20 Shopping Days....

OHMYGOSH!!

There's only 20 more days till Christmas. Gasp. Gulp. Grin.

Yep. Just Grin.

What else ya' gonna do when you can't leave home; can't drive....

What hasn't gotten done, may not GET DONE.

What I can't buy via the net, probably won't get bought.

Maybe another two or three weeks of this full leg brace,

that keeps me from driving my sweet Monte Carlo.

And so far, I'm doing alright.

Daily visits from Fed Ex and UPS trucks have the dogs

salivating at the end of the driveway. Our driver's out here

have gotten smart and carry a bucket of doggie treats at

the top of their truck steps - the first step out of the truck

is one with out-stretched hand with dog bones. Now THAT's

a smart man! What is it about those vibrating brown panel

trucks that drive a dog mad? They instantly HATE what

ever comes out of the door of those trucks. ((I'm sure I

could grab a fast cash grant from our US government to do

a full-scale, five-year double-blind research-study

and follow-up documentary in full-screen High Def on the

Discovery Channel...))

Tonight is the opening round of the National Finals Rodeo.

Now there are only about ten days a year where hubby

demands his televisions rights, AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

The week of the National Bull Riding finals and the National

Finals Rodeo, I just don't plan to watch TV. AT ALL. There is

NO compromises here. OH. And a Big part of the deal, is that

hubby can turn the volume up where HE CAN HEAR IT.

Years of abuse, from loud machinery has rendered him

virtually deaf. Nerve deaf. There's not much you can do for

that. Hearing aids can only make it louder, not clearer.

When I turn in at the end of our lane, from the main highway,

I can hear the rodeo announcer as I round the corner. And

can view all the windows in the house vibrating.

((There's no real worry of them actually shattering -

They've stood up to this abuse for the 25 years since we built.))

This year, since I've had the knee surgery, I can't run away

from home, so will have to find other ways to fill the time, such

as post to my BLOG,(!what a concept!), write my annual

Christmas letter.....and ride my new stationary bike!

Since surgery on Oct. 28 , I've gained from 80 degrees bend to

110 degrees, yesterday. My surgeon wants 125 degrees bend,

so I'm getting closer every week. I'm walking around the house

without the use of any aid, and only carry a cane when I leave

the house, just as a precaution. I still haven't gone anywhere,

shopping, where I could find a running pant that snaps along

the leg for easy removal, and access to my brace, so I'm still

wearing shorts to my P.T. sessions. It's getting a bit cold for that,

as it's down to 17 degrees at night, with snow on the mountain

behind town. It's only a matter of luck that we don't have snow

here at the house yet. I'm really not Jones-ing for snow, but I do

love a white Christmas.

I just realized tonight, that I won't be able to do up my huge tree

this year, as is my routine...reality hit me HARD. I guess I'll have

to be satisfied if Huggs gets me a little table-top tree where I can

stick a string of lights and a few teeny ornaments. I sure can't go

crawling around the attic,digging through the boxes and boxes

of goodies, to decide what color I'll do up the tree, THIS YEAR.

I'm a bit OCD about creating the perfect tree. And I had

planned the perfect designer, deep purple tree......

I guess it will have to wait till next year. THEN I'll climb the ladder

and do it up RIGHT !!!

Huggs n I traveled to the city to his favorite western wear shop to

snag some clothes, as they're going out of business, another vic-

tim of the poor economy. We grabbed up $250 worth of dress

shirts that he needs for his art shows and found some really fun

styles.

And while down there, I found Christmas for his almost 90 yr

old Mom. We also visited an old neighborhood friend that had

moved to the valley. He'd been calling and calling me to come by

and choose something special from his late wife's china closet,

since I'd refused payment for singing at her funeral. Since I collect

old tea cups and have one from many of the elder ladies from my

neighborhood and family, that was what I chose. A beautiful, dainty

floral English teacup that is just wonderful and makes me just want

to linger over my tea in the morning. My neighbor insisted that I

should have another one, which he had chosen for me; one that he

thought matched my kitchen well, so I came home with two lovelies

for my collection that has over-grown the room I have to display

them - another kick in the butt to get me to complete my own Grand

mother's curved glass china cabinet. It won't hardly take another

full day to finish some necessary work, and then I can re-set the

glass door and move it back to the upstairs....and. fill. it.

I have a love of pretty things. LOTS of pretty things. It's a very

good thing that I have Grand daughters....now hopefully they wont

all want to be farmers or Peace Corp volunteers.

Meanwhile, Back at the ranch........

It's Time for the Turkey!

Each day, I plan to post to this blog.
And each day, I fail to get it together.
It's all about the KNEE. And about
NOT getting out of the house to take
pictures. Let me go on record saying
THIS IS THE LONGEST TIME I
HAVE SAT INSIDE THIS HOUSE,
FOREVER! The only time I leave is
when I go to town for PT, (Pain n
Torture;Physical Torture;Physical
Therapy....it depends on who you
ask).
I still can't drive ! OH! I think I could
drive alright! if Huggs would just
leave his pickup home. He has a fold-
up console and I could just slide my
leg across the bench seat and do the
brake and accelerator with my left
foot.
But he's too smart for that !!

And he knows I can't drive my
Monte Carlo. Danged-darned-
beat up-busted-down-ugly
sports car with its low slung seats
and solid console, that wont
accommodate my full leg brace!
Whats the deal with THAT?

And I want to go shopping.

NO. I NEED TO GO SHOPPING!

I NEED to spend money and help stimulate the economy.

So would somebody PLEEZE call my hubby and tell him to

come down for the week-end and to be sure to bring my

car????

Thank You.

In the meantime, here on the ranch, its COLD. It's

been down to 17 degrees the last two nights. There's snow

on the mountain tops. Everyone (except me) is hoping for

skiing by Thanksgiving. I'll just be glad to get out of the

house for awhile and enjoy the company of others!

We here at Rawhide's Flat are wishing you all a wonderful

Thanksgiving with those you love!

Be thankful for each and every one of them, because they are the flowers

in your garden!

Meanwhile, Back at the ranch............

Miss Vic

The POWER of the SEA

Behold!! The Power of the Sea !!!

The POWER of the Sea

is awe-inspiring !

The size of the ocean....

The view that goes on forever...

Where does the water stop and the sky begin?

The sheer force and the roar

of the waves!

The obvious joy for our girls to be there again, makes every

effort worthwhile!

We were creating memories!

Recently, my daughter and the grand daughters took a quick swing down the Washington Coast away's, for a sweet girl's get-away....a very fun and necessary run away...a time to just be girls. To stop at fun shops when we want to...to drink coffee anytime we want to, even if it is "too late".... to sleep as late as we want to and to eat fish n chips for breakfast, if we want, and
LORDY, LORDY! Did we have fun !! We hung out in the motel pool and spa, ate popcorn in bed while watching a movie, shopped, ate, played in the sand and got soaked in the sea....then it was time to hit the spa to warm up again! ah.h.h.h.h.h. vacation!

And when we returned home, tired, but wearing smiles and carrying memories for a life-time!

Meanwhile.....Back at the ranch......................Miss Vic

Union Gospel Mission

Sometimes,

a picture says

a thousand words.

It just happened to be Sunday afternoon, when

we drove past this Mission. I fail when I try to read the dynamics of the body language between these two men. None-the-less, I found the scene interesting and timeless.

What are your thoughts?

You know that pain and drugs do a real number on your brain, don't you? Well, I'm here to tell you that I've spent the better part of two hours - two hours!- to get logged in to my own BLOG !!!! Good Grief! I've tried every combination of user name and password known to man, before I came up with the winning combination...now that has a way of making you feel a bit stupid...it was kinda like playing the lottery...."now which combination shall I try THIS time? Did I already try that one? No. Let's see, I think I'll try the OLD ONE. No...That didn't work."
AArgh.h.h.h.h. !

I'm going to log out and see if I can get back in again before I forget....And if I get back, I'll write it down ! (what a concept !) and then I'll come back and post the BLOG entry that I intended when I started out with lots of energy two and 1/2 freeking hours ago......

And if I don't come back....well you'll know that:
1: I forgot the damned user name and password again OR
2. I ran completely out of energy, took meds and went back to bed.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch......................

Memories...

Sometimes our

memories can

come back sweet

and clear. Others

can break our hearts.

Today, while reading

a fellow Blogger's

account of their mission

trip to the Dominican

Republic,

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

I remembered my own

mission to Africa.

I thought I might share

some of those memories,

even though I can't get

upstairs to my photo

archives to share with

you some of the beautiful

faces of my friends there.

I traveled to Zimbabwe Africa and have been changed forever. It certainly makes us aware of our extreme blessings and materialism!! The wonderful people of Zimbabwe were so incredibly gracious and would give me the beads from around their neck or the one picture from their wall, saying, "Please remember me." I was in Zimbabwe to sing for the opening ceremonies of the Africa University in Old Mutare. The University is church -sponsored by the United Methodist Church and it was very new, then, with few buildings. But it has grown considerably since then. After my trip, I sponsored a young seminary student from Zaire that I met while there. His name was Kupa. I gave simple but wonderful gifts of ink pens and supplies to Kupa and his friends and sent clothes and money to help sustain his family through a very cold winter. He spent five yrs studying at Africa U. and then had to return to Zaire, even though his country was in civil war and it was terribly dangerous to do so. Gut wrenching....I have since lost track of him. His last correspondence was that they were going to travel through the BUSH to try to get back home. One of his sons had been shot and killed right in their front yard. I am in anguish as I write this, as he had become my brother...
The sweet people of Africa would remind me that I would always have a home in Zimbabwe. Their church women would cook for me in the "church kitchen", the open fire out-side the back door of the church, and we would have sadsa, squash, rice, goat, termites, and very very tiny chicken. We participated in a beautiful ceremony of hand-washing before meals and tea, where a beautiful woman would pour warm water over your hands from a pitcher into a bowl..I knew they had pulled out all the stops and prepared a meal befitting a queen, and I was treated as honored, everywhere I went.
I stayed in the homes while there...a culture shock from the five star Hotel at Victoria Falls where the President stays, as well as myself. The home stays, where the bed was a mat on the floor, and long columns of ants marched into the sink and toilets, and huge bugs the size of my hand on the wall at night as I went to sleep (OH!), the simple open hole dug in the back, for a toilet, and the single bowl of water for the whole family to bathe.
While in Zimbabwe, I visited a "baby-fold" (orphanage) and an adjacent area for ladies-in-waiting, (who were there until the birth of their babies). I fell head over heels in love with these sweet babies, and would have brought home my sweet baby Tendai, if it had been humanly possible. Tendai, (A Shona name, a shortened version of Natienda, meaning "we are grateful") had been left in a ditch of the road, near the baby-fold, by her un-wed mother, who knew she couldn't return home with another baby for her family to care for.
As a mother and as a singer, I immediately bonded to this baby girl in the only way that came natural to me....I snuggled her close to my ample body, walked back n forth and sang quietly to her. When I had to leave, I cried uncontrollably for miles and miles...and today, many years later, I still cry at the thought of my baby on the other side of the world. I tried to sponsor Tendai and was told that she was claimed eventually, by her maternal grandmother, and left the orphanage.
I am so thankful for the trip I was able to take, back then. My only real, long-term goal in life, is to re-gain my health to the degree that would allow me to again travel there, and in some small way, help, and encourage those, less fortunate to greater heights and to a greater belief in the Lord, Jesus Christ

Miss Vicki

Another Gorgeous Fall Day

A late Fall offering of Wild Blackberries, rendered in Water Color, thanks to my photo filter.

Since I cannot think of anything positive to say about conquering my first P.T. appt. for my new Journey Knee, let me just say that leaving the house for the first time in many days, and doing so on a fabulously beautiful Fall day ROCKED!!

My new PT guy, Ben, is well versed in the rehab for the Journey Knee, and he'd had a nice, long conversation with my surgeon about all the "extra fancy-work" he'd done to release the overly tight muscles on my knee to achieve a somewhat straighter leg. Now you KNOW my goal in all this, is to have a prettier, "straighter" leg at 55 years of age! HA.
Well, I guess that's got to be better than my surgeon's first words when looking at my X-rays, when he said my legs looked like those belonging to an old rodeo cowboy. humph.
Well, now home, pain pills ingested and snuggled into my chair, it's all better now. But let me just tell you, we put this new knee through some moves that are not to be expected, one week post-surgery. But Ben's goal for Friday is a 90 degree bend in that knee. OMG.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d.d
Maybe when the Pope flies!

Oh, I'm sorry if I sounded sacrilegious. That was not my intent. Some of my most fervent prayers have been said in ah.....a....very...loud....tone of voice. How's that?

I'm just saying that prayers don't have to be whispered to be meaningful...
Amen.

Meanwhile....back on the ranch............................Miss Vic

It's Time For The Whine

Now, it's time for the whine.

Even though today dawned absolutely beautiful....and the election is over, and went the way that we wanted, for a change...Even though I am really at peace with all that IS, in my life....

I HURT LIKE HELL TODAY!

So bring on the wine..(whine).

Oh, it's my fault. Again. I forgot to put on a new pain patch last night. I just plain FORGOT about it. (Believe me, it's easy to forget this one!)

I just noticed that as Hugs and I sat and watched the election results come in...my pain just started to RAMP upwards.....worse and worse....I was thinking, "What IS THIS??" I barely made it through our New President's acceptance speech, (OH! just let me say, "WOW.") And then I just had to go to bed, I was just so totally baked.

So, this morning...in so much pain, I'm thinking, HOW in the world can I go to PT and go through THAT torture??? I discovered that I was basically winging it without much pain meds in my system.....so new patch installed.....second latte bowl guzzled...I am on the way to feeling better. Soon.

And in light of going through with the struggle of getting into a vehicle, (a major trial with an unbending knee) and the impending PT exercises....can I do this today???

Just let me borrow our new President's pass phrase, " YES WE CAN !!"

Amen.

Miss Vic

Oh, and just in case you care....just look at these fishermen!! They barely cast their lines, but they snagged a hit...the blood red Chinook Salmon were just incredible along this stretch of the Winachee River. The fishermen caught their limit of two fish per man per day, easily within minutes of arriving! And they hauled the huge 30++ to 40++ inch fish, up the slopes to their vehicles and smiling the whole way, roared off down the road. If you look closely at the pix, you can see one of the fishermen bringing his catch into the shore, and the quick swish in the water as the fish broke the surface...Wow! So exciting to watch!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS DI !

Now, Don't ya'll forget to wish Miss D. a happy All Saints Day....'cause its her special day!! X 37.

huggies, from Momma

SHE'S BACK.k.k.kkkkkk

Yup. I'm back in the saddle...my new Journey Knee in place.

JOURNEY* Bi-Cruciate Stabilized Knee System, made of OXINIUM* Oxidized Zirconium. OXINIUM material is a unique and advanced bearing product technology created through a proprietary manufacturing process that transforms the surface to a ceramic, resulting in a material that incorporates the best features of ceramic and metal while avoiding the limitations associated with either material.

I'm propped up like a queen, with pillows and ice; coffee in my right hand, book in my left...napping about three hours every afternoon, ...life is pretty good. My pain level is fairly controlled and I can get around the house with a single cane. The major issue, for me, is to keep my knee "straight". I am bearing a pretty hurkin' brace, unlike most patients, due to my legs being so badly crooked, the muscles were going to pull the new knee out of place. So. I'll be married to my brace for a few weeks. Let this be a lesson to you to not wait too long to fix those bad knees!

Hugs is taking good care of me; fussing around, bringing meds and ice and helping me into and out of our big king bed, and fixing me up with whatever sounds good to eat and drink.

P.T. starts Wednesday, although I've been hard at my exercises since day 1.

The weather here, has gone south and its raining cats n dogs...which makes me ache like hell. All the more reason to whine. But I can serve up some cheese and crackers with that....

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....

Vicki

What Are You Reading?

When I return, I'm going to have more than enough time to read the "BEST BOOK" on everyone's reading list. Please, leave me a comment and tell me your favorite books.....your "must read next" list.......and what you are reading now! I just recently finished The Life of Edgar Sawtelle. All I can say is "OH MY!" (just read it !!!)

And I am now reading "The Shack". I'd heard so much about it, I bought it - twice. (duh).

I got home from the book store and went to stow my new books in the nest I've created next to my chair (where I'll ultimately spend LOTS of hours) and there it was! already. So I have 2 copies to share....The jury's still out on this one. ( One minute I love it. The next, I think it's poor writing....) You can decide for yourself!

-v

g'bye for now.....

This is "it"....I got most everything done: puppy washed and clipped, lawn furniture stowed away, Perennial Flowers mulched and put to bed, house cleaned, laundry done, bed linens changed, voted absentee, bought a couple "last minute" Christmas presents, (bah ha haaa...you have to know ME to get this), raked leaves, packed for the hospital, checked email, cooked dinner,tested the hot tub water and put the temperature on stand-by for a few weeks.....yadda yadda.
I know I'm compulsive, but I feel like I'm going away on a very long trip...it's weird. I just know that even though it's a short two or three day stay in the hospital, I'm not going to be "UP" for much of anything for weeks after I get home. My thoughts will be all about pain and survival and just getting from point A to point B. And I am in total angst about the fact that the rest of my favorite Indian Summer days will be spent indoors, where I can't feel the sun's warmth on my face. I refused to put the wicker chairs away in the garage. I am hoping for just a few more warm, golden afternoons, where, if I talk sweetly enough, Hugs will pull my chair out into the sunshine...and I can feel blessed to live out my days ..... back on the ranch.

Until then, g'bye for now.
Miss Vic

It's Crunch Time

I knew it was coming. I thought I was ready. But everywhere I look, there is evidence of... well...sloth.

You see, it's all over for me Tuesday morning. No more "Oh, I'll finish that up tomorrow." or "It's still too early to mulch the perennials for winter."....

"I'll finish planting the flower bulbs..."

just WHEN exactly????? After Tuesday morning, THERE WILL BE NO MORE DIGGING IN FLOWER BULBS !!!!!

It's Crunch Time. It's all over. What's not done, won't be getting done. I found myself foaming at the mouth...I had to have fresh clean sheets on the bed! The laundry had to all be done...the floors vaccumed, the dog shampooed and groomed....

WELL, WHAT WOULD YOU DO, IF YOU KNEW YOU'D BE BARELY ABLE TO GET YOURSELF TO THE TOILET THE NEXT TIME YOU CAME HOME??? Huh?!??!!!!

Nerves? NO.o.o.o.o.oooo huh uh. Not ME. I don't mind pain. At All. NOPE. I'm TOUGH.

(As long as the doc prescribes good drugs - I'll be just fine).

Tuesday morning - 11:00 - Miss Vic on the operating table....ever after will be known as NewKnees! ...I'll be setting off alarms at airports around the world, from a distance of 1/2 mile away!

Now! About YOU ! Yes, you! Don't you leave and forget about me, just because I go off missing for a couple weeks! I'm going to NEED you in the following weeks of recouperation. I'm going to need you all to listen to me whine and carry on as though I am the pioneer of the Journey Knee. Never has anyone else gone through such sacrifice and pain for the good of ALL humanity!

Or something like that.

Meanwhile, Back on The Ranch...........

HUMPH

Humph.
See, I told you there was a learning curve to Blogging!
Would anyone in their right mind actually run the text along side their photos in the manner of my previous post ?!?
I think not.
And though I tried to fix it, I failed.
I'm sorry.
Good night, nurse.

Family

My most crowning glory, My Own Belov-ed daughter.


Mom,unaware of the camera,(the best time to catch her)



My Baby sister, looking cute, as only baby sisters CAN !




One of older Grand daughters, Alex, at her first HS Homecoming Dance. (Wasn't it just yesterday that she was a baby in our arms?!?)


My two youngest Grands: Sisters & Best Friends



Just Grammie and her girls on a recent trip to the ocean.



And here's Hugs n I at our 25th Anniversary celebration. And they said it wouldn't last!! I said, "Love will keep us together"...I had it engraved on the underside of his watch; I believed it then and it still holds true. We took those vows seriously, and love has gotten us through the hard times as well as the wonderful times.
Let it be said, that family is important to me. And you can say that again, for good measure! We are a small family. My parents are still alive, and Hugs mother, too. It just feels like our family is SO small, sometimes. And it's scary. I have realized the frailty of life this year, as our parents health has begun to really show signs of failing. And I DON'T WANT TO BE A MATRIARCH!! When our parents are gone, who will we have holiday meals with?? Our kids have all moved away! Well, it's something I don't like to think about!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch............

The Gardening Bug...in AUTUMN ?????

Any of you that have known me awhile, knows of my love of anything "natural"...and anything to decorate in the yard and flower gardens....well, guess what I found on the way home from Seattle? (nah nah nah na nah nah....)

Yup. A silicone mold of a gigantic leaf, so that lil old ME can produce my own stepping stones, and bird feeders and bird baths and water features, and....oh MY !!
I am sooooo excited about this mold!...and making them whatever color I want to make them....this little shop had lots of different hand made molds of different leaves and if I'd been rich, I would have bought several different ones...different sizes. They are too expensive for me to be that impulsive. Now, if I start doing these and really love it,then I can purchase or make some more molds. I can hardly wait to start making things, but me thinks it will have to wait for my new knees and warm weather next spring. Don't any of you let me forget to do this at the first sign of new life next Spring !! But if you're feeling jealous and want your own leaf molds, contact Pam at kitrnorton@comcast.net and tell her Miss Vic sent you!

She had the most eclectic blend of old,and rusty vs. shiny and beautiful, all in one funky little shop on WA Highway 2. I actually feel very at home and comfortable when surrounded by old rusty hardware...it takes me winging back to the wonderful days as a little girl shadowing my belov-ed Grampa in his workshop. I could have spent days in that little road-side shop.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..........

Just Keepin' It REAL

Today, I'm just spreading the Love. It's the least that I can do, in light of the fact that yesterday was THE-DAY-FROM-HELL. YIKES ! In preperation for the upcoming knee replacement, I had to attend several appointments. before the "Big Day"...and in light of the fact that surgery will be at a hospital 80 miles from home, (and the price of gas).....I scheduled three appt. in one day.
So Hugs and I got up at 0-dark:thirty to get to the first doctor on time.
So, we made it out the door, coffee in hand (duh!)and hair on fire, at a horribly early hour for re-tirees. Three doctors/hospital/lab visits later, we made it home by 7:30 PM. Hugs got first hand knowledge of my painfull knees when the specialist displayed my X-rays in agonizing life-size. Let it be said that NOW he totally understands my pain issues and wonders out loud, "How can you even walk??!??!?!?"
Half-Starved and ready for instant intervention, (Poppa Murphy's to the rescue) and I fell into bed by 9:00.


Yeah. Just keepin' it real. Miss Vicki

In The Beginning

In The Beginning

Whew! It's happened! I have finally started my Blog. But I can tell right-off-the-bat that there's a learning curve to this Blogging thing! All I want is WHAT I WANT, THE WAY I WANT IT, DAMN IT !!!!

okay...deep breathing....

I just get irritated when computers don't do what I tell them to do IN PLAIN ENGLISH!

It somehow reminds me of talking to children. Or herding chickens.

Oh, now THAT's a whole 'nother BLOG, folks!

*.*.*.*.*.*.

From the backwoods of our own little "Paradise Found", I will drag you, (kicking and screaming, all the way, I'm sure) through our life here. The every-days-worth of living the quiet life, snug on a few small acres in the rural northwest.

Twenty five years ago, Hugs and I dreamed of building our own log house, and we succeeded in creating a home that gives us comfort and JOY, every day. We built our home with no blue-prints - only a shared vision of a big, warm and comfortable place where friends and family could gather. You know the kind of place - where you can sink into a chair and put your feet up, instead of perching on the edge of your seat and watching for the first moment you can conveniently escape.

Now, we're retired, with the kids grown and gone, and nothing to do with our time except just what we really WANT to do. No more daily grind, (except MY daily grind of PURE, Arabica Beans), we find that staying up late to "finish the last chapter of the book" and sleeping late the next day is more than just okay. There seems to finally be enough time for Hugs to go on 4 wheeler trips with his guy friends, and for me to take week long journeys to spend with the grand daughters. Life just doesn't get much better than this.

Today begins the count down of the last week before my first total knee replacement. I am not looking forward to the pain and the recuperation. But I already have the crippling pain, so let the recuperation journey begin!. I am giving my old knees to a surgeon I trust with my life. Dr. Kym saved my crushed arm with severed nerves, from a 4 wheeler wreck a few years ago, and I wouldn't be willing to let much of anyone else touch my knees.

But this month, I am running around with my hair on fire, trying to get everything done before surgery...every errand done, every project finished, every fruit and vegetable preserved and stored for winter. Good Grief! You'd think I was going to the m@@n !! For a LONG visit !! Approx. 250 # tomatoes were made into spaghetti sauce, preserves and whole canned tomatoes, 3 boxes of peaches, about 60 # beets were pickled, and cukes were pickled into Dago Dills. Pumpkin Butter was stirred over a slow burner all day, (oh MY!), squash was cut, cooked and frozen...why! if Armageddon occurs this winter - head on over. We've got yur' back.

In the meantime.....back at the ranch.............