Thanksgiving Lemon Pie

Dearest Reese,

We missed you at Thanksgiving and since you haven't had a chance to call, I wanted to fill you in on the excitement...there wasn't any since you and Dustin weren't here.  However, Joshua caused more than enough problems all by himself. 

A whole lemon pie just for me?

You know my tradition of calling everyone and asking their special meal choice.  Choose one dish and I will make whatever you want.  Every year when I ask Joshua what he wants for Thanksgiving, he always replies "lots."  I want "lots" to eat.  He is so easy to please.

Well, this year, for the first time ever, he made a request.  He texted me, "I want lemon pie."  

LEMON PIE?  LEMON PIE?!  LEMON PIE!!!  No one has ever wanted lemon pie and I have never made one in my life!  It was Wednesday night, Thanksgiving was the following morning and I was in trouble. 

I am supposed to do what with this pie?

I decided to run to the grocery and buy one.  I could slip it out of the factory aluminum pan, put it in my fancy glass pie pan and he would never know the truth since he won't read my blog.  Easy peasy.

Don't underestimate my appetite.

I rushed to the grocery store to discover a place that closely resembled the path following a tornado.  The parking lot was full, the store was almost empty of food and the clerks looked exhausted.  There were no lemon pies, icebox lemon pies, instant lemon pie mix or even instant lemon jello pudding.  There was one broken, crumbled pie crust with a ripped open package in the freezer section.  All I found was a package of lemons. I didn't even have a recipe for lemon pie.  

Looks...edible?

It was late. I returned home with my bag of lemons and searched the internet for a recipe.  Before going to bed, I baked a homemade lemon pie topped with meringue plus a crust all from scratch.

Gulp.

When Joshua arrived for Thanksgiving the next morning, I sat him down and said, "You will eat this pie - love it or wear it!"

Hmmm.  Do I like it?

It was a success.

Mom, when life gives you lemons, make lemon pie.

This was the first year our family wasn't together for Thanksgiving and we managed to adapt.  I learned a new recipe and we spent the afternoon talking to Dustin over the internet.  

Hi, Do!

Reese, I know you have been working long, hard hours and will not have a day off for at least another week.  We missed you tremendously but all understand.  When it is a choice between visiting your poor ole' lonely Mother on Thanksgiving or making holiday overtime pay...choose overtime pay every time!  Make that money honey!

One last thing, since you were excited about buying a blender for free with your Amazon credit card points, we decided to help you.  We all ordered a bunch of stuff on your credit card.  Enjoy your free points!

Miss you.
Love Mom and Dad

Additional Links

Thanksgiving Preparations, 2017

Scooter's Difficult Thanksgiving, 2017

Roofer Reese, (After Thanksgiving 2017)

Happy Thanksgiving, 2016

Country Life vs. City Life

It is extremely different living in the country as opposed to living in the city (and I love living in the country.)  The first thing that usually comes to people's mind is the large open fields with the abundance of livestock, but that is only part of the picture. These are a few of the little things I noticed this past summer while traveling around that I have never seen in a city.

This is a stile gate which allows people to enter but stops livestock from passing through.  They are also called "kissing" gates; perhaps because you can kiss your fella' over it?  I don't know where the name came from but it does sound romantic.

A cattle guard keeps cows and horses in the pasture but lets people and vehicles pass.  It's metal pipes over a ditch - cows' hooves will fall through, tires can roll over and people are able to walk across.  It is convenient because you don't have to get out of the car to open and then close the gate everytime you pass through.  It is also safer because gates are sometimes accidentally left open.

These cows were eying me suspiciously but none would step on the cattle guard to get a closer view.  I was glad it was there because some of them were glaring at me diabolically.  Cows are really huge animals when you get close to them and they can run faster than I.

Never once in my travels to the big cities have I seen a cattle crossing sign - pedestrian signs are everywhere, but cattle, never seen it.  This sign was obviously made by the farmer, not the local government but it was there for a purpose.  I saw mud prints across the road so it was really a safety warning.

This road dips down into the creek and does not have a bridge.  There are many miles of backroads with numerous creeks crossing back and forth.  There will never be enough tax dollars collected from the few people who live in the area to support the building of enough bridges.  Bridges are expensive to build and costly to maintain their safety.  These fords are hazardous when flooded or frozen but usually the locals know when to avoid them.

Tree stands in backyards and fields are used so hunters can hide inside and not be seen.  The ladder leads to a second story room where the rectangle flaps on the sides can be raised for tactical viewing.  This one was on the edge of a cornfield and I am sure they had a horrible time with deer devouring the crops.  A few deer can eat thousands of dollars worth of corn quickly

Fields are sometimes burned to improve their health.  Driving down a road and seeing a black, charred pasture is a shock when everything around it is a lush green.

These hay bales were being burned.  I don't know why.  They may have been moldy and toxic to the animals.

Country people are willing to take chances since the risk of being caught and receiving a ticket from the police would be rare.  Why this man was driving down the middle of a highway, going around a dangerous curve on a lawnmower was beyond my imagination.  I smiled and waved when I saw him and he snarled back at me!  People never do that in the country.  Everyone is usually friendly but not him.  I always try to respect people's wishes and not post their faces without their approval.  Not this man - so here is a picture of an unnamed grumpy, crazy man.

These people deserved a ticket for letting their dog ride in the back of the pickup truck.  To their credit, they were going very slow and only traveled about a half of a mile, but it was still too dangerous.   I backed far away and used my telephoto lens because I didn't want them to feel the need to speed up.

Never, ever, ever have I seen a crop duster airplane in the city.  This pilot was not dusting but just practicing on this day.

I saved the best for last.  This was a fenced backyard full of children's toys which included a barn, two sheep and a donkey.  Obviously, they were tame and probably pets, but I am sure I have never seen livestock on a playground in the city before.  Life is a bit different here.

Scooter, Caught a Mole

We have trouble with moles digging in my flower bed, vegetable garden, and lawn. They look like rats with razor-sharp claws which makes them excellent excavators. They desire grubs, insects, and worms, but not plants; however, their desire causes us nothing but destruction via digging.  The tunnels are usually about 10 inches deep but when they come close to the surface, it creates a mound.  If you accidentally step on one it's easy to fall and twist an ankle. If you hit it with a mower, it creates a cloud of dust and might sling a rock or two.

Mound made by moles.

My yard is full of rocks so they either dig below or go around.  The soft soil in the vegetable garden is their favorite area (along with Scooters...).

Soil pushed up around the edges of a rock by a mole.

These monsters have torn our yard to pieces, uprooted vegetables, and killed many of my favorite flowers.  Over the years I have been desperate to find a solution.  There is so much worthless advice on the internet, I have decided to share what works and what doesn't.  

*Juicy Fruit chewing gum in the tunnel - it was supposed to cause choking but it only freshens their breath.

*Peanut butter - I don't know if it was to repel them or mire up their paws but it only attracted ants.

*Cayenne pepper - supposedly would burn their noses but in reality, didn't bother them.

*Dried blood - drove the rabbits away, but not moles.

*Both mole and rat poison repulsed them so they burrowed tunnel's around the pellets.  No matter where I poured it, they avoided it.

*Sprayed the ground with Dawn dishwashing liquid - it only cleaned my grass.

*Coffee grounds - didn't bother them but the caffeine made them dig faster.

*Mothballs - This was the worst.  I put them two inches apart in the tunnels and it made my garden stink!  The moles powered through the stench, but then my butterflies disappeared.  

*Grow plants that repel them such as castor beans or garlic - castor beans are deadly to humans and I have children visiting my garden - it was too risky.  As for garlic, it only works on vampires.

*Dog and human urine - I won't even discuss this one.

I became desperate and tried more drastic measures.

*Put the garden hose down the tunnels to drown the moles with water.  (Thank goodness we have cheap well water.)  The tunnels caved in and the yard became a mud puddle. They are fast diggers and always got away.

*Carbon dioxide poisoning - backed the car up to the flower bed and put a tube from the exhaust pipe down into the tunnels.  They scurried away, found a fresh air hole then returned the next day.

*Noise and vibrations were also suggested as deterrents - I put a radio under a metal washtub and turned the volume up loud.  Classical, Country, Rap, and even talk shows were blasted into the ground but the moles partied until the battery ran down.

*Grub killer - It's a poison that kills the grubs in hopes the moles will starve and move on to greener, grubbier pastures.  It was going to cost about $300 to treat my 2-acre yard.  They would probably have just eaten earthworms or other insects so I didn't waste the money.

*We purchased traps that were designed to kill them but they were rarely successful.  It was hard to know which tunnel was going to be used next.  They move from area to area looking for fresh bugs.  Sometimes it is months before they burrow again through a particular tunnel. The traps would stay in the ground and would be sprung by rain or vibrations. We wouldn't know it. 

*Place metal barriers under the ground - I dug a trench around part of my flower bed and buried a chicken wire fence.  The moles dug deeper, went under the fence, and then it began to rust.

*Sit quietly, watch the ground for movement then tiptoe over and start digging.  They can feel the vibrations of your steps so they stop digging when you approach.  It is possible to catch them if you have endless free time to sit and stare at dirt; however, the digging must match their lightning speed. Bill and the boys could dig fast enough to catch them as long as the moles didn't burrow under a rock or tree root. I never had enough speed.

*The most fun of all was shooting at the ground when the soil was moving.  Alas, our 22-caliber bullets never hit them because we couldn't see exactly where to aim.  We never tried a shotgun.

The only thing that has ever worked well at catching moles is SCOOTER!

He is fantastic. He loves to sniff, track, then suddenly pounce while digging as fast as possible. He bites them on the tail, jerks them out, and then gives a good shake. Slinging rocks and mud makes it more exciting.

This is one he caught, covered in slobber and blood.  Looks harmless but it is destructive.

Whenever Scooter catches one, I quickly rush into the house, grab food from whomever happens to be eating, (hamburger, steak, fried chicken, doesn't matter) pull it from their mouth and rush back to the yard.  He gets the privilege of devouring his special treat while gloating over his vanquished enemy.  After his victory dinner, he is treated to nonstop praise and hugs.  Later, when all the excitement is over, he gets dumped in the bathtub.

Then the victorious warrior basks in the sunlight and awaits the next invasion into his territory.

Scooter Feels Bad

Scooter Visits Nana

October's Garden (2018)

This month's garden looks so small! I remember when my garden extended all the way back into the corner and touched both fences. We even planted the area where the old shed is located. It was never a "new" shed because when it was given to us, it was already "old". Bill keeps telling me, "The garden only needs to feed two people, not a family of five with three teenage boys." Still, I feel panicked. The long winter is ahead and I don't think it will be enough. This is the same feeling I get right before company arrives: I never think I have enough food on the table. Perhaps this insecurity has been caused by feeding three boys for so many years; no matter how much I cooked, they were always hungry.

Regardless, it is too late now to plant more.  Winter is coming and the garden is changing.

The sweet potatoes on the right hate cold weather.  We have begun digging them but without any of our sons here to do the heavy lifting, we are taking it slow.  Both bean arches are down now and the bush bean plants are gone.  The fez of armadillos (a group of armadillos is called a "fez", isn't that interesting?  Well, it's the only thing interesting about an armadillo).  Anyway, back to what I was saying: they did a great deal of damage in this area.  We were invaded by a total of four - my mighty hunters were able to vanquish three and then the last one disappeared.  We hope it got hit by a car and won't return.

These are my heirloom tomatoes which grew with the yardlong beans on the tall arch.  This is how they looked on October 14th, two weeks ago.  As expected, they rallied after producing a bunch of tomatoes and looked strong when the first frost arrived.

On the exact same day, this is a picture of my store-bought hybrid, Big Beef tomatoes. They were pathetic.  After producing a huge crop of tomatoes, they all decided to drop dead. I don't know why. They will never be forgiven for this behavior and I will not buy them again. Stupid tomatoes.

This is the ex-tomato row today.  Since the leaves and vines are gone, it's obvious my tools are never put back in the shed.  Instead, I hang them on the fence as I leave the garden.  I suppose it could be considered lazy but I choose to call it being organized.  It works for me.

The carrots which were planted between the tomatoes in the area beside the armadillo battleground were never harvested. I think it is now safe to dig them. In the few empty spots, I have dropped some Oregon Sugar Pod Peas. In the other section of the fence where most of the carrots have been dug, Fava beans have been planted. They love cold weather and the peas love cool weather. Since the fence is still up, I decided to take advantage of the support.

This was the strawberry patch, which was overtaken by the Monster Melon vine and is almost bare. It will be a winter hoop house also. It is still being planted which is VERY late. This whole year has been late. I got started late in the spring and still haven't been able to catch up.

The parsnips growing at the far end of the row are about ready.  Their flavor improves tremendously after a frost so we will start harvesting soon.  They store well in the ground so some will be left for later.  All must be eaten before the dead of winter or it will be impossible to pull them out of the frozen soil. The watermelon vines didn't bother them since they were able to peek over the top of the leaves and still get sunlight.

One of the five strawberry plants left decided to produce a few strawberries.

Strawberries

Parsnips

It was a success putting herbs under the okra plants and I will do it again.  Some plants in this row are still alive even though we have had a few mild touches of frost.

Both the Calendula and Lemon Verbena have survived to this date.  The Calendula was not a surprise, but I wasn't expecting the Lemon Verbena to make it.  I had harvested the leaves way down and it grew back.  Any day now I will dig it up and bring it in to see if it will live through the winter.

Calendula

Lemon Verbena

Planting lettuce in the hot summer in the shade under the okra plants was also a success.  Lettuce never survives the heat and this is my first victory.  They grew slowly during the hot weather then took off when it cooled down.  

Another experiment I am trying is planting Oregan Sugar Snap Peas under each okra stalk to see if the peas will grow up it for support.  

The last two rows next to the field fence will be winter hoop houses.  The hoops are up but the covers aren't on yet.  Some of the seedlings were transplanted this week and I don't know if they will be able to make it through the winter.  If November is warm, they will be fine, if not, they won't.  It is risky planting so late but it is the best I could do this year.

SCOOTER! YOU ARE LAYING ON MY SEEDLINGS!

"I couldn't resist Mom...the dirt feels so cool on my tummy...feels soooooo good...

...like I am Floating on a Cloud.  ZZZZZZZZZZ!

Additional Links

How Scooter views freshly tilled garden soil.
Scooter, Floating on a Cloud

Last Month's September's Garden (2018)

Monster Melon, August's Garden (2018)

Last Year's October Garden (2018)