Bimpnottin's Journal - OFG: Bacon scarf

[Bimpnottin]

Ok, here's the running tally of canning so far:

7 pts pickled asparagus, haven't tried it yet.
9 pts strawberry rhubarb jam
11 pts strawberry jam
3 pts & 1/2 pint rhubarb-berry salsa -tasted ok in the pot, I think it will be awesome on pork

Garden looks ok, but not great.

Spent all day yesterday working with the neighbors to go get the playhouse and swings they bought. That sucker was heavy! I kept waking up with cramps in my calf and trying to stretch out my hip. The cool thing is that it got set up in my yard, because I watch the kids during the day!!!!

Now, we're just trying to come up with a name for our play yard. We have a bright blue tower with a climbing wall. A purple tower with a twisty slide. A pink tower with a pirate ladder. And now a playhouse and swings - think the playhouse is going to be brown with green trim (neighbor's request - however, since I buy the stain, there are LOTS of browns and greens to choose from ) Neighbor wanted to call it Sumner Park I vetoed that, because it's not just ours and didn't want our last name on it. Other suggestions were Rainbow Connection, Play Park, Rainbow Fields.....so please help me get a list that we can decide on. If I get ambitious later, I'll take a picture of it.

The best part about this whole thing is that we got the pink and purple towers on Craigslist about 4 years ago for $400, and the twisty slide is $700 to buy separately. The blue tower we got for nothing, because it was next to a house that burned, and we had to replace some of the wood and we bought the pieces for the climbing wall. Playhouse, is in my yard, but I didn't have to pay for it, but it's still a score at $250 because the neighbors knew the people getting rid of it.

Then, after a little bit too much drinking with the neighbors last night I still have to cut the grass today and my allergies are already going nuts. We're doing fireworks tonight and then I'm smoking a turkey and two whole chickens tomorrow for the 4th!!!!! Yummy!

Happy Independence Day!!!!!!!

 

[Wifezilla]

Hmmmm....with all those bright colors I can see where Rainbow would be good name to play off of. Spectrum Park?

 

[Bimpnottin]

Hmmm, how about The Color Corral???? Might have to suggest that one to the neighbor.

 

[Bimpnottin]

We think we might have an idea, but haven't exactly figured how we're going to word it. Their last name is Fischer and ours is Sumner, so we're going to do something with "Fisching for Sum" ...Still have to figure it out.

Wow, what a day! We should have been cleaning out the guest bedroom and the downstairs bathroom since my brother-in-law is coming over for a week to help us redo them, but we spent the day with family and friends. It was blasted hot and no breeze and even after a shower, I still smell like a hunk of smoked meat, but man, did those chickens and turkery I put in the smoker turn out delicious. Everyone got to take some home with them and I still have enough left to put some in the freezer and about 3 meals this week. Think I might do a turkey and gravy on noodles tomorrow night. Have to do split pea soup with some of the water from inside the smoker - yummy. Probably going to do a turkey pot pit and maybe turkey quesadilla. Ok, change of plans. Turkey quesadillas tomorrow night, because I have the turkey, cheese, and homemade bean dip. Yep - that wins.

Had 14 people over here today. Kids played in the play yard most of the day, except when they weren't going down the homemade slip and slide. Neighbor scored a huge roll of plastic that is about 4 feet wide. No idea what it's supposed to be for and it has some holes in it and each length when we cut it is pretty much toast after they slide on it for an hour (the holes just keep getting bigger), but man, you put a hose at the top, put some cheapo baby shampoo on it, and they can slide! I took care of the meat, buns, and the red cabbage slaw. My SIL brought over spinach dip with crackers and marshmallow salad. Mom brought over potato salad (not her best effort) and applesauce spice cake. Oh yeah, we also provided the cut up baby beef tenderloin that was leftover from last night. Cut it super thin, cut some french bread super thin, and layered the meat on the bread with a layer of horseradish sauce.

A little overindulgent on the alcohol this weekend, but it was so much fun.

Now, back to business. Need to try and get appointments set for this, get those rooms cleaned out, move stuff around in the laundry room, so some of the overflow from those rooms has a home for the next month, and get some more stuff crafted, have another show coming up on the 16th. Might as well try to get some stuff done since I had to buy the tent.

He he - used the tent this weekend on the deck as a shade. That really worked out nicely.

Happy Independence Day!!!!!

 

[Bimpnottin]

Had a good one here today. My two Mama kitties (mom and daughter) had their kittens together, no clue what kittens belong to which mama cat. Darn things had them in the garage after getting in through a broken window. Tried to chase the babies out today. Bluster, older mama, was laying under the deck pretty much telling us to do what we had to with the kids. Lovey (daughter mama) sees the kids wandering around the yard being chased by my kids, and starts meowing at them to come home and then picks them up and puts them back in garage through that darn window. sigh - guess they are still garage cats, at least until I can convince hubby to fix window. Oh, Bluster brought a mouse in for the babies today and one of the kidss looked at it like "there is no way I'm touching that thing" and backed away. I've never seen a mama cat do this, but she reached out her paw and whacked the baby upside the head. We figured she was telling it that you eat what I put in front of you or else that there are starving cats in China.

 

[Wifezilla]

That must be it

 

[Denim Deb]

Well then, send it to them! I don't want it!

 

[gettinaclue]

 

[Bimpnottin]

Well then, send it to them! I don't want it!

We came up with all kinds of sassy sayings, but I put the cleanest ones on here.

 

[Bimpnottin]

I hate allergies! Wow, I've been miserable, and that's with me taking Seasonal Freedom and Zyrtec every day, which has really worked in the past.

I think I might have to take the dog to the vet, dang it - money I don't have. As my daughter says it, shes a "boxer mix lab" and her ears are driving her crazy with itching. She did this when we got her from the humane society and she was so bad that she made her ears bleed. When we took her to the kennel to board her for a weekend, the lady there called it "alligator ear" because it was so scaly. She suggested that we switch her food from the cheapo stuff to gulp "stuff that costs $40/35 lbs" but it was really working. We haven't had problems her ears in almost a year. Now, she's back to scratching. My SIL that is a vet (but lives in TX) had never heard of "alligator ear" and was absolutely no help - probably because she can't stand us.

So, I've been giving the poor thing benadryl (she was on that when we got her) and rubbing her ears with Florasone Cream - a homeopathic itching, inflammation, rash reducer that has helped in the past. Nothing seems to be helping this time.

I think it's because the darn dog has gotten out 3 times in the past week and then she proceeds to run through the neighbor's pond and ends up at the farm down the road. She's definitely an indoor dog because the bugs find her and she swells up and really starts to huff and puff.

Anyone have any ideas?????