Last gasp of summer?

10/21/12

Wow, what a gorgeous day!  Blue skies, sunny, warm (69 degrees), slight breeze - why can't I live somewhere where the weather is always like this?  Well, I suppose I'd start to take it for granted, whereas this way - man, do I appreciate it.  This is particularly true when contemplating the coming winter...  Even if the predictions are for a warmer-than-normal and drier-than-normal winter, that could mean 10 below rather than 30 below, and maybe a couple blizzards rather than a dozen!  Though, after last winter's non-occurrence, I don't know...  With the drought this summer, I think I have to hope for a very snowy winter, in spite of personal inclinations to the contrary!

The last of the tomatoes in the basement are ripening up nicely, with only an occasional failure to be tossed.  The basement-ripened ones are more tart than the vine-ripened ones were, but still very enjoyable.  I've just been eating them sliced, with crumbles of feta and chopped walnuts on top, salt & freshly ground pepper, and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.  Very yummy!  We also made several batches of stewed tomatoes (peeled, simmered with onion and garlic) which were then frozen in smaller units for use this winter.  The tomatoes were definitely a success, as were the squash.  The other veggies.... not so much.  I think the rabbits got more use from them than we did!  That's okay; small compensation for Henry's depredations earlier in the summer!

Speaking of squash, I made a very tasty soup from some of Fred's already-cooked butternut squash.  It was basically squash, pureed with some cream, chicken broth, and your choice of spices (I added a bit of pumpkin pie seasoning, but I couldn't taste it at all - too stingy, I guess!).  I used the blender I've had forever and never thought I'd use again!  Had to do it in small batches, but worked fine.  Now I wish I'd kept the Cuisinart I sold when I moved to the first farm...  I added more broth once I had it all back in the pot because it seemed really thick, and then it was wonderful.  I broiled an open-faced sandwich of cheese, dried tomatoes, and onions to go along with it.  I felt very "harvest dinner"-ish!  Well, a small harvest dinner...

I froze the leftover soup, with some trepidation because of the cream, but it thawed nicely.  The reheating and whisking made it totally creamy again (I was worried that it would remain porridge-y).  I'm feeling pretty pleased with my first summer of growing veggies.

Drying tomatoes

10/2/12

Finally a chance to catch up a bit.  This fall has been busy!  We're in the midst of a warm spell - supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow - but the cold is coming.  Over the past couple weeks, I've harvested all the tomatoes off our two plants and have been trying to deal with the results.  I can only eat so many tomatoes in one day!  After spending some time online, I found a site with a simple way to oven-dry tomatoes.  The result is tomatoes that are just as good as sun-dried, but without the bugs and dust and bird poop!  And a lot cheaper than the store-bought ones...

This is just a small number of the ripe tomatoes I dealt with, and there are probably 5 dozen more green tomatoes ripening in the basement.

I cored and cut tomatoes for what seemed like forever, squishing the seeds out with my thumb.  The acid stung after a while - surprised me!  Started this process at about 4:30 in the afternoon.

I didn't bother to remove the skins, but did cut them in sixths, rather than fourths.  If they'd been smaller or less juicy, I think fourths would have been fine.  You can see the seeds and squishy parts are gone, leaving the meaty part behind.

If I'd had enough cake racks, I'd have used them, but I didn't, so cookie sheets had to do.  My oven's lowest setting was 170 degrees, so that's the temp I used.  Using the cookie sheets meant turning the pieces and rotating the racks every few hours to even out the drying.  The pieces stuck just enough that they had to be turned individually.  Turning at 4:30 PM, 7:30 PM, 10:30 PM, serendipitously awake at 1:30 AM, then again at 4:30 AM when I discovered that the oven has a safety feature: it turns itself off after 12 hours of continuous "on"!  Lucky for me, I was there and turned it back on before too long.


At around 8 AM, they all seemed raisin-y dry, so I took them out.  I think they turned out great and have been using them in my scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, salads, etc.  I did the whole thing twice, so I have 4 baggies in the freezer with dried tomatoes!  And as the basement greenies continue to ripen, I'll probably have to do it all at least one more time!  Oh, and we also have about a dozen tomatoes frozen in the freezer!  They were too ripe for drying but should make good sauce.  Good weapons, too, if the need arises...

Fred's been eating squash from the garden every day.  I'm going to try it tomorrow.  To me, squash is best used as a vehicle for a puddle of melted butter and brown sugar in the center of the cup!  Yummy...

I think this is about the end of the garden for this year.  Not a raging success, but good enough for our first attempt. :)

Fall Projects

9/23/12

Wow, how the days disappear!  School has been good this year, but it's always a shock to get back to a routine that means being gone from the farm from 5:45 AM till 4 PM.  Now all the projects that need doing have to be crammed into the early evening or the weekend.

Fred got the three remaining, surviving seedlings transplanted last weekend.  Two blue spruce and one lilac have been added to our tree population.  I hope they survive the winter!  I may have to bank them with straw for an insulation assist.  We had so little snow last winter that many, many trees died from exposure.  It's sad to see a stretch of 50 foot tall poplars lining a road, now dead except for one...  Our trees made it without too much frost damage, and I hope they all get through this coming winter as well.

While Fred was digging holes, I was shoveling rock.  The Henry puppy has a habit of making a great bounding leaping pounces at the kennel fence when he sees Jack (the barn cat) on the other side.  This has pushed the pea rock through the fence and piled up on our gravel path.  Note how high up on the 6x6 timbers the rock has piled!  I spent some serious time and back-muscle relocating it all back into the kennel.

 Notice the nice new boards along the bottom edge of the kennel? That was part of last weekend's projects.  Fred and I generally don't work well together (we both want to be the boss), but we managed this one with no arguments!  Such an accomplishment!

Only partially done shoveling up the rock, but at least I can see the sides of the 6x6 now.  I  had to sort of pour it through the fence into the kennel.

You can see where it's piled up on the inside, against the new boards.  I cleaned up the edges and after a week, it still looks pretty tidy (Dad would approve!).

We're getting things ready for the cold season.  Still some projects to go, but a couple things checked off the list anyway!

My little hummer

9/10/12

I never thought I'd be trying catch a hummingbird!  One flew into the open garage yesterday, then couldn't figure out how to get out!  It kept bumping against the ceiling in a futile attempt to fly up - their normal behavior.  Not being like bats, even the open doors didn't draw it.  We closed the big door - it kept flying above the door, not down through it, then tried to get it out the smaller access door.  It was both comical and tragic, as Fred and I staggered around the garage, waving snowshoes in the air (we didn't have tennis rackets or a net!), trying to herd the tiny thing towards the door.  (Just try holding a full-sized, old-fashioned snowshoe above your head at arm's length and control it while waving at a hummingbird!)  Fred eventually just stood on the car and tried to toss a light towel over the bird as it hovered near the ceiling.  He got it once, but it squirted out when he tried to hand it to me.  The second time, 10 minutes later, he got it captured, and I scrambled through the door with it while it squeaked frantically.  Man!  Poor thing must have been exhausted as well as traumatized, but it seemed to fly off with no trouble.  Gawd....

New beginnings

9/8/12

One week of the new school year is done, and I didn't get cursed at once!  Looks like it's going to  be a good year (knock on wood!).  In fact, one student even made a special stop in my room to apologize to me for being sleepy in class!  She didn't want me to think she was being disrespectful.  Wow.  So far, it doesn't look like anyone in any of the five classes is going to be a behavior problem.  Of course, that doesn't mean they'll all work hard and learn a lot, either.  I can already ID a few students who will slack off and likely fail the class without a significant attitude change.  There's only so much I can do, and at this age (16-18), they really ought to be responsible for their own motivation.

The classes are all large: 28, 33, 38, 39,and 40.  This means less time for each student, which is not good. I do offer after school tutoring, but few take advantage of it.  The few who do, usually find it very helpful, but how do I get them there in the first place??  Many have after-school responsibilities (jobs, family care, etc.), and too few put their math class (or even school, in general) at the top of their list.  Very difficult to get them to realize and believe how important post-high school education is and how hard it can be to get accepted into a worthwhile program.  A high school diploma is simply not enough anymore!

Farm news is all about winding down the summer and getting ready for the winter.  We have a couple of blue spruce seedlings and one lilac to transplant, and the garden is getting to its endpoint.  It looks like we'll have lots of squash!  The tomato plants still have a lot of producing to do - is there anything as tasty as a garden tomato??  Sliced, with chopped walnuts and crumbled feta cheese scattered on top, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette... yummy!  The squash will be good, too, though I have to confess I use them purely as vehicle to hold a slurry of melted butter and brown sugar!  Definitely not a low-carb dish!  

We're going to build some kind of dogbed in the garage for the dogs this winter.  I'm picturing a low manger, filled with straw.  Henry simply demolishes anything less durable, and he'll chew on the wood side of the manger, too, but at least he can't really shred 2x4's!  Our fancy electronic dog door would be fine if he didn't simply stand in front of it, triggering the door to raise, so he can stay in the warm house and still watch Jack (the barn cat) in the cold garage!  I'm worried that he'll burn out the motor!  So, he and Molly will spend their days in the garage and the outdoor kennel.  Don't feel bad for them; the kennel is 16x18, and the garage is insulated - they'll be fine (they've been doing it since last April).  The other dog project is to build some kind of barrier along the bottom edge of the kennel fence to hold the pea rock in.  Henry makes great diving pounces at the fence (usually when he sees Jack on the outside), and shoves massive amounts of pea rock right through the wire fence!  I can just imagine what the snowblower will do with pea rock whipping through it, along with the snow...  Not a good thing.  So, maybe strips of 3/4 inch plywood?  A double row of 2x8's?  Fiber cement siding??  Not sure yet!

Fred spent three hours in the barn this morning with our farrier, helping the farrier reset the shoes on all three horses.  The farrier, Ernie, is a very chatty guy - nice, but boy! does he talk!  I escaped earlier by going to the grocery store, so Fred had to do the honors and make like a hitching post.  There really does need to be someone helping, but it makes for a long morning.  I particularly dread it in the winter.  Standing around for three hours when it's about 20 degrees makes for a chilly time!  I just can't dress warmly enough...

Well, it's still nice out for now!

Loose ends, again

9/2/12

Well, I think the bunnies are launched!  No one was there when I checked the nest, and nothing was disturbed, so I think they're out exploring their world.  YAY!  A really good website for wild bunny info is http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm .  It helped me a lot with my bunny traumas earlier!  Of the three litters I know of this summer, at least this one was successful.  Dang dogs...

I've been having cell phone problems (dropped calls, no service, etc.) with T-Mobile that I never had before, so I called to ask some questions.  I cannot even begin to describe the frustration at dealing with that automated female voice!  After shouting at the phone and swearing a blue streak, I finally just hung up.  Why oh why can't they just hire a real person??  I tried the trick of just hitting 0 repeatedly, in hopes of getting to customer service, but "she" just kept saying, sweetly, "I'm sorry. I didn't get that - would you repeat it please?  Your choices are ......"  GRRRRRRR!  So then I tried to find some info for Verizon cell phone service and couldn't find anything except packages for HDTV, Internet, and phone all bundled together, which is not what I want!  Maybe I’ll just go back to a land line and get really out of touch!

As I was mowing the so-called lawn this morning, I thought, “My god!  I need a sports bra to mow the grass!”  It is so bumpy still, after all these years.  The guy who seeded our pastures used the same equipment to seed the lawn, so it was all in rows, not broadcast.  The yard is sorta like corduroy, only harder!  A washboard, maybe? 

This is Quinn, totally relaxed.  What a life...  I wonder if cats have any idea how silly they look at times?  They always seem so very aloof and dignified, then they do something ridiculous.

Students start on Tuesday - that's tomorrow!  Eeek!  I'm more-or-less ready, and am so pleased that I won't have to deal with freshmen this year.  I may actually get through days at a time without being called some foul name... what a concept.  But, teaching public school is easy, dontcha know.  After all, we get lots of benefits (that we don't earn, right?); working with eager young people must be a joy (OMG); and we're highly regarded by our administration and community.  Mmm hmm, yeah, right.  Okay, okay, I'll stop.  This year should be much better than last year was, and I'll try to focus on that.  Check in next week to see how it looks after one week!

Summer's end

8/29/12

Started "Teacher Week" on Monday....  So sad....  Well, at least I don't have any freshmen classes this year, which eliminates the strongest possibility of a horrible year.  Our fearless leader decided a couple years ago that it would be more "fair" to make as many teachers travel from room to room on carts as possible, rather than trying to get as many teachers into their own room as possible.  There was such an uproar that he petulantly agreed to mess with the rooms only when the occupant left the building (retired, switched schools, etc.).  So when I saw that he had switched me out of my room for one hour each day, I was most unhappy!  I suggested to the teacher who was scheduled to be in my room that hour that she go to the other room down the hall, and leave me alone!  I was  a bit more tactful than that, and she was agreeable.  I haven't heard anything from the powers that be so I assume that's the way it'll be.  To have me switch rooms for one class period, just to make things "more fair" - how stupid is that?  Let's maximize the chaos in the building!  That'll help student achievement!  Gawd...

This is another straw on my back as I weigh the pros and cons of retiring this spring.  With the early retirement bonus plus the payment for unused sick and personal days, I could leave with over $10K of extra money.  AND, I wouldn't have to worry about all the new BS initiatives coming down the line in public education.  (No one ever seems to acknowledge how vital the role of parents is in creating a good student who takes ownership of their education!)  Anyway, I have lots of number crunching to do before I make a final and irrevocable decision about retiring this spring, but it sure is tempting!  Too bad I can't do it now - there's a full-time math opening at the Shakopee high school, about 25 minutes away.   Sigh.  I don't expect to retire retire - just stop with the hour commute to St. Paul.  Well, we'll see.

Bunny update:  the babies are doing well and getting noticeably bigger.  When I lift the BPU to check on them, they get into kind of a squirmy panic, so I don't want to do it too often.  I think what'll happen is I'll check on them one day and find the nest empty.  They'll be out in the world, on their own.  I think they're close to that point now.  Once their ears stand up rather than lay flat against their bodies, they're ready to be on their own.  They still seem so small, though!  Such a defenseless little creature...

I've refilled the bird feeders and crossed my fingers.  It may be too early, but I think I'll just sanitize the feeders every weekend.  As they get ready for migration, I want to provide a good source of high energy food.  Gotta get those birdy bods all plumped up, dontcha know!