Sometimes a revision to The Plan is supremely exciting, leaving you breathless with anticipation for what’s to come. Sometimes not so much.

And sometimes you’re left somewhere in the middle, which is where I find myself right now. I got a job. I am not pleased that I needed to do so, but it was/is a necessary evil. Luckily, I am thrilled about the position I secured, and it’s an incredible package: it will pay the bills, it provides several types of insurance and a retirement matching plan, it allows me to work from home, and it’s for an organization that I love and believe in 110%. I know how fortunate I am to have all of those variables come together, and I am grateful. Truly.

I spent the last week in Indianapolis, meeting my new colleagues at headquarters and learning so very much. The organization itself is not new to me – I have been an active member for fourteen years – but the inner workings are all new to me.

Goodness, but I missed Maine! I missed my people, of course, but I also missed the land. The lakes and the hills and the trees and the breeze and the stars. It was so good to come home, for it really does feel like home now.

I came back to a glut of produce from our little garden. Daddy and Swee picked more cherry tomatoes than we could eat, so we gave another pint to Miss Barbara, and then set up a table at the end of the driveway this morning with a coffee can honor system. We were sold out before noon.

There were also quite a few cucumbers, several that had gone bad, and the rest in varying states of ripeness. It was really nice to settle back into my kitchen by throwing together some refrigerator pickles.

I am pretty sure that my original recipe came from Erica at Northwest Edible Life, but I can’t be certain. Either way, it’s a quick and simple fix for when you end up with too many cucumbers to eat them plain. In our house, that’s a lot of cucumbers.

I re-use jars for these pickles since I don’t bother canning them – they don’t last that long. My favorite jar right now is a wide-mouth salsa jar. I feel like I keep refilling it as soon as it’s empty, it works so well. My brine is simple – one cup of water, one cup of vinegar, one tablespoon of kosher salt. I stuff the jar with cucumber slices and add five peppercorns, a pinch of pickling spice, a couple good shakes of dried dill weed, and a little scoop of minced garlic. When the brine comes to a boil, pour it over the slices, twist the lid on tight, and stick it in the back of the fridge for a week or so.

That’s all there is to it, and they’re so good. We have two jars going right now, and I’ll probably take one to the picnic we’re attending tomorrow. Tuesday is a big day here – J has class, it’s my first real day of work at home, and Swee starts nursery school. Your good thoughts are appreciated, and if any of you WAHMs have tips, I’m all ears.