Damson Plum Jam

Today one of the things I did was pick a bunch of my Damson Plums so I can make a bunch of jam. Every few years I make a bunch of this jam and it lasts me long enough that I only have to make it every few years, lol. This year I plan to give a jar of it to each of a few of my friends for Christmas. Hey, what else do you give men that have a lot more money than you do and already have about everything they need?? Give them something to eat... right? Maybe I'll even bake something for them, or give them crackers or something to put the jam on. Ah well, will think about that later. For now I have jam to make!! Then I'm going to come back to my computer and do some research. I love searching for things on the 'net. Tonight maybe I'll look up fluid tech, and for sure I want to look up information on the treadmill I just bought. Got a great deal on a good used treadmill that is now the 'main focal point' in my living room. Hopefully I will use it for what it is meant, rather than for gathering dust and "stuff". I need to get healthy!! After too many other thoughts over the years, I had forgotten just how much sugar to put per cup of plums in the jam, so I was able to look up recipes on the 'net and found that people use lemon juice in their plum jam, some also use a bit of cinnamon. I'll try these things this year as I make several batches of jam.

Seasonal Thoughts

Do you realize that today is September 21st?? That means that it is just 2 days until it is officially Fall or Autumn, and it also means that Christmas is just around the bend. Yes, just 3 months and 4 days from this moment the 'big day' will be over for all who celebrate that holiday. This also means that if you do celebrate Christmas, it's time to start thinking about Christmas Card lists as well as Gift lists. What will you get for those loved ones on your list?? Here are a few ideas just in case you need some help:
- car parts
- motorcycle accessories (big hint)
- maternity clothes (not for me please)
- scarves, mittens, hats (blah blah blah)
- jewelry
- poinsettia or Christmas Cactus
- iPod, iPad, iWish

If and when I think of more I'll let you know. I don't yet have a clue who I'll buy for or what I'll get them. I usually make my gifts and don't yet know what that could be this year.

Christmas is Coming

Every year at this time I think of the upcoming Christmas season, of whom I should send Christmas Cards to, and whom I should be what gifts for. Unfortunately, I always end up thinking too long and not getting the cards written out so they can be put into the mail. Yes, I think about Christmas, yet I don't want it to actually happen, I'm not a big fan of winter. At this time of year I am still riding my motorcycle and wishing summer would come back so it would be nice warm riding weather for so much longer. Now it is getting chilly and I am forced to think about how I must soon put the trike away and put the truck back on the road... but not until after October 1st as that is the date of the next Santa Toy Run I plan to ride in.

Gardening

My garden didn't do well this year. I think it's because of all the rain we got earlier in the summer and nothing at all was growing right. Out of all the plants I bought or grew from seed, not one vegetable was showing up on the vines or stalks, so I ended up just giving up and not bothering to water it any more. Oh, I wish now I had still gone to that part of the yard to water as there were other things like 3 kinds of mints growing in tires and a few other herbs in pots, but I didn't have anything much in my raised bed gardens. I had wanted for so long to have raised bed gardens so I could grow my own veggies and had no way of building my own, no one to help me, so I brought home some old bathtubs, rocks, soils I purchased and planted my gardens in them. The first year I got a bit to eat, but not much. I think a pedestal bathtub would look really good out there with food in it too, but I've decided that next year it will save me a lot of money to just go to the Farmer's Markets to buy my food rather than wasting all that money on seeds & bedding plants and water just to get nothing but disappointment.