Not sure where to begin here. I have been so tired this week that I haven't even been checking my email... and yes I am going through internet withdrawl. The only reason I've been online this week is to pay bills and check out a couple of things for *T*.
We wanted to get the boys this past weekend but BM said NO. We did end up seeing them for a few minutes while we were at the county fair. I really hope that she lets us get She didn't act like she was going to let him get them this weekend either, so we'll see.
At work my boss has been on vacation so that leaves me "in charge"...LOL... I really don't like that term or that job, but I can do it if I have to. Nothing major has gone wrong ...yet... but we still have a few days to go until she gets back on Friday. I got a call from the guy who is baking tomorrow, he said that he just took a cake order so could I come in a little earlier and decorate the cake? LOL... gotta love these young kids... he could do it if he had to, but I have to go in to send in the Deli and Bakery order anyhow so I'll do the cake while I'm there. The plan is to get there early enough to get everything done and go home before the store opens... wish me luck! :-)
Here at Seldom Seen Acres things are about the same as last week. The pigs are growing, the chickens are finally laying in one place and I can find the eggs each day. One of the older hens decided to set in an empty nest (one that didn't even have any hay in it), so I gave her 6 eggs... hopefully she will set on them until they hatch (that is IF they hatch), she has a habbit of setting for a week or two and leaving the nest. I'm not real worried, either way. I just didn't want her sitting there "wasting heat" when she could be incubating eggs.
I have to get a lot done around here tomorrow, I haven't done laundry in a week so you can only imagine what is left in my closet... nothing. The dishes are stacked in the sink from the last few days and that really drives me crazy so that is my plan for tomorrow... CLEANING!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Overdue Update
I think I'm finally getting used to the new laptop. For a few days I was beginning to think I made a mistake in getting a laptop. One of the biggest changes is the keyboard. I do, however, like the mobility of it :-)
Not sure where I left off with the homesteading stuff but I'll try to catch everyone up.
We are still trying to get the apple tree that fell in the back yard cleaned up. T borrowed the neighbors chain saw to cut it up, but that quit running and he can't seem to figure out what happened to it. So now we are waiting for another friend of our to come with his chainsaw and help get this mess cleaned up. I am to the point that I just want to hook onto it and drag it out of here. I don't care if it just ends up down in the pasture for a scratching post for the cows :-/ I just want it out of my back lawn!
The piglets are doing very well, I forgot how fast piggies grow at this age.
We have new additions to the menagerie... Three white gobblers. Last thursday I no more then got home and got out of the truck when a neighbor from up the road pulled in the driveway on her fourwheeler, she must have seen me go past her house on my way home, she asked me if T & I would like some turkeys that GP has had for a few months and just want to be rid of them. She said that he had been asking she and her hubby to take them but they don't wnat any "livestock". She told me that there three birds and the were probably about three months old. T & I decided to go get the turkeys, but when we got there, we found three "huge" birds. These babies are between 30 and 40 pounds.... Not three months old. We brought them home and added them to our little collection of critters, but not without laughing at ourselves the whole time, and asking how we get ourselves into some of these situations. In the midst of it all T says to me "if nothing else... we have dinner for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.... huh? what do you think". "What do I think?" "I'm thinking, I don't have a roaster big enough for those big boys. And even if I did.... it wouldn't fit in my oven!" So, these birds have been the joke of the week. Oh, and not just for T and I... a co-worker of the original owner, stopped me at the grocery store yesterday to ask me how the turkeys are doing.... apparently these guys thought it was funny that they "suckered" us into taking these turkeys. Little do they know that we are excited about getting them, and that we have been looking into getting turkeys but any time we have seen them for sale they too pricey.... and these ones were FREE! I'll try to get pictures of them soon.
Dad informed me last week that he has sold all his cows. My first thought was "now I'm going to have to get something to keep the pastures picked", then he told me that the guy who bought them is going to leave them here and rotate them back and forth between here and my parents (like we have done). So, even though we no longer own the cows we will still get the benefits of having them, just not the work. I'm still not sure what kind of deal we are going to work out for the rent of pasture, but I'm sure we will come up with something. I have no idea what people charge for these things.
Not sure where I left off with the homesteading stuff but I'll try to catch everyone up.
We are still trying to get the apple tree that fell in the back yard cleaned up. T borrowed the neighbors chain saw to cut it up, but that quit running and he can't seem to figure out what happened to it. So now we are waiting for another friend of our to come with his chainsaw and help get this mess cleaned up. I am to the point that I just want to hook onto it and drag it out of here. I don't care if it just ends up down in the pasture for a scratching post for the cows :-/ I just want it out of my back lawn!
The piglets are doing very well, I forgot how fast piggies grow at this age.
We have new additions to the menagerie... Three white gobblers. Last thursday I no more then got home and got out of the truck when a neighbor from up the road pulled in the driveway on her fourwheeler, she must have seen me go past her house on my way home, she asked me if T & I would like some turkeys that GP has had for a few months and just want to be rid of them. She said that he had been asking she and her hubby to take them but they don't wnat any "livestock". She told me that there three birds and the were probably about three months old. T & I decided to go get the turkeys, but when we got there, we found three "huge" birds. These babies are between 30 and 40 pounds.... Not three months old. We brought them home and added them to our little collection of critters, but not without laughing at ourselves the whole time, and asking how we get ourselves into some of these situations. In the midst of it all T says to me "if nothing else... we have dinner for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.... huh? what do you think". "What do I think?" "I'm thinking, I don't have a roaster big enough for those big boys. And even if I did.... it wouldn't fit in my oven!" So, these birds have been the joke of the week. Oh, and not just for T and I... a co-worker of the original owner, stopped me at the grocery store yesterday to ask me how the turkeys are doing.... apparently these guys thought it was funny that they "suckered" us into taking these turkeys. Little do they know that we are excited about getting them, and that we have been looking into getting turkeys but any time we have seen them for sale they too pricey.... and these ones were FREE! I'll try to get pictures of them soon.
Dad informed me last week that he has sold all his cows. My first thought was "now I'm going to have to get something to keep the pastures picked", then he told me that the guy who bought them is going to leave them here and rotate them back and forth between here and my parents (like we have done). So, even though we no longer own the cows we will still get the benefits of having them, just not the work. I'm still not sure what kind of deal we are going to work out for the rent of pasture, but I'm sure we will come up with something. I have no idea what people charge for these things.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Getting used to this new computer
I don't think I am ever going to get used to this new laptop with the vista program. If I do I'll be back to post.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sorry...
Sorry I did't return the other day. MY COMPUTER CRASHED!!!!
I had just ordered a new laptop and was hoping that it would get here before the other computer died, so I could get some of my files transfered... but it didn't get here in time. Oh well.. I guess I will survive, there wasn't any REALLY important stuff that I lost.
I had just ordered a new laptop and was hoping that it would get here before the other computer died, so I could get some of my files transfered... but it didn't get here in time. Oh well.. I guess I will survive, there wasn't any REALLY important stuff that I lost.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Missing in action
I know... I know.... I've been missing in action again... But trust me I have not been missing any action.
Look what happened to our apple tree on July 6th. It was the only tree in the back lawn so I really am going to miss it for several reasons, not just the apples. I knew that it's days were numbered because every year it has been losing a limb, and I've noticed when the wind blew lately the whole top would twist on the trunk. So I wasn't suprised when I came home and found it like this.
July 4th we both had the day off work so we decided to go to the livestock auction in Spingville, NY and this is what came home with us. I had not been to the auction in over a year and S.O. had never been there so we really enjoyed our day. He said he wished he had more Wednesdays off so we could go more often.
I finally got a picuture of our Jack Russell puppy uploaded. Meet Ace he is 15 wks old now and just as adorable as the day we got him.
We did finally get our lawn tractor home and mowed the lawn but since then it has been so dry around here that all the grass has turned brown (as you can see in the picture of Ace) and we havn't had to mow since.
July 4th we both had the day off work so we decided to go to the livestock auction in Spingville, NY and this is what came home with us. I had not been to the auction in over a year and S.O. had never been there so we really enjoyed our day. He said he wished he had more Wednesdays off so we could go more often.
I finally got a picuture of our Jack Russell puppy uploaded. Meet Ace he is 15 wks old now and just as adorable as the day we got him.
I'll post more later today ( I promise) but right now I have to go see if I can get some fencing up around the corral that will keep the goats in. We have been trying to make time to get this done for quite a while so I better quit thinking about it and just go do it.
Monday, June 04, 2007
I'm back
I'm sorry that I have not posted in a month. I'm not even sure what I've been doing in that amount of time but apparently I've been busy because I haven't even had a chance to check in on the blogs that I normally read on a daily basis.
One thing I know I've been doing is potty training the Jack Russell Terrier puppy that SO and I got on the 15th of May. He is so cute (sorry no pics yet). When we got him he seemed so tiny... but I can finally see where he is growing. I've never owned a dog this little before ... remember I used to have great danes ...LOL... what a difference. The first time my mother saw Ace (the JRT pup) she said "your may as well have gotten a hamster". Of course when my oldest brother saw him and mom told him what see said he said " he is about the size of my boys' guinea pigs, why didn't you just take one of them". But this little pup is a smart little bugger. Within a week of being home he had already learned how to sit and lay down on command. The first time I showed SO that Ace knew how to sit on command he said "that is just wrong, he's too little to know how to do that". I is the cutest thing though seeing as he is so tiny and he already know some tricks. LOL
Another thing... I've been trying desperately to get my lawn mowed. SO other got most of it mowed for the first time this year, then the lawn tractor quit. I borrowed my mother's push mower (since her tractor was not working either) and mowed most of the lawn again... then wouldn't you know it that darned thing quit on my too.... gggrrrrr! Right now we are waiting for a phone call telling us our lawn tractor is fixed and ready to pick up from the shop. In the mean time I've been tying the goat out in the highest spots of the lawn and wishing I had about ten more to do the job. And wouldn't you know it last night it started raining ... so now the grass in growing again. .... ggrrr! The one section behind the garage hasn't gotten mowed at all this year and I'm seriously thinking about just fencing that whole lot and bringing mom's goats back over to put in the fence. That is also where the blackberry bushes are at that I wanted to mow down and start over too so the goats would love that.
For now I guess I should go get dressed and go up town to the post office, I got a card in the mail on Saturday saying I have a certified letter there... just wondering what it could be.
One thing I know I've been doing is potty training the Jack Russell Terrier puppy that SO and I got on the 15th of May. He is so cute (sorry no pics yet). When we got him he seemed so tiny... but I can finally see where he is growing. I've never owned a dog this little before ... remember I used to have great danes ...LOL... what a difference. The first time my mother saw Ace (the JRT pup) she said "your may as well have gotten a hamster". Of course when my oldest brother saw him and mom told him what see said he said " he is about the size of my boys' guinea pigs, why didn't you just take one of them". But this little pup is a smart little bugger. Within a week of being home he had already learned how to sit and lay down on command. The first time I showed SO that Ace knew how to sit on command he said "that is just wrong, he's too little to know how to do that". I is the cutest thing though seeing as he is so tiny and he already know some tricks. LOL
Another thing... I've been trying desperately to get my lawn mowed. SO other got most of it mowed for the first time this year, then the lawn tractor quit. I borrowed my mother's push mower (since her tractor was not working either) and mowed most of the lawn again... then wouldn't you know it that darned thing quit on my too.... gggrrrrr! Right now we are waiting for a phone call telling us our lawn tractor is fixed and ready to pick up from the shop. In the mean time I've been tying the goat out in the highest spots of the lawn and wishing I had about ten more to do the job. And wouldn't you know it last night it started raining ... so now the grass in growing again. .... ggrrr! The one section behind the garage hasn't gotten mowed at all this year and I'm seriously thinking about just fencing that whole lot and bringing mom's goats back over to put in the fence. That is also where the blackberry bushes are at that I wanted to mow down and start over too so the goats would love that.
For now I guess I should go get dressed and go up town to the post office, I got a card in the mail on Saturday saying I have a certified letter there... just wondering what it could be.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Simply Leeks
One of the true signs that spring has arrived in Northern PA is when everyone (or should I say the "men") in town start sharing leek digging stories and recipes. I've never figured out why it is mainly the men of the town who start all the talk of leeks. Probably because the men that dig these tasty, smelly little morsels con us women into doing the cleaning and cooking of the leeks. Community Centers, Churches, and other Associations in the area have annual Leek Dinners and it is always amazing how many miles some people will drive to attend one of these dinners. I am guilty, as a child of a die hard leek fan, I sware my father used to see just how many leek dinners he could get to each spring. Usually there is only one leek dinner in each location, per year and since we live in such a rural area it sometimes means driving 30 to 40 miles in one direction to attend. Dad never likes to miss an all you can eat meal... especially when it involves Leeks, Ham, Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, Baked Beans, etc..... oh and don't forget the desserts, usually an assortment donated from the local ladies' kitchens. MMmmmm ....MMmmm.
Little did I know that I am living with yet another Leek Lover... I don't know how I missed that fact last spring. Maybe because our lives were so hectic last year that somehow we both missed leek season. Anyhow, yesterday while cleaning the refrigerator I came across yet another covered bowl of leeks... I thought I had all of them used... once I realized that there were leeks inside the bowl I was scared to open it... let me remind you this thing had been in there for at least a week and a half.... I was thinking "oh, man... this is going to be bad"!
I think I've discovered a good way to keep leeks for over a week :-) After SO cleaned and washed the leeks I had wrapped them in a paper towel, to absorb the water that was still on the leaves, and put them in a sealed plastic container in the fridge. I was fully expecting to open that up yesterday and find a rotting pile of mush... to my amazement they were as fresh as the day I put them in there.... "only God knows when that may have been"!
Okay now... what to do with them.... I had already had ground burger (1# home grown beef and 1# venison) thawed out to make either meat loaf of hamburgers... I hadn't decided yet. SO other came in and said he was on his way to the fire hall for a little while and would be back in an "hour or so", we all know when they tell us that it could be hours. He had asked what was for dinner just before he went out the door and I had said that I wasn't sure, he gave me one of those looks that said "oh no... now what is she up to". LOL.. I rarely know what I am going to end up with when I start out, and rarely have a plan to begin with... but he usually ends up really liking what ever concoction I come up with.
Armed with the ground meat and the idea of those leeks that were still in the fridge, the brand new deep fryer (a birthday present from my friend) sitting on the counter just screaming to be used, and a bag of french fries in the freezer... I went to work. Of course, I wasn't sure when he would be home, but I knew that the meat loaf would take about an hour to bake and the fries I could throw in when he got home, so I wasn't worried about timing issues.
I started by mixing the two different meats together with two large eggs (brown, free range,home grown.. of course!), then I chopped up a hand full (about a cup, but who's measuring?) of leeks, not to fine... like you would an onion, and mixed them in added some salt and pepper and packed that mixture into a loaf pan and tossed it in the preheated (350 F) oven. Now I had another dilemma.. what kind of gravy am I going to make? I remembered not too long ago Rachael Ray had made this yummy looking mushroom gravy, so that was my start. I couldn't remember how she did it and I didn't want to take the time to look it up online so I started my own rendition. I started by chopping another small handful (maybe half a cup) and tossing them into the skillet with oil and a small can of mushrooms... I drained them but kept the liquid to add later. I sauteed them just until the leeks started wilting them I added a can of condensed mushroom soup, and I poored the mushroom liquid into the soup can and added enough milk to fill the can to between half and three quarters full, then added that to the mix, gave it a few stirs and heated it until it was all bubbly. I let it simmer a little bit to get all the flavors mixed.
Just about the time I decided that the sauce was done SO walked through the door and I'd done something wrong... he took one look at my sauce on the stove top and wrinkled up his nose and said "WHAT IS THAT?? THAT STUFF LOOKS NASTY". I must admit, it wasn't the prettiest dish I've ever made... far from it. But then he recognized the smell of leeks and his attitude changed. Then he was like "okay, I'll wait and see, what she's done now." As it turned out he didn't have to wait long until the meatloaf was done, I served the meatloaf with the leek and mushroom sauce over the top with french fries on the side. HE LOVED IT!!!
The whole time he was eating he kept saying "you have to write this one down"... lol... he doesn't realize it is so simple it doesn't need written down...lol. But that is okay. I always laugh when the simplest recipes impress him more then if I'd worked for hours with several "fancy" ingredients. I also love showing him that food doesn't always have to look like a pizza or hoagie to taste good. He is a fast food junkie... and I'm trying to reform him.. slowly. Maybe that is why I had to add the french fries... lol ... can't get away from the fast food all together ;-)
Little did I know that I am living with yet another Leek Lover... I don't know how I missed that fact last spring. Maybe because our lives were so hectic last year that somehow we both missed leek season. Anyhow, yesterday while cleaning the refrigerator I came across yet another covered bowl of leeks... I thought I had all of them used... once I realized that there were leeks inside the bowl I was scared to open it... let me remind you this thing had been in there for at least a week and a half.... I was thinking "oh, man... this is going to be bad"!
I think I've discovered a good way to keep leeks for over a week :-) After SO cleaned and washed the leeks I had wrapped them in a paper towel, to absorb the water that was still on the leaves, and put them in a sealed plastic container in the fridge. I was fully expecting to open that up yesterday and find a rotting pile of mush... to my amazement they were as fresh as the day I put them in there.... "only God knows when that may have been"!
Okay now... what to do with them.... I had already had ground burger (1# home grown beef and 1# venison) thawed out to make either meat loaf of hamburgers... I hadn't decided yet. SO other came in and said he was on his way to the fire hall for a little while and would be back in an "hour or so", we all know when they tell us that it could be hours. He had asked what was for dinner just before he went out the door and I had said that I wasn't sure, he gave me one of those looks that said "oh no... now what is she up to". LOL.. I rarely know what I am going to end up with when I start out, and rarely have a plan to begin with... but he usually ends up really liking what ever concoction I come up with.
Armed with the ground meat and the idea of those leeks that were still in the fridge, the brand new deep fryer (a birthday present from my friend) sitting on the counter just screaming to be used, and a bag of french fries in the freezer... I went to work. Of course, I wasn't sure when he would be home, but I knew that the meat loaf would take about an hour to bake and the fries I could throw in when he got home, so I wasn't worried about timing issues.
I started by mixing the two different meats together with two large eggs (brown, free range,home grown.. of course!), then I chopped up a hand full (about a cup, but who's measuring?) of leeks, not to fine... like you would an onion, and mixed them in added some salt and pepper and packed that mixture into a loaf pan and tossed it in the preheated (350 F) oven. Now I had another dilemma.. what kind of gravy am I going to make? I remembered not too long ago Rachael Ray had made this yummy looking mushroom gravy, so that was my start. I couldn't remember how she did it and I didn't want to take the time to look it up online so I started my own rendition. I started by chopping another small handful (maybe half a cup) and tossing them into the skillet with oil and a small can of mushrooms... I drained them but kept the liquid to add later. I sauteed them just until the leeks started wilting them I added a can of condensed mushroom soup, and I poored the mushroom liquid into the soup can and added enough milk to fill the can to between half and three quarters full, then added that to the mix, gave it a few stirs and heated it until it was all bubbly. I let it simmer a little bit to get all the flavors mixed.
Just about the time I decided that the sauce was done SO walked through the door and I'd done something wrong... he took one look at my sauce on the stove top and wrinkled up his nose and said "WHAT IS THAT?? THAT STUFF LOOKS NASTY". I must admit, it wasn't the prettiest dish I've ever made... far from it. But then he recognized the smell of leeks and his attitude changed. Then he was like "okay, I'll wait and see, what she's done now." As it turned out he didn't have to wait long until the meatloaf was done, I served the meatloaf with the leek and mushroom sauce over the top with french fries on the side. HE LOVED IT!!!
The whole time he was eating he kept saying "you have to write this one down"... lol... he doesn't realize it is so simple it doesn't need written down...lol. But that is okay. I always laugh when the simplest recipes impress him more then if I'd worked for hours with several "fancy" ingredients. I also love showing him that food doesn't always have to look like a pizza or hoagie to taste good. He is a fast food junkie... and I'm trying to reform him.. slowly. Maybe that is why I had to add the french fries... lol ... can't get away from the fast food all together ;-)
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