Apples!!!

Yesterday evening I borrowed my next door neighbor's 10-foot (?) ladder and picked a bunch of apples from our apple tree. I think I would've filled a bushel basket if I'd-a had one. It was definitely more than a peck. I chose six apples to give to my neighbor to say thanks for lending his ladder. There's still plenty of apples up there, still, too. Ones that I couldn't get to, and that I figured I'd just leave for later. Either they'll fall off or I'll get creative. I need one of those trash grabbers, that would extend my reach... I'm so excited to have SO MANY apples! I hope they keep well... and I hope they make excellent apple butter, apple jam, and apple sauce. Mom says I need to let them sit for a week or two before I start making things with them.

So instead of canning, I'm keeping busy with bread-baking today. I made pizza yesterday and fed my sourdough starter afterwards. This morning I got the sponge going for my bread. I think I'll make one loaf and turn the rest into rolls. I'm not going to let the sponge proof for very long - I just got it made around 8:30, so I'm thinking by 1 or 2 o'clock I'll make the dough and start letting it rise. Then break it up for the second rising at 2 or 3 and have it in the oven by 3 or 4. That way it's plenty taken care of by the time I have to go to derby at 6 tonight.

I've turned off my couchsurfing again until further notice. I hosted EIGHT people in the last two weeks!!! Crazy... It's definitely a busy time. I had requests from at least six more, too. But I'm prepping for my upcoming surgery next weekend, so I don't want to have any folks around this week. I need to focus on getting the house in tip-top shape so that my friend Jenna will have an enjoyable stay, and so that it won't matter that I do nothing in the way of housework for the first few days afterwards.

Audiobooks have been the order of the day lately. I've barely watched any Netflix at all. I listened to the first book in a series, finished it Sunday night, and downloaded the second book and listened a third of the way through it yesterday. I'll be turning it on again as soon as I'm done with this post. I love a good story. Yesterday I knit the whole time while I was listening. Today I think I'll try to get some housework done, too. I fell behind a bit on my index cards (as I do every week), so I want to get ahead on those again.

It's a smoky-smelling day this morning. Hopefully it "burns off" by noon - if not sooner. The smoke makes my sinuses act up very unpleasantly and it's giving me a little scratch at the back of my throat. :P I'll be glad when these wildfires are out finally. I'll be glad when the rain comes again.

Twenty-two days before Jack comes out of the backcountry and I can talk to him on a landline again. Hopefully the next three weeks fly by quickly.

Until next time!