cheese please!

Homemade mozzarella cheese.  I've been wanting to make this since I read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver about 2 years ago.  She makes it sound so easy.  And, honestly, it is pretty easy - in the same way that making bread is easy.  It requires you to be home for a few hours and to be good at waiting.  The recipes say it takes 30 minutes but really, it takes more like 2 hours.  Or perhaps, it just takes me 2 hours. 

You start but curdling milk with citric acid and rennet (sure, those ingredients might sound exotic or perhaps frightening, but they are easy to find at any natural food store). You have to pay close attention to the temperature of the milk to make sure it curds at the right temperature.  Then you drain out the whey and put the curds in the microwave (you want to heat it so that it becomes stretchy - I think there are other ways to do this but the microwave is fast and easy). Then you start kneading it...this is when it starts to look and feel like cheese.  Add salt and you are done.  Mozzarella.  Better than the store bought stuff too!

All the requirements were met: it was delicious, I had fun making it, and it costs less then the store bought stuff.  But, for me, it's a special occasion thing...you won't find me making my own cheese every week.  It wasn't that I didn't like it or enjoy it but I'd rather spend my time doing other things.

done in time for fall

I love knitting because you can create something that will keep you warm out of a simple piece of string.  I love the juxtaposition of simple and meditative motions that can be challenging and complex.  I love it's portability. And, most of all, I love it when I finish something that I can wear!

This summer I knit my second sweater.  It's called the Shalom sweater (pattern on Ravelry for free).  I made some modifications which was brave considering I'm new to sweater making.  I added 3/4 sleeves and didn't do the waist shaping.  It took me a while to figure out the modifications and I had to get some online help from a couple ravelry folks.  Luckily for me, it turned out perfect.  Well, of course, there are a few mistakes here and there but overall, I love this sweater.  No, I really love this sweater.  I love it so much that I am considering making another one in a different color.

 photos by rowan

A memory of a summer day

Here I sit on this rainy night.  So rainy.  Not yet cold but wet, dark, and oh-so-reminiscent of fall.  I can smell it - the change of the season is lingering in the air.

WAIT!  STOP!

Before we go there...let's celebrate summer just a bit more shall we?

We were berry pickers and jam makers this summer.  Fingers were stained, bellies were filled, treats were baked, baskets of goodness were delivered to friends.  Then, after we could eat no more, jam was made.  We made strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and peach.  Along the way, I learned some things.

• making jam is easy the second time
• using the right pectin is worth it (my favorite is Pomona's Universal Pectin - it works well low sugar or when you are using alternative sweeteners)
• it is better to make small batches of different types as the particular fruit or berry comes into season than to do the huge batch of one type (coming from the girl who is quite tired of last years blueberry jam)
• it's worth it to pay the extra money for organic berries
• kids can help (yes, truly help) and it makes it so much more fun to share the experience with someone 

all dug up

We went over to our property today to romp around in the dirt.  I've walked by everyday this week but I don't feel comfortable really looking around when they are working...especially when I have the kids in tow.  All the homes have been staked out (ummm, why does it seem so small?), two of the house sites have been excavated (ours will be next week), there are piles of dirt everywhere, and they have prepared the construction entrance.  It's a beautiful mess.

looking north

looking south

We spent some time digging with our "golden shovel" and checking out the equipment.

shhhh...don't tell them we let the kids in there

breaking ground

Lots of people have been asking me about this...and lots of people already know the news.  THE GOOD NEWS!  But, I will share it here because who doesn't love hearing good news (even if it is the second or third or fourth time)?

The second appraisal came in close enough for the bank to approve the construction loan for our cohousing project.  As soon as it became official we scurried around to sign the mounds of paperwork and went to City Hall to pick up all the permits. This past weekend the excavator rolled in and started grinding up trees and digging up dirt.

We are all giddy with excitement.  It is finally happening.  This isn't just building a house - it's way bigger than that.  This is building a community.  The massive amount of time and effort all of us have put into this is already worth it.  Watching this become a reality...i can't really explain it (my oh my!). After thinking for a while that it might not happen and completely "checking out," we are all of sudden going full steam ahead.  I'm still adjusting.  Each day that goes by, I get more excited about our new house, our new neighbors, this way of living that makes so much sense to me, to us.  Sure, it's different and some say it's rather risky but we are going for it...and boy, are we excited!

Eric watching the excavator break ground

As Eric says: Getting this project going was like pushing a giant boulder up a HUGE hill.  A few times it threatened to crush us.  We finally reached the top of the hill and now we are running like hell trying to keep up.

It's amazing watching it come to life after all the talking, dreaming, and planning.  Obviously, I'll keep y'all posted as we move forward and start building.

Finally

Well, yes, I am here.

I have been doing things, dreaming things, making things...things I have thought so often to share on this blog.  I can't exactly tell you why I haven't because I can't quite figure it out myself.  Maybe it's the fact that my sister took back the computer she was letting me borrow, maybe because it was summer and I was spending so much time outside & away from home, or maybe it was just because I was living...in the moment...something that I sometimes find challenging.  Regardless, I realized that a strange thing happened to me this summer.  I didn't take many photos (my camera is still "full" from our 4th of July trip to the east coast).  I wasn't checking email a gazillion times a day.  I missed friends posts on facebook.  I talked on the phone more (gasp!).  I went off-line for a bit.  And man, did it feel GOOD!

Now I am back. After all, it is *almost* fall and the rain is coming, as are the early dark evenings.  The kids are going to bed earlier.  Eric is back to work.  Routine has set in.  I'm feeling crafty!  So, get ready...perhaps now I will share all those things I have been doing, dreaming, and making.