Last Saturday was my final farm shift. Wah! Sad day. “Thanks for a being a member,” I said to everyone, all day as they came and went. “Thank you,” they said. It was a very rainy season and the output of the farm was reduced, but the members for the most part seemed to take it in stride. As we wrapped up 2018, everyone was thankful for the bounty, looking forward to Thanksgiving, and looking forward to 2019. “See you next summer?” they asked me. “We’ll see,” I replied. I don’t think so, but hey, you never know.

Persimmon trees next to the herb patch. Picture doesn’t capture how bright orange they are!

All tidied up for the last time.

I was lucky to be able to spend some time on this last day chatting with both of the farm’s owners. We talked a little about my future plans and some ways for me to keep going on this path. 🙂

I took home some spicy mix (mustard greens and frisee? I think that’s what it is), turnips, cilantro, kohlrabi, and the cutest, sweetest baby carrots. The other night, I roasted the kohlrabi after coating it in olive oil, salt and pepper and served it with pork chops. So good! Has that potato/turnip taste going on. Not what I expected because the sign at the market said it was part of the cabbage family. Even the kids tried it.

Grocery shopping lately has consisted of Instacart deliveries from Wegmans and stopping at the new local grocery, McFarlan’s. One night, I picked up my favorite olive oil at Blue Moon and then popped across the street to McFarlan’s for a few things, including coffee from local Revolution Roasters, my first time buying it. But oops — I didn’t realize I was buying whole beans. Google tells me that you can use a blender in a pinch, so that’s what I’ve been doing. My brother told me he has a bean grinder I can have, so I need to remember to snag that.

I’ve been trying to use what we have for meals and be creative. One night I realized we had an excess of bread and eggs, so we had pumpkin French toast and sausage that I remembered was in the garage freezer. Last night was the last of a bag of tater tots, broccoli, and turkey sandwiches on rolls from the freezer (turkey I stopped at the deli for, not Thanksgiving turkey). Tonight I plan to roast a chicken and a medley of veggies — carrots, red potatoes, the last of the kohlrabi, and turnips. A mix of farm veggies and Wegmans ones. Then hopefully make broth tomorrow night with the carcass.

Last Sunday, Gemma and I went to Once Upon a Child, the secondhand kids store. It’s a little further away so I don’t go as often as I should. So much good stuff there. We got Gemma a winter coat (still had tags on it) and a Christmas dress and cardigan, plus pants for Sebastian. We did not find any good shoes, though, so we ended up stopping at Kohl’s to get her much-needed new sneakers. Of course she is instantly drawn to those flashy colorful Skechers, which have a not-good labor record. 😦 I was worn out by that point though and not about to argue with her. Next time I should remember to try Ross/Burlington Coat Factory/Marshalls first.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, Gemma was admiring herself in the mirror (she wore the Xmas dress to Thanksgiving). I felt compelled to say, “You know, it’s nice to be pretty but you know what’s more important?”

“Winning,” Sebastian interjected.

“Yeah, winning!!” said Gemma.

Sebastian got a haircut last weekend at Great Clips and I cut Gemma’s hair myself. I bought everyone much-needed winter socks and underwear from Target, whoever didn’t get them at Ross that other weekend. We are slowly tidying ourselves up and prepping for cold weather.

I want to thank my sister-in-law for having us on Thanksgiving. We had a great time and she is a wonderful cook. I also need to thank her again for all the boys’ clothes she gave us over the summer. Aidan and Sebastian will be wearing them for years to come!

Today, Sunday, wraps up a very enjoyable mini-vacation. How wonderful to sleep in four days in a row! I also spent a lot of time reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark about the Golden State Killer (not finished yet), curled up next to these guys:

Gemma and I marched in the town Christmas parade yesterday. Friday we spent some time with my sister and my nephews. Starting Thanksgiving morning, I did a lot of cleaning and laundry and decluttering. I was going nuts in the attic last night, consolidating all my Christmas wrapping stuff, throwing a ton of crap away/bagging it for Goodwill. Found a comforter that I washed and added to Sebastian’s bed. After a while the dust was killing me and I had to stop. Today I will bring stuff to Goodwill. My trunk is almost full again. I’d like to bake some stuff like muffins and cookies, and then there’s the chicken.  It’s going to be mild today so I’d like to get some walking in (even though we walked a ton yesterday).

This week: Gemma starts basketball; physical therapy continues for Aidan; there are school events and meetings at least two nights also. And then it will be December!