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)

It's That Time of Year Again!

Yep folks, it's that time again. I'm fixing to give you the lowdown on all we were able to preserve this summer. This season was better than last year's, even though I canned alot last year too. I'm always amazed at how the Lord blesses. Just look!

The picture doesn't show all of the jars from this summer....the rest of the jars are stored here and there in the house. There just wasn't room for all of them in the pantry. The freezer is loaded too! Just how much did we preserve this year?? I'm SO glad you asked!
Green Beans - 95 jars
Salsa - 11 jars
Tomatoes 37 jars (still canning these!)
Soup - 11 jars
Relish - 5 jars
Bread & butter pickles - 4 jars
The freezer is filled with:
Corn - 22 dozen
Apples - 24 qts.
Freezer pickles - 34 containers

Tomatoes are still coming in but they're beginning to slow down now. Besides okra, that's about all the garden is putting out now. Lord willing, we'll have turnip greens soon. Think I'll try freezing those. Anyway, thanks for coming by and putting up with my jar pictures. :O)

Ah! How Refreshing! :O)

If you haven't read my post entitled "A Dry and Thirsty Land", go read that first here...then come back here and read this post. :O) I'm very happy to report that our cow pond is filling back up again! Since I wrote that last post, it's rained alot here!! The Lord has sure sent showers of blessing our way and we are one thankful family. (So are the cows, I'm sure!)
Just look! Isn't it beautiful? :O)
Now...on a different note, Jacob started his college course this week!! I was about as excited as he was! My kids will tell you what a pest I am with the camera and, yes, I forced the poor boy to pose with his college book so I could take his picture. I shut my ears to his pleas of "But Mom! Please don't make me do this!" I pretended not to see that he had rolled his eyes in the back of his head. Hey, if I don't document their lives in pictures, who will? They'll thank me for it one day, I'm sure. Well...I'm not exactly sure, but at least their lives will be documented in pictures. :O)
He seemed to think he's going to really enjoy the Economics class. Time will tell! He was disappointed that they had one class, then there isn't another class for 2 weeks because of the Labor Day holiday! Oh well, at least he's got lots of time to get his homework done. I wonder who he thinks is the tougher teacher....me or his professor! Hmm, I just might ask. :O) I asked him a gazillion questions about his class when he got home. In some ways, as a homeschool mom, this is sort of like a "test" for me too! Lots of thoughts are whirling through my head. Have I taught him everything I should have? Did I miss anything? I have tried to be very careful through the years in making sure the kids get everything they need academically. Now that things are getting down to the nitty gritty, I'm anxiously watching. :O) Hopefully, there won't be any "smack-your-forehead-and-wonder-how-I-could've-missed-that" moments! Oh, yikes!

PS - Miss you Amy! :O)

A Dry and Thirsty Land

THIS....
is was our cow pond. We've been pumping water out of our other pond to fill the water trough for the cows. And THIS...
is a picture of that pond. Not much left there either.
The pasture is really getting dry.
Reminds me of these Bible verses:
Psalms 63:1 ¶O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 ¶Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 ¶Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Ah...so much to be thank the Lord for. :O)

Edit: Just as I finished posting this, the rain began to fall!!! Thank you, Lord!! And now, I'm going out to play! :O)