I’m an idiot…

Do you want to laugh? At me? It's actually pretty fun, I did it just a bit ago. Here's the story…

I haven't headed over to "the big house" yet today, just been piddling over here at Josh's house all morning. About 11:30 Annette, texts me and this is how it went down…

A: "Did you work today? Didn't see you leave."

T: "No, I was just piddle-farting around over here."

A: "Where is your car? Is Emily with you? Thought I lost her."

~At this point I looked out the window to where the Jimmy is normally parked, but it wasn't there.~

T: "Um, holy shit I don't know."

~This is when the freaking out REALLY started. All at once I was texting Annette back, trying to call Josh, and trying to put cloths on because the cops wouldn't be impressed visiting to some wacko still in her p.j's.

J: Didn't answer his phone.

T: Cussed J.

A: "Car or Dog"

J: (texted) "What's up?"

T: (to A) "Car."

T: Called J again, he answered.

T: (convo)"Was my car outside when you left this morning?"

J: "No." (confusion set in here for me, I think it was mutual on his end.)

T: "It wasn't?"

J: "No, it's in the shop."

~Lighbulb!~

T: Laughing ridiculously- "Ok, nevermind. Thanks. Bye."

J: Mass confusion- "So everything's ok?"

T: "Yep, thanks. Bye."

J: A very unsure "bye."

T: (to A) "Nevermind it's in the shop."

A: "Are you messing with me?"

T: Half naked laughing hysterically that 1)She's an idiot b/c she forgot her Jimmy was pulled into the shop b/c we changed the oil in it yesterday, and 2)That A actually thinks I'm messing with her, when really I'm just an idiot!

T: (to A) "I'll be over in a minute." –busting a gut the entire time.

T: (to J) "Blonde moment, sorry I disturbed u."

~Just to set the record straight, I'm 99.9% sure Josh stepped out of a meeting to tell me my Jimmy was pulled into the shop. Yes, totally an emergency. I may be called the girl who cried wolf from now on. If anyone ever steals my Jimmy, no one will believe me.

Laughing at yourself is fun. Try it sometime. Then tell me about it so I don't feel so alone!

 

~Wolf crier

Early

Josh left early for work this morning. What was he thinking? Didn't he know this would mess up my sleep?

For reasons unknown to me, if he leaves at a normal time I fall right back to sleep and think nothing of it. But if he throws a wrench in the morning system and leaves at 6am *gasp* it totally throws me off. I wonder if it's my subconscious feeling guilty that he's getting a head start on a productive day. I really thought my body, who loves sleep, would overrule my subconscious and its weirdo feelings. But apparently that changes with age.

Which reminds me; if I'm going to be up this early with nowhere to go I want something to show for it. I'll start a load of laundry.

Our poor dryer has to work so ridiculously hard because the washer is crap. The washer is on its last leg and therefore shakes violently during the spin cycle. And that throws the washer off balance which leaves more than damp cloths. It also keeps us from putting more than 3 pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts in at a time. We're getting a new washing machine sometime between now and just after the first of the year. I cannot wait. Shopping for one is kind of a pain b/c Josh and I both are very specific about getting one that will work for us until it dies and is a good deal. It must me energy efficient and it must be high efficiency. So we've shopped and shopped and shopped and consulted with the consumers report website to find the best washer. We haven't decided on one, but we've narrowed down the search. It might seem excessive, but I'm pulling for a 4.7 cu ft – 5.0 cu ft. I want to pile 5 pairs of jeans in there and not blink an eye.

Our laundry situation is pretty much out of control right now. For most of last week and this past weekend, between the two of us our time was spent working, baking, baking, eating, baking, cooking, eating, baking, moving cows, ear tagging calves, cooking, eating, moving cows, ear tagging calves, and moving bulls (it's time for them to be with their girls). Did you see anywhere in there where laundry was mentioned? Nope, and it wasn't. So every laundry bin is full if not overflowing. Not to mention sheets and blankets I uncovered from unpacking. And a couple of coats.

I've made a list for today:

• make coffee
  
• laundry
  
• clean out laundry bucket
  
• fill laundry bucket w/ dog food
  
• laundry
  
• call Sears
  
• laundry
  
• continue organization efforts
  

And look, I already have 2 things crossed off my list. Way to go me! You have to rejoice in the simpler things in life.

I'm on my second cup of coffee in my tall John Deere mug, sitting at my desk in its newly appointed place in the office, with a chocolate coffee candle from Lambert's burning in a green specked enamel coffee cup smelling so yummy I want to drink it, while the washing machine is clanging around on the spin cycle and very likely walking across the hallway. I don't want to go look. Things are falling off Josh's desk, I'm not even kidding.

Off to wrangle the washing machine and the rest of my list. And a third cup of coffee. J

~kittens & calves~

I <3 Thanksgiving

It's the best time of year.

 

I'm sitting here eating a whole wheat ham, lettuce, and avocado wrap. That's the good part. The not so good part is the avocado, sour cream and homemade salsa dip that I'm eating with it. Eh, it's give and take.

I'm trying to watch my carbs, but 2 days of baking homemade bread doesn't make it easy.

Monday I had my first attempt with my Granny's homemade rolls. It didn't go so well. Tuesday was my second attempt and it was a success. I did one trial batch that was okay and then did a second batch for Thanksgiving. Wednesday, today, I'm working on another batch of bread and a pumpkin pie.

As I eat lunch, the pie crust is made and chillin in the fridge and the dough is on its first rising....I hope. After dealing with all this bread, I realize how easy a pie crust is. Not that the bread is hard, but it is definitely particular. All the stars must align before you end up with bread.....

I just checked the bread, it's doing its thang...yes!

I may post more later. Making bread is a slow process.

Thanksgiving...eat your heart out!

The 3 …???

Have you met Bob, one of the 3 dogs that live here on the farm? Google Great Pyrenees and you'll see what I mean. Aka…big white sheep dog. We don't have any sheep. We have cats. For Bob, that works. He's kind of a loafer.

Have you met Harley? Don't Google Corgi, he only kinda looks like a Corgi. He's got short legs but he's way bigger than your average Corgi.

Have you met Emily? Google Boxer Fawn and check out the cute faces without the cropped ears. Except Emily is waaaaaay cuter. And apparently coming to Kansas has made her territorial and look hella mean. For those who have known her for a while know she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. But the local guy who does electrical stuff says he won't come back to the house b/c of her. The UPS guy is leery of her. So is the guy who's been delivery our rock. There are a few other people who feel the same, but I don't want you to think she's mean. And besides, this isn't about what a cute and nice dog she is.

What it is about are all 3 dogs. The Three Amigos. The Three Musketeers. Or more like it, the Three Stooges. I helped Rich this morning get a couple of cows loaded to take to the sale barn (one had a nasty sore on her hip and the other was just plain crazy…like psycho ex girlfriend crazy). He left in the feed rig to feed the other pastures while I waited for the water in the stock tank to get full for the calves we are weaning. Once it was full I headed off with the stock trailer to meet up with him to catch the cows at Rothgeb. Rothgeb is about 10 miles from the house. Upon meeting, he reported to me that the dogs, those mentioned above, had followed him to the nearby pasture he was feeding at. Just moments later he received a call from our neighbor that she had seen them running around. Once the cows were caught, sorted, and loaded in the trailer Rich headed for the gate with the sale barn as his destination and I took the feed rig with tracking down dogs as my destination. He no more than got the gates opened as 3 dogs appeared: A big white sheep dog type, a bigger than he should be corgi, and a nice brown dog that didn't look mean at all. They showed up 10 MILES
away from where they started.

Showing up that far away was pretty amazing. The other part though was getting them home. Harley and Emily ride in trucks all the time. They're sad when they don't get to go. Bob, on the other hand, does not. I can count on one hand the number of times I know of that Bob has rode in a vehicle. And from my understanding, he DOES NOT ride in/on the back of a truck. So here I am with 3 dogs and a flat bed truck. What's a girl to do? Rich was no help, he had a crazy cow in the trailer that needed to go to the sale barn, ASAP. Emily and Harley were happy as can be in the cab of the truck and Bob was just standing there. All 3 dogs and me were not going to fit in the cab and Emily is the most hyper of the 3. So I did the only thing I could think of. I opened the door and had Emily unload out of the cab and loaded Bob into the cab with Harley. I loaded Emily up on the back and headed to the house. As I was driving along with an unsteady Great Pyrenees beside me, I realized the 2 dogs that can handle the cold were in the cab and the dog that doesn't handle the cold is on the back. I did manage to get Bob to sit (it was hard to see and he kept moving around) and he proceeded to lie down. Of course this left no room on the seat for Harley, so he hopped down to the floor board and put his front feet on the seat so he could see out. This was how we rode most of the trip, Bobs paws pressed lightly against my leg.

All 3 dogs are home, happy, and oblivious they weren't supposed to follow us.

 

~Cow wrangler and dog transporter~

Sunday = Funday 10/24/10

It was a bit of a slow start this particular morning…see post "Saturday 10/23/10." But we started what ended up being a very busy day. Lucky for you my memory is failing me of the details of that day, so an overview it will be. Sometime the evening before or that morning over coffee (me) and tea (Ann) we decided to invite our mothers up to help w/ our canning adventures we'd planned for the day. We had picked the apples the day before, so step one was complete. We also started a frozen tub of apple sauce w/ all the yummy spices in the crock pot that night to be ready to can some apple butter the next morning. And by me, I mean Ann. As there's proof that I had a late night on the 23^rd, I was in no shape to be measuring spices.

My mom came out mid morning and Grandma Keast came out later in the afternoon. We ate sandwiches for lunch and then dove into all things canning. Mom put her new apple peeler to work peeling apples for apple pie filling. We did two...TWO…double batches of apple pie filling. Then we canned the apple butter that had cooked in the crock pot. Then not long after Grandma Keast got here, we cut, boiled and then put the apples through the food meal. We did 2 ½ pots of apples and ended up w/ 2 tubs of applesauce to go in the freezer. I think we ended up w/ 16 or so quarts of apple pie filling, 5 pints of apple butter, and 2 tubs of apple sauce. We sent the apple butter home w/ Mom (b/c she eats it right out of the jar from her fridge w/ a spoon!), and a few jars of the apple pie filling. Grandma Keast left after some quilting help from Ann. Mom helped us finish putting the apples through the food mill and then left shortly after. They rocked, I was so glad to have their help and it was tons of fun.

During all this, the guys were in the living room watching TV, and later I learned they turned on the subtitles b/c they couldn't hear the TV and knew they'd get yelled at if they turned it up loud. Hahahahahaha. But we all know they were both sleeping most of the time anyway. It was so nice to have Mom and Gma Keast come up. I think it's pretty darn cool that we are all friends. And I think we can call Mom and Gma Keast "buds."

I'm trying to remember what time it was that we finished. It was still light outside, but the sun was definitely setting. We sat on the porch for a while and Ann decided we needed a celebratory beer b/c the apples where done for the year. I'll continue to can apples every year, but man was I glad we were done. But then I had a thought. I do have those every now and again. I still had a cheap jug…yes jug…of wine in the fridge. So we sat on the porch and enjoyed a nice cup…yes I said cup, so what. There were cats everywhere and I didn't want to break anything…of cheap red wine to finish off the day. Oh, and we might have high-fived.

But the day didn't technically end there. The guys had gone to drop off a bunk they had repaired and the cows who's calves they wanted to wean that weekend (but didn't b/c Josh was a little under the weather…see post 10/23/10…hehe) ended up coming in. And when things just kinda fall in your lap easy 'round these parts, you take it. So they closed the gate, sorted the calves, came back to get the trailer, and brought the baby's to the house. While they were doing this business Ann and I strung a water hose to fill the water tank. I kept an eye on it while she ran to town and got a couple of pizzas. You don't know how glad I am that this little town has a pizza place. By the time the guys got back it was dark and I was starving.

No one had to rock me to sleep that night. Because of the busy day, or b/c of the wine….we'll never know.

Fishy Friday

In just a bit we are headed to a fish fry at the bar. Woo-hoo!!! Can't wait for some yummy fish, potluck sides and cold beer. I'm so tired though I don't think I'll last long after my tummy's full. I subbed for P.E. again today. Man is that always a mess in a half.

I wore one of Josh's K State long sleeve tshirts today. It was costume day at school so I asked the kiddos what I was for Halloween. I got answers like: K State fan, K State cheerleader, nothing. But I told them no. I was an OSU fan dressed up as a K State fan. :)

I crack myself up!

Tonight 10/28/10

It was fend for yourself night. That means a lean cuisine/healthy choice/smart ones meal for Rich (me too, but that's beside the point). After Rich's frozen healthy meal he ate a package of pop tarts, a bowl of ice cream, a few marshmallows, and a bag of popcorn. He's been sacked out in the chair for quite a while now. He's like a 3 year old who's crashed from a sugar high.

Saturday: Apples and a Wedding. 10/23/10

Did you know some dogs like apples? They do. We found that out Saturday as we were picking the last of the apples. Did you hear that…THE LAST OF THE APPLES! I'll get to that in a minute. Annette was using our new handy dandy apple picker and I was checking the apples on the ground. Boy was that apple picker worth the money. Oh wait, I didn't pay for it. Anyway, I decided to pretend one of the apples was a tennis ball and threw it for Emily to fetch. After she brought it back, she proceeded to eat it….crunch, crunch, crunch. A little later, Harley was crunching on one...not to be outdone by Emily I'm sure. They each consumed almost an entire apple. It's a good thing it was nice outside and we had somewhere to go that evening. There's a good chance their tummies were a little messed up.

Saturday evening we attended a wedding of a local couple. We know them through the grooms' parents, who own the bar in town. We like their Friday night burger deals, their $2 coldbeer, and their Saturday night steaks. You will not find a better steak. The groom's mother is also the first grade school teacher. I love small towns. It was an outdoor wedding w/ an indoor reception and the mild October temperatures made for a very nice evening. It was so nice to be at a wedding where Josh and I would both know people and didn't have to drive to hell and half of Georgia and back.

Not too far into the night they did the usual bouquet and garter toss. Josh and I neither one like to go up there and have gotten away from it for most of the weddings we've been too. Not Saturday night. I got called out by the bride. Ugh. Other people attending it, you can say no too. But the bride? You can't tell the bride no. So when it was garter time, I made Josh go up there. Fair is fair. Neither of us caught the bouquet or the garter, but somehow Josh ended up w/ the garter in his shirt pocket.

All in all it was a fun night. I got giggly drunk with some of my local silly girl friends. Josh and I were able to hang out, dance and such. And we both had people to hang out with. He could sit at the guys table and talk about tractors and crops. And I could sit around a table with who knows how many empty Boone's Farm wine bottles trying make an "L" on my forehead as quick as my reflexes would allow me so that I wouldn't be the last one and have to drink. It was serious business.

Kittens 'n Calves

I did....

I did start writing a blog over in word. Then the program stopped working and spit my blog into no mands land. Sorry. I'll try again another day. Too tired to start over.

Sigh.

Straight out of PW cookbook...

RIB-EYE STEAK WITH WHISKEY CREAM SAUCE

Makes 2 servings

5 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons diced onion

1/4 cup whiskey

1/4 cup beef stock or broth

Dash of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup light cream

2 rib-eye steaks

1. Begin by melting 2 tbsp of the butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and cook until brown, about 4 minutes.
2. When the onion is brown, turn off the burner temporarily so you won't ignite your kitchen or yourself.
3. Pour in the whiskey
4. As soon as teh whiskey evaporates, turn the burner on medium and pour in the beef stock or broth.
5. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper
6. Now, whisk in another tbsp butter.
7. Allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low.
8. Over low heat, pour in the cream.
9. Whisk, adding more cream if the mixture looks too brothy.
10. Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the steaks. Stir occasionally.
11. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet oer medium-high heat. Generously salt and pepper the steak on both sides, then add it to the hot skillet.
12. For medium rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side for a thin steak, or 3 or 4 minutes on each side for a thick steak. Place the steak on a plate and keep warm.
13. Spoon the sauce over the steak.....and don't skimp! You want to taste the deliciousness.
14. Mmmmm. It doesn't get much better than this.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't eat the leftover sauce by the spoonful. I'm just being honest here.

When the onion is bron, turn off the burner temporarily so you won't ignite your kitchen or yourself.


The above is straight out of Pioneer Woman's cookbook.

My take on it:
I doubled the recipe and to do it over again, I would have doubled it again. It was THAT good. I didn't make rib-eye's, I made hamburger steaks and mashed potatoes and it was great over both. For the whiskey, I used crown. For the light cream, I used skim milk mixed w/ a little butter and flour.

If you make it and change a few things, I'd love to hear your take on it.

Blogging HELP!

I was going to post some pictures but I can't figure out how to put pictures where I want them. I need a tutorial, apparently. I can't bring myself to post pictures that aren't where I want them.

Will someone please help me?

Wow, over two months since I've been on here. Shame on me. I have no reason, just haven't. Let see if I can catch up of the last two and a half months. I'll just tell you right now I'll be using Facebook (FB) as my brain for this little adventure. What did we do before FB?

So I'm gonna say a big HA on updating. This is like research. Here's where it starts:

• Got my niece and nephew for an entire week.


• Posted this as my FB status on Aug. 2nd - "T minus 3 days till the fair. T minus 11 days till Colorado vacation. T minus 298 bales to move before we leave for vacation."


• Volunteered at the Fair -checked in vegetables, served at the free BBQ, threw candy out of the gator in the parade, and was a time keeper at the ranch rodeo.


• Vacation in Colorado. Hello Colorado, where have you been all my life?


• Mom bought a place in Dewey that we call "The Ponderosa."


• Took (and passed!) my last certification exam.


• Was finally given a way to season my cast iron skillet that worked. Why I needed to do that, I don't know. I don't ever get to cook in "my" (it's not mine, its Josh's...hence the air quotes) kitchen.


• I turned 31.


• Started cooking more.


• Canned for the first time - Apple Butter and Apple Pie Filling - and more canning since.


• Kicked ass at an apple pie (and a few since).


• I sealed my graduating by walking across the stage.


• Posted this on my FB status Sept. 20th - "Had a couple of firsts last week. 1 was pretty neat and the other was pretty dang gross."


• "Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do....but how much love we put in that action" -Mother Theresa


• Finally got my Kansas sub license in the mail....well, Tammie Provence did anyway. Longton...aka -Elk Valley...accepted it. So I began subbing.


• Spent most of a day w/ my little buddy taking tractor rides, playing w/ kittens, and driving the truck through the pasture to see all the baby calves.


• We got a new toy...a skid steer. No one knows what a skid steer is. Its like a bobcat, if that helps.

That brings us up to this week. 2 days now Josh and I have went for morning walks. Wednesday, the first day, we didn't feed the cats before we left thinking they would still be asleep. Wrong. A handful of them followed us. So we didn't do the entire 2 miles for fear of our neighbor leaving for work and running them over. That night Josh didn't get home till 8:30. While getting ready for bed he said he wanted to walk the next morning, I told him he wouldn't. My alarm went off at 5:15 and he said "I'm tired." I was right. No walk Thur. morning, but back to it Friday morning....which we fed the cats just a smidgen and then took off! Its dark and cold at 5:45am, but really no complaints.

Last night I got together w/ some old friends/classmates. It was really nice to just sit around and visit. We ended the night around 9:30. I was tired, but it felt too early since I don't see those people very often. My good friend Shane is being stationed in Hawaii (again) for 3 years. He's always good at getting people together and I'm so glad he did. He also brought along a sign that says "Provence" that he'd gotten in London, or somewhere, and has been hanging onto for a while. I also got to see my BFF Katy. We talk often, but nothing is like face-to-face. I miss her bunches and was glad she was able to come down (okay, its really up but I always say down).

Today. Well today I've....ummm.....well, I haven't done much of anything. Josh ended up having to work today till who knows when, it was colder than all get out in here so its 12:13 and I'm just now considering changing out of my pajamas. I don't know what the day holds, I'm not really sure what I want to do. In a kind of bummed mood to be honest. So in my pajamas under a blanket may be the best place for me.

Kittens~&~Calves

Its been a while, but its been busy here at 4B. Its called hay season. Luckily we baled the last of it yesterday. Woo-hoo! But, there's still about 350 bales to move. Ugh. We leave for Colorado the week after next and they need to be moved by then. But atleast they will be moved in the tractor that has a cab, a/c and a radio. And thank goodness, its gonna get over 100 the next couple of days. Phew.

So the short version of what's been going on is haying haying and more haying. Then my niece and nephew came up and spent the week w/ me last week. We worked a little and played a little. It was really great having them here and really a ton of fun. But boy was I tired!

And the short version of what's happening in the future. Elk County Free Fair starts this weekend and I've been volunteered to help since I'm here this year. The people who run the fair are Josh's relatives and as much as they ask for help, its really hard to let go of the reins....if you know what I mean. But I'll be at the fair barn Thursday morning at 7:30am w/ a cup of coffee in hand to do whatever they ask, or just be an extra. Who knows what I will help w/ for the rest of Thursday or Friday day. Friday night is the free BBQ and we have a table w/ the grub on it that I've always helped w/. After the BBQ they have the food auction. The food auction is always a hoot. Its a way for the community to donate money to the fair and take home some cookies or a yummy pie. And to see what the price of some stuff goes for. Wowser! And then there's the parade Saturday morning followed with the Ranch Rodeo Saturday night. Josh always drives something in the parade, if its a gator I ride w/ him and stick the dogs in the back. We also help out with the Ranch Rodeo Saturday night. Josh helps w/ getting the events ready and moving the calves and such. I help up in the box as one of the time keepers. Last year was actually the first Ranch Rodeo so it was all a little rusty. So we'll see if we can iron a few things out. After the fair is wrapped up it will be time to get things ready for our vacation. We leave for Colorado Friday 13th after Josh gets off work. To say I'm excited and ready is an understatement!

Well, all that ended up being longer than I expected. But I could have written so much more. I'll write more about my week w/ my niece and nephew, the fair, and our vacation in Colorado. I hope :)

Two thumbs up weekend!

I finished another round of mowing ditches on Saturday. It was hot. So very very hot. But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. Ha, I don't know why I said that. This girl wants to get paid and sitting on a hot tractor mowing ditches gets this girl paid. And really, I put on a cut off tshirt, jeans, and boots every day.....and most of the time I don't even brush my hair!....and still get paid. So what if I'm on an open cab tractor that is putting out a buttload of hot air on its own, let alone the July heat that feels like its 110 outside. I look snazzy after a full day of that, lemme tell ya!
Anywho, back to the weekend. Saturday evening Josh's sister Kate and her husband Adam came down with their dog Remi to "the farm" for a visit. We all...and I do mean all-Me, Josh, Annette, Richard, Kate, Adam, and the 3 dogs: Harley, Emily, and Remi....and took a drive. We had to show them all the mowed dishes, the many dieing weeds we've sprayed, and of course cows. Once the tour was over, we came back to the house to eat dinner. We were having pulled pork sandwiches and 7 layer dip. We proceeded to all stand around the island and devour the entire plate of 7 layer dip. :) It was good. Then we had our pulled pork sandwiches. Hehe.

We took Sunday off from haying to just hang out. It was nice and the day went by too fast. Josh's grandma, we call her Grandma Keast, came down w/ some pasta salad and brownies. My Mom came down w/ my niece and nephew. I requested her yummy baked beans, but she also brought what we call "That Damn Cake" and Peanut Butter Pie. She outdid herself and we're okay with that. Josh and Adam manned the smoker and grill while us girls did our part for dinner. Annette made potato salad, got the ribs all ready, got the chicken all ready and tag teamed the corn relish with Kate. Kate also did guacamole and spinach dip. I made pinwheels. You would have thought it was Thanksgiving here at 4B. We snacked, talked, laughed, snacked, played w/ kittens and dogs, snacked, and then ate dinner. After dinner we had dessert. The Peanut Butter Pie hit the spot on such a hot day. After a little time on the porch visiting, it was time for Grandma Keast to head home. Mom and the kiddos headed out soon after. And to tell you the truth, we didn't last much longer. Its hard just hanging out.

It was so nice to have everyone out and for Rich to shut down haying in the middle of hay season. But we got back right back to it today. I spent about 9hrs mowing and Rich baled everything they had on the ground. We're chuggin along.

Chooo Chooo

6am - 8pm

Our Sunday was a funday, but a busy one! We were up and at 'em by 6am to get things ready and to work 25 calves and run their mamma's through. Once we were finished with that we cleaned up and came inside for a sandwich and a little cool down time. I was thinking a little nap was included in that. I was wrong.
We headed out to the big town to do a little shopping at Orschelin's and of course WallyWorld. Once home, everything was put up (including 40lbs of dog food and 40lbs-yes I said 40lbs-of cat food) and we jumped in the gator so we could go check the calves we worked earlier. That's a good way to end the evening right? Wrong. We were actually waiting on a future owner of some of our kittens (yay!).
My friend Konda was coming out w/ her kiddos to pick out a few kittens. Once back at the house we wrenched on the truck while we waited on them. They came out, we visited, they chose kittens, and we talked cucumbers. It was getting late so they headed on their way with 2 sacks of cucumbers, 4 kittens, and a tub of cat food. I have to say, they made very good choices in their kittens. I only showed them what was available and what wasn't and they did the rest. Good kitten pickers! They headed off a little after 8pm and Josh and I headed inside to eat dinner (yes, 8pm or 9pm is about average dinner time for us in the summer...not good, but can't be helped). We tag teamed cutting up lettuce, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, onions, and carrots. We added shredded cheese, bacon bits and dressing to make one hell of a chef salad if I do say so myself. We plopped down on the couch, ate our salad, and watched Ice Road Truckers.

I <3 my guy. He knew I wouldn't feel like cooking anything, and thank goodness he can handle a meal without beef every once in a while. When he finished his salad I told him to stick his fork in me, I was done. Not really, are you crazy? He might actually do it.

Over and Out

Sonic Booms, Cuts and Hardware

Random much!? I'm enjoying some time outside on the porch and thought it'd be good time to do a little catching up. Ohhh, and "Rain is a good thing" just came on the radio. I don't have a beer beside me, hang on I gotta fix that.....

Ok, much better. Oh and I turned the radio up just a tad. All is right with the world.

Anywho, first things first. We were out at "The Old Home Place" (which is where Josh's Dad, Rich spent his summers as a kid) yesterday afternoon doing more to the house preparing it for the burning or tearing down it will receive at some point. We heard jets flying over, they were fast and loud. A short while later I heard a boom. I looked over at Annette and asked what the hell that was. It wasn't stormy enough to be thunder. She informs me, as if we hear them all the time, that it was a sonic boom. I had never heard a sonic boom. I thought it was pretty damn cool. Rich and Annette proceeded to tell me how they used to do that around these parts a lot when they were kids. Back then it was the Wichita military base and they speculated that's who it was yesterday. Apparently back in the day, one crashed on the hill next to "The Old Home Place" when Rich was a kid.
Today while I was inside messing with laundry I heard them flying overhead. I ran to the door and stood on the porch bracing myself for the boom, but never heard it. So I guess this is their playground.

The issue of cuts is really just be whining. Annette cleaned out the fridge in the shed b/c we've had quite a few Diet. Dr.Peppers freeze and bust in there. Does Diet pop freeze easier than regular pop? Along with the Diet Dr.Pepper was regular Dr.Pepper, Mt. Dew, and Coors Light (of course). The Diet Dr.Pepper was the ONLY thing that froze and bust. Please explain this to me. Anywho, I was no help in cleaning out the fridge, she had it all done by the time I came out. But as we were loading the fridge back up with the canned beverages I noticed 2 Diet Dr.Pepper cans tops were extended. I sat them in the sink knowing they had lost any bit of carbonation they had in them. Once we were done loading the fridge I innocently cracked open one of those cans in the sink and BAAAM. The damn thing bit me. Well, that's what it felt like after I heard what sounded like a gun. The rim of the can came off, like I'd used a can opener, and gave me a small cut on my middle finger and a pretty good gash on my thumb -hitting the space bar kinda hurts. It bled and bled and bled. I've upgraded from a paper towel to a band aid and it hasn't bled through. So I'm taking that as a good sign. The beer will help....I'm sure of it.

Just before I was attacked by the can, I took one of the handles off a cabinet in the house and used it as a tester with the spray we bought many many months ago. I'm not a fan of brass and EVERY handle in the house is brass. Door handles, cabinets, draws....EVERYTHING. The spray looked much better, so I bandaged up my thumb, got the drill and went to town taking off handles. Not one cabinet in the house has a handle right now. Hahahahaha. It makes me feel like playing practical jokes. So the hardware is lined up on an old tarp on the floor in the shed with who knows how many kitten/cat prints all over. They love to help.

I would take a picture of my cut and the handles spread about, but I drained the rest of my battery taking pictures of hay bales earlier. I'll assume your thanking me for not having to look at my yucky cut and my boring handle.

Your welcome
Kittens~and~Calves

Fudge Revel Bars

I'm making these. It looks like an ooey gooey yummy mess. I'll keep you posted.

Rain

Rain, rain, and more rain. It was misting a bit when I headed over to the big house this morning at 7:30. Annette happen to go out on the sun room a bit later to see that cows were in the yard. That is a big no-no because of the garden. Her and I trudged out (along with Emily of course) to get the cows out and save the garden. Then Annette sais "do you hear that?" We could hear the rain coming. We kinda looked at each other and had an "oh shit" moment. But you can't be the first one outside in the morning and not feed the cats. Which resulted in us being stuck on the porch of the shed in a down pour. Luckily it eased up pretty quick and we made a run for it. And my coffee tasted even better back inside.

This is not the only rain story I have to share, but that one has pictures I have yet to upload. So, more to come on the subject of rain.

Hidee Ho

Well no promises, but I'm gonna try this whole blogging "thing." We end up with too many funny stories not for someone to be laughing at us! I'm heading to bed for now, its after 10pm after all. I'm gonna turn into a pumpkin!
Cya on the flip side.