I Know, I Know, It's About Darn Time...

I sat here thinking about all that's been going on with me, the farm, the animals, the plants, the weather, etc. and I realized that since it's been so long since I posted anything, you probably want to hear about it all. Rather than try to keep things in any kind of chronological order, I'll just let the words flow as they come to me and hope you can follow without too much of a struggle.

My last post was on 9/13/11 and shortly thereafter we made a trip to Florida for my grandma's (on my Mom's side) funeral services. She had a full and active life and gave all of us plenty of memories to smile about as we think of her in days to come. May she rest in peace.

I was the fortunate recipient of her couch, which she called a 'Davenport' and a couple of her tables. The furniture belonged to my great grandmother and my grandma inherited it from her. I've no idea the age but certainly it would be in the 90 year range.

I also brought home with me a box that hung on the wall where she kept her mail. That box is painted red and it has a rooster on the front of it. I'll have to post a picture so you can see how cool it is. Uncle Dee said it was likely made by my great grandfather, Pap.

The couch cushions are in need of being recovered so I'm in search of a seamstress here who might be up to the task. Ernie's mama made new cushions for the chair (that goes with the couch) but she's feeling under the weather these days so it really wouldn't be fair to ask it of her. Hey Ernie, we hope she's feeling much better by the time you read this posting.

The one table needed just a bit of cleaning but as I was washing it off, I realized I liked it just the way it was. It even has a metal tag on the underside that tells where it was made, by whom, and it's numbered. None of that really means much to me since I've no plans to ever sell it but it is a good quality table and one I'll use for years and years to come just as my family members before me did.

Family pictures have all of us seated on the couch with the round table at the end still holding a lamp as always. I don't know where the furniture will reside in the cabin but as soon as I know the best place, I'll take a picture and post it. It's really beautiful!

Speaking of roosters, my two remaining boys have come home to roost again. I guess the dogs have been tied long enough that the roosters feel comfortable back up at the cabin. They sleep in the tree off the front porch rather than the back porch and still crow every morning at 3:30 like clockwork. Oh how that makes me laugh!! They follow me out to the scratch feed bucket and I sprinkle out a scoopful for them to share. If I get home too late, they won't wait for me. They'll fly up into their tree and make those little cooing sounds until time to crow before finally falling asleep. Talk about an internal body clock - roosters were certainly built with one.

I'm still on a mission to get some Guinea Hens for the farm. Now these birds are really loud and they are very territorial from what I hear. Once you are around them for a while, they get used to you and they don't care for anyone else coming along. They make a loud, funny, kind of honking noise... not quite like a goose but similar! They get their feathers all ruffled up too - so funny! I hope they get along with roosters and puppies LOL!

Speaking of the puppies, who won't be a year old until November, they are getting bigger every day. Clearly I'm no match for them when they're out running free in the yard. They run so fast I'm pretty sure they could catch anything on the farm at this point. Colt is still the more coordinated of the two and he's very quick to cut back and forth while Ruger is chasing him. Ruger is the bigger of the two and even though he doesn't have Colt's coordination, he does have the speed and the bulk to catch him.

Colt will take off down the hill while Ruger sits and watches. Just when Colt thinks he needs to come looking for Ruger, Ruger will take off after him! Oh my gosh, it's like when Simba got pouncing lessons from ZaZu in the Lion King movie!! We laugh every time we see them playing like that. They come back to us panting and heaving and all slobbery from tangling with each other and they're so happy just to have the freedom to run.

Ruger doesn't jump on me anymore and rarely scratches me by putting that big old paw up on me. He's still learning that one... They both mind very well unless there's something in the yard they want to run after, like my roosters! In those cases, only Wally's voice will bring them back. It's like they don't even hear me. We're working on it though because they have to listen to both of us no matter what.

They do seem to be protective of me and if I'm not outside with them, they'll come up to the cabin door looking for me. When I walk away from them, they follow and if they happen to miss it when I leave, they'll come looking all around until they find me. I don't know if they would actually hurt anyone who came up but they would certainly make the person stop and think twice about approaching.

If you will recall from last year, the tulip and buttercup bulbs I planted were dug up several times by a certain pair of puppies... well, this year is apparently no exception. I planted a bunch of bulbs in the garden that Dizzy helped me with and when we got back from FL, I noticed that in one area, a big hole had been dug. Of course it was right up front and of course all the bulbs were gone. HMMM - it could have been any of the three.There's no way to tell. All I know is... Here we go again! hahahahaha

So I'm off to Fred's tonight to see if they still have bulbs for sale so I can replant. Whichever dog it was, he left the hole nice and deep so it won't be hard to plant... I'll just have to find enough soft dirt to pile into the hole to cover the bulbs. They better leave it alone this time!!!!!

On the bright side, they didn't dig up the whole garden and the hyacinths I planted have sprung from the ground. I didn't think they would come up until spring but low and behold, they're here! The package said to plant now for spring flowering but Claudia said they might bloom now and again in the spring. Okay by me!

Everything seems to be thriving this time of year. The irises are getting greener and the leaves are standing up again. The day lilies in the new garden are growing nicely - I wasn't sure they would make it but they seem to be doing fine and even the allium leaves are starting anew along the driveway and in the garden Dizzy Debbie helped with. I should be in flower heaven come springtime next year!

The 4 o'clocks I planted in that big metal bowl should bloom any day now - we'll soon know what colors I have! I also have more to transplant if I find the time. They're doing okay in the windowsill but I know they would be happier outside in the dirt. Maybe this weekend???

Down at the split in the driveway the little pumpkin plant finally gave up the ghost. It bloomed one more time but just couldn't hang in there. I've plenty of seeds to plant next year, thank you Kris! So pumpkins are what we have to look forward to - we have to have something now don't we? LOL

There are wild flowers everywhere and they're very tempting to pick and bring inside but I've found they don't really care to be picked and die within a day or so when I try. So in the yard they stay and that's okay too. I get to enjoy them while the dogs are running wild and playing in the yard. I hope to someday be able to identify them all but for now I'm happy just seeing them out there. Purple and yellow seem to be the colors most often in appearance and those two colors go very well together. I could have fields of them if only we didn't have to ever mow! Hahahahaha I doubt Wally would appreciate that very much!

Being in Florida really brought back the memories of humidity. Now that it's Fall up here, there is no more humidity - not that we get nearly what FL gets but we do get some. The temperatures get into the 80s during the day and the 50s at night. We've had some 40s and even a couple of 30s but those aren't supposed to be here permanently for another month or so. I love the 50s at night - it's perfect for grilling, sitting on the porch, riding the 4 wheelers, you name it. We're outside most evenings until just after dark which is really late for us. We used to be in bed by dark :) :)

With the weather like it is, we want to be out there as much as possible because we know what's in store for us in the next month or so...brrrrrr LOL We took a ride on the motorcycle the other night and it was absolutely beautiful! I wore my jacket, of course, but really only needed it on the way home. Too bad for us we ran into some rain and we were soaked by the time we got down the driveway. Ah not to worry - if you ride you're eventually going to get rained on and your clothes will dry! lol!

Oh before I forget - this is what the almanac had to say for October:
"And now the frost is seen in morn, overspreading fields with white,
the farmer gathers in his corn with pleasure and delight."

In my travels I find that this is very true. All the corn fields have been picked and plowed under. I didn't get to witness this picking and plowing but it's clear it happen whether I was there to see it or not. The fields are empty but for the paths the machines took down the rows. Oh to be a farmer - I could really get into that!

The corn stalks are dried and browned in the sun and people here use them for their Fall decorations. I see them on the corners of lawns and tied up with bows of orange and yellow at mailboxes all over town. You know that makes me anxious to get my Fall decorations out and set up. I'm hoping Wally will take me to get some straw bales this weekend. Now I know what they mean when they say "you can feel it in the air." It's really true and it makes you want to be a part of it. Well, it does me anyway...lol! But then you knew that, didn't you?

My CSA baskets have been overflowing with squash, sweet potatoes, peppers and now the beautiful addition of a pumpkin!!! You can bet I immediately took it into the living room and set it on the glass table with my sweet potato vine.. the orange of the pumpkin and the green of the vine look so pretty together!! Of course, I had to windex the table first hahahaha sometimes that gets overlooked in my cleaning process.

The squash was spaghetti squash this week. Easy to cook, very good to eat and super nutritious! There are two ways to cook it; in the oven or the microwave. The oven obviously takes longer but some people prefer the texture better when it comes from the oven. Also, it takes about an hour in the oven whereas the microwave takes only about 15-20 minutes.

Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Cook it via the method of your choice. After it cooks, take a fork and start shredding the pulp. As it shreds it will begin to look just like spaghetti!! You can top it with spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, butter and garlic, salsa, black beans and cilantro, the options are endless :) 

I've been in the process of rotating the freezer inventory. As you know, things on the top tend to get eaten first and that stuff on the bottom, well, it just kind of gets lost in the shuffle. So, I've been on a mission. We have had everything from shredded pork sandwiches, to beef pot roasts to chicken breasts and even some fried catfish. About all that's left is bacon - which will keep and which we will always have :) and some pork shoulder and a bag or two of vegetables. I think there's a steamfresh bag of broccoli with cheese sauce that we'll probably have with dinner tonight and there is also a bag of my homemade spaghetti sauce. It will keep because it has only been in there since early summer when the tomatoes first started coming in.

Now I won't feel so bad when I start going back to the meat man and stocking up again! He opens his secret barn/shed doors the weekend of Thanksgiving and you better believe I'll be there at 7am when that happens. I'm ready for some fresh sausage, some fresh ground beef and some awesome, tenderized, pork tenderloin!!

I bet the dogs are ready for some big cow and pig bones too! Remember last year, the dogs were so small they could hide their bones under the front porch? Not anymore!! They're too big to even get under the front porch now. They could probably get under the back porch but they never do. They don't seem to be interested.

Everyone is happy with the meat man starts selling again :) :) :) Even Dizzy Debbie - if she could only be here for it!

Speaking of food, yesterday was my first trip to the grocery store since before we went to Florida. Well, I had to pick up milk, bread and butter but this was my first real trip since FL. What didn't I need? I bought fruit, peas, lettuce (the basket lettuce was gone after two lunch salads), celery, carrots, yogurt, cheese, chuck-eye steaks for dinner, a picnic ham and dried butter beans for a recipe I found in the FoodNetwork magazine. I bought some G2 gatorade stuff, some tea bags, and some cereal for Wally. I bought cream of mushroom soup -can you believe I was out of that? I bought a couple of mums - which the bagger carelessly broke branches on and I was forced to trade it for another one and I bought some turkey lunch meat. All that barely fit in my little, teeny, tiny trunk!!

Yeah so back to the mums... I picked out a perfect pink one and a perfect yellow one. Of course the bagger broke the branches on the pink one so I had to go swap it out. Of course there were no others that were perfect because I already had the most perfect one. I had to settle for another yellow one instead darn it!

As it turns out, I'm pretty happy with the two yellow ones. They are about the same size and they are both just about to bloom. I have them on the front porch right now but if I get my straw bales, and I'm pretty sure I will, they'll all go down to the split in the driveway just like they did last year. Things will be set up a little different this year because now I know where all my scarecrows are! I found them when we were straightening up the storage trailer - hahaha go figure!

They were stacked neatly beside my Publix Pilgrim collection which will also be hauled out at some point between now and Thanksgiving. Can you believe it's less than two months away? Wow time sure does fly! As far as I know, it will be just me and Wally for Thanksgiving this year. Others have been invited but so far we don't know who, if anyone, is coming.

Not to worry - I'll still cook my big bird and I'll still make my barley stuffing and green bean casserole. I may even go out on a limb and make the country ham biscuits for breakfast. Gosh I haven't thought about those in a long time...hmmmm now I'm thinking I may not want to wait for Thanksgiving for those! lol!

Can't remember if I mentioned it or not but the hummingbirds took their leave while we were in Florida. I filled the feeders the day we left and after a week, they were still just as full. The regular feeders were filled too and I can see where the birds have been getting at one of them pretty steadily. The one on the back porch is dwindling down but the one on the front porch hasn't been touched. Go figure - it was the opposite last year!

The leaves started changing and some turned yellow and red but then they abruptly stopped. I don't know what caused that to happen but no changes have really come about in a week or so. I still carry my camera with me wherever I go but I'm still waiting for the real changes to come. We're supposed to get some rain and some cooler temperatures next week - maybe that's what it will take to get them going again? I'm certainly no expert on leaves changing!!!

We did have a good time in FL despite the reason for our being there. It was so good to see everyone and I wish I had more time to spend with each of you so we could get caught up. Jack cooked some incredible pulled pork and his cowboy beans were just as good as ever!! I told Neccy he should go into the pork business instead of the tree business LOL! He's got that recipe down pat. mmmm I'd like another plate of it right now :) :)

I'm sure I've left out a few things that I wanted to mention but time is tight and I must sign off for today. Enjoy this month of October as it typically treats us with nice weather no matter where you live. I'll try to get on here a little more often so I don't have to keep hearing how horrible I am for keeping you at bay...lol!! It's nice to know you miss my postings :) and don't forget to check out the flickr photos. As soon as the leaves start changing again, I'll be out there getting pictures for you.

"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."~Abraham Lincoln


HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!!!