Salads and Coats.

 Salads and Coats.

 

For brunch this morning, the last of the broccoli salad got center place along with multiple cups of coffee. In case you would care to wonder about such salads, this one contains all kinds of goodies that can be changed up or otherwise substituted. Some fresh broccoli crowns that are washed gently and drained completely make the foundation of this salad. Then throw in about a cup of craisins, about a cup of pecans or some kind of nuts that you like, chopped up sweet apple—about a cup or more, chopped up chicken breasts—about a cup, shredded cheddar cheese, again, about a cup or more, and then about a cup of salad dressing to suit your desire for consistency will finish off the mess. The broccoli crowns need to be chopped finely and the stems peeled of that outside layer of tough fiber. This makes a doggone lot of salad. But it keeps well in the fridge and can satisfy someone who enjoys chewing. This is not for the faint of heart or for the ones whose teeth do not fit well. Bon appetite.

 

Finally wrote down all the family birthdates that the old woman needs to remember. Now remembering which book they are written in will be the next challenge. Ahem. Jennifer has been so good to write them on the wall calendars that she sends to me. She knows her mom pretty well. One year the old woman forgot Hanan’s birthday. He made sure from then on that we knew when his birthday would be here. He was the only child—at one time—who was born in the fall instead of being a May child. By that time his birthday had been forgotten, we had Tracy in the family and had a November birthday. But it still takes some doing to remember that one as well. Since yours truly does not go to any of the celebrations, it is even more difficult to remember that they will have a special time and gathering. We went to a couple of birthday parties when the grands were young, but only one really stands out in my memory. Reece loved brooms and tools of that nature. We bought him a child-sized broom. Everyone had the same idea, so he got several different kinds of brooms and assorted mopping, sweeping equipment. He was a happy one-year-old child!

 

The FedEx man left a bit ago after leaving some supplies for these two doggone critters. Sylvia had outgrown her jackets and needed a new one, and Thompson has a tendency to get his wet once in a while, so two jackets got unfolded and tried on. The blue one with funny button decorations fits Sylvia, and the brown and orange one fits Thompson. Both jackets have hoods, but these two are not about to let me cover up their ears. Even so, the rain won’t be as likely to go down their neck.

 

Part of the time today the clouds have been blown away so the sun can shine, but then a cloud will slip in front of the sun and remind us of how much warmer it can be in sunshine! Winter is not my favorite time of the year. Now if it could be fall or spring most of the year—well, that would undoubtedly not be suitable either. Sigh But the wind will blow no matter what time of the year it is—well, in Texas the wind blows whenever it feels like it! Is there anywhere in the world that the wind does not blow?

 

Oldest dog kinda gets a catch in his comealong once in a while, so he has some special bites that have CBD in them. The ones that have yucca, glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin Sulfate, and other stuff in them get the response: YUCK. Thompson is not the going to eat one of those. Sylvia will, but she gives me this particular look that says she got tricked into it. Dogs and children.

 

Got some cookies the other day and feel VERY guilty about eating even one. They are white chocolate, macadamia nut, “heaven” cookies. Talk about almost pure sugar! They are crunchy, but leave a sweet taste in my mouth for nearly an hour! Going to have to call Patty and see if she will eat the last of them.

 

Need to make an appointment for these two dogs to get their toenails trimmed up. Sylvia’s are almost like those of a cat! They are very sharp after she finishes chewing on them. It is not terribly expensive to get them trimmed, but getting both dogs in the truck, getting them inside the vet’s office, and then staying in the other room while they cut her claws is a major undertaking. If she cries out, Thompson just about has a hissy fit. He thinks someone is really hurting his sister! Maybe they will get to go either tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

Think it may have been something included last post about the price of beef here in Texas. Bill Brown Beef charges $3.75 a pound for hamburger if ten or more pounds are purchased, and $7 a pound for roasts. Buying from a local grower (down south of here in Megargal) makes good sense, and it is much, much cheaper. They have a young woman who delivers the meat to my house, too.

 

Left the lights and heaters off in the hen house last night since it was not supposed to get down below 32 degrees. They were still on the roosts when the door was opened, but they were quick to get out and about when they decided it was time to get out. Those hens are a mess that makes me laugh. Bought some cabbage and a treat ball for them with some stuff to go inside the ball. The treats came in the Chewy box today, but the ball should be here in a couple of days. If they have to stay inside the coops a few days, both the cabbage and the treats should keep them busy. Noticed a post on FB about how to keep your hens from pecking on one another. Granddad Kennedy used dog food spaced out every so often in his houses. He said it kept them from being cannibals. If they see a spot on another chicken, they will peck that spot until it bleeds. Then it is just Katy Bar the Door! Can’t imagine the chicken companies allowing that now, but back then Granddad only had a thousand chicks in one house. Now they don’t keep the chicks hardly any time, and they have several thousand in a house. They grow so fast that the chicks will not be able to walk because their bodies outgrow their legs. Amazing and strangely disconcerting. Glad that they have not developed beef cows like that! However, in France where they eat horses on a regular basis, they have developed a horse that looks more like a cow in the way it is shaped. Crazy!

 

Tomorrow is Monday—again. Weeks do seem to just fly by these days. Could sit down and look through the Gurney’s seed catalog and just do some wishful thinking. Maybe by late spring the desire and ability to sit down out there in the front flower bed will hit at the same time. Would love to put in some bulbs, but that takes lots of money and energy. Guess it would probably make more sense to get more winter rye grass seed and spread some around in the bottom of the two east lots. The ones that Lance spread out in the back yard went bye bye as soon as the hens discovered the seeds. Kinda thought that was going to be the case, but such is life. It might be the same for putting out seeds down in the east lots unless yours truly can keep the dogs and hens out of there. Not sure it would be worth fussing with the dogs about that. Oh well.

 

Will remind you to pray for the Jarlsberg family with all the things that have happened to the mother Kathy. Also, Mariellen Rose must be doing much better. She is back on FB and asking funny questions again. Had to tell her it was such a pleasure to see her back with us. Your prayers DO make a difference. Now, that said, Mandy Molina still may need your prayers to protect the baby she is carrying. Her husband Wyatt and their baby girl both have Covid, so prayers for them would not go amiss.

 

Let us be grateful for all the many blessings we have in this life. God is good! Rest and be happy. You are loved.