Saturday Farm Report

This week has been very busy, with lots of organizing and decluttering...attempted. Remember the picture from yesterday?



Well, it's been weeks since we had rain. The fields are dry and cracking, and we've been hoping and hoping. This morning, before I left for work, I considered covering the piles with tarps. I thought, "Most of that stuff is in Rubbermaid-type tubs, and can get rained on. Some of it is not, and I'd hate to lose it. But if I cover things, it will not rain. If I leave them uncovered, it will surely rain, and we desperately need it."

I left it uncovered.

I came home in a downpour which had been going on for about 20 minutes. From what I see on the ground, we got about half an inch. I found my family covering everything for me, which was very helpful. I'm still going to be pitching lots of things, which isn't so bad. We needed to get rid of stuff. This will save me the trouble of a garage sale here.

Grandchildren are here. Mary and Ryan took Joy over to the strawberry farm, and they picked 4 quarts. Later we'll enjoy tacos and the lemon bars I have cooling in the kitchen. Matthew and Keri are repairing and maintaining their car in our garage today. In short, this is one busy farm!

And, as the humidity and heat come up after that rain, I am thankful that it's an air conditioned farm house!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Transformation

I have been planning to clean out the garage. Ours is usually a disaster. People use things and never put them back. People see clear space in our garage, and decide that they need to store things there. (Never mind that we'd like to put our cars there...) Animals, specifically, our cats, live there, and make their presence known in all sorts of savory and unsavory ways. And things just get cluttered, in the natural course of life.

I started this morning. I wish I had taken a picture. It would make this one



all the more impressive. Doesn't the garage look great? I even got inspired, and emptied the attic. I did not get a picture of that, either, but, take my word for it, it looks equally fantastic now.

I just wish I could say the same for my driveway.

Work?

John and I were talking the other morning, and something he said sparked a thought in my brain.

Yes, it's possible.

We have no modern metaphor for work.

We used to say things like, "Put your nose to the grindstone," "Back in the saddle again," "Head off to the salt mines." Well, maybe the last has seen it's day; those salt mines couldn't have been too pleasant. But what metaphor do we have now?

"Log in" ?

"Take a meeting" ?

What are we teaching our children about work?

We thought a lot about that when our kids were little and we first started homeschooling. Several families we knew had dads who worked from home. I don't mean they had office jobs that they did at home, although some did. I mean they WORKED at home. Their kids saw them plowing fields, building furniture, fixing cars. When Mom said, "Dad's working," they knew just what that meant. We talked about how John would head off to the office, saying, "I'm off to work," and we wondered what our kids thought that meant. I mean, they knew a paycheck came home regularly, that food and clothing were available due to Dad's labors. But what were those labors? What did it mean to WORK?

I wonder about that, still. About what kids think it means to WORK.

And, if they're not sure, what does that mean for the future of work in this country? I'm still chewing on that one.

NKOTB

(No points if you know the reference for the title. You know why.)

Many years ago, my grandmother acquired some mugs commemorating the coronation of England's Queen Elizabeth II. She eventually gave one to me.



Over time, I acquired more Elizabeth mugs. I have one from her Silver Jubilee, and her Golden Jubilee. They live with the Coronation mug in my hutch.



Some countries, when a leader needs commemorating, rush to buy ticky-tack made in foreign countries. Not so our British cousins. All of these were made in Jolly Olde, and I really didn't mean to collect them. The Coronation mug just needed company.

Recently, while web surfing, I found, well, can you guess?



Yep, it arrived yesterday, from Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire. Lovely, translucent bone china. She smiles so happily in her picture. Too bad her hubby had to miss the concert.

Now, I don't use these on a regular basis. Once upon a time, I actually had 2 Coronation mugs; one had the date misprinted. The J was backwards, so it appeared that she'd taken the throne in Lune of 1952. Whoever drank from that mug was teased for being "Looney." But, alas, about 4 years ago, the Lune cup was taken from us after tea one afternoon, victim of a tragic washing accident. So now I don't use the mugs.

I do have the tradition of using them for one cuppa when they first come here, so, today, I had breakfast with the Queen.



Yes, I had cherry pie for breakfast. I made it yesterday with some pie cherries I bought from a local orchard. Mary pronounced it the Best. Cherry. Pie. Ever. And it was. We finished it for breakfast. I suppose I should have had tea in my mug, but I didn't. I'm a Colonial, after all, and, no, thank you, Your Majesty, I will take no tea.



I think my morning brew did originate in one of her former colonies, though. I'm thinking Kenya.

Well, as they say in England these days, Long May She Reign! I'll have more mugs to collect!

(For the record, I'm not collecting "Charles" mugs.)

Leftover Supper

Last week I grilled half of a turkey. It was a disappointing experience, because, when we carved into it, red juices ran out. Yes, I had underestimated the cooking time. As it was apparent that at least another hour was needed on the grill, and since it was already half an hour past suppertime, we returned it to the grill and...went out to dinner. Very disappointing, although the dinner was lovely.

The next night, I warmed the turkey in my crockpot, and hauled out the potato and lettuce salads which I had prepared the night before. Turkey supper!

The night after that, I prepared a pizza crust. On it I put barbecue sauce,



some chopped cooked turkey,



some onion, (wish it had been RED onion)



and some colby jack cheese.



Into the oven it went.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished pizza, but, please believe me, it was delicious!!

It's been about 5 nights now. Tomorrow, I will put most of the turkey into the freezer for a couple of weeks. I'll season about a third of it for tacos. Tomorrow night, we'll use some of that meat to make turkey burritos. And Wednesday, we'll have turkey taco salad.

See why I'm putting some away for a few weeks? My family doesn't mind leftovers, but they would riot if I tried serving it again in the next week or so!

Thursday Feline Manifesto

Yes, they treat me this way. Yes, I am plotting my revenge. Yes, they went shopping yesterday; see all the bags behind me on the counter? No, there was nothing in any of those bags for me. Do these people not value their pathetic little lives?