I’m home alone this weekend, well as alone as you get at our house, as Mike is gone duck/goose hunting east of the Cascades. Before you feel too bad for me, let me just say that this is exactly what I needed.

It’s been a whirlwind fall full of chickens, gardens, family, friends and travel and having a weekend to do exactly what I want (or don’t) is exactly what this introvert needed. I’ve accomplished not very much since Mike left yesterday morning. Mostly just small things that needed doing like finishing the painting in the living room, buying chicken feed, cleaning my kitchen top to bottom and doing a bit of knitting.

Last night I made myself a very simple bacon and leek pasta sauce over fresh pasta and followed it up with a sliced apple.

Tonight I went even more minimalist, satisfying my love of squash (Mike is NOT a fan) with homegrown roasted spaghetti squash with a dab of local butter and a bit of salt and pepper. The second course was simple boiled potatoes (homegrown fingerlings) with a dollop of sour cream. The final course was a sliced local bartlett pear. Mmmm. Definitely not gourmet, but oh so good.

*****

In other news, we dropped off a full two bags of goodies to Northwest Harvest just in time for Thanksgiving. I forgot to take a photo, but it included homegrown potatoes and squash, local dried beans, assorted cans of regional organic tomatoes and fruit. We also threw in a few other things including pasta, crackers, cookies and more.

Have you made a donation for the Dark Days Harvest Drive yet? Be sure to let me know when you do and I’ll get you entered for the drawing taking place on December 24.