Last semester just about killed me.
It wasn't supposed to be that rough: two classes, Accounting II and Information Systems. I recall asking my advisor if the classes were the same in the Summer since the semester was much shorter. "Oh yes. Why don't you take more classes?". Blessed be the voice in my head that said no. Longer daylight hours means it's always harder for me to stop working in the Summer, so I knew my evenings would be condensed. Turns out the classes are compressed, literally twice as much homework material crammed in every week. I was taking the equivalent of 4 classes.
And rarely getting home before 8 PM. 9 PM to 4 AM study sessions were the norm, with no time to cook, I was living mostly off peanut butter and boiled chicken (what I make for the dogs every few days).
For the two weeks between semesters, I transformed my kitchen into Ground Zero. My goal: to have healthy, balanced meals available for lunch and supper from the first day of class, August 17th until the last exam December 5th. And go:
Choosing and making out grocery lists took two evenings.
Then the work began in earnest. Every night until the wee hours of the morning. My love for food outstrips my need for sleep. One must have homemade fig preserves on hand for Fall semester.
Chicken and sausage pomodoro.
The vacuum sealer kept humming. I cooked enough barley, wild rice, brown rice and quinoa for an army. Complex carbs checked off the list.
More green coffee beans from El Salvador roasted.
Homemade dough for the chicken pot pies and peach pies.
Be still my beating heart.
I'ze gonna be so fat by Christmas!!!
Breakfast wasn't neglected. Whole wheat zucchini breads, ginger loaves, massive amounts of pancakes cooked and individually sealed in portions.
Of course, one must sample each dish before freezing.
Chilis, soups, stews.
And just like that, my refrigerator freezer and chest freezer are slap full. Since the start of classes this week, I've enjoyed browsing through the inventory list posted on the side of the freezer. My very own Chez Jamie menu.
Hungarian goulash with chocolate cherry cake one night. I think tonight I feel like poached salmon in coconut milk. Check out the new dishes I have to serve myself.
I've started a new tradition of rewarding myself with a present after successful semesters. I'd been following Rebecca Kahan's work for a while and saving up. This is what he had on hand at her workshop in Israel, the rest should follow in a few weeks.
Summer semester results rolled in My 4.0 GPA earned me another citation from the University president. And the Head of the School of Accounting has offered to become my student advisor. Fall semester will be tricky: 5 business classes. I can't decide which one I hate the most at this point. Probably Corporate Finance followed by Marketing.
During the break, I took advantage of a neighbor. Yes, royally abused him. He's in between jobs and mentioned he could bush hog.
We cleared all, I mean all the trails, felled a lot of trees and cut every single bit of the 40 miles of trails here. Add to that all the irritating million jobs that I'd been picking away at for months... all done.
What a two weeks it has been. Oh, I didn't tell you about the hay... Thanks to covid, it was looking as though we wouldn't get our timothy hay from Tennessee this year. A challenge you say?
Bring it.
Solution. We get it ourselves. Jordan and Kyle drove 26 hours straight to get our hay.
Unloaded 460 bales upon their return.
Every time I take my foot off the gas pedal, I start to feel sick to my stomach. Life for me, is meant to be lived pedal to the metal. I'm grateful neighbors...and my dogs, put up with me.
I haven't even had a chance to tell you about my family from Texas who came to visit, the new dog or the bees I've had for 6 months. But, those are stories for another day.
