0107

December in the north woods, and I'm surviving so far. Not that I know what I'm doing. In fact, I keep thinking that maybe that's the good news here: If an inexperienced rum-dum like me can do this, probably anyone else can, too. The implosion of the industrial house of cards will be hard at first, but folks will survive, if they put their minds to it.

I've been keeping busy working on the house: running new wiring upstairs while I have the sheetrock removed, then insulating (one stud space at a time) and then replacing the sheetrock, taping and mudding. I'm about half done on this phase with the upstairs rooms.

But today I direct my attention to seeds. Before I can even start, I have to clear off my desk to make room to work, a project in itself. Then I begin - shelling, husking, separating out most of the chaff, and organizing them for next year: tomato, cucumber, cantaloupe, sunflower, etc. Doesn't seem like it should be a big job, but it turns into an all-day affair. I'm not sure what to do with half a grocery bag of chaffy sunflower seeds - are they even worth saving?

Then I crush and bottle the dried chamomile and savory for kitchen use. By this time, it's evening, and the presidential debate is on the radio. Of course, the couple candidates that sound good are the ones least likely to be nominated (sigh).

There's still some tidying up to do, but that will have to wait for another day.