It’s an exciting week for me, because many dinged-up walls and doors in my house are being painted, along with the black metal stair railings. These were set to be done several years ago, before the workers were interrupted by wildfires, then by covid. When normality returned, I didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to get started again. But now my new handyman James, a friend from church, is doing the work. During son Pathfinder’s visit over the weekend I was encouraged just to have him to talk with about colors. Now things will be so lovely and clean.
Pathfinder and I did a satisfying amount of work in 24 hours, including a big tidying-up of my utility yard and all the scraps of wood I keep there, which I turn into kindling. There are always pieces that are too long for my stove and need sawing up, and I don’t want to use a power saw; he took care of those fast. He even cut my old manzanita stump into a few pieces to take home for his own wood stove, because he heard that it burns nice and hot, and wants to find out.
We cleaned the fountain together, and Pathfinder leveled it perfectly afterward. The easy way to drain the green water from it is by siphoning it out with a garden hose, but that takes two people to manage.
It’s has been wanting a good clean-up for months, and I had been hoping for this family assist. We managed to do all the tasks before the rain began, which was the morning that he left.
Today it poured, then the sun came out, then the wind blew rain in again. Between downpours I was able to go out twice and gather fallen pine needles enough to fill the big green bin for trash pickup tomorrow. The zinnias watched me with their bright faces as I walked by, so I came back and picked another bouquet of them. These wet blooms don’t last as long as the sun-washed ones, but they are cheery as long as they do. My fingers were all wrinkly when I finally came indoors again, because everything I’d been handling was sopping.
While picking up blankets of pine needles off my plants, I discovered that the Sweet Box, Sarcococca, has shiny red berries on it. I haven’t been impressed with the scent of that shrub’s flowers — it isn’t very potent. But these berries are lovely.
The flax crackers I was working on last week turned out pretty good. I had to leave them in the dehydrator about 28 hours. They need more salt and fewer pumpkin seeds, in my opinion, but I’m enjoying them, and gave some away. I’ll make a new batch soon, with improvements, and eventually will share the recipe here.
Today I made two kinds of soup with various leftovers in the fridge, and I like them both as well. Soup and crackers are just the thing for rainy November days.
Gladsome Lights 
A satisfactory time – and more delightful news about your garden 🙂
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Oh, those zinnias! Your arrangement is beautiful — so colorful. Makes me smile. Big. And those crackers look good — I’m glad they came out so well. It’s wonderful to have help on projects like that, isn’t it? I often wish our guys weren’t so far away! But there’s Rick!
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Those zinnias pretty much arranged themselves! And I know you know, about how critical it is to have help on household things – yes!
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A wonderful blessing to have your son for a few days to get some of the work you needed done. It’s nice to have big tasks behind you. Hope all the painting goes well. Have a beautiful day.
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Thank you, Ellen!
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How lovely to have help around the house. Exciting to get your painting project completed! We are delayed a bit in ours due to record November rainfall.
I’ve loved the look of your fountain and glad to know you had help getting it clean and standing tall.
Are those raisins in your crackers? I’m looking forward to your amended recipe.
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They are Zante “currants,” indeed a small raisin. Do you ever use these?
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I’m not sure I’ve seen them in stores. But when I worked for a nutrition bar manufacturer, they liked the Zante for their size since they suit the bar format better than the regular bigger raisins.
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What a great helper you had when your son visited. I went back to your 2018 post to see him as a baby and also with his sister. When they were around 3 in the one photo the two tow-heads look like twins!
Nice that your crackers turned out. They look tasty! I’m not much of a cracker person but home-made ones I’m sure would be delicious, especially with a bowl of soup.
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Thank, GM, for telling me that you looked at that previous post about Pathfinder. I had to go back myself after you mentioned it and look ❤ Yes, he and his older sister were often taken for twins; they were 15.5 months apart. Most of their lives people have thought he was the older one.
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I lost my whole comment but it was only happiness to hear of your son coming and doing that cutting.. and you gaining order in the garage an ongoing project for me all the time when I had a garage… love the Zinnias and the pink plant too glorious colors when I saw the title of Crackers and fresh Paint I thought of Christmas Crackers the kind that pop open with little hats and things.. thought maybe you had Thanksgiving ones… be well dear lady of Light.. and yes, I too would love that cracker recipe when you post it..they look soo healthy and good. Much Love, Merri in Minnesota where we got a skiff of snow this morning.. all gone thank goodness .x
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So lovely to hear of your rainy projects. We’re big into which woods burn what way too. Looking forward to your final cracker recipe! Xoxo
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What types of wood are available to you down there? I learned that in Oregon Pathfinder can’t get oak, which is what I burn here, and that makes me curious about local firewood sources in different places.
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So many blessings recorded here, day in- day out. Glory to God for all things!
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