snapshotmiki

Plans are made to be changed. Coop hopefully finished and moved tomorrow. No soap yet or jalapenos but I did get a couple of azaleas to plant in the front and another rosemary shrub. Also planting lettuce in a container on the porch as it's too hot here to leave it in the garden in the summer. Hoping to plant tomorrow and help with coop. Tuesday to town for a haircut! Wednesday back to work. Have a good week and Happy belated Mothers Day!

Well, the coop is less than a day from being done so of course it is supposed to rain for the next 2 days. Then we get the tractor and move it, hopefully Sunday. I'm working the next 2 days. Sunday I hope to get some jalapenos planted. Not sure if I will get soap made Sunday or Monday.

Adding my belated Happy Birthday to our fearless leader! Happy Birthday, Darlene!!! I hope it was great!!!

Camoflauge with blankets? And stay with them?

Going to try to start a small journal and update as needed. As of today, we are living out in the country on a small piece of land on my bill's ranch. I have a chicken coop about 3/4 or more built. Hope to complete and move it in the next few days. Then build the run. Hopefully get our garden tilled soon as bil has left the tiller at his home (not ranch). DH still has something undiagnosed and we still don't have insurance but are working on it. He can do a little around the house but can't work at this time. It's been just over a year since my Buddy (schnauzer) passed and I still cry but am getting better. Peanut Butter is such a little blessing! Lucee and Molly are doing great! I am working about 19 hours a week (2 and 1/4 days) at a little mom and pop grocery store. Sometimes at the holidays, I help make cheesecakes for a small dairy. Love both things I do. Recent activities: A friend gave me a couple of marigolds that I potted and put on front porch. I planted two rosemary bushes in front yard. I have an elderberry bush from a cutting that is starting well in the front yard also. Planted 3 parsley plants in a cattle waterer in the back(mostly for chickens) and I have onions and garlic in small lick tubs. I have mint (can't kill that stuff) and ginger growing on back porch. Our dogs tend to eat bunny poop in the back yard so I am now successfully spraying for bunnies around the fenceline. Vinegar, cayenne pepper and garlic juice works! Not spraying by garden right now since it isn't tilled free fertilizer is fine. I am finally preparing to make soap for the first time! Took a while to gather tools and ingredients, but I'm there now! I think that is a good start! I'll add some photos later--if I can figure out how again. LOL

I'm trying to get here more often. Glad you got everything completed and back home, Ann!

I hope you get it fixed soon! The service folks will only be in the room where the computer is. Maybe you could arrange the one room as you want them to see it.

Pashi is beautiful and I bet she is very intelligent! I'm so glad you found her!

I'm so sorry about Deena! I know she was loved and will be missed badly. They are pure love!

Good morning MomM! How is your neck feeling this morning? I did not know they bite so I will be careful.

Our weather is finally settling down. Been a long and cold winter!

Happy Belated Birthday to both of you!!!

That sounds like a good plan, Philbe!

I found a chart on oxalates recently, (which are a cause of my kidney stones) and stevia was way up there. Just wanted to mention it.

Got it! I look forward to checking it out. Thanks Jeepers!

Whew...thought you meant all in one day! I was going to inquire what time you got up and when you quit! Or...how many burners & canners you had! LOL Would have needed more than 24 hours in a day for that one! Peeling 20 pounds of potatoes, about 12 pounds of pears and God knows how many twigs off of elderberries... They are so tiny and it took 6 quarts for one recipe! One long day ! LOL

16 pints of pears with pineapple, 7 qts. of sweet potatoes, 7 qts. of white potatoes, 8 pints of elderberry jelly, a few pints of pear/pineapple syrup. In the past month or so.

Way too much going on in your life lately, huh? And yes, do you have a great husband! I am so glad your mom is doing well! Please say hi for me. It was a pleasure to meet both of you! I haven't been around much lately either. Please take care of each other!

When frozen I can just shake the whole "bloom/clump" and for the most part they fall off. Then when berries are in a bowl of water lots of stems sink to bottom.

My friends and I have 4 trash bags of elderberries with stems in our freezers. We intend to make syrup and tinctures. There are SO many stems! I have read that the stems are toxic and have read that the stems are slightly toxic. I have read that the seeds are toxic yet I have eaten many elderberry pies and jams. Freezing helps with stem removal and we are getting a good portion of them out but (and this is my question), will a small amount of stems hurt in the cooking process since we will strain them out anyway? I have only made pies and jam in the past so any input will be appreciated.

Congratulations on buying your house, Mommafitz! That should keep you busy for awhile! But a fun busy! And yay Abby for Philbe! I think all dogs are great! We've been actively looking for our second vehicle for a few days now. May have found it but I am not excited at all yet. Looking for a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (or vice versa, I'm not sure). I did get to spend a part of the day elderberry picking with friends! That is so much more fun than doing it alone as I always have in the past. We just threw them, stems and all in a trash bag and put them in the freezer. Supposedly that will make it easier to get them off the stems when we have enough and are ready. I did actually feel my age for a short time but I got over it. Monday or Tuesday I need to make the peach preserves out of my saved peaches. Aside from that just housework and cooking, I hope. And puppy loving time of course! One load of laundrey in now for a headstart on tomorrow. Both ebay items sold so I got them packaged up and ready to go! The newly canned peaches are wonderful with homemade vanilla ice cream!

My schnauzer Lucee says there are never enough crickets! She eats them by the dozen! At least that many a day. We don't have as many as last year and I think she has something to do with it!

Put up a few more pints of fig preserves yesterday and got a box of peaches. Not sure what I'm doing with them yet.

Thanks and yes, pretty busy. My new job has me meeting folks and making friends, even helping just 2 days a week. May have found a Church to go to also. Today was Walmart and misc. stuff in town --5 hours. Glad to be home! Hope to not go back for a week and a half or so. Only hit Walmart once a month or so.

Thursday I made Cucumber jelly and Fig preserves. Maybe picking more figs tonight at neighbors, not sure. Did the last picking of the garden today. Lots of jalapenos-- I'm leaving them in the water trough since they are still making. Good bit of green beans, 3 watermelons, some green tomatoes, more cucumbers and one squash. Tossed and watered some elderberry seeds in hopes that they will grow. Found my Billys Boot camp videos for this winter. This morning I made a cranberry fluff recipe, put it in a graham cracker crust and am freezing it now. Made Buffalo pretzels by baking them with melted butter, dry ranch dressing mix, celery seed and hot wing sauce. Also made an old recipe cooking fresh squash, onion, cheese, creole seasoning and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal. Great! I kinda hope to start doing some sewing in a week or two. I guess we will see. Sept. will be elderberry canning time - not the ones I just planted, of course. Life goes on! I have found that ginger and honey mixed really does help joint pain (only if taken twice a day though) and coconut oil really does give me energy (don't take at night!). Found that I don't like fresh mint in water and that I need to peel older squash when cooking. It is still quite hot here but should start cooling down in a month or so. That's the state of the farmette for now!