Apples and Thighs.

 Apples and Thighs.

 

The two sacks of apples have been quartered and the seeds removed; the chicken thighs have been cooked and are cooling, waiting to be deboned. The hens’ water has been changed out, and the feed has been put out. It is not that the old woman has been industrious, but Jennifer called me this morning around 6:30 to tell me that she had covid, so her entire family is in quarantine. Such fun. Her doctor sent her anti-virals, but now they have to wait and see if what is making Reece ill is covid or something else. He had already told them that it is not a matter of whether or not people would get covid, but when. Oh! joy to the world! That is not particularly encouraging. But such is life. Anyway, keeping busy keeps me from worrying about some things.

 

Ordered groceries yesterday and still forgot to get coffee filters, and they were out of milk. Rolling eyes here. They were out of stock of several things, so my order was about $20 cheaper than it stated originally. Guess that is a good thing. Maybe by Sunday the old woman can make another trip over to Walmart and buy some more marked down meats. Slow cooked a pork something yesterday that turned out to be very tasty. Made myself a sandwich from some of it and topped some scrambled eggs with some for the dogs’ breakfast. They were happy about it and cleaned their bowls.

 

Wrote a note to Chewy yesterday and let them know that my dogs would not even eat a bite of the Royal Canin that they sent. Jennifer’s dogs would not eat it either, so she took the bag she bought and spread it out in the field behind her place. Guess the bobcats, raccoons, and coyotes will clean it up if the birds can’t eat it. Pretty bad to pay that much for something and not be able to use it. Went back to buying Purina Lamb and Rice. They will eat a little bit of it when it has something on top of it that they like. No, don’t really consider them spoiled, but if something does not smell right, they simply won’t eat it.

 

As soon as the chicken broth is cool enough to put in containers, the big pot will be washed and have apples in it to cook for apple butter. Thought about apple sauce, but know the kids would like apple butter. For me, it will just be nice to not have those apples staring at me and making me feel guilty for not already having them cooked up. Years ago, the stores that my father-in-law sold his vegetables to decided that they did not want any of those small tomatoes. And he did not want them to go to waste, so guess who got five bushels of small tomatoes. Tomato paste, tomato sauce, ketchup, and just plain tomatoes on the table. Never was so glad to see the end of those tomatoes as the week it took me to cook them all up! Try canning that many tomatoes and see what the counters and floors look like at the end of each day! Oh boy! Lewis told him not to do that again because next time he was going to throw them in the lake! We could not afford to buy that many quart jars, lids, and rings! Back then we did not have a deep freeze either.

 

Sometimes little bits and pieces of articles will attract my attention and lead me to reading more. Yesterday it was an article called The Beach Rats by Andrew Dubbins. The article included how the government first started the CIA with something called OSS. The beach bums were life guards that later evolved into the Navy Seals. Those guys invented things like face guards, flippers, and underwater motors and breathing apparatuses. They also developed underwater demolition! Apparently, they made a big difference in the Second World War in both Europe and in the Pacific. Anyone who appreciates reading about courage and tough men would have enjoyed that article.

 

The chicken has been deboned and the broth poured into a gallon container and the meat put in a gallon bag. Spent at least half an hour looking for my colander and even called Jenn to see if she knew what we did with it. We laughed again about her getting it caught on her head when she was little. Kids! She was NOT the one who hid it this time. Yours truly stored it in the dishwasher which is never used now. [One person does not justify using a dishwasher in my estimation.] Anyway, now the apples just have to cook down for a while. Did find the rack that fits in my big roasting pan. Not sure if Maria put it back there or Jennifer, but it was in the big bookcase in the back. At least now it is located. Yes, things are strange around here.

 

A few clouds seem to be bunching up over in the east. Nothing in the forecast makes me feel that those fluffy little bits of sky will furnish any kind of relief around here. Can’t stop me from wishing and asking for rain though. Putting water out for the birds in front made me realize that all of God’s creatures must be suffering. Blame it on climate change if you want to, but an old woman remembers things like this from back when we were kids. The lakes dried up one summer. No water. No one would even buy a cow. Then that winter we had a blizzard and no hay for whatever needed to be fed. How my grandparents made it through years like that makes me wonder.

 

Just cut up a cantaloupe and let the hens have the seeds and peels. They were happy to help clean up the mess. Would really like to sit down for just a bit and read, but knowing me, the apples would stick to the bottom of the pan. Guess the old woman will continue to hop up every five minutes and stir the apples. Or she COULD just let them cool off and finish this little project in the morning—Nah. Just finish the cooking of the apple quarters and put the stuff through the colander like it should be done.

 

Read an article about the farmers and ranchers in Wyoming being overtaken by the freaking herds of elk. They are tearing up fences and wiping out the grain crops and pastures that the landowners need for their cattle. The elk have learned to go to the ranches to avoid hunters, so now the elk herds have exploded. Anyway, their equivalent of the fish and game commission up there are trying to manage a way to reduce the population of the elk herds. Good luck with that one. Down here we have the freaking wild hogs! A bounty on them might help. Elk meat is not bad, but wild hogs are dangerous and the meat is iffy at best. Did meet up with a guy in Walmart a few years ago who was buying stuff for a major barbecue for their community. Seems they trapped a field full of wild hogs, and they were raising money for their fire department by having the barbecue in a big pit dug out by one of the ranchers’ bulldozers. Sounds like a winner.

 

For today, let us be grateful for blessings large and small. We know that God has given us what we need. Listen to the sound of the birds. Watch the changes in nature. The flotilla of pelicans moves on the lake as the water from the bottom comes to the top bringing all the little critters to feed the pelicans. We are as blessed as those birds.

Rest well, my friends. Stay as cool as you can and be careful in the heat. You are loved.