Company Delayed So Here I Am...

Yes, my plan was to be taking vacation to spend time with Ernie, William and Britney but so far that's not the way it's working out. We sure hope William is feeling better soon but in the meantime, they won't be able to make the visit as originally planned. It's not completely out of the question as of today but we're waiting to see how William is before making plans. GET WELL SOON WILLIAM! :)

Last week was so busy at work that it was all I could do to get some pictures posted for you. There was no time to write...my teammate is back to work today so I'm hoping to get you caught up. If nothing else, you'll have my ramblings to read about while you drink your coffee or, if I don't get it out until late, maybe enjoy reading it while you eat your lunch? Now, where to begin??????

The weather is a good place to start as it determines much of what we do. We have had quite a bit of rain and some chilly temperatures but nothing to deter me from work. Today is the first day since Thursday evening that rain is not called for. Tomorrow night though, they say it will be back. After some 70 degree temperatures for a week or so, we're not expected to get above 63 until maybe the weekend - we'll see. Regardless, we have been busy :)

A week ago Sunday I was finally able to plant my peas. According to the almanac they were about a week late. The peas went in along side the chicken wire fence that was put up for me last year. I had enough to do one row that Sunday and this Sunday coming, a follow up row will go in. This is advised when you want to have a second crop come in and so you aren't so overwhelmed by the first one. Peas will be shelled, par-boiled and frozen and/or shelled, par-boiled and canned. If I have time - a little of both. Either way, we'll have plenty of peas for the first month or so of next winter. Pea salad, pea soup, peas for dinner :) hahaha I'm a pea-aholic!

If I didn't already tell you, Darryl came out with a tiller and between him and Wally, they got both sides of the garden tilled up. It was some work too I'll tell you. The tiller worked fine and they were able to get about a foot deep which is really nice when it comes to digging a hole. So far, I haven't needed to dig any holes but when it comes time for the tomatoes to go in the ground, I'll be grateful for the tilling that was done.

I did hoe some rows this weekend past. Opposite the peas I have about a 10 foot row of carrots.These carrots only get about 5 inches long. They are bigger around and are guaranteed by Burpee to be the sweetest carrots I've ever tasted. I'm looking forward to testing that promise :). In the next row, about a foot over from the sweetest carrots I've ever tasted is a 12 foot row of golden beets. Not to be confused with the typical red beet, these beets are of a milder flavor and they stay a nice golden color that doesn't stain your hands when you work with them. Not that that bothers me in the least. I consider it part of the fun :)

My final planting for the day was a packet of Ferry Morse green onion seeds. My Mom sent the packet and according to the back of it, March through May is the perfect time to plant them in Tennessee. Outside of the fenced in area, to the left of the walk-way is another patch that was tilled up for me. It was tilled last year but I was too late to get anything substantial in that space. So, since it is fence-less, I figured onions would be safe over there. I can't think of any animal that likes to eat onions?? The rows there are shorter but the space will allow for more of them because of it. As it is the rows are about 6-8 feet long and I ended up with enough onion seeds for about a row and a little more than a half. The packet says they are ready to harvest in 60 days and when they are about the size of a pencil. woo hoo!!! My hope is to also plant the bush beans there with another planting of onions around them. Maybe just maybe this will deter the critters from eating all my beans...if not, I guess we'll fence it off.

So we have peas, carrots, beets and green onions in the ground. I think I'm making some real progress compared to last year when I had nothing but hopes and dreams buried out there (and at least a million rocks). This year those hopes and dreams are sure to come about with a bountiful harvest for me to share. Just come on up and I'll make you a garden dinner :) When the weather gets nice again, we can even eat out there :)

According to the Almanac, the beans and tomatoes are not due to go in the ground for another week or so. That works for me as I have flowers to plant too you know??? I bought something called a "Burning Bush." I see them all over the place right now and they bloom a bright firery red bloom - hence the name I'm sure. I picked up two of them from Fred's and I'm planning to put them on either side of the driveway, down by the split in the road where I had my fall decorations. They are green throughout the summer, brown in the winter and then all of a sudden they turn their bright red blooms out for all the world to see. A glorious sight to behold I must say. This bush will eventually get about 5 feet tall and as big around so it will be a stand out in the yard where only the oak trees currently reside.

Speaking of my decorations, while they have all been put away or eaten by the horses, the flower garden is beginning to show more promise. Those little green things that I was hopeful would be hollyhocks are, instead, weeds. But they have a pretty purple flower so they can stay for a while. I'll have to pull them out before too long so they don't take over but right now, any color is good color.

Last August I planted what I thought were 3 Allium bulbs in that flower garden. I now realize that one of the three is actually an iris...it's one of those from Claudia that actually survived. I know why - they puppies had better things to do when they traveled this far down the road. They weren't wasting their time digging up my plants with all that other space to explore. With any luck, they'll continue to leave it alone and the sole surviving iris will bloom.

I'm still hoping the hollyhocks will come up as well as the delphinium that Teri gave me. I saved a few seeds from both bags in the event I needed to plant more come spring. On my vacation, you'll find me doing just that. Hollyhocks and delphinium flowers will grace the space at the split in the driveway where our American flag blows proudly in the breeze. Talk about Americana! I'll send photos for sure.

I bought a packet of 4 O'clock seeds. It seems crazy, I know, since they are such prolific seeders themselves but I can't find the ones I brought with me from Florida and I wanted some flower seeds in the ground as soon as possible. I planted some of them around and under the hitching posts in the front yard. There were a few left so I stuck them in the ground in between the butter cups over by Dizzy's apt. The packet was mixed colors of pink, yellow and purple. I didn't even know yellow and purple existed. I've only ever seen pink so this will be a nice change of pace. We know there's plenty of manure to fertilize them so they should be growing like weeds in no time. I hope :) That's assuming the squirrels haven't dug them up for dinner...

Caladium and Lily of the Valley are planted around the oak tree that overhangs the front porch. So far the squirrels have dug them up just once...I replanted and I am once again hopeful that they'll remain in the ground long enough to come up and leaf out. With the millions of acorns laying there on the ground around that tree, I honestly don't see what the attraction is for the squirrels...?? They could eat all day for 10 days and still there would be plenty of acorns! lol I know it wasn't the puppies this time because they aren't allowed in that area now that I have plants in the ground.

I dug all the rocks out from around the mums and the azalea and I still have the tiger lily, day lily and the hosta to clean up. I'm not sure the hosta will make it but Claudia says she has another one for me if it doesn't. There's still time for it to come up and turn green but I've seen no sign that this might actually happen. Between the horses trampling and scattering the rocks and the ground freezing and heaving them out of the ground, there's plenty yet to do over there. I don't suppose it would be nice of me to ask my company to lend a hand in the garden...LOL so I'll be getting to it when I can :)

The tiger lilies are up out of the ground and standing about 3-4 inches high. A couple weeks ago I posted a picture of what I was told were weeds...turns out, they aren't weeds at all but rather the expanding mass of tiger lily bulbs. I guess I need to get my little digger out and dig them up and separate them this year. They have almost outgrown their rock circle :) LOL I can't seem to contain anything around here hahahahaha. I'll update the photograph on the flickr site when I'm through here. Just so you can see what I'm talking about.

In all there's been quite a bit of activity on the farm. Wally continues to work with Colt and Ruger and I do my best to keep up. hahaha They still run me over but they don't do it intentionally - they just don't know how big they are. This weekend they were allowed to run free and guess what? They stayed right there by us and wouldn't leave until Wally started throwing the ball for them. They'll run and get it and bring it almost all the way back but then they drop it right before they get to us. They absolutely LOVE to play! Oh to have the energy...

We picked up some solar lights and got them in the ground. Some go around the outdoor kitchen and a few lead the way to Dizzy's apt. Others line the walkway on the far side of the cabin as you're headed towards the horses. These are really nice when you're walking around outside and the sun has gone down. We plan to pick up a few more packs of them in the event they get stepped on by the horses or run over by our guests who may not be as familiar with the property. In this manner, we'll have plenty of replacements. They look so cool when we're standing on the porch in the evening looking out over the front yard.

We watched the race and we were in the money for it no matter who won. I had any car number that ended in the number 8 and Wally had the number 9. It looked like Kyle Bush would take it away but in the end Kevin Harvick snuck up there, passed Kyle, passed Jimmie Johnson and took the lead with only about a quarter of a lap left to go. Since his car number ends in a 9, Wally won the race pool at Pee Wee's Place...! woo hoo!!! Even if Harvick hadn't won, both Kyle and Jimmie have car numbers that end in an 8 so I would have won the money. Either way, as Wally says, we're going to the poor house together...lol!!

I tried another new recipe yesterday. The ingredients sound strange together but they worked out just fine. It's crushed pineapple (the big can), 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 3 tablespoons of flour (I used self-rising but I can't see where it would matter in this recipe) and 1/2 cup of sugar (I used splenda of course). For the topping, 1 stick of butter, melted (yes, I know...whatever!) and a sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed (I used whole wheat of course). So you pour the crushed pineapple into a 9x9 pan. Mix the cheese, flour and sugar together and sprinkle that on top of the pineapples. Then you mix the crushed ritz crackers with the melted butter and sprinkle that on everything top of it all. Put it in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes and you have a nice, warm, sweet dessert that would be perfect with some ice cream on top. We were too full for that but it would be nice :) You can't really tell there's cheese in it - somehow it just works. Try it and let me know how you like it. We sure did! oh man - I should have taken a picture! Well, I'll be making it again so not to worry...

I cleaned out the freezer again and found the makings of a fine turkey soup. I had gravy leftover (believe it or not) and a bag of turkey frozen since Thanksgiving. It was still good - calm down! LOL I melted the gravy and thinned it out with water. I added some pepper and some sage and let that simmer for a little while. As that went on, I scraped and chopped up some carrots and added some celery and onions to the mix. Everything bubbled away and made the cabin smell like the holidays. When the vegetables were cooked, I served up big, piping hot bowls of turkey soup. I gobbled (hahaha) mine right down while Wally waited for his to cool off some. I say, along with my friend Daiana, it's not edible unless it's boiling hot! LOL We are a strange breed indeed and Jessica (Daiana's sister) says we have alien tongues...hahahahaha! Wallly agrees. He's seen me eat food that still has smoke rising from it and not even flinch. mmm mmmm It might burn my fingers to pick it up but my mouth can handle it for some reason????

Has anyone tried the mayonnaise biscuits yet? Lizzard said she was going to try them as did Kris. I haven't heard back from either to know if they were a success...I hope you enjoyed them as much as we continue to. They seem to have evolved into a weekend staple around here. When we aren't having pancakes, we're definitely having biscuits. I can easily double the recipe for company - I just need to know to plan for it :) :) :)

Now that springtime is here the horses have decided they don't need us anymore. They haven't been up to the house since maybe Thursday of last week. Wally fed them their apple flavored worm medicine, a couple scoops of sweet feed and off they went. Not one sighting over the weekend which was a loss for them. I had cantaloupe rinds and carrot peels all ready should they make an appearance. By the end of the weekend, it had gone bad and was tossed. Oh well...silly horses!

Despite the chilly temperatures yesterday, we were bound and determined to cook on the grill...lol I pattied up some burgers, seasoned them with steak seasoning and made the cranberry/cabbage salad that we enjoyed so much over the holidays. We donned our heavy jackets and headed for the outdoor kitchen. Crazy of us really - it was sooooooo cold and damp out there. But there really is nothing in comparison to a hot, steamy burger on the grill. I covered them with cheese and let that melt for a minute before we loaded up our gear and headed back inside where it was WARM! lol

mmm mmm good!!! Those burgers were cooked to perfection, the cheese had melted just enough to slip down on the side and we loaded them with lettuce, tomato and condiments...no refrigerator pickles this time - we'll have to wait for the cucumbers to come in so I can make more. Sara Lee makes a whole wheat hamburger bun that is out of this world when it comes to texture and flavor. Whole wheat can be dense and dry but not these buns. They're worth the little extra expense knowing that you're getting some health benefits from them...piled with a grilled cheeseburger - you have to consider some of the health benefits lol!!! I'm having a left over one for lunch right now and it's just as good.... :)

As you can see from the pictures my rooster dinner bell is now proudly hanging outside the front door just waiting for me to call everyone in to eat. So far, only Wally and I are in attendance, but we hope to have visitors before too long. When Wally first moved here, he lived in a trailer down where the barn is (not the condo) and worked weekends building the cabin. When the cabin was done, he moved in and used the trailer for storing his tools and other equipment. He eventually built the barn on the front of the trailer so it sow serves as one side of it. I tell you this because throughout the years many things have been stored down there and like everyone else, he tends to forget what's there until he comes across it one day years later. That's how I got my rooster dinner bell. He remembered buying it but didn't remember it was down there and it had been years back when his grandma was alive.

While digging for something else, he found the box, opened it up and knew I would love to have it hanging at the cabin. It even looks like my roosters! It has a fine sounding bell on it and anyone would be happy to ring it to call in the hungry farm workers. Well, okay, we don't have any farm workers except him and I but we still ring the dinner bells pretty regularly if only to hear the pure iron sound of them.

As for the Budweiser thermometer, I've been wanting a thermometer since I got here. I may sound like an old person but there's something about the temperature that I like knowing... (maybe it's how to dress? lol)besides, older people are smart so it's no insult to me to be called one :) Every day I get to look at that thermometer and know what our weather is no matter what the tv says and as we all know, they don't have the best tack record in history. 

Oh the bath day...gosh those puppies were not the least bit happy when this got underway. First Wally tied them to the porch posts so they couldn't get away or get in the dirt. It's also easier for him to reach them when he's standing on the ground - no bending down to reach them! I stayed up on the porch while he stayed down on the ground. He and I wet them down, squirted flea and tick shampoo all over them and started in scrubbing!

Poor guys were miserable!! They made some of the funniest faces, they barked and whined, they shook and sometimes they even refused to stand up! Well, we got the job done, we were probably as wet as they were before it was all over with, and then we had to let them sit. The shampoo has to do its job for about 15 minutes so there they sat while Wally and I took a beer break. I took the opportunity to get a few pictures...funny if you ask me, but seriously not to them. Since they were so good (haha), we gave them some dog biscuits before they went back to their dog house. I don't know how often they'll get baths but I know how often they'll be excited about it! LOL

The old dogs knew what was coming and new what to expect. They didn't make a sound and I think Smith might even have enjoyed the scrubbing part. He was allowed to sit seeing as how it's so difficult for him to stand up these days. They were all clean and smelling good for about 20 minutes and then they hit the dirt and started rolling- whatever!!! All that work...typical dogs! lol Well, you can see how big they are in the new pictures especially if you look back to the Christmastime pictures from when they first came home with us.

As days go by I continue to make plans for my vegetable garden and for flowers in the yard, I continue to look for new recipes and some we like, others not so much. I look forward to visits but thoroughly enjoy the time alone with Wally just as well. We have our routine and as Jerry Clower once said, "mama likes the deal she's got!" That's me. Come see. :)

Come Monday I shall return to post another issue for your reading pleasure :) Hopefully it will be filled with fun vacation antics shared with Ernie, William and Britney but in the event they don't make it, I promise Wally and I will still have antics to share :)  Miss you already :)

"There is probably no more obnoxious class of citizen, taken end for end, than the returning vacationist." ~Robert Benchley