Planting Potatoes

George and Lisa have been busy the past couple of days prepping and planting potatoes.  They have spent hours prepping the potatoes that after being prepped had to sit for a day before being planted.  They have been doing a great job with the planting and have completed phase one of the planting. Over the next six weeks we will be planting more then wait and watch them grow.  We are anxious to see all that has been done at the farm when we get back.  Thanks George and Lisa for all your hard work.  I am sure you will reap what you have sewn.

My Mom's Meatballs

I know everyone has their favorite meatballs and mine are the ones I make using my mom's recipe.  It is a super easy recipe and it is good.  I am not sure where she got the recipe and since I don't know the origin I simply call it my mom's meatballs.  The best part of the recipe is the milk gravy I  make with the drippings.  I like to serve my meatballs with mashed potatoes and corn as a side dish.  It is a good combination.
Ingredients:
1 -2 pounds of ground beef
I egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of minced onion
1 tablespoon of shortening or olive oil
2 Tablespoons of flour
1-2 cups of milk
Directions:
Place ground beef in a large bowl and add the egg, salt, pepper and minced onion- mix it together.
In a pan pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and heat it up.
Roll the ground beef into 2 inch balls and place them in the skillet.  Cook until meat is done.  Remove the meatballs and save 2 tablespoons of grease and add 2 tablespoons of flour to the grease and mix until creating a rue. Add milk a little at a time and cook until it thickens.  This will serve 4 to 6 people.  Enjoy!

Planting Day-Day 2

George and Lisa had another full day and got four beds planted with a variety of fruit and veggies (the fruit is tomatos) cucumbers. Squash, peas, orka, peppers, carrots, etc have all been planted.  So in a couple of months we will be sharing pictures of the crops and what we do with them.  I am sure Lisa is already scoping out new recipes..  Although, the recipes she used last summer were pretty good.  Good job George and Lisa!  We will be back next week to help!

It's Planting Day

The planting has begun for the orchard and the first thing planted was Sweet Corn.  Unfortunately Tim and I are not there to help but we will be next week.  George has done a great job in preparing the beds to be planted and Lisa spent a good portion of the morning separating the sweet corn seeds into four equal groupings.  The plan is to plant four rows of corn at four different times.  Yesterday, George and Lisa planted the first group and for the next six weeks another row will be planted.  This plan should make harvesting a lot easier and not get overwhelmed.  Nice job Lisa and George!

Rediscovering Toys

Rediscovering toys was what Rory did yesterday when she got home from school and saw toys she has not seen for over 9 months.  She was like a kid in a toy store because the unit that she discovered was a toy store; at least to her.  She was pulling out toys and getting all excited and then she would find more and more the MORE she looked.  It was so much fun to watch her and her reactions.  

Meanwhile back at the farm, George was tilling some more beds getting them ready for planting in May.  Lisa went into Newport and met our friends Larry and Linda for lunch at the best Mexican restaurant in Newport.  I guess it was a good day for all.

Florida Pines Can Bend!

I know all pine trees can bend especially with the wind but there is a particular pine tree located in our old neighborhood in Florida that has not only bent but has tied itself in a knot and is still a live tree.  We have driven past this tree everyday and I did not really take notice of it until this past Saturday.  It is very cool looking and very much alive.  I don't know how it got that way but I am assuming that the owner of the tree, when the tree was a sapling, tied it in a knot and looking at the size of the tree it has been that way for years.  It really does make a nice lawn ornament!

A Late Entry

This is a very late blog but our morning got started early with more moving prep.  Yesterday we spent the day cleaning the new house, installing ceiling fans and being with Rory.  The later two were Tim's and my johs.  It was a long and trying day but it was a good day.  Well, that is all I have time with for now; I am being called by Jen to get back to work!  Happy Sunday!