It's Raining Plums!

We made a really exciting discovery this week in the garden.
We have plums.

Last year I re discovered plums in Rob's mom's backyard. These plums are miniature, and super sweet. You can almost pop the whole thing in your mouth like a cherry. Amazing. Not at all like the tart not quite ripe plums found in grocery stores. Ruth's tree produces more than she ever knows what to do with. Last year we brought home a half gallon, the only catch was, we had to climb the ladder and pick them ourselves. And then we spend all winter eating interesting desserts made with plums.

This week we were out examining our poor decrepit apple trees. Seriously, last year there were so many apples, but they were all scabby, so really only good for cooking. This year we had actual arborists look at our trees in the spring and they cut them back. Now one tree isn't producing at all. Last winter I had even said that maybe we should chop at least one of them down and grow a plum tree, or a cherry tree. While I was over there I looked over into the rocks by the shed and said "hey... where are the plums coming from?"


We looked up into the huge tree arching over the back corner of the yard and I peered behind the fence to find that the plums are coming from a plum tree. Surprise! But the real surprise was, it might be our plum tree!

The next day, Amber and I were hanging around the shed picking up fallen plums when the dog in our neighbours yard came barreling at us. Yards here are different then yards in Saskatchewan, covered with huge trees and with huge fences in between us, we don't really know our neighbours at a all. There aren't any lane ways in our neighbourhood either, so we are back to back with the house behind us, but as long as we've been in the house there has been an old dilapidated solid fence between us. A few weeks back a new chain link fence arrived and we were able to see into our neighbours yard for the first time. Turns out they have a dog. A large dog. So when he came tearing toward us, Amber and I yelped a little and his owners came running over to admonish him. Turns out the (enormous) dog is new and still just a puppy (hence, the new, stronger fence) and the neighbours have only been there 2 months themselves. And they are our age and super nice! Rob thinks I'm funny, but I love getting to know our neighbours. I grew up at my next door neighbours house. Dad and Larry used to pretend they were Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble and they would someday build a puuool in between our yards.

So I keenly told them we would have them over for a barbecue soon, and they looked as excited as me (or maybe I'm just creepy and hoped they were that excited).

This whole long story was getting around to the fact that they also think the plum tree is ours. But we will share the plums as they fall :) And unfortunately we discovered after pulling out the giant fruit picking ladder, that the tree is very very very large, and we may only be able to collect the plums as they fall after all.

wash. rinse. repeat.

One thing I seem to be routinely learning at my new job is that unlike Stage Management, the production never ends. Metaphorically and figuratively. Once a production is over, the company keeps chugging along right into the next one. This winter I learnt this in terms of my lists. As an SM, the lists have to get done, and all things on that list have a deadline; opening night. The office list has deadlines, but those deadlines just push all the other things on the list that keep the company running further down the list. It doesn't make them go away, instead the list just gets longer.

As we started to switch into high gear this summer planning our annual outdoor theatre festival and the world premiere of an original SKAM production, staged on the back of a flat deck pick up truck, I began to learn another hard new reality. When I was Stage Managing, I embraced that busy flurry of Production week, knowing that into the run I would sleep and socialize and at the end of it I would likely have a week off between it and the next job. Closing night, I could hand in my keys, make sure my prompt book was well maintained and hand it all off, content to sleep the next day away.

This is very very different. That flurry of activity happens in the weeks leading up to rehearsals. And it's the sort of flurry that you don't even know if you've done everything right until someone tells you you haven't. And then once you are safely into rehearsals it feels relatively calm, and just when you think you can relax, bam! Its over, and that means, things need to get paid, things need to be accounted for, reports need to be written! Before you can even adjust to finishing this project up you are into preparation for the next.

There is no resting up for the next job. There is no next job. This is my job.

Gahhh! I have earned so much respect for administrators every where this year. I notice GM's now, and Operations Managers and Producing Managers. I know what a controller is. My book keeper (and incredible mentor) is becoming my best friend... No, really. She emailed today to make sure my root canal went ok.

Someone ought to run back to 1998 and let me (and Mr. Mutch) know that somehow, I grew up and someone trusted me with an annual budget. That I know what a fiscal year is, and I know how to solve temporary cash flow problems. And that I've even voluntarily signed up for a class called Accounting for Arts and Cultural Managers. Now to find the time to study...

P.s. I cannot recommend the Dill Pickle soup strong enough. Even Amber gave it an A+ ;)

A Mushy Meal Plan

Oh dear blog world.
I haven't forgotten about you over here in cyberspace. I've just been too caught up in staring at a computer screen most days and never moving from my desk... straight into the frantic no sleep world of producing a Theatre Festival with 17 different performing companies over two weekends.

But more on that I promise.

I've put myself on a bit of a schedule around here.
Made some lists.
I hope that will keep my blogging on a better track.

I plan to start each week (usually Monday, but here we are at Tuesday and I will push on), with the meal plan for the week. I've revamped the tumblr link where all of my food related things go, so that if there is something you see here that you like, you can go over there and find the recipe. Just click on What's Cooking? up top or follow me on tumblr: The Proof is in the Pudding.

This week, the meal plan is a bit bizarre looking, because after weeks of suffering through a flurry of activity with no time to see a dentist, I put off yet another cavity to the point of abscess. I was in to see the dentist briefly before the madness started and was able to get on antibiotics until I could get it assessed for a root canal (ugh). The antibiotics sucked and before I had the time to even go for my root canal consult I had two different types to keep them effective in my system. This last week I was on antibiotic number three and so happy the appointment was just around the corner. With every new antibiotic my stomach had to re adjust and I was stuck with two or three days of full on nauseous. That coupled with mouth pain all over (its like all the other bad teeth know when you've seen a dentist, my wisdom teeth were on the move and the wear on the right side of my mouth has produced two new cavities), I haven't been eating very well in general. Rob grimaced the other day when I put three cans of different shaped zoodles (princess, scooby doo and alpagheti) in the grocery basket.

So in preparation this weeks meal plan is a variation of soup, leftover soup and easing into mashed potatoes and rice. With a side of jello and pudding. Did you know you can't make instant pudding with almond milk? I don't know the particulars behind this, but it is on google, we discovered after the fact. You just wind up with a lovely chocolate soup instead.

Turns out, after weeks of panicking, 2 mg of ativan, a lit bit of freezing and Rob taking the day off to sit patiently in the room with me yesterday, I feel fine already! In fact the new cavities on the other side of my mouth are taking way more precedent all of a sudden... only a couple of more weeks until those are fixed too. So happy to finally be on dental benefits after all of these years.

So, soup it is anyway... I just get to also have the grilled (soy) cheese sandwiches I snuck in for Rob's benefit as well.

Sunday- leftovers (from a great zucchini pasta salad that I will hopefully post in the future)

Monday- Celery and Celery Root Soup that I go on and on about regularly, now I've finally posted the recipe. We had it with amazing potato and rosemary bread from Fairway Market

Tuesday - Leftover Celery Root Soup

Wednesday - Dill Pickle Soup and Grilled Cheese

Thursday - Left over Dill Pickle Soup

Friday- Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy in the slowcooker

Saturday - Barbecued Chicken in oyster sauce and rice

I'm so happy after all this chaos to have time in my kitchen again!