Happy Anniversary, 'Rents

TWIT and I would like to wish the 'Rents a very happy anniversary.  On this day 56 years ago, one of the most awesome things happened -- my parents got married. 

A lot of people tell me that I'm lucky to still have both of my parents. To say I'm lucky is not even scratching the surface.  Luck is what you have at the racetrack or casino; to still have both of my 80 year-old parents makes me blessed beyond measure.  I thank the Lord every day for them, and I give thanks for all that they have taught me. 

 

Link Of The Week

I received a few emails after yesterday's report about The Great Sauerkraut Day at The Compound, asking for more info.  So here is the link to a great article and detailed recipe - the same recipe that we used.  Visit http://theholisticmama.com/how-to-make-sauerkraut-in-a-crock/#sthash.2XmazRsi.dpbs and you can find out all you need to know.

Let The Kraut Making Begin!!

Today was a historic day in the history of The Compound:  it was the day that we made sauerkraut.  Lots of sauerkraut.

We started out using six heads of very tender, young cabbage that the 'Rents carefully and lovingly grew out in Farmtown.  We shredded it all using a very sharp mandolin slicer that our dear friend Krazy K let us borrow.  It was a simple, but lengthy process.  For each head of cabbage, you used one tablespoon of sea salt.  We did it in batches to cut down on waiting time.  When one head was shredded, I would mix and knead it by hand, letting the salt do its thing to draw out the water and make a brine.  Once we it was kneaded enough, it was transfered over to the old school crock that belonged to Gram, and it was smashed and tampped down.  When the next batch was ready, we did the same thing until all six heads were in the crock.  After a few more minutes of tampping it down, we put a wooden disk on it, and put a heavy cast iron bacon press on top to weight it down.  And now, we wait 30 days for the fermentation.  I would have posted some pictures now, but they wouldn't be very exciting to see.  We'll wait till the kraut is ready to be put into jars and then I'll show you the finished product.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Flashback Friday

A dear friend/coworker/faithful reader SH was talking to me this week about working with her church's Vacation Bible School (VBS) this past week.  She and her husband thought they would get to help in a class, and instead were drafted to work in the snack area.  Back in the day, when SH and I were in VBS, the daily snack consisted of watered down Kool-Aid and two sandwich cookies.  When I say "sandwich cookies", I'm not talking about Oreos - I'm talking about bare-bones generic sandwich cookies. 

Today, the VBS snacks parallel restaurant appetizers.  At my church's VBS last week, one night they had fruit, meat and cheese kabobs, and another night they had jello shots (with no alcohol) with a clue in the bottom of the cup that they needed to complete an assignment.  SH showed  me a picture of a very complex cake for a snack, made from angel food cake and a half dozen other ingredients.  Like I said, a far cry from the customary watered-down Kool-Aid and generic cookies.  

Back in the day, on the last day of VBS, it was Bible School Graduation.  If you were lucky and your parents were off or worked in the hood and could come to church,  they would come to the church and be a part of the graduation ceremony.  Each VBS class would get up on the stage and recite or present something they had learned during the week.  After all of the class presentations were over, we would gather together and have a hot dog, potato chips and more watered-down Kool-Aid.  

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

From the multitude of pictures I see posted on Facebook lately, the popular thing to do is to go to an "art studio" and paint a picture while drinking wine.  Maybe the alcohol in the wine gives the would-be artists more confidence.  But I digress.  What I really want to know is do these people actually hang their paintings up in their homes?  The reason I'm asking is because I see the same people on Facebook week after week proudly holding their paintings.  Maybe they have a lot of empty wall space at home.  Who knows.

GSSC, At Your Service, Again

It's been [eight] a few months since my last (which was also my first) paying customer for Good Shepherd Security Consulting, but that dry spell is over.  This morning, I got my second paying customer - a pretty big church in the northeast part of the county.  I can't begin to try to write how I'm feeling.  In the months since my first paying customer, I'd been vigilant and faithful and kept on sending out letters and emails, and making phone calls and face-to-face visits.  And it paid off.  

Once again, let me put in a shameless plus for Good Shepherd Security Consulting - if your church, business or any other organization would like to know how they can be safer and more secure, I can help.  Just visit http://www.goodshepherdsecurityconsulting.com  and you can get more info.

Thanks to you, faithful readers, for your kind emails of encouragement.  

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

I've always wondered why people go to the beach in the hottest part of summer.  Wouldn't you want to go there when it's cold at home?  I've only been to the beach one time during the official summer months and it was not pleasant; the other times I've been was when it was cold or cool at home.  

As for vacation time being a reason, that reason doesn't work for me  - you can usually get vacation time anytime of the year, if your place of business isn't extremely busy or if nobody else is scheduled off at that same time.  It's just another thing that makes me go hmmmm. 

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

I wonder . . . will AT&T ever get the hint that I do not want U-Verse?  I've kept track and out of the past 30 days, I received something in the regular USPS mail from AT&T about U-Verse 18 days.  Yep 18 days.  I don't even want to mention the countless emails and texts from, either.  Get the hint.  I do not want U-Verse.  Just keep on giving me the great, very cheap rates I get with my business cell phone and leave me alone. 

Link Of The Week

The Old Man and I are getting ready to make a batch of sauerkraut, just like my grandma and his grandma made back in the day.  We've got one of my grandma's old stone crocks, and the cabbage will be ready in a few days.  In preparation for this, I've put out texts, emails and posts asking for friends to send me any recipes or tips they may have on making sauerkraut.   

A decade or two ago, we could ask our grandparents who did this kind of thing, but today with them being gone, we're on our own.  Well, not anymore.  I found a great site that gives all kinds of expert info on home canning and preserving.  They even have a free online course you can take.  Visit http://nchfp.uga.edu/ and get all the info you need if you want to do some canning and preserving.  

Something You Don't See Every Day

I was driving home from visiting a friend the other day, and as I was leaving their neighborhood, I saw two older teenage boys walking down the road.  From the distance I could tell one boy was carrying something but I couldn't see what it was until I drove past them. He was carrying a pretty good-sized hookah, and was smoking it as he walked down the road.  Yep, a hookah.  Just like the caterpillar in Wonderland.  For a second, I felt like Alice as I saw the kid with the hookah.  If only "White Rabbit" had come on the radio when this happened.  Yep, this was definitely something you don't see every day.

Flashback Friday

This picture of me and my friend of a lifetime, Diva Stacy, was taken in fall of 2009, less than five years ago, so it's not really all that much of a flashback, but I just love this picture, and I think it's the second best picture taken of us, so I wanted to put it in my blog just because I can.

Some trivia about this picture - little did I know when this picture was taken that I had the H1N1 swine flu.  It's a miracle that Diva Stacy didn't catch it duringour trip, and it's surprising that I didn't infect all of the Smokey Mountains with H1N1. 

Quote Of The Week

"Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer."

Not-Yet-Summer 2014 Heatwave

It's not even officially summer yet, and we're already in our first heatwave.  It started Sunday, with temps close to 90, and since then, the highs have been over 90.  It's not even summer yet; it's way too early to deal with this heat and humidity.

But I am happy to report that last week, we had two pounds of Freon pumped into the a/c system here at The Compound and it's made a world of difference.

I thank the Lord and Trane once again for our awesome old school a/c unit that keeps on running.

Farmtown 2014 First Harvest

We are all three very happy to report that the first harvest from Farmtown 2014 has been an awesome success.  We ate salad tonight made with our lettuce until it was coming out of our ears.  It tasted so fresh and crisp.  And we can't wait till supper tomorrow night for another salad.

And as I type this, the 'Rents are scouring through more of Grandma's old cookbooks to find a recipe for homemade sauerkraut.  We thought we had found a good recipe, but it wasn't suitable.  We've got feelers out on Facebook and through our network of friends, asking if anyone has a good recipe for sauerkraut.  So if any of you, faithful readers, have a good sauerkraut recipe, please send it to me.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Farmtown 2014 Update

It might not seem like much to you, but I'm happy to report we have the first harvest from Farmtown2014.  The strainer is full of some very pretty leaf lettuce that yours truly planted and has grown, and to the right is a very interesting short zucchini. 

Each leaf of lettuce was hand washed in the sink, and is ready to be part of a big old salad for supper tomorrow night. 

Happy Father's Day

TWIT would like to wish a very happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there, and also to men who have stepped into the role of a father in someone's life.   And I would like to wish an extra special happy Father's Day to my favorite father, the Old Man.  I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed him and my Sweet Mother good health, strength, and stamina to still be going like the Energizer Bunny. 

Please take some time today to say a quick prayer to thank the Lord for your father.

Saturday the 14th

I'm happy to report that the water was only off yesterday morning for about 8 hours, and was back running fully through our pipes at 10:00 a.m.   We experienced only a minimal inconvenience at The Compound.  Thanks to our supply of 12 one-gallon jugs of water stowed away in the basement, we were fine.  And thanks to us taking our baths/showers the night before, we were fine.  We did use some pioneer engineering to wash up yesterday morning, however.  We poured one of the jugs of water into a big pan and heated it up slightly on the stove so we could wash up with lukewarm water.  And thanks to another stash of water outside (we collect rain water) we were able to bring in a big bucket of rain water to use to get the toilet to flush.  So other than retreiving the water, it wasn't bad at all.

The rest of the day was drama-free, thank goodness.  But I was expecting multiple dramas and calamities, given it was Friday the 13th. Thank goodness, they never happened.

Friday the 13th

I was up at 4:00 this morning, trying to figure out why the toilet in the back bathroom (whose sounds are amplified because it is just on the other side of the wall in my bedroom) was making strange noises.  I gave up and laid back down and tried to go back to sleep. ("Tried" being the key word).  At 6:30, the phone range and it was a neighbor down the street asking if we had water.  I hadn't turned on a faucet yet so I didn't know.  While we were talking I walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet and yep, no water.  There is a water main break and water is off on our street.  And today is Friday the 13th.  You do the math.

Critter Watch

I'm happy to report that other than seeing the usual squirrels and rabbits, there were no other critters spotted last night and today at The Compound.  During the day, the Old Man and Diego, Neighbor Nick's dog, were on watch, but their diligence must have kept all other critters at bay.

Speaking of Diego, Neighbor Nick's dog, he is one of the biggest, cutest, most cuddly dogs we've seen.  He loves the three of us, thank goodness.  And I hope to be able to get a picture of him soon to post on TWIT.

Ewwww, Pepe Le Pew

We discovered in the wee hours of the morning that we have a visitor here at The Compound.  The visitor is a skunk.  But not just any skunk.  It's the biggest skunk that the Old Man and my Sweet Mother said that they've ever seen.  I agree with them.  It was the biggest skunk I've ever seen.  And I even saw it all loud and proud without my contacts or glasses.  And it was still huge.  

We saw the skunk at about 12:30 last night.  The Old Man said he heard a noise, and he got up to investigate.  It just so happened I had gotten up at the same time to go to the bathroom.  I had just gotten back into bed when I heard my Sweet Mother yell for me to come and see something.  I had no idea what I was going to see, but I trotted into the family room without my contacts or glasses.  And like I said, I saw the giant skunk, aka Skunkzilla, in full black and white without any visual aids. 

I just hope we don't see it again in person. 

Deja Vu . . . Again

A very strange thing happened this past Sunday.  It started out early in the morning before we went to church.  While the 'Rents were finishing up getting ready, I drove up the street to get some cash from the ATM at the credit union on the corner.  There was one car in front of me, a metallic blue Highlander SUV.   On the back bumper of the SUV was a bumper sticker that said "Mean People Suck."  I agreed with them.  

Flash forward to about four hours later, when we pulled into the parking lot of our favorite Mexican joint for lunch.  I pulled into a parking space that was next to that same SUV.  The family was sitting next to us in the restaurant.  I ask you - what are the chances?  Well, the chances are exceptionally good, because about five hours later when I was on my way back from Diva Stacy's house, the same SUV was in front of me going down my street.  It was almost kinda creepy.

Another Non-Word Overheard

You know how I love being able to overhear non-words spoken live.  Here's the latest, and I quote:

"What time is the installator supposed to be there?"

App Of The Week

I've said it before, and I will say it many more times as long as I am posting in TWIT: I love a bargain. I use coupons at the store, but not to the extent of being so fanatical, radical or OCD about it like women on the reality shows where they buy a weeks work of groceries for 17 cents.  I like the deals we get at Kroger's, especially their freebies you can get when you download a digital coupon.  You can see the weekly ads for Krogers, keep your own shopping list, and download digital coupons through the Kroger app.  Just do a quick search in the app store through iTunes or Google Play and look for Kroger Co.  Happy saving!

Farmtown 2014 Update

The Old Man asked me to take some pics out in Farmtown yesterday morning before I went to work, and I was only happy to oblige.  Here are what we are expecting to be the best tomatoes evah.  The plants sure do look very healthy and are growing like crazy.

On a related note, the 'Rents said they prayed away the forecasted mega severe storms Wednesday night.  The weatherazzi had us all worked up, because the storm that narrowly passed us by was the same storm that produced grapefruit and baseball sized hail in Nebraska.  Even a small hailstorm would have probably knocked out the garden.  To thanks to the Lord for keeping the storm away from The Compound.

Flashback Friday

Note To Self

Today, we start a recurring feature post in TWIT called "Note To Self".  The post will be (duh) a note to myself. 

Note to self:

Next May/June on the evening before the last day of school for the Jefferson County Public Schools, DO NOT go to Walmart or any other store. 

I made the mistake of going to Walmart tonight, and it was only slightly less stressful than the time when I went to Shoe Carnival on the the evening of the first day of school for the Jefferson County Public Schools.  It was a frightmare tonight.  Mothers were not watching their kids, and the kids were literally dancing and going acrobatics in the aisles of the store.  Believe me when I tell you that I could not get my mattress cover and grapes fast enough and get the hell out of the store. 

Farmtown 2014 Update

I am happy to report that the tomatoes and everything else at Farmtown is growing better than anticipated, given the fact that Dad got the garden planted a bit later than he planned.  The tomato plants are growing like crazy, and the 'Rents spent the morning putting up the wire cages around the tomato plants.  

We're all a bit antsy tonight, with strong storms in the forecast; we're keeping our fingers crossed that the strong storms will pass us by and keep all of our plants sturdy and upright.  I almost hyperventilated when I heard that these storms produced grapefruit-sized hail in Nebraska.  And if I weren't posting this in the midst of a big project here at The Compound, I'd run outside and take some pictures of the garden to post.  We'll save that for another day in the near future.

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

My Favorite Day Of The Summer

I know it won't officially be summer for a couple more weeks, but in my world, this is my Favorite Day Of Summer. Why?  Because this day is mentioned in one of my favorite classic country songs, "Ode To Billie Joe."  Yes, I realize that I post this same post every summer on June 3, but, hey.  This is my blog and I can post whatever I want.  

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day
I was out choppin' cotton and my brother was balin' hay
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
And Mama hollered out the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet"
And then she said "I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge"
"Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

And Papa said to Mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas
"Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please"
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow"
And Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

And Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piece of apple pie, you know it don't seem right"
"I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge"
"And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

And Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?"
"I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite"
"That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today"
"Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way"
"He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge"
"And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

A year has come 'n' gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe
And Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo
There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring
And now Mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything
And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge

Thank You, Cher

TWIT and I would like to say a very big thank you to Cher for putting on one of the most spectacular shows I have ever seen. 

App of the Week

I'm usually pretty good with remembering dates of events, but every now and then I have to consult my trusty old school planner book.  But with smart phones, there's an app for that.  Just this afternoon, I had to look at my cell phone to see when Father's Day is.  No problem because I used my USA Holidays app (2013-2017 version).  It's available for iOS.  And be sure to search for the free version.