Finishing Up Summer and Planning A Camino

 

Well, the garden has been producing like mad! 

Joe has been busy fermenting pickles 

and canning tomatoes and beans almost every day! 

The blackberries are giving me
a giant bowl every two days. 

The golden raspberries just keep coming. 

I popped a canteloupe seed
on top of a compost pile just for fun
and it grew 8 giant, sugar-sweet melons! 

Joe's sunflowers are huuuuuuuge!

It's been a VERY productive year.

Vegetable Beef Soup

Awesome canteloupes!

These were volunteer purple potatoes

Green Beans

Every day is a jeweled surprise!

Things are slowing down now.

I pulled up all but one squash plant this week.

I'm getting the bed ready to plant
my garlic, onions, and kale. 

Soon it will be time to prune
the raspberries and blackberries

and then comes time to rest. 

We're going to vend at a Festival over Autumn Equinox.

I've been busy painting mandala stones:

Maybe I can make a little cash for my winter trip. 

I'm hoping to go to the desert in my van this year either after Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

Michael's sister will housesit for me,
which makes it easier.

Then I'm leaving for Spain in March.
I'm hoping to be somewhere for Holy Week -
 haven't decided where yet.
Then I plan on walking the Meseta for about a month
to train.
Covid really kicked my butt last year
and then I took a fall in December
and tore both rotator cuffs.
So on the Meseta I can walk short stages
and build up distance slowly.
I can also book pack transport if I need it.
So for now, that's my plan. 

April 28, I will pick up my group of 7 pilgrims
and take them on the Best of Both 24 day trip -
 looking forward to a nice group this Spring!

I'd like to fit in a 2 week hospitalera volunteer position
if I can find one.
I contacted Rebekah today and hope to hear back.
It will be nice to be back on the Camino.

Soooo... that's all the news for now. 

Take care everyone! 

Love,

Annie

Late Summer in the Garden

 After my cross country trip in April/May I thought it might be too late to plant my garden, but I took a chance and boy, did it pay off! We've been harvesting all month!

Here are some photos of how the garden is doing now...

Today I picked my first cantaloupe of the 7 or 8 that are on the vine. It just fell off in my hands and smells very sweet. Cantaloupe for breakfast tomorrow!

Joe also harvested two of the sunflowers today after he caught Mr. BlueJay stealing seeds!

This garden has fed us all summer. 

Here are just some photos I've taken:

First artichoke of the season!

My sage is VERY happy!

Still have some carrots coming on.

The green beans are going nuts!

Joe has been canning them every few days.

My strawberries have been nice this year.

This week, I cut and rooted the runners for next season.

Zucchini, Yellow Crookneck, and Patty Pan Squash

The asparagus finished and I've tied it up.

The tomatoes are so heavy, they've imploded.

We just started harvesting them this week.

Loving my Dahlias!

This is the first year my fig trees bore fruit. 

I waited and waited and was watching the first fig ripen.

I thought, "I'll pick it tomorrow..."

Next morning I went out and there was 

a big old chunk chewed out of it. 

A RAT!

And it was war!

We set rat traps and caught 6 rats over the week.

I think we got them all!

Soon we'll be canning tomatoes.

These were started from heirloom tomato seeds saved from last year.

Not sure what we'll get.

So far, I've picked two and they were pretty good.

7 more cantaloupe waiting to get ripe!

My spearmint is about done, but it sure did bring in the bees!

I mainly use it for Portuguese Cueves.

Golden Raspberries put on a HUGE Spring crop

and are now putting on their late Summer crop.

They are SO sweet!

We freeze them and use them in cereal for breakfast,

when we don't just eat them off the bushes!

The bell peppers are really putting on a lot of fruit...

We have tons of volunteer cherry tomatoes 

as well as some little yellow pear tomatoes. 

No photos - I ate them!

The cucumbers are about done.

Joe has been fermenting pickles for a couple of weeks.

This is Delicata winter squash just getting started.

My thornless blackberries are going NUTS!

The turkeys got after them and I had to put in

a motion controlled sprinkler.

So far it has worked.

These are REALLY nice and fat and sweet

if I wait long enough to pick them.

I've been putting them in bags in the freezer for cereal.

We actually had a nice little volunteer potato harvest.

We ate a lot of them.

This is what is left.

These purple potatoes were volunteers.

They're REALLY good and I hope more come up next season.

What is left of my Autumn garlic.

I have more coming to plant in September for next Spring.

I had a nice little onion harvest;

here is what is left.

Next year I'm planting more.

Love my dahlias!

This was a surprise!

My kitchen counter always looks so pretty

with all the colors of the harvest.

I LOVE my garden!

My Life

I haven't been posting much because I haven't been doing much.

Literally.

I took a fall on the Camino last Spring and nearly broke my wrist. 

I fell again at home in December. Both times it was due to depth perception issues - The first time I hadn't yet had cataract surgery and the second time was immediately after the surgery. 

The fall in December was a HARD fall - I tripped over a storage bin and fell flat onto my hardwood floor, catching myself with my arms.It knocked the breath out of me and I knew I was hurt, but I didn't know how bad until 6 months later.  I went ahead and took my van trip back to Georgia and home with no problems driving, just a little pain at night in bed.

Upon getting home, I started up at the gym and immediately knew something was wrong. I went to the doc, who sent me for imaging and I have a complete tear of the supraspinatus on my right rotator cuff, and my left is also damaged. I started PT but it has made it worse to the point I have pain lifting a coffee cup at this time.

I'm seeing a surgeon in 2 weeks (appointments are difficult to get) and hope to try to resolve this without surgery but we'll see.

Doc also complained about my high cholesterol but I refused statins. 

I'll tell you, I want to live to be 100 but it is a BITCH getting there!

It can be depressing.

Anyway, Joe and I were hoping to walk the Camino Ignatius this coming year, but looks like it will have to wait because I can't carry a pack and if I have surgery it could be 9 months before I can carry a pack.

So.. stay tuned. 

I'm not sure where my life is going.  I'm a little depressed - getting older isn't for sissies. But I'm hanging in there for now.

Love,

Annie

Watch Your Step!

There are only a few places I suggest you watch your step

on the Camino Frances:

• Going down into Roncesvalles from the summit. You have two choices. You can stay on the trail and walk down through the beech forest. If it's dry, this may be a good option. However, it is very steep in places and in wet weather, the fallen leaves make the trail slippery and dangerous. Also, over the years, water has washed out huge gullies. If you choose this option, take care and watch your step, use your sticks, and go slow. The other option is to turn right and walk on the road. It is just as beautiful a walk, is safer, and no longer. That's the way I go these days. Also, if it's hot, there is a nice ice-cold stream where you can take off your shoes and soak your feet. 
  
  
• Going down into Zubiri the path has two dangers. First, water has washed VERY deep gullies into the trail. I'm talking at least 12 inches in some places so you REALLY have to watch where you put your feet! It is important not to sightsee on this section of the trail, but watch every step. Also, if it is wet, there are big slick boulders that you can slip on. Personally, I rarely walk this section anymore. I walk to Viskarreta and then grab a taxi to take me to Zubiri.  There are TWO bars in Viskarreta - one busy one on the left just as you enter the village - and another on the left after you are in the village. The second one is quieter and a little difficult to see, but it's there. Just watch on the left. 
  
  
• Going DOWN Alto Perdon. In this section the Camino guardians have put rocks to cover a washed out area. The loose rocks can be difficult to walk on and there's a chance here of twisting your ankle. However, I just walk on the sides and have no problems. The big thing here is, again, to WATCH where you put each step, and don't be watching the scenery. Use your sticks and pay attention. 
  
  

These are the ONLY 3 sections I'm aware of
where you really have to watch your step.

Boots, Yes or No?

 Here is what I think about footwear on the Camino: