Cali girl goes Midwest
Sep. 30th, 2023 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liminal_spaceHello from overcast and sort of muggy Minnesconsin!
Kid and I made it in on Monday afternoon and we've spent the week just trying to figure out what the hell we're doing. It's been stressful because the dogs don't have a big yard yet and none of our stuff is here and the house is a mess, but it's also been lovely because nature, and mushrooms, and rain, and the lake.
I strained my back somewhere along the line and I had to take one full day to load up on anti-inflammatory medicine and just REST. Then yesterday things were just sore and painful and I actually felt sorry enough for myself that I cried. :( Sad panda moment was short lived, but it just shows me how utterly TIRED I am.
Fall colors were spectacular driving up through the southern end of Minnesota, but I was disappointed at how little color there was here where we are. That was then, this is now: colors are getting way better. :)
We have mapped out where the horses will be — plans changed a little and I don't think the pole barn on the property will work for horses, so we're moving them to the other side of the cleared area and will eventually clear out at least two more acres for them. The goal is five acres for the horses which will include a regulation dressage arena, round pen, and paddocks.
We'll see what the actuality is come Spring.
As far as the road trip itself went, kid was amazing. She was helpful, fun, and a joy to be around. The conversation was great and I was yet again reminded of how smart, articulate, and wicked clever she is. By the third day, we had really hit our groove, which made the remaining seven days much better.
At one point, we were talking about alcohol and she asked me to get a beer so she could have some. So I did. My bebe had her first 1/4 beer with me on our trip. *dabs eyes*
Yep, I gave my underage daughter a small glass of beer. Come at me. lol
Today I'm working on more cleaning and organizing what's here in preparation for what's coming. If I can, I'm going to try and can some apple butter, but if I don't do it today, there's always tomorrow.
Gotta build up my squirrel stash because winter is coming. o.O
Anyway. Hi.
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Date: 2023-09-30 09:11 pm (UTC)Glad you made it safely!
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Date: 2023-10-01 04:23 pm (UTC)thank you. it's good to be here. :)
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Date: 2023-09-30 10:30 pm (UTC)Glad you got there okay.
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Date: 2023-10-01 04:23 pm (UTC)thank you!
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Date: 2023-10-01 01:22 am (UTC)I'm glad you made it!
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Date: 2023-10-01 04:24 pm (UTC)thank you...me too!
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Date: 2023-10-01 08:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-01 04:24 pm (UTC)exactly! you get me. :)
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Date: 2023-10-01 02:00 pm (UTC)I gave my kids watered-down glasses of wine all the time when they were growing up. I think it's utter BULLSHIT to think people automatically know how to handle alcohol once they turn the magic age of 21. How are they supposed to learn how to handle the stuff if nobody teaches them?
Congratulations on making it to your new home. Very exciting! You'll definitely see autumn colors in a week or two. 😀
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Date: 2023-10-01 04:25 pm (UTC)i could see watering down wine....i wonder if that would work with beer? then again, we could just get coors light and it'd be the same thing as watered down beer....or just water. =D
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Date: 2023-10-02 01:17 am (UTC)welcome to the midwest!
It sounds like you & your daughter had a great trip out.
So do you have apple trees-is that why you're going to make apple butter? or you are close to an orchard? Just curious!
How exciting for you & your little fam to finally be there! I hope all your stuff comes soon and that part goes smooth...
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Date: 2023-10-03 01:12 pm (UTC)we did have a good trip, but by day 9, i was done with driving. DONE WITH IT. kid kept asking "you want me to drive?" — she's FINALLY wanting to learn. yay.
we have one crab apple tree, but other people have trees, so we're set on apples forever. yay on that, too!
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Date: 2023-10-02 02:39 am (UTC)That is a lovely picture.
I have never canned apple butter is it very different from making jam?
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Date: 2023-10-03 01:15 pm (UTC)thank you. :)
so the apple butter is delicious, but it's more a really thick apple sauce than apple butter. i didn't cook it nearly long enough, so next time, i know what to do.
it's a lot different than jam....the cooking part of it can take forever (FOREVER) and then there's the water bath which i'd never done before. a tiny voice in my head told me i was concocting a nest of botulism, but i tried not to listen to it. i followed the ball canning guide for water bath times, all of my jars sealed, so....yeah. :)
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Date: 2023-10-04 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-03 03:14 am (UTC)I LOVE FUNGI ( haha) so that photo is amazing. Glad you made it safely.
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Date: 2023-10-03 01:16 pm (UTC)there are so many different types of fungi here! kid is fascinated, so we've been looking and poking and photographing. :) xo
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Date: 2023-10-04 07:23 am (UTC)I've always weirdly been fascinated by fungi. I remember on a retreat for school, we were in the woods, and we saw the fairy ring of mushrooms ( I had two on my front lawn and one on my parents when I first moved here) and what I really liked was the bracket fungus on the tree trunks. But I think all of it is just wild. Part of it is this...there isn't one thing fungi can't or won't grow on.
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Date: 2023-10-07 06:03 pm (UTC)Welcome home!!