Bad Colds Here

We have some real bad colds here. Dear hubby came down with it a couple of days ago and I'm going on 12 days with mine. :(

It is 8 degree's F. right now out there but at least the wind isn't blowing like a banshee like yesterday with the cold. We also have several inches of snow with some ice under that.

Daughter in Afghanistan detached her Achilles tendon from her right heel yesterday and they are supposed to be getting her on her way to Kandahar and then to Dubai for surgery. There is a time limit in which it can be fixed right. :(. Yikes.

Woke Up To Snow

Yep we woke up to a few inches of the white stuff.

Thanksgiving went very well and we got to visit with 2 parts of the family. So many of my pictures didn't turn out :(.

                                                   48 pound smoked turkey

Cooking

Granddaughter and her great grand

 Grand & boyfriend holding 2 of the great grands & great great grandmother beside them.

Grands having a good time together

More cooking

Daughter in laws folks

Mild Fall So Far

It's been a real nice mild fall as far as the weather goes so far. Some cold, frosts, rain and lots of wind but else not bad. A little drier than we like it but the rain finally moved in again a few days ago. We go from totally dry to mud but one can't have one without the other.

A cold front is coming in this week so here comes the cold. My sister and cousins in the UP of Michigan have already been getting snow.

My sister Laura in the UP passed the 15 of October from her fight with cancer. It took a couple of days for us to get the news. She was 55 years old. So young yet.

It was time to clean the chicken coop again and down new straw.

I did manage to get some Elderberry syrup made for helping to keep some illnesses at bay. This time off of our own elderberry bushes. First year we have gotten any berries from them.

We keep our daughter in Afghanistan close in our prayers. Lots going on over there.

Also all of our condolences to those losing loved ones to this war.

Fall Work

Fall is upon us and so there are things to be done before we're deep in snow.

Mowing the fields to ready them for spring.

The plums are picked.

Woodshed is being filled. Time for new tarps it seems. We're hoping to build a wooden shed for the wood next summer.

Son S from down in the valley came up to help his dad get our 10 yr old camper readied for winter by blowing out the water lines.

Muffit the turkey hen decided this morning that she likes the roof of the house.

Bear: Persevering And Cooking

Bear

Cut up your bear as you would a hog.  You can salt cure the hams and shoulders the same also.  You can cook your bear the same as you cook venison and elk, or you can parboil your bear meat in water with several large apples, when the apples fall apart the bear meat is ready to be seasoned and baked as you wish.  Make sure bear meat is cooked well. This kind of info can also be found in the Foxfire books.  My dad always thought bear meat was on the greasy side.

The following is a good recipe for roasts of all kinds:

Old Fashion Roast From Frieda born in KY.

My mother mentioned above taught me this recipe for to-die-for roasts many years ago and her mother taught it to her and so on. You can use it with elk, beef, and pork; beef and pork don’t need as much garlic.  Take your three-pound or so roast, rub a flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper mixture on it, then take a few garlic cloves and make a few holes in the roast and shove in them in.  Grease your roasting pan with a generous amount of bacon grease, pour in ½ cup water, lay roast in pan and cover with strips of bacon.  Next, add small potatoes or larger ones cut in half, then add your carrots cut in half-length wise, cut large ends in half.  Add to pan also, and then slice in thick rings of onions to cover roast.  Put on lid or cover snugly with aluminum foil.  Cook in oven 300 degrees for four to five hours.  Check about every ½ hour after three hours depending on the size of the roast.  Of course more hours for bigger roasts.  With a really big roast- whole potatoes and just cut carrots in half.  If you want good venison, bacon and garlic are a must.

Smoke Gone and Cooled Down.

The air has cleaned up. We only smell smoke once in a great while now. We did get one good rain almost 2 weeks ago and that did help. But that has been the only rain all summer.

We got up to a temperature of 46 degrees F. this morning. Was that when we went to bed as well. Today and the next 2 will be in the low 80's during the day and then back to the 70's until Tuesday where the weather folk are saying we will have the high of 64. F.
We have had our first frosts in the second week of September before.

We have picked what apples we can reach on the big tree by the house and the few apples on the newest of the two semi dwarf trees out in the garden area. One of those big black and white hornets got me that was on the back of an apple. Man alive those thing hurt and it 20 hours for the pain to go down to a dull pain finally.

I did get a few more bags made from grain bags made and added some decor to them. I lined one but that sure takes more time. I don't think I will do that unless someone wants one lined for some purpose.

Still Smoke but Cooler

It has cooled down the last couple of days but still smoky.

Dh helped the neighbor get his lean-to joists up so a hard roof can be put on before winter hits. He also went and helped get a small bridge fixed for a 99 year old lady who still works her own wheat fields. Today he helped clean and mow a yard for someone who just got out of the hospital.

Not much else going on besides taking care of the chickens, turkeys, dogs, cat and visiting mules. These three are looking for their carrot treat.

Just some pictures from around the farm from this summer.

Dave took this one below on his way home one evening.

The wood pecker who had her next in a tree next to the house.

Trying Something New Some Pics of Me

Here we go from beginning to now. Born in Wisconsin to a hard working waitress and a lumber jack. The 2 sitting on the step is me and my first cousin Dennis. The other boys I am with are my brothers and step brother.

Needed this cool down

We are supposed to have a cool front come in tonight. It will be high 70's instead of 90's for a couple of days. Looking forward to it that's for sure.

We took the 28-3 1/2 year old layers to someone that wanted them. So we are down to 8 layers for now until the new hens start to lay in a month or so.

The 2 grand children from AZ were here for 4 days. They seemed to love helping with the chickens and turkeys and helping to transfer them to the big chicken area.

 They both took turns clipping tree branches as well.

One of my older brothers and his lady came out to visit our mom for a couple of days and they came up to see us as well for like 3 hours. It had been 10 years since I had seen him. I was still wearing my chore clothes :).

Bathroom Mostly Finished

The bathroom is pretty much finished except for the flooring. That will be done when we fix the kitchen floor. Under the temporary vinyl are the porch boards since it was a back porch back in the day when the place was built.

Before.

After: And finding out that the wall there on the right is tilted in as it goes up. Made things more interesting than we needed.

Yay verily yay, a toilet in that flushes all the time, not just half the time if that.

 The vanity and sink were put in yesterday with a new faucet set :). The flooring will go down when we do the kitchen floor and just take it into the bathroom. Plus he is going to make a cabinet next to the vanity to put things in that will be below the med. cabinet which goes goes up on the wall Monday.
The door to the bathroom from the kitchen isn't back on as yet as we need to replace part of the frame work that is bad. Be prepared lol.

 Yesterday evening dear hubby put the last of the middle support boards in for the see through roof panels for the green house.

Wish I was in Church today but I am not feeling well and that redone bathroom is way more than my friend today. I would never make the 40 minute drive.

Redoing Bathroom GADS

We pulled the sink and vanity, toilet, did some first coat painting and then dh started tearing up the 6 layers of flooring and several inches high bathroom floor. All had more than enough screws, nails and staples and glue.
1. Vinyl
2. Particle board
3. More particle board
4. Carpet
5. Linoleum
6. Plywood
Then the old board used as the base of the floor. We think the bathroom was put in, in the 1950's. There used to be a outdoor John behind the garage.
We have 55 inches by 60 to work with for sink, vanity and toilet. Plus the small bedroom doorway into the bathroom.

Layer of carpet under other layers being pulled out below.

 And wa la down to the oldest floor boards, finally.

Making a template for the cement board

Cutting the cement board

One of the daughters came up and brought the grand girl that will spend a few days here.

All fireworks shown were safe and legal.