Canning Potatoes

Today Ron and I canned 67 pints of red potatoes, just a little over 50 lbs.  Ron said he thought he was in the Army and on KP duty.  Next I will dehydrate hash brown potatoes and then can potatoes, carrots and onions together for when we have roast.  We bought 100 lbs on Saturday afternoon at 50 lbs for $8.99.
We canned about 100 lbs last year as plain potatoes, roast mix, vegetable soup mix and potato soup mix.  I have a few of the potato soup mix left and a a few of the vegetable soup mix left so I won't be making those this year.  Tomorrow I hope to get the hash brown potatoes started and that will take a couple days to do.  Dehydrated hash brown potatoes come in so handy and take so little space.

That Mole Will Never do That Again

Living out next to a field and woods we have moles all the time.  We've tried the stuff you put on your lawn and mole traps.  Traps are the best answer if you use them ALL the time but I am too lazy to put them out and try and catch them.  It's a never ending battle when you are the only one in the neighborhood who tries to get rid of them.  I've come to terms with it over the years, live out in the country and you have to put up with something.
If I see the ground moving which I have several times I have no problem grabbing a shovel and waiting for the right time to plummet it into the ground.  I have a 100% kill rate going doing this.  Today when I was out making my rounds checking on the chickens and turkeys I saw something gray out of the corner of my right eye.  I walked over to it, tapped it with my shoe and there he was a huge mole.  Before I could bend down to get him he was digging his way back into the ground.  I pulled him by his back legs and was successful in getting him.  Before I could make a plan on how to dispose of him he bit my finger.  I told him "OK buddy it is all out war now, no peaceful demise for you."  I threw him in the burn barrel, piled some dried garden items on top of him and the rest is history.  

Forty Three Years and Counting

Forty three years ago Ron and I said "I do".  We celebrated and had turkey burgers for supper and spent our day and night just like any other.  Out of 3 children 1 remembered it was our anniversary and Ron didn't remember until just this morning.
Maybe I should start forgetting the kids birthdays and anniversaries and see how they feel.  Do I sound a little disappointed with my kids, darn right I do.  Usually 1 or 2 forget my birthday, the same for Ron's birthday and as you can see it's that way with our anniversary.  Kids!!!!

Re Purposing A Wooden Ironing Board into a Corner Shelf

We have re purposed 2 wooden ironing boards and have a couple still in the garage.  I asked Ron if he could take one and make a corner shelf for the kitchen and the below is what he came up with. The shelves are made from a wooden ironing board that was unusable for anything but parting it out. So the whole unit is made from old wooden ironing boards 50+ years old.  My idea, my husbands skills and now I have a very nice shelf to display some of my chicken stuff.
We have 3 more wooden ironing boards and Ron is going to make some more and I am going to try and sell them in my Etsy store.

http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/09/from-farm-blog-hop-and-how-to-make.html

http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2013/09/catch-as-catch-can-136.html

Busy Week

I've been busy all week trying to get pictures taken and the new items I picked up last week added to Etsy. Before I got 3/4 of it up one of my best customers purchased it.  I have about 50 3 piece Amish/Mennonite dresses left to photograph and list.  I will work on that on Monday.
Today Ron and I did the yard work.  There were more weeds than grass but it needed to get done.  We also pulled the tomato plants up and that garden is not empty.  I will keep adding grass clippings and shredded leaves to it so it will be ready for next year.
Ron also had to take the truck and pull a dead deer that was in the field behind us farther down the field because it was beginning to smell.  I said something to the owner of the field and he wasn't willing to do anything with it but said we could pull it down the field farther so we didn't have to smell it.  It was about 30 feet on the other side of our turkeys and besides the smell I was afraid that a coyote might come up.  I'm not sure what happened to it but it was probably hit on the highway and managed to get that far before he died. It was a 4 point buck.  

I'm Not Sure What's Going on Here

On our way out of Arthur, IL on Saturday I saw this house and had to turn around to make sure I saw what I thought I saw.  Sure enough it was.  I've seen many houses where someone has TPed someone's house and yard but this is the first time I saw where someone's has got this.  There were bras lining the driveway fence, hung in trees, hung in bushes and laid across the hedges.  There was every color and size.  Can you imagine coming home to this.  This was on the main highway that goes through town so this was seen by many people.

Amish Auction in Arthur Illinois in Pictures