Little House Days

Today was what I like to call a Little House Day.  Yes, I live in a little house, but I call it that because it was a day filled with all the farm chores that make me feel like I'm living in a modern Little House on the Prairie novel.  I was awake before the sun today---that doesn't usually happen, but the days are getting shorter after all, so it's now more within the realm of possible.  

Before I even had a chance to put the kettle on for tea, I could hear my fat old cat begging at the door.  I know the mornings are chilly before I even step outside if Dottie is begging to come in.  I do let her in when winter comes, but it's a whole process to prep for her arrival.  

It involves flea drops sitting for a couple of weeks followed by several very thorough baths.  She has very dense, thick fur and she likes to spend her summers sleeping in the dirt or inside bags of charcoal.  When autumn rolls around she's a total mess and naturally she wants to spend her time napping on my white coverlet. 

I didn't let her in today.  Instead I fed her and gave her a good belly rub and promised we would start preparations soon.  That seemed to be enough for now.  Then, since I wasn't working and both my daughters are on autumn break today, I made a big breakfast for my family:  eggs, bacon, and pancakes.  I don't normally like a big breakfast, but I knew there would be a lot of work today and I didn't want anyone to get hungry or tired too soon.

After breakfast, I loaded the baby opossum we've been raising (the mother abandoned her under my porch and it's legal in this state to raise them) and take her to the garden.  She hunted for crickets and grubs while I picked an enormous basket of tomatoes.  

There are Romas, Cherokee purples, and grape tomatoes--all ripe and ready to harvest.  I cut a handful or okra too and then lifted the opossum back onto my shoulder and went back inside to put her back in her little house for a nap so I could start cooking.

For my first tomato harvest of the season, I made enchilada sauce and froze it  for later use.  Today it was pizza sauce.  We make pizza from scratch once a week for movie night, so I don't think this sauce will be around for long enough to freeze it.  My youngest was my kitchen helper as we set about boiling and peeling the tomatoes.  I love this time with her.

While the sauce was simmering we washed up the dishes.  I started a load of laundry and returned to the delicious smells in my cozy little kitchen.  Then I drained the beans that I had soaked overnight, chopped some onions and slivers of bacon and dumped them all into the crock pot to cook until evening.  

Next I turned my attention to making cornbread.  That's when I noticed the strawberries in the fridge and decided that some strawberry tarts would be just the thing to go along with our dinner of beans, cornbread, and fried okra.  When Mr. Bleu and my oldest daughter came home from their chores dinner was ready and we gathered to enjoy a warm meal on a chilly evening.  This, my dear readers, this Little House kind of day, is one of the sweetest kinds of days and I hope there are many more like this to come.

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