Windyyyyyyyyyyyy

Was up in the low 40;s when I went out to do chores this morning. Very windy which makes it seem colder. And Dave said it was 35 degrees when he left for work yesterday morning at 5:30 am.
Fed and watered the chickens and turkeys and the cow Spring came over to the fence; she was wanted some grain and hay, the fields are drying out bad. The bull of course had to have some to. 
So hay went into the trough and got them each a 1/2 bucket of ground barley and whole oats. They were happy campers. 
As I came back in I noticed the turkeys were all hunkered down out of the wind.
I have the last batch of peach jam going this morning and it sure is good. We had to open a jar and try it.
We did get spit on late yesterday as far as rain goes; they are saying 50% chance today now so we are still praying for rain.
I am trying to work on the sequel to After The Dying Time, I hopefully will get some time today to do that. 
Yesterday with Kathy and baby Kaylee home there was no way to do any on it lol. She works today (leaves here at around 10:30 and gets home around 9 pm) Kaylee goes to day care until papa (Dave) can pick her up after work.
I made up the cover for After The Dying Time with a deer hide we tanned, a drop spindle, the knife I gave Dave for a birthday present and a leather purse I made a few years ago.
These are e books also.

Sal's book store front

One of our older daughters Christine that lives even more in the boonies then we do (in the mountains of Idaho) called and wanted to know if the book is done yet lol. She has been anxiously waiting.  
She also called to say her husband Custis just hasn't been able to get over a illness he picked up and was finally going to the doctor, he has lost half his body weight in the last few months. :( He hasn't been able to work so she has been working three jobs to make ends meet.
Our daughter Coral that has just moved to AZ from being stationed in Germany called to say I had accidentally mailed our insurance bill to them with their mail WHOOPS. All their mail was coming here while they were in transit.
I have a package to mail out to them today so I have to remember to run to the post office this morning at about 11:30. That way it will go down to the valley today at least; hopefully. 
Mail always takes an extra when mailed out from here or when coming here. Plus we need to go down and check for mail more then twice a week.
Well back to work.

Still dry

It is official wood stove burning season at our house as of two days ago. It started off again today a bright cool 42 degree day, and we are supposed to have a high of 59 today with a slight possibility of rain. We really need some of that wet stuff. The whole area is in high fire danger. 
There were two fires 2 hours north of us last Thursday that closed state road 195 to Moscow. So we are hoping for rain in the next couple of days while there is a chance of it. All the way up to 70% chance tomorrow.
I am still working on the peach jam, I didn't get it finished last week.

I am moving slow this morning that doesn't help me get things done lol.
Oh last Friday morning Mr. borrowed bull decided to go on walk about. A neighbor that lives like 3 miles up the road was going to the post office for his mail and called here to tell us that Mr. Bull was 2 miles up the road. (We don't have mail delivery out here.) The other bull is visiting the neighbor cows.
So its off we go to find him. He had jumped into a field and was close to the road. Dave walked him to a place where we could get him back on the road and started to walk him back to our place while I took the truck and ran home to open the back field gate. Then back to Dave and bull to be able to help control where the bull went. Long story short we got him back in mostly I think because he was thirsty and went straight for the pond.
Well I best get my rear in gear.

Nice weekend

It was a very nice weekend, not to hot not to cold. The garden got weeded and watered, lots of hard work for Dave.

 
We washed pitted and pureed about 19 lbs of peaches to get them ready for jam making this week. 
Got to do a little shopping and had little Kaylee on Sunday for Church.
I was giving a short talk on Family History in Relief Society (women's class) and Dave happened to be teaching a Priesthood lesson on Family History.
I printed out pictures of 8 generations to pin up in class. Kaylee, Kathy, me, My mom Frieda, grandma Icie, great grandma Anna, being held by g g grandma Lydia and ggg grandma Abarilla born 1847. Future, present and past.

Ick this doesn't taste good. Kaylee

Kathy 1988

 

Sally 1956 MI

Frieda 1931 Wis.

Icie Fern Barker 1911

Lydia Margaret Bloomfield and baby Anna KY 1893

Abarilla Plummer Bloomfield KY

We have 2 birthdays this week and Dave had to call this morning and say hey its Seth's and Terra's birthday's. I said OH MY GOSH. Where did the month go.
Seth's is the day before Terra's, we had to have her birthday in the hospital after he was born. Dave made the cake a Holly Hobby cake and brought the 6 children to the waiting room so we could have her 9th birthday together when he was born. We lived in Colorado then.

 Iowa, Terra in red with hand on Seth's head.

Coral and family have landed and driven to AZ per Army orders. But at least they are back in the states after 10 years in Germany.
Oh I was looking at a product for our computers called the  System Optimizer, http://digeus.com/products/systemoptimizer/system-optimizer.html
It looks like we will all need things like this more and more. I know we have problems that have to be cleaned up from time to time and it would be great to have something simple and easy to use. 
And we just bought that Dragon Naturally Speaking for me, oh my gosh is it nice.
Well time to get jars washed and a batch of peach jam made.

Team Work

Dave picked the 2 grand kids up at a park Sunday afternoon where they were with the other grand parents and I had them here with me on Monday.
DJ picked Dave up from work Monday night on his way through to our house as our Escape is in the shop. Then they picked up grand daughter Kaylee from daycare and headed home.
I had supper all ready when they got here. A baked 6 pound chicken, baked potatoes, green beans, corn and a chocolate cake for after.
Was a good 2 days here. We always have a good visit and good time with them over. Hubby took a 2 day vacation to be here to.
We picked up wood at the top of our hill in the woods and brought it down to the wood pile, visited, washed cars and the truck and relaxed together.

First load

More Jam

Tuesday was a day of cleaning and pureeing apricots along with making 3 batches of jam.. Wednesday was a day off from canning day, and today its been a jam day again. Last batch is in now and it is a combo apple/plum jam.

Wednesday was a day of hawks and eagles sitting in the trees above the chicken yard and the chickens didn't care for it one bit. One time it was 2 hawks and 1 eagle at the same time. I scared them off.

Wow its August

It didn't take long too get to August, bam.
We were hoping for more rain last week but only got a few sprinkles. There is another chance for rain tonight and tomorrow, 40%.
I got some apple jelly made last week and need to start on apricots tomorrow. We picked up 18 lbs of apricots for $4.00. this past Saturday. So they will become jam. I will wash,sort, take out the pits and throw them in a blender to puree. And make that into jam. I have done it that way for well over 30 years.
We also picked up 20 pounds of peaches, they weren't as good a price but they will sure be good jam etc. At least they can wait a few days.
I caught a brown eagle peaking out from the top of a tall pine tree on Thursday. I was about to get another picture as it flew off but a car came along and I was standing in the middle of the road. So I missed his take off.

More clean up

It was another weekend of tree cutting and clean up. The logs and branches are now out of the back yard and the dead trees are cut up on top of the hill from the house but still need picked up. So that will be another weekend chore.

Our cow Spring thought we were doing something interesting so she came to see. She is so nosy.

It was also time to wash the escape, poor car sure needed it.

It was Saturday so we got to watch Kaylee and she just loves the seat swing, she can now get on by herself. It was still cool in the morning when she was out. Later I tied her little long sleeve shirt around her waist and she didn't know what to think of that. She is so fair we have to try and keep hats on her. Tank the cat thought she would pet him.

I threw red and pinto beans with some left over ham in a pot on Thursday and it was nice to just warm that up when we were hungry. Made short work of making meals.
Today is laundry day and vacuuming up after our little cookie crumb-er. She did a royal good job this weekend.
Our son Seth had another surgery on one of his feet and is hoping to be healed enough by September to not have any trouble with his classes. He has been having to go back and forth to Seattle once a week.His wife Jessie is a nurse and working hard to keep them going. Here is a picture of them from a couple years ago. I know I have another but I can't find it at the moment.

  Our daughter Coral and her dear husband Kirk with their 2 children are working hard at packing to move from Germany they will fly into the states in the middle of August. hard to believe this is the last family picture I have of them (3yrs ago).

 Well I am off to hang another load of clothes. Always laundry to do.