Jet lag

OK, it isn't really jet lag, but it sure feels like it. I have endured that strange phenomenon enough times it know it's symptoms. I can't seem to catch up with sleep, need to nap at all hours of the day, can't really concentrate for any length of time, head ache, etc. I know what the problem(s) is/are. First of all the weather is in transition and the barometric pressure is changing. Along with that it is cooler and days are shorter, resulting in an urge to hibernate. Secondly, I stayed up several hours beyond my normal bedtime the other day in order to finish processing salsa. It really threw my body clock out of whack. Hence, mock jet lag. I have a couple dozen more jars of pears and tomato something to work up before I can put away the canner, but this not too frequent task will soon be complete. Then I can get back to cleaning, sorting, etc.

I have been asked more than once why I can. I have resources for food. But I have canned since I was a child. I remember canning with my mom during WWII. We lived in the NW where food is everywhere then too. We canned everything from fruit to salmon. We raised pigs and had a large vegetable garden. My dad hunted and brought home wild rabbit and deer. Most of the meet was either canned or placed in a smoke house to cure. Preserving God's summer and fall bounty for use during less productive seasons was a way of life.

Richard grew up on a produce farm in Arizona. Fresh fruit and vegetables were available year round. Still I found myself canning. Not so much canning and perhaps not the same things, but still it was something I did. There it was more using extra ripe fruit to make preserves or drying it for portable snacks. When we moved back up to the NW, earlier training picked in again. We were feeding 7 people on money that just did not seem to go around. So I kept 1,000 jars filled each year. Four teenage kids go through a lot of food.

There have been years more recently when my canning has been limited to a few jars of tomatoes and maybe some green beans. Last year, because of my health, I didn't can at all. Well, I did manage to preserve a couple jars of sun dried tomatoes from plants set in the garden before my accident. But this year I found I had absolutely no tomatoes on my storage shelves and most of my jars sat empty. On top of that I had access to so much fresh food through a variety of resources. I just could not stand any of it going to waste.

Why do I can? I can because I can. I can because I can not stand good food going to waste. I can because I am in the habit of canning, it is a family tradition. I can because I enjoy the process of canning. I can because I love seeing all those full jars on the shelf, it is a confirmation of God's blessing on my life and His provision in both times of plenty and times of little.

Uhh

This fall has been much busier and exhausting than I had planned. I am making progress on the storage areas in the basement. These areas include several very large closeted sheves used to store canned goods, canning equipment, and misc. other items used on an occasional basis. During the years when all the kids were at home those shelves housed over 1,000 jars of produce. These were routinely used during those months when fresh produce was either out of season or too high to purchase. I haven't canned more than a couple dozen jars of produce a year for the past several years. But this year I have both the jars, the time, and the produce. Some produce we have from our garden. Some comes from friends and family, and still more from another resource. So I am canning again. Not a tremendous amount, but enough to wear me out.

The selves are filling up as I clean them. I am making salsa this afternoon (after bible study) from tomatoes gathered at a relative of a relative's garden yesterday morning. I picked pears at friend's home on Friday of last week and will can and dry them as they ripen. I was given coconut milk and re-processed it with the help of my daughter Shelley yesterday afternoon. I have already canned over 50 jars of tomatoes, 20 of green beans, 15 summer squash/tomatoes/onion mix and several other smaller amounts of beets, apple sauce, etc. Is that the end of it? I have no idea. We are happy to have the resources for food that have come our way, especially now that there are high medical and other critical bills. The Lord is good. He always provides.

Another Monday

It is yet another Monday. After breakfast and after the fog had lifted from the valley, I took my morning walk. Amy was on the phone when I got home. She has been told that the big house she looked at has been sold, but she is still hopefu. It just seems so right for them. Amy went down and got a bunch of boxes to start packing up all those little extras she would need to put away in order to show their current house if they decide to sell. While we were on the phone Shelley called to see if I wanted to go pick some more tomatoes. I would have done so, but she didn't get my message in time. She dropped off some veggies instead. Thanks Shelley.

I spent a hunk of the afternoon canning tomatoes. My allotted jars and the shelf for tomatoes is neerly full. In fact I may need to buy still more jars in order to can the pears I was promised from a friend. Our coffers will be ready for winter for sure.

Where to go from here?

Richard saw the neurologist this morning in Albany. The results from his EMG indicated that all the nerves are still intact, so they do not recommend surgery. Instead, they are recommending physical theropy again. As I recall, it did help last time, but certainly didn't take away the chronic pain. So looks like Richard will not get an appointment with the surgeon at least until after he finishes physical theropy and the heavy meds will continue for now, very disappointing.

Happy Birthaday

Today is my beloved's 71st birthday. A day to truly celebrate. It has been many years since Richard has been well. This year he is actually in better condition than in all the previous 10. No longer on oxygen, blood sugar stabilized, iron in good shape after recent infusions. All things to celebrate. So happy birthday honey.

We had a frantic call from Dianna at around 6:30 this morning. The hose on her washer had sprung a leak while she slept and there was water all over the house. Part of the ceiling on the lower floor had fallen in and the upstairs carpet was a lake. She said that her cat had waken her by pawing her face and meowing. I took over (to Albany) our big shop vac to help eliminate the standing water, but there is a whole lot of damage. She will need to take a day off work and do a lot of clean up. Insurance should cover most of the damages and replace anything that may have been ruined. Thank God for insurance both home owners (the house belongs to our daughter-in-law), and renters (Dianna). I will drop off boxes to her place on the way to a Dr. appointment tomarrow morning.

We managed to make it to Sunday school and church, even if we were a little late. I am not doing anything else but keep Richard company today. Everyone is pretty well spent.

Process

Life in general is a process made up of sub-processes. It is left to each individual and/or group to figure out what that process. It is ever changing and never the same from one to the other. Action upon action, word upon word affects each action or word that follows. Each revelation or bit of new knowledge, the action or word of others also causes an affect. This week has been an extraordinary week. So many things that have or will affect our family and our lives outside the family.

On Monday Shelley called and wanted to know if I would like to join her in a partial harvest of Tina's garden. I had planned on working on the book shelves in the basement, but instead, I have been canning and drying fresh produce all week. I ran out of jars (so did Shelley) and spent time getting more. Shelley had to round up many jars and even Dianna spent time finding used jars both in Corvallis and Albany. My book shelves will hopefully still get done on Saturday - a process.

Tuesday started off with a new bible study. There was a great turn out. I gave a ride home to one of the ladies I hadn't talked to in quite awhile. It was nice. Then in the afternoon I and other C&HH members met with the pastor and the decoration committee about a matter that had been placed on our hearts. It went better than we could have anticipated. But we have also been given a major challenge for which I need to be in prayer - a process.

On Wednesday Richard had a very sophisticated EMG in Springfield. The new hospital complex there is really nice. The view from the neurology center overlooks a pleasant landscape that is very calming. The car was really acting up on the way down there. We actually wondered if we were going to make it. We got behind a piece of farm machinery and our motor cut out three times. But after we finally got around the slow moving vehicle and were able to pick up a little speed, the car did pretty good. Richard thinks we may have gotten some dirty gas in the lines - a process.

We had to wait almost an hour beyond our appointment time to see the Dr. The tests were hard. It is painful to have needles stuck in your muscles and electricity shot through them. But the results were reveling. Richard is getting electrical messages in all his muscles, but some a weak. According to the Dr. there are two ways discs pressing on the spinal chord can effect you. So we have eliminated one of them. The other is loss of balance and numbing in the extremities. We talk to the neurologist for official results on Monday. Only after all the test results are given to the surgeon, will we actually get an appointment with him - a process.

Yesterday, our granddaughter called to let us know that she has been definitely been diagnosed with a digestive problem that will mean she can no longer eat any foods containing gluten. They had strongly suspected this diagnosis, but had to do both blood work and a bowel biopsy to confirm it. Now she knows for sure and will make the dietary changes accordingly - a process.

Rick also reported this week that because his dogs did their thing on Preston's bedroom floor he had to pull the rug up. In doing so he discovered hardwood floors. Rick loves hardwood. It is also going to be a process to refinish them.

Life is itself, a process. We never know when we get up in the morning just what the day will bring. We can anticipate, even plan what we will do on any given day, but we are not always in charge. We must trust God and one another that we will be able to get through it and accomplish something positive in our own lives and the lives of others. Have a nice day out there.

The Lord is Faithful

For some months I and other members of Caring & Helping Hands (church service group) have been carrying a burden for the HELPS food locker at church. Years ago a collection box was established in the main hallway to hold non-perishable foods to be distributed to those in need. When the church was painted and redecorated, this box was removed.

This afternoon we met with the pastor and the decoration committee to voice our concerns about the box. We had had one meeting with the church secretary late last spring that included this subject, so the reason for this meeting was clear. It went better than we could have hoped. The box will be repalced with something more striking and a campaign started to challenge everyone in the church to contribute. The food will be used for various ministries as well as for the needy. It is a win win situation for everyone.

Thank you for your prayers. The Lord really does honor the desires of our heart.