Cactus Down

I killed a cactus. It wasn't just any cactus; it was one my sister-in-law Kathy gave me two Christmases ago. I hate it when I do stuff like that, but truth is - I'm not very good at being domestic no matter how badly I want to be.

But, thanks to a new reader who posted a review of FARM FRESH MURDER on her blog, I realize that it's okay to mess up in the kitchen, in the garden, with the yarn, etc. And it's almost okay to kill a cactus - that's a pretty tough thing to do, I can't quite cut myself slack on that one yet.

There is no place on the planet I'd rather live than Salt Lake City, Utah, but I gotta tell ya, there are lots of Domestic Goddesses around. Cooking and baking are big things and those kinds of things are insidious - yes, that's the word I mean. Just when you think you're fine stopping by a bakery or not giving in to canning, or turning your eyes away from that adorable baby blanket that's being crocheted, you find your curiosity growing until you just can't deny it any longer. You actually WANT to can something.

It wasn't until a few years after I moved to Utah that the domesticity bugs bit me. And once I gave in, I wasn't to be stopped. Though I don't have a lot of time, I do crochet some, and of course the canning has become an even bigger part of my life because of the farmers' market books. The cooking school books have "forced" me into the kitchen more. And I love every minute I spend doing those things, but sometimes the mistakes I make are colossal. I forget ingredients, I drop things, I break things, I burn myself. I'm truly Domestic Goddess challenged.

Anyway, after the FFM review, I wrote a thank-you to Our Lady of Perpetual Chaos. Here's her funny and entertaining site: Lady of Perpetual Chaos. She's a fellow Utahn which was a fun discovery. She told me how much she loves her gardening and canning activities, and I thought I should let her know that I loved those things too but I'm not all that good at them. She wrote back and said that she, herself, experiences a canning disaster every now and then, too. She's really funny though, so not only was I relieved, I was laughing with relief.

It goes back to that old saying, I guess: Nobody's Perfect - [for some reason the memory of a yellow t-shirt illustrated with those words and a brown owl just popped into my mind. Anyone else remember that t-shirt?]

And it doesn't matter - if you're doing something you enjoy, mistakes are just part of the process, part of the fun if you've got the right attitude.

Thank you again, Lady of Perpetual Chaos, for fixing my perspective - and for the kind review, of course.

I'm going to need a little extra time to get over the cactus killing, though.

Happy Reading!

Paige