Angela Law

animal lover, gardener, knitter, and gourmet cook
 
food & drink

preservation

I’ve canned a number of items so far this season. I always hope to do more, but summer is a real time crunch for me and canning is pretty time consuming. I’ll probably squeeze in a few more things before I run out of vegetables, but here’s what I’ve done so far:

  • Strawberries on Top Preserves
  • Sweet Pickle Relish
  • Dill Sandwich Slices
  • Fiesta Salsa
  • Pickled Cherry Peppers
  • Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
  • Crushed Tomatoes
  • Giardiniera
I do small batch canning, so I get maybe 6-12 jars of each item. I wish I had more tomatoes because I could use a lot of those during the winter.
I’ve also frozen a number of veggies and I have some more in the fridge that are awaiting freezer treatment. I’m planning on doing a fall/winter garden again this year so hopefully I can get through part of the winter before having to buy crappy veggies at the grocery store.
books

sharp objects

This book was ok. For as short as it was (about 250 pages), it took me a while to read. The story was about a female reporter who returned to her hometown to cover a story about the murder of two girls, but really it was about the main character’s messed-up family.

My rating: 3/5

pets

lizzy’s back

Lizzy’s back problem has returned. It’s not as bad as the last time (nearly three years ago), but she’s definitely having problems getting around. I took her to the vet today and they confirmed my suspicions. The problem is in the same place as last time (lower back), so the vet said she might have done something to aggravate it or it could simply be a matter of things getting worse with age.

So, she’s on steroids again. It will be a few days until we can expect to see an improvement. Let’s hope this doesn’t become a frequently recurring problem for her.
food & drink

giving thanks

The other month at the liquor store, a new brand of gin (from Philadelphia Distilling) caught my eye. Since it was from the great state of Pennsylvania and had a mail-in rebate associated with it, I gave it a go. I dutifully sent in my mail-in rebate. Yesterday, I not only received my rebate (in the form of a $1 and a $2 bill–how unusual), but I also received a hand-written thank you note signed by the owner of the company. That’s one way to make your company stand out. I thought that was pretty great. The gin was good, too.

out and about

tea for two

My Mom invited me to a tea to benefit the Friends of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. It was her birthday today, so how could I say no?

Interestingly enough, we were seated at a table with two of my former high school teachers. The one said that I was “all grown up”. I found that to be pretty amusing since I’m 43 and she probably was around that age when I had her as a teacher. The lady whose family owns Coney Island was at our table, too. She was very nice. And, as it turns out, she is also in my parent’s yoga class. Small world.

I’m not much for “doing things” but it was kind of nice to get out of the house and do something for a change. Not that I’ll be making a habit of it, but it doesn’t hurt to get out every once in a while, I guess.