Well, I was out of the office Tuesday and doing all the catch-up work on Wednesday. Come Thursday I started a self-taught Microsoft Access class and it's giving me some problems. For one thing, most of it makes no sense at all... LOL I'm going by the book, with examples and definitions and I'm still not getting it. I guess I'm getting some of it but mostly - it makes no sense! Arghhhh others on my team seem to have mastered it while I struggle to get just the basics.
We have a Learning Library where we can check out books for all kinds of courses. That's how I ended up with this one. I'll keep pegging away at it but I'm surely going to have to go in and renew the book. They only give you a month - ha! yeah, right. I'll need at least that and then some. For now though, the course is what has been keeping me from the blog. For that reason alone, you can dislike it as much as I do... ha ha ha
The weekend is upon us and the temperatures promise to be cool to cold, sunny and windy. This morning it was 37 degrees when I walked out the door to drive to work. I had gone out to start my car so it could warm up while I packed my lunch. Even after about 5 minutes, there was no warmth inside that car. I donned my gloves (thank you sooooooo much Ernie) and cranked the heater all the way to the end of the red on the dial and I was off and running.
As I drove down the leaf strewn driveway, four little furry rabbits went dashing across in front of me. They did their little zigzag run and were gone before I knew it. This is the first I've seen of them since springtime when I first arrived in Tennessee. Where they've been hiding, I've no clue but it was fun watching them run again :)
Arriving home yesterday I had Wally with both dogs and all six roosters greeting me in the driveway. We had a few things to take care of outside in preparation for the cold weather to come. After we brought in the groceries, we headed back outside to check on the doghouse. Now that the dogs are older and in more feeble condition, we decided to hang a warming light in their house. They already have blankets and food in there, what more could a dog want? Wally got the light hooked up while I fed the roosters - trust me, you don't want me working with electricity if you can help it.
We called the dogs over and showed them their new sleeping arrangements. They weren't impressed. They came back out of the doghouse and followed us over to the porch. Well, so much for that idea. LOL They may have gone in there when it was their bedtime but we didn't check to see. If they want to be warm, they can sleep in the doghouse, if not, they can just keep on sleeping up under the porch on their bed of dried leaves. At this point, it's clearly up to them.
I had thrown out a jar full of scratch for the roosters and they pecked away at it for a good 10 minutes or so. With no rhyme or reason, they just stopped eating and in single file they began the trek to their new roosting place. Of course, Roo brought up the rear. This time I followed them so I could see where their new home is. Come to find out, it's right outside our bedroom door (I thought they were kind of loud the other morning!) and about 10 feet into the woods. They squawked and cooed and then at once, they flapped their wings, flew straight up into the branches and settled themselves in for the night. It still tickles me to watch them put themselves to bed - same time, same routine, day in and day out. Their schedule never varies.
I'm anxious to see what they do with the upcoming time change. Will they somehow know that they need to wait an hour before they start singing or are we destined to be awakened at 3 am instead? Ha ha ha I have a feeling I know the answer to that one. Why does the darn time have to change anyway? I like it like it is. Although, according to the Farmer's Almanac, the coming time change is actually the way time always was before someone came up with changing it. It's not going to matter. I'll be just like the roosters - my body will think it's 4am when the clock will show 3am. It takes much getting used to...
Unlike most people, I do better springing forward than falling backward. LOL Then there are those people in Arizona (Dizzy Debbie!) who never have to worry with it. AZ doesn't change its time - ever. Must be nice. At this point Debbie is two hours behind me (3 behind y'all) so with the change, she'll only be 1 hour behind me. That makes talking to her much easier :)
It's already hard enough for me to stay awake past 8:30-9:00. Imagine how it will be when it gets dark an hour earlier.. jeez, I'll be in bed by 5:30 LOL!
Our weekend plans? We haven't really made any which is just the way we like it. We'll be up early Saturday morning, I'll fix breakfast and start my laundry. It's almost too chilly to hang clothes on the line but maybe I'll get one more load out there :) Otherwise, in the dryer they go... :( The dryer does have its winter weather benefits. Indeed it most definitely keeps the hot tub room and our room considerably warmer when a couple loads have been run. It's just that I'll miss the way the clothes smell and feel when they come in off the line. You know what that means - something to look forward to when springtime comes around again!
If it's sunny outside, we might just go horseback riding. We might get on the 4 wheelers and ride the fence line in an effort to run off any hunters who might just be hunting on the farm. The signs have been posted and the trees in between signs have been painted blue. The blue paint indicates a no hunting zone that hunters are supposed to respect. That's not to say that they do though, hence the ride on the 4 wheelers. We'll be on the lookout for tree stands, broken fencing and tracks not belonging to our vehicles. I have my orange vest so as not be confused with a deer (ha ha ha) and we'll carry a gun to do some target shooting out on the trails. If that doesn't scare the hunters off, at least the deer will be on red alert!
Hunting season actually opens Monday. I may just have to join in for the evening hunt if I can get my CSA basket and get home in time. Wednesday when I came down the driveway towards the cabin a deer ran across the driveway and into the woods on my right. She was just above where the road goes down into the holler. She ran into the woods and then just stopped and looked at me. I just stopped and looked at her right back. What a beauty! I'm sure her thoughts were the same... lol ha ha ha Don't get your hopes up that I'm becoming a softy... I still plan to have one in the freezer if at all possible.
Sunday will be racing and football on the tv but first we have a visitor coming over. Joe is one of the guys from Pee Wee's Place and he's an older fellow who I sit and talk with quite a bit. His father passed away the day I arrived in Tennessee to stay. He gave me an old pair of his father's overalls that I wear on occasion and have named them my "Joe-veralls." He gets a kick out of that! Joe is going on 62, I believe, and he has some really funny stories to tell. His are reminiscent of Roy Woods' stories if you ever took the time to sit and chat with Roy.
Joe is coming over to do some logging. Nothing extensive but we do have some trees that need to be cut up and hauled off. Namely that big beauty that you see me sitting on in the pictures. We would love to keep it and use it when we're out riding the trails but it will eventually rot and deteriorate serving us no purpose any longer. If Joe comes and takes it off, he can bring it to the sawmill where it will be sliced up and put to good use as slab wood, maybe even part of a new home, cabinets or furniture for someone. He and Wally will split the profit - whatever that may be. That's their business, I want no part of it :)
At 60 something years old, Joe has been a truck driver most of his life. He has also been a heavy equipment operator, he has farmed, raised kids, helped raise other people's kids, married a couple times (and divorced) and currently works for the county hauling chert (churt? chirt?) for road repairs due to the May floods. He'll work as many hours as they will give him. With the onset of colder weather, his part of the county job has been discontinued. If he can do some logging on our property, it will serve to help him make some money when otherwise there would be no work or income for him and it will get the fallen trees off the property. I'm sure he has some money stashed - who doesn't? That doesn't mean he wants to spend it and it surely doesn't mean he'll sit back on his haunches and do nothing all winter. He's not a sit around kind of guy. I hope I have the stamina Joe has when I'm his age. He is one tough cookie and a sweetheart to boot. You'll meet him when you come up.
My lady farmer tells me we might have Skyphos Red Butterhead Lettuce in our baskets this week. She says it's not one that's sold in stores so the likelihood of us having tried it is very slim. I'm certainly looking forward to that! The baskets have had lettuce again for a couple weeks now and it's soooooo much tastier than the store bought varieties. I know soon enough I'll have to go back to buying lettuce at the store but for now, I'm savoring every last bite of the fresh, green (and now red), crunchy, curly, leafy goodness :) yum! I'll definitely get a picture of the next two baskets as they will be the last for this year. Can you believe it's gone by so quickly? I just celebrated my 7th month here.
The turnips in Monday's basket were superb! Big orbs of creamy, white roots with bright, green, crispy leaves just begging to be cleaned, peeled, sliced and steamed into such tenderness as for mashing with just a little butter, salt, pepper and garlic.......talk about mouth-watering! I think that even if you have an aversion to turnip roots, in this kind of weather, it would be a recipe to warm your insides for sure. Think about a fresh, lightly seasoned, pan fried pork chop sitting along side the turnip mash and then some carrots cooked with honey and butter sauce to round it out. Care to join us? LOL I'm sure some of you are saying "uh, thanks but no thanks Darcy..." Well, hey, I believe in eating what's in season as long as you can find a way to cook it in a palate-pleasing manner. This one suits us just fine and I would hope that you would at least try a bite - even if you were unsure whether or not you would be in favor of it. ????
In the basket with the turnips was a nice big head of lettuce, I believe it was the Black Seeded Simpson variety again, hot peppers, green peppers, radishes, arugula and a big bunch of purple kale. Some of the kale has already been used to go into a pot of white beans and ham. The lettuce was used for my lunches as were the radishes. The peppers went into a pan with steamed cabbage and spicy sausage. We ate that for dinner last night! The arugula will be chopped and stirred into a creamy alfredo sauce to cover grilled chicken over whole wheat noodles. It's all planned out and there's plenty to go around so come on up and enjoy it with us! We would love to have you :)
I was reading one of my "Everyday Health" emails that comes to me automatically. Sometimes they have pretty interesting information on skin care, vitamins, blood pressure, etc. Well, this time it was a quiz called, "Is Your Skin Aging Faster Than You Are?" I took the quiz and I didn't do too bad for being 47 years old. After the questions it provides you with some steps you can take to help keep your skin looking young or at least keep it from aging so fast - if you actually have this problem. Not saying you do, not saying you don't...
I was advised to begin using an anti-aging product that contains retinol, to continue using sunscreen everyday and to continue wearing sunglasses to protect that very thin skin around my eyes. I posted the link at the top left (where the pictures are) just in case you want to take the quiz and see what advice you will be given to help keep your skin from aging too soon as well. To all you smokers out there - well, you know what advice it's going to give about that...
Around here, the grocery stores are packed with new displays promoting canned pumpkin, canned cherry pie filling, boxes of Domino Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Cook & Serve Jello Pudding boxes and a multitude of other typical holiday offerings. They have the cinnamon brooms out on display and Food Lion is even having a turkey dinner give-away. You have to visit the store and spend a certain amount of money each time you're there. Points are awarded for each visit. If you have enough points by 11/23/10 - you get a $15.00 certificate good towards your turkey dinner. I'll take $15.00 worth of free groceries - I'm going to be shopping there anyway so why not?
This weekend is apparently Fall Festival weekend. I travel 37 miles to work and on my way, there isn't a church or recreation center that doesn't have a roadside sign advertising their festivities. If you don't make it to a Fall Festival, it's not because you weren't invited... lol! Halloween is being celebrated on Saturday evening rather than Sunday - not sure why? Everyone goes out so early these days that it's not like the kiddies will be up too late for school the next day...maybe it's because of all the anticipated junk they'll be eating.
I'm looking forward to hanging out at the cabin, cooking for my Honey, feeding the animals and scouting my hunting spot for the coming week. What are you looking forward to doing this weekend?
"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."
John Howard Payne
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rainy Days and Mondays...
It started raining just after dark last night and was still raining this morning when I woke up at 3am. I tried going back to sleep but my mind started wandering to all the things I want to get done today and I couldn't go back to sleep. Not to worry though - I had gone to bed around 7:30 and was probably asleep before 8:00. Seven hours of sleep for me is like sleeping in and I felt wide awake and ready to go.
I did wake up around 10-10:30 and caught the tail end of the Greenbay Packers/Minnesota Vikings game when Brett Favre was trying to get the game winning touchdown. Too bad that didn't happen. At least when he's playing the Packers I'm happy with whoever wins! Did anyone pick the Browns over the Saints? That had to be the upset of the day!
Our weekend was fun and pretty busy. Friday we needed a few things from town so we loaded up in the big, black truck and headed in. We stopped at Lowe's and picked up a few things then went into Dickson to have dinner at the Mexican restaurant. I ordered the beef and chicken fajitas for two. They brought the standard chips and salsa and that white, creamy cheese too. We could have just eaten the chips and been done with it. But alas we had the fajitas coming...
The plate of fajitas was so big and so full of food we could have fed at least 6 people! It came out smoking hot and still sizzling on the skillet. We both ate until we were stuffed full and it didn't even look like we made a dent in it. The meat was very tender and seasoned just right. The vegetables were still a little on the crunchy side, which we both prefer and everything else that comes with it was the standard Mexican fare; refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, guacamole and sour cream. Each of us received a plate full of the sides - one plate would have been more than enough.
Once we were convinced we could eat no more, we boxed up our leftovers and set off for the farm. We took Hwy. 48 going home. This is the road they say is so curvy you can see your own taillights. We'll they aren't lying! lol It's hilly and curvy and thank goodness Wally was driving. He knows the road like the back of his hand whereas I would have been going about 20 mph and still hitting the brakes. There sure is some pretty countryside out that way. I could just gaze on it for hours. Old farmhouses, decrepit but still functioning barns, wood fences holding in all manner of cattle, goats, mules and horses. Halloween decorations dot the landscape and as the sun was setting, the wheat fields were shining gold in all their late fall glory.
We came up through the holler and spotted a nice size deer. She was running up the hill like it was nothing to her. I might have made it ten feet up before I would have been panting and huffing and puffing. Had I a gun, I'd have had to have taken her home with me. I didn't though and most likely she was too quick even if I did. My time will come - hunting season is just inside of November. There are hunters out already because of it being archery season but they don't really scare the deer like the constant barrage of gunfire. For the most part they are setting up their stands and likely baiting the surrounding area. I'm not sure that's legal but I am sure they do it.
This weekend is the Junior Hunt. Kids from three or four surrounding counties can bring their kill to the check in stations and prizes are awarded (1st & 2nd place) for the biggest rack and again for the biggest doe by weight. The co-op, Tractor Supply and Feed & Farm Stores are all jam packed with hunters of all ages getting their gear together. Camouflage is the color of choice no matter who you are, where you are going or what day it is. I bet they even wear camo to church! LOL j/k
Our little town of Centerville made national TV last Thursday. There's a show on NPT called Tennessee Crossroads and on the show they take you all over the state highlighting some of the coolest things to see and do. One show was a story about a man who makes all different kinds of hats out of wood. That's right. Wood. Some of them are just for display but others are lightweight enough that they can be worn. Amazing the talent these people have.
So the host goes to Centerville and tells about "The Grinder Switch Hour" that is open to the public every Saturday morning from 10-11 am. They have free music; bluegrass, country, old country & western like Hank Williams and they have a museum you can tour right there in the town center. We were going to try and make it this past weekend but we had much to do in order to prepare for and get over to Kurt's birthday party. We're going to try again this next Saturday coming up. As you may or may not know, Centerville is where Cousin Minnie Pearl hails from - she's the claim to fame in these parts :). If you care to, you can Google Hickman County and there you'll find all you need to know about where I'm living.
You may be able to go to the Tennessee Crossroads website and catch a replay of the show.
As I said we had much to do to get ready for Kurt's birthday party. We had breakfast - namely the left over fajitas with some scrambled eggs! Wally went down to the barn while I stayed at the cabin making the squash squares and marinated mushrooms. Kelly called while I was cooking and it was so nice to talk to her. She recently celebrated a birthday and just picked up the cards we sent and was calling to thank us. I mailed them to Marcia because I wasn't sure what address to use for Kelly. We had a nice long chat and I was feeling good all over. We don't get many calls so it kind of scared me for a second when the phone first rang. LOL
My squares finished cooking, the mushrooms were soaking up the dressing and Wally was just coming in from the barn. I got a quick shower and tried to figure out how to dress. It was supposed to be 74 during the day and then dropping into the lower 50s at night. I put on a sweatshirt and carried another heavier one in case I got cold - you just never know.
We arrived at Kurt's house to find a few people up by the cooker (I'll come back to that) enjoying the late fall afternoon breezes all the while laughing and talking about the night before. Kind of reminded me of all us when we have a really good Friday night at the Oriole's and then meet back up there again on Saturday so we can put together all the pieces of the puzzle! lol They had gotten into the White Lightning so I guess there was plenty of pieces to fit into place. There were some hangovers being tended to and, of course, the lusciousness of the pork simmering and smoking on the cooker. You can see the picture of it on the flickr site.
They told me they were going to cook it on a portable grill. A portable grill, as it turns out, is stacked cement blocks on three sides with three braces running from side to side. One end is open so they can shovel coals while the pig cooks. The coals are pieces of oak set aflame in two big rusty barrels that have been serving this purpose for longer than anyone knows. They have a shovel that's been modified so that it has a 10-12 foot metal handle - the better to scoop and shovel the hot coals into the pit with my dears. A piece of fencing is placed over the braces and the hog is placed upon it. It gets flipped once during the cooking process and ends up skin side down. In this manner the cook is able to keep all the juices in the meat so nothing gets dried out. Talk about smelling up the neighborhood - I was on roasted pork scent overload!
They cover it with two big pieces of cardboard which is held in place by rocks - much like those growing in my garden. In fact, Wally said it looked like some of them probably did come from our place. They certainly do serve many purposes!
It was an awesome experience for me to be part of. The seasonal weather, the roads off the beaten path, the smell of pork simmering over a wood fire, friends around enjoying familiar conversation and a few new people to meet as they stopped by to greet the birthday boy. We were fortunate to see a mule wagon team as they made their monthly journey along the road leading to Kurt's house. There were likely a good 20-25 teams pulling covered wagons. Some wagons with their sides let down, others with the sides up so we could see the people sitting within them. The mules were all shades of black, brown, gray and white; some with jingling harnesses others with just the bare necessities. What a sight and sound to behold! They waved as they passed by even though they knew no one and vice versa.
Jeff had his karaoke set up in Kurt's front yard so as the pork finished cooking and the frog legs were being fried, we took up our cooler and moved to an area with a view. Kurt's front yard overlooks a pond where he has stocked catfish and bream. A few people took to fishing while others helped set up the food table with styrofoam plates, plastic utensils and bags of napkins. Trucks were pulled up, tailgate first, and little kids were intentionally racing as they rolled down the hill on the far side of the property.
We filled our plates and our bellies and listened to the music and singing while savouring one of the last few nice weather evenings. "Before long," as they say, "there won't be no more of this outside stuff going on." Beverly had made potato salad, turnip greens and baked beans. She also made a homemade banana pudding that I'm sure was delicious but I didn't actually try it. There was plenty to go around and maybe even a little bit leftover. Claudia made it in from NC and came to join the party but she missed us. By the time she got there, we had already left for home. I think it was around 8ish... lol we're not much for the late night stuff anymore.
Sunday I tried a new grilled cheese recipe. I know - what could possibly improve on the greatness of the existing grilled cheese sandwich??? Well, instead of using butter for the bread you use mayo. I'm no fan of mayo but when melted it makes the bread crunchier than butter. Slather on the mayo and get the bottom bread cooking but keep an eye on it - it'll burn quickly. Layer on Monterrey Jack cheese along with cheddar or swiss - whichever you have or whichever you prefer. Sprinkle on some parmesan and let it cook until the cheese is all warm and gooey.
Pretty darn good I must say. All those cheeses got melted together and were trying to drip from between the bread slices. The sandwiches were warm on a chilly October morning and we washed them down with big glasses of tea. Hot - cold, salty - sweet. Breakfast in the cabin in Tennessee. I was lovin' it :)
We worked on cleaning out the phone booth so it can finally become a working elevator. It's has the phone in it and it works too but we'll be using it elsewhere in the cabin. Meanwhile, the hydraulics are all that's lacking and once they are hooked up - we'll be able to elevate to the upper level instead of stair climbing. Not that I mind stair climbing but it'll be so cool to elevate up instead :)
The phone booth was built into the wall next to the fireplace and it's got the folding door on the front. The door is wood and glass so it fits the decor (?) like it was meant to be there. All sorts of things had piled up in there over the years so it did take some time to clean it all out. I windex'd the glass and the linoleum floor and it looks so much better now that it's clean and empty. In there I found an old doily that belonged to Wally's grandma and a place was found immediately for it to be on display. That's my kind of stuff! :)
We watched the race and then some football all the while the laundry was going and the roosters were clucking outside. We had the windows and doors open and the breeze blew through just enough to bring leaves in from outdoors and onto my freshly swept floor - ha ha, isn't that how it always goes? I put some peanuts in the oven to roast and picked up my holiday magazines to start getting in the "holiday" mood.
We tested the peanuts after about an hour and a half (according to Mom that's when you test them) and they were perfect. We took them warm from the oven and poured them into a cloth-lined basket which we then carried into the living room to enjoy in front of the tv. While all this was well and good I knew I still had to take my car into town and get it fueled up. I sure didn't want to leave the sanctity of home but I also didn't want to be stuck pumping gas in the rain that was sure to come this morning. So, off we went. We didn't go all the way into Dickson, we stopped on Hwy. 46 at the Shell station. It's not far from Hwy. 100 and the gas was five cents cheaper than going into town. We fueled up the car, picked up some beer (while we were there we figured, what the heck) and then I went into the little Food Town grocery and picked up a pork tenderloin for dinner.
You would think after Kurt's party we would have had enough pork but noooooooooo. I still had a hankering for more.
We got back home and took a few minutes outside to appreciate our surroundings. The leaves are mostly brown now and what few remained on the trees Sunday afternoon, likely blew off in the rain overnight. I put on my muck boots and made for the outhouse where the chicken scratch is kept inside in a garbage can. I filled the jar and called the roosters to come eat. They came running along behind me like they hadn't had a bite to eat in days. We all know better. All they do is eat and sleep...:) and crow! lol I still laugh at that. If you look at the pictures you'll see one of me at the stove with the roosters in the background. The back door was being held open by a grocery bag so the breeze could cool me while I was cooking.
We had our sliced pork tenderloin and I planned to cook some black eyed peas to go with it. Well, I opened the can and it was full of a brownish liquid but no peas. Guess I got ripped off on that can! lol hmmmm what to do, what to do? I dug in the freezer and pulled out a bag of that okra we put up over the summertime and another bag with some speckled butter beans. Together with some ham bouillon and black pepper the day was saved after all. I made some cornbread and dinner was served.
I forgot to mention that since Beverly made that banana pudding and neither of us partook of it, I thought it would be nice to have one of our own - sugar free of course. I mixed everything together and put it in the refrigerator to set up. Oh boy was it ever good! All my thanks go to Marcia for that recipe - she used to make it whenever Wally came to town and now I know why he liked it so much.
As I always do, I cleaned up the kitchen and threw the scraps to the roosters and dogs. We turned off the lights, shut the windows and doors and hit the hay. My laundry was done, my floors and kitchen were clean, the phone booth was ready for completion and we were tired... that's why I'm pretty sure I was asleep before 8:00 pm rolled around. :) LOL big party animals aren't we?
I hope you spent your weekend enjoying every minute of it. They only come around once every five days :) There are about 20 something new pictures on the Flickr site. Some are filed under the sets to the right but you can just scroll down on the main page to see them all in one place. I hope you have fun looking at all the stuff I get to look at! Don't forget to feel free to comment. I'll go in and comment back if it allows me to :)
"A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience." Sydney Smith
I did wake up around 10-10:30 and caught the tail end of the Greenbay Packers/Minnesota Vikings game when Brett Favre was trying to get the game winning touchdown. Too bad that didn't happen. At least when he's playing the Packers I'm happy with whoever wins! Did anyone pick the Browns over the Saints? That had to be the upset of the day!
Our weekend was fun and pretty busy. Friday we needed a few things from town so we loaded up in the big, black truck and headed in. We stopped at Lowe's and picked up a few things then went into Dickson to have dinner at the Mexican restaurant. I ordered the beef and chicken fajitas for two. They brought the standard chips and salsa and that white, creamy cheese too. We could have just eaten the chips and been done with it. But alas we had the fajitas coming...
The plate of fajitas was so big and so full of food we could have fed at least 6 people! It came out smoking hot and still sizzling on the skillet. We both ate until we were stuffed full and it didn't even look like we made a dent in it. The meat was very tender and seasoned just right. The vegetables were still a little on the crunchy side, which we both prefer and everything else that comes with it was the standard Mexican fare; refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, guacamole and sour cream. Each of us received a plate full of the sides - one plate would have been more than enough.
Once we were convinced we could eat no more, we boxed up our leftovers and set off for the farm. We took Hwy. 48 going home. This is the road they say is so curvy you can see your own taillights. We'll they aren't lying! lol It's hilly and curvy and thank goodness Wally was driving. He knows the road like the back of his hand whereas I would have been going about 20 mph and still hitting the brakes. There sure is some pretty countryside out that way. I could just gaze on it for hours. Old farmhouses, decrepit but still functioning barns, wood fences holding in all manner of cattle, goats, mules and horses. Halloween decorations dot the landscape and as the sun was setting, the wheat fields were shining gold in all their late fall glory.
We came up through the holler and spotted a nice size deer. She was running up the hill like it was nothing to her. I might have made it ten feet up before I would have been panting and huffing and puffing. Had I a gun, I'd have had to have taken her home with me. I didn't though and most likely she was too quick even if I did. My time will come - hunting season is just inside of November. There are hunters out already because of it being archery season but they don't really scare the deer like the constant barrage of gunfire. For the most part they are setting up their stands and likely baiting the surrounding area. I'm not sure that's legal but I am sure they do it.
This weekend is the Junior Hunt. Kids from three or four surrounding counties can bring their kill to the check in stations and prizes are awarded (1st & 2nd place) for the biggest rack and again for the biggest doe by weight. The co-op, Tractor Supply and Feed & Farm Stores are all jam packed with hunters of all ages getting their gear together. Camouflage is the color of choice no matter who you are, where you are going or what day it is. I bet they even wear camo to church! LOL j/k
Our little town of Centerville made national TV last Thursday. There's a show on NPT called Tennessee Crossroads and on the show they take you all over the state highlighting some of the coolest things to see and do. One show was a story about a man who makes all different kinds of hats out of wood. That's right. Wood. Some of them are just for display but others are lightweight enough that they can be worn. Amazing the talent these people have.
So the host goes to Centerville and tells about "The Grinder Switch Hour" that is open to the public every Saturday morning from 10-11 am. They have free music; bluegrass, country, old country & western like Hank Williams and they have a museum you can tour right there in the town center. We were going to try and make it this past weekend but we had much to do in order to prepare for and get over to Kurt's birthday party. We're going to try again this next Saturday coming up. As you may or may not know, Centerville is where Cousin Minnie Pearl hails from - she's the claim to fame in these parts :). If you care to, you can Google Hickman County and there you'll find all you need to know about where I'm living.
You may be able to go to the Tennessee Crossroads website and catch a replay of the show.
As I said we had much to do to get ready for Kurt's birthday party. We had breakfast - namely the left over fajitas with some scrambled eggs! Wally went down to the barn while I stayed at the cabin making the squash squares and marinated mushrooms. Kelly called while I was cooking and it was so nice to talk to her. She recently celebrated a birthday and just picked up the cards we sent and was calling to thank us. I mailed them to Marcia because I wasn't sure what address to use for Kelly. We had a nice long chat and I was feeling good all over. We don't get many calls so it kind of scared me for a second when the phone first rang. LOL
My squares finished cooking, the mushrooms were soaking up the dressing and Wally was just coming in from the barn. I got a quick shower and tried to figure out how to dress. It was supposed to be 74 during the day and then dropping into the lower 50s at night. I put on a sweatshirt and carried another heavier one in case I got cold - you just never know.
We arrived at Kurt's house to find a few people up by the cooker (I'll come back to that) enjoying the late fall afternoon breezes all the while laughing and talking about the night before. Kind of reminded me of all us when we have a really good Friday night at the Oriole's and then meet back up there again on Saturday so we can put together all the pieces of the puzzle! lol They had gotten into the White Lightning so I guess there was plenty of pieces to fit into place. There were some hangovers being tended to and, of course, the lusciousness of the pork simmering and smoking on the cooker. You can see the picture of it on the flickr site.
They told me they were going to cook it on a portable grill. A portable grill, as it turns out, is stacked cement blocks on three sides with three braces running from side to side. One end is open so they can shovel coals while the pig cooks. The coals are pieces of oak set aflame in two big rusty barrels that have been serving this purpose for longer than anyone knows. They have a shovel that's been modified so that it has a 10-12 foot metal handle - the better to scoop and shovel the hot coals into the pit with my dears. A piece of fencing is placed over the braces and the hog is placed upon it. It gets flipped once during the cooking process and ends up skin side down. In this manner the cook is able to keep all the juices in the meat so nothing gets dried out. Talk about smelling up the neighborhood - I was on roasted pork scent overload!
They cover it with two big pieces of cardboard which is held in place by rocks - much like those growing in my garden. In fact, Wally said it looked like some of them probably did come from our place. They certainly do serve many purposes!
It was an awesome experience for me to be part of. The seasonal weather, the roads off the beaten path, the smell of pork simmering over a wood fire, friends around enjoying familiar conversation and a few new people to meet as they stopped by to greet the birthday boy. We were fortunate to see a mule wagon team as they made their monthly journey along the road leading to Kurt's house. There were likely a good 20-25 teams pulling covered wagons. Some wagons with their sides let down, others with the sides up so we could see the people sitting within them. The mules were all shades of black, brown, gray and white; some with jingling harnesses others with just the bare necessities. What a sight and sound to behold! They waved as they passed by even though they knew no one and vice versa.
Jeff had his karaoke set up in Kurt's front yard so as the pork finished cooking and the frog legs were being fried, we took up our cooler and moved to an area with a view. Kurt's front yard overlooks a pond where he has stocked catfish and bream. A few people took to fishing while others helped set up the food table with styrofoam plates, plastic utensils and bags of napkins. Trucks were pulled up, tailgate first, and little kids were intentionally racing as they rolled down the hill on the far side of the property.
We filled our plates and our bellies and listened to the music and singing while savouring one of the last few nice weather evenings. "Before long," as they say, "there won't be no more of this outside stuff going on." Beverly had made potato salad, turnip greens and baked beans. She also made a homemade banana pudding that I'm sure was delicious but I didn't actually try it. There was plenty to go around and maybe even a little bit leftover. Claudia made it in from NC and came to join the party but she missed us. By the time she got there, we had already left for home. I think it was around 8ish... lol we're not much for the late night stuff anymore.
Sunday I tried a new grilled cheese recipe. I know - what could possibly improve on the greatness of the existing grilled cheese sandwich??? Well, instead of using butter for the bread you use mayo. I'm no fan of mayo but when melted it makes the bread crunchier than butter. Slather on the mayo and get the bottom bread cooking but keep an eye on it - it'll burn quickly. Layer on Monterrey Jack cheese along with cheddar or swiss - whichever you have or whichever you prefer. Sprinkle on some parmesan and let it cook until the cheese is all warm and gooey.
Pretty darn good I must say. All those cheeses got melted together and were trying to drip from between the bread slices. The sandwiches were warm on a chilly October morning and we washed them down with big glasses of tea. Hot - cold, salty - sweet. Breakfast in the cabin in Tennessee. I was lovin' it :)
We worked on cleaning out the phone booth so it can finally become a working elevator. It's has the phone in it and it works too but we'll be using it elsewhere in the cabin. Meanwhile, the hydraulics are all that's lacking and once they are hooked up - we'll be able to elevate to the upper level instead of stair climbing. Not that I mind stair climbing but it'll be so cool to elevate up instead :)
The phone booth was built into the wall next to the fireplace and it's got the folding door on the front. The door is wood and glass so it fits the decor (?) like it was meant to be there. All sorts of things had piled up in there over the years so it did take some time to clean it all out. I windex'd the glass and the linoleum floor and it looks so much better now that it's clean and empty. In there I found an old doily that belonged to Wally's grandma and a place was found immediately for it to be on display. That's my kind of stuff! :)
We watched the race and then some football all the while the laundry was going and the roosters were clucking outside. We had the windows and doors open and the breeze blew through just enough to bring leaves in from outdoors and onto my freshly swept floor - ha ha, isn't that how it always goes? I put some peanuts in the oven to roast and picked up my holiday magazines to start getting in the "holiday" mood.
We tested the peanuts after about an hour and a half (according to Mom that's when you test them) and they were perfect. We took them warm from the oven and poured them into a cloth-lined basket which we then carried into the living room to enjoy in front of the tv. While all this was well and good I knew I still had to take my car into town and get it fueled up. I sure didn't want to leave the sanctity of home but I also didn't want to be stuck pumping gas in the rain that was sure to come this morning. So, off we went. We didn't go all the way into Dickson, we stopped on Hwy. 46 at the Shell station. It's not far from Hwy. 100 and the gas was five cents cheaper than going into town. We fueled up the car, picked up some beer (while we were there we figured, what the heck) and then I went into the little Food Town grocery and picked up a pork tenderloin for dinner.
You would think after Kurt's party we would have had enough pork but noooooooooo. I still had a hankering for more.
We got back home and took a few minutes outside to appreciate our surroundings. The leaves are mostly brown now and what few remained on the trees Sunday afternoon, likely blew off in the rain overnight. I put on my muck boots and made for the outhouse where the chicken scratch is kept inside in a garbage can. I filled the jar and called the roosters to come eat. They came running along behind me like they hadn't had a bite to eat in days. We all know better. All they do is eat and sleep...:) and crow! lol I still laugh at that. If you look at the pictures you'll see one of me at the stove with the roosters in the background. The back door was being held open by a grocery bag so the breeze could cool me while I was cooking.
We had our sliced pork tenderloin and I planned to cook some black eyed peas to go with it. Well, I opened the can and it was full of a brownish liquid but no peas. Guess I got ripped off on that can! lol hmmmm what to do, what to do? I dug in the freezer and pulled out a bag of that okra we put up over the summertime and another bag with some speckled butter beans. Together with some ham bouillon and black pepper the day was saved after all. I made some cornbread and dinner was served.
I forgot to mention that since Beverly made that banana pudding and neither of us partook of it, I thought it would be nice to have one of our own - sugar free of course. I mixed everything together and put it in the refrigerator to set up. Oh boy was it ever good! All my thanks go to Marcia for that recipe - she used to make it whenever Wally came to town and now I know why he liked it so much.
As I always do, I cleaned up the kitchen and threw the scraps to the roosters and dogs. We turned off the lights, shut the windows and doors and hit the hay. My laundry was done, my floors and kitchen were clean, the phone booth was ready for completion and we were tired... that's why I'm pretty sure I was asleep before 8:00 pm rolled around. :) LOL big party animals aren't we?
I hope you spent your weekend enjoying every minute of it. They only come around once every five days :) There are about 20 something new pictures on the Flickr site. Some are filed under the sets to the right but you can just scroll down on the main page to see them all in one place. I hope you have fun looking at all the stuff I get to look at! Don't forget to feel free to comment. I'll go in and comment back if it allows me to :)
"A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience." Sydney Smith
Friday, October 22, 2010
I'm ready to start my weekend, how about y'all?
Too bad I can't just leave work early and get started on my weekend plans. Ha ha I guess everyone feels that way. Well I have about another half hour before I leave so I figured I'd get an update on the blog. I don't have much new news to impart but I'll give you what I've got.
First and foremost I have to say thank you again to everyone who wrote to tell me how much they enjoy the pictures being on flikr. I tried to get the bulk of them uploaded yesterday but I didn't have much time to spend on it so some are still in the holding pattern. :)
This weekend is comprised primarily of preparing for, going to and surviving Kurt's birthday party. Birthdays are pretty big events around here and an invitation to one is a sure sign of acceptance. This is the third one I've been invited to since my arrival in March so I guess I'm doing all right. lol
The guys killed a hog yesterday and got it skinned, gutted and in the cooler to chill. Today Kurt and Darryl came to get some wood, a few chairs and a garbage can. You can never have enough wood when you're cooking a whole hog. You can never have enough chairs when you have most people in town coming to your party and you can never have enough garbage cans even if there's just two of you at the house. We have 4 outside garbage cans and they seem to fill up overnight. ha ha ha j/k but seriously, where does all that trash come from...?
I imagine we'll likely go check on the status of the preparations before the night is through. We can't hardly expect Darryl and Kurt to handle everything themselves.... lol! They might need someone to get their drink on with :) I think I might know just the people...
Okay so Ernie sent me this little contraption to go with the camera she gave me and when she was sending it she said I would be even more confused. Well, low and behold, she was absolutely right. I have this thing that works in conjunction with the camera so that I can download the pictures from the camera to my work computer. Yeah, that sounds pretty good in theory, doesn't it? The problem is, I don't have a clue what to do with it... ha ha ha ha ha Surely she'll make some time to call and explain the workings...
While I wait for that call, I'll tell you it was 42 degrees when I awoke at 4am this morning. The roosters were crowing off in the distance and the moon was so bright and full I could see all the way across the back yard just like it was daytime. Magnificent! Normally I have to use my bright lights when I'm driving through the neighborhood but when the moon is so full like that, I don't even need them. I can clearly understand the whole concept of the harvest moon. You can work outside just like it's in the middle of the day. Well, except for that 42 degrees will have you donning a coat, gloves, scarf, extra socks, etc. LOL
My plan was to make stuffed jalapenos for Kurt's birthday party but the peppers were really small when I checked them out in the grocery store. I was bummed out too because usually they are so big - just the right size for stuffing. I would have been at it all day with those little peppers I saw yesterday. I decided to just go with the marinated mushrooms instead. Cheap, simple, tasty, easy to carry. I bought four of the smaller size containers (on sale in honor of breast cancer awareness month...) and some Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix. I'll chop up the fungi tonight and get them into a mason jar (a friend gave us some 1/2 gallon size jars!) and cover them in dressing. A couple turns of the jar and they'll be ready for scrumptious feasting on come the morrow.
After the mushrooms have been devoured, I'll grab my jar and take it back home with me. I hear that's the perfect size for making homemade plum wine. Next spring, mark my words folks, we'll have some plum wine. No, I don't drink wine but lots of people around here do. They share their stuff with us, I'll share mine with them. So many boxes of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, greens and eggs were simply given to us out of the generosity of the people around us, it's the least I can do. Oh yeah, Kurt is supposed to be giving me the sucker plants off his trees :) See how it goes? If you come visit, you can be a taste-tester!
I finished the last of the greens from the CSA basket. My lunch was a huge salad of mixed greens, micro greens, a few of the red and the white variety of radishes sliced up, beets (of course), cucumbers and a few green olives. I used the mayo with Spike Seasoning for my dressing and sprinkled some black pepper over all of it. I was stuffed! It was quite the masterpiece as salads go I must say. It would be fun making one for you (sans beets for Neccy).
We're getting ready to paint the doors on the cabin a distressed barn-red color. I'm excited! Lowe's actually sells paint called "Barn Red." Who knew? LOL I have everything I need to get started and Wally said he would show me how to do it. I've never painted anything before so here goes... He said since we're making it look distressed, I can't hardly mess it up... ha ha ha! I'll keep you posted on that one.
Update on the coat, gloves, winter clothes shopping - still haven't done it. Don't be laughing at me. I really don't like to shop. If you think it's so funny, you should just bring your little self right on up here and take care of it for me, how 'bout that? ha ha ha ha ha I'll give you the money and my sizes and most of you already know my style - boring, long sleeve black t-shirts or soft sweaters of just about any color. I'm not a big fan of multi-colored stuff... try to keep it simple. Turtle-necks are a plus :)
I know if Neccy was here, I'd already be hooked up.
Plans for Halloween anyone? Not me. We aren't expecting any kids that's for sure. From the mailbox to the cabin is 3/4 of a mile. I don't see a bunch of lazy kids making the trek down the driveway for a couple pieces of candy that their parents probably won't even let them eat.... I told Wally we just have to leave the light off and they'll know - ha ha ha ha ha You can't even see that light from the top of the hill where the gate is! I'm so funny!
It's time for me to go. I knew I wouldn't have much time today. I hope you have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday to update you on the birthday party happenings :)
"Your goal is to maximize your time so you can work toward your ultimate purpose in life." Sue Augustine
First and foremost I have to say thank you again to everyone who wrote to tell me how much they enjoy the pictures being on flikr. I tried to get the bulk of them uploaded yesterday but I didn't have much time to spend on it so some are still in the holding pattern. :)
This weekend is comprised primarily of preparing for, going to and surviving Kurt's birthday party. Birthdays are pretty big events around here and an invitation to one is a sure sign of acceptance. This is the third one I've been invited to since my arrival in March so I guess I'm doing all right. lol
The guys killed a hog yesterday and got it skinned, gutted and in the cooler to chill. Today Kurt and Darryl came to get some wood, a few chairs and a garbage can. You can never have enough wood when you're cooking a whole hog. You can never have enough chairs when you have most people in town coming to your party and you can never have enough garbage cans even if there's just two of you at the house. We have 4 outside garbage cans and they seem to fill up overnight. ha ha ha j/k but seriously, where does all that trash come from...?
I imagine we'll likely go check on the status of the preparations before the night is through. We can't hardly expect Darryl and Kurt to handle everything themselves.... lol! They might need someone to get their drink on with :) I think I might know just the people...
Okay so Ernie sent me this little contraption to go with the camera she gave me and when she was sending it she said I would be even more confused. Well, low and behold, she was absolutely right. I have this thing that works in conjunction with the camera so that I can download the pictures from the camera to my work computer. Yeah, that sounds pretty good in theory, doesn't it? The problem is, I don't have a clue what to do with it... ha ha ha ha ha Surely she'll make some time to call and explain the workings...
While I wait for that call, I'll tell you it was 42 degrees when I awoke at 4am this morning. The roosters were crowing off in the distance and the moon was so bright and full I could see all the way across the back yard just like it was daytime. Magnificent! Normally I have to use my bright lights when I'm driving through the neighborhood but when the moon is so full like that, I don't even need them. I can clearly understand the whole concept of the harvest moon. You can work outside just like it's in the middle of the day. Well, except for that 42 degrees will have you donning a coat, gloves, scarf, extra socks, etc. LOL
My plan was to make stuffed jalapenos for Kurt's birthday party but the peppers were really small when I checked them out in the grocery store. I was bummed out too because usually they are so big - just the right size for stuffing. I would have been at it all day with those little peppers I saw yesterday. I decided to just go with the marinated mushrooms instead. Cheap, simple, tasty, easy to carry. I bought four of the smaller size containers (on sale in honor of breast cancer awareness month...) and some Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix. I'll chop up the fungi tonight and get them into a mason jar (a friend gave us some 1/2 gallon size jars!) and cover them in dressing. A couple turns of the jar and they'll be ready for scrumptious feasting on come the morrow.
After the mushrooms have been devoured, I'll grab my jar and take it back home with me. I hear that's the perfect size for making homemade plum wine. Next spring, mark my words folks, we'll have some plum wine. No, I don't drink wine but lots of people around here do. They share their stuff with us, I'll share mine with them. So many boxes of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, greens and eggs were simply given to us out of the generosity of the people around us, it's the least I can do. Oh yeah, Kurt is supposed to be giving me the sucker plants off his trees :) See how it goes? If you come visit, you can be a taste-tester!
I finished the last of the greens from the CSA basket. My lunch was a huge salad of mixed greens, micro greens, a few of the red and the white variety of radishes sliced up, beets (of course), cucumbers and a few green olives. I used the mayo with Spike Seasoning for my dressing and sprinkled some black pepper over all of it. I was stuffed! It was quite the masterpiece as salads go I must say. It would be fun making one for you (sans beets for Neccy).
We're getting ready to paint the doors on the cabin a distressed barn-red color. I'm excited! Lowe's actually sells paint called "Barn Red." Who knew? LOL I have everything I need to get started and Wally said he would show me how to do it. I've never painted anything before so here goes... He said since we're making it look distressed, I can't hardly mess it up... ha ha ha! I'll keep you posted on that one.
Update on the coat, gloves, winter clothes shopping - still haven't done it. Don't be laughing at me. I really don't like to shop. If you think it's so funny, you should just bring your little self right on up here and take care of it for me, how 'bout that? ha ha ha ha ha I'll give you the money and my sizes and most of you already know my style - boring, long sleeve black t-shirts or soft sweaters of just about any color. I'm not a big fan of multi-colored stuff... try to keep it simple. Turtle-necks are a plus :)
I know if Neccy was here, I'd already be hooked up.
Plans for Halloween anyone? Not me. We aren't expecting any kids that's for sure. From the mailbox to the cabin is 3/4 of a mile. I don't see a bunch of lazy kids making the trek down the driveway for a couple pieces of candy that their parents probably won't even let them eat.... I told Wally we just have to leave the light off and they'll know - ha ha ha ha ha You can't even see that light from the top of the hill where the gate is! I'm so funny!
It's time for me to go. I knew I wouldn't have much time today. I hope you have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday to update you on the birthday party happenings :)
"Your goal is to maximize your time so you can work toward your ultimate purpose in life." Sue Augustine
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Soooooo Nice Having Monday Off...
With beautiful weather; sunny skies, 70 degree temps, a slight breeze, how could we not have a comparatively beautiful weekend?
Friday stayed chilly enough to keep on a light jacket during the afternoon hours and evening. We didn't have much planned other than ribeyes on the grill and baked sweet potatoes with baby peas for dinner. We felt pretty spoiled :) The roosters and dogs hung out with us - surely hoping for a morsel to drop to their level but alas, the morsel never came. The dogs did benefit after dinner since they always get that hunk of fat on the end of the ribeye... we snuck their aspirins in with the fat and they never knew the difference ha ha ha!
I fed the roosters by throwing their scratch up under the back porch. Again only the Lone Rooster is brave enough to get up under there to eat it so he is beginning to stand out in the crowd, not just because they shoo him off but because he is quickly becoming the fattest rooster we have! LOL The other roosters don't let him get near them but they follow him wherever he goes because he's usually onto something good to eat. They just don't seem to be smart enough to figure it out like he is.
Since their roosting tree fell over in the storm, they've taken to roosting on the hitchin post out back. They don't roost there overnight but will sit there for a half hour or so during the day. I guess that must be their nap time :) I still don't know where they sleep since their tree fell down. I tried to follow them on and off throughout the day but eventually had better things to do.
I have a feeling they are out in the tree beside my garden. When I hear them cock-a-doodle-dooing in the mornings (around 4ish), it sounds as if the noise is coming from that direction. I'm usually awake already and just waiting for their song to begin. Honestly, I have to laugh at them. It almost sounds as if they are in pain. I know they aren't and I know it's their job to crow like that but it just sounds so funny I laugh! You'll see when you get here.
We were up early Saturday morning and decided to go riding. We took some sweet feed down to the pasture to catch the horses but Smokey wasn't having anything to do with it. Rebel came right up and he got fed and then saddled. Usually Smokey will come along since he doesn't like to be separated from Rebel but not this time. Wally rode Rebel down the road and back while I stood inside the gate with the sweet feed. Smokey got close but no cigar. He was snorting and whinnying and prancing around but he wasn't about to come near me. It was really my fault. We brought a bag of hunting signs with us and I took it out of the truck. It looks like saddle bags so Smokey probably figured out why we were there and that was that.
Wally came back on Rebel and changed from his saddle to mine so I could take Rebel down through the holler while Wally followed in the big, black, 4 wheel drive truck with the flames painted on the hood. What a beautiful ride that was. I don't think I've been on Rebel in over 6-7 years and I completely forgot what a pleasure it is to ride him. He is so smooth and calm compared to riding Smokey. Rebel is a natural and he's so comfortable you don't even realize you're moving along as quickly as you are.
We were up through the holler in no time and I still didn't hear Wally coming behind in the truck. I did hear Smokey and Rebel calling back and forth to each other over and over again. You can definitely tell they prefer not to be separated after all these years. It's actually possible to ride Rebel without Smokey and he behaves perfectly. When you try to ride Smokey without Rebel, you've got yourself some attitude to deal with for sure. Wally says I have to be the boss of him and he's right and I will in time. For now, I need to just get used to riding again and learning the personality of the horse while I'm on his back. It's not quite the same as standing in front of him with a couple carrots in hand :) LOL
Since we couldn't catch Smokey, we fed Rebel and let him go. He took off down that hill so quickly I couldn't tell him from the reddish-gold leaves falling to the ground. He missed his buddy and had been whinnying back and forth for 20-30 minutes so we figured it was time.
I made us some fancy ham and cheese sandwiches and then we decided to go riding on the 4 wheelers. The horses weren't interested but we still wanted to ride so the 4 wheelers are the next best thing. The sandwiches? Well, they were made with thin slices of baked ham, thin slices of Monterrey Jack cheese melted on toast under the broiler. I put spicy mustard on one side and mayo on the other (not mine - ew). Then I sprinkled some oregano and black pepper on them, added some lettuce and some tomatoes from the garden (yep, those little maters are still coming in like crazy...) and put it all together. YUMMY!!
Our bellies were full and the 4 wheelers were waiting. It was still cool enough for me to wear my flannel shirt (love it!!) and of course Wally was in his short sleeved t-shirt. Do men ever get cold??? lol We rode through trail after trail, stopping on occasion for little breaks and time to enjoy the scenery. One would think that surely by now my eyes would be filled to the point of overflowing but that's just not the case. I can look at these woods day in and day out and never get bored. I've learned my way through all but one side of the property - the right side of the holler if you're heading down from the driveway. It might not sound like much to you but there are literally miles of trails and for me to have learned them this well is something to be proud of.
I could probably find my way home or to the barn on the trails I haven't learned as well but it would be difficult and slow going. I'm getting it though :) Wally says we need to name the trails so we know which ones we're referring to when we talk about them - good idea!! On one trail there's a falcon nest so I thought that would be a good name, "Falcon's Nest Loop" or something similar. As Wally pointed out to me, what if the falcon moves the nest? LOL yeah well, I never thought of that...maybe we change it to "Empty Nest Loop" if that happens... haha! We're still working on the names :)
I have a few pictures and I'll bring Wally's phone to work so I can post them but today the picture portion of the blog will be down for Google Maintenance so I don't want to risk losing them. We rode all around the property and then down to a swimming hole that's across from where our mailbox is. It's down a really steep hill and then back up another one. Then you go into the grass and follow a pretty well-worn path down to the water. The water is so clear you can see the bottom no matter where you stand. You can climb up on the rocks and look about 15-20 feet down and still see bottom. The little fishes are swimming all around and the leaves go floating by like little frog rafts - only so far I haven't seen a frog on one of them... one day :)
We finished our ride and started cooking the chili. We were supposed to be having people over for the bon fire but as things turned out, some got sick and others didn't have a ride. Kurt, Beverly and Tenneshia showed up and we enjoyed our chili out at the outdoor kitchen. It was getting colder outside and the chili was hot so it was the perfect combination. I made some marinated mushrooms and some salsa so we had some appetizers. The mushroom were wonderful :) The salsa was good too but I've had so much of it this summer that I'm ready for new things. I cut them into quarters and some into slices because they were so big. I put them all in a jar and covered them with Italian dressing. You have to turn the jar a few times so all the mushrooms will soak in the juice. Oh they are just delightfully tasting little fungi :) Give it a try!
We never did light the fire. The burn pile is so big we're going to need a day or two at the house or an overnight snowfall. Since it's not likely to snow for a while, the burn pile remains. Maybe we'll save it until you get here? Better get on the calendar :)
Sunday the horses came up to see us so we fed them and tied them up and decided to ride them. I saddled Smokey by myself and then Wally had to help tighten the straps. We had to make a few leather repairs and then we took a break while the horses calmed down and got used to having the saddles on them. Their hair is really thickening up nicely now that the weather has cooled off. Smokey's hair is so thick it almost feels like cotton when you run your fingers through it.
I still have to have a little boost to get in the saddle and then we were off. Mostly because you can't just load up on Smokey and expect him to stand there - ain't gonna happen. I led him down the hill off the front yard and Wally came up behind us on Rebel pretty quick. Through the gate and down the hill and we were headed for the trails. Well, Smokey was all keyed up so we decided to take him for a run. When we crossed the dry creek bed, we took off. He was galloping so fast that I never even came out of the seat until it was time to stop. He would have kept going too except I didn't want to be running past the swimming hole and have it spook him. We slowed them down and made our way up the hill where their pastures are.
We walked them around a couple times but Smokey kept trying to unload his passenger (namely me)whenever we came to a stop so Wally said we would give him another run and see if that would calm him down. We went to the very bottom of the pasture and turned and let them run up that hill. Whoa!!!! That was a thrill I haven't experienced since I was a teenager. He went flying up that hill and in seconds we were at the top. His mane was blowing against the wind and so was my hair. He was really prancing around at this point but it did take the edge off him. I could tell he liked it every bit as much as I did.
You just have to see that big, black horse, with mane on both sides of his neck, running full speed up the hill in the grassy pasture that he calls home. Me being on his back, with my gray hair blowing in the wind, is a little bonus for you to add to your imagination - ha ha ha ha ha. He was a sight to behold even from where I sat.
Now that he was calmed down, we could walk around and enjoy the ride. We took them up and down the hills through the holler and up to the driveway. We rode passed the trail we were on yesterday (up by the mailbox) and down Oak Springs Road a ways. We got back on our property and rode the trails on the opposite side. I felt so at home out there in those woods that I never wanted the day to end. Rebel was leading the way and putting on a show just by being himself. He doesn't even have to try. Smokey was a little leery of everything that moved in the woods but he was still a good ride. I did eventually tire before anyone else and had to say that I was ready to go home.
I'll get used to riding Smokey as days go by, but for now, my posterior was starting to get a little annoyed with the fact that I was still on him so the ride was over for the time being. That was okay - I had a chicken to roast for us for dinner and we still had to take care of the horses after the ride. I took off their saddles (have to learn the hard way) and brushed them down. We took a little break while the horses rested and then we gave them a bath. Of course once we set them free, they immediately rolled in the only spot of dirt that wasn't covered in leaves - after all my hard work, dadgummit!!
We got ourselves cleaned up and talked about our day. We watched football (Steelers vs. Browns) while the chicken did its thing in the oven. I had cut up a butternut squash, 4 or 5 carrots and a couple of onions to lay in the roaster under the chicken. I covered the bird with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. I also thawed out some chicken broth that I had made over the summer and put some of that in for flavor and the added benefit of the condroitin for my achy joints.
We set the timer, filled the cooler and headed up to the deck. We sat up there for two hours just looking out over the property at the colors of all the leaves, the differences in the view now that the leaves are starting to fall and the fact that there are no neighbors to be seen. I couldn't believe we were up there for two whole hours. It seemed like maybe 20 minutes. When I went inside, I heard the timer going off so back downstairs we went.
We could smell that butternut squash and that roasting chicken everywhere in the house! They should make a candle scent like that! lol I put the thermometer into the thigh and it quickly reached 170 degrees. When I pulled it out, the juices ran clear so I knew it was ready. I cut half the breast away for Wally and then got my leg quarter onto the plate. We filled the rest of the plate with the veggies and feasted like royalty on that succulent bird. You know what comes next... that's right beddy-bye time :) LOL
Out in the brisk October weather, all day long on the back of a horse, having a few beers upstairs and then eating our comfort food, nothing sounded better than getting some much deserved rest. That's exactly what we did too.
All that and it wasn't even Monday yet... :) Hope you aren't bored???
We left out for town Monday morning being sure to time our departure for after the working class had already made their way towards Nashville. We still encountered a few cars on the road but we had avoided going into town all weekend and we did have errands to run so we accepted our fate. :) We were probably gone a few hours total and had a list of chores to do when we got back.
Well, Monday turned out to be just as pretty as Sunday so we talked ourselves out of doing chores and opted for going for a motorcycle ride instead. We got our riding in that's for sure! I put on my overalls and boots and grabbed my goggles and helmet and we were off. We rode through some of the most awe inspiring views you could ever imagine. No matter which way I turned my head, it was pure beauty.
Wally took us up on the Natchez Trace Parkway where we meandered over miles of blacktop with no traffic lights, no traffic and really only us and nature. I can daydream away the hours doing something like that! We turned off the Trace onto Hwy. 50 (no, not like the hwy. 50 in FL) and rode over to Pee Wee's Place. We were hanging out there until time to get my basket. At 4pm we cruised through Centerville over to the soccer field where my lady was waiting with the baskets filled to the brim!
The basket was overflowing with crisp, purple-top turnip greens with the roots intact. There was the biggest bunch of red radishes with 3 or 4 white ones included. There were 4 smaller size sweet potatoes and another gargantuan one :), two green peppers, 4 or 5 hot peppers, a combination of braising greens and a head of heirloom lettuce called "Galisse" or Black Seeded Simpson lettuce. Talk about chocked full of vitamins and healthy goodness! When we got home and unloaded everything I found there was also a little baggie of what they call "micro-greens." I've read about these but never tried them before. I put them on the heirloom lettuce along with the radishes, a few beets, a few green olives and it was ready for my lunch today.
After we got the basket, we rode back over to Pee Wee's for a few minutes but then had to leave because we were on the bike and it was chilling down pretty darn quick and me without my trusty gray jacket... oh nooooooo! LOL it was okay, we left in the nick of time and were home before dark.
We saw the horses had come to visit so we gave them some sweet feed. We had some daylight time so we took off on the 4 wheelers again. This time we were hoping to run off any hunters that might have been on an afternoon hunt and possibly on our property. We set up a couple of beer can targets and shot the 9 mm at them. At close range we were both pretty good shots. LOL If there were any hunters or deer in the area, we surely ran them off between the noise of the 4 wheelers and the gun shots.
Another evening sitting at the table in the warm cabin, watching the sun setting while eating some heated up, left-over, chili and we were ready to call it a night. I put away the veggies from the basket and cleaned up the kitchen. We turned off the tv and all the lights and man did we ever sleep good :)
I hope you had just as fine a weekend as we did - although I'm not sure ours could be topped :)
"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle
Friday stayed chilly enough to keep on a light jacket during the afternoon hours and evening. We didn't have much planned other than ribeyes on the grill and baked sweet potatoes with baby peas for dinner. We felt pretty spoiled :) The roosters and dogs hung out with us - surely hoping for a morsel to drop to their level but alas, the morsel never came. The dogs did benefit after dinner since they always get that hunk of fat on the end of the ribeye... we snuck their aspirins in with the fat and they never knew the difference ha ha ha!
I fed the roosters by throwing their scratch up under the back porch. Again only the Lone Rooster is brave enough to get up under there to eat it so he is beginning to stand out in the crowd, not just because they shoo him off but because he is quickly becoming the fattest rooster we have! LOL The other roosters don't let him get near them but they follow him wherever he goes because he's usually onto something good to eat. They just don't seem to be smart enough to figure it out like he is.
Since their roosting tree fell over in the storm, they've taken to roosting on the hitchin post out back. They don't roost there overnight but will sit there for a half hour or so during the day. I guess that must be their nap time :) I still don't know where they sleep since their tree fell down. I tried to follow them on and off throughout the day but eventually had better things to do.
I have a feeling they are out in the tree beside my garden. When I hear them cock-a-doodle-dooing in the mornings (around 4ish), it sounds as if the noise is coming from that direction. I'm usually awake already and just waiting for their song to begin. Honestly, I have to laugh at them. It almost sounds as if they are in pain. I know they aren't and I know it's their job to crow like that but it just sounds so funny I laugh! You'll see when you get here.
We were up early Saturday morning and decided to go riding. We took some sweet feed down to the pasture to catch the horses but Smokey wasn't having anything to do with it. Rebel came right up and he got fed and then saddled. Usually Smokey will come along since he doesn't like to be separated from Rebel but not this time. Wally rode Rebel down the road and back while I stood inside the gate with the sweet feed. Smokey got close but no cigar. He was snorting and whinnying and prancing around but he wasn't about to come near me. It was really my fault. We brought a bag of hunting signs with us and I took it out of the truck. It looks like saddle bags so Smokey probably figured out why we were there and that was that.
Wally came back on Rebel and changed from his saddle to mine so I could take Rebel down through the holler while Wally followed in the big, black, 4 wheel drive truck with the flames painted on the hood. What a beautiful ride that was. I don't think I've been on Rebel in over 6-7 years and I completely forgot what a pleasure it is to ride him. He is so smooth and calm compared to riding Smokey. Rebel is a natural and he's so comfortable you don't even realize you're moving along as quickly as you are.
We were up through the holler in no time and I still didn't hear Wally coming behind in the truck. I did hear Smokey and Rebel calling back and forth to each other over and over again. You can definitely tell they prefer not to be separated after all these years. It's actually possible to ride Rebel without Smokey and he behaves perfectly. When you try to ride Smokey without Rebel, you've got yourself some attitude to deal with for sure. Wally says I have to be the boss of him and he's right and I will in time. For now, I need to just get used to riding again and learning the personality of the horse while I'm on his back. It's not quite the same as standing in front of him with a couple carrots in hand :) LOL
Since we couldn't catch Smokey, we fed Rebel and let him go. He took off down that hill so quickly I couldn't tell him from the reddish-gold leaves falling to the ground. He missed his buddy and had been whinnying back and forth for 20-30 minutes so we figured it was time.
I made us some fancy ham and cheese sandwiches and then we decided to go riding on the 4 wheelers. The horses weren't interested but we still wanted to ride so the 4 wheelers are the next best thing. The sandwiches? Well, they were made with thin slices of baked ham, thin slices of Monterrey Jack cheese melted on toast under the broiler. I put spicy mustard on one side and mayo on the other (not mine - ew). Then I sprinkled some oregano and black pepper on them, added some lettuce and some tomatoes from the garden (yep, those little maters are still coming in like crazy...) and put it all together. YUMMY!!
Our bellies were full and the 4 wheelers were waiting. It was still cool enough for me to wear my flannel shirt (love it!!) and of course Wally was in his short sleeved t-shirt. Do men ever get cold??? lol We rode through trail after trail, stopping on occasion for little breaks and time to enjoy the scenery. One would think that surely by now my eyes would be filled to the point of overflowing but that's just not the case. I can look at these woods day in and day out and never get bored. I've learned my way through all but one side of the property - the right side of the holler if you're heading down from the driveway. It might not sound like much to you but there are literally miles of trails and for me to have learned them this well is something to be proud of.
I could probably find my way home or to the barn on the trails I haven't learned as well but it would be difficult and slow going. I'm getting it though :) Wally says we need to name the trails so we know which ones we're referring to when we talk about them - good idea!! On one trail there's a falcon nest so I thought that would be a good name, "Falcon's Nest Loop" or something similar. As Wally pointed out to me, what if the falcon moves the nest? LOL yeah well, I never thought of that...maybe we change it to "Empty Nest Loop" if that happens... haha! We're still working on the names :)
I have a few pictures and I'll bring Wally's phone to work so I can post them but today the picture portion of the blog will be down for Google Maintenance so I don't want to risk losing them. We rode all around the property and then down to a swimming hole that's across from where our mailbox is. It's down a really steep hill and then back up another one. Then you go into the grass and follow a pretty well-worn path down to the water. The water is so clear you can see the bottom no matter where you stand. You can climb up on the rocks and look about 15-20 feet down and still see bottom. The little fishes are swimming all around and the leaves go floating by like little frog rafts - only so far I haven't seen a frog on one of them... one day :)
We finished our ride and started cooking the chili. We were supposed to be having people over for the bon fire but as things turned out, some got sick and others didn't have a ride. Kurt, Beverly and Tenneshia showed up and we enjoyed our chili out at the outdoor kitchen. It was getting colder outside and the chili was hot so it was the perfect combination. I made some marinated mushrooms and some salsa so we had some appetizers. The mushroom were wonderful :) The salsa was good too but I've had so much of it this summer that I'm ready for new things. I cut them into quarters and some into slices because they were so big. I put them all in a jar and covered them with Italian dressing. You have to turn the jar a few times so all the mushrooms will soak in the juice. Oh they are just delightfully tasting little fungi :) Give it a try!
We never did light the fire. The burn pile is so big we're going to need a day or two at the house or an overnight snowfall. Since it's not likely to snow for a while, the burn pile remains. Maybe we'll save it until you get here? Better get on the calendar :)
Sunday the horses came up to see us so we fed them and tied them up and decided to ride them. I saddled Smokey by myself and then Wally had to help tighten the straps. We had to make a few leather repairs and then we took a break while the horses calmed down and got used to having the saddles on them. Their hair is really thickening up nicely now that the weather has cooled off. Smokey's hair is so thick it almost feels like cotton when you run your fingers through it.
I still have to have a little boost to get in the saddle and then we were off. Mostly because you can't just load up on Smokey and expect him to stand there - ain't gonna happen. I led him down the hill off the front yard and Wally came up behind us on Rebel pretty quick. Through the gate and down the hill and we were headed for the trails. Well, Smokey was all keyed up so we decided to take him for a run. When we crossed the dry creek bed, we took off. He was galloping so fast that I never even came out of the seat until it was time to stop. He would have kept going too except I didn't want to be running past the swimming hole and have it spook him. We slowed them down and made our way up the hill where their pastures are.
We walked them around a couple times but Smokey kept trying to unload his passenger (namely me)whenever we came to a stop so Wally said we would give him another run and see if that would calm him down. We went to the very bottom of the pasture and turned and let them run up that hill. Whoa!!!! That was a thrill I haven't experienced since I was a teenager. He went flying up that hill and in seconds we were at the top. His mane was blowing against the wind and so was my hair. He was really prancing around at this point but it did take the edge off him. I could tell he liked it every bit as much as I did.
You just have to see that big, black horse, with mane on both sides of his neck, running full speed up the hill in the grassy pasture that he calls home. Me being on his back, with my gray hair blowing in the wind, is a little bonus for you to add to your imagination - ha ha ha ha ha. He was a sight to behold even from where I sat.
Now that he was calmed down, we could walk around and enjoy the ride. We took them up and down the hills through the holler and up to the driveway. We rode passed the trail we were on yesterday (up by the mailbox) and down Oak Springs Road a ways. We got back on our property and rode the trails on the opposite side. I felt so at home out there in those woods that I never wanted the day to end. Rebel was leading the way and putting on a show just by being himself. He doesn't even have to try. Smokey was a little leery of everything that moved in the woods but he was still a good ride. I did eventually tire before anyone else and had to say that I was ready to go home.
I'll get used to riding Smokey as days go by, but for now, my posterior was starting to get a little annoyed with the fact that I was still on him so the ride was over for the time being. That was okay - I had a chicken to roast for us for dinner and we still had to take care of the horses after the ride. I took off their saddles (have to learn the hard way) and brushed them down. We took a little break while the horses rested and then we gave them a bath. Of course once we set them free, they immediately rolled in the only spot of dirt that wasn't covered in leaves - after all my hard work, dadgummit!!
We got ourselves cleaned up and talked about our day. We watched football (Steelers vs. Browns) while the chicken did its thing in the oven. I had cut up a butternut squash, 4 or 5 carrots and a couple of onions to lay in the roaster under the chicken. I covered the bird with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. I also thawed out some chicken broth that I had made over the summer and put some of that in for flavor and the added benefit of the condroitin for my achy joints.
We set the timer, filled the cooler and headed up to the deck. We sat up there for two hours just looking out over the property at the colors of all the leaves, the differences in the view now that the leaves are starting to fall and the fact that there are no neighbors to be seen. I couldn't believe we were up there for two whole hours. It seemed like maybe 20 minutes. When I went inside, I heard the timer going off so back downstairs we went.
We could smell that butternut squash and that roasting chicken everywhere in the house! They should make a candle scent like that! lol I put the thermometer into the thigh and it quickly reached 170 degrees. When I pulled it out, the juices ran clear so I knew it was ready. I cut half the breast away for Wally and then got my leg quarter onto the plate. We filled the rest of the plate with the veggies and feasted like royalty on that succulent bird. You know what comes next... that's right beddy-bye time :) LOL
Out in the brisk October weather, all day long on the back of a horse, having a few beers upstairs and then eating our comfort food, nothing sounded better than getting some much deserved rest. That's exactly what we did too.
All that and it wasn't even Monday yet... :) Hope you aren't bored???
We left out for town Monday morning being sure to time our departure for after the working class had already made their way towards Nashville. We still encountered a few cars on the road but we had avoided going into town all weekend and we did have errands to run so we accepted our fate. :) We were probably gone a few hours total and had a list of chores to do when we got back.
Well, Monday turned out to be just as pretty as Sunday so we talked ourselves out of doing chores and opted for going for a motorcycle ride instead. We got our riding in that's for sure! I put on my overalls and boots and grabbed my goggles and helmet and we were off. We rode through some of the most awe inspiring views you could ever imagine. No matter which way I turned my head, it was pure beauty.
Wally took us up on the Natchez Trace Parkway where we meandered over miles of blacktop with no traffic lights, no traffic and really only us and nature. I can daydream away the hours doing something like that! We turned off the Trace onto Hwy. 50 (no, not like the hwy. 50 in FL) and rode over to Pee Wee's Place. We were hanging out there until time to get my basket. At 4pm we cruised through Centerville over to the soccer field where my lady was waiting with the baskets filled to the brim!
The basket was overflowing with crisp, purple-top turnip greens with the roots intact. There was the biggest bunch of red radishes with 3 or 4 white ones included. There were 4 smaller size sweet potatoes and another gargantuan one :), two green peppers, 4 or 5 hot peppers, a combination of braising greens and a head of heirloom lettuce called "Galisse" or Black Seeded Simpson lettuce. Talk about chocked full of vitamins and healthy goodness! When we got home and unloaded everything I found there was also a little baggie of what they call "micro-greens." I've read about these but never tried them before. I put them on the heirloom lettuce along with the radishes, a few beets, a few green olives and it was ready for my lunch today.
After we got the basket, we rode back over to Pee Wee's for a few minutes but then had to leave because we were on the bike and it was chilling down pretty darn quick and me without my trusty gray jacket... oh nooooooo! LOL it was okay, we left in the nick of time and were home before dark.
We saw the horses had come to visit so we gave them some sweet feed. We had some daylight time so we took off on the 4 wheelers again. This time we were hoping to run off any hunters that might have been on an afternoon hunt and possibly on our property. We set up a couple of beer can targets and shot the 9 mm at them. At close range we were both pretty good shots. LOL If there were any hunters or deer in the area, we surely ran them off between the noise of the 4 wheelers and the gun shots.
Another evening sitting at the table in the warm cabin, watching the sun setting while eating some heated up, left-over, chili and we were ready to call it a night. I put away the veggies from the basket and cleaned up the kitchen. We turned off the tv and all the lights and man did we ever sleep good :)
I hope you had just as fine a weekend as we did - although I'm not sure ours could be topped :)
"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle
Friday, October 15, 2010
While I was on my cleaning mission the other day...
I found the box that the camera came in!!!!!!!!!! woo hoo!!!!! Now I'll just have to give Ernie a call this weekend and see if she can walk me through getting what I need in order to download (big word) the pictures on it. Baby steps folks, baby steps... :) I found it on the bottom shelf of the table in the living room. Not the one that has my pumpkin on it but another one. Actually when I figure out how to download the pics on the camera, there's one of that table LOL I knew it was around there somewhere!
What's in store for the weekend? Well, certainly not Biketoberfest. Thank goodness! I've had enough of that scene after all these years. It's nice to be here instead with the colors, the cool temperatures, the roosters, horses and dogs... not to mention my favorite, MY HONEY! :)
I'm okay with not sitting on the bike in traffic, not waiting in line to go to the bathroom, not having to pay outrageous prices for food (the turkey leg was $10.00 last year... hello?) and I'm really okay with not having to deal with ALL THOSE PEOPLE... aghh!
I know some of you look forward to it every year and I used to too. Anymore I'd just as soon stay home. Of course, if you were here, you would see why and you might just feel the same way I do. Sydna is going to her first Biketoberfest so she'll probably have a real good time. Ten years in a row - kinda gets old. So, to those of you who are going, have fun and be careful. Even if you are a good driver, that doesn't mean the drunk next to you will be... :)
Since it rained for a couple of days, we can go ahead with our plans to have a bon fire and burn the pile of branches, beer boxes, rotted logs, etc. I'm making a big pot of chili if anyone would like to join us...the big red pot, 2 lbs of beef, lots of chili beans, chili seasonings and some especially hot peppers that Darryl gave me. He said for me not to touch them unless I had gloves on... not sure I want to eat something that hot! lol
The rest of the weekend is up in the air. The weather is supposed to be in the 70s during the day and the 30/40s at night. Brrrrr I have my long-handles ready to go and I found some gloves that Ernie had given me quite some time back. No more socks for my hands, LOL! As far as the coat goes, well, I do have a light weight one that will work so long as I layer. After this weekend I'll be forced to shop next week... ha ha, yeah right! I have the overalls Marcia gave me (that were too small when I first arrived in TN) and they will look really cool with the long-handle undershirt. hmmm I'm actually getting excited about wearing that outfit now... get my cowboy boots on and I'm set! Perfect attire for Pee Wee's Place :) you'll see one of these days.
I made a new recipe last night and it was definitely one for the books. It's called Hamburger Buddy and it was either from the Kraft Foods website or the Taste of Home website, you know me, I can't remember which. When I see it again, I'll mention it on the blog so you can look it up and give it a try. It was kind of like a homemade version of hamburger helper. Healthier? probably Tastier? definitely. It almost filled my big red pot and between me and Wally we just about polished it off. Of course we were making pigs of ourselves (Rebel isn't the only pig around here...) but we just couldn't stop - it was that yummy!
I try to follow recipes exactly as they are written - at least the first time - but this one I didn't. It called for pulsing the carrots, garlic and mushrooms in a processor. I prefer my veggies in chunks so I just gave them a quick chop and followed the rest to the letter. Well, that's not true either. I added a couple of jalapeno peppers from the CSA basket (just remembered!) to spice it up a bit and to use them before they go bad.
We both agreed it would have been nice to have some cornbread with it but we were already being pigs as it was, imagine if we had a skillet full of cornbread too? We wouldn't have made it up the stairs! LOL
The roosters all flew up to perch on the hitchin post yesterday, well, all except the Lone Rooster. He stayed down on the ground. I don't know where they found a new tree to roost in yet but I don't think they are up near the house. For one thing, I haven't heard them crowing in the mornings since the storm and another thing, I haven't been keeping an eye on them to see where they head off to when it's time for them to put themselves to bed in the evenings. Maybe I'll get a chance to see where they go when I'm home this weekend.
We've been throwing their scratch up under the back porch so they'll get used to eating under there instead of traipsing across the porch where the likelihood of rooster poo occurring is high. It's funny, the only one smart enough to get up under there is the Lone Rooster. The other ones peck and scratch away on the outskirts of the porch but won't go all the way up under it. Roo (as he's been nicknamed) gets right up under there and reaps the benefits of a) getting all the corn he can eat and b) not having to worry about them running him off. LOL I think they're chicken to go up under there ha ha ha ha ha pun intended!
The Farmer's Almanac predicted that the best time to see the leaves changing in TN was from Oct. 15th - 30th. It's probably accurate on the Eastern side of the state but here in west-middle, TN, there's not much left to see after the rain. They are pretty on the ground though and if I had them in my yard, I certainly wouldn't be in a hurry to rake them... they just cover the ground completely and besides, it's likely to get windy at which point you wouldn't need to rake anyway. The quote for October goes like this "and now the frost is seen in morn, overspreading fields with white; the farmer gathers in his corn, with pleasure and delight." Indeed, it was right about one thing, the frost did overspread the front yard with white this morn...
Did you know that Noah Webster was born in 1758 on October 16th. That's tomorrow - so be sure and take out your Webster's Dictionary and look up a few words you aren't familiar with. Here's one for me..."maculation 1. The state of being spotted 2. a) blemish in the form of a discrete spot b) the arrangement of spots and markings on an animal or plant."
Happy birthday Mr. Webster -without you where would we be when we needed to look up the spelling and or definition of a word???? Well, nowadays, we would sign on to the internet and find it that way but I remember when...and I still use my dictionary, who cares if it's nerdy?? lol
From Connie's Mom's cookbook - Honey Frosting. That's right, you can actually make frosting without refined sugar! This comes in very handy when you're trying to feed a diabetic who otherwise probably wouldn't even want sweets but for the old addage, "we always want what we can't have..."
It's simple too. One cup of honey and 2 egg whites. Boil the honey for 10 minutes. Remove it from the fire and let it cool (yeah, it always says "fire" - electric ranges had only just come into play so most homemakers didn't own one yet) while you beat the egg whites stiff. Pour the honey over the egg whites in a thin stream then beat the mixture until thick enough to spread. How easy is that? Now what to make that's sugar free and requires frosting....? LOL it might be good on sweet potato pie...
It's quiet here at work today. There are only about 3 or 4 people in the office and from my actual team only one person other than myself. I'm thinking about leaving a little early so I can just go ahead and get my weekend started early. Or, as Wally would say, "get my drink on early." ha ha ha well, it is Friday night and if I was in Orlando, I'd be hittin the good ole Oriole's Nest #278!! Bucket and a steak dinner please...maybe some bar bingo, maybe a pull tab or two (or 5 if Dizzy Debbie was there) and definitely about $10.00 in the juke box; maybe the one Billy Currington sings about being good at drinking beer? Chris would hone in on my action and play some of his rock music and that's cool. He always let me hone in and play country music so it all works out :) Tell him hi for me if you see him. Shawna too :) Thanks!
For those of you who will be there tonight, please tell Kelly I said Happy Birthday!!! She may be younger than me but I still remember when it's her birthday :)
Have a good weekend everyone - I'll be back on the blog come Tuesday... Hope this posting is enough to get you through your Monday morning coffee... LOL I hear that's what you do... read the blog while you drink your coffee or read it with your sandwich at lunch. Either way, I'm glad you enjoy it. I sure do have fun writing it.
What's in store for the weekend? Well, certainly not Biketoberfest. Thank goodness! I've had enough of that scene after all these years. It's nice to be here instead with the colors, the cool temperatures, the roosters, horses and dogs... not to mention my favorite, MY HONEY! :)
I'm okay with not sitting on the bike in traffic, not waiting in line to go to the bathroom, not having to pay outrageous prices for food (the turkey leg was $10.00 last year... hello?) and I'm really okay with not having to deal with ALL THOSE PEOPLE... aghh!
I know some of you look forward to it every year and I used to too. Anymore I'd just as soon stay home. Of course, if you were here, you would see why and you might just feel the same way I do. Sydna is going to her first Biketoberfest so she'll probably have a real good time. Ten years in a row - kinda gets old. So, to those of you who are going, have fun and be careful. Even if you are a good driver, that doesn't mean the drunk next to you will be... :)
Since it rained for a couple of days, we can go ahead with our plans to have a bon fire and burn the pile of branches, beer boxes, rotted logs, etc. I'm making a big pot of chili if anyone would like to join us...the big red pot, 2 lbs of beef, lots of chili beans, chili seasonings and some especially hot peppers that Darryl gave me. He said for me not to touch them unless I had gloves on... not sure I want to eat something that hot! lol
The rest of the weekend is up in the air. The weather is supposed to be in the 70s during the day and the 30/40s at night. Brrrrr I have my long-handles ready to go and I found some gloves that Ernie had given me quite some time back. No more socks for my hands, LOL! As far as the coat goes, well, I do have a light weight one that will work so long as I layer. After this weekend I'll be forced to shop next week... ha ha, yeah right! I have the overalls Marcia gave me (that were too small when I first arrived in TN) and they will look really cool with the long-handle undershirt. hmmm I'm actually getting excited about wearing that outfit now... get my cowboy boots on and I'm set! Perfect attire for Pee Wee's Place :) you'll see one of these days.
I made a new recipe last night and it was definitely one for the books. It's called Hamburger Buddy and it was either from the Kraft Foods website or the Taste of Home website, you know me, I can't remember which. When I see it again, I'll mention it on the blog so you can look it up and give it a try. It was kind of like a homemade version of hamburger helper. Healthier? probably Tastier? definitely. It almost filled my big red pot and between me and Wally we just about polished it off. Of course we were making pigs of ourselves (Rebel isn't the only pig around here...) but we just couldn't stop - it was that yummy!
I try to follow recipes exactly as they are written - at least the first time - but this one I didn't. It called for pulsing the carrots, garlic and mushrooms in a processor. I prefer my veggies in chunks so I just gave them a quick chop and followed the rest to the letter. Well, that's not true either. I added a couple of jalapeno peppers from the CSA basket (just remembered!) to spice it up a bit and to use them before they go bad.
We both agreed it would have been nice to have some cornbread with it but we were already being pigs as it was, imagine if we had a skillet full of cornbread too? We wouldn't have made it up the stairs! LOL
The roosters all flew up to perch on the hitchin post yesterday, well, all except the Lone Rooster. He stayed down on the ground. I don't know where they found a new tree to roost in yet but I don't think they are up near the house. For one thing, I haven't heard them crowing in the mornings since the storm and another thing, I haven't been keeping an eye on them to see where they head off to when it's time for them to put themselves to bed in the evenings. Maybe I'll get a chance to see where they go when I'm home this weekend.
We've been throwing their scratch up under the back porch so they'll get used to eating under there instead of traipsing across the porch where the likelihood of rooster poo occurring is high. It's funny, the only one smart enough to get up under there is the Lone Rooster. The other ones peck and scratch away on the outskirts of the porch but won't go all the way up under it. Roo (as he's been nicknamed) gets right up under there and reaps the benefits of a) getting all the corn he can eat and b) not having to worry about them running him off. LOL I think they're chicken to go up under there ha ha ha ha ha pun intended!
The Farmer's Almanac predicted that the best time to see the leaves changing in TN was from Oct. 15th - 30th. It's probably accurate on the Eastern side of the state but here in west-middle, TN, there's not much left to see after the rain. They are pretty on the ground though and if I had them in my yard, I certainly wouldn't be in a hurry to rake them... they just cover the ground completely and besides, it's likely to get windy at which point you wouldn't need to rake anyway. The quote for October goes like this "and now the frost is seen in morn, overspreading fields with white; the farmer gathers in his corn, with pleasure and delight." Indeed, it was right about one thing, the frost did overspread the front yard with white this morn...
Did you know that Noah Webster was born in 1758 on October 16th. That's tomorrow - so be sure and take out your Webster's Dictionary and look up a few words you aren't familiar with. Here's one for me..."maculation 1. The state of being spotted 2. a) blemish in the form of a discrete spot b) the arrangement of spots and markings on an animal or plant."
Happy birthday Mr. Webster -without you where would we be when we needed to look up the spelling and or definition of a word???? Well, nowadays, we would sign on to the internet and find it that way but I remember when...and I still use my dictionary, who cares if it's nerdy?? lol
From Connie's Mom's cookbook - Honey Frosting. That's right, you can actually make frosting without refined sugar! This comes in very handy when you're trying to feed a diabetic who otherwise probably wouldn't even want sweets but for the old addage, "we always want what we can't have..."
It's simple too. One cup of honey and 2 egg whites. Boil the honey for 10 minutes. Remove it from the fire and let it cool (yeah, it always says "fire" - electric ranges had only just come into play so most homemakers didn't own one yet) while you beat the egg whites stiff. Pour the honey over the egg whites in a thin stream then beat the mixture until thick enough to spread. How easy is that? Now what to make that's sugar free and requires frosting....? LOL it might be good on sweet potato pie...
It's quiet here at work today. There are only about 3 or 4 people in the office and from my actual team only one person other than myself. I'm thinking about leaving a little early so I can just go ahead and get my weekend started early. Or, as Wally would say, "get my drink on early." ha ha ha well, it is Friday night and if I was in Orlando, I'd be hittin the good ole Oriole's Nest #278!! Bucket and a steak dinner please...maybe some bar bingo, maybe a pull tab or two (or 5 if Dizzy Debbie was there) and definitely about $10.00 in the juke box; maybe the one Billy Currington sings about being good at drinking beer? Chris would hone in on my action and play some of his rock music and that's cool. He always let me hone in and play country music so it all works out :) Tell him hi for me if you see him. Shawna too :) Thanks!
For those of you who will be there tonight, please tell Kelly I said Happy Birthday!!! She may be younger than me but I still remember when it's her birthday :)
Have a good weekend everyone - I'll be back on the blog come Tuesday... Hope this posting is enough to get you through your Monday morning coffee... LOL I hear that's what you do... read the blog while you drink your coffee or read it with your sandwich at lunch. Either way, I'm glad you enjoy it. I sure do have fun writing it.
"Change your thoughts and you change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale
Pink on Purpose! For The Cause :)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Glad You Like It...
The response regarding the pictures being on flickr has been overwhelming. I guess I should have figured out that flickr thing a long time ago. Hey, where were you... all my internet-savvy buddies who could have tipped me off from the beginning???? LOL
Thank you for all the nice things you've said about the new pictures and about them being easier to view now that they are all together. I have a bit of sadness to impart and then I'll get to the regular blog posting -
We lost Jimbo in the overnight hours of Tuesday evening. When the guys got there Wednesday morning he had already passed on to the big, lush, green, horse pasture in the sky. We took care of him as best we could in the short amount of time we had him. He led a good life.
Kurt brought pictures of Jimbo when he was in his prime. Beverly’s father had trained him to be a hunting horse and he was one of the best. Her father tells stories of Jimbo being out in the woods and walking softly so as not to scare off the deer. He could ride Jimbo to within range of a deer, shoot the gun and Jimbo never even flinched. I'm told it’s not easy to find a horse like that or train one for that matter.
He had a very unique personality. He was kind of like a cat. When he wanted you to pay attention to him, you had no choice. He would follow you around and even lay his head on your shoulder. He nudged me in the back when he wanted me to know the water was getting low in the bucket. If he wanted to be alone, you couldn’t sneak up on him. He would simply walk away. He was very good at turning on a dime which made it easy for him to elude us when he wanted. It didn’t happen often. He liked having his nose rubbed.
Beverly tells us about a time when she was very sad and Jimbo was the friend she relied on to listen to her woes. When she cried, she swears she saw tears in Jimbo’s eyes too. It could very well be true – Jimbo was that kind of horse.
He was a loner having never lived with other horses until he came to live with us. He was never intimidated by Smokey or Rebel. Even though he was much smaller than either of them, he didn’t act like he knew it. He ate his grass, drank of the water when he wanted to and minded his own business.
Jimbo never tried to upend the garbage cans or stick his nose into my bowl of pea pods (like some other red horse we know...). He never tried to get up on the porch or eat from my bird feeder (again, like some other red horse we know...). He loaded up into the trailer like he was on his way to Disney World (unlike either the black or red horse we know...).
He loved his bath so much that he fell asleep with his head on the hitching post while I was rubbing him down. He could certainly appreciate it when something felt that good.
We’ll surely miss Jimbo but we knew we would only have him for a short time. Sadness comes to the farm just like anywhere else.
Strangely enough, I was just talking to Marcia Monday afternoon and she asked about Jimbo. At that time, he seemed to be doing fine. We were riding the 4 wheelers Sunday and stopped to check on him. He was eating grass in the bottom pasture and watched us go by without missing a bite. I don't think Marcia has access to the blog so if one of you would please print out the part about Jimbo and show it to her, I would greatly appreciate it. She must have some sort of sixth sense about her...
It rained on and off for a couple days and as a result most of the leaves on the trees on our side of town have fallen to the ground. While I might still get some pretty pictures of them before the wind blows them away, I won't be able to get any more pictures of them in the trees. It literally happened overnight just like Wally said it would.
I loved every minute of every view of every leaf I saw.
Brentwood still has leaves on the trees but I'm either working or driving while in Brentwood and driving is not conducive to photo taking... unless you like pictures taken from the ditch on the side of the road... LOL
Thank goodness we took pictures last weekend!!
I was a busy little bee yesterday. I stopped and filled up my car - stupid $2.69 a gallon gas prices are just out of this world! I got home and saw that the storm had knocked over 2 of my pansies and the big milk jug in my decoration place. I had to re-pot the plants and get them situated back where they belong and then there I was with dirt all over my hands, in me work clothes and needing to get back in the car to make my way to the cabin. Well, of course I made it but it was challenging. I brushed off as much dirt as I could on the very bottom of my jeans where it wouldn't be too obvious should I need to wear them again before they get washed... ha ha ha
Then there I was trying to figure out how to get all my crap into the house with these dirty hands. I have my lovely canvas AT&T bag that I carry everything in every day (thank you Kathy!). I have my HUGE new satchel (you probably saw it when I was there...) and my gray jacket (can't go anywhere without my trusty jacket). My phone was in the cup holder and my sunglasses were on my face. You can just picture me trying to figure it out all the while holding my bladder which was about to win. It's funny now - not so much then :)
I left everything in the car and ran to the bathroom! ha ha ha Once in the house, like everyone, I realized all the stuff I needed to get done. While in the bathroom, I went ahead and sprayed the sink and toilet with Clorox Clean-up and then tried to get back to my car before I forgot all that stuff out there. I got side-tracked by the sound of thunder realizing that my clothes would get soaked again if I didn't get them in quick. Forget the stuff in the car, hurry out to the line and pull those clothes in!
I got them in before it started raining but it was close. Back in the house I started putting away dishes and getting ready to wash up the few that were there from the day. Oh yeah, my dirty salad bowl and AT&T bag were still in the car. Out to the car in the drizzling rain... boooooooo got all my crap inside with only minor rain damage. It was nice and cool outside so I left the back door open while I got things done in the kitchen.
The roosters must not care that it was raining as they quickly followed me to the porch and were making their little noises in anticipation of me feeding them. Alas, I was in the middle of doing dishes so the roosters would have to wait. I got all the dishes put away and washed the few from my lunch and Wally's breakfast. No big deal. I started cleaning off the bar.
Everyone has a place in their house where things tend to pile up, right? Ours is the bar. It's big and it's right there when you walk in the back door. It's a perfectly beautiful catch-all that drives me NUTS!!! I probably clean that thing off a couple times a month and it is always cluttered up again in no time. Can you feel it?
So I cleared off the bar top and cleaned it with some glass cleaner. Oh it looked so nice without all that junk all over it. The problem is finding a place to put all the junk. And then there was the bleach in the bathroom... I had to get in there and finish cleaning the sink and toilet so I put everything from the bar on the bed in the spare bedroom. I'll get back to it. Yeah, right.
Bathroom - done. I lit a cinnamon scented candle, turned off the light and headed back to the spare bedroom and all that junk. On my way I noticed that the hallway floor was looking kind of dusty so I decided to sweep. After I finally found the broom - I don't know why it was outside by the grill???? I got the hallway and kitchen floors swept and the back porch steps too. Whew.... back inside, the first thing I see is that pile of junk on the spare bedroom bed...okay, I got a beer and dug in. Junk mail in the burn pile, necessary mail on the table in the dining room so I won't forget to look at it, sponges and soap for cleaning the saddles in the pantry until I can get to that chore, gloves in my AT&T bag (thank goodness I brought it in out of my car) and my hunting vest, permission slip and some weather stripping all in the styrofoam cooler that was over in the corner. It may not be the perfect storage option but it worked for me last night. I hung the binoculars (for sighting deer) on the coat hook on the back of the door and collected up all the little scraps of paper; phone numbers, doctor's appointments, receipts etc. and put them by the phone in a nice, neat, pile.
At least it's all out of the way :) I'll have to re-read this posting when I go to find all that stuff because we all know my memory isn't going to hold up when the time comes to locate it again ha ha ha ha ha Been there? Sure you have :)
While the porches were being stained the "tater" box had to be moved off and hadn't been put back yet so Wally brought that up for me and then he fed the roosters. I had those huge sweat potatoes from the CSA basked that needed to go in it and a bag of onions and regular potatoes too. Of course when I picked up the onions all those papery peels blew out of the mesh bag and onto my nice, clean, floor so out comes the broom again... lol
My kitchen counters were clean, the bar top was clean, the floors and bathroom were clean and the spare bedroom bed was cleared off. Now how about some dinner? Well, in my haste to get everything done, I forgot to take anything out... that's how it goes with me. Wally took me to the diner and we had ribeyes (just so, so nothing to brag about) black eyed peas, carrots and a roll. We had a couple beers while we ate, watched two and a half men (they have a big screen at the diner!) and then made our way back home.
I was tired from all the work I did and Wally had dealt with the whole Jimbo saga so we decided to call it a night. It was still drizzling rain, the dogs were huddled up on the back porch, the roosters were nowhere to be seen (maybe they've found a new roosting tree?) and the evening air had cooled off to the point of being chilly. I put on a pair of Wally's sweat pants (how sexy can you get?), my slippers, and a tank top and we called it a night. Perfect.
I awoke to a 48 degree morning, roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing somewhere off in the distance, stars shining all around the little slip of a moon and it was only 4:20 am. Already my day was off to a beautiful start. I got my shower, made my lunch and heard Wally coming downstairs. I got me a couple big hugs and a kiss and I was on the road to work. The leaves are everywhere now and it's hard to see the path but I know it pretty well after being here for 6 and half months. Can you believe it's been that long already? I love it!
"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools." Henry Beston
Thank you for all the nice things you've said about the new pictures and about them being easier to view now that they are all together. I have a bit of sadness to impart and then I'll get to the regular blog posting -
We lost Jimbo in the overnight hours of Tuesday evening. When the guys got there Wednesday morning he had already passed on to the big, lush, green, horse pasture in the sky. We took care of him as best we could in the short amount of time we had him. He led a good life.
Kurt brought pictures of Jimbo when he was in his prime. Beverly’s father had trained him to be a hunting horse and he was one of the best. Her father tells stories of Jimbo being out in the woods and walking softly so as not to scare off the deer. He could ride Jimbo to within range of a deer, shoot the gun and Jimbo never even flinched. I'm told it’s not easy to find a horse like that or train one for that matter.
He had a very unique personality. He was kind of like a cat. When he wanted you to pay attention to him, you had no choice. He would follow you around and even lay his head on your shoulder. He nudged me in the back when he wanted me to know the water was getting low in the bucket. If he wanted to be alone, you couldn’t sneak up on him. He would simply walk away. He was very good at turning on a dime which made it easy for him to elude us when he wanted. It didn’t happen often. He liked having his nose rubbed.
Beverly tells us about a time when she was very sad and Jimbo was the friend she relied on to listen to her woes. When she cried, she swears she saw tears in Jimbo’s eyes too. It could very well be true – Jimbo was that kind of horse.
He was a loner having never lived with other horses until he came to live with us. He was never intimidated by Smokey or Rebel. Even though he was much smaller than either of them, he didn’t act like he knew it. He ate his grass, drank of the water when he wanted to and minded his own business.
Jimbo never tried to upend the garbage cans or stick his nose into my bowl of pea pods (like some other red horse we know...). He never tried to get up on the porch or eat from my bird feeder (again, like some other red horse we know...). He loaded up into the trailer like he was on his way to Disney World (unlike either the black or red horse we know...).
He loved his bath so much that he fell asleep with his head on the hitching post while I was rubbing him down. He could certainly appreciate it when something felt that good.
We’ll surely miss Jimbo but we knew we would only have him for a short time. Sadness comes to the farm just like anywhere else.
Strangely enough, I was just talking to Marcia Monday afternoon and she asked about Jimbo. At that time, he seemed to be doing fine. We were riding the 4 wheelers Sunday and stopped to check on him. He was eating grass in the bottom pasture and watched us go by without missing a bite. I don't think Marcia has access to the blog so if one of you would please print out the part about Jimbo and show it to her, I would greatly appreciate it. She must have some sort of sixth sense about her...
It rained on and off for a couple days and as a result most of the leaves on the trees on our side of town have fallen to the ground. While I might still get some pretty pictures of them before the wind blows them away, I won't be able to get any more pictures of them in the trees. It literally happened overnight just like Wally said it would.
I loved every minute of every view of every leaf I saw.
Brentwood still has leaves on the trees but I'm either working or driving while in Brentwood and driving is not conducive to photo taking... unless you like pictures taken from the ditch on the side of the road... LOL
Thank goodness we took pictures last weekend!!
I was a busy little bee yesterday. I stopped and filled up my car - stupid $2.69 a gallon gas prices are just out of this world! I got home and saw that the storm had knocked over 2 of my pansies and the big milk jug in my decoration place. I had to re-pot the plants and get them situated back where they belong and then there I was with dirt all over my hands, in me work clothes and needing to get back in the car to make my way to the cabin. Well, of course I made it but it was challenging. I brushed off as much dirt as I could on the very bottom of my jeans where it wouldn't be too obvious should I need to wear them again before they get washed... ha ha ha
Then there I was trying to figure out how to get all my crap into the house with these dirty hands. I have my lovely canvas AT&T bag that I carry everything in every day (thank you Kathy!). I have my HUGE new satchel (you probably saw it when I was there...) and my gray jacket (can't go anywhere without my trusty jacket). My phone was in the cup holder and my sunglasses were on my face. You can just picture me trying to figure it out all the while holding my bladder which was about to win. It's funny now - not so much then :)
I left everything in the car and ran to the bathroom! ha ha ha Once in the house, like everyone, I realized all the stuff I needed to get done. While in the bathroom, I went ahead and sprayed the sink and toilet with Clorox Clean-up and then tried to get back to my car before I forgot all that stuff out there. I got side-tracked by the sound of thunder realizing that my clothes would get soaked again if I didn't get them in quick. Forget the stuff in the car, hurry out to the line and pull those clothes in!
I got them in before it started raining but it was close. Back in the house I started putting away dishes and getting ready to wash up the few that were there from the day. Oh yeah, my dirty salad bowl and AT&T bag were still in the car. Out to the car in the drizzling rain... boooooooo got all my crap inside with only minor rain damage. It was nice and cool outside so I left the back door open while I got things done in the kitchen.
The roosters must not care that it was raining as they quickly followed me to the porch and were making their little noises in anticipation of me feeding them. Alas, I was in the middle of doing dishes so the roosters would have to wait. I got all the dishes put away and washed the few from my lunch and Wally's breakfast. No big deal. I started cleaning off the bar.
Everyone has a place in their house where things tend to pile up, right? Ours is the bar. It's big and it's right there when you walk in the back door. It's a perfectly beautiful catch-all that drives me NUTS!!! I probably clean that thing off a couple times a month and it is always cluttered up again in no time. Can you feel it?
So I cleared off the bar top and cleaned it with some glass cleaner. Oh it looked so nice without all that junk all over it. The problem is finding a place to put all the junk. And then there was the bleach in the bathroom... I had to get in there and finish cleaning the sink and toilet so I put everything from the bar on the bed in the spare bedroom. I'll get back to it. Yeah, right.
Bathroom - done. I lit a cinnamon scented candle, turned off the light and headed back to the spare bedroom and all that junk. On my way I noticed that the hallway floor was looking kind of dusty so I decided to sweep. After I finally found the broom - I don't know why it was outside by the grill???? I got the hallway and kitchen floors swept and the back porch steps too. Whew.... back inside, the first thing I see is that pile of junk on the spare bedroom bed...okay, I got a beer and dug in. Junk mail in the burn pile, necessary mail on the table in the dining room so I won't forget to look at it, sponges and soap for cleaning the saddles in the pantry until I can get to that chore, gloves in my AT&T bag (thank goodness I brought it in out of my car) and my hunting vest, permission slip and some weather stripping all in the styrofoam cooler that was over in the corner. It may not be the perfect storage option but it worked for me last night. I hung the binoculars (for sighting deer) on the coat hook on the back of the door and collected up all the little scraps of paper; phone numbers, doctor's appointments, receipts etc. and put them by the phone in a nice, neat, pile.
At least it's all out of the way :) I'll have to re-read this posting when I go to find all that stuff because we all know my memory isn't going to hold up when the time comes to locate it again ha ha ha ha ha Been there? Sure you have :)
While the porches were being stained the "tater" box had to be moved off and hadn't been put back yet so Wally brought that up for me and then he fed the roosters. I had those huge sweat potatoes from the CSA basked that needed to go in it and a bag of onions and regular potatoes too. Of course when I picked up the onions all those papery peels blew out of the mesh bag and onto my nice, clean, floor so out comes the broom again... lol
My kitchen counters were clean, the bar top was clean, the floors and bathroom were clean and the spare bedroom bed was cleared off. Now how about some dinner? Well, in my haste to get everything done, I forgot to take anything out... that's how it goes with me. Wally took me to the diner and we had ribeyes (just so, so nothing to brag about) black eyed peas, carrots and a roll. We had a couple beers while we ate, watched two and a half men (they have a big screen at the diner!) and then made our way back home.
I was tired from all the work I did and Wally had dealt with the whole Jimbo saga so we decided to call it a night. It was still drizzling rain, the dogs were huddled up on the back porch, the roosters were nowhere to be seen (maybe they've found a new roosting tree?) and the evening air had cooled off to the point of being chilly. I put on a pair of Wally's sweat pants (how sexy can you get?), my slippers, and a tank top and we called it a night. Perfect.
I awoke to a 48 degree morning, roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing somewhere off in the distance, stars shining all around the little slip of a moon and it was only 4:20 am. Already my day was off to a beautiful start. I got my shower, made my lunch and heard Wally coming downstairs. I got me a couple big hugs and a kiss and I was on the road to work. The leaves are everywhere now and it's hard to see the path but I know it pretty well after being here for 6 and half months. Can you believe it's been that long already? I love it!
"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools." Henry Beston
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Well I tried to get a photostream on here...
I added a link to the blog. If you click on it, it will eventually take you to my flickr account where you can view all the new pictures. I wanted it to be a photostream on the blog where the pictures would slowly change from one to the next. So far, that hasn't worked out for me. If anyone cares to go in and try it for me - that would be wonderful - and I would greatly appreciate it. :) *you can view it as a slide show on flickr - just look to the top right for the option*
If you don't like viewing the pictures on flickr, let me know and I'll post them on the blog too. That way everyone is happy again :)
Okay, now that you've viewed all the pictures,wouldn't you say the colors are quite a sight to see? I thought I would like the red ones most but now that I see them all, I really can't decide. My favorite pictures are when you can see a variety of colors all together.
The pictures of the trees on the trails came out better than I expected. The trees are so tall and plentiful all throughout the woods that I could have taken a zillion more pictures but I think I got the best shots I could considering I was using a phone and not a camera. One of these days I'll figure that out. You can't blame Ernie - she gave me the camera and offered to instruct me further but as of today, I forgot where I put the box with the accessories. I'll find it soon...
The gateway to the trails picture was taken down at the bottom of the hill in the front yard. I was on the 4 wheeler on my way to the swimming hole. You can barely make out the gate but it's there. After I got through the gate and down the first hill, I saw about 6 turkeys scattered about pecking out of the ground whatever yummy morsels they could find. They didn't really like my intrusion and boogied on into the woods where I could no longer see them. I didn't have time to get the phone out for picture taking... :(
They have grown considerably since the last time I saw them! They must be at least 3 feet tall and they're looking pretty darn fat too. The dirt down there must hold a new menu of bugs for them to eat! lol Maybe I'll have to eat one of them after all...
I was researching the purchase of a "heritage" turkey. That's all I'll be doing is research. I thought it would be nice to buy a turkey like they used to be; normal size, normal colors (other than the run-of-the-mill-white, which isn't normal by the way), normal feeding procedures (outside eating grubs, worms, ticks, etc.) normal growing habitat. After watching Dirty Jobs (love Mike Rowe) and learning that today's turkeys can no longer breed, I really wanted to get away from that whole concept. Turkeys are now bred to have such huge breasts that they are literally, physically, unable to mate. Rather they are artificially inseminated so as to produce more turkeys just like themselves. Gross, right? Yeah - that's why it was on Dirty Jobs.
So off to the internet I go... apparently "heritage" turkey breeds are pretty popular. I would have had to have my order in about 3 weeks ago for a guaranteed Thanksgiving shipment to arrive. Not only that but a 14-17 lb bird goes anywhere from $169.00 - $250.00 depending on the farm you choose. That's why research is where it ended for me. Bummer too, because those birds looked like a turkey should look. They didn't have this huge breast sticking out to the point where the turkey seemed it would topple over from the weight of it. They weren't stark white, which is completely unnatural for turkeys and they were shown to be foraging around on farms, allowed to roam at will for their food. Sigh, alas the heritage turkey is not this year to be mine.
I'll be cooking the same old, same old, as the rest of you unless we do decide to harvest one from the choices the woods are offering. I don't know about you, but I prefer to use my trusty roaster for cooking the turkey. Using the roaster frees up space in the oven for all the other goodies you have planned and it keeps from heating up the kitchen to unbearable temperatures. I'm not too worried about that seeing as how I'll be up here but very well do I remember those days in FL. You have to crank that a/c down to about 65 just to get all the food cooked without sweating into any of it :()
The roaster saves you that. It comes with a rack and an instruction book so you really can't screw it up unless you forget about it. That's not too likely to happen since the smell of turkey will be wafting through your home the same as if the bird was in the oven. Maybe even more so. You can stuff it just the same and you can lift the lid and baste it too. It's not like a slow-cooker. The heat stays pretty consistent.
I'm also taking Chrystal's advice this year and cooking my turkey breast-side-down. She did this by mistake one year and said it was the juiciest turkey breast she had ever tasted. I'm not big on the white meat but maybe this year she'll convert me over. I'm still eating that thigh though - it's my favorite piece!! I have my own recipe for whole wheat, barley, sausage stuffing that I'll share when the time comes. Gosh, that's making me hungry!
So we're expecting the weather to be in the 70s for the rest of the week. Great time for me to get some bulbs in the ground. Kroger had 6 tulip bulbs for $2.99. I have no idea whether or not that's a good price but it didn't matter because I wanted red ones. They didn't have any red ones :( Gonna check on line and see if I can find some that way. With pansies and mums decorating the hay bales, it's time to get something going around the cabin. I'm not looking for a bunch of fall blooming plants, rather more sping blooming plants that need to go in the ground now.
Like I was in the springtime, I'm having difficulties driving as I'm so busy trying to watch either side of the road with all the brilliant colors popping in front and on the sides of me. I find it difficult to describe how Tennessee looks this time of year. I'm sure other places look the same but remember, this is a first for me. For those of you who have had the pleasure of experiencing it, maybe taking a look through my eyes will bring back those memories.
The color of the orange leaves simply splashes off the trees, the gold leaves shimmer brightly with the faint breezes, the red leaves boldly make themselves known in that though they are fewer, they are certainaly more powerful in their statement . There are many trees that remain green throughout the fall and winter and they make such a perfect contrast to all the other colors that you begin to appreciate them in their own right. Were it not for the green of those trees, would the other colors stand out so proudly?
Along with the colors of the trees many other things are changing as I travel these roads. There are trailers loaded with hay, six foot tall corn stalks, browned from the sun and bound with string, set out for purchase, multi-colored pumpkin patches down either side of the road and if you don't pass 20 yard sales in a day, you must have stayed at home. You can buy farm-fresh eggs for $1.75 on just about every corner you come to. Even the convenience stores have them :)
Outdoors is definitely the place to be after the scorching heat of summertime. At 60-70 degress by the time I get home, we still enjoy taking our walks and checking out all that's been worked on or completed during day. The work has slowed since the swimming hole was finished and the cabin staining is done.
The roosters now follow us around if they haven't been fed. Not that they don't eat all day mind you - indeed they do! They make a very low cooing kind of sound, almost like a little vibration noise. It's so faint you aren't sure you heard it until it comes again. It makes me think of a satisfied ahhhh sort of sound :) The six originals still try to run off the Lone Rooster but he's a pretty smart guy. He tends to stand right beside or behind me while I'm throwing out their scratch. The other ones stay out front where the bulk of the food goes flying and I sneak him a handful or two when they aren't looking.
There are festivals to be had every weekend; a book festival, annual bluegrass festivals, church fall festivals, banana pudding festival and contest, and community parks with signs posted to come join the fish fry, chili cook-off and pot luck supper. You can stay busy if you want to. You can do like we do - stay at the cabin, relax and enjoy the sights to see just looking out the front door or the back row of windows, or my favorite - my kitchen window. Don't believe me? Ha, betcha will when you get here. You are coming to visit right? lol
If you don't like viewing the pictures on flickr, let me know and I'll post them on the blog too. That way everyone is happy again :)
Okay, now that you've viewed all the pictures,wouldn't you say the colors are quite a sight to see? I thought I would like the red ones most but now that I see them all, I really can't decide. My favorite pictures are when you can see a variety of colors all together.
The pictures of the trees on the trails came out better than I expected. The trees are so tall and plentiful all throughout the woods that I could have taken a zillion more pictures but I think I got the best shots I could considering I was using a phone and not a camera. One of these days I'll figure that out. You can't blame Ernie - she gave me the camera and offered to instruct me further but as of today, I forgot where I put the box with the accessories. I'll find it soon...
The gateway to the trails picture was taken down at the bottom of the hill in the front yard. I was on the 4 wheeler on my way to the swimming hole. You can barely make out the gate but it's there. After I got through the gate and down the first hill, I saw about 6 turkeys scattered about pecking out of the ground whatever yummy morsels they could find. They didn't really like my intrusion and boogied on into the woods where I could no longer see them. I didn't have time to get the phone out for picture taking... :(
They have grown considerably since the last time I saw them! They must be at least 3 feet tall and they're looking pretty darn fat too. The dirt down there must hold a new menu of bugs for them to eat! lol Maybe I'll have to eat one of them after all...
I was researching the purchase of a "heritage" turkey. That's all I'll be doing is research. I thought it would be nice to buy a turkey like they used to be; normal size, normal colors (other than the run-of-the-mill-white, which isn't normal by the way), normal feeding procedures (outside eating grubs, worms, ticks, etc.) normal growing habitat. After watching Dirty Jobs (love Mike Rowe) and learning that today's turkeys can no longer breed, I really wanted to get away from that whole concept. Turkeys are now bred to have such huge breasts that they are literally, physically, unable to mate. Rather they are artificially inseminated so as to produce more turkeys just like themselves. Gross, right? Yeah - that's why it was on Dirty Jobs.
So off to the internet I go... apparently "heritage" turkey breeds are pretty popular. I would have had to have my order in about 3 weeks ago for a guaranteed Thanksgiving shipment to arrive. Not only that but a 14-17 lb bird goes anywhere from $169.00 - $250.00 depending on the farm you choose. That's why research is where it ended for me. Bummer too, because those birds looked like a turkey should look. They didn't have this huge breast sticking out to the point where the turkey seemed it would topple over from the weight of it. They weren't stark white, which is completely unnatural for turkeys and they were shown to be foraging around on farms, allowed to roam at will for their food. Sigh, alas the heritage turkey is not this year to be mine.
I'll be cooking the same old, same old, as the rest of you unless we do decide to harvest one from the choices the woods are offering. I don't know about you, but I prefer to use my trusty roaster for cooking the turkey. Using the roaster frees up space in the oven for all the other goodies you have planned and it keeps from heating up the kitchen to unbearable temperatures. I'm not too worried about that seeing as how I'll be up here but very well do I remember those days in FL. You have to crank that a/c down to about 65 just to get all the food cooked without sweating into any of it :()
The roaster saves you that. It comes with a rack and an instruction book so you really can't screw it up unless you forget about it. That's not too likely to happen since the smell of turkey will be wafting through your home the same as if the bird was in the oven. Maybe even more so. You can stuff it just the same and you can lift the lid and baste it too. It's not like a slow-cooker. The heat stays pretty consistent.
I'm also taking Chrystal's advice this year and cooking my turkey breast-side-down. She did this by mistake one year and said it was the juiciest turkey breast she had ever tasted. I'm not big on the white meat but maybe this year she'll convert me over. I'm still eating that thigh though - it's my favorite piece!! I have my own recipe for whole wheat, barley, sausage stuffing that I'll share when the time comes. Gosh, that's making me hungry!
So we're expecting the weather to be in the 70s for the rest of the week. Great time for me to get some bulbs in the ground. Kroger had 6 tulip bulbs for $2.99. I have no idea whether or not that's a good price but it didn't matter because I wanted red ones. They didn't have any red ones :( Gonna check on line and see if I can find some that way. With pansies and mums decorating the hay bales, it's time to get something going around the cabin. I'm not looking for a bunch of fall blooming plants, rather more sping blooming plants that need to go in the ground now.
Like I was in the springtime, I'm having difficulties driving as I'm so busy trying to watch either side of the road with all the brilliant colors popping in front and on the sides of me. I find it difficult to describe how Tennessee looks this time of year. I'm sure other places look the same but remember, this is a first for me. For those of you who have had the pleasure of experiencing it, maybe taking a look through my eyes will bring back those memories.
The color of the orange leaves simply splashes off the trees, the gold leaves shimmer brightly with the faint breezes, the red leaves boldly make themselves known in that though they are fewer, they are certainaly more powerful in their statement . There are many trees that remain green throughout the fall and winter and they make such a perfect contrast to all the other colors that you begin to appreciate them in their own right. Were it not for the green of those trees, would the other colors stand out so proudly?
Along with the colors of the trees many other things are changing as I travel these roads. There are trailers loaded with hay, six foot tall corn stalks, browned from the sun and bound with string, set out for purchase, multi-colored pumpkin patches down either side of the road and if you don't pass 20 yard sales in a day, you must have stayed at home. You can buy farm-fresh eggs for $1.75 on just about every corner you come to. Even the convenience stores have them :)
Outdoors is definitely the place to be after the scorching heat of summertime. At 60-70 degress by the time I get home, we still enjoy taking our walks and checking out all that's been worked on or completed during day. The work has slowed since the swimming hole was finished and the cabin staining is done.
The roosters now follow us around if they haven't been fed. Not that they don't eat all day mind you - indeed they do! They make a very low cooing kind of sound, almost like a little vibration noise. It's so faint you aren't sure you heard it until it comes again. It makes me think of a satisfied ahhhh sort of sound :) The six originals still try to run off the Lone Rooster but he's a pretty smart guy. He tends to stand right beside or behind me while I'm throwing out their scratch. The other ones stay out front where the bulk of the food goes flying and I sneak him a handful or two when they aren't looking.
There are festivals to be had every weekend; a book festival, annual bluegrass festivals, church fall festivals, banana pudding festival and contest, and community parks with signs posted to come join the fish fry, chili cook-off and pot luck supper. You can stay busy if you want to. You can do like we do - stay at the cabin, relax and enjoy the sights to see just looking out the front door or the back row of windows, or my favorite - my kitchen window. Don't believe me? Ha, betcha will when you get here. You are coming to visit right? lol
"Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance." ~Epicurus
Monday, October 11, 2010
What a Glorious Weekend it Was!!
The weather was perfect, the outings were few, the roosters were crowing and the horses showed up too... ha ha I'm a poet and didn't know it :)
Wally stained the cabin and the porches so everything looks shiny and new. We haven't put everything back on the porches yet because it just looks so pretty the way it is. I'll have to have my little table up there and a chair or two before too long because the weather is just too nice to be sitting inside. I even found it difficult to stay inside and watch the race and football. I managed to be both inside and out for the better part of both Saturday and Sunday.
Friday we chilled out at the cabin. I put away some stuff that had been piling up on the bar. It's so easy to just walk in and set stuff down and then it's so hard to get back to it and actually put it away. I find it's always better for me to put it away as soon as I walk in. Otherwise, it just might not get done for days... I'm pretty good at that procrastination thing :) You probably noticed that by the way I was able to put off shopping all this time, lol!
Saturday morning we were on the road by 7:15-7:30 am. We dropped off my car for an oil change and went down the road a little ways to the diner where we had breakfast and watched the morning news. The weatherman said it could get up to 84 degrees. I had the tenderloin with two eggs over medium, wheat toast, bacon and grits. Wally had the same except he had the country ham instead of the tenderloin.
After breakfast we went to Tractor Supply for dog food and sweet feed for the horses. I looked at coats but they didn't have any in my size that I liked. We had to go to Wal-Mart...ugh ugh ugh so I could - once again - check for contact lens cleaner. Finally, they had some. I grabbed about 6 boxes before anyone else could get them and then picked up a few other things we needed while Wally waited in the truck. I was glad to be out of there!
On the way home we saw a guy in a truck, on the side of the road, selling hay bales. We stopped and picked up a couple more to go with the ones Kurt and Darryl had brought me last week. Neither of us felt like being out any longer so we made for the cabin.
We took a whole bunch of pictures - sorry I can't post them until tomorrow. I brought Wally's phone with me but the stupid battery died right after I got to work this morning. So we got home and I started gathering up all the stuff with which to decorate the hay bales. I had a bunch of pansies I picked up at a nursery in Fairview and while we were in town, we picked up a couple of orange colored mums. I had some copper colored flower pots that Wally drilled some holes in for me and a bag of potting soil and I was ready to go!
I planted the mums in the planters Teri sent up (that had tomatoes, squash and cucumbers in them) and the pansies in the copper colored planters. Wally stacked the bales for me so that they are 2 high and 2 across. You can kind of tell that in the picture, can't you? So from there I set the pumpkins on the top with the mums on either end. The pansies are scattered. A couple of them are on the top stack of hay, a couple more are on a board that runs between the stacks. Wally had an old milk jug (big, metal thing) that we set between the two stacks and it has a Pansy up on top of it too. There's an old fashioned gas can sitting on the ground, on the left, and a galvanized bucket turned on its side, on the right. Everything is on the back side of my little flower garden where I hope to see hollyhocks, allium and other flowers come springtime.
It doesn't sound like much but it was actually more work than I expected. I had to rearrange it a couple of times before it suited my eyes and of course I had to keep looking at it to make sure everything was evened out :) can't be having a lopsided fall decoration - good heavens what would the neighbors say???? lol as if we have any. ha ha ha ha ha
I took the picture but it is too dark - sorry. On the bright side, the picture of the yellow tree came out really good. The other side of it has already dropped its leaves and it will likely be bare upon my arrival this afternoon.
The oranges, reds, yellows, golds and even browns and greens are all coming on strong right now! Every eye out the window is a picture waiting to happen. Too bad I have to watch the road and drive darn it. I have pulled over a couple of times as you'll see when the pictures are posted. The way I see it is if people plant those beautiful trees in their yards, they should expect other people, like me, to stop and take pictures of them. They are simply irresistible especially when I see a super orange one next to a lighter but brighter yellow one with a green one in the middle that's just starting to change. Oh they make my eyes so happy.
I do feel sorry for anyone who happens to come up behind me, not that that many cars do, but they just have to wait until I get my picture. I'm quick and I don't stop often unless there's a driveway- lol!
Smokey seems to be warming up to me, not many can resist my charms for long (ha ha!), as he comes to the gate now when I call him. If I'm hanging out clothes on the line, he'll whinny at me from the woods. It's tempting to just quit with the clothes and go see him but he has to wait until I'm done. The theory is that he should come when I call him and not the other way around. He'll come eat from my hands and he lets me pet him all the time now.
We fed them some carrots the other day and my hands were covered in carrot juice and horse slobber. The horses aren't as slobbery as the dogs when fed by hand but you still get some tongue stuff on your hands no matter what. Rebel will practically lick my hands clean in his effort to ensure every single, itsy, bitsy morsel goes into his mouth. Wally gave him a carrot and he took the whole thing without even breaking it in half. Usually when they get a whole carrot, they'll break it in half on the ground. Not Rebel :) Smokey is a calm eater compared to Rebel.
Ah yes, the basket from last week...did I already tell you about the huge sweet potatoes? I took a picture but you know the drill on that. One sweet potato was cut into four sections and it was still too much for the two of us. We ate it two days in a row and we still have one section left. Dang, now that I think about it, I should have brought it for lunch. Oh well, there's always tomorrow :) I got a bunch of radishes, two of which went into today's salad, scallions, mixed lettuces, sweet and hot peppers and a bunch of stuff that is similar to the Bok Choy but with a slightly different flavor. I thought it was Bok Choy when I first saw it. I cooked it the same way and it was pretty close to the same. Today I pick up the first of the last five baskets to come.
What to do then??? Where do I get my fresh veggies??? Well, remember all those bags and jars I was putting up all summer long, yep - time to get them out. By mid-November I'm told I'll be ready for a little jar of sunshine in the form of my Zellwood sweet corn - compliments of Dizzy Debbie! Maybe she'll make it up for a visit before too long and we can eat a jar together :) You're invited to come too!
I have summer and zucchini squash, cooked and raw okra, cooked and par-boiled green beans, cooked and raw turnip greens, canned corn, canned green beans w/potatoes, canned salsa, canned Bloody Mary mix, canned summer squash with onions and dill, canned pork and canned chicken. I have a jar of pickled okra left and a couple jars of the refrigerator pickles (of which Neccy has already claimed one). Don't forget the quince! It'll be just like summer all over again except without the 100 degree and above temperatures. Looking back I guess I was pretty busy in the kitchen this summer. I sure did enjoy myself too. I hope you enjoyed reading all about it.
"The book" was amusing today when it directed the wise homemaker to remember to keep some food items cool prior to serving while others should be warmed to room temperature. It says that a "mechanically cooled refrigerator" is the best way to keep food cooled but in the event one isn't available in the household, "chopped ice in a bowl will serve just as well." There is no picture of said mechanically cooled refrigerator but there is a picture of the chopped ice with a serving bowl tucked into it :) I'm loving this book!
I guess way back then molded (as in a jello mold not the mold teenagers grow in their rooms for science projects) salads were all the rage. There is an entire section on what all types of foods can be molded (spaghetti - who would have thought?), how to get them to mold and how to release the food from the molds when ready to serve. It even tells how to decorate the plate depending on what type of food and get this, when the molded food is to be served. Apparently parsley is okay any time of day but mint, basil and chervil should be reserved for luncheon or dinner settings. Did you know that? lol I didn't! I've been racking my brain since I read it, trying to remember if I committed this grave error in plate presentation... ha ha!
In case you were wondering, yes, I did cook this weekend. I made an onion tartan which is just a whole bunch of onions (eight in all) sliced up and layered into the cast iron skillet with a couple tablespoons of butter. The onions saute in butter until they just start to look clear. If you taste them at this point, they are quite sweet and just tender enough where you don't hear a crunch. For me they were perfect at this point but the recipe calls for more ingredients and additional cooking time so on we go... I added the requisite 2 cups of heavy cream (I didn't say it was a low-fat dish folks) and simmered the onions until the cream had reduced by about half. The recipe said this would take 15 minutes. My cream didn't reduce for a good 1/2 hour so keep that in mind should you desire to try this one. From here, I added black pepper, homemade whole wheat bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese all over the top. It goes into the oven for 20-25 minutes and when it comes out it is almost too pretty to dig in to. But we did and you will. It's hard not to.
The breadcrumbs and cheese made a crunchy, crispy, golden brown crust. The creamy, sweet, tender onions mixed with it made for a warm bite of onion-y goodness. Yeah - that's what I'm talking about! We had ribeyes and the huge sweet potato for side dishes... ha ha ha! It was that good, really.
Saturday we had worked so hard all day cleaning up around the house, getting the decorations set up, laundry, etc., we didn't feel like having a big meal. I thawed out some tilapia, sliced it into sticks (because it doesn't come that way from the water, right Neccy?) and fried it up with my favorite fish seasoning, "Louisiana Fish Fry with Lemon." That was it. That was dinner. It was steaming hot out of the oil, just salty enough and a little bit spicy from the seasoning. We loved it and proof of that was in the fact that we ate every last piece! Not a single morsel was left over. We watched an old episode of Iron Chef and hit the sack.
Sunday was another gorgeous day so we spent quite a bit of time outside. We got on the 4 wheelers and hit the trails. Wally hung some "Trespassing by Written Permission Only" signs while I took pictures of the leaves that had already changed colors. We rode all through the trails and he showed me how to find my way through the woods to the holler and the way out to the driveway. It'll take another trip or two for me to learn them all but in the meantime it was a perfect day for being in the woods, seeing how pretty everything is, watching the birds fly through the trees and the turkeys wandering around picking up all manner of turkey food from the ground.
It was warm enough for a t-shirt and cool enough for jeans. Don't you just love it when the weather gets like that? You could almost put on a sweatshirt but you know you have to save it until after the sun sets or you'll be a wee bit on the warm side. Well, we wore ourselves out and took it easy for the rest of the night.
We watched the race (for Joyce & Wally - - - GO TONY!!) and then switched to football. I'm still driver-less since Dale Jarrett quit racing...:( I wasn't too sad to see the Busch boys do so poorly (sorry Kris) as they need to really get over themselves. Poop happens - grow up and race. There's no way to know what's going to happen during these last races so there's no reason to go getting a little-whiney-babyhead-attitude. They remind me of Rusty Wallace way back when.
The Titans surprised me with a win over Dallas and the Cardinals really, really surprised me with their win over the Saints. I guess everyone was a little surprised at those and you're probably all getting ready to watch Brett Favre as he leads the Vikings tonight on Monday Night Football..."Are You Ready for Some Football?? A Monday Night Party??" I probably won't be able to watch... Indeed, I'll just suffer through the anguish of not knowing the outcome until, with great anticipation, I hear it on the radio the next morning. Unless Wally happens to wake me with an update at some point during the night... lol!
Hey, while I'm thinking about it, Avon has a new moisturizer under the Moisture Therapy collection. This one has shea butter in it and it is wonderful for extremely dry skin. I've been using it every day for about 4 or 5 days and it is so helpful in keeping my skin moisturized without feeling greasy. So many labels promise but don't really come through. I put it on once a day and I can still tell it's there when I get home in the afternoons. It's very lightly scented, in case that bothers you and right now I believe it's on sale. Check with Lisa Adams if you're interested. I'll be keeping this lotion on hand for the bitter, cold weather to come as my wimpy, Florida skin is simply not used to it.
As the horses coats grow thicker and the squirrels busily gather and bury their acorns, I too am feeling the subtle and slow moving changes in life outdoors. My birds have taken flight for warmer temperatures and the allium bulbs are sprouting the green leaves they'll show throughout winter. I'm ready for this new chapter in my story as days go by here in Tennessee. I hope you'll hang in here with me, vicariously enjoying all my new antics and adventures of wintertime :)
Wally stained the cabin and the porches so everything looks shiny and new. We haven't put everything back on the porches yet because it just looks so pretty the way it is. I'll have to have my little table up there and a chair or two before too long because the weather is just too nice to be sitting inside. I even found it difficult to stay inside and watch the race and football. I managed to be both inside and out for the better part of both Saturday and Sunday.
Friday we chilled out at the cabin. I put away some stuff that had been piling up on the bar. It's so easy to just walk in and set stuff down and then it's so hard to get back to it and actually put it away. I find it's always better for me to put it away as soon as I walk in. Otherwise, it just might not get done for days... I'm pretty good at that procrastination thing :) You probably noticed that by the way I was able to put off shopping all this time, lol!
Saturday morning we were on the road by 7:15-7:30 am. We dropped off my car for an oil change and went down the road a little ways to the diner where we had breakfast and watched the morning news. The weatherman said it could get up to 84 degrees. I had the tenderloin with two eggs over medium, wheat toast, bacon and grits. Wally had the same except he had the country ham instead of the tenderloin.
After breakfast we went to Tractor Supply for dog food and sweet feed for the horses. I looked at coats but they didn't have any in my size that I liked. We had to go to Wal-Mart...ugh ugh ugh so I could - once again - check for contact lens cleaner. Finally, they had some. I grabbed about 6 boxes before anyone else could get them and then picked up a few other things we needed while Wally waited in the truck. I was glad to be out of there!
On the way home we saw a guy in a truck, on the side of the road, selling hay bales. We stopped and picked up a couple more to go with the ones Kurt and Darryl had brought me last week. Neither of us felt like being out any longer so we made for the cabin.
We took a whole bunch of pictures - sorry I can't post them until tomorrow. I brought Wally's phone with me but the stupid battery died right after I got to work this morning. So we got home and I started gathering up all the stuff with which to decorate the hay bales. I had a bunch of pansies I picked up at a nursery in Fairview and while we were in town, we picked up a couple of orange colored mums. I had some copper colored flower pots that Wally drilled some holes in for me and a bag of potting soil and I was ready to go!
I planted the mums in the planters Teri sent up (that had tomatoes, squash and cucumbers in them) and the pansies in the copper colored planters. Wally stacked the bales for me so that they are 2 high and 2 across. You can kind of tell that in the picture, can't you? So from there I set the pumpkins on the top with the mums on either end. The pansies are scattered. A couple of them are on the top stack of hay, a couple more are on a board that runs between the stacks. Wally had an old milk jug (big, metal thing) that we set between the two stacks and it has a Pansy up on top of it too. There's an old fashioned gas can sitting on the ground, on the left, and a galvanized bucket turned on its side, on the right. Everything is on the back side of my little flower garden where I hope to see hollyhocks, allium and other flowers come springtime.
It doesn't sound like much but it was actually more work than I expected. I had to rearrange it a couple of times before it suited my eyes and of course I had to keep looking at it to make sure everything was evened out :) can't be having a lopsided fall decoration - good heavens what would the neighbors say???? lol as if we have any. ha ha ha ha ha
I took the picture but it is too dark - sorry. On the bright side, the picture of the yellow tree came out really good. The other side of it has already dropped its leaves and it will likely be bare upon my arrival this afternoon.
The oranges, reds, yellows, golds and even browns and greens are all coming on strong right now! Every eye out the window is a picture waiting to happen. Too bad I have to watch the road and drive darn it. I have pulled over a couple of times as you'll see when the pictures are posted. The way I see it is if people plant those beautiful trees in their yards, they should expect other people, like me, to stop and take pictures of them. They are simply irresistible especially when I see a super orange one next to a lighter but brighter yellow one with a green one in the middle that's just starting to change. Oh they make my eyes so happy.
I do feel sorry for anyone who happens to come up behind me, not that that many cars do, but they just have to wait until I get my picture. I'm quick and I don't stop often unless there's a driveway- lol!
Smokey seems to be warming up to me, not many can resist my charms for long (ha ha!), as he comes to the gate now when I call him. If I'm hanging out clothes on the line, he'll whinny at me from the woods. It's tempting to just quit with the clothes and go see him but he has to wait until I'm done. The theory is that he should come when I call him and not the other way around. He'll come eat from my hands and he lets me pet him all the time now.
We fed them some carrots the other day and my hands were covered in carrot juice and horse slobber. The horses aren't as slobbery as the dogs when fed by hand but you still get some tongue stuff on your hands no matter what. Rebel will practically lick my hands clean in his effort to ensure every single, itsy, bitsy morsel goes into his mouth. Wally gave him a carrot and he took the whole thing without even breaking it in half. Usually when they get a whole carrot, they'll break it in half on the ground. Not Rebel :) Smokey is a calm eater compared to Rebel.
Ah yes, the basket from last week...did I already tell you about the huge sweet potatoes? I took a picture but you know the drill on that. One sweet potato was cut into four sections and it was still too much for the two of us. We ate it two days in a row and we still have one section left. Dang, now that I think about it, I should have brought it for lunch. Oh well, there's always tomorrow :) I got a bunch of radishes, two of which went into today's salad, scallions, mixed lettuces, sweet and hot peppers and a bunch of stuff that is similar to the Bok Choy but with a slightly different flavor. I thought it was Bok Choy when I first saw it. I cooked it the same way and it was pretty close to the same. Today I pick up the first of the last five baskets to come.
What to do then??? Where do I get my fresh veggies??? Well, remember all those bags and jars I was putting up all summer long, yep - time to get them out. By mid-November I'm told I'll be ready for a little jar of sunshine in the form of my Zellwood sweet corn - compliments of Dizzy Debbie! Maybe she'll make it up for a visit before too long and we can eat a jar together :) You're invited to come too!
I have summer and zucchini squash, cooked and raw okra, cooked and par-boiled green beans, cooked and raw turnip greens, canned corn, canned green beans w/potatoes, canned salsa, canned Bloody Mary mix, canned summer squash with onions and dill, canned pork and canned chicken. I have a jar of pickled okra left and a couple jars of the refrigerator pickles (of which Neccy has already claimed one). Don't forget the quince! It'll be just like summer all over again except without the 100 degree and above temperatures. Looking back I guess I was pretty busy in the kitchen this summer. I sure did enjoy myself too. I hope you enjoyed reading all about it.
"The book" was amusing today when it directed the wise homemaker to remember to keep some food items cool prior to serving while others should be warmed to room temperature. It says that a "mechanically cooled refrigerator" is the best way to keep food cooled but in the event one isn't available in the household, "chopped ice in a bowl will serve just as well." There is no picture of said mechanically cooled refrigerator but there is a picture of the chopped ice with a serving bowl tucked into it :) I'm loving this book!
I guess way back then molded (as in a jello mold not the mold teenagers grow in their rooms for science projects) salads were all the rage. There is an entire section on what all types of foods can be molded (spaghetti - who would have thought?), how to get them to mold and how to release the food from the molds when ready to serve. It even tells how to decorate the plate depending on what type of food and get this, when the molded food is to be served. Apparently parsley is okay any time of day but mint, basil and chervil should be reserved for luncheon or dinner settings. Did you know that? lol I didn't! I've been racking my brain since I read it, trying to remember if I committed this grave error in plate presentation... ha ha!
In case you were wondering, yes, I did cook this weekend. I made an onion tartan which is just a whole bunch of onions (eight in all) sliced up and layered into the cast iron skillet with a couple tablespoons of butter. The onions saute in butter until they just start to look clear. If you taste them at this point, they are quite sweet and just tender enough where you don't hear a crunch. For me they were perfect at this point but the recipe calls for more ingredients and additional cooking time so on we go... I added the requisite 2 cups of heavy cream (I didn't say it was a low-fat dish folks) and simmered the onions until the cream had reduced by about half. The recipe said this would take 15 minutes. My cream didn't reduce for a good 1/2 hour so keep that in mind should you desire to try this one. From here, I added black pepper, homemade whole wheat bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese all over the top. It goes into the oven for 20-25 minutes and when it comes out it is almost too pretty to dig in to. But we did and you will. It's hard not to.
The breadcrumbs and cheese made a crunchy, crispy, golden brown crust. The creamy, sweet, tender onions mixed with it made for a warm bite of onion-y goodness. Yeah - that's what I'm talking about! We had ribeyes and the huge sweet potato for side dishes... ha ha ha! It was that good, really.
Saturday we had worked so hard all day cleaning up around the house, getting the decorations set up, laundry, etc., we didn't feel like having a big meal. I thawed out some tilapia, sliced it into sticks (because it doesn't come that way from the water, right Neccy?) and fried it up with my favorite fish seasoning, "Louisiana Fish Fry with Lemon." That was it. That was dinner. It was steaming hot out of the oil, just salty enough and a little bit spicy from the seasoning. We loved it and proof of that was in the fact that we ate every last piece! Not a single morsel was left over. We watched an old episode of Iron Chef and hit the sack.
Sunday was another gorgeous day so we spent quite a bit of time outside. We got on the 4 wheelers and hit the trails. Wally hung some "Trespassing by Written Permission Only" signs while I took pictures of the leaves that had already changed colors. We rode all through the trails and he showed me how to find my way through the woods to the holler and the way out to the driveway. It'll take another trip or two for me to learn them all but in the meantime it was a perfect day for being in the woods, seeing how pretty everything is, watching the birds fly through the trees and the turkeys wandering around picking up all manner of turkey food from the ground.
It was warm enough for a t-shirt and cool enough for jeans. Don't you just love it when the weather gets like that? You could almost put on a sweatshirt but you know you have to save it until after the sun sets or you'll be a wee bit on the warm side. Well, we wore ourselves out and took it easy for the rest of the night.
We watched the race (for Joyce & Wally - - - GO TONY!!) and then switched to football. I'm still driver-less since Dale Jarrett quit racing...:( I wasn't too sad to see the Busch boys do so poorly (sorry Kris) as they need to really get over themselves. Poop happens - grow up and race. There's no way to know what's going to happen during these last races so there's no reason to go getting a little-whiney-babyhead-attitude. They remind me of Rusty Wallace way back when.
The Titans surprised me with a win over Dallas and the Cardinals really, really surprised me with their win over the Saints. I guess everyone was a little surprised at those and you're probably all getting ready to watch Brett Favre as he leads the Vikings tonight on Monday Night Football..."Are You Ready for Some Football?? A Monday Night Party??" I probably won't be able to watch... Indeed, I'll just suffer through the anguish of not knowing the outcome until, with great anticipation, I hear it on the radio the next morning. Unless Wally happens to wake me with an update at some point during the night... lol!
Hey, while I'm thinking about it, Avon has a new moisturizer under the Moisture Therapy collection. This one has shea butter in it and it is wonderful for extremely dry skin. I've been using it every day for about 4 or 5 days and it is so helpful in keeping my skin moisturized without feeling greasy. So many labels promise but don't really come through. I put it on once a day and I can still tell it's there when I get home in the afternoons. It's very lightly scented, in case that bothers you and right now I believe it's on sale. Check with Lisa Adams if you're interested. I'll be keeping this lotion on hand for the bitter, cold weather to come as my wimpy, Florida skin is simply not used to it.
As the horses coats grow thicker and the squirrels busily gather and bury their acorns, I too am feeling the subtle and slow moving changes in life outdoors. My birds have taken flight for warmer temperatures and the allium bulbs are sprouting the green leaves they'll show throughout winter. I'm ready for this new chapter in my story as days go by here in Tennessee. I hope you'll hang in here with me, vicariously enjoying all my new antics and adventures of wintertime :)
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. " ~Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
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