CANNED EGGS?

SO IT CAN BE DONE!DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE GOOD THOUGH

4 MALES AND 4 FEMALES

I will have to cull 3 of the males and put them in the freezer. The big male is 5 years old and though he thinks he is king of the roost, he may be too old to keep.

And I have 3 VERY fat baby bunnies; not a good number but 3 is better than 0

DON'T ASK ME WHY...I JUST COULDN'T SAY NO

LAST DAY OF VACATION

Well I slept til 8:30 this morning. And I got up and made a pan of homemade Hot Cocoa.

1/4 C Cocoa Powder
1/2 C Sugar
1/3 C hot water
dash of salt
Mix in a pan on the stove and bring to a boil for 2 minutes

Then add 4 cups of milk and heat to drinking temp
add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

I went out to check on the bunnies. One doe kindled while I was in Louisiana. 3 fat babies all healthy.

There is work to do outside. Just clean up stuff. I am not ready to go out yet. I am doing laundry first and playing on the computer.

I got to see New Orleans for the first time. Although I liked some of the French Quarter, most of it was just junky bars. However I found a cool hand made soap shop that was a lot of fun. And the best place EVER was a candy shop. They had vats of cooking caramel going and were making turtles!!! I wanted to set up my tent and live there.

KITTY LIFE IS VERY ROUGH

BIRTHDAYS AND CHOW CHOW

10 YEARS AGO TODAY I MET MY OLDEST GRAND SON FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME...AND MY WORLD COMPLETELY CHANGED!

ONWARD TO CHOW CHOW:

I CORED AND CUT UP ALL OF THE WONDERFUL GREEN TOMATOS



YES I CHEAT AND USE A FOOD PROCESSOR:



THEN I CUT AND PROCESS ONIONS



CHOPPED JALEPANOS AND BANANA PEPPERS



PUT ALL IN MY LARGE STOCK POT



ADDED 6 CUPS OF SUGAR, 4 CUPS OF PICKLING WHITE VINEGAR, 1/2 CUP OF PICKLING SALT, 2 TEASPOONS OF PICKLING SPICE AND BOILED IT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR

I STERILZED THE JARS IN BOILING WATER FOR THE SAME TIME.



FILLED THE JARS AND PUT THEM IN THE CANNER



AND THEY ARE DONE



WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO ON A DAY LIKE THIS?

CHOW CHOW IS COMING

Wow what a discovery. I looked on Local Harvest . com and found a farmer in my area(we are talking 8 miles away!) with a newish you pick farm. I emailed to see if there was anything left this time of year and during a drought. He emailed back and said He had mountains of green tomatos for FREE!!!

I spent time picking tomatos and looking around their wonderful farm. A huge pit bull protects their chickens and roosters. He loved me to scratch him under the chin. (Yes I dislike that breed of dog but Charlie was endearing).

Anyway I have an 8 gallon bucket of green tomatos that will be made into chow chow tomorrow. He also let me have all the Jalepenos I wanted also for free.

I bought fall greens and some tomatos that I found that were red and unharmed by the freeze.

I can't wait til next year. He has 6 foot high black berry bushes.

New Office

The New Office in use.

THE PLAN IS ON

Yes this is the time of year where we start to think about the future.

I have used DEBTMD to itemize a plan to become debt free by 2016 as well as own my home outright by 2018.

This is using only $200 per month more than I am using right now and paying off $125,000 in debt in 7 years.

I am ready! Are you?

NO SHOP BLACK FRIDAY (updated)

Here is my project list for this day:

1. spread and salt 2 deer hides my son brought me (decided to soak them instead in prep of fleshing saturday)

2. soak some vines in water in prep to make holiday wreaths for the family (didn't get done)

3. make some runs on the tractor to the burn pile (done)

4. feed rabbits and check for babies (done)

5. debone all turkey (done)

6. boil the carcass (boiling now)

7. chop most of the meat and put into sterilized canning jars (chopped and waiting for stock to finish)(case of soup finished, plus 8 qts of thickened broth canned)

8. add raw chopped onion, celery, uncooked pasta, salt and pepper to the jars (chopped)

9. add thickened broth to the jars and can them for 90 min

And then build a fire in the chiminea and drink wine with my son and his daughter when they arive.(done and what a wonderful evening)

I AM THANKFUL

I am thankful that my son, daughter, daughter in law and 4 grand babies were here to enjoy food and family.

I am also thankful for seemingly never ending hot water! Have you ever seen The Santa Clause with Tim Allen? The scene where he tells his son the red bag is empty and then when he reaches in he finds something else? That was my dishwater tonight. It was bottomless and never ending! Everytime I reached in I found something else to wash.

THE NEW OFFICE

Here is the color. I am putting a chaise in the corner where the couch is. A desk where the ladder is and lots of colorful pictures and curtains.






I decided that as much as I work from home, I needed office space. So as I had donated the bunk beds to my daughter, the back room had no use other than to hold toys.

SNUGGLING IN

After a busy day, when the winds started whipping cold, we built a fire while the last pumpkin pie baked in the oven.

Now the hide-a-bed is pulled out, and they are snuggled under the down comforter watching the polar express wishing Christmas would hurry up.

FINALLY FALL

Grand kids are coming over today. Here is our fun to do list:

1. back a pumpkin pie for my sick momma
2. visit her and take the pie
3. split kindling wood
4. clear and build a fall garden on the east side of the rabbit shed
5. mix dirt and composted rabbit poo and fill the bed
6. plant fall plants
7. load kindling in the fire starter box in the living room
8. put up bird feeders and fill them
9. fill the bird bath and rabbit and dog waters
10. cut down two dead trees

That should keep us busy enough!

The Business of Illness

Today while shopping for fresh veggies for the next 3 days of meals, it occurred to me what a big business illness has become.

1. First there is the business of becoming ill:
Busy schedule causes the need for
Fast food
Shipment of fast food ingredients to the plant
Employment of the people who process the "food"
Employment of the people who research and make the equipment needed to process the fast food
Employment of the people who keep the manufacturing and processing equipment running
Restaurants: shipment of ingredients to the restaurant
In the event that this is processed food the same applies as under fast food
Bill boards to advertise the above
Commercials to advertise the above
Clothing manufacturers: there aren't very many people who maintain the same size every season

2. Now we are ill and obese
Research and manufacture of the following:
blood pressure meds
cholesterol meds
diabetes meds
diet pills
gym memberships
medical costs associated with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease
orthopedic diseases
pain meds--research, manufacture and sales
gastric medications: research, manufacture and sales
surgical procedures for radical weight loss: research medical costs associated with the surgery and with the side effects
research and treatment of all forms of cancer

Publishing and sale of books on all of the above.

***I wonder what the US economy would look like if the above went away
***I wonder what the US economy would look like if every person living in a house would grow 2 4x4 garden beds of vegetables and add what they grow to their daily diet.

Do you really believe that our government doesn't know the above?

3 days meals:


Tonights dinner:


One days fruits and veggies: 6lb 3oz

CHANGES

I just took all 4 of my grandchildren to Austin TX on vacation. All children need time away from the watchful eyes of parents so that they can eat cotton candy for breakfast and skip lunch in liu of something more appetizing.

Well while there I realized how out of shape and overweight I really was. Yes I had fun but I could have had so much more fun!

When I came home I was exhausted. So I sat in my trusty recliner with my laptop on my lap and tuned into Netflix...fun quiet evening.

I found the movie Fat, Sick, and nearly Dead. This movie opened my eyes. This was me! Do I really want my grandchildren to lose me early? Do I really want to be taking buckets of meds for the rest of my life?

I am so overweight I can not move without pain.

So here it is....my first Mean Green. I will be doing a juice fast. I am not sure if it will be a 10 day fast or a 60 day fast. Either will be fine with me. But at my weight I need a major reboot and detox.

CATCHING DRIPS

IN TIMES LIKE THESE WE CAN'T WASTE WATER. RABBITS HAVE SUN SHADES AND MISTER SYSTEMS WORKING. BUT MY HOSES HAVE DRIPS. SO I CAN EITHER GO BUY A NEW HOSE OR USE WHAT I HAVE AND CATCH THE DRIPS.....





Holy Cow...150 gallons "lost" in 2 hours!!!

JULY 4...I HAVE THE DAY OFF WORK!

At least I do if I work today until midnight. here is the list of farm chores I hope to complete tomorrow:

1. clean out the chicken house
2. use the chicken house stuff to fill the raised beds
3. rake the millions of pounds of mowed grass with the lawn tractor to turn it and let it complete drying
4. begin stacking the dry grass..this will be used for rabbit nest boxes, chicken nest boxes and rabbit food this winter. Dad said that they used to use a pole and pile the dry grass around the pole and it would not blow away
5. Clean out the area in front of the rabbit cages and run a magnet for nails
6. Take the rolling trash can around the yard and pick up trash
7. take the tractor and trailer around the yard and pick up stuff that needs to go down by the road...almost ready for a bulk trash pick up
8. Clean off the front porch and rearrange and make it look pretty
9. clean the house, do laundry and mop floors.
10. Daydream about seeing my boy on the 9th...he comes home from the Army for good
11. If I have anything left maybe I will go to sissys house and float in the pool.

MY CHRISTMAS DREAM

SHELF RELIANCE IS WHAT IS ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST THIS YEAR

THIS CAT DOESN'T LIKE ANYONE....EXCEPT

SPRING FIRSTS

1. GOT MY FIRST MOSQUITO BITE
2. SAW MY FIRST LIGHTNING BUG!

PICKLED EGGS

HOMEMADE RABBIT POT PIE WITH ITALIAN SEASONED CRUST

DINNER TONIGHT

FRESH RABBIT IN A FOIL BOAT

RUBBED LIGHTLY WITH OIL AND WEBER KICKIN CHICKEN RUB

ON THE GRILL COOKING AT 250-300

WITH A CAN OF PEAR SLICES POURED OVER IT...COOKING FOR 1.5 HOURS

SERVED WITH LUNDBERGS WILD BLEND WITH BUTTER AND FRESH CILANTRO FROM THE GARDEN

AND STEAMED FRESH PICKED SPINACH SPRINKLED WITH APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.

FIRST MOWING

SPRING IS HERE

TODAY WHILE SPENDING HOURS ON THE MOWER I SAW PROOF THAT SPRING WAS HERE:

1. A HUGE BLUE DRAGON FLY
2. A SCISSOR TAIL FLY CATCHER
3. A PAIR OF GREEN HERONS GETTING READY TO NEST IN MY POND
4. A BILLION BILLION FLOWERS THAT I TRIED TO MOW AROUND

PS...I REPLACED MY BATTERY AND DRAINED THE WATERY GAS FROM THE JOHN DEERE AND GOT IT RUNNING BY MYSELF!

SOUTHERN CROSS RABBITRY IS BORN

IT IS OFFICIAL. THE RABBITRY HAS A NAME






OF COURSE I NEVER KNEW HOW WARPED MY FRIEND JOHN IS TIL I SAW THIS HOMEMADE RABBITRY SIGN WHEN I GOT HOME:YES THAT IS A LITTLE RABBIT HANGING ON THE LEFT AND A RABBIT HEAD ON THE RIGHT.

"Eat more guinea, chiken or dawg"

Rabbits New Home

FULL WEEKEND

This weekend I started an experiment. I built an earth box. It is simply a rubbermade container with rocks in the bottom and a 7 up bottle on the side. Instead of watering the box from the top, I water through the bottle and fill up the rocks.




Herb pot:



Strawberry pot:


Morenga:


AND LOOK! GRANNY SMITH IS BLOOMING!

NEW RABBIT SHED

BIG MOON: LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY

The big full moon last night gave me an opportunity to spend time with the grand boys w/out any electronic diversion.

We sat in the driveway and focused on the giant moon with the Wally world telescope. We talked about all the marks on the moon and speculated about what had caused them. We speculated about how our Great Lord actually made the moon and stars.

The little one got his art easle and a flash light and looked deeply into the telescope and then went and sat on the ground and drew what he saw. The pictures were very cool too. I will try to post them later.

We looked at Orions belt and a star that twinkled pink then blue then pink etc.

We need a book to show us their names.

We saw a shooting star. It was a very good night.

DREAMS

Ok I realize that I am on migraine meds today but these were weird even for that:

Dream 1.
I was best friends with the artist lady on Bones. We rented homes together in a dirty area of a small hilly town. As I was unpacking I realized I had signed a lease on a house when I owned a farm out in the country (at this point a flash picture of what that farm looked like went through my memory and it was not this farm)
I knew I had to either move back, break my lease and lose her as a friend, or sell or rent the farm.

Dream 2.
A short one....I was me looking out of my eyes so I wasn't a 3rd party like watching a movie. I was standing in a flat bed trailer which was hooked to the back of a Chevy truck. In the truck was a woman and children. The truck began to pull off and drive down the driveway with me in the trailer. I knew I wasn't ready so I felt myself wave and I yelled "Hey!" Now the weird part. My voice was male and very deep! The truck stopped far from me and I looked down and saw that the trailer had come unhitched from the truck. The truck door opened and a woman got out...too far for me to see her....and I knew she was my wife!

Ok time for more meds!

I think I will try this.....

GLOBAL BUCKETS

SATURDAY AFTERNOON POST

Here are pics of the new babies:



This is a great nest:



These are going in the freezer around April 14th:



Also I ordered Moringa seeds and plants which arrived today!




They are in shipping shock so I hope they pull through. Here in N TX I will have to work hard to get them to overwinter. I will have to heavily layer with rabbit manure and mulch and possible prune and cover them. They semi tropical but here is why I am planting them:

1. 7 times more Vitamin C than oranges
2. 4 times more Vitamin A than carrots
3. 3 times more Iron than spinach
4. 3 times more Potasium than bananas
5. All of your essential amino acids

And from what I have heard they taste wonderful. To both rabbits and people.