Monday, June 30, 2014

Foggy mornings

What does one do when it is wet and foggy in the morning?  I catch up on some much needed house work.

Doing the dishes, making me some breakfast was how I started out.  When I tried to turn on the light in the ceiling fan above the stove I discovered the light was burn out.  So that means I had to turn off the ceiling fat and figure out how to remove the globe cover.  When I turned off the fan I realized the fan needed to be cleaned.  So this set into motion the task of cleaning the fan blades.

1.  Mix water, soap and clorox in the ice cream bucket.
2.  Put sheet over stove.
3.  Grab paper towels.
4.  Wipe off excess dirt and cat hair from fan blades.
5.  Wash fan blades with soapy water and washcloth.
6.  Replace light bulb and cover.
7.  Turn on fan and enjoy a clean breeze.

Now on with the next project which is going to be the firewood corral.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

New recipe tried and liked. . . .

PULL APART PIZZA BEAD
http://www.inthekitchenwithkp.com/recipe/pepperoni-pull-apart-bread-perfect-for-a-super-bowl-crowd

My observations and tips.
1.  Use pesto with extra olive oil OR flavored dipping sauce to brush on dough before each layer of cheese and meat.
2.  Make sure bundt pan is oiled very well.
3. You will need more dough than you think. I suggest rolling the pieces of dough into balls and covering the bottom of a well oiled bundt pan.
4. Layer the pepperoni and cheese lavishly and keep away from middle and edges.
5. I would put pepperoni and cheese on top and not cover it with another layer of dough! personal preference.


The recipe is good, really easy to make and good even if made with biscuit dough.  Pictures of the process on the link above

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

P.U. no scratch and sniff needed

Everyone has no doubt heard the Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road song.  If not, here is the U-tube link - Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road

This morning as I was leaving the farm there was a skunk laying in the ditch of our road that connects to the highway.  The same ditch I mow and that the cats hunt birds in the trees.  The skunk was oriented with its nose pointing due east, like it was just laying there taking a nap.  I rolled the window down on the truck and yelled at it --  HEY SKUNK!  HEY SKUNK ARE YOU DEAD OR ALIVE?  -- Since he did not smell bad as dead skunks tend to release that stink as soon as they are hit on the highway I figured he would leave.

Amazingly the skunk felt no desire to answer me or even give me indication that he was in fact alive.  So I prayed that the cats would not come down and bother him and that he would saunter off today before I got home.


No such luck.  The skunk was still in the same place when I drove back home this afternoon to feed dogs and cats.  This time the skunk was definitely awake.  Its tail was twitching and switching.  Its head was moving to and fro.  So I did the only thing I could do.  Drove up to the yard, jumped out of the pickup, got my .22 rifle and drove back down the road.

Let me paint a picture if I can.  I am dressed up from working in the insurance office all day.  My hair is all pretty, slacks and a blouse but I am driving a muddy truck with my .22 by my side.  Obviously this skunk, who now smells of stink, is hurt and needs to be taken out of its misery so I can get rid of the thing.  Usually I don't bother sighting in anything I shoot at, mostly I hope to scare the vermin away so I took my first shot which went over its head.  The second shot did as well.  So I sighted the skunk in and adjusted for where the sight was and where the first 2 bullets went.  2 more shots and these appear to have done the trick.  He stopped moving and still stunk!

I got back in the truck, put the safety on my gun and drove back up to the house.  Let the dogs out and checked to make sure none of the cats smelled like skunk before I let them in the house.  So now there lies a dead, stinky skunk in my ditch and I am going to have to mow in a few days.  So hopefully I can scoop the dead skunk in a bucket, take it for a ride somewhere away from the farm and it can stink elsewhere.  Funny thing though, as the dogs and I walked up around the garden I could smell skunk up there as well.  I hope that is a live one that has moved on and is not lying dead under one of the cedar trees in the windbreak.