Just Peachy

"An apple is an excellent thing - until you have tried a peach."
George du Maurier (1834-1896)


You might wonder what peaches and a Tabasco needlepoint canvas have in common...My UFOs, of course. With only one full day left before I return to working outside the home, I had a sudden burst of housewife-ism. It is a newly discovered malady that makes one want to perform feats of wonder in the homemaking arts arena in record short amounts of time. It affects people in many forms. For me the sudden onset of symptoms included the urge to can peaches.

There isn't a hint of room left in my pantries after canning applesauce and apple pie filling recently, but why let a little thing like that stop me. I can always store them under the bed, behind the sofa, or make a mantle display. I haven't any jars left, but what is a small investment compared to the joy of packing home canned peaches in my husband's lunch this winter. Seriously, that was what I was thinking when I purchased the cases of large cling peaches. Then sanity kicked back in.

I have ONE day left and canning is only one thing I must complete. So what would a be the prudent next move? Why to acquire a new hand painted needlepoint canvas, of course. I can tote it with me to work and use my breaks to whip it out. It is a special canvas, as Tabasco Brand just gave license to the artist and it will match my kitchen (if completed before I paint). The pattern will be adjusted to have a green and white checked background because it just looked too easy as is.

Is there no cure for housewife-ism? A pill, a therapy, anything that would cause me to just sit quietly reading and relaxing on my last day of freedom? Apparently not. It is inexplicable. I have treated returning to work like a military campaign. The freezer and pantries are full. The menu for two weeks planned and shopped for. The house and garden are in tip top shape. Daily instructions for my husband printed up (you didn't think he would remember stuff like feeding the cat after 6 whole months of a break, did you?).

I didn't realise how much I needed to return to work until today. Needlepoint, knitting, canning, whatever, used to be fun activities on a quiet day off. Now and then. For the last six months the subconscious guilt of not earning my keep has manifested itself by turning me into a super wife. No, I don't mean super cool. I mean I cook and clean with super hero abilities churning out gourmet meals like a Julia Child protege and sewing curtains in the blink of an eye. No task has been too large. A completely new backyard, furnishing, flowerbeds, no problem! Sewage leak, presto fixo!

Alas, now I must pass my super human powers over to the next unsuspecting housewife. May she use them for good and not evil. I will can my peaches, run errands, visit a dear friend that is recovering from surgery, pack our lunches, make one last gourmet weekday dinner, pack up the UFOs and return them to their newly organized home (deep in the confines of my sewing closet), and take a deep breath. Look out world, I'm back!