Back after a hiatus again.

I just can not seem to motiate myself during the summer to blog about anything.  And so much has traspired over this particular summer that I am almost uncertain about how to compose this "I'm back" blog post.  Perhaps a list with select details will be best.

1.) The garden looks phenominal though as usual some things grew better than others.  I have lots of pictures about that to post at a later date.  We had some hellish weather this summer which made my watering of the garden more of an obsession than a passing chore.  Because of that, the plants grew big but haven't really officially started producing vegtables until these past few weeks. It's bizarre.  We had pumpkins ready to pick and cook before we had ripe tomatoes.  Positively strange.

2.) My friends have some serious drama going on.  One married couple split up the same day as another married couple... each of the dumpers leaving their respective spouses for the other. So.... it's been an odd social season for us.  We can no longer just call couple #1 and couple #2 for dinner or drinks because... well.... they are now single #1 and single #2 and couple #3.  It's a big, fat mess and we are all forced to deal with it. *sigh*  Doesn't make a god case for marriage does it?

3.) I have been busy doing Farmer's Market things once again this summer.  Since we've had 40 traight days of 100+ degree weather, produce has been slim and thus we have almost all resorted to making some kind of baked goods and crafts to sell in the mean time.  I discovered that Dodge City is comprised of a number of dog lovers.  So, I began making and selling homemae dog biscuts.  People and dogs love them. I've also been making homemade english muffins and scones which are becoming a big hit as well.  I've done quite well this summer.

4.) Lee, my boyfriend, moved into my home in January of 2011. Things have been going well for us.  So well, he got a promotion at work.  He is no longer an assistant manager of customer service at the car dealership but has been transfered to a different section and made a proper manager of customer service.  In other words, when your car breaks down or has the oil changed or is making that weird noise, he's the guy you talk to to schedule an apointment with the technicians.  And he's damn good at his job too.

5.) On the jewelry front, not much has been happening in the way of sales.  However, a lot has been happening in the way of PR for my jewelry studio on Artfire as well as my designs in general.  I've had pieces featured in Bead Trends magazine in the past and have pieces that were selected to be featured in the November and December issues for 2011 as well.  This July I received an email from the editor asking if they could use me as the Designer Highlight for the February 2012 edition.  It's a full 10 page spread along with a head shot of myself and bio page.  I am SUPER excited about this opportunity and will therefore be getting pieces put together and shipped off in the next 2 weeks.  How cool is that?

That's a good update thus far.  More to come later.... including pictures.

What I've been up to this summer

In case any of you out there have wondered if I fell off the face of the earth.... the answer is no.  Well, then what on earth HAVE I been doing to keep me from my diligent blogging?  Glad you asked!

Let me tell you something I learned this summer.  There are literally dozens of fruit trees in the city where I live.  They are growing in people's back, front and side yards.  And most of them are over producing this season due to large spells of heavy rain and hot humid temperatures.  Wanna know why this is important?  Most of these people.... don't even PICK the fruit from them.  So, I have been picking fruit all summer and putting it up in jars. 

I'm talking preserving folks.  That's right, the art of preserving fruits and veggies in jars and now freezer vessels for later use.  The list of fruits I have had or will have access to this season are apricots, cherries, apples (many varieties), peaches, mulberries, strawberries and sandhill plums.  My veggie garden and my bf's garden have also yielded MANY peppers and soon will be heavy with tomatoes so the canning continues.  We've also had a bumper crop of herbs... when we can pick them before the grasshoppers eat them. 
Jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters and pie fillings have emerged from my humble kitchen in record numbers.  And I have enjoyed every minute of it.  I've also put up a couple of jars of pickled peppers and am going to be making marinara sauce this evening. 
I also became a member of my local farmer's market.  I bring all my wares, jewelry included, down to the local market every Saturday morning from 7am-noon and have made some extra $$$ selling things.  Anywhere from leftover produce I could not get put up in time to the canned goods I've been turning out lightning fast. 
I will be blogging in more depth about these things in my upcoming entries.  Keep you eyes here for more information about canning, preserving and the sometimes ellusive and coveted Kansas Sandhill Plum.
Are you curious now?  Good!