Applesauce, for lazy people...

I love applesauce. 

Husband and I have a very different definition of that, however.  He likes the stuff that is finely done up, with no lumps.  I call that baby food, myself.  I like having it with a bit more cinnamon, and with chunks of apple.  He says that isn't applesauce, it's stewed apples.  He prefers that as a topping for ice cream, when hot from the stove. 

But, since I am making the stuff, I generally make the "stewed" kind.  I can't stand for long periods, and it was getting harder and harder to make the stuff, as the recipe called for stirring constantly, over a medium high heat. 

Now, remember, I have to pick and clean, then slice and prepare, before I ever venture into the cook part...  Not a poor little me thing, more of a I need to know my limits thing.  So, for my birthday, Mom and Dad picked up a mechanical peeler for me, so I can do more apples... (this thing attaches to the front of my mixer.  I haven't tried it, sounds so strange, but they make gobs of stuff for this machine...) 

And now I have found a crock pot recipe for applesauce.  I put the apples, sugar, and cinnamon in, start, and check on it occasionally, to stir.  And so I will be doing that, because last years turned out well.  I might even let it cook down to Husband's preferred consistency.  I have talked to Mom about borrowing her crock pot again. 

There is only one downside to making this stuff, for me.  I love applesauce, and the smell makes me hungry.  Let's just say, I find it hard to avoid sampling... Several times.  But I know it cooks down well, and if I would start early in the day, I *might* be able to make a couple batches in all the crock pots I can scare up. 

I guess I can be glad we have several outlets and lots of counter space!

Quick, while the internet is working!

Things are going okay here… We did lose a chick, unfortunately, Mama Bird got in some fights with the other birds, I think she stepped on the one.  Sad.  But the others are thriving, and I have some nice up and coming birds for either selling, or possibly dinner, eventually.  I know we have a few boys, there are some hackle raising and bravado going on…

Ding has decided my Lucky Bamboo plant is a lovely garnish.  She’s killed one, and well on her way to seeing if she can ‘trim’ the other 2 plants…  When she isn’t trying to eat the rubber bands holding my computer’s power supply. (I keep it bound to a tile, so it doesn’t get hot.)  She doesn’t like getting sprayed, so the second she hears me get up, zing, she’s somewhere else, looking innocent.

Yeah. Right. Innocent.

I have been hand spinning some yarn, and hand plying it.  I hope to make socks.  It is taking a while, I forgot how long it takes when you strictly use your hands, no “help” like a wheel, or better yet, an electric spinner…  But it will be fun to see how it comes out.

Husband bought me a dishwasher.

The other, well. Um.

It was time.

It wasn’t cleaning any more, and things were getting worse, and more and more tinkery.  Husband actually took a look at the inner workings, and then got up and started checking around for a new one. (This says something, because he normally fixes things, and only buys new as a last resort.) So, now I have this little wonder that looks like it’s out of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and it twingles and dings, making various sounds to let me know it’s on duty.  I will be getting nervous if it says hello…  Although, who knows, maybe that IS hello!

The weather is finally getting cooler here, I made applesauce, it was okay, but the apples are not very juicy, I had to keep adding water so I didn’t scorch the sauce.  Husband suggested apple juice.  Um, good idea, but I don’t have any.  Guess I should put that on the list for the next time I am in town.

Well, I am writing this right before the “Blood Moon Eclipse”.  I want to go out and see it, it will actually be doing its thing before I turn in for the evening…  I keep reading that this is an “event” eclipse, that it will be a portent of major events and life forces, catastrophes and wonders.

I guess we shall see about all the whatis that will occur later…

I just think it sounds like it will be pretty.

Returning. In which I compose a blog. Or compost one...

I actually had written "compost" to begin with.  Not exactly an auspicious start, I would say.

Eh.

So, what have I been doing? Well, faire, obviously, since that's what the last (long, LOONG, LOOOONG ago) blog was about.

I finally took a make up class for the one day I had missed in the Citizens academy (cough2008coughcough), and then have been an Ambassador for a class.  Which means that I make GALLONS of coffee, for a lot of very intense young (mostly male) people.  Where I have seen several of the classes, people are chatting, interacting, and generally seem to be enjoying themselves, this group takes copious notes, and looks like there will be a pop quiz that is half their grade at the end. (One detective even commented on it during class. Only the other deputies laughed, and me.  The class took more notes.  Strange...)

I went to a fiber fest.  Husband would probably have been upset had I brought these home... Actually, I think my ride might have too, since we were in a Prius, with a baby in the back...  (But, Honey, it's yarn on the hoof!)  

I also saw several llamas.  I was surprised, there were some babies, but the only llamas for sale, were adult males.  This cutie kept flirting with me, I suspect he thought I had food in my carry bag.  Or he has a thing for plump gals making goo goo eyes at him...

 

My usual shift at the substation.  We had the computer melt down, so this month has been re-writing the newsletter from scratch, which includes digging up logos and such.  That has been a bit of a challenge.  One of the days I was there, I had a woman nearly demand I look up a license plate, because... 

She wanted to buy the vehicle in question.  (No, the Sheriff's Office, Police Department, etc. do not do this.)

I have picked quite a few vegetables, found out the kohlrabi is a hit with a friend of mine, so much so, that one day when I was gone, Husband offered several of the remaining ones to him.  Uh, Husband, THOSE WERE MINE... Sheesh.  There is a couple left, so I at least will get a little try of them...  However, I do have several cups of vegetable soup from my garden that I have frozen for winter.  Quasi-recipe, for any that want it:

Lazy Gardener's Veggie Soup.

5 cups water.

Vegetable Soup Mix (I used Knox)

Tomatoes.

Beans (I used Navy and Pinto)

Onions

Zucchini

Crookneck squash

Carrots

Cook beans until tender.  Remove skins from tomatoes and chop.  Chop all other veggies from garden.  Put in pot, simmer until tender.  Add beans, mix. Freeze.  Add Garlic powder if Husband doesn't catch you.

Like I said, lazy.  There may even have been more stuff than that, but that's what I can remember.  

I finished an Edwardian Cape and matching hat for a new baby and her older sister (pictures to come.)

Finally got some blackberries picked and, for lack of a better term, mashed.  I now have several cups of juice that Husband loves dearly on ice cream.  I now only wish I had picked more...

I also picked apples...

(Tea box for scale.)  I have most of this batch made into applesauce, and then I have some more to pick and sauce-ify.  Then I can work on my Walnut trees, if I can beat the deer, squirrels, and turkeys.  

And the rainy season is starting here, just in time for it to warm up, figuratively speaking, for Halloween.  Most costumes match the raincoats, around here...  Halloween falls on a Monday this year, I have decided if I get my act together, I might go as a hippie this year.  We shall see.  

Baby Hal has been (frantically knocking wood), doing quite well.  There seems to be some problems behind the keyboard, but it has been improving, and it certainly does much better than our TV.  Our news has almost entirely been from the computer of late, which tells you the quality of our reception here... 

I also started a Twitter account, but it looks like it will probably be as hit and miss as the regular blog.  I guess I have to realize that I have to actually WRITE something for it to show up, since I can't blog or tweet by telekinesis.  Pity, that.

I am also knitting...  A scarf or two, and a blanket, for my charities.  Some socks for myself.  A present for Mom.  A baby blanket for a different charity.  A new sweater for me.  

And I am still working off and on on my book.  Right now more in my head than on paper, but it's still in the queue, at any rate.  

That doesn't take into account the normal I have to get groceries, my spinning days, and just running around when we need something.  

Still exercising, too, Rudee is getting arthritis, so I am doing some things to supplement, as we can't walk as much.  Well, he can't anyway.  

So, I guess, perhaps I should shut up, and check some other blogs...  Certainly been away long enough! 

SHHEEEESH!

And just 'cuz, more pictures of veggies.

Boating, smoke, Shrek's Butt... And lost keys.

Went out boating with Husband, he likes to see tinker with and then test his "toy", a jet for the boat. (115 with 80 out, for anyone that cares... No, I really don't know what that means. I know that's what he said, ask me about car engines, or yarn. That, at least, I know something about...)
Anyway, from Corvallis to Harrisburg and back. Leisurely, and then it happened.

Field burning, right up from where we were. Uh, oh. We continued on our trip, and fortune favored us until we were almost returned before the smoke actually hit us. My nose was happy about this. Meanwhile, on the trip back, we saw these floats in the water. I was curious, and Russ obliged, moving the boat close to the floats. Hmmm. Veggie floats. We ended up getting three big crookneck squash from the river, and the chickens have had a treat the last couple days.

Why someone would throw good (if HUGE) squash in the river, I don't know, but it was interesting.

Oh, and then when we got home that evening...

Yep, they started burning near us, too. The sun looked like a blood orange. My nose, too. Well, possibly more like Rudolph at Christmas, but anyway... Allergies stink.

Oh, I am getting near the last of them, but when you do LOTS of apples, you start to get silly. I got silly, I present to you...

Shrek's Butt! Yes, apples, apples, apples. Now, when I start making PANTS for them, that's when I will worry...

I think I may have grown up a bit. I normally panic when I lose something. I mean I snarl, tear the house apart, scream, cry, snarl again, tear the house apart, tear the car apart, dump my purse, cry... You get the idea.

I misplaced some trailer keys. Husband said we should look for them. I started where I thought I'd left them. He looked where I normally put them. No panic, yet, but didn't find them. He suggested, purse. Dumped purse on table, nope. But no panic. He suggested under the dresser where I thought I'd set them. One LARGE wolf spider, which I speedily moved AWAY from, but after Husband removed that monsterous, overlarge, fanged, drooling, slavering,... Uh, got rid of the spider, I finished looking, nope, no keys. And one less spider. So. Hmm. So, we decided to split up, Husband would look in the car, I would look in the house. And, still, NO panic. So I decided that the bag I had sitting didn't need to be there, it was with things going in the trailer. I picked up the bag, TA DA!!! One set of keys! I bellowed out the door, "FOUND 'EM! GOT 'EM! " Poor husband got an earful, I bellowed with out looking, and he'd just walked up to the door. BUT, we had the keys, I have no acid in my throat, and, well, I think it just worked a mite better this way. Now if I can manage to do it again, we might have something here!

Oh, and I put my keys where they belong, too.