The Mad Canner

It's the weekend before our big ta-da.

The house has to be cleaned. A horrific feat after hosting your own wedding.

ALL laundry has to be done. T needs underwear.

Animals need to be looked after which ended up meaning Buk went to the vet because he has been acting strange and eating things he shouldn't be: plants and grass.

But most importantly, that garden that T so carefully planned and weeded needs harvesting. I am not sure whether it is a good or bad thing that the garden was so late this year.

Anywho, there are things ready now though so it is time to start harvesting and spending hours in the kitchen canning. Let's just say, I probably spent 6 hours at least canning veggies this weekend.

Here is what was on the list:
sauerkraut - cabbage with vinegar and water. It is fermenting and will take at least a few more weeks.
pickled beets - red beets with vinegar, water, sugar, and some spices: cinnamon and cloves
bread and butter pickles - cucumbers with vinegar, water, and sugar
pickled basil beans - green beans with vinegar, water, salt, garlic, fresh basil
mixed veggies - zucchini, carrots, green beans, summer yellow squash all salted in water. This required my pressure canner which I have never used before but seemed to work great!
green beans - just that, green beans with water and salt prepared in the pressure canner.
pickled beans - green beans with vinegar, water, pickling spices, garlic, fresh dill and red pepper flakes.

Just typing this list makes my mouth water. Everything will be ready to eat in 3 weeks but the longer it sits, the better it tastes of course. I'll just have to be patient which will be okay because after tomorrow I will forget about them anyway.

The Actual Farmer's Wife

I've been lying for almost a year. I have not actually been a Farmer's Veggie Wife. I have been a Farmer's Veggie Fiance. But, I just didn't like the sound of that PLUS my favorite canning book isn't called The Farmer's Fiance: How preserve food and live with a farmer without being on a straight track to hell.

No need to worry anymore folks. I am married and the papers are signed. My children are even happy that their mother and father are married. It leaves less explaining to the neighbor cats about how their parents have different last names but are yes, in fact, living together.

Our wedding was at our house and on our farm. It was exactly how I wanted it to look. The dancing went until the wee hours of the morning which is exactly how I wanted to celebrate my wedding to T with family and friends. It was amazing!

Our caterers used some produce from our garden to create a vegetarian menu that impressed the guests. Our cake was a vegan chocolate cake from Katie's Cupcakes and our cupcakes, which were not vegan, disappeared in 5 min. Seriously, I ordered a lot and I have never seen dessert gone that fast from any wedding! There was not one left. (although, I do wish I got to eat more of my cake, I guess I will order another from Katie's for our one year anniversary).

The professional pictures aren't out yet and won't be for awhile but our photographer stayed for at least 10 hours and got some awesome pictures, I am so excited to share those later.

Our first dance was to a salsa song that we had choreographed by a real life salsa dancer and we sang Jackson, a duet by Johnny Cash and June Carter, during the reception. For our ring blessing, the rings were plucked from a tree where they hung for 3 days and 3 nights so we were connected to nature as well as each other, of course. Everything screamed E and T and I am so thankful for that.

We had so many friends and family help set up and take down during the hot ass days that surrounded the wedding. I could not have had my prefect wedding without all of them! I am not complaining about the weather though, it was a great night and I am so glad we decided to have a late ceremony.

I will leave you with some pictures that various people took and eventually I will put up the professionals but for now I give you August 14, 2010, the day I became a real Farmer's Veggie Wife:

One of our best friends (Leslie) was our officiant

Danae, Brian, Melody

Tyson and Kendra

Tristin and Claire (bro and sis)

Gevan read a passage from Michelle and Gevan's wedding ceremony. It was beautiful.

All My Children

Samsonite Sokomoto Jr Herold Marrs. Stanley Bilbobaggins Herold Marrs. Bukowski Dew Drops in the Morning Marrs Herold. Simon Otis Spuford Herold Marrs.

With a little Gus Toford Herold on the side.

Those are all my children. Those are their legal names. I love them.

Man I can't wait to have real people children! I'll really get to use my creative side then!

Actually, while we are on the topic and I am sure people are going to start asking what our plan is on having "real people children" (which is what I plan on calling them when they are alive), I wanted to let you know that I need at least two more summers childless. Here are my reasons:

1) Today Sam was outside while the neighbor was tethering (farm word) our pasture. I was sure Sam was dead under the blades. I worry too much.

2) T has to clean up all the barf.

3) I need to go camping.

4) I need to go to Hawaii while the flights are hella cheap from Bham to an island.

5) I need to save money for....................the house I am buying in Hawaii. (F kids)

6) I don't love Simon as much as my other children yet. I apologize in advance 2nd born child. (Although I know I will love him just the same soon, he just needs to get his shit together)

7) Buk, shut the fuck up.

8) I need time to swear. I am not ready to give that up.

So now that you know, just wait until you ask if I am ready to have children. Let me get my shit together first. You won't like my children if you don't wait. Hippy kids are okay but hippy kids who push and swear and spit and laugh at the unfortunate are not.

Tan Lines

Summer began in Whatcom County around July 9th.

I began working outside 4+ hours a day around July 9th.

Combo those two together and I get tan. Tan like a kid at work asked if I came from Mexico, granted she said her dad was tan and he came from the Navy, but still, I get pretty dark.

However, for the summer of 2010 I was worried.

I have to wear a strapless wedding dress. I can't wear a strapless at work. Prepping baseball fields and selling pop to children would not go well in a strapless. So instead, I wore spaghetti straps and short shorts. Yes, I still looked like a floozy but at least my shirt stayed on.

I am worried about tan lines.

I can't have them. A white dress just doesn't work the tan lines. (only carhartts d0)

After all my efforts though not get tan lines, I still got them. I needed strapless. Damn.

Good thing they make fake tan lotion for me to put on my little strap lines. Although, that shit scares me. Who knows what nasty chemicals are in that.

The things I do to be beautiful (which is all the time).

Last Days

Time to get my mush on. Mush as in mushy, lovey dovey shit.

I get married in 20 days.

I am very excited to celebrate my marriage with everyone and throw a big shindig.

I have been with T for at least 10 years and it seems like we are already married. That is what make everything so exciting. We will be "official" and I won't have a boyfriend anymore.

I am still not 100% keen on changing my last name though. However, I will be changing it. I want the same last name as my children. Kids with hyphenated names sound snobby. My bachelorette party will not only celebrate ladies but it will also celebrate my last days of being a Herold. I will send Herold off with a bang and put him in the corner to be reserved for later use.

Anyway, what led this on all this wedding talk is that I really appreciate T and all he is doing. I may have over booked and exerted myself in the weeks leading up to the wedding (granted, I don't regret it at all. I am doing things that I really want to do) but things are keeping me very busy and the house and garden have been somewhat neglected by muah. T has stepped up his hours outside though and is doing so.much.work! to make our land beautiful of our wedding. (shout out to my sweet mother who came and cleaned my house this weekend.) T has been very understanding in all the things I am doing and I so appreciate that. Honestly, I was anticipating some crankiness and frustration because I am doing things that don't include him but he is being so supportive and I couldn't ask for a better boy.

I am so glad that T will be my husband and all his love will make being a flat out Marrs worth it.

Ch, Ch, Ch, Cherries

It's the time of year (well maybe a couple weeks late, due to the wicked rain) for my Bing cherry tree to produce some awesome cherries!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bing cherries! I don't even need a recipe to enjoy these sweet fruits. A recipe would just ruin it. Even canning ruins them, in my opinion. I just pick, eat, poop, and eat. It's a beautiful thing.

My Babies

I shouldn't have sweet babies out here in the county. Whenever one doesn't come home for the night, I flip thinking he was run over by a car, eaten by a cougar, or decapitated by a hay tractor (I know, it's bad, huh?). Now, I do have a valid reason be somewhat worried; one baby, Sam, was gone for 3 weeks last year trapped under a house. I was sure he was dead and cried about it for a week but he is safe and sound at home after someone finally found him (not the actual owner's of the house mind you).
Recently, Stanley was gone for 24 hours. Totally unlike him. I got up at 6am and searched all the ditches near our house on the road and cried all morning at work. I went home during the middle of the day to see if he returned. Turns out the little bastard was waiting for me at the back door. I spanked him soundly and put him inside.
So obviously I get a little too attached and want everyone (even animals) to be safe so that is why my children have rules. They have to be inside by 8p. I do this because I don't want them to be outside at night. There are coyotes, skunks, spiders, vampires, and cougars (there was a cougar sighting at our neighbors house 2 weeks ago) that hunt at night and I would feel better just having everyone in the house at night time. It works pretty well and we have a good routine going. That is until this guy came along and everyone was thrown out of whack (although Sam and Stanley are not hissing quite as much today and still did come home by curfew last night).

Meet Simon. Okay, so Simon isn't 100% ours yet, I still feel like someone will come looking for him in this upcoming week. But here is the story, I was on a run Friday when I was passing someone's overgrown field. I heard a kitty meowing and I stopped (because I always stop when I hear a kitty because I assume that it is lonely and just needs some love, what can I say, I am a sucker for sweet friendly cats). Anywho, this little orange kitten comes running across the street to me crying with some nice scratches and blood on his face. I scooped him up and looked around amazed that this tiny kitten just come running out of the bushes to me. And...he wasn't scared of Buk at all, he just wanted some major attention! The house I was near has a locked fence so I couldn't go ask them about this cat. So.....of course, I took the kitten home. I didn't want to leave him by himself, he obviously needed some help. I flagged down a car to call T who was at home so he could come pick me up (I still had a mile left to go until I made it home). But, T didn't get the message and I ran/walked home with this kitten crying in my shirt.
Later that day, I went to the houses around where he came out of the brush and no one claimed him, I even left a note on the house with the locked gate. They never called. So, it looks like we might have ourselves a new kitty. (Plus, if you know me, you know I love orange cats and wanted one next anyway.) I keep wondering where Simon came from though. Was he a barn cat? A feral cat? I don't know but he is VERY sweet and friendly and wanted to be found bad!
Here are some pics and a video of the new addition (although again, someone might claim him, I don't know and if someone does, he goes home because I know how awful it feels to think you lost your babe). If no one claims him, off to the vet he goes next week for his baby shots.

this one was after a bath in the sink

Oh, and Stanley got a new collar, he asked me to take a picture to post because he thinks he looks amazing!