Everything’s coming up Prickly Pear

Last year, Mitch and I decided to make Prickly Pear syrup and jelly. And this year we did it again! We learned from last year, so it was a little easier this year. But it still requires plucking things off cacti when it’s over 100 degrees outside, so it’s not exactly vacation.

In case you're dying to make your own- here’s the process:

1. Go collect the ripe pears. You can tell they’re ripe when they’re a reddish-purple and come off easily. Use tongs for this- the longer the better. Again, they grow on cacti so they’re spiny little suckers. And they have the tiny spines that are impossible to see in your fingers but will hurt every time you touch anything.
2. I recommend not doing this at noon on the hottest day in the past two weeks. I did not take this advice. It was gross outside and I returned home drenched in sweat.
3. Take your giant bucket full of ripe pears home. Then use a lighter or creme brûlée torch to burn all the little spines off. This is best done while sitting on the floor and watching TV. 
4. Next cut them into quarters. Use an old cutting board because it will be pink. Your fingers will also turn pink when you touch them to put them in a big pot. Everything will be pink- bright pink!
5. Fill the pot with water so it just covers the pears and then boil it for a solid 10 minutes. Then mash it all up.
6. Straining time. This is where experience spoke up finally. Last year we used an old (and clean) pillow case to strain things. This year I spent $15 and bought a stand with two straining bags. It was a very good choice. Straining very hot cactus pieces is more time consuming than you’d expect. And those little guys are FULL of seeds. But eventually you will have a giant bowl of pink juice.
7. Then its time to make it into something else- syrup or jelly. Boil it with sugar and pectin (for jelly) and then jar it up. This is the time to invest in a funnel that fits on a jar perfectly. Hello Ace Hardware, my old friend.
8. Fill ‘em up and pop them in boiling water to seal. And, several hours and a lot of pink later, voila! Prickly Pear Syrup and Jelly.
9. Make margaritas. This is the best part. Share. Don’t share. Your call. As long as there are margaritas with prickly pear syrup, it’s all worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Back to School Blues

It’s been nearly a month since we got back from our Roadtrip. And what a month it’s been. School started just over 2 weeks ago and Mitch and I were back to work a week and a half prior. And it has been non-stop. Like every school, the beginning is a mix of chaos, confusion, excitement, nervousness, and “can I change my schedule?” echoing through the halls. 

There seems to be a sort of magic that encompasses vacation. Even when crappy things happen, its within the bubble of vacation, and doesn’t seem so bad. After all, you still get to wake up on vacation! I got really used to this bubble in the 6 weeks we were on the road, which made the return to work (aka school) that much harder.

On top of the business of school, it’s been busy outside of school. I spent the first few weekends working non-stop on schedules (the bane of my career existence). And then Mitch got sick. He’s been coughing non-stop for over two weeks, including missing an entire week of work. I forced him to ask his Dr for Rx Cough Syrup so he (and I) could get some sleep. But he still sounds like a 5 pack day smoker and cough syrup is a necessary evil to get some rest. On top of that we got the car fixed (thanks Raccoon- you owe us $800) and then Mitch had a blowout, which meant a tire replacement to the tune of $250. This new car is costing even more than anticipated.

Then i found out my new co-counselor, who is wonderful and so great to work with, took a job as the Coordinator of counseling for the entire district. I’m thrilled for her, and truly happy and quite relieved to know that such a dedicated, smart, hard working person will be in this incredibly important role. But I’m also really upset, because I’m once again alone. There are lots of talks of finding someone and getting a retired counselor to act as a sub, but the reality is those are short term solutions, and even when/if a permanent replacement is found, they will need to be trained- learn the staff, learn the master schedule, learn the kids, learn the school, etc. And i was so looking forward to a less stressful year and working with a great team…

But just as life, work, car, seemed to be getting the better of us, the perfect night came along. Over the summer I bought concert tickets to see Old Crow Medicine Show and Brandi Carlile. I really enjoy both their music and figured it would be a fun evening. Tickets were more than I would typically spend on a show, especially a show of artists I like but don’t LOVE. Even, like in this case, artists I really like. But i splurged and did it anyway.

As the concert approached, I started to regret my purchase. It was a school night, we had to get up early the next day. Plus it was at the casino, which is a solid 30 minute drive. I even briefly departed trying to sell them. I could tell Mitch was having some buyers remorse as well, so I faked some excitement hoping it would rub off. His parents called and asked if we wanted to meet for dinner. I was already tired and a little grumpy and figured we’d pick up food anyway, so we agreed.

We went to Wild Garlic Grill, which is one of the best restaurants in Tucson- by far- and it lived up to every ounce of expectation. From there, we headed West. Further West than I pretty much ever go. We got to the venue just a few minutes before the concert started, found our seats, and relaxed. And then the music started. It was fast, and upbeat, and featured fiddle and banjo with appearances by the harmonica and accordion. And neither of us could stop our feet from tapping or the smiles from spreading across our face. As the music continued, we were both entranced. One of the things we share is our history of being music kids. Mitch was in orchestra while I was in the band, but I try not to hold that against him. 

At one point Mitch stood up, grabbed my hand, and we danced in the aisle. Albeit, badly. We need dance lessons. But it was fun and at that moment there was no stress. There was no work, there was no car, there were no bills, there was just us and music and a warm night with a gorgeous full moon. We left the concert a bit early, knowing we needed to get home and to bed, and as we walked out we heard Brandi Carlile sing “I Was Made For You” and it couldn't have been timed more perfectly. We danced on the sidewalk, looked at the moon, got all goggly eyed and mushy, and in that moment I was completely filled with love and gratitude and happiness. Because as crappy and stressful as parts of the last couple of weeks have been, I have a partner by my side going through it with me, and I with him. And somehow that makes it seem a little more manageable. It makes the decision not to smother him in order to stop the coughing worth it.