What Have I Been Doing

This was supposed to be a really productive week. I was supposed to tackle all these cucumbers and make pickles. So how am I doing on that score? Well, after nicking my finger on the mandolin while slicing the first batch of cucumbers and ending up at the walk in clinic for a tetanus shot (but no stitches needed) I managed to get 9 pints made. Then yesterday I managed another 8 pints without the need for band-aids, or shots, or even burn ointment. Of course I still have this pile of ripe cucumbers that I've got to peel, seed, salt, and then process...

Pickling is a series of existential crises (as Ramona would say), even without nicked fingers. I seem to run out of essential ingredients routinely. First it was vinegar, then it was pickling spice, then it was mustard seeds, then the celery seeds that I KNEW I had were nowhere to be found (I found them only AFTER buying a new huge container of them right where my husband left them after making cucumber salad the night of the wedding rehearsal), yesterday it was onions, now I can't make anymore ripe cucumber pickles until I buy more sugar. The first batch of ripe cucumber pickles was accompanied by burned fingers because I couldn't find my jar lifter (which my daughter had borrowed to make jam for gifts for wedding participants). She later told me it was in the trunk of the car (OF COURSE, what a logical place for it!). So the whole pickling experience has had a lot of stop and go to it. That is to say, a lot of stop what you've started and go to the store. Some of the time I've planned ahead, consequently, I bought pickling spice and turmeric at the co-op where it was cheap. Some of the time I've been caught off guard and had to shop at our local store where things are more expensive.

Today, in addition to buying more sugar, I've got to go back to the dark and dingy (ok, I'll be honest - the totally trashed) basement to see if I have more canning jars. If I don't I've got to buy more jars before I do more pickles. I suspect that I'm nearly out of pint jars, and I'm pretty sure I'm out of jar rings, so I'm probably going to have to go buy rings, lids, and jars as well as sugar.

I began the week trying to de-clutter and clean the house as well as embarking on the pickle making project. I actually made some progress last week, but then my son came back from the fair and all the surfaces that had wedding debris removed from them now have fair debris on them instead. I must move the Peace Lily out of the living room (and it's a HUGE plant) because we suspect that's what's causing our NEW son to sneeze up a storm whenever he's in that room. I also need to vacuum the drapes, upholstery, and floor, and spray some anti-allergen spray around. Today is also the day that the water and sewer bills are due, which means a trip to the town offices.

I feel like this has been a week where I've been busy all week, will be busy all day, and will have very little to show for it. No matter how hard I try, I will not have a sparkling clean house this evening. I will likely not have a gourmet meal for the newly weds. I will only have 17 jars of pickles done because the other pickles are at least a two day process and I'm not at all sure I'll manage to get the two hours of peeling and seeding accomplished this afternoon. I probably won't manage to get to confession again this week. And you dear readers will get nothing more from me than one existential crisis after another...