PEACEFUL ACRES

SEEDS RECEIVED

2012-01-31T18:18:00.000-08:00

I ordered 1 lb of Low Profile Beneficial Habitat seed mix from LA Hearne Company.

This is a mix of yarrow, alyssum, poppy, bachelor buttons, multiple types of clover and fescue.

I will be making seed bombs and launching them into my field around my newly cleared pond.

I will also plant a few pots full for the porch and also I will put one pot around my garden area.

I am hoping this will draw in bees since i see so few usually.

THIS YEARS PLANS

2012-01-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

HERE ARE THE PLANS FOR THIS YEAR:

1. CLEAN OUT POND--DONE
2. BUY LOAD OF GARDEN SOIL
3. MOVE FINAL GARDEN BEDS
4. FILL WITH GARDEN SOIL
5. PUT UP GARDEN FENCE - 1 of 2 done
6. FILL IN WITH MULCH
7. FIX WATER TOTE STAND - done
8. GET TREE CUT DOWN
9. WORK ON RUTS FROM TRACTOR - partially done
10.MOVE RUN IN SHED FROM THE FIELD UP BY CARPORT
11.BREAK UP STICKS FOR STARTER WOOD
12.KEEP GRASS MOWED
13.START DIGGING UP LOCUST TREELINGS (ABOUT A MILLION)
14.KEEP TRASH PICKED UP
15.FIND A CHICKEN PROCESSOR
16.PLACE ORDER FOR 10 MEAT CHICKENS
17.PLACE BI WEEKLY ORDERS FOR FIELD SEEDS (first order is a low profile beneficial habitat mix from LA Hearndon)(received my first order--Low Profile Beneficial Habitat--should draw in bees)
18.GROW TOMATOS
19.GROW 4 GARDEN BOXES OF GROCERIES
20.REMOVE CURVED FENCE FROM THE FRONT YARD
21.MOVE THE CHAIN LINK GATE FROM THE FRONT YARD TO BY THE TURKEY PEN
22.LEARN HOW TO ROOT FLOWERS AND TREES; ADD AT LEAST 100 ROOTED ITEMS FROM FRIENDS
23.IF THERE IS A LOT OF OVERTIME...PAY OFF TRUCK IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
24.REDUCE RABBIT HEARD TO 1 BUCK AND 2 DOES
25.RAISE 10 CHICKENS AT A TIME
26.REBUILD RAMP TO PORCH
27.ADD GRAVEL WALK TO RAMP
28.ADD ARCH AT THE ENTRANCE TO GRAVEL WALK
29.PLANT JASMINE ON ARCH
30.SEE IF ANY GRAPES SURVIVED..PRUNE
31.BUILD A GRAPE SUPPORT FENCE
32.PLANT 2 PEAR TREES
33.IF ANY APPLE TREES OR PECAN TREES ARE ALIVE BABY THEM
34.START A COMPOST PILE!!!
35.START A SAVINGS ACCOUNT SPECIFICALLY TO REMODEL THE SHED/CHICKEN HOUSE
36.BEGIN PLANS TO BUILD A 2 CAR GARAGE OUT FRONT
37.SAVE TO REPLACE THE ROOF
38.SAFE FOR GUTTERS..INSTALL THESE WITH MORE WATER STORAGE
39.USE THE EXTRA WOOD I HAVE TO BUILD A HUGELKULTURE BED
40.START MAKING HYPER TUFA POTS FOR MY DECK
41.PLANT FLOWERS AND HERBS IN THE HYPERTUFA POTS
42. ...

HMMMM SOMEBODY'S SNEEKING IN?

2012-01-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

FREEBIE FROM CRAIGSLIST

2012-01-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

DUCK EGGS!!!

2012-01-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

PALM SUGAR

2012-01-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Very interesting sugar. Learn More Here

CANNED EGGS?

2011-12-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

SO IT CAN BE DONE!DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE GOOD THOUGH

4 MALES AND 4 FEMALES

2011-12-24T07:28:00.001-08:00

I will have to cull 3 of the males and put them in the freezer. The big male is 5 years old and though he thinks he is king of the roost, he may be too old to keep.

And I have 3 VERY fat baby bunnies; not a good number but 3 is better than 0

DON'T ASK ME WHY...I JUST COULDN'T SAY NO

2011-12-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

LAST DAY OF VACATION

2011-12-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well I slept til 8:30 this morning. And I got up and made a pan of homemade Hot Cocoa.

1/4 C Cocoa Powder
1/2 C Sugar
1/3 C hot water
dash of salt
Mix in a pan on the stove and bring to a boil for 2 minutes

Then add 4 cups of milk and heat to drinking temp
add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

I went out to check on the bunnies. One doe kindled while I was in Louisiana. 3 fat babies all healthy.

There is work to do outside. Just clean up stuff. I am not ready to go out yet. I am doing laundry first and playing on the computer.

I got to see New Orleans for the first time. Although I liked some of the French Quarter, most of it was just junky bars. However I found a cool hand made soap shop that was a lot of fun. And the best place EVER was a candy shop. They had vats of cooking caramel going and were making turtles!!! I wanted to set up my tent and live there.

KITTY LIFE IS VERY ROUGH

2011-12-13T08:11:00.001-08:00

BIRTHDAYS AND CHOW CHOW

2011-12-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

10 YEARS AGO TODAY I MET MY OLDEST GRAND SON FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME...AND MY WORLD COMPLETELY CHANGED!

ONWARD TO CHOW CHOW:

I CORED AND CUT UP ALL OF THE WONDERFUL GREEN TOMATOS

YES I CHEAT AND USE A FOOD PROCESSOR:

THEN I CUT AND PROCESS ONIONS

CHOPPED JALEPANOS AND BANANA PEPPERS

PUT ALL IN MY LARGE STOCK POT

ADDED 6 CUPS OF SUGAR, 4 CUPS OF PICKLING WHITE VINEGAR, 1/2 CUP OF PICKLING SALT, 2 TEASPOONS OF PICKLING SPICE AND BOILED IT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR

I STERILZED THE JARS IN BOILING WATER FOR THE SAME TIME.

FILLED THE JARS AND PUT THEM IN THE CANNER

AND THEY ARE DONE

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO ON A DAY LIKE THIS?

CHOW CHOW IS COMING

2011-12-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Wow what a discovery. I looked on Local Harvest . com and found a farmer in my area(we are talking 8 miles away!) with a newish you pick farm. I emailed to see if there was anything left this time of year and during a drought. He emailed back and said He had mountains of green tomatos for FREE!!!

I spent time picking tomatos and looking around their wonderful farm. A huge pit bull protects their chickens and roosters. He loved me to scratch him under the chin. (Yes I dislike that breed of dog but Charlie was endearing).

Anyway I have an 8 gallon bucket of green tomatos that will be made into chow chow tomorrow. He also let me have all the Jalepenos I wanted also for free.

I bought fall greens and some tomatos that I found that were red and unharmed by the freeze.

I can't wait til next year. He has 6 foot high black berry bushes.

New Office

2011-12-03T10:00:00.001-08:00

The New Office in use.

THE PLAN IS ON

2011-11-26T14:47:00.001-08:00

Yes this is the time of year where we start to think about the future.

I have used DEBTMD to itemize a plan to become debt free by 2016 as well as own my home outright by 2018.

This is using only $200 per month more than I am using right now and paying off $125,000 in debt in 7 years.

I am ready! Are you?

NO SHOP BLACK FRIDAY (updated)

2011-11-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

Here is my project list for this day:

1. spread and salt 2 deer hides my son brought me (decided to soak them instead in prep of fleshing saturday)

2. soak some vines in water in prep to make holiday wreaths for the family (didn't get done)

3. make some runs on the tractor to the burn pile (done)

4. feed rabbits and check for babies (done)

5. debone all turkey (done)

6. boil the carcass (boiling now)

7. chop most of the meat and put into sterilized canning jars (chopped and waiting for stock to finish)(case of soup finished, plus 8 qts of thickened broth canned)

8. add raw chopped onion, celery, uncooked pasta, salt and pepper to the jars (chopped)

9. add thickened broth to the jars and can them for 90 min

And then build a fire in the chiminea and drink wine with my son and his daughter when they arive.(done and what a wonderful evening)

I AM THANKFUL

2011-11-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that my son, daughter, daughter in law and 4 grand babies were here to enjoy food and family.

I am also thankful for seemingly never ending hot water! Have you ever seen The Santa Clause with Tim Allen? The scene where he tells his son the red bag is empty and then when he reaches in he finds something else? That was my dishwater tonight. It was bottomless and never ending! Everytime I reached in I found something else to wash.

THE NEW OFFICE

2011-11-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

Here is the color. I am putting a chaise in the corner where the couch is. A desk where the ladder is and lots of colorful pictures and curtains.

I decided that as much as I work from home, I needed office space. So as I had donated the bunk beds to my daughter, the back room had no use other than to hold toys.

SNUGGLING IN

2011-10-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

After a busy day, when the winds started whipping cold, we built a fire while the last pumpkin pie baked in the oven.

Now the hide-a-bed is pulled out, and they are snuggled under the down comforter watching the polar express wishing Christmas would hurry up.

FINALLY FALL

2011-10-29T11:45:00.001-07:00

Grand kids are coming over today. Here is our fun to do list:

1. back a pumpkin pie for my sick momma
2. visit her and take the pie
3. split kindling wood
4. clear and build a fall garden on the east side of the rabbit shed
5. mix dirt and composted rabbit poo and fill the bed
6. plant fall plants
7. load kindling in the fire starter box in the living room
8. put up bird feeders and fill them
9. fill the bird bath and rabbit and dog waters
10. cut down two dead trees

That should keep us busy enough!

The Business of Illness

2011-07-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today while shopping for fresh veggies for the next 3 days of meals, it occurred to me what a big business illness has become.

1. First there is the business of becoming ill:
Busy schedule causes the need for
Fast food
Shipment of fast food ingredients to the plant
Employment of the people who process the "food"
Employment of the people who research and make the equipment needed to process the fast food
Employment of the people who keep the manufacturing and processing equipment running
Restaurants: shipment of ingredients to the restaurant
In the event that this is processed food the same applies as under fast food
Bill boards to advertise the above
Commercials to advertise the above
Clothing manufacturers: there aren't very many people who maintain the same size every season

2. Now we are ill and obese
Research and manufacture of the following:
blood pressure meds
cholesterol meds
diabetes meds
diet pills
gym memberships
medical costs associated with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease
orthopedic diseases
pain meds--research, manufacture and sales
gastric medications: research, manufacture and sales
surgical procedures for radical weight loss: research medical costs associated with the surgery and with the side effects
research and treatment of all forms of cancer

Publishing and sale of books on all of the above.

***I wonder what the US economy would look like if the above went away
***I wonder what the US economy would look like if every person living in a house would grow 2 4x4 garden beds of vegetables and add what they grow to their daily diet.

Do you really believe that our government doesn't know the above?

3 days meals:

Tonights dinner:

One days fruits and veggies: 6lb 3oz

CHANGES

2011-07-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

I just took all 4 of my grandchildren to Austin TX on vacation. All children need time away from the watchful eyes of parents so that they can eat cotton candy for breakfast and skip lunch in liu of something more appetizing.

Well while there I realized how out of shape and overweight I really was. Yes I had fun but I could have had so much more fun!

When I came home I was exhausted. So I sat in my trusty recliner with my laptop on my lap and tuned into Netflix...fun quiet evening.

I found the movie Fat, Sick, and nearly Dead. This movie opened my eyes. This was me! Do I really want my grandchildren to lose me early? Do I really want to be taking buckets of meds for the rest of my life?

I am so overweight I can not move without pain.

So here it is....my first Mean Green. I will be doing a juice fast. I am not sure if it will be a 10 day fast or a 60 day fast. Either will be fine with me. But at my weight I need a major reboot and detox.

CATCHING DRIPS

2011-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

IN TIMES LIKE THESE WE CAN'T WASTE WATER. RABBITS HAVE SUN SHADES AND MISTER SYSTEMS WORKING. BUT MY HOSES HAVE DRIPS. SO I CAN EITHER GO BUY A NEW HOSE OR USE WHAT I HAVE AND CATCH THE DRIPS.....

Holy Cow...150 gallons "lost" in 2 hours!!!

JULY 4...I HAVE THE DAY OFF WORK!

2011-07-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

At least I do if I work today until midnight. here is the list of farm chores I hope to complete tomorrow:

1. clean out the chicken house
2. use the chicken house stuff to fill the raised beds
3. rake the millions of pounds of mowed grass with the lawn tractor to turn it and let it complete drying
4. begin stacking the dry grass..this will be used for rabbit nest boxes, chicken nest boxes and rabbit food this winter. Dad said that they used to use a pole and pile the dry grass around the pole and it would not blow away
5. Clean out the area in front of the rabbit cages and run a magnet for nails
6. Take the rolling trash can around the yard and pick up trash
7. take the tractor and trailer around the yard and pick up stuff that needs to go down by the road...almost ready for a bulk trash pick up
8. Clean off the front porch and rearrange and make it look pretty
9. clean the house, do laundry and mop floors.
10. Daydream about seeing my boy on the 9th...he comes home from the Army for good
11. If I have anything left maybe I will go to sissys house and float in the pool.

MY CHRISTMAS DREAM

2011-07-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

SHELF RELIANCE IS WHAT IS ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST THIS YEAR

THIS CAT DOESN'T LIKE ANYONE....EXCEPT

2011-06-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

SPRING FIRSTS

2011-05-17T20:07:00.001-07:00

1. GOT MY FIRST MOSQUITO BITE
2. SAW MY FIRST LIGHTNING BUG!

PICKLED EGGS

2011-05-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

HOMEMADE RABBIT POT PIE WITH ITALIAN SEASONED CRUST

2011-05-01T17:01:00.001-07:00

DINNER TONIGHT

2011-04-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

FRESH RABBIT IN A FOIL BOAT

RUBBED LIGHTLY WITH OIL AND WEBER KICKIN CHICKEN RUB

ON THE GRILL COOKING AT 250-300

WITH A CAN OF PEAR SLICES POURED OVER IT...COOKING FOR 1.5 HOURS

SERVED WITH LUNDBERGS WILD BLEND WITH BUTTER AND FRESH CILANTRO FROM THE GARDEN

AND STEAMED FRESH PICKED SPINACH SPRINKLED WITH APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.

FIRST MOWING

2011-04-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

SPRING IS HERE

2011-04-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

TODAY WHILE SPENDING HOURS ON THE MOWER I SAW PROOF THAT SPRING WAS HERE:

1. A HUGE BLUE DRAGON FLY
2. A SCISSOR TAIL FLY CATCHER
3. A PAIR OF GREEN HERONS GETTING READY TO NEST IN MY POND
4. A BILLION BILLION FLOWERS THAT I TRIED TO MOW AROUND

PS...I REPLACED MY BATTERY AND DRAINED THE WATERY GAS FROM THE JOHN DEERE AND GOT IT RUNNING BY MYSELF!

SOUTHERN CROSS RABBITRY IS BORN

2011-03-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

IT IS OFFICIAL. THE RABBITRY HAS A NAME

OF COURSE I NEVER KNEW HOW WARPED MY FRIEND JOHN IS TIL I SAW THIS HOMEMADE RABBITRY SIGN WHEN I GOT HOME:YES THAT IS A LITTLE RABBIT HANGING ON THE LEFT AND A RABBIT HEAD ON THE RIGHT.

"Eat more guinea, chiken or dawg"

Rabbits New Home

2011-03-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

FULL WEEKEND

2011-03-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend I started an experiment. I built an earth box. It is simply a rubbermade container with rocks in the bottom and a 7 up bottle on the side. Instead of watering the box from the top, I water through the bottle and fill up the rocks.

Herb pot:

Strawberry pot:

Morenga:

AND LOOK! GRANNY SMITH IS BLOOMING!

NEW RABBIT SHED

2011-03-26T21:12:00.001-07:00

BIG MOON: LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY

2011-03-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

The big full moon last night gave me an opportunity to spend time with the grand boys w/out any electronic diversion.

We sat in the driveway and focused on the giant moon with the Wally world telescope. We talked about all the marks on the moon and speculated about what had caused them. We speculated about how our Great Lord actually made the moon and stars.

The little one got his art easle and a flash light and looked deeply into the telescope and then went and sat on the ground and drew what he saw. The pictures were very cool too. I will try to post them later.

We looked at Orions belt and a star that twinkled pink then blue then pink etc.

We need a book to show us their names.

We saw a shooting star. It was a very good night.

DREAMS

2011-03-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

Ok I realize that I am on migraine meds today but these were weird even for that:

Dream 1.
I was best friends with the artist lady on Bones. We rented homes together in a dirty area of a small hilly town. As I was unpacking I realized I had signed a lease on a house when I owned a farm out in the country (at this point a flash picture of what that farm looked like went through my memory and it was not this farm)
I knew I had to either move back, break my lease and lose her as a friend, or sell or rent the farm.

Dream 2.
A short one....I was me looking out of my eyes so I wasn't a 3rd party like watching a movie. I was standing in a flat bed trailer which was hooked to the back of a Chevy truck. In the truck was a woman and children. The truck began to pull off and drive down the driveway with me in the trailer. I knew I wasn't ready so I felt myself wave and I yelled "Hey!" Now the weird part. My voice was male and very deep! The truck stopped far from me and I looked down and saw that the trailer had come unhitched from the truck. The truck door opened and a woman got out...too far for me to see her....and I knew she was my wife!

Ok time for more meds!

I think I will try this.....

2011-02-28T20:47:00.001-08:00

GLOBAL BUCKETS

SATURDAY AFTERNOON POST

2011-02-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Here are pics of the new babies:

This is a great nest:

These are going in the freezer around April 14th:

Also I ordered Moringa seeds and plants which arrived today!

They are in shipping shock so I hope they pull through. Here in N TX I will have to work hard to get them to overwinter. I will have to heavily layer with rabbit manure and mulch and possible prune and cover them. They semi tropical but here is why I am planting them:

1. 7 times more Vitamin C than oranges
2. 4 times more Vitamin A than carrots
3. 3 times more Iron than spinach
4. 3 times more Potasium than bananas
5. All of your essential amino acids

And from what I have heard they taste wonderful. To both rabbits and people.

KITS!!!!!!!!

2011-02-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

I GOT HOME TODAY READY TO TAKE OUT THE NEST BOX AND GET THE DOE READY TO CULL THIS WEEKEND AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW???

THE NEST BOX HAD A HUGE BALL OF FUR AND WHEN I PULLED IT BACK THERE WERE 6 PRETTY KITS INSIDE!!!

SHE BELIEVED ME WHEN I TOLD HER I WOULD EAT HER.

LAST CHANCE

2011-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

Well I have a heat lamp under the nest box....

I have lined the box with borrowed fur.....

And she is interested.....

Now if only she can figure out how to deposit the little pink wigglers in the right place.

MORNING UPDATE: This is so frustrating. One dead baby on the wire this morning. And between 5:15 am and 6 am she was furiously building a nest. Now she is just laying there and I am afraid to go to work because If I am here I can at least put them on a heating pad until she is done and then put them in the box and cover them with hay. aaarrrrggghhhh

SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

I got out of the truck at 8:15pm. The moon is full. The breeze is warm. I filled a nest box full of pine shavings and straw and put it in the cage with my rabbit named A. Last chance for her. Babies are due on Sunday.

Then I heard it. The frogs were awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOW NOT TO HOMESTEAD

2011-02-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET GREEDY

COYOTE STEALTH

2011-02-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

There is just something freaky about the howl of a coyote 20 feet from the porch were your giant alert dog lays.

This took us both off guard. He roared off the porch and I roared out of my recliner.

So they are beginning to test his sight and hearing limits. This could be bad.

REMEMBER THE SEARS CHRISTMAS CATALOG

2011-02-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

YES THE BIG ONE THAT YOU SPENT HOURS CIRCLING THINGS THAT YOU WANTED WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE.....

WELL THIS IS KIND OF LIKE THAT WITH ME....

BAD TIMING 2

2011-02-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ya gotta love the timing of bad things;

1. As I was getting ready for work, doing my normal daily routine, I found a lump in my breast.

2. Worked 7 am to 9 pm today....got home almost at 10pm only to find that a hot water line had frozen and broke. Who knows how long my water ran but the hot water tank has not shut off since I came home; It doesn't have an off switch and I don't know which breaker is for the tank; I might try experimenting in a bit if it doesnt turn off soon.

fun stuff

BAD TIMING

2011-02-09T03:52:00.000-08:00

Well I came home late as usual last night and there was a horse in my front yard. I didn't even have the energy to figure out where it came from. I filled a bucket with rabbit food and led her/him out the front gate and shut the gate.

Fed animals and then went inside to find that I could smell propane!!!

The emergency line said to check the level on the tank...guess what? EMPTY! And as I type this the wind has just switched around from the north for our next winter blast. It is supposed to be 19 degrees tonight...with 4-6 inches of snow.

My bedroom has it's own heater though so I slept fine but now all I can do it hope that the provider will be able to fill my tank today.

UPDATE: yep it is officially icing now. pellets are hitting my window as I type
UPDATE 2: ok propane guy came to fill the tank and Bull tried to eat him. Anyway the heat is on at the tune of $566!

SO TIRED

2011-02-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

66 HOUR WORK WEEK LAST WEEK AND THE FIRST DAY OF THIS WEEK I WORKED FROM 6:30 AM THROUGH 8:30 PM. I REALIZED I SAT AT MY DESK FROM 1:30 PM TO 8:30 PM AND NEVER GOT UP! YES I KNOW HOW VERY BAD THAT IS. ANYWAY I WANTED TO WARN YOU THAT POSTS WILL BE LIGHT THIS WEEK.

WHY DO I DO IT YOU ASK?

WELL LAST NIGHT AT 8PM A WOMAN BEGAN TO CRY WHEN I TOLD HER THAT I WOULD PAY FOR HER AND HER CHILDREN TO GO TO A HOTEL BECAUSE HER PIPES HAD FROZEN....THAT'S WHY.

ONE LAST MAN STANDING

2011-02-06T11:37:00.001-08:00

PLEASE NOTE THE MISSING NOSE: CARROTS ARE BULLS FAVORITE FOOD

12 INCHES IN TEXAS

2011-02-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! It was beautiful but not fun to drive in to get my grand boys. And We in the South know that when a deep freeze in January comes, the water lines freeze and blow; So since I have customers who need my help you will only get one picture tonight because I have to keep working

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT SNOW

2011-02-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

Yep it happened last night. Snow. I hear you guys...yea yea so? Well I know for the folks in the North East and the Missouri area the feeling for snow wore off about a month ago but there's just something about walking out of your house before daylight and seeing the whole world white.

Bull walked up to me with his tail gently waving back and forth...this is his waiting mode...is she in a good mood...is she going to work....does she have time to play?

I looked out over the field and so did he. I smiled...he growled. Then an eerie high pitched whine started out beyond the fence that developed into the howl of one lone coyote. He had reason to growl. This weather would make hunting hard and coyotes are very lazy.

We walked on to the rabbit pens. I filled all of the water bowls (switched to bowls since the bottles were freezing in an hour and a baby bunny got his little tiny tongue stuck to the frozen metal ball). Then I walked out to the chicken house were the two Lion Head rabbits were patiently waiting for their water.

If you have never owned a turkey or you have never sat on the ground during a spring turkey hunt, you probably don't know the sounds that a tom turkey makes. Deep in their guts they make a pop and thrum sound that is so deep you feel it in your bones. They don't always gobble...seems that they make this noise all night long as well as at the end of a gobble.

Bull growled and growled as I finished up watering. It's still snowing. He stood with his head pointed north at high alert, his hackles up, his tail stiff and straight up, protecting his family.....you could also feel his deep growl to your bones.

I would imagine that lone coyote felt it as well.

WINTER LIFE

2011-02-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

COOL GIVEAWAY

2011-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

THE FOLKS AT FOOD STORAGE AND SURVIVAL ARE HAVING A GREAT GIVE AWAY. THIS IS A GREAT BLOG ON SURVIVAL SKILLS. HOPE YOU GO GIVE THEM A LOOK.

WINTER STORM

2011-02-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

I know the poor folks in the North East roll their eyes when we in Texas get a winter storm but HOLY COW the wind sounds like a freight train outside. It is times like this that I KNOW how blessed I am to have a warm home.

But I will be working from home because I don't drive on ice. Looking at the winter storm heading toward the NE, the front of that storm is almost 2000 miles long.

Please pray for those people if you are a praying person. I talk to these people all day long and it is not a good situation.

I HATE SPENDING MONEY

2011-01-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

BUT I HAD TO BUY A DISHWASHER. I CANT KEEP UP WITH MY DISHES. SINCE I DECIDED THAT I WOULD NOT PURCHASE ANY MORE PRE-PACKAGED FOOD AND WOULD BE COOKING REAL FOOD, I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE DISHES. I KNOW THIS IS HORRIBLE BUT SOMETIMES I GET IN FROM WORK, CUBSCOUTS, ERRANDS AFTER 8PM. SO EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS LIKE A LUXURY I AM HAVING A DISHWASHER DELIVERED AND INSTALLED AND THE OLD UNIT TAKEN AWAY.

DERBY DAY

2011-01-29T16:48:00.000-08:00

One took 3rd and a trophy. They other only got a certificate. Learning to be a gracious loser is one of the hardest life lessons that scouts helps with.Sorry about the fuzzy pics. Boys just don't stop moving.

A NEW FAVORITE

2011-01-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

We had a chili cook off last week at work. As I was leaving it I ended up walking down the all with my bosses bosses boss. He is very friendly and was telling me about his favorite chili and he had to buy it online because they don't sell it here in TX. Yesterday I was leaving work and he walked up and gave me a packet of it!

Here is is:

If any of you can get some you won't regret it. But it has a very distinct taste and he says that it is traditionally served over spaghetti.

If you do get it please figure out what the spice is that is in it. It is very familiar and I know I should know it but can't figure it out.

LEUCAENA IS HERE!

2011-01-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

I am so excited. Really my area is too cold for this plant but I will do my best in the late fall to heavily mulch and cover them so that the roots don't die.

This is a high protien legume that makes a good livestock feed. I will be feeding this to my rabbits and my chickens.

THE TO DO LIST

2011-01-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here is this weekend's to do list:

1. Work with grand boys to earn their Bear and Wolf badges

2. Clean and press their uniforms and change their pack numbers, add their belt loops and add their badges

3. Go to the farm and get milk

4. Make chicken soup for a sick friend

5. Take all bunnies out of the cages, clip toenails, brush them and check their ears.

6. Move the fuzzy rabbits somewhere else. Go get a new cage for momma rabbit and move her to her own cage. (new babies are due in 2 wks)

7. Do Laundry

8. Help boys clean their room

9. Have boys help me pack the metal box that is in the bed of my truck and talk about emergency preparedness.

10. Work with boys on arts and crafts and whittling

I hope I get all of this done. I would love to also clean out my frig.

Hope your weekend is full of wonder and grand boys

PANTRY

2011-01-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Thursday night I went to the local wally world and had pre-decided my $ limit. I actually needed little but wanted to boost my emergency stock pile. So instead of running in and out, I decided to walk slowly down the isles and look at the sales. It paid off. I came in under my limit and I left with 1.5 grocery carts full of food.

Friday when my grandboys got there we looked at all of the food and discussed what would happen if an ice storm came and we couldn't get to the store or worse if the stores went away.

I woke this morning and realized that If I did not re-organize my kitchen shelves I would not have room for all of the new groceries that had been sitting on my counter since Thursday night. I had been dreading this! It is like spring cleaning...you have to tear it apart first and then put it back...twice the work.

So I am done with the shelves. Not perfect but organized into Pastas, rice, beans, cereals, breads, oils, sweetners, meats, veggies, sauces, condiments, etc.

Now for the rest of the house! Have I told you lately how much I hate cleaning house?

Outside it is raining and drippy. But it is not freezing which is a great thing. If I ever get my house cleaned, I might go work on the tool shed.

I didn't get to go to the rabbit show yesterday because of a sick grandboy. He was disapointed also.

EVERYBODY'S GOT EM

2011-01-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

In these anything can get done. There is nothing you will shy away from. (ok maybe deep mud) but certainly not poo of any kind, tall grass, piles of leaves, things that need to be built, painted or killed.

Yep I am talking about that favorite pair of work shoes.

Here's mine:

Also, I took a vacation day today. So far here is what I have gotten done:
1. watered last years apple trees with compost tea
2. cleaned, scraped and raked out the chicken house, and bleached their water containers
3. Sat for 2 hours at the dealer while they tried to find the noise in Boo's rear end.

Pathetic I know...it's noon...half the day is gone and really only 2 things checked off of the to do list. My ADD kicks in after about 1 hour and I want to change jobs.

BUT...while I was bleaching the water containers, I heard one of my new hens fly out of the hen house so I walked over to see what she was doing and couldn't see her right away. Then found her behind the feed bin. Getting ready to deposit an egg on a nest of 3. Tonight! All wings get clipped.

I have been wondering why my Brown Leggorns have not been laying. They lay white eggs so I knew I would know them. I hope this is the only secret nest.

Getting ready to go pick up the grand boys! Woohoo then a 2:30 conference call. And the rest of the day is mine! Gotta get the bunnies ready for our firs Bunny show tomorrow. We leave at 5am.

BOO'S NEW WHEELS

2011-01-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that Boo has over 52k miles on her!!! I had driven the tread right off of the tires.

I started pricing truck tires! Wow! They start at $750 and go way up. I went to one used tire place and the guy told me that I will never find them.

As I was walking out a young man in a nice black coat approached me and told me he had a dealership in town and all of his used cars get tires from another used tire shop in town.

So I drove another mile down the road and found Castillo's Tires and they were so nice. I got 4 almost brand new tires mounted and balanced for $50/tire!!

One more night of cold weather and it will warm up for a while. I bought TX 10/15 sweet onions sets today at Calloways Nursery. And oh my goodness their trees are huge and beautiful and were only $24.99. But none of them (apple or pear) were of the crisp variety. So I abstained. But I might go back for a fig tree. Those were beautiful also. Very heavy branches.

They told me that I should go to the TX A&M website and see what fruit and nut trees will do well here as it is warmer and wetter and there are more diseases due to that.

A LITTLE NIPPY

2011-01-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

BABIES ARE GROWING UP

2011-01-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Today we go get cream from the farm and the boys and I will wash up this old butter churn to make home made butter.

Momma is running out of room fast. The babies are getting big and they love to lay on her head.

Some like to sit high on her back.

Sharing a sip.

Hanging with the bubbas and sissys.

Henrietta doesn't care for the cage but today we will splint her leg and I now have a heat lamp on her. She is eating and drinking. So she should mend.

HEN WITH A BROKE LEG

2011-01-07T09:21:00.001-08:00

RAIN WATER STORAGE BEGINS SOON

2011-01-05T10:20:00.001-08:00

BILLY GRAHAM

2011-01-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am listening to old archives of Billy Grahams sermons.

The first one is on making a choice...either choose to serve Christ or choose to serve what ever other god...but make a choice. Don't sit in the middle.

He says in this sermon that he can not live the Christian life. He is a total flop when he tries. God must live it through him because he fails every time.

This is startling. That someone like Billy Graham felt the same way that I do.

NOTE THOUGH: NOT TO MAKE THIS DECISION IS IN IT'S SELF...DECIDING NOT TO. SO YOU SEE THERE NEEDS TO BE NO DELAY

NEW ADDITION: MORINGA AND LEUCEANA

2011-01-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

I PURCHACED 5 MORINGA SEEDLINGS FROM
EMILY TACK

I ORDERED LEUCEANA SEEDS FROM AUSTRALIA ALSO FROM

ORGANICS AUSTRALIA ONLINE

I WILL BE USING BOTH OF THESE AS A HIGH PROTEIN FOOD SOURCE FOR MY LIVESTOCK.

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THIS BETTER

2011-01-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

I stood up and looked out my window to the bunny cages. Tonight is cold so I turned on the heat lamps to keep the waters from freezing; Here is what I saw.

I zoomed in and it is fuzzy. But what you are seeing is the blue water bottle in the back ground: momma rabbit laying down with her two big ears up and on her back...actually laying on her neck with it's head between her ears is a tiny baby that escaped from the nest.

ORGANIC RUSTIC MEYER LEMONS

2011-01-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

I bought a half dozen of these at the organic farm I purchase my greens from. The owners daughter has a tree in Louisiana.

I will grate the peel for lemon zest. I will juice the pulp and make lemonade.

Yum!

A NEW YEAR

2011-01-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Well like 90% of America, the resolutions have begun.

Last night I made homemade yogurt.

1 gallon milk
4 T of starter (I used Dannon plain yogurt)

From this point I will simply use my own yogurt as starter.

In a stainless steel pan I warmed the milk to body temperature. When you touch the liquid it is not warm or cold.

Then I whisked in the starter.

Then I loaded the cultured milk into pint jars and put them in my new dehydrator.

I set the temp to 100 but that was too low so mid day I increased the temp to 115.

At bed time I put all the jars into the refrigerator.

This morning breakfast was 1/4 cup of my homemade granola, 1/4 cup of homemade yogurt and 1 T of local honey. Doesn't get any better than this!

HDV 0048

2010-12-31T08:29:00.000-08:00

This is how I feel now: Amos 8

2010-12-31T04:11:00.001-08:00

11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the LORD,
but they will not find it.

Wildlands Project

2010-12-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

I am in a tin foil hat mind set lately. When you look at something like this you have to wonder where it will end up? What kind of world will our adult grand children live in?

ROAMING BABIES

2010-12-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

The babies are beginning to jump out of the box and roam around. They are very curious.

My daughter who is taking care of me after surgery can't stand to see one hopping around. She just has to grab it and hug it.

The box is getting a bit crowded.

It is a gloomy drippy morning.

FUTURE ARTISTS

2010-12-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

My Wonderful Son and his family at Ft Bragg

2010-12-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-25T04:26:00.001-08:00

As I sit here in the dark, the turkey is just beginning it's 5.5 hour roasting process, the sweet potatos are in the pressure cooker and the homemade cinnamon rolls are cooling and ready for the icing, I ponder last year. My daughter and grandsons are still in deep slumber.

If you go back to see what I wrote you will see that I did not. Last Christmas was a forced time of peace and reflection.

My son was in Afghanastan. So my phone was very important. I knew he would try to call me. As I fed animals that day, a "blue northern" came to town. It had begun to rain earlier in the day and that changed to sleet and as I fed animals, to ice.

Soon upon arriving home the roads became impassible...at least to me who owned a brand new truck. No biggie. I thought I was ready.

I started a roaring fire in the stove and put on carols. Started laundry and made last minute preps for the arrival of family the next day.

I finally sat down in my recliner and picked up my laptop to note my blog. Nothing. The power was on but the screen was black! At that time I was blogging heavily...not just mine but watching many other blogs. I did not have a good book to read so I decided that I would read my Bible and some gardening magazines before bed.

After a while I realized it was unusually quiet for Christmas eve. I looked down and my phone was not in it's usual spot. I got up and began a frantic search which included the truck....nothing.

I stopped and mentally retraced my steps and suddenly got a sinking feeling as I realized the last time I had my phone was when I came in from feeding animals and put on my pj's to do the last load of laundry.

I ran to the washing machine and there is was...inside the washer that had just completed the final spin cycle!

The screen glowed with an eerie white light...the light of death.

It never came back. I have no house phone, no computer, no cell phone and was iced in. I could not even get a call from my son overseas! I knew my family would be upset but there was nothing I could do. I don't know my neighbors well enough to ask to use their phone and it would have been a treacherous 150 yd walk in the ice.

Yet I was at peace.

When the ice melted the next day my daughter walked in the house in tears. She was so upset because my family had cancelled coming to my house for dinner and she thought that it was because they could not contact me.

I hugged her and wished her a Merry Christmas and told her it was ok and used her phone to contact everyone (who had developed bad head colds) to wish them all a Merry Christmas.

My grandboys came over though and we had a huge feast. My son called too so I could tell him again how proud I was of him and how much I loved him.

So although December 25 is not really the day that Christ our Savior was born to this horrible earth, He was very much here that night providing me with the peace of the season.

I wish you and yours the Peace intended for this Season of Joy.

MORE CHANGES

2010-12-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

CHANGES

2010-12-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I would do a short series of the changes to my farm since I moved in.

Before:

Now:

YEP THIS WILL BE HARD!

2010-12-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

GOTTA LOVE A BOYS SENSE OF STYLE

2010-12-20T10:03:00.001-08:00

DRAWN TO A BOYS SOUL

2010-12-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

I drove to the farm yesterdy to pick up fresh milk. The route there is down gravel roads that meander through miles of cattle ranches. Since I had to drive slow, I told the boys they could roll down their windows.

They were chattering away for a few minutes and slowly became quiet. Now and then one would say how beautiful something was....point out a flying hawk....angus cattle roaming freely over miles of grass land.

Then we arrived at the farm. The boys got to play with Misty the huge farm dog that loved them as much as they loved her. They chased her through plowed dormant fields and then she chased them.

I talked to the owners and paid for my 4 gallons of milk and pounds of shelled Texas pecans and almonds.

Then we headed home. Back through the fields of grass. The boys began to talk about how old time cowboys lives in the wild west. About the time we pulled back in to my driveway, their dad called to ask them what they wanted for Christmas...and their answer? Cowboy hats, belts, wranglers and boots.

Their is something about wild land that speaks to a child's soul. I remember wandering the hills of West Virginia in the late 60's and my spirit was at peace. At no other time was I truly at peace.

4 DAYS OLD

2010-12-18T11:59:00.001-08:00

10 DAYS WITH GRAND BOYS! EXPERIMENT #1

2010-12-16T19:54:00.001-08:00

4 Gallons of fresh raw milk will be picked up on Saturday noon. Got this in today! I can't wait to try it out!

6 BEAUTIFUL PINK BABIES

2010-12-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

HOMEMADE BUTTER

2010-12-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

So since I don't have any baby rabbits to go ga-ga over, I made butter. I left a gallon of milk out on the counter. (ok this part is wrong...you are supposed to suck out the cream from the top of the milk and let THAT set out on the counter).

Then because I wanted to experiment I started the food processor and a jar of milk to see which one formed butter first.

Well duh!! This was really cool though because my grand mother never let me help with the last part. Only the churning.

After about 5 minutes, I stopped the processor and what was floating at the top was "foamy chunks". I know that this time of year the butter is going to be more white than yellow due to cows eating more hay than grass.

I took a slotted spoon and dipped out the butter and using the round side of a metal teaspoon I started pressing on it and the buttermilk poured out of it. I kept pouring it off back into the processor.

After I could get no more out I poured very cold water in to the bowl. I kept working it and pouring out the water, adding fresh for 3 times until the water stayed clear. This was very fun.

You can expect to get about 1 stick of butter from 1.5 quarts of cream. This milk probably only had 1/2 quart of cream per gallon. So until summer I won't get much butter. I may order straight cream this weekend just to have fun with the grand boys and show them how to make butter. We will freeze it for Christmas day dinner.

The second way to make butter is cultured butter. I bought plain raw organic yogurt. Into the second half gallon I place about 1/3 cup of yogurt. I let it sit (where it is now) and before bed I will process the same way to see the difference in texture, color and flavor.

I will try to update the comments section when I am done.

WINTER BIRTH PREPS

2010-12-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

I feel like a new father...pacing in the waiting room nervously. My second doe tore apart her nest today and was running around the cage with hay in her mouth like a huge moustaches.

I have watched her all evening building the most beautiful nest I have ever seens for a winter birth. It is like a ball of hay with a hole in the middle.

Now if she can just figure out how to have babies in there instead of on the cage floor.

PREPPING TO REMEMBER A MIRACLE

2010-12-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY CHORES

2010-12-11T06:31:00.000-08:00

I have been up since 4:45 am. I have canned 9 pints of chicken and dumplings and have 3 quarts of pickled beets in right now.

Later I will try to pickle some jalapenos..some clinging to the dead plants out front.

Dad is coming over this morning and we are putting up the icicle lights out front and finishing the peg board in the tool shed.

At noon I will be going out to the farm to pick up 2 gallons of raw milk. I did not order rennet to make cheese so I may freeze this milk and order it online. I plan on making mozzerella and cheddar. I want to work my way up to asiago cheese.

A cold front is coming in today so I will try to clean out the hen house and lay down new bedding. Fill food containers up and water the garden so that the spigots can be covered.

Then the most important thing!! I am getting out the Christmas tree and all of the decorations. I will try to see if the grandboys can come and help me decorate and drink hot cocoa with me.

That is pretty much it. Kind of boring and basically just being here to watch the other rabbit to see if she is going to kindle this weekend.

STUFF HAPPENS

2010-12-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well my biggest bunny had one dead baby 6 days early on the cage floor today.

I am not sure why but it was a very large baby. The smallest is supposed to deliver on sunday. Hopefully that delivery will go better.

WEEKEND CHORES

2010-12-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well it was a pretty good weekend.

I got the large tarp up to block the wind on the N side of the car port. This will help the rabbits this winter.

I picked tons of beets, turnips and greens and started canning the greens.

I powdered my first batch of dried sweet potatoes.

I made my hoop house for the salad garden.

I killed 3 chickens and used them to make 8 quarts of chicken and dumplings. I will take some of this to work for lunches and give some to my daughter for her boyfriend (special b day request). And if there is any left over I will can the rest.

I almost completed the laundry.

All of the dishes are washed but I would not consider the kitchen clean yet. It is still cluttered.

I cleaned my room and hung up all the clothes that I had washed yesterday. I emptied all the trash.

I bought (but have not used) a food saver vaccum sealer and some canning jars as well as several needed baking tools for the kitchen.

DEHYDRATED SWEET POTATOES

2010-12-05T03:35:00.000-08:00

I love having something cool to do when I can't sleep. I got out the dried sweet potato from the dehydrator.

Some of it was the consistency of fruit leather. Some was dry and shattered. Now I know that I want it very thin for how I want to store it. I put all the parts back in on a couple of trays to see if they would become brittle. And while I was at it I filled the remaining 8 trays with some more mashed sweet potato.

Then I put the brittle potatos in the food processor for the initial run.

I got semi large chunks. I could store this way just fine but I wanted powder. So I broke out the blender for the final run. I am very pleased.

SATURDAY EVENING POST

2010-12-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Ok it isn't evening yet but I imagine I will be too busy the rest of the day to post and I am resting from the first part right now.

I drank coffee this morning after I slept in til 7:30am. Then burned some trash, fed the bunnies their morning oats and sunflower seeds and just relaxed.

Then I took off for wally world to get a vaccum sealer. I internet shopped for an hour and found that the one wally sells is the same and I don't have to wait for shipping.

Since I was going to a store in more of a rural comminity I decided to swing by the canning section because the one in the neighboring city to me has nothing left in that section.

This wallyworld is well stocked in the canning section which also included a good variety of vaccum sealers.

I decided to try the Mainstay brand of canning jars as they are 7.88 for a case of quart jars instead of the Ball and Mason which are almost 11 per case. From what I see the only difference is that they don't have a fancy picture impressed on the side. If they explode in the canner then I will understand the difference.

Then I went to my local u pick um farm. I am so excited about this visit. I came away with about 8 lb of beets and 5 lb of beet greens.I also came home with 18 lb of turnips and 8 lb of turnip greens.

They have a glass door'd refrigerator in the garage and I saw small bottles of milk without labels. I asked about them and I guess I have a dairy not far from my house!!! I can order my milk and yogurt etc through her. woohooo So I placed an order for 2 gallons of milk to be picked up next Saturday. I will be trying my hand at homemade cheese which I have always wanted to make.

As you can see from this photo, it is rather remote. But Boo doesn't mind. She waits patiently while I pick turnips and beets so that she can carry them hom for me.

This is the turnip field. See in the edge of the photo...that is my ghost. I have been seeing this lately in some of my photos.

I decided to do something different. Instead of cutting turnip greens and then going back to pick turnips, I decided to simply pick beets and turnips and then seperate them at home.

I got 3 bags of turnips and 2 bags of beets.

I will go get 2 gallons of vinegar and pickling spices and I will make pickled beets. Harvard beets are my favorite veggie.

Here are the beet greens that I will blanch and freeze or can.

Here are the turnip roots. These are so wonderful cooked and mashed like potatos. These should keep in my veggie drawer in the frig for a couple of months...if they will last that long.

Here are the turnip greens which will be canned.

I bought 3 pints of local honey which is in reusable canning jars. And I bought a pint of fresh unflavored yogurt.

Here is the most exciting part. We talked about me killing my meat chickens this weekend...which hasn't happened yet but should tomorrow. When I told her about the laying hens she perked up. She asked me if I would be interested in being an egg producer for her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We talked about the fact that I produce brown and green eggs and I have roosters (this is a problem for many people) and she said that is exactly what her customers are looking for! Now I have a good reason to increase my flock. I will need to remodel the hen house though. YAY a new project.

NEW WESTON

2010-12-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

SORRY ABOUT THE HALF PICTURES. I HAD TO COPY OVER FROM PHOTO BUCKET AND I HAVE NO CLUE WHY YOU CAN ONLY SEE HALF
I DELETED THE PHOTOS FROM MY CAMERA BY ACCIDENT

Ok last night I used my large pressure canner to cook up a ton of sweet potatos. Then I hand peeled them because the peel just falls off. And I ran them over with a mixer.

I plopped them out on to parchment paper on my drying trays...all 10 of them

Turned it on 125 and turned it on. Sweet!

Here is what it looked like after 10 hours. I could never have done this in my old dehydrator. It would have molded w/out the fan circulating the air.

I have about 30 more pounds to go!

Now if I could only find some pumpkins! Where do they all go after halloween?

CLOSING PPWK, HORROR DRIVE TO DALLAS AND SUPER BUY

2010-12-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well guys it happened today!!! I closed on the refinance!!! The remaining debt I have is paid off as of the 10th except for the truck and the house and my next house payment is February 1. This is a good thing because after a horror of a drive from Rockwall TX to Dallas TX which took 2 hours due to a wreck that closed the freeway, a wait in the room at the doctor for 1 hour before he came in and then being told I have to have surgery by the 28th of December.....well I know that doctor bills don't be covered 100% and I will be off work for at least a week.

Can you believe it happened!!!?

Then I bought something I have been trying to get for months but could not find one in my price range! A Knack jobmaster 36 chest for my truck! Of course I see a paint job in the near future. (with the words painted on the lid saying "Nanna's Tools).

ps....I got lost going to close, I got lost trying to get to the doctors office and that was over half an hour and in a really scary part of town. I did get to see where Dallas has really renovated old neighborhoods though.

FOOD PRICE CRISIS?

2010-12-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

Here is what to watch for beginning now. Manufacturers have done this before. On both coffee and on sugar. Probably a whole lot of not so obvious things (like the size of a burger at the local drive in?)

5 Years ago coffee sugar and flour could be purchased in 5lb sacks or cans.

6 months ago when I purchased the coffee this was the size.

Now at the local wally world under a sign that says "This is the same great coffee...only a different label" this is the size.

No the price did not go down.

TRUCK DETAILS AND 700 LB OF FEED

2010-12-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

Today for lunch I decided to take Boo for a spa visit. She had her hair done (car wash), she got a mani/pedi (wheels cleaned and shined), and ....ok I can't think of something cute to say about the scrubbing she got to the interior and to the bed...they even armour all'd the bed liner!! I don't think she was even this clean when I purchased her.

Of course I had to go to the feed store after work! But hey...she's a work truck.

I picked up 150lb of rabbit feed, 25 lb of oil sunflower seeds, 50 lb of whole oats, 400 lb of laying pellets and 1 heavy bale of hay.

I unloaded this all tonight when I got home, then started some laundry and started turnips boiling. I am in the mood for mashed turnips, some more greens and some chicken. mmmmmmmm

Then maybe a cup of hot cocoa before going to an early bed.

ps...I have been up since 4am...why? Because one of my guineas FELL OUT OF THE TREE, HIT THE HOUSE AND FELL SCREAMING TO THE GROUND"!! You just can't go back to bed after that.

A CHANGE OF MIND

2010-11-29T19:43:00.001-08:00

Since yesterday...when looking at my calendar....I was toying with the idea of advertising the rest of the chickens on craigslist.

My heart was not in butchering 19 chickens all by myself. Then I remembered I had a whole bird in the fridge that I had put in to marinade last night. I had to cook it tonight.

I decided on fried. I mixed flour, italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper and coriander. I fried it in my cast iron and I wish I could explain my change of mind. As soon as I began to smell it cooking...as soon as I cut my first piece and the juice squirted out...as soon as I took that first bite.....my mind changed.

I will be investing in a good industrial vacume sealer soon. I want fried chicken this winter.