Posted on 10/01/2025 5:23:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Yes I always drink the juice.
I planted the spinach in the ground beds in my greenhouse.
It did really well there when I tried it a couple years ago.
I’m hoping to have similar luck with it this time.
Fresh spinach is orders of magnitude better than the popeye stuff from a can.
What can I say? As a group, we are easily amused. ;)
And we LOVE dogs. :)
I told you Howard was going to be our Mascot. :)
Howard needs his own You Tube Channel! :)
He does have some perfect markings.
I bet my grandparents had sauerkraut tucked in their “suitcases” to ward off scurvy (and a few other illnesses) before they got to Ellis Island.
He should star in his own dog movies!
Had a crazy, crazy day today that didn’t go at all as I had thought it would when I woke up this morning. Tonight the temps will dip into the 40s, so I brought the two potted shishitos into the garage overnight, and the gloriosa lily is parked in the sunroom for the night. These will return to their normal positions during daylight hours, and come in for the overnights.
So what happened to turn my day upside down? Things were going according to schedule until about 11:15, when hubby got a phone call from the generator guy. He was calling to tell us we were on the schedule for installation TOMORROW (!) but there were some problems with our town and getting an electrical inspector out to approve the job. With his busy schedule, and all the other issues we are dealing with, hubby had gotten confused, and thought the installation would happen NEXT WEEK, not TOMORROW! And it would only happen if we could get it sorted out, or it will be another month.
The generator guy was told the inspector was on vacation for a week and half, and there was nothing we could do expedite this. His girl in the office had been working on all the paperwork starting 3 weeks ago, and usually it’s completed within 10 days, so something was really amiss. Further phone calls to our town ensued after that revelation.
So someone from the town offices drove over to the inspector’s house, as he was in medical leave, not a vacation per se. There IS an inspector filling his slot temporarily while the original is away, but the signature still needs to be the regular dude’s. Sooo….somebody jumped through that hoop on our behalf, because after 10 days, it’s been an obvious screw up for the town. Hence, the extra yards.
Next revelation was that my last name was misspelled on the financial part of this! So before anyone can get paid for their work, it all has to match up exactly. One letter off just doesn’t cut it in the legal world. So hubby and I jumped through hoops with the finance place. Got that done!
Once we were SURE that tomorrow is the day this all gets started for real, I knew I had to go dig up some bachelor buttons that are growing in the spot where the generator will be put. I thought I had time to get that done next Sunday, but NOOO. Today is the DAY! So out I went and started digging them up, and moving them to new spots. None of them got planted but they are somewhat placed where I’m thinking they will go.
Also, the water feature has to be completely rebuilt. So that will be happening simultaneously to the generator now, instead of being a few days apart. It just was splashing too much, so the landscaper thinks it is best to disassemble it, dig a bigger hole, add a larger liner underneath, and then rebuild. I sure hope this time it will be right. It was so pretty, but we would’ve had to refill it every few days instead of every 2-3 weeks.
Hubby and I decided a trip to Menards for cinder blocks was something that needed to be accomplished for the water feature rebuild. The cinder blocks will go underneath the pretty rocks and provide stability, which was one of the problems with the first try.
I’m sure all of you know that my husband going into Menards is like me going into a garden center or craft store. You decide there’s other stuff that you really MUST HAVE!! So yeah, we walked out with MUCH more than cinder blocks. He did pretty good. He didn’t go too crazy, and I can see the logic in most of what we purchased. Still….he’s like a kid in candy store.
So we decided tonight we shouldn’t cook, and ordered BBQ (Southern style) from our favorite local joint. The meats are great, but the sides can be so so. I found some of my homemade mac n cheese in the freezer, so filled in with that.
Anyway, a totally different day than what I thought I was going to do. They told us we would be without power for about 4 hours while they get some of this work done tomorrow, so we have gas ready for the portable generator so that I can keep my fridge and freezers running.
Oh, one more issue. We realized yesterday that we have a dead animal hidden somewhere under our deck or behind the shed that’s built underneath that. The stench is pretty strong. Saw flies in one area, so I poured some bleach over there, but I don’t think it will do anything. I hate getting a waft of it, and can’t wait until it is dissipated. We are thinking it’s either a raccoon or possum. A small rodent wouldn’t give off something this strong and big. Maybe it got caught between a rock and a hard place literally. A vulture showed up looking for the animal, but couldn’t find it so left. I hope it doesn’t bring back friends tomorrow.
Say some prayers for us that things go smoothly from here. We will need them!
Thats a lot in one day, sounds like you handled things well.
Thank you. I have learned that some days, you’re on plan D before you know it, and being flexible and not getting caught up in it leads to a better outcome. It was a difficult day in so many ways, but yeah, took a few deep breaths and put one foot in front of the other until we got to a different spot that seemed a little familiar.
I will say…the lady with the generator company was on her A game, and the town offices also did their jobs. It was like everyone was pulling together to make small town America great…still! I really had my doubts when we got that first phone call late in the morning, but it all fell into place eventually! Whew!
We are going to have to leave rave reviews when this is finished.
HERBED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP w/ APPLES
Ing 1 1/2 qt chicken stock 2 lb butternut squash, peeled/seeded in 2" pieces 2 med apples, must use Granny Smith, peeled/cored in 2" pieces 1 lge minced onion, 2 med shallots, finely chopped 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried leaf 1/2 c. half and half. s/p GARNISH: 1/2 c sour cream Extra rosemary and thyme leaves
Method Heat chicken stock to simmer. Add squash, apple, onion, shallots, herbs. Simmer covered 30 min; vegs are soft/tender. Proc/puree or blender. Return to pan; add half and half. S/p; simmer 6 min. Taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls; garnish w/ sour cream and rosemary and thyme leaves.
Do ahead: do 2 days ahead up to pureeing, fridge. Add half and half just before serving.
VARY: Before heating chicken stock saute 1-3 tbl curry powder in 1-2 tbl veg oil
(burns easily) Then heat stock. Omit half and half. Sprinkle w/ chp roasted peanuts.
Sounds like a yummy twist to a delicious fall soup!
Haha! I actually managed to go into Menards yesterday, they didn’t have the item I wanted, and I walked out with nothing but the flyer in my hands. THAT last part hasn’t happened for a while!
I can’t say that about Wally World and Rural King, yesterday, tho’. Well, granted, most of the Walmart stuff was the dozen cans of green beans and a pumpkin. The beans had dropped back down to 50 cents, apparently on a special. I actually LIKE Walmart’s cut green beans - maybe there is something wrong with me.
Rural King was under $40 and started out with 2x 50 lb. bags of chicken feed, so, not really so bad.
All in all, we did quite a lot of “running around” (8 stops total!), but, YOUR day was far more hectic. Hope today goes smoother!
Sounds like a yummy twist to a delicious fall soup!
.........the apples and herbs gussy it up nicely............
Jan Jekielek interviews Joel Salatin - https://x.com/JanJekielek/status/1975616668907778343
Well, THAT was a plateful! Hoping for a more productive day for you, today.
P.S. Menard’s is EVIL! But OUR problem with going there is that BOTH of us will fill a cart if left to our own devices. And we have. And we probably always will, LOL!
1,800-Pound Pumpkin Dropped From 200-Foot Crane, Destroys Outhouse
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4344682/posts
That Crane Operator has had adequate Range Time! :)
Personally? I would’ve fed all of that pumpkin to local cattle and hogs. My chickens are currently enjoying a pumpkin my Mom gave them the other day...
Cinderella’s worst nightmare.
Joel Salatin's books: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/joel-salatin/215133/
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