Monday, March 16, 2009

The Current List

The current list of things to do is so long that I really don't know where to start. I can't seem to prioritize anything. Stuff comes to the top in crisis and more is added to the list every day. Because of this situation, I tend to ignor everything until it becomes a crisis. This is not pro-active behavior.
Awhile back, we moved a piano and spent a couple of weeks recovering. That was just our bodies. The house is still recovering. Most of the wooly room is usable, which means I can find things and get to them- but I would not say it is pretty. And bit by bit the dining room has gotten usable. We have stereo, and speakers, and most of the table, and a little piece of the counter top. I moved Cabinet 1 a couple of weeks ago and sorted through it, tossed some stuff, and re-organized. Today- Cabinet 2! Yes, I did. I sorted out old jars of jam, tossed shelf expired items, reorganized the jar boxes, and made the ultimate sacrifice- threw away empty glass jars.
Not all jars are created equal. Jars for home canning have heavier glass bottoms and uniform threads and opening sizes for clean lids and rims. But I had saved many jars of various sizes and makes for other types of storage- like dried beans. As I collected the proper canning jars from thrift stores or relatives, I neglected to get rid of those unequal jars. Some of the jars I saved were because they had interesting shapes, or a picture of Italy embossed in the glass. But today, I cleaned out many of the old, interesting jars and recycled them for the last time. I found some canned produce from 2004- gone. Old jam that no one really liked- gone. What about that tomato pickle that only I eat, sometimes- mostly gone.
So now, my cabinet is moved and reorganized. My jars are nearly organized and clean for the next season, and I realize that once again I have canned far more food than we really eat. We are awash in apple sauce. We have peaches aplenty. And there is tomato sauce for gallons of spaghetti.
Guess what you are having for dinner, honey. Bean soup, spaghetti, peach cobbler, apple spice cake, a variety of jams on toast. But not all at once- I still have three months before it is time to make more applesause.

1 comment:

Lauren said...

Maybe sell the excess? There must be a local farmer's market or somesuch...