Saturday, September 29, 2012

Saturday Farm Report

Beautiful, sunny day. Cool, crisp fall air. A trip to the apple orchard is in the works, and it's a perfect day for it. Sadly, I'll be home, taking care of things here, while Mary and Ryan play in the autumn sun. They'd just better bring me home some cider and doughnuts!
The farm itself...well, it's in awful shape. There's just no way we would be able to accomplish what we did this year and still have it all look lovely. It's ragged and unkempt and we've lost animals to predators because of it. We started with 10 turkey poults; we'll take 4 to the butcher this Thursday, and none of them died young. They were all victims of dogs or coyotes. It's embarrassing.
Also embarrassing is the vegetable garden. Nothing has been picked in the past month, and I'm sure lovely tomatoes are rotting on the vines. I do have beautiful, full Brussels sprouts plants. Full of foliage; not a sprout on any of them.
OK, so I'm done running myself down. Must get to work. Have a good week!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Announcement!

We have 5 grandchildren now. 3 came from Jay; 1 came from Kris. And now, 1 comes from both of them.


Another in a line of the cutest babies you'll ever see!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

This Morning in Church

Just As I Am

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Saturday Farm Report

Typical Saturday. We had breakfast with my dad, I worked, and then came home to cook. We took a short break to head to a Damn Ramsey class.
Dinner tonight was wonderful.
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats.
German potato salad and baked macaroni and cheese, both from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
Leinie's.
Raw carrots. Homemade bread and butter pickles. Sauerkraut. Hot dogs for those of us who dislike bratwurst (can't imagine anyone actually HATING them!)
Chocolate chip cookies, also from that cookbook I mentioned above.
I do that sometimes. Cook an entire meal from the same cookbook. It works. And it didn't disappoint tonight.
Yum.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Field Trip!

Yesterday our school left school.
The juniors and seniors headed up to APT to see/hear Twelfth Night. Mary and Minah enjoyed it, and the weather was wonderful for an outdoor performance of Shakespeare.
I went along with the freshmen and sophomores to the Art Institute.
Yeah. 45 freshmen and sophomores in an art museum.
No one was arrested. All were picked up at the end of the day. It was a good field trip.

I saw one of my favorites. Lucas Cranach's The Crucifixion.
Saw something new this time; a seascape which was extremely detailed and caught the image so that it looked like a photograph. Do I remember the artist or title? Why would I have done that? I can say that it's an American work, at the south end of the American gallery, in the main room, all the way to the end and to the right. Beautiful.
Today is horsey pedicure and Home Ec and History. Good day, all!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Surprise!!

John and I went to Vienna in 2000 He called one day and said, "I have a meeting in Vienna. Are you all right if I go?" I said, "Of course. But you have to bring me with you." I was only half kidding. I have a friend there, a woman I've been writing to since I was 15, and I thought it would be fun to meet her. Little did I know that I would fall in love with, of all things, a city. But that is not the point of this story.
He went ahead for a meeting and I met him there. (I used Frequent Flier miles and my entire airfare cost was something like $85. Cool.) On the way, I had an overnight in London. I had never been out of the country alone, and he was nervous for me. (I was actually OK, until I got there…) He booked a room at the Radisson near Heathrow, thinking it would be good and close and there was a shuttle and it would be worth the money, since he wouldn’t have to worry about me.
I was a baby in my younger years. Needed a nightlight ALL THE TIME. Couldn’t sleep alone; when he’d travel, the kids came into bed with me, AND my grandma would stay for a few nights.
I was so proud of myself that night, shutting off all the lights and going to sleep all alone in a foreign country.
You know what’s coming, don’t you?
I got up around 3am, headed for the potty, and turned the bathroom light on. A flock, a herd, a myriad of cockroaches, scuttled for the dark. I screamed. I mean, I could hear their little feet clicking on the tile! In a Radisson? Wasn't this supposed to be a nice hotel?I knew, knew, knew, I should go downstairs and complain and ask for alternate arrangements. But I was exhausted, had a 6am wakeup call for my next flight to Vienna, and, against my better judgment, I went back to bed…with every light in the room on. I even turned on the TV for light, although I muted it.
I checked out in the morning without saying a word. I was foolish. I paid $285 for a night with a colony of cockroaches. But it makes a good story, right?