If Vince being home for a long weekend is any indication of how our retirement years are going to be, I’m selling my fabric, my sewing machine, my longarm. We’ve accomplished a lot but I haven’t had any sewing time. I did get the clothes out of the washer and into the dryer though.
Besides going to the Amish Store, we went to two hardware/lumber type stores (one of them twice!), to Wal-Mart and to the grocery store . . three trips out today. That’s more than I normally do in a whole week! Vince and I have such different ways of shopping. I go with a list, get what I need and leave. Vince wanders every row, just looking . . he even goes down some rows twice. I just can’t do that!
I did manage to get the wheat ground this morning and the bread made this evening. I used Prairie Gold which is my favorite wheat but I have less of the gold than of the red and white. So, I mostly use red or white but am always happy when I come across the Prairie Gold at a good price.
The strawberry pie is so good! I could eat the whole thing . . but I won’t . . maybe! I can make about 10 more with that whole flat of strawberries, but I won’t . . maybe! 
I gave the chickens the stem part of the strawberries and they were so happy so I thought I’d go see if any mulberries were ripe yet.
Nope, not ripe yet. We have 7 or 8 or more mulberry trees and a couple of them are hanging right over where the chickens’ run will be so I know they’ll drop into the run and get gobbled up.
Since the mulberries weren’t ripe, I decided to check the blackberries.
Not only are they not ripe, they’re just now in full bloom. I have to watch those and check them every day because the deer and birds really like them too.
As I was wandering through the vines and weeds looking for treats for the chickens, this big, scary thing came slithering way too close. I didn’t have my camera but did have the Blackberry.
First snake we’ve seen here. I looked down at my unprotected toes and decided I would not wear flip flops when walking through weeds and vines!
Tomorrow . . maybe I will sew!
Wow! You have a snake! :applause: Snakes are absolutely great for taking moles, gophers, and suchlike out of circulation. (I don’t know if they like to take chickens out of circulation, though; might want to make sure little chickens are *very* secure in their home.) There are gardeners on Internet forums who would just love to have a real, live snake take care of their mole/gopher problems.
I just hope you aren’t phobic about snakes and that you weren’t too–ah–startled when you saw your elongated friend in the grass.
A very productive day, but yes non-quilting type…
Fun post – and trust me, when retirement does arrive, out goes any kind of “routine” as we know it! My house has been disorganized since 2005…
Your bread and strawberry pie look terrific and can you tell us more about red and white flour vs.Prairie Gold? Don’t think we have that up here in Northern Wisconsin??
Oh and you can keep the creepy crawley..I definitely have a major phobia about them, no matter how much “good” they do.
Thanks much.
Pat
The red and white wheat are what’s grown around here. I have to order the Prairie Gold and with shipping costs being high, I mostly just keep the red and white wheat berries. But every now and then I come across a 50 pound bag of Prairie Gold wheat at a country store not too far from me and I buy it every time I see it.
I don’t get nearly as much done with Keith home either — I did steal away several times today to do some piecing — the longest stretch was when he took Chesty to the park AND went to the grocery store for me. If I make the list and cook — I can usually count on him to pick up the groceries.
We sat out on the deck before dinner and I mentioned to him that I thought it was time for him to hit the road again…..
Eeeek, I am so scared of those slithering creatures-though I know they too have a part to play in God’s plan! just not in MY territory!
Don’t sell your sewing stuff Judy, just sell Keith! Or tell him he cannot retire because the economy is soooo bad!
if you’re looking for fruit on trees try the bradford pears. our trees are ripening fruit (small red berries) and the robins and mocking birds are fighting to see who gets the most.
Oh…I am SO not a snake person…….and have seen one twice here and had a fit both times. I know they have good things they do, but I just wish they would do it where I don’t have to SEE them. Don’t sell the sewing stuff when Vince retires….because there will be days you want to KILL each other and escaping to your sewing area will be your only salvation!!! LOL
The snake looks like a black snake which will keep other snakes away. However, it will also eat your eggs so you will need to keep an eye out once the chicks start laying.
I sure wish you would say where this Amish store is. I just may have to start making a road trip north.
I so enjoy reading you blog!
Judy in MO
Oooooooh my goodness a snake!!! They are my all time, number one on the list, things I am scared of most.
What kinds of things can you get at an Amish store?? We have an Amish population around here somewhere and this summer we are going to take a trip to see what is what. I love their food!!
Glad to see your chicks are growing and doing well.
dawn
yikes! I hate snakes! I had fun last night too. my hubby has been in the hospital since Wed and it is just me and the cat. I got up at 2am to the cat hissing and growling which I have NEVER heard her do. When I put on the light she was wrestling with a bat! In my living room! YIKES!! So I ran to the recycle bin (good thing we finished off the cool whip) and grabbed the empty cool whip container and lid and scooped it up and put elastic on the lid to avoid it coming off. Too much excitement for me for one week. cat is up to date in her shots so no worries there and if he was rabid I hope he is dead now as I was not letting a hole anywhere for him to escape from. critters……….ewwwwwwww.
Dawn in MA
That strawberry pie looks awesome. Reminds me that back home I used to sometimes sneak away from the office in the middle of the afternoon and head over to Piccadilly for an early dinner and their awesome strawberry pie. Yummy! The snake — eww!
You are blessed to have all the berries AND the Amish store so close by!
The big black snake is a variety that the people in this area call a chicken snake (I’m not so far from you). When I was a child I had to gather eggs from under the chickens while they were on their nests. Those big black snakes liked to crawl under the chickens to get their eggs. More than once there was a black snake in the chicken house. The black chicken snakes are non poisonous but they grow to huge lengths. So be cautious when gathering eggs!
If I had seen that I would have jumped into the next state!
You will probably end up wanting to pay Vince to go back to work or find something to do. I can just see you now…maybe you better learn to applique so you can have something to keep you busy on your journeys, lol.
My last XH loved to go shopping and turn each trip into a 2-3 hr excursion!! He also *loved* to go up and down each aisle, ’till I wanted to wring HIS neck and leave!!! I know, myself, that there’s been times I’ve been in and out of Wally world in less than 15 minutes (I had a sick cat in the car). I *ONLY* go shopping when I’ve got a list and can do it by myself. Did I tell you that Mom’s 80 as of last Thurs? Her mind is *so* gone.