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This is a simple blog of our simple country life. No added sugar, color or preservatives. :) Take a moment and reflect.....

Monday, June 20, 2011

In between

Well, the farm is in between. In between one thing and another. The alfalfa is blooming..  It's been too hard to get it cut in between storms. The equipment is ready though.
There's C.B. and adorable daughter #1's sidekick changing air filters. (At least that's what I think they are doing.) ha. Everything's ready now for more cuttin'. It just has to be cut in between the rains. In between just enough to be dried and raked and all that. Not very much time for deciden' when to do it either. Oh my. So what do you do in between? Some people cut weeds....
That is a thistle. Some people cut them in between doing other stuff. Some people don't. Some people think they are evil. Some do not. Some people cut them like crazy maniacs. Some do not. Some people even spray, cut and dig them up. Some people don't.
Some people think they are beautiful. Most people I know do not. A few years ago Country Boy and I went to New Orleans to visit some friends with my in-laws. It was a fun trip. One of the funniest memories of that trip was staying in a motel that had planted Thistles in front in the landscaping on purpose. We just couldn't understand it.
 As a teenager C.B. was hired by an older farmer to go out into a pasture to cut and bag thistles all day. It was a hot summer and he worked hard. The agreement was to cut some small cedars out of the pasture the next weekend so he was to be paid for both jobs then. During the next week, the farmer died. C.B. felt really bad for the farmer's family. C.B. never got paid. The family didn't know about the work he had done.  He doesn't like thistles to this day.
I just can't seem to convince him that there's any beauty here. He won't hear of it. So.. if he sees one anywhere on our property, he digs them up and cuts them down. That's all there is to say about that.
Sometimes in between things you go and admire other things. Like this:

That's our neighbor's wheat. It sure looks purty. Harvest is just around the corner. The harvest trucks will soon be in my way wherever I go. It's okay. Harvest doesn't last long.
In between everything there's time to check the beans! Imagine that. These are my beans and we are going to eat some soon!
These are C.B.'s beans. I don't think I wanna eat any of his.

The clouds are rolling in. I don't think I have long in between to get much done. I need to get the burgers off the grill and grab the clothes off the line. In between all of that.. and another .40in. of rain... I think I'll put my feet up and pet on Waylon. After all, everything is in between!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Another day

Now that's what I"m talking about! Although these are grape tomatoes.. the big ones will be getting red before too long. What a glorious sight!
I'm out snapping photos of tomatoes and I keep hearing a pitiful noise. It's a whine.. a crying. I went to investigate and sure enough. It was Ginger's baby kitty. She was stuck in between some metal sheets stored in the shed. Poor baby. She had been missing for a few days. You never know about farm cats.
I had a friend drop off 13 cats from her farm a couple years ago. She had too many. We babied them as much as we could. Two of them got ran over by the school bus. One by the Schwan's man and one by Country Boy. They just kept disappearing. I think we still have some that are out in the barn. They just don't come to the house anymore. There's just Ginger and her baby now.
Anyway, I'm out in the garden area and I just have to go by the asparagus patch to look at it. I'm just meant to have asparagus. That's all there is to it. I can't believe it. I like to count the plants and admire them. Well what do you know...
Another shoot! Whoo hoo! There are now 11 shoots.. yes I said 11. I can't believe it. I wouldn't be a good gardener if I didn't tell you about it. It's amazing really. It's amazing that a poor kitten can survive 3 days without anything and it's amazing that this asparagus even grew at all. It's all about the dirt maybe. ha.
The garden is looking good. There's some green peppers. The beans are blooming. The addiction of canning and preserving is about to hit me. I love it. I love lining the shelves of my pantry with jars of produce from my garden. It's fulfilling. It's crazy. It's fun.
I get a glazed look to my eyes...
I get dirt under my fingernails...
I get bug bitten.
I dream about it.
I have nightmares ... like my canner blowing up. Stuff like that.
I get real tired from not sleeping and from harvesting.
I get sore from all the picking.
But I can't explain it. It has a hold on me.
Then there's things to freeze too.
Bags of vegetables... cherries..
Oh the loveliness of opening the freezer and finding food!
It hits me then.
The tiredness, the peels, the mess
And I get real sick of it.
I"m ready for the garden to be done.
I'm not there yet though.
I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first red tomato......
Bacon tomato sandwiches. YUM!
The potatoes bloomed. The spinach is done. The radishes are gone.
But...
There's more to come... there's more to come!
If you see me in the next few weeks and I don't wave or anything..
don't be alarmed.
I'm in a canning fog and I'll be back later.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Bugs

Okay, Okay, alright. These are my Hollyhocks. I really like them. I really do. I just don't get close to them. Why? Because they are full of bugs!!
There are bugs everywhere. You can almost hear them from a mile away. At night, the space light in my yard buzzes. Not from electricity either. It's the bugs. June bugs, flying bugs, weird looking bugs, buzzing bugs...you name it. We have them.
All that is the intro to my next little story... C.B. and the bugs.
Poor C.B. .. He works all the time. He came home one night last week and told me it was too nice of a night to not spray. There was no wind and there were lots of weeds ...... Weeds.. they might be a story of their own. haha. Anyway, away he went. He prepares everything. Mixes up the spray. Fills the tank on the back of the 4wheeler with water. Hollers for Waylon and off they go.
I think he was gone for 15 minutes. It wasn't just a good night for sprayin'. It was a good night for bug biten' too. He got bit a little bit.
Okay, He got bit a lot.
Maybe even a whole bunch.
Well, It might be safe to say he was attacked!
I think every mosquito in a mile radius stopped by and bit C.B. They weren't just having fun after all. They were blood thirsty mosquitoes on a mission.
I asked C.B. if he wanted some lotion or something... Naw, he just wanted to jump in the shower. Alrighty then. Later he told me he counted 104 mosquito bites.
Now is it weird that he counted how many bites he had... or is it weird that he got bitten so many times? I'm not really sure about that.
These are my poor green beans a little while back. They were bug bitten too. They came out of it though. They are blooming now.
Why aren't the barn swallows doing their job?

They supposedly eat 1,000 mosquitoes a day. What's the deal? I have more barn swallows than I want to admit. (I finally got the one trying to build a nest on my front porch to leave. I don't know how. I'm thinking it was the butter flavored cooking spray that finally did the trick.)
So I've been teasing C.B.  Telling him he's a bug magnet. haha. Why do bugs like some people better than others? Gnats are like that. They really like some people and don't even bother others. They don't bother me at all. Poor adorable daughter #1 used to swell all up from gnats. Eeww.
Bugs.. Can't live with them and can't stand them. I'm so glad we have screens on our windows and a screened in porch.  The big bug battle. That's what's going on around here. I"m not sure where the boundary lines are. I bet your yard is included. Well, it is summertime. The only bug I like is the lightening bug. He doesn't bite and has a lot of entertainment value. That's it. I have to go find my bug spray now. I think I"m feeling a little itchy..........

Friday, June 10, 2011

Waylon

This is the most jealous dog you will ever meet. His name is Waylon. He is 8yrs. old. He rolls over for all people. He doesn't care who scratches his belly as long as it gets scratched.
This is Chip. This is my in-law's bundle of extreme energy. We are going to be dog-sitting for this crazy guy this weekend. Now ..Here's the deal...
 If Waylon thinks you are even looking at Chip.. he comes over and sits on your foot. He leans against your leg. He whines. He wants to be king of all who will pet him. Him alone. He is so jealous. He won't even play with Chip. He's afraid he'll miss out on some attention. When he thinks you aren't looking, this is what happens:
Yes, I caught them playing. Now Chip, he's all about playing, running, jumping and running. Your neck gets a lot of exercise while watching him. He's the little dog that is always running in the background. He's checking things out. Not Waylon. Look at him. He can't even play sitting up. If you aren't going to pet Waylon and his whining doesn't work he'll just go lay down and chew on his paw. He's just like that. He's always chewing on his paw. The vet told me one time it made him feel better. I guess when you don't pet him he takes it as total rejection and has to chew on his paw.
So there's the standoff. Look before you lick. That is their motto. They are just looney when they get together. These two. Actually Waylon is just weird. If he is outside all alone- He will bark at the horse or any cattle that may be in the vicinity. Watch out. Mr. Bob Barker. That is what I call him when he does that. Bob Barker.
Don't even think about petting Ginger. You will get the whine and dance. Waylon has a cow if you pet her. He will nudge your hand with his nose and whine something terrible. He's not a good farm dog. Not really. He's scared of guns and snakes. He's a big whiney baby.
I'm not going to say all that though. Because he is Country Boy's baby. I tell you what. If C.B. is out in the yard... Waylon is with him. That's just the way of it. Period.
All farms need a dog. I wonder if there's any qualifications for that. Probably not. Waylon wouldn't pass the test. C.B. would be devastated. That's his dog. C.B. is a pushover for all dogs. He lets them lick him and he teaches them tricks. Waylon is the nicest most jealous dog we've ever had. Be careful when you come to my house. Bob Barker lives here.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Summertime

Yes, it's summertime again. I had forgotten all about it. What it was like and all. I remembered the heat, the sweating and going outside and your hair going flat. Those things tend to stick with a person. What I had forgotten about was the children. Yes, I forgot about them and their bellies. I know they go together, the children and their bellies. I had just forgotten how they went together.
Whew. I also had forgotten how you can cook for hours. Slowly baking the meat, mashing the potatoes, and whipping up desserts. Then, they just disappear. I mean really. One minute it's all there on your counter and you blink. The next thing you know there's a pile of dirty dishes sitting right there.
What's the deal? I have girls after all. They aren't suppose to eat food in mass quantities. They really don't. They just eat all day long. Morning, noon and night. That's what happens.
Then - there's a couple friends over. They have to eat too I guess. lol. So there's more food disappearing.
Wow.
Yes, it's summertime. The kids are home. They are eating us out of house and home. What does my sister do with 4 boys? I can't even imagine. I cook and cook and cook and bake and there's nothing left but crumbs. There's not any leftovers in sight.
I think that's the plan. Eat all you can now so we don't have to eat it later.
I don't think I ever did that.
Not really.
I'm going to start planning the meals in advance. I'm going to mark all the ingredients so they won't be eaten. Then when I go to make the meal I actually have something to make it with.
I already hid a big jar of peanut butter. I'm not telling anyone about hiding it in plain sight on the front shelf in the pantry either. They'll never see it there.
Wait a minute... I have to go start the next load of laundry. I have to wash more now because the kids are home eating and dripping and spilling.
What will I do when they don't come home anymore? I'll be cooking and eating. It might be hazardous to my health. Or to Country Boy's health. (He doesn't care though because he's eating with them.)
I'm not going to worry about tomorrow because I really need to worry about today. What's for supper? What can I eat? That's the standard question around here.
I'm working on it. It's summertime you know.
Good thing summertime doesn't last all year. I would be a butterball and the kids would be jolly green giants.
Well, that's all there is to say about that. It's summertime and I need to go figure out what's for supper!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The week end

So it's the week end .. the end of the week. Really it's the end of the weekend. Lots of sun and softball was enjoyed by our family. Actually, I'm sure by lots of families because we weren't the only ones there! It was exciting as usual and it wore me out. I just wanted to join Ginger on the deck and preside over the area for awhile.
Can I take a nap now?
Just look at these flower petals in my yard. They make me sleepy. I can't explain why. It looks like someone dumped a popcorn bucket right there.
The flower petals keep falling off this tree in my yard. It looks like a tree from the south. The thought of a tree in the south makes me real relaxed and sleepy like. Does it count that the tree is in the southern part of my yard? Yeah, I don't know what that has to do with anything either.
Today is adorable daughter #2's birthday. She had a pretty good day I think. Her Papa bought her a pellet gun for a birthday gift. They had to go out and shoot it right away.

Well, it works! They had a good time trying to get it sighted in. I couldn't sit and watch them for very long. I was just so sleepy. I couldn't even get to the hammock. It was already occupied.
The love birds were hogging it all. That's adorable daughter #1 and her sidekick. Well, the eyelids were really starting to hang so maybe a short walk would be in order. That sounds good. What do you know?! I just happened to walk by the bean field. How did that happen? Might as well check them out while we're here.
It's amazing what a little sunshine can do. This isn't a sprout any more. Just like my kids. They just aren't little sprouts any more. The grass along side the road sure is getting tall. It's really kinda pretty.
It's pollinating right now. It's making my nose stuffy. It's making me sleepy.
Okay, alright. I admit it. I'm tired. I'm sun burnt just a little. I feel like a piece of toast... just a bit crispy along the edges and all soft in the middle. I'm not sure where that came from. I'm going to walk through this grass and find my bed now. It's the week end. The end of my weekend. It's the end for now. Goodnight.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Wow

Well, what else can you say after a night like last night? Most people around here had at least 5 in. of rain. Some people reported up to 8.5 in. All I could say was Wow. What else can you say when you haul bucket after bucket of water out of your basement for a couple hours. Wow just seems to cover it. A friend of mine had 4 feet of water in her basement. WOW!
Several people in our little town had a long night last night. I went to town today and checked out some places. Wow. There's a lot of water around here. Everyone I talked to though was thankful. Thankful it wasn't worse than it was. It can always be worse. We didn't have a tornado. Still got to sleep in our own beds. No one lost their life.
As I was walking around my yard this afternoon I was feeling pretty good. Everything is muddy or covered with mud but it was still there.
This is what happened next. I looked at this:
Right smack in the middle of this picture is an asparagus shoot. Yes, it is. There's more.....
Look at them. Just look at them. Those are asparagus shoots. I can't believe it. I have to tell you what I did. I saw the asparagus shoots and I did the happy dance. I. did. the. Happy. Dance. Yes, it really happened. Waylon even whined and danced with me but I'm not telling anyone about that part.  So far 9 of the 14 plants have green shoots. WOW!
My integrity as a gardener has been reinstated. Yes. It really has. It was in considerable question. You know, asparagus roots flapping in the wind for almost 3 weeks. Then my mother-in-law so kindly telling me I needed to cover the roots. Covering the roots and then waking up in the middle of the night realizing the asparagus was actually planted upsidedown and then replanting them again. All that might have been reasonable doubt of gardening skill. I'm just telling you it was my technique. That's what it was alright.
I think I even said in a previous post that I was just going to let that asparagus sit for awhile and see what happens. They needed more rain to rejuvenate the roots. WOW. I can't believe I said that.
Actually, wow, I can't believe that happened!

The beans still look like this. That's okay. Cause that means they didn't float away either. I'm not sure it could look any rosier right now. I have asparagus shoots and Country Boy has beans. (He might be full of beans too but I'm not going to tell him that. ha) I really did think I was delirious earlier. I thought I was seeing things. Not enough sleep does that to a person. So I went out and looked at them again. They're still there.
They still look like asparagus shoots. Wow. I can't believe it. Wonder if they still look the same in the dark. I need to go out and check on them again..........
WOW!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Summer rain

What a beautiful morning we started out with. I was really enjoying it. I had clothes on the line. Dishes washing and cleaning started. I was in the basement for a bit and when I came upstairs I saw this:
Whoa Nelly, not looking good for the clothes on the line! I had to run out and get them real quick. I made it. It started sprinkling right when I got done. Had to put the clothes in the dryer dadgum it. It sure got dark in the house. There wasn't much lightening but the thunder rolled some. It's all hot and sticky and cool at the same time now. Summer rain. It's all her fault.
I was busy in the house. Kids aren't home. It's boring at home. They have things to do and places to be. I was excited I found the lost kazoo from the family gathering the other night. I think there should be a pretty excited kid to get his purple kazoo back! I'm not sure what they were doing in the basement but I think everyone had fun.
Wow, It sure rained hard. I have puddles everywhere.
My goodness.. how much rain did we get? I better go check.
Holy cow, I think that says about an 1.4 inches. What did all this do to the beans?? (It's all about the beans you know.)
They like it, they like it! I guess I better not complain about the rain. Next week when it's 95 and all hot, humid and sticky out I'll be wishing for a rainy day again.
Think I'll go out and check on the garden. Well, maybe not. It just started raining again. The sun is shining and it's raining and thundering now. It's summertime. That's how it goes in the summer.