Need A Funny Caption

                                  What's your caption for this week?



Last Week:

Wet Willy!!!


This week's caption coined by Sharon over at:
Fitzgerald's Family Farm

Hop on over to her blog and check out how
Week 4 of her Pantry Challenge went.
(Oh, and her homemade pizza dough)






Other captions were:


Look mommy, I fit three Legos in his ear. I like having a baby in the family!
From Patrice over at: Everyday Ruralty



MAMA? What's he putting in my ear?
From Jill over at: Welcome to...Chillin' With Jill




Qtip! i need a Qtip!
From TexWisGirl over at: The Run *A* Round Ranch Report



'I said be assertive not insertive!'
From V. L. Locey over at: Thoughts from a Yodeling Goatherder




"Will somebody please tell him I don't WANT a big brother?!"
From Mama Pea over at: A Home Grown Journal




This won't hurt a bit, I promise ...
From Kelly V




Here! Quick! Hide my candy--mom's coming!
From labbie1 over at: The Adventures of Garrett Squared





watch....if you stick your finger in here, he stops crying!
From Tasha on Facebook




"That's not where they usually put the thermometer!"
From Christy on Facebook




Super thanks for playing everyone!!!

     This is a picture of grandson Tato, holding his cousin Remington.  It was Remington's first time at our family gathering, and Tato was "checkin' him out".   Tato will be checking out his new brother/sister in just a couple of weeks.  He is so excited. (and so am I!)

.....dr momi

Canning 101 -- Tools Of The Trade

The Bubble Freer:
    
     The thing I keep forgetting to use.  It's important to use.  If there are a lot of bubbles left in your canned food, it means there is oxygen left in the canned food.  Oxygen = mold, bacteria, etc.  Using something as a bubble freer after the food is in the jar and before you put the lid on, is needed.  There are plastic flexible sticks sold for this, or you could use a small spatula.  The bubble freer goes along the inside perimeter of the jar and then  gently gets pulled toward the center -- bubbles will escape.  I will do that 4 or 5 times around the jar.




Two different batches of applesauce.
No bubble freer used on the left.
It's a big difference.  Note to self....USE THE BUBBLE FREER!

 

Read The Rest Of The Series:
Canning 101 -- Who Cares About Headspace
Canning 101 -- Why 2-Piece Lids?

.....jean

Linked To: Farm Photo Friday
Linked To: Preparedness Challenge # 31
LInked To: Homestead Barn Hop #47

Need A Funny Caption

What's your caption for this week?

Last Week:

"Yes! I knew if I just pulled hard enough..."

This week's caption coined by Mama Tea over at:

A Farmish Kind of Life

Hop on over to her blog and check out her

roomy chicken coop in "Big Red" (her barn :-)

Other captions were:

I hope you got a big jar 'cause I am ready to start canning!

coined by Melodie over at:

Laughing Duck Farm

(canned monster truck....bet it tastes like chicken :-)

"GGRRR, beware the Claw"

coined by Dicky Bird over at:

Dicky Bird's Nest

Thanks for playing Need a Funny Caption!!!

This is a picture of my Grandson Logan who

always asks, "Grandma....can I play with that?",

when he sees my jar lifter on the counter :-)

I bought a new one and let him play with the old one.

.....dr momi

Sunday in Pictures

My first farmhouse cheddar cheese is aging in the basement.
I have to practice more.  I really don't know if I'm using the press correctly or not.
It came with NO instructions.

I racked the Maple Sap Wine (recipe here).
In Sept. for our fair competition, it was not ready.
Today....not bad! The recipe said it tasted better after a year -- a year is coming right up.
It's getting nice and clear and I'll bottle it in a couple of weeks.
I would make it again.
It does not taste like maple at all, and it is dry instead of sweet.  ....and potent.



I racked the 3 gallons of elderberry wine too.
It's still way cloudy (it's still early).  I added oak chips.  I added oak chips last
year and really liked it -- you know, like it was aged in an oak keg.
(the apple wine is coming along -- has a way to go)



The mitten tree I got for Christmas has been getting a good workout.
After ice fishing yesterday the grandkids were soaked.
I heard they "played" with a fish all afternoon.
As the gloves dried it smelled like I was roasting fish!

.....dr momi

Chicken Liver Pate

Before you go "blech",  I will just have you know there were three crackers on this plate
and I unconsciously ate 2 of them before I took the picture! YUM!
THIS is what I want my organic chicken livers to become each year!!
(I will work at a better cracker underneath it.)

Organic Chicken Liver Pate

1 # organic chicken livers
1 cup milk (I used goat milk)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 TBL, olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3-4 small garlic cloves minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt - or to taste
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup brandy

Put liver into milk and refrigerate for two hrs. (or overnight if you just forgot about it like me :-)
Melt butter, add oil and onions and cook over med. until soft, then add garlic.  Cook a little longer (do not brown).
Add liver and spices cook until liver is brown with just a bit of pink inside.
Remove skillet from burner and add brandy.  Put back on burner and light the brandy. 
Continue cooking until all liquid is gone.  Let cool.  Remove bay leaves.
Blend till smooth. (I used an immersion blender - worked good)   Refrigerate until very cold. Freezes well.


.....dr momi


Linked To: Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop

From Another Winter



The old horse paddock fence.
Chewed on (notice the new board on top) and pushed on.



Linked To: Friday Fences

A Boone Story

     Boone was the 5th puppy I raised for Leader Dogs For The Blind.  He would always watch TV.  It did not surprise me when he was "career changed"  because he was "easily distracted".  Usually the puppies pay no attention at all to TV.

     Boone had a problem with knowing if he was seeing reality or not.  One day he was watching Martha Stewart.  That day she had a whole bunch of cats and dogs on the show -- all on a table.  Boone eyed up the terrier pup and watched him go back and forth on the table.  Pretty soon that terrier pup jumped off the table and out of sight on the left side of the screen.

     Boone started wagging his tail quickly, and ran up to the left side of the TV --- to go see that terrier pup.  He could not figure out where he went!  He was so ready to play.  We had a good laugh.

      Another time he was watching the news. They were showing a mountain lion treed in someones back yard.  I had never heard him growl at any time before, but when he saw that mountain lion, he knew instinctively it was not a good thing and growled viciously -- all the while backing up.    .....animal behavior is so interesting.




Boone 8 months old.
Now a family pet.  The career he decided on :-)

.....dr momi

Need A Funny Caption

What's you caption for this week?

                                                        Last Week:

For today's lesson in self awareness we will begin with releasing our inner wolf.

You are a mighty wolf...see the wolf...feel the wolf...you are the wolf...

Last week's caption by Melodie over at"

Laughing Duck Farm

Hop on over to her blog and check out her naturally

dyed yarn -- beautiful!

I truly laughed out loud when I read your caption Melodie!

This was a hard week to pick one -- they all made me laugh!

Other captions were:

From Gail over at: At The Farm

There's just something about bad dogs that made Yellow Dog swoon every time.

From Ronda over at: The Pauley Principle

                                              Now watch and try it again. GRRR-R-R, like you mean it!

From Leigh over at: 5 Acres & a Dream

"I've been so excited about watching this documentary, 'How to Release Your Inner Wolf.' "

From Kathy 

When the "God of all Dogs" speaks, I listen. "Hail CAESAR!"

This is a picture of Future Leader Dog Boone

watching the movie Snow Dogs on TV.

He watched TV all the time.  I'll post "A Boone Story" tomorrow. 

 It will make you smile.

I had lots of comments about the sticker on his "bum".  :-)

Pioneer Women does that on her blog -- I like it. 

 Better than throwing the pic out :-)

By the way, Boone never made it as a Leader Dog -- too distracted. 

He is now a very happy pet.

.....dr momi

Sunday in Pictures



This was my first try at Candy C.'s  Onion Cheese Rolls.
Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Are they good!
Making the rosettes was super easy,  though they did
 not turn out as beautiful as Candy's.  I will keep practicing.
 These are officially a regular recipe in  this house!  Thank-you Candy!
Husband's take...."man these are good!"














You heard that Sonnet did not work out at our house?
I wish she had.  She sure was good with kids.















3:30 game snacks......using up what's on hand.....Nachos.
5:00 -- Barbecued Ribs
....but alas, it's a sad, sad, day in Packerland.



Tato's puppy is named "Billy" and Gracie's puppy is named "Butschy" :-)

We have very little snow on our itty bitty hill,
but the kids had a blast sledding this afternoon.

.....dr momi

A Blackjack Story

     No, not a blackjack story, a Blackjack story.  Blackjack was the 4th puppy I raised for Leader Dogs for The Blind.  He's a black lab, out in the field now, leading a blind person.  When Blackjack was about about 6 months old, his head stood about 2 1/2 feet off the ground.  When Blackjack was 6 months old; my grandson Ryan was about 2 years old, and his face was about 2 1/2 feet off the ground.

      One Sunday evening when the whole family -12 adults - were over for supper, Ryan sneezed.  I do believe both sinuses totally emptied -- both nostrils had snot hanging down 3 inches. (Sorry, it's gross I know :-)  In unison, every adult in the room said  "quick, get a tissue!"  As noted, Blackjack's head stood exactly the same height as Ryan's face.  Blackjack heard the sneeze, wandered over, and with one great big lick, took care of the situation!   ......in unison everyone said, "eehwww...never mind!"

     Did we all laugh big belly laughs......and NO puppy kisses for a while.



Blackjack
Sorry about the watermark.  Seems this Christmas,
black lab pictures were in high demand :-)

 .....dr momi

Canning 101...Who Cares About Headspace?

     The space in the canning jar from the underside of the lid to the top of the food or liquid in the jar is called the headspace.  Too little headspace, and the food may bubble over during processing.  The residual food may interfere with the seal of the lid, not to mention making a mess in the canner.  Too much headspace and the food at the top may discolor in storage.

     Too little headspace is usually my problem if I'm going to have one.  There's nothing worse than canned salmon over flowing it's jar in the pressure canner!  Learning where the headspace is on your jar really helps a lot.





Turn your jar to where the threads "overlap".
That is not necessarily the front of the jar.









1/4 inch is at the first thread.
1/2 inch is at the middle thread.
1 inch is just below the "finish". (just below that last "thread")
1 1/4 inches is halfway down the shoulder.
1 1/2 inches is just below the shoulder.



     When you are using your jar filler, get used to where these marks are on your filler.  On my filler, just to the bottom of it is 1 inch.  The more you can, knowing where your headspace marks are, just comes naturally.

     Different foods have different headspace because of how that food expands or doesn't expand in the jar.  Your recipe usually tells you how much headspace you should leave.  When I can foods to compete at my county fair, headspace is very important to the judge.  The wrong headspace will be disqualified right away.  These are the headspaces required for our fair, and in general, what you should use for everyday canning.

Jams and Jellies.......1/4 inch
Pickles......................1/2 inch
Fruits........................1/2 inch
Tomatoes.................1/2 inch
Vegetables...............1 inch
Meats.......................1 to 1 1/2 inches


Read the rest of the series (just getting started):
Canning 101 -- Why 2-Piece Lids?

.....jean

Linked To: Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop
Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop

Dog Fights

      Sonnet, the retired Leader Dog we adopted, is a dominate female.  She has been asserting that dominance over our golden retriever Billy, since she got here.  If I were her kindergarten teacher, the "does not get along well with others" box would be checked on her report card.

     It's been a month and 1/2 of keeping alert to make sure we don't have out and out dog fights in the house.  Billy puts up with it so long, until he can't stand it anymore, and then he fights back.  The other day, both were outside playing while Rick was stacking wood.  He was throwing the ball when the big fight happened.  Billy won't let "anyone" get his ball, his retrieving is serious business.

     This was the out and out dog fight.  Rick almost got bit pulling them apart.  Billy had a cut under his eye, and Sonnet had a scrape across her chest.  That's when we knew this wasn't working out.  We could foresee a summer of making sure we didn't have both dogs outside at the same time and being on alert in the house all the time.

     After talking it over with Bob (Sonnet's legally blind partner for so many years), Sonnet has been returned to him for now.  She will be a "pet" until his new dog comes.  When Leader Dogs for the Blind comes to deliver his new dog, Sonnet will go back with them and will be adopted by someone on their waiting list for dogs.  Bob wishes he could keep her, but, the condo he lives in doesn't allow pet dogs over 45 pounds and he would end up in the same situation with his new dog and Sonnet.  Sonnet would be asserting her dominance constantly.

     We are all saddened by this.  It's something we didn't see coming.  I so wanted Sonnet to stay in the area so Bob could see her once in a while, but, she needs to be placed in a home with no other dogs.  If anyone locally is interested in her let me know.  She was so good with my grandchildren, we could hardly believe it.  Four feet were always on the ground and ever so gentle.  She is a great house dog -- without another dog around.

There were times of peace.
Love you Sonnet.

 .....dr momi
  

Need A Funny Caption

What's your caption for this week?

Last Week:



since i decided to go 'redhead', i'm definitely an 'autumn'!
From TexWisGirl over at:
The Run *A* Round Ranch Report
How do you come up with these captions Tex??? LOL
Go over and check out one of her birdwatching posts.
I've never heard of ducks named Gadwalls.



Other captions were:



"Sorry about all the leaves, but when I chewed up the tree they
just kind of- er-eh- fell. You didn't like that tree anyway. Did you?"
 From Patrice over at:  Everyday Ruralty


"Wait...you mean they were in that big pile on purpose?!?"
From Candy C. over at:  Lazy J Bar C Farm


"I'm trying to let my hair grow out. It's at the awkward stage."
From Mama Pea over at:  A Home Grown Journal




Yuck that didn't taste so good.
From Sandi over at:  Chatty Crone



Thank-you to everyone that left comments
w/o a caption.  You know I love that too!!!

      This is a picture of my husband's hunting dog (before Billy), a Springer Spaniel named Blitz.  We lost him a couple of years ago at 14 years old.  He was a pheasant dog deluxe.  I was throwing the ball for him in this pic......he was a retrieving maniac.

.....dr momi

Canning 101 -- Why 2-Piece Lids?



      Everybody raise your hands that has canned something in a 1-piece lid.  You know, you saved the jar and it's lid, reused it to can your jelly, and it worked good -- a nice seal by the sound of the "pop" when you opened it.  I did it.  Then I found out why I shouldn't.

     When a manufacturer cans ....say...their artichokes in a jar, they fill that jar right up to the very top with liquid and then use a device to create a vacuum that sucks any air out of the jar. At the very same time, the lid is put on.  This is all done by machine.

     In home canning we have no devise to get all the air out of the jar.  This is where a two-piece lid comes in.  By a two-piece lid I mean the canning lid and the screw band.  When in a water bath or pressure canner, a two-piece lid allows air to escape from the jar.  This is why you only put the rings on to finger-tip pressure -- not tight.  You want that air to escape. 

Reusable Tattler lids are also a 2-piece lid, which you put on to finger-tip pressure, but then you have to remember to tighten the lid when it comes out of the canner to get a nice seal.

     So what's the big problem with oxygen in your canned jar?  Well, some bacteria thrive on it, but that's not the main reason to make sure there is no oxygen in your jar. The bacteria can be controlled with acidity.  Mold is probably the main reason to get the oxygen out of your jar.  Molds require air and water to grow.  The other reason is food quality.  The color, flavor, and odor of the canned goods are all compromised when there is air in the jar. 

     This is a start to a series of Canning 101 posts..I can find time to write them now, ..... in the middle of canning season.....not so much. :-)

Tsk, Tsk miss jean.  Yes I did it.
A just opened jar of strawberry jam from 2 years ago.
No I'm not throwing it away, but, .....not doing it any more.

.....jean

Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop

Sunday in Pictures



"Fuzzy Wuzzy" Peach.  A pony we owned years ago.
We were going to breed her and then never did.
She pretty much just ate hay and pooped.  :-)













Romeo (1/2 Arab - 1/2 App, .... a colt  I bred), and Peach.
It's not what you think.......  :-)













Pony Pals .... Daisy and Peach
Daisy was my youngest daughter Kerri's pony when she was growing up.
Daisy was Registered 1/2 Rocky Mountain Horse, therefore gaited.   ......smooth ride.
Of course that smooth ride means nothing if your pony stops suddenly
 from a canter, and you fly over her head like a torpedo.  Ask Kerri.











Arab Dance
My full arab brood mare Abra Aziz.
(dam of Romeo)











Miniature Donkey Boots.
Just a baby here yet.  He grew up to be the meanest animal ever.


    



     This was memory lane for me.  I still love horses, but I'm glad I don't have the chores (or bills) anymore :-)   .....dr momi

Need A Funny Caption

                                What's your caption for this week?

Last Week:





"Okay, who spiked the apple juice?"

                                                   From V. L. Locey over at:
                                           Thoughts from a Yodeling Goatherder


                                       If you like Need A Funny Caption, hop on over to
                                                        Thoughts from a Yodeling Goatherder to check out her
                                               "One-Liner" post -- I didn't know anyone else was doing this!  I love it!
                                                             (One of the lines made me burst out laughing)
                                                                                              



                                              Other captions were:

                                                                     egg nog, schmegg nog! yuck!

From TexWisGirl over at:
Run *A* Round Ranch Report

Call me elf, one more time!

From Deb over at:
Dancing Apron Farmer



                                           What's a baby gotta do to get some prune juice around here!?!?!?

From Melodie over at:
Laughing Duck Farm

                                                                  "Get that camera outta my face!"

From Candy C. over at:
Lazy J Bar C Farm

   Santa ate the rest of the Christmas cookies!

  From Mooberry Farmwife over at:
   Mooberry Farm Homesteading Journal



                                                  O M Gosh it really stinks
                                                                                 From Ellen From Georgia



                                                                                  "I AM smiling."

From Mama Pea over at:
A Home Grown Journal

"Wait till I reach my terrible 2's!"

From Nancy over at:
Babbelot

This is a picture of my grandson Tato.
 I swear he is the master of facial expression :-)

.....jean

Mullein Works!

     I am so glad I picked mullein this summer.  Around here, every other person has a bad cold that goes into bronchitis/pneumonia or they have the out and out flu.

     The nasty cold that wants to become bronchitis was what I fought.  I was taking echinacea tea, and elderberry juice.  These were helping keep things at bay for a couple of days, but this was a nasty bug, and  I could feel it wanting to go into my lungs.  My lymph glands felt like I had the mumps.  Bring out the mullein.  I made tea.

     Two handfuls of crushed dried mullein to two quarts of water.  This time I also added a handful of dried horsetail, and a handful of dried dandelion leaf.  Heat it to just before it boils.  Then take it off the burner and let it steep until cool enough to drink.  It will taste green.  I let it get cool enough to drink down quickly.  Within 2 cups of this tea, my lymph glands were normal size, no more of that menthol feeling in the lungs, and the mucous thinned right down -- just as if I had taken Sudafed.   I am amazed all over again!  Three days of  taking three coffee mugs of mullein tea a day and I was well on the upside of over it.  Three days instead of 6 weeks,.....hm-m-m-m, so glad I had some. (note to self -- pick still more mullein this summer for friends and family!)

     Here's the action (what it does) of mullein:

1) Demulcent -- it thins mucous and makes it slippery
2) Diuretic -- gets rid of water (not as big a diuretic as dandelion)
3) Expectorant -- helps your cough (gets things up)
4) Anti-spasmatic -- helps with that harsh dry cough





More on gathering mullein here.

.....jean

Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop



Disclaimer

The information on this blog is being provided for education purposes only. Statements about the possible health benefits provided by any foods or diet have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your health care provider with all questions concerning your health.