Pin Busters

I have joined a bowling league at the bowling alley in Newport.  We play every Wednesday morning in the Coffee League.  The teams each have three members and the team I am on, Pin Busters has been playing for quite awhile.  They needed a new member and asked if I would be interested.  I have never been a great bowler but I do enjoy it so I figured why not.  Lisa and George have also joined the team who will sub in when I or any other member of the team cannot bowl.  So, since it has been about four years since I bowled how did I do on my match?  I bowled a 77, a 75 and a 91.  I have a lot of room for improvement.  My team was not too disappointed so and did not kick me off so I think I am in.  It was fun and I think I am going to enjoy the league.  Go Pin Busters!

Happy Two Year Anniversary!

Today is this blogs two year anniversary so Happy Anniversary Just Another Day At The Farm.  I remember writing the very first posting announcing this blog and I basically that it was life at the farm and it pretty much has been.  I have posted every day for the past two years and although not all of the posts have been great I think I have had a few entertaining ones.  I will continue to post every day which is not too hard since something usually does happen here at the farm.  So Happy Anniversary Just Another Day At The Farm and here's to another great year!

The Pickle Queens Are On Hiatus

With the cucumber crop now at an end the Pickle Queens are officially on a break until next summer.  It is hard to believe that we are done with pickling but we still have all of the pickles we made to remember our best season yet.  I do not have the exact count of how many jars of pickles that we put up this year but I know it is well over 200 jars.  We got a little creative with the pickles by making four different flavors: bread & butter, zesty bread & butter, stevia bread & butter and dill. Then within those flavors we made a few different styles of pickles: slices, whole, sandwich, spears and relish.  The best part of this year's batch of pickles is that they are crisp.  Anyone who received our pickles last year I am sorry for the mushy pickles they had good flavor but they were mushy.  This year, if you receive them, they are so much better and crisp.  It was a good pickle season and we will be enjoying the pickles we made all through the year. 

Christmas For Crafters

If you have walked into a Michael's, Joann's, Hobby Lobby or A.C. Moore you have probably noticed that Fall is in full swing and Christmas is getting set up.  Many people think it is ridiculous how early the holiday merchandising is going up but from a Crafter's perspective it is perfect.  I am already in the Christmas holiday mood since the past couple of days I have been making Christmas cards for a future SAS.  Pam's November SAS (Stamp and Stack) is always her biggest SAS and I get to be there for it, Yay!  I was lucky enough to receive from Pam a bunch of new Christmas stamp sets and other items to play and create with.  So, while it is sunny and 90+ outside inside the Crafty Cottage is it cool, thanks to the air conditioner, and there were even Christmas tunes playing on the iPad to keep me in the Christmas mood.  For crafters we need supplies early if we are going to be making gifts or decorations in time for Christmas.  So thank you to all the craft stores that have our crafting backs so that we can get our Christmas gifts and decorations done before the holiday.  It is Christmas time for crafters.  "Deck the halls with boughs of holly...fa la la la la fa la la la!"

Thank You Rio!

Thank you Rio for hosting the 2016 Olympic games.  You did a good job and even though there were some difficulties through out the games over all it was a great experience.  Like I said a couple of weeks ago I am an Olympic junkie and that is what I watch and this year it was well covered.  NBC broadcast, over the air, Olympic coverage from basically over 12 hours a day during the week and even longer on the week ends.  That is just the network on cable or satellite there were 7 other stations that also had Olympic coverage so basically from about 8:00 am until well after midnight you could watch some Olympic event and I did!  Thank you NBC.  It was a good Olympics with a lot of great victories along with the agonies of defeat.  We saw it all and we cried with the winners and the losers.  I am not sure how I will function the next few days without having the Olympics to watch but I only have to wait two years for the Winter Olympics in South Korea.  To all the Olympians, congratulations for making it some really great games and for the part showing what good sportsmanship is.  So, way to go Rio and thank you!

Raccoons, Corn and the War

For the past few weeks we have been battling raccoons and trying to keep them out of our corn.  As you can see by the Raccoon counter (to the right-->) we have been at 25 for about a week but the Opossum count has gone up.  So, did we win the war with the Raccoons and have they stayed out of the corn?  NO!  We were thinking we have not had a raccoon in a while so we must of got them.  There were little signs of destruction in the corn and we even picked 7 ears of corn that we had for dinner last night.  Well, our illusion of winning the war was just that.  As Lisa and I were finishing up the harvesting a couple of days ago and we were heading up out of the orchard and what runs in front of our path but a mommy raccoon and three babies.  Where were they heading?  The orchard!  So, do we continue the battle or do we end the war, that is what General George has to decide.  If I can put my vote in and after eating the corn last night I say continue the war because the corn was delicious! 

The Farmer's Daughter...It Really Does Exist!

For almost two years now I have heard about this restaurant called The Farmer's Daughter in Chuckey, TN but had never seen it nor seen anything about it.  I really thought that George and Lisa were just teasing me with this place where the food is all homemade southern cooking that your southern Grandma would have served on her table; even northern Grandmas too!  All I was told about was how wonderful the food was and they had gone several times, even Tim went once without me, and anytime family came to town they would go.  I didn't think it existed.  Well I was wrong and I finally went to this "mecca".  The Farmer's Daughter is a family run restaurant that only takes cash or checks and serves their food family style.  Each table choses two meats, the selection of meats for the day are written on a chalk board.  Along with the two meats you also get a fresh basket of rolls and corn bread and about 12-14 sides.  Lisa and I went to the Farmer's Daughter with our neighbor Cheryl, her sister Janet and our other neighbor Linda.  Only Lisa had been to the Farmer's Daughter so the rest of us were going to experience it for the first time.  I was hesitant about the whole thing until we actually arrived at the restaurant and sat down at our table.  It is a huge restaurant that can handle seating for 2 up to 22.  We saw the choices of meats for the day on the chalk board and decided upon the fried chicken and bbq pulled pork.  As we were seated at our table we were served with our choice of drinks and a basket of fresh and hot rolls and cornbread.  When lunch was served it was brought out on a huge tray that had the chicken and pork and about 15 sides.  Our sides were potato salad, cole slaw, cornbread salad, mashed potatoes, carrot soufflé, cooked cabbage, broccoli, cowboy beans, cucumber salad, fried green tomatoes, mac & cheese, strawberries & cream and a few more.  The food was all really good and I had tasted a couple of things I had never had before but were absolutely delicious; the cornbread salad and carrot soufflé, YUM!  You get all this food and your drink is included for $16.00 a person and it is all you can eat, including the meat, as long as you clean your plate.  So, the Farmer's Daughter does exist and I enjoyed my visit to it.  Needless to say you will not leave this place hungry! 
Right next store to the Farmer's Daughter is a marketplace.  Mountain View Bulk Foods is a family run market that stocks specialty foods, bulk foods, housewares and gifts.  The bulk foods are plentiful and is the place to buy so many fresh seasonings, candy, flours, pastas, and fresh home made breads and desserts.  They have a huge deli offering several types of meats and cheeses along with fresh eggs and butter.  The best part, it is all reasonably priced and priced for the locals not the "tourists".  I will be shopping here more often now. 
We had a nice "ladies day" out and hope to do more of these kind of things with some pretty nice ladies to hang around with.  Thank you Lisa, Cheryl, Janet and Linda for a nice day!