Hello Dear Readers, a rainy, cool, damp day, and Ms. Pioneer Maid has come to pay me a visit; Aw how delightful the day has been, with a cheery fire, cozy warmth coming from her visit, but I believe she will be leaving in another day or so as the weather will warm back up. But for today, I am blessed by her being here.
God is faithful, as I am always reminded, on Friday morning as we were going to the pasture to secure the area for tranquilizing our bull, to get the hay netting off, here came Chaco, with the net off!! Prayer answered......... again. A mighty, very personable God we serve. Much praising we did, as we were a bit nervous of the whole thing.
Pressure baking in my pressure canner is doing great; I have baked several loaves of bread, cobblers and continue to do so. It is not so bad, and takes little time. Until the temperature regulator can get fixed, I will continue in the canner.
Today, canning English peas, I have 10 pints. Since the weather is as it is, many little 'to do' things will take up my day. It is always a blessing to have such days, when there is not so many big projects to attend too.
May we seek the Lord while He may be found, always faithful. Blessed be the Name of our Lord and Savior and Father God.
In Joy
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Meeting Farm Challenges
Hello Dear Readers, life is giving much contentment, as I have greatly curtailed my viewing of things on the internet, Praise be to my Father God. There is much to do on the farm at this season till fall. The farm is always challenging at one time or another and lately it has been so again.
At this time of year I am always sad to say good bye to my Pioneer Maid stove, she is such a joy and blessing to me all through the late fall and early spring season. I have cleaned her up, packed away some of her things till fall again, and now have begun using the summer kitchen on our front porch where my Estate, 1940's gas stove and oven await me. I do enjoy her, but she is not as personable as Pioneer Maid and she is getting on in age, a few components do not want to work properly and some times not at all. Replacement parts are almost impossible to find. So, what do I do? The thermostat is in need of great adjustment, and then sometimes that does not work, the temperature just does what it wants. One of the main eye burners is playing 'puff the magic dragon' and is a bit unnerving to use. What I did, was a few things, grandson and I built a sort of rocket stove out by the fire pit, turned out very nice and we have cooked on it several times already; I also looked on you tube for a way to bake small and simple dish with out an oven and I came upon a young lady who bakes in her pressure cooker. MMMMM, I thought. But, it does work. She has a pressure cooker with a gasket of which she took out, and the jiggler she took off. She baked a small loaf of bread in hers and it turned out. A few nights ago I made a small casserole and put it in my pressure cooker, of which I have a gasket-less one and just kept the jiggler off, put the lid on tight, no screwing it down, and cooked my dish for about 40min. and it was wonderful. Oh, you have to put the round tray that one uses when actually pressuring on the bottom for protection of the dish. Now, who would have thought? I realize for large families this may not be a sound thing to do, but in a pinch, it is great. I am baking bread in a day or so and since my oven is still out, I will try my pressure cooker, for just one loaf. I will update on the outcome.
On another note, our bull Chaco, man is he a real bull, seems to get bored very easily, although the ladies are with him. Two days ago he wrestled the hay netting we use on our big round bales that are put into a hay ring. As the hay was getting low, husband mentioned to me that the next day he and first son would be putting out a roll of hay. Next morning, Chaco was impatient it seems and had the netting out of the ring, with some hay still in it, wrapped around both horns and dragging it. What a site. Needless to say, we stood in utter amazement at just how in the 'bull' world did he do it. As some may know if they have a bull, dealt with bulls, etc., you do not just go up to the bull and try to help or do whatever may need to be done. No, no, even as we were standing there looking and talking to him, of course on the opposite side of the fence, he was pawing the ground. We came up with a plan, tomorrow we 'shoot the bull' with Chaco, with a dart gun to tranquilize him long enough to get the netting off. I will update in a day or so.
Farm life does have many challenges but all in all, life would be so very dull without them. And it keeps our focus on God, who always makes a way for solutions, he is so very faithful. If our faith does not get tested along our journey in living for God, Jesus, we can not grow in Them, in our faith, in seeing the power of the Holy Spirit at work before our very eyes. And yes, sometimes, the answer does not come at the time we think it should, but God is never late and his ways are not ours, He is much more.
IN JOY
At this time of year I am always sad to say good bye to my Pioneer Maid stove, she is such a joy and blessing to me all through the late fall and early spring season. I have cleaned her up, packed away some of her things till fall again, and now have begun using the summer kitchen on our front porch where my Estate, 1940's gas stove and oven await me. I do enjoy her, but she is not as personable as Pioneer Maid and she is getting on in age, a few components do not want to work properly and some times not at all. Replacement parts are almost impossible to find. So, what do I do? The thermostat is in need of great adjustment, and then sometimes that does not work, the temperature just does what it wants. One of the main eye burners is playing 'puff the magic dragon' and is a bit unnerving to use. What I did, was a few things, grandson and I built a sort of rocket stove out by the fire pit, turned out very nice and we have cooked on it several times already; I also looked on you tube for a way to bake small and simple dish with out an oven and I came upon a young lady who bakes in her pressure cooker. MMMMM, I thought. But, it does work. She has a pressure cooker with a gasket of which she took out, and the jiggler she took off. She baked a small loaf of bread in hers and it turned out. A few nights ago I made a small casserole and put it in my pressure cooker, of which I have a gasket-less one and just kept the jiggler off, put the lid on tight, no screwing it down, and cooked my dish for about 40min. and it was wonderful. Oh, you have to put the round tray that one uses when actually pressuring on the bottom for protection of the dish. Now, who would have thought? I realize for large families this may not be a sound thing to do, but in a pinch, it is great. I am baking bread in a day or so and since my oven is still out, I will try my pressure cooker, for just one loaf. I will update on the outcome.
On another note, our bull Chaco, man is he a real bull, seems to get bored very easily, although the ladies are with him. Two days ago he wrestled the hay netting we use on our big round bales that are put into a hay ring. As the hay was getting low, husband mentioned to me that the next day he and first son would be putting out a roll of hay. Next morning, Chaco was impatient it seems and had the netting out of the ring, with some hay still in it, wrapped around both horns and dragging it. What a site. Needless to say, we stood in utter amazement at just how in the 'bull' world did he do it. As some may know if they have a bull, dealt with bulls, etc., you do not just go up to the bull and try to help or do whatever may need to be done. No, no, even as we were standing there looking and talking to him, of course on the opposite side of the fence, he was pawing the ground. We came up with a plan, tomorrow we 'shoot the bull' with Chaco, with a dart gun to tranquilize him long enough to get the netting off. I will update in a day or so.
Farm life does have many challenges but all in all, life would be so very dull without them. And it keeps our focus on God, who always makes a way for solutions, he is so very faithful. If our faith does not get tested along our journey in living for God, Jesus, we can not grow in Them, in our faith, in seeing the power of the Holy Spirit at work before our very eyes. And yes, sometimes, the answer does not come at the time we think it should, but God is never late and his ways are not ours, He is much more.
IN JOY
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