Just a Few Things...

We've had a fairly busy week. But busy is sometimes good. :O) Katie has gotten started back on her orthodontic work...they put another "do-flotchey" thingie back in the roof of her mouth...not very comfortable I'm sure. Not sure when the braces will go back on but I think she'll have a few more months anyway.

In other news, Matt has somehow managed to hurt his neck. Several weeks ago, his shoulder began hurting...not unbearable pain but bad enough he did go to the doctor (ok, to satisfy me). Doc didn't think it was anything too bad...maybe a strained muscle. Over time, it got worse and worse...almost daily. The pain was now in his shoulder, down his arm, into his hand (which was also numb), and his neck. Went back to the doc...he ordered pain meds and an MRI. By the weekend, he was in intense pain and we had to call the doctor on call Saturday. He put him on steroids and by Sunday the pain had begun to lessen. He was still having pain but he was better able to tolerate it. Monday was the MRI. The results showed about 5 discs are involved...some worse than others, but one is protruding into the spinal cord (explaining the intense pain). They're sending him to the orthopedist and we'll know more then. I'll keep ya posted.

I finally got around to fixing up that cushaw I mentioned in my last post...or was it the post before that? :O) Anyway, take my word for it, cushaw pie is good stuff. And within hours after making it, I had an empty pie pan to prove it. :O)
In closing, I'll post a picture of Katie's two bestest buddies. Here's Johann and Roosty waiting patiently for Katie to come out this morning.
They look as though they're having a nice conversation, don't they? :O)

When You Live Where We Live...

You just never know what kind of critter you'll find wandering around. This morning there were two hogs in the front yard. Of all things.

We've seen them lately meandering around in the fields around our place, and we have no idea whose they are. But they're good-sized hogs...and they'd be nice to have for the freezer. :O) But oh well, they must belong to somebody...so that means no hogs for my freezer. :O)

And I'm STILL doin' grapes!

Zowee! You wouldn't think that a few pecks of grapes would be that big of a deal! But I am still working on them! :O) I made another run of grape jam last night but was just too tired to finish the rest. I have enough left to get one more run. Pictured below are my jars of grape juice and one jar of jam...
The grape juice takes about 6 weeks to be ready to drink...and NO, I'm not fermenting it! haha! The jam, on the other hand, we are already eating and it is soooo good! We've wiped out half a jar already!
On a different subject, does anybody out there like to play Monopoly? I'm not a big fan, but Katie has a game called Farmopoly....same basic game but with farm-related differences. For instance, instead of passing "GO" as you do in Monopoly, you pass "GROW" in Farmopoly. :O) You can buy properties such as Cattle Call and Big Red Barn. And "Free Parking?" How about "Free Manure?" :O) It really is a cute little game. Katie loves it. So I took up the challenge to play her the other day. Yep. She whooped me. Fair and Square.
You can find all sorts of Monopoly-type games HERE. There's Gardenopoly, Volopoly (for all you UT fans), Clemsonopoly, Horseopoly, Fishin-opoly, and yes, there's even a Chocolate-opoly. Who would've thunk it? :O) They make neat gifts for people who have a particular passion or hobby.
Ok. I'm hushin'. Y'all come back soon!

Grapes Galore!

Didn't I mention in the last post that I was finished canning for the summer? And I was sure I told you I had packed away the canner for the year. Well....I take it back. A neighbor very kindly brought me at least a peck and a half of grapes! Yippee! So guess what I'm doin'? Yep, I'm canning again! Well, at least I've started canning again. Since I thought I was finished for the year, I haven't bothered stocking up on jar lids yet....I only had enough for 7 jars. So, last night, I canned 7 quarts of grape juice. I'll get more lids tomorrow and then I'll be making jam or jelly and more juice!
I've also got a pumpkin and a cushaw to prepare. I may make a pumpkin pie and freeze any leftover filling. Then I'll probably make a cushaw cake.
By the way, if you happen to be looking for a website that has lots of canning info, here's a good one: PICK YOUR OWN. This is quite an informative site...the how-to's of canning, canning/freezing recipes, dehydrating how-to's, where to find a "pick your own" farm in your state, and tons of other things! Just thought I'd pass that along! Might come in handy for ya one day. I'll be posting soon...won't be long til you'll be able to see more of my famous (or should I say infamous) jar pictures! Woohoo! Bye for now...y'all be good! :O)

Just an update...

Well, it's been a little while since I've updated. To be honest, there's nothing really new to report. :O) My canning days are over for the summer, so you know what that means...no more jar pictures! (I can sense your relief) Of course, it also means alot less work for me. (Can you sense my relief?) :O) The garden is finished for the year except for the turnip greens we planted a few weeks ago. We're letting the okra go to seed and other than that, there's nothing left but some pepper plants, which I am letting dry.
So what am I doing in my kitchen with all my free time now that I've packed the canner away? Well, if you're interested, I made a lemon meringue pie today...been a long time since I've done that. Mmmmm....

I do believe the dog days of summer are over.....

September is proving milder weather than August. The nights are much cooler...fall is just around the corner!
The kids are doing well in school. Katie and Rachel are both finding their work a bit harder than last years' work. Not only is it taking them longer to complete each day, but it also means studying harder. Jacob has a very light load for his last year of high school, but we planned it that way. We tried to get the majority of his credits in the 9th through 11th grades, leaving the senior year for other electives he might want to take....and of course, a part time job (which he cannot seem to find). He is really liking his college course. But then, who doesn't enjoy Economics, right??!!
So, you see, nothing earth shattering going on here. No amazing photos. No Irish fiddle videos. No life-altering news. Just the typical goings-on of the Ferguson crew....all of those day-to-day happenings in a family that make life worth living. And I'm lovin' every minute of it! :O)
Before I close this post, let me leave you with two things. First a quote by Blaise Pascal,(1623-1662), that I ran across today, which quite impressed me.

"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established,
that, unless we love the truth,
we cannot know it."

And then, for those of you who like to read, let me recommend a good book. Written by George Eliot and first published in 1859, Adam Bede has become one of my favorites. It's definitely a classic.
Ok, so I'm hushin'. I'll be back with an update soon. :O)