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Taking a mini-break from tomato-palooza. Got about 20 pints of puree canned so far. After my coffee break we're going to make stewed tomatoes. Dad loves them, I'm ambivalent about them. Plan on doing them in half pint jars so there's not too much leftover in the fridge. If we need more for a meal then two jars can come off the shelf. Speaking of which, Dad is busy in the basement adding more shelves for jars.

He's been remember his youth during the depression and then during the war and is glad that I'm willing to do all the canning while the produce is still available. He's hoping the farmer's market has more lima beans on Thursday.

His lady-friend stopped by yesterday with a box of food. Her brother's kids went to Columbia to visit relatives for a few weeks. The school system in that town partners with a local synagogue and the Jewish Children and Families charity to provide food boxes for the kids during the summer months when they are not getting breakfast and/or lunch in the schools. I had never heard of it before but we went passed by the synagogue involved on our way to the farmer's market and saw the line up of cars and the trailers of food. He contacted them and told them he didn't need it while the kids were away. The pantry told him to pick it up anyway otherwise it would go to waste. They've got a few boxes already and didn't have any more room to store it so her daughter said to give it to us. She said, "mommy bad times are getting closer. We all need to help each other."
 
Magus said:
Our local BBQ has an Elvis special too. My fave is the Texas sunrise, a burger with sausage, egg, and a hash brown patty on a french toast roll.
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Zombie Burger does limited runs of a breakfast burger as well. Instead of buns it is served on homemade buttermilk biscuits. Double cheeseburger with bourbon bacon, melted cheese, little smokies, fried eggs, and sausage gravy.

https://www.zombieburgerdm.com/
There's so many other crazy limited edition burgers they make, it's insane. Check out their Facebook page, Zombie Burger Des Moines. It has the updated list of what they're making every week.

https://m.facebook.com/154441451284022/
Edit: they also make milkshakes with cereal in them, like Captain Crunch or Fruity Pebbles. If you want you can get those milkshakes spiked with rum or vodka! 😉
 
Set an alarm for before sunrise so K and I could get out in the garage to clean before the kids got up. I either slept through it or it never went off this morning. I did get up just after sunrise and got K up and out to the garage we went. The kids were awake not long after and came out with us. We were able to get the 'shop' portion of the garage cleaned and organized. We purged some junk and put other items away in boxes or totes for safe keeping. This part of the garage is for canning supplies, camping gear, generators and tools. Tomorrow I plan to get out there to work on the rest of the garage. I am setting a second alarm.
 
Well, I'm done with yard work for the rest of the weekend, I'm doing laundry right now... gonna be an easy afternoon, the Second Goathead War has been wearing me down lately, lol. Time to relax and enjoy life, aye? Much as I loathe and detest these puncturevines, I know I'm making progress with the eradication effort... one day it'll pay off, BIG-TIME. :rolleyes:

My cat Crackhead is still causing problems with his steadfast refusal to accept the kittens as members of our family... I've tried everything I know, but the darned cat keeps hissing & growling at the youngsters. Dunno how much longer I can deal with that scene, I want to keep the kittens but I'm not sure how to get Crackhead to accept them. :(

Otherwise, it's movie time once I finish surfing the web... gonna park my tired posterior on the leather sofa and watch some entertainment, lol. Make a good meal later, too soon to think about it now as I'm working on a cold beer. Jeez, those weeding sessions have been brutal lately... I'll be glad when I get rid of the blasted goatheads. :oops:
 
Wingnut said:
Well, I'm done with yard work for the rest of the weekend, I'm doing laundry right now... gonna be an easy afternoon, the Second Goathead War has been wearing me down lately, lol. Time to relax and enjoy life, aye? Much as I loathe and detest these puncturevines, I know I'm making progress with the eradication effort... one day it'll pay off, BIG-TIME. :rolleyes:

My cat Crackhead is still causing problems with his steadfast refusal to accept the kittens as members of our family... I've tried everything I know, but the darned cat keeps hissing & growling at the youngsters. Dunno how much longer I can deal with that scene, I want to keep the kittens but I'm not sure how to get Crackhead to accept them. :(

Otherwise, it's movie time once I finish surfing the web... gonna park my tired posterior on the leather sofa and watch some entertainment, lol. Make a good meal later, too soon to think about it now as I'm working on a cold beer. Jeez, those weeding sessions have been brutal lately... I'll be glad when I get rid of the blasted goatheads. :oops:
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It took my older cat two months to accept the new kitten! That was a year and a half ago, they are best buds now!! Same with the new dog, it's just been two months since I got him and the older cat is just now not hissing and growling at him!! Give them time, they'll be ok!!
 
Putting my feet up and resting after a full day at the festival. Pancake and sausage breakfast, parade, buggy races, good lunch, quilt auction. Ended up getting a quilt at auction, prices were low this year. The one I got is blue and white with appliqued birds (doves) on it. We'll be going back this evening for fireworks.
 
I needed to start cutting up those tress around the chicken pen and skid them out. As it happens there are a few more trees that need cut/pushed out of the pasture edges.

I really needed to bush hog to get better access and be safe. Nothing worse than cutting a dangerous tree when the grass and weeds are waist deep around it. You can’t run if something goes wrong…

So I bush hogged 4hrs, cleaned up about 5 acres total. Now I have no more excuses. I have to get all the trees cut up and piled for burning. A good chore for monday.

Tonight I’m just going to take it easy, left overs for dinner, watch some tv.
 
Bush hogging 5 acres is no fun at all, Peanut. Rest up. We're still working away at our 23 acres. It was such a disaster 2 years ago, with trash, barbed wired, metal pieces, garbage, and waist high weeds. We worked on that then started on the trees with pole saws. Still needs work, but so much better now. Some small areas still need tackling with cleanout first, but it's now safe to take the big mower out and go for it.
 
Wingnut said:
Yeah, it's a Zen exercise in patience... :confused:

But when I'm surrounded by three purring kittens on my bed, I can't bring myself to let go of 'em... Crackhead is just jealous, and I'm trying to show him he's still Numero Uno, but he's being a PITA. :(
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At least he is a "four-legged" child and not "two-legged"! I can tolerate a lot more from the four-legged kid!!
 
OK, so my daughter and I were having a pretty nice afternoon at Gray's Lake in Des Moines. It's a beautiful park that has been part of an ongoing urban renewal, transformed from an old quarry with drug deals and prostitution into a recreational haven with miles of paved trails, concessions, boat rentals, and a 1/4 mile bridge that goes over part of the lake.

My ex and my daughter's little 7 year old half sister were in town too so they came to the park. That's fine by me, I get along with her ok and the girls like being together at parks. But the little one has behavior problems and when she got in trouble for riding her little bike into the path of a roller blade-er, causing him to go into the grass and fall, she threw a violent fit. My daughter reacts poorly to these episodes. By the time we could get back to the car my ex was in tears from dealing with it, daughter was in tears because she can't handle confrontation, and the little one was screaming that everything was everyone else's fault and nothing was fair.

We left and daughter and I had a talk while driving through Des Moines, about some mental health issues in her mom's family. Her grandmother is narcissistic in the extreme and quite frankly I find her disgusting. The little one is acting just like her. I don't know if it's learned or inherited but it's a problem. Daughter was in tears so I had a bright idea - I took her to the Cheesecake Factory. She had never been to Cheesecake Factory. We talked some more and then the Cheesecake came. OMG I thought my kid was about to melt into a puddle on the floor! Her face was pure happiness after she had the first fork full. She has been her normal self ever since and that was the best $30 I've ever spent on a worthless luxury like cheesecake...
 
Spikedriver said:
OK, so my daughter and I were having a pretty nice afternoon at Gray's Lake in Des Moines. It's a beautiful park that has been part of an ongoing urban renewal, transformed from an old quarry with drug deals and prostitution into a recreational haven with miles of paved trails, concessions, boat rentals, and a 1/4 mile bridge that goes over part of the lake.

My ex and my daughter's little 7 year old half sister were in town too so they came to the park. That's fine by me, I get along with her ok and the girls like being together at parks. But the little one has behavior problems and when she got in trouble for riding her little bike into the path of a roller blade-er, causing him to go into the grass and fall, she threw a violent fit. My daughter reacts poorly to these episodes. By the time we could get back to the car my ex was in tears from dealing with it, daughter was in tears because she can't handle confrontation, and the little one was screaming that everything was everyone else's fault and nothing was fair.

We left and daughter and I had a talk while driving through Des Moines, about some mental health issues in her mom's family. Her grandmother is narcissistic in the extreme and quite frankly I find her disgusting. The little one is acting just like her. I don't know if it's learned or inherited but it's a problem. Daughter was in tears so I had a bright idea - I took her to the Cheesecake Factory. She had never been to Cheesecake Factory. We talked some more and then the Cheesecake came. OMG I thought my kid was about to melt into a puddle on the floor! Her face was pure happiness after she had the first fork full. She has been her normal self ever since and that was the best $30 I've ever spent on a worthless luxury like cheesecake...
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Great story @Spikedriver .

@ThePrincess left me me for a long weekend with 3 cheesecake in the fridge. Hmmmm...

Ben
 
Good way to help her thru the problems Spike. Cheescake makes so many things better. :ghostly: :ghostly:

I worked outside yesterday from noon to till dark. I think I seriously over did it. Got up this morning and had to go take care of some stuff. Felt like crap the whole time. Had a bunch planned when we got home, but I felt so bad (headache) I just layed around on the couch till 5pm. Still to hot out, but I got a few things done. still don't feel much tonight. Hoping tomorrow is better
 
Last night neighbors on one side had Friday night party (after high school football game). Tonight neighbors on the other side having a Saturday night party, birthday I think. I spoke more to our neighbors when we all lived on an acre or more than now on these little quarter acre lots. Very weird. Update: Our street is packed with parked cars apparently and everyone is having a party.
Got a battery operated lantern. Still have a Coleman that takes a mantle but burn ban to me means no lantern with a flame.
Got to get some more stuff together for tomorrow.
 
Amish Heart said:
... We're still working away at our 23 acres. It was such a disaster 2 years ago, with trash, barbed wired, metal pieces, garbage, and waist high weeds. We worked on that then started on the trees with pole saws.
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For several years I've thought that for 1 week I need a dozer with a boom attachment with a small bush hog on the end. Trees are always trying to creep into pastures here. Its easier to control old timber, their long limbs shade out the little stuff.

But fence lines are a constant battle. We get about 60inches of rain a year and have a very long growing season. Many plants that die each winter just north of me only go dormant a couple months here. A little pine sapling in weeds by a fence this spring is 10ft tall in 2 years.

Vines... even muscadine vines are so common they can be a nuisance here. I pulled down several dozen vines today. 3yrs ago a princess tree got blown down in a storm. It fell 40ft directly into a strip of pasture (and that boy never lifted a finger). The storm didn't completely kill it and it was covered with muscadine vines.

This is the tree after I pushed it halfway towards the woods. The second pic... about 30 muscadine vines holding it in place. Monday I'll take a chainsaw to them.

Bushog 82a.JPG
Bushog 82b.JPG
 
I don't know how to link it on here, but if anyone has facebook, I just saw that Carriage Crossing Restaurant posted photos of our amish parade on their facebook under "posts".
Even saw little granddaughter on the grade school "float".
We went back for music and fireworks and the biggest rainstorm we've seen in forever happened. We all went under the pavillion and waited it out. A few fireworks still went off when it slowed down. Boy, we've really needed this rain
 
Despite going to bed early, I had no energy. Did some mild cleaning but got dizzy so I had to sit down. Was going to pick up RX but thunderstorms started so I decided to stay in. I sauteed some mushrooms and cooked for Mom. She had yellow rice & chicken with curry. My brother made the curry and put it in a container so she adds it to the rice and chicken. I have to cut her chicken up for her.
Yesterday she fell down in the hallway but landed on a memory foam mat for the dogs. My brother had to help me get her back on her feet. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt and my back was in worse shape than hers.
 
I guess I will be repairing fence today. When we got home from the market yesterday 3 little goats had their heads stuck in a section with 2 foot chicken wire on the bottom ( should not get stuck there). I looked and the chicken wire is ripped all over. Then we noticed one of our big does has a shredded ear. I think she ripped her ear tag out. Maybe on the fence? Husband thinks one of the dog bit her but I doubt it. They haven't done that before, except once the big scary goat buck we used to have jumped the fence and the dog in with the girls was so surprised I think he bit him in the tail ( he was ok)
So I have to replace the chicken wire today
Plus do something with the leftover tomatoes from the market , everyone is selling them now so we didn't sell a ton

Someone wants to buy 2 little goats for breeding but I keep telling her our goats are not old enough ( the girls are only 5 months) and finally after almost arguing convinced her to wait until next spring when they are a year to get them ( or buy someone else's). I would rather send my goats to the auction to be eaten than have them suffer from being too little to breed and who knows how well they get taken care of by someone that apperantly has no clue of how to take care of them. Goats are not cattle you can just stick in a pasture and forget. Some of our neighbors have done that and now...they have no goats, they all went back to cattle or sheep

I would like a day off
At least it finally stopped raining and we are seeing a lot of people bale hay, so there shouldn't be any shortage this year
 
Making apple pies this morning, was gifted a big bag of cookers, still half a bag to get through. Also used up the few cups of raspberries I picked yesterday and made a loaf cake for the freezer and white choc muffins for lunch boxes tomorrow. Lifted the last of the pea plants, and sons dug up the last few rows of potatoes for me and mowed the paths around the veg patch. Had a restless night and was up at 6.30, so I'm going to take my book and chill for the rest of the day with the remaining kitten, who managed to injure her leg this morning.
 
Well, I did NOT get drunk & watch a movie yesterday, I read a good Western instead, then I made dinner and went to bed at a fairly early hour. Now I'm well-rested and taking it easy on a Sunday morning... gonna do a little watering in a while, after I finish my herbal tea. I usually start with juice or a smoothie in the morning, and I already drank some apple cider earlier, but I felt like having some herbal tea, it's very soothing. I haven't written off caffeinated drinks entirely, I can still have a cuppa black tea or coffee if I want... I voluntarily lowered my caffeine consumption years ago because I felt like I didn't need it. For most of my life, I've had more than enough energy, no need for caffeine to jack me up, but when I drink it nowadays the stuff really works, lol. :oops:

Looks like a beautiful morning outside, I walked out on the front porch earlier to call Tiger & Crackhead, they're usually outdoors after dawn, since the wild birds go off every morning. We have heaps of birds here, so every morning the bird calls & bird songs are like a natural symphony... very peaceful! We have large flocks of doves here, so we hear them every morning. I open my bathroom window at night for several reasons: to let the fresh cool night air into my home, to let the kittens see the outside world through the metal window screen, and to hear the birds going off every morning when dawn arrives. It's idyllic, really, lying in bed and listening to the natural symphony... gotta say "Good Morning!" to the kittens too, that's very important. ;)

Anyway, I foresee an easy day today, I'm gonna make an effort to NOT think about goatheads in the yard, lol. The last few weeding sessions have been brutal, which is why the week apparently went by so fast... I slept well last night but I don't feel like doing stoop labor & weeding on Sunday, it's not in the cards. Sunday should be a day of rest, which at my age I can always use. So that's my day ahead, an easy day of watering, kitty care, maybe a movie or two... maybe another Western instead. I like reading Westerns, they're not complicated or demanding like some books, lol. Good guys, bad guys, pretty gals, the occasional bad gal, simple plot lines that make for easy reading... no deep philosophical thinking involved, no complicated twists & turns in the plot, lol. :rolleyes:

Well, I'd better get that watering done before the sun gets too high... I'll be glad when fall rolls around, it's just around the corner. Those fall temps are gonna be SO NICE!!! :thumbs:
 
Man, I wish you could send some apple pies my way. I'm hungry. LOL.
Waiting for my friend to message me when he's ready to be picked up to come remove the old supply lines and get new ones hooked up. I already have the bottom parts hooked up, but can't muscle the old ones off the faucet. I'm too fat to get up in there and reach properly. LOL. Friend is skinny. Once that is done and I have working water, I'll be able to finish working on my floor. Just hope he doesn't cancel again. His gf (which his co-workers have nicknamed "Herpes") is draining all his $ so he needs groceries and gas.

I'm tempted to go over and paint the door he put up just to tick her off. She'll whine about the smell. JK. I think about aggravating her but am not actually mean enough to do it on purpose.
 
Well, I lied... after watering, I scuffed about 100 young puncturevines with my Vibram boot soles, and I pulled another 100 by hand, lol. Here's what I don't get about these goathead vines: you can clear an area NOT overrun by other weeds, just bare dirt, and the VERY NEXT DAY, you check that area and there are more goathead vines!!! Large ones too! I'm beginning to think that these evil weeds have the ability to displace, pick up & move like Infantry soldiers in the middle of the night, lol. There's no other explanation for it... it's just crazy! So I broke the promise I made to myself and dealt with those goathead intruders today... hey, that's 200 less puncturevines on my property!!! :woo hoo:

Maybe these evil goatheads really are 'The Devil's Thorn' (as the Aussies reportedly call 'em), and they are possessed to the point where they can move around the yard, lol. Reminds me of a wooden mask my pop the submarine commander brought back from Africa: years after it kicked around our home, the thing started moving around by itself! No lie! I grilled my niece & nephew and they said they didn't touch it! It was a creepy wooden mask too, so I took it out, splintered it with an ax, and burned the damned thing, lol. Didn't need any evil spirits hanging about the ol' hacienda... it was hard enough dealing with the drunken fooliots & party people, all hardcore skaters or surfers, lol. :oops:

I believe in ghosts & spirits, I've seen too much crazy paranormal sh#t to NOT believe in 'em. Some are benign, others, not so much... I'm sure Magus can chime in here, he has probably met his share of 'em. One time, I was dating (or shacked up) with a gal who had two young children, and the kids had gone to bed for the night. I made a trip to the bathroom, then walked past the open door to the kids' room... saw a figure leaning over one of the kids in loving fashion, and I thought it was my GF saying goodnight. Turned the corner into her room and there she was on the bed... "WHAAAAT?!?" So I immediately returned to the kids' room, but all was quiet & peaceful... pretty weird. :rolleyes:

My GF later told me that an elderly woman had lived there for many years, and she died on the property... so maybe that was her spirit, looking after the kids and tucking them into bed. We had another episode in that same dwelling, and it wasn't so peaceful... woke up one night at zero-dark-thirty and my flesh was crawling, like some malevolent spirit was in the room with us. My GF woke and sensed the same presence, so she lit a candle... evidently, that helps to ward off evil spirits, or draw them into the flame. The weird feeling persisted for another minute, by which time I was freaked out, lol. I grabbed my clothes and split, since my home was only a block or so away. The gal later told me it was the ghost of her first husband... I reckon she was some sort of magnet or channel for ghost action, lol. o_O
 
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I am frustrated as all get out! I started on the garage again this morning and the side I had cleaned and purged over a month ago was cluttered and messy again! I started pulling all the junk out and it turns out K has been using the clean space as a dumping ground for his work junk he doesn't use at all! Instead of taking it all to the company yard so someone else could use it down the road he has been packing the garage full of **** we don't and can't use! And he has the balls to chastise me for the clutter of school books and art supplies in the house! I can't keep the overflow in the garage because he is filling it with ****!

Don't even get me started on the boxes of donation stuff that he just shoved back in the clean space instead of taking it to Goodwill like he said he was!!!!
 
Mel said:
This is it. Fyi I've also added oatmeal to taste and they turned out good, but I like the recipe as it is best.

https://www.familycookbookproject.c...d-have-loved-these-peanut-butter-cookies.html
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Can't do the oatmeal, I'd be sick in minutes. :( Pity, I used to love it!

Anyway, my recipe for no bake peanut butter fudge.
Melt a quart of peanut butter in the microwave or in a double boiler.
Swirl 1 cup of Hershey's chocolate syrup OR 1 1/2 cups chocolate milk powder.
If you used the powder you can omit the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
While its still in the "goo" state you can add walnuts or whole peanuts or just sprinkle them on top. dehydrated bananas are good too!
Ladle into a pre warmed pie crust lightly sprayed with Pam butter spray to ensure proper mating to the crust.
Stick it in the freezer until an hour before serving.
Guaranteed to turn every kid that eats it into a berserker. If you're mad at their parents, give them a big slice and a frosty Mt. dew before they leave your place. that car will be like the mosh pit at a metal concert inside ten minutes!:fun fun:
:Dancing Chicken::drink buddy:😅
 
Driving to a relatives house 2 hours away to pick up my old 10x10 kennel and doghouse that they borrowed, for me to use for the dumpster puppy that is staying with me. She'll only be in there while I'm at work then will be loose with my other dogs the rest of the time. She's still too small to leave unfenced 24/7. Once she no longer needs to be in there it will become part of the chicken coop/run.
 
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