Mother Nature decided to put me in my place. You see, I grew too cocky and planted peas and Swiss chard in the garden. Momma. N. reminded me who was boss by making it snow.

Knitting has also kept me humble lately.

Half way through the second sock, I realized I had been omitting an entire round of the pattern repeat. Oops. And then, the pooling, which was noticeable from the start, grew dramatic. Was I terribly upset by this?

No, not really. They’re done. They’re comfy. They’re green, which puts me in mind of spring, even if Momma N isn’t ready to let go of winter.

Pattern: Yukon Leaves by Lela Conrad
Yarn: Pagewood Farm Sock

Our garden and local farms have been keeping me on my feet for the past couple of days. I’ve been cooking and canning and freezing all the produce that’s been available.

One of the best ways to celebrate and enjoy all this good food is to make ratatouille. It’s a melange of the most wonderful things you can glean from the summer garden: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, onions, carrots…whatever is fresh and good. Toss in a few fresh herbs and the flavors become more complex and deeply satisfying.

It’s hard to keep up with all the good food that’s around. I grew kind of panicky when I noticed how ripe my basket of pears was growing. There was no way I could eat all of them in the short shelf life they were facing. So, I consulted my favorite book on preserving food and made Amaretto Pears.

Plain old homemade canned pears are scrumptious, but add a little bit of amaretto and they become something really special. Pears have such a delicate flavor by themselves, so I think you have to be careful when mixing other flavors with them. The amaretto is also a subtle ingredient and it adds a slightly exotic note to the fruit. I look forward to making a tart with these!

Speaking of the garden, the most glorious things in there are the sunflowers our kids planted this spring. They’re humongous! My husband is six foot four inches tall and the plants tower over him. The kids are proud of having planted and cared for them through the season. I’ve got to read up on how to harvest and roast the seeds. That should be a real treat!

I was bitten by the gardening bug on Thursday and re-potted some straggling specimens from my portable garden (which is what you end up with when you love to garden but have to move for the second summer in a row). My hands were dirty and my plants looked much perkier in their new containers. I was happy. But then Friday came, and with it, S.N.O.W.

I’ve retreated indoors and have been enjoying snuggling under a pile of blankets on the couch and reading a novel. I also mended the little lunch bag I made for my son:

I found the pattern in a Quilts and More magazine. It’s a cute bag, but it’s too small-especially for a growing boy who eats way more than I do. Next time, I’ll make it much larger and maybe add handles.