Another month of the year down. It really is a slower time of year around here, with summer starting and the outside heat getting turned up. I’m following the example at Slow Living Essentials again this month, and using her categories to summarize my month and list some things I’d like to accomplish.
{Nourish}:
We’ve officially started BBQ season here and have been grilling everything that we possibly can. I’m sorry that asparagus is done for the year, because we were really enjoying it marinated and grilled. We’ve had a few house guests on the weekends and the resulting treats were French breakfast (donut) muffins and brownies.
{Prepare}:
I made strawberry rhubarb jam one weekend and strawberry freezer jam plus some extra strawberries in syrup for the freezer the next weekend. We didn’t have any extra rhubarb this year for the freezer like I’d hoped, but I think the frozen strawberries will probably make up for it.
{Reduce}:
We are working on keeping our garbage down to 1 bag every 2 weeks, but sometimes we don’t quite meet that. Our food waste is either composted (and by that I mean we throw it into the back field – we really don’t need compost with all of the horse manure we have available), or fed to the dog. Most other things are recyclable here, but there are still things like tissues (don’t want those in the septic tank) and styrofoam that need throwing out. I try to avoid products that come with too much extra packaging and we do buy a lot from the bulk stores, but the packaging still seems to make it into the house.
Repairs were made by the dad to our truck, lawn mower and the pressure pump on the back well, thereby saving us repair bills. The pump was a new part, but necessary to avoid using the front well, which had recently started pumping (as the 9-year-old so aptly calls it) fart water. Lovely. But we’ve resumed normal clean and clear country water now.
{Green}:
I’m still adjusting to the summer time-of-use guidelines for hydro usage in order to use hydro more efficiently. I normally set the appliances to run after we’ve gone to bed. I am hoping to be more consistent with using the clothesline to dry clothes with the extra time I have off this summer. The air conditioning is staying off as much as possible. I don’t mind the heat, as long as it’s not humid. Humidity makes us turn it on every time.
As far as homemade products go, I made a warming bath soak for when some unexpected cold weather at the beginning of the month caused some chills and muscle spasms and some lavender cooling spray for when the weather did a complete 180 degree turn.
{Grow}:
We’re still planting the garden in increments, trying out succession planting to see if we can stretch the produce out even longer this year. So far we’ve enjoyed lettuce (mesclun mix – can anyone tell me what the nasty bitter stuff is in it?), onion, radish and baby potatoes. The carrots didn’t germinate, so we’ve had to replant them, but everything else seems to be doing well. I’ve been using the chives, mint and dill regularly and am looking forward to using some of the basil and sage. My rosemary didn’t come up either, now that I think about it. Huh.
{Create}:
I made mom a (late) housewarming gift basket containing a lavender beeswax candle, amongst other things. Other than that I wasn’t all that creative this month. Mostly, I’m lucky to get out of the house with pants on in the morning. Creativity comes pretty low down on the list, but I’d like to try knitting again. I haven’t done any knitting since the girls were babies.
{Discover}:
I have a stack of overdue library books. Almost every time I opened a book this month my mind shut down and I fell asleep. It wasn’t the book, it was me. I’m going to renew them all and take them with me to the cottage. I’ll be better next month. Promise.
{Enhance – community}:
The dad worked out a barter/trade with an electrician friend to fix the hydro line that was knocked off the barn in a storm in exchange for storage of his vehicle in our barn. We are also sharing our garden with a friend who lives in town. He, in turn, has a lot of experience and expertise to offer (not to mention labour – it’s a big garden). We purchased local strawberries for jam-making.
{Enjoy}:
We spent our weekends with friends and family. We never have a weekend without entertaining company of some kind. A highlight of the month was taking the kids and some of their friends to see the RCMP musical ride. Most of the time, our kids are busy just being country kids and enjoying life.
Sorry that was such a long post. I don’t mind if you don’t read it all. I just like it as a little reminder that we actually did accomplish something this month.
Linked to Like a Mustard Seed, Frugally Sustainable, White Wolf Summit Farmgirl
Read every word of it – love the peeks into your world – so June was a slow month – what the heck do you do in a “fast” month – just kidding – I know what you meant.
In a fast month, I sometimes lose my mind. Though we always manage to find time for general laziness.
lost mine, have not found it yet. I think general laziness is a necessity
Loved your post – a summary of the month is a great idea. Maybe I will try it if I manage to remember what I have done for a whole month!
It’s a nice challenge to try to remember it all – I like going back over the posts for the month to see what all has happened.
There are so many categories it has to be a long post but I love them! I also read every word, don’t worry about length when there’s so much great stuff to go over!
I am definitely going to try your jam in July. The strawb are only beginning season right now I’ll wait a bit longer til they get cheaper and yummier 🙂
Our strawberry season didn’t last more than a couple of weeks this year. We’re already missing them. Good luck with the jam.
Beautiful post. Life is meant to be slower in summer, and listening to the rhythms means a happier existence. 🙂
So far, so good. I do like the pace of this time of year.
I think you could have a t.v. show….better than the Brady Bunch for sure lol…You do seem to have a very enjoyable life style….Diane
Good grief, I hope you aren’t wishing 4 more children on me? No thankyou! But I would love to have an Alice. A live-in housekeeper would be wonderful. I too could be Mrs. Brady with an Alice.
Yes I think you need an ‘Alice’ sometimes….Diane
What a great month you’ve had, slow in all the best ways…but certainly not a doing nothing kinda slow. Your jam looks so good. We’re down to the dregs of strawberries here…thankfully others are berries are on the way.
I commend you on keeping track of a WHOLE dang month, that is an accomplishment worthy of a bow.
*anna
This way I can look back on my year later on and remember (once the dementia has taken hold).
I really enjoyed that ‘long’ post. It’s lovely to get to know you a little more. Wish we had lots of strawberries! We love strawberry freezer jam and it’s a couple of years since I made any. I think I’ll just have to find some where to go and pick as ours are far too few and far between!
I really like those headings too. I’m going to make a note of them. 🙂
Enjoy July! 🙂
We bought some strawberry plants this year, but I’m sure they’ll never produce enough for jam, either. But I look forward to eating some of my own too, eventually.
I hope you enjoy them! I left the last 3 too late, went out for them only to discover that, apparently overnight, they had gone mouldy! I think it must be this incredibly wet weather we are having, the wetest June since records began in 1910! 🙂
Hope you get some sun to dry it all up soon. Isn’t it always wet over there? 🙂
We have been known to have good summers but, yes, we do get a lot of rain and that’s why it’s so green and beautiful! 🙂
Really love the candle. Nice to have you join up this month
Thanks, I was happy with it too. I’ll have to make one for myself now.
Loved the “categories” – reflecting is a good thing. Not too long a post at all!
My post always ends up being long too. There’s just so much to talk about. 🙂
Grilled Asparagus is one of my favorites. You have reminded me that I forgot to plant some.
9 year olds can be very funny some times. 😉
Funny, precocious.. Downright evil on occasion..
Just popped over from Christine’s blog to see your month. Well done on a lovely “slow” month. I love hearing about your waste reduction. I blogged on our waste reduction last week, including cutting out tissues…. you might like to read it.
I can’t wait until asparagus and strawberry season comes around again for us 🙂
Tracey
It doesn’t seem that slow, does it, when you read how much everybody has been up to each month.
It’s not too often you can say about someone, “They have a great life,” but you meet all the criteria 🙂
It looks pretty good on paper, but it’s far from perfect. I still find a hundred ways each day to screw my kids up. In the end though, it’s good.
I read it all! I used to live on the in-law’s ranch… we had sheep–they were composters in sheep’s clothing! ha!
Funny! Yes, they are good at that.
So many reasons to love this post Heidi…the summer season being upon us and taking the time to revel in it. Love the guidelines for slower living and the way you have embraced each and every one. Very impressive – enjoy!
Looks like you’ve been doing a lot over the last month. Hope you manage to do lots of reading once you’re on holiday. I know what you mean about falling asleep when reading!
A nice update! Packaging is what gets us, too. I keep meaning to send letters to several companies who are bad offenders. It’s so wasteful. I should be better about simply not buying that stuff to begin with.
I normally run the a/c only at night, but this week we have crazy heat and wicked dew points, so it’s on, but set to 77 degrees.
I’m noticing more products getting packaged even more than they were before. I wonder why that is, especially now when recycling and waste are big concerns?
I love these reminder posts! So many things you make me want to create!
What a gear month! Strawberry and rhubarb jam. Yum. That must taste good! I LOVE the candle. I may steal that idea.
good to “meet’ you through this monthly catch up. I love the sound of that lavender water – It gets pretty hot here (tropical Australia) in the summer.
[…] by month”, I have taken time to reflect on my life each month. Also a special thanks for Heidi at Lightly Crunchy for introducing this to me. Check out my first month of slow living here So here’s the break […]
Wow what a wonderful month you have had! Love the candle tea cup and am impressed with all the food you are able to harvest and process! Keep up the wonderful blogging! – kara
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