I Subbed!

The Coffee League has started again and this year I am not a member of any team.  I gave up my spot on the Pin Busters to Lisa because I knew in advance that I was going to be gone for a while in November and December.  This move left me as a sub for the league but also without a team which was weird and a little lonely.  However, I put my big girl panties on and accepted it.  Yesterday I got to sub for another team.  Of course I wanted to do my best and help that team to a victory and I did but not the way I thought I would.  I can bowl but I am not quite consistent yet and I can have great game and I can have terrible games.  Being a sub I wanted to play my best but my ball had a mind of its own and the alley and pins fought me too.  Needless to say I bowled my worst games.  This was my first time bowling this year which means these three games would establish my handicap.  While I suffered through the games my handicap began to grow and as I am apologizing to my team for the day my handicap gave them the win. Now I am wondering if I will sub again?  Only time will tell.

A Chain Gang At The Farm?

While  I was leaving the Crafty Cottage to go up to lunch I looked over and on top of the hill just below the RV were Tim and George digging and moving rock with shovels.  The scene reminded me of seeing the movies with prisoners out digging along the road.  As I drove past them, in my golf cart, I had to stop and make a comment and of course they agreed; they did feel like they were on a chain gang.  The good thing is they finished moving the rocks and George and Lisa's driveway is coming along really well. Good job George and Tim!

A Surprise Goodie Package

I received a great surprise yesterday when I received a "goodie package" from my sister Pam.  Inside the box was some vinyl and new cartridge for my Cricut, lots of Halloween decorations, some fun things for Rory and some Stampin Up ribbon. It was a wonderful surprise and I had a lot of fun opening it.  I have already started to play with the new cartridge and vinyl last night.  Thanks Pam for the present!  You are the greatest!!!

Not Quite The Last Harvest Yet!

The harvesting is winding down but we are not quite finished yet.  We still have some tomatoes and green peppers hanging in there along with some cantaloupe and watermelons.  Watermelons are just becoming ripe and we have three different types of watermelon this year.  I will do a future blog on the watermelon and what we will do with them all.  If they all survive we will have a few!  A couple of things that have never happened before happened while down in the orchard one being I lost the back end of my golf cart.  I was driving up from the corn field and the entire backend came off and just flipped over.  I had too much weight due to the watermelons.  Tim was able to fix it easily; thank you Tim.  When we were down there picking it up one of the watermelons rolled all the way to the bottom of the orchard into the woods.  Tim went after it; thank you Tim.  Have you heard the term things happen in threes?  Well they do!  A little later our patio umbrella decided to take a little flight of its own lucky Tim caught it before it did too much damage or got destroyed itself; thank your Tim!

Being Creative

Since Friday I have spent my days in my Crafty Cottage working on being creative.  It is SAS time again for my sister Pam and I am once again working on her door prizes.  The good thing is she has been so generous to me and sending me new stamp sets to use so I am also having fun playing with my new "toys".  So, even though I have work to do it is like playing.  I have made some great cards and some bad cards; all in my opinion.  I even received a surprise package from Pam with a brand new stamp set that I am now currently working on more cards with.  I have designed two of the three door prizes and once I have the third I will be busy working to complete all the sets.

Summer Bowling Is Over

The Thursday night summer bowling league is over and the champions were...all of us.  This was a league that sometimes was as small as 5 and sometimes as big as 12 that just enjoyed getting together to bowl.  The bowling alley gave us a league rate and were very accommodating to us; Thanks Victory Lanes.  We would bowl three games together and cheer all the great scores and console the for the bad scores. We just did it for fun and it was.  I am going to miss this league and look forward to it next summer.

Special Edition: Happy Third Anniversay!

Today is the third anniversary of this blog Just Another Day At The Farm.  It does not seem like it has been three years but it has and now I have to wonder where the time went. I know the saying "the older you get the quicker times goes" and I guess this is a perfect example of it!  In the three years since we have been here at the farm a lot has gone on and almost every single thing was good.  Okay, now I am sounding like a Pollyanna but it is pretty much true.  Of course this blog could not have happened without all who live here at the farm so I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Tim, Shadow, George, Lisa, Angel, Roxie, Chance, Travis, Nix, Gaia, and Ajax.  We have had a great three years together so why not go for another three...or more!  Happy Third Anniversay to this blog Just Another Day At The Farm (justanotherdayatthefarm.blogspot.com).

And The Dirt Moved

A few weeks ago George had rented a backhoe to do some digging and boy, did he dig.  He had finally finished two areas that he has worked on for well over a year.  The RV pad that he created was enlarged by quite a bit and the driveway near the house was made wider and a great turn around spot for vehicles was created.  What was also created was a lake, after so many days of rain, that almost dominated the new portions of the driveway.  George had some fill dirt delivered to help reduce the lake and so he could smooth out the drive.  One load was delivered at the height of the solar eclipse.  It is looking a lot better and dirt load by dirt load the lake is disappearing and the drive way has been created.  So the dirt did move!

Disney Fast Paases

We are planning a Birthday trip to Disney World in October and I have say that the Disney experience app is making our planning so much easier.  We are coordinating for 7-9 people and so the app has been so helpful. Since we are all staying at a Disney resort and all have park passes we could make up to three fast passes at each park 60 days out.  So this morning Jenny and I were on the phone  with eachother talking and she booked the fast passes.  There is a strategy to this and Jenny has figured it out so we are all happy that she was willing to book the passes; thanks Jen!  With the fast passes booked that is one more plan to check off our list.  Now I have to get ready to bowl because the Coffee League begins today!

The Solar Ecplise

Tim and I spent the afternoon yesterday observing the solar Ecplise but had to do it the old fashioned way since we could not get the solar glasses.  Tennessee was one of the states  with the total Ecplise and where we live it was 98.5 totality.  We did not get the total darkness but it did get a lot darker and the temperatures dropped  5 to 7 degrees.  The lighting outside was weird where the bright colors just disappeared.  It got dark enough to turn my light sensor light on at the Crafty Cottage.  It was cool to experience the eclipse. We liked so much that we are talking about a trip to the Great Lakes for the next one in 2024.  A once in a lifetime event has happened in Tennessee and we are glad we got to experience it first hand.

Working For Salted By Jen

I have the honor of making all of the jewelry cards for Salted by Jen.  It is my daughter Jenny's company and she does really good work: Saltedbyjen.com.
Anyway, I had to get some new cards to her because she is low on inventory.  So I spent my week end working on getting a big order to her.  It takes some time to make the cards.  I spent about three hours on Saturday, I had to run and get supplies so if you count that it would be seven hours then.  Sunday was my long day.  I knew it would be and left it wide open because of it.  I spent 12 hours in the Crafty Cottage working away at the cards.  I made 700 jewelry cards for her with two different types.  Each card has to have its corners rounded which is hand done which equals 2800 corners.  This is what takes the most time.  The process is easy just time consuming:  Cut the paper to size, round corners, stamp both sides and package.  I did take a break for lunch and dinner and I am not complaining because I enjoy helping out Jenny whenever I can.  If you get a chance check out her website and if you are looking for nice gift she has lots of options for you. 

A Nice Evening

Saturday was a day that was not predictable at all except for the evening.  What started as a day where nothing was planned until the evening, okay except a manure run and a vet visit, things changed rapidly and Tim and I ended up driving to Waynesville, TN, Lisa & Travis went furniture hunting for Travis and George went to Bristol, TN for the NASCAR race.  Yup, that all happened yesterday but the evening was perfect.  Larry & Linda came over for a BBQ and we spent a nice evening together grilling steaks and enjoying the nice night on our deck.  We got all caught up on what is going on with everyone and did it while enjoying the view.  Thanks for coming over Larry & Linda.  We always enjoy your visits.  It was a good night!

The Pickles Queens Were At It Again

With the amount of pickling cucumbers that we picked the other day we knew we had enough to make at least one batch of pickles.  We decided to make another batch of dill pickles because that is the ingredients we had to do so.  We pretty much have the pickling down to an easy routine that we can now complete a batch in less than two hours and we did yesterday.  This may be the last batch we make as our cucumbers are starting to slow down but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Golf, Bowling & Pizza

We had a day of activities yesterday but not at the farm.  Tim and George played golf in their Senior Golf League.  The League runs from March to October and matches happen every Monday and Thursday.  The nice thing about this league is you can pick and choose which ones you want to lay. Since the matches are held at golf courses all over the area they can be as close as 20 minutes or as far as two hours away.  That is why they can choose which ones they want to play.  While they were golfing Lisa and I ran into Morristown to grocery shop.  When the guys got home it was our turn to leave and go bowling.  The Coffee league begins next week but we still have one more week of the summer league to go. After bowling we went and had pizza.  It was a fun day away from the farm!

Getting Back To Work

We all got back to work at the farm which just means things are back to normal now that we are back from vacation.  Lisa and I went to harvest after several days of rain and it ended up being a pretty good harvest.  We got lots of pickling cucumbers which means more pickles and the tomatoes were enough to do something with them.  Tim and George got busy getting rid of the last tree that was left from the five that had fallen and after being cut up created the log wall along the driveway by George and Lisa's house.  After cutting up what they could they then burned the rest of what was left.  So, the tree is out of the orchard and they are done with trees for awhile or so we thought.  Last night when we were on our deck talking we heard two more trees fall down in the holler.  No rush on those yet. I got back to work in my crafty cottage and got a couple of projects done so it was a busy but good day for all.

Rain, Rain And More Rain

After spending two weeks away from the farm I heard we had missed a lot of rain but we got to experience the rain we missed yesterday.  What was weird is that it would rain when least expected. An example would be that it was sunny and I went down to visit Lisa and while I was at her house it just began to pour.  That was the pattern of the day.  So we ran in and out dodging the rain but we managed to get the little camper and car unloaded and four loads of laundry done.  So even though it rained we still had a productive day.

We Are Back At The Farm

After a long day of driving, yesterday, we are back at the farm.  We pulled in just before dark last night and decided to just unload what we may need.  Today we will unload the rest of the car and little cabin on wheels, do laundry, and check out the farm to see what has happened around here while we were gone.  It will be a busy day getting settled back at the farm.

Returning To The Farm

Today we begin our final leg of our 3/5's GreatvLakes trip as we head for the farm.  We have not decided to do it in one day or two so we will either be back at the farm late tonight or early afternoon on Tuesday.  Only the road will decide and how well the drive goes.  Tennessee, here we come!

Rain Delay

Due to a lot of rain happening at the farm not much else has.  The rain has stopped George from doing much outside and the garden only needs harvesting every six days so i guess you could say that the farm is on a rain delay.  i guess this is mother nature's way of making sure everyone gets a break at the farm.

Farm Happenings

So, what is going on at the farm?  That is a really good question and one that I will answer in a couple of days when we return to the farm.  Until then maybe I should make something up so here it goes:
A mass landing of alien ships have landed in the garden and have started to destroy producing plants. These aliens have dusquised themselves as squash bugs and have discovered that the stems of Zucchini, pumpkin, yellow squash, acorn squash and butternut squash are delishious and can feed the whole alien nation.
And that is what is happening at the farm!

The Food Saver

A few weeks ago on Facebook I saw a video on a new product that helps protect food.  I thought it was so great and shared in on Facebook; which is the only way to save things for later. Anyway, my wonderful, beautiful, talented, charming daughter (just in case she reads this) ordered me some as a surprise and it was and I love it.  They work great and they do keep the food fresher.  This food saver is great when you need half a tomato, cucumber, pepper or onion and don't feel like cutting up the rest.  Just place a food saver lid on the other half and it keeps it fresh until you use it in the next couple of days.  She ordered them from Amazon which ended up costing less then ordering directly from the food saver site.  Thank you Jenny for the great gift.

We Have Tomato Sauce

We have tomato sauce thanks to Lisa making some the other day.  Last year we made quite a few jars but with the garden under producing this year our tomato sauce is slim.  The good thing is she will have some jars to enjoy. I know I said I would have the zucchini lasagna recipe today but I am having wifi issues so look for the recipe tomorrow or Saturday.  By postponing the recipe I have been adding up the ingredients.  We have zucchini and we have tomato sauce.  I know we can make cheese so; Lisa are you up to it?  Haha

Zucchini Bats

I am not sure if I could make up a new game using zucchinis as bats but if I could we could grow them.  In a two day period we have had some zucchinis that grew from 6 inches to almost 15 inches long.  I have no idea why but we were shocked when we went down to pick them.  So what do you do with a huge zucchini?  Well you takes pictures then play with it a bit but then you make it into zucchini lasagna noodles and make lasagna.  Come back tomorrow for the recipe.

An Anniversary Is Coming Up!

Lisa & George just celebrated their 30th Wedding anniversary last week and Tim and I will be celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary next Sunday but neither one of these is what I am talking about.  The anniversary I am talking about is this blog and Tim & I arriving at the farm; can you believe it will be three years?  During this month I will share some memories of the past three years at the farm along with our everyday tales!  Three years soon?  WOW!

Farm Flashback - The Bear

We now have three bears at the farm.  Are we concerned?  Not at all in a matter of fact we wanted these bears at the farm.  Now I know I said three but right now I can only reveal one.  Lisa's birthday present from George and made just for her; cutest bear ever! It hangs out by the back door on the porch welcoming all who comes and visits...or does he???

Bread & Butter Pickles - Low Carb

While I am out seeing the great North Lisa has been busy making more pickles.  This batch of pickles  are Bread & Butter pickles but she made them low carb by replacing the sugar with Splenda.  She made 6 quarts and last night was the true test of how they turned out.  She said they were really good and George could not tell the difference from the sugar B&B's.  Last year we made some B&B's with stevia and they were awful; we threw them out. I guess this year we will be enjoying the B&B's instead of tossing them.  Way to go Lisa!

No News Is Good News

I go by the old saying "no news is good news" a lot because I figure if I don't hear from anyone, like friends or family, that all is well.  In most cases it is.  So since I am not at the farm I cannot share what is going on so I am using the no news thing and report nothing for today.  Mean while, please follow my travel blog as Tim and I are having a great trip.  Travels With Ruth :
travelswithruth-ruth.blogspot.com.    We start our third leg of our trip!

A Nice Harvest

Since I am on vacation Lisa had to harvest on her own and it looks like it was a good one and she will be busy processing the harvest.  There is a good amount of tomatoes and cucumbers which means one thing...pickles and tomato sauce.  Our pickles, although not as many as last year, are good and The tomato sauce should be too if Lisa uses the same recipe.  We have done one substitution this year.  Instead of using sugar we are using spleda.  With Lisa watching her carbs this switch works well and the taste is still good.  Have fun Lisa!

The Cantaloupe Is Great!

Even though we have been struggling with the garden the cantaloupe has been doing well and I have been fortunate enough to enjoy it.  I have had both kinds now; the regular size and the mini.  We even had enough before I left on my trip to take with and enjoy on the road.  There will a lot more cantaloupe before I get back but Lisa will make sure someone will be able to enjoy it.  Whoever does, they are the lucky ones. 

Welcome Chance

While Lisa and our neighbor Cheryl were out walking the other day they came upon a tiny kitten that had been abandon along the side of the road.  This is the second kitten they have found in the last month.  The first kitten they found they gave to a neighbor.  This kitten has been welcomed into Lisa's home and joins Angel, their 14 year old cat and Roxie their 3 year old dog.  Chance is four weeks old and weighs about 1 pound.  He had been bathed to get rid of the fleas and is being dewormed.  He still need special kitten food because he is so young but with the loving family that has just adopted him he will be receiving all the love and support needed.  Welcome Chance!

The Dirt Has Been Moved

The backhoe has been at the farm for over a week now and  of  the dirt moving project has been completed but it took a real effort to get it completed.  The day after receiving the backhoe it broke down and it took two days to get it repaired.  Once the backhoe was repaired the dump truck decided to break down.  The good thing with the dump truck is that Tim was able to fix what broke.  With all the set backs the dirt moving project did get completed and the backhoe was picked up this morning. 
Now there is a big turn around area down by George's house so even if a semi truck comes to the farm it can turn around.  The RV pad has been expanded and will create a nice area big enough for the RV, the shed and a nice yard for the dogs.  Great job George and Tim!