Thursday, September 16, 2010

Vacation is over, or did it really begin?

Hubby finally got around to finishing up the upper spindles.
It’s not been the best vacation the Witch has ever experienced but it’s certainly not been the worst.

It’s just, well, I made a list, much like a bucket list, and didn’t even come close to fulfilling it. It’s so sad because really I don’t feel I have had a vacation.

Instead I harvested continually, I chopped, sliced, peeled and diced, nonstop. What a stupid idiot really. Are we going to be bunkered down in the basement or some cave? I don’t know what I was thinking and yet I continued to work throughout my holiday. The weather didn’t help either, it’s been raining everyday now for almost two weeks and we did have that whole Hurricane Earl thing to deal with but still. I guess this may be the problem with stay-cations. You tend to stay!! At home there’s always something that needs doing. The garden was ripe and full and what was I to do? Walk away? Not likely as I raised most of it from seed and it felt like 6 months of hard labour. So every day I picked and selected the finest veggies and turned the fruits of my labour into Salsa, Hot Dog Relish, Mustard Pickles and lots of stewed tomatoes and I haven’t even figured out yet what to do with the rest.

Well, it’s just that now I’m tired and need some time to beach-comb and have a nice bottle of dry red wine waiting for me. HUBBY, do you hear me calling? Oh wait, you’ve been up a ladder the last 2 weeks shingling the gazebo roof in rain and hurricane conditions. I’m not complaining (well, maybe a little). It’s just that I’m looking at the end of my holiday coming up really fast and I don’t feel rested up enough to go back (sigh)! And what am I going to do with all the leftover produce from the garden? We’ll probably just end up taking it in to work next week for our co-workers, lucky bastards!

Anyway, here are some pictures of the progress on the gazebo and a few of my first attempt at salsa (it’s yummy!). Oh, and it was pizza night this week and almost all my toppings were from the garden (yummy, too!). I’ll try to be in a better frame of mind for the next post!

The lower roof is just getting started. The drip edge is installed and the first of the rubber membrane is attached.
The lower roof is just getting started. The drip edge is installed and the first of the rubber membrane is attached.


What! Hubby’s laying down on the job? No, that’s just the angle of the ladder.
What! Hubby’s laying down on the job? No, that’s just the angle of the ladder."

It wasn’t easy trying to nail down the tarpaper in the driving wind and rain!
It wasn’t easy trying to nail down the tarpaper in the driving wind and rain!

The salsa ingredients have all been chopped.
The salsa ingredients have all been chopped.


The salsa has been cooked down and now it’s ready to be packed away in containers for the freezer.
The salsa has been cooked down and now it’s ready to be packed away in containers for the freezer.


These are the peppers I brought in from the garden to top my pizza. There are a selection of Jalapeno and Hungarian Banana peppers, some mild and some hot!
These are the peppers I brought in from the garden to top my pizza. There are a selection of Jalapeno and Hungarian Banana peppers, some mild and some hot!


 These are all the toppings for my pizza. Along with the peppers are some of our tomatoes and onions. The pineapple was store-bought.
These are all the toppings for my pizza. Along with the peppers are some of our tomatoes and onions. The pineapple was store-bought.


The finished pizzas were worth the effort!
The finished pizzas were worth the effort!

9 comments:

its me, sam said...

Now, I'll have to make pizza either tomorrow night or on Sunday. I'm sitting here thinking about vacation next year and I'll have 7 weeks to take. ( Carry over from this year is included). September is usually really nice, and I'd like to spend a week there next fall. I'll have to stash some money away.

its me, sam said...

Oh I forgot to add that your "staycation" sounds like it may have been very productive and I hope your hubby gets you that bottle of wine!

The Witch said...

Thanks Sam,

I did get the bottle of wine but when we got to the beach the temperature had dropped to about 55F and breezy. It was too damp and cold to sit and enjoy the wine so we brought it home after doing some grocery shopping, etc... And first we picked some tomatoes and made supper. And did the dishes, too.

Nice wine when we eventually got to it, though!

Sharon said...

Oh my gosh, that is the best looking pizza I have ever seen! It must have tasted heavenly!

What a beautiful gazebo! You've been working hard!

Jane said...

Does you rent out your husband for gazebo-building?? It looks wonderful!

Gill - That British Woman said...

your 'staycation" sounds exactly like ours!!!

Love the look of those pizzas...

Gill

Nakamuras on Saipan said...

Oh! the gazebo looks great!!! So does the pizza! I've been so busy-missed your blog! Your pics are just great..!!!! Life as it is....garden, the gazebo....the rain...you are blessed. Here-payless paydays, government shutdown, poverty rising, crime rising....lost jobs....life as it is.

The Witch said...

Reading Mrs. Nakamura's comment reminds me that, once again, I have to appreciate what we have and that I shouldn't let life's small annoyances get me down.

Thanks Connie.

Canadian Saver said...

Everywhere I drove on the Island I was looking out for a big red truck parked in a drive way of a nice, wine-ish colored house with a partially finished gazebo in the back...

Hope everything is ok there and you are almost at the end of the construction project :-)