I think I’m officially traumatized by the scorching September we had, as I am still reveling in our open windows. We only turned on our air conditioning units a couple times this week, which was such a nice change. It’s a typical warm Ozarks fall, but I am used to those — and I’ve learned to love them. I enjoy the warm afternoons and cool nights, the later mornings and earlier evenings, the blushing trees and lightening forests. October is one of my favorite months, after all.
Our big project this week was our storm shelter. Due to issues with mold down there, we decided to paint it with Drylok Extreme Concrete & Masonry Waterproofer. As I shared last week, Bonnie-Jean scrubbed everything down thoroughly with vinegar. We started on the paint this week. It was a multi-day project, as we had to work each coat into all the little divots and craters in the concrete. Grace and I applied a total of three coats, alternating brushing and rolling. We are going to finish the shelter with some porch paint on the floor next week.
While we had all of our built-in benches out of the shelter, we decided to clean them as well. Bonnie-Jean washed all the cushions and let them spend some time in the sun. She also scrubbed the wood frames. Grace followed up by spraying the frames with Eco Wood Treatment, which will help them resist future mold and mildew.
Tuesday was Michaelmas, which provided an excuse for some fun. Michaelmas commemorates the victory of the War in Heaven, when tradition holds that the Archangel Michael through Satan out. There are all kinds of legends around this event, including that Satan landed on earth in a blackberry patch (therefore, you shouldn’t pick blackberries past this date). Our mom helped the kids in the family make a devil piñata, which they got to use on the feast day. We also dined on deviled eggs, roast meat and vegetables, and wild blackberry crisp. The adults finished the day with a blackberry cocktail.
On Wednesday, our new freezer arrived. Our family had ordered it for deer season. We set it up out in our covered dog kennel for now, planning to move it onto our deck once it is covered. The freezer is garage ready, and our research indicated a covered porch was a suitable setup for fall (though we planned an enclosure for winter). Unfortunately, the freezer kept tripping the outdoor GFCI outlets. We tried several fixes, all to no avail. Thankfully, Home Depot picks up appliance returns within the first 48 hours for free. We decided to send the freezer back and rethink our plan.
Along with the chaos, we had the electric company coming in over the last couple weeks to clear out along the power line easement — which is the entire front of our property. We had planned to brush hog this area ourselves, but with our tractor still not running, it felt like a huge blessing having the Ozark Electric get us started.
When the rain rolled in on Thursday, I was ready for a day inside. I spent a whole afternoon on bookwork. It’s been so crazy, I had let our record keeping pile up for nearly a month. It felt good to sort through all the receipts, product registration forms, and Amazon returns.
Thursday evening, Bonnie-Jean and Grace whipped up a festive treat for the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. Therese’ nickname is the little flower, and she famously promised to “let fall a shower of roses from heaven” (symbolizing spiritual graces due to her prayers). Rose-shaped treats are traditional for the day, so my sisters made some Apple Roses. They turned out so good — both how they looked and how they tasted. We are already thinking about excuses to make them again.
On Friday, it was the Feast of the Guardian Angels, calling us to remember those spiritual beings God has placed around us to guard and protect us. We served up angel hair pasta dressed in pesto we made from our garden basil. We also baked what our Memaw always called a “funeral cake” — angel food cake covered in lemon pudding. While the heavenly treat makes sense for funerals, we felt it was a fitting dessert for this feast day as well.
Along with our festive cooking, Grace and I processed more peppers this week — some of the last of the year I think. We mixed up a batch of refrigerator jalapeños and another of seranos. Grace also made two big sheets of high-protein jalapeño poppers — some made with bacon and some with venison sausage. The poppers were a lot of work, but they sure were delicious.
We aunties have all been enjoying our tutoring this week as well. My sisters both outdid themselves with fun activities this week. Bonnie-Jean wrapped up her science unit study on Crayfishes this week. She had helped the kids build two kinds of traps, and they also caught some by hand. They cleaned/dissected their catch and finished their study with an old-fashioned Crayfish boil. Grace hosted a language arts epic poetry reading. The kids learned about the original meaning of rhapsodizing, crafting their own poetry that employed traditional meter and rhyme. They finished with a recitation — donning togas and sipping melikraton (milk and honey).
It was a well-rounded week, but it was busy — a lot busier than we like to be. We tried to carve out a bit of intentional downtime, but something happened daily that made rest — or recreation — feel pretty impossible. For this reason, many of us hit the weekend feeling a bit out of balance. I’m always thankful for Sundays and the reset they provide. I’m looking forward to Mass this morning and a parish potluck for lunch. In the afternoon, we are looking forward to a relaxing evening watching the Chiefs game. In busy seasons like the one we are on
, we are especially thankful for quality time together enjoying these simple pleasures.
