A little character building and A LOT of jarring!

These are our shoes - drying in front of the heater.

Why you ask? Because Joe and I are borderline nut-so and decided that despite the constant rain today, it would be a good day for a steep, uphill trail run. Sunday's the one day of the week that loverboy can get a good run in these days with his crazy schedule and so whatever the weather, he's pretty committed to getting out to hit the trails. And well, I guess we're a good match, because I'm not usually one to shy away from a little bad weather if it means getting to workout in the great outdoors. At the end of the run as we stood in the rain, sopping wet with mud streaks up the back of our legs, we decided this was definitely one of those experiences that builds some character and makes ya a little tougher. Challenges truly do reveal character and well, if our attitudes on the run are any indication of the way we handle adversity in the real world - I'd say I'm getting the better end of the deal in this relationship :). Loverboy's a total champ when it comes to facing challenges and remaining calm and collected - anyone looking for a good Amazing Race partner? He'd be perfect!

On our way down Windy Hill all I could think about was taking a warm shower and eating A LOT of hot food. And well lucky me, I got both of those things shortly after we got back. As you know, Joe and I have been experimenting with jarring this fall. I told my boss about it when we first started - she's pro at jarring and instigated our fig jam adventure by generously providing 5 lbs. of figs from her tree. Long story short, she is a part of this incredible jarring community - each year they host a Harvest exhange and loads of people bring all the amazing things they've been jarring - the host makes a BIG pot of black bean chili and apple cider braised pork and then everyone swaps! Brilliant! The host's home was about as homey as a home could get and when we arrived he whisked us straight to the pot of chili and poured us some wine! How's that for hospitality. We scarfed down our chili and chatted with some of the others and then I just marveled at the table full of jarred goods. I could have cried - I'm just so moved by people who create things and then when they are both beautiful and edible, well that just about does me in! I was bubbling over with excitement! We contributed a couple jars of our fig jam and our recent pickles and check out some of the amazing stuff we came away with!

Joe and I sat and stared and this stuff for a little while and declared it was almost as good as Christmas!

Chili Peppers, lemons and adorable homemade leaf cards.


Duck Breast Prosciutto - what?! This sounds amazing - and the host made it!!

Strawberry Orange Jam, Apple Rhubarb Conserve with Maple Syrup and Peach Jam - ummm....heaven!

Turmeric Pickles, Spiced Beet Pickles and Balsalmic mustard - holy possibilities!

Sauerkraut - Joe's fav. takeaway.

Some kind of salty lemony concoction that is supposedly perfect for making a Morroccan chicken dish - we'll be giving that a whirl soon!

We also came away with dried persimmons that are beautiful and about the only thing more delicious than regular persimmons and home made truffles.

I just love the community of craftsmanship that this group has created and feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate this weekend!

Happy week!