Well, I did really well posting during the month of January, as you can see below.  And then there were plants pots to make and seedlings to start and web orders to fill and the "spring numbies" to contend with, and then it was summer and the Farmers' Market to gear up for weekly, and...and...and.  So RATS!!!  So much for my commitment to myself and this Blog!  Now the cold days of late November have blanketed the ground with some unusual snow.  My goodies are made and stored for several Christmas craft fairs next month.  David has begun repairing our adobe wall that "melted" a little during the monsoon rains of September.  And I believe I will try again to write.  I've made some new products these past few months.  Below are jars of Lemon Verbena water waiting to be decanted into spray bottles, for face and linen spray.  I've also done the same thing with lavender.  Lovely sprays!  Very pure--just flowers and leaves, witch hazel and distilled water.

Our new project has been making fermented vegetables.  Here is a picture of two crocks of cabbage/veggies and two jars of carrot/ginger mix ready to be put into smaller jars and stuck in the fridge.  We have several friends with whom we share our bounty! We are working hard at 

eating better and cleaner and love making all our edibles from scratch.  To that end, we're still striving to build our gardens up out of this hard, caliche-ridden soil.  I bet we've composted and spread half a ton of garbage, coffee grounds, weeds, comfrey, lamb's quarters, cow manure and other waste over the past three years.  We are learning to garden, still, here in the desert, having been trained to garden in Maine and 28 years in Alaska.  So we're still on that stiff learning curve for sure!!!  But David just came in and said the pak choi and swiss chard are valiantly standing tall through the lingering snow and we'll poke around for beet and kale seedlings later today when the sun is high, taking the remainder of the snow with it when it sets.  Off into my day, the day before Thanksgiving, when we formally give thanks.  I think I won't wait:  I think I give thanks for my wonderful life RIGHT NOW!!!