The work of these days...

Each day is full. I had a conversation recently about living our days with intention. When I shared how I go through my day at home, my friend remarked that it sounded as though I lived my life this way-with intention.  Working at home the way I do, I have found that I naturally fall into a rhythm that sways between very industrious to quiet and still productive.

In the morning, after breakfast, I head out to the gardens to see what needs to be harvested. I follow Carla Emery's approach to food preservation and gardening. Each day I try to plant something and/or try to preserve something.  This time of year I make sure that something always goes into the dehydrator. The garden is beginning to really put out some great looking produce. Fava beans are ready, peas will be ready by the end of the week. These will go into the freezer.

After I take care of these basic garden/ kitchen chores I may tackle a larger project. Mowing the lawn, mulching gardens, canning a larger crop, turning a compost pile. All the while there is laundry being done or bread rising. 

I often find I have help with some of these chores. Evan offers his help where he can. I work to make sure that I am not so focused on my projects that he can not be included in the process. I also know to stop and give him some time when he needs it. We always have a good book going and I love to have an excuse to stop what I am doing to read to him.

After lunch the pace of our day shifts. Evan has quiet time. I catch up on some basic house keeping. This time of year this is about all I can hope for. The work outside takes a lot of time away from the inside of the home. But I also want to relax at the end of the day and don't want to sit in a too cluttered home.

There is a quiet time for me too. Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon I will sit down with my knitting needles, or we will take a quick trip to the lake for a swim. I like to have a moment of quiet before the dinner time routine kicks in. I check the herbs in the dehydrator, wash the dishes from breakfast and lunch. I make dinner. This time of year I try to keep our fare simple. Salads and a little meat on the grill or something easily prepared for a tortilla are common for our summer dinners.

The day ends with a catch up of any unfinished chores or projects. Tristan cleans the kitchen every night.  Mark helps Evan get ready for bed. The day ends and I am able to think back at all I accomplished for the day.  Over time I can see the results of the work I do around here. Small projects that have lived in the to-do list can be crossed off. The freezer fills, the jars fill, the soil improves.  Money is saved and a quality to our lives is preserved. This is the job I love to do. I often joke that at 45 I am still trying to figure out what I would like to do when I grow up. Really, I already know. I am doing it already.