Trade in?

Chloe:

"I'll trade you my stuffed raccoon toy

for what is on the plate, PLEASE?

 But hold the beans."

Mom:

"Fat chance puppy.

You already ate your breakfast,

and you are not getting the last

of the venison loin."

Happy Birthday Dad!

A picture from the archives

Thank you for giving me your sense of humor.

Stalling

Ok, I admit it; I am stalling doing some more chores.
More tomatoes and beans have been processed and put away for the winter, and they will not hog my time for a couple of days.  The mess they caused in the kitchen is now cleaned.

Hubby had to work today, and I should be working on the painting & refinishing projects around here like I said I would.  I can be lazy together with hubby tomorrow when he has off work.   Chloe decided to take a long afternoon nap (on the bed of course).  Dad has gone on a weekend road trip with his girlfriend.  The only things to do at mom's involve work, so I might as well stay home.


An ambulance just rushed by here on the way to the hospital.  It serves as a reminder, that my day is definitely better than that poor person getting a ride in the ambulance.  As Uncle Rony said, "those things have suspensions like buckboards."  The last time he went to the hospital with a broken hip, he begged his family to strap him to a board and take him there in the family van.  Hopefully, it was not a car accident on the highway, but a happy occasion like a baby coming just a little too fast.


Well, back to the chores.  Hope you Labor Day is fun and restful!  


Once I get past the prep work and start putting on fresh coats of paint or stain & varnish, my mood will improve.

Ahh, a dry line

At least that is what the weather forecasters call it.  The rain is gone for a while, and it is a lot cooler today.  Blue skies are here again!  Temperatures are supposed to get down into the 40's tonight.  That should seriously slow the tomato production until/if another warm patch strikes.  The cooler temps. remind me that there is a lot of painting to do around this place before winter comes back.  Might do some painting and staining tomorrow after things have dried out a bit more.


Today is the perfect day to finish picking at mom's garden.  It is also finally cool enough to put on a long sleeve shirt and get the old growth pruned from her raspberry patches.  Maybe there will also be time to do some digging/thinning (of both the patch and myself).


Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Rain

The rain barrel is full and dribbling over.  Hubby commented that it always seems to be fullest when we really don't need to water.  Funny isn't he.  When we set it up, the neighbors asked why we had a black plastic cattle water trough in our yard.  We told them it was a solar powered redneck hot tub; they chuckled.  I know it is ugly, but it works.  And it is light enough to put away in the garage during winter.  I wonder how many deer and other animals sneak a drink in the middle of the night?  They are around, just very nocturnal.  They follow the railroad tracks into town.  We saw one run across main street one day.  Another day, I was fishing at the park, turned my back, heard a splash, and saw a deer swimming across the harbor (just a wide spot in the river where they moor sailboats).  The neighborhood also has at least one fox that trots around on the streets and sidewalks at night, but it cannot keep up with the rabbit population.  Other creatures that seem to be here in greater numbers this year include toads, frogs, and dragonflies.


Ok, we have been spoiled by the sunny weather over the last few weeks.  The wet, warm, & muggy weather has returned.  Just checked the radar, and it appears that there will be a short break in the clouds soon.  Maybe it will last long enough to pick both mom's garden and mine.  Of course, plastic flip flops will be the footwear choice; it is a lot easier to clean them with a hose than trying to get mud off the old pair of hiking boots.


On the plus side, perhaps the rain will wash some of the ragweed pollen from the air.  Maybe it is just my imagination, but even with the humidity, breathing seems to be a little bit easier today.


Also, the city will not be able to charge me an arm and a leg for watering the garden!  Only part of the water bill is actual water usage; the rest is taxes and itemized fees for things like the following:
Oh-gee you have fire hydrants and firemen - money please
Your property has paved surfaces that runoff to the storm sewers - money please
You have pipes running from city water supply to your house and sewer lines running from your house to the treatment plant - money please
These extra charges amounted to 43% of the last bill.




I managed to get the garden here picked, but my luck ran out at mom's place halfway through picking the beans.  Time to change into some dry clothes.  Taking a shower outdoors while fully dressed is no fun.

Blustery Morning

Had a bit of rain and wind this morning.  Mom, (the queen of over-reaction) called and left a message with the basic tone of "run and hide in the basement."  Seriously, it was not a tornado warning, just a lot of air and water.  No serious damage here, but quite a few folks are still without power - mostly because the power company and homeowners have not been keeping up with cutting down trees that interfere with power lines.

When it was done blowing, hubby walked across the street to the neighbor's house to retrieve our plastic lawn chairs and a couple of buckets that had blow away.  He also picked up the neighbors' laundry that had blown off the line into our driveway and returned it to their yard.  It was getting dark yesterday when I finished clipping Chloe's hair outside, and I planned on sweeping it up today.  (Black dog hair on blacktop doesn't show up very well in the dark.)  The wind blew the hair away; gee, that was an easy cleanup job.  Thankfully, the apple trees only lost one apple.

Shave and a Haircut, Two Licks.

So Much Cooler this way!

If Chloe could speak:
"Did you roast that whole chicken just for me,
because I was such a good girl during my haircut?"
Mom:
"No, but you can have a couple little pieces as a treat."

Roast chicken stuffed with fresh sage leaves

1. Thaw roasting chicken in water, unwrap, and discard giblets.

2. Soak chicken overnight in a salt brine

    (1/2 cup canning salt/gallon of water or 3/4C Kosher/gal.)

3. Drain, stuff approx. 12 lg. fresh sage leaves

    between skin and breast meat.  (It is easier to slide them

    into the gap, if they are first dipped in olive oil.)

4. Stuff 3 good sized bunches of sage leaves into the body cavity.

5. Slather the outside of the bird with olive oil, and sprinkle with

    seasoned salt and tandoori spice blend (or seasonings you like)

6. Place in covered roasting pan with a little water and bake

    at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours until done.

    (Thigh meat will need to register at least 165 deg. Fahrenheit.)

    Let rest a couple minutes outside oven, and serve.