ADDED SOME MORE HONEYBEE JARS

Almost two months ago, we posted HERE about these great limited edition jars from Ball.

At the time, I only picked up a 4 pack.  I said then that I might have to get another one.  Or two.  They had been out, but the other day they had restocked.  I decided to get two more.  That gives us a dozen which seems like a nice, even number, almost like having "a case" or something, ha.

Photo courtesy of www.ballmasonjars.com

Saw this on the website showing the jars...it's something called a Pimm's Cup (cocktail).  We'll have to look that up because it looks amazing.  Anyway, looking forward to having these jars in our collection.  They will be useful and cute, ha.

Friday is here, long weekend ahead.

BLUEBERRIES CREAM CHEESE AND BAGELS OH MY

Yesterday, we posted HERE about our blueberries and my wasp encounter.

First of all, my hand is much better, swelling is almost gone, pain is completely gone, and my knuckles are almost all the way back, LOL.

We had another small batch and put them them in the fridge.  When I gathered these big ones this weekend, we decided to use them all somehow.

I decided to make a small batch of blueberry cream cheese.  It was super simple, no real recipe; I took some softened cream cheese, put a tiny bit of sugar in the blueberries and mashed them up (the sugar to draw out moisture) and then just stirred it all together.

It turned a beautiful pink/purple color.

We toasted some bagels, spread the blueberry cream cheese all over and dropped the plump sweet berries over the top of that.  It was delicious!

When you turn something you grew into a meal, even the small harvests are worth it.

BLUEBERRIES WASPS AND PAIN OH MY

So this happened:

Look at these plump, wonderful blueberries!  Yay!  Let me go get a bowl and pick some as a surprise to bring back into town.  I pulled some from the bottom and then I decided to reach in from the top and get some...

Did I look before I leaped?  Nope.  If I had, I would have seen the above.

But no, I stuck my hand into the netting and...

Boom!

Got stung.  Twice on my hand.

The stings were immediate and then the itching.

Then the swelling.  Here was my hand yesterday at work.  No knuckles.  You can see in the first picture that I DO normally have knuckles, ha.

Read that swelling can last for 3 to 7 days, especially when it is on an extremity like hands or feet (now THAT would hurt, yikes!).

But I was able to snag these beauties and it made the pain worth it.  They are huge and plump and, as 2nd Man said, better than we get in the store.  I guess just like tomatoes fresh from the garden, blueberries are just as awesome.  I was honestly surprised how big they got and how truly 'blue' they really are.

We had another handful in the fridge from the last time we gathered some out there (a bit smaller).  Luckily, we have just as many left that are ripe and more unripe and the second bush of that variety has just as many coming on.  We love that we're starting to get some production from these bushes.

WEIRD WEEKEND AND BONUS HOBART

 The weekend was kind of a bust...well, I did get to mow but other things interfered.

On Friday, at work, I started getting sick.  Stomach bug of some sort.  Not sure if it was something I ate or what but suffice to say, it was not a pleasant afternoon and into the evening.  I had a terrible headache as well. I came home and went to bed about 7pm.  Slept (well, I use the word loosely) until about 11am Saturday.

Decided not to go to the farm, I was feeling a bit better but not 100%, I wanted to stay close just in case.

Sunday it was overcast and drizzly (of course Saturday was gorgeous, wouldn't it figure) but I went anyway.  After mowing a bit, I noticed it was uneven.  I'm hoping the mowing deck is just not level, I need to read up on how to re-level it.  But didn't feel up to it yesterday.

Did what I needed and left.  There was another moment of not so Zen, I'll share that in the next post.

I was feeling better but of course being Sunday, I couldn't stay too late since work comes early and I needed to rest and recover for Monday morning.

I know this is probably a boring post, just didn't have much in me when I was typing. Sorry.

As a reward, here is some bonus Hobart that we usually post on Sunday:

Hobart laid next to me on the couch most of the day Saturday, swaddled in his fluffy red blanket. Because...

#notspoiled (both of us!)

COUNTDOWN BLOCKS TRASH TO TREASURE

Regular readers know that I have a favorite place to look for bargains...our downstairs trash area!  Our building has trash chutes on every floor and they feed into a separate room, but for boxes and other things that people can't put in the chute, there is an area (indoor) near the loading dock where people can put the things they don't want.  I've found quite a few cool items over the last few years.

I found these in this baggie in a box of other things that I left behind (towels, some cracked plastic storage boxes, etc).  I wasn't sure what they were until I got them out and did some research.

They are called COUNTDOWN BLOCKS (or cubes).  The number cubes have all the numbers necessary to recreate 0-52 so it will work for any period of time on a calendar from days and months...

...to weeks and years.  They can be used to mark and keep track of the time until an event, we suppose either count down or count up.  They are heavy wood, with a nice distressed color that fits a rustic look.

It's possible they had a holder of some sort. This came with a small cardboard tray that they could sit in but it might have just been from the purchase.

We currently have them set to 23 years for our anniversary time.  Later this Summer we'll change it 24, ha.  Once we get something done with the house out there it will be fun to change it daily as we countdown different milestones.

Someone else threw them away, we find something fun to do with them and give the a second shot at life.

DOWNTOWN VIEW AT NIGHT

It's always interesting what people ask about.  A few of you have emailed us to ask what kind of view we have from the apartment balcony at night.

So here you go.

Here it is when we face toward downtown Houston...

And here is the other direction, away from the heart of downtown Houston...

It's definitely pretty.  We love seeing the buildings lit up at night.  It's cool to see during the day but at night, , well all the lights of the office buildings just sparkle like the facets on a diamond.

FINALLY NEGATIVE

Finally.

Four days in a row of consistently testing negative, so we won't test anymore.  We'll save our remaining tests just in case we need them later.

This means we're safe to mingle in public again, ha.  We will not be going maskless in big groups though.  It was worse for 2nd Man, like a bad flu, for me it was more a mild cold, but either way, it's just no fun.

The weather kept us inside all weekend.  It rained ALL day Saturday and most of Sunday.  There are areas around town that have some minor river and bayou flooding but thankfully it's trailing off.  The next three days have about a 50% chance of rain. We look at that as it is just as likely that it won't, ha.

They say after midweek, we are moving into a drier weather pattern.  Hoping that if that if the chance it doesn't rain is that way at the farm, we could have a nice hot week where the ground will dry out and I can mow this weekend...and edge...and mow between the the raised beds in the orchard area, ha.

At least we don't have to worry about watering!

Now that we're better and I have more energy, I'll get back to replying to comments.  And hopefully more posts, though I haven't been to the farm to get some new ones out there but I'll see what we have we can use for a few posts until next weekend.

GOOD FOOD AND HOBART MOTHERS DAY SUNDAY

It's another rainy day.  You may have seen last night's post, well today we have been under flash flood warnings on and off all day.  This weekend has been a COMPLETE washout.  Fortunately, they say we are on a drying trend.  We hope so. 

Yesterday, we cracked open a can (LOL) of "Our House Wine", their rainbow edition sparking rosé.  One can is just enough for two glasses.

Then we made some steaks, roasted broccolini and, don't hate on us, French fries.  Because sometimes you just need something other than a baked potato, ha.

Hobart is taking advantage of the rainy day by sleeping...on the table...on his afghan...with his favorite catnip infused sock toy.  Because...

#notspoiled

We didn't want to forget to wish all the moms out there the very happiest Mother's Day!  Thank you all for being there to guide your children through life!

ANOTHER WEEKEND WASHOUT

 SIGH.

RAIN AGAIN.

At 8:30am Saturday, the farm was in the middle of a heavy storm.

Lest we worry about not going later in the day, here is the radar at 3:15pm, still in the middle of heavy rain.  Haven't heard from 2nd Family yet to see how much rain we've had but suffice to say, it was a lot.

We were going to see how it is Sunday but more rain is forecast, in fact, an 80% chance.

More tomorrow!

PEACHES PEACHES PEACHES

 Last summer, a coworker brought us some peaches from her Aunt's house.  We vacuum sealed them and put them in the freezer in town and at the farm.

She brought more this year.  Yay!  So I brought this bag home, kept it on the counter for a few days and then got them out to seal them up.  A few were too overripe and I discarded those.  The rest were ripe and wonderful (a couple didn't make it to the freezer, ha).

I cut them into pieces and then put them into a bowl with a bit of sugar for extra sweetness and some lemon juice to keep their color.

When I was done cutting, I put them onto a sheet pan and stuck them in the freezer for about an hour.  Did this twice (our freezer in town is small, won't fit a large sheet pan so had to do them in two smaller batches).

In the end, we ended up with about 4 cups (heaping) of sliced peaches.  I decided to put them all into one vacuum seal bag instead of two.  We figured 4 cups would be a good amount (especially since they are a bit on the small side) for a cobbler or pie.

With all the peaches we now have frozen we need to come up with some quick and easy desserts.  

Anyone have any ideas for peach desserts?  Got any great recipes you'd like to share?  If you don't want to share online in the comments, please email us directly and we'll keep it secret, ha.

We'd just like some good recipes...

RAIN RAIN RAIN

 These are the rainfall estimates for this week by the time the rain clears out (if it does).

The farm is in the 4" to 5" range of rainfall totals.  Yesterday, there was very heavy rain and some pretty intense lighting but nothing else thankfully.  Just when it seemed road might start flooding, it slowed down and stopped for a break.  Good.  Today as this posts, more rain happening again but hopefully moving quickly.

Health wise, post covid, we're doing better, still a bit sick, lingering cough and stuffy nose but both of us much better.  2nd Man was much worse off, where I said mine was like a cold, his has been like a flu.

Probably going to be too wet to mow this weekend so I might skip the farm, we'll see how it goes the next few days.  Just seems like it might be better for us to rest all weekend long and make sure we recover. 

Hop you all are doing well!

FLAT TIRES HEAT AND RAIN

 Y'all probably saw the post prior to this, so needless to say this weekend was going to be light duty.  I went to the farm mid morning, really wanted to sleep in but work to be done, specifically, mowing.  This was the third weekend since the last time I mowed.

Opened the shed and two of the tires on Zen Machine II were flat!  Picked up some mesquite thorns the last time I mowed.  Fortunately, I had purchased some "Slime" for this very possibility.  We used this years ago on the first Zen Machine tires after a few flats and they never had a flat after that.

One bottle will do four tires on a riding mower according to the bottle so to be proactive, I went ahead and did all four tires.  It coats the inside with a self-sealing coating so that future punctures seal themselves.

Using the bottle of Slime and my Halo Bolt air compressor/charger (Christmas gift from 2nd Man couple years back) they saved the day.  The bottle gives you a special tool that lets you unscrew the valve stem pin, then a hose that you use to put in 8 oz slime, you screw the pin back in and just fill the tire to the proper, normal air pressure.

They worked perfectly the rest of the day, never lost any air and if I ran over any more thorns, I didn't know.

Mowed for a little over an hour and a half but I was tired.  No edging, even though I needed to.

The yard looks good once again but it was definitely a very warm day on Saturday.

When I left at about 2:30, it was a 'feels like' of 103 degrees.  Yep, that was enough for one day back after COVID.  Everything else was fine, fruit trees/bushes are doing great, more update on that later.

When I woke up on Saturday, I almost decided to put it off to Sunday.  Glad I didn't, as it rained pretty heavily on and off all day Sunday.  Now THAT was a good day to sleep in and sleep we did.  We needed the rest.

Both feeling much better today as this posts.  The forecast this week is for a good chance rain most every day.  Glad the mowing is done, in case I have to skip it this coming weekend.

WELL IT FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO US

If you're wondering why posts were sporadic and we were not able to reply to everyone...well, it was bound to happen eventually we suppose.

We made it a little over three years until:

Covid postitive!

We're not sure who got it first or where.  I have a coworker who got it after being around family during a death in their family and she was in the office one day after what we later learned was her exposure.  She became very sick and was hospitalized but thankfully, is better and recovered.  Around that same time, 2nd Man and I went out and ran some errands, hair cut, grocery store, etc and, bad on us, we didn't wear masks.

Mine was what I would describe as a cold.  A couple of days with mild symptoms.  Honestly, I've had worse colds.  Positive and then negative after a few days.  He had more what we would describe as a pretty severe flu.  Very sick, coughing, aches, low grade fever, but then he got over the hump and is much better now too.

With us both having it at the same time, at least we didn't have to try to isolate in a small apartment...

We're both vaxxed and double boosted so we're grateful for it not being any worse.

As this posts, I'm off to the farm.  I HAVE to mow, it's been almost three weeks now but we've been rain free for a week.  I will drink LOTS of water and  won't overdo it.  Then, I will come back to rest the remainder of the weekend.

RED SALSA AND GREEN SALSA RECIPE

Here are two salsas that I make that we really enjoy.  There are so many salsas out there, so many combinations of flavors and tastes.  These are quick and easy because they are raw salsas that don't require cooking.  So full of fresh flavor.

Tomatillo Salsa

2 Garlic cloves, peeled

1 LB tomatillos (about 14) husked, washed and quartered

1 small white onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 TBSP fresh lime juice

2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro (optional for those that don't like it)

In a food processor or blender, pulse the garlic until chopped.  Add the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño and lime juice and pulse until desired consistency.  We like it best when fairly smooth.  Lastly, stir in the chopped cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Blender Style Red Salsa

2 (14 oz cans) fire roasted tomatoes, drained for chunkier salsa

1 jalapeno, ribs/seeds removed

1 small white onion, cut into chunks

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)

2 1/2 TBSP fresh lime juice

1 4oz can diced green chiles, drained

3 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp Mexican oregano

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

Pulse in a blender or food processor until you reach desired consistency.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve both with a big bowl of chips!

These are quick and easy and taste so good.  As with anything and especially these, you can put more jalapeños if you want them hotter, leave out sugar, cilantro or no, etc.  Super easy just make it the way you like it.  It's actually fun to experiment.

They are great to take to a party/event and then when everyone asks what "brand" it is, you can say "oh I made the salsas, they are homemade", ha.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU

 Yeah, we're nerds...love sci-fi in all its forms.  And television today is filled with great things, Star Trek is back with new stuff, there are new series that are wonderful including The Orville and of course Disney+ is home to all things Star Wars.  So we would be remiss if we didn't remember that today is sort of an unofficial (or maybe official now?) Star Wars Day.

The phrase everyone knows from the movie series is of course "MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU".  So somewhere along the way, people realized that today, being May 4th, might be a fun way to celebrate.

To celebrate, I used an online AI program to create these photos/images.

Technology is pretty cool:

How about R2D2 as a scarecrow in a garden? We could do that someday!

Here, I tried to explain to 2nd Man that this could be the new Zen Machine, a droid tractor to drive around on the farm, but he didn't go for it...

Well if he didn't go for the droid tractor, he sure won't let me repaint the barn white and put a giant stormtrooper head on the side!  Oh well!

Here's a cute picture of Grogu (Baby Yoda) to make your day.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH ALL OF YOU!!

GRAPE PLANNING

This scared me for a moment a few weeks ago...

All the leaves on one of the muscadine vines had turned yellow and the other was bare (different varieties).  They were coming out of Winter and they have done what they do.

 

Phew.

Here they are now, green and doing great.  We're planning where they are going to go.

This is the plan we have.  We have space in the fruit orchard, on each end.  The picture looks deceiving like there isn't much space.  If we put a rectangle bed here, it would be about 8 feet long and with one vine in the center and putting up a trellis line for it to grow along, it should be perfect.

Even after the trees get bigger, they will still get plenty of sun, just like the ones in the middle, it's the path the sun takes.  The above picture was taken in Fall as things were winding down and was late in the day. Spring/Summer it gets full sun.

To keep things neat, we're going to use this for them, similar to what we have used to great success with the blueberries and cherries.  They look great and will hold up well over time.  We'll just need to get the proper soil in and put a trellis in the middle.