To Everything There is a Season

Goodbye 2013!

I love celebrating new years and seasons as they change because they offer an opportunity for reflection and renewal.  As such, I am so excited to be ending 2013!  It was an awesome, inspiring, amazing, wonderful, magnificent, astonishing, formidable, intimidating, daunting and breathtaking year. 

A good friend shared with me her aim to be more reflective and intentional in her daily interactions.  As part of her practice, and in preparation of the new year, she shared with me the following items for reflection.  I hope that you can find time to review and reflect upon them as we look forward to another (productive, fun, energized and dynamic) year!

May you have a safe and jubilant celebration of this new year, I look forward to our continued creativity and expression in 2014. Life is short, fill it up! Turn, turn, turn! ~ksp

COMPLETING 2013

1.                   What was the greatest lesson for you of 2013, and what changed as a result?
2.                   What was I most happy about that began in 2013?
3.                   What am I most happy about completing in 2013?
4.                   What is my biggest piece of unfinished business in 2013?
5.                   Who are the 3 people what have had the greatest impact on my life, positive or negative?
6.                   What is the biggest risk I took in 2013, and what did I learn from it?
7.                   List 6 things I am most grateful for.
8.                   What else do I need to do, say or acknowledge to feel complete in 2013?

CREATING 2014

1.                   What word or phrase would I like to have as my mantra for 2014?
2.                   What would I like to be my greatest accomplishment in 2014?
3.                   What is my greatest strength? How can I use it in 2014?
4.                   What do I want my biggest risk to be in 2014?
5.                   What things make me feel  most alive? How can I do more?
6.                   What am I most committed to improving or growing about my work?
7.                   Who or what am I most committed to loving or serving in 2014?
8.                   What major effort can I give to make my finances better?
9.                   Write an affirmation statement for 2014 that is SPECIFIC, POSITIVE AND IN THE PRESENT TENSE.
10.                Who am I committed to be in 2014? What words would describe me for 2014?
11.                Picture myself one year from now. What do I want to say about 2014?

First Day of Fall

It has finally arrived, the first day of Fall.  While I love this season, it also marks the coming of darkness soon it will be dark both when I go to work and when I depart (most depressing).  As I say "farewell" to summer, here are some updates on some of the projects I worked on this summer. ~ksp

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Ishbel Shawl - Frogged
As I mentioned earlier here, I either dropped a stitch or created an other yo while plowing through this small scarf in June.  Soon thereafter, summer settled in and it was almost the most hot/humid one on record. I couldn't stand to be near wool, in any form...it was that unbearable.  So, I put Ishbel down.  Now as fall is settling in (officially arriving later this week) and I picked it back up, I have no idea what in the hell I was doing.  So to the frog pond she goes. Alas, I will cast on again on especially since I need to start stockpiling Christmas gifts.

Heirloom Tomato Salsa - Repurposed
I used a water-bath approved recipe for this salsa that called for vinegar found here.  The proportions of tomato to vinegar was over powering as a salsa.  I opened all the cans and threw them into the crackpot for a day and a haf.  I pulsed them down with the immersion blender to a chunky consistency and added sugar and salt.  Not sure of the acid level (I've lost my food grade ph slips) I pressure canned the Heirloom catsup in small jars.  I'll give updates once it's cooled and refrigerated.

Sunshine Pickles - Failure
I searched high and low for sunshine pickle recipes.  I not-so-secretly love pickles of all kinds.  Once I found the hermetic jars here it was game-on.

After researching recipes I settled on what what I thought would do the trick.  I marked off the requisite days on the calendar and waited.  When I finally opened the jar the pickles had a great aroma and color but a horrid consistency.  They had become a mushy shell of their former selves.  It broke my heart to throw these away, Especially since my homegrown cucumber were not abundant enough to create another bushel.  Next year.