A belated anniversary moodling

Next spring's bulbs (178 of them)

When the leaves change and we reach Autumn Equinox, these Simple Moodlings close another year. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking to start my online moodling (love letters to the world) at harvest time, when there's so much to do in the garden before that first frost, which seems to be arriving late this year thanks (but no thanks) to climate change. It's definitely not the best time to be marking a moodle-versary, with produce to process, spring bulbs to plant, and a garden to put to bed.

But at the same time, it's a season for slowing down and taking stock. The colours change, the days get shorter, and my spirit starts to relax into a deeper awareness of light and darkness, warmth and coolness, and the gift of time in general. As I watch the squirrels tucking our oak tree's acorns away for the winter, I am tucking away summer memories, and relishing the good muscle aches from spreading compost and collecting leaves to make next year's good black humus.

Life is a never ending cycle, and seeing the leaves fall in this covid season brings to mind the many losses and changes created by this pandemic. I think of all those we have lost to the virus, people who are slowly recovering from its effects, our medical people who are struggling to move forward as our healthcare system is being overwhelmed, and I wonder, at times, how our world will continue to function. Some days it's hard to imagine. But we keep on going.

On this feast of St. Francis, at this time when so many are so seriously ill with covid and there are still so many on our planet to be protected from it -- especially those with no access to vaccines, and children under 12 -- I ask the little saint of simplicity to pray for us, that we all do the right thing, not only for ourselves, but for our world as a whole. As I move into this 12th year of online moodling, I wish all my readers safe journeys through the darker months ahead.

May we all have the resilience of the bulbs I've buried deep in my front yard, and emerge into next spring's sunshine after a period of protecting the vulnerable through our patience, perseverance... and peace.

Tomatoes galore! and my 5th Moodle-versary

Wouldn't this be a pretty Christmas wreath?

It's a banner year for tomatoes.

Ralph's Romas are bigger than ever,

the cherry tomatoes are oh-so-sweet,

and there are still too many out on the vine.

I've been working hard on pears this week,

and next week, tomatoes!

A few of Ralph's Romas

On another note, this is my 1001st moodling, 

and Simple Moodlings celebrates its 5th anniversary

on the 19th. It has racked up over 137,000 hits,

I've posted 239 Simple Suggestions, and participated in 

536 exchanges (comments) with readers.

 How does one celebrate something like that?

Maybe I'll have a piece of pear pie --

or a tomato sandwich!

Four years later...

I'm still here, moodling away, although lately, there hasn't been a lot of time to write between working almost full-time and dealing with produce the rest of the time. But today marks the fourth anniversary of this blog, and it's time for my annual update...

To date, I've published 851 moodlings -- including 212 Simple Suggestions. I've received 495 comments from real human beings (but most of my comments have been odd spammy ones like the computer generated goofiness that arrived yesterday, saying, "Thank you for the good account. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you. My website... Notary Public Sacramento CA." Haha, yeah, right. These things always make me laugh all the way to the delete button!!)

And -- believe it or not -- sometime in the last few weeks Simple Moodlings reached more than 100,000 hits, although probably half of them are what's called referrer spam (spamming computers trolling in order to create more traffic to their own websites somehow) rather than real human beings actually reading these writings. Oh well -- I have no illusions when it comes to this blog's popularity, which is next to non-existent. I'm just having fun, writing my love letter to the world... my family and friends... my heroes... L'Arche... Voluntary Simplicity... and gardeners, writers, book lovers, musicians, and moodlers everywhere.

Again, thanks to my faithful readers, to those who leave real live encouraging comments here -- and in person -- and to my family for putting up with my moodling habit. Thank you, thank you very much. I look forward to having more time to spend here in the weeks and months ahead.

Moodling three years later... and a pear jam recipe

Three years on, I'm still here, moodling away. I had no way of knowing, three years ago, how much I would enjoy posting anecdotes, musings, songs, and stories for friends near and far to read.

So, the annual run down: I've posted 685 moodlings with 177 Simple Suggestions, received 452 comments (commenters are rare on many smaller blogs, I've noticed, but I do love comments and have made a few friends through them...) and had over 62,000 hits. I post these stats because every September it's fun to look back and see how things have progressed over the previous year.

Many thanks to my hubby and daughters for their patience with me and my little hobby, and to other family and friends for your comments and encouragements -- it's always nice to hear from you, though that's not why I moodle. I moodle because I enjoy it, and because there's always something interesting going on, something worth sharing. And sharing good things is always worthwhile!

* * * * * * *

Speaking of good things, making pear jam has been taking up a fair bit of my time in the past week. Our pear tree gave us more than 54 gallons of fruit (200+ litres) and we only have about ten rapidly ripening gallons (40 litres) left after baking, jamming, dehydrating or giving them away. Unfortunately, last year, the first year I'd tried making pear jam, I forgot to write down my recipe, so my first batch this year (following suggestions from other websites and the pectin package) was far too sweet. So I'm posting my tried and true-to-my-liking version here for posterity  -- and for other people who might like to attempt it! It's pretty easy...

Maria's Pear Jam

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring to a boil:

4 cups peeled and cored pears

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

a dab of butter (to keep it from foaming too much)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger (you might be more adventurous with your spices/herbs)

1 cup apple juice

In a separate dish, stir together:

1/4 to 1/2 cup of white sugar or equivalent sweetner (1/3 is enough with our pears)

1 package of no sugar needed pectin

Add sugar/pectin to boiling pear mixture and keep at a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, mash lightly, and pour into prepared canning jars, processing the finished product in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to ensure a good seal.

Enjoy!

A happy anniversary

On September 19, 2010, I followed my dear friend's suggestion and embarked on this writing adventure known as Simple Moodlings. So far, I've posted 285 moodlings, published 74 out of 100 Simple Suggestions, received about 80 comments, and had over 6,300 hits. A humble beginning, to be sure. Most of all, I'm evolving as a writer, and it's been lots of fun to share and make new friends this way.

I'd like to thank the members of the academy (well, my followers, official and unofficial), my family (for putting up with me being lost in thought at my computer at times), and all those who have encouraged and inspired me to keep on moodling.

And if you need any encouragement to start your own blog, look no further. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to share ideas and life with near and faraway friends. I like to think of it as a love letter to the world, because life is amazing.