Pawpaws & Purple Fingers

Today I turned our elderberries into medicine. They'd been soaking in brandy for several weeks, & I strained & sweetened the juice. Studies show elderberry syrup to be one of the most effective remedies for flu, beating out even Tamiflu for avian flu. They're deep purple & pretty messy to work with, but worth it. I made a batch of Cedar Lemongrass soap & turned some soap scraps into liquid soap. The cucumbers were turned into lacto-fermented pickles, & I've got some bread rising. Last night I made Fig Sherry Cake with some figs my Mom gave me. And a Pawpaw Pecan Pie. I mostly use them fresh in my smoothies, but a few days ago the last bunch of them fell off the trees. I think they gave up with the drought. The pie was pretty good, but I'm still looking for the perfect recipe. A few years ago, I tried making pawpaw cake in canning jars. To say I wasn't impressed is putting it kindly. This evening, I gathered a bouquet of flowers for the table. It's been one of those days that makes me thankful to be here, with time to do all the homesteading things I love. Now I've got to figure out what to do with all the passionfruit!

Harley's & Hanging Out With the Girls

This weekend, Joseph & I saw a film, "Garbage Warrior". It's the story of a man who makes structures using what most of us throw away--tires, cans, plastic bottles & mortar or mud. They're often called Earthships, as they're usually self-contained, with internal sewage, heating & cooling, & greenhouses for food. It's got us fired up to create an Earthship workshop. Yesterday, I made a batch of lavender soap. The chickens looked so cute hanging out on the pile of cedar posts, I had to take a picture of them. Of course, they moved before I could get the camera & snap it, chickens being what they are. After the soap was in the mold, Joseph & I took off for an afternoon road trip on his Harley, stopping at Camelback Bridge in Gulf. It's interesting that when you're on a bike, everywhere you stop, people want to talk to you. It probably didn't hurt that Joseph's bike is a pretty, turqoise thing.

Star Turtle

Joseph & I have had our creative wheels turning lately. I've got a new soap in the works & he's been gathering materials for metal art. His latest creation, Star Turtle, is made of an electric box, rebar & a ball hitch. Star is a friendly looking fellow. I got to visit with friends at Badin Lake after getting off work last night. As is often the case during holiday weekends, they had a full house. It was a fun way to begin the holiday. Happy 4th!

Loved Ones

Tonight I listed my Rose soap on Etsy, which is named in honor of my maternal grandmother, Rose Gelo aka Mama Rosie. My friend Teresa's husband, David Reavis, took an old photo I had of her & digitized it so I could use it on my soap site. It's a pretty special soap for me. I'm still working on a soap to honor my paternal grandmother. She loved geraniums & made wonderful Irish soda bread with caraway seeds, so I'd like to use those oils in it. One of these days, the other ingredients will come to me. Everyone enjoyed the Mother's Day picnic. That's Joseph in the picture. We got to meet my niece's in-laws to be, who fit right in with the rest of the family. I got to spend today on the homestead, catching up on a number of little chores, plus laundry & mowing. It always does my heart good to have a good "home" day.

Annual Pottery Shopping Adventure

My friend Teresa and I had our annual pottery shopping day yesterday. We found treasures for ourselves and for gift-giving. I found several soap dishes, which I plan to use for picture-taking for my soaps. Teresa and I have been friends for 36 years. We've lost track of how many years we've had our pottery shopping day. We know our first trip to Seagrove was in the mid 70's, while we were in high school. We came with several other friends, and remember having a picnic at the old church in Whynot. My, how time does fly! Yesterday, the weather and the colors in the trees were absolutely gorgeous.

New Beginnings

Thanks to Meredith of Whynot Pottery, I've created this blog. Today I've been researching making soap incorporating glycerin from the biodiesel process. I've recently been offered some biodiesel glycerin to play with, and hope to make my first batch this Saturday. I'm excited! This will be a bit different from any I've made in the past, so I'll see what I can create. With the first returns of the election rolling in, it feels to be a good time to create new things.