The Stone Cold Miracle Of Getting What You Need

Now I know you need to know what I ended up making for supper last night and that's a hint. And yes, tofu was involved. I am proud of that pile of vegetables. There are peppers, carrots, a green tomato, green beans, eggplant, and basil in there that we grew. Neither the cauliflower or red onion came from our garden but that's still a lot of homegrown vegetables. And I have to say it was a pretty tasty supper and I ate some more for lunch and I'll probably do the same tomorrow. 

It's been a garden-intensive day for me and I've loved it.

It's hard to tell but there are a lot of different plants in that picture. To your right are the pole bean vines, that big area in the left front is field peas (aka Black Aphid Acres), there are tomatoes and cucumbers and some zinnias in there too. I did some picking this morning and by golly, I think the pole beans might be done but that's good because the field peas are starting to come on, black aphids or not. I picked a handful of those today and soon, hopefully, I'll be sitting on the couch shelling those beauties and watching more of "Reservation Dogs." These beans I freeze as they freeze beautifully. 

After I picked, I did as much weeding as I could stand being outside to do. All in all, there are far fewer weeds than usual at this time of year. I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping on top of them. While I was weeding I pulled up a big chunk of some sort of grass and when these guys came flooding out at the disturbance of their colony, I backed up in a hurry.

Can you see them? Those are carpenter ants or bull ants and they can bite and sting like motherfuckers. You do NOT want to get into a nest of them. By some stroke of luck, I didn't get one bite and I left the rest of the weeds in that corner right where they were. To get an idea of their size, let me offer the fact that the leaves they're on are magnolia leaves, albeit of the little Little Gem variety which means they're only about as big as my hand and part of my wrist. 
I know alla y'll are just dying to move to Florida, aren't you? 

My plan for the rest of the afternoon was to make some dilly beans and so I did. I had a good amount of beans in the refrigerator and I added the few I got today, got out the old water-bath canner, and began to prep the beans. I had forgotten how much work it is to make pickled green beans. Here's what my kitchen looked like when I finally got my jars in the canner.

It's all tidied up now. I cannot abide a messy kitchen. I WILL not abide a messy kitchen. 

And this is what my pints look like. 

I don't even know if they'll be fit to eat but I did it. Seven jars. And every one sealed.

Now. Look at all these cherry tomatoes. 

I'm eating them three times a day and cooking them with everything I can and there is no way I can keep up with them. I have to find some recipes to use them in and then can that, I guess. They are sweet as candy. And the regular tomatoes are ripening nicely in their paper bags. 

These are Cherokee tomatoes and when the bottoms are ripe, they're ready to eat. 
I texted Mr. Moon to tell him that he might have to come home to help me with all these tomatoes. He wrote back, "Sounds like an emergency to me. 😎"

I am sticky and still sweaty, rather weary from standing on my feet all that time in the kitchen, and completely content. When I was in the garden earlier I looked around me, not just at what was in the area within the fence but the trees too, and I was struck like a true believer when the preacher is so worked-up he's speaking in tongues and lays his hand on the believer's forehead who falls backwards into the waiting arms of the faithful, right there and ready, almost as if they had known this was going to happen. 
Yes, children, as I knelt in the dirt I was struck by the spirit of the True And Living Green and was infused by the light and knowledge that this is what feeds me, metaphorically, spiritually, and literally. 
All this life. 
I am so lucky. 

And the Church of the Batshit Crazy has proven its truth and beauty to me once again.  

And here are our altar flowers. 

And because any church worth its tax exemption needs a good hymn, here's ours for today. This is a long video, yes, but it is beautifully filmed and it comes from the concert that the Rolling Stones did on Good Friday in Havana, Cuba a week after Barack Obama and his family visited the island. 
Remember those days? Not that long ago. 2016. And yet, it feels like it's been eons since we had that much hope and yes, such a sense of possibility. 

Well. Enjoy if you'd like. Keith looks especially happy here. And of course Charlie Watts, dear Charlie, was still with us. I feel a whole lot of love when I watch it. 

 

I know that tomorrow is Sunday but for me, today has been the Sabbath, and I have kept it wholly. 

Love...Ms. Moon.