on the farm, although I keep trying to talk DH into trying it. 

The ever important engagement calendar, at the top of the photograph almost in the middle, is how I manage my life.  It keeps track of all of my appointments, little man's doctors visits, dates of rabbit kindling, the days that I am working since I am only doing that part-time right now, and soooo much more.  This particular calendar is from the Farmers Almanac, each day and each month contain interesting tidbits of information, gardening tips, old wives tales and more; it is an interesting distraction if only for a moment.  I keep my calendars for several years after they have expired to be sure that I have captured anything of great importance in my computer spreadsheets or in other records.  Pretty soon the paper calendar will be outdated, everything will be stored in our smart phones or other electronic device.  Someday when I am teaching my grandchildren the nuances of farming, it might be nice to be able to reference them.  Unless for some reason I have to move, then I might wonder why in the world I kept all of these calendars.

Much of the rest of the table is occupied by delicious fresh produce from our garden, that of our neighbor, and some that we traded for with another vendor at the farmers market.  This bounty produced a one gallon bag of chopped onions, five quart size bags of beet greens, three gallon size bags of spinach, and enough lettuce for salads for DH and I for four meals.  Six pounds lighter since I am spending more time on the farm, I am hoping that all this great food will help in that endeavor.  In the upper right hand corner is the deep-fryer which we use for our donuts and cannolis - leftovers of these items are not helping on the weight loss front.  And not to forget little man in all of this - between the wooden rails of the back of the chair is a blue and white bag - that is his diaper bag.  It is funny how capturing the preservation of the harvest can turn into 'a day in the life.'