THE BEST - Homemade BBQ Sauce

Have I ever mentioned that I may never buy barbecue sauce again? Well, let me just say I'm convinced I'll never be happy with the flavor of any store bought concoction [BBQ sauce] again!

Early in my Pinterst days I came across this BBQ Sauce recipe. It may been my very first pin, but even if it wasn't it is such a great recipe that it should have been!

Public Notice

 If you are driving by a residence and think you see an animal that is injured or cant get up, or needs help in some way. PLEASE stop and notify the owner of the animal or at the very least (if the owner is not around) check the animal yourself to see if it actually is in need of help. Please don't just drive by and call animal control!
First off, if that animal is truly in need of ...help it will most likely be dead by the time animal control can get here, three and a half days later.
So if you really want to help animals - then help the animal - don't call someone else to check on it because it will be days (especially in this area) before an officer will get here.
IF you are calling to report an animal with an injury that is completely healed and the animal is getting around fine - then you are too late... don't bother calling animal control.
IF you are just trying to be a spiteful ass - don't bother - you are wasting everyone's time and precious resources that could have gone to helping animals who are truly in need of help!
IF you are driving by my farm and see a few animals with leg issues - YES, I do own three animals who have all had leg injuries and they were all under vet care until they healed. Two of which I did not even own at the time of the injuries. I was contacted and asked if I would give these animals a home because the owner was moving out of state and couldn't take them with her. She couldn't find a home for them and did not want send them to a shelter because she feared they would just be put down because of their disabilities and low adoptability.
I've had several people call me or email me asking me if I could please take their animals because they know how we take care of our animals, and love them. Do you think I'd get those kind of calls if I mistreated my animals?????

If ever you have to fall ...

When I left the house to make my final rounds for the evening, to check the animals, I was not expecting what was to come in the next few minutes!

Let me just say, if ever there is a time when you have to fall, I mean like there is seriously no way of avoiding it kind of thing, pray for the following things...
#1. a soft landing!
#2 that no one is around to witness or more importantly... take pictures!
#3 that no other humans or animals are injured during your escapade!
#4 that you are NOT in the middle of a messy duck pen and right next to the plastic kiddie pool the ducks use as their pond.
#5 that the wind didn't blow hard enough at that one direction, today, to blow the pilot on the hot water tank out.
#6 that you have some really nice soap available to wash your smelly self with.

The same pool only more 'mud' around it, but not the actual ducks involved in this incident.

 

No, my friends, THAT is not really what I had in mind when I left the house two hours ago! I really thought it was going to be just a nice quiet little trek to the barn. Check to make sure everyone was in their proper pens and shut the doors, gates, etc. Come back in, and finish my evening routine.
Have you ever heard about those little things call 'the best laid plans'? Yeah, you got it, they rarely work out well for me either.

Oh, and as for the prayers being answered? Well....
#1 Answered.  I landed in a mixture of about two inches of slimy duck poo and mud. And as if that wasn't soft enough? My arm and elbow landed on the edge of the plastic pool which proceeded to empty all around me and make the ground a LOT softer, and slimier
It was a lot better landing than those rocks, that are scattered throughout the enclosure, would have been.
#2 Answered! Not a soul (except the ducks) in sight. And an added bonus ... it was completely dark outside... so not even my mother (who lives across the road) could have seen, even if she had been sitting at her dining room table. And honestly, I don't think the poor ducks saw much - if any - of the landing... they were too busy running for their lives. Which brings me to prayer #3.
#3 Answered! I somehow avoided any serious injury as did the ducks. I'm sure I'll be sore and maybe even a bit bruised tomorrow but hopefully not too worse for wear.
#4 Let me just say God has a really odd sense of humor some days! :)
#5 Answered! There was plenty of hot water when I got back to the house, so I could get a hot shower ASAP. Maybe I should also mention that everyone in the house was sleeping, so I didn't even have to worry about them seeing me in such a state.
#6 Answered! There hasn't been a shortage of nice smelling, skin loving, goat milk soap in my house since I learned the art of making handmade soaps about 14 years ago.

Our Fire Pit

Our latest project. We scavenged some old blocks from a pile that has been out in the weather so long it was all covered in moss. Too bad the moss wont survive the heat of the fires we plan to have, I really like the look of it.

This was the view while sitting by the fire the first night.

There were no pictures of our first meal cooked on the fire but the boys sure did enjoy the hot dogs. Of course, they kept reminding Grandma that "the cookies and marshmallows are for after we eat", just like she is the one who couldn't wait to break into them... LOL

Where is my camera when I need it most?

I really need to start carrying my camera everywhere I go....
I just went to check on everyone in the barn and it seemed awfully quiet in there. I found Red in her pen all by herself. The piglets were nowhere to be seen. The goats were all out in the pasture, except the new baby who was in his pen napping. I figured the piglets were out rooting in the mud out back, but when I went to look I couldn't find them. Decided to fill the hay feeders for the goats and guess who I found sleeping in the goat pen, under the hay feeder? Yep, all 13 piglets were stacked up like cord wood sound asleep under the feeder.

Throwback Thursday...

 

A picture of me, and one of the goats we had at the time ( I think her name was Gena), in 1979. I was 4 years old and already in love with goats.

Wordless Wednesday