A Lazy Summer Day

Today, it is perfect here: About 76 degrees, cool breeze, peace & tranquility wherever you turn your gaze. The last of my week-long houseguest fest went home this morning, and my little cottage is my own once again. I celebrated by taking a long shower with the bathroom door open, and doing loads of towels and bedsheets. There is nothing quite so sublime as the sound of sheets flapping in a cool summer breeze.... The animals are celebrating the finer weather too, chickens happily scratching and chuckling over the prize of a tasty worm; the dogs lounging in the sun, not panting in the shade; the rabbits drowsing in the comfortably-warm-afternoon heat of their little bunny barn. Even the cicadas seem to be happy in their shrill mating song amongst the tree tops. I wish I could say that I spent lots of time in the sun and the garden today, but I've been enjoying the breeze and view out of my office window (sometimes duty does call, even on lovely days). Tomorrow, I am going to town with my handyman and his heavy duty truck, and fetch a $25 bargain of an upright freezer that I tracked down on Craigslist. That is one great resource for things like hay and freezers and assorted other "needful things" for fairly cheap cost. This freezer, gas and labor included, will cost me far, far less that purchasing a brand new one ever would. Yes, efficiency of modern things is nice, but beggars cannot be choosers. I will happily absorb the extra $15 per year in energy cost that this 8 year old freezer will cost me. The lady who is selling it will be happy to have the additional space in her basement, and come November, my half of Trevor the pig will have a home until he becomes many, many fine meals. With the summer harvest coming in, I find I need more space for frozen vegetables (even I can only can so much) and a second freezer will do nicely to hold all that, a hundred pounds of pork, and assorted chickens. Just thinking about this makes me giggle--who knew one person could successfully put up 80% of her food needs, between a few dozen canning jars, two freezers, and an assortment of dehydrators? Talk about food independence, people!
Now, I just need to grow my own grain and coffee beans....