What are These?

We have these "berries" growing all over our woods.  I have never picked them because I have no clue what they are.  Yesterday I scoured all sort of berry sites and came up with zip that looked just like them.  The closest I could get was chokecherry or chokeberry.  Even still, they seem a bit off from what my eye can discern. 

While I would love to have another type of wine to play with, I'd also love to live to tell about it.  Or at least not hallucinate and tell everyone how much I love them.  Although that could be fun!

So here are the photos:

Every seen them?

Know what they are?

I love you, I love you, I love you!  Who needs organic hallucinogens after all?

Cooling Stations

We have gone from swampland and skeeters, to cool days, to hot and muggy.  Nothing being harvested yet, so with the long weekend and one short break in the festivities - what in the heck did we do with all our "free" time?

1)  Con convince friend into thinking you have an ingenious idea. 

2)  Purchase the most inexpensive ones you can find.  Inflate.

3)  Feet out one end, head resting comfortably on the other.

This was my attempt to burn of the Farmy Flip Flop Feet. 

Didn't work.

4)  Include puppies.

And there you have it folks, a Redneck Watering Hole.

Now if those tricks don't work for you, go for a ride, top down - and enjoy the view in an alternative cooling station:

Or not.  :o)

How did you enjoy your time off?

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Wild Black Raspberry Pie

Oh my!  The other day, we caught a "Bird" picking the wild raspberries.  And by bird, I don't mean bird.  I was skeptical there would be any left.  However, this is proving to be a banner year for the wild berries!  So yesterday we braved the brambles and went in the woods!

As you can see, there will be more in the next day or so.  We picked about 2 quarts of itsy-bitsy berries. 

It goes alot faster if you have helpers.  Someone needs to carry the basket, right?

One neighbor has an old Farm All parked out back.  The berries love it.  I love the tractor.

My Mom goes crazy for Raspberries.  So I decided to make a pie.  Gee...where to find a recipe?

Well as luck would have it, I cracked open my newest cookbook (compliments of Mama Pea) and came up with this:

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 C finely crushed Graham Crackers

3 T Yogurt

1 1/2 T Honey

1/4 t Cinnamon

Combine very well and press into a well buttered pie pan.

Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes or till golden

I toasted a little of the extra and sprinkled on top.  Also, all I had was Greek Vanilla Yogurt and it was divine!

Vanilla Pudding

2 C Milk

1/4 C Brown Sugar

1/8 t Salt

2 T Cornstarch or Arrowroot

1 t Vanilla

Gently heat 1 1/2 C Milk. 

Stir in sugar and salt.

Combine the reserved 1/2 C milk with the Cornstarch or Arrowroot.

Add to the milk once it has become very hot.

Cook and stir over low heat until it thickens.

If you are using Cornstarch, continue to cook for a few minutes more.

Cool a bit and add Vanilla.

Berry Pudding Pie

Fill prebaked pie shell or crumb crust with 3 C. or so of fresh berries (you can use any kind!)  Pour Vanilla Pudding over them while Pudding is still warm.  Chill.

Now doesn't that look yummy?  It was!

During our walk in the woods, I had to take a picture of my favorite spot:

I could live there.  Minus the poison ivy, poison oak, mosquito's and all other types of itchy-scratchies.

Don't know if I have every really captured the expanse of the fencing our happy hens have to run in our not:

Hard to tell maybe, but it's pretty good size.  The bravest go all over, but mostly they still hang around up front.

We shared a few berries with the girls too! 

Things I've (Ahem) Found...

Things I have found in the last week range from good, to "Oh, what the heck", to downright frustrating!

Let's start with the frustrating and end on a good note!  Ever since we got struck by lightening, the electrical issues have plagued us.  Not to mention dealing with insurance.  Alot of out-of-pocket expenses and we aren't done yet.  For one, we had to get "repairmen" and quotes.  Do I really need to tell you that we don't ever have to call repairmen???  Pig Pen is a built-in, ready-made, jack of all trades.  So dealing with multiples of real "repairmen" has been ....errrrrr.  But we have to in order to get it covered.

I still need to get on them to finish up!  Why do you have to (for lack of a better word) nag to get them to complete a job?  My computers still need a good check up.  I believe we 'lost' one entirely.  My laptop is making me nuts!  I'm not sure if it's zapped or has a virus lurking or both!  And it doesn't help that the new wireless card we had to replace is a real pain in the patoot!  8 times out of 10, I can't even load my own blog-page!  As in, can't even see it!!

But I thought you would get a kick out of a complete idiot-moment I had the other day.  This is what found out when you have too many electrical devices plugged in various outlets that do work:

...and you run your Grain Mill without the catch bucket lid firmly attached.  :o)  Note to self:  sit on lid.

The garden is slowly recovering from the rains.  This is the 5th highest rainfall level for any June on record in our area.  We are sitting just under 15".  Yup, that's alot of water!

See what I found there?

Been doing a little (ahem) shopping around this past week.  Ya know, cuz the garden was too wet to tromp in! 

Tricia needed a super-duper pair of Cowgirl Kicks!  Far be it from me to deny any girl a pair of boots!

I assured her she would walk tall and proud in them.  She does!!

And here are the ones I just couldn't pass by:

Twenty-Bucks on clearance!

And I mighta mabye fell in love with these too: 

But I didn't bring them home, yet.  OK, so there is more to that story, but why go there?

Then Marcia and I hit some awesome Garage Sales!  If you ever see small town wide sales, as in rural communities...Pay Dirt!

We went home with some awesome antiques that were a steal!  Random type things and of course something I have always wanted...

Full working order!  Again, $20 was the magic number!

So I either have really great friends who are bad influences on me or vice-versa.  You can decide.  Either way, I really enjoyed hanging out with my girlfriends!!!

But before you decide if I have great friends or not...

Marcia gave me this belt on long-term loan.  I say long-term because when she told me how much it cost her brand new, I about threw up in my mouth and needed to rip it off me.  Me thinks I should have security guards surround me when I go out in it.

Saaaweeeet!  Yeah, it was way more than $20 bucks!  She's my Cowgirl Queen  :o)

Pour Me Something Tall and Strong

Yes'm. 

Pour me something tall and strong
Make it a Hurricane before I go insane!


The rains held out today.  80% chance for severe weather and not one drop!  Go figure!  Naturally I postponed a trip to the strawberry patch with my girlfriend based on this information.  I can't win.

But the weather holding off was a relief for Pig Pen.  One of the things he hoped to accomplish this week was the barn floor!  Check!

Can you see that big thing behind our tractor?  Can you imagine what it weighs hauling 10 yards of concrete?  On top of our swamp of a yard?  OK, whatever, that is the least of our worries, huh?  Not a summer has gone by that we aren't filling some kind of hole(s) in!  :)

Foot deep there!

As you know he has worked really hard to restore the ole barn!  We have discussed what type of critters we intend to do next.  The field has been narrowed down to a few hogs or goats.  I have lots more homework to do either way.  Leaning towards bacon and eggs.

He installed drains inside and at the entries.

And of course the extra concrete went into Missy's pen this year too.  Pretty soon she'll have a nice patio and lawn chairs!

Thanks to all the guys who helped out today!

We really do appreciate your hard work!

Love you all!

While they were outside pouring, I finally managed to scrounge up enough rhubarb to get the wine started.  No "pouring" of it for me though :(  Six months is a long time to find out if you jacked it up or not! 

And thank goodness for close friends with the 'been there done that' behind them.  I found out that unless there is a pretty little map I need better direction that what is written in a recipe!  At this point, even if it turns out like Moonshine, I'll drink it!

This next little drink is a throw back to what a friend made back when I was traveling for work.  It was Mardi Gras week so he made Hurricanes.  Alcohol tends to give me a headache the next day but he insisted that we try them.  It's an itty bitty one in a Dixie cup and he called them...

Windstorms!  :o}

It's the only kind of Windstorm I would even relish right now :o)  Headache or not.

Pantry Post Update coming next!!

Permission to Commence With Full On Tizzy

We went to bed last night thinking the storm was going to skirt us.  According to the Radar Map, we should have gotten lucky. 

We most certainly were not lucky.  Not sure how much rain overnight, we did hear some hail, lots of wind and some soft rain.  And then Mother Nature stuck her tongue out at me.

This morning it poured buckets.  So me and my coffee were having a peaceful time indoors catching up on blogs when in the blink of an eye - lightening struck.

Literally.

Sparks flew thru my office, shot thru my computer and out of my favorite little corded micro-mouse.  It blew my hand clear off the mouse.  I can still feel the tingle in my thumb.  The mouse is dead.

Pig Pen was still upstairs when I hollered.  Of course he got a rude awakening with sparks shooting across the bedroom sockets as well.  It was very loud!  Never seen anything like it and certainly never felt anything like it.  And that surely was just a small jolt.  Imagine the real deal!

We immediately checked all sockets for flames or sign of fire.  None.  Phew!  But the destruction did not stop there.  Of course it blew fuses in the house.  Oddly, we have power.  But it fried every phone, every TV including the 55" and 30" brand spanking new flat screens we've had for less than one month, the fridge, all GFIs, the sockets that thought it was the 4th of July and my desk top computer.  That is what we have found so far.  I shudder to think there may be more.

In the pouring rain, I put my big girl boots on and we went to look for exterior damage.  We found none.  At first Pig Pen thought it hit the ground, now he is thinking the wires.  No direct hit to the house, otherwise we'd be ablaze.  See, we do have some luck!  Always try to find the bright side ~ it will hinder insanity.

Then we went to check on the Chicken Coop.  Happy to report we did not eat fried chicken for breakfast.  But since we were out there and already soaked...you know what is coming next right????

Not the best of photos due to the rain.

Wretchin'

Potatoes

Freckin'

One of the Carrot and Beet rows - if any are left.  AGAIN

SOB

Beans, Peas, Peppers with any luck!

3" of why Mother Nature Hates Us

Think I will open a can of pukey tasting Spaghetti Os and call it a day.

Drinks anyone?

I already miss my mouse :(  may it RIP.  Maybe I will look for a cordless micro-mouse next time.

Now, may I PLEASE have my Tizzy?

Old People Need Sleep

The last few nights in a row, we have been either out or up way past our bedtime.  Not only does it throw my mornings out of sync and the rest of the day suffers, I can't form complete sentences.  Things like "garbage can" come out "garbage van".  I even asked Pig Pen to put the mower on the deck.  Huh?  Of course it could be that we have been overworked too.  But I think it's because old people need sleep.  I need sleep.

So the garden is situated with the exception of a few tomato plants a friend gave us that I will put out tomorrow in place of my sorry seedlings that just aren't cutting it.  Feels pretty darn good albeit a few weeks behind schedule. 

Friday started the late run of nights out.  Much to my enormous joy, my nephew graduated from High School!  And I even managed to capture that elusive teenage smile!

Only in America can you drive a 30 mile crow fly and things change so drastically!  There were 32 kids in his graduating class.  There were 142 in mine -22 years ago!  This was a super nice group of kids.  The kind when you shake their hand it's firm.  Ma'am and Sir are a given.  Maybe it's because he graduated from the same High School my Mom and all her siblings did?  Where things like this were still important:

Saturday my friend Tricia came out.  I had to laugh because she asked if I wanted to go for a walk to 'get some sun'.  I told her she may call it walking but I call it gardening!  So she got her first taste of working the ground.  And she got a little sun too!  She re-seeded the empty bean and pea spots that washed out, helped mulch and all sorts of other random things.  It was a long day and she troopered right thru with me.

Thank you Tricia!!  I will forever call seeds "Marbles" and Marjoram will hence be known as Margarine :o)

Our hard work paid off in that Keith, her long time man, and the the other boys decided they would make dinner that night!  We didn't argue.  Instead - we hoped on the four wheelers and headed into the woods.  Tricia decided we could make our own path.  There was much laughter, running into trees, into each other (hey it happens!) and lots of gear grinding...which was mostly due to laughter I think! 

Oh, and Tricia was wrong, we could not make our own path!  But it sure was fun trying!

Sunday was my goof-up day.  At this point the words weren't coming out right.  I managed to pull it together long enough to hit some odds and ends.  When dinner time came, Pig Pen said he wanted spaghetti and he added "don't burn it."  Oh the audacity!  Like I would burn anything?  However, the last time he said he wanted spaghetti, I did burn it. 

Can't remember doing that in a long time!  But that's what you get when you come in all fast like and whip something together and then head back to plant corn! 

Sunday night we went to visit with some friends.  And got home late yet again.  However it's always worth it when you can spend time with others and talk about bees, chickens, walk their gardens and have homemade ice cream!

Now if the weekend didn't kill me, today surely did.  Pig Pen is off this week!  This is a novelty, trust me!  Usually everyone wants a piece of him and I have to wait.  For the most part, I am pretty easy going about this.  But there are so many things he wants to do on top of the things I want him to do.  So, it's long overdue that he gets to spend some time at home doing his things!

We spent the entire day trimming trees.  Lots and lots of trees.  Sound like fun?  Remember when you were a kid and before your Dad would mow, he made you pick up sticks?  I.Hate.Sticks.  We started in around 9am and finished up around 5pm.

Sadly, the old cherry tree had to go entirely.  We did salvage alot of it for the wood smoker. 

It was so nice to have him home.  I can not begin to tell you what a rare treat it is that we get to spend an entire day together, even if we did work our butts off! 

He probably thinks of it as foreplay.  Me?  I think Old People Need Sleep!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Catching Up

Lot's went down in the three months I was gone.  And as usual, the boys are complaining that I did not give them sufficient credit for all the hard work they did around here.  So this post is some catching up on random projects and "stuff"  (picture heavy).

Barn Roof Work Begins



Keith, LLL and Pig Pen aka Monkeys

Not long after this was complete we had a major hail storm by the way.  This roof survived but the house did not.  So that will come along around Fall time.

Finishing the Fence

 Introducing doggies to birdies...

She just sits, never barks!  Stealthy bird dog!

This one barks!

This one has zero interest in anything bigger than her.



A Pig Pen project goes from this...

To this...

And of course THIS!

For jobs like that!

And for random cuteness, we have things like this:

My brothers idea of a joke for Mom on Mothers Day

My niece's new John Deere T-shirt saying
"Dirt makes me cuter!"

As does ice cream

As do tractors just like Uncle Pig Pen!

As well as tractors that find good homes due to upgrades!

 

Thanks guys...for holding down the fort while I was away!

Ya done good!

(now get your own blog)