Around here lately....

• Hens and chicks on the deck. All of the plants are benefiting from the rain we've gotten lately.
• Dill blossoms from the dill we're growing, and my knitting in the corner of the photo. Our table and chairs belonged to my great-grandparents. See all of our books? Notice all of the ones from the library. Those belong to Ryan, who is writing his dissertation.
• I canned last week, and boy, was that an experience. Let me just say that if you are interested in canning, buy a whopping large stockpot, or just get an all-out canner (the latter is a necessity if the recipe calls for it). I didn't need a canner for making pickles, so I just used my stockpot. The problem is that I got the process started and then realized that my stockpot would only hold two cans at a time. Whoops. Canning eight pints turned into a half-day affair. Ah well. I used Ashley English's book Canning and Preserving: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More. I found it easy to follow. I used the "Basic, All-Purpose Brine for Pickling" recipe. I tried pickles from one jar and they seemed too salty. In all fairness though, I reduced the amount of sugar that the recipe called for (it stated this as an option), so that probably accounts for the saltiness. I think that next time I won't add a pepper either, because the pickles were a little too spicy. It's all a learning process. I'll definitely can again.
• Shiso plants out back. I need to look into recipes.