Allelon Farm

Mostly the Same

2008-11-15T10:12:00.004-06:00

Here's the updated list--just about all that's added is the muscadine jam that Keith made (and is DELICIOUS!!) and drying rosemary, I think. I would say this is probably all, but we'll make Christmas jam soon. We would use our strawberries for that (frozen from early summer), but we just used the last of those, so we'll have to use some from the store.

Food Preservation 2008

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
6/30 Wild blackberries / froze 1 qt
7/4 Kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Basil (whole leaves) / froze 2 qt-bags
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts
7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts
7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints
7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints
7/25 Tomatoes / canned 28 pts
7/25 Tomato sauce / canned 19 1/2 pts
7/26 Blueberries (from B. Case's) / froze 7 pts, 2 1.5-pts
7/28 Corn (from Short Mtn) / froze 5 qts, 3 1.5-pts, 10 pts
7/29 Squash / froze 1 qt, 1 pt
7/30 Cowpeas / froze 8 pts
7/30 Carrots (shredded) / froze 6 pts
7/31 Salsa ("Judy's Salsa") / canned 10 pts, 2 1/2-pts
8/1 Speckled butter beans / froze 15 pts
8/5 Diced tomatoes (mostly Romas) / canned 7 qts, 7 pts
8/6 Okra (breaded) / froze 7 bags (app. 3 c each)
8/6 Carrots / froze 11 pts
8/7 Roasted tomato garlic soup canned 4.5 qts
8/12 Crushed tomatoes / canned 19 pts
8/13 Garden-fresh-tomato soup / canned 12 qts
8/14 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/14 Pickled peppers / canned 8 ¾-pints, 3 ½-pints
8/15 Peach freezer jam / froze 4 pts
8/15 White peaches / froze 7 qts
8/16 Basil pesto / froze 3 half-pints
8/18 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/19 Elberta peach jam / canned 4 pts
8/19 Elberta peaches / froze 4 qts, 4 1.5 pts
8/19 Keith’s salsa / canned 13 pts
8/25 Pickled peppers / canned 7 pts
9/8 Pepper jelly (red) / canned 7 ½-pints
9/10 Pickles peppers / canned 8 pints
9/15 Applesauce / canned 10 pts
9/16 Applesauce / canned 8 pts
9/16 Apple butter / canned 6 ½-pints
9/17 Sliced apples / canned 9 qts
9/18 Sliced apples / canned 8 qts
9/19 Apple butter / canned 10 ½-pints
Sometime this past week, dried about a qt of apple slices
9/22 Sliced apples / canned 8 qts
9/24 Apple cider / canned 15.5 qts
9/24 Apple cider / froze 4 qts
10/11 Muscadine jam / 4 ½-pints

Fresh apple cider: 8 gallons (?—some of this may have gone toward the 15.5 qts of canned cider??)
Apple cider vinegar: 3.5 gallons
Drying/dried: basil, sage, feverfew, red clover blossoms, rosemary
Collecting seed: butternut squash, Cherokee purple tomato, plum lemon tomato, var. peppers, var. beans

Mary Susan

2nd Amendment

2008-11-15T09:53:00.003-06:00

Here's a video which many of you have probably already seen regarding the 2nd Amendment. I'm not sure when this testimony was given or to what legislative body/committee. I found somewhere that the witness's parents were killed in 1987. (The hair/fashions seem to support that.) Regardless, it's a powerful statement.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4069761537893819675&p

I'm amazed at how many rights we allow to slowly (usually) be taken from us. And somehow "we" are able to be convinced that it's a good thing! And those who see at least a bit of what's happening and try to open others' eyes to it are radical, suspect, fringe-element trouble-makers.

Okay, I don't generally make any sort of political statements, but there you go.

Mary Susan

BTW, if we should happen to receive any nasty comments, they will be deleted.

Food Preservation

2008-10-01T22:04:00.003-05:00

I'm guessing this is about all for now. A friend has a loaded pear tree we could go pick from, but I'm thinking we'll probably skip on that for now. Space in the pantry is being better utilized than it ever has been, but we still had to use some space in the library for a few jars, mainly of beans and cider.

We've got a lot of garden clean-up to do, now!

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
6/30 Wild blackberries / froze 1 qt
7/4 Kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Basil (whole leaves) / froze 2 qt-bags
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts
7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts
7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints
7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints
7/25 Tomatoes / canned 28 pts
7/25 Tomato sauce / canned 19 1/2 pts
7/26 Blueberries (from B. Case's) / froze 7 pts, 2 1.5-pts
7/28 Corn (from Short Mtn) / froze 5 qts, 3 1.5-pts, 10 pts
7/29 Squash / froze 1 qt, 1 pt
7/30 Cowpeas / froze 8 pts
7/30 Carrots (shredded) / froze 6 pts
7/31 Salsa ("Judy's Salsa") / canned 10 pts, 2 1/2-pts
8/1 Speckled butter beans / froze 15 pts
8/5 Diced tomatoes (mostly Romas) / canned 7 qts, 7 pts
8/6 Okra (breaded) / froze 7 bags (app. 3 c each)
8/6 Carrots / froze 11 pts
8/7 Roasted tomato garlic soup canned 4.5 qts
8/12 Crushed tomatoes / canned 19 pts
8/13 Garden-fresh-tomato soup / canned 12 qts
8/14 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/14 Pickled peppers / canned 8 ¾-pints, 3 ½-pints
8/15 Peach freezer jam / froze 4 pts
8/15 White peaches / froze 7 qts
8/16 Basil pesto / froze 3 half-pints
8/18 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/19 Elberta peach jam / canned 4 pts
8/19 Elberta peaches / froze 4 qts, 4 1.5 pts
8/19 Keith’s salsa / canned 13 pts
8/25 Pickled peppers / canned 7 pts
9/8 Pepper jelly (red) / canned 7 ½-pints
9/10 Pickles peppers / canned 8 pints
9/15 Applesauce / canned 10 pts
9/16 Applesauce / canned 8 pts
9/16 Apple butter / canned 6 ½-pints
9/17 Sliced apples / canned 9 qts
9/18 Sliced apples / canned 8 qts
9/19 Apple butter / canned 10 ½-pints
Sometime this past week, dried about a qt of apple slices
9/22 Sliced apples / canned 8 qts
9/24 Apple cider / canned 15.5 qts
9/24 Apple cider / froze 4 qts

Apple cider: So far, 8 gallons of fresh, 3.5 of which have gone toward making vinegar
Drying: basil, sage, feverfew, red clover blossoms
Collecting seed: butternut squash, Cherokee purple tomato, plum lemon tomato, var. peppers, var. beans

We've never canned or frozen apple cider, but figured we'd give it a try this year. I'm sure it can't be as good as fresh, but we're looking forward to some good mulled cider during the holidays.

One of the cows (#31) gave birth to a bull-calf sometime while we were gone over the extra-long (6 or so days) weekend. This can pose a problem, since a calf gains strength fairly quickly. Also, the cow can be quite protective (frighteningly so, sometimes!). However, #31 is generally not aggressively protective, and is fairly trusting, as far as Angus cows go. She's not our friendliest (which is just a strangely friendly cow for an Angus), but she's not nearly as skittish as the others. We're excited to have a male, but it did pose an extra problem: not only did he need an eartag (which we sometimes forego), but he also needed banding. With his growing strength, and knowing the task at hand would not be a welcome one, Keith and 13yo were ready for a struggle. However, 13yo drove the Mule, circling the calf, while 6yo sat in the Mule with the eartag equipment, and Keith knelt in the back, attempting to rope the calf--and succeeding! They got the calf tagged and banded and were back inside in 20 minutes or so! So we'll soon have a steer calf, instead of a bull calf. What great cowhands!

We'll probably be slaughtering a steer sometime soon. And oh, we're so looking forward to having beef in the freezer again! We ran out awhile ago, and buy very little of it at the store. We've been living on chicken since the pork and beef are pretty much gone, and although at one time, I probably would have said chicken was my favorite meat, I'm all for beef now, since we've had so little lately!

Mary Susan

Gadgets

2008-10-01T12:14:00.002-05:00

Our apple peeler/corer/slicer is the one from Pampered Chef, and we like it. 18yo daughter, who did most of the apple-peeling the last few weeks really likes it. We took the slicer/corer blade off when we didn't want slices, and she peeled them with it. Personally, I think hand-peeling is a bit faster, but she prefers the gadget. However, when we are also coring and slicing, I prefer the gadget. It gives uniform slices, which is especially nice for drying. Also, it takes care of the peeling, coring, and slicing all in one operation. This has two slice-thicknesses to choose from. It doesn't take up much room, and we feel it has been worth the purchase price.

I really like the food mill, too. We use it mainly for tomato sauce, although I also used it for (extremely) crushed tomatoes this year, too. We don't have any additional blades/attachments that are available, but it says it has a salsa blade, which sounds wonderful. This takes up more storage space than I'd like, but we don't use it often, so it gets tucked away somewhere until time for sauce-making. It's a Universal Gourmet Tomato Sauce Maker and Food Strainer, model #800, which I'm fairly sure we got because it's what we could find that fit our desires. (Friends told us to go with this type of food mill, instead of the kind that is more commonly found, and at the moment, I don't recall what that kind was, unless is was one that has some sort of arm/blade/scraper thing that turns horizontally on a screen. They had that kind and switched to the kind we got and said it's a far superior design.)

Mary Susan

Catch-Up

2008-09-23T09:59:00.006-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been somewhat busy, what with apples, birthdays, and bluegrass.

Actually, we celebrated three birthdays a week or so back: 17yo daughter is now 18yo daughter; 5yo son is now 6yo son; and mother-in-law, who shares 6yo's birthday is a year older (won't divulge age on that one). We are very blessed by these three, and celebrate and give thanksgiving for them.

6yo's new favorite: Magnetix, given to him by Keith's mother. Loves them so much that they had to be confiscated a few days after he received them so that I could get a proper response/attitude from him about doing chores and academics. (He has re-earned them.)

As I said in the post below, we have been busy with apples since picking them last week: we've put up sliced apples (wedged, really), applesauce, apple butter, cider, and cider vinegar, and aren't done, yet. Hopefully in the next day or so, we'll get the rest of them made into cider. We may try canning some cider, although that sounds disappointing, the fresh cider is so good.

13yo setting up the cider press.

18yo has been at the peeler/corer/slicer a great deal over the past week, but she takes advantage of sitting in one place for awhile by watching multiple episodes of "Jeeves and Wooster."

This past Saturday, the Lingos of Beaverdam Creek Farm had a booth at Belle Meade Plantation's Fall Fest, and asked if our kids could play there, so we took advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed the day at Belle Meade with the Lingos. The Lovetts also were there for awhile; some of the Stouffers dropped by; and it was great to see the Clarks again.

On the way to Belle Meade

6yo, playing with a Tennessee spinner gourd at Belle Meade. He's gotten quite good at spinning it.

Coming up this weekend: the Williams/Logan wedding. We're headed up Thursday (or earlier??) to provide some help; rehearsal/dinner is Friday evening (15yo is helping with the music for the wedding); wedding Saturday afternoon, followed by reception/dinner/dancing/visiting into the night, I'm sure; and church the following day in the reception tent (because it's big enough for the crowd that's coming in for the wedding, some of whom will be attending church). Sounds like it will be a busy weekend, but we're looking forward to it--especially to seeing some of you folks we haven't seen in awhile.

Mary Susan

Apples and Food Preservation

2008-09-23T09:36:00.005-05:00

Last Monday, the kids and I went to the Smiths' place and picked about 5 bushels of apples. It was great to see the Smiths again, and oh, the trees are chock-full of fruit! Mr. Smith says that next year will be something of a down year, since the trees are somewhat stressed with so many apples this year.

After the picking and visiting briefly with the Smiths, we had apples and burgers for lunch at a nearby state park.

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
6/30 Wild blackberries / froze 1 qt
7/4 Kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Basil (whole leaves) / froze 2 qt-bags
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts
7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts
7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints
7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints
7/25 Tomatoes / canned 28 pts
7/25 Tomato sauce / canned 19 1/2 pts
7/26 Blueberries (from B. Case's) / froze 7 pts, 2 1.5-pts
7/28 Corn (from Short Mtn) / froze 5 qts, 3 1.5-pts, 10 pts
7/29 Squash / froze 1 qt, 1 pt
7/30 Cowpeas / froze 8 pts
7/30 Carrots (shredded) / froze 6 pts
7/31 Salsa ("Judy's Salsa") / canned 10 pts, 2 1/2-pts
8/1 Speckled butter beans / froze 15 pts
8/5 Diced tomatoes (mostly Romas) / canned 7 qts, 7 pts
8/6 Okra (breaded) / froze 7 bags (app. 3 c each)
8/6 Carrots / froze 11 pts
8/7 Roasted tomato garlic soup canned 4.5 qts
8/12 Crushed tomatoes / canned 19 pts
8/13 Garden-fresh-tomato soup / canned 12 qts
8/14 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/14 Pickled peppers / canned 8 ¾-pints, 3 ½-pints
8/15 Peach freezer jam / froze 4 pts
8/15 White peaches / froze 7 qts
8/16 Basil pesto / froze 3 half-pints
8/18 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/19 Elberta peach jam / canned 4 pts
8/19 Elberta peaches / froze 4 qts, 4 1.5 pts
8/19 Keith’s salsa / canned 13 pts
8/25 Pickled peppers / canned 7 pts
9/8 Pepper jelly (red) / canned 7 ½-pints
9/10 Pickles peppers / canned 8 pints
9/15 Applesauce / canned 10 pts
9/16 Applesauce / canned 8 pts
9/16 Apple butter / canned 6 ½-pints
9/17 Sliced apples / canned 9 qts
9/18 Sliced apples / canned 8 qts
9/19 Apple butter / canned 10 ½-pints
Sometime this past week, dried about a qt of apple slices
9/22 Sliced apples / canned 8 qts

Apple cider: So far, 8 gallons, 3 of which have gone toward making vinegar
Drying: basil, sage, feverfew, red clover blossoms
Collecting seed: butternut squash, Cherokee purple tomato, plum lemon tomato, var. peppers, var. beans

Mary Susan

More Juggling

2008-09-12T09:18:00.005-05:00

Okay, I don't know why or how I've gotten on this juggling kick--somehow I keep following links that take me to juggling videos. I've never been a huge fan of juggling, and I can't juggle even one item--even after trying out the Klutz book on juggling years ago! Anyhow, I found these guys yesterday, and really enjoy them.

The Passing Zone

Their videos from "America's Got Talent" are also enjoyable. (If you check these out, watch "America's Got Talent - Wicked Juggling" followed by "America's Got Talent - Passing Zone - Over the Hasselhoff".)

Mary Susan

Hope Chest Done!

2008-09-10T19:46:00.003-05:00

After years of procrastination it is finally done. Prompted by Laura's birthday (tomorrow), I have managed to save my marriage and provide a reasonably decent birthday suprise.

Keith

New Entrepreneurial Idea??

2008-09-03T13:38:00.003-05:00

Way-yonder-cool juggling by Chris Bliss

More Food Preservation and RAIN!!!

2008-08-27T09:21:00.005-05:00

The garden is slowing down, now. We're still getting peppers and some tomatoes--Roma, mostly. However, we're slowing down, too, with the garden, canning, etc., and are gearing up on other things, primarily school.

Here is the updated food preservation list. Unless we get some apples from somewhere, this may be our final totals for the summer.

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
6/30 Wild blackberries / froze 1 qt
7/4 Kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Basil (whole leaves) / froze 2 qt-bags
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts
7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts
7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints
7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints
7/25 Tomatoes / canned 28 pts
7/25 Tomato sauce / canned 19 1/2 pts
7/26 Blueberries (from B. Case's) / froze 7 pts, 2 1.5-pts
7/28 Corn (from Short Mtn) / froze 5 qts, 3 1.5-pts, 10 pts
7/29 Squash / froze 1 qt, 1 pt
7/30 Cowpeas / froze 8 pts
7/30 Carrots (shredded) / froze 6 pts
7/31 Salsa ("Judy's Salsa") / canned 10 pts, 2 1/2-pts
8/1 Speckled butter beans / froze 15 pts
8/5 Diced tomatoes (mostly Romas) / canned 7 qts, 7 pts
8/6 Okra (breaded) / froze 7 bags (app. 3 c each)
8/6 Carrots / froze 11 pts
8/7 Roasted tomato garlic soup canned 4.5 qts
8/12 Crushed tomatoes / canned 19 pts
8/13 Garden-fresh-tomato soup / canned 12 qts
8/14 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/14 Pickled peppers / canned 8 ¾-pints, 3 ½-pints
8/15 Peach freezer jam / froze 4 pts
8/15 White peaches / froze 7 qts
8/16 Basil pesto / froze 3 half-pints
8/18 Pepper jelly / canned 6 ½ half-pints
8/19 Elberta peach jam / canned 4 pts
8/19 Elberta peaches / froze 4 qts, 4 1.5 pts
8/19 Keith’s salsa / canned 13 pts
8/25 Pickled Peppers / canned 7 pts

Drying: basil, sage, feverfew, red clover blossoms

Other news: RAIN!!! Yes, we've had something like 2.5" of rain in the last three days--no downpours, just good, steady rain with some breaks. I was going to collect my dried basil this morning, only to find that it's no longer dried! It is on our screened-in backporch, and is out of the rain, but I suppose the humidity has somewhat rehydrated it! And I don't mind one bit waiting for it to dry out again; the rain is much needed. The lawn and pastures are already looking better!

Mary Susan

Cinema Verite?

2008-08-20T11:05:00.007-05:00

...or What-Happens-When-a-Bored-5yo-is-Granted-Use-of-the-Camera.

Food Preservation Thus Far

2008-08-18T16:21:00.001-05:00

Fine Pickins

2008-08-16T22:48:00.006-05:00

This weekend, we had some fine "pickins".

Last night, we attended our first 3rd-Friday-at-New-Union-Fire-Hall, hosted by the Flatts, who live in New Union. They've been hosting this since soon after the Pickin' Parlor closed a year or so ago, but this is the first time we've gone. (This is not because we've not wanted to go; quite the contrary. We've either had other commitments, or, a couple of times when we could have actually gone, we completely forgot by the time Friday evening arrived. And once, I think, we intended to go, but were so wiped out from the day's work that we decided not to.) The kids were excited to get to pick and jam some again, and it was great to see some of the folks we used to see regularly at the Pickin' Parlor.

Pickin'...

and grinnin'??

(You can't tell from their faces when they're picking, but they say they truly enjoy it, and are always excited when we're going somewhere that will have some picking and a chance to jam!)

As a matter of fact, playing the mandolin hurts 17yo, but given the opportunity to do a little jamming, she chooses to suffer a bit in order to enjoy the music and the camaraderie.

Some of the former Pickin' Parlor regulars don't let us leave a place until 15yo has sung "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

And tonight, 15yo's fiddle teacher, Tom, hosted "Pickin' at the Grove" at the church he now pastors, Beech Grove First Baptist. This was a fund-raiser for the church, where they sold hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and--stroke of genius (Why has no one done this before--at least as far as I know??)--Cracker-Barrel-country-ham sandwiches! Mmmmm, good! (Let's see...hot dog or country ham? Is there really a decision to be made here??) They also auctioned desserts--cakes, pies, and cookies went for anywhere from $30 to $100 or so before we left, which was quite early. We did leave early, but Tom made sure the girls had a chance to play a couple of songs first.

Tom and the girls playing with members of The Creek.

The opening act tonight was the Rigney family, out of nearby Normandy. They were good; the boys are 14yo and 11yo. One song the family performed was written by the 14yo son. And the 11yo could tear up the fiddle and the mandolin!

The Rigney Family

Mary Susan

Puzzled Over Pickled Peppers

2008-08-13T21:50:00.004-05:00

One of the kids came up with a conundrum during family worship tonight:

Just how did Peter Piper pick pickled peppers?

Our solution: Peter Piper picked a peck of pre-pickled peppers.

Mary Susan

(Don't ask how we got to pickled peppers from Psalm 41; that's an entirely different conundrum!)

Roasted tomato garlic soup

2008-08-09T14:30:00.003-05:00

Currently having an abundance of tomatoes, I decided to try canning some tomato soup. In searching for a recipe, I quickly found roasted tomato garlic soup and decided to give it a try.

A few problems:

We didn't have enough garlic to triple the recipe. However, I was able to use three bulbs, anyway, and went with that.
Roasting the veggies. The recipe says to fill a cookie sheet with the veggies and roast them. Fine, but I wanted far more than a cookie sheet's worth! So I did three cookie sheets (all I could fit in the oven). I used the convection option, hoping to get an even roasting, but the carrots and onions still had a hard time getting done, so I finished them off by boiling them in the broth while 13yo son and I peeled the roasted tomatoes (which was very easy, as long as they were cool enough!)
Again, roasting the veggies. The juices ran over in the oven, which is now a mess! Thankfully, the bottom was lined with foil, which has been replaced, but some of the mess is under the foil, too. Hopefully, I'll get this cleaned up this evening (maybe?).

The three cookie sheets made 4.5 qts., which I consider not really enough to fiddle with canning! I mean, it's not even one load!

However, I did not add the cream (I decided I'd rather do that when we warm up the soup for serving.), so technically, I suppose it's more than 4.5 qts. But like I said, I'd rather not can unless I have a canner-full (which would be 7 qts.)

We tried some for lunch today, to see if it was worth doing again and worht figuring out a way to do more at one time. It was good; Keith really liked it. 5yo, however, who normally likes embellished tomato soup and often requests it for lunch, did not like it. Not sure what his problem with it was, but he said he did not like the taste.

Some of the best tomato soup I've ever had away from home (possibly because it may have been the first that didn't require a can opener!) was at Macaroni Grill in Franklin, TN, a few years ago. It was so fresh-tasting! The waiter told us it was a secret recipe that a customer's mother had given them, with their promise that they would not share it with anyone, not even other MG's. They've never had it since, there or at other MG's, when we've eaten there. However, sometime after this, Keith's brother became a manager for MG. He said the whole story was probably a line the waiter made up! Oh, well, it was still good.

Mary Susan

Newly Updated List

2008-08-09T14:19:00.003-05:00

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts

6/30 Blackberries (wild) / froze 1 qt

7/4 Kraut / canned 21 pts

7/5 Basil (whole leaves) / froze 2 qt-bags

7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts

7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts

7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts

7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts

7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts

7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts

7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts

7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints

7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints

7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts

7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts

7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts

7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints

7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints

7/25 Tomatoes / canned 28 pts

7/25 Tomato sauce / canned 19 1/2-pts

7/26 Blueberries (from B. Case's) / froze 7 pts, 2 1.5-pts

7/28 Corn (from Short Mtn) / froze 5 qts, 3 1.5-pts, 10 pts

7/29 Squash / froze 1 qt, 1 pt

7/30 Cowpeas / froze 8 pts

7/30 Carrots (shredded) / froze 6 pts

7/31 Salsa ("Judy's Salsa") / canned 10 pts, 2 1/2-pts

8/1 Speckled butter beans / froze 15 pts

8/5 Diced tomatoes (mostly Romas) / canned 7 qts, 7 pts

8/6 Okra (breaded) / froze 7 bags (app. 3 c each)

8/6 Carrots / froze 11 pts

8/7 Roasted tomato garlic soup / canned 4.5 qts

Mary Susan

Wal-Mart Rant

2008-08-08T07:56:00.002-05:00

As if Wal-Mart doesn't give us enough to grieve over, they're now taking away their sewing sections--at least, the ones around us are, as they are "remodeled."

Yes, it's the old story we've all heard before: Wal-Mart comes into a small town, eventually forcing small businesses to close. But, at least for me, this version has a new chapter: most small towns are doing good to have even one fabric store, so that when Wal-Mart forces that one out of business, and then closes out its own fabric/sewing section, that leaves the folks in that town without any fabric or notions.

We now have to drive close to an hour to get a zipper.

Mary Susan

Updated Updated List

2008-07-31T21:38:00.005-05:00

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
7/4 Kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Basil (whole leaves) / froze 2 qt-bags
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts
7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts
7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints
7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints
7/25 Tomatoes / canned 28 pts
7/25 Tomato sauce / canned 19 1/2 pts
7/26 Blueberries (from B. Case's) / froze 7 pts, 2 1.5-pts
7/28 Corn (from Short Mtn) / froze 5 qts, 3 1.5-pts, 10 pts
7/29 Squash / froze 1 qt, 1 pt
7/30 Cowpeas / froze 8 pts
7/30 Carrots (shredded) / froze 6 pts
7/31 Salsa ("Judy's Salsa") / canned 10 pts, 2 1/2-pts
8/1 Speckled butter beans / froze 15 pts

Mary Susan

Interesting Quote

2008-07-30T21:34:00.005-05:00

From A Reverence for Wood, by Eric Sloane (1965):

...It was at this meeting in 1765 that the word "independence" took on a special and widespread meaning.
"With our land's wealth," said one Boston merchant, "we can all afford to be independent. There is probably nothing a man needs that we cannot make or grow in America. Look about you! Except for a piece of silk here and there, the clothes on our backs and every stick in our houses is American. We can be, indeed we are, the most independent people on earth!"

Mr. Sloane goes on to say:
Those days, when the nation was struggling to be born, were perhaps our most poignant times, for it was an era when each man was forced to live with piercing intensity and perception. Two centuries later, when an American turns on the water and the lights in his apartment, he has little awareness of where those things come from; the greatest pity, however, is that he says, "Who cares where it comes from, as long as it keeps on coming?"
In 1765 everything a man owned was made more valuable by the fact that he had made it himself or knew exactly from where it had come. This is not so remarkable as it sounds; it is less strange that the eighteenth-century man should have a richer and keener enjoyment of life through knowledge than that the twentieth-century man should lead an arid and empty existence in the midst of wealth and extraordinary material benefits.
Mary Susan

RAIN!!!!

2008-07-26T07:29:00.004-05:00

[Warning: This post contains many exclamation points--justifiably!!]

Yes, RAIN!!! And not just one day, but two days...IN A ROW!!!

We got around .5" of steady rain yesterday, so that the ground was able to really soak it up. And today, I awoke to the sound of rain, and it's still going. Rather exciting.

And we've had beautiful, cool weather, too--in the 50's a couple of mornings ago--and it's July...in Tennessee! Our milkers even took out long-sleeve shirts yesterday, in case they got too cool while milking--and it's July...in Tennessee! 17yo daughter, who often works and reads on the screened-in back porch, went out one morning to do so, and soon came back in because she was too cool. And it's July--in Tennessee! If this is global warming, I'm fer it!

Mary Susan

Recent Happenings

2008-07-24T17:18:00.005-05:00

Thankfully, so that I don't focus too sharply and constantly on squash pests, we have done a couple of fun, out-of-the-normal-daily-routine things lately.

First of all, the kids and I visited my sister for a few days. She lives about 2 hours and 15 minutes away, and we try to get to her place for a few days each summer. She lives in a condo, with the pool just 30 or so feet around the corner from her back door. (We didn't get there one summer--six years ago, I think--and I've been held accountable ever since!) So anyway, we had a great time, as we always do with her, swimming and, this time, watching a lot of "I Love Lucy." The girls and I also got a trip to the Goodwill store there; it's one of the better Goodwill stores I've been to, and I always like a bargain. (Some of their merchandise was $.50 each; at that price, even if you're not sure about something, you have to get it!) And we all went to Franklin one evening. BTW, sister's birthday was two days ago; hope you had a good one!!

This past Saturday, we attended the Daniel Brantley Foundation Benefit Concert and Auction. We went to the afternoon show (probably go to the evening one next time), in anticipation of Sunday morning. Anyway, the auction was the most entertaining one I've been to, and the concert was great!! Of course, Tom Brantley and his buddies were wonderful, as always. Big Country Bluegrass was also there--saw some great clawhammer banjo playing from one of them. And the headliners--Dailey and Vincent--were incredible!!! Tom told us he's already working on getting Dailey and Vincent back. (He and Jamie Dailey played together with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for awhile.) The banjo player/guitar player/bass singer (the guy on the right) turned 19yo on Friday!

Guess that's about it for now.

Mary Susan

Updated List

2008-07-24T17:03:00.002-05:00

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
7/4 kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts.
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts
7/22 Carrot relish / canned 15 pts
7/24 Cowpeas / froze 4 pints
7/24 Corn / froze 5 pints, 5 1.5-pints

Mary Susan

Weather

2008-07-22T09:36:00.003-05:00

We had some much-needed rain about ten days ago--1.25" or so. What a blessing for the whole area! Of course, it's hard to tell now that we had any.

Yesterday afternoon, the sky darkened and some strong winds came through. The "mountains" in front of us looked hazy, so we figured they were getting rain (which occasionally happens). However, with a harder look, 15yo daughter realized it wasn't rain: it was dust! Yes, we had a mild dust storm, I guess. And no rain. Not a drop.

Better go; we're doing carrot relish this morning, something we've not done before. But then, I don't think we've ever grown carrots before, either, at least not very successfully. This year, we don't know what to do with them all!

Mary Susan

Freezing Okra and Canning Quantities Caveat

2008-07-22T09:17:00.003-05:00

In the previous post, Julie commented:

Could you share how you freeze okra? Our family loves it breaded and fried,
but I have never had any success freezing it so we only eat it in the summer
time. Thanks! I like reading your list because I can compare mine with you and see if I am on track with certain amounts.

First of all, let me qualify my amounts by stating that, for some reason this year, we had an incredibly disorganized pantry and, for a time, "lost" quite a few jars of green beans and of tomatoes.

Also, last summer, Keith assigned lunch prep to our now-15yo daughter, and dinner prep to our now-17yo daughter. This has been wonderful for all of us (and for their future husbands!), but it took them awhile to get used to using the resources we had on hand.

Therefore, we had more canned goods left over this year than we normally would, so we're starting with more than normal.

Now for freezing okra. We're like you on that; we haven't frozen it because it just didn't seem to work well. Then we had some that friends of ours froze last year, and it was so good, that I got the instructions from them.

Clean the okra. Blanche it 3 minutes. Slice it to desired size (we found that close to an inch was better than smaller, which didn't seem to hold up as well when we were slicing and breading it.) Toss it in flour, then buttermilk, then seasoned-to-your-taste cornmeal. Set them on cookie sheets so that they're not touching; freeze. When frozen, put in bags and place bags in freezer until you're ready to devour them!

Mary Susan

BTW, we used parchment on the cookie sheets, just to make sure the okra was easy to remove. I don't know if this was necessary, but I didn't want to risk losing any!

Put Up Thus Far

2008-07-21T17:28:00.007-05:00

[This is primarily for my information, so I'll have a back-up of the paper copy I have, which I have a difficult time finding, even though it's in my gardening notebook in the same location it's been in since we put up our first beans a few weeks ago!]

6/25 Lazy Housewife beans / canned 7qts
7/4 kraut / canned 21 pts
7/5 Contender bush beans / canned 3 qts
7/5 Cherokee Trail of Tears beans / canned 4 qts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 23 pts
7/10 Maude Wall beans / canned 28 qts
7/16 Beans (mostly Maude Wall) / canned 19 qts
7/17 Okra (breaded) / froze 3 qts
7/18 Tomatoes / canned 14 pts
7/18 Tomato sauce / canned 8 half-pints
7/18 Pickled peppers / canned 7 half-pints
7/21 Cucumber relish / canned 11 pts
7/21 Squash / froze 4 qts

At some point--July 5?--froze 2 quart-sized bags of whole basil leaves. (Experimental; found on internet; will give it a try. Would be great to have fresh-tasting basil in the middle of winter!)

Currently drying basil and feverfew.

Mary Susan

Maude Wall Beans

2008-07-09T07:01:00.002-05:00

In response to Marci's comment of the previous post:

As I was composing the previous post, I did think about sending some of the seed to a few blog readers who might request them. I've also considered sending some to Seed Savers. However, I'm not sure about Mrs. Wall's family--sort of consider it their property. (My parents moved from there 28 or so years ago, and I don't know if they've kept up with her and her family or not.)

After the Wall family, I consider my parents "keepers of the beans," and would have to check with them on sending some out. I don't think they'd have a problem with it, unless our yield is low for seed this year. I'll try to remember to do that when they come home in a couple of days.

As I indicated, this year's yield will have to be considered. We're going to need more seed next year than we normally keep (I'm working toward trying to put up two-years' worth of foods that we grow. The drought of the past couple of years has made us change our thinking a bit.)

This is my father's favorite bean. He likes to leave them on the vine until the beans are really big and filled out, so that they cook up "shelly," as my parents say. The pods do not get tough on these beans when you do that. I like them that way, but I also like them young and not shelly.

Mary Susan

Bean Testing/Tasting

2008-07-08T19:56:00.003-05:00

This post is in response to Stephen's comment to the previous post.

We planted a number of types of beans, some of them having come in a package deal. We thought we'd try all these out, and hone in next year on the ones we like best .

We have rattlesnake, but planted them late and in some corn (shady; another experiment), so they're not yet producing.

We also planted Lazy Housewife, Cherokee Trail of Tears, Contender, KY Wonder pole (Old Homestead), Hidatsa Shield Figure, and Speckled Cranberry. And of course, the Maude Walls.

The Shield Figure and the Cranberry are dried beans; the Trail of Tears can be.

We have such small patches of each of these (except the Maude Walls) that we'll probably not be able to can many, although we have done a few jars of some of them. However, we're learning which ones we want to repeat, and hopefully we'll get some seed out of them.

I'm amazed at how much we've learned the past couple of years, when we've actually put some effort into gardening, and yet, how little we know!

MSB

Today's Harvest

2008-07-08T14:08:00.005-05:00

Today, we harvested a few tomatoes, various types of peppers, a few pods of okra, a couple of carrots (What's the best thing to do with carrots? Do we go on and pick them all now, and hope they'll save for quite awhile, or do we leave them in the ground and harvest as we need them? I really need to look up this and a number of other things), A LOT of green beans (three types, but mainly one we call "Maude Wall" beans, after the woman who gave my parents the seed some thirty or so years ago; this bean is consistently the best, most reliable, and most prolific of any bean we've tried growing. Mrs. Wall didn't know the kind of bean at the time, but said she'd had it for many years.)

Oh, yes, we also brought in some basil to start drying some for our winter supply. Of course, it won't be as good as fresh, but at least we won't have to buy dried basil from the store. We have one plant of a purple variety and four or five plants of a green variety.

We have plenty of cilantro for now, but we have been led to understand that it will quickly go to seed as we have more hot days.

For medicinal purposes, we are growing feverfew, which can be helpful for migraines. I should probably start drying some of that, too, but haven't yet.

It is dry here, again, though not as bad as the last couple of years at this point. We do have a chance of rain in the next couple of days, but not a high chance. The previous two years have been very hard on the area, especially on the nursery businesses. Their crop is an investment in years, not months, like most garden/crop farms, so a big loss in one year can be quite devastating. If you think to, please say a prayer for the nurserymen in the area.

Neat thing about harvesting okra (didn't know there was anything neat about it?): 5yo considers it his special privilege to do it! How awesome is that!?!

Mary Susan

Family Retreat

2008-07-02T14:52:00.038-05:00

This past weekend we went to Coker Creek Village Adventure and Retreat Center (I memorized that one). We had a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. It only rained on us once, but more on that later. Here's some pics.

On the way there we stopped at the Mayfield Dairy, took the tour, and had some ice cream.

Then we stopped at Hunters Cafe in Sweetwater for lunch. Yeah, I know, don't say anything.

Then we got there and took it easy.

Then we tried to dance some to Dean Martin.

(Do you know what she's doing here?)

We played forehead, Mexican train, and old maid a lot.

This is the house we stayed in. It was set up to be used as a bunkhouse that could fit 25 people, so 12 people got that all to themselves. The house was built in the 1800's, and a lot of it still looked like the 1800's.

This is the sort of bunk we slept in (very creaky).

Here are some pics of the first nights campfire. They are in no order at all, they're just there.

The second day we took a hike to Coker Creek Falls (more like cascades). It was a very beautiful area and trail. Here are some pics.

The beginning of the trail.

This is where at the end of the hike, that is, the beginning of the trail, Claire and Luke went in the creek a little bit.

There was a small gift shop that didn't have much in it, but it was fairly good any way.

This is half of us. The rest were staying at the house instead of going to the gift shop, or taking the picture.

Coker Creek was a large gold area. Some guys were there with this machine working on getting the ore and they let me take their picture....okay, not really.

This is the "real" thing.

Now, at the beginning of the post, I mentioned rain. Apparently when it rains there it rains. We had some rain on the second night, and a good thing it only rained once. It ended up the house had a few leaky spots. So before we went to bed we moved some bunks and strategically placed a few trash cans.

You just look at that and think "I don't believe that house is leaky", right?

Well, I'll stop there, I've kept you long enough.

Kyle B.

Pest Follow-up

2008-06-26T06:51:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure what we're doing is working well. I'm also losing squash plants (and am dreading going out this morning to see how many I have left!)

Like I said in the previous post, I've sprinkled with DE and self-rising flour, but I'm really not sure that's helped. I think the DE probably helped with the potato bugs. And, according to TNFarmgirl, the S-R flour tackles Japanese beetles, which have made their appearance, now, so when I powder the beans, I go ahead and powder the squash, just in case it helps with the squash bugs (which, BTW, are now occasionally seen on the beans, too.)

The spray Keith came up with is about 6 tomato leaves, a couple of garlic cloves, a cayenne pepper pod, some ground cayenne pepper. Place in blender and fill blender to top line with water. Blend, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to act as a surfactant, heat up a bit, strain well, and put in a spray bottle. This did seem to work, but I'm not sure about the dishwashing liquid and the tomato-leaf juice on growing veggies, so I've not used it in a few days.

A friend gave me a very helpful book, The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control from Rodale Press. I've not looked at a lot of books in this line, but this one seems to be the most helpful of those that I have checked out.

Hope this helps; if anyone finds out anything else that might help, let us know!!

Mary Susan

Pests

2008-06-16T21:41:00.007-05:00

(Can anyone tell me what he's doing here??)

No, I'm not talking about little brothers (nor would I).

I'm talking about potato beetles, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and whiteflies.

Thankfully, the potato beetles seem to be under control for now, mainly by hand-picking them off the tomatoes in the upper garden and off the potatoes and tomatoes in the lower garden. We still check for them, and do find a few every now and then, but nothing like the epic proportions we had a couple of weeks ago.

The stinky squash bugs, however, are another story. I looked them up on Friday, after seeing quite a few of them around a squash plant that seemed to die before my eyes. So on Saturday morning, 17yo daughter and I hand-picked literally hundreds of the smelly critters off our remaining squash plants. (They stink. My hands still smelled like them this morning, even after washing them in a tomato-based product, in lemon juice, in homemade soap, in shampoo, and countless regular handwashings!) We then sprayed with a potion Keith concocted based on a couple of recipes from Organic Gardening, I believe, and we "powdered" with self-rising flour and diatomaceous earth. It was a critical time, and we had to use everything in our arsenal that might possibly help. I dreaded going out this morning to assess the damage, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Although I'm sure there were more of the odiferous bugs than we saw, the legions had been reduced drastically. There are many eggs, and we're continuing our control efforts, but much positive progress has been made. (Did I mention that they stink?)

We've seen a few cucumber beetles, but not too many. However, we attack the ones we see, generally while we're getting the squash bugs. I understand the larvae of these can be a real problem, but hopefully, prayerfully, we'll not have many, and they'll be manageable.

I've seen a couple of whiteflies, but figure there are many more somewhere, or will be soon.

Five days ago, I'm not sure I'd ever heard of these critters. I feel that we're well acquainted with them, now. I'm amazed at how much I am learning each year--each month--each week--about gardening and about God's world that He has placed under our care.

Mary Susan

Happy Birthday Mother!

2008-06-14T19:19:00.008-05:00

Kyle

Concert June 21

2008-06-13T14:55:00.004-05:00

Just in case someone happens to come across this blog who doesn't already know this, Nathan Clark George will be in concert in Centerville in about a week.

(A bit different than Bonnaroo, I'd say.)

Mary Susan

Wheat

2008-06-11T16:31:00.004-05:00

A lot of farmers are growing wheat around here. This is fairly unusual. Also, I've only seen one field of what I think will be soybeans; this is also unusual; soybeans are usually a big crop here. I'm guessing Big Ag/Ag Extension office is encouraging this. Also, soybean rust has slowly been making its way to the area; maybe this is an attempt to halt or at least slow that down.

The wheat has been beautiful, although it's past its brightest yellow, now. The dark green of trees and young corn contrasts beautifully with the wheat. Wish I'd gotten some photos of some of the wheat at its brightest.

Mary Susan

Bonnaroo is Back!!! AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

2008-06-11T15:46:00.007-05:00

This is the weekend of Bonnaroo. If you don't know what that is, I'm sure you can find it on the web. We're maybe ten miles from the Bonnaroo site. We feel the bass here at night, when things are otherwise quiet. Sometimes we hear the music in addition to just feeling the bass. The area is being invaded quite heavily with what are called Bonnaroonies--basically modern-day hippies, to a large extent. Or at least, that's what they look like. Thankfully, the local police and the Bonnaroo staff have done much to improve traffic during the festival. Used to be terrible, but they've worked out many of the kinks, so that we're not too affected, generally, athough we do tend to avoid that town this week; we'll do without, or go to the nearest town in the opposite direction, if something is desperately needed.

We talked to someone a couple of years ago who said her son attended Bonnaroo once. (This is a wonderful, Christian family with whom some of you may have had some contact.) Anyway, this son had had sort of long hair when he went. When he returned home, he cut his hair and had kept it shorter ever since, saying he wanted to have absolutely nothing in common with the Bonnaroonies!

A number of local churches have been known to set up booths in the hopes of evangelizing.

Supposedly the local economy gets a big boost from the festival. I'm guessing that beer sales go up.

The service station/quick market at "our" interstate exit has brought in six or eight port-a-potties.

I recall being at our vet's office a couple of years ago the week of the festival. The office is also near "our" interstate exit. They are booked with critters being boarded that weekend. That's something I'd not thought of. I'm not sure if it's pets of Bonnaroonies or if it's pets of local folks who flee the area during the festival (Yes, some folks do leave the area for those four days.)

Passed a number of houses on the way to daughter's fiddle lesson today that are apparently renting out or otherwise providing housing for some of the folks attending the festival. Saw quite a few people seeming to have a leisurely good time. Also saw a house with a new sign up saying campsites and firewood are available there.

Going to be a hot few days, if the weather pattern continues. This has been a problem previously. From what I've heard, the festival-makers have helped this by having more water available for drinking, as well as having sprayers--from what looks like huge mushrooms in the photos I've seen. (How appropriate is that for a festival of hippies/hippie wannabes?)

Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, and Allison Kraus have performed at Bonnaroo. Loads of others, most of which I'd rather not see or hear--in person or otherwise. And as great as it would be to see those named and a few of the others, I'd rather do that at some other time and some other place than Bonnaroo!

(I can't believe I've devoted this much space to Bonnaroo!)

Mary Susan

Two Booker T. Washington Agrarian Quotes

2008-06-07T21:32:00.007-05:00

I just came across these Booker T. Washington quotes on a blogpost of a few days ago from Carmon.

"No race can prosper till it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem."
“All races that have reached success and have influenced the world for righteousness have laid their foundation at one stage of their career in the intelligent and successful cultivation of the soil ; that is, have begun their free life by coming into contact with earth and wood and stone and minerals. Any people that begins on a natural foundation of this kind, rises slowly but naturally and gradually in the world.”

Mary Susan

Gramps and Dodi

2008-06-04T21:48:00.003-05:00

This is Gramps and Dodi. They are not blood relatives, but rather, a brother and sister in Christ. They have been attending our church since moving to the area a couple of months ago, being parents and grandparents of a family in our church.

Gramps is quiet, and is, I am sure, going to be a mentor to all of us who are trying to garden in a healthy, non-industrial way. He's been gardening organically for years. (Gramps, how does one control those potato bugs that are attacking potatoes and tomatoes? Is hand-picking the only way???)

Dodi is an artist. Really. Sells her work, has shows, etc. She's also gracious, while at the same time not being shy about letting you know her thoughts on a matter, or giving nudges to do the right thing (like when I was irritable with 5yo this weekend!) And I've heard for a long time what an encourager she is, and am beginning to witness it.

I'm grateful Gramps and Dodi have moved into the area; they are a blessing.

Mary Susan

Tag

2008-06-02T20:02:00.006-05:00

Well, I'm supposed to do a tag on here, so here it goes.

7 things I'd like to do before I'd die:

Get married
Go to Scotland
Make a movie
Make bio-diesel
Run a timber business
Buy a set of tools and keep up with all of them
Type well

7 things I cannot do well

Type
Do anything on the computer
Cook
Play piano
Play sports
Be social
Act

7 favorite movies

National Treasure (both)
Lord of the Rings
Princess Bride
Gods and Generals
Gettysburg
Paleface
Son of Paleface

7 things I say often

Och
Grrrrrrrr...... (those are basically the same thing)
Sir????
What were you saying?
Yup.
Nope.
I'm hungry.

7 things I'd like in a spouse

Loves the Lord
Loves children
Teachable
Supporter
Good cook
Musical (to keep me on key)
Willing to live just about anywhere

7 favorite books and authors

The Bible
C.S. Lewis (much much much much better than the movies made)
David McCullough
My sister
Lord of the Rings (also much better than the movies)
Sir Walter Scott
Henty

5 people I tag (It's not 7!!!!!!)

Justin R.
David P.
Colton E.
Drapers
Chris S.

(If you don't want to do a tag, you don't have to)

Kyle

Catching Our Breath

2008-05-26T22:00:00.015-05:00

Since last posting, we attended our denomination's annual presbytery meeting in Peoria, Illinois--and had a great time! Special thanks to the hospitality of this family, to a lot of food and more fellowship added in from this family, and to the Peoria church planning such a good time for us all.

We ate, we talked, we played games, we talked, we enjoyed music, we talked, we danced, we talked, we went to Wildlife Prairie Park, we talked, we read, we talked. And did I mention that we talked? We met lots of new folks, and look forward to staying in contact with them and seeing them again, as well as meeting still more in the future.

Here are a few pics from presbytery weekend.

Playing and singing at the Evans home

The Riggenbachs, some of whom Keith and the girls had met 3+ years ago at a Father/Daughter Retreat in Georgia. They live just down the road from the Evans family and attend church with them.

Some of our TN folks on the train at Wildlife Prairie Park

Ditto

Mr. Pickles of Arizona making up a square for a dance--with seven small youngsters--all probably 5yo and under, I'd say. I agree with our pastor's wife, who said, "Now THERE'S a man."

I love this one, of Keith and our 17yo dancing together (He's in the white shirt; she's in the blue dress)--as well as including the best-dressed man there (and a good dancer, too, I understand!)

More dancing--from TN and CA, this time

Sheri and Cara

Impromptu music with Jeremy...

...and dancing on the lawn

5yo really likes slides

This weekend, we spent up in our church's area, taking advantage once again of the hospitality of this family. We also got to know one of the families from California that was in Peoria last weekend, since they were visiting this family for a few days. And what a pleasure they are. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them a bit.

This weekend's events included a recital that our 15yod participated in, a birthday celebration for our pastor and one of his sons, a movie night ("National Treasure 2"), soccer for some, and of course worship and fellowship on Sunday, as well as a celebration of a couple more birthdays.

Those actually involved in the recital. They all did a great job. As well as I know most of these, I didn't even know some of them played, and they did difficult pieces beautifully!

After the recital, at the Harvest Grill

Oh, yes, and I made mozzarella and ricotta with my pastor's wife, who has done it a few times. I'm looking forward to doing it here, now. Both cheeses were delicious!

Two great weekends. Now we're looking forward to next weekend, when we'll have a guest pastor, and he and some (or hopefully all) of his family will be spending the weekend fellowshipping with our church.

In between, we worked on academics (officially nearing the end of this "year") and chores. Did some good garden work. The girls finished their formal dresses, including the one 17yo designed herself.

15yo in her formal, after the recital in which she participated

17yo in the gown she designed

ahmmmm...a friend, after the recital (in which he did not participate)

Gramps and "Brown Sugar" celebrating some birthdays

Some of the other birthday partiers Saturday evening

Lovely cake and decorator for Sunday's birthday celebration

Happy birthday, you two!

I fixed the Swiss chard, pretty much according to this recipe. It was really pretty good!

Mary Susan

BTW, I've always been tolerant of it, and understand where the concern might come from, but those folks who think homeschooled children have a socialization problem really don't have a clue, do they? Over the past two weeks, we've been in crowds with an age range from less than 1yo to close to 81, I'd say, and there just doesn't seem to be a problem. No, to be more precise, there ISN'T a problem. All the folks interact with each other, no matter what the age. It's beautiful! And for your FYI (as Chesley says), these circumstances are not unusual for our kids and families. As in any crowd, some are less talkative than others, but communication among all the ages is no problem. As Keith said this weekend, these kids are lightyears ahead of where we and our then-peers were at their age! (and I'd say that's true not only in communication skills, but in all areas of life!) All praise and thanks to God!!!

Happenings

2008-05-14T21:37:00.005-05:00

Pastoral headache

About a week ago, our pastor and his family came for a two-day visit. (We live 2.5 hrs away from church; not an ideal situation, but well worth the drive there and back for worship and fellowship. One-anothering is a bit more difficult, but we try.)

They did some good work for us: helping clean out the barn, weed-eating, milking, painting, etc. And Keith and the pastor built some drawers for the pastors' daughters' closet.

Only one injury worth mentioning--our 5yo tumbled forward off a flying turtle. Great "toy," and he does well on it, normally, but went headlong this time into the concrete, resulting in a fat lip, a scab below his nose and a slight one on his chin. A couple of drink-spills, and that was it for mishaps.

The fat lip was gone by the time this picture was taken a few days later.

Anyway, it was great to have them here, as always, and it's so nice now to see the trim in the kitchen and dining room painted, the pond area trimmed, and the barn cleaned out!

This past weekend, my sister came for a visit, which thankfully is not unusual. We celebrated Mother's Day as well as our father's birthday. We (my sister, 5yo son, and I) also had the...um...the opportunity, I'll say, to celebrate a 4yo friend's birthday--at Chuck E. Cheese's, about an hour away from here. Can you say "sensory overload"? Good folks, and it was good to see them, although not much socializing went on; just too loud there to hardly even talk with someone right next to you! But good to see them all, anyway.

The garden is beginning to produce. We've been eating asparagus, strawberries, lettuce, onions. And I believe more lettuces are ready, now, as well as Swiss chard, which I've never fixed or even eaten. I've looked up how to fix it and am looking forward to trying it.

We've spent a lot of time in the garden this week. In addition to picking strawberries, we've also pretty much finished up the planting for now, and I spent a lot of time yesterday cultivating and thinning out some of the crops. I'm looking forward to seeing how some of our stuff turns out. I feel like our upper garden this year is pretty much experimental. My parents have had a garden--the "lower" garden, here--for years, and we can always count on good stuff from there, but last year we started another one, where we are trying to keep away from fertilizers, pesticides, genetically altered seed, etc. We did this last year, but were quite lax from the start; we're trying to be more diligent this year. Thus far, we're doing much better than last year.

Mary Susan

More Music!

2008-05-03T21:06:00.005-05:00

We just got home from hearing some great bluegrass, and it was, oh-so-good to hear it again!

It's been awhile since we've been able to get anywhere to hear (or for the kids to participate in) some good pickin'. But at 15yo's fiddle lesson this week, her teacher, the awesome Tom Brantley, told us about a fundraiser tonight at the community center (for the center) near his home, where dinner would be served, and he and some of his friends would be playing. So we actually managed to get there this time. (He often tells us about events that we just don't seem to be able to get to!)

Dinner was typical (burgers, dogs, or chicken sandwiches; baked beans; potato salad or chips; various desserts made by the local folks). The music that followed was fantastic, as we've come to expect from Tom and his friends.

Tom had his wife sing a number with him and a couple of others, and even had our 15yo daughter come up and play "Going Up Big Sandy" and "Harvest Hornpipe" with them, and, like old times at the Pickin' Parlor, sing "Blue Moon of Kentucky." These were great, as were the rest of the numbers--and the finale was phenomenal: "Orange Blossom Special," with Tom on fiddle, Jackie Miller (a Gibson rep who also plays fiddle with the Reno Brothers) on mandolin; Tyler Anderson on banjo (one of the many instruments he plays; he's a member of the Soul Pickers, but if you follow the link and go to the bios on the website, the picture of him doesn't look at all like him; I passed it up looking for him!); Richard Starkey (a Martin rep; the link is one of many when you search for him; this one is a youtube video of him performing a song in a shop, it looks like) on guitar; and Cindy Miller (Jackie's wife) on bass. It was incredible.

We've got to get out to these events more often!!

Mary Susan

Singing the Psalms

2008-05-03T12:11:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of the month. And that means that we'll have a Psalm/Hymn Sing after church. And that's nice.

This is a time when attendees (don't have to be a member of our church) have a chance to sing Psalms and hymns together, to learn parts to at least one, to sing a piece that one or more of them have prepared, to recite passages of scripture they've prepared, etc. It's a neat time.

We've only sung the Psalms since attending this church (or rather, the church from which this one was planted) about 2.5 years ago. I can remember someone I used to know who was a church organist and had attended college for church music: she knew many of the Psalms because of all the music she'd had to learn--sometimes, without even knowing they were Psalms!

So now, our family is learning many of the Psalms because we actually sing them at church. And why not? I mean, the book of Psalms is, basically, a hymnal, right? And the music on so many of them is lovely--especially when we learn the parts, under the able and much-appreciated direction of TJ. Singing the Psalms is so worshipful, and adds greatly to our worship services. The act of worship has come to mean so much to me, and I so look forward to the service each Sunday.

A practical bonus: Our pianist has recently begun to turn over the playing responsibilities for the one special Psalm/hymn of the month--the one we learn parts on for that month--to some of the younger folks in the church, thus giving them more experience in playing in different situations.

Mary Susan

Ooooooh! Aaaaaah!

2008-04-18T22:19:00.002-05:00

How cool might this be?

Mary Susan

In Observance of Poetry Month

2008-04-15T16:33:00.003-05:00

It is only recently that I really started to enjoy poetry, thanks in large part to Carmon's efforts. And so, in honor of Carmon, I post this poem by Edgar Guest, who is sort of the Norman Rockwell of poets.

RICH
by Edgar Guest

Who has a troop of romping youth
About his parlor floor,
Who nightly hears a round of cheers,
When he is at the door,
Who is attacked on every side
By eager little hands
That reach to tug his grizzled mug,
The wealth of earth commands.

Who knows the joys of girls and boys,
His lads and lassies, too,
Who's pounced upon and bounced upon
When his day's work is through,
Whose trousers know the gentle tug
Of some glad little tot,
The baby of his crew of love,
Is wealthier than a lot.

Oh, be he poor and sore distressed
And weary with the fight,
If with a whoop his healthy troop
Run, welcoming at night,
And kisses greet him at the end
Of all his toiling grim,
With what is best in life he's blest
And rich men envy him.

Mary Susan

Buon Appetito!

2008-04-14T12:10:00.005-05:00

This article is very affirming!!!

Good thing I've overcome the thinness-affliction of my high school and college days!

Mary Susan

"It rained...

2008-04-04T17:14:00.006-05:00

...and it rained and it rained. Piglet told himself that never in all his life, and he was goodness knows how old--three, was it, or four?--never had he seen so much rain. Days and days and days."

Our Christopher Robin

I don't know when I've seen the grass so green!!! It's absolutely beautiful!!!

For the first time in quite awhile, the creek between here and "town" is up over the bridge--a common occurrence the year we built the house (four years ago), but infrequent since.

It's a lot of rain, but after the last couple of summers, I still can't get enough of it.

Mary Susan

Salatin/Chipotle Alliance

2008-04-03T16:16:00.002-05:00

This is an encouraging article--not just for farmers, but also for consumers.

What's Up

2008-03-24T10:18:00.007-05:00

To follow up on the last post, the kids and I didn't make it to the Daniel Brantley Foundation event. One daughter wasn't feeling that great (we've all been a bit run down--just worn out, not getting enough sleep, etc., though generally, most-of-the-time healthy), and we'd received some rather disturbing news about some bad (okay, really stupid and maddening) decisions some friends had made that put us in a not-too-happy mindset. So we decided it was better to stay home and get to bed early. We heard that the Primitive Quartet was very good, but sadly, the donations didn't go far--pretty much just enough to cover the costs of the event.

This weekend we tilled up a spot for a few veggies and flowers for this family (Hope you're feeling better, TJ!), then went on our way, eventually making it to the Wests' place, where we stopped in for a short visit--that turned into about a four-hour visit and a good bit of bluegrass. Their harmonies are incredible, and yes, I'm extremely envious. (The music on their website does not do them justice, by the way; not sure if it's the CD or the computer, but the sound doesn't compare to their true abilities.)

Our seedlings are coming along, and the garden's ready for planting. I'd meant to get some peas, spinach, lettuce, etc., out already, but we've not done so. However, we'll get that done this week--maybe even today!

The lower (non-organic) garden that my parents are in charge of (but we're going to attempt to do most of the work) has cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and onions out, now. There are a few spears of asparagus ready!! And the strawberries are looking good. Now if the weather will just cooperate--last year, we had only a few strawberries because of a heavy, late frost just when the strawberries were in full blossom.

Mary Susan

This Weekend, and a Not-So-Shameless Plug

2008-03-13T22:18:00.005-05:00

Having crammed in hours this week, Keith leaves work early tomorrow to come home, pick up 12yo son and tools, and go to the new home of a family in our church to do some work, along with a number of others from our church. They (Keith and son) will be gone all weekend.

In the meantime, until we meet Keith and 12yo son at church Sunday morning, the girls, 5yo, and I have a number of things to do around here, including all the farm chores that 12yo normally takes care of.

On Saturday evening, we may attend this event. We've not seen the Primitive Quartet, but hear from good sources that they are great. And the cause is a wonderful one. Tom and Connie Brantley are friends of ours and are dear folks. Tom's our music teacher (15yo takes fiddle lessons; 12yo took guitar lessons; 17yo took mandolin lessons) and mentor. We've only known the Brantleys a couple of years, but respect and admire them greatly. I wish we could have known their son, Daniel.

As the website says, the Daniel Brantley Foundation helps children with chronic health problems related to childhood cancer. If anyone is looking for a good, legitimate charitable organization to help out--and one that uses its funds as it claims to--then please consider the Daniel Brantley Foundation. And if you know of anyone who needs some assistance and who fits the profile, contact the Brantleys (the address is on the website).

Mary Susan

By the way, I really enjoy hammered dulcimer music. If you like it, too, you might want to order one or both of the CD's on the Foundation's website.

Inspiration for Chesley

2008-03-06T15:38:00.002-06:00

Part 2 is your main inspiration.

Part 1

Part 2

Mary Susan

Gold

2008-03-04T15:27:00.004-06:00

I've heard that for a garden, manure is worth its weight in gold, but is it really worth this??

Mary Susan

New Man on the Job

2008-03-01T14:25:00.004-06:00

We have a new milker to add to our workforce!!

Yes, this week, at his request, 5yo son started helping--genuinely helping--with the milking. Just look at those hands go!

Normally, two of us go out to milk sometime mid-morning. (The Jersey calf is separated from his mother at night, but is released after the mama is milked in the morning. So at this point, we only milk once a day: a VERY nice arrangement, although the calf is getting quite big. I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to keep it up!)

Usually, 15yo daughter and 12yo son do the milking. Occasionally, I go instead of one of them. So they are the primary milkers; I'm back-up, when needed. 5yo son occasionally went out with us, and occasionally milked a little, but only for fun--until this week, when he asked to help out, and 15yo thought he (and she) could handle it. And he has helped a few times now! He's gone out with her or with 12yo and pulled his weight in the milking department--generally with no problems or thoughts of complaining (although I understand he was quite easily distracted today).

Mary Susan

Meal Prep at Our House

2008-02-27T13:34:00.003-06:00

A few months ago, Keith and I talked about our girls' kitchen skills. Although they were quite skilled, they just weren't getting a lot of practice. Knowing what makes our 17yo daughter click, Keith decided to turn dinner prep over to her in its entirety--something I'd have had a hard time doing (not because I worry about her abilities, or that I don't want to let go; just seemed like a lot to put off on her--guilt, I guess?). However, I saw the wisdom in his decision.

Last night's dinner--a fruit, salad, and bread feast. A meatless dinner, at Keith's request. (We rarely go meatless.) The preparer, a devout carnivore, missed the meat the most; the rest of us reveled in the feast before us. It was truly delicious, like all the dinners we've been experiencing around here lately.

She now provides gourmet-quality dinners for us almost every evening. (My mother has certain days when she cooks dinner.) She plans menus, adds items to the grocery list that she needs, and prepares dinner entirely on her own most of the time. Among other things, she has grilled, used the crock-pot and pressure cooker, roasted, fried, and often makes bread. Absolutely marvelous food, and a wonderful change from my cooking.

Our 15yo daughter has taken over lunch prep. Granted, lunch is very casual around here. I think the best thing this provides her in the way of skills is to learn to be creative in the use of left-overs and to simply become accustomed to coming up with ideas for lunch. (Lunch ideas are always a problem around here!) Eventually, the girls will probably swap meals. However, with 17yo officially finished with school (although education is never truly over, we hope), she has more time to devote to this effort than 15yo, and since dinner prep definitely takes more time, she's the one with it for now.

Mary Susan

Catching Up

2008-02-27T12:27:00.005-06:00

Hot chocolate's served, grocery list is made out, seed blocks are watered, and all's right with the world.

Yes, special hot chocolate was called for this morning, as we experienced a bit of snow. Probably our best one so far this winter, but still not much. Enough for 15yo daughter and 5yo son to scrape together a small snowman. And it continues to flurry, even as the snow quickly disappears on the grass. The hot chocolate I made was "Hot Chocolate to Die For," except that we're about out of cream, and rarely if ever keep half-and-half on hand. (What's the point of half-and-half, anyway??) I made the semi-sweet version, since that's the kind of chips we had enough of. It's incredibly rich, even when made with whole milk! I can remember years ago (even before we had children, I think), when Keith made some with cream, I couldn't even drink a full cup, it was so rich!

We made seed blocks last Thurday for tomatoes, peppers, and a few herbs. We have a few more to make in a week or so, then we'll be done with indoor seed-starting (I think). Today, I noticed a few sprouts of some peppers and feverfew (an herb that, when used early enough, helps with migraines, and of which I'm hoping to have a bountiful crop!!).

My last batch of soap is in full use now, and turned out well. The one I helped a friend make will be ready for use in a few days, and is looking good. (We're looking forward to seeing that family sometime next month!)

A cat has adopted us. She's a young one, and still somewhat small, although from the sounds of her and Scruggs last night, we may well be having some kittens in the not-too-distant future. We really need to name her, I guess. Right now, she's still "the black cat." She seems much more self-sufficient than Scruggs ever has; it would be nice if we could get her out to the barn, and let her and the future kittens keep rodents at bay out there. It would also get the cats away from the kitchen door, where they are a loud nuisance everytime we open the door.

(Not a great picture, but she's something of a difficult subject!)

We're enjoying kefir and kombucha, thanks to friends giving us starters for both. We drink the kefir, usually, with sweetened strawberry puree and a bit of cream--delicious! And the kombucha, we just strain and drink. On my first batch of kombucha, I had to check with the friend I got the starter from: were the brown colonies of gooey icky-looking stuff okay, or had I done something wrong? She said they're actually a good sign, and good to have. She (and we) strain that off, but she said her husband actually drinks that! I'm not that tough, yet, although, as I told her, I've had to change my ideas about what's good and bad in the last few years, as I study and learn more about our food supply and what is truly healthy!

Mary Susan

Daddy's a Bit Riled

2008-02-14T14:02:00.011-06:00

My father is one of my "Most Respected Persons." He's quite respected by others of his acquaintance, too, and with good reason. He is also generally a man of few words, and is rarely riled enough to show it (except for those totally effective looks of disapproval I remember so well on occasion when I was growing up!).

However, he has recently met with bureaucracy that has a very personal impact on him and many of his friends. Not government bureaucracy, but, rather, church bureaucracy.

My father is a pastor. He "retired" about 12 years ago, and has served where needed almost continuously ever since, at various churches, sometimes as a fill-in for a day, sometimes for two or three years. His hope is to serve his current charge about another year, then retire (again--although I have a hard time seeing him actually retiring).

Anyway, the church bureaucrats in our region have decided that all pastors must take a certain training course this year, or they will not be appointed to a church for the next year (years beginning and ending in June, in this case). The training is "Personal and Professional Sexual Ethics," and my father (and numerous others of his pseudo-retired friends) uncharacteristically decided not to attend the training. However, he really wants to serve his current church again.

And so, he drafted and sent the following letter to the powers that be and to friends. Loads of folks have read it by now; it was even read at a luncheon of quite a few retirees, many of whom have had to take the course or are going to be in attendance when my father takes it. It has brought many laughs, but also shows the frustration he feels about this.

Dear Conference Committee on Sexual Ethics,

I give up! I surrender! After so many insistent reminders and repeated
threats, I shall try to attend your "personal and professional sexual ethics"
training event next month.

I rather consider an arbitrary rule requiring a seventy-seven-year-old
retired preacher--who is about as apt to engage in sexual harassment as my wife
is likely to try out for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders--to attend a "sexual
ethics" seminar to be the ridiculous, weak-minded, nonsensical, obtrusive,
irritating, absurd, exasperating, silly, perverse, offensive brainstorm of
either a power-hungry bureaucracy or a muddle-headed hierarchy.

However, because next year I hope to serve for one final year as a pastor
in the Tennessee Conference, and because I love the people and my work in the
churches I now serve too much to jeopardize my reappointment, humbly and
submissively I shall sit in on your inescapable training event.

Respectfully yours...

Even though he's being somewhat facetious, these are strong words from my dad! Bully for you, Daddy!

My sister suggested that he might want to take a book &/or newspaper with him to the training. Personally, I think a deck of cards is a good idea, so solitaire would be an option, or, if others need a diversion, some multi-player games could go on. Actually, a number of decks might be needed, so everyone that wants to can have a chance to play some sort of game. Maybe this "training event" won't be so bad after all!

By the way, one of his also-retired friends has requested that he let him know when my mother goes out for the cheerleader position, because his wife wants to go with her and try out, too!

Mary Susan

The day I posted this, I stated in the next-to-the-last-paragraph that my father's district superintendent (DS) had suggested the book/newspaper; I had misunderstood my mother completely! She said Carol (my sister) had said that; I thought she said Harold (the DS)! My appologies for any slander--it was totally unintentional. (You'd think my mother would have suspected I'd misunderstood when she saw my incredulous response: the suggestion seems completely out- of-character for the DS, but not for my sister!) MSB

Miscellany

2008-02-05T13:11:00.000-06:00

One of the ladies who was here for our pig slaughtering weekend brought me some new kefir grains and some hands-on instructions from her daughter. She'd given me my originals a a couple of months earlier, but I'd not done a good job with them. Now we are enjoying it much more.

I also made my first batch of kombucha this week; I'm very curious about it, and will try it out tomorrow.

The kids and I spent about an hour in the garden this morning, clearing and cleaning up some, so that 12yo son will be able to mow the area in preparation for spreading compost, manure, and maybe even moving some chickens through. I noticed the other day that where the chickens have moved through the "orchard" (okay...the area with some sticks in the ground), there are healthy, greener patches of grass. So we thought we'd give them a run in the garden after it's mowed.

Yesterday, the kids and I took a day off from regular academics to have time to do a bit of catching up on a number of things and to brainstorm on garden and a few other things. This was a refreshing and much-needed mental change.

The third batch of soap I've ever made, which we made during the pig-slaughtering, is curing well and looks like it will be a good bacth for the lady who brought the kefir grains. We're looking forward to seeing her and her family again next month, and the soap will be ready by then.

Need laughter? Watch a movie with some schtick in it with a 5yo. You may not like schtick, but that doesn't matter; you'll laugh at the 5yo's laughter; it's extremely infectious. Our 5yo had the rest of us doubled over last night as he laughed at the schtick in a movie the rest of us have seen dozens of times.

Cheri has tagged me in a game of blog tag. I'm not sure, but I think I've been tagged before and ignored it. However, I'll give this one a shot (but won't be at all offended if those I tag choose to ignore it).

Game of Blog Tag Rules:

Link to the person that tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Some random facts about me (since, of course, I have no weird ones):

In August, I will have been married to Keith for 25 years!
Not that long ago, I couldn't stand touching raw poultry; even fixed a turkey one Thanksgiving without ever actually placing my hands on the bird. Now I help process chickens--hundreds just this year!
Our family is indebted to Joel Salatin and our daughter's camo skirt, because it was at his farm and at least partially because of her skirt three years ago that we met a family from the church family we are now so thankfully a part of. (Okay, it was really God, but maybe He used the camo skirt!)
I enjoyed the company of the turkeys and the pigs last summer when I was hanging out clothes.
A great pleasure I have is seeing how our daughters are lovely young women, inside and out, and how they can run our home as well as or better than I can.
I really like that our 12yo son (and full-time main farmer) can do most things around the house and farm, so that we don't have to wait for Keith to fit so many of them into his schedule. It's like having a man around the house all the time.
A persistent cough for the last nine months has caused my laugh to occasionally sound like Muttley's.

I started to do the links to folks I was tagging, but I've got something of a nauseous headache and don't have the patience or the stamina to finish it up, so I'll be a grouch and not tag anyone.

Guess that's about it.

Mary Susan

Speaking of hawgs

2008-02-01T19:25:00.001-06:00

Most of you have probably seen this video, on dd's blog if not elsewhere, but just in case, I'll link to her post with it:

http://reformedtngirl.blogspot.com/2008/01/tim-hawkins-on-pig-slaughtering.html

Enjoy!

Mary Susan

Daddy's in Hawg Heaven

2008-02-01T19:23:00.001-06:00

My mother made cracklin cornbread with the cracklins I got when I rendered our lard. Daddy's lovin' it.

Mary Susan

Please Pray for Heather Davis and Family

2008-01-29T22:14:00.000-06:00

Eric Davis (see previous post) went to be with the Lord today.

It was rather surreal today, as the girls and I went about an hour and a half away to meet our pastor's wife, her five girls, and another mother and daughter from our church, only to find out when they arrived that he'd been declared brain-dead and that life support was going to be removed. Our pastor's wife led us in prayer in the middle of the fabric store (and again during grace at the restaurant we lunched in), and we went on our way, shopping. And thinking how Mrs. Davis, the Davis children, their families, and their church family and friends were having quite a different day than we were, and how unimaginably difficult it must be. And how life can change in an instant.

We Bradshaws did not ever meet the Davises; some of the folks in our church family had met Mr. Davis. We grieve with his loved ones and pray for God's peace for them.

If you think of it, please pray for them.

Mary Susan

Urgent Prayer Request

2008-01-26T09:18:00.000-06:00

Eric Davis, his family, and his medical team need the prayers of some righteous folks! He is a homeschooling, Christian husband and father of six who is also a deacon in his church. From his family's blog (See link at end of post.) and from the prayer requests we have had at church, I understand he has been experiencing some major medical problems for over a month, now.

This is the info we received this morning, following up an urgent prayer request last night:

Background:

Eric Davis was visiting a town away from his home, accompanied by his 12 year old daughter, when he started to experience severe breathing difficulties. His daughter and a passerby called 911. Eric was rushed to the hospital where he suffered at least four cardiac arrests. After this, Eric’s wife was told he would probably not survive the hour. That is when they called us and the prayers of the saints were heard in Heaven.

Current Situation:

Eric survived the hour and his condition stabilized. He is in ICU in a medically induced coma. All of the children except ______ (who has a cold) [name intentionally omitted] were able to see him briefly. The next 24 hours are crucial.

Prayer Requests:

Continue to pray for Eric’s healing.
Please pray the doctors will be able to diagnose and treat his condition.
Lift up Heather and the children.
Praise the Lord for the response of Eric’s church family, friends, and friends of friends, and how our King hears our prayers.

You can read about the Davis family from their blog -

http://lazydranch8.blogspot.com/

Mary Susan

Philip's Head

2008-01-24T11:10:00.001-06:00

5yo son said, while talking about his small Gerber-type tool, "philips head...hmmm...Mr. Lingo has a Philip's head."

Mary Susan

Friends, Soap, and Pigs

2008-01-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

This weekend, we slaughtered the last three of our four pigs. Good to have that done, but sort of sad; the pigs were quite entertaining, as were the turkeys, when we had them. We are left with only cows, a rooster, seven laying hens, two dogs, a cat that occasionally shows up, and a kitten that's been hanging around lately.

The freezers are full, and a big chore is done, thanks to a large portion of our church family, who came Friday and stayed through Saturday afternoon (and one family, through Sunday morning) and helped us accomplish the task.

I also made a batch of soap with the two other ladies present. This being my third batch ever, I was the experienced one! But it seems to have turned out fine, despite my inadvertant efforts at showing them how NOT to do it.

A summary of the weekend and some pics are here. And, as dd said in that post, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, TJ, Philip, The-One-and-Only-Jacob-Bob, Bryan, Kim, Colton, Samuel, Jacob, Grace, Levi, Jedediah, Faith, Paul, Tori, Bradley, Lexi, Cami, Evan, Jonathan, Harrison, Libby, and Maddie--and the ones that are on the way! We would not have been able to do all three pigs this weekend if you all had not been here ready and willing to get into the thick of things. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Mary Susan

Galumphing Back...

2008-01-16T07:33:00.000-06:00

...to a previous post, that is.

In reference to my "O frabjous day!" post of Jan. 9, here is a link to the original (very original) source of the language. (Discovered my spelling and punctuation were not correct!!! But have corrected those problems, I hope.)

Personal trivia regarding this poem: when I was in the 8th grade at brand-spanking new Walter J. Baird Jr. High School, I had a very good English teacher who actually taught me what a noun and verb were--after numerous other teachers had tried, unsuccessfully. And, to the horror of many, I'm sure, she did it with diagramming, which struck a chord with me. On a test, she included what I believe was a bonus challenge: we were given the opportunity to diagram a sentence from "Jabberwocky." I don't now recall which part it was, but I do remember that I got it right. And that is confirmation that she had done a wonderful job teaching the parts of speech, usage, and the language in general.

Here is a classic performance of "Jabberwocky" that everyone should be able to reference:

Mary Susan

Internet Gossip

2008-01-15T19:56:00.000-06:00

Gossip. I'm guilty, too, so don't think I'm being self-righteous, but there is a lot gossip going around on blogs. I suppose that's fairly normal, but that doesn't make it right. I don't read many blogs--very few, now, outside of good friends', although I used to read more. Those, however, were generally Christian agrarian, and were very encouraging and informative, not gossip-mongering.

But, as I said, there is a lot of gossip out there. This is a post on a blog that I do frequently take the time to read that has links to a number of entries regarding gossip.

We know of some folks who have been and are being hurt by internet gossip--much of it being flat-out lies, from what I understand. (I have not and will not read it.) These are deeply committed Christians being hurt by others professing to be Christians. It is not a difficult task to state an opinion without casting aspersions on others; however, apparently this is not the way of some.

I pray that the folks who have taken it upon themselves to make others' lives miserable by their gossip will see the error of their ways, and that people who are being influenced by the gossip-mongerers will see them for what they truly are.

Mary Susan

Psalm 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Illegal Sheep and Goats Sales in TN

2008-01-14T23:57:00.001-06:00

We received word today from a state government-watcher that tags are now required to sell sheep or goats in Tennessee--sort of slipping in a (not-so-)watered-down version of animal ID.

Here is the main part of the email we received:

I opened a letter this morning from the Tennessee Livestock Producers Association that announced that my sheep or goats must now have a Scrapie tag if I sell them at a sale barn. If they aren’t tagged, when I sell them at the sale barn, I will be charged $3.00 per animal to have them tagged when I sell them.
But wait! The letter also said that I could call USDA Vet Services at 615-781-5310 and get the tags for free. Wow, I thought. The government giving something away for free – where’s the punch in the mouth that normally accompanies their ‘freebies’?
That wasn’t the only thing that puzzled me, though. So I called.
When a nice government worker lady answered the phone, I told her about the letter and asked what I needed to do to get the ‘free’ tags. She said, well, I can fill out the application for you on the phone and then you get the tags for free (I realise now that I was remiss in asking the name of the application). So, I then asked her why they were giving away Scrapie tags to be put on animals that weren’t being tested for Scrapie. A Scrapie tag in an ear means no Scrapie, right? Wrong. She said that it wasn’t about Scrapie. They just want to be able to trace the animal back to me in case it gets sick.
“So this is just like a low-tech version of the animal id, right?”
“Right,” she said.
“Ok, you’ve answered my questions. I sure appreciate your time.”
“But don’t you want me to fill out the application for you?” she said.
“No,” I said, “I don’t think I’ll be selling any more sheep at the sale barn.”
“Well,” she said in the most authoritative tone she could muster, “you should know that you can be fined if you sell sheep or goats privately now and they don’t have an ear tag.”
“Ok, thanks, bye.” I said.

Pictures of gun-toting, uniformed tag-checkers began flying through my head and it hit me – if now I can be fined for selling something in the same condition I used to, the way I always have in the past, it’s no longer legal for me to sell that thing.
Ergo, IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL SHEEP AND GOATS IN TENNESSEE.

Seems this one got past even the keen watchers of the government; sort of disturbing. What will be next?

Mary Susan

Also disturbing: Why am I still up?? Good night!

O frabjous day!

2008-01-09T21:07:00.001-06:00

Yes, it is a frabjous day!

Why? Because I purged my files!!!!! Yes, my files had become a frumious Bandersnatch, whiffling and burbling through my tulgey filing cabinets--until my vorpal blade went snicker-snack, after which, with boxes of old papers in hand, I went galumphing to the attic, beamish, indeed! No more jaws that bite and claws that catch; I can use my files again!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Mary Susan

Since Christmas...

2008-01-02T07:54:00.001-06:00

Since Christmas, various members of our family (including our church family) have helped a number of people move. First, this family moved into the area (of our church, not our home) on Thursday; on Friday, a number of us helped move some boxes and furniture (mostly office-related) from the room our church is meeting in to upstairs and downstairs rooms in the same building. (The man who owns the building is moving his business and family up here; hopefully they'll be here in the near future; we're looking forward to that time!) And on Monday, Keith and 17yo daughter helped these folks move out of their home; their tractor is staying here awhile, I understand, since we have room for it in the barn.

We sure are glad to have these folks moving in and becoming part of the community and a more permanent, present part of the church family (although you've already been a part of us for a long time)!

See you at church!

Mary Susan

P.S. Oh, yes...and post-Christmas illness has set in. I missed church this week with a sore throat and low-grade fever, which I still have, along with sinus stuff. And as of yesterday, 12yo son has developed some of the same symptoms. We had a rough time of it last year after Christmas for over two months; we'd appreciate all prayers that this year will be healthier!

P.P.S. I've had a great deal of trouble the last few months with the computer; gave me headaches (which is not difficult to do) so that I used it very little--which was more frustrating than it should have been; amazing how many times a day I think, "I'll google that...." So anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Keith ordered a flat screen after I'd tried out a laptop that didn't seem to bother me. (Our monitor had been showing its age of late, anyway, so I don't feel too badly about getting a new one.) Don't ask me what kind of flat screen; I think Keith said there were a couple of kinds of technology in flat screens, but I don't know which he got. All I know is that I can use it now without necessarily getting a headache.
So does this mean more frequent blog posts? I seriously doubt it.

2007 Portrait

2007-12-24T12:06:00.000-06:00

Here is the official portrait of the kids this year. I took it (and many others) around the property last month--this one being up the hill north/northeast of the house.

They're laughing because 14yo (front right) had just asked, "Does my hat look funny?" at which point 5yo grabbed the center-top of the hat and pulled it up so that it stood up and did indeed look funny. So we all cracked up, although it took 14yo a moment longer to, since she couldn't see it.

Mary Susan

Wish List

2007-12-24T11:50:00.000-06:00

This is our 5yo when we were on the "mountain" out back, getting a Christmas tree. (Yes, we all wore orange; deer hunters are common in our area and on our property--with or without permission.)

Our 5yo son has a wonderful wish list this year, courtesy of lack of television, pre-school, etc. He wants a rubberband gun, a deck of cards, and a watch.

I LOVE IT!--and not because it makes shopping easy, but because it reflects the simple wishes of a boy who is fairly untainted by too many worldly influences. And that's not to say that he or we are perfect, by any means. I've just been very touched by his simple desires this year. (Of course, last year, he requested a hippopotamus. Or, barring that, a camel!)

I remember as a child, sitting down with pencil, paper, and the Sears and JCPenney Christmas catalogs and going through them nearly page by page, writing down pertinent info on any and all products that I might possibly want, then going through my list and the catalogs numerous times after that, paring the list down to only a page or so, and giving it to my mother!

The 5yo is a refreshing change from that. Will it continue? Who knows, but I'll appreciate it while it's here.

Mary Susan

Doe or Buck?

2007-12-05T18:54:00.000-06:00

Okay. True story.

Just happened this week.

The father-in-law of a friend of ours (We'll call our friend "Bubba.") is a guy who has to be really sick to go to the doctor. He'd not been feeling well for a bit, and finally got bad enough to go see about it. He was admitted to the hospital with fever, headache, etc. Apparently the medical folks have discovered that Phenergan (Is that spelled correctly?) can help headaches, so they gave him a half-dose of it, upon the administration of which, the father-in-law immediately passed out and entered into a comatose state. He was taken to ICU. The doctors had no idea what his body was doing or why, but were ready to order all kinds of tests, etc.

Enter Bubba and Mrs. Bubba. After work on Monday, they headed up to see the father-in-law. This was something like a day-and-a-half into the comatose state for father-in-law. They went through the same things others had been trying--talking to him, stroking his hair, talking about the good-looking nurses, etc. Nothing caused any reaction. So Mrs. Bubba said, "Okay, let me change tactics." She went over to father-in-law and said, "Daddy, Bubba shot a deer this morning."

No apparent change, except for three words actually being spoken by father-in-law: "Doe or buck?" He then started pulling the oxygen mask off, etc.

Upon examining father-in-law, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him. They kept him overnight for observation in a regular room. We're thankful he's better, and that Bubba has another story to tell.

This could happen only to Bubba.

Mary Susan

I Tasted Summer This Morning

2007-11-30T22:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's right: I tasted summer. It's been fairly cool today, but still, I tasted summer.

This was the day we made Christmas jam with my mother. We make at least a couple of batches once each year. It's our favorite jam--a cranberry/strawberry jam. It's called Christmas jam because we can only make it during the holidays--since that's when fresh cranberries are available around here. (Is that true everywhere?)

The summer part is from the strawberries. The ones we used this time were especially good because we'd frozen fresh ones this summer, in anticipation of this day. They were not our strawberries--the late freeze decimated our crop--but they were from middle Tennessee, at least. And oh, did they taste good this morning!

Christmas Jam

12 ounces of fresh cranberries
Two 10 ounce packages of frozen strawberries
4 cups of sugar
3 ounces of liquid pectin
wax (optional)

Slightly chop the cranberries in the food processor. Mix chopped cranberries, strawberries, and sugar in bowl on the stove top. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Add pectin, and boil additional 1 minute. Put jam into warm jars and boil in a water bath for 5 minutes. As an alternative to the water bath, let the jam cool after being placed in the jars, and pour hot wax over the top. This does just as good a job of sealing it as the water bath (sometimes better), and it doesn't cook the jam any more. Yield: 6 half pints.

Teaching Math through the Decades

2007-11-12T17:45:00.000-06:00

This is not agrarian, nor is it about our family, or our church, or any such; it's just something I find humorous, possibly because it seems so true. It is old, and probably most of you have seen it; my sister sent it to me quite a few years ago, and I kept a copy of it for a long time, for some reason, but since I've misplaced it, I've referred to it often, and wished I still had a copy of it. I (finally!) thought to look for it online, and found it easily, with a change or two from the one she sent me. Anyway, here it is:

Teaching Math in 1950:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1960:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1970:
A logger exchanges a set "L" of lumber for a set "M" of money. The cardinality of set "M" is 100. Each element is worth one dollar. Make 100 dots representing the elements of the set "M." The set "C", the cost of production contains 20 fewer points than set "M." Represent the set "C" as a subset of set "M" and answer the following question: What is the cardinality of the set "P" of profits? [I'm dating myself, but this one sounds waaaaay too familiar!]

Teaching Math in 1980:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math in 1990:
By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger makes $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down the trees? There are no wrong answers.

Teaching Math in 2000:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $120. How does Arthur Andersen determine that his profit margin is $60? [My sister sent me this before the Enron trouble, so the one she sent says, "How does Jesse Jackson get involved?" instead of the Arthur Andersen question. It also did not include the 2010 math, as stated below.]

Teaching Math in 2010:
El hachero vende un camion carga por $100. La cuesta de production es.............
Mary Susan

Trebuchets, John Knox, and the Scottish Reformation

2007-11-06T12:40:00.000-06:00

Our church celebrated Reformation day this weekend, inviting another local reformed fellowship to join us. Our focus this year was John Knox and the Scottish Reformation. We also had a trebuchet contest between our church and the other fellowship.

Here are pictures from what was a good day of fellowship and fun.

We especially enjoyed seeing friends from out-of-town, and hope to see you all again soon.

Mary Susan

First Family Film Night

2007-10-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well, our pastor held our church's (and friends') first Family Film Night last night. We didn't think we'd be able to be there, but managed (found a fairly legitimate excuse) to, anyway.

We had pizza (eventually; the oven had a bit of a problem, but thankfully, there was a back-up) and popcorn and viewed Franklin Springs Family Media's two newest--and wonderful--offerings: "Inherit the Land" and "Still Standing: the Stonewall Jackson Story." I wish I could post the trailers here, but I've never tried that, and I don't want to get into something that's going to keep me up too late while trying to figure it out!

Anyway, we not only viewed the films, but we also had some of the Franklin Springs Family Media folks with us, including a producer (and owner) and an editor. Also, one of the families featured and interviewed in "Inherit the Land" was there. As were a few others who had made some contributions to one or both of the films, as well as some of the other FSFM films. (Doesn't that make us sound important!!!! Actually, they're all friends from nearby.) These are great folks we've enjoyed getting to know over the last year, and we look forward to more fellowship with them and their families, as well as the other families that were present. I'm not sure we got a head count, but I can think of at least eleven families (approximately 70 people) that were there, but I feel very much like I'm forgetting someone.

I highly recommend both films; go to the links and check out the trailers, and if you're so inclined, I encourage you to get the videos, and thus support the FSFM folks in their efforts to provide quality family films. (Everything I've seen from FSFM is very well done; they're professionals who know what they're doing, and are putting out top-quality material.)

Also, if you get to see "Inherit the Land," be sure to watch the bonus-feature music video "Green Beans in the Garden," by the Wests, which, my daughters pointed out (for the young, first-time producer's benefit), is bluegrass!

Mary Susan

Recently Around the Farm

2007-10-17T16:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess a lot has been going on, but I'll have to think back, since it's been so long since we've posted.

We had our first hog-killing last month. We were a bit pressed for time, and were (and still are) very pressed for freezer space, so we have killed only one so far. And we are enjoying him a great deal, and are learning a good bit, too. Keith and the boys spent part of this past Saturday smoking kielbasa, jowls, and bacon.

We helped a couple of families process chickens--around 70 or so one weekend, and then 260 or so the next. (Sorry if I get numbers wrong; it's been awhile!)

A steer was slaughtered close to two weeks ago, and is quartered and hanging in the walk-in now. This steer doesn't have our name on it, however, which is good, considering our shortage on freezer space.

We've had a number of guests, mainly from church (a perk of living 2.5 hours away; we get overnighters occasionally). We enjoyed wonderful fellowship, and a lot of work was accomplished, too. We also met a family who moved a few miles from here about five months ago, and with whom we seem to have some things in common. We very much enjoyed meeting them and having them to dinner.

And we've been guests at church-members', but that's not at all unusual; I tend to think of us as sort of guest-hosts; hopefully the families that we impose upon feel the same way!

Oh, yes, we also have one gallon of fresh apple cider. 17yo daughter--who is in charge of suppers here--is having a cider pork roast tonight! This is not from apples we grew; our trees are not big enough for that; and one gallon is all because apples around here are so dear this year, because of the late freeze in April. We bought these apples in Georgia the weekend we visited friends to process their chickens. Honey Crisp apples--most excellent! I'm not sure they were actually from Georgia; I understand even Georgia was hit by the late freeze, and has had to import apples from other states!

Guess that's about it.

Mary Susan

I was going to post a few pics, but Blogger doesn't seem too keen on the idea, so no pics!

Boring

2007-09-06T11:48:00.001-05:00

Our 16yo daughter has often said we're a boring family, and that excitement is not really a part of our lives.

So I guess I'll blog about the last 24 hours, just so folks can judge for themselves.

Yesterday afternoon, Keith took a half-day off work so we could deliver a couple of steers to some dear folks a couple of hours away. These were not our steers, but our neighbor's; he has more male calves than he needs, and pastures are suffering, so he is getting rid of some of them. Turns out our friends needed a couple of head of cattle fairly quickly, so we arranged it with our neighbor. And we decided to deliver the calves so that we could have time together as a family and visit a few hours with our friends.

Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

We don't have a livestock trailer, but our neighbor--the one selling the steers--does. Keith and three of our children and the neighbor loaded the calves into his trailer after lunch yesterday. No big deal, right? Well, apparently it was: the calves were in a holding pen of sorts, but managed to get out, thus turning what could have been a quick job into something more. They were gone awhile--long enough for the remaining daughter and me to actually be fully ready to hop into the Suburban and leave when they came for us.

So off we went. The interstate is 20 or 25 minutes from our place, and we'd been on it 3 or 4 miles when we were pulled over by a somewhat frantic farmer (in a very nice truck). He told Keith that one of the calves had jumped out of the trailer a ways back. So we immediately tried to secure the other calf--found strapping in the back of the car and put it across the open part of the trailer--the gates on the trailer are not full-height, and the calf had jumped out there. Then there was the problem of knowing where the calf was.

Thankfully, a young man who had seen the calf jump pulled up behind us and told us where he had made his escape, just before we'd gotten on the interstate. It was also near the Farmers' Co-op. So we first went by the co-op, left the neighbor's trailer there (with the calf in it), and hooked up one of the co-op trailers. Keith got in the car, checked the passenger-side-view mirror, and noticed that the co-op trailer had a flat tire. So we switched to another co-op trailer. Then we went down the road just a small piece and found a policeman and a constable--lights flashing on their cars, etc. (I didn't even know we had constables! Just what does a constable do?) And nearby, grazing by a fence, was the calf.

Then the fun began.

Keith pulled the trailer right next to the fence and opened the gate so that the calf couldn't get between the trailer and the fence. Of course, there were any number of other directions the calf could take--and did. Occasionally traffic was backed up a bit, since the calf tried the pasture on the other side of the road. And at least one truck that was going by helped herd, briefly. Keith, 12yo son, the policeman, and the constable worked on getting the calf in, but weren't doing too well. Then a farmer came by and joined in the fun. He pulled his truck up right next to the other gate of the trailer. He also had a fairly large trailer on his truck, thus forming a nice chute with the fence. Then the constable took the farmer to his home about a mile away. The farmer came back soon, zooming into the pasture across the road on a 4-wheeler. Keith was in the Suburban by this time, and he and the farmer were able to drive the calf to the make-shift chute and get him in the trailer, where 12yo son was ready to close the front stall.

Keith talking with the 4-wheelin' farmer who was such a blessing!

This was quite an adventure. We're thankful for all the great folks around who informed, helped, etc. We're also thankful that the calf seemed relatively unscathed, except for a slightly sore left rear hip. Keith was more worried about the stress the calf experienced. He was looking good last night when we left him, and I've not heard any bad news this morning, so prayers that all is well.

The policeman and the constable seemed to think nothing of it. The policeman said this sort of thing happened everyday when he was with the county. He also seemed a little relieved to have this to do, instead of the funeral he had been assigned to.

Of course, the adventure was not yet over. We still had a calf to retrieve from the co-op. Thankfully, another neighbor who's experienced with cattle was at the co-op when we came back for the calf, and he helped us make the transfer. It was also incredibly helpful that 12yo son had had the foresight to secure the escapee in the front stall of the trailer, so that he could not have another go at it while the second calf was being loaded.

And so we got back on the road and made the trip without further excitement. We had great food and fellowship and even met some great new folks. And the family's excitement about having their first cattle made me realize how much we have to be thankful for that we so often take for granted.

We made it home a little before 11:30 last night and were in bed within 15 minutes.

And this morning, we went about our regular chores, as usual. I got a load of laundry in before 14yo daughter and I went out to milk Clarabelle. Once we were back inside, daughter strained the milk and cleaned up the equipment while I helped put the groceries away that my parents had just arrived with. Then I went out back to hang the clothes on the line. I was soon joined by a pig.

The pigs are always out back, but this one was not in the pig pen; he was coming away from the pen, casually checking things out in the back yard. As if one is not bad enough, I feared the other three would soon join him, although I could see that they were still behind the fence. I also listened to make sure the fence was still clicking. (It was.) So I promptly left the clothes where they were, ran inside, and loudly yelled 12yo son's name. I don't often do this, so I was hoping it would arouse some curiosity. However, it didn't have much effect. But I heard 4yo son coming down the kitchen stairs and told him to tell his brother that a pig was out. The 4yo told me brother wasn't upstairs. However, I know 4yo--who tends to think he knows where everyone is and what they are doing. I was fairly certain his brother was upstairs, so I sent him up to find him and tell him. Which he did.

Meanwhile, I went out to start checking the electric fence. 12yo son and daughters joined me. (I had told 4yo to tell them to come, and for him to stay inside--these pigs are big, and he's not; I really didn't want to see him get run over by one.) The errant pig had found a little corn between the wood pile and the pig pen and was enjoying that. We gave the pigs in the pen some corn, which made today's escapee want more, so he joined them. This was a relief; I was imagining an impromptu shooting and butchering--and know we don't have room in the freezers right now for that!

Anyway, we found the problem with the fence, repaired it and did some general fence maintenance/improvement, and ended up having, as usual, a boring day.

Funny thing is, it really does sort of seem that way: things settle down to normal, with just a bit of lost time. Don't know if this sort of thing is becoming somewhat normal for us, and we are able to recover more quickly than what we would have done in the past, or if we're handling the situations a bit more ably, now. Don't really know, but we're going about doing the same-old-same-old. (I have to admit, though, that the girls, 4yo, and I were laughing hard--and taking pictures--while the calf-herding was going on yesterday. But I had to warn the 4yo that when Keith was near, we COULD NOT laugh. He obeyed. However, even Keith was laughing about it once everything was over and done with. Keith's recovery really amazed us!)

This is the "cattle chute." And yes, that's the interstate just beyond the fence. We are so thankful that no one was hurt in the chaos, and that folks can be so kind and helpful!

Mary Susan

Catching up

2007-08-29T09:07:00.000-05:00

Things are moving right along here at Allelon. Here's a smattering of what's been happening:

As stated in a previous post, Clarabelle calved on August 10. The former bull-calf is now a steer. We call him Chuck. (Take your pick: Ground Chuck or Chuck Roast)

Chuck and Clarabelle

We've been milking Clarabelle for a couple of weeks, now, sharing that responsibility with Chuck. This works out well; there is plenty of milk to go around (for now). We're also able to fellowship longer on Sundays with our church family.

The gardens have pretty well played out. The extreme heat and drought hastened the end of the summer crops, and greatly reduced our normal harvest. We have put up some green beans, tomatoes, and a bit of tomato sauce, as well as squash relish. We also froze some corn, but that was bought at the market. The only corn we harvested was eaten immediately (which is when it's best, anyway!). The corn is quite a target for critters--they love it! I don't think we have as much food put up as we usually do. Oh, yes, we also froze a few butter beans and some purple hull peas, but again, not as many as I'd like.

We processed 46 chickens this past Saturday. The freezers are quite full of chicken and beef. We also processed one turkey--18.75 lbs! Keith is planning on processing the other three this Saturday, I believe. And here I'll put in another plug for the Whizbang chicken plucker--wonderful; awesome!!

The pigs are growing like weeds. They should make some good meat; just think of those ribs!!! However, I'm not sure where we're going to put the meat, at this point, with the freezers approaching capacity.

One of the Angus cows calved last week. Amazing difference between the Angus calf and Chuck the first couple of days. Chuck was so much weaker (seems more normal, really!), and had a difficult time standing for a day or so. The Angus calf, however, was jumping around three or four hours after birth. This one is a heifer.

I'm busy trying my hand at making different dairy products. Thus far, I have made kefir (from powder, though, so I have no grains to continue this), lots of yogurt, creme fraiche, and cottage cheese, and everything has turned out great. We've not yet needed buttermilk or butter (had a lot of this on hand when Clarabelle calved), but making those will be a normal part of our routine soon.

And of course, we've had a number of batches of ice cream. One batch had so much butter fat that it had chunks of butter in the ice cream--quite good!

We officially "started school" last week, and that's going surprisingly well--generally expect bumps the first few days, but we've not experienced any, although I think I'm going to need to tweak some schedules.

The oven/microwave combo our pastor's family got didn't fit in the cabinet they had, so Keith and the boys made them a new one. They (Keith and the boys) are now working on a large table for their (the pastor and his family's) dining area. Keith also painted a bit last week on our kitchen backsplashes, which he's been installing.

Guess that's about it.

Blessings to all!

Mary Susan

...Also This Weekend...

2007-08-12T19:34:00.001-05:00

While 12yo son and I were awaiting Clarabelle's new calf Friday, the other members of our immediate family--Keith, 16yo daughter, 14yo daughter, and 4yo son--were helping these folks and a number of other friends process around 240 chickens. (And yes, a 4yo can be helpful with this--and he does have experience.) Everyone was worn out after all the work, which wrapped up around 1:30 p.m.

Sounds like it was a good time of accomplishment, teamwork, and fellowship.

Our lovely daughters after chicken processing.

Mary Susan

Clarabelle...Finally!

2007-08-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

Clarabelle has finally calved! She gave birth to a bull calf this afternoon, we're guessing around 3:30 p.m.

I went to check on her at about 3:45, and she proudly presented me with an adorable, wet calf. He still can't stand, but keeps trying. We're keeping a close eye on mother and son, to make sure he is able to eat well (once he can stand, of course) and that she doesn't experience any difficulties following the birthing process. 12yo son and I managed to get a tube of calcium down her just now, and will watch to make sure she doesn't need more. We may go ahead and give her a second tube tomorrow morning, assuming it is not needed before then.

The birth of a Jersey calf is totally different than that of any of our Angus calves. The Angus cow (those at our place, at least) is much closer to a wild animal, and the protective mother-instinct becomes a danger to us humans when a newborn calf is present. Clarabelle, however, didn't flinch when we came near, and we have been busy petting her and the calf with no cause for alarm from her. Way different from the Angus cows!

We'd love to post pics of the fawn-like calf, but the rest of the family took the digicam with them this weekend to this farm, where they helped process about 230 chickens today. They will be there all weekend, helping with other projects and enjoying great fellowship, so pics won't be available until Monday, at the earliest.

This evening, 12yo son and I are taking the Mule (the kind with an engine) "downtown" to the annual tractor pull for a short while, between Clarabelle-checks.

We're looking forward to some good milk again soon!

Mary Susan

Tomato Sauce Is On the Way!

2007-08-01T19:06:00.001-05:00

We got a new food mill! It is making a somewhat dreaded task SOOOOO much quicker and simpler! Even 4yo son can use the mill.

(Thanks, Trish, for your advice concerning types of mills. I don't think we got the same brand, since we were in a hurry and purchased this somewhat locally, rather than ordering it, but it is the same style you recommended to Keith, and it's great!)

Mary Susan

Time Keeps on Slipping Into the Future...

2007-07-28T12:01:00.000-05:00

"Could I climb the highest place in Athens, I would lift up my voice and
proclaim, 'Fellow citizens, why do you burn and scrape every stone to gather
wealth, and take so little care of your children to whom you must one day
relinquish all?' "

--Socrates, c. 390 B.C.

Recently...

2007-07-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

Men will be boys.

More turkeys.

Some of the family harvesting potatoes.

World's laziest cat.

Farmboys

2007-07-12T10:34:00.001-05:00

The boys shooting off a bottle rocket on the 4th

Pure joy: watching and hearing our 12yo son and 4yo son doing chores together.

I especially like pig-feeding time. I suppose that's what I see the most, since the pigs are only a few feet away from our clothesline (which is another of my joys; I LOVE hanging out our clothes, and the way it forces me not only to go outside, but also to slow down--and NOT be at the mercy of the dryer's buzzer!). The boys derive much pleasure from the pigs.

The elder son has such a way with all the animals, and seems to really enjoy them. This is especially heart-warming, since we had never had turkeys, cattle, or pigs until the last couple of years. He has moved so easily and happily into critter-care.

The 4yo doesn't remember much before we had cows and chickens. Adding pigs this year didn't seem like a big deal to him. Nor does a new batch of chicks. It's simply life as he's always known it to be. He is a true and great help with chicken processing and beef butchering, which he considers a normal part of life. And we've discussed hog-killing enough that it's just something that needs to be done--even looked forward to. When one of his sisters asked him what would happen to one of our dogs if the dog died, his very politically and socially incorrect answer was, "Eat it." I guess he thinks that's what one does with farm animals that bite the dust! (BTW, we have straightened him out on that one.)

Mary Susan

Smokehouse

2007-06-25T20:31:00.000-05:00

Long time no post. Oh well, here's a little something I've really been looking forward to. A few weeks ago we undertook a nifty little project. Some friends came up for a visit and we took full advantage of the extra help and built a smokehouse. It really wasn't as taxing a project as it might have been because when we purchased a walk-in cooler last year to age our beef, we were blessed by the gift of an extra 5'x6' cooler box (sans the compressor). As we were disassembling the unit, I was wondering what we would do with it. The idea of using it for a smokehouse occurred to me and the group of friends helping us disassemble and remove it were in general enthusastic agreement that that was a pretty dandy idea. These modular units can easily be assembled in less than an hour. A twist-lock mechanism connects the four corners and four sides as well as the top.

I followed the general design guidelines in this book. Kyle and I finished putting some screening on the smoke vent that now fills the opening originally occupied by the freezer compressor and we built a little test fire to check the smoke flow. I am pleased to report that it appears to work really well.

I find it a bit interesting that Kyle's porcine pals were observing our activities from a mere 15 feet away.Ribs, bacon, country ham. Anybody else getting hungry?

Keith

Manly Men, Trusting Wife

2007-06-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

Y'all have probably seen this. We first found it on Buried Treasure. Wonderful story with lots of lessons, as commenters on Carmon's blog pointed out:

Manly men--YEEEEAAAAAA!
Wife's complete trust in her husband--YEEEEAAAAAA!
The younger (Ours and our children's) generations' lack of the above mentioned qualities--BOOOOOOOOOO!
God is in control--YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I pray that we would do as well in a tough situation as the two older men and the wife in the story, and that we will and are training our children to do so, also.

In conclusion, I know it seems minor, but I love that the wife was reading, and continued doing so, explaining that, "I knew how that situation would end. I didn't know how the book would end."

Mary Susan

Fuzzy Labels

2007-06-04T10:37:00.000-05:00

I've often thought that today's "conservative" was yesteryear's "liberal." I found this quote interesting:

“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.” ~ Ronald Reagan

Dixie Chicks (sort of), Thistle and Shamrock (sort of)

2007-06-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

I picked up 50 more chicks yesterday at the local post office. The lady there is getting to know me, I think. She's very friendly, and if possible, checks on the birds to see if they are looking well. This shipment was strapped closed, so all she could tell me was that they sounded good.

Surprisingly, we had all the stuff we needed for the chicks on hand. The other two batches I've picked up in recent weeks required a trip "on the way" to the post office to one or two stores for supplies. Okay, not really on the way; the Post office is seven or eight miles away, I'd say, and the farm supply stores are 10 or 12 miles away in totally different directions than the Post Office. But that's okay, except that it makes the chicks wait longer. The postal clerk doesn't seem to mind the chirping, but she does cover the box to tone it down a bit.

These chicks are Freedom Rangers. We've not had these before, and are looking forward to giving them a try. They all arrived healthy, and seem to be doing well. This makes around 80 broilers for now (The first 30 or so are Cornish Cross, arrived about three weeks ago, and are out on pasture now.) I'm hoping this many will keep us supplies for awhile.

My father and mother are on "thistle brigade" again. They are furiously cutting and bagging blossoms, then cutting down the plants, many of which are taller than my mother, now. They are working in an area we have not previously addressed, and so have a big job ahead of them. The kids and I had hoped to get out today and help, but allergies had all of us out of commission for that job, except 4yo son, who hung with them all morning.

The kids and I are keeping our eyes peeled for red clover blossoms. We don't have much of that growing wild on our property, so when we find any, we pick it and bring it in to dry. This is great for teas during cold season, as explained by TNFarmgirl. After reading her post about it last year, I collected what I could find, dried it, and used it through the fall and early part of winter (until I ran out) whenever I felt a cold might be coming on. I usually have very obvious warning signs before a cold hits, so I would start drinking red clover tea when I noticed some of these signs. I'm convinced I chased off a few colds before they actually hit. If you are interested, you might check out TNFarmgirl's other posts on herbs. She has a couple more on red clover.

Have a blessed weekend!

Mary Susan

Farm Update

2007-05-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

Check here and here for some of what's been going on with our farm.

We've been watering the veggies; "they" say we're in a drought already, and we certainly can't argue with them!

We got a few strawberries, but not many at all. The plants have multiplied greatly and look very healthy, though, so hopefully we'll get more next year. I think I'll consider covering them if we're due for a freeze when they're blooming. When I think of all the blooms we had before the freeze in April--ouch!

The asparagus has about played out, too. I think the asparagus harvest season is too short; I never get enough for my taste!

The lettuce and onions are great in salads and on sandwiches. The broccoli and cabbage is producing well, but some of the cabbage has small black beetles on it--lots of them! And some are turning black from the stem-end; my mother has never seen anything like this (the beetles or the black), in her many years of suburban gardening. I've not heard my father's comments on it (a man of few words).

The other crops are coming up well.

I'm desperate for a home-grown tomato! (And I don't mean a hot-house one.)

We've had a lot of wonderful fellowship with dear brothers and sisters in Christ. To God be the glory.

Mary Susan

Confederate Memorial Day?

2007-05-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

I just found out here that we Tennesseans (and each of the Southern states!) have a Confederate Memorial Day--actually, ours is called Confederate Decoration Day. I guess it's politically incorrect, and that's why I'd never heard of it, as far as I recall. Here is a link to the dates of the various states' Confederate Memorial Days. (I had, in recent years, heard about closings of some things in Alabama on Jefferson Davis' birthday, I thought, but maybe it was on the day of his surrender to Gen. Sherman, I'm not sure. Or maybe it's both!)

I enjoy studying and reading about American history, but I don't like political correctness. (It pretty much guarantees that facts will be distorted.)

My great grandfather (and other relatives, I assume) fought in the Civil War. He was among the many soldiers at Appomattox Court House when General Lee, a man whose character even his enemies could not find fault with, surrendered. We have a letter he wrote home from the war; he sounded lonely and homesick. I am proud that he fought, and I am glad to find that we have a day to honor him and the other men and boys who fought to defend their homes and preserve the freedoms that states' rights would have ensured. Too bad few folks know about that day; those men and boys fought just as honorably, sincerely, intensely, and valiantly as those in other wars our country has been involved in.

Mary Susan

Another NAIS Threat...Act Now

2007-05-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

We received this via email late this morning from a very reliable source:

Since the Federal Reserve Bill was sneaked into law just before Christmas 1913, when many members had already left for the holiday, congress has had a history of sneaking through legislation and ramming it down an unwilling country’s throat.

A believable source just warned me that members of congress are trying to slip NAIS in at the last minute before the Memorial Day holiday by attaching it to the Country of Origin Labeling Bill now in the House Agriculture committee. (I understand Collin Peterson is from Minnesota, & that there’s a big RFID chip manufacturer in his district, but don’t have time to check that out right now).

You need to call the following, and tell them you don’t want NAIS, and you sure don’t want it to be attached to the Country of Origin Labelling Bill. Urge them to vote against it.

Leonard Boswell, Livestock subcommittee, House Ag Comm at (202) 225-3806 and

Collin Peterson, Chmn House Ag Comm (202) 225-2165

If you don’t call today, it probably won’t do any good. Please – call now

Mary Susan

"The Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cake"

2007-05-22T10:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, Julie, et al., here's the story behind the cake, as well as the much-anticipated recipe.

Years ago, I worked in Nashville. One of my co-workers had a friend who was a caterer and had a storefront in the Belle Meade/Bellevue area, where she had some scrumptious lunch offerings. We occasionally went there to get something for lunch. I remember one year picking up tender prime rib, probably (although I don't recall) a side or two, some bread, and most definitely a couple of slices of the delicious flourless chocolate truffle cake that I'd discovered there, and bringing them home for a very nice (and pricey, I'm sure) Valentine's dinner. The meal was good; dessert was unforgettable; one of those foods that sticks in your memory (mine, at least)and just won't let go.

In recent years, when we've been in the area, I've driven past the location where the shop was (in hopes of getting a slice of cake for me and the kids), only to find that the shop is no longer there. I also thought I'd one day look up a recipe, but never have; I figured it'd be complicated, anyway, and, as a result, something I'd put off doing. (Even after getting this recipe, I put it off, but it is not complicated at all!)

Then, while waiting in a grocery check-out line a few months ago, I noticed a magazine that was not offensive. (Harder and harder to believe, I know; my daughters and I have gotten to where we search the bottom shelf for the least offensive magazines, and use those to cover the others. At the very least, we turn the offensive ones around, but this always doesn't work, since the back covers can be as bad as or worse than the fronts. End of rant. Back to story.) Not only was it not offensive; it was delicious-looking! And the front photo reminded me of that flourless chocolate cake--and I found the title/teaser, and it said it was a flourless chocolate cake!! Needless to say, the tease worked on me, and I bought the magazine.

This recipe comes from page 43 of the October 10, 2006, issue of Quick and Simple magazine:

The Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 large eggs
1 lb. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped [I used a bag of bittersweet chips, and finished off with semisweet--it's just what I had last week]
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes [I used salted; never intentionally have unsalted]
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee (optional)

[You'll need some boiling water, too.]

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pan. Wrap the bottom of the assembled pan with heavy-duty foil and set pan in a larger roasting pan.

2. Using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs at high speed for about 5 minutes, until their volume doubles. [I admit, I used my stand mixer. Why is handheld specified??] Melt chocolate and butter with the coffee (if using) in a large bowl in the mocrowave on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir mixture and continue to microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is fully melted.

3. Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the eggs into the chocolate mixture until just a few streaks are visible. Repeat with half the remaining eggs, then fold in the last of the eggs.

4. Pour batter into springform pan and smooth the surface. Set roasting pan [with sprinform pan in it] in oven and pour enough boiling water into it [the roasting pan] to come halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake has risen slightly, the edges are just beginning to set and an instant-read thermometer inserted halfway into the center of the cake reads 140 degrees. [The cake is not going to look done; it will still jiggle a lot, etc., but that's okay, if the above criteria are met.] Remove the springform pan to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight. [This is as far as I went with these instructions, since we had circumstances that didn't mesh with the following ones. The magazine's instructions continue as stated here, but in a moment, I'll tell what I did.] About 30 minutes before serving, remove the springform pan sides, invert cake onto a sheet of waxed paper, take off the parchment liner, and invert the cake again onto a serving platter.

5. Meanwhile, prepare glaze: Cook chocolate [3 oz. semisweet, coarsely chopped], butter [3 tbsp unsalted], corn syrup [1 tbsp of light] and milk [1 tbsp] in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Pour glaze over cake and serve with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Now here's what I did (and didn't do), after chilling overnight:

I didn't use the suggested glaze, since we were taking the cake to church and I wanted it to be easy to serve. The first time we made the cake, the glaze became a hard shell when refrigerated on the cake, and that was messy, difficult to cut, etc. I'd had that wonderful chocolate cake Christy made a few weeks ago, so I called her for the light and fluffy ganache recipe for that cake (much better suited to this than the ganache we usually make, which also becomes hard upon refrigeration). Here's that recipe (as emailed to me by Christy), which makes a lot, but Keith really liked the thick layer of it on top:

Chocolate Ganache

1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels

1-1/2 cups whipping cream

3 Tbsp. butter

1. Microwave semisweet chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-qt.microwave-safe bowl at medium (50% power) 2-1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter, and let stand 20 minutes.

2. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until soft peaks form.

3. Keep mixture from Keith until you have finished your recipe.

She revised it a bit, upon learning that Keith was highly offended by #3 in the instructions:

3. Before washing dishes, give bowl, beaters, spatula, and bib to Keith.

After adding the ganache, I chilled more.

Then eat!

Mary Susan

Beauty

2007-05-18T19:24:00.000-05:00

I really like peonies. I like most fresh flowers. But I don't take the time to try to grow them.

Enter Mama. She makes our home beautiful with the flowers she grows around the house outside. These are some of the beautiful, bright pink peonies we've been blessed with the last couple of weeks.

And she not only adds beauty with flowers, she also adds beauty through order--something our family is sorely lacking! She quietly goes about getting things done in the house and outside, making our world more orderly and beautiful.

Proverbs 31:27-31, oft-quoted, but never stale:
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Mary Susan

Update on "barn"-raising

2007-05-08T15:05:00.002-05:00

Incredible what can happen in a week, especially when driven by a driven, professional builder-friend donating his time and four of his crew, to lead our men and boys! In one week, our pastor's barn/house went from a plumbed concrete slab to what you see in the following pictures.

From what I understand, the porch was not planned, but the builder thought one would be nice, had some time while waiting for supplies, and took the opportunity to add it!

Better watch that first step!

Beautiful view.

Yes, even the kitchen cabinets were installed, and some wiring was done. The refrigerator is now in and working! The kitchen, windows, and doors came from the pastor's in-laws, who I understand are conveniently redecorating their home.

The living quarters for the family of nine (at this point) are upstairs, with what used to be called a "great room," three bedrooms, two bathrooms, etc. This space is to be used as pantry/laundry room/sewing room. And yes, I believe all the interior walls have been framed.

This is how we broke it in after church this week.

The music is always fun, and seeing Abby and some of the other little ones dancing to it was pure joy.

Sure makes me wonder why it took close to a year to build our place!

Mary Susan

Soap!

2007-05-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

Almost five weeks ago, we made our first soap. I've had the ingredients for months, but couldn't seem to get up the nerve to actually do it. Dear friend and soap-mentor Trish has told me that it's really easy, and that I should not be intimidated. So finally a day arrived when we not only had time, but I also nerve. And you know what? She was right!!!

I already have the ingredients to make another batch, and hope to do that pretty soon so that we don't run out before we have more cured.

Mary Susan

News and happenings

2007-05-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

We slaughtered a bull about 4 weeks ago; butchering will take place this Saturday.

We have layer chicks in the brooder (a new brooder, since the watering trough we'd previously used is in use as a...well...a watering trough, I think).

We've been at our pastor's place some this week helping raise a house/barn. We had to leave late Tuesday (livestock and cubiculture calling), but incredible progress had already been made! (Pastor has a friend from the Atlanta area who joined us, along with three of his crew, who are all professional builders. What a boost they were--not only to speed, progress, and knowledge, but also to teaching our men and boys more about framing, etc.) Pictures here.

We're working on planting some seedlings in the garden, but many of them were lost early on due to significant trauma. We have learned a lot from this first experience with seedlings and I am looking forward to next spring when we can start some more, using some of this new knowledge.

We've been getting asparagus for a few weeks. Lettuce is coming in thick. We got a couple of strawberries last week, and it looks like we'll get some more, but a very large portion of the crop was lost to the freeze a couple of weeks ago.

Teddy the Lone Rooster has been loaned (given??) to friends in need of a competent rooster. We miss his "Hey, what's uuuupppp?" in the morning (and other times).

We had lime spread on the garden and on the pastures.

A number of beef cows are due for calving this month.

The pigs are growing and are a riot. They are very entertaining, smart, and friendly. I like having them here. And I'm looking forward to some good, clean pork!!

From what the email told us about the bill, TN is making strides in the right direction regarding NAIS. I would link to the bill, but have no idea where to find the bill, except in our email attachment, and I don't know how to do that. (Besides, I'm late for an Algebra appointment with 14yo daughter.) Anyway, from what I understand, a bill making NAIS voluntary has made it through the state Ag Committee. Not sure about funds being provided, and I don't have time right now to try to understand the government-ese, so I'll leave you with that. (If anyone wants to try to find out more, "Amendment No. 1 to HB0976" is apparently the significant part of the bill, since that's what our correspondent's attachment was.)

Mary Susan

Kyle's first turkey

2007-04-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

Statistics
Bird
22 lbs.
10-3/4" beard
1-1/4" spurs

Kyle
11 years old

Dad
Proud

What more can be said?
Keith

Update: Don't miss my daughter's pictures from this wonderful weekend and a couple of more turkey pictures.

High-Tensile Wire

2007-03-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

I'm really liking high-tensile wire. We don't actually have any high-tensile fencing, but we have found other uses for the wire:

Bracing on fence corners
Hooks. When we're in a bind for a hook to hang on a peg board or some such, we have been known to create one out of high-tensile wire.
Hoops
1. Tabletop greenhouses
2. Support hoops for the cloth we put over some of the crucifers in one of the gardens (We have a terrible problem with cabbage butterflies, which have a different name, but I can never remember it. "Cabbage butterflies" works for me. Anyway, they lay eggs that become voracious cabbage worms, which probably also have another name, but I can never...well you know.)
3. Hoop skirts. Yep. 14yo daughter and I used it (with 11yo son's help) to create the hoops in our hoop skirts that we wore to Franklin in December for the Dickens festival there.

Pretty convenient stuff to have around, but caution is wise: I recommend protective eyewear, as well as simply being careful, when using it.
Mary Susan

Clarabelle Update

2007-03-23T09:02:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow marks Clarabelle's one-month anniversary at Allelon Farm. She's a friendly cow, a lot like a very large dog (with small horns that she will use if she decides to!)

When we picked her up, we were told she was due to calve in July. However, when she was here a week, her teats started leaking, sometimes in a steady stream. We called the former owners, found out she had been accidentally bred earlier (neighbor's escaped bull), but they thought she had miscarried. So they had put their bull in with her later, and things seemed normal, as if she were not already bred, supposedly confirming their diagnosis of the earlier miscarriage. But when we told them about the leaking, we were told that she must be going to calve anyday, and that she must not have miscarried.

And so mild panic set in, stalls were quickly added to the barn, and we started researching equipment needed for milking, etc. (things we'd expected to have three or four months to accumulate and learn!).

That's the history. Here's the update: She's still leaking, although not quite as much, but does stream at times. Keith emailed an experienced and very helpful blogger with questions, and he agrees that the only reason he knows of for a cow to be leaking is that calving is imminent. It's been three weeks, now! Should we be concerned??

I've researched on the internet and found little helpful information. The most helpful info actually referred to horses and foaling. I found that one horse leaked for five weeks before foaling. The vet had a colustrum replacement for the foal when it was born. Should we do this? If so, is there "clean" colostrum replacement available--i.e., hormone-free and antibiotic-free? Or, since the "real" colostrum provides great antibodies, etc., does that mean the replacement would be chock-full of antibiotics and such?

More questions I have: Is calving really going to happen soon? Even if it doesn't, do we need the colostrum replacement? One website I saw said going on and milking is an option, but not recommended, mainly because of the loss of colostrum. But if she's losing all her colostrum, anyway, should we go on and milk her?

Quite a learning experience.

Mary Susan

Daylight Saving Time and Cubiculture

2007-03-23T08:36:00.000-05:00

The evenings are long, now, which means Keith, upon his daily return from the "cubiculture," can actually get a feel for what's going on around the farm (and what needs to be done) while it's still light. This is something he looks forward to throughout the winter.

However, I understand that at least some full-time farmers don't care for it: their day starts at the same time no matter what the government clock says, and ends when the sun goes down. Therefore, the spring time shift is exhausting for them, increasing the length of their already-long and tiring workday.

The tentdwellers refuse to recognize this "government-imposed 'longer' day." They choose to go by God's day, following the sun's cues as to when the day begins and ends. This, however, is difficult for a family that is involved in cubiculture: Keith still has to adhere to regular business hours in his "cubicle." As a result, he's able to get something done some evenings around here, but our "down-time" together as a family now is often more of a work-time, with only a bit of time for family worship before going to bed.

A huge advantage we have this spring that we've not had before is the tentdwellers: they are incredible, getting a lot done for themselves, but also getting an incredible amount of work done on the farm. So much of the work around here would have to wait until Keith could do it, or at least lead us in it, but these folks are seeing that soooo much of it gets done! It's really quite exciting to see all that has been accomplished in the last couple of months, solely because of their presence. Not only is work getting done, but we're having wonderful fellowship. It's great having them here.

Mary Susan

Spring preparations

2007-03-14T18:39:00.000-05:00

It has been too long since we have posted (as my lovely daughter is quick to point out) and there has been some good progress going on around the farm. For over a year now, we have been wanting to get some pigs. As Mary Susan pointed out, we obtained some pigs about a month ago. Since then they have really gone to work.

Pigs
We had heard and read that pigs are efficient at turning up ground that you want to convert into a garden. Not really knowing what to expect, we were surprised and pleased at just how efficient they are. We set up a garden spot about 12' wide and 80' long and we used 3 strands of electric fence wire to create the pig pen. In the picture shown at right, the pigs have been at work for just a few days. As you can see, we are using a spare dog house we had for temporary housing that they are rapidly outgrowing. These guys are heavy eaters and we are going through feed fairly fast. Here's an approximation of the feed recipe we're currently using:

24 lbs Ground Corn
2 Cups Fish Meal
1 Cup Dried Molasses
1/2 Cup Kelp Meal
1 Cup D.E.
1/2 Cup Salt

I get the corn at a local feed store and they call it "crushings". It also includes a bit of wheat and oats. We mix the feed in 5 gallon buckets and add water to create a slop. Of course, the hogs also get some of the table scraps. For anyone (like me) interested in details, here's a better picture of the electric fence. It's important that the fence be adjustable so that you can raise the wire as the pigs root up the dirt. They will eventually ground out the wiring so we are checking the fence daily and adjusting as necessary.

Here's a picture of the first garden spot after quite a bit of work with the tiller and the rock removal crew. We'll be turning in about 500 lbs of calcitic lime and all the composted horse manure we can fetch into each of the new garden spots. We'll also be installing a greenhouse on one end of this first garden spot. A neighbor had some PVC hoops that he wasn't using anymore, so all we have to supply is some bracing and the greenhouse film.

Another part of garden preparation has been starting the seed we hope to plant. This is an area of gardening where we have tried and failed before. Hopefully this time will better. Laura and I built these seedtables as a mini greenhouse. We've made our own seedblocks using 2.5" PVC forms we constructed from materials we found in the basement. The recipe for the seedblocks is really simple:

1/3 Peat
1/3 Compost
1/3 Garden Soil

We mixed this up as well as possible and sifted it through a 1/4" wire grid basket to remove the sticks and rocks. We added water to the mixture until it just starts to squeeze out between your fingers when you form a ball in you hand. We look forward to seeing if this experiment bears fruit.

Keith