Amish paradise

Back from our three-week trip to Lithuania and back to the usual routine, with some amendments. As is my tendency, I spent a good deal of the trip turning over in my brain the things I'd like to do differently when we return and, starting this week, it is time to enact some of those changes. 

One change is walking more. We ran an errand to buy dog shampoo on Monday night; other than that, I haven't touched the car for three days now. Jonas and I walked to the gym and back today. And it is occurring to me as I write this that I probably could be making dog shampoo from scratch, and therefore not needing to buy it.

Who does that? Who makes dog shampoo? What is my problem? If anything, my living-off-the-land/everything-from-scratch fantasy has worsened rather than improved. Even after spending quite a bit of time in the country at my sister-in-law's house, which is located in the woods in the middle of nowhere, Lithuania. Where the only place to walk is through the woods around the house. And a grocery trip involves at least a half-hour drive. But, as if part of what feels like a growing conspiracy, my sister-in-law's husband is perfectly suited to such a life and, what with his handyman skills and mushroom-hunting skills and general living-off-the-land skills, I'm completely enveloped in this idea at this point.

We harvested three gigantic zucchini from our garden two days ago and I spent yesterday grappling with them. I blanched & froze two of them and grated the third to make zucchini bread - four small loaves and one big one. And I found myself thinking: what if the eggs I was adding to this recipe were from my own chickens? What if the applesauce was my own applesauce, canned last fall?

My new theory is that this near-obsession is how I'm taking on the "job" of being a stay-at-home parent. But, no matter how you analyze it, I can't beat it right now, so I'm joining it. You want to live off the land so much, Jenny? Earn it. Do as much of it as you can from here and if you prove yourself worthy, in a few years -- if you are still under the spell of the countryside -- you can consider taking on the real thing. 

So, I made zucchini bread. This weekend we'll go peach picking and I plan to make some peach pies and jams. Maybe even a chutney. Because chutney? Hard core.