Tuesdays News

Welcome to my farm!  I'm so glad you stopped by to see me today!  Around here, we are getting ready for the stormy weather that is suppose to arrive tomorrow.  This involves putting the last of the bell peppers into our freezer, packing up items to donate or sell that are currently sitting on our carport, and picking up patio cushions to pack away for next year.  It is almost Thanksgiving, so I guess it is time for those things.  Today it was 77 degrees.  Still hot for November.  But that will change tomorrow with the rain.

Daughter #1 bought me a dress for my birthday.  But I needed to exchange it.  So I went to do that today.  I looked, and looked.  I bought one home without trying it on.  I had tried on several that didn't work.  If this one doesn't work, I'll be back at the store, I guess.  I hope it fits and I can wear it during the holidays.

Daughter #1 is sick.  She has been in bed most of the day, and may go to the doctor tomorrow and ask for a shot.  I don't know if she has a cold or the flu.  I hope no one else gets it.

Daughter #3 got a call today from the police that her items that had been recently stolen, have been recovered.  She went to claim them.  She was so excited.  She said they had many items that they didn't know who they belong to.

I have re-started my health program to try to control my fibroid tumors without surgery.  I was doing well until the tornado last spring.  So yesterday, I began my supplements again, and will make a more diligent effort to keep processed food out of my diet.  I need to cut white sugar also, but that is hard.  Most of the white sugar in my diet falls in the category of coffee and tea.  Neither are as good without white sugar!  One new change that I added is iodine.  I started with 4 drops a day in a drink.  I believe the goal is to work up to 40 drops once a day.  The iodine helps balance hormones (which I need) and it kills tumors from the inside out.  That would be nice.  More and more people are commenting on my "baby bump", when my due date is, etc.  I have developed those blue veins on my stomach.  It is impossible to find clothes to fit.  So If I don't do this, I may have to wear a mu mu!  The other new thing I'm trying is drinking "probiotic juice"  in the morning.  You get it in the organics section of the grocery store.  I drink just a small juice glass each morning.  I'll let you know how it goes!

GrandBoy Swinging at the Park!  Photo and moment by Daughter #2

Tonight for dinner, we had stuffed shells in tomato sauce, lima beans, and corn.  The lima beans, corn, and tomato sauce were all from our garden and canned by me!  You can't get much less "processed" than that!  See you tomorrow.  Honey

31 Days of My Real Farm Life - Day 16

31 Days of Life on Our Farm!

Hello Friends!  Happy Sunday.  I hope you had a wonderful, restful day with your family.  A few days ago, I broke a tooth.  This tooth had actually been cracked for about four years.  Pieces had broken off twice since then.  But this time the tooth broke horizontally on the front.  It is broken off almost gum line, and I am afraid it will start hurting, if I don't get to the dentist quick!  The first appointment I could get is for tomorrow (Monday) at 1:00.  So far, the tooth area is tender, but not in killer pain.  So I am happy about that.

We may get our first freezing weather this week.  It will get to 35 or so mid week, so Pappy and I are keeping an eye on the situation.  If it does look like it will get to freezing, we have to do things in advance like move the doves to the green house, get all the house plants moved indoors, pick the garden one last time, and cut all the blooming flowers.  Some things I can cover with a sheet, like the mums.  I went ahead and picked all the tomatoes today.  I also picked that majority of the peppers, but left the small ones a little longer.  I picked the last of the beans, too.  I read this week that Fall is the country's favorite season.  Well, it isn't mine.  I think Fall is depressing.  Fall means that we are one step away from winter, and I hate to be cold.  It also means that year end is almost here, and I need to hurry up and finish all the things I need to have done before the year ends.  I'm a procrastinator, so there are always things I need to get done.  Pappy is one of the people who love Fall though.

These are the tomatoes I picked today.  Usually we have a lot more at the end of year, but because of the drought I guess we have slowed down here.

I separate the greens tomatoes from the red ones.  The red ones I will can.  I start out by washing them and then dipping them in boiling water.  The skin will split, and then you take them out and place them in cold water to chill.  Once cooled you can pull the peels off comfortably.  I will fill a jar with the skinned tomatoes.  Finish filling the jar with boiling water, add salt and lemon juice, and seal the jar with a hot flat and canning ring.  When all jars are ready, process at the specified time.  I use these tomatoes in tacos, spaghetti, soup, chili, anywhere and everywhere you would use canned tomatoes.  Some people also use them in garden salads, during the winter.  I haven't tried that, but plan to this year.

Each year I place my green tomatoes in this contraption to turn red and ripen.  And they do all turn red eventually.  I'm not sure what this is, because someone left it in one of our rental properties.  There are four spaces in it when fully extended.  I have all but one clipped together because I don't have that many tomatoes this year.  Some years the whole thing is full.  If anyone knows what this item is really used for, please let me know.  Pappy thinks it is a pie cooling rack.  Personally, I wouldn't want my pies swinging around in the air, but maybe others feel differently. 

Our neighbor just called us to see if we wanted to pick turnip greens tonight before the weather turns.  I told him that I would call Tuesday, after my dental appointment.  I don't think I will feel like fooling with them tomorrow.

Our neighbor also has more hot pepper.  That is kinds funny, because I just finished stringing the last of the pepper they brought us a month ago.  I did that yesterday while watching the Alabama Game.  I think I will make pepper sauce if I get some more this week.

My finished pepper strings.  These will dry, and can be used in cooking.  Just crumble into any recipe you would use pepper in.

                                    



I guess that is enough today from here.  I still have to find time this week to can apples.  I wish I had vacation time so I could get paid while doing some things around here.  If I can't figure out when to can apple slices, I guess I will put the apples in our roaster one night, and make apple sauce to can.  That will cook down on their own without my supervision.  I also purchased grapes to make grape juice to try. Just a couple of quarts.  I need to do that, too.

Come back to see us tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by.  Honey

Sunday - A Day of Rest?

Today is Sunday.  I always like Sunday, because usually it goes at a slower pace than the rest of the week.  This one, not so much.

The day started out without Grandboy.  If he doesn't spend Saturday night, he usually comes Sunday morning before church.  This week that didn't happen.  I got a call in the middle of church that he was at McDonald's and needed to be picked up.  So I had to leave church to go get him.  We got back for the last ten minutes or so of church.  He helped me pass out school supplies to some of the children at church.  School starts in our county tomorrow.  Since Grandboy loves church so much and missed most of it, we went back for the "evening" service at 1:30. 

Between services we went home and had lunch.  I washed the dishes, and made iced tea.  After the late service, I started canning.  Today I canned lima beans, corn, and apple pear sauce.  I also did about 5 loads of laundry, cooked dinner, planned the weekly menu, and washed dishes.  Now for some quiet time.  I need to send a few "get well" cards to people at church, and catch up on my Bible in 90 Days reading.

It is going to be in the 60's tonight.  That will be great.  Maybe our utility bill will go down! 

One other thing I have been working on this evening is the grocery list.  I will do our monthly grocery trip this Friday night.  We don't shop like most people.  We grow most of our own food.  We raise our own beef, some chicken, rabbit, lamb, goat, and some years pork.  We also have our own catfish.  We have a garden, and grow most of our vegetables.  We have our own eggs, and make some of our cheese from goat's milk.  So mostly, I buy a lot of dairy.  Cheese, milk, butter, sour cream, yogurt.  I buy staples like sea salt, sugar, nuts, mustard.  I buy fruit and produce for salads.  I buy crackers, animal crackers, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, bread, coffee, and tea.  I buy tuna.  I also buy those big huge bottles of water.  This is because we are on a well, and if the utilities are off we won't have water.  So at least we will have something to drink.  I buy non-food products, like dish soap, dryer sheets, paper plates, toilet tissue, Kleenex, and cat food.  I am going to buy glue mouse traps this time, because it is getting cooler and we saw a mouse this week.  That happens when you live in the middle of a 100 acres of cotton!  And I buy as much as I can on the scratch and dent shelf, and the marked down bins.  I go at least once between for perishables, and more bread and milk.  The last time I did this everything in my cart was marked down.  The cashier said, "How are we suppose to make any money if everything you bought is marked down?"  I said, "I guess you'll have to make it on someone else!". 

Well, that's all for today.  Thanks for stopping by!  Honey

Friday Night

I'm always so glad by the time Friday night gets here.  I'm usually so tired, and just ready to have life move at a slower pace.  Today I ran errands like I do most every day.  I go to two post office boxes, and at least one bank just about every day, Monday through Saturday.  Today I went to three banks.  One was where we have our deposits, one we have our farm account at and they give free certified checks, and one to cash a large rent check.  That rent check does not always clear, so I go to that bank at least once a month to try to cash the check. 

I went to our Kroger.  While there, they marked the clear storage boxes down.  The shoebox size was $1 and the sweater boxes was $2.  I got ten of the shoebox size.  I thought I could use them for food storage, for small packages of food.  I would like to make some of those Christmas boxes for charity, too.  I also had to stop to buy car oil. 

I went to the trailer park to see if one of our tenants had moved out.  We are pending a "sheriff put out" (eviction), the man I work with is pending two, and another investor I know of is pending one.  I don't think I remember a time when I knew that many evictions.  Kinda makes me nervous.  But otherwise, things in the rental business are good.  At least for us.  We have nothing empty.  The only things we have available are two undeveloped half acre lots.  And we will have this home when the eviction occurs.  Maybe she will beat the sheriff and be gone by Monday!

This weekend I have a lot of catching up to do!  I have about 10 loads of laundry.  I have to can some Lima beans, pear sauce, and corn.  And I have to catch up on my Bible in 90 Days!  Oh, yeah.  Pappy wants me to walk down and check the cantaloupe patch and see if they are ready to be picked yet.  Pappy worked on fencing and seeding pastures today. 

Well, that is about it today.  I hope you all will come back tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by!  Honey

Selling Peacocks and Hair Cuts

Today was a busy day, and very very HOT!  This wasn't even one of the hottest days we've had so far, but it seemed so hot, all day long.  I feel like I'm melting.  But, this too shall pass!

Today we sold two baby peacocks.  The lady came from Cullman, an hour away, to pick them up.  We talked for a while, and I may get some guinea babies from her soon.  Our second pea hen lost all her babies.  These were her first ones, and she just didn't watch them and keep up with them. 

Got a call from daughter #3 tonight, and Grandboy cut his own hair.  Oh, dear,  Everyone seemed to be yelling and crying.  I guess we'll see the results tomorrow when I pick him up for church.  At least hair Does grow back! 

Tonight for dinner we had home made and canned spaghetti sauce with noodles, home canned peaches, garlic bread, and iced tea.  Daughter #2 came in from work, and opened a jar of Ragu she had stashed in her room.  She says Ragu is sweeter.  Then she adds more sugar.  She says it is her secret ingredient.  You just can't control these adult kids. 

Grandboy at the rodeo last summer.