First canning attempt

The garden has been producing like crazy (even if some of the tomato and other plants look like they're suffering a looong, slow death). This week my mom and I spent one morning making and canning salsa. Embarrassing to admit, but this was my first solo(ish) attempt at canning anything. In fact, my mom didn't can her half -- just put the boiling contents in and turned the jars upside down. All of the lids sealed.

I, on the other hand, ran gallons of hot water into a big cooker, cranked the electric stove and boiled those jars for 15 minutes. All the lids sealed on mine as well (they sure better have!).

There must be some magical safety/chemical process that requires the boiling, otherwise why bother??

Thirty-plus jars of salsa - and one gallon of fridge pickles (that, along with freezing, is much more my/our style) - later.

Hot Sunday afternoon

It's been hot, hot, humid, and hot around here lately. Really quite like Bolivia (only here we can set our house to a most cool, comfortable level imaginable). Sunday we finally hauled ourselves off to the lake - something both Ramont and I have good memories of from being kids ourselves.

We went to Mound Creek county park, which is about 15 miles from us, out in the country. The water was very clean and refreshing, and the sand perfect for the little ones to play in. Also, it wasn't overcrowded (amazingly).

Our kids much prefer the sand to the water at this stage, though we convinced both of them to take a dip with us, too.

Jonathan does some exuberant handstands, and Anna gives a rare camera smile.

Definitely a good way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon.

Another happy birth day

We have a new niece!!

Maria Neufeld Harder was born to Hannah Neufeld and Willmar Harder (my brother) on Sunday morning, August 25, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Welcoming her were brothers Elias (holding her), Amos (left), and Reuben (middle).

All seem to be healthy and in good spirits. Thanks be to God!

Bushels of apples

Last Saturday, a fellow church member offered my mom some apples from their yard, and she and I jumped at the opportunity. In about five minutes we had picked off the ground the ones in the white pails, and then the friend also sent us home with the others she had already picked up.

Jackpot!!!

[Can anyone ever have too much applesauce in the freezer? If you have small children, or are verenike-eating Mennonites, or pretty much anyone else, the answer is a resounding NO.)

We spent pretty much the whole day (minus lunch time and some fairly significant napping and terere drinking) working on those apples.

Jonathan was in charge of washing them and lifting them into the bowl with an ice cream scooper and/or gravy ladle. For about five minutes.

 Anna couldn't handle the excitement and took to the playroom couch with some books and her nookie.

We made eight gallons of applesauce that Saturday.

Mom made pies yesterday, and I made four pies this afternoon (107 degree heat index notwithstanding; thank you air conditioning!). There are still two pails of apples waiting.

The freezer is starting to look a-mazing. Bags and bags of raspberries, corn, beans, applesauce, jams, etc. Tomorrow: salsa!

A happy birth day

 Birthdays are not super huge events around our house - just ordinary days made slightly better by a little cake, ice cream, and maybe a card/gift or two. I turned 36 on the 23rd, on a very nice-side-of-average day. The first photo captures Jonathan and Anna hard at play outside, while I washed up the breakfast dishes and frosted the cake.

Regrouped, with my mom, for some candle-blowing fun.

Anna, 1.

Mama, 36.

Jonathan, 3 (and reeeeally waiting for that sprayer cake at 4).

Our friends and neighbors, Stan and Charlotte, invited us over in the evening for bubbles,

birthday smores (yes, that is a candle),

and parachute watching.

Here's to another stellar year!

Anna at 22

Months! 22 months, not years. She's growing up fast, and probably wishes she was 22 years old already, but Anna is still our little baby.

She's brave, a worker, extremely clingy to mama, shares with Jonathan, extremely perceptive and seems to understand everything. Stringing words into sentences is not yet worth the effort. Yet she's pretty clear about what she needs/wants, especially when it's to get out of bed at 5.00am.

She sleeps and eats well, is healthy, and we couldn't ask for more than what she is.


[Except that she not stir the terere.]

New wheels: Part 19 (this is a fairly common post title for us)

Jonathan practically lives on his tricycle now in summer - and also in the basement in winter. We (and he) generally think of it as an extension of his body. Today a bit of new excitement got thrown into the mix, thanks to this sweet loan from some friends: a bike! with training wheels!

Not sure where he learned about training wheels, but he's been talking on and on about them the last few weeks. I was getting a little worried that they wouldn't live up to his expectations, but oh boy, do they ever. He jumped on that bike the moment it got here and didn't do much else (well, his most favorite person in the world, Lexi, was here to play so he did do a bit else for awhile).

It's been really fun to just sit and watch him discover all the new things he can do with these wheels.

And oh yes, maybe I should buckle on this sweet little thing from Care and Share.

 I will not be left behind.

Does it suit me, you think?

It's been a gloriously beautiful week (and month) so far: crisp, sunny, not windy, even some moisture.

 The lovely Clematis (is that right?) up close.

Anna working away. This morning three girls came to play, and while their mom was packing up to leave, I found the youngest (age 2) with one end of this chain tied around her waist and the other to the railing. The older ones had been playing puppy-on-a-leash and kind of forgot about her. It happens.

It's sweet corn season (in my folks' field), which our kids loove.

And small places to hide in (or, if you're Jonathan, drive like a truck) never get old.

So those are just a few scenes from around our place these nice late summer days.

One year ago

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, so the kids and I made little cards and a cake to bring her for afternoon terere - largely for the excitement value of sprinkles! and candles! and singing the birthday song!

Last year was the big 60th birthday, which entailed more of a party. I don't think I ever posted photos of it then, so here they are now - one year the wiser.

It was held at our new home, about two weeks after we moved here. The weather was nice, though a bit windy.

Lots of visiting on a Sunday afternoon.

 Mom at 60.

Mom with her two Canadian sisters, Lena and Greta, and sister-in-law, Louella.

Jonathan, wondering if he should've just stayed in Bolivia...

The evening before the party, my brother David grilled us some delish steaks at my folks' house, together with the just-arrived Canadian relatives.

And so it went, one year ago. Happy birthday, mom!

Our newest addition

After much, much, much thought and research, Ramont believes he has found the perfect cow for us. And so, last Saturday Suzy Q joined our family!

She is half Lowline Angus and half Jersey. Ramont likes this mix because it would ideally be a good balance of milker and beef cow. She's already been bred to a full Lowline Angus bull, and is due to give birth in early September. At that time we'll begin to see whether her modest milk production will meet our grandiose plans for milk, butter, cheeses, puddings, etc, etc, and etc. We're really very excited.

Here Suzy begins to explore her new pasture, with both her old owners (the Quirings) and new owners looking on.

Ramont is very pleased with how calm she is. Here she frisks around her new environs a bit, probably just happy to be out of doors again after a few weeks in the barn.

Mr. Farmer pitches in.

Suzy joins our nine chickens (not sure yet of hen/rooster balance), who are starting to feel quite good about going outside. Not quite free range, but freer.

And from the other end of the farm, rather unrelated, comes this pool happiness.