Has there been any Snakes in Your Hen House?

      Although it's much later than last year, we did have a snake in the hen house just the other day! Everything seems to be happening later this year: snakes, butterflies just lately coming to the butterfly bushes, figs ripening, blackberries, etc. Isn't it amazing how the weather affects everything? How about your area, has the weather affected your harvests and such?

      Speaking of snakes, the hubs ran over a Timber Rattler just a couple houses down from ours, the other day! I walk right where he was lying! You can be sure I'm watching my step and maybe changing my route a little! Do you ever see snakes on your property?
Thank goodness, when we were tromping around in mud and grass, that we didn't step on or see snakes, while visiting the longest yard sale! I found a couple of items priced good, but mostly everything was way too high! Like shopping at an antique store or regular store; just doesn't make sense! You'd think these people would want to get rid of all that junk the last day at the last hour, but NO! They'd rather see if they can swindle, I mean make some cash, but all the while they are packing their junk, I mean stuff up to haul it back from wherever it came from. I don't mean to have an attitude, but you'd think that if someone drives several hours to set up stuff in the rain for four or five days, they'd rather not have to pack it up and haul it back! I sure wouldn't want to! We usually don't go because of the high priced junk, but we thought we'd see if it had changed any. It had, the prices were high and the junk was worse! I probably won't go again. When I say junk, I mean pieces with a part missing or a chunk broken off, broken stuff! Most of the stuff I saw should have been thrown away a long time ago. O.K. enough with my complaining! I enjoyed being with my hubs riding around in the country in spite of it all!

      We're having a birthday party here Saturday for Lala, I mean Layla. Win calls her Lala, and it's so cute! Layla turned three this week and is having a Minnie Mouse party. I'm making a banner using my Silhouette and I hope it turns out cute! I'll have some photos next time I write so ya'll can see how things turned out. I'm working on different craft projects a little at a time and will share them with you as I finish them. Ya'll stay cool and dry! Blessings from Bama!

Here's Ran opening the door, carefully!

And here he is, just your common chicken snake! At least that's what we call him here.

He wants to get out of there!

Jack cautiously approaches the snake, but the snake has no time for him!

The snake is rapidly exiting the property!

Randy gives him a little something to remember us by so maybe he won't come around again!

Some of the booths we visited at the longest yard sale.

More booths at the yard sale.

We walked across the street and got a couple of faded patio umbrellas to put out for the party.

I didn't know my white irises would bloom again in August! They are so pretty in person!

My poor peaches!

The whole tree is like this!

The apple tree looks great! Rubi jumped up and got her an apple after I took this photo!

I hope the apples stay pretty with all the rain!

The Timber Rattler Randy ran over. Sorry about all the guts!

All my nectarines fell off the tree like this, sob!

Raised beds full of weeds and blackberry brambles.

These are nectarines, yuck!

The bean vines are covered with beetles, and so are the cucumber vines.

What once was a path to the gate!

Something to brag about, figs!

About to cook and make preserves.

Three jars from this batch.

Yummy Ghiradeli cookies!

Four jars of preserves from this batch.

Winterlynn is reading me the story about the Five Little Monkeys.

Got the smile on for the camera!

Grinding my own meat is great!

      I ground a three pound roast and used one pound of it in my spaghetti sauce made with fresh tomatoes that I canned earlier. It was aggravating to use the hand crank, so we purchased a grinder attachment for the Kitchen Aid. We haven't used it yet, so I can't wait to get a pork butt! I want to make my own sausages! Italian and breakfast. I will keep you 'posted' when that happens!


      The heat has gotten unbearable again! I went out to pick figs at five o' clock and sweat poured down my back! My husband just came in from mowing and weed-eating, soaking wet! It's 7:20 in the evening! If that tells you anything! The humidity makes the ninety plus heat feel like triple digits! I feel sorry for my guys working out in this heat! But someone's got to fix those air conditioners! I'm glad my son is learning that skill instead of playing football. He decided that he wants to go into the cooling and heating business like his Dad. I'm glad to hear that! He will be a junior this year, so he will have a valuable skill under his belt when he graduates. I guess college is just not for him. He's smart enough to go; he just doesn't like school. I'm glad too, that he's not going into the military. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, I just didn't want my only child to be in a dangerous situation! 


      I hope to be posting later this week! Ya'll stay cool and drink lots of water! Blessings from Bama!

Here's the pickles I made! They are very sour! But crunchy, for a homemade pickle! I poured off some of the juice of the jar that I opened and filled it with water. They taste a little less sour, now. Probably wouldn't notice it on a sandwich.

The beautiful meat I ground!

Blessed with more tomatoes!

I wished you could see her eyes in real life! They are beautiful! Like my tomato bookmark?

Look at that face!

These two played good together while I finished canning the tomatoes!

You can see the character on their faces!

I canned all fourteen quarts while Winterlynn was here!

I canned six pints while Maddie and Win played!

Figs from today. There may be that many tomorrow!

      

Lord have mercy, I feel the temperature rising!

      I don't mean that in a sacrilegious way, either! It's just so hot here now! We don't usually get these kind of temperatures until much later in the summer! It is 92 degrees in the afternoon, as I write this! We haven't had a good rain, in I don't know when! Some parts are getting too much rain! Wish we had some of that! The sunflowers are starting to lean sideways, so I hope watering them this evening will help.

      I want so badly to be outside, but with that heat, I can't take it for very long! I need to walk, weed, water, and the list goes on. Are ya'll experiencing unusually warm temperatures like this? I hope not!


      I've been cooking on my small table top grill lately and last night my son gave me the sweetest compliment! He kept saying 'ummm' as he was eating and that "I sure did know how to cook on the grill!" That made my day! I just grilled peppers, onions, and zucchini and then I grilled some boneless, skinless chicken breast that I flattened out a little. I used the Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce and I think that is what makes the chicken taste so good! Tonight, I will use the leftover chicken and veggies on a pizza.


      I hope ya'll have a safe Memorial Day weekend and try not to eat too many hot dogs! We're cooking out here this weekend and making ice cream and all the goodies to go along with a cookout! Stay safe! Blessings from Bama!

Using the Vitamix again!

I used beets, small tomatoes, spinach, beet greens, carrots, and blueberries in this juice. Beets are good for liver detox.

Zucchini bread and a glass of juice. Did I eat all that bread?

Maddie was here today. She took out her hair holder and messed up her hair as I was taking this photo.

My little orange grill. Hubs in under cover.

You can kind of tell they are leaning in this photo. The weight of the flowers make them droop, I think.

Finally, some ripe figs! 

I pulled these two and ate one. They are not quite ripe enough for me yet.

A man was banging on my door this morning and this is what he gave me! Aren't these beautiful plums?

When they get a little riper, I hope to make jelly.