I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and several instances this week seems to have brought it more to the front of my mind. I’m not sure if it is my German heritage, my aunt’s influence, or being a Texan, but I’ve always loved to cook and feed those around me. Perhaps it is none of the above, perhaps it is just one way that I show my love.
I learned to cook when I was about 8 years old. Up until that time, my maternal grandmother cooked for my mother, father, brother and I. When cancer took her, someone had to step up to the plate (or the stove in this instance) and feed the family. Since my mother didn’t cook, the job fell to me and I took to it immediately as it appealed to both the right (analytical in following recipes) and left (creative) sides of my brain.
At 8 years of age, I couldn’t even reach the sink. I was always small for my age. My parents had to have a box built which I would drag around the kitchen in order to reach the sink, reach the cabinets or see the top of the stove. Of course, I still am rather tiny, according to Pat. He lovingly calls me a midget because at 6 foot 1 inch, he is a head taller than my 5 foot 1 inch frame.
My aunt loved to cook and often shared her recipes and the fruits of her labors. Some of my happiest memories throughout much of my life were times spent at her house and in her kitchen. There was always an abundance of food, lovingly prepared to feed those who came through her doors. If anyone ever left her house hungry, it was his or her own fault. More often than not they would leave with an extremely full belly.
With my aunt as a role model, I quickly became adept at the art of cooking, and, by extension, filling those that I loved and cared for full of food that was lovingly prepared just for them.
I’ve always been a firm believer that anyone can learn to cook. I’m sure you have had people tell you that they “can’t even boil water”. If anyone tells me that, they will get a “look”. After all, you know that is not true … you put water in a pan and turn on the burner and it will eventually come to a boil. Since they CAN boil water, they can also make hard-boiled eggs, spaghetti and any number of other foods that need to be boiled to be prepared.
It doesn’t matter if a person is “right brained” or “left brained”, cooking can appeal to one or both sides of the brain. Recipes are made to follow step by step, but a more artistic approach can be added to create something a bit different from the same recipe (something I do all the time). The hardest thing about cooking is the timing … making sure everything comes done about the same time … and it can only be learned with practice.
Unfortunately even the best cooks seem to have off days. I seem to be having an off WEEK. I barbecued pork steaks (inch thick ones) on Monday and made fried chicken on Tuesday, both weren’t quite done in the center. The pork stir-fry (using a left-over DONE pork steak) that I did on Wednesday turned out great. However, I’ve been later and later with meals all week. I don’t know if it is the time change or what, but I don’t seem to have lunch on the table until late these days. I guess even if you do something for 43 years, you still sometimes get your “timing” off.
Still, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman … despite any set-backs … everyone CAN cook, if they want to do so. After all, look at all the great chefs that are men and all you have to do is turn on the TV to find any number of cooking shows hosted by both men and women. There is no gender bias in cooking.
I’m not sure about men, but I have a feeling that most women who cook do so for more than just to eat. I read a recent study that discovered the fact that women think about food more than they do about sex. I doubt the same can be said of men. I heard Rachel Ray say on one of her shows that a woman cooks to nurture and to show her love. I know from personal experience that that is very true.
Pat has been the recipient of my love for him and my love for cooking over the past year. It shows a bit, but while it worries him, it makes me feel like he has been enjoying my cooking and, by extension, my love. I love every inch of him and still think he is sexy and a handsome man. Still, if he wants to lose weight, I’ll do my best to support and help him … like try to drag him out on some walks and cut back on the pasta (his favorite). I will also work on my timing, so we have more time together before he has to leave for work.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Where Has a Week Gone????
It's hard to believe that it's been a week since I last posted. The days have flown.
My plans for last Thursday were derailed due to one of Pat's brothers being hospitalized. We ended up going to St. Louis to visit him, then enjoyed a wonderful meal and time together with some of Pat's family afterwards.
The whole weekend was rather a blur. The weather was pretty nice on Friday and Saturday. I do remember trying to coax Pat into taking a walk on Saturday. I ended up going alone. I missed him beside me, but enjoyed the walk ... filling up my memory chest with things to share with him when I got home. Pat did come out back to the clearning and met me when I was on my way home and I filled my memory chest of time together in a mock sword fight (with walking sticks).
Of course on Sunday we did our ebay business which takes most of the day. Monday was manic. I had more chores on that day than I can now remember ... I knew I should have made a list. However, I do remember getting them all done before I slid exhausted into bed. Yesterday was more ebay ... this time CDs and cleaning up a kitchen that was more of a disaster than usual (I fried chicken). Today has been a more "usual" Wednesday, with just a few ebay chores and my regular chores of kitchen and woodburner.
Even in the hustle and bustle of the days, I haven't failed to notice that the crabapple tree is trying to bud. The maple has red shoots on it and the pear trees look like they are ready to burst into bloom any day now ... even though we just had a bone chilling cold front come through. All of the tulips, crocus and daffodils that Pat and I planted last fall have started to show their leaves above ground ... testing the waters to see if they are safe yet. It won't be long before they are gracing us with their beautiful blooms.
I guess it comes with age, but the days and weeks seem to fly by faster and faster. I just wish Spring would hurry ... but, of course, then I'd be wishing my days away.
My plans for last Thursday were derailed due to one of Pat's brothers being hospitalized. We ended up going to St. Louis to visit him, then enjoyed a wonderful meal and time together with some of Pat's family afterwards.
The whole weekend was rather a blur. The weather was pretty nice on Friday and Saturday. I do remember trying to coax Pat into taking a walk on Saturday. I ended up going alone. I missed him beside me, but enjoyed the walk ... filling up my memory chest with things to share with him when I got home. Pat did come out back to the clearning and met me when I was on my way home and I filled my memory chest of time together in a mock sword fight (with walking sticks).
Of course on Sunday we did our ebay business which takes most of the day. Monday was manic. I had more chores on that day than I can now remember ... I knew I should have made a list. However, I do remember getting them all done before I slid exhausted into bed. Yesterday was more ebay ... this time CDs and cleaning up a kitchen that was more of a disaster than usual (I fried chicken). Today has been a more "usual" Wednesday, with just a few ebay chores and my regular chores of kitchen and woodburner.
Even in the hustle and bustle of the days, I haven't failed to notice that the crabapple tree is trying to bud. The maple has red shoots on it and the pear trees look like they are ready to burst into bloom any day now ... even though we just had a bone chilling cold front come through. All of the tulips, crocus and daffodils that Pat and I planted last fall have started to show their leaves above ground ... testing the waters to see if they are safe yet. It won't be long before they are gracing us with their beautiful blooms.
I guess it comes with age, but the days and weeks seem to fly by faster and faster. I just wish Spring would hurry ... but, of course, then I'd be wishing my days away.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
It's been a wearying Wednesday.
Once again, I'm tired, or, better yet, exhausted. I try to "save" Wednesday night and not load it up with chores. I do this so I'm not completely wiped out come Friday when Pat is off. Monday night is errands and laundry; Tuesday is Ebay; Thursday is "cleaning day" and usually more laundry; and Friday-Sunday nights are for Pat. That only leaves me Wednesday night to relax.
Now, before I go on, I don't want anyone to get me wrong. I'm NOT complaining. A lot of the chores I did tonight were chores that I did out of love ... like the cherry pie I baked. I didn't HAVE to do it, but it is one of Pat's favorite pies. I made it so that Pat would have a slice each day (call it a slice of love) to take to work with him in his lunchbox. I also made more suet for my feathered and furred friends. Oh, and by the way, I've got a tip for you there ... don't make it at midnight when you are tired. I had to clean up a mess on the stove afterward (for the second time of the day).
Living in the country (or the city for that matter) there is a list of chores that have to be done every day, no matter what day it is. There is wood to be brought in and the woodburner to keep going. There are meals to prepare and a kitchen to clean. Beds have to be made and animals taken care of, not to mention our Ebay which is pretty much a 7 day a week job, even if we try to end all our auctions on the weekend.
Still I try to keep my "extra" chores down on Wednesday to just a few that I haven't had time for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, this was one of those Wednesdays when I couldn't keep the chores down to anything approaching a "minimum". In matter of fact, I actually had to make a LIST! Believe me, making a list is something that I rarely, if ever do.
My chores tonight started around 3:30 ... right after I waved Pat out of the driveway on his way to work. I took the scraps out to the compost pile. While I was there, I did a bit of searching up the hill for the still missing suet feeder (no luck). I then cleaned out the woodburner and threw a couple more logs on to keep it going. While it got up to almost 60 today, tonight promises to be a bit too cool to let the fire go out. I then grabbed the wheelburrow and headed for the woodpile to bring in some wood. That complete, I headed to the back porch to clean it off. The leaves had been piling up and we spotted a waterbug in the house today.
With most of the outside chores on my list done, I puttered around a bit ... pulling a few weeds that were already coming up in our flower beds. I checked all the tulips, daffodils and crocus to see how they were coming up. I pulled out some of my planters that I had put next to the house in hopes the roots would at least survive and threw some water on them. I pulled the tops off last year's hollyhocks that I had planted around one of our trees and spread some of the seeds around the other trees. I even peeked in the well house to see how our banana tree was doing. Can you tell that I can't wait for spring?
There was still some daylight left, so I took a short break to sit on the rocking chair on the front porch, sip on my soda and watch the birds come in for their last meal of the night. That lasted about 15 minutes.
I went to the shed to get some ribs and pork steaks out of the freezer for Thursday and Friday and closed the shed up for the night. Then it was into the house to get some of my inside chores done ... Ebay, laundry, and cherry pie. I also had to find out where the heck our modem was ... so much for it being here on Monday. I called Hughes today and was told that it had been shipped three or four days ago. Yeah, right. It wasn't even shipped until Tuesday! Hughes!
Before it got too dark, I went out to get the bird feeder in. It seems my bandit did some damage to it last night, which I had to do a quick repair on this morning. I threw some birdseed on the ground for him and there is still some suet he can get, but I'm not letting him tear up the bird feeder. He's adorable, but I can't allow him to tear anything up or Pat might just go after him with the shotgun.
I made the bed, baked the cherry pie, cleaned the stove, did the laundry, cleaned the oven (the cherry pie made a mess), washed the dishes, made the suet, and cleaned the stove again. I did take some breaks and took time to eat, even so I still haven't got my shower.
I had hoped to put the chicken on to marinade for tomorrow, but that is just going to have to wait until I get up in the morning. It promises to be up in the 60s tomorrow and I'm not wasting a nice warm day cooking inside. I'll barbecue.
At least tomorrow is a "light" cleaning day. I did my "heavy" cleaning last week, so a spit and a lick ought to do it ... although I really should do those windows and the sliding glass door that I put off last week when I went wandering through the woods (sighhhhh).
Now, before I go on, I don't want anyone to get me wrong. I'm NOT complaining. A lot of the chores I did tonight were chores that I did out of love ... like the cherry pie I baked. I didn't HAVE to do it, but it is one of Pat's favorite pies. I made it so that Pat would have a slice each day (call it a slice of love) to take to work with him in his lunchbox. I also made more suet for my feathered and furred friends. Oh, and by the way, I've got a tip for you there ... don't make it at midnight when you are tired. I had to clean up a mess on the stove afterward (for the second time of the day).
Living in the country (or the city for that matter) there is a list of chores that have to be done every day, no matter what day it is. There is wood to be brought in and the woodburner to keep going. There are meals to prepare and a kitchen to clean. Beds have to be made and animals taken care of, not to mention our Ebay which is pretty much a 7 day a week job, even if we try to end all our auctions on the weekend.
Still I try to keep my "extra" chores down on Wednesday to just a few that I haven't had time for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, this was one of those Wednesdays when I couldn't keep the chores down to anything approaching a "minimum". In matter of fact, I actually had to make a LIST! Believe me, making a list is something that I rarely, if ever do.
My chores tonight started around 3:30 ... right after I waved Pat out of the driveway on his way to work. I took the scraps out to the compost pile. While I was there, I did a bit of searching up the hill for the still missing suet feeder (no luck). I then cleaned out the woodburner and threw a couple more logs on to keep it going. While it got up to almost 60 today, tonight promises to be a bit too cool to let the fire go out. I then grabbed the wheelburrow and headed for the woodpile to bring in some wood. That complete, I headed to the back porch to clean it off. The leaves had been piling up and we spotted a waterbug in the house today.
With most of the outside chores on my list done, I puttered around a bit ... pulling a few weeds that were already coming up in our flower beds. I checked all the tulips, daffodils and crocus to see how they were coming up. I pulled out some of my planters that I had put next to the house in hopes the roots would at least survive and threw some water on them. I pulled the tops off last year's hollyhocks that I had planted around one of our trees and spread some of the seeds around the other trees. I even peeked in the well house to see how our banana tree was doing. Can you tell that I can't wait for spring?
There was still some daylight left, so I took a short break to sit on the rocking chair on the front porch, sip on my soda and watch the birds come in for their last meal of the night. That lasted about 15 minutes.
I went to the shed to get some ribs and pork steaks out of the freezer for Thursday and Friday and closed the shed up for the night. Then it was into the house to get some of my inside chores done ... Ebay, laundry, and cherry pie. I also had to find out where the heck our modem was ... so much for it being here on Monday. I called Hughes today and was told that it had been shipped three or four days ago. Yeah, right. It wasn't even shipped until Tuesday! Hughes!
Before it got too dark, I went out to get the bird feeder in. It seems my bandit did some damage to it last night, which I had to do a quick repair on this morning. I threw some birdseed on the ground for him and there is still some suet he can get, but I'm not letting him tear up the bird feeder. He's adorable, but I can't allow him to tear anything up or Pat might just go after him with the shotgun.
I made the bed, baked the cherry pie, cleaned the stove, did the laundry, cleaned the oven (the cherry pie made a mess), washed the dishes, made the suet, and cleaned the stove again. I did take some breaks and took time to eat, even so I still haven't got my shower.
I had hoped to put the chicken on to marinade for tomorrow, but that is just going to have to wait until I get up in the morning. It promises to be up in the 60s tomorrow and I'm not wasting a nice warm day cooking inside. I'll barbecue.
At least tomorrow is a "light" cleaning day. I did my "heavy" cleaning last week, so a spit and a lick ought to do it ... although I really should do those windows and the sliding glass door that I put off last week when I went wandering through the woods (sighhhhh).
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Gotcha!
I managed to get some pictures of my bandit tonight. Although they aren't the best photographs in the world, at least you can tell it is a raccoon. I took 26 of them, but only two turned out not to be totally horrible (although that is a matter of opinion).
I went out to put some wood in the woodburner and happened to glance over at the feeder on my way out and saw him. Surprisingly, he didn't run off when I went to the corner of the porch, so I headed back inside and got the spotlight and my camera.
These are of him eating some of the birdseed that he managed to knock out of the bird feeder (no suet tonight, the birds finished it off today). There were a couple of times when he even stood up on his hind legs for me and posed. Unfortunately those photos turned out horrible (yes, even worse than these).
I went out to put some wood in the woodburner and happened to glance over at the feeder on my way out and saw him. Surprisingly, he didn't run off when I went to the corner of the porch, so I headed back inside and got the spotlight and my camera.
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These are of him eating some of the birdseed that he managed to knock out of the bird feeder (no suet tonight, the birds finished it off today). There were a couple of times when he even stood up on his hind legs for me and posed. Unfortunately those photos turned out horrible (yes, even worse than these).
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Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Thieves & Thorns Update
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As usual, I made suet this weekend. I put it out on the porch (in the cold) to harden. I set it right outside my kitchen window. While I was washing dishes, I saw a Titmouse flying onto the porch, which alerted me to what was going on ... a number of my feathered friends couldn't quite wait for it to get done and came in to help themselves. Here is one cardinal that helped himself to some lunch.
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I put the suet up this afternoon, before I left to run my weekly errands ... much to their dismay. They really congregated in the tree looking for the pan. If you look real close in the picture below (you might have to click on the picture to enlarge it), there are eight cardinals hanging around looking for the suet.
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As for my suet feeders in the tree, one has again gone missing. I went out on Saturday morning to find it gone. It was freezing (literally) this weekend, so now I'm waiting for a little warmer weather to go hunting for it. This time they stole the one that usually hangs over the birdfeeder.
However, the mystery surrounding the thief (or, in this instance, thieves) has been solved.
I rarely walk by the sliding glass doors without looking outside ... night or day. As I walked by on Sunday night, I noticed that the birdfeeder was really swinging ... and I knew there wasn't that much of breeze. I headed for the back room to get Pat's big Black & Decker Spotlight (this thing is heavy and lights up the yard like it's daylight). I crept up to the sliding glass doors and positioned myself and turned the thing on. Not just one, but two raccoons turned to see where the light was coming from.
One raccoon was twice the size of the other. I'm not sure if it was a male with its mate or maybe a mother with an offspring from last year. He/she was so big that I'm going to refer to it as a male for the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say (God rest his soul).
The light startled them enough that they headed out ... by way of the hill behind the house! I went to the computer room to inform Pat that I now knew the identity of the suet thieves ... raccoons. A little later, I noticed the birdfeeder swinging again, so I once again got the spotlight. It seems that they were hungry enough to decide to ignore the blinding light hitting them in the face.
I watched those two little bandits for quite a while and they gave me more than one or two chuckles. The big one is the climber. He climbed up the tree and got right above the suet feeder that I have hanging on a chain. Hanging down from the limb with his hind feet, he pulled the chain like he was pulling a rope on a bucket up from a well, he pulled the feeder up link by link until he was able to get to the suet feeder. After he was done, he left me a right nice tangle of chain in the branches of the tree.
A little later he climbed down enough and reached over to grab the side of the bird feeder. Hanging onto the trunk of the tree with his back feet, he held the bird feeder with one paw and would reach out with the other to grab a pawful to eat. While he was at it, he dropped a bit down to his accomplice below.
I guess he decided that was a bit too uncomfortable a position, because he climbed up the tree and across the branch that the feeder was hanging on. He then climbed down the hook and rope (head first) until he got to the roof of the bird feeder. He then spread out his belly over the roof (that coon was so big he covered the whole thing) and would reach down to grab a seed to eat at his leisure.
I tried to get pictures, but wasn't quite able to maneuver the camera and spotlight ... not to mention get the settings to work in that kind of light. However, he may be related to this guy who came to eat the corn that we put out in the back clearing for the deer. The picture below was taken last year with Pat's Deer Cam. Oh well, I'm sure they will be back and this time I'll get Pat to help me try to get a picture of the bandits.
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And finally, the thorn (Hughes) in my side. I'm not really surprised that we didn't get the modem today. Luckily we've babied the old one along and it's lasted the weekend. I was supposed to call them tonight, but I got busy doing a number of other chores and forgot to call until just a bit ago and I'm just too tired to fight with them tonight.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Thorn on the Rose ... or should I say, the thorn in my side.
As much as I love country living, there are a few definite drawbacks. One of which I experienced tonight.
Living so far out, we have two choices for internet service ... bad or worse. Instead of the slower dial-up, we have satellite (Hughes.net) which is marginally faster.
When Pat and I first met online, I doubt he had any idea how bad his internet service was. He knew it was slow, but had no idea he wasn't even getting near the service he was paying for. In matter of fact, his "faster" satellite service was not any faster than dial-up at times. It took us both months of wrangling with Hughes ... including contacting the state's attorney general ... before we managed to get satisfaction. At least now it is faster than it was ... that is when it works.
Tonight the modem went out. We knew it wasn't working quite right and I had already contacted them about it. Tonight it went totally on the fritz and I couldn't get online at all, no matter what I tried. Of course then I had to call Hughes and was put through to tech support in India. Having dealt with them before, I knew it was going to be a long drawn-out struggle, and it was. The Indian tech sent me through a long list of things to do, but still no luck, it was completely dead. I was then informed they were going to send a new one, free of charge ... Good! The tech then told me it would take four days to get here ... NOT GOOD!
Pat and I run an internet business through eBay. We have customers to take care of and a number of listings ending this weekend. We HAD to get back online.
I was sent the round of people to talk to and was even disconnected at one point, but was still not able to get the modem here any faster than Monday. No matter what I tried, I was not able to talk them into sending the modem overnight or even next day. I then began mentally trying to figure out which friends we would need to ask the favor of using their computer.
In the meantime, I unplugged the darn thing and went to take a shower. About an hour later I plugged it back in and low and behold it is working again ... for now. I just hope we can get it to hold out a few more days (sigh).
Living so far out, we have two choices for internet service ... bad or worse. Instead of the slower dial-up, we have satellite (Hughes.net) which is marginally faster.
When Pat and I first met online, I doubt he had any idea how bad his internet service was. He knew it was slow, but had no idea he wasn't even getting near the service he was paying for. In matter of fact, his "faster" satellite service was not any faster than dial-up at times. It took us both months of wrangling with Hughes ... including contacting the state's attorney general ... before we managed to get satisfaction. At least now it is faster than it was ... that is when it works.
Tonight the modem went out. We knew it wasn't working quite right and I had already contacted them about it. Tonight it went totally on the fritz and I couldn't get online at all, no matter what I tried. Of course then I had to call Hughes and was put through to tech support in India. Having dealt with them before, I knew it was going to be a long drawn-out struggle, and it was. The Indian tech sent me through a long list of things to do, but still no luck, it was completely dead. I was then informed they were going to send a new one, free of charge ... Good! The tech then told me it would take four days to get here ... NOT GOOD!
Pat and I run an internet business through eBay. We have customers to take care of and a number of listings ending this weekend. We HAD to get back online.
I was sent the round of people to talk to and was even disconnected at one point, but was still not able to get the modem here any faster than Monday. No matter what I tried, I was not able to talk them into sending the modem overnight or even next day. I then began mentally trying to figure out which friends we would need to ask the favor of using their computer.
In the meantime, I unplugged the darn thing and went to take a shower. About an hour later I plugged it back in and low and behold it is working again ... for now. I just hope we can get it to hold out a few more days (sigh).
A Glorious Winter Day
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| From Simpli-Country |
I never thought I'd look forward to 50 degrees with pleasure and anticipation. After all, where I come from that was sweater weather and downright cold. At 50 degrees we cranked up the heaters and made a pot of soup, stew or chili. Yet these days 50 degrees are a great excuse to get outside. So, if nothing else, winters here have taught me to celebrate the good days.
Today was not just a good day, it was one of those great days when I couldn't wait to get outside. Instead of the "normal" high of 40, it managed to get up to 72 here in our valley (it was in the mid-60's in the closest town). One of the blessings of living in the valley is that it is often warmer than the surrounding area, which is also a bit of a drawback in the summer and in the winter when it gets colder at night.
The weatherman this morning was saying a front is headed for us this weekend. There is a possibility of snow on Saturday and then on Monday. With that kind of prediction, I know I have to enjoy the weather while I can.
The first things I did this morning was open the doors and windows. I also quartered a chicken and put on marinade for the grill. I cook every day, but on the warmer days of winter (50 degrees and up), I can't resist getting outside and grilling. It gives me an excuse to be outside. Once Pat woke up, I headed outside to fire up the grill and to clean off the patio table. Good days were meant to eat outside and enjoy the sunshine. It's good for the digestion and the food always seems to taste better when eaten out of doors ... at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I wasn't the only one out and about on this beautiful winter day. A bee buzzed Pat and I while we were keeping an eye on the chicken ... actually we were soaking up the sun. I also saw a small butterfly in the front yard when I went to clean the table. The birds were singing their hearts out in the trees while we ate and flying all around the yard, probably looking for any insect that out enjoying the warmer temperatures.
I honestly meant to do chores once Pat left for work this afternoon. I did get a number of the outside chores done. Well, ok, maybe it was just two ... I took the trash out and got another wheelbarrow load of wood in for the wood burner. I really meant to clean the sliding glass doors and the windows (a good job for warm days), but as I took the trash out to the road, I noticed the tulips were starting to poke their heads up to see if it was safe to come out. The daffodils and crocus were doing the same. The red maple was starting to bud. It made quite a sight when a cardinal landed among its branches.
The beautiful day was just too much for me ... chores could wait ... the lure of the woods was calling to me. I head inside to grab my camera, put on my old shoes and, before you know it, I'm on my way to wander out back. Like a kid, I stop and play in the creek that runs along the border of the clearing behind the house. A bunch of leaves are slowing the creek down, so I free them and the water begins to faster. The creek is full of beautiful quartz rock, so I look around and collect some rocks by the creek. I'll take them home later to add to my collection. As I do so, I hear rustling of leaves up the hill and a squirrel starts to scold me for being in HIS territory.
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| From Simpli-Country |
Heading on, I leave the clearing to wander through the woods ... up the trail toward the salt block that Pat put at the back of the property. The ground is thawing, so I carefully watch my step, so I don't end up stepping in a river of mud. A sound up ahead makes me look up to see three white tails waving as the deer hurry away. I must not have startled them too much as they didn't bark at me.
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| From Simpli-Country |
As I travel, I think how lucky I am that I'm short. I can travel the creek bed with relative ease. I can bend down and go under most of the low branches. Even so, a few lower branches and wild roses runners grab at me as I follow the creek.
I find a couple of really nice quartz rocks ... one white and one red ... for my collection. Since I'm not sure I will find them again when spring leafs out the area, I carry them with me. As I travel on, I think about the people in the city who carry weights when they go for a brisk walk and smile. I am exercising ... country style.
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| From Simpli-Country |
Since the sun is going down, it's getting cooler, but I still can't make myself go inside. I close up the garage, check the wood burner and then sit in the rocking chair on the porch to watch the sunset and the birds come in for a final meal before roosting for the night.
It's been a glorious winter day. I can hardly wait for the next one ... maybe I'll get the doors and windows clean then ... or maybe not.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Giving Up too Soon.
I'm tired. It's late. It's been a long and hectic Monday, but then Mondays always are.
Pat works nights, Monday through Thursday, so Friday through Sunday are "our days". I don't get a whole lot of chores done on our weekends, other than cooking, whatever chores Pat and I do together (like bringing in wood or working on equipment), and our Ebay stuff. I also don't get much time at the computer (except for our Ebay stuff).
So, on Mondays, I play catch-up with all my chores. Mondays are almost always errand days ... go to town (12 miles away) and do whatever shopping needs to be done. I always have to notify our buyers that their items have been sent and give them feedback and at least one load of laundry. There is also the disaster of a kitchen to clean (which is a 7-day a week occurance with the way that I cook). Plus, I had an extra chore tonight, Pat got a new computer chair that I put together for him, so I'm running later than usual.
All this is to say, I'm tired and that makes me a bit introspective. Frankly, I've been a bit introspective on the subject of giving up too soon for a couple of days now. I wonder how often in life we give up too soon on those that we love ... and lose in the process.
Two weeks ago, I thought Pat and I were going to have to put our beloved Spike to sleep. Pat has had Spike, an adorable Boston Terrier, for 17 years. Last year, Pat was complaining that he didn't have a dog any more, I had stolen her. Spike followed me around wherever I went. However, this winter has taken a horrible toll on my constant shadow. A couple of months ago she started having trouble walking due to arthritis. It has been getting progressively worse.
We feed Spike two aspirin a day in some cheese or in her Mighty Dog. We also bought her some "joint treats" that contains Chondroitin, MSM and Glucosamine. For her size she should only be taking one, but she seemed to get a lot better once we started giving her two a day. She's alert and not in any pain ... she just stiff and couldn't walk very well.
Two weeks ago she had a couple of days when she could not walk and her standing was really shakey. One day, when I took her out, she could barely stand to do her "business" and ended up falling in it. I cleaned her up and brought her in. Maybe it was my imagination that day, but she looked miserable and she wouldn't eat. I knew something was horribly wrong when Spike wouldn't eat. The main reason she follows me around is because I do the cooking (and share my meals). It looked to me like she had just given up.
Now, anyone who is over 50, will understand that when we are inactive too long, it's hard to get moving again. If I sit at the computer for any length of time (or anywhere else for that matter), my joints get so stiff that it's hard to walk. Spike wasn't walking.
That day I tearfully told Pat that I thought it was "time." He said that he was just waiting for me to tell him when and he looked up the number for the vet. I called that day to ask for information on putting Spike to sleep, but I didn't set a time. I figured she might be able to hang on until Friday and Pat and I would go together.
Pat suggested we increase her "treats" to three a day, since it couldn't hurt at this point. In the meantime, I started to make her walk and also started giving her massages and working her stiff legs to make them bend ... in other words, doggy therapy. As painful as it was for me, I wouldn't help her to her food bowl and made her stumble to the door for me to pick her up and carry her outside. In a couple of days, she started shakily walking again and stumbling a bit less. Her appetite once again returned to its voracious normal.
The past two days, Spike is once again "wandering" the yard when I take her out. She's also getting up on the couch all on her own. The only time she stumbles is when she gets in a hurry and tries to trot around like she used to do. She's playing with her bone again and standing on the edge of the kitchen when I'm cooking (something I didn't think I'd see again).
I know the day is coming when Spike will once again go downhill, but right now I am so grateful that she really didn't give up. I'm also grateful that we didn't give up on her. The past week has been wonderful with my buddy back again. Spike keeps me company in the evenings when Pat is gone, and I give her lots of love and treats in return.
So, tonight I'm wondering, how often do we give up too soon? If we do, will we always wonder if we did or didn't? If we had tried harder, fought a better battle, or tried a different tactic, would the outcome have been different? Spike's story makes me want to not give up quite so easily. It makes me want to keep on putting all my energy and effort into the things that matter most in life ... the people (and pets) that I love.
Pat works nights, Monday through Thursday, so Friday through Sunday are "our days". I don't get a whole lot of chores done on our weekends, other than cooking, whatever chores Pat and I do together (like bringing in wood or working on equipment), and our Ebay stuff. I also don't get much time at the computer (except for our Ebay stuff).
So, on Mondays, I play catch-up with all my chores. Mondays are almost always errand days ... go to town (12 miles away) and do whatever shopping needs to be done. I always have to notify our buyers that their items have been sent and give them feedback and at least one load of laundry. There is also the disaster of a kitchen to clean (which is a 7-day a week occurance with the way that I cook). Plus, I had an extra chore tonight, Pat got a new computer chair that I put together for him, so I'm running later than usual.
All this is to say, I'm tired and that makes me a bit introspective. Frankly, I've been a bit introspective on the subject of giving up too soon for a couple of days now. I wonder how often in life we give up too soon on those that we love ... and lose in the process.
Two weeks ago, I thought Pat and I were going to have to put our beloved Spike to sleep. Pat has had Spike, an adorable Boston Terrier, for 17 years. Last year, Pat was complaining that he didn't have a dog any more, I had stolen her. Spike followed me around wherever I went. However, this winter has taken a horrible toll on my constant shadow. A couple of months ago she started having trouble walking due to arthritis. It has been getting progressively worse.
We feed Spike two aspirin a day in some cheese or in her Mighty Dog. We also bought her some "joint treats" that contains Chondroitin, MSM and Glucosamine. For her size she should only be taking one, but she seemed to get a lot better once we started giving her two a day. She's alert and not in any pain ... she just stiff and couldn't walk very well.
 |
| From Simpli-Country |
Two weeks ago she had a couple of days when she could not walk and her standing was really shakey. One day, when I took her out, she could barely stand to do her "business" and ended up falling in it. I cleaned her up and brought her in. Maybe it was my imagination that day, but she looked miserable and she wouldn't eat. I knew something was horribly wrong when Spike wouldn't eat. The main reason she follows me around is because I do the cooking (and share my meals). It looked to me like she had just given up.
Now, anyone who is over 50, will understand that when we are inactive too long, it's hard to get moving again. If I sit at the computer for any length of time (or anywhere else for that matter), my joints get so stiff that it's hard to walk. Spike wasn't walking.
That day I tearfully told Pat that I thought it was "time." He said that he was just waiting for me to tell him when and he looked up the number for the vet. I called that day to ask for information on putting Spike to sleep, but I didn't set a time. I figured she might be able to hang on until Friday and Pat and I would go together.
Pat suggested we increase her "treats" to three a day, since it couldn't hurt at this point. In the meantime, I started to make her walk and also started giving her massages and working her stiff legs to make them bend ... in other words, doggy therapy. As painful as it was for me, I wouldn't help her to her food bowl and made her stumble to the door for me to pick her up and carry her outside. In a couple of days, she started shakily walking again and stumbling a bit less. Her appetite once again returned to its voracious normal.
 |
| From Simpli-Country |
The past two days, Spike is once again "wandering" the yard when I take her out. She's also getting up on the couch all on her own. The only time she stumbles is when she gets in a hurry and tries to trot around like she used to do. She's playing with her bone again and standing on the edge of the kitchen when I'm cooking (something I didn't think I'd see again).
I know the day is coming when Spike will once again go downhill, but right now I am so grateful that she really didn't give up. I'm also grateful that we didn't give up on her. The past week has been wonderful with my buddy back again. Spike keeps me company in the evenings when Pat is gone, and I give her lots of love and treats in return.
So, tonight I'm wondering, how often do we give up too soon? If we do, will we always wonder if we did or didn't? If we had tried harder, fought a better battle, or tried a different tactic, would the outcome have been different? Spike's story makes me want to not give up quite so easily. It makes me want to keep on putting all my energy and effort into the things that matter most in life ... the people (and pets) that I love.
Critter Caper Update
The suet feeder has been found ... empty, of course. The critter that stole it cleaned that suet feeder better than I ever had.
Pat was sure that a squirrel had "squirreled" the suet feeder away, which meant that he was sure that it could be found up the hill behind the house. I wasn't so sure about that since I haven't seen a squirrel at the feeders all year (I have no idea where they have gone). Since I was determined to find it, I put on my hiking boots Friday afternoon and headed up the hill. Sure enough, I found it up the hill a ways.
Now my problem was how to attach the feeder, so it wouldn't be stolen again. I rummaged around until I found a chain that I had used to hang one of my hanging baskets last year. I was reminded of banks and how they chained up their pens ... so people could use them, but not steal them.
The feeder is now hanging back in the tree. It's close enough to the trunk that the squirrels (or raccoons) can easily reach it. Another benefit that I've discovered is that since it easily swings on the chain, only the smaller birds are using it ... and not the Bluejays or the Cardinals. That means that at least that suet will last a bit longer. The other suet feeder keeps ending up on the ground each morning ... empty, of course.
FEBRUARY 24 MORNING UPDATE: I was a bit too optimistic about the suet lasting longer in the smaller mesh feeder. Whatever critter stole the suet feeder, emptied it during the night. I had to refill both of them this morning.
I was a bit late getting up this morning and refilling the feeders, so the Titmouses (or is it Titmice) were already getting the fresh suet I made last night off the porch (I had put it outside in the cold to cool and harden up overnight).
Pat was sure that a squirrel had "squirreled" the suet feeder away, which meant that he was sure that it could be found up the hill behind the house. I wasn't so sure about that since I haven't seen a squirrel at the feeders all year (I have no idea where they have gone). Since I was determined to find it, I put on my hiking boots Friday afternoon and headed up the hill. Sure enough, I found it up the hill a ways.
Now my problem was how to attach the feeder, so it wouldn't be stolen again. I rummaged around until I found a chain that I had used to hang one of my hanging baskets last year. I was reminded of banks and how they chained up their pens ... so people could use them, but not steal them.
The feeder is now hanging back in the tree. It's close enough to the trunk that the squirrels (or raccoons) can easily reach it. Another benefit that I've discovered is that since it easily swings on the chain, only the smaller birds are using it ... and not the Bluejays or the Cardinals. That means that at least that suet will last a bit longer. The other suet feeder keeps ending up on the ground each morning ... empty, of course.
 |
| From Simpli-Country |
FEBRUARY 24 MORNING UPDATE: I was a bit too optimistic about the suet lasting longer in the smaller mesh feeder. Whatever critter stole the suet feeder, emptied it during the night. I had to refill both of them this morning.
I was a bit late getting up this morning and refilling the feeders, so the Titmouses (or is it Titmice) were already getting the fresh suet I made last night off the porch (I had put it outside in the cold to cool and harden up overnight).
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thieving Critters
Pat has repeatedly warned me ... everything out in the country will bite you, stab you and/or kick you in the behind (or words something to that effect). I was reminded of his words this morning when I looked outside to see my suet feeders down again.
About 3 weeks ago, I decided that I might save money on suet cakes by making my own. After all, in these economic times, we really need to save as much as we can and I could make them using a lot of stuff that I had on hand or was going to be thrown away if it wasn't used.
As usual, I was wrong again. Oh, I'm sure they are cheaper to make than the store-bought ones, but the fact they are home-made seems to entice all the critters in the area to eat them as fast as I put them up ... hence I'm going through them a lot faster than one a week, like I was using with the store-bought ones.
Birds will literally line up on the branches for a turn at the suet. I've seen as many as 9 male cardinals (and their mates) sitting on the branches of the tree ... waiting somewhat impatiently for a chance at the suet. The titmouses (or is it titmice), sparrows, finches, bluejays and woodpeckers love it too. I will often see two and three birds on the suet feeder at one time (something I never saw with the store-bought ones).
I put a new cake out every morning. By evening most of it is gone, but enough remains to entice the coons to climb the tree during the night and raid what is left. Every morning I find the feeder on the ground with no suet left.
Yesterday I decided that I was going to fix that coon. I have a suet feeder with smaller mesh that would make it hard for him (or them) to get into. Not only that, I was going to hang it on a smaller branch, so they would have a harder time getting to the hanger.
I awoke this morning and looked out ... one suet feeder was down and the other was GONE. It seems that since the new suet feeder had smaller mesh, the coon decided to take it with him so he could eat at his leasure.
Here's what my feeders looked like yesterday (it's the one on the far right, with the tangerine, that got stolen):
I looked all around the property after Pat left for work this afternoon and couldn't find it. If it is anywhere around, I'm sure Pat will find it for me (sigh). Although I'm great at finding most things, he seems to have a better knack at finding things that the critters haul off.
So I guess I'm down to one feeder once again. At least I'll find this one on the ground in the morning, instead of gone. Not that I really mind the coons eating the suet ... they have as much right as the birds and are just as cute. I just wish they would return the suet feeder ... so I can fill it for them again, LOL.
About 3 weeks ago, I decided that I might save money on suet cakes by making my own. After all, in these economic times, we really need to save as much as we can and I could make them using a lot of stuff that I had on hand or was going to be thrown away if it wasn't used.
As usual, I was wrong again. Oh, I'm sure they are cheaper to make than the store-bought ones, but the fact they are home-made seems to entice all the critters in the area to eat them as fast as I put them up ... hence I'm going through them a lot faster than one a week, like I was using with the store-bought ones.
Birds will literally line up on the branches for a turn at the suet. I've seen as many as 9 male cardinals (and their mates) sitting on the branches of the tree ... waiting somewhat impatiently for a chance at the suet. The titmouses (or is it titmice), sparrows, finches, bluejays and woodpeckers love it too. I will often see two and three birds on the suet feeder at one time (something I never saw with the store-bought ones).
I put a new cake out every morning. By evening most of it is gone, but enough remains to entice the coons to climb the tree during the night and raid what is left. Every morning I find the feeder on the ground with no suet left.
Yesterday I decided that I was going to fix that coon. I have a suet feeder with smaller mesh that would make it hard for him (or them) to get into. Not only that, I was going to hang it on a smaller branch, so they would have a harder time getting to the hanger.
I awoke this morning and looked out ... one suet feeder was down and the other was GONE. It seems that since the new suet feeder had smaller mesh, the coon decided to take it with him so he could eat at his leasure.
Here's what my feeders looked like yesterday (it's the one on the far right, with the tangerine, that got stolen):
|
From Simpli-Country |
I looked all around the property after Pat left for work this afternoon and couldn't find it. If it is anywhere around, I'm sure Pat will find it for me (sigh). Although I'm great at finding most things, he seems to have a better knack at finding things that the critters haul off.
So I guess I'm down to one feeder once again. At least I'll find this one on the ground in the morning, instead of gone. Not that I really mind the coons eating the suet ... they have as much right as the birds and are just as cute. I just wish they would return the suet feeder ... so I can fill it for them again, LOL.
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