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I sat down at my desk last night to write this, and the Ring camera at the farm sent a motion sensor notification. Even though I’m out there quite a bit, I like to keep an eye on the place since it was broken into last winter. I turned on the live camera feed and watched. I could see something dart in front of the camera, but it was too fast to identify. I kept watching and saw nothing, so I turned on the speaker and microphone to see if I could catch anything… or anyone. I called out a couple of times and didn’t get a response. Shortly afterwards, I got quite the surprise!

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A snake stuck its head into the frame just long enough to identify it as such. Then it moved over the camera itself, and I heard the long rustle of scales brushing across the microphone. I was so shocked, I didn’t even think of getting out my iPad to record the live feed since I don’t have access to that part of the system. The snake was actually clinging to and traveling across the vertical wooden wall of the front of the house! Eeeks!

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The rain was pouring down, beating a brisk staccato on the old tin roof. The snake rested on the old glass insulators where the electric line went up to the cellar house. It stretched itself out as if to see if the rain was cold, though I’m sure it was just trying to find something good to eat. Some bats come out at dusk there, so it could have been after one.

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I don’t think it’s the big black snake I saw out there in the past. This one looked a lighter color, but I can’t get a close enough look, other than its head didn’t look like a viper. Grandma’s mantra about snakes was, “The only good snake is a dead snake.” I differ with her on that. Unless it’s poisonous and living a little too close to the kids or the hen house, it’s doing its job by keeping down the rodent population. Mr. Virgo was deathly afraid of snakes. After time in the jungles of Vietnam and the verdant flora of Florida, he was “once bit, twice shy.” Mr. FixIt isn’t crazy about snakes either, so I’ve always been the snake wrangler in the family. To be totally transparent… I’ve never been close to a poisonous snake that I know of.

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💜

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“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.   Luke 16:10 ESV

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***Gratitude Journal***   Today, I am thankful for the example of Godliness that my beautiful friend Lisa demonstrated throughout her life. And I’m really, REALLY thankful that I wasn’t sitting on that chair on the porch right under that big fat snake!!!
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It sure feels like we’re living in the Amazon! West Virginia is currently experiencing hot and muggy conditions. I was going to stay out at the farm for a couple of days, but Mr. FixIt called me yesterday morning to say the kids invited us out for dinner. I stayed as long as I could. I decided to take my box of stuffed toys from my childhood home, and when I was in the basement, I turned on the dehumidifier. Now there’s one in the basement and another on the main floor. That should help keep things from mold and mildew.

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I rushed home to change before we headed to the restaurant in town. I had to go downstairs to the laundry room to get some clean clothes, and when I stepped onto the cool cement, it was wet. My heart sank because the first thing I thought of was water leaking in. It turns out the walls were actually sweating from the humidity. I pulled the dehumidifier out and turned it on. The humidity in our basement was 98%!!! That’s about as close to RAIN as you can get!

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It seems like the last week has made everything grow like crazy. It almost makes you feel a little claustrophobic because everything is closing in on you. I feel the need to get out the machete and start hacking away at this overgrowth of greenery. If it weren’t so hot, I would. I think there will be a lot of cold drinks and cool showers for the foreseeable future. I can get the Ninja Creami out and make some light and fruity sorbets. That would hit the spot!

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I had several people call, text, and message me to see if we were anywhere near the severe flooding here in WV. The floods were about 120 miles away, up in the Northern Panhandle. The latest reports say seven people were killed and a few are still missing. Please keep everyone affected by these climate disasters in your prayers. So many people lost everything they owned. We Appalachian people are strong and resourceful, but still…losing everything you own but the clothes on your back is devastating, no matter who you are.

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I hope y’all are safe!

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💜

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Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.   Romans 12:12 ESV

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***Gratitude Journal***   Today, I am grateful that my family is safe from harm. I pray for those estranged in hopes of reconciliation. I am grateful the water in the basement was condensation and not a leak!
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-06-18T04:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/06/18/are-we-living-in-a.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/31/saving-bambi.html", "title": "Saving Bambi", "content_html": "\n
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Saving a little fawn from the floodwaters.
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We’re in monsoon season here in West Virginia. We’ve had more than four inches of rain this week…three of which fell in forty-five minutes yesterday. We get long stretches of rain, and the ground becomes saturated. If what the old-timers called a “toad strangler” comes through, there is no place for the water to go. Then it rushes down the hillsides and through the hollers till the creeks can’t hold anymore. That’s when we get areal flooding, which, in our case, is the fields with the pollinator gardens. Only the three closest to the creek got hit, but the water was higher than I’ve seen in the eight years since I moved here from The Farm. Mr. FixIt has lived here since 1979, and he’s seen the water clear up to the pole barn and surrounding the neighbor’s house down the road.

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When the rain let up a bit, I could hear the creeks roaring, so I put on my raincoat and boots to see what was happening. Those creeks were going so fast! I’ve seen the news stories about the devastating floods around the country, and I can understand the power of that water. As I circled the “far field” and made the turn toward the “near field,” I could hear an animal crying. It sounded like it was in distress, so I picked up my pace to get closer. I could hear it, but I couldn’t quite tell where it was. Finally, I called out softly, and it returned with frantic bleats.

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When I determined the approximate location, I encountered another problem. The hedgerow around our fields is extremely dense. I had to get down on the ground on all fours and wedge my way into the dark thicket. The rushing water was no more than four or five feet in front of me. And there, standing at the very edge of the water, was a very tiny fawn. Barely able to stand yet, the baby cried out for me. I couldn’t reach her, and I was so scared she would fall in. If that happened, there would be no way to save her.

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On my knees, sinking into the soggy leaf litter, I asked God to help me get her. I started talking to her in a soft, gentle voice. She wobbled her way to me on her Bambi legs, crying the whole time. She let me pick her up without a fuss, and I quickly got her to the pole barn. There were old towels in there, and we were safe from the rain. I grabbed a folding chair and sat down to inspect the little critter. She still had her umbilical cord, so she couldn’t be more than a day or two old. She didn’t seem to be injured in any way — just very wet and cold. Poor thing was shivering. I wrapped the towels around her and slowly dried her off. Her cries calmed down, and she fell asleep.

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I stayed there till the rain was only a sprinkle. She stopped shivering. I debated what to do. It was still chilly and raining lightly. If I were going to set her out somewhere, it needed to be sheltered as best it could. I finally decided to lay her under the huge forsythia bushes along the fence, and hopefully her mama would smell her or hear her.

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I could hear Mr. FixIt sucking up water in the basement from the flood. It was time to go inside and do the next job. Honestly, once spring hits, there isn’t a dull moment around here. That’s a good thing…because once I lay my head on the pillow at night, I can honestly say I gave it my all that day. And thank God for the opportunity.

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ᓚᘏᗢ

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Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

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So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

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Genesis 1:26-27

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***Gratitude Journal*** Today, I am grateful I was able to hear that little fawn’s cry over the roaring creek waters and save her from a certain death.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-31T04:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/31/saving-bambi.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life","Kindness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/28/failure-or-lessons-learned.html", "title": "Failure? Or Lessons Learned?", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been baking with Fresh Milled Flour for the last month or so. I’ve tried different recipes and different grain combinations and have never had a flat-out failure till yesterday. It was really humid and rained all day. The kitchen was cool. The flour was milled four weeks ago, and I hated to waste it, but it was past its prime, and I tempted fate. I followed the recipe to a T. I could never seem to get enough flour in it to pull into a ball, and I didn’t want to overdo it. Consequently, the dough was loose and sticky. I let the dough rise in the pans for the suggested time, but when I went back to look at it, I knew it was way over proofed. It was literally flat and oozing over the rims.

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Thanks for reading Kneading Faith! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

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I nearly threw it away, but I figured baking it wasn’t going to cost me anything but time and a little bit of gas. So, in it went. When the internal temperature hit 195̊, I pulled the sad-looking bread out of the oven and was so disappointed. My first thought was to throw the whole mess out. Then I thought, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I broke the cardinal rule and cut into a warm loaf, slathered it with butter and homemade plum jam, and it was surprisingly delectable! Of course, in the next day or so, it may end up hard and dry. Perhaps I will make a bread pudding or a French Toast Casserole.

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My fresh milled flour is gone now. I decided last week to buy a grain mill of my own. Wouldn’t you know it…I’m always late to the party, so mills are scarce as hen’s teeth to find. I finally decided to buy a manual mill online. Being the fickle woman that I am, I decided over the weekend that the manual mill was probably not going to work for me. My 72-year-old shoulders and wrists weren’t going to like all that extra work. I hadn’t even received it yet when I called and asked how to return it. They were wonderful, and even though I’m going to have to absorb the shipping, I knew I’d made the right decision. Especially after it arrived yesterday morning, weighing 36.5 pounds! I don’t have a sturdy table to bolt it too, so I would have to mount it to a board and add another 3-5 pounds to the total weight. Then I would have to haul it back and forth from storage every time I want to use it.

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There was a time when I would chastise myself over all of this. Thankfully, 72 years have given me the wisdom to know these mistakes aren’t failures…they are lessons. I’ll have fresh flour the next time I bake. I’ll try a different recipe. I won’t put a pan of hot water in the oven (that’s turned off) to boost the rise since we’re heading into summer. I won’t wait 20 minutes to check the proof. Self-recrimination doesn’t get me anywhere, but I can learn from lessons every single day with my dignity intact and a continuing desire to become a better baker.

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ᓚᘏᗢ

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But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 ESV

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***Gratitude Journal*** Today, I am grateful for the patience it takes to truly learn a craft that supports my family in eating the way God intended us to.
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\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-28T04:45:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/28/failure-or-lessons-learned.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen","Homestead"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/23/a-wise-purchase.html", "title": "A Wise Purchase", "content_html": "\n
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Since I found out I nearly killed my coffee grinder getting two cups of flour on Wednesday, I decided I had to have a bona fide grain mill. I’ve been researching them for at least six months. I’ve made graphs and charts and comparisons. I finally decided it had to have some specific qualifications. I wanted a manual mill in case there is a long moment in time when we might go without electricity. A manual mill is much quieter than the electric versions. Loud noises really bother me. I wanted it to have the option of adding a motor to it if cranking it becomes bothersome for me. I also wanted it to grind coarse to make grits or cornmeal as well as very fine to make pastry flour…and all the goodness in between.

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I sat at the computer most of the day going down rabbit holes, trying to find one that would suit my needs. I usually use my laptop, but this time I happened to be on the desk computer which has an extension on it that scours the internet for coupons or good deals whenever you are shopping online. Lo and behold, when I pulled up the mill I settled on…I received an alert stating there were sixteen possible coupons for money off! I clicked “scan all deals” and found one that was $50 off! This was on Lehman’s Hardware in Kidron, OH. If we drove up there to buy it, I wouldn’t get that $50 off. It so happens, there was no shipping…so I saved the time and the money for gas and food. Not to mention how much more I’d be tempted to spend once I got inside that magical place! If you haven’t been there…you MUST go. It’s in the middle of Amish Country and there’s so much to see and do.

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Over the past few years, I’ve made a little bit of money on my blog. So, I took what I made in the last year, plus the $50 off coupon, and my final “new money” expenditure was only $39!!! I’m excited about that! I love the taste of homemade bread with fresh milled flour. It reminds me of what food used to taste like till Big Agra hijacked our food chain. There is an adjustment in your digestion when you start eating whole grains. Theres a LOT more fiber, but there are a lot more nutrients as well. I’m hoping the mill will arrive soon…I can’t wait to try it!

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We’re having a bit of a cold spell here on the homestead. I went out to the pollinator gardens in the far field this morning before the dew was off the grass. I wanted to check on the four lavender plants I planted out there this week. Nothing has touched them so far! I have one more to go in the ground and one to go to Mrs. FixIt 1.0 today. I think I might set the last plant in the fenced-in back yard. I’d love to have that lovely aroma of lavender come through the bedroom windows on a warm spring night.

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I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend planned. And remember all those who served our country and gave up their lives to keep us free. It’s not about the BBQ.

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Be Blessed…

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Ginny

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Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.  Matthew 24:41 ESV

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today, I am grateful for being led to the perfect grain mill for us and for the people from whom I will learn to mill.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/23/a-wise-purchase.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/20/working-outdoors.html", "title": "Working Outdoors", "content_html": "\n
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There is so much to do at this time of the year. I needed to bake, but the garden needed me more. The “topsoil” we have in the raised garden has absolutely NO organic material in it. It’s just dirt. Mr. FixIt did add a layer of composted manure in the bed but then put more dirt on the top. When this kind of dirt gets wet, then dries, it turns into hard clay. I had an extra bag of garden soil that I added on top yesterday and I’ll gradually mix the two together and distribute more organic material into the dirt. I also started gathering earthworms out of the yard and put them into the garden. Once there are enough of those in there, they will aerate the soil adding castings to further enrich the raised bed. We bought big tomato plants so they are already putting tomatoes on. The Early Girl ought to be producing tomatoes in another month or so. I can’t wait…I love fresh tomato sandwiches!

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I had enough of the garden soil left over that Mr. FixIt could put it around his roses. We are getting buds on a few of the bushes. My rhubarb is pushing up a whole cluster of new leaves. And the seeds Mrs. FixIt 1.0 gave me for Christmas are sprouting already.  They are a kind of bean with purple pods. She calls them Jefferson Beans and her friend calls them Moon Beans.I wish I would have planted them earlier, but I think there’s still plenty of time for them to grow. They are beautiful trained up a fence.

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I planted two of the lavender plants out in the far field. They say the essential oils in them deter the deer and rabbits from eating them. But I wanted to make sure before I plant all of them. I don’t want to lose any. If they aren’t safe out there, I’ll just plant them inside the fenced area around the pool.

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I used up almost all of last week’s bread in French Toast yesterday morning. We have enough leftover for breakfast this morning. Then I need to head to the funeral home for visitation. I don’t think I’ll stay for the funeral. There’s so much that needs doing here. It’s supposed to rain the next couple of days, so maybe I can catch up with inside projects. 

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There’s always something or someone that needs fixing or fed around here! 😘

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🩵🌺🩵

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“Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.”   ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today, I am grateful for the space to plant food and flowers…for our bodies and for our joy.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/20/working-outdoors.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Happiness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/17/country-roads.html", "title": "Country Roads…..", "content_html": "\n
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I think this procedure Mr. FixIt had on his back is really going to help. He’s already feeling relief, even though the site where they did the ablation is sore…it’s not the same awful pain! Yay!!! As a matter of fact, he felt so good last night that he asked me out for dinner in town at our favorite Chinese restaurant. On the way home, we drove the long way home out some old country roads. I’m telling you…I am really glad there weren’t any cars coming in the opposite direction because there was no place to pass.

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We drove past Riverbend Farm and Gardens’ high tunnels this evening. We didn’t walk up to the grow houses because I think I make them nervous and they come down to see what’s going on. I hate to bother them because I know they are so busy this time of year. The tomatoes are already thigh high and I think I could see good progress on their green beans. I hope to get set up so I can start buying from them on a more regular basis.

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When we got back on the two-lane, we turned out another country road that meandered through the woods and between spacious farmland. We drove out past a friend’s house and went on till we got to the dead end. You couldn’t hear a thing but nature out there! Mr. FixIt and his family used to ride their bikes out these country roads so he knew his way around. He’d say, “Turn here.” And off we’d go down another rabbit hole. 

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It was a beautiful evening for a drive. We had a strong thunderstorm in the afternoon so the air was clean and fresh. The woods and fields were rich with the scent of pine and honeysuckle. And, the sky was painted blue and gold and peeked through the scattered clouds. We’ve been working so hard the last week, it was nice to just take a day off. Other than homemade sourdough pancakes for breakfast, I didn’t have to cook at all. And the only gardening I did was tie up the tomato plants before the rain hit. 

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Now, that’s a treat!

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🩵🌺🩵

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“But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”  ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***  
Today, I am grateful for the time I have here with  Mr. FixIt and all my family. I’m grateful for a truck that’s reliable enough to carry us through the woods and along the hedgerows of our country lanes.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/17/country-roads.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/16/from-meat-locker-to-microwave.html", "title": "From Meat Locker to Microwave", "content_html": "\n
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The ancient John Deere

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Well, we are at that time of year when we casually walked out of the freezer and into the flame. We’ve been having these wonderfully cool days and nights. It made working outside pleasant and nights positively divine. Then we walked into hot and muggy weather…just like that. When I worked at our happy little homestead on Wednesday, the high was in the low 70s with a nice breeze. I barely broke a sweat. And now?

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Ugh!

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Ok…I know it’s going to get worse. I mean…it’s only MAY for crying out loud. But if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I sleep all winter with the window open. I don’t care if the temperature is -20°…I’m sleeping with the window open. So I’ve set myself up for this. I just don’t like, or tolerate, heat like I used to.

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We went out to The Farm yesterday to mow. It has been two weeks since Mr. FixIt went out and mowed for me and that grass was thick and wet. The old lawn tractor out there is a John Deere from the stone ages and I just baby the heck out of it so it will last. It’s literally held together with spit and glue. It goes through oil like a big dog. We checked the oil level and it was dry as a bone so we put a whole quart in.

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Mr. FixIt put a new battery on it two weeks ago because it wouldn’t start. I jumped on the tractor and turned the key. It wouldn’t turn over. It wouldn’t even crank….it just made a buzzing sound. Mr. FixIt and I looked at each other and sighed. We pushed it out in the yard and jumped it with the truck. It started right up so I proceeded to mow the yard. It’s not big…maybe 3/4 of an acre. I was almost finished when the mower started making a knocking sound and I stopped it right away. Mr. FixIt checked the oil again and would you believe, it was bone dry. We couldn’t find where we were losing it and we didn’t have anymore oil.  We drove to the nearest little town and got some oil at Dollar General.

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We bought a cold drink and some cemetery flowers and drove the ten minutes or so to the cemetery where my family is buried. I didn’t have enough flowers for everyone, so I put them on my mom’s grave and asked her to share them with Pop-Pop, Grandma, Uncle Sonny, And Uncle Bob. Someone had been up there since the last time I visited because there were angels and a glass cross and kitty on the headstones. It made me happy to some some came to see them.

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We got back to the farm, put oil in the tractor, and I finished mowing the little bit I had left. Unfortunately, the tractor was still making the same noise. And it didn’t want to start. I sent a note to the new owner to explain what happened. We’ll see what they want to do. (We’ve been keeping the lawn mowed in exchange for me getting to stay at the farm whenever I want. It’s always been my safe landing place.)

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It’s becoming more and more apparent that my time out there will eventually come to an end. There isn’t any running water anymore. There are trees that threaten to come down on the house if there’s a particularly bad storm. The roof leaks. The barn is beginning to tilt toward the creek. (There was a window in the barn that popped out from the pressure.) The electricity goes off way too easily and sometimes stays off for days. Yet, still…it is home.

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It is home, but I’m weaning off the old girl. I’m so happy I can still go see her from time to time. I just don’t want to watch her die.

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We stopped at the Pig on our way home. After supper, I watered the garden and the new plants I bought on Wednesday. It was another typical day at Marshmallow Ranch…filled with memories and hard work, heat and humidity. Oh, yeah…I got out my sourdough starter and fed her! I’m thinking we need some sourdough bread pretty soon.

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Life is good!

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🩵🌺🩵

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“So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today, I am grateful we can visit the old home place and take flowers to the family cemetery. I am grateful for the knowledge that someday, we will see each other again.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/16/from-meat-locker-to-microwave.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/15/mr-fixits-got-an-owwwwy.html", "title": "Mr. FixIt’s Got an Owwwwy", "content_html": "\n
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Poor Mr. FixIt. He was a rough and tumble guy all his life and he’s paying the price with back pain. We’ve been jumping through the usual hoops…first, Physical Therapy…then, injections (for the last couple of years)…and now, an ablation. If you don’t know what that is, they find the exact nerves that are sending crazy pain signals and then…well, then they torch them. I know, right? It sure doesn’t sound pleasant to me. But they say it should ease his pain tremendously and last for at least a year. I’m sure hoping so, because he’s been miserable for so long and it affects his ability to do a lot of things he loves.

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I sat in the cubicle while he was back in the procedure room. The ablation takes about three times as long as the injections so I was prepared with some knitting. Everything was fine, then I heard something on the overhead.

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“Stroke alert, Room 16. Stroke alert, Room 16.”

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My heart sank. I felt the all too familiar surge of adrenalin course through my body and thought…”No, no, no! Not again!” I took inventory of what was going on around me. 

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Did the person calling the alert sound like it was an emergency?

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No.

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Did the staff in the Spine Center seem on alert?

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Not at all. It was as though they didn’t even hear it.

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I told myself, if they aren’t worried, I’m not worried. But I’m telling ya…I was sure relieved when I heard Mr. FixIt’s sweet voice as they wheeled him back to me. I whispered a quick, “Thank you, Jesus!” and tears stung my eyes.

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So, we live to see another day.

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He did well. We need to keep ice on for 20 minutes then off for 20 during the first 24 hours. When the numbing wears off, he’s liable to have quite a bit of pain and wonder if he should have done this. But, after the first week, things start to settle down then improve steadily for the first month. I’m hoping this is a good fix for him so he can enjoy life again. He deserves some relief from this incessant pain.

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We stopped on the way home and bought six lavender plants for the pollinator gardens. While Mr. FixIt snoozed the afternoon away, I puttered in the back yard with planting things. I mowed the back yard after supper but it had gotten so thick and deep. Our push mower is a piece of junk, so finally I gave up and brought the riding mower into that confined space. It took a lot of maneuvering but it was SO much quicker…even with the time it took to blow the grass off the sidewalks with the leaf blower.

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By the time I got all that done, I was beat. I’m glad we don’t have much to do in the coming week!

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🩵

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“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”   ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today, I am grateful for the good doctors that care for us. I am grateful God sent us on this journey together so we could be each other’s helpmates through life. 
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/15/mr-fixits-got-an-owwwwy.html", "tags": ["Health","Love","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/12/the-black-iris-is-blooming.html", "title": "The Black Iris is Blooming!", "content_html": "\n
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Just a quick update on the tractor. I got is all put back together and wouldn’t you know it…it did the SAME thing it was doing before I started. I looked at even more YouTube videos and I finally fell onto a couple that talked about the brake. If the brake is at all engaged, the mower will not move forward. After seven years of mowing five acres, sometimes twice a week, the spring that brings the brake back up in a disengaged setting was getting a little old. I tried mowing and holding the brake up with my foot and bingo! The mower drove like a champ. So, being the mechanical girl that I am, I said, “Why don’t we just use a bungee cord to hold that pedal all the way up? It would still be stretchy so I can hold the brake in to start the tractor.” Mr. FixIt said he thought that might work, and sure enough…I was mowing in five minutes.

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Then…I smelled something hot and there was a big clank and the mower blades stopped working. The deck belt came off. I drove it back to the building and looked underneath. The belt didn’t just pop off. It was shredded! It turned out, I didn’t tighten one of the belt guides in the right place. Ugh! Fortunately, Mr. FixIt had another deck belt in the building. (Of COURSE he did! lol) I got the belt on and we changed the position of the guide to be sure it didn’t rub on the belt anywhere and I was back in business.

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I mowed the whole five acres and I’m telling you, by the time I was done I was done for. I ended up having a nice Mother’s Day. I spoke to both of my Colorado girls and the WV family, as well. I’m going to knitting group this morning then, if it’s not raining, I’ll go out to the farm to mow. If it’s raining, I need to bake bread…today or tomorrow.

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Hope you had a nice weekend. The weather was perfect and things are so green it hurts you eyes! Oh…the “Black Iris” bloomed just in time for Mother’s Day!!!

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Well, actually…in a certain light…my iPhone makes them look very dark purple.

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🩵

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“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”  ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***  
Today, I am grateful to have a patient husband who enjoys teaching me how to do things around our little homestead. He never gets mad at me for making mistakes…even when I ruin a $55 mower deck belt!
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/12/the-black-iris-is-blooming.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Marriage","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/10/just-stretching-to-see-what.html", "title": "Just Stretching to See What Hurts", "content_html": "\n
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Can you find the Buckeye Tree?

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Oooooh, you know how great it feels to finally get outside in the spring to do yard work? And, there’s always that one day when you wake up and have to gingerly move your body to see what damage has been wrought? Yeah…yesterday was my day. My hands hurt. My hip hurt where I sat on the cement for too long fiddling with the Husqvarna. The tendons on the front of my neck even hurt from holding my head off the ground while laying under the tractor. Still, it was a satisfying ache. 

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We didn’t get much done on the tractor yesterday. We had to go to town for another doctor’s appointment. Are you like us? We go through a period where the appointments are reasonably spread apart, then all of a sudden…we’re there all the time! When a round trip to town is at the very least sixty miles, you have to add all your stops for shopping, banking, haircuts, whatever to that because you don’t want to make the trip very often. So, by the time you get back home it’s time for supper and the news and the day is pretty much shot.

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The first daisy!

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I did get the new deck belt put on and switched out three of the five little wheels on the mower deck. We have a 30’x40’ building full to the rafters with anything you might need for such jobs as these. But, do you think we could find a couple of washers for those wheels? Nooooo! Finally, Mr. FixIt pulled a small tray out a tool box and sure enough, there were the washers we needed. That building is like Lowe’s after a tornado…you know you’ve got just about everything for just about every job. The thing is…can you find it?

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Multiflora Rose…it is a scourge in the Appalachia’s. Early settlers planted them as “living fences” and they took over everything. They are impossible to get rid of and their brambles are sharp and intertwined.

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Mr. FixIt still has to change the oil on the tractor. Or maybe I’ll learn how to do that, too! We should get everything put back together by afternoon when we go out to eat to celebrate the youngest WV granddaughter’s graduation from WVU. And tomorrow? Back to mowing. Our next big project is buying a new storm door and installing it. I know I can’t do THAT job by myself. Those doors are heavy and if I dropped it and shattered the glass, I’d feel awful!

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Top Row: Buttercup, Milkweed, Common Starwort Bottom Row: Our 1st “Early Girl” Tomato, Fleabane, Milkweed (always excited when I see these because I pray for monarchs, but just to the right is a single stem of Garlic Mustard…a highly invasive weed. I need to get after them before they seed!)

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It’s always something, isn’t it? I’d rather be busy than not. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop! I did have a chance to do a walkabout last evening during the golden hour and snapped some pics for you. Enjoy!

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🌷☀️🌷

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“She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.”   ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***  
Today, I am grateful for good healthcare providers who watch out for our health. May it always be so, Lord.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/10/just-stretching-to-see-what.html", "tags": ["Strong Women","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/08/wannabe-farm-girl.html", "title": "Wannabe Farm Girl", "content_html": "\n
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All planted…five varieties of tomatoes, all heirloom except one.

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I grew up in a medium-sized town in WV. We had a bustling downtown till they built the mall around the time I graduated from high school. Even though I was a “townie”, we spent just about every weekend out at my grandparents’ farm. Grandma and PopPop had a truck garden next to the house, and they grew a canning garden up on top of the hill. I worked alongside my grandma for as long as I can remember. From planting seeds to harvesting to putting up the produce, my hands were always busy.

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I planted marigolds to keep the bugs away.

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Like most adolescents, I grew up wanting something different. I didn’t want to be “stuck” working on a farm all my life raising a houseful of children. I wanted my life to be exciting. And it was. I lived in England for a couple of years and then Colorado for forty more. Somewhere in there, I decided I wanted a farm. Trouble was, I didn’t have a husband that wanted the same thing.

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Our rhubarb plant was overgrown and died, so I bought a new one. This will be kept in a pot.

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When Mr. Virgo died in March of 2013, I took advantage of the opportunity to return to my roots. I actually lived on Grandma’s farm for a couple of years and it was phenomenal. Then, about five years later, I married my high school sweetheart and, as most of you know, we live on our little five-acre pseudo homestead. We are not self sufficient, but we get closer every year. And even though we are both in our early seventies, we strive to do everything we reasonably can to reduce our carbon footprint and be prepared for any negative circumstances.

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Tomato Variety Board…SIMM’s Greenhouse - Palestine, WV

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We’ve tried having a garden here on Marshmallow Ranch, but we are of an age where dragging a tiller around and bending over for hours planting and weeding is just too much for our aging bodies. We always plan our summer projects during the winter when we are closed in with snow. This winter, Mr. FixIt decided he wanted to build a raised garden bed where we could at least raise tomatoes for the table. He bought the wood last week and slowly put it together. We tweaked it a little here and there till we got the configuration we thought would be useful. He finished putting the boards on the last side yesterday and lined the box with a double thickness of plastic. He had half a pickup load of top soil, some straw, and a few bags of compost/manure mix. Our son came over yesterday and between the two of them, they had the raised bed filled with dirt in a couple of hours.

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While the guys worked on our super new garden space, I went to the tractor store and bought a new drive belt for the Husqvarna. We need to take the mower deck off today and replace that belt so I can get out there and mow. It’s getting really deep in the areas that are not designated as pollinator gardens. When I got home, our son was just leaving and Mr. FixIt and I decided to go to Simm’s Greenhouse for plants. When we got back, I planted the garden. Along with the tomatoes, I bought some marigolds to help keep the bugs away. I also bought a beautiful rhubarb plant and I’m going to grow it in a tub out back.

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Our grand-doggy, Cooper. He is SO precious!

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It was a very busy day but our bones were weary in a good way. It’s supposed to rain so I know I won’t get out on the mower today. But, there is ALWAYS something to do around here so I am sure the grass won’t grow under our feet. As I am sitting here writing to you, the little grey tree frogs are out there singing their hearts out for Ms. Right. It’s a pink-fringed evening with a cool breeze and I’m happy to my core.

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I’m finally home.

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🩵🌷🩵

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“Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.”

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‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   Today, I am grateful for the opportunity to be as close to a farm girl as I’ve ever been. No chickens or pigs or goats, but we’re living in the country with the birds and the bees! And that’s something!

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/08/wannabe-farm-girl.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/07/walking-in-the-rain.html", "title": "Walking in the Rain", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been working on a project this week, in between baking and cleaning the kitchen…ad infinitum. I finally had to get out of the house and wander around the pollinator gardens to see what’s new out there. I grabbed my rain boots and a huge golf umbrella from the truck and took off, tromping through the wet fields.

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I’m really pleased with most of the gardens. There are a couple that look kind of poorly…sparse grasses with no discernible wildflowers. My dear friend Aimee, who knows all things about the ground and what grows under, in, and on top. She says to leave it be. It’s still forage for critters and can harbor snakes and turtles, and field mice. There’s no such thing as a bad green space…unless all it has is invasive and noxious weeds.

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The Lyreleaf Sage is nearing the end of its flowering. The little trumpet-shaped flowers at the top of the stems glow brightly in the mass of dark field grasses. The Bulbous Buttercup has opened its John Deere yellow flowers and is quite showy in the areas where they grow. The Wood Sorrel blossoms are doing their best to compete with the buttercups, but they are smaller and stay deeper in the grass.

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Speaking of grass, we have mostly Kentucky Bluegrass, Bromes, Foxtail, Flax, and others. There are many other perennials like Dock, Red Sorrel, Sheep Sorrel, Ribwort Plantain, White Clover, and many others. Every time I’m out there, I find something new to document. It is quite a walk to go around all seventeen pollinator gardens. Just another healthy way to get my steps in.

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Mr. FixIt went to town yesterday to buy the straw, manure, and topsoil for the raised bed. I know it’s an investment at the beginning, but hopefully it will pay off with table veggies in the summers to come. I’d like to build a cold frame at the end of the house to have lettuce, carrots, and onions through the winter. Another small step toward a less consumer-based lifestyle as we continue to live our best years walking side-by-side through our seventies.

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I used the last of the cabbage and made Gail’s deconstructed cabbage rolls last night for supper. Mr. FixIt picked up some fresh ears of corn, and I have some asparagus that needs to be used up. It’s always a delight to anticipate a good, country meal for a chilly, rainy evening.

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🩵

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“God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.”   ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today, I am grateful for the ground on which we live…the myriad flora and fauna that delight us daily. I’m grateful for two strong legs that carry me around, and for the image lookup function on Google!
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/07/walking-in-the-rain.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Grace","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/05/06/ahhhhthe-whippoorwill-is-back.html", "title": "Ahhhh…the Whippoorwill is Back!", "content_html": "\n
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An eastern whippoorwill (Antrostomus vociferous) perches on a tree branch in the eastern deciduous forest (Photo credit: birdsoftheworld.org).

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It was dusk when I walked out to the camper. The air was cool after a late afternoon rain and the frogs called back and forth in their amphibious love fest. The bunnies froze in place as my headlamp brushed across the new mown grass, their red eyes glowing in the impending darkness. Night birds called here and there as they settled for the night. That’s when I heard her…the lone whippoorwill in the hedgerow at the end of the far field.

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Sunday’s hail storm about a mile from our house.

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I love the sound of a whippoorwill. It takes me back to my childhood, lying in bed beneath the tin roof at my grandma’s house. Back then, there was a pair of bobwhites on the hill across the road. One night I heard their unmistakeable call followed by the scream of a bobcat. That was the last time I ever heard a bobwhite. 

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A foggy night at Marshmallow Ranch.

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A whippoorwill’s call can get mighty obnoxious if they’re close to the house. I don’t know if you remember the story about the time a whippoorwill perched on top of the old TV antenna at the end of our house. We were “yard camping” and that thing would NOT stop and it wouldn’t fly back to the hedgerow where it belonged. I got up and left the camper to try to shoo it off. I got a big pot and a metal spoon and clanged away but it didn’t move an inch. It called nonstop for 45 minutes and I was about ready to pull my hair out. 

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The rhododendron is blooming! It seems early to me this year.

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I looked around for something else that might work. There was a ball peen hammer laying on the grill for some reason. I grabbed that thing and marched out to the antenna and gave it a sound WHACK! That bird few off and much to my dismay, I didn’t hear it again for three years. I heard it once last year in the early spring, but I’ve heard it several times this year. I don’t think I’ll ever try to scare it off again. These are God’s gifts to us and should be appreciated for their beautiful song.

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The beautiful rhododendron…West Virginia’s state flower.

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Especially if it’s down in the hedgerow at the end of the far field!

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🐦‍⬛

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“The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.” Song of Songs‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for the many songbirds who are migrating through WV at this time of year. I awoke to my very favorite bird yesterday morning…the lovely wood thrush with its crystal clear song just makes my heart sing. When I’m out at The Farm, I hear them back up the holler behind the barn and their song echos and rings like a bell choir. 
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-05-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/05/06/ahhhhthe-whippoorwill-is-back.html", "tags": ["Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Home","Happiness","Joy"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/04/27/a-fist-full-of-berries.html", "title": "A Fist Full of Berries", "content_html": "\n
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Monster strawberry from California.

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I had a really busy day yesterday and along the way, there was grocery shopping to be done. As I perused the produce section, these gorgeous GIANT strawberries captured my attention they brought back such strong memories of my childhood at my grandma’s farm.

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The Strawberry Field back on the hill at Grandma’s farm.

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Some time after my Uncle Sonny was killed when his fighter jet crashed in a German potato field in 1955, my grandparents needed something to focus on…a way to bring in extra money and ease their broken hearts. So, when my Uncle Bud was in college studying agriculture, he hatched a plan to turn a section of the fertile ground on top of the hill into a strawberry farm.

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Grandma in the hat and Nanny Goff in the overalls working the berry fields.

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My earliest memory of the strawberries was in the early ‘60s. I was 8 or 9 years old and banished from picking strawberries because I ate more than I carried to the sorting shed and I stepped on the runners. The runners make more plants which in turn produce more berries. No runners, no berries. I can so clearly remember the huge strawberries that grew in that rich soil. We had berries just like these and one filled my entire hand. You could only get five or six berries in a quart.

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Strawberry Pickers. That’s my PopPop in the hat driving the old Model A he converted into a tractor.

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I don’t know how many years we had berries. I do remember going to farmer’s market with my PopPop with the bed full of strawberry flats. We went two or three days a week and people knew when to expect us. They’d be standing there waiting for us to get there with these precious gems. They were so sweet and juicy, they hardly needed sugar.

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The berries were smaller in 1964. These were in the bed of PopPop’s truck.

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When we emptied the truck and headed back to the farm, PopPop always stopped at the old grocery store in Macfarlan and bought me some penny candy with his proceeds from the sale of those strawberries. According to my Uncle Bud, it was an awful lot of work with not a lot of return and they eventually gave it up.

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Another view of the strawberry field.

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Even though they turned to other endeavors, I will always remember those hot summer days and warm, juicy berries that stained my hands and cheeks. I smiled as I picked up a carton of berries and put them in the buggy. Warm memories on a cold and rainy afternoon.

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🍓

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 “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.”   ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for my bonus family here in West Virginia. I am blessed with the friendship of the former Mrs. FixIt…a strong woman with a heart of gold.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-04-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/04/27/a-fist-full-of-berries.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/04/22/living-a-rich-life.html", "title": "Living a Rich Life", "content_html": "\n
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I thought about my grandma a lot yesterday. She pops into my mind most days…usually when I’m cooking. My cousin Tammy seems to have been thinking about her as well because she sent me this precious meme with a grandma and her littles. It brought tears to my eyes.

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Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

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We live a rich life here on Marshmallow Ranch. We pinch our pennies and make do with what we’ve got a lot more of late. But we don’t feel deprived in the least. Even when we’re doing something as mundane as a doctor’s visit, we still make it fun. Mr. FixIt has a bad back…too many years of hard work, hard play, and abusing his body has caught up with him. We’re making progress in getting him some relief so yesterday was a very good day. This strong man never, ever complains. I really admire him.

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I found the mug my own littles gave me for Mother’s Day a long time ago!

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We stopped at Sam’s yesterday and bought a crate of eggs…seven and a half dozen for $22 and change. That’s $10 less than a month ago…one of the bright spots in my day. We got home and I brought all the groceries in and put them away, then we just hung out together all afternoon. Mr. FixIt dozed off around 5:30 and I went in to start supper.

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I didn’t feel like cooking a big meal earlier, then I thought of my grandma and how she could feed a crowd with a chicken and some fresh veggies from her garden. I took out some chicken thighs, broccoli, and corn on the cob and set to work. I wanted to make a dinner like my grandma’s so I washed four thighs, patted them dry, dipped them in buttermilk, then coated them well by dredging them in seasoned self-rising flour. Yes, self-rising flour. Baking soda gives fried foods a really crispy crust. If you don’t have self-rising, just add some baking soda to all-purpose flour and it does the same thing. Also, I let the thighs sit aside for a bit to let the coating dry a little. I fry them on medium heat in a skillet with canola oil and butter. Grandma used butter alone, but I think that tastes a little too heavy for me.

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While the chicken was frying, I cleaned the corn and heated up the water with about a tablespoon of sugar and some salt in it.. When I could see the chicken was almost done, I brought the water back up to the boil, popped the ears of corn in, turned off the heat, and immediate put a tight-fitting lid on the pan and let it sit while the rest started to come together. I steamed the broccoli, sliced and buttered the fresh bread I baked on Tuesday. Everything came out perfectly and at the same time. We had dinner together in the dining room. I like that so much better than eating in front of the TV. It forces us to chat about life and what we see out the big picture window. The dinner was perfect and I know it would pass Grandma’s inspection. Especially the bread. She LOVED homemade “yeast bread” and I would indulge her on my visits home by baked a few loaves and hot rolls.

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By the time I was finished, I was too tired to do the dishes. I always like my kitchen to be clean in the mornings to start the day right, but we’ve been busy and we’re not caught up yet from traveling. They’ll still be there this morning. I have to go back into town yet again this afternoon. 

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My view as I head out to the camper at dusk.

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Isn’t it beautiful outside?!

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🩵🌷🩵

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“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.””  ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   Today I am grateful that we are finding some relief for Mr. FixIt’s back pain. Chronic pain really wears on a person and I hate it when he hurts.

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#CountryCooking, #FarmLife, #FriedChicken

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-04-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/04/22/living-a-rich-life.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/04/10/finding-joy-in-the-little.html", "title": "Finding Joy in the Little Things", "content_html": "\n
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It felt great to get back out on the mower yesterday. It was our only window without rain so I really had to hit it hard. As usual, there’s always something that throws a monkey wrench in the works. This time it was a dead battery on the tractor. We need to buy another one but we didn’t have the time yesterday. We’ll get one when we get back from the beach. In the meantime, I couldn’t let it stop or Mr. FixIt had to drive the truck out to where I was and use the jumper cables. He had to do that three times…bless his heart.

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I carved out several pollinator gardens for this year. I lost count, actually. I’m even trying a couple in the near field. It doesn’t have the nice grass like the far field, so I may end up mowing over it if it doesn’t grow well. By the time I finished, I was exhausted. It’s the first time I’ve really worked outside this year so I’m sure I’ll be sore today. The reward is…it looks like a golf course out here.

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Mr. FixIt started packing the truck. I started cleaning the camper. I’ll strip the sheets and wash them today. I started the refrigerator. It takes a day or two to get to ideal temperature and I want to put frozen meats in there before we head out tomorrow. We have two trunks that we use as a kitchen…one for foodstuffs, and one for utensils and cleaning products. We both have our clothes hanging on the rod in the back seat of the truck. All we need to do is put our baskets of clothes and toiletries on the shelves over the bed and we can head out bright and early. 

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The campground where we always stay overnight on our way down and back from the OBX has a checkin from 3:00 to 7:30. If you are late, they will lock the gate and you cannot get in…whether you paid or not. The first time we stayed there, we were a little late and sure enough…we were locked out. Fortunately, the tennis pro asked one of the campers if we could come in right behind her. If not, we were facing a night in the parking lot. We learned out lesson. Now we leave earlier so we are sure to get our spot.

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I didn’t think I would like going to the same beach over and over. I like variety. Then I realized, I came home to WV from Colorado nearly every year of the 40 I lived there. Mr. FixIt has only missed one of the last 65 or so years visiting the Outer Banks. I’ve learned to love going there, too. I especially love to see what that place does to my sweetheart. You can see the tension drop off him like scales and he’s relaxed and happy. And that makes ME happy.

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It may seem like this vacation is an extravagance while I’m trying to be frugal. Really, the only pricey thing will be the fuel and we have cards for discounts at several places. We’re bringing most of the food from home. And the camping was only $23 a night, with amenities like shower houses and water/electric at the campsite. You can’t get a hotel room for anywhere near that. So, we’re going to go and enjoy ourselves camping, fishing, sightseeing, and cooking outside!

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🩵🌷🩵

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“They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful to live in the lush, green paradise that is West Virginia. I am grateful for the gifts God has entrusted us with.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-04-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/04/10/finding-joy-in-the-little.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Joy"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/04/07/learn-to-dance-in-the.html", "title": "Learn to Dance in the Rain", "content_html": "\n
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”Learn to Dance in the Rain” - AI by Ginny McKinney with Meta AI

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Darlings…what a weekend! It has rained about 4.5” since Friday. The ground is so wet that when you walk across the yard, it’s like a bog. Squish…Squish…Squish. There is so much water in the pool, it’s pouring out the overflow. The creeks are roaring. But there’s no water coming into the basement. Ever since we started putting the root killer down the storm drain, it hasn’t overflowed. It came close Saturday night, but we put the crystals in and within twenty-four hours the water level was down two inches. We just have to be vigilant and use it regularly.

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The water in the drain is not the only thing going down. I made the awful mistake of looking at my retirement fund last night. Here’s a helpful tip…DO NOT DO THAT! At first my heart sank. Knowing it is likely to fall more today is disconcerting. As hard as that is to take, I know God has always taken care of us and we are more precious than the birds in the fields. I know it’s hard not to worry, it really is. But last night, I just sat with God and told Him I put my life in His hands twenty-one years ago. I’m not backing out when the going gets tough.

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Like most people, we are looking at more ways to cut our expenses. I think satellite is out. We’ll soon have fiber optic internet here. Once that is installed, we can drop the DSL line and stream what we can get online. I’ve cut out extra spending. We only buy what is necessary these days. I know we are taking this trip to the beach, but it’s already paid for as is my flight to Colorado this summer.

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It is a good thing we don’t eat much meat anymore. We are going to make some raised beds for greens to add to our diet. I bake all of our bread. We don’t eat much dairy but I do keep powdered milk and canned evaporated milk in the pantry. I grew up making do with what we had. Yes…I have been terribly “advantaged” in my adult life. But, I’ve been studying and practicing homesteading and survival skills for a very long time.

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We are heading into lean times, I’m afraid. And I’m not telling you all of this to worry you or scare you. I look at paring down to the bare essentials as more like a game to see how little we need to get by.

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Happiness is most often mind over matter.

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If you don’t mind…it don’t matter.

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Do what you can with what you have.

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Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

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Start small.

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Slow and steady wins the race.

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Pray about it. Pray over it. Pray through it.

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And remember…the pendulum always swings back.

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🩵🌷🙏🏼🌷🩵

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““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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Gratitude Journal 
Today I am grateful for my humble upbringing with a grandma who taught me how to make do. I am grateful that I have a Heavenly Father who wants us to prosper and who will take care of us.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-04-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/04/07/learn-to-dance-in-the.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Prayer","Hope","Growth","Gratitude","Comfort","God","Downsizing","Choices","Farm Life","Anxiety","Frustration"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/04/01/hello-april.html", "title": "HELLO APRIL!!!!!", "content_html": "\n
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The redbud are blooming!!!

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Wowza! We not only survived winter, but we’re full on spring around here! Lots of rain and I believe you can HEAR the grass growing. I’ll be on the mower by next week. I love walkabouts at the time of year. It makes me slow down and appreciate our surroundings here at Marshmallow Ranch.

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We had one heck of a thunderstorm in the wee hours yesterday. I think I still have a little PTSD surrounding that time we almost got swept up to Oz in Kansas last summer. I slept in the camper with the windows wide open so I could hear the frogs and other night critters. Around 2:00, the wind picked up and the thunder roared. The sound of rain on the roof wasn’t something gentle that would lull me to sleep. Nope…I just laid there and waited till it was over. It came back around 4:30, so there wasn’t much sleep. The creeks were roaring.

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We did have a great weekend, though. I baked my weekly loaves of bread. I’ve figured out two medium-sized loaves will last us the whole week. This Japanese Milk Bread is THE bomb and my new go-to. Mr. FixIt loves it. When he gets home from bowling on Sunday night, I slice a nice hunk of warm bread and fix him a cup of tea. I’m getting rave reviews on the bread now!

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Little Grey Tree Frog on the Storm Door

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When I got home from knitting group yesterday, Mr. FixIt had the fishing poles in the living room, cleaning them and getting ready for our camping trip at the end of next week. We’re getting really excited for this trip. I’m hoping the weather will be nice for fishing. I helped him put the lid back on the console of his truck. The latch broke off and try as we might, we could not find a replacement piece. A new cover cost over $700 and a used one was around $350. I puzzled over it for a few days and the solution came to me. We needed magnets. Glue one to the top and one to the bottom. Voila! Problem solved. We glued them in place and will check today to see if it worked.

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I love figuring things out…and when you can save that kind of money, it’s deeply satisfying. There’s an old saying…”Watch your pennies and your dollars watch themselves!”

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🌷💛🌷

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“Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.”   ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for my mechanical abilities so I can fix things without spending a ton of money. A skill needed in times like these.
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#Skills, #Homemade, #Spring

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-04-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/04/01/hello-april.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/03/30/walking-with-mr-fixit.html", "title": "Walking With Mr. FixIt", "content_html": "\n
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I was sure I would bake yesterday, but one thing or another got in the way. Namely, it was 78° outside! That’s just too tempting! Mr. FixIt and I walked around the perimeter of the property to see what’s peeking up from their long winter’s sleep. The pear tree buds are starting to pop open. Little Johnny Jump-ups are showing their pretty purple dresses. There’s some sort of lily popping up behind the spot where the burgundy peonies grow. I don’t remember seeing them before. I may dig them up and move them to another spot where they won’t be overshadowed by the bigger plants.

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One of my favorite sights in the spring is the Flowering Quince. I’ve known them forever because they grew along the creek bank at The Farm. Delicate dark pink flowers with rounded, cupped petals are some of the first blooms to grace our area. They last a long time and carry us well into the spring season.

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When we got to the back of the near field, Mr. FixIt showed me where he found some fur scattered about and a strange bone sticking out of the ground. The two were not related. The bone had been there for quite some time. And, I came through there a week or so ago and the fur wasn’t there. We have a lot of hawks that nest nearby. We also have lots of bunnies. As for the bone, it looked like it came from a large bird. Remember last fall when I picked up all those turkey feathers out there? I think the bone might be from that kill. We have coyotes around here, too. So, I assume that’s what happened here.

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It was a wonderful day. We’re supposed to have rain today. It’ll be a better day for baking because I won’t be so tempted to go out and play. 

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Have a blessed day, my friends.

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🩵

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“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.”   ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   Today I am grateful for the spring that beckons us with brilliant green, pink, yellow, and purple. For the spring rains that soak the ground. The warm sunshine that beckons us into its warmth. It makes me feel more alive after the sleep of winter.

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-03-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/03/30/walking-with-mr-fixit.html", "tags": ["Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/03/24/a-quiet-sunday.html", "title": "A Quiet Sunday", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt and I enjoyed each other’s company yesterday. I made a nice breakfast of grits and eggs…one of our favorites. I’m happy to see the price of eggs is easing up a bit. I buy them by the case with 7.5 dozen in it. I know it’s a lot, but I don’t have to buy more for a month or so. We use a lot of eggs. We eat them just about every day and I bake with them a lot. 

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When my sweetheart left for the bowling alley, I headed to the kitchen to bake some homemade pop tarts. They are super easy with a simple, tender, and delectable crust with jam sandwiched in between. I used up the last of the Caramel Apple Jam that my friend Loretta gave me for Christmas. 

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I was happily mixing up a double batch of Betty Crocker’s Oil Crust and I thought the dough looked a little funny but I pressed on. I rolled the dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap, trimmed the sides to grease a rectangle then proceeded to cut each rectangle into eight smaller rectangles. I lined cookie sheets with parchment paper, placed a small rectangle of crust on it and spread a heaping teaspoon of the jam on it being careful to keep the edges clean. I placed another small rectangle of crust on top and sealed the edges down with a fork. I finished by poking holes in the top crust to let out any steam to further help keep the jam from leaking out the edges.

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I love to keep the light on in the oven and check what’s baking. It’s very satisfying. I waited about five or ten minutes and checked the pop tarts and I was a bit confused. They were really puffy. That’s when it dawned on me. I checked the flour jar and sure enough, I used self-rising flour! Sometimes a mistake turns into a happy accident. Such was the case with these little delicate treats. They were so light and had a wonderful tooth. I would exactly call the pastry flaky, but it was really tasty. I might just try this “mistake” again next time I bake a pie or tarts.

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It rained off and on all evening and I love that. I especially love sleeping in the camper when it’s raining. The sound of the raindrops on the roof is soothing. I played on the computer for a while looking at Google Earth. There is a feature now where you can look at a particular spot and see the changes through the years. I looked up The Farm, my Mom’s old house, my house in Colorado, and our house here in WV. It was fun seeing the changes taking place from one year to another. I took a screenshot of “Marshmallow Ranch” to give you an idea of the size of our fields. This is what I mow. I’ve slowly been adding a couple of pollinator gardens each year so I mow less and less as time goes on. I have to wean myself off keeping this place looking like a golf course.

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I hope you had a good weekend. We’ll be heading to Athens today to meet friends for brunch. I’ll give you a review of the restaurant tomorrow!

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💚

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““When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.” ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for the opportunity to visit with my dear friend and neighbor from long ago when we lived in England. You can make new friends…but you can’t make old friends. They are to be cherished like silver and gold.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-03-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/03/24/a-quiet-sunday.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/03/19/its-stick-pickin-season.html", "title": "It’s Stick Pickin’ Season", "content_html": "\n
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Picking up sticks in the field. This keeps me from having to hop off and on the tractor every ten feet so I don’t run over them.

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I met some of my high school friends for lunch yesterday. We had such a great time…telling stories and laughing and having a big time. This group meets once a month at the same restaurant. There’s a big room in the back where we gather. Two walls of this room have large windows which make for a sunny, warm spot to dine. It’s nice this time of year, however it’s a little less comfortable in the summer.

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It’s stick season!

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I had a lovely spinach salad with grilled chicken and hot bacon dressing. Divine! But after eating, I experienced some gastric distress and had to excuse myself. We were nearly finished anyway. This restaurant puts all the orders for your table on one ticket so I didn’t have a slip in my hand. And I was thinking of my next stop and ready to get home. Well…I walked straight out of that restaurant without even thinking of paying! I hate when things like this happen, and they seem to happen more and more often as I age. Fortunately, one of the other gals picked up my check and I’ll mail her reimbursement today. These “senior moments” just aggravate me.

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I found these double daffodils along the far creek bank near the culvert. I waded over and moved them to the near bank at the base of a tree to protect them.

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I prayed since yesterday’s post about flying and asked God to calm my nerves and allow me to look at this as another Grand Adventure. It’s been quite a while since I’ve gone off on my own for a long trip on my own. I was just going to go for a couple of weeks, but Mr. FixIt talked me into staying longer so I can visit the kids and my brother at a more leisurely pace. I’ll be there for four weeks, the ticket was really affordable, I get a carry on and a personal item for free, and…I can fly out of Charleston instead of drive three or more hours to a bigger airport. By the time I had the ticket purchased, I felt much better about the whole thing.

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The weather was so beautiful yesterday afternoon that Mr. FixIt and I went out stick pickin’. Our five acres are surrounded with lots of trees. During the winter we lose a lot of limbs and sticks from the wind. We have to go out stick pickin’ a few times before mowing season and I still  need to stop often the first couple of times I mow to pick up more. They tend to slow down after the trees are fully leafed out. It was a lovely time to be out in the warm sunshine with my sweetheart.

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The big bed of yellow iris is popping up!

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Pumpkin Kitty follows us wherever we go when we’re out walking the fields. And without fail, we get to a particular place in the field and that cat does NOT want us to be there! She jerks her head over to the underbrush then she makes a beeline to us and herds us back to the house, hissing and having a fit till we get away from there. She must detect something we can’t and wants to keep us safe. We are HERS, after all! 

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Coltsfoot growing along the ditch.

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I’m happy I don’t have anything scheduled for the rest of the week. I can get some spring cleaning done. Doesn’t it feel wonderful to throw the windows open and get some fresh air in the house? I love it!

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💚

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“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for the courage to step out of my comfort zone and do things that make me nervous. Because I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me.
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-03-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/03/19/its-stick-pickin-season.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/03/09/im-procrastibaking.html", "title": "I’m Procrastibaking!", "content_html": "\n
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Honey, if there’s anything I really hate to do, it’s paperwork like taxes and bills and balancing my checkbook and making budget cuts. But here we are, smack dab in the middle of tax season and I always have to make sure the checkbook is balanced and ready for that. The bills I don’t worry about so much because I have them on autopay. And the budget cuts? Don’t get me started. Let’s just say, we are heading into a season of belt tightening in the coming months, so I’m cutting as much out of our spending as I can. That may entail some travel cuts…we’ll see.

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So…I bake. I procrastibake, to be exact. When I SHOULD be doing any number of other things. When I padded into the kitchen yesterday morning for my first cup of the day, I noticed we were getting pretty low on bread. I fed the starter Friday evening and fed it again yesterday to be sure it was strong and active. When my starter doubled in size, I mixed up my preferment and set it aside for the night. This morning I’ll get it out and mix up the dough so I can bake by evening time. This way, I’ll have freshly baked Cinnamon Rolls to take to knitting in the morning. My gals will be thrilled! Mr. FixIt will go bowling this evening. I’ll work on the taxes while the bread is rising.

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Remember, the time changed as the clocks sprang forward an hour at 2:00am local time this morning. We have to change all the clocks on the appliances and Mr. Virgo’s wall clock in the living room. Everything else does it automatically. Please be extra careful with these time changes…especially the one in spring. For some reason, it messes with your circadian rhythms and there is a spike in heart attacks. That’s what happened to Mr. Virgo. The cardiologist explained it to me when he came out to tell me they’d done everything they could.

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The weather is going to be beautiful this week…perfect for field camping! We’ll even be up in the 70’s by week’s end!

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Come on, Spring!!!

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☘️

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“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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Gratitude Journal Today I am grateful for the coming spring. We’ve made it through the long, dark winter and warmer days are ahead. I can’t wait to sit in the sunshine with my coffee in the mornings!
\n\n", "date_published": "2025-03-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/03/09/im-procrastibaking.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/02/14/help-yourself.html", "title": "Help Yourself", "content_html": "\n
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On September 6, 1916, Clarence Sanders revolutionized the grocery shopping experience. Up until that time, the woman of the house, or someone in her employ, would present a list to the grocer. She would wander around looking at the wares for sale while her groceries were gathered and either placed in a box, or a basket of some sort. The grocer would hand her a bill and she had a choice to pay it then, or have it put on her tab. 

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Mr. Sanders realized he could save time and money if he stocked shelves and had the customers make their own selections. Thus, the first Piggly Wiggly was opened in Memphis. I heard of “The Pig” for years, but they were mostly operated in southern states. The name “Piggly Wiggly” conjures up a simpler, slower life to me for some reason. So, when our local grocery store aligned with the brand, I was thrilled.

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My grandkids enjoyed going to the store with me when they were here visiting. It didn’t look like any of the grocery stores they are used to in Colorado. The idea of ham salad about did them in. Jars of pickled eggs and smoked ham hocks and cornmeal mush had them nearly running for the door. They didn’t have a clue what I was talking about when I asked them to “get us a buggy.” My daughter whispered to the oldest, “She means a grocery cart.” Yeah…they felt like they had jumped into the “Way Back Machine!”

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I love the Pig. I don’t do the bulk of my shopping there because they’re a lot more expensive than the shops in town. To me, saving money is not the point. It’s going in the front door and the two gals at the register waving a happy hello to me. It’s pushing my cart up and down the aisles looking for little treasures like homemade sausage seasoning, Amish goods like honey and jams and jellies, and local produce from the high tunnels out Nursery Road. 

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I moved to this little town of 698 souls in late 2017. The population peaked in 2000 at 1,012 but has steadily dropped since then. We have a service area of 4,098 in the county and gain some from the neighboring counties. We’ve seen mom and pop businesses come and go. We have a number of churches, three thrift shops, two gas stations, a quilt shop, a parts store, a barber and a hairdresser and a firehouse. There’s a little flower shop, a couple of banks and insurance agents and restaurants. We have a couple of schools and a really nice library. We even have a recycling place next to the ambulance barn and across from the little park by the river.

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You often meet people at the post office and catch up…looking at pics of the grandkids and asking after someone’s health. I actually made friends with one of the gals from my knitting group at the PO and through her I’ve gathered even more friends. It’s just the quintessential small town…kinda like Mayberry. I love it here…a little bit isolated from the big world outside. Where you can breathe clean air and sit in the sunshine…maybe fish a little.

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It’s home.

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💜

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“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***   
Today I am grateful for a simple life in the country. A place where I am free to be me and enjoy God’s nature, my sweet husband, and clean living.
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#farmlife, #countryliving, #PigglyWiggly

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-02-14T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/02/14/help-yourself.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/02/07/missed-a-day.html", "title": "Missed a Day", "content_html": "\n
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One of the first things I do every day is check in here to see how everyone is doing. I write my posts every evening and schedule them to go live every morning at 4:00. Imagine my surprise when I check in and find I hadn’t written a post the night before. It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, I toss around the debate…take the time to write one in the morning, or consider it a well deserved day off. I almost always choose the latter. I figure it gives me an extra twelve hours or so to come up with something interesting to talk about.

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We had Mr. FixIt’s birthday party Wednesday night at the bowling alley. We took cupcakes and pizza over to Mrs. FixIt 1.0 and visited with her a little bit. She couldn’t come to the party and we wanted to be sure to include her. It had started raining around 8:00 and the temperature plummeted from 61° to 31° in the two hours we were bowling and when we came out, there was ice hanging from all the power lines and trees. It looked like diamonds twinkling in the street lights, but driving in an ice storm is anything but beautiful. We came home on our little twisty-turny two-lane blacktop going about 30mph. We never slid but there were lots of accidents that night. A head on collision on the Ohio side of the river claimed the lives of two women that night, so I was extra careful.

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We got home safe and sound and watched the late news. Right around the time we were heading to bed, our power went out. Not a bad thing unless you are counting on that electric blanket to keep you warm. I did fine. I even had my window open. But poor Mr. FixIt had to get up and go into the family room and turn up the gas stove. The cold gives him cramps in his legs. The power finally came on a little after noon. It’s funny how flipping on a light is an automatic reflex…even when you absolutely know the electricity is out.

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We had company in the afternoon. My bonus daughter and her husband came over to show us their new-to-them car. They got a really good deal on it and it was really super clean. They were so proud of it.

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Other than that, we didn’t do a darned thing yesterday. I was considering going out to the farm for a few days, but it’s not as easy to go out there when the weather is dicey. There already isn’t running water. Then if the electric goes out, there’s no internet. There already isn’t TV which is one of the main reasons I like to go out there…to get a break from the noise. When I go out, I have to take my food and water, my knitting, my computer and lap desk, my cuddle blankets, clothes and toiletries, too. It’s quite the ordeal. I don’t like leaving a lot of stuff out there since we no longer own the place. So I cart it all out there and back. It just seems harder to do when it’s cold. 

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Spring will be here again before we know it. Mr. FixIt was remarking how there was still light in the sky going on 7:00 in the evening so the days are already getting noticeably longer. Think I’ll bake more bread today. I forgot to double my recipe on Wednesday and I only made one loaf. We had French toast for breakfast and sandwiches for supper and that used up quite a bit of that loaf.

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I finally cleaned up my “nest” around the Big Red Chair! Trying to decide what project to work on next. Do you all see one project through to completion before you start the next? Or, are you like me and have several going at once? I’m incorrigible!

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💜

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“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”   Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***  
Today I am grateful for electricity and all the utilities we take for granted.
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#electricity, #poweroutage, #icestorm

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-02-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/02/07/missed-a-day.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/02/01/fire-and-rain.html", "title": "Fire and Rain", "content_html": "\n
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First, let me tell you, I’m doing fine. I’m resting and trying to cut down my screen time to manage the low grade headache that comes with a mild concussion. I’ll be back to normal…whatever that is…in a jiffy. lol

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It rained all night Thursday night till mid-afternoon yesterday. The temperature was in the low 50’s which was wonderful! Almost all the snow has melted away and the creeks are roaring once again. We’ll have more cold weather, of course. But, I think the worst is past us now. At least, I hope it is.

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When I woke up at 5:00 yesterday morning, the fog was so thick I couldn’t even see the trees beyond the near field. There were a few moments when the wind blew the fog away leaving a mild haze only to wrap its silky webs across the landscape once again. It was dreamy and cozy and I loved looking out the window at it.

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I didn’t cook beyond making sourdough French toast for breakfast and a ham sandwich for supper on the same bread. I love this new recipe and unless I want to make a boule with all the air bubbles sourdough is known for. I did a cold ferment with the dough and it had that wonderful tang of really good sourdough. And, Mr. FixIt was happy as a clam with it. We’ve used up all the Sourdough English Muffins so I’m going to have to bake some more this weekend. They make the best copycat Egg McMuffin!

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Today is Mr. FixIt’s birthday! I always make him a special supper for his big day. Usually it is scallops, but a 1.5 pound bag of frozen sea scallops was nearly $30 so he elected to have shrimp. He likes his shrimp just sautéed in butter and garlic. I prefer Southern Shrimp and Grits. He likes those too, but since it’s his birthday, I will use half the bag for his favorite recipe and save the rest for my favorite sometime down the road. Marriage is all about compromise, right?

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I won’t make him a cake today. I’ll save that for the birthday party on Wednesday at the bowling alley so we can share it with the kids. Do you prefer pie or cake? What is your favorite? Do you have a special treat for your birthday? I’m partial to a rich chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, myself.

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💙💜🩵

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“For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.”   ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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***Gratitude Journal***
Today I am grateful for Mr. FixIt’s company on this ride through our Golden Years. He is so much fun and good company. He has the patience of Job and is gentle as a lamb with me, yet he is the first to stand up for me when I need it. Happy Birthday, sweetheart!
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#MrFixIt, #Birthday, #Foggy

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FINALLY…February!!!

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-02-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/02/01/fire-and-rain.html", "tags": ["Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/01/29/make-it-a-good-day.html", "title": "Make It a Good Day", "content_html": "\n
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Monday was such a bummer finding Grandma’s house had been broken into. I sat with those feelings of disappointment, anger, confusion, disbelief, and violations for a while. Then, like I always do…I had a little conversation with myself. I could carry it, or I could do what I could and make it a good day. I called the Deputy Sheriff and answered all his questions then I sent all the photos I took and he said he’d look into it. I know it’s low priority and nothing may come of it, but I did all I could do and moved on.

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My big chore of the day was baking bread. We were down to just a few slices of sandwich bread so that was on the docket. RuthAnn Zimmerman shared “Kate’s Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread Master Recipe” from the blog “Venison for Dinner” the other day and I decided to try it. I’ve been getting mixed results with my sourdough. Sometimes it’s light and airy and sometimes it’s like a brick. I’ve had to throw too much of it away. When I made King Arthur’s Sourdough English Muffins last week, the recipe called for sourdough starter AND regular yeast. It was exactly what I was looking for in an everyday loaf…the tang of sourdough and the predictable rise of store-bought yeast.

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The recipe called for whole milk, but we don’t really drink milk anymore. It said you could substitute plant-based milks or buttermilk. I had some buttermilk in the back of the fridge from baking biscuits the other day so that’s what I used. The dough was perfect, easy to work with and shape, and made a really good loaf. The flavor was wonderful and the crumb held up to spreading a shmear of butter and jelly. There is nothing like a warm piece of bread fresh from the oven!

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My friend Loretta gave me a jar of black raspberry jelly the other day and I could hardly wait to use it. My grandma always made what she called “black cap jelly.” It isn’t made with traditional red raspberries. And black caps aren’t blackberries either. Black raspberries are smaller, more tart, and have a thinner skin than blackberries. Loretta went berry picking last summer and didn’t have time to make the jelly so she canned the juice. Now she can pull a jar of juice from the shelf and make this elixir of the gods anytime she wants. And I was a lucky recipient of this treasure.

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I remember going berry picking with Grandma when I was a little girl. I wanted to relive the experience one summer when I came back for a visit. I took my berry bucket and hiked up on the hill to the old home place. It took me a little while to get my bearings and find the berry bushes. Everything was grown up and unrecognizable but I finally found them. It was a little late in the berry-picking season and I didn’t get very many. But I did get something for my efforts…chiggers!

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I don’t know if you’ve ever had chiggers or not, but those little buggers are awful. They are a tiny mite that is so small you can only see them with a magnifying glass. They live in moist, grassy areas like lawns, brush, and out in the woods. To keep them at bay, you should wear long pants and socks pulled up over the bottoms of the pant legs. A long sleeved shirt is a must. The problems is, they’re active right in the peak of the summer heat and humidity and no one wants to bundle up like that when it’s hot.

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It took me a while to realize what was wrong when my ankles and the tops of my feet were on fire. Itchy red spots broke out around my waist and ankles. I was miserable. Calamine lotion did nothing. I used an old home remedy and painted each spot with clear nail polish. I’m not sure if it was that or just the tincture of time, but they finally got better after several weeks and I was left with dark brownish purple spots for quite a while.

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After our snack of bread and tea, I went out to help Mr. FixIt take out the old headlights on his truck and install the new ones my bonus son gave him for Christmas. It took a little trial and error but we got one side finished before it got too chilly. Mr. FixIt has a little trouble with the dexterity of his fingers so he’s my walking instruction manual and I’m his hands. We make a good team. I learn about things that really interest me, and he still feels useful.

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I have to run to town today to get the tags on my truck and get it inspected. I also need to get the oil changed and the tires rotated but I’m not sure I can get all of that done in one day. We’ll see!

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❄️🩵❄️

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“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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#baking, #mechanics, #marriage

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I’ve been working with this English Muffin recipe and I almost dumped the dough yesterday for the second time. It just wasn’t rising like I wanted. So I decided to go a different route and set the dough on a heating pad. That did the trick! The dough started rising like crazy. Once it was doubled, I popped it into the fridge for an overnight cold fermentation. This gives the finished product a much more complex flavor that I prefer.

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While I was waiting for the bulk rise, I mixed up a batch of sourdough crackers. They were delicious and crunchy, but I sprinkled a bit too much salt on them. This is a good way to use up sourdough discard. I’ve been trying to use the cowboy method of keeping sourdough starter which goes without the discarding. But, creature of habit, I know that a regularly fed starter is going to stay healthy so I’m back to my original method. In exchange, I’m trying lots of discard recipes so nothing’s wasted.

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You know…French Fries did not originate in France. But English Muffins do have their origins in the UK. I wish I would have known better when I lived over there. I could have learned so many things that would have served me over the years. In the early 1800’s, the muffin man would walk around his neighborhood and sell these wonderful golden rounds with plenty of nooks and crannies to hold the butter and jam we spread on them. I think they’re best toasted so you get that little bit of crispy crunch.

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English muffins are different than crumpets in a few ways. Muffins are griddled on each side then they are split, either by slicing or by poking all around the sides with a fork and prying the two halves apart. I prefer the second method as the little bits of bread that sticks up add even more crunch when they’re toasted. Also, English muffins are made with yeast…either regular or sourdough.

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Crumpets are made with a thick batter that you pour out on the griddle. It is griddled on the one side and top cooks through from the bottom up. They are made with a different leaven like baking soda. They have nooks and crannies, too. But they’re more like a tunnel that fills up with that yummy melted butter and jam or honey.

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We really got clobbered with the snow. We ended up with a full ten inches! Mr. FixIt stayed on top of things by running the snowblower frequently. We haven’t had a snow like this since I’ve live here. The last time I saw a snow like this was in February 2015. My aunt and I had parted ways and I watched a friend’s house for two months. Then I moved Big TOW-Wanda to another friend’s place where I could plug in to the utilities. We had a big snow that month and I remember I pretty much stayed in bed for three days to stay warm under an electric blanket. That was quite an adventure, let me tell you. Looking back, I remember feeling so proud of myself for soldiering on when things got tough. I thank God every day for our warm and happy home here with Mr. FixIt.

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I also want to thank you all for your warm and loving words yesterday regarding my 25th Anniversary of sobriety. That’s something else I am proud of and I know I’d never be here if it weren’t for Jesus walking with me…and sometimes carrying me.

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I’m hoping I’ll get these muffins baked today then I can start on some bread. I’m so glad we don’t have to go out in this weather. It’s going to be frigid in the next few days, then another winter storm will be coming through. I’m praying you all are safe and warm today!

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“he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” ‭‭Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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#snow#frigid#baking#sourdough#englishmuffins

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When you’re retired, the days just kind of run together, don’t they? I often have to think hard or resort to looking at my phone to see the day and date. I mean, there’s nothing but doctor’s appointments and dates with family and friends that makes me keep track of time. I never gave time a second thought in my working years, other than getting to work on time. There was structure in every day. Even more so when the kids were still at home.

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When I worked in medicine, one of the things they keep track of is orientation to time and place. When you stop remembering the day and date, they look at you with a different set of eyes. I know there are signs and symptoms of dementia, but I also know how easy it is to lose track of time. I don’t know that I want to set an alarm or anything, but I do want to start keeping a bit of a schedule…just to keep me on my toes.

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Mr. FixIt and I have gotten into the habit of going to bed at midnight then lounging around in bed reading the news and catching up with social media and emails till we’re ready to get up and about. It’s different in the summer. There’s all that mowing and outdoor work to be done and there’s no time to laze around. That being said, winter is the time for slowing down and getting quiet. Who am I to deny myself such luxuries, right? It’s not like we don’t work our hind ends off all mowing season.

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The cold has moved in for the long stretch of sub-freezing temperatures that January always brings. Along with it, we’ll probably have the biggest snowfall we’ve had in years and we’re ready for it. Mr. FixIt got the snowblower out yesterday and blew off the inch of snow we got overnight. Then he brought the generator out and it started right up. While he did that, I filled all the bird feeders and suet cages. Our birds will be very happy in the coming days. I have the starter fed for the English muffins. I have enough yarn to last me ten years and a zillion projects I can work on. There’s enough food in this house to last us for months, if need be. So, I’m going to get up a little earlier, make my RYZE mushroom coffee, and enjoy a little quiet time in the house before Mr. FixIt gets up and turns on the TV. Along with that routine, I’ll make it a habit to check the calendar to orient myself to time and place.

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Are you all working on any projects this winter? This is my basket, so far. Share your projects with us. We’d love to see them and get inspired!

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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm‬ ‭90‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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#crochet#winter#snow#storm#baking#sourdough

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I’ve been a busy little bee this week! Doctors appointments seem to appear out of thin air as we age and I’m just about sick of them. I never seem to get it together and make them all in the same week. But, I guess the alternative is t so good, so I’ll keep going. Hey, it gets me out of the house, right?

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We had a rainy start to the week so I headed out to the farm on Wednesday. Y’all know that’s the home of my heart. The fact that there’s fiber optic internet out there is icing on the cake. I spent two whole days working on the book and it’s coming right along. These yellow jackets were swarming like crazy. I’ve NEVER in my seventy plus years seen yellow jackets this bad anywhere! Are they bad where y’all are? The grass really needed cut out there, so I mowed Friday afternoon and while I was doing my best thinking on the tractor, I decided to pack up and head home instead of waiting for Saturday morning. Primarily because I was missing Mr. FixIt, but also because there isn’t a comfortable chair out there. For some reason, my tailbone has been hurting like crazy since the last drive cross country and I just could NOT get comfortable. I ordered a gel pillow to sit on that I’ll pick up at the Post Office tomorrow. Hopefully that will help because we are supposed to leave for the beach on Friday. (I’ve informed my sweetheart that if there is any chance a hurricane is going to hit, we are NOT going! We nearly got blown away in Kansas…I’m not riding out a hurricane in a camper!)

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We had family over yesterday afternoon. Mrs. FixIt 1.0 and my bonus daughter came over for a couple of hours and we solved all the world’s problems. They brought me some sock yarn from a thrift store and I traded with some acrylic yarn that I don’t need. Win-Win! As soon as they left, I jumped on the tractor and got the two fields cut. I’ll have to finish the rest this afternoon.

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I spent the evening knitting another pair of socks while Mr. FixIt watched college football. WVU won so he was a happy camper. We have a pretty full week leading up to our trip so there won’t be a lot of lollygaggin’ around the next few days. I hope you all are safe and doing well, especially our readers from the places impacted by Hurricane Helene. And now Florida is bracing for yet another storm. You all are in our prayers!

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🩵

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While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

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#Bees, #Climate, #Farmlife, #Family

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Some days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. That’s how yesterday felt. I woke up with a start. Everything was quiet. The blush of dawn had just begun to lighten the world. I felt unsettled and terribly sad. It took me a few minutes to discern what was wrong. Then I remembered the dream I was having just before I opened my eyes.

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I hadn’t seen Mr. Virgo in several years. I didn’t know where he went or why I couldn’t find him. Then I heard that someone had seen him in Aspen recently. I couldn’t figure out why he was there and not with me. So I drove up to find him and when I did, he didn’t want to have anything to do with me. My heart was broken but he made it clear we were through and to never come looking for him again. The next scene I was standing in a barn. The sunbeams from the slats in the wood held swirling dust motes in their grasp like the water in an eddy. There were two large shapes hanging from the rafters. They were covered in a thin veil that connected them. I stood in the gloom, silently cutting the membrane between the two as my tears dripped to the dirt floor.

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This isn’t the first time I’ve had this dream and it always leaves me bereft. It just goes to show you, it’s been nearly twelve years since Mr. Virgo died and grief still smacks me right between the eyes sometimes.

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I shook it off and headed into my day. I went on a walkabout and found a bunch of turkey feathers. The long tail feather is the largest one I’ve ever found. There were smaller feathers down by the creek. I’m hoping nothing got into my mama and babies I’ve been watching since spring.

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Lots of wildflowers are still growing down in the pollinator gardens. Pumpkin went on the walk with me. She’s like a dog in that way. Mr. FixIt took my truck in to get the oil changed and the tires rotated while I went to knitting group. In the afternoon, he started a load of laundry and soon came back up to tell me the washer had bit the berry and wasn’t spinning. About that time, he headed to to put the cat up. He came back in and something was wrong with pumpkin. It looks like she may have a UTI so now I need to take her to the vet today. Poor thing. We’ll get her feeling better. In the meantime, I gathered up all the wet laundry and took it out to the farm (at 11:00 last night) to spin it and stick it in the dryer. Having access to this farm is such a blessing. Since it was so late, I just stayed overnight.

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That was my reward for such a trying day.

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“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

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‭‭Psalm‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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#farm#thefarm#farmlife#resourceful#grief

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-09-17T02:00:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/09/17/a-walkabout-and-other-stuff.html", "tags": ["Grief","The Farm","Farm Life","Uncategorized"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/09/15/a-day-in-the-kitchen.html", "title": "A Day in the Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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Hey, y’all…I just thought I’d drop in and say hi! It was another really busy week with trips to town every single day. Oy! But there were some good things in there. I went to my favorite grocery store and stocked up on the things to cook from scratch instead of buying ready made stuff. I’ve gotten a bit lazy and started buying more convenience foods. Mostly out of necessity because of time constraints. Mowing and travel just took it out of us this summer. I also took the camper in to get a tire replaced. The sidewall had all kinds of bubbles on it. I just bought them in late June so they shouldn’t have done that. I was so surprised…and grateful…that the owner of the tire shop replaced BOTH tires for free! We always buy all of our tires from her so she goes out of her way to make sure her customers are happy. Nice lady!

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I used up the last of my almond milk this week so I made some from scratch yesterday. It was a lot of work, but I know what’s in it and there are no preservatives. It’s flavored with vanilla and real maple syrup and tastes SO much better than the store bought variety. After the almond milk was finished, I started on the yogurt. I used a good quality whole milk from grass-fed cows. I also used a good quality Greek yogurt culture. I love a rich and thick yogurt so I’m hoping this does the trick. 

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When you make almond milk, you have nut pulp left over and there was no way I’m going to waste that goodness. I decided to make some muffins. I used a cup of the pulp, 2 eggs, a couple of tablespoons of butter, a cup of the leftover milk from the yogurt, two teaspoons of cinnamon, the grated peel and juice of one orange, and a couple of spoonfuls of my homemade vanilla extract. I mixed all that up in one bowl. In another bowl I added two cups of organic all purpose flour, one cup of oat flour, one teaspoon of baking power, two teaspoons of baking soda, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seed, and a cup or more of chopped pecans. I stirred the dry ingredients to combine them then folded them into the wet ingredients. I filled my cupcake pan for a total of six large muffins and topped them with some pearl sugar that I found in Denver. I baked the muffins at 425° for fifteen minutes, but I think next time I’ll bake them at 375° for 20-25 minutes. They had a very small spot in the crown of the muffin that could have used a few minutes more but they were getting pretty dark.

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In the middle of all that, I made some wonderful roasted red pepper hummus. We had a nice little snack while we watched the WVU-Pitt game. Next up was CU-CSU, so both of my “homes” were represented on TV. We don’t always get to see those teams. It was a beautiful day and it felt so good to work in a well organized kitchen. I’m hoping with repetition, these things will become easier and quicker to make. Even though I enjoy it, it was a long day on my feet. I don’t know that I’m saving myself any money, but at least I know what’s in our food!

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I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather wherever you are. And, if your weather is less than perfect, I hope it turns around and gets better soon! Have a happy and blessed Sunday!

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💙

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“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.” James 5:7 ESV

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#InTheKitchen, #Cooking, #Hummus, #Muffins, #Yogurt, #AlmondMilk, #ScratchKitchen

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-09-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/09/15/a-day-in-the-kitchen.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/08/11/a-stroll-in-paradise.html", "title": "A Stroll in Paradise", "content_html": "\n
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Oxeye Daisy
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The nighttime temps are finally giving us a break and it makes for great sleeping here in West Virginia. I “camped” in the field Friday night and it was heavenly. With the lower temperature, I didn’t have to run the fans so I could hear the night sounds. I didn’t get to hear any owls, but it was still peaceful.

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Late-flowering Thoroughwort
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Before I came into the house, I took a stroll around the pollinator gardens to see what’s growing. I was thrilled to find about a dozen “Slender Lady’s-Tresses” orchids. They aren’t “rare”, but they are uncommon. I read they have boom years and bust years, so maybe we’re in a boom year. I also found prunella vulgaris, the common self-heal or “woundwort”. The largest garden is finishing its second year and you can definitely see the difference in maturity and growth. It will be interesting to see the difference next year as I add more gardens over time. There are actually a couple of tall bonesets…”Late-flowering Thoroughwort” and a “scrophularia lanceolate” from the figwort family. I know they all just look like weeds, but there are more bees around here this year and I find that promising. I have only seen one monarch butterfly this year and although I kept checking the milkweed, I never found a caterpillar.

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Self-Heal or Woundwort
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The twin fawns were out this morning frolicking around the edges of the far field. They don’t try to come up to me anymore, but they aren’t necessarily afraid of me either. They stand and watch me from a safe distance till they finally turn and head deeper into the woods. We lazed around yesterday and watched the Olympic Games most of the day. I made grits and eggs for breakfast. I was a little disappointed with this latest bag of grits. I order them from Amazon and they’re the real deal from North Carolina. They’ve always been fabulous but these turned out runny and flavorless. I’ll not share the name because I sent an email to the mill where they are ground to let them know. We’ll see what they have to say.

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One Year Old Garden
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Two Year Old Garden
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I’m finally feeling more rested and more like myself. This trip took more out of me than I let on. But I’m made of tough stuff…I’m resilient.

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🩵

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“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 ESV

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\n\n", "date_published": "2024-08-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/08/11/a-stroll-in-paradise.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/25/little-visitors.html", "title": "Little Visitors", "content_html": "\n
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I overslept yesterday. Well, actually I didn’t even set an alarm for knitting group. I forgot. Turned out it was a happy accident because I slept deep and long…just what I needed after such a long and difficult week. I woke up and looked at my phone and was totally surprised to see 10:30. I was supposed to be at knitting at 9:00. I texted my apologies. It’s summer and I’m not the only one that’s going to be gone for most of it. We’ll get back to it in the fall. There’s just way too much to do in the summertime!

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I headed out to mow after breakfast. Even though we had a bit of rain the night before, it wasn’t enough to make a difference and the grass was dry and burnt. I hat mowing when it’s like that because the dust just swirls all around me and even with a mask, I was coughing and sputtering and sneezing my head off. I finished the two fields and it was time for supper so I went in and made burgers, fried yellow squash and Amish potato salad. 

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After supper, I went out to finish up the mowing. As I came around the front of the camper on the door side, the mower actually sucked the rug right under the mowing deck and it got all caught up in the blade. It smoked and made a terrible noise and the tractor stalled. I started to go get Mr. FixIt but I figured I could do it myself. 

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I pulled the car ramps out of the garage, drove the mower up on them, and untangled the badly chewed up rug from the blades. I prayed I hadn’t damaged anything, and it started right up with no problems. By the time I finished mowing, it was cooling down and I went in for a much needed shower. I was black from head to toe with all that dust and dirt.

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I had to confess to Mr. FixIt that I ruined his rug. He’s had that rug for fifteen years, apparently. I thought it was the one I bought when I was towing on my own, but there was no use crying over spilt milk. I messed it up, but we can always get a new one. Just another thing to do. 

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As I was mowing the far field yesterday, I kept spooking one of the fawns. When I was off doing the near field, it came to snuggly down in the pollinator gardens. Then, every time I swing back around…off it would go. This went on several times till I was finished and the dear little deer could rest all she wanted.

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Two more sleeps till we leave. I am going to strip the bedding and do a quick scrub down in the camper. By nightfall, I want the bedding to be finished, towels stocked, and the overhead cubbies emptied and repacked. Mr. FixIt Junior is combing by today to check out the mower to make sure he knows the ins and outs. He has kindly agreed to mow while we are gone. We’ll get the last of the camper stuff packed and in the truck on Wednesday. The snack bin needs fresh snacks. We hang our clothes on a rod in the back seat of the truck. The only thing we’ll have to do on Thursday is pull out and head west!

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For as crazy as the last couple of weeks have been, I’m feeling pretty laid back about the trip prep. We’re so blessed that heat wave has broken somewhat. I think we’ll have one more 90° day this week and the rest is much more reasonable with nice lows at night. Good sleeping weather.

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If I don’t have a lot to say in the next couple of days, it’s because I’m just plugging along.

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☀️

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“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

\nJames 2:26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/25/little-visitors.html", "tags": ["Camping","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/20/a-good-day-at-the.html", "title": "A Good Day at the Farm", "content_html": "\n
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I went “live” at the farm yesterday hoping you could hear the birds. They were going crazy out there! For some reason, the case I have on my phone interferes with the audio so I may end up getting a different one. It was very difficult to hear the birds on the recording, but…you got to see the lush, lush green that I love so much.

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I went out to mow while Mr. FixIt took his truck to the muffler shop. It is always cooler at the farm than it is here at Marshmallow Ranch. That’s because there is a hollow…or as Grandma always said, a holler…up behind the barn that reaches way back up on the hill. It is shady and cool with a creek bed in the bottom of the “V”. Grandma would open the back door, then the front door, and that cool air would just run down the holler clear through house. It was so refreshing. And so it was yesterday. When the thermometer was 96° in town, I was enjoying a lovely breezy 81° on Grandma’s porch. 

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When I got home, it was SO hot. We’ve really tried to keep from using the air conditioning in the house, but we couldn’t get by without it yesterday. We gave in about 5:00 or so. I went out to turn on the grill. It lit, but only burned for a few minutes and went out. The tank was empty. I bought some marked down New York Strip steaks at Sam’s on Tuesday. I’ll bet it’s been over a year since I’ve had a steak. This package had four beautiful steaks for $25 so at $6 a steak, I was all over that deal!

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I was disappointed the grill didn’t work, but there’s nothing wrong with an iron skillet for cooking up an awesome steak. I heated it up on the stovetop, sprayed with a bit of olive oil, seasoned the steaks with salt and fresh ground pepper and garlic powder. I seared them on both sides to seal in the juices, then added a good dollop of butter in the pan and finished them to a nice medium rare. A couple of ears of sweet corn, a sliced heirloom tomato, some cucumbers and onions in vinegar from the other night, and some sweet pickled baby beets made for a meal fit for royalty. We topped it off with the last of the pineapple sorbet that I made over the weekend. What a delightful meal. Mr. FixIt was a happy guy!

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Once the dishes were done and a couple of episodes of Big Bang Theory were over, I headed out the the pollinator gardens to see what was shakin’ out there. The deer were milling about. I realize now why all the trees and shrub along the hedgerow are cut off at one height all the way along. That’s as high as the deer can reach to nibble at the salad bar. lol I saw a young bunny darting in and out of the hedges, nibbling grass and watching me carefully.

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On my way back up to the camper, there was a young buck and a doe grazing not far from the door. They weren’t much afraid of me. It’s not rutting season so they weren’t being territorial. They’ve just become accustomed to our presence and I don’t want to encourage that. Mr. FixIt went across the hill to town the other night and there were two deer up on their hind legs fighting. I didn’t want to walk in on anything like that, so I made the same sound they do when they’re alarmed. That got their attention and they jumped through the underbrush to the safety of the creek.

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We leave on our trip a week from today! I still have so much to do, but I’m not stressed about it. It’ll get done…or it won’t. That’s what charge cards are for!

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☀️

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“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

\nIsaiah 32:18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/20/a-good-day-at-the.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/18/the-art-of-keeping-cool.html", "title": "The Art of Keeping Cool", "content_html": "\n
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I rarely ever take a nap anymore. I used to when the kids were little. And during Covid. Escapism at it’s finest. But the older I get, the more napping steals away my normal-such-as-it-is sleep cycle. The hot weather makes it more difficult to get a good night’s sleep and it caught up with me. 

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I was working on my laptop in the Big Red Chair. Mr. FixIt was sawing logs over there in his chair and I was nodding off. So I went in the bedroom to just stretch out for a minute and an hour-and-a-half later, I hear Mr. FixIt tiptoe down to hallway trying not to wake me. It was about time to fix supper anyway, so I got up and browsed the fridge for leftovers.

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There was the smoked pulled pork, of course. Another sandwich was in order. There was a homegrown cucumber and half a Vidalia onion. I sliced them both into a bowl and sprinkled salt, pepper, sugar, a tablespoon or so of cider vinegar and filled the rest of the bowl with water and set it aside.

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There were four ears of corn so I cleaned them. There was a a small container of leftover creamed tomato gravy. I heated everything up. Once the water was boiling, I dropped the corn in, turned off the heat and covered the pot. I set the timer for five minutes. Then I sliced the strawberries, sprinkled a little artificial sweetener on them and set them out at room temperature to soften and get juicy. When the timer went off, I threw everything together and we had a wonderful WV summer supper!

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After the news, I whipped up the berry cheesecake ice cream to a dipping consistency in the Ninja Creami and served it over the strawberries with a healthy dollop of sugar free whipped topping. Cooking on the stovetop didn’t raise the house temperature appreciably and the dishes were finished in a jiffy.

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Man, was it hot yesterday and it’s going to be more of the same over the next few days. By the time I was ready to get in the pool, there was thunder threatening, so I gave up on the idea. We had to get up really early this morning to take the truck in for service, so I called it an early night. I hope you are keeping cool. I’m going to have to mow both here and at The Farm sometime later this week and I don’t think there’s any one day better than the next. I think I’ll go out and stay overnight so I can mow early before it gets too hot. 

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I was happy to find out Daughter #1 finally got home from her trip to NJ for a family graduation. They had mechanical difficulties so they put her up in the airport hotel for the night. At least she got some sleep, but if you have kids, you know how it is. They’re never too old to worry over. This is exactly why I don’t fly anymore. I used to love it, but the idea of eating stuck and having to stand in lines and people getting unruly on the plane and dicey maintenance…I’m happy to drive and see the sights and sleep in my own little bed as we go cross-country.

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☀️

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“As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.”

\nLuke 21:30 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/18/the-art-of-keeping-cool.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/15/finallyrain.html", "title": "Finally…RAIN!", "content_html": "\n
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Not my kitchen…but I‘d love to have one just like it!

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It’s been so dry here the last two or three weeks. I mean, it sprinkled a couple of times, but not enough to make the sidewalk wet. We kept getting storm warnings all day and it finally hit at 8:00…just as soon as Mr. FixIt left to run across town for some things at Piggly Wiggly. It’s been so hot this week and Sunday ushers in a week in the 90’s. 

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I have an appointment first thing this morning to get the wheel bearings repacked on the camper. It’s customary to get this done every 10,000 miles and we’re quickly pushing that. I went out last night before the rain hit and hooked up so all I need to do this morning is drive out I need to get back quickly because we’re having the WV family over this evening for a cookout. I saved the smoked pork for the occasion. I’m learning in this “seasoned age” to delegate. I don’t have to cook ALL the things to be the perfect hostess. I mixed up several bases for ice cream and put it in the freezer. Pineapple Cream, Banana, Berry Cheesecake, and Chocolate. A taste for everyone.

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One of the Facebook pages I follow focuses on Vintage Kitchens. Someone shared a photo with the message “If you’re feeling stressed right now, then here’s a Grandma kitchen to help you relax.” I love looking at these vintage kitchens and indeed, they do make me feel relaxed. We never had a pretty kitchen like these two photos at home or out at Grandma’s house. But I have been in homes that looked like this. Hubby #2 and I lived in three different houses in Denver that had vintage kitchens and I loved them.

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I think these kitchens suit me, being an earth mother country girl. If I had unlimited funds, I would build a house that is identical to Grandma’s. I’d build it on the lot we own on the outskirts of town. I’d paint it red with white trim and have a galvanized tin roof that plays the music from a gentle rain. I’d have wide plank flooring, white cabinets with windows in the doors. I’d have a deep, wide farm sink with a double window over it that looks out on the garden. I’d have a great reproduction vintage gas cookstove and a fridge to match. 

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It’s never too late to have dreams and it’s never too late to make them a reality. We are of an age where we live on a fixed income. So a windfall would need to manifest itself in order to make these dreams come true. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, right? I keep picturing my book, finished and doing well. This thing is NOT going to finish itself. I need to either make the commitment to publish it…or let it go. I’m not willing to just let it go, so I guess I’m going to have to double down and get it done. That may mean a sabbatical from writing this blog for a little bit while I focus on the book. I’m thinking I might do that this winter…after the mowing season is past us.

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🩵

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“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.”

\nProverbs 4:25-26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/15/finallyrain.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/14/seventyone-birthdays.html", "title": "Seventy-One Birthdays", "content_html": "\n
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Remember when seventy-one seemed ancient??? I remember my great-grandfather dancing a soft shoe across the back porch of grandma’s house when I was little little girl. He was my age then…still raising cattle, frequenting auctions, and tearin’ up jack on the backroads in his Chevy. But he seemed older than Methuselah. I think we are younger old people now. In general, our health is better and we’ve remained active with intellectual curiosity. We didn’t have to work as hard as our elders and it shows.

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I love this picture. Grandma grabbed me and the camera in one arm and the cake in the other and ran out the front door to get a picture of me with my first birthday cake. The house didn’t have running water then. No indoor bathroom…just an outhouse on the other side of a rickety bridge that ran across the “crick.” Uncle Buddy yelled, “Bring that cake back here!” Grandma  paid him no mind…she was on a mission.

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I look back now over my birthdays and I can’t really remember many of them. Mom gave me a surprise birthday party when I was thirteen. When I turned seventeen, my first boyfriend sent me roses. When I turned twenty-one, I was very pregnant and had my first child four weeks later. When I turned thirty, I was working hard putting my husband through medical school. When I turned forty, I had a child in college and a three year old. When I turned fifty, I was left on my own…trying to find my way after a tough split. When I turned sixty, I was a new widow. When I turned seventy….ahhhhh, when I turned seventy I was finally coming into my own! Happy, healthy, active…living in my home state and married to my best friend.

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Yesterday was a perfectly wonderful birthday. People called and sent texts all day long. I put the pork butts in the smoker around 11:00. They should have gone in hours before that and since they didn’t, they were still in the smoker when I was writing this at 9:00 last night. That’s ok…we still had a nice meal and the pork will wait in he fridge till tonight. We did cut into my little birthday cake and I fixed some ice cream with my new Ninja Creami. After dinner, we went out and soaked in the pool. It was really hot yesterday and that pool felt great.

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So, as my bestie Gail called it, National Ginny Day is over for another year. I want to thank you all for your wonderful birthday greetings. You all are the gift that keeps on giving and I am so grateful for your presence in my life!

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🩵

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“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

\nNumbers 6:24-26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/14/seventyone-birthdays.html", "tags": ["Aging","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/13/out-of-the-mouths-of.html", "title": "Out of the Mouths of Babes", "content_html": "\n
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Courtney is a sweet friend I met in Nashville several years ago. We bonded over the fact her husband’s family is from West Virginia. So they’re good people! I love her relationship with God and how they are raising their children to have a close relationship with Jesus. A few years ago, she was saying nighttime prayers with her youngest…Gabe. When he was finished he said that when they were in West Virginia visiting her husband’s parents he and his sister Della lost their Daddy, MawMaw, and big brother, Seth. Gabe said they were really scared, so they had to “yell for Jesus!”

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Have you ever found yourself lost and don’t know where to turn? I sure have. Courtney said if she had only one piece of advice she could give, it would be this. Yell for Jesus. You can’t do this alone. I know I can’t. I’ve tried. I’ve dug in my heels and said no to God so many times I am astounded He can forgive me. But he did. When I started yelling for Jesus, that’s when I found my way through the darkness of anxiety and depression back into the light. I just thought I’d share that with you today.

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Wild Blackberries showed up in the hedgerow this year.

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Yesterday was a super productive day. We always take our time with breakfast. That’s our time to just sit and enjoy each other’s company before the day gets started. And we don’t start early. We’re night owls so we sometimes don’t finish the breakfast dishes till nearly noon! Such was the case yesterday. Mr. FixIt was fiddling with something and I headed out to finish mowing. At some point, he came out to meet me in his truck. He was on his way into town to show some plans to a fellow he’s going to do a little building for. 

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I continued mowing then put the trimmer and the loppers in the back of my truck and headed out to the hedgerow along the creek out front. There are monstrous sycamore trees out there and their low hanging branches get heavy with leaves. This makes me have to duck down when I’m mowing. Actually, that happens a lot all the way around so every once in a while, I have to get aggressive with the trimmers and try to keep this jungle from closing in on us.

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I worked for a little bit, but I was soon realized this is the side that gets full afternoon sun and it was WAY too hot for such heavy labor. I gave up and went inside to cool down and rehydrate. Before long, I was ready for round two. I went out and sprayed off the tractor and got all the grass off the top of the mower deck then put everything away. Mr. FixIt got home about supper time…with a dozen pink roses, a little birthday cake, and a new floatie for the pool. He’s such a love!

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When I was a little girl, we went out to the farm just about every weekend. That place has always been more of home to me that the one I lived in with my parents. Supper in the summer time was often a simple affair. The only sun that farmhouse gets is in the late afternoon and it gets too hot to cook. Grandma would get a couple of jars of canned tomatoes from the cellar house thicken it with a mixture of flour and milk with salt, pepper, and sugar. Then she served it over slices of bread or leftover biscuits. I haven’t made that for so long and all day when I was out there mowing, that’s all I could think about.

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Our house gets really hot in the afternoon, too. The exterior is red brick and that west facing wall is always ten degrees hotter than the ambient temperature. The last thing I want to do was heat up the kitchen, but I really wanted biscuits with the tomato gravy. I was looking at the directions on the can of biscuits (yes…I bought canned biscuits. The Pillsbury Grands aren’t too bad!) I noticed directions for the air fryer and I remembered one of my readers telling me they make biscuits that way and it doesn’t heat up the house.

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I was pleasantly surprised! The biscuits were perfect. And the tomato gravy came together fast. Here’s my recipe:

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Ginny’s West Virginia Creamed Tomatoes (akaTomato Gravy)

2 12oz cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 can evaporated milk
1-1 1/2 T. Wondra Flour
1 T. Butter
1-2 T. granulated sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pour the tomatoes, juice and all, in a medium saucepan. Add the butter, salt, pepper, and sugar to the pan and place over medium heat. Stir Wondra Flour into evaporated milk and add to the tomatoes in the pan. Stir well and bring to a boil stirring frequently. Turn the heat down and let simmer till the biscuits are done.

Bake the biscuits in the air fryer at 330° for 7 minutes. Carefully turn them over and set the air fryer for another 4-5 minutes at 330°. They came out perfectly. Cut the biscuits in half and place in a good lined soup bowl. Ladle the hot Tomato Gravy over the biscuits and enjoy. This is truly a West Virginia treat!
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After supper and the news, I got one of the pints of ice cream fixin’s out of the freezer and tried out my new Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker. WOWZA! It was SO good and tasted exactly like chocolate soft serve. I used Splenda Glucerna Chocolate Smoothie as the base this time. We each got a nice sized serving of ice cream for 170 calories! I’m looking forward to trying all kinds of recipes in this thing.

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I decided to wait for today to smoke the pork butts. It’s going to be a fun day! No need to work hard on my birthday, right? Seventy-one. I think 71 is more fun than ‘71…the year we graduated!

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🥳

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“May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!”

\nPsalm 20:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/13/out-of-the-mouths-of.html", "tags": ["God","Aging","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/12/hitting-the-ground-running.html", "title": "Hitting the Ground Running", "content_html": "\n
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Someone mentioned the other day that our “triplets” may actually be a set of twins and a spare from another mother. I think they may be right because I have not seen baby #3 hanging with these two since the first night I saw them. I’m just going to believe nothing bad happened to her.

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I woke up all bright eyed and bushy tailed yesterday morning. There’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep…with NO interruptions…to make the coming day full of vim and vigor. I didn’t get quite the early start I would have liked. If I would have, I might have ended the day with the entire five acres mowed instead of three fourths. 

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It was busy from the get go. I took the truck in to Walmart to get the oil changed and the tires rotated, picked up the prescriptions, paid the Lowe’s bill. When I was getting my card out of my wallet, I noticed I still had three Walmart Gift Cards. Well…tomorrow is my birthday, right? So, I marched myself right back over to that big box and bought something I’ve been eyeing.

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I miss ice cream. I really don’t want to spend the calories on it, but even worse…I don’t want to suffer the after effects of lactose intolerance. Enter the makers of Ninja Creami with their ever so wonderful commercials. Ooooooooh, the things I could make with this thing. I mean, I need another appliance like I need a hole in my head, but I have the cravings for ice cream. What can I say. These things are spendy…I’m not going to lie. But…gift cards! They brought this thing down to a reasonable amount and…it’s my BIRTHDAY TOMORROW. Duh!

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There are certain maintenance things you need to do with a camper. Every 10,000 miles or so, you should get the bearings repacked in the hubs. We’re pushing that now and with the big trip across the country, it really needs to be done before we go. I drove over to PKB RV and set up a time this Saturday to have that done. I also need to get new tires. They have them in stock…all I have to do is show up and get them.

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I picked up the mail on the way home and there was a package in there. I didn’t think I had ordered anything so I was puzzled. Turns out, it was a couple of skeins of beautiful sock yarn and a new kind of circular knitting needles from Skacel. They are square with little ridges that keep your yarn from falling off! My bestie, Gail sent them to me for my birthday. I was so busy I didn’t get a picture of them, or of the Ninja Creami. I’ll try to snap those tomorrow with links.

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Mr. FixIt washed the camper today. It was in desperate need as it hadn’t been done since we got back from the beach last October. I really wasn’t too worried about the salt on it after the spring trip because we drove through some hellacious rain on the way home. When I got home, I didn’t have time to read about my new toy. I needed to get out on the mower. Once he was done washing the camper, Mr. FixIt picked up all that brush from where I trimmed on Sunday afternoon and took it out to the burn pile. It took two full truckloads to get it all. That battery powered trimmer really gets the job done! We called it a day just after 6:00 so we could eat and watch the news. 

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Today will be another busy day. There is ALWAYS something that needs doing here!

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🐝

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/12/hitting-the-ground-running.html", "tags": ["Camping","Grace","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/11/an-ordinary-monday.html", "title": "An Ordinary Monday", "content_html": "\n
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I love days like yesterday. I went to knitting group and helped the gals learn how to make teddy bears on the circular knitting machine. There were only three of us because one is recuperating from Covid. I stopped at The Pig on the way home to pick up a few things. I’ve been hankerin’ for some smoked pulled pork so I bought a good sized pork butt to throw in the smoker today. I haven’t used the smoker for probably two years so it’s about time! Mr. FixIt had an appointment in town so he stopped to get me some corn on the cob and strawberries for a shortcake. 

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When Mr. FixIt got home, he suggested we go out and wash the camper, but I talked him out of that. It looked like it was going to rain. We’ll get it done before we go on our trip. The pool is staying clean and sparkly and that makes me happy. But it got cloudy in the afternoon and the temperature dropped to 70° so there was no way I was getting in that water! I spent most of the day reading while Mr. FixIt watched TV and snoozed in his Big Red Chair.

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Are you detecting a pattern here? I have these great ideas of an evening when I’m writing to you good people, then by morning I’m off chasing butterflies and rainbows. I have some thing very common to people with ADHD…”wait mode.” When I am presented with a big event coming up, like the Colorado trip, I go into wait mode. It’s kind of like freezing up…sensory overload from all the things running around in my head that need to be done and my executive function goes out the window. People with ADHD are often called lazy, without ambition, disorganized. We KNOW what needs to be done. We can write 5,000 lists, but when it comes time to actually DO the thing…we shut down and blank out. That’s why we’re really great with a deadline because at the last minute, we will work something to death to meet it.  I really try NOT to be this way, but trying not to be who you are causes more problems. I know this is how my brain works. I’ll get it done. I might make some people crazy, but if they really know me and love me, they’ll understand. 

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Speaking of butterflies, I came around the corner of the camper the other day and ran right into a monarch butterfly! I was SO excited!!! My milkweed patch has exploded this summer and I am hoping for more of these orange and black beauties. When Mr. FixIt and I went out for our walk around the pollinator gardens last night, we saw a bird sitting on the ground. There is a window near there. And there are plenty of places where it could have fallen from a nest. I tried to identify it with Merlin and Google Images, but I’m not sure what it is. It said starling, but it has a black beak and starlings have light colored beaks. It had moved when I came back later so hopefully it’s on its way.

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I snapped a few photos last night to identify some plants around the edges of the fields. Wingstem, Horse Weed, Creeping Charlie and a surprise coming up at the back of the wood pile…Sassafras. Grandma used to go out in the spring and pull up sassafras saplings, peel the bark from the roots, and make a tea fur us. She said it was a spring tonic to clean our blood. There have been studies done over the decades that have disputed this and the FDA has actually banned the roots and barks of the sassafras because it contains a high concentration of Safrole which has been known to cause cancer in rats. Grandma would pooh pooh the idea, but the last time I drank sassafras tea, it caused some most unpleasant gastric distress so I’ll not be drinking it again.

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My friend Loretta from knitting group brought us some more succulents to plant. I hope I can polish up this brown thumb and turn it green! I used to be able to grow beautiful plants. But now I swear I could kill a silk flower! 

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🌸

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“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

\nMatthew 11:29-30 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/11/an-ordinary-monday.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Insight","Mental Health"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/10/work-done-and-pool-fun.html", "title": "Work Done and Pool Fun!", "content_html": "\n
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I try not to do any work on Sunday, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. The grass isn’t quite long enough to mow, but OMGosh! The shrubbery around the fenced area of the pool was getting totally out of hand. Mr. FixIt bought a battery powered hedge trimmer on an extension pole so we can reach up and shear this tangled mess, so I went out and worked on it for a couple of hours. We trim it back, then we need to back the truck up to the fence, toss the brush in the back and haul it over to the burn pile. Then, we have to keep going. It’s like a literal jungle here at this time of the year and if you don’t stay on top of it, you’re in big trouble pretty quick.

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It wasn’t terribly hot yesterday, so the chore wasn’t overwhelming. Mr. FixIt did some mowing around the trash cans and on the bank along the road while I trimmed. When we were done, we decided to jump in the pool and enjoy the spoils of hard work. The water temp was only 78° so it was a bit brisk and bracing when we first got in. But we enjoyed ourselves and did a little water aerobics to burn off some more calories.

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I weighed myself yesterday morning and I am at a new low! If I stay on this trajectory, I could have the last ten pounds off in a few weeks. As you can see on the graph, I had a steady, continual weight loss till late fall, then I just bounced around all winter, but generally maintaining the thirty-five pounds. I was fine with that, really. As long as I didn’t pack pounds back on in the winter months, I am happy. But now I’d like to get back in the swing of things and get the rest of this off since I’ve come this far.

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I caught sight of a burrowing mayfly on the back door yesterday afternoon. I’m sure many of you are being subjected to the mass hatchlings of mayflies at this time of year. The good thing is, the females only live a few hours and the males a couple of days. The swarms are short lived but mighty. They are harmless, but can be dangerous if you drive through a large swarm. They can smear up your windshield to the point you have reduced visibility…especially if you’re driving into the sun.

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I keep trying to get a good picture of the fireflies at night but it isn’t easy with the iPhone. They start out just as dusk is fading. At first, they are rising from the field and you see them from one to three feet above the grass. As the evening wears on, they eat higher and higher till they are little around in the trees. That’s when I love to see them. The woods seem to sparkle with their little lighted hineys. 

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We don’t have a lot on our schedule this week. I’m hoping I can get these curtains finished. I have knitting group this morning. One of our gals won’t be there because she has Covid. We were all together on two occasions the week before but as far as I know, no one else has come down with it. It’s still out there so it’s not a bad idea to minimize hugging and kissing and wash your hands frequently. I practice these and wear a mask while the kids are still in school. Little germ bombs are super spreaders.

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I hope you had a good weekend. I’m counting down the days now till our trip and it will be here before we know it!

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🐝

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“and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

\n1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/10/work-done-and-pool-fun.html", "tags": ["Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/08/a-bumper-crop-of-babies.html", "title": "A Bumper Crop of Babies!", "content_html": "\n
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I was just telling Mr. FixIt the other day that I hadn’t seen any fawns this year. He said not to worry…they’d be showing up soon. After supper last night, he suggested we are a walk down around the pollinators and see what’s happening. We were just stepping out of the gate and saw THREE babies right by the camper. I quietly walked around the end of the camper when I was standing just a few yards from the closest one. That little thing started bleating and ran straight for me!

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One thing you don’t want to do is interfere with wildlife babies. Deer will often leave their babies on their own for long stretches while they go foraging. Many people have “rescued” babies who weren’t really abandoned, thus breaking the laws of nature. I immediately started talking to her and made myself really big to let her know she shouldn’t come any closer. Her two siblings were less inclined to come close and soon she figured out it was better to go off with them in the woods. I’ll keep an eye out for them. We live on a very busy two-lane blacktop and unfortunately, deer get killed on this road frequently. We walked on down around the pollinator gardens till we noticed one of the babies had taken shelter amongst the tall grasses so we skirted around and came back up the other way. 

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As we walked through the front year, we checked out the pear trees. One of them got bit by Jack Frost and hardly has any fruit set on, but the other one is fully loaded. We should have a big crop this year, but I’m not quite sure when they will be ripe. We’ll be gone till August 6th so we may miss them. Hopefully one of the kids can come get them and use them if they ripen while we are gone.

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I cleaned the pool again yesterday and it is getting sparkling clear. After I was done vacuuming and brushing the bottom, I did thirty minutes of stretching and water aerobics to get a little activity in my day. We stayed in during the heat of the afternoon…Mr. FixIt watching his shows and I was reading some of the cookbooks I bought Thursday at the junk shop. I also balanced my bank account, searched for the best price on tires for the camper and a chlorine dispenser for the pool. Mr. FixIt designed a set of stairs on his CAD program for a friend and I helped him navigate the printer. It’s kind of tricky.

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As I was cleaning the pool, I got to thinking about supper and decided I’d really like to make macaroni and hamburger. I’ve heard it called goulash, slumgullion, beefy mac…but whatever you call it, it’s really good. I’ll bet I haven’t made that since I was in my twenties! I searched my pantry over for canned tomatoes. I was SUREI had picked up a case at Sam’s not too long ago, but they were nowhere to be found so I used a jar of pizza sauce. It tasted fine. When I was putting the pasta canister away, I happened to glance up at the top shelf of the pantry and there were my tomatoes! Ah, well…no harm, no foul, right? 

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I brought one of the cookbooks out to the camper with me last night to read in the peaceful cool of the evening. The Church Supper Cookbook from Families and Churches Across the Country. I’m betting there are some greats recipes in there!

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I hope you are staying cool and hydrated and that you have a wonderful summer weekend planned!

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🐝

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“He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.”

\nPsalm 18:33 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/08/a-bumper-crop-of-babies.html", "tags": ["Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/07/going-in-different-directions.html", "title": "Going in Different Directions", "content_html": "\n
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We are divvying up the chores these days, trying to get more done before the Colorado trip. We pull the camper with my truck. It’s been making a funny noise lately. It’s really difficult to get in to a mechanic around here. We had a wonderful guy right here in town but he suffered a devastating injury in an ATV accident early this spring and had to close his garage. Thank God he’s still with us, but we needed to find someone else. I’m not sure what is causing the shortage in mechanics, but we’re running into roadblocks at every turn. 

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Mr. FixIt finally found a guy that would at least listen to the sound and send us in the right direction. We found someone to work on it on the 18th. Cutting it a little close before our departure date, but we’ll take what we can get. While he was off taking care of the truck, I took his truck and went to The Farm to mow.

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We had a hard rain yesterday morning and the ground was pretty wet, but by the time I got out there, things were starting to dry up. It doesn’t take long at all to mow out there. It’s probably just about an acre of grass. There was a nice breeze, full sun, and only 79° so it was quite pleasant.

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I stopped on the way home at Happy Jim’s to see what he has that’s new. They recently bought out a couple of estate sales and there are lots of things to choose from. I’ve been looking for garden flags around town but they’ve gotten so expensive. Jim had three of them from my favorite shop. They were new in the bag and half price so I couldn’t pass them up. 

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On my way back to the checkout counter, I passed a bookcase stuffed with wonderful cookbooks. Several of them had handwritten recipes stuck within the pages. I didn’t have time to sort through them all, but I picked eight of them to start with. The hard covers were $1 and paperbacks were $.50! The first one I looked through was copycat recipes of favorite dishes from popular restaurants. I found several recipes that I want to try. The book that intrigues me the most is the Martha Washington Cook Book.

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When I got home, I put things away then headed out to mow the fenced area around the pool. Mr. FixIt usually does this, but we’ve been so busy and it’s been raining. I had the time and the energy to do it so I was finished, showered, and glancing through a cookbook when he got home. I stopped and fixed us hamburgers and waffle fries for supper. We had a great tomato and Vidalia Onions to slice. And we’re still eating from the jar of Bread and Butter Pickles that Loretta gave me for Christmas. Honestly, I could sit there with that pint of pickles and a fork and finish them off in five minutes, but I really want to savor them.

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One of Mr. FixIt’s errands yesterday was to take a water sample from the pool in to the pool supply store to see where we are with the chemicals. We needed to add a pound of chlorine and two pounds of alkali to the water. We had another really hard rain storm but once that was over, we treated the pool and watched the news. An hour later we tested again. Getting these chemicals just right is a really tricky business but I’ll get the hang of it. And then, we’ll be gone nearly six weeks and won’t be able to monitor it every day. I’m sure whoever we get to mow while we are gone will be happy to dump some chemicals in for us. 

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I’m praying for rain to keep things cool while we are so busy getting things caught up around here. I’m also praying all these storms calm down by the time we head through the upper Midwest. 

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🙏🏼

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“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

\nProverbs 12:24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/07/going-in-different-directions.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/05/still-chasing-frogs-and-bees.html", "title": "Still Chasing Frogs and Bees", "content_html": "\n
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We made another big step in getting the pool ready. Mr. FixIt put the ladder in for me so I could get in with the broom and brush down the sides and bottom to loosen up all the dirt, dead algae, and debris. The first dip in the pool is always a little shocking. Even though the water temperature was 80°, it still felt chilly when I got in. However, after a few minutes, it was comfortable and I didn’t even notice it. I trapped three little green tree frogs yesterday and put them back in the trees where they belong. If they keep getting in the pool, I’ll start taking them down to the creek where there’s a good water supply.

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I spent at least three hours in the pool cleaning it. Talk about an upper body workout! My upper arms and shoulders were telling me to quit about an hour before I finally did. I’m sure I’ll feel it today. Mr. FixIt cut the last two boards and put them in place then cleaned up all the tools because it’s supposed to rain today.

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I’m kind of excited about having a rainy day. I need to make a few phone calls, schedule some appointments, and really start working on the curtains for the camper. We run from the time we get up till we fall in bed at night at this time of year. We need a little break. Of course, the rain will make the grass grow so we’ll soon be out there working again, so it’s not much of a break.

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I go out every day and survey the grounds for pollinators. I’ve seen a few more honey bees the last couple of days and that’s been encouraging. If I were younger and financially better off, I’d seriously look into keeping bees myself. But we are gone too much and it’s necessary to travel to Colorado every summer to see my family. I’ve found a nursery here in West Virginia that sells native plants and seeds for wildflower gardens for pollinators. I’m going to take a field trip to interview the owner and pick up a few things that will contribute to “bee food.” Our most frequent pollinator this year has been the Common Eastern Bumblebee. They’re rather small and dainty and I love them. 

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I need to start making a list of what we need to get done before our trip. The 27th is sneaking up on us! Yikes!

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⏰

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“The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.”

\nPsalm 115:16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/05/still-chasing-frogs-and-bees.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/03/country-living-the-flip-side.html", "title": "Country Living - The Flip Side", "content_html": "\n
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As beautiful as it is here on Marshmallow Ranch, it doesn’t come without its issues. Besides being so far away from everything, there is just SO much to do to even begin to keep up with the maintenance of five acres. Mr. FixIt and I have taken to walking around the property of an evening to see what’s showing up. We flushed a baby bunny from one of the pollinator gardens last night. And we found a hole where something has burrowed in at the edge of one. Too big for a mouse or vole…too small for a bunny or a groundhog. Perhaps I need to get a trail camera out there to catch whatever it is.

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Invasive Species: Chinese Yam

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As we ventured up the hedgerow, I noticed rapid new growth on a vine I first noticed last year. Cinnamon Vine or Chinese Yam (Dioscorea polystachya) is an invasive species that I now need to go about trying to eradicate. It is a lot harder to get rid of unwanted vegetation without using chemicals, but I refuse to put chemicals on this ground. I’ll make up a batch of vinegar, salt, and Dawn dish soap and kill the vegetation, then I can go about digging out the roots. They grow and reproduce, not only by tubers in the ground, but also tubers that look like little potatoes n the vine itself. This isn’t going to be easy. I don’t know if we can live long enough to make a dent in what needs to be done here to be a good steward of the land, but we’ll do our level best.

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Elderberry

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In the meantime, an Elderberry bush has shown up intermingled with the Flowering Quince and Forsythia bushes. I don’t mind having those. You can make an elixir with elderberries that supports the immune system. And, the pollinator gardens are looking beautiful in their own right. The grasses stand a good two feet deep and all look so healthy. It just makes me so happy to walk down the paths I’ve cut through them, holding hands with my sweetheart.

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As I sat here last evening writing my post out in the camper, my eye was drawn to the scene outside the screen door. Just before dark, the lightning bugs rise from the grass on cue. One of the evenings, I need to have my tripod ready and see if I can get some time lapse photos of them. The pool is looking really good. We are starting to see the bottom and the new sand is filtering it much better. We’re adding chlorine daily but there are other chemicals we need to use as well. We’ll take a sample into the pool place today to see what we need. We bought the last two boards (for now) for the deck. We’ll replace them as needed.

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So, there’s a lot to keep up, but oh…the rewards are many. Listening to the tree frogs. The barred owl up the holler. The occasional night bird. The soft evening breeze feels delightfully cool. The smell of faraway rain. These are the rewards for jobs well done and make the doing worthwhile.

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There is peace here.

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🐝

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“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

\nHebrews 13:6 ESV\n
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#Peace, #Work, #CountryLife

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/03/country-living-the-flip-side.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Peace","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/06/02/country-living-is-the-best.html", "title": "Country Living is the Best!", "content_html": "\n
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Ever have one of those days that you do SO many things, you can’t keep track of them? That was what yesterday was like. I’d set timers and alarms and notes and if I didn’t add what they were for, I was toast. I got up early and finished making the chicken and noodles for Mr. FixIt to take to the biannual company alumni dinner. He had to leave for the event at around 10:30. I worked on the pool. 

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I dug the pressure washer out of the building and cleaned the algae off the pool ladder. Try as I might, I could NOT figure out how to put it together so I left it on the pool deck for Mr. FixIt to do later. I thought the paint party I was attending was at noon. Turns out it was 1:00 so I had an extra hour to work. I suctioned the bottom of the pool till it was time to go.

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One of my knitting friends hosted the paint party I attended and another of our knitting gals came. We had a whole table full of people…probably twelve of us. It was fun to see everyone’s interpretation of the subject… “Three Daisies.” It was also nice to meet new people. They were a very friendly group!

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When I got home, I immediately jumped on the tractor and started mowing. It takes me about four hours to mow. I was hoping the extension of the pollinator gardens would cut down on the mowing time, but it actually takes a little extra to mow all around them to keep them looking the way I want them…with paths meandering through. It also takes longer at this time of year because I will not mow over a bee if I can help it. So, there’s a lot of starts and stops along the way. But, I don’t mind…I’m just so grateful to see the bees and they are loving the new gardens!

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Mr. FixIt got home shortly after I started mowing. He told me my chicken noodles were a big hit! (He’s such a sweetie!) He took the sand out of the pool filter and dumped it on the driveway and put the new sand in. When I was finished with the mowing, I vacuumed the pool one more time then we put the chlorine in. It immediately started cleaning and the pool water changed colors right in front of our eyes. I’m showing you a picture and you have to believe me that this looks a hundred times better than in did when we started…and no frogs!!! They have decided the trees around the creek are a better place for them than the pool. (I did take the hose and sprayed under the metal rim of the pool but I didn’t scare up any froggies so I think we’re good!)

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I will tell you what…by the time we were finished, it was dark and I was D.O.N.E. I didn’t even have the spoons to take a shower. I just went out to the camper and vegged. I think today will be more of the same!!! It’s the Lord’s Day and we will rest.

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🐝

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“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

\nColossians 3:17 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-06-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/06/02/country-living-is-the-best.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/30/another-day-at-the-pool.html", "title": "Another Day at the Pool", "content_html": "\n
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Sausage Gravy

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Notice I did not say IN the pool. There still has to be a whole lot of cleaning done before I get anything more than my hands in that water. We spent the biggest part of the day outside working, but only after I made Mr. FixIt’s new favorite…breakfast bowls.

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Air Fried Waffle Fries

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When I made these over the weekend, I forgot to take pictures of the steps involved. The first thing I did was pop the frozen waffle fries in the air fryer at 360° for 20 minutes. While they were in the air fryer, I mixed up the sausage gravy. I’ve been divvying up the canned sausage my cousin Tammy sent home with us last week. I’m telling you, that is the quickest way to make sausage gravy. The sausage is already cooked from the canning process, so all you have to do is scoop out your portion in a skillet, break it up, and set on medium heat. I add about 2Tbsp of Wondra flour. You can use all purpose, but Wondra is quick and doesn’t clump. I also added a about half a teaspoon of sausage seasoning and a few red pepper flakes. Stir together and add water as it cooks till you get the consistency you want.

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Add the Sausage Gravy

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When the sausage gravy is ready, set it on the back burner on very low heat. I fried a couple eggs over easy for each of us. When the potatoes were ready, I put them in the bottom of a bowl, spooned a ladle or two of gravy over them, and topped with the fried eggs. This is a stick to your ribs country breakfast that mimics what you can buy at many restaurants that serve breakfast, but at a fraction of the cost…and I know what is in it. We still have enough sausage to make the dish again over the weekend. That will be three breakfasts for two out of one quart of sausage.

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Top with a couple of fried eggs.

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Once breakfast was done and the dishes washed, we headed out to work on the pool. I did the vacuuming and Mr. FixIt kept back flushing the pump for me. There is so much gunk on the bottom that it needs back flushed about every five minutes. In between the flushes, Mr. FixIt trimmed more of the wild vegetation growing on the back fence. We had to work between rainstorms so we took a couple of breaks. At the end of the day, he added a gallon of algaecide to hopefully get a hand on the situation. We were just about finished when the frogs started calling. I know they won’t be interested in the pool once the chemicals go in. If I can catch them, I’ll take them down to the creek to relocate.

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Mr. FixIt is heading to town today for a couple of things so he’ll pick up the boards we need for the replacements on the deck. I have a FaceTime call scheduled in the late morning, then I’ll get to work on the curtains for the camper. I’ve read two of the three books I got for summer reading. I picked up a fourth book over at Seneca Rocks last week about plants to feed the bees. I joined the Xerces Society yesterday, and I found a couple of informative websites. I’ll write a post on that soon.

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Look! You can see my pollinator gardens from space!!!

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We are getting temps down in the 40’s here the next three nights! The cooler days make it much more pleasurable doing outdoor chores. As always…there’s never a dull moment here at Marshmallow Ranch!

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🌼🐝🌼

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“so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

\n2 Timothy 3:17 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/30/another-day-at-the-pool.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/29/field-day-at-marshmallow-ranch.html", "title": "Field Day at Marshmallow Ranch", "content_html": "\n
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All these little black and white dots are frog eggs suspended in a gelatinous substance that feeds and protects them till they grow their little tails and start swimming on their own.

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We got our usual lazy start yesterday. The weather app said the high would only be around 75° which is wonderful for working outside. The grass isn’t quite long enough to mow, so we knew our attention would be on the pool. We left it Monday evening with a chorus of green tree frogs and a little too dark for me to try to fish them out without them jumping on me. So, after our breakfast of grits and eggs, we headed out to get to work.

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I put the net on the leaf catcher and sucked up as much gunk as I could off the bottom. Once all the big stuff was up, all that was left was algae and it just filters right through the mesh bag. I switched to the skimmer to get what was floating and about that time, Mrs. FixIt 1.0 and our daughter came by on their way to the nursery on out the road.

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I had just discovered masses of gelatinous blobs containing hundreds of frog eggs. I dutifully scooped them up and carried them out to the ditch along the road so they could grow into more green tree frog and grace us with the song of their people. As I got a closer look, I noticed tadpoles swimming in the pool. This was getting serious. We have to do something before we’re overrun with these little boogers.

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I asked our daughter if she would like to take some of the eggs and tadpoles home to show the littles. She thought that was a great idea, so I got an old plastic container and filled it with water from the pool. Then slowly, scoop by scoop, I added egg masses and tadpoles. At one point, one of the tadpoles didn’t get in the jar and landed on our outdoor dining table. 

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I tried to scoop it up with the net but it was too awkward. And, there is a very long pole connected to the net. Before I knew what was happening, the long handle slipped out of my hand and hit the deck…at which point the contents of the net flipped up and hit me square in the face! Thankfully my first instinct was to shut my mouth. When I slowly opened my eyes to evaluate the situation, I realized there was a long stringy mass of frog eggs dangling form my nose!!!

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Being as cool and calm as I could muster, I scraped the eggs off my nose and the table top and dropped them into the container for the kids. Hokey smokes…I’m ALWAYS getting into something, aren’t I? lol We all had a very good laugh over that one. Off and on all day, I scooped more and more of the tadpoles out. We turned on the pump and the skimmer took care of the egg masses. 

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Next up was power washing the deck furniture. We live in such a humid environment that green algae grows all over everything if you don’t keep up with it. We didn’t use the deck that much last year, so nothing got cleaned up. Mr. FixIt sprayed down all of our furniture then I sprayed the glass topped table. I missed a few places so I’ll have to go over it with Windex and a scrubby today. 

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I don’t want to put out the new cushions till we get the deck power washed and sealed. And we can’t do that till after the pool is clean. We still need to stir up the bottom and sides of the pool with a broom then, in a day or two, we’ll be able to shut down the pump, put the new sand in it, add chemicals, and get the pump turned back on. That will be the end of the frogs in the pool! (I hope!)

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I fixed a wonderful pot of spaghetti and sauce for supper. It was cool enough to cook without heating up the whole house and we’ve missed having a real meal. After supper, we went out on the deck and sat listening for the tree frogs and watching the daylight fade away. I went in for a couple of bowls of cubed watermelon for our dessert. We were thrilled it was a good one. It was billed as seedless, but there were seeds. I like watermelon with seeds. I think they have more flavor.

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Once the lightning bugs came out and the cool of the evening came rolling in, we called it quits. It was a good, productive, and fun day visiting with our peeps and fishing out the peepers…even if I DID get egg(s) on my face! (See what I did there? lol)

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🤭

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“Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.”

\nPsalms 105:30 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/29/field-day-at-marshmallow-ranch.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/28/froggy-went-acourtin.html", "title": "Froggy Went a’Courtin’", "content_html": "\n
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Photo Credit: vuecustompools.com

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I’ve been hearing these frogs out by the pool all spring. Calling back and forth. I’d never heard them in our yard before. They sounded like they were under the deck where there are some mud puddles…the perfect environment for them. One has been making a call that sounds like a chicken. I did a Google search and discovered that was the mating call of the male green tree frog. Uh-oh. I had a sinking feeling about this.

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I came out back last night to listen to their calls and try to figure out exactly where they were. I heard the one making the chicken sound and yelled for Mr. FixIt to come out and listen. Then…I heard a splash. Now, there isn’t enough water in those puddles to make a splash, so I crept up on the deck to have a peek.

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OMGosh! 

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Remember how I said the pool resembles a prop from a movie? Swamp Thing comes to mind. Well…not only do we have our own personal swamp, we also have the amphibians squatting all over the place in there living rent free in the pool! I took the skimmer net and tried to scoop them out but one jumped and landed on my arm and I decided this was a job for another night! Mr. FixIt says they’ve had them before. I really want to get them out before we put chemicals in the pool.

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What next? I dare not ask!

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We didn’t get a lot accomplished yesterday. It was, after all, a holiday. We cooked. We ate. And we replaced one of the rotten boards on the deck. We need to go to town to get more boards. We also need to move the leftover wood from building the beds because the pressure washer is conveniently located behind that mess.

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I am not used to things taking so long to get done. I’ve always just gone ahead and get started on the jobs I determine needs doing. But there are so many extenuating circumstances now to consider. The wishes of my spouse. Money. Time. And physical ability. I used to get frustrated with it, but I’ve learned (most of the time) to go with the flow and realize it will get done at some point. One way or another. It saves us both a lot of stress when I eliminate my handwringing. 

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We went for a walk around the pollinator gardens last evening as the sun was fading. There was a deer down at the end of the far field carefully watching our approach, hand-in-hand. The daisies are prolific and definitely the most prominent flower out there now. I mentioned to Mr. FixIt that I was worried that I wasn’t seeing many bees. He said not to worry…there were tons on the honeysuckle vines. I was relieved to hear that and I’ll have a look today.

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I hope you had a nice weekend and have been safe from the severe weather! 

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🩵

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“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”

\nLeviticus 26:4 NIV\n
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Lightning bug, aka firefly, climbing the stalk to prepare for flight.

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Evenings are my favorite time to wander through the five acres we call our home. After a day of mowing in the heat, both here and at The Farm, it is a pleasure to take a cool shower, slip into a cotton sundress, and stroll as the shadows grow longer and the night air comes. It’s heavenly, really.

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Red Clover

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I texted Mr. FixIt yesterday morning and tempted him with scrambled eggs and biscuits if he would stroll out to join me in the camper. It didn’t take him long to bring his tea out and join me. We talked about our plans for the day. He had an appointment in town. I had to finish mowing here at the house then head out to The Farm to mow out there. I had every intention of sitting on the porch for a while and read my book. However, at the time I finished mowing, it was the point where the sun beats down directly on the front of the house and it was bloody hot! Instead, I got a cool drink and sat in front of the fan for a bit to cool off before heading home.

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This green takes my breath away! The Farm, 2024

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I stopped at The Pig on my way home. Our little country Piggly Wiggly is a lifesaver when you live this far out of town and just need a few things. I wanted to get things like hotdogs and hamburgers, chips and potato salad…you know, Memorial Day picnic supplies. The kids are all doing their own things this weekend and with the amount of time we’ve been traveling, we are happy to have the biggest part of the work complete for the week and have three whole days to loll about.

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Mock Strawberry

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We talked about cleaning up the pool and trying to get it in shape this year. We never were very successful last summer. Having a pool is nice but it’s expensive to run and a lot of work to keep clean. Living on a fixed income means we have to make cuts if we want to camp and travel, and the pool is a bit superfluous. The kids don’t really come out and use it much so there isn’t that impetus to keep it going.

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Red Sorrel, a member of the buckwheat family.

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As I wandered around last evening before dark, I took some more pictures. One of my high school classmates asked if we were seeing bees and butterflies out here. I said yes, but I really gave it a good look-see yesterday and I am sorry to say I saw very few bees. We have butterflies and moths. I don’t think anyone in the area is keeping bees right now. I’ll have to check into that. I keep getting a nudge to keep bees, but I know nothing about beekeeping other than it isn’t cheap to get started. If I can boost my plants to include some that are attractive to the little buzzers, maybe I could offer space for someone to put their hives on our property in exchange for a little honey. 

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Yarrow

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As the sun set and the fireflies began their nightly dance, I counted my many blessing to have this safe place to call home and a loving husband to share my life with. It truly is remarkable to have found this joy so “late in life.” 

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🌼☀️🌼

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“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

\nProverbs 10:4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/25/an-evening-walkabout.html", "tags": ["Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/24/a-field-of-daisies.html", "title": "A Field of Daisies", "content_html": "\n
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We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before we broke camp and headed home. We didn’t have as many stops on the return trip so it went a little quicker…even with the road construction. The skies were partly cloudy so it wasn’t terribly hot but we still ran the A/C. I’m not crazy about air conditioning. I don’t mind the cool air, per se. I just don’t want it blowing right on me. 

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We got home about 4:30 or 5:00. As soon as I got the camper unhooked, I jumped on the tractor and got both big fields cut. I’ll have to get the rest done today, as well as a trip out to the farm to mow. This is the time of year when you can almost see the grass grow. It’s a lot of work to keep up with, but I’m thrilled to have tripled the pollinator space this spring. That cut out close to an acre of field.

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I love riding around the gardens holding my phone and grabbing pictures of the flowers. We have a lot of daisies growing right now and they look so sweet and summery. Just in time for June! There were lots of butterflies out there yesterday. I’ve seen a lot of bees this spring, but didn’t see many yesterday. I’ll keep my eye out for them. I try to mow when they aren’t real active so I don’t hurt them.

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I finished reading a book while we were camping. A Book of Life by Peter Kingsley. I’m not quite sure how to describe it. The author writes as though it’s the book talking to you and it was thought provoking. He writes about his quest to learn about the ancient Greeks and their teachings. I guess “esoteric” bests describes it. An interesting read, but the jury is still out. I may actually read it again and see if I understand it any better.

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My next read has been Kasher in the Rye by Moshe Kasher. It is a memoir written by a comedian who had a difficult upbringing. He was born to deaf Jewish parents. When they divorce, he and his brother lived in abject poverty in the ‘hoods of Oakland. He didn’t fit in anywhere and ended up with the only kids who would accept him…a really rough crowd. I’m still reading that, as well as 100 Plants to Feed the Bees by The Xerces Society. I barely touched my needlework while we were gone. It’s just not my summer thing…too busy.

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Right now, as I’m writing this, it’s 9:00pm and I’m sitting in the camper watching the lightning bugs beginning their evening dance along the hedgerow. The fans are blowing. The sweet scent of honeysuckle wafts in the open windows. I’m sipping my very late second cuppa RYZE. 

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Life is goodly, indeed!

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🌸🩵🌸

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“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.”

\nPsalms 74:17 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/24/a-field-of-daisies.html", "tags": ["Camping","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/19/fireflies.html", "title": "Fireflies!!!", "content_html": "\n
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You can see a few fireflies in the hedgerow along the edge of the field. This was taken by the light of the moon.

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We saw the first fireflies of the season the night after the northern lights, up at the cemetery where Mom is buried with her family. We were amazed to see them so early, but…global warming, climate change, whatever you want to call it, it’s a real thing. I didn’t see any at the campground this week, but they are 173 miles north of us so they’re probably a couple of weeks behind.

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I got home from the campground at around 5:30 or so. Mr. FixIt wasn’t back from his golf outing yet so I ate my half of the Chinese food I picked up on the way home and went out to put the things away I bought earlier. Our Walmart store was a real mess when I got there. Something happened and ALL of their refrigerator and freezer cases, as well as the deli and bakery lost power. They were scrambling to put cardboard and plastic over all the shelves. They tied the freezer cases closed to preserve the cold. I was able to get a dozen eggs and some paper products and that was it.

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It was really gorgeous yesterday. Beautiful blue skies with huge puffy cotton-candy clouds. It was really warm…low eighties…but still comfortable. I stopped in Williamstown at my favorite dump station to empty the tanks. (Now, I ask you…how many women have a favorite dump station?) Things went smoothly…I have that chore down to a science now. When I got home, I pulled the camper around where the hookups are and filled the water tank. I was going to take a shower in the camper, then didn’t have the spoons to move everything out of the tub that I stored there for traveling. I just gave up and went inside for my ablutions. 

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There’s not a lot to do to get ready for today’s trip. Poor Mr. FixIt got himself in a pickle at the golf tournament. His ball went in an area that looked like it might have contained a pond at some point. He gauged the surface and it looked perfectly dry, however…his first step and he sunk way above his ankle. Of course, his second foot went in trying to maintain his balance and not fall into what was essentially a whole lot of muck. His son came to the rescue and grabbed his hand. His shoes came off and he had to reach down in there to get them. He finally got out and was a complete mess. A few bottles of water and golf towels later, he was presentable. That was the 3rd hole! Bless his heart. He was so sore last night and his hands were cramping up. We just don’t work like we used to. Good thing we’re going on this trip and he won’t be tempted to go out and do anything around the house.

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I told him we do NOT have to get up at the crack of dawn to get to the campground today, but I do want to get an early enough start to enjoy a little daylight when we get there. It’s about a 3-3.5 hour drive there normally, but that’s not towing a camper. It’ll be a good five hours with the camper, and we’ll need to stop at the grocery store along the way. There is no cell service up at this campground so we’ll have to check in at the general store. My missives may be sporadic, but I’m sure I’ll have stories to tell!

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As I came out to the camper last night to finally lay my head down for the night, the field was full of fireflies! Warm memories of catching fireflies with my cousins and storing them in a canning jar…convinced they would light up our rooms that very evening. This week, I get to hug my very favorite cousin that shares that memory with me.

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🩵

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“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

\nPsalms 4:8 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/19/fireflies.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/11/a-lazy-day.html", "title": "A Lazy Day", "content_html": "\n
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Supper…yummmmm!

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Honestly…we didn’t do mucha nuthin’ yesterday. We slept in, had our breakfast, and sat firmly rooted in our Big Red Chairs all day. Along about 4:00, Mr. FixIt said he was getting a little hungry so I made lamb chops with rice and asparagus. I sautéed mushrooms and Vidalia onions in butter and removed them from the pan. I seared four lamb chops seasoned with Tabitha Brown’s Sunshine Spice Mix with a little extra garlic then deglazed the pan with a splash of Fre…red de-alcoholized wine. I drizzled a little buckwheat honey and fresh orange juice over the chops and set them aside to rest for a few minutes. Then I tossed the mushrooms and onions back in the pan with a pat of butter and served that over steamed white rice. I also steamed some fresh asparagus with lemon and butter in the microwave. The whole meal was finished in thirty minutes and was as good as any you’d find in a restaurant for less than a quarter of the cost. Mr. FixIt gave his hearty approval and you know it feels great to please your man’s tummy!

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We read on the internet that the Northern lights might be visible if we happened to get a clear sky late last night so we made plans to drive out to the Calhoun County Park. It’s about fifty minutes from us, but it is a designated “Dark Sky” area and we figured we might get a better view from there. I have seen the Aurora Borealis twice before in my life. The first was when I was a little girl…maybe about five or six. We were staying out at The Farm over the weekend. My dad came in and woke me up to tell me he had something special to show me. He carried me outside in my jammies and pointed up to the sky. There above us were green and pinkish yellow bands of light dancing across the sky. It is one of the few good memories I have of my dad doing something nice with me.

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The second time I saw the lights was about midnight sometime in the mid-00’s. Mr. Virgo was still living and he always went to bed really early so I stayed up…probably to play a game on my iPad or work on my genealogy. I was calling it a night and went to the door to check the lock when I caught a glimpse of something in the sky over the Flattops Wilderness Area. It was unmistakably the Northern Lights dancing across the sky. I thought of waking him up, but he had to get up at 3:00 and had a long day ahead of him so I just watched by myself. It didn’t last very long and they just faded away. I’ll let you know tomorrow if Mr. FixIt and I catch sight of them.

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Other than that, it was a pretty low key day. I learned another one of my mom’s cousins passed away last week. She was 95 years old…the oldest of her branch of the family and the longest lived. I spoke to my cousin Tommy’s widow. It’s been several years since Tommy passed away and she has found love again. She never would have dreamed it would happen. They are such a good match and I’m so happy for her. It was much cooler here yesterday with rain off and on. And, today I am meeting the Former Mrs. FixIt and our daughter at the library for a needlework class. Fun weekend ahead with Mother’s Day!

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🩵

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“And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.”

\nGenesis 1:14-19 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/11/a-lazy-day.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/10/singin-for-my-supper.html", "title": "Singin’ For My Supper", "content_html": "\n
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Our Pretty Pink Peonies

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My grandma used to say, “You have to sing for your supper.” She didn’t mean I had to literally sing for her in order to get something to eat. What she meant was, nothing comes for free…you have to work for it. My sweet husband is very tolerant of my escapades, from gallivanting around the country alone with the camper to ripping out the bedroom and building twin beds five days before a trip in said camper. He rarely ever asks me to do something. He doesn’t have to. I know what needs to be done and I know when it’s my turn to do it. 

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Peonies

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Mr. FixIt’s buddy was in town yesterday and needed a little help with something so after breakfast, I kissed him goodbye and told him to have fun. Now, when we mow, I do the big area on the tractor and he uses the push mower in the fenced area around the pool. One may think that isn’t equitable, but my sweetheart suffers from a bad back and it’s all he can do to mow that piece of ground. His back was really bothering him when we mowed early this week and he couldn’t finish the back corner.

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Kitty Beans

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He would never, ever ask me to do that on top of what I’d already done. But, I know when it’s time to pick up the slack. I’m leaving next week to camp with my bestie Gail and leaving him here on his own. As soon as he left yesterday, I went out and mowed the rest of the lawn. As I was surveying my handy work, I realized the peonies needed to be tied up because rain was coming. If the blossoms hit the ground, they’re gone in a heartbeat. I went in the house for kitchen twine and the scissors and tied them. Then I figured since I was at it, I’d best go out front and tie those peonies up as well. They are about a week behind the back ones, but they’ll need tying soon so I might as well do it while I have the tools and the time.

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Before

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Once that was finished, I got the loppers out and started cutting back the vegetation that grows on the back fence. There is about a six foot space between the fence and the wall of the pole building. Sumac grows there like crazy along with slippery elm saplings, the occasional maple tree, and a boatload of wild grape and honeysuckle vines that weave it all together into and unruly mat of madness. Every couple of years, we have to really get in there and cut it all out. I am committed to spraying the whole area with a solution of white vinegar, salt, and Dawn dish soap to kill it all back in the spring so we don’t have to keep doing this.

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After

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I started losing steam along about 5:00. I knew it was going to rain at around 6:00 and I wanted to get all those branches and vines hauled out to the burn pile before Mr. FixIt got home. It isn’t completely finished because I didn’t get the rake out for the little bits, but it’s done enough for now. As soon as I walked in the door, the rain started pouring. Good timing! A welcome shower and time in front of the fan to cool down was the perfect end to a good day’s work.

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🌸☀️🌸

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“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”

\nProverbs 12:11 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/10/singin-for-my-supper.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/05/09/a-busy-and-productive-day.html", "title": "A Busy and Productive Day", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt had a procedure done yesterday morning. When they were taking him back, I called after him and said, “Wait!” He turned around and I came up and kissed him. The nurse looked a bit surprised and said, “Are you two newlyweds?” We looked at each other and laughed. “Kinda,” he said. “We got married in 2018.” She smiled and off they went.

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When we were finished, we stopped at Sam’s for a few things. I buy three containers of their blueberries just about every week to ten days. I also buy their bulk box of Oikos Triple Zero yogurts which lasts me eighteen days. When we first walked in, they had beautiful bouquets of mixed flowers for Mother’s Day. I went over and buried my face in them and breathed deep. Ahhhhh…I love flowers. Of course, Mr. FixIt said, “Please…pick out a bouquet for yourself for Mother’s Day.” I sorted over till I found the perfect one.

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We went on with our shopping and I came upon the most beautiful buckets of hydrangea bushes. Now, if I have that, the flowers will keep coming every year, so I told my sweetheart I rather have those. He smiled and said, “Whatever you want, baby.” I love this man.

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After Sam’s was a quick stop for gas and we headed home. I fixed lunch and then left Mr. FixIt to rest and I headed to the farm to mow. When I came around the turn into the driveway, my heart skipped a beat. The huge rhododendron bush in the front yard was FILLED with gorgeous flowers precisely at the peak of their bloom! OMGosh! They were stunning. The irises were also blooming.

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The grass had grown a lot since Beans mowed while we were at the beach. I hopped on the John Deere and got to work. It was in the mid-eighties but there was a nice gentle breeze so it didn’t seem overwhelmingly hot. I did have to mow over the cut grass a couple of times to keep it from settling in clumps and killing the lawn. When I was finished, I sat on the porch for a little bit and admired my handiwork.

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The neighbors were out walking their dog so I went over to visit for a bit. They are such a nice couple. Probably 20-25 years younger than me. We always have a moment to catch up when I’m out at the farm. I wish I could have stayed for a couple of days, but there were other things I needed to attend to so I headed home.

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I took a walk down to the new pollinator gardens and got some pictures. I didn’t see the resident turtle this time, but there is quite a variety of plants beginning to show their stuff. I’m still not recognizing any new varieties from the seed I cast last fall, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled. It was a lovely, busy and productive day. A perfect spring day with golden green light and the smell of flowers on the breeze. It just made my heart smile.

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🌸🌼🌸

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“Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Songs‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
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Our First Peony of the Year!

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Monday was our first day back from the beach trip and it was spent running to town to refill medicines. So, yesterday was our first full day at home. I’d like to say we slept in, but we were both awake at 7:30. I fixed our favorite breakfast of grits and eggs while we waited for the dew to dry off the grass. The former Mrs. FixIt was here with our daughter checking on the cat while we were gone and she said the grass really wasn’t out of control. However…in the days since, there were high temps and plenty of rain so you can imagine what the fields looked like.

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The sun broke through the clouds around 10:30 and I ran out to hop on the tractor. I usually mow on Level 3 but I chose 4 yesterday to keep from overtaxing the mower deck. I’ve been toying with the idea of leaving both fields to grow wild. It would be good for the pollinators and it would save us time and money. I suggested the idea to Mr. FixIt and he warned me we’d have to get someone in to run a brush hog in the fall and probably again in the spring. Getting good help is hard anymore. In an effort at compromise, I let my artistic self “sculpt” the far field. (The near field grows mostly field grasses and very little in the way of wildflowers.) 

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The far field was covered with blooming Dead Nettle, Buttercups, and there are an abundance of bud getting ready to bloom. It looks like Daisies will be next. I selected the areas the most concentrated with blooms and carved out more gardens with paths crisscrossing the entire field. I think I have tripled my pollinator area with this new plan, cutting down on time spent mowing and less money spent on gas. The garden I started last year is looking really healthy. I’ve seen turtles in there twice this year and it’s a microcosm of activity. Lots of bees and butterflies.

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The grass was so thick and damp that I had to run the tractor really slowly to keep from overloading the mower and popping the belt off. I soon discovered, running the mower slowly means running the mower longer and eats up the gas. I can usually do the whole place with one tank plus part of a refill. I ran out of gas twice yesterday and had to take a break in the middle to go to the service station over the hill. Still, I was left with a lot of grass laying on the top because I don’t use the bagger. We have so much moisture here that the clippings break down really fast and it mulches the fields.

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Mr. FixIt ran the push mower in the fenced yard and along about 4:00, he caught my attention. There was a bad storm coming in ten minutes and fortunately, I only had about five minutes left to mow. I no soon got the mower put away and the sky opened up with a crash of thunder and hard rain. The inside yard only has a few more runs to get finished but it will have to wait between rainstorms.

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As I was heading out to the camper last night to write, a weather alert came across the TV with a tornado watch for our area. Now, y’all know I’m a bit of a risk taker, but even I will heed that warning. I’ve seen way to many campers tossed and turned like the tin cans they are and I don’t want to be inside one of them when it happens. I stayed inside for the night. We have to run to town today for a medical appointment and a trip to Sam’s then we have nothing scheduled till next week! Who knows what I’ll get into next?

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🩵

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“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”

\n2 Timothy 2:6 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-05-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/05/08/jumping-in-with-both-feet.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/19/wowza-what-a-storm.html", "title": "Wowza, What a Storm!", "content_html": "\n
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My little buddy came out after the rain. The toads sit under the solar and porch lights and catch bugs!

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The severe thunderstorm that was forecast for Thursday night began to announce it’s arrival about 10 minutes after I finished scheduling yesterday’s post. When you hear a nonstop rumble of thunder getting louder and louder, you first glance at your phone. Is it going to scoot past us this time or are we in a direct line. Before I even looked at the radar, my gut said I’d better get in the house. I wasn’t in there ten minutes when it hit with a vengeance!

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Pretty good sized hail for these parts but not a lot of it right here at the house. The wind drove the heavy rain straight sideways which drove the hailstones into the glass storm door. We were mesmerized. But it was over as quickly as it came. We only got about a half inch of rain so we were ok.

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Yesterday was such a busy day, I had a hard time keeping up with everything I accomplished. I fixed our favorite breakfast…grits and eggs. Then I went out and started working on the camper. I needed to de-winterize it which entails turning off the hot water heater bypass, filling the freshwater tank with filtered water and an ounce of bleach to sterilize it. I flushed out all the water lines and put deodorizer down the drains and the toilet. I sat and looked at the bed and wondered if I could get it converted to two twins before we leave next Wednesday. Jury’s out on that one.

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I went back in the house and fixed an early supper. We were both working on projects outside so we didn’t want to have a heavy dinner. I just fixed ham sandwiches and air fried french fries. Quick and easy. I did a load of laundry, brought the tubs of camping gear out of the storage room downstairs, and brought them upstairs. Then I decided to go ahead and print out our itinerary from RVLife.

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You know how computers and I get along. First, I tried to print them from the app, but there isn’t a button to select. So I went on the desktop. I could sign in, but I could not open the trip to print it. Every time I tried, it logged me out and I had to go through the whole thing again. After about four tries, I decided to get my laptop out and try it. Even that was difficult, but after three tries, I was in.

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I clicked print and nothing happened. I looked at the printer queue and it showed there was a document waiting but eventually it just gave me an error code. This is where my mom would said she “was about to lose her religion”…meaning she was about to say a bad word. I have to laugh because Mom’s “bad words” were like, heck and darn. I was thinking all the words a sailor would say, but out of deference to my late mother, I bit my tongue.

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I looked online to see how to fix it and it said to remove the printer and reinstall it. Cool. I deleted it. The next step was, put the CD that came with your printer in the slot on your laptop. Ummmmm…sorry, this laptop doesn’t HAVE a cd-rom on it! Now I was in a pickle. But after going to the source…the Epson website, and doing a little digging, I found the instruction on how to download the drivers to install the printer.

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Awesome.

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Remember the two possums and a squirrel that run our internet? Well, those little suckers were nowhere to be found. Buffer, buffer, buffer. I went through the entire process and wouldn’t you know it, I got an error reading because the power went off last night (did I mention the power was off from 8:30 last night to 8:30 this morning?) I hooked the printer up to the WiFi again and tried again. This time…after about 30 minutes of buffering…the first step completed.

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The second step wasn’t “throw the whole shebang out the window!” I dutifully followed direction and updated the firmware in the printer itself and FINALLY…after a total of three whole hours…I was in business and printed the itinerary. So much for getting anything else done last evening. 

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Mr. FixIt is taking the grandson today to pick up a Jeep he bought. I’m really happy they get to spend a little one-on-one time together. He’s such a hard worker and is gone for long stretches of time with his job so he’s not around as much these days. So this morning, I’ll get back to work on the camper. I want everything done ahead of time this trip. None of this “throw everything in the truck, we’ll sort it out later!” THIS time I’m going to be totally organized.

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You can call your favorite bookie and get in on this action and make bank! 

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🤣

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”But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.“

\n1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/19/wowza-what-a-storm.html", "tags": ["Travel","Camping","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/18/three-days-in-a-row.html", "title": "Three Days in a Row", "content_html": "\n
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Do any of you remember Lazarus Department Store in Columbus? It was THE place to go shopping for really upscale fashions. We found this small hatbox in the antique store. Does anyone wear hats anymore?

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You know how much I LOVE going to town, right? Well, we couldn’t help it…we had to go three days in a row. So, while I was there yesterday, I made sure there was NOTHING I would need from town which entailed multiple stops. The big chore yesterday was getting the preventative care on the transmission on my truck done before our big trips coming up. I especially worry because we tow with that vehicle. Every once in a while you can hear the transmission slip just a bit. The last time that happened, the transmission fluid was a little low. I was very pleased when the mechanic said there weren’t any metal shavings in the fluid he took out. With new fluid and a new filter, it runs like a new truck and I’m a happy camper!

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The downside of getting the transmission service is, it takes forever. You drive it in and they need to let the truck cool down. Then they test drive it to listen for any problems. It has to cool down again before they can actually do the service. We dropped the truck off at about 8:30 in the morning and went to breakfast. I really didn’t want to just meander all over town, so we went to our friend Joe’s house. It is their second home and no one was there. I stitched and knitted while Mr. FixIt watched TV.

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Along in the afternoon, we headed to Sam’s to pick up a few things and stopped at an antique store Mr. FixIt hadn’t been to. We had such a wonderful time talking with Mr. Modesitt. He showed us some items from his personal collection which were magnificent. Mr. FixIt has never met a stranger, and this fellow certainly had the gift of gab, so I enjoyed a fair amount of uninterrupted browsing.

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By the time we were finished at the shop, we decided surely the truck must be finished so we headed to the garage. The receptionist called just as we pulled into the lot so it was good timing. Mr. FixIt went on home and I had two more stops on the way. After supper, I told my sweetie that I’m NOT leaving this house unless it’s an emergency! 

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We have so many things to do to get ready for the trip to the beach next week. That’s the priority for the next coming days. That and mowing…both places. I had my second Shingrix vaccine on Monday and this one has kinda kicked my butt. Headache, muscle aches, fatigue, fever, upset stomach…the works. I’ve read that doctors are finding some people aren’t returning for that second dose, which is a shame. Shingles is not something you want to get. I had a very mild case a few years ago and even that was unpleasant. I can’t imagine what people go through when they have a full blown case. A couple of days’ upset is worth the 90% prevention rate you get with it.

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The weather forecast included some severe thunderstorms and as I am writing this at 8:36PM last night, it is scheduled to begin later in the evening. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it turned out, but according to the radar, I think it will hit farther north than we are. My bestie Gail said she and two of her daughters and their families gathered in her basement for the 6:00 wave which included a tornado warning.

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Be safe out there, my friends! You are precious!

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🌷

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”Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”“

\nDeuteronomy 31:6 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/18/three-days-in-a-row.html", "tags": ["Health","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/16/treasures-from-the-past.html", "title": "Treasures from the Past", "content_html": "\n
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When I was looking through a box the other day, I came across this gem. The Glenwood Post did a full page feature on my pie baking prowess as an incentive to get people to sign up for one of my classes. Valley View Hospital Auxiliary holds “Pie Days” during the annual Strawberry Days festival over Father’s Day weekend. Participation had lagged a bit, so they asked if I would hold a class after hours in the hospital kitchen.

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I was thrilled to do so, but I neglected to do a trial run first so I could get to know the oven. I had no idea all of the ovens were convection, which makes sense when you are cooking high volume on a time crunch. Great for multiple large pans of lasagna. Not so great for a delicate pie crust. If you look closely at the bottom left photo, you’ll see the edges are pretty toasty. But we muddled through it. I think that was a coconut cream pie, but I wouldn’t swear to it. That was a long, long time ago.

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I’ve often thought of entering something in the local County Fair, but it’s always the first week of August and that’s right when we return from Colorado. I’ll put it on my calendar next year to try to schedule the Colorado trip a little earlier. It’s been a long time since I entered things in a fair. I can remember hauling stuff out there and sitting all day in the heat as we watched the judging. At that time, all I entered were preserved jars of food and baked goods. I wasn’t a very accomplished knitter at that time. It would be fun to enter some things. Not that I don’t have enough things on my plate, right? lol

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Knitting group was fun as usual. I cross-stitched on the sampler and knitted a little. I took my knitting in to town with me to work on the socks while I was waiting for the dermatologist to see me. I had melanoma in 2005 so I get checked every year. She was pleased nothing was abnormal and thrilled with my healthy lifestyle changes. She had a 4th year medical student shadowing her this time. I never mind having a student, intern, or resident tag along in my exams. They have to learn somewhere and I enjoy talking with them.

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When I was done, Mr. FixIt was just about finished with his appointment. We met at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I was craving chips and salsa. I don’t like to buy them and have them sitting around the house. It reduces the temptation. The menu was massive and I had to read for quite a while before I settled on something I could eat. I selected fish tacos with a red cabbage jalapeño slaw and a spicy creamy sauce to dip them in. Much less calories than say, chimichangas or burritos. 

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My weight loss journey is more about making selections that have less caloric density. Selecting the fish tacos with the cabbage on them makes a lot more sense than the ground beef variety loaded with cheese, sour cream, beans and guacamole. That way, I can eat out and really enjoy the meal without paying for it on the scale later. 

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It was really hot yesterday. It was in the 80’s. A few scattered showers rolled through, but not enough to cause any problems. I exchanged the capris I bought at Sam’s Club for a smaller size before my appointment. Yay, me! I went to the restaurant and met Mr. FixIt, then he headed right home from the restaurant to dig out the ditch by the creek. I wandered around Kohl’s for a little bit then headed home myself.

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Today is a trip to town to get the oil changed on my truck and rotate the tires. I need to find a place to get the transmission flushed, too. I’d also like to look at a couple of tires for the camper before we leave for the beach next week. The nice thing about these tires is, they’re pretty small and don’t cost an arm and a leg. Not like the truck tires. Wowza…they’re spendy!

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Well, that’s about all the news that’s fit to print! I’ll check in tomorrow and let you know what I got into today! I do hope you’re getting out and enjoying nature. I hope you’ll be enjoying beautiful weather soon!

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🌷

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”Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.“

\nProverbs 25:26 NIV\n
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#Spring, #Rain, #Travel

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/16/treasures-from-the-past.html", "tags": ["Travel","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/15/in-my-happy-space.html", "title": "In My Happy Space!", "content_html": "\n
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Happy isn’t just a place or a mood or a circumstance. Happy is a choice…a state of BE-ing. I was in my happy space yesterday. Church, mowing, and finishing the arrangements for our camping trip to Colorado this summer. And after cleaning myself up…my happy space was in the camper! 

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Oh…it was 80° with full on sunshine yesterday! There was a breeze so it didn’t really feel that hot. I stayed hydrated and about the time I was finished I asked myself… “Did I put on sunscreen?” Hmmmm…I don’t remember, but I don’t think I did. Too late now. I’m not pink though, so I guess I dodged a bullet. However… I DO have my appointment with my dermatologist today. It would be exceedingly poor form to show up with a sunburn! 

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Everything is getting so green and the trees have flowered and are beginning to leaf out. We have three redbud trees out by the front creek that are in full bloom right now. They are so beautiful and make me smile every time I see them. But, try as I might, photos just don’t do them justice. When you drive through the countryside, they line the road and look like wisps of purpley-pink smoke. I just love them so much and wish I had a hundred of them!

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I was so excited to get the reservations completed for the Colorado trip. We’ll be gone a little longer this time. I figure if you’re going all that way, you’d better make it worth your while. We will be hitting a lot of the same campgrounds we stayed at last year. I added extra nights to a couple of our favorites so we can enjoy them more and not feel like we’re so rushed coming home. We have family lined up to check on Pumpkin Kitty. Now all we need to do is work out a plan for mowing our place. That’s going to be the hardest part of the whole thing!

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Today is knitting group and a trip to town. 

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I’m in my happy space!

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🩵🌷🩵

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”Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.“

\nProverbs 16:3 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/15/in-my-happy-space.html", "tags": ["Camping","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/14/saturday-at-the-farm.html", "title": "Saturday at The Farm!!!", "content_html": "\n
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I had about an hour to knit before I headed to town for the embroidery class with Mrs. FixIt 1.0. I had to stop on the way at the Sheetz station for a quick snack because I knew by 2:00, I was going to be really hungry. I arrived at the library right on time and met the others attending. Angie handed out the pattern for the little bunny embroidery we were to do, along with the supplies. 

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My mom was the embroiderer of the family. And she did beautiful work. One year when she came to Colorado for a visit, I bought some Aunt Martha’s Iron-On Transfers and prepared a couple of white pillow cases and asked my mom if she would embroider them for me. I still have them. She taught me several stitches when I was little which I used mostly to decorate my bell bottoms in the ‘70s. “Make Love, Not War”, “Peace”, and “Flower Power” were the designs of the day. This little bunny should be a piece of cake. 

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I traced the pattern onto the cotton square that Angie gave us then placed it in the embroidery hoop. I followed the directions and by the time a half hour passed, I remembered why I didn’t pursue this craft. It’s just not my thing. But I enjoyed the experience and visiting with the other ladies. They’ll be doing a class every month and I’ll go to the next one, but I’m bringing my own project and will visit with the gals while I work on it.

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I had to stop at Sam’s to get my blueberries then headed home. I grabbed a sandwich and found Mr. FixIt down by the creek cleaning out the drainage ditch. As soon as he was finished, We headed out to The Farm to mow. I was shocked that the tractor started right up. I quickly finished mowing and headed home to start supper. On our way home, we stopped at the local park and took pictures of the flooding.

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I have been craving two things…salmon and curry. I found a package of salmon at Sam’s with two large salmon halves. It was on sale, so I picked it up. I cooked some quinoa and set it aside. Then I sautéed a couple cups of sliced mushrooms, slid them to the sides of the pan, and put two portions of salmon (skin side down) in the middle of the skillet. I covered the skillet with a lid and popped it in a 350° oven. 

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While the salmon was baking, I mixed up the curry sauce. I’ve been using this sauce mix for years. I used two of the squares in the package and added them to some water in a saucepan. The squares melt into the water and create a thick sauce. When the salmon was almost done, I pulled it out and poured the sauce over the fish and popped it back in the oven for about ten minutes. Serve with the quinoa and a vegetable of your choice.

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This was probably one of the best meals I’ve made in a long, long time….in the top five at least. Mr. FixIt loved it and you know that’s good testament. I froze the rest of the salmon filets and will certainly make this again in the coming weeks. I also love to grill salmon and serve it over salad.

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So, it was a busy and productive day. I’ll have to mow here at the house today because rain will coming again. Church first.

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🌷

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”Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.“

\nColossians 3:23-24 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/14/saturday-at-the-farm.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/13/knit-two-purl-two.html", "title": "Knit Two Purl Two", "content_html": "\n
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Loving these socks!

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I’m just about finished with the first sock of the cute striped pair. It didn’t rain a lot yesterday, but it was pretty chilly so I stayed in all day. I finally finished downloading the graphics files out of the One Drive and put them on my external hard drive. Now I’ll clean it up, defragment the hard drive, and hopefully we’ll be back up to speed.

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I was a little under the weather yesterday so I sent Mr. FixIt off to the birthday party alone. I hated that, but they went to a wing restaurant and I just couldn’t fathom the smells I’d be faced with. By the end of the evening, I was feeling much better so I’m glad I stayed home. I just hated to miss out on the fun.

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I also worked on our Colorado trip yesterday. I love RVLife’s website. There is a yearly fee to use it, but it’s worth every penny. You can search the route you’re taking and find campgrounds along the way. Up till yesterday, I wasn’t really sure if we were going to tow the camper out this year, or fly. The biggest obstacle we face now in taking the camper is finding a place to store it while we’re in Denver. 

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I searched on the internet for storage yards that would let us rent a space for just a month. There weren’t any. They all wanted you to rent long term. I remember last summer thinking there surely had to be a marketplace where folks could rent out space to people who needed a place to park a camper, car, or boat. Sure enough, in that year someone came up with just that.

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neighbor.com is great. You can put in an address or zip code and see all the homes that offer a parking place. You select one that you think would work, then apply for a reservation. If the owner accepts your application, the company charges your charge card and you can communicate with the owner through their app. Our second application was accepted and now we have a spot to put the camper just a few miles from where we’re staying. It cost a third of what we paid last year renting a campsite in a local campground. So, now we’re ready to start making reservations.

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I’m heading to town today to attend an embroidery class in town. The Former Mrs. FixIt is accompanying me, which I always enjoy. I hope you have a lovely day and the weather is good for us all!

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🌷

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”Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.“

\n3 John 1:2 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/13/knit-two-purl-two.html", "tags": ["Travel","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/12/were-building-an-ark.html", "title": "We’re Building an Ark!", "content_html": "\n
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This creek runs along the border of our property.

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Hokey Smokes, y’all! I have seen hard rain before. I rode out a storm in a camper one time at Myrtle Beach that lasted a week and dumped 25” of rain. We had one heck of a rain storm yesterday and received at least two inches of rain. Mr. FixIt came in and said I should go down to the creek and see how high it was. Both creeks were roaring. We are at the mouth of the holler and the bottom of a big hill. Gravity is not our friend when it comes to drainage around here. 

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Poor Mr. FixIt was watching the drain at the bottom of the outdoor staircase that goes to the basement. Every fifteen minutes he went out with the headlamp to see if the pump was dumping water out in the yard and if the water level was going down in the drain. It finally let up around 8:00 with intermittent light rain showers predicted during the night. Hopefully he won’t be up all night worrying about the drain. It’s been doing a lot better the last few years, but when we have really high water, it covers the drain opening where our roof water drains into the creek and that backs things up. Ahhhh, the hazards of living in the country.

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I worked on a lot of different projects yesterday. I was up a lot earlier than my sweetheart so I cleaned up the living room and put some of my finished projects and supplies away. Then I settled in with my cuppa RYZE and worked on the cross-stitch sampler for a couple of hours. By the time Mr. FixIt got up, I was working on the computer. I have all the arrangements made for our trip to the beach later this month. Mr. FixIt Jr is going to be at the beach the week before us, so we made arrangements to go a couple of days early so we can fish together the day before they leave. Fun times ahead!

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I did a little knitting on the striped socks and made big progress downloading all those photos to my external hard drive. That on top of making Chicken Alfredo for supper! Yummmmm! Ok…don’t be too impressed. I deboned what was left of the rotisserie chicken, mixed it with a jar of Bertolucci Alfredo Sauce and poured it over spaghetti. Bon Appetit! 

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The redbuds are blooming!

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I told Mr. FixIt they shouldn’t give us old folks that memory test where they ask you what day it is. It isn’t fair. Every day is Saturday when you’re retired! 

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🩵

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”Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.“

\nZechariah 10:1 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/12/were-building-an-ark.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/09/knitting-mowing-and-a-solar.html", "title": "Knitting, Mowing, and a Solar Eclipse", "content_html": "\n
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Me and my Baby

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I actually had two stories to tell you yesterday morning, but the one I settled on took precedence. So, I’ll tell you about the smoke first. I woke up with a start yesterday morning…the strong smell of smoke making me jump out of bed. I sleep with the window open and the smoke was so strong it burned my strong and eyes. I looked out the window and everything was white…like a thick, pea-soup fog.

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From Mr. FixIt, Jr.

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The first thing I did was put my hand on the door and the door knob. It was cool, and the smoke alarms were silent. Good…I don’t think it’s in the house. I threw on some clothes, shut the window and went out in the hall. No smoke smell there so whatever was burning was definitely not our house, so I didn’t wake Mr. FixIt. It was only 30° so I threw on a coat, grabbed my phone, and slipped on my shoes. 

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I couldn’t get the focus right, but it’s still pretty cool!

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The smell was super strong outside but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. We have some neighbors who burn wood, but I’ve never smelled it that strong. And, the smoke was white. Black, acrid smoke comes from a burning house. White smoke comes from burning wood. Some of these little hollers around here are steep and narrow. If a power line arced on some dead trees, they could be in trouble in a hurry.

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the light was actually very cool at the peak!

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While I wasn’t convinced it was something to be terribly concerned about, I did feel I should at least call dispatch and ask if there were any fires reported out our way. The dispatcher said he hadn’t heard of anything, asked my address and a few other questions, then said he would send someone to check it out.

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I always love how it looks when I’m done. The near field.

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Now, I was expecting a guy in a pickup truck to come by and look around…maybe drive up the road a piece, check the next road or two down. What I didn’t expect was to hear the fire siren go off over in town! Oh, no…they were going to make people get out and come over here on a Sunday morning. I began to wish I would have waited. But, better to be safe than sorry, right?

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The far field. See that tan patch way out there on the left? That is one of the pollinator gardens. It didn’t really do much of anything last year…just grass. So I mowed it down short and I’ll see if I can plant some things there.

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So, I stood there waiting. We live way out in the country and we have a volunteer fire and EMS squad.We are blessed, because there are a lot of communities in West Virginia that have no access to emergency services. We’re a poor state. About ten minutes passed when I could hear the big fire truck coming down the hill. He tried to go out our road and thought better of it. It is very narrow and there’s no place out there to turn a rig that big around.

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LOVE this spring green! The maple tree us just barely budding.

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They backed out to the two-lane. The squad truck came and a couple of pickups. The chief sent them down to check out the other roads then came over and talked to me. By this time, a breeze started blowing and the smoke was being moved on down the road away from us. I could breathe better. We both decided it was a series of events that caused this. It has been damp the last few days. The weather was warmer on Saturday, then dropped way down to 31° overnight. We were in a temperature inversion where the cold air was pushing down on warmer air at the service. That created fog that lay low to the ground, as did the smoke from the neighbor’s wood stoves. I apologized to the chief and he said I did the right thing. He too was worried the woods were on fire somewhere and was glad he came to check.

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The new birdhouses. I bought them at Aldi’s “Aisle of Shame” on Sunday afternoon.

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But even that couldn’t top the solar eclipse of yesterday! It was a fun morning with the knitting group, then I came home, cooked a late breakfast of grits and eggs, then jumped on the tractor. I wanted to get the whole place mowed before more rain kicks in this week. I was toodling along when Mr. FixIt flagged me down to come watch the eclipse. He had the lounge chairs set up on the deck and our eclipse glasses ready. I went in and got a cold drink then settled in beside him to watch. 

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We had 96% coverage here in West Virginia. I really would have loved to see the total eclipse. We weren’t very far from visibility, but we just had so much to do. And 96% is nothing to sneeze at. It was awesome to watch! But, shortly after the peak, I got back on the tractor. The phrase “burning daylight” took on a whole new meaning! Just as I sat down to right this, a thunderstorm rolled through. Good timing!

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I’m heading to town today for lunch with some of my girlfriends then I’m going out to The Farm till Friday. I need to get some things done on the computer and that high speed internet is calling my name! I also want to get that tractor running for the summer of mowing ahead. I’ll take some handwork with me, too. These will be the busiest months of the year coming up. 

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I’m ready!

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🌷

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”Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.“

\nGenesis 1:11 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-09T07:00:05-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/09/knitting-mowing-and-a-solar.html", "tags": ["Fun","The Farm","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/05/roller-coaster-weather.html", "title": "Roller Coaster Weather", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was one of those days that gave us four seasons in one day. Warm, springlike weather with sunshine followed by dark, heavy skies with snow so dense you couldn’t see across the field. Sun, rain, snow, sun, sleet, rain. Crazy, right? Typical spring weather. We can’t complain because in a few weeks it’ll be so hot you could fry an egg on the hood of your car.

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Our granddaughter’s home by yesterday afternoon.

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My goal yesterday was to tune up my computer and get it working faster. All the graphics I put on it when I was creating designs for my ETSY shop that it got really bogged down. I purchased this computer on Amazon last summer so I knew it was still under warranty so I started a chat with the Hewlett-Packard service department.

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After several questions, he began a remote scan of my computer. And in the process, he asked me if I’d ever added hardware to the computer. I had not. However, according to the serial number, my computer should have a lot less RAM and Hard Disk size. That means, the Amazon store I bought it from had boosted the RAM and put in a bigger hard drive…voiding the warranty. I have no recourse because it’s long past the 30 day return period. It was late in the day when I discovered this, and I found a number for the store that sold the computer on Amazon. I can call them and see if I have any recourse through them.

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The Blennerhassett Mansion on Blennerhassett Island in the Ohio River.

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Mr. FixIt went to the barber and walked his laps then he swung over to the other side of the Ohio River to view the flooding. Parkersburg has a flood wall and they closed it ahead of the rising water on Wednesday. Belpre and Marietta don’t have flood walls and they get a lot of water damage most springs…sometimes two or three times. As a matter of fact, Mr. FixIt owned a single wide trailer when he was young and first married. He had just moved it to a lot in Belpre when four days later, the river rose and flooded them out. 

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When I stayed on the river in 2015-16, there were several floods but I was way up high out of danger. But I have a healthy respect for floodwaters. They are powerful and can float whole houses away. That is why they tell you “Turn around, don’t drown!” Even a few inches of rushing water can sweep a car off the road. We just got a notification on our phones last night with the report of a local woman being swept away in her car by floodwaters. A Good Samaritan was trying to reach her to help her out when the car was flopped over by the strength of the water and she was gone. You become water aware when you are raised on the river. My prayers are with her and her family…and that kind man who tried to save her but couldn’t.

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I think I’m going to need to go out to the farm soon to use the high speed internet to set some stuff done on my computer. I can get done in three hours what takes a whole day to do here. Maybe I can talk my sweetheart into joining me for a farm fix this weekend! Wouldn’t that be nice??? 

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Be safe out there, y’all!

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🌷

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”The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty.“

\nPsalms 93:3-4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/05/roller-coaster-weather.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Warning","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/04/the-calm-after-the-storm.html", "title": "The Calm After the Storm", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was a pretty decent day, considering all the bad weather we had the day before. According to our rain gauge, we had about two inches of rain in twenty-four hours. The creeks were roaring and there were standing pond in our yard in all the low places. We expect more rain in the coming days…maybe even some snow. It’s weather whiplash around here. But thank God we didn’t have the bad winds and tornadoes. Our family is safe, and that’s all that matters. Stuff can be replaced if need be, but not our people.

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The low place in our yard fills up with rainwater every spring.

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One of my WV granddaughters lives on their horse farm. There is a low lying area with a creek running through it. Their driveway cuts this area in half and is elevated fifteen to twenty feet above the bottom. They sent us this picture yesterday afternoon showing the water high above the driveway. We are grateful they got to the barn side of the flood before the water blocked their way. They have places to stay and the horses are in the barn and safe, so it’s all just part of farm life in the Ohio River Valley.

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When it rains hard up north, that water has to go someplace, so it heads downriver…filling up the estuaries on the way down. The higher the main waterway gets, the more the creeks and small streams that feed into it get backed up. More rain brings even more water to what’s coming down from up above us and we can get in trouble in a hurry. We watched the news last night and stores in Marietta are packing up and moving their merchandise to higher ground till the danger is past. Thank God for the early warning systems that helped to protect those in the low ground.

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A walnut got stuck between branches last fall and here it stays.

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I’ve never been IN a tornado. I’ve seen them many times, but was never affected directly by one. I don’t know if this was something I read when I was a kid or if someone told me this story, but there was a bad tornado in the Midwest somewhere. Gas pumps in the old timey service stations had a clear glass bubbler in the top. Someone pulled into a service station for gas and there was a broom straw driven right through the glass. Now…that seems like a pretty tall tale to me, but I’m just relaying what I heard. 

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We didn’t get a lot done around here yesterday. I made biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. Still holding my weight below 165# so I’m ok with that. It’ll start falling again soon as we get busier outdoors. I got a lot done on the first sock of a pair I’m knitting. We watched a little TV till I was tired of it. Then I put my headphones on and listened to a thunderstorm. Mr. FixIt visits the barber tomorrow but other than that, we don’t have a thing scheduled this week.

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We walked down to the creek last evening just before the skies opened up again. You could see where the grass was laid down that the water had been much higher last night. The field flowers are just beginning to pop up. The ground ivy has it’s delicate periwinkle blue flowers peeing out. The dandelions are offering up their shining faces to the hungry bees that are beginning to emerge. There were some little white flowers peeking out from under the fallen leaves and I can’t quite get them identified via Google Image Search. Do any of you know what they might be? Maybe when they open a little more, I’ll be able to tell better.

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🌷

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”For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.“

\nIsaiah 61:11 NIV\n
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#Rain #Storms #Spring #Flowers

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/04/the-calm-after-the-storm.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/03/crazy-weather.html", "title": "Crazy Weather!!!", "content_html": "\n
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My phone lit up like a Christmas tree all day. Severe weather warnings came in like fevered texts from a lovelorn boyfriend. We had to be in town at 1:00 for an appointment. I called the Former Mrs. Fixit around 11:00 to see how she was faring with the storms. We weren’t going to leave till noon, but the warnings were coming in hot and heavy so we booked it…only to run into a veritable wall of water ten miles away. 

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I went to town last week to pay the taxes and tried to use my debit card because for some reason, my checks weren’t in my purse. They ran the card, then came back and said it didn’t go through because they were having trouble with their computers. So, I walked up the street to my bank and came back with cash. Then…low and behold, the charge DID go through. Argh! That was our first stop yesterday…to straighten it all out. It only took thirty minutes and I left with a check, and a new friend in the lovely clerk that helped me. She has suffered some pretty devastating losses so I thought she might find come comfort and support here.

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The appointment went without a hitch and we headed out for a couple more errands…lunch, the grocery store, the pharmacy…you know the drill. We got back home before the weather broke again. I received a notification last evening about the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan with a resultant tsunami warning. This is just crazy weather. Every years seems to get worse. We have plans to camp at the beach late this month so I am praying there aren’t any hurricanes or tornadoes on the Outer Banks!

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Once we got home, tummies full, we got comfy in our Big Red Chairs and I set to work knitting another pair of socks with some yarn my bestie Gail gave me. It’s blue and orange with a little sparkly silver thread in it. More storms were forecast and we’re under another severe thunderstorm and tornado watch. It’s supposed to be 80° today and by Friday, we could have snow! 

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I’m hoping you all are safe from these severe storms. Please be careful out there and keep your phones charged. Have plans for a safe shelter. Please let us know how you’re doing!

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🌪️

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”He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.“

\nMatthew 16:2-3 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/03/crazy-weather.html", "tags": ["Warning","Change","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/04/02/april-showers.html", "title": "April Showers", "content_html": "\n
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Easter Flowers

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This is going to be a rainy week. This is the time of year where you don’t know quite how to dress. It can be in the low 30’s in the morning and the mid 70’s by the afternoon. Then, as soon as the sun dips below the horizon, the chill takes over and you’d better have a jacket. I was up early to get ready for knitting group. There were only three of us yesterday. The other two gals were crocheting scrubbies…one teaching the other. I get it. When you’re learning new things, it’s easiest to talk it out to really get the hang of a new skill. 

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I have a hard time chewing bubblegum and walking. I was trying to crochet another pair of shark slippers so I was counting my stitches in my head and listening to them counting stitches and reading the pattern out loud. After three attempts, I decided to do some knitting instead. I have a better muscle memory for that. I did the Turkish cast-on to start a pair of socks and after a few rows, I couldn’t figure out why that sock looked so huge! Turns out, I was supposed to divide the stitches between the two needles and I didn’t. So, I had to rip that project out, too.

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Pulled Pork

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The only thing I had left in my bag of tricks was a hat I’ve been knitting for Big. I picked it up and started working on the decreases where I’d left off early last fall. I knitted four rows and knew right away I’d made a mistake three rows prior. Out came those stitches and I did manage to get the mistake fixed and re-kitted those rows and I was done. I needed to get to the post office before they went to lunch so I could ship the shark slippers for my friend in South Dakota. 

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I got home and policed the area around my Big Red Chair. Things were getting a little out of hand and I needed to tidy up. Once that was done, I put the pork roast in the Dutch oven and and put it in to bake for about 2.5-3 hours. While it baked, I went out to do a little mowing…my first time on the tractor this year. I hate the first cutting. You have to stop so often to pick up limbs and sticks so they won’t get caught in the belt of the mower deck. So, it’s drive. Stop, Turn off the engine. Pick up sticks and limbs. Toss them over the hill. Get back on the tractor. Start it up. Repeat. Over and over and over. Once I got the perimeter mowed, it went a lot easier and I didn’t have to stop nearly so often.

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We both quit at 5:30 and went in for supper. There is nothing like a hot, pulled pork sandwich with French fries. We have enough left over to have at least four or five meals. We also like cold pork sandwiches and we like fried pork roast with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. It will be nice to not have to cook much the rest of the week.

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Have you all noticed an uptick in the usual allergies this year? Mine have been going crazy even with extra antihistamines and steroid nasal spray. Global warming is changing the growing season and the allergens. I hope it backs off and doesn’t stay this bad all season.

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I hope you all had a nice Easter! I had more sugar yesterday than I’ve had in months and I had a heck of a time sleeping Sunday night. My Bonus Daughter wanted us to take food home from Easter supper and I knew if I took sweets, I wouldn’t be able to stay out of them. The Former Mrs. FixIt gave me a little bucket filled with chocolate eggs and so far, I haven’t been tempted by them. 

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🌷

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”Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.“

\nZechariah 10:1 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-04-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/04/02/april-showers.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/30/the-little-lost-beagle.html", "title": "The Little Lost Beagle", "content_html": "\n
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The view from the bedroom window. Flowering Quince and Forsythia.

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We settled on Popcorn Pancakes for breakfast then I settled into the Big Red Chair to finish up the taxes. I vowed to finish them…no matter how long it took. My chair faces the full length glass storm door and I leave the inner door open so I can see out. Sometimes the cat comes to the door and talks to us, then lays in the warm sun on the stoop. As I was entering data in the forms on my laptop, something caught my eye. I looked up but barely caught the tail end of something as it ducked out of sight. Mr. FixIt said, “Hey! There’s a cute little dog out there in the yard!” I got up to see, and sure enough, there was the beagle that’s been keeping me awake for the last two nights.

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I hear beagles barking a lot, but they’re way far off and they don’t bother me. But this little guy has been roaming all over our property and in the surrounding woods…baying and howling and barking up a storm day and night. It’s never come this close and I think it was looking for food. He wasn’t afraid of us…as a matter of fact, he came right up to us. Mr. FixIt went to get a little cat food for him while I tried to call the number on his collar. No answer. So I googled the owner’s name that was on the tag and it turns out, they live on the next road down.

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I got a leash out of the building and we got the dog in the backseat of the truck and drove him on down. It just so happened, the doggie’s human was coming out of the house as we pulled into the driveway. I rolled the window down and asked him if he was by any chance missing a beagle. His eyes lit up and he said he’d been looking for him for about two or three days. It turns out, the little guy is about twelve years old and he can’t hear very well so he wasn’t coming to them. He was so happy to have him back and I was pleased to know the dog was well loved and missed.

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We got back home and I had the taxes done in short order. SO happy to have another year behind me. And now that everything is on my new computer, it should be relatively easy next year. (Yeah….you’ve heard that before, right?) When you have finished submitting your tax returns in TurboTax, there is a screen that offers you the opportunity to buy next year’s software at this year’s price. I always do this because it usually saves me a few dollars. Well, I paid for it, hit enter, and what popped up as “Purchased” was 2023! The tax year I’d just finished!

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I called the customer service at Intuit and got one of their outsourced phone centers. there was a bad connection and I could hear an echo of what I said to the person with about a four second delay. It got to the point that he was thinking I wasn’t answering, then I would interject and he’d already be saying something to me when my voice reached him. It was a mess and I’m not entirely sure we straightened things out, but I’ll check again today. I just didn’t have it in me to do anymore. I was getting hungry!

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I’m bringing dessert to our Easter Dinner tomorrow at my WV daughter’s house. My bestie Gail sent me a recipe for Potica but after watching a video of how to make it, I decided that was WAY too industrious or me today as I have other things to do. So, I think I’ll make Grandma Lois’ Very Best Chocolate Cake and call it good! You can read about it on this post from several years ago. Grandma Lois isn’t with us anymore. She was my bestie Sue’s mom…my son-in-law’s grandma.

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Now that the taxes are filed, I can get back to work catching up around here. It’s supposed to rain for the next five or six days so at least I know I won’t be mowing. I have a list as long as my arm of things that need doing, so there will be no lallygagging around here…that’s for sure!

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🌷

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”Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“

\n1 John 4:11 NIV\n
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#Taxes, #Baking, #Potica

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/30/the-little-lost-beagle.html", "tags": ["Choices","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/27/spring-rains.html", "title": "Spring Rains", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was a sad day with the news of the bridge collapse in Baltimore. I shared a video of the collapse on my personal page and remarked that leading up to the ship hitting it, there was quite a bit of traffic crossing over. But in the moments before, I didn’t see nearly as much traffic. Turns out, when the police were alerted to what was imminent, they stopped the traffic from going on the bridge. They saved many lives, I’m sure. It would have been an entirely different scenario if the collapse would have happened during rush hour than at 1:30am when it came down.

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Also, one of our readers and frequent contributors to our conversations here lost her son unexpectedly. Please pray for Pam and her family as well as those families who lost loved ones yesterday in Boston.

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It rained like crazy here all night and all day. I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof of the camper, then along about 4:30 or so, the thunder woke me again. I drifted off again both times, but when I woke up and looked at the weather app, the radar indicated a torrential downpour was about to hit. I jumped up and came inside to avoid having to walk through the rain. I was up quite a bit before Mr. FixIt so I started crocheting the second shark slipper.

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When we were in town on Monday, we found that dishwasher at a really good price. I wanted to just go ahead and get it, but Mr. FixIt said no, we’d pick it up later. Then, during the night, I realized after today, the two sales no longer overlap and we wouldn’t get as good of a deal. It didn’t occur to me till Mr. FixIt brought up the dishwasher again, that I meant to tell him about that. So, at 8:45 last night, we jumped back in the truck and headed for town to buy it. I don’t even want to figure in the extra gas making an extra trip to town cost. 

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Gosh, I get tired of being so far out of town. On the one hand, I love living out in the country on our five acres. On the other hand, it seems like we are forever making that drive. I’m going back in today to pick up my bonus daughter and we’re meeting her mom to do a little shopping and have lunch. I’m getting spoiled with all these “girl’s days!” My friend Deneene is coming through town on Friday so I’m coming back in to meet her for coffee! 

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I was making supper last night and looked out the window. All this extra rain and warmer days is making the grass grow really fast now! I told Mr. FixIt we’ll be mowing in just a few more days. And so it begins!

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I wrote this sitting in the camper last night and the creek out front is roaring from all the rain. I think we got 1.5” in about fifteen hours and the ground was already soaked. The sky was clear and the stars were bright when I came out here. And the frogs are calling. I turned the fridge in the camper on. I had it open all winter to keep it aired out. When I opened it last night to check to see if it was working, it smelled a little funky. I opened the freezer to touch it and there was a package of ground turkey in there! It’s been in there all winter!!! Thank goodness I found it before it gets any warmer out. Ugh! I’ll pick up some baking soda when I’m in town today.

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🌷

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”Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.“

\nJoel 2:23-24 NIV\n
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#Spring, #Rains, #Dishwasher, #FarmLife

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We had a lovely day here on Marshmallow Ranch. The sun was bright and the sky was blue, but it was still a bit on the chilly side. Our house is red brick and absorbs the suns rays. It gives off the most divine heat, even when the air itself is cool. I love to go out and stand with my back against it and get a little dose of Vitamin D. It warms my bones and lightens my heart.

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Mr. FixIt left for the bowling alley early so he could swing by Mr. FixIt Junior’s place to check out his latest project. They bought the empty lot next door to their house last spring. It was covered with trees so they spent the rest of the year felling them and cutting the wood for their summer fires. As soon as it got warm enough, but before the underbrush had a chance to grow, he rented a stump grinder to get rid of about seventy-five tree stumps. This will make the property usable and more attractive. Mr. FixIt said the stump grinder he rented was huge and ran on tracks like a dozer. And, he did a great job.

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I’ve been knitting Sue’s socks and I’m just finishing the heel on the second one. I took a break and walked around the fields to get a look at what might be popping up. I didn’t see much of anything down in the pollinator gardens save for wild grasses. But, there were little purple flowers popping up and a few dandelions here and there. I’m always happy to see these as they feed the first bees who are hungry and weak from wintering over. We use no pesticides here, so I don’t do anything to discourage what grows naturally.

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The spring onions are the very first things I notice in the fields when the ground starts to wake up. They come out at the same time as the daffodils and forsythia. They are wild and you can see them easily because they stand up about six inches above the grass and usually have a little curly cue on the top of the leaves. When I was growing up, Grandma had two beautiful fawn colored Jersey dairy cows. I walked up the hill to the cow shed with twice a day to bring the cows down to the barn to feed and milk them. Grandma filtered and pasteurized the milk, collect the cream, and churn butter about once a week. I always loved the milk and butter…except in the spring. The cows would eat those spring onions and the milk and butter tasted…well, like onions. And, as a child, I did NOT like onions! There was no way to disguise it, either. I learned that when I had my first taste of chocolate onion milk! Ugh!

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As I’m sitting here writing, the birds are calling in the hedgerow. The other night, we were watching To Kill a Mockingbird. There was a quiet scene and the birds were calling. Mr. FixIt asked, “Is that a mockingbird?” I said, “I don’t think so.” I opened my Merlin app to identify the bird and again he said, “Hear that? I think that’s a mockingbird.” He was intently studying the screen. I grinned and said, “Babe, mute the TV for a second.” He did…and the bird was just outside the door in the forsythia. He started laughing and said he SWORE that was on the TV! He’s so cute!

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Today is knitting group. I’m looking forward to show and tell with my items from the knitting retreat. One of our ladies won’t be there this week and she will be missed. I’ve grown quite fond of these ladies and really look forward to our time together every Monday. I hope you had a nice weekend!

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🌷

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”And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.“

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Hebrews 11:6 NIV

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#Sunshine, #Spring, #Healing

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I went to town yesterday with the intent of getting my hair cut. But, after blowing my hair dry on Friday evening, I started having second thoughts. When I walked into the salon, Kendra took one look at me and said, “OMGosh! I love your hair!!!” It had been a year since I was there and my hair had grown at least six inches or more.

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The photo on the left is what I WANTED the December 2022 haircut to look like. Unfortunately…the one on the right is what I got. I should have known better than to go to a cut rate shop…you get what you pay for sometimes.

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As I was preparing to sit in the chair, she looked at me and said, “Are you SURE you want to cut it?” I had decided before I walked in…I really didn’t. We decided to trim the bottom because the shorter parts of the horrible cut I got a couple of years ago had finally grown out enough to even up the hairstyle. I wanted to do something with the bangs because they had become unruly. We opted to feather them into a curtain bang that could be worn swept to the side or down.

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When we were finished, I was thrilled. Kendra kept saying how strong and healthy my hair is. No split ends or broken off areas. I attribute that to taking collagen supplements this past year and being really careful with my hair…protecting it and using a good quality repair and strengthening shampoo. I haven’t used color on my hair since long before Mr. Virgo died but it truly looks blonde in these pictures, although in the sunshine, it’s really silver.

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I ran a few errands and treated myself to lunch at Qdoba then headed home. Again, I worked on the taxes, making little progress, but every step forward is closer to being done. Mr. FixIt called me outside to look at the sky. It was a gorgeous day with feathery white clouds like wispy strands of cotton stretched over an azure sky. I love springtime in West Virginia. The warm days and pretty flowers bring us hope for the days ahead. As I drove home, there is a curve you come around that opens up to a view of flowering trees and daffodils. I always smile, but this time, the huge weeping willow across the road was now a beautiful spring green as the leaves burst forth in all their glory. 

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Looking for joy in everything, every day brings so much more peace than engaging in fights with strangers on social media, don’t you think?

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day…Erin go Bragh!

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☘️

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”The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:“

\nPsalms 68:11 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/17/what-a-difference-a-year.html", "tags": ["Health","Hope","West Virginia","Holiday","Change","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/15/a-time-to-sow.html", "title": "A Time to Sow", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt did a great job getting my flower bed ready. I did a little earthmoving to get the drainage I was looking for, but other than that, it was perfect. He brought around a wheelbarrow load of rocks from the old flower garden on the other side of the house. And, while I got to work planting the black iris bulbs, he started cutting down trees at the end of the pole building.

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The first spring I lived here, I suggested we cut them down, but we had so much going on, it got put on the back burner. Now we wish we would have gotten to them when they were saplings. They’re far past that now and it’ll take a lot more effort to get them out of there. We’ll get it done, though. Of that, I’m sure.

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I got the bulbs in and watered and the rocks placed. I had extra that I placed along the back wall of the house. We had to take breaks fairly often as it was so hot. Once we got everything done, it started clouding up and I knew rain was coming. I started supper while Mr. FixIt put his tools away. We had lamb chops last night and they were SO good! Air fried potatoes and fresh asparagus rounded out the meal. We each had a piece of the apple pie I baked Tuesday. We’ll have the last slice today and that ends the sweet treats for a while.

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Now, back to the taxes. I am still trying to figure out how to transfer my previous returns onto the new laptop and frankly, I was pretty tired at the end of the day so I put it away. I’ll get it back out today and start again fresh. As I expected, the rains came in around 4:00. We were supposed to get heavier rain last night. Then it will get chilly again of a night. I’ve been enjoying “field camping” the last few nights but it’ll be time to come back inside now. I need to get things ready for our knitting retreat, and I have a hair appointment on Saturday. I’m really not liking my hair pulled straight back and my bangs are too long to do anything else with them. I’ve never been very creative with hair styling. I’ll be fresh and ready to go come Monday. 

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🌷

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”“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”“

\nGenesis 8:22 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/15/a-time-to-sow.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/14/joy-and-taxes.html", "title": "Joy and Taxes!", "content_html": "\n
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I finally ordered a new pair of glasses from Zenni. They’re BLUE! I think I like them!!!

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OMGosh! Yesterday was amazing! For as long as I can remember, the middle of March has felt like I’ve just been let out of prison. I will admit, this past winter was not difficult for me at all. I attribute that to the lifestyle changes I made at the beginning of 2023, however…I still felt that little thrill of being “let out.” 

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Mr. FixIt and I went to town late yesterday afternoon to pick up ten more bags of topsoil for my flower bed. Bless his heart. He did go down to the creek bank and dig up a wheelbarrow load of dirt. That didn’t put a dent in it and about killed his back. So I insisted we buy the rest. It’s only $2.44 a bag at Walmart. No need to ruin your back over it. He got the rest of the dirt in the bed in time to come in to watch the news. We stopped for Chinese food on our way home so I didn’t have to cook. Bonus!

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I sat down to back up the 2022 tax files from my old computer. Can anyone guess what that entailed? If you’ve been reading this blog for longer than a year, you know I go through this annual scavenger hunt trying to update my laptops, download all the financials, run the reports, then install and start the taxes. I started this a couple of weeks ago and had what I thought was the worst of it behind me. Then when I went to The Farm last week and discovered my old files weren’t on the new laptop, I knew it was going to be a repeat of the last several years. 

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*sigh*

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I also needed to send the photos and description of the handmade items I’m donating to the Girl Camper Raffle to benefit the Hold You Foundation. It just so happened, the two possums and a squirrel that are in charge of our WiFi were nowhere to be found. The TV was buffering. And the internet was practically nonexistent. That’s when I decided I’d had enough for the day. I went out to the camper, with my iPad and a hot mug of my coffee substitute, to write this post and knit in peace.

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It was so warm yesterday that I actually opened the windows of the camper and basked in the cool evening air. What a heavenly feeling. I really love this camper. It was the smartest thing we ever did taking the dinette out and installing this double recliner. It’s SO comfy!

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We have another two or three days of these warmer temperatures then we have a cold front coming again. It will be cold next week when we are gathering at my friend’s house for a knitting retreat. That will be perfect weather for soups, warm socks, and knitting with my besties!

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Look for the goodness in every day…even when there is darkness. You can hold them both at the same time.

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With joy…and taxes,

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Ginny

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🌷

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”Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.“

\nJohn 16:24 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/14/joy-and-taxes.html", "tags": ["Choices","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/07/time-and-treasures.html", "title": "Time and Treasures", "content_html": "\n
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Even though my main purpose of doing the taxes has been unfulfilled, my trip to The Farm hasn’t been for naught. I’ve been reading and knitting. And, I’ve been figuring out a way to send my posts as a sort of newsletter via email. There’s some prep work on my end before that becomes a reality, but I made some progress yesterday. With the way Facebook’s algorithms so haphazardly send my posts to people, many just are not receiving them. This might be a great solution. If you are interested in receiving these emails, you can scroll down on my website to the box that says “Become a Rancher” and register your email if you haven’t done so already. Thanks so much, y’all. You can help this little project grow by spreading the word to friends and family. I really appreciate it!

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I snapped a picture of the treasures I found in the old smokehouse. None of it is worth a thing to anyone save for the memories they bring to mind. There’s the bottom half of an old wooden box. And look at those welding goggles! I remember my Pop-Pop wearing those when he welded something on the old Model A that he turned into a farm truck. I’ll never forget that summer day in 1969 when he let me drive it down to the road and back. He wouldn’t let my boyfriend drive it because he didn’t trust his “lead foot.” 

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It was a temperamental beast. It didn’t have a muffler and when you cranked it up, it went “Crack! Crack! Crack!” You could hear Pop-Pop coming from way back on the hill. We had family come from Illinois that summer and it was a big deal to pile as many people in the back as we could and go for a ride back to see the old home place. The road was SO steep, we had to lay down in the truck bed with our feet on the tail gait. In some places we were nearly standing up!

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We had rain all night and most of the morning yesterday. I could hear the water roaring over the waterfalls up behind the barn so I grabbed my phone and went up to get some pictures. Along the way, there was a Mylar balloon stuck on some rocks in the creek. We’re ten miles from nowhere here so who knows where that thing started its journey. I walked the length of the creek to the road. There’s the frame of an old walking bridge that led to the garden across the creek and it’s rusted and sunk down several feet into the creek itself. There were all kinds of limbs, trees, mud and rocks caught up in it. The creek was running really high, so I got the shovel and worked on it awhile. I finally broke through enough to let the water rush out and in about fifteen minutes it was down by a foot. Crisis averted.

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There’s always something that needs doing here, and even though my family doesn’t own it anymore, I’m still the caretaker and do whatever I can to keep it up. I try to breathe life into the old girl, but I’m sure you’ve seen old houses that just die when their people are gone. I’ve seen it happen a lot here because it’s so damp and all. But I honestly think a home has a spirit of sorts and when its usefulness has passed, it just fades away. I hope to keep her as habitable as I can for as long as I’m able.

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There is one thing about this house that has always been a problem. It is so poorly insulated that it’s either too hot or too cold. The furnace kicks off and on all night and it’s located in the basement right underneath the bedroom I sleep in. I kept turning the electric blanket up and down all night. It’s only bothersome in the winter. There’s no air conditioning in the summer. Grandma used to open the back door and the front door and a cool breeze would come right down the holler. She called it “nature’s air conditioner.”

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The screen doors still squeak and slam shut with a bang. The sound of the rain on the roof is the same now as it was the very first time my mama carried me across the threshold into Grandma’s waiting arms. She would rock me and sing “Bye oh, bye oh…baby bye” to the tune of Rock of Ages. I, in turn, did the same with my children, my grandchildren, and now the great grandchildren. My kids remember summer trips here, but my grandkids don’t really have an interest in West Virginia. They are Colorado kids, born and raised. They’re a different breed.

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I am so blessed to have had this extra time visiting my past. I know full well most don’t have this opportunity and I am truly grateful to Frank and Beans for allowing me the courtesy. I’ve had my “farm fix” for a while and I’m ready to head back home today. Mr. FixIt is anxiously awaiting my return. I need to cook him a really good meal tonight!

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🩵

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”By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.“

\nProverbs 24:3-4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/07/time-and-treasures.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life","Memories","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/06/the-farm.html", "title": "The Farm", "content_html": "\n
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Life at The Farm moves at a different pace. There’s no TV. The batteries in the clocks on the wall are long dead. You know it’s time to get up when the sun hits the top of the far ridge. And it’s time to go in when it sinks below that same ridge and the temperature drops precipitously. It wasn’t quite as warm yesterday as it was the day before, but it was still quite pleasant sipping my hot morning beverage on the front porch. The birds were ecstatic…billing and cooing and doing their sweet mating dances in the hedgerow along the creek. The sound of water from the last rains gurgled over the native sandstone and shale. It was divine…simply divine!

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I had planned to do the taxes yesterday. I downloaded my copy of TurboTax. I updated Quicken and created my yearend expense report, only to find my past tax returns are on the old laptop…which is at home. Not to be deterred, I set that aside and finished knitting a pair of socks in the afternoon sun. When I was finished, I took my camera and walked around looking for glimpses of spring around the farm.

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The first place I looked was obvious. The Daffodils blooming out back…their little faces turned eagerly toward the ever warming sun. All I could think of was my grandma’s happy smile as she cupped each little blossom in her work-worn hands. Each of her posies was a gift from God after the long dreary days of winter. And they were gifts to me, as well. I wandered up the creek toward the barn, the thick mat of ground cover spongy beneath my feet. It never really gets dry up the holler.

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The old smokehouse is leaning even further this spring. The dampness up there is rotting it away from the ground up. I peeked inside and found a couple of treasures to take along with me…an old alarm clock…a small wooden box…an interesting light that was probably used in a chicken coop at some point but rusted and surely unusable now. The kinds of things you might tuck away on a shelf or in a flower bed.

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Something caught my eye amongst the leaves alongside the old pigsty. It was such a bright scarlet red, I felt sure it must be something man made…a piece of plastic, or tape perhaps. I brushed the leaves aside and was pleased to find it was a living thing! It’s called Scarlet Elfcup and it’s a kind of fungus. I’ve never seen it before to my recollection and I was happy to get a picture of it for you to see.

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I came back down the driveway and checked along the bank, but there aren’t any wildflowers coming up that I could find. The Daffodils and Naked Ladies have about 6-8” tall leaves shooting up, but no buds yet. I swung around the end of the yard and up the creek bank to the enormous Flowering Quince. Their leaves are shooting out and the pink of future blooms could be seen popping out. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t find any of the Carolina Spicebush that used to grow there. I’m hoping it’s just not out yet. A few years ago, my uncle hired a couple of guys to clean out the creek banks and they all but decimated that bush. 

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It’s been a wonderful visit here. I went for a walk last evening and talked with the neighbors across the road. Then my cousin’s wife stopped by for a visit. Later, my niece that lives in NYC called and we talked for an hour. She has such an interesting job and I learned a lot from her. It has been way too long since we talked so we left the conversation with promises to touch base more often. 

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I’ll start another pair of socks today and work on our travel plans for the summer. I’m nearly finished reading this book. There’s always something else to do, isn’t there?

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☘️

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”For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.“

\nIsaiah 61:11 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/06/the-farm.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/05/springtime-at-the-farm.html", "title": "Springtime at The Farm!", "content_html": "\n
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I went to knitting group yesterday morning. There were only three of us attending. One had business to attend to. Another tested positive for covid about half an hour before she was to head to town. Too many people aren’t testing anymore. I believe they figure if they don’t test, they can’t have covid. I am grateful this gal listened to her husband and tested to be sure. I may be the only person around here who hasn’t had it! But, I am militant with hand washing and I wear a mask, no matter what.

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One of my knitting friends came in with two black eyes and a terribly swollen and blackened hand. She fell on Friday, carrying a bag in each hand. Nothing seems to be broken, thank God. But, I’m telling you…we are getting to the age when falls are becoming more commonplace. Two of my knitting pals have crossed the threshold of their 80’s and they warn that their kids have started “mothering” them. 

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I was thinking the other day about my escapades with the camper after Mr. Virgo died. Traveling cross country alone, towing a camper through cities and countryside. I wonder how long I’ll be able to travel solo? Will I ever take the camper to Colorado on my own again? I really don’t know. I was only sixty when I first started towing alone. I’m not nearly ready to quit that. I just don’t know at what point I should consider it. I guess I’ll know when the time comes. At least, I hope I do.

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I got to the farm early yesterday afternoon. Once I got all settled in, I fixed myself something to eat and sat on the porch listening to the birds. Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Song Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Crow, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay…all calling and singing, chattering and swooping in and out of the Flowering Quince that lines the crest of the creek along the house. The Daffodils out back across from the old outhouse are starting to bloom. The little Chipmunk that lives under the old ramp off the back porch skittered around nervously. Red Shouldered Hawks circling high about the woods on top of the far ridge were too far away to hear.

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Someone around here is logging. I could hear the heavy equipment and the logging trucks as they slowly maneuvered their way out with their heavy loads. Perhaps I take a drive up the road today and see where the muddy tracks come out on the road to find out where they are working. A couple of loads drove buy some time after I got here, but they aren’t the big double trailers. They must be working in tight quarters.

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The temperature was well in the 70’s as I sat and soaked up the sun on the front porch…my book lying unopened on my lap…a cup of tea in hand. I took a deep breath of spring and sighed in contentment. The house itself smells exactly as it did when I was a little girl and I never fail to smile in remembrance when I cross the threshold. 

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I’ll probably go home tomorrow. The deadline for entering photos of the items donated to the Girl Camper Raffle is Thursday. I need to finish a pair of socks that I brought with me. And finish the book I’m reading and at least get started on the taxes. If I complete these things, along with ample porch sitting, I’ll have accomplished what I came for.

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My knitting friend Loretta is either-two years old. She has been married since she was sixteen. I told her at group yesterday that I was heading out to The Farm after for a little R&R. As we were saying goodbye, she called out, “Enjoy you alone time!” I laughed an called back, “You know…in about eight hours, I’ll be missing my husband and thinking of heading back!” She just smiled and nodded in understanding.

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☘️

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”Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”“

\nHosea 6:3 NIV\n
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#Spring, #TheFarm, #Memories

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/05/springtime-at-the-farm.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/03/04/spring-is-coming.html", "title": "Spring is Coming!", "content_html": "\n
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If yesterday was any indication, spring is definitely around the corner! It was a beautiful 80° in the afternoon. Sunny with a gentle breeze, Mr. FixIt and I pulled our chairs from the garage and sat basking the rays of the most welcome warmth. I noticed the spring onions are beginning to sprout here and there in the fields and I remarked it was time to mow over the pollinator beds in preparation for the rains that will soon follow. 

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The wildflowers and fall grasses had grown tall and thick before the first freeze. I spread wildflower seed around…shaking it down into the roots of the plants…and let the beds rest like that over the winter. Now I needed to get the riding mower out and mulch that all down and hopefully some of those seeds will make purchase in our rich West Virginia soil. 

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Mr. FixIt got the mower out, checked and filled the oil, and I added some gas to the tank. The mower started right up and I was soon out making the rounds…cutting the beds in such a direction as to shoot the seeds into the center. Once I made several rounds, I changed direction and mowed from the center outwards, distributing the mulch and seeds evenly.

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It didn’t take long to finish. I did a quick lap around the far field checking for feathers and such to no avail. When I returned the tractor to the pole building, Mr. FixIt and I sat a while longer in the waning afternoon sun. We finally went back inside and it was time for him to head to the bowling alley. One of the members of their team has moved to Charlottesville and he will be bowling for her the rest of the season.

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When he is gone, I have a few hours to myself. Rather than find myself down the rabbit hole of YouTube, I turned off the TV, grabbed my book and iPad, and headed out to the camper to read till he came home. If I’m out here, he’ll come out and spend some time with me before he heads back inside. I am continually grateful that I took out the dinette and installed the double recliner. It is much more comfortable and a sensible use of space. 

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I’m still reading The Pioneers by David McCullough. I am usually a voracious reader, but honestly, this is only the third or fourth book I’ve read since Mr. Virgo died. My attention span is not what it once was and I can think of about a million other things I could or should be doing besides slogging through a book. This one, while a bit of a difficult read, has held my interest due to the subject matter. It takes the beginnings of the Ohio Territory and speaks of Marietta, Belpre, the Ohio River, and the misadventures of Aaron Burr and Harmon Blennerhassett over on the picturesque island so named.

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I checked our schedule for this week and we have no appointments. I have knitting this morning, then I’m going to head to The Farm for a couple of days. I’ll work on the taxes, finish my book, and do all the trip planning for the summer. I love my time at The Farm and I always come home refreshed and ready for the next big project at hand. I visited with the CO kids and my brother in video chats, so I’m ready to head into my week and hit the ground running.

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☘️

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”Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.“

\nZechariah 10:1 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/03/04/spring-is-coming.html", "tags": ["Camping","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/26/a-quiet-sunday.html", "title": "A Quiet Sunday", "content_html": "\n
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My devotional this week has been from Joyce Meyer… “Know Your Enemy.” I knew there had to be a verse in the Bible that would speak to my method of study. Hebrews 4:12 says “The word of God is living and active…” I was speaking with a pastor friend of mine when I was a new Christian. I told him I pick up my Bible every day and ask God to speak into my life the words I need to hear. Then I close my eyes, open the Bible to a random page, and place my finger on the page. Invariably, the verse I select speaks to me in that moment. Unless I select all that begatting in Chronicles.

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This pastor was old school and he was appalled that I would consider using the Bible that way. He compared it to divination. I beg to differ. As Hebrews 4:12 states, the Bible is living and active…always and forever. And when I need to hear from God, I find the fastest way to get there is asking Him to talk to me through His word. He never fails me.

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Mr. FixIt went to the bowling alley and I stayed home to finish these mittens. I’m entering them and a couple of babies into the Girl Camper Raffle. It goes live on March 17th. I’ll be sharing a link when we get closer. I may sew some tote bags or maybe a quilted wall hanging. We’ll see.

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Today is knitting group. I really enjoy these gals and love to see what they’re up to. I’ll take the Dragon Scale Mittens with me to work on. The only thing scheduled this week is a couple of medical appointments, I’m happy to say. More fun at Marshmallow Ranch!

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🩵

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”Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.“

\nPsalms 119:105 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/26/a-quiet-sunday.html", "tags": ["Faith","God","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/21/a-good-do-over.html", "title": "A Good Do Over", "content_html": "\n
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Way too big! Time for a do over!

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We had a less than stellar meal at iHOP a couple of weeks ago. Mr. FixIt contacted them via email and they offered us a complimentary meal as a replacement. I was writing my post last night and thought to myself, “I should ask Mr. FixIt to go with me and we can go to iHOP for breakfast.” It wasn’t fifteen seconds when he turned to me and said, “I should go in with you tomorrow and we can go to iHOP for breakfast.” This guy is so tuned into me, it’s scary! lol

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I had to go to town yesterday to deliver a lab specimen so we drove on up the river to get some pancakes. This time it was perfect! We always have good luck there…that one time was just a fluke. 

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When we got home, I started working on this pair of mittens that I’m knitting. I know you are supposed to knit a swatch, but I almost never do. Most of the time, I get by without a problem, but this time the mittens were coming out WAY too big. Now I’ll have to rip this one out and knit a swatch so I can get the size to come out right. I really hate frogging (ripping out) a project but sometimes it’s necessary. If you’re going to put all this time and effort and the expense of the yarn into a project, you want it done right. I’ll work on it more today.

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We had an unexpected death in our family this week. We weren’t terribly close, but I knew her and really loved her. She was so kind and generous and will be dearly missed. A mother will bury her daughter. I cannot imagine that pain. I have held sacred space for some who have lost their children and their grief seems like my times a million. Parents aren’t supposed to bury their kids…no matter what age they are and my heart breaks for these families.

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Our weather is warming this week. These are the sneak peeks of spring that we get in February. Back in 2018, we got so warm in February that the spring peepers started calling. Another symptom of the drastic weather changes we are seeing. These false springs give us hope of warmer days ahead. Mr. FixIt and I went outside last night to watch the moon. The sky was crystal clear so it will be another chilly night, but tonight might be warm enough to go “camping.” I love the mattress in the camper…memory foam and high count sheets. I camp like a girl!

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🩵

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”When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,“

\nPsalms 8:3 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-21T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/21/a-good-do-over.html", "tags": ["Family","Grief","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/18/one-more-try.html", "title": "One More Try", "content_html": "\n
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When I woke up yesterday morning, the sun was shining brightly and every twig on every tree was frosted with snow. We didn’t get a lot…the sidewalks and roads were bare. It stayed chilly all day and when I sat down to write this, it was 22º. It didn’t get much over freezing during the day. I really enjoyed having coffee with you yesterday morning! I think we should do that more often, don’t you?

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I made a nice breakfast…grits and eggs, my favorite! When we were finished and the dishes were done and put away, I sat at my little table in the family room and prepared to work on that cussed blanket. I’ve been trying for over a week and I know i told you yesterday that I was done, but….

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I am not one to give up easily. 

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I knew if I put my mind to it, I could figure out this planet pattern. It’s simple really…you just have to knit 14 rows of each color. The trick is being extra careful to set your counter the same way every time you change color so you have the exact same number of rows in every square. I sat down yesterday after breakfast and set my mind to my work and kept distractions to a minimum and before I knew it, the first strip was finished perfectly. If I don’t overwhelm myself and do one strip a day, I could have the blanket knitted in about two weeks. Much faster than doing it by hand, but still time consuming. When it’s done, it will look like Buffalo Plaid and I’ll use it for a throw when camping.

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I had a video chat with a dear friend of mine who was honored to sit with President Biden yesterday for a meeting. She said it was a surreal experience and a memory she will cherish forever. In Mr. Virgo’s line of work, he had the pleasure of meeting many presidents, dignitaries, royalty, and celebrities of every stripe and he was always humbled by it. 

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I’ve met or seen several celebrities in my time…Harry Belafonte, Gene Shalit, Marilyn McCoo, Danny DeVito, George Hamilton, Beverly D’Angelo, Kurt Russell, John Denver…just to name-drop a few. When you live near Aspen, your chances of running into celebrities creases exponentially. We were always careful to give them a wide berth. They weren’t zoo animals…they were people trying to live their lives as uninterrupted as possible. But I will say this…it was lovely to share space with them…even if for just a moment.

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Mr. FixIt and I watched a couple of episodes of Bull then I had a video chat with my brother. He got a hair and beard trim yesterday afternoon and he looked really sharp. We are both thrilled we can see each other via the Echo 8. I wish I would have gotten him one a long time ago, but I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to use it and it would just frustrate him. They have made these devices more adaptable for people with disabilities and it’s made it much easier for him to use.

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I fixed my famous lamb chops with sautéed mushrooms for supper last night along with seasoned air fryer potatoes and steamed broccoli. I’ve got this recipe down now and can whip together a restaurant quality meal in 30 minutes or so. You know what they say…the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. 

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🩵

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”There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.“

\nHebrews 4:9-11 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/18/one-more-try.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","Happiness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/17/all-my-life-is-a.html", "title": "All My Life is a Circle", "content_html": "\n
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We really don’t get much of a winter in West Virginia anymore. Global warming, climate change…whatever you want to call it…times, they are a’changin’. The forecasters are predicting snow here in the mountain state. I doubt it will amount to much, but Mr. FixIt plugged the snowblower battery into the charger…just in case. I sit here in my Big Red Chair, Echo by my side, watching the temperature fall and the little snowflake icon promising me it’s real.

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It was lovely to stay home all day. It was Mr. FixIt’s turn to make breakfast. His specialty is oatmeal with the perfect touch of vanilla, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. He topped mine with blueberries. SO yummy! It might just as well be Groundhog Day…the movie…as every day here is much the same. Especially during the winter months. It reminds me of a song one of my besties sent me yesterday by Harry Chapin…Circle. You can listen to it HERE.

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I worked a little on that blanket and I finally give up. It’s a very complicated pattern. Each square needs to be perfect or it won’t fit together. I’m trying a different approach but I’m not holding out much hope. I could have made ten things in the time I’ve been messing with this one.

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When I got frustrated with it, I decided to get back to the book I’m reading…The Pioneers by David McCullough. It’s about the Ohio Territory and the formation of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It starts out with the first settlement formed being Marietta, OH just up the river from where I was born. I’m only 75 pages into it, and I really have to concentrate, but I’m enjoying it. My son-in-law’s day…our dear friend Ben…is reading it, too. He has a lot of family from around these parts so one of these days when they make it out to is it, we’ll explore all these haunts.

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Mr. FixIt was deep into a war movie when I decided to read. Since it was sunny and not to terribly cold, I took my book and a hot beverage and went out to the camper. I turned on the electric heater, snuggled under my blanking in the recliner, and read till it was time to fix supper.

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I picked up a rotisserie chicken at Sam’s on Thursday. Some of the supermarket varieties are so scrawny it doesn’t really pay to buy them. But the ones at Sam’s are plump and juicy and you get a lot of meat for $4.98! AND…you don’t have to cook! I had a bag of baby gold potatoes and a bag of broccoli florets handy. I quartered the little potatoes, sprayed them with a light coating of avocado oil and seasoned them with something I got at TJMax some time ago…a roasted vegetable seasoning with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and paprika. I put the seasonings in a bag and tossed the oily potatoes in it and dumped them in the air fryer. 390° for 21 minutes.

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While the potatoes were cooking, I put two leg quarters of the chicken in the microwave to reheat and steamed the broccoli. Everything came out at the exact same time and it looked like I’d worked over a hot stove all afternoon. You always know when what you’ve made for supper is a hit with the hubs….there were lots of yummy sounds coming from his side of the room. I will admit…it was great!

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Even though I’m not a big TV fan, I’m a big Mr. FixIt fan so if spending quality time with him in the cold months means we watch the idiot box more often…so be it. We don’t know what the future brings…either of us could be gone tomorrow. I’ll tolerate some mindless TV if I can be with my sweetie.

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I think I’ll do a FB Live this morning…Saturday Coffee with Marshmallow Ranch. Let’s shoot for around 10:00 Eastern Time, shall we??? Hope to see you here in a bit!

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🩵

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”In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.“

\nPsalms 127:2 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/17/all-my-life-is-a.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/16/the-need-to-fix-things.html", "title": "The Need to Fix Things", "content_html": "\n
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When I was camping last week, I woke up after a great night’s sleep and looked around. I love this little camper…especially after I installed the new double recliner. It is so comfy and cozy…little, but the slide out makes the room seem much bigger. As I looked around my eyes settled on the ceiling. I have just enough artsy OCD in me that this ceiling bugs the dickens out of me. And I have enough self-awareness to know I’ll never do anything about it.

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When I’m sitting in my Big Red Chair with ten projects half done in baskets around my feet, it doesn’t bother me a bit. But when I go to a hotel and I set out my personal items on the vanity…I place them precisely where I want them. And they have to stay there during the whole trip. I have no idea why, but I like the way it looks and makes the trip seem like a celebration for some reason.

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I have to straighten picture frames, even if it’s in someone else’s house. I can’t go to bed with dirty dishes. I finally gave up on trying to keep my spices in alphabetical order. And I still make piles, but they’re MY piles. I know where everything is. lol

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Yesterday was a very busy day. I saw my dry eye doctor…things have improved tremendously! I just need to keep on doing what I’m doing and I’ll be much better. Mr. FixIt thought that was the only thing I needed to do so he thought he’d ride in with me and work on his friend Joe’s storm door. That wasn’t going to happen. I had to go get blood drawn for an appointment next week. Then I went to the Bodega Coffee Shop and sipped a lovely chai latte and read a book I bought last year and have never taken the time for. I needed to me time.

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I grabbed a quick salad at Wendy’s then spent the better part of the afternoon in the doctor’s office. Then it was a big trip to Sam’s and Wally World and it was dark by the time I got home. You don’t just walk in and relax after a trip like that. Everything has to come in the house. In order to fit the new things in the fridge, the old things have to be thrown away. In order to throw things out, the trash has to be emptied. Then all THOSE dishes have to be washed. It was quite a while before I got to settle in my Big Red Chair and write.

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Snow is in the forecast here for tonight and tomorrow. How much is up for debate…maybe a couple of inches. Most of our storms come in from the southwest but this one looks to be coming in from the northwest and that brings in colder air. We’ve had more snow this winter than we have for a few years. But I’m ready. I have stocked up and don’t have to go anywhere till Monday for Knitting Group.

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I’ll be happy as a clam all tucked in here at home, working on my projects.

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That’s a Feel Good Friday in my book!

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🩵

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”Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”“

\nMark 6:31 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/16/the-need-to-fix-things.html", "tags": ["Health","Self Care","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/02/05/i-want-to-do-all.html", "title": "I Want To Do ALL The Things!", "content_html": "\n
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I’m getting close to finishing the market bag that I’ve been crocheting. I am on the last ball of yarn. I’ll do a few more rows then crochet a border across the top and make handles and I can move on to something else. I was chatting with one of my long time besties while I was out at The Farm. She was kind enough to give me a pleater for smocking when I was in Colorado last summer. She wondered if I’d done anything on it yet and of course…that’s all it took to light the fire. 

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There just aren’t enough hours in the day. When I had my little needlework shop in my 40’s, I taught classes on all kinds of things. When Daughter #2 was little, I smocked sweet little collars that you could button over top of a dress. That way, when the dress was too little, you could keep the collar a while longer before it too was too small to wear. 

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I purchased four tubs of fabric last summer at a friends garage sale. I used to make smocked Christmas ornaments and I’m thinking I might be able to salvage some fabrics in there that I can use. That aligns with this year’s words… “Use it Up!” Another thing. I want to do all the things and time is passing by far too quickly. 

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You can’t throw a stick out Grandma’s road without hitting relatives. One of my mom’s cousins lives about a mile or so from The Farm and I was talking to her daughter-in-law on Saturday night. I knew she lost her husband last fall, but I didn’t realize she’d had a stroke in November. People I know and love are getting debilitating and life threatening diseases and conditions. The fact that we’re running out of productivity time is not lost on me. I want to do ALL of the things!

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That’s one reason I stay so busy. It keeps my brain active and holds the winter blues at bay. It allows me to create things that hopefully my family will treasure in years to come as coming from an ancestor. And it just plain brings me great joy to create something from nothing with my own two hands.

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I’m trying to prioritize. I’m a Gemini. I bounce from thing to thing so fast it will make your head spin. I can be into something 110% on Monday and by Thursday it’s on to something else. After having the needlework shop, I was SO burned out on all things needle that it took YEARS to pick any handwork up again. Everything fell by the wayside after Mr. Virgo died…till I was finally able to concentrate enough to do anything. 

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Since I’ve discovered the joy of needle crafts again, I WANT TO DO ALL THE THINGS!

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This is where I need to utilize self discipline and remember… “Use it Up!” Because it would be SO easy to let that Gemini brain go overboard and get ALL the tools and gadgets that go with it. I’ve been watching videos on other needle disciplines and I think I’m ready to change things up just a little. It might just be time to pull out that pleater and see what I can get into. I’ll have more great grand babies one of these days and I can always make sweet things and set them aside for future gifts. It’s sort of like when we were young and kept a hope chest for the things we would need as a new wife. 

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My daughter has the hope chest (sometimes called a cedar chest) that her dad gave me for my 18th birthday. I put linens and pieces of silver and crystal in it. Crocheted doilies, embroidered pillow cases, quilts…all went in the hope chest. Did any of you have one? What did you keep in yours? Do you still have it?

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🩵

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 ”There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.“

\n1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV\n
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#Crafts, #Needlework, #Smocking

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/02/05/i-want-to-do-all.html", "tags": ["Choices","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/22/bluebird-skies-and-rest.html", "title": "Bluebird Skies and Rest", "content_html": "\n
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Midday Moon

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The skies were clear during the night so it was bitter cold and didn’t warm up during the day. Still, yesterday was incredibly beautiful. The sky was a perfect bluebird blue without a cloud in sight. Of course, that means it was going to get really cold again during the night. It’s definitely been a soup week here at Marshmallow Ranch. Yesterday I made a pot of Cheesy Broccoli and Ham soup and it was SO good!. Mr. FixIt went to the bowling alley last night and on the way home, he stopped to get eggs. He brought home stuff to make tacos today, which sounds great to me.

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I worked on my projects while Mr. FixIt was gone, but truth be told I spent most of the evening watching YouTube videos. I looked at a couple of knitting videos then one of Miss Brenda Gantt’s videos came up. She was making Head Cheese or Souse Meat. Her daughter was at the grocery store where they were selling hog’s heads so she bought one for her mom. Being from Andalusia, Alabama…Miss Brenda is no stranger to southern delicacies such as souse. The only thing is, she had never made it before. Bless her heart…it took her three days from purchase to product and she swore she would never do it again. But, at least she can say she did it once.

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That is much like some of my escapades. Remember the great tamale fiasco? Or the bone broth? I’m sure there are many other recipes I’ve attempted, but I can guarantee you…I’ll never try to make tamales or bone broth again. As is my wont, I had to check out how other people made souse and I stumbled upon a video of a woman making it and honestly…I couldn’t get through the sounds of the process. So…There went my evening. But I needed a night of vegging out and I took it.

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I’m hoping our knitting group will meet today. I’ve got several projects to take with me. Next up…TACOS!

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❄️🩵❄️

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”And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.“

\nGenesis 2:2 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/22/bluebird-skies-and-rest.html", "tags": ["Health","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/21/im-a-happy-little-hermit.html", "title": "I’m a Happy Little Hermit", "content_html": "\n
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We got a little more snow on Friday night and it was SO cold. It was another indoor day here at Marshmallow Ranch and I was a happy camper. I ran out of my Popcorn Pancake Mix so I just made some from scratch. The were so fluffy and good…the recipe used buttermilk and both baking powder and baking soda. I didn’t have any buttermilk so I did what my mom always did…just add white vinegar to regular milk and it works great!

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Mr. FixIt had to run the snowblower again and I retreated to the basement to work in my studio. I made a second strip for the baby blanket, then ran out just a few rows short of finishing the second. So I looked up projects for the 22-needle machine and found this darling little Amish baby doll. I fiddled wit the pattern a little and just love the way it turned out. I think I can make these and sell them along with hats and scarves. I am trying to get several things made then I’ll post them. 

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Big did great in her swim meet this weekend. She won one of her events, and her relay team came in 2nd Place. It is so exciting to watch her on the big screen…and it’s free! And I don’t have to leave my little nest. I’m such a happy little hermit! I can stay here and create to my heart’s content…and my husband brings me tea! I do 95% of the kitchen work…cooking and cleaning. I love it, but when I’m really involved with a project, Mr. FixIt will make me a sandwich to go with that tea. He’s the best husband EVER!

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While it’s nice to hibernate here in the “craft cave,” I’m also making plans for travel this year. I’ve got ideas about where to camp this year and I definitely need time with my besties. We’ll need a trip to Colorado to see the family. I need some time to myself at The Farm. I would also like to entertain more. We have such a comfortable home…I’d love to have some dinner parties scheduled. Small groups so there’s always room for conversation and the budget doesn’t take a big hit. 

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The low for last night was predicted to be 14° and tonight is supposed to get down to 9°! After that, we should warm up some. Still, I’ll be happy making beautiful things in my little studio. 

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❄️🩵❄️

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”For nothing will be impossible with God.”“

\nLuke 1:37 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-21T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/21/im-a-happy-little-hermit.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/20/winter-wonderland.html", "title": "Winter Wonderland", "content_html": "\n
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I awoke yesterday morning to a beautiful winter landscape. We had the kind of snow that frosts every little twig and makes the world look magical. It was nice knowing we didn't have anyplace to go so we could just stay in and enjoy the view. I fixed my favorite breakfast…grits and eggs…and headed down to the studio. I wanted to get some more mittens knitted up so I could sit in the Big Red Chair and do the handwork. 

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While I was downstairs, I could hear the snowblower as Mr. FixIt cleared the sidewalks. It continued to snow off and on throughout the day and covered the sidewalk again with a light dusting. We were scheduled to have more snow so who knows what we’ll wake up to this morning?

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I worked on a baby afghan during the week, and I wasn’t happy with the way it was turning out, so I ripped it out and started over. I decided to make the strips wider so I used the 48-needle machine and liked it much better. Then I cranked out a pair of rose-colored mittens in a wool/acrylic blend that the machine loves. I got one mitten finished before it was time to write my post.

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I really don’t mind the snow…especially if I don’t have to go anywhere in it. The house is toasty warm, but sometimes my hands get cold while I’m working so I put on the pretty fingerless gloves that my friend Gail knitted for me. She spun the yarn from alpaca and wool and they really help.I can knit with them on or type. The extra warmth helps with arthritis pain, too.

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The evening was topped off with watching Big’s swim meet from clear across the country. Here, she wins her first heat!!! What a treat this is…the icing on the cake of a perfect day!!!

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❄️🩵❄️

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”He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.“

\nPsalm 147:16 ESV\n
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Oooooooh…it was so cold Tuesday night that the water bottle on my windowsill froze! And I didn’t have the window opened more than an inch. It’s actually supposed to warm up overnight, but not by much. I had a lovely day playing with my new knitting machine. I made a pair of wool mittens that are so cozy and warm. 

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It was really nice to stay home yesterday. Mr. FixIt had to go to town so I was in my studio all afternoon. When he got home, I heated up the leftover chili for us and we watched the movie he bought me for Christmas. It’s really hard for me to sit down and watch a whole movie. Oppenheimer was well done and sometimes painful to watch. I really didn’t know the history of what happened to him after the war. I won’t ruin the ending for those who may not have seen the movie and would like to. While I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat, the movie did hold my interest as I did the hand work on the mittens.

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Once the movie was over, we caught up with Only Murders in the Building. Mr. FixIt and I caught our first episode of the series over the New Year’s weekend and we’re hooked. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selina Gomez make the most unlikely trio of amateur investigators of the murder of Tim Kono in their high rise. There are so many twists and turns. It’s clever and funny and intriguing. I have no idea how many episodes or seasons they’ve made of this, but I’m looking forward to watching every one of them…then watching them again! I’m not a big TV fan. So much of it is just drivel that dumbs you down, but occasionally a show comes on that’s is entertaining and worth watching.

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I get to spend more time playing with my new knitting machines today. I think I’ll make some more mittens and work on a baby blanket I’m making. They say every knitting machine has its own quirks and this one is no exception. For some reason, the first three rows are really picky and the yarn has a tendency to split. So I use my loom pick to fix them, but it’s slow going. But, once you get past that third row, it’s a little easier. You still have to watch closely because occasionally it will still throw a split stitch. It’s not nearly as fast as the other machine, but it’s still a lot of fun to work with.

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They are predicting some real snow tonight here in West Virginia. I’ve learned to take what the weatherman says with a grain of salt around here. They’ll call for 1-3” of snow and send a torrent of folks to the stores to wipe out every loaf of bread, every jug of milk, and every package of eggs in sight. Fortunately, I have a full pantry and enough food in the fridge and freezer to last a month or more.

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I hope you are staying warm and safe through these storms. Be careful out there.

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❄️🩵❄️

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”“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,“

\nIsaiah 55:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/18/who-killed-tim-kono.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Hygge"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/17/snow-day-in-west-virginia.html", "title": "Snow Day in West Virginia", "content_html": "\n
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We awoke to about three inches of fluffy powdery snow yesterday morning. Schools were closed and traffic was light so all was still in this fresh winter scene. It was about 14° and the window was over. I slept like a baby. Poor Mr. FixIt comes in every morning and shivers as he makes his way to the window to shut it. Then he sits on the side of the bed and we have a lovely little visit. He’s a real sport about it, too. 

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Sometimes, I wake up before him. I get the kettle on, make my coffee and have a little time to myself to read my devotional before he’s up and about. Such was the case yesterday. I had a package waiting for me at the Post Office so I asked if he thought the roads would be clear later in the afternoon. He reminded me our county road crew is really good at keeping the roads clear, so I headed out in the snow. 

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The hardest part about that drive can be getting out of the driveway, but I just shifted the truck into 4WD and didn’t have a bit of trouble. And, like Mr. FixIt said, the roads were clear. I ran to the Post Office, got my package and stopped in the Pig to get some ground beef for a pot of chili. It was sure a chili kind of day!

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I set up my new machine and started working on it. The last time we had Knitting Group, one of the gals had just gotten the same unit and she was having trouble getting it to work. It had a tendency to split the yarn. When I sat down to work on mine, it did the same thing, but I remembered what the gals did last week to make the knitting machine work so I followed suit.

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It has a tendency to split the yarn on the first two to three roads, but if you use a loom pick to lift that stitch to its correct position it starts working eventually. I decided to use scrap yarn for the first 10 rows or so and that really helped. I managed to make a couple little preemie or doll hats. They were so, so little and sweet. I started working on a baby blanket, too. I want to make some things I can take to the birthing center at our local hospital. Hats and blankets are most appreciated because there are babies that go without much in the way of a layette waiting for them.

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I spent some time in the afternoon watching TV with Mr. FixIt and crocheting on the market bag. I made a big pot of chili and let it simmer on the stove all afternoon. It was so yummy! I love chili on a snowy day. We are getting the deep freeze that’s been plaguing the Midwest this week and as I was writing this last night it was 14° with a wind chill of 7°. Still, not as bad as a lot of the country, but cold enough. 

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Mr. FixIt has to go to town today, but I’ll stay here and get some things done. I hope you all are faring well in this deep freeze! Be safe!

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❄️🩵❄️

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”She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.“

\nProverbs 31:21 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/17/snow-day-in-west-virginia.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/16/crocheting-in-the-snow.html", "title": "Crocheting in the Snow", "content_html": "\n
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I don’t know…maybe I should stop complaining about having to go to town so much. I mean, we are blessed to have a quiet home in the country, to have the means to travel when we need to, and we have each other. Our health is “good for the shape we’re in,” to quote my Uncle Dudley. At least this trip was relatively quick. Mr. FixIt had a medical appointment, then we went to one of my FAVORITE stores…Rural King. We get our cat food and bird seed there. The birds had gone through our suet cakes like there was no tomorrow so we bought two cases this time. We are filling the feeders every week, sometime twice a week. 

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Our dishwasher bit the big one last year so I’ve been washing by hand. At first, I hated it. But it has become a quiet time of mindfulness and I don’t mind it at all. It doesn’t hurt that there is a feeder hanging right in front of the kitchen window that’s over the sink and I can watch the birds dart in and out. They sit in the old crabapple tree and take turns swooping in to feed. I try to move smoothly and quietly so I don’t disturb them. One of the most beautiful sights is when we get 15-20 cardinals out there in the tree. It’s amazing how the females kinda blend into the grey background, but those red males stand out in stark contrast and I’m telling you…it’s breathtaking to see.

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Someday, I would love to have one of those feeders that has a camera attached and you can take photos of the birds as they land and eat. I’ve seen some beautiful images caught on them. I have a cousin that we refer to as the Bird Whisperer. He can stand out there by the feeder and hold his arm out and the birds will land there and eat right out of his hand! I think my birds get used to me watching them and after a while they don’t start at every movement. But I still can’t imagine getting them to the point where I could hold them. I don’t think I’d want to. They are meant to be wild.

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We dropped by the Mrs. FixIt 1.0’s house to drop off the hat and scarf I made her. It fit her much better than the other hat I made. The difference was in the yarn…it was much softer and knitted up looser. The light was getting dim when we left and stopped at the discount bread store before we headed home. Just before we started out the two-lane to our house, I remembered we needed eggs. We stopped at the Dollar General so we wouldn’t have to go back into town. Mr. FixIt might have to go into town today, but it will depend on the roads. When they clear a little mid-day, I’ll go over the hill to the Post Office and pick up my new 22-needle machine that arrived Saturday. I’m thrilled to see what else I can make with it. 

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We didn’t have knitting group yesterday. A couple of the gals were worried about the possibility of snow on the roads and texted Sunday night. They thought it best if we postpone to next week. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say. I worked on the market bag again as we watched Monday Night Football. I’ve never gotten into football quite like I have this year. To the point that I told Mr. FixIt we won’t know what to do with ourselves when the season is over! I guess it will be time to watch movies and maybe catch up with some episodes of the few shows I’ll sit still long enough to watch. And only if I’m doing something with my hands. I always have to feel like I’m being productive.

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One of my Noom lessons deals with taking time for yourself without guilt. I’m pretty good about taking some me time, but again…I feel like I need to be doing something worthwhile at the same time. It’s difficult to convince yourself that doing nothing isn’t wasted when you’re refilling your well. So, one of the exercises in Noom is just to sit for five minutes doing nothing without thinking of all the things you SHOULD be doing. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

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We may actually have measurable snow on today! What’s it like in your neck of the woods?

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❄️🩵❄️

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”For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.“

\nJob 37:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/16/crocheting-in-the-snow.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Hygge"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/15/a-chilly-country-morning.html", "title": "A Chilly Country Morning", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt loves light covers and a very warm room. I like more covers and a very cold room. I cannot sleep when it’s too hot and he can’t sleep if it’s too cold. So, most of the time, we sleep in separate rooms these days… me with the window open and he in his happy little sauna. We’ve actually found we are much happier together when we BOTH get a good night’s sleep. 

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I never thought I’d be “one of those couples” who sleep in separate rooms. Those were Mr. Virgo’s words when I suggested I try to get some sleep in the spare room when his snoring kept me from getting any sleep. “We aren’t going to be one of those couples who sleep in separate rooms.” I swallowed my feelings and stayed in the same bed every night till he died. I was constantly sleep deprived.

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Now I know how to set healthy boundaries and if we aren’t getting adequate sleep, we sleep separately and make up for cuddle time in other ways. Everyone is different, every marriage is different, and it’s really ok to set boundaries for yourself…in a marriage especially. And you shouldn’t feel guilty for doing something that’s healthy for you at this age in particular. You cannot pour from an empty cup and if you are not resting, your cup is far from full.

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The wind blew like crazy Saturday night. I finally figured out how to keep the door from rattling with the wind currents by wedging a sock in it when I closed it. I was toasty warm, but the top of my head was cold. Along about 6:30 in the morning, I heard Mr. FixIt up doing something. It turned out, his room was getting hotter because the cold air was going under my door and tripping the thermostat. Since his door was closed, his room kept getting hotter and hotter. I got up and closed my window and suggested he keep his door open to let the heat out into the hall. Voila! Problem solved!

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I always gauge what to make for breakfast by Mr. FixIt’s sugar. If it’s higher, he gets proteins and very little carbs. But if it’s normal like it has been, anything is fair game. I always give him a couple choices and he wanted poached eggs and toast. I talked him into poached eggs on grits…one of my all time favorite country breakfasts. Grits count as a green food on Noom so I can eat them every day if I want to. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that keeps you filled up for hours and it’s SO yummy!

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I worked on the Class Page most of the day yesterday. FB has changed the way you handle and edit files in a group. You can no longer create a document on the page itself or edit it like I’ve always done. So I finally figured out if I create a master file in PDF form and leave it on my desk top I can edit it there and upload it to the page and remove the outdated version. I know…it sounds complicated and like a lot of work. It is, sort of. But I wanted to do this for the class, so I’m satisfied with it.

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Mr. FixIt was called in to substitute on the bowling team last night, so I was left home to enjoy the Big Red Chair and watch/listen to the fireplace video on YouTube. I’m making progress on the market bag I’m crocheting. I go to knitting group this morning. Unfortunately, my new 22-needle knitting machine is sitting inside the post office and it’s closed today for Martin Luther King Day. I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to get it. Bummer!

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I hope you had a good weekend and that you are staying warm this week. It’s going to be a cold one so be careful if you must go out!

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❄️

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”From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.“

\nJob 37:9-10 ESV\n
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#Cold, #Knitting, #ComfortFood

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/15/a-chilly-country-morning.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/12/a-maker-making.html", "title": "A Maker Making", "content_html": "\n
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From as long as I can remember, I’ve been a maker. I can remember my mom taking brown paper grocery sacks and cutting them open for artist canvases. I painted on them. I drew on them. I cut them up and made paper dolls and puppets. My imagination was a big as Texas and my mom encouraged me to follow my dreams.

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Art class was my favorite. Whether I was making something with popsicle sticks or gluing tissue paper to make a “stained glass window”…I was in my happy place. When I was in high school, Mom sent me to art lessons with an artist in my hometown. I still remember her studio located in her home. It had three walls of floor to ceiling windows. The light was perfect and it overlooked a beautiful flower garden I was in hog heaven.

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Over the years, I’ve picked up painting with pastels and acrylics. I’ve taught myself to knit and crochet and quilt. I’ve learned to smock dresses, sew clothes, and to turn silverware and antique maps into art jewelry. I can’t NOT be doing something with my hands. Writing is as much an art as any of the above and I pull my heart soul into all of it.

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I haven’t crocheted for years and suddenly picked it up before Christmas to make scrubbies as stocking stuffers. I’ve made a tote and half of another one. And now I’m working on this mesh market bag. The pattern said it can be done in three hours. Ha! I’ve worked about ten hours on it already and I’m just a fraction into it. I forgot how fun crocheting is. I can’t do it like knitting. I can knit while watching TV…I don’t have to look at it. That’s not the case with crochet. I have to keep my eyes on it. I suppose that’s not so bad, but it’s probably why I’m so slow at it. I stop and look at the TV and any time I’m not looking at the needle, I’m not working it.

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It was such a beautiful day yesterday. The sun was shining all day and it put a song in my heart. Mr. FixIt filled all the bird feeders for me and within moments my birdies came back full force. We have to find joy anywhere we can get it these days, whether its with a needle and yarn or a pair of cardinals and a chickadee or putting faces with names on a class page. It’s all good stuff.

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❄️

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”This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.“

\nPsalm 118:24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-12T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/12/a-maker-making.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/05/the-tote-is-done.html", "title": "The Tote is Done", "content_html": "\n
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I finished the tote Wednesday night and got to use it for the first time yesterday. Mr. FixIt wanted a new pair of shoes for his birthday so I told him we should head to town, go to the mall, then our to dinner at Mary B’s. I had a few things I needed to get at Sam’s…one of which was a large bottle of vodka to make more home brewed vanilla. I was afraid we would drop the bottle carrying it into the house, so I stuck it in the new tote I crocheted and it worked great. Very sturdy and I felt like, even if we dropped it, the tote is so thick and soft, it would have cushioned the blow. So, crochet for the win! I love the idea of “using it up”…in this case, about six skeins of yarn that I wasn’t going to use for anything else.

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I’m now going to keep my eyes open for yarn in garage sales and on FB Marketplace. I did have to buy two skeins of yarn yesterday to make a gift for someone special…the former Mrs. FixIt. I made a hat for her for Christmas, but the yarn I used didn’t have a lot of stretch so the hat was too tight. Now I’ll make one with this soft and stretchy yarn that will fit her. And, I’ll throw in a scarf to match. 

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While we were at dinner, I told Mr. FixIt that I would like to have a couple of days at The Farm. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been out there and I miss it. But now we have a winter storm heading our way this weekend, and I don’t want to get stuck out there. The bigger problem would be losing power. So, I’ll have to wait a while for my sabbatical. 

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I’m going to do a little cooking today. I have some bananas that are just pleading to be made into banana bread. I want to make some small loaves to freeze. Then I can deliver them to folks who may be shut in for one reason or another. I have chicken breasts defrosted to make Chicken Alfredo for supper. And, I have a pork roast to cut up in quarters. I’ll cook a quarter of it tomorrow and freeze the other three quarters for our make up Christmas dinner. 

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I think I’ll pull out some more yarn and start on another basket/tote. And start on the new hat and scarf. One of the gals who came to knitting group on Monday said, “You’re a really busy person, aren’t you?” Ohhhhhh, she has no idea. 

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☺️

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”Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,“

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/05/the-tote-is-done.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/03/using-it-up-cooking.html", "title": "Using it Up: Cooking", "content_html": "\n
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I sat in the Big Red Chair for a few hours yesterday and worked on the basket/tote that I’m crocheting using scrap yarn. It’s coming along and looks so pretty. I love the colors and feel good that I’m ever so slowly reducing my stash. We watch some shows on TV and Mr. FixIt snoozed a little in his big comfy chair. Along about 3:00, I asked him what he’d like to have for supper. 

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We both thought about it a while. In the past, I might have suggested he run over to town and get some hamburger and I’d come up with something. Instead, “Use it Up!” Went through my mind. I had a couple of pie crusts out to make an apple pie for our family Christmas, but with so many of them not coming due to covid, it was still in the fridge. I went through the ingredients I had on hand and one recipe came to mind…Quiche!

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I love when a plan comes together and tastes yummy to boot. With things I already had on hand, I baked a beautiful Broccoli and Bacon Quiche in about an hour.

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BROCCOLI & BACON QUICHE  \n\nPreheat oven to 375°.\nPar-bake a readymade pie crust for about 10-15 minutes.\n\nTurn the oven down to 350°.\n\nBeat four large eggs. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. You can use Half & Half instead of the heavy cream. Add 1/4th tsp each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Herbes de Provence (a blend of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.) Add 1/4 cup softened cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer till smooth and combined. \n\nWhen the crust is par-baked, sprinkle some grated mozzarella, crumbled bacon, and chopped broccoli in the bottom. Then pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with a little paprika and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes then cut and serve.
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It was delicious, but it was a little too rich. When I make it next time, I’m leaving out the cream cheese and just using milk instead of adding the cream. If you try it, leave us a picture and tell us what you think!

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I’m having some of our knitting group over this morning for some fun and fellowship. We usually meet on Mondays and since Christmas and New Year’s Day were on Monday this year, I thought we might gather here. I hope you have a wonderful day, dear ones!

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🩵

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”Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.”“

\nActs 27:34 ESV\n
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#Cooking, #Quiche, #UseItUp

\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/03/using-it-up-cooking.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/20/canning-in-december.html", "title": "Canning in December", "content_html": "\n
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The last three days, I had a big pot of beef bones simmering in a big canner. I browned the bones in a 400° oven till they were a rich, golden brown. Then I put them in the canner, covered them with water and simmered on the back burner for twenty-four hours. Then I added onions, celery, and garlic and let it simmer for another full twenty-four hours. Yesterday was the day to put up the broth. At first I thought I’d strain the broth from the vegetables and bones, but it all looked and smelled so yummy, I decided to purée everything together and can it in pint jars. I ended up with seven pints of very concentrated bone broth that’s going to be a great vegetable soup base this winter! I canned them in the pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes and them let them cool on their own. I know you can take those bones and keep cooking them over and over till every bit of nutrition is out of them and they crumble into nothing. But I got to thinking about how much gas I used to cook that and decided that was enough. We’ll see if it tastes amazing before I decide to do that again.

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I spent the rest of the day making things. I finished a hat and scarf and another Christmas stocking. And I crocheted some more scrubbies. It was a really lovely day with my sweetheart. We watched some more college football and Christmas shows. There was a skiff of snow on when I woke up and I was really happy to stay in.

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Mr. FixIt has to go to town today. I need a few things, so I think I’ll send him with a list and stay home to work on more things that I can offer in my shop. I’m looking forward to getting back into selling some things I make with my own two hands. After all, that is the root of my humble beginnings here at Marshmallow Ranch.

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I found out yet another of our classmates that attended the Christmas Dinner on the 8th has come down with Covid. That’s either nine or ten out of twenty-nine. And, if I were a betting woman, I’d swear I’m coming down with something, but so far the test is negative. We’ll see what it says this morning. I’m praying I don’t get it, but if I do, I am terribly grateful for the vaccines and how much they have protected us. They gave us time to develop a herd immunity  as the virus morphed into a less violent and deadly version of itself. I’m grateful for the knowledgeable scientists and doctors that worked for decades to find a delivery system for vaccines that would carry the information directly to the cells. This same mRNA technology is going to be used in ways we can’t imagine yet. I’m excited to see where the science takes us. 

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I hope you’re having a good week and you’re healthy and doing well!

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🎄

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”The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.“

\nPsalm 41:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-20T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/20/canning-in-december.html", "tags": ["Health","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/13/we-have-a-new-roof.html", "title": "We Have a New Roof!", "content_html": "\n
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God has taken care of us in ways we could never imagine. We went into the year with three vehicles, a leaky roof, and somewhere along the way the furnace died.  We’re going out with the money from the totaled car, a surprise warranty on the heat exchanger, and a guy that knocked on our door and asked if we needed someone to finish our roof. We had a pallet of shingles sitting at the end of the house for the last year, and he was just driving by.

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What a nice guy. He had a crew of helpers who worked so hard in this cold. While I’ve enjoyed the the warmth of my house, knitting hats. So, yesterday I decided these young men needed a nice warm hat. I had several hats made for gifts, so I tucked a little folding money in each one, and gave them each a hug. I made some comment like, “Call your mother, she worries.” One of them turned to me and said his mother had died in 2009. Then the next month, his father died, and the next month, his grandmother died, as well. Bless his heart. I wanted to adopt them and bake them cookies. 

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So, it may be slim pickin’s here for Christmas, but my heart is full and I have a boatload of yarn, and the time to knit it up! We had a wonderful meal seated at our dining room table. Our house is warm and clean. We have food in the pantry and freezer. We have to look for the silver linings of life and be grateful for what we have. 

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Today’s post is dedicated to my dear friend, Sparky. Gone two years now, but forever in my heart. Two separate people, on opposite ends of the country have told me she came to them and said, “Don’t you worry about me…I’m doing fine. You’ll come along one of these times. But don’t you hurry. Live your life! There’s live music up here!!!”

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You are deeply missed, Sparky.

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🎄

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”Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“

\n1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-13T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/13/we-have-a-new-roof.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","God","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/10/santa-came-early.html", "title": "Santa Came Early!", "content_html": "\n
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The other day, one of my besties…Gail…posted that she got a circular knitting loom and it’s a game changer. Not wanting to be left out, I started researching them. At the same time, one of the gals at knitting group told us she had one and went home to get it. She gave us a demonstration and I was sold. I ordered one online and it arrived Friday Afternoon. We had the Class Christmas Dinner Friday night so I had to wait till yesterday to play with it.

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Right out of the box, I’ll tell you it was great fun. I can knit a lot faster and it doesn’t hurt my wrists. I made two hats. Then I experimented with different yarns. It definitely doesn’t like the fancy yarns, but it did a really nice job with worsted weight. I can actually make handmade things with this that I can sell in my Etsy shop so keep an eye out for that.

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The knitting loom certainly doesn’t take the place of hand knitting. I pulled out the Christmas stocking I started last year and wondered if maybe I could make them on the loom. I found a pattern and tried it. OMGosh! Y’all…it was HUGE! I’ll have to tell Mr. FixIt it’s MY stocking and he gets to fill it! lol I wish I would have knitted more on the stockings this year. I may have to wait till next year to gift them.

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We woke up to rain yesterday morning and that took care of the roofing job till next week. The guys came out to seal around the exhaust pipes and clean the gutters so the rain wouldn’t wash debris down the storm drains. Mr. FixIt is one of the most gregarious people I’ve ever met. People seem to be drawn to him and he can talk to anyone. The owner of the construction company came out with the workers and visited with us for a good hour. He and his dad did some work on this house back in the early ‘80s and they know a lot of the same people. 

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Actually, after living here for seven years, I’m finally running into people I know in our little town and I love it! Mr. FixIt isn’t the only gregarious person in the family, I guess. I hope you are enjoying the weekend and taking some time for yourselves. Remember, you can’t fill anyone else’s cup if yours is empty!

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🎄

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”“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.“

\nJob 6:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-10T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/10/santa-came-early.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/07/popcorn-pancakes-and-the-perfectly.html", "title": "Popcorn Pancakes and the Perfectly Prepared Pan", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve seasoned a couple dozen iron skillets in my day and I’ve never quite gotten it right… till now. It started with that griddle Mr. FixIt bought at a junk shop in Colorado. I read about all kinds of methods. Stove top, outdoor grill, oven. Water, never water. Lard, avocado oil, vegetable oil, grape seed oil. Metal spatulas, NEVER touch with metal. Low and slow heat, turn up your oven to the highest setting. It was all so confusing. So, this time I kind of chose a little of this and a little of that and did it intuitively.

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I cleaned the skillet well, with salt and grape seed oil and a paper towel. I wiped out all the salt and oil and let it sit overnight. The next day. I put a very small amount of grape seed oil in the skillet (about a teaspoon) and wiped the the entire skillet, inside and out. I turned the oven up as high as it would go which on my stove is 550°F. I placed a sheet of foil on the bottom rack of the oven and when the oven came to temperature, I put the skillet upside down on the upper rack, shut the door, and set the time bake to one hour. That cuts the heat off and I can go about my day. When the pan was cooled, I repeated the process. 

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I was concerned about that mottling, but it didn’t stick so I’m good.

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The real test to see if a skillet is seasoned is to use it. I mixed up a batch of Long Table’s Popcorn Pancakes, heated up the skillet on medium heat, and cooked the pancakes two at a time till the batter was used up. I didn’t put oil or butter in the skillet at all. The pancake batter has enough butter in it to keep the pancakes from sticking and man…that skillet was as non-stick as any commercial nonstick skillet. I was amazed. I asked my dear friend, Kate…the Campground Gourmet and she said I’d seasoned it enough if it wasn’t sticking at all. I trust her with ALL things cast iron!

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We had a lovely day yesterday. I did the shopping at Sam’s while Mr. FixIt had his appointment. Then I had my annual mammogram. At the risk of a little TMI…losing thirty-three pounds made a HUGE difference in the comfort level. Compression wasn’t nearly as painful as it normally is. Ladies…please don’t put off preventive health care. We need to take care of ourselves or we can’t take care of anyone else.

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A nice early supper at our favorite diner and we were home before dark. The roofer comes today. AND….drumroll, please….today is the LAST day of open enrollment for Medicare so let’s hear it for reduced spam calls, emails, texts, and annoying 45 minute commercials that yammer on and on and on! Whew. Now…if the 2024 election was over, I’d be a really happy camper!

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📞

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”An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.“

\n2 Timothy 2:5 ESV\n
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Simply Joy…make it a mocha in this minimalist mug!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/12/07/popcorn-pancakes-and-the-perfectly.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/26/in-the-kitchenagain.html", "title": "In the Kitchen…Again!", "content_html": "\n
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I really love baking. It’s been awhile since I’ve baked a pie. Mainly because I haven’t been eating all that yummy stuff and truth be told, by sweetheart doesn’t need all that sugar either. When it came time to volunteer items to bring to our family dinner this afternoon, I elected to bring the Sour Cream Apple Pie as well as those yummy Brussels sprouts. I filmed the pie baking session and it recorded correctly this time. I’ll get that edited and posted as soon as I can.

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We had a lovely day here at home watching football and eating leftover turkey. I played on the computer, creating some designs and tweaking my Pinterest account. I haven’t spent a lot of time on there this year. When I went in to look at it, I was really amazed at how many pins I’ve managed to accumulate over the years. Pinterest is one of those places where you can find yourself going down a rabbit hole of delightful photos and cool projects. I have these great ideas. It’s just I can’t live the 200 years I’d need to do them all. I’m like everyone else…it’s all eye candy and dreams!

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My sister-in-law and her family went to the Michigan-Ohio game so that was really exciting. I kept looking for them when the camera panned the stands, but there were only about 110,000 people there was practically no chance I’d see them. But I can tell them I looked for them!

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This was one of those days that had me feeling nostalgic. I used the beautiful crocks my Aunt Peeps gave me many years ago. With the house smelling of apples and cinnamon, the Christmas tree twinkling in background, my sweet husband sitting opposite me talking to the football players with a running commentary, loved ones checking in… it made me happy to be alive and so very grateful for my many blessings.

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I hope you enjoy your day and it’s peaceful and relaxing.

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🎄

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“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

\nPsalm 118:24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/26/in-the-kitchenagain.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/22/holiday-preparations.html", "title": "Holiday Preparations", "content_html": "\n
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Breakfast here at Marshmallow Ranch is determined by Mr. FixIt’s blood sugar. When it’s low, he gets a nice, breakfast and yesterday we had French toast. I made a cooking video of the preparation, but my iPad is running critically low on memory. I need to do some housecleaning in there and get some room back before I can edit and post it.

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I had the afternoon to myself as Mr. FixIt went to town and I waited for the furnace dude. As I started decorating, I took some videos of my special ornaments I’ve toted around with me for decades. Again…no room on the iPad to edit, so they’ll have to wait, too. I didn’t put as many things out this year. I wouldn’t say I went minimalist, but I definitely went for a curated look. Mr. FixIt was really happy with it all when he got home.

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The heat exchanger was riddled with holes! It’s no wonder it didn’t work…and it’s a miracle we weren’t overcome by carbon monoxide!

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The furnace man came at 1:38 and was done at 3:10. He showed me the old heat exchanger and it was riddled with holes. When he was finished, I was happy to discover there was no more rank smell coming from the exhaust outside. I’m guessing our gas and electric bill will improve with the new efficient heat exchanger and every penny saved is a blessing.

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Noom gave me a day off yesterday so I didn’t have to record my food. I am nearing the end of the course and they are preparing me for living my life without their daily support. I’ve been down this particular path many times before. I’ve lost the same fifty pounds so many times, I’ve lost count. But, this time feels different. This time was more personal. I’ve been on weight loss programs before, but they were auditory based. I’m definitely a visual learner so reading the lessons every day, especially in the way Noom presents them, has had what I feel is a lasting, lifelong effect on me. This is the first time I’ve really felt confident his is a lifestyle change and not just a fad diet and I’m really excited by that. Again, if you decide you would like to try the app, you can use this link and get two free weeks and 20% off. And, I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can.   https://noom.com/r/JthjXSfaA 

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After Mr. FixIt got home, he helped me put all the boxes for the Christmas decorations back down in the basement so the living room is clean again. I seasoned the cast iron griddle for the second time and took a video of the process. I only need to season it one more time. I love how it came out, so I’m thinking of repeating the same process with my two favorite cast iron skillets and my griddle. They are getting tacky from the kind of oil I used and I’d like them to feel exactly like this new-to-me griddle feels.

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I was supposed to join my brother on Skype this week for his semi-annual IP meeting, but it’s been rescheduled for next week due to the holiday. I’ll spend some time in the kitchen today. Mr. FixIt will do the Turkey Trot on Thursday morning with our son’s family. I am more than likely going to stay home and start the turkey so we can have our own little Thanksgiving Dinner in the afternoon. Then the family gathering will happen on Sunday.

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If you are traveling this week, do be careful. There are supposed to be storms in the east and we want you all to be safe. My prayers for travel mercies go with you all. And if you’re staying home like I am, I hope you enjoy your day and give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy by  living in a free country!

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🍁🦃🍁

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“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,”

\nPsalm 50:14 ESV\n
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“Let’s Stay Home”… a different configuration of yesterday’s sweatshirt. I love the hygge vibe!

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/22/holiday-preparations.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/19/a-selfcare-day.html", "title": "A Self-Care Day", "content_html": "\n
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I don’t take off and go to town by myself as much as I used to. So, when I had a coffee scheduled with my gal-pals from high school, I took advantage of the occasion and made a day of it. There were eight of us at coffee and it was so good to get to see each one of them. We missed the ones who couldn’t be with us, but a good time was had by all who attended.

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We used to meet at the Blennerhassett Hotel in downtown Parkersburg, but the hotel went through a major renovation a couple of years ago and the space we used to meet in was converted to more tables for the restaurant. It’s a real shame because I so love that historic hotel. The ambience is rich and decadent and makes you feel like Queen for the Day.

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Instead, we gather in the meeting room of a local coffee shop. The room is a glassed in sunroom with a table that easily seats twelve. That is usually plenty of room for us, even though the menu is a tad pricey. I had a Steamer, which is nothing more than the steamed milk of your choice. I only drink almond milk now but for some reason, I decided to try soy. I really didn’t like it. And at $5, I think I’ll just order hot water next time. Or, maybe we’ll find another place for variety.

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We always find someone in the shop to take a group photo before people start leaving. Once the photo was taken, we started saying out goodbyes. Some of the gals decided to go over to “The Blenny” to see the trees on display so I tagged along. Different companies sponsor trees and the talents of the Mid Ohio Valley come out in a big way. Then, after the trees have been up for a couple of weeks, they are auctioned off for charity. I really enjoyed going with Sue and Brenda and Emily.

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Once we parted ways, I headed out to do a little shopping. We won’t be having the family Thanksgiving at our house this year. Our family Thanksgiving dinner will be at the Former Mrs. FixIt’s house on Sunday. One can’t have enough turkey at this time of year, and Mr. FixIt LOVES his turkey. I went to Sam’s and they didn’t have fresh turkeys. I’ve always had good luck with the turkeys at Walmart so I bought a little ten pound bird and some of the trimmings. That will satisfy my sweetheart and we’ll have plenty of leftovers.

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One of the things I always get at Sam’s is their ground turkey. I love to make my own turkey sausage with it. I mix two pounds of the ground turkey and add the sausage seasoning I buy at the Pig. I don’t think I added quite enough last time so I’m hoping this time it will be a little spicier. I fry the patties till they are almost done, then I package them with my vacuum Food Saver in servings of two and freeze them. Then, when I’m ready to make a hearty breakfast, all I have to do is pop the frozen packet in hot water and boil them. That finishes cooking the patties and they’re ready in about fifteen or twenty minutes.

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We’ll watch church online this morning, then enjoy each other’s company and watch football. I can knit and relax before the busyness of the week takes over. I hope your holiday plans include some self-care, too. You deserve it!

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🍁

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““Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.”

\nLeviticus 23:3 ESV\n
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No ad today. Have a blessed day!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/19/a-selfcare-day.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/18/knit-one-purl-two.html", "title": "Knit One, Purl Two", "content_html": "\n
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My knitting throne!

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I made a good breakfast yesterday and plopped myself in the Big Red Chair and knitted all day! What a treat! It felt weird…like I should be doing something else, but I stuck it out and got half a hat knitted. We watched old reruns and drank hot beverages and it was just so nice. It rained most of the day and it was so cozy under my blankie. I’m heading out to meet my high school girlfriends for coffee today. I’m cooking up some ideas in my head for Christmas gifts I can make. I don’t need to buy a thing because I bought those five boxes of fabric this summer and I have two tubs of yarn. I’m sure I can come up with something from all that!

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Since I took the day off, I’m taking the night off, too. I’ll leave you something from the archives and I’ll be back tomorrow. 

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\n[www.marshmallowranch.com/things-ma...](https://www.marshmallowranch.com/things-make-smile/)\n
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“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

\nMatthew 11:28 ESV\n
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A week from today is Small Business Saturday. Please support small businesses that day. You aren’t paying for hefty advertising budgets or the high overheads of big box stores. You’re helping a single mom put food on the table. You’re helping a young entrepreneur get their dreams off the ground. You’re helping a retiree supplement her fixed income for the little extras she can give her family. If you have a friend who has a small business, share their site on your social media page. It doesn’t cost anything but a few moments of your time and you’ve done a great deed in helping spread the word. No matter who you buy from, small business owners appreciate it so much…so, thank you from all of us! 

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/18/knit-one-purl-two.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/17/breathing-a-sigh-of-relief.html", "title": "Breathing a Sigh of Relief", "content_html": "\n
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Remember the photo I showed you last week…well, the living room is ready to be decorated for the holidays now! Whew…it took me forever!

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I’m telling you, having my living space messy and disorganized drives me buggy. However, having ADHD and being somewhere on the autism spectrum keeps me from keeping it neat and tidy. When it’s out of control, it’s completely overwhelming and it’s hard to even know where to start. Once I get a “wild hair” and get into it, I can get it done. It may take me three times longer than most people, but when Mr. FixIt came home from town yesterday to a clean and peaceful house, I could see the tension of the day melt off of him, too.

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My Big Red Chair is inviting me in for a day of knitting!

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One thing I do to keep me on task and soothe my runaway brain while I work is to put on soft, soothing music. I just ask Echo to play the Spa Channel and those beautiful sounds bring calm to my world and settles my hyper brain right down. That allows me to move rhythmically from one chore to the next and eventually it all gets done. I told Mr. FixIt that the front half of the house is clean now. He just needs to go through his side of the coat closet, and I need to work on the office. One room at a time and we ought to be in good shape by the holidays.

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A recent purchase sits on Mr. FixIt’s antique piano stool. I bought the birdhouse at Lonnie’s store in East Palestine this fall knowing it would look pretty by the back door.

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I didn’t have anything set out for supper so I looked in the freezer. I had the last two of those turkey burgers I made and froze last month. I asked him if that was good. He said yes, but he wanted French fries. So, he ran over to the Piggly Wiggly and bought a bag of frozen crinkle cut fries and I put them in the air fryer. I don’t used that appliance nearly as much as I should, but it’s the only way to make fries and they don’t break my diet.

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I also bought a primitive wire hat rack at Lonnie’s. I have my PopPop’s hat on display above his old lunch pail that sits beside Grandma’s church registry photo.

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It’s really nice to finish the day with a sense of satisfaction. A job well done boosts your self-esteem. I’m going to take today off and just enjoy my work. I want to pick up my knitting and have a calm and peaceful day. Mr. FixIt has been in town every day this week and he’s looking forward to not going anywhere, either. I wanted to thank you all for your kind words about the cooking video I posted. It’s made me think about others that I can do and maybe open up a whole new window into the world here at Marshmallow Ranch. 

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A cozy corner over by the big windows.

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Happy Friday, everyone! What are YOU doing for yourself to feel good today?

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🍁

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“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

\nProverbs 16:3 ESV\n
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Better be Good…Santa’s Watching! Simply stated design speaks for itself!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/17/breathing-a-sigh-of-relief.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/15/a-late-late-post.html", "title": "A Late, Late Post", "content_html": "\n
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I’m usually finished with my post by 10:30PM at the latest. Last night I didn’t even start till quarter to twelve! There isn’t an ounce of creativity left in me, I’m afraid. Mr. FixIt was gone all afternoon so I tore through the house like a mad woman. And STILL didn’t get that living room done. I made progress. But I kept getting distracted by sparkly things and just couldn’t help myself. 

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I made supper with that Cabbage Roll Casserole I shared with y’all a while back. It’s so quick and easy and really yummy. I worked all evening on a t-shirt design that came to me while I was cleaning. I kept thinking of the words of Christmas and started visualizing them in my head. Then I arranged them and voila! I came up with the CUTEST Christmas shirt and I’m sharing it before I head to bed. 

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I also wanted to share something I found the other day at the Kroger Store. I think I told you about it the other day, but if you haven’t ever seen it, you should try to find it. Pear’s Soap. It’s actually made in India and I used to buy it when I lived in England. That and Yardley and Crabtree & Evelyn. Pear’s soap is a translucent amber color and I love the smell it has some sort of fragrant herbs in it. If you ever find it, you should give it a try. It’s very gentle on the skin.

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I’ve also started using a new lotion to try to stay ahead of my inevitable “winter skin.” It isn’t greasy and I love how it makes my skin feel. I put it on at night so it has a chance to soak in while I sleep. My dermatologist recommended it so it’s got to be good, right?

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So, that’s all I’ve got today. I tried my hand at recording a cooking video but I’m going to have to do some serious editing! lol Do you all find you don’t like your voice on tape? I never have, even though others say nice things about it. So, maybe I’ll get brave one of these days and do one. I promise I’ll get an earlier start tomorrow.

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Wednesday and the week’s have over!

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🍁

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
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#Work, #WinterPrep, #Organizing

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Christmas Words! This design came to me yesterday while I was cleaning and it took me a long time to get the design just right. I love it!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/15/a-late-late-post.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/13/the-continuing-saga-of-the.html", "title": "The Continuing Saga of the Mouse Avenger", "content_html": "\n
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Posies by my doorstep, shining in the afternoon sun!

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I needed a hearty-ish breakfast to start my day. At the same time, I’m doing that bouncy thing on the scale. I’ve lost the same two pounds twelve time in the last three weeks. I know what it is. I’m not working outside like I was all summer and you cannot expect to lose at the same rate when you aren’t burning off the calories. Also, the more weight you lose, the harder it is to lose more. That’s because your metabolism slows down. I hauling thirty pounds less fat around with me every day, so just walking the same pace I did when I was thirty pounds heavier isn’t going to cut it.

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Mr. FixIt and I love grits. And, they are “Green” on the Noom list of foods so I’m encouraged to eat better. I watched Miss Brenda Gantt making her Southern Grits from Andalusia, Alabama and she puts a whole stick of butter and half a brick of cream cheese in hers. If I did that, they definitely wouldn’t be on the “Green Food” list, but ohhhhh, they would sure be scrumptious! I just cook them up in water with salt and a couple tablespoons of butter till they’re nice and thick.

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Once the grits are done, I take them off the heat and put a lid on them. Then I fry a couple of eggs with the smallest amount of oil in the skillet… just enough to keep them from sticking. Mr. FixIt likes his eggs over medium so I cook his up first. Sometimes we have a little ham or turkey sausage with it, but we passed on the meat yesterday. I want to get those two pounds off for good this time! I like my eggs over easy and I put mine right on top of the grits and mix it all together. It’s laruppin’ good as my grandma used to say!

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Neat as a pin, and not nearly as crowded as it used to be.

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I finished washing all the cups and mugs that were in the cupboard that had the mice in it. I scrubbed down the cabinet itself, then lined the shelves with that cushioned liner. I think it lasts longer and it’s cheaper than all the others. I don’t like to use self-adhesive shelf liner. After awhile it just gets gummy and the heat and humidity in the kitchen can actually make it shrink a little. Then the adhesive around the edges gets dirty and it’s a mess. With the cushioned liner, you can easily take it out and spray it off if it gets dirty then put it back in when it dries.

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I’ll trim that foam stuff off sometime this week. The cable is from an old under-the-cabinet TV.

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Mr. FixIt brought me a can of that expanding foam spray that you use to fill gaps in things. It’s a really pain to work with and you sure don’t want to get it on you because you’ll have to wait till it wears off. I dropped a little on the counter, but I picked up the excess with a paper towel then used a nylon scrubby and some grease cutter and got it off before it hardened. I had a hard time getting the stuff to spray up into the cracks around the board that was over the hole in the top of the cabinet. 

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We’re going to paint the kitchen in the spring, so we’ll paint the interior of the cabinets and put new plywood shelves in them. For now, this will have to do. It’s clean and safe, so that’s all we need.

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I found out the reason there was a hole in the first place was the roof leaked in that spot one time and Mr. FixIt had to get up in there to fix it. He had it up there good, but a mouse can get through the smallest space. I wore vinyl gloves while I was working with the spray foam so I just squirted it on my fingers and shoved it up in the crack. That works fine. Now, when it’s hard, I can go back with a knife and trim the excess off that expands out of the crack as it cures.

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This isn’t all that’s going to Restore. But it’s a good start!

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Once I had that all done, it was time to decide what was going to go back in the cabinet. I had already started the ball rolling by picking out three mugs I didn’t want anymore. We picked up each one and decided if we should keep it or let it go and I am so happy to say we filled a medium-sized tote full and I’ll take it to Restore for Habitat for Humanity. Now I can get back to the living room this week. I have already taken several tubs of camping stuff downstairs to the storage room and it’s looking better.

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I have a boat load of things to do this week. It’s time to renew the tags on my truck, get it inspected, get the oil changed and tires rotated, and I need to have the transmission flushed. The furnace part should be in this week so hopefully the repair man will be here to put it in and it fixes the problem. We also need to take Mr. FixIt’s truck to the dump to empty some old building materials he’s gathered then he gets to do all the same things with his truck soon.

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I looked around yesterday and thought how nice it will be when this is all finished and I can sit down and knit or make a quilt or bake cookies for the holidays or whatever my little heart desires. I never dreamed retirement would be this busy! I don’t know how I did all this plus work sixty hours a week and take care of my family. 

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But, before I start all that, I have knitting group this morning and I’m really looking forward to fellowshipping with my new friends. I hope your weekend was good and that you have something fulfilling to do this week!

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🍁

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“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

\nProverbs 13:4 ESV\n
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A friend wanted this ornament with the year on it so I thought I’d offer it here, as well.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-13T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/13/the-continuing-saga-of-the.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","In the Kitchen","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/09/oh-what-a-beautiful-day.html", "title": "Oh, What A Beautiful Day!", "content_html": "\n
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OMGosh! On a day like yesterday, all you can do is praise God for his artistry! I’m at the farm to work on the computer since the internet is lightning fast. And, I needed to get the lawn mowed for the very last time of the season. I always breathe a king-sized sigh of relief when it’s over for a few months. I don’t mind adding this yard to my list of chores to do every week. It’s my payment for the privilege of staying here whenever I want. 

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When I went out to start the mower, I was afraid it might not turn over. It is a little persnickety if you haven’t started it for a couple of weeks. And this had been awhile… maybe three weeks or so? It only took two or three cranks till the ol’ John Deere came to life and I set to mulching up what seemed to be every downed leaf in the county. When the leaves are so deep you’re just pushing them along, you need to run back and forth over them to kinda mash them down so they’ll go under the mower deck. Even with that, I had to mow over the entire yard twice to mulch everything down.

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When it’s done it looks so beautiful. Especially in the late afternoon sun when everything takes on a golden glow. It’s supposed to start raining today and get cooler so it was the last chance I would get to mow before the leaves turn to a flat layer of detritus that resembles leather. That can kill the grass and this house sits in a little holler. It doesn’t get much light as it is and stays wet. A layer of wet leaves would further deteriorate the creek bank as it would never dry out. It’s sinking down pretty bad the last few years. Frank and Beans should be here this afternoon. I hope they’ll get a chance to stop in for a quick visit. They’re the sweetest people.  

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You remember my dear friend Sparky who died a couple of years ago? Well, her son is a well tender in this neck of the woods and when I was out mowing, I saw him checking a well across the road. I turned off the mower and we had a nice roadside chat. It’s been almost two years since his mom died and then he lost his uncle this spring and his dad shortly after. He’s had a heck of a couple of years, but I was glad to see him doing so well. He looks so much like his mom it’s not funny. I just stared at his face and mannerisms while he talked and felt a little closer to Sparky, even if it was just for a few moments.

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You can see a video of these creatures on my YouTube Channel HERE.

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I swept the front porch and inside the house and got rid of a bunch of Asian Lady Beetles. I’m kind of amazed I didn’t see a single stink bug. As a matter of fact, there aren’t a lot of them at this house this year either. Maybe it just hasn’t been cold enough yet. The weather will be turning chilly again as the week progresses and I sure hope they get the part in for the furnace soon. We need to get that fixed in a hurry.

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Hey, have any of you used Zenni or any of the other eyeglass shops on the internet? I bought my first pair about three years ago maybe and my prescription changed this time. I went online and shopped. I bought a pair of pretty glasses with progressive bifocals with a wide angle along with a new carrying case and two pairs of clip on sunglasses…one for night driving and one for sunglasses. Grand total? $128.93 including tax and shipping! The cheapest glasses I could find in the optometric shop was $250 and that didn’t have any of the extras. Zenni offers a 10% senior discount, too! I’m all about getting the best I can for my money. I’ll let you know how they turn out!

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It should rain today, so I’m planning on sitting here in Grandma’s chair, in front of her window and watch the world go by. It’s awfully nice to have this peace and quiet. NO TV!!! I hope you’re having a good week!

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🍁

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“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

\nRomans 12:10 ESV\n
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Soon there will be snowflakes falling instead of leaves. Here’s a sweet Norwegian inspired Christmas Ornament. These make great hostess gifts or a gift exchange with your girlfriends.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-09T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/09/oh-what-a-beautiful-day.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/08/a-respite-at-the-farm.html", "title": "A Respite at The Farm", "content_html": "\n
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The sun was setting when we came out of the grocery store.

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Mr. FixIt had a followup visit with our PCP to see how he’s doing after his bout with Covid. We were glad to hear he’s doing great and we can hug again! That was a long stretch and we didn’t like it. Everyone needs human touch. I remember when I lost Mr. Virgo, I had my doctor write out a prescription for massages and I went every week. I needed that to help me heal.

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We accomplished about half of the things on the list with three stops and a dinner out at our favorite diner. Social distancing and masks are the rule now. My poor sweetheart doesn’t want to get that again! I got my RSV shot yesterday at Sam’s. So I’m covered for the four big diseases you want to avoid when you’re of a certain age. Flu, pneumonia, covid, and RSV. So far, I haven’t even had a real cold since the Covid lockdown and I really like not being sick. 

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When we finally got home, it was dark. I helped Mr. FixIt bring in our purchases of the day and put them away. Then I packed up some things and headed out to the farm. It’s supposed to 80° today and I need to mow one last time out here then I can put mowing behind me till next year. I got my bags unpacked, stowed my food for the next three days, then I had to sweep up all the dead Asian Lady Beetles off the floors. I had an exterminator come out here in 2016 to spray for fleas and whatever they used seems to also kill these retched things. It IS a little disconcerting to know whatever they used is still this potent seven years later! 

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When there is a light on, the beetles fly around up at the ceiling and they make a tic, tic, tic sound. This takes me back to the night I arrived here for my mother’s funeral. My Aunt Rosie flew in with me and we rented a car in Charleston to drive out here. There was only one bed to sleep in so she and I shared a double bed. We were so afraid to go to sleep for fear our months would gape open and we’d swallow one of these miserable vermin. We lay there for hours listening to the the sound of them buzzing around. It still sends shivers up my spine. I have learned if you keep a light on in the farthest room away from you and keep your room dark as a tomb, they stay away from you, but I brought earplugs… just in case!

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I’ll stay here till Friday morning. Mr. FixIt has an appointment in town on Friday so I need to get the truck back to him. Once I mow, I can take advantage of this lightning fast internet and get some things done much faster than I can at home. 

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🍁

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“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

\nPsalm 127:2 ESV\n
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The same sweet Santa on the ornament has popped onto the perfect mug for you winter hot beverage. There’s a surprise on the other side… a darling little elf came along with Santa to help out!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-08T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/08/a-respite-at-the-farm.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Writing","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/11/01/novembrrrrrrr.html", "title": "Novem-BRRRRRRR!", "content_html": "\n
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Just a small fraction of the elephant ears I pulled up yesterday.

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Yes, it’s getting pretty darned cold in West Virginia the next few days. The bad news is…the furnace is not fixed. We’ve tried everything. We went to town yesterday…Mr. FixIt riding shotgun with a mask. (It was a clever Halloween costume!) We went to the furnace parts store and the lady at the desk said not to waste our money buying more parts. The Furnace Doctor diagnosed the problem as a bad heat exchanger. NOT a cheap fix. However, the good news is, the repairman will be here on Thursday morning!!! We did our best. It’s time to call in the pros!

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We are about a week late in getting the winter preparations done here at Marshmallow Ranch. Yesterday was the last day to get the Elephant Ear bulbs up out of the ground before it freezes and kills them. Mr. FixIt has always done this particular job. He cuts down the green tops of the plant then digs up the bulbs. There’s always a lot of dirt left on them. Then he puts them in bins and puts them in the basement to dry and keep safe over the winter.

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I am always looking for an easier, simpler way to do things. Not that I’m afraid of hard work or that I want to take the easy way. It’s more like a “work smarter, not harder” mentality. So, I stood there looking at the long row of plants with a machete in my hand. I cogitated a bit, then the light bulb went on. I got a bucket and filled it with water. Then I went along the row and pulled each plant up by the tough green stems. 

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We’ve been improving this particular section of the yard yearly by adding a bag or two of loose, rich top soil. Since it rained this week and the soil is more porous, The bulbs came up quite easily. Once they were all up and laying on the ground, I swished each of them one at a time in the water, removing all the dirt from the roots. Then I chopped off the green part with the machete and threw the bulb into the plastic bin. Voila! While it was still a lot of work, it was MUCH easier than taking the shovel to them. Mr. FixIt was impressed and said from now on, we’ll pull them up! 

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Cleaned, trimmed, and ready to go to the basement to store over the winter. This is one of three bins!

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When we were finished with the bulbs, I cleaned some of the black walnuts. I am NOT going to clean and shell three bushels of nuts. The squirrels are having a big time hiding them in the woodpile. I did get a bucket full and that might give me enough nuts to bake a batch of Grandma’s Raisin Filled Cookies that I can take to my Uncle Bud. He loved those and Grandma always had a batch ready for him when he came for a visit.

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As soon as we were done, we had to run into town to pick up prescriptions. I have decided “adulting” consists of two things: going to town to pick up prescriptions and cleaning up after cooking a meal so you can cook another meal and do the dishes so you can cook another meal and do the dishes so you can cook another meal….ad infinitum till you’re dead. And I SO clearly remember saying I couldn’t WAIT to grow up then I could do what I wanted! lol

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November is NaNoWriMo. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s really a thing. National Novel Writing Month was initiated in 1999 as a way for writers to encourage each other to finish all those WIP’s…works in progress. The book I wrote after Mr. Virgo died has been simmering on the back burner for at least six or seven years. It’s time to actually DO something with it. My daughter-in-law is a writer and she always does something for NaNoWriMo. She knows I’ve been sitting on this particular fence for a long time and contacted me a week or so ago. She wanted to know if I’d like to be writing buddies….a sort of accountability partner to keep each other motivated. I was all over it! So, I’ve informed Mr. FixIt this is it…I’ve committed to writing every day in November and he’s behind me 100%.

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It’s the perfect week to hole up in the office and get creative. Keep the tea kettle on!!!

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👩🏼‍💻

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“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

\nColossians 3:17 ESV\n
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Legend has it that when a cardinal appears, an angel is visiting their loved one. I’ve always loved the sentiment of that and think of my loved ones who’ve gone before me every time I see that flash of red in the snow.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/11/01/novembrrrrrrr.html", "tags": ["Writing","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/10/27/thank-you-for-the-prayers.html", "title": "Thank you for the Prayers!", "content_html": "\n
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They worked! Mr. FixIt felt MUCH better yesterday. He still didn’t eat a lot, but I got plenty of fluids in him and he had a big bowl of homemade Jewish penicillin (chicken soup) last night with a piece of cornbread hot out of the oven. He’s far from well, but he’s SO much better! I’m telling you, he scared me to death Wednesday night. He could hardly walk and I had to half carry him to the bedroom. He only kept the anti-viral down an hour, but I think enough got in him, along with the prayers, to help him turn the corner, so I am in your debt.

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My test looked ever so slightly positive to me on Wednesday, but yesterday’s was absolutely negative. I still feel achy, but maybe it’s sympathy pains for my sweetheart. We didn’t do much of anything yesterday. I finished the pantry and cleaned up the kitchen from the mess. And that feels SO much better. I told Mr. FixIt, in order to keep it in this condition, we need to do one shopping trip a week…from a list. And if he stops to pick up things for me, he has to stick to the list. You see all those noodles up there on the second shelf? And all that cereal on the top shelf? Well, he’s incredibly helpful and when he stops at the store, he buys things that he thinks we might need. That’s how we get seven cans of corn and ten cans of green beans. lol

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Since it’s organized, it surely makes cooking a lot easier. I went through the freezer on Tuesday, so we can actually use the food in there now and the items in the pantry are easily visible and accessible. When I went to the pharmacy on Wednesday night, I picked up some clear storage, vacuum sealed storage containers to keep from getting pantry moths again. As a person on the autism spectrum, I have a difficult time with organizing, but I get a wild hair from time to time and miracles happen!

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I received my beautiful new cookbook yesterday. Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley is a treasure trove of folklore and foodways of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. West Virginia is on the northern end of that mountain chain, so many of the food terms were familiar to me. My Pop-Pop called a bottle of pop (soda) by an old timey term…dope. This stems from the days when Coca Cola had cocaine in it. When Grandma tasted something she really loved, she smiled and remarked it was larrupin’ good and licked her lips. Quantitative terms like mess , passel, pinch, scootch, sliver, smattering, smidgen, tad, and tetch were commonly used in our country kitchen. Reading the glossary took me back to my early days on the farm. Reading about eating “a mess of turnip greens and a pone for supper” had me dragging out my favorite iron skillet to make a pone (cornbread) of my own. Oh, the kitchen smelled wonderful and it was enough to stimulate Mr. FixIt’s appetite so he could eat a little something.

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Nesting in the fall has me longing to cook and bake which I can still do while I’m watching my calories. I just need to make adjustments, eat smaller portions, and keep within my calorie budget. That’s what I love about Noom…there are NO bad foods. I truly can eat anything I want. Nothing is off limits. I just have to be smart about it. Yesterday, I hit a new low weight and have now lost 31.6 pounds. If you are interested in talking to me about Noom…or any other method of creating a sensible diet plan, just send me a private message. I can get you a code that will give you two free weeks and a reduced price. I’ve tried a dozen different weight loss plans, but Noom is the first that feels not only doable, but sustainable. I’m hopeful. And I’m feeling so much better…not counting the aches a pains of the last couple of days. Let’s hope I keep from getting “the ‘vid”.

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I went out yesterday afternoon to pick some of the beautiful milkweed seed that I found when I was mowing. I spread some throughout both pollinator gardens and some along the perimeter of our fields. I’m hoping to keep building up my plants through gathering wild seed from the area…which is free.

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Gotta love free stuff!

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🍁

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““Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”

\nJoel 2:23 ESV\n
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We Are All Snowflakes…Each Different in Our Own Beautiful Way

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Shop Now

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This monstrous sycamore is right across the dirt road from the near field.

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I feel like the ant…busy, busy, busy getting things ready for winter. Putting things to bed for the year. Clearing out the old and unusable stuff out of the pantry and the freezer. Today is trash day and I throw the old foodstuffs out the night before so as to keep the neighborhood wildlife at bay. 

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I’ve never been good about going through the pantry and cleaning it out. I have a gazillion other things that seem to take priority. But since I deep cleaned the kitchen, the pantry was the next logical thing. I had noticed pantry moths this fall, and I can’t have that. I have a pair of really expensive LLBean washed wool slippers. I hadn’t seen them for a while and found them under our bed…moth eaten! It broke my heart. So, I’m cleaning like a mad woman. 

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Mr. FixIt found a good deal on ground turkey at Sam’s club the other day. Five pounds (two 2.5 pound packages) is usually $15.92 but he got it for $13 and change. I needed to do something with it yesterday other than my usual MO…stuff it in the freezer before it goes bad. That’s a bad habit because so many times it just sits in there and gets freezer burn. I’m making a pledge to reduce the amount of food that gets thrown away. It’s terrible! Since I was puttering in the kitchen anyway, I got busy and did some cooking. 

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I bought some Pork Sausage Seasoning at the Piggly Wiggly last night. It had 8 ounces in a packet. Zero calories. I had to do some math to figure out how much to put in with one package of two-and-a-half pounds of 93% lean ground turkey. I also added 1.5 cup of Panko crumbs, 1 cup of self rising flour, and two eggs as an extender. It made sixteen good sized patties at 177 calories a patty. I had one for breakfast and put the rest in servings of 2-3 patties in vacuum seal bags for the freezer.

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I still had two-and-a-half pounds of ground turkey left so I mixed up much the same recipe but used different spices to make turkey burgers. We had that for supper. It made ten bigger patties for only 282 calories each. They are also in vacuum seal bags. I fried the sausage patties and the turkey burgers for a few minutes on each side to get the browned look, then finished them by baking in a 350° oven for 20 minutes. I turned them over and baked for another 5-10 minutes to make sure they were cooked through, but not too dry. Both kinds of patties came out really good but I was especially pleased with the sausage. We usually eat Jimmy Dean’s or Butterball Turkey Sausage and I am not happy with their seasonings. These tasted all the world like pork sausage patties.

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I went out on the mower late yesterday afternoon and started mulching up the leaves along the hedgerow…keeping a weather eye out for the bear, of course. I saw more fresh sign and have paid special attention to the trees and underbrush. I found a place down by the creek that had been dug up by something BIG, but not sure why. We have a lot of voles down in that area of the field. 

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It’s time to start looking for seed for the pollinator gardens for next year. My friend Aimee is an Education and Outreach Specialist at West Virginia Conservation Agency and has the 411 on all things pollinator. She’s guided me to Ernst Seed to look for heliopsis. I’ve protected my five little milkweed plants with my life and they have opened with a proliferation of seed. Aimee says in three years, it will be everywhere!!! I’m praying for monarchs!

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🍁

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“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

\nGalatians 6:9 ESV\n
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The calories between Christmas and New Years don’t count nearly as much as the calories between New Years and Christmas! This cute sweatshirt is perfect for those Cookie Exchange Parties!!!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/10/25/cleaning-out-the-pantry-and.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/10/24/testing-out-my-theory.html", "title": "Testing Out my Theory", "content_html": "\n
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Who wants some black walnuts?

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I decided yesterday that I had better pick up the walnuts from out in the field. Maybe that will discourage the bear from taking up residence here. I found an old cat litter bucket and took that out. I filled it up in five minutes and didn’t make a dent in the number of walnuts. Mr. FixIt found me a 7.5 gallon bucket. I filled it up and hadn’t left the first tree yet. I rummaged around in the building and came up with an old enamel canner and a plastic washtub. I got about three bushels! I got all the walnuts picked up that were in the mowing area of the field but there are still plenty on the trees and in the underbrush of the hedgerow. Copperheads look exactly like fallen leaves so I did NOT mess around in there. We’ll leave those to the wildlife and hope for the best. I will say, the cat was hissing all around the first tree. She went cautiously to the edge of the creek bank and looked over, but whatever she was smelling wasn’t there at the moment. That being said, I found three or four big piles of bear scat so they are frequenting our fields, for sure.

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Mr. FixIt had an appointment in town yesterday morning early and he was so kind to let me sleep in. When I cleaned the kitchen before our big trip, I wanted to tackle the pantry, but I ran out of time. I took advantage of my sweetie being away and I tore through the cans and boxes, tossing some, giving some away that no longer meet our dietary preferences, and started cleaning the shelves.

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She is so unbelievably tiny! Her litter mates are three times her size!

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I had a grocery list for Mr. FixIt and he also needed to stop at the furnace parts store. He and two other guys poured over the schematics of our model of furnace and they finally came up with what part needed replaced. Mr. FixIt got home and in ten minutes he had the furnace up and running. I had to leave the rest of the pantry for today because we had another errand to run.

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We headed to town because a drain line is blocked in our rental house so we had to work on that a bit. Then we went over to visit the Former Mrs. FixIt. She has a new puppy…a mixed breed. It has Mountain Feist in it…a breed I’d never heard of. This little girl is the runt of the litter and when I say she’s little…I’m not kidding! She’s no bigger than your hand and weighs less than a pound at two months!

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She has a familiar mark on her back so she named her Minnie!

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But, when we got back from town, the furnace blew hot air for about five minutes and stopped, just like it did the first time. I know Mr. FixIt can do this…he can do anything! He’ll keep trying. We have a couple of security cameras around our house, so I set up a trap of sorts. I made sure there were walnuts within sight of both of the cameras so maybe we’ll catch that bear red handed…or is it pawed? We didn’t let Pumpkin out of the building till around 10:00 and put her inside long before the sun started to sink low over the far ridge across the creek. So, we’ll see!

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On our way home, we stopped for Chinese food. I’ve lost thirty pounds now and that meal was a huge treat for me. The nice thing is, I’m learning to pay closer attention to my hunger cues. Too many times I was eating because it was TIME to eat whether I was really hungry or not. Or, because I was feeling peckish and I would graze until my mouth was satisfied. Or I would eat because I was bored or sad or angry. Isn’t it weird to be seventy years old and just learn these things about yourself? It just goes to show you, we never stop learning. If I’m on the right side of the grass, I want to be learning something!

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🍁

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“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”

\nProverbs 6:6-8 ESV\n
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His Mercies are New Every Morning

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Shop Now

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Well, I was going to lead this with the second photo, but didn’t want to gross y’all out too bad right from the get go before coffee and all. Mr. FixIt went to town to chat with his buddies last evening and I worked on getting the camper ready for winter. I was thinking of camping one more weekend, but I just don’t think I have it in me. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m about camped out for the year! Crazy, right?!

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Anyway, I was making trips out to the camper and bringing back tubs of stuff and I almost stepped in a big pile of fresh bear scat! Right in front of the camper door!!! Yikes! I do have bear spray handy, but never even thought I might have to use it in my own backyard. I really think that was what Pumpkin was getting all hairy about on Saturday when she was on high alert. We are extra careful of Pumpkin during the days leading up to Halloween because she’s black. But we’ll put her in her building early and let her out late in the coming weeks till the bears go into hibernation.

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I have all the food stuffs out of the camper except for what’s in the fridge. I’ll take that out and clean it in the morning. I’ve winterized the water system in the camper with that pink RV Antifreeze you see gallons of at Walmart in the fall. I emptied out all the bathroom and kitchen cabinets and the underbelly storage. I need to empty the bedroom cabinets and just keep the barest essentials in there because I still like to go out in the afternoons and nap in the winter. I even get brave and sleep out there from time to time when the weather isn’t too harsh.

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I got a notification last evening and we had our first frost forecast. Honestly, it’s almost Halloween…it’s time for the frosts to come. I hate to see the pretty leaves fall. But fall they must. I’ve come to the conclusion that winter will come whether I like it or not. I can accept it and embrace it or I can be grumpy. Either way, winter will come. I think I’ll just roll with it! 

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And watch out for bears!

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🍁

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“The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.”

\nIsaiah 11:7 ESV\n
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Keeping with the animal theme of the day, here’s one of my latest designs for my shop.

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Shop Now

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“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

\nProverbs 28:1 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/10/23/pumpkin-kitty-is-a-guard.html", "tags": ["Camping","Grace","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/10/22/the-language-of-cats.html", "title": "The Language of Cats", "content_html": "\n
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This cat always looks ticked off…bless her little Pumpkin head.

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It’s been almost four years since Pumpkin Kitty graced us with her presence. It’s been a bit of a rocky road between her and me. She’s definitely a Daddy’s girl, but when he’s not around, she loves to mark me as her own with lots of head bumps and rubs against my legs. She’s still finicky about touch. If she’s in the mood, she wants you to pet her…but she kinda wants to bite you, too. I really don’t get cats. Now dogs? They speak my language. “Love me, love me, love me!” Cats are more like, “Oh, look. The can opener is back.”

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The very first photo of Pumpkin Kitty…Halloween 2019.

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When we were gone, the Former Mrs. FixIt came to check in on Pumpkin and make sure she was happy and well fed, had clean water and litter box. According to Daughter #2, Cat Mom Extraordinaire, cats only know two people…Mom and Not Mom. Or in Pumpkin’s case…Dad and Not Dad. When Not Dad shows up to feed her and love on her, she’s not havin’ it. Food, yes. You wanna pet me? I have two moods….1. Namaste 2. I will cut you. Former Mrs. FixIt still comes and feeds her…God bless her.

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She is the Queen Kitty of Marshmallow Ranch!

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The night after we got home, there was a break in the rain and I went out during the golden hour to take some pictures of the leaves changing. Somewhere along the way, I turned around and there was Mr. FixIt watching me. Where Mr. FixIt goes, Pumpkin is not far behind. We were commenting about the bumper crop of walnuts this year and walked down toward the end of the far field to check them out. The further we got out in the field, I notice Pumpkin was getting more and more agitated.

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This is the only time she laid on me and slept. She’s Miss Independent!

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I’ve never seen her act quite like this. She was standing straight as a pointer, staring into the hedgerow. Her tail was flicking and she kept looking back at us. When we got closer to the hedgerow ourselves, she came straight at us with the hair up on her back, hissing at us. I knew something was wrong so I told Mr. FixIt, “Don’t try to touch her or pick her up. She’s not having any of that. She wants us out of here.” So we backed up and headed back to the house. The closer we got to the house, the more relaxed Pumpkin became and by the time we were at the door, she was head butting me and rubbing on my legs.

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Watching the world go by.

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I puzzled over this for a while and came to the conclusion there was something out there that she felt was threatening. When she was very young, she got in a fight with a neighbor cat and ended up in the Kitty ER getting a hole in her side fixed up. It occurred to me I never see her down at that end of the field. I called Daughter #2 to get her take and she agreed…Pumpkin was decidedly uncomfortable with us being down there. She had been trying to alert me with the tail flicks and the staring with her head held high and the looks back at us. She was saying, “Let’s not go down there. It’s kinda scary and I don’t like it.” When we didn’t pick up on that, she elevated the conversation to, “HEY! I’m telling you…we do NOT want to go down there!!!” Finally, she flat out came lunging at us, spitting and hissing with fur flying screaming, “GET OUT OF HERE!”

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Licking her chops because Dad just gave her a treat!

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Yes, cats are much more complicated than dogs. Higher maintenance, to be sure. But I’m beginning to understand her better. Maybe it’ll be more of a “Love…Kinda” relationship when I learn how to speak Cat.

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The rest of the day was uneventful. I had to do some work in the camper and on the computer. And at 4:00 Eastern, Big’s swim meet started. I watched on the computer in the office. The Women’s team won the meet, which was exciting. And Big got second place in two of her four events, which made this Nana proud!

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It’s so fun to watch Big compete!

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It was a really good day. The sun came out. Mr. FixIt still can’t figure out the furnace problem, but I have faith in him. He’ll get it done…not to worry!

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🍁

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“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”

\nProverbs 12:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/10/22/the-language-of-cats.html", "tags": ["Family","The Cats","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/10/21/cold-and-rainy-days-call.html", "title": "Cold and Rainy Days Call for Comfort Food!", "content_html": "\n
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A sesame seed brioche bun is the perfect canvas for this savory pulled pork topped with Duke’s Moonshine Barbecue Sauce.

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There’s something so cozy about a chilly, rainy day in West Virginia. The clouds are  grey and heavy with rain. Periodic downpours plink-plink-plink on the exhaust pipes stick out of the roof. I spent the morning on the computer in the office. I didn’t accomplish much other than cleaning and organizing so I can work more easily. I brought some more things in from the camper…my knitting, primarily. But I didn’t take the time to work on it. I will soon.

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After tossing the chunks of pork in the dry rub to coat evenly, the initial sear creates a crust on the meat that keeps the flavor sealed in!

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When Mr. FixIt went to town on Thursday, I asked him to get me a good sized Boston Butt roast. We both love roast pork. Sometimes I just make it fairly unseasoned so I can serve it in several different ways. But when I’m feeling all bougie-like, I make Dutch Oven Pulled Pork from Our Salty Kitchen.  Honestly, it’s the best pulled pork I’ve ever made and is a reliable recipe, time after time. We had pulled pork sandwiches last night for supper. SO delicious!

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You only add one half cup of water to the Dutch oven and the meat braises in it’s own juices, rendering down into its own “barbecue sauce.”

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Another taste treat I pull out of the cupboard on cold days is my faithful tin of Blue Lotus Chai. It is a traditional Masala Chai. It’s something to be savored. I love it, but I’ve had this same tin for ages. I divvy it out like gold. I was really feeling it yesterday because I had THREE cups! I’ll probably be buzzing all night! I usually add a decaf teabag to the cup for a little richer flavor. Sweeten how you like. And I used about a quarter cup of Silk Original Almond Milk. I worked at the desk, sipping my chai, and listening to the rain out the window. What an incredibly relaxing afternoon!

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Masala Chai…it comes with its own tiny wooden spoon for measuring out about a quarter teaspoon per cup.

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This is such a treat…slowing down and nesting after being on the go since…well, all year, really. Mr. FixIt went to town yesterday to get a part for the furnace and, unfortunately, that didn’t fix the problem. It’s supposed to be pretty chilly this weekend and we’ll probably be doing without the furnace, but I have all the trust in the world in my husband’s abilities. He can fix anything!

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Mmmmmm….leftovers!

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Today will probably be spent much the same way. I do need to do some designs for the shop and get back in the swing with that. I kind of slacked off during our trip. I’m sure the rain and wind will bring down much of the beautiful color we saw earlier in the week. The woods look so lonely and bare when they’ve been stripped of their foliage. That’s when the long, dark nights of winter become a little harder to take. I’m vowing to keep myself active and occupied all winter so I don’t get the “grey gloomies” like I usually do!

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🍁

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“Give us this day our daily bread,”

\nMatthew 6:11 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/10/21/cold-and-rainy-days-call.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/10/19/so-much-has-changed-since.html", "title": "So Much Has Changed Since We Left", "content_html": "\n
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Looking across one of the pollinator gardens to the near field.

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When we left for our trip, you saw an occasional leaf turning. You felt the crispness in the air. You knew fall was right around the corner. When we got up yesterday morning, it was grey and dismal. No rain. By afternoon, the sun broke through and it was a stellar fall day here at Marshmallow Ranch. 

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Just Across the Dirt Road Along the Near Field

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I had to run to town midday to pick up the mail they’ve been holding. I stopped by the courthouse to leave my personal property information at the appraiser’s office. Then I ran into a little antique and junk shop tucked away on a side street of our little village. As always, I found some things that had to come home with me. There was a really nice pair of Herman Survivor Boots that were just a little too big for me, but I’m sure someone in the family can wear them. I couldn’t pass them up for the price. I found some things I can use for decorating and for gift giving. I have always wanted one of those friend plates. It has a lovely verse about enjoying the goodies on it, then refilling it with your own baked goods and sending the plate on to the next recipient. 

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The Far Ridge on the Other Side of the Two Lane Blacktop

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I had to stop at the Piggly Wiggly for some staple since the fridge was bare. That’s one of the upsides of having an uber clean refrigerator…when you go away, you don’t come home to a bunch of science experiments. As I wandered the aisles, I chatted with this person and that. A lady stopped me and said, “You seem pretty happy.” I told her we just got home from a two week camping trip the night before and I was on top of the world. She smiled and patted my arm. “I’ll ask you again in a week.” Yeah…this high is wearing off soon. Even with the furnace on the fritz.

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The Blueberry Bush

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Mr. FixIt worked on it most of the day yesterday and wasn’t any closer to an answer other than the igniter isn’t getting any juice. He’s the handiest man to have around and I’m sure he’ll figure it out in no time. I brought home fixin’s for chili. Mr. FixIt and I haven’t been eating much red meat anymore. I found two huge chicken breasts on sale at the store and brought them home. I got out my handy new/old meat grinder that I bought on our trip to Colorado and ground them up. I cooked the ground chicken just like ground beef and made the chili for a lot less calories. It was great!

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The Hedgerow Along the Front Creek

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With the leftovers tucked away in the fridge, I noticed it was the golden hour so I went outside to catch some shots of the colors around us. There’s not a photo that does it justice. I walked the perimeter of the far field and noticed we have a bumper crop of walnuts again this year. I’ll go out with a bucket before the rains on Friday and pick them up. There’s a ton more on the trees. I counted FIVE walnut trees, just loaded for bear!

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The Last of the Pollinator Blossoms

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As I was marveling and taking photos, I turned around and there was Mr. FixIt just watching me and smiling. He just makes my heart do loop-de-loops when he smiles that smile at me. This trip away was good for us…no daily distractions like broken furnaces or some such nuisance. It’s so sweet to fall in love with your spouse all over again.

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The Hedgerow Along the Back Creek

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I have a couple of deadlines to meet today. Mr. FixIt has to go to town for a few things, so I’ll stay home and work on the computer and enjoy the view out the office window. There’s supposed to be a turn in the weather tomorrow.

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🍁

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“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

\nEphesians 4:32 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/10/19/so-much-has-changed-since.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","Marriage","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/27/its-time-to-nest.html", "title": "It’s Time to Nest", "content_html": "\n
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I have torn the family room apart. I’m deep cleaning it in preparation for the holiday season. I hung some more of the pretty samplers I bought this year. I figured out a way to get a handle on all the power cords I use when I sit down in my Big Comfy Chair to work on my Etsy Shop. I found an old rectangular basket big enough to hold my power strips and cords. I cut a hole in one end and ran the power cord out the back of the basket and plugged it in. The top is not covered so the power strip won’t overheat, and the sides are high enough you can’t readily see in it. I’m finally hanging things on the walls. They really need a good coat of paint, but I’ll put that off till next year. The room is in that “looks worse than than it did before” stage right now.

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Mr. FixIt had to go to town yesterday for an appointment so I asked if he would mind picking up some things at the grocery store for me. I wrote out a list and sent it via text. I remembered to add something so I reminded him to be sure to look at BOTH lists. I asked for three one pound tubes of ground turkey. So, he came home with ONE three pound tube of ground beef. What is it about men that they can’t read a grocery list? He brought home two boxes of Corn Chex. While he was unloading things, I went to the pantry and picked up the box we already had in there and poured all of them into two Rubbermaid cereal canisters. He said, “Oh, I didn’t know we had that.” I asked if it was on the list. Nope. 

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Bless his heart.

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I know there are men out there who wouldn’t even try! And lawsy me…I know for certain I’ve come home with things we didn’t need and forgot to get what we did! We’ve got one good brain between us and I am so grateful I have a partner who cares enough to try.

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Since we had all that hamburger, I decided to make him a nice meatloaf for supper. I’ve never really made good meatloaf, so I looked up a recipe on the Food Network Kitchen app. I heated up a jar of my home canned half-runner beans and cooked some farfalle pasta. I dressed it simply with butter and grated parmesan cheese. It was SO yummy. Here’s a link for the meatloaf.

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I left the dishes to soak and ran out and mowed till it was too dark to see, then came back in and cleaned the kitchen. And with that, I was spent. It was time to sit down and write to you good people to see how your week is going. We are running to town today to have our eye exams. It’s not till the afternoon so I’m hoping I can get some more of the grass mowed. We have more rain coming in later in the week and I was hoping to get it done beforehand. Not sure I’ll make it.

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We head to the beach a week from today. We are keeping a weather eye out for hurricanes. It could go either way, but at least we will be prepared in case there is smooth sailing.

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Oh, and here’s a new one for me. This is a Pigeon Horntailed Wasp. Even though they looke pretty nasty, they cannot sting people. Pumkin was playing with this one, then I got busy mowing so I am not sure of its fate. Such is life in the country!

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?

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“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”

\nProverbs 13:4 NIV\n
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To Every Thing There is a Season

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/27/its-time-to-nest.html", "tags": ["Family","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/10/getting-things-done.html", "title": "Getting Things Done", "content_html": "\n
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When Mr. FixIt and I were drinking our morning beverages yesterday, he asked if I wanted to go to town with him. Our Bonus Daughter and her daughter were having a yard sale. Our only great granddaughter was selling lemonade so, of COURSE we had to go. Clearly I had other things lined up that need doing before I head out to camp with Gail tomorrow, but the biggest takeaway from losing Mr. Virgo is just how quickly it all can change. I slipped on my tennies and we were off.

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Fortunately, it didn’t turn into a terribly long day. We had a wonderful time. The kids were playing on the porch. Little Girl and I played Princesses and Little Boy showed me his Slime. The Former Mrs. FixIt was there. Once it was time to go, Mr. FixIt and I stopped at some garage sales down the street and The Former Mr. FixIt was right behind us. We looked at all the treasures and ended up splitting a set of knives. Neither one of us needed all of them.

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At the last sale, we ran into another guy we graduated with. In the course of conversation, there were two other women there who were widows. I made a beeline for them and gave them a hug and asked how they were doing. If you know, you know. We get it. We’re in a club we didn’t ask for. When they learned I went on and married my bestie from high school, they both said they didn’t think that was in the cards for them. 

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It may not be. Not everyone who becomes a widow or a widower want or need to be in a relationship again. But you never know when God is going to drop someone on your doorstep. If you’re open to another relationship, you’ll likely notice them. If you aren’t, you may not even see that ship that passes in the night. Either way, it’s ok. You’ll know if it’s right for you or not.

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We stopped at Mary B’s on the way home and had a quick early supper. I almost always get Liver and Onions there. It’s such a comfort food, hearty, and feels like a total splurge while not really being that high in calories. We got home and looked at a couple of episodes of a series we’ve been watching lately. It’s about solving cold cases. That kind of show appeals to my science side and my data gathering skills. I popped some popcorn and then just about finished the kitchen. I still need to wipe down the cabinets, clean the stove and oven, and mop the floor.

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Whew, this was quite a chore! I’m really glad to be past this job. It’s a lot easier to keep a room clean, a little at a time every day, than it is to tear it apart and do a deep cleaning. Hopefully we’ll keep up with it. Now I can spend some time getting the camper ready to leave tomorrow for four days and nights of relaxation, knitting, checking out antique shops, and doing whatever our little hearts desire. I think I’ve earned this little getaway!

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Today is Mr. Virgo’s birthday. He would have been 73 today. That is hard for me to imagine. He will always be 62 years old in my head. I don’t often dwell on his loss anymore. It doesn’t really serve me and ends up just making me sad. So, I throw myself into a project and think it through in bites…just like getting through the project. By the time I’m through, I have something beautiful to look back on and I’m here…in this moment.

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Living a good life.

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Happy Birthday, Mr. Virgo! 

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?

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“She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.”

\nProverbs 31:27 NLT\n
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No ads today. Enjoy your Sunday!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/10/getting-things-done.html", "tags": ["Grief","Gratitude","Choices","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/08/diving-deep-in-the-fridge.html", "title": "Diving Deep in the Fridge", "content_html": "\n
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There aren’t too many tasks that I truly loathe, but one of them is cleaning the refrigerator. I hate wasting food and I always end up throwing stuff away. I hate the idea of opening one of those plastic tubs and see a science experiment in there that would have really pleased my 8th grade science teacher. (Shhhh…I’ve been known to toss it, plastic container and all!) Ugh!

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Mr. FixIt left early and headed to town for his errands du jour. I put off the inevitable with a hot beverage, then sighed. I wanted a second cup, but that meant I had to get up and go into the kitchen where the “Refrigerator of Doom” sat…glaring at me. I put the kettle on, that ran a sink full of soapy water. I set my hot drink to the side and started throwing stuff away. It’s unbelievable the sheer amount of waste. Granted…most of it was condiments. 

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There were three opened jars of pickled beets. Now, I love the occasional pickled beet. And when I’m at the store, I can never remember…did I finish that jar? Who am I kidding…I’ve never finished a jar of pickled beets in my life. But I’d get another one…you know,  just to be sure. I took some on the relish tray to the family picnic last Sunday and no one touched them. That’s how popular they are around here. So, out they went. Whenever I think I might want some, I’ll remember tossing three nearly full jars that were WAY out of date…but really, do they EVER go out of date?

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There were several half-eaten jars of my homemade jam that were dry as shoe leather. Same with salsa. Those made me sad because I remember how much work it took to make them. Note to self: Think twice before you make more jam and salsa. Save yourself the work…before and after. I carried three loads of clean jars downstairs and put them on the shelves where we store such things. 

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I’m ashamed to say, I cannot remember the last time I tore that fridge apart and cleaned every inch of it. I’m hoping it’s memory loss and not that I’ve been so negligent. I took three trash bags of stuff out of there. Granted, they weren’t full…the contents were heavy. And, I haven’t touched the freezer yet. Our trash is picked up on Wednesday, so anytime I need to toss freezer contents, it goes out on Tuesday night or else we’ll have a passel of possums and a riot of raccoons out there digging through it.

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Of course, the rest of the kitchen looks like a bomb went off, but I was so proud of the fridge when it was finished. I put in a fresh box of baking soda and carefully inscribed the date when it needs to be replaced. 10/07/2023. False hope.

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*sigh*

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What I remind myself when I’m doing such chores is this. We are blessed to have this home with a kitchen in which to cook. And the means to pay the utility bills to make it convenient and to have running water and food to store away. There are so, so many who lack even the most basic necessities of life. I am grateful for God’s provision. I have nothing to complain about.

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?

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“The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.”

\nPsalms 145:15-16 NLT\n
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Autumn Leaves Mug…perfect for sipping while leaf peeping!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/08/diving-deep-in-the-fridge.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/07/in-over-my-head.html", "title": "In Over My Head", "content_html": "\n
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I will be the first to admit, I’ve never been the best at keeping house. I mean…it’s not dirty. There aren’t roaches or bedbugs. But, I’m just like my grandma…I would MUCH rather be outside on the tractor or with my hands in the dirt or writing or doing art or camping. Let’s face it, I would rather be doing just about anything besides housework.

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It gets particularly bad in the summer. Between camping and mowing, things just get put down…not put away. Mr. FixIt is one of the most patient people I’ve ever met. I drove all three of my other husbands crazy with my messy piles and things you have to walk around. So, the other night when I heard a slight hint of aggravation in his voice as he declared there wasn’t any place in the kitchen to set something down, I knew I’d just about pushed the envelope as far as I dared go.

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I got up way before my sweetheart and headed in to the kitchen first thing yesterday morning. I fixed my yummy cup of RYZE Mushroom Coffee and set to work. The first thing was to go through the spices. It’s been a few years since I had and they really needed cleared out and out of date stuff tossed. I took out the Lazy Susans and gave them a good wash and wiped down the inside of the cupboards. Once the outdated spices were gone, I put just what I needed back in the cabinet and the ones I use the most in the basket next to the stove.

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Ever since the covid lockdown and my foray into baking sourdough, there have been four huge jars of different varieties of flour on the counter. Between them and my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, they were taking up entirely too much room. I couldn’t tackle that until I worked on the storage shelves in the hall in back of the kitchen. Again, covid found me canning to my heart’s content and some of the things I canned just missed the mark. Like all that butternut squash. 

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I don’t know if they were a little two ripe or if it’s normal for them to pretty much turn into a soggy mess, but they never looked appealing to me. I had about twenty pints of it canned in 2020 and I’d never once cooked with it. I also had about ten pints of bread and butter pickled zucchini. I don’t know what I was thinking when I put these up, but I just put a couple teaspoons of Pickling Spice in each jar. In my mind, they were going to be softened by the canning process. Not so much. They were like eating pickles with potpourri in them. I always felt they tasting like I swept up the sidewalk and just dumped it in my pickles. I knew we were never going to eat them either, so out they went!

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With the shelves all cleaned and reorganized, I had room to put the large jars of flour on the bottom shelf, thus making more room in my galley kitchen. After washing all the dishes and jars and putting them away, I was finished for the day. My accomplishment? I cleaned one cupboard and about three feet of counter space. But it’s a start. Mr. FixIt came home from his trip to town to pick up the new garage door and I helped him unload it. It started thundering at 9:30 last night so we went out and covered it with a tarp to keep the box from getting wet.

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I discovered something new for supper. I’ve been craving Mexican food, so I bought some Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey and fixed lo-cal burritos for supper. They were really good. I used Ole Brand High Protein Tortillas (that are only fifty calories each), a couple tablespoons full of the ground turkey, a generous pinch of finely grated low fat mozzarella cheese, and a serving spoon of my home canned pinto beans. I added shredded lettuce and a generous spoonful of salsa and it was a low fat, quick, and yummy meal!

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Mr. FixIt has to go to town again today to do something for his friend Joe. He’s also going to get the oil changed and tires rotated on my truck for me. I’m staying home and continuing on the big purge of the pantry next. I know I always feel so much more at ease when my environment is tidy. It’s just so hard to get it and keep it that way.

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?

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“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

\nColossians 3:23 NLT\n
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Boo Pumpkins!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/07/in-over-my-head.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Choices","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/05/the-new-night-train.html", "title": "The New Night Train", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was a pretty easy at-home day. I had every intention of doing some cleaning, but honestly…it just felt great to be home in my Big Red Chair with Mr. FixIt by my side. We haven’t had a lot of that this summer and we really enjoyed it. I did some organizing on my new laptop. I’m trying to keep it from getting clogged up with too many graphics and I need to be able to get to my designs quickly.

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One of my friends posted a picture on FB of the Starlink Train coming across the sky. I looked up online to see when it might be visible here at Marshmallow Ranch. It turns out, there is an app that will tell you when you have the chance to see it clearly in your exact location so I downloaded it. It’s called Find StarLink and you can get it in the App Store.

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I went out to the camper last night to write my post and texted Mr. FixIt to come out a little after 9:00. We just about gave up on it when there it was…booking across the sky! It was amazing. I had my camera set up to do a long exposure, not thinking all I would get is a blur of light. I’ll know better next time. By shooting long exposures I got some great shots of the Milky Way.

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I marveled at this amazing sight. I can’t help but think of my grandma when I see things like this. What on earth would she have thought of seeing a train of lights clipping along in the night sky…silently providing access to an internet that she was confused by. I remember when I got my first laptop and I used AOL dialup. I hooked up to the phone line out at The Farm and pulled up Compuserve! I’m sure she couldn’t wrap her mind around what it actually was. It probably looked like some kind of television with still photos. BORING. lol

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The changes in technology have always fascinated me. But now that I am getting a little older, and things are changing so fast, I have trouble keeping up with it all. So much of it is over my head and I feel like my shelf date is inching more rapidly toward expiration. I hate leaving all the fun to the younger generation. So, I keep up with as much as I can with the declining RAM in my noggin’.

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We don’t have any appointments this week but we probably will make at least one trip to town…whether I like it or not! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend, dear ones. We have another little heat wave coming then we have another taste of fall.

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?

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“Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.”

\nDaniel 12:3 NLT\n
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I’ve ventured into personalized items in my shop.\nHere is “Baby’s First Christmas”.
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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/05/the-new-night-train.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden","Stars"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/03/home-from-the-farm.html", "title": "Home From The Farm", "content_html": "\n
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Pumpkin Kitty has squeezed herself into the little ditch beside the sidewalk…waiting for Dad to come by.

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I worked all day Friday and all day yesterday on my shop. I’ve been a little behind in getting the fall stuff our and now its time to start on the Christmas stuff. I have a deeper empathy for those who not only run their own small businesses but also have the time crunch of being ready for the holidays.

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When I had Needles & Pins my little needlework shop in Glenwood Springs, I didn’t really have distinct seasons. Most of my supplies were for counted cross stitchers and some of those beautiful Santas and Snowmen and Angels take a LONG time to work. There were small projects that could be finished in a reasonable timeframe, but I sold all seasons, all the time.

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This shop is different. You have to start planning for the holidays months in advance and if you get behind, you could miss the opportunity to make some good sales. If I could get this up and running steady, I could make it a steady side hustle that would really help us out in our “fixed income years.” There are certain things you can’t say in posts or the algorithms will kick you down the ladder of engagement. Words like s.h.a.r.e and c.o.m.m.e.n.t are no-nos, so asking you to do those things is counter productive. But if you’re feeling generous and would like to expose more of your friends to what I’m doing here…I would be ever so grateful.

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So, back to yesterday. As I was coming home, I passed my cousin’s place down the road and they were gathered for a cookout. I went down the road to the turnaround in front of their house and circled back. In order to get over to the bunkhouse where the fire pit is located, you need to down a steep and narrow driveway then drive through the creek at the bottom and back up the other side. I just flip my truck into 4WD and she handles it like a champ.

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I couldn’t sit around for very long because Mr. FixIt was expecting me and there’s no cell service at the bunkhouse so I couldn’t call him. It was fun to catch up a little. My cousin and his wife are both retired now so ostensibly we could see each other more often. It just hasn’t turned out that way this summer. You know how it is after you retire…you’re busier than you ever were when you were working!

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I have everything ready to put the pork roast in early this morning. I’ve got the dry rub mixed up. I have the crudités just about ready to go in the container I’ll take with us to the picnic. I need to mix up a batch of homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. I have several kinds of crackers. I had to laugh when I stopped a the deli at the Piggly Wiggly. I wanted to get some hard salami and have it sliced thin enough to make little roses to decorate my tray.

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Deli Clerk: “How thick do you want this?”

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Me: “Oh, well thin enough to form into roses for my charcuterie board, but not so thick as they would break.”

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Deli Clerk:

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Me:

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Deli Clerk:

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Me: “Thin. But not too thin, or too thick.”

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Deli Clerk: “Ok. How ‘bout I cut a slice and you tell me which direction to go…deal?”

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Sure ‘nuff, that’s a deal. Sometimes I forget where I am and that I’m a logophile in the smallest county in the state. We don’t even have a stop light. There are a lot of well educated West Virginians who are worldly and erudite. But the majority, I would have to say, are linguistically challenged. So I try not to come off as pedant, but I do love words. I like to challenge people a little to expand their vocabulary, but I never mean it in a showy way. I just don’t always “read the room” accurately. That’s actually an autistic trait. 

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Off for a fun day of family fun, food, and….cornhole!

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?

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“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.”

\n1 Timothy 5:8 NLT\n
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No ad today…it’s the Lord’s Day. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/03/home-from-the-farm.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/02/seriously-september.html", "title": "Seriously September", "content_html": "\n
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Touch-Me-Not, aka Jewelweed. This grows at the edge of the porch every year. The bees and the hummingbirds love it. I’m going to see if I can transplant some of it next spring.

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It was March and I blinked. Now look…it’s September! I need to slow down the hands of time to hang onto the fun summer months. They go even faster when you travel like we did this year. I told Mr. FixIt the other day…we wouldn’t normally have traveled like this, but we’re both feeling great and we won’t be able to keep this up forever. We got a year full of great memories, that’s for sure!

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We always called this Foxtail Grass. Mr. FixIt hasn’t been out to weed eat in quite some time. It shows…but I think this is lovely in the late sun.

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I’ve been at The Farm the last couple of nights. I mowed right after I arrived on Thursday to get that over with. I spent the entire day yesterday trying to learn how to do something I want to do. Learning new things doesn’t come quite as easily as it used to and I have to watch, rewind, watch, rewind the educational videos I find on YouTube. Before, all I’d have to do is see it once and I could do it like a pro. Not anymore.

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My summer supper…a baked sweet potato with Parkay Spray and Truvia Brown Sugar on it. Yummmmmy!

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By late afternoon, my brain was tired so I took a break, popped a sweet potato in the microwave and sat on the porch with my supper. Afterward, I took a little walkabout to see what is growing. I’m not sure what I got into when I was mowing, but it might have been poison ivy. I have itchy little bumps on my arms and my belly. I’ve only had one small bout with poison ivy in my life and I’m always really careful. But I’ve been mowing along the edges of our field and the yard here so I’m sure I’ve tangled up with something.

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While this looks like a dragonfly or a damselfly, it’s actually called an antlion. Their larvae dig conical shaped pits to trap passing ants or other prey. They are sometimes called doodlebugs because of the marks they leave in the sand.

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I gathered some seeds from a couple of the perennial flowering plants Grandma loved. I’ll try to get them to start over at Marshmallow Ranch next spring. I’m heading home today to do a little housecleaning. Tomorrow is our family picnic so I’ll have to get up early and put the pork roast in the oven. Do you have big plans for the holiday weekend?

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?

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“Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.”

\nGenesis 1:14 NLT\n
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September is the time for gathering the harvest and counting our blessings!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/02/seriously-september.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/30/fall-flowers-and-storms-are.html", "title": "Fall Flowers and Storms are Upon Us", "content_html": "\n
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Passionflower Vine, foreground. Elephant Ears, background.

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The roadways are lined with Joe Pye Weed, Giant Ironweed, St. John’s Wort, Black-eyed Susans, Goldenrod and all manner of wildflowers. Most people think of these beautiful wildflowers as weeds, but they’re wonderful feeding stations for pollinators to store up the rich honey they need to survive on in the winter. I used to look at them as weeds and pulled stuff up out of my carefully landscaped flower beds all the time. Now, I seek them out to harvest seed for my own pollinator gardens.

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We have a few passionflower vines that grow on our fence and somehow they all got pulled up either last fall or early this spring and I didn’t think we were ever going to get any this year. But they’re pretty hardy and low and behold, by the first of August, we had one little vine weaving it’s way up the chain link. Just last week, it started producing a few flowers and my heart was so happy. They are truly beautiful and I hope they come back next year, bigger and better.

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Arabian Starflower…a variety of Star of Bethlehem. We harvest the bulbs from these and store them in the basement over the winter then plant them again in the spring in an old galvanaized washtub.

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Our Elephant Ears are really looking good at this time of year. They are almost to the top of the chain link on the other side of the fenced in back yard. They grow from a tuber that looks an awful lot like a jicama. Every year, the plants produce more tubers and we give them away like crazy to all our family and friends. And still, every spring, Mr. FixIt has to extend the bed by several feet in order to accommodate all of them. It’s too bad we need to dig them up before the first frost or they’ll die. They are a lot of work, but they make a real nice display.

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I thought perhaps I would mow yesterday, but it rained off and on and is supposed to continue on today. That will push off the mowing till later in the week and then the grass with be tougher and thicker and harder to mow. Since we couldn’t get outside and work, we fiddled around in the house all day. I was looking for glass tops for these end tables we bought over the weekend, but glass has gotten so expensive and I’m not going to pay as. Much for the glass as I did the tables. After researching alternatives, I decided to just use doilies and coasters and call it good.

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I haven’t seen a single Monarch Butterfly this year. Photo Credit: Pixabay

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I worked on the computer and designed a few Halloween shirts. I cooked and cleaned and made popcorn after supper. And that was good enough for me. We don’t have to be anywhere this week, so I’m happy to be nesting a little. 

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If you are in the path of severe weather or fires or crazy gunmen today, please be safe and know we are all praying for you! Let us know what’s happening in your neck of the woods.

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?

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“It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.”

\nIsaiah 4:6 NLT\n
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The Black Cats Boo Band…three little black kitties play guitar and “BOOgy”!

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Shop Now

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We needed a break…from mowing, from working, from everything. It was the Lord’s day and we vowed to keep it that way. We still haven’t landed in a church since covid. We became disillusioned. Not with God or His church, but with churches who were becoming more radical and political and less about actually following God’s word. But we still worship and are faithful and share our faith whenever possible.

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We saw an ad on FB Marketplace for a pair of end tables so we went over yesterday right around lunch time to see them. They were just what I was looking for and I got the bonus of buying two wooden ironing boards. I got all four for $145. We carefully wrapped them and put them in the back seat of the truck. The young man who did the refinishing was incredibly talented. (I’ll write more about the people I met this weekend as the week progresses.)

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We left from there and went to City Park to walk. I forgot the Honey Festival was going on and we spent quite a lot of time wandering around the booths and talking to people while we got our steps in. I connected with several people I need to get to know better. One has a greenhouse about ten miles from us and she sells native pollinator plants as well as seed. One grows broom straw and makes brooms. One was a direct appointment from God. She gave me samples of honey. 

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The first was from her early spring honey and as soon as it touched my tongue, It transported me straight back to my childhood…standing in my Aunt Marge’s kitchen…eating a spoon of the best honey I had ever tasted, her spring honey. Light and loose, it was delicate yet full of flavor. The second one was mid summer and had notes of sweet peaches. The third was a deeper end of summer honey that was rich and robust. The last was a late fall honey…strong and concentrated and jam packed with sugars.

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I visited with the alpacas and felt the incredibly soft sweaters and socks they had for sale. I had no money with me, therefore it was a cheap excursion! We got home in time for a little rest then Mr. FixIt went off to hang with his bowling buddies. I went to my friend Richard’s house and sat on the veranda and talked for three hours. We promised we would do this several times over the summer. This was the first time I’ve seen him since last winter.

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It was a lovely day all around and gave me lots to write about during the upcoming week.

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Stay tuned!

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?

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“My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.”

\nProverbs 24:13 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/28/the-honey-festival.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/26/fall-flora-and-fauna.html", "title": "Fall Flora and Fauna", "content_html": "\n
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Today would have been my beautiful mom’s 98th birthday. I miss her today as much as ever. I never dreamed I would lose her at only 78 years old. She had the softest hands…and the softest heart. I try not to dwell on the loved ones I’ve lost because their absence is so LOUD it hurts my heart. Instead, I choose to remember how beautiful she was and how fiercely she loved her kids. And, I know I’ll see her again so that is a comfort to me.

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Things have been particularly busy around here since we got back from Colorado. What on earth did I do when I was working sixty hours a week??? Nothing but work, what’s what! I have such a healthy appreciation for young moms who are running a household, raising their babies, cooking, cleaning, washing, chauffeuring, AND working full time. That’s why God gives babies to young people.

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Mr. FixIt had a procedure today that he was dreading but it turned out to be a breeze compared to the last one, so we went out to one of our favorite diners and had a late lunch to celebrate. He has to take it easy for a couple of days so I am thrilled to stay home and get things done around here.

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I had a hankering for baked apples last night so I used the recipe I made up a few weeks ago. Basically like any other baked apple, but I used Truvia brown sugar and very little butter to cut the calories WAY down. It’s getting fall-ish out there. I was watching the news with Mr. FixIt and noticed the sky was glowing so I ran out with my phone to catch some pics during the golden hour.

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The light didn’t disappoint. My buddy, the buck and his girlfriend were out in the pollinator gardens snacking on the fall salad bar. The sunset over the far field was spectacular. I went out to see what was growing in the pollinator patch and saw some delicate spikes with tiny white flowers trailing in a spiral down the stalk. They’re called Spiral Ladies’ Tresses and I’d never seen them before. They are a genus of wild orchid! They’ve been trying to grow out there for who know how long. I am constantly amazed at the beauty I’ve been mindlessly mowing over these last seven years and I’m so grateful for the generous gifts from God that he sends me every day.

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I’ve been sleeping out in the camper a lot. I tried to sleep in the house one night this week and the air felt dead. I couldn’t hear the night sounds. I couldn’t feel the breeze wash over me. And the compressor for the air conditioner outside the bedroom window sounded like a jet engine. Soon the cold weather will take over and force me inside. And now that we’re working on controlling Mr. FixIt’s back pain, we can get back in this camper and GO!

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We have two trips scheduled for next month…at two of our favorite campgrounds in Ohio. We’re going to haul the camper to the OBX in October. We’re taking three days down and three days back with eight days beach camping in the dunes. This will end our 2023 camping year with a bang and what a memorable year it was!

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It is Friday…another week gone. I feel like I accomplished things this week. I hope you feel the same way. Mr. FixIt and I have committed to one another to work on that building this fall. We also need to get the roof put on for the main house. I’m much stronger and physically able to help more than I could have had I not gone on this weight loss journey. Things are definitely looking up!

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?

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“The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.””

\nIsaiah 40:8 NLT\n
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Fun Fall Coffee Mug…Hello, October!

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Shop Now

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Yes…these things went together.  We live in a pretty tiny town. Really tiny. I mean…we have a post office and a grocery store. A couple of gas stations and several churches. And there’s a bar not too far out of town. But we’re good people in Small Town, America.

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We luxuriated in not really having to do much yesterday. It was pretty hot out. So we hung out indoors in the AC. I worked on my shop while Mr. FixIt snoozed with the TV on in the background. We didn’t do anything of any importance till the news was over and we headed over the hill to the Piggly Wiggly to get some bread and milk. 

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There is a good sized section in the store that features products made in West Virginia. I always have a look to see if there’s something interesting and this time they had Sourwood Honey. Oh…if you’ve never had it, see if you can find it. It has a very delicate flavor...not like the stronger honeys of the Appalachias. There is a world championship of honey called the Apimonda and this honey regularly wins. As the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective says, Sourwood Honey “is highly coveted by food connoisseurs throughout the world.”

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And here it was…on the shelf in our Piggly Wiggly that serves a town of 706 souls without a stoplight!

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Even though we’re going to the big town today, I picked up a few things yesterday to make another batch of that Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. I’d like to take some to our granddaughter’s workplace today. She loves hummus and I love surprising the kids with treats from time to time.

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As we were leaving the store, we always stop and look at the bulletin board to see if there’s anything we don’t want to miss out on. That’s where I saw the poster for a local event…Boggin’ for Jesus. For those of you who aren’t in the know, boggin’ is short for Mud Bogging…ie running a motor vehicle of some sort through a muddy course. They have boggin’ contests and boggin’ fundraisers. Tons of people just go out boggin’ for entertainment…or a great date. 

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Boggin’ is puredee country…it’s as real as it gets. There may be alcohol involved. I’ve gone boggin’ before. And, while it was a hoot and a half…it’s not something I would actively pursue. But I’m sure glad they’re doing it for Jesus. It means their heart’s right. I’m not sure HOW they’re doing it for Jesus. There are Rodeos for Jesus and Bikers for Jesus. I’ve been to Cowboy Church. So maybe it’s a church service in the middle of a mud hole, I don’t know.

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I think I’ll stick with the Sourwood Honey and leave the boggin’ for the younger crowd. Now I’m thinking some biscuits might be needed to go with it.

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Yummmmm!

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?

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“My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.”

\nProverbs 24:13-14 NLT\n
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Whether you love it or hate it…Pumpkin Spice is HERE and I’ve gotcha covered. Here’s the I LOVE IT version!

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/22/sourwood-honey-and-boggin-for.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/21/our-piece-of-the-sky.html", "title": "Our Piece of the Sky", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt and I record CBS Sunday Morning every week. Then, when we have time, we like to sit down and watch. There are only a couple of shows we watch together. We love old Andy Griffith reruns. We watch the evening news at 6:30 then as soon as it’s done, we might catch a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory. Rarely I’ll sit down and watch an episode of 48 Hours or 20/20. And that’s about it. I really don’t care for television as a whole.

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CBS Sunday Morning has some of the most beautifully produced stories and yesterday’s episode was remarkable. A segment on Tiffany’s was beautiful. There was a recurring theme of homes and architecture and design throughout the show. One segment was about Marrakesh and its artistic riads. These are ornate courtyards within the confines of the house. Even though these homes were in the midst of a busy city, standing in the courtyard with a water feature is an oasis of calm and peace for the occupants. The narrator said, this is the owner’s “piece of the sky.”

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That really spoke to me. When I think of our five acres out at Marshmallow Ranch, I don’t always look at it as our piece of ground. I see it as our piece of the sky. A bigger piece than that of a small courtyard, to be sure. But just as peaceful and soothing as any oasis anywhere. When Big was here with her mom and Little, she didn’t like our sky. She felt smothered by the canopy of trees that close in from all sides. She’s not the only person I’ve heard who describes it as smothering. When we were in Colorado this summer, I was gobsmacked by the immensity of open sky out there. Even though I lived there for forty years, I’d forgotten just how spacious it is. 

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We mowed this weekend and trimmed back a lot of the forsythia along the fenced pool enclosure. I hadn’t really thought of it, but we were cutting the overgrowth back so we could see more of the sky. And, so that things would stay somewhat drier. With global warming, we’ve been getting hotter and hotter and more and more severe weather. The ground is almost always wet. Having access to our piece of the sky is a godsend. The sky at the farm is getting smaller and smaller as the trees encroach into the little holler behind the house.

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This will be another very hot week with highs in the nineties. This is why we wanted to get the mowing done over the weekend. We have several things coming up that will take us to town a few times. And I need to clean the family room and put some things away. There’s always something to be done. If you are in the path of the storms…do take care.

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?

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“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.”

\nIsaiah 40:26 NLT\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/21/our-piece-of-the-sky.html", "tags": ["Peace","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/16/autumn-leaves-teach-us.html", "title": "Autumn Leaves Teach Us", "content_html": "\n
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There are lessons to be learned in the simplest of things. Once you look for God in the mundane, you see extraordinary concepts play out before your very eyes. I’ve been designing autumn themed shirts for my Etsy shop so I’ve been searching through graphics with images of leaves, pumpkins, Pumpkin Spice Lattes…even footballs. While I’m not ready for summer to be over, I do love the change of seasons and autumn is certainly stunning when she gets all dressed up.

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I was studying a very old cherry tree out at the farm the other day. I remember when that tree was so small, even a little like me could reach up and pluck the crimson red cherries and put them in a pail at my feet. That tree must be 30’-35’ tall now. It’s not necessarily healthy and there hasn’t been a cherry on it for decades. But, I’m telling you, in her heyday…she produced gallons and gallons of pie cherries.

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As she ages, her lower branches die and the leaves have mostly fallen off by the beginning of August. I watched each golden yellow leaf twist in the wind till it finally let go and made its single, solitary flight to the ground. It doesn’t hold on forever. It doesn’t get a second chance. It just flies.

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There’s the cherry tree. That’s my mom’s ‘64 Ford Fairlane so this had to have been before ‘69 because she got a Plymouth Duster that year.

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We can do that, too. If we don’t hold on so tight. If we live our seasons with love and intention. If we just let go we might find the subsequent journey to be a little less frightening than we imagined. But, ohhhh….we do want to hold on tight. We really don’t like change.

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I’ve always said “Change is my middle name.” Bring me more of it. I get bored if things aren’t stirred up from time to time. Mr. FixIt is hesitant to change. We both grew up in homes that were unpredictable. My coping strategy was to roll with the punches and learn to look forward and anticipate change. His is trying to maintain the status quo so we can stay safe and secure.  I think it’s just the difference between a man and a woman…seeing things so differently.

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When I see a leaf in mid flight, enjoying its journey…fulfilling its purpose…I smile and remember. 

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It’s ok to let go of things and embrace change.\nGod will always be there to catch us when we fall…\nor teach us how to fly.
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?

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

\nGalatians 6:9 NIV\n
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Autumn Leaves Teach Us - Long Sleeved T-Shirt

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/16/autumn-leaves-teach-us.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Growth","Change","Farm Life","Memories","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/12/i-know-a-change-is.html", "title": "I Know A Change is Gonna Come", "content_html": "\n
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Looking down the creek, I think the big rains we’ve had the last few years is washing dirt and rocks down from high up and it’s filling the creek. Maybe that’s why it is spreading out.

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I fiddled around on the computer and cleaned up the house before I came home yesterday. I moved a floor mat to the inside of the back door into the kitchen because we’re always tracking mud in. The steps off the back porch and that sidewalk grow moss and algae on them, so every step is wet and soggy and that just leaves muddy footprints all over the kitchen. I know it’s not my house anymore, but Grandma would want it kept clean, so I cleaned it.

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Tradition. Peer pressure from dead people. 

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I can’t believe the amount of stuff I tote there and back. I think I’m just going to leave some stuff in Grandma’s dresser and not carry so much back and forth. I’m sure I’ll be going out more often with that lightning fast internet out there! Especially now that the biggest portion of our travel is over. Well, sort of. Next week, I’m going up to Gail’s for a couple of nights for a visit. We’re camping the third and fourth weeks of September. Then we have our big two week camping trip to the beach in October. Then we’re done for the year! 

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This was just an incredibly busy summer. Daughter #1 led Freshman Orientation at her high school yesterday and they start classes on Monday. School doesn’t begin in our area till the last week of August. Once that happens, then I’m kinda ready for fall.

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I reopened my shop yesterday from vacation mode now that we’re caught up with the mowing and all. (Although, I need to mow the next good day. The grass has really grown this week.) I had fun designing some fall things yesterday so I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. Also, I was gifted some beautiful silverware last weekend and I’m actually going to start making art jewelry again. I’ll let you know when you can expect that to show up.

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I didn’t write much when I was out at the farm this time. I wanted to really be mindful and present to those warm feelings I get when I’m there. Each time I visit, I’m reminded how old and tired that house is. The encroaching forest seems to threaten to swallow it whole. I was standing on the edge of the creek, shucking corn for my supper when I was struck by how wide the creek-bed has become. What was once just a little trickling branch has turned into a true creek…roaring past the house when these heavy storms fueled by global warming fill it nearly to the brim. It is eroding the creek-bank FAST. I have seen a noticeable change year after year since I moved back in 2014. 

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I know my days are numbered at the farm. I don’t dwell on it, but I am trying to prepare myself for the eventuality. I know, I know….how many times have I told you that? But, this time feels different. And it’s not just the house. It’s the times. It’s the world. It’s the division and unrest. 

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I don’t know…I am just reminded of Sam Cooke’s song…..“A Change is Gonna Come.” It’s been running through my head all week and Jennifer Hudson slayed it at the Kennedy Center when they were honoring Denzel Washington.

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“There been times that I thought\nI couldn’t last for long\nBut now, I think I’m able\nTo carry on\n\nIt’s been a long \nA long time comin’, but I know \nA change gon’ come\nOh yes, it will.”
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\n[youtu.be/_ZEzUq9th...](https://youtu.be/_ZEzUq9th3g)\n
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?

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“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

\nHebrews 13:8 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/12/i-know-a-change-is.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Change","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/11/a-beautiful-day.html", "title": "A Beautiful Day!", "content_html": "\n
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It was cool and a little drizzly…definitely a little hint of fall in the air. I fiddled around on the computer for a bit. I ate good, healthy food. I visited with the neighbors across the road and they brought me fresh veggies from their garden. And, my cousin’s wife came for a visit. We talked till 11:30 last night! I shared my new bounty of veggies with her. I head home today and can’t wait to see my Mr. FixIt!!!

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The neighbor’s garden across the road from the farm! Beautiful!

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I posted a “Feel Good Friday” video this morning so I’ll keep this short…with lots of photos. I’ll be back with a normal post tomorrow!

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?

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#TheFarm, #Produce, #Garden

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/11/a-beautiful-day.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Feel Good Friday"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/09/its-always-an-adventure.html", "title": "It’s Always an Adventure!", "content_html": "\n
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I took this picture Monday night before another wave of rain hit. If you zoom in, just on the far side of the pollinator garden on the left, you can see my little buck that comes to see me every evening at Marshmallow Ranch. He’s a handsome fellow.

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We ran to town yesterday to pick up a prescription and some fresh produce from the farm stand. On the way home, I told Mr. FixIt I was going to fix supper then go back out to the farm since my stay was interrupted on Monday. I got here about 8:00pm and stopped to talk to the neighbors across the road. By the time I got to the house, the power was out again. A huge tree fell across the road at 2:00 yesterday morning and took out the power lines. The electric came back on at 10:00 and was on the rest of the day…till I got here.

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I used the neighbors’ phone to call Mr. FixIt because I knew he’d be worried. I always check in as soon as I get here. The power company said the power would be back on by 11 o’clock and it came on at 10:45. I was laying here in the dark and thinking about a few things. I need to be sure to have some form of light out here. I have my big spotlight but the battery won’t last forever. I thought about my Aunt Peeps living out here at 83 during the derecho of 2012. It was about this time of year…really hot and sticky. And she didn’t have power for over a week!

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So…no electric. No phone. No water. Darker than a dungeon. And you know what? The thing that bothered me the most was not being able to write! And then…by the time the electric came on, I was past my window of creativity. So I’ll close with Mr. FixIt’s favorite line.

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It’s always an adventure with Ginny McKinney!

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?

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““You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

\nMatthew 5:14-16 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/09/its-always-an-adventure.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/08/the-eye-of-the-storm.html", "title": "The Eye of the Storm", "content_html": "\n
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This beautiful Ohio Blue Swallowtail stayed with me for well over half an hour. It would flitter away and eventually make its way back and sit on the porch floor at my feet. It’s magical moments like this that keep life interesting and reminds me of just how much beauty there is in the world.

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Well, what was supposed to be a three to four day respite at The Farm turned into a quick overnight. A strong but brief thunderstorm blew through just before dawn. The last crack of thunder was a flash/bang that about scared the bejeebers out of me. It settled down and I fell back to sleep. Surprisingly, I didn’t wake up till about 10:00. Mr. FixIt always seems to know when I wake up so he texted me a little after. We chatted a bit then I got up and made my cuppa and went out on the front porch to listen to the birds.

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I noticed the clouds were darkening and I could hear thunder in the distance. Just about that time, the wind picked up, I got a notification of a tornado warning, and my phone rang. It was Mr. FixIt. He wanted to be sure I knew what was going on. He said Parkersburg was getting it bad. That’s the thunder I could hear in the distance. Now, I’m not necessarily a Nervous Nellie when it comes to thunderstorms, but that old wooden house is nestled in a holler lined with huge trees. And the ground is mostly shale. A good strong wind could do so much damage and I wasn’t about to be a sitting duck just waiting for it.

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Grandma’s Rose of Sharon

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I told my sweetheart I was packing to come home and I was out of there in twenty minutes. It didn’t start raining till I got home but boy howdy, it was “Katie Bar The Door” in a hurry. We just got the truck unloaded and the skies opened up. It lasted several hours. I haven’t had a chance to look at the rain gauge yet, but I’ve heard Parkersburg got something like four inches of rain in an hour! Hokey Smokes! There is a used car lot down in the low ground of Garfield Avenue. Folks said “them cars was floating down the street.” Funny what you read on Facebook, ain’t it? Folks make up all kinds of tales. There was some truth in a few of them. Like this guy running his jet ski down the middle of Spring Street. Whoo Doggy. That was some rain!

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Of course, we missed out on all that. We just watched the rain pour down and start a brand new leak in the dining room by the chimney. Life’s an adventure! Along about 4:30 or so, the clouds lifted and the sun came out and Mr. FixIt said he was going to town to get a new mower blade and did I want to go with him. Awww, shoot…what intelligent woman would want to miss out on something that fun? So I said, sure…let me go tinkle and comb my hair. Because what self respecting sorta-Southern Belle doesn’t brush her hair and be sure to tinkle before they go out…right?

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Freeze frame caught the raindrops in midair!

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We went to town and looked at Tractor Supply and Walmart to no avail. It’s the end of mowing season, you see. The mower blades were a little picked over. I mean…there were a couple little bitty ones for a Barbie mower or something. And there were great big ones that could probably double as helicopter blades, I don’t know. But none matched ours. We held them up and compared and either they were too short or too long or too wide or they didn’t have the right holes in them for attaching them to that round thingy in the middle. So, as a last resort…we went to Rural King.

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Rural King is my jam. We have DATE NIGHTS at Rural King. They have everything from sawdust to the things that make it. There’s always a couple little birds that have gotten inside and they pig out on the free birdseed as fast as we pig out on the free popcorn. Mr. FixIt found a wire bird feeder in the shape of a rooster that held bird seed AND suet cakes! Boy Howdy…it was something to see.

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Isn’t it cute? You can get it here: [www.ruralking.com/rooster-s...](https://www.ruralking.com/rooster-suet-n-seed-feeder-21815)

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Now, did I tell you that the low ground of Parkersburg got hit with nearly four inches of rain approximately 90 minutes before we went there? We went into a flood ravaged area…for a mower blade. Truth be told, we bought that lawn mower from this guy that buys up mowers from yard sales and such then he fixes them up and sells them. He shoots for making a $40 profit from every sale, which is pretty decent. He does a bang up job, too. He tunes ‘em up some and paints ‘em pretty. But, when he painted this one, he got paint on the label of the mower blade and we had no idea what it said other than the first three letters.”Ste….” The gal at Tractor Supply asked us what brand the mower was and we looked at each other. “Um, it’s black and burgundy, I think.” 

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Anyway, we found the mower section at Rural King and there it was! Stens! That’s the brand. Mr. FixIt was picking up blade after blade, looking for one that matched. I was on the internet, looking up Stens Mower Blades. I’m showing him pictures, totally perplexed and wondering if this was something we were going to have to pull out the big guns for and go to…GASP…the lawn mower store! When, finally…my beloved turns over the mower blade and says, “Well, it has this number imprinted on the back.”

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More rain on the way…waves and waves of storms over the next week. Ahhhh….cooler temps!

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Neither one of us thought to turn it over and see if there was a part number! I plugged the number into the search bar on Amazon and…BOOM! $15.26 and it’ll be delivered Thursday. But, hey…we had a good time. We bought a bag of popcorn and the pigeons in the parking lot threatened to kill us over it. Like a scene with Tippi Hedren. We stopped at City Park and walked a lap to blow off some stink and headed on home.

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Fun times!

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?

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“A cheerful heart is good medicine….”

\nProverbs 17:22 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/08/the-eye-of-the-storm.html", "tags": ["Fun","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/07/a-respite-at-the-farm.html", "title": "A Respite at The Farm", "content_html": "\n
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I know how blessed I am to still have time at The Farm. It’s old. The pump on the well isn’t working now. The floor isn’t level and there is evidence of carpenter ants here and there. But no matter what else is going on in my world, when I walk in that back door…it smells exactly as it has since I was brought here the very first time. And that’s been quite a while ago.

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It smells like old wood. It’s dank and dusty but I run two dehumidifiers to try to keep her old bones dry. And even though I cannot actually smell the red furniture polish Grandma used to use on the wood, my mind tells me this is what it smelled like. I keep gallons of fresh water on hand for heating up to do the dishes. Beans has some big containers of water in the bathroom to use to flush the toilet, but I use my tinkle tank from my camping gear. It works fine.

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I remember when there wasn’t running water here. There may have been a water tank on the side of the house that caught rainwater. That’s what Grandma did the wash with. She heated it up for baths in the galvanized tub that she placed in the middle of the kitchen floor. She used to turn on the gas cook stove to warm up the kitchen so we wouldn’t catch a chill. We had indoor plumbing at home of course. But stepping back in time at Grandma’s house spoke to something primal in me. It was simple and pure and good. It was hard work and sweat and a feeling of accomplishment.

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Sitting on the front porch during a rainstorm yesterday afternoon was better than a dose of medicine for an ache I’ve felt ever since my grandma died. Listening to the wood thrush’s song echoing down the holler. Watching the Eastern Wood PeeWee and the Eastern Phoebe pick the elderberries. Catching sight of a rabbit underneath Grandma’s Rose of Sharon. Picking seed pods from the 4 O’Clocks alongside the house. Rocking gently as the hot and humid day fades into the glorious coolness of the Golden Hour.

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My children don’t get it. This was just a place to visit for them. A place to tolerate Mom’s obsession for a week or two before heading back to what they defined as civilization. I had the chance to move back here with Daughter #1 when she was about three years old. Instead, I elected to stay in Colorado for two reasons. The first was, Colorado had more educational opportunities than West Virginia did. And the second was, I was self aware enough to know that If I went back when Hubby #1 went, I’d end up back with him and I couldn’t see a positive future with him. So, I stayed out West…hoping one day to return to the home of my heart.

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Sitting on this front porch, married to my best buddy from high school, and knowing my girls are happy where they are?

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Priceless.

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?

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“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”

\nIsaiah 32:18-20 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/07/a-respite-at-the-farm.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Wisdom","Farm Life","Memories","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/05/a-little-touch-of-autumn.html", "title": "A Little Touch of Autumn", "content_html": "\n
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I’m so glad it’s the weekend and we got through this first week back. Remedial mowing was fun. At least it wasn’t blistering hot like it had been. Then there were two days with trips to town…both for appointments for Mr. FixIt. He’s suffered with back pain for years and I think we’re onto something here with the treatment plan. It’s helped one problem, but uncovered another because the pain was masking it. Now that we’ve uncovered what’s going on, we have a plan to work with and I’m sure we’ll having him back to his happy self in a short while. The man NEVER complains, so when he admits he’s in pain, I pay attention.

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When we were at his appointment on Thursday, they gave him his first Pneumovax injection for pneumonia. I was looking something up on phone to ask about and when I looked up, the medical assistant was putting the bandage on the injection site and it was way up on his shoulder joint. Now, you may recall, I did this for a living and you don’t go that high. You can injure the joint itself. But it was too late at that point. We had a couple of errands to run, then we went over to City Park to listen to live music.

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When we were getting back in the car to go home, Mr. FixIt winced. He could hardly move his arm. I put my hand on his arm and he was sweaty and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Mr. Virgo had left shoulder pain. Then he died. I wasn’t taking chances and I was ready to head to the ER but I went though every set of symptoms and determined it very likely was muscular. He felt fine. His arm felt like he’d been hit by a baseball bat. Neither one of us even thought of the vaccine as the culprit.

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We got home and he did what he always does when he has muscular pain…he turned the heating pad up to high and put in on the sore place. Within 15 minutes, he was speaking through gritted teeth. The a light bulb went on. He looked at me and said, “You don’t suppose it’s the vaccine making my arm hurt like this, you?”

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Well…duh!

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I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a cold compress from the freezer, whipped off the heating pad and put the icy gel pack on his booboo. Then I got him two extra strength acetaminophen and a drink. In ten minutes it started easing up. But he only slept about an hour Thursday night. So we were both pretty whupped yesterday.

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We finished up our errands and headed home. He stretched out in his Big Red Chair and I headed to my friend Rain’s yard sale. I met Rain through our dear friend Sparky who died in December of ‘22. She is a multiple time cancer survivor and an incredibly talented and kind woman. She LOVES to fish. I saw on her FB page yesterday that she had multiple tubs of fabric and quilting books for sale. Her sister is a quilter. And, Rain makes jewelry from antique silverware. Sound like anyone you might know?! I bought a lot of stuff and sat with Rain and her husband in the shade of their front porch. They live on the most beautiful piece of property. It’s a little slice of heaven out there…and so quiet.

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I finally tore myself away and Rain went in to get ready to go to the county fair. She was bidding on the Grand Champion Steer and needed to get there by 5:00. I came on home and had a summer supper…a tomato and onion sandwich…and that was about the end of my day. I told Mr. FixIt I need to mow today so we can stay ahead of it, then I’m going out to the farm for a few days to work on my shop. It’s time to get back in the swing of things. We don’t have anything scheduled this week, which is fine by us. 

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Time to have a vacation from our vacation!

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?

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“Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest.”

\nJob 30:17 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/05/a-little-touch-of-autumn.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Marriage","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/03/embracing-the-august-cool-down.html", "title": "Embracing the August Cool Down", "content_html": "\n
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Ahhhhh, the low Tuesday night was 56° and I slept in the camper with the windows wide open. After the deadly heat of July, this is a most welcome change for us. The house stayed cool with fans running and we didn’t have any heavy work to do. I had Mr. FixIt pick up a pork roast when he was in town Tuesday so I popped it in the slow cooker so it wouldn’t heat up the house. When it was time for supper, I dished up the tender fall-off-the-bone pork and added a garnish of Chow Chow Relish on the side. I shucked a couple of ears of corn, opened a jar of my home canned half runner beans to heat up, and sliced both fresh tomatoes and cantaloupe and called it good. It was a perfect summer supper!

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When I was growing up, Grandma would walk over to the kitchen garden on the other side of the creek and bring in a mess of sweet corn. She’d shuck it…or get us kids to when we were old enough…then she would boil it to death till is was tough and gummy. We ate it all like we hadn’t seen food in a month of Sundays, but I never knew what GOOD corn was till I lived in Colorado. Not to steal any thunder from Silver Queen, but there is nothing like Olathe Sweet Corn. It’s like crack…you can’t stop once you’ve started. But I learned a trick when I lived in the Rockies. You put your water on to boil while you shuck the corn. Then, as soon as the water comes to a rolling boil, you drop your corn in, cover the pot tight, and turn off the heat. In five minutes, your corn will be piping hot and the kernels will just pop all that juicy sweetness with every bite. I firmly believe you should never COOK corn…you should heat it in that hot water and eat it al dente. SO good!

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After supper, and the news, I asked Mr. FixIt if he’d like to go for a walk with me. We drove over to the park in our little burg and walked three laps and greeted the most beautiful standard poodle that waited patiently for us to come around every lap for more scratches behind her ears. She was a sweetheart. After our walk, we drove around to see what has happened while we were gone. The little mom & pop grocery store closed while we were out of town and that was very sad. They’ve finished the work on the water system in town and made significant progress on the new addition to the medical clinic. Other than that, it’s just the same.

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When we got home, I realized I was out of yogurt for my usual bedtime snack, so I made my collagen protein shake instead. I added a fresh, juicy peach and a cup of blueberries and it was Purple Peach Passion with a dash of Pomegranate. And the added bonus of hydration. I never drink enough fluids and run a little dehydrated most of the time, so this was good for me. It also satisfied my sweet tooth!

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The fields look like a manicured golf course. No water, no seeding, no fertilizer…just God and Mother Nature…doing their thing! I love summer. We caught this beautiful sunset from the top of the hill on the way home. Fall will come and the leaves will turn and fall off. Then my beloved woods will lay dormant…their bare naked arms reaching for their blankets to ward off winter’s chill. I want to bottle up these temperate days and save their beauty for January and February. 

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It will be here all too soon.

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?

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“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.”

\nPsalms 74:17 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/03/embracing-the-august-cool-down.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/08/01/angel-coins-and-found-feathers.html", "title": "Angel Coins and Found Feathers", "content_html": "\n
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Gifts from beyond. That’s what they call all those found coins laying where you never put them. Or outside your car door every time you open it in a strange parking lot. Mr. FixIt and I found coins all over the place when we were driving home. I found pennies. He found dimes. Over and over again. The feathers are a little different. Mr. Virgo started sending me all manner of birds as soon as he died…especially bluebirds. I always find a feather or two when I’m mowing. I always stop the mower, get off to pick up the feather, and tuck it in the hair above my right ear. Then when I go inside, I empty my newfound plumage on the cabinet in the family room. It was crazy how many feathers I found yesterday. Little bitty ones to the biggest one I’ve found yet here at Marshmallow Ranch. Messages from beyond? Or molting season and holes in pockets. Who knows?

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I like to think it’s our guardian angels watching out for us and leaving little signs that they’re nearby.

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I very firmly believe in guardian angels. When we were in Denver, someone was telling me a story of being a young teen, driving a roadster down the back country roads. There were sunflowers along the roadside n the opposite side of the road and he was happily letting them run through his fingers as he drove along…not a care in the world. Then, out of nowhere, a stern voice called him by name and said, “Get over in your lane…NOW!” He did, and just then, a big poultry truck came roaring up over the hill right in front of him.

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When I was a young girl, I was trapped in a garage by a neighborhood teenager and was sexually assaulted. For all my life, I wondered where God was and why didn’t he protect me. After Mr. Virgo died, I had several EMDR sessions to ease my PTSD. When I was stabilized, I asked my therapist if EMDR would work on past trauma and she said it certainly would. I scheduled another session to work on the events of that scary summer day when I was seven years old. My therapist guided me to focus on her finger moving back and forth creating a rapid side to side eye movement that helps your brain process trauma and store it normally with all your other memories.

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We were on the last pass when I gasped and threw eyes open wide. She stopped and asked me what I saw. At first I wasn’t sure how to describe the vision I had. I could see myself in my little white dress, barefooted in the dim garage with a sunbeam catching the swirling dust motes. I was standing stock still…listening as a voice from far away called me to draw my attention. 

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“Here! Over here! I’m with you…you’re ok. When I tell you, grab Karen and run.”

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The boy was doing things I knew were bad, but I was afraid if I moved, he’d hurt Karen. So I stood very still and listened. Suddenly the voice said, “Run!” So I grabbed Karen’s hand and ran as fast as I could out of there. 

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In the last sweep of the EMDR session…I saw her. My Guardian Angel. She was mighty and stern…one hand pointing in the direction I was to run…the other holding a strong sword out toward the bad boy. 

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So, yeah…I believe.

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?

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“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings”

\nPsalms 17:8 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/08/01/angel-coins-and-found-feathers.html", "tags": ["Faith","Family","God","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/06/05/chasing-the-sun.html", "title": "Chasing the Sun", "content_html": "\n
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Our Field of Daisies

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Oh, what a difference a day makes. We had crystal blue skies yesterday and it was still pretty hot at 84° but we didn’t get storms like we did on Saturday. When I took my morning walkabout, I had to stop and pick up a lot of limbs that fell along the hedgerow. The bigger of the two pollinator gardens is chock full of daisies and summer grasses now. The smaller garden just has a few sparse patches of daisies and the rest is field grass. They aren’t fifteen feet apart, but they’re completely different. The only think I can think of is the smaller on is on a bit of a west facing slope so maybe it doesn’t keep as much moisture. I can always mow it down and start one in a different spot next year.

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Patent Leather Beetle

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I worked on the shop all afternoon and really enjoyed being creative. It feels good to have the quilt done and less work to do on the shop so I can enjoy some other pursuits. Mr. FixIt and I went to the park and walked our mile as the sun was heading down behind the far hill. Isn’t it amazing how quickly it cools down once that sun isn’t beating down right on you?

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Look at all that pollen! Yikes…it’s no wonder everyone is sneezing like crazy!

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We came across a large Patent Leather Beetle on the walking path and the river was so still it carried a thick coat of pollen from bank to bank. When we were finished walking, we drove around a bit to see what was happening around our little village. 

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A Peaceful WV Sunset

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The sun was a huge glowing orange orb as it neared the western horizon and we were trying to get a good vantage point for some photos. It sinks fast once it’s that far down and unfortunately, by the time we got to a place where we could see it, we’d missed our opportunity. Still, it was lovely and quiet in the local cemetery as we took in the bucolic view of the rolling farmland replete with fat round bales of hay and a huge old barn.

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One of the kids called as we were on our way home and we enjoyed a nice conversation…solving the world’s problems and commenting how exciting it is the wedding is getting so close. This is the first social event of the year for us. Next up will be our trip to Colorado. I simply MUST make myself sit down today and get that arranged! It seems there is always something that needs attention, doesn’t it? 

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What on earth did we do when we were working full time and raising babies?

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?

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“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

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\nColossians 3:2 NIV\n
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“Space Bunnies”

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I found these bunnies a couple of months ago and knew I wanted to use them for something in my shop. I decided on a polyester shower curtain because it could also be used in other projects…like a privacy screen or windbreakers on an EZ-Up. Besides…they’re just too stinkin’ cute!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/06/05/chasing-the-sun.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/06/04/its-tick-and-storm-season.html", "title": "It’s Tick and Storm Season!", "content_html": "\n
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It was a crazy day from start to finish yesterday. I slept in the camper Friday night. Mr. FixIt doesn’t like to sleep in the camper unless we’re like…you know…camping. But he always comes out for a little snuggle time and to watch a funny video. Sometimes he’ll come out in the morning and I fix him tea or breakfast, or both. Yesterday morning he was up cooking the chicken and noodles he took with him to the company picnic so I hopped up to come in the house to join him.

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As I was getting up, I felt something on the back of my head near the hairline. I ran my hand through my hair and felt a tick! ICK! It came off easily and I dispatched it quickly but ohhhhh….I really hate to get a tick bite. This one was another American Dog Tick, a juvenile…and they do not carry Lyme Disease. They can still carry viruses or parasites, but I’m thinking since it was young and it hadn’t had a chance to really latch on, I’m good. I’m wondering if I got into a mess of them when I was mowing.

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Mr. FixIt was gone for the day so I settled in my big comfy red chair and started reading a great book I recently purchased from AbeBooks.com. They are a used book company who will watch for specific books for you. The book I’ve been wanting for years is Mountain Cooking by John Parris. If you remember, I have been watching the video series Celebrating Appalachia with Tipper Pressley for quite some time. She talks about all things Appalachia and she was singing the praises of a writer from her neck of the woods. That writer was John Parris.

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Parris wrote for the Asheville Citizen-Times in Western North Carolina for 42 years. He won many honors for his writing and published several books as collections of his essays. John was born in 1917 and died in 2016 and was a beloved collector of Appalachian folklore. The book I was most interested in was Mountain Cooking, but it’s been out of print for many years. So, I put in a request with Abe Books and voila….the book is finally mine. 

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I don’t read a lot of books since Mr. Virgo died. I don’t really have the patience to sit and concentrate that long. And, if I stop and start as my schedule allows, I’m apt to forget what was happening and have to go back and read large sections. It’s frustrating. For some reason, I can concentrate on books about Appalachia or cooking…old timey things. I think it’s because the stories are so similar to my own.

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I sat down in the quiet house and lost myself in the stories of folks long dead now. How they cooked in iron pots on the hearth or the wood-stove. How they butchered hogs and made cider. I was delightfully entertained for several hours before I tore myself away and started on some chores that needed doing. I am so grateful I learned about Mr. Parris’ writing from Tipper and I’d recommend him to anyone who enjoys stories of the old timey way of doing things. You can get his book…Roaming the Mountains…on Amazon as his work was revived by the mother daughter team of Marty Keener Cherrix and Amy Cherrix.

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When Mr. FixIt got home, I put my reading down and gave him my sole attention. It was dreadfully hot and we finally gave in and turned the air conditioning on. We watched the evening news together and soon learned there was a big storm blowing up and we were directly in its path. We called our granddaughter who was putting up hay to make sure they were watching the weather. I ran out to the camper to close the windows and draw in the awning. I had no sooner come back in when the sky let loose and the wind started howling. Leaves were blowing everywhere and with a mighty roar…here came the HAIL! The temperature dropped 23° in less than 30 minutes.

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We stood at the back door watching things blow around and were helpless to do anything. It rained so fast, the gutters couldn’t keep up and the water ran over the top like a waterfall. We could barely hear each other with the pounding from the roof and window, and the mighty claps of thunder. Flash after flash of lightning was met with instant crashes of thunder so we new it was right on top of us. The ground was becoming white with hailstones the size of dimes and nickels. I turned to Mr. FixIt and said two words…the camper! There was absolutely nothing we could do there but I kept pleading to God to keep us safe and protect our homestead here on Marshmallow Ranch. 

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When the storm finally abated, we ventured out to make sure the gutters and downspouts were clear. As soon as I opened the door and took a deep breath I smelled it. Ozone! I’ve only smelled ozone like that once before in my life and that’s when I was driving over the mountains to Denver in a terrible thunderstorm. I was in the left lane of a three lane section of I-77, coming down the mountain into Georgetown and lightning was actually striking the pavement all around me. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t pull over. All I could do is keep going…and praying. The ozone was thick and smelled like a transformer blew up. My hair stood up on my arms from the electricity in the air. That’s what it was like walking out of the house yesterday.

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We waited till the radar showed the storm was truly past us, then we ran out and checked the gutters. Mr. FixIt held the ladder while I shinnied up to peek over the edge. They were fine. We grabbed some quick photos and checked the camper for dents from the hail or leaks. It was just as it was before…good as new! Thank you for protecting us and our investments, Lord!

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We are still expecting more rain, but we have needed it terribly. It’s been so dry here, I’ve worried about fires. This will really help. Between the tick and the hail storm, it sure made for an interesting day!

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?

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“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”

\nPsalms 107:29-30 NIV\n
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No Ad Sunday…may you be “blessed-ed” and rested!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/06/04/its-tick-and-storm-season.html", "tags": ["Camping","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/06/03/my-fight-with-a-snake.html", "title": "My Fight With a Snake aka A Very Long Day", "content_html": "\n
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I slept like a stone. Even though I’ve all but stopped wearing earplugs to bed, I wore them out at the farm because the cardinal in the flowering quince right outside the bedroom window thinks she needs to start singing the song of her people at around 4:00 in the morning. That’s a big nope. And, even with the earplugs in place, I kept hearing something out of place. Not enough to actually wake me up to investigate. Just enough to think…”Huh. I wonder what that is?”

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When I finally woke up at about 8:30, I was aware of the noise again and took out my earplugs to listen. It was the FURNACE! It was 92° on Thursday, but it got down to 50° by dawn. Since I sleep with the windows open as often as possible, it was pretty darned chilly in the house. I had a medical appointment yesterday at 2:30 so I finally dragged myself out of bed and started packing up to go home to my sweetheart.

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I always pack like I’m going on safari when I go to the farm. Well, when I go anywhere, really…although I tell myself I’m doing better. As I filled each bag, I took them two at a time into the kitchen and lined them up in the kitchen in front of the door. Once they were all there, I started taking them out to the car. I know this farm like the back of my hand. I was brought here as a tiny newborn and I’ve loved it ever since. I navigated the two steps to the sidewalk carefully. Every time I go down those steps, I think of my Aunt Peeps. She fell and broke her wrist. It was obviously broken. But she was never one to suffer a doctor so she went inside, wrapped it with a telephone book to create a splint and went about her business. That wrist was bent and wonky the rest of her life.

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Anyway, I digress. I moved the car up by the cellar house when I mowed the other day so I could fit the John Deere by it and mow the front of the house. I looked up and it reminded me so I turned up the driveway. A bird caught my ear and I scanned the trees up on the hillside to see if I could Identify it. Just then, I happened to glance down and very nearly stepped on a good sized Black Racer. The thing coiled up as if to strike. Even though they are non-poisonous, they will bite if they’re cornered. It had the whole yard in which to escape, but it stood its ground. I stomped in an attempt to scare it away. Instead, it reared up and lunged at me! 

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Ok, game on.

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I set my bags down and went back to the porch for the shovel that’s always kept there for instances such as this. I came out and smacked the shovel on the ground right in front of it. I didn’t want to harm the snake. They are great at killing mice around the farm. But…again…it reared up and lunged at me. So I just quickly scooped it up in the shovel and gave it a toss toward the creek. It turned and slithered away over the edge of the bank and we were done with that. The shovel went right back to its place of honor by the back door.

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I’ve seen more snakes out there in the last two years than I have in all the time I’ve ever called this place home. As a matter of fact, I had never seen a snake there until three years ago. I suppose they know we’re just in and out now and the place is going wild again. I finished packing the car and scurried home to shower before I headed to town.

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I seldom have to wait at my doctor’s office, but yesterday was an exception. It took over an hour and a half, but I had my new issue of Girl Camper Magazine in tow. I could hardly wait to see the t-shirt I designed featured in the “Things We Love” segment! I showed it around the office and encouraged the camping lovers to check it out for themselves. And of course, to check out Marshmallow Ranch Designs!

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When I finally got out of the office, I made a trip to the grocery store and to pick up prescriptions. By the time I got home, I told Mr. FixIt that I was beat and asked if he would tote the contents of the shopping spree to the house on the dolly. He is such a good man…and we were SO happy to see each other! We fiddled around in the kitchen putting things away. He’s going to the annual company picnic tomorrow and is taking chicken noodles so I put the chicken on for him in the Instant Pot.

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He got a lot done while I was at the farm…namely he got the pool opened. I was hoping we wouldn’t be messing with it this year since we’ll be gone so much this summer, but old habits are hard to break. We hardly ever get in it…only to clean it. It seems like a waste of resources. But maybe the kids will come this summer for some cookouts and they’ll be really happy to have it available.

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It was 93° when I came out of Walmart and down to 85° by the time I got home. And this is only the first week of June! Yikes…we need rain!

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?

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“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

\nLuke 10:19 NIV\n
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Today I’ll share a link to Girl Camper Magazine. It come out quarterly and is one of the highest quality magazines I’ve ever seen. The spared nothing in the production, the photography, and the stories. It would be a love gift…to a camper friend, a camper wanna be, or an indulgence for yourself. I learn something from every single issue.

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Check it out!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/06/03/my-fight-with-a-snake.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/06/02/an-abundance-of-gratitude.html", "title": "An Abundance of Gratitude", "content_html": "\n
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A look down inside an old Poplar Tree stump. My PopPop planted this tree when I was almost a teenager. It got really big, really fast and when my elderly aunt lived here alone, she didn’t like the way it twisted and turned in the windstorms so she asked my uncle to cut it down. This is all that’s left and there is a young berry vine growing in it. I suppose a bird “planted” the seed and off it went!

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First of all, I want to thank you all for your wonderful words of support and admiration for the quilt I made for our granddaughter’s wedding. You are right…it was truly a labor of love. I joked with the former Mrs. FixIt that I was going to need to start on her little sister’s quilt soon so I won’t be so pushed for time to get it done. She just finished her first year of college…so time’s a’wastin’!

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I decided to stay at the farm for one more day because I have been neglecting my shop in order to finish the quilt. With this lightning fast internet, I was hoping to get boatloads done. Unfortunately, what I learned was…it wasn’t JUST the internet that is slow. I have had this laptop for several years and no matter how much I take off of it and move data to an external hard drive, I think it has just about reached the end of its usefulness. It really is impossible to get ahead if it takes you all day to do three little things. So, I’ll be watching for sales for a good laptop because we travel so much…I need something portable.

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Once I finished with the three items I was designing, I started researching a little on our Colorado trip. I usually have this completely finished with an itinerary in a file, mapped out with directions, maps, phone and reservation numbers. I’m just way behind. I have no doubt it will all fall into place and work out perfectly. To be honest, I was concerned the debt ceiling wouldn’t get passed and our Social Security checks would be in jeopardy. I was a little hesitant to spend money preparing for a trip we might not be able to take. I’m thinking we have a little breathing room now and things will be ok…for now, anyway.

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I was really frustrated yesterday when I got on the scale and it went up a pound and a half again. I have never weighed every day when I’ve followed a diet plan, but Noom is different. If it keeps frustrating me, I’m going to put the same weight every day and just weigh once a week. There is no need to risk quitting out of frustration. I’m enjoying the learning that come with this program. I’ve always been science and psychology oriented so this is definitely in my wheelhouse. 

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At the risk of putting some of you off, I am going to share something I made in my shop. I can’t remember if I shared the boots I made for Little for the big 16th birthday. Little loves dinosaurs and bright colors, so I designed these. They were a BIG hit and all the kids at school LOVED them. So much so that some of the teachers want me to design some for them as well! I finally got a chance to work on them yesterday so I’ll share a little. I love how they came out!

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I tried to light the hot water heater yesterday. It started right up in December when I tried to light it, but there was something wrong with the exhaust vent so I turned it back off. No matter what I tried yesterday, it simply would NOT light. Mr. FixIt said he’ll try it when he comes out next time. I’ll be back out tomorrow to put some air in the well pump but he can’t make it out. He has two things he has to go to.

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So, this morning I’ll pack up and head back home to my sweetheart. Absence really DOES make the heart grow fonder!

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?

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“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

\nGenesis 2:24 NIV\n
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Positive Aging entails embracing all things with a sense of joy and hope. One of the things that I’ve been adamant about regarding my upcoming 70th Birthday is…NO negative self-talk. I am NOT old! I’ve got grey hair and I love it! Gone are the days of dying my hair and acrylic nails. I am what…and WHO…I am. Grey Hair…Don’t Care!!!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/06/02/an-abundance-of-gratitude.html", "tags": ["Aging","Farm Life","Marriage","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/06/01/ta-da-im-finally-finished.html", "title": "Ta Da! I’m Finally Finished!", "content_html": "\n
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The pattern is called “Disappearing Pinwheel” and the quilting pattern is called “Baptist Fan.”

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After sleeping on it, I finally figured out which way was up on the quilt so I sewed the label on it yesterday morning and I was done! Then I couldn’t stop looking at it and taking pictures of it. I finally took it outside and hung it across the clothes line on the front porch. I’m kinda proud of myself that I started AND finished a project! It only took eight months!!!

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I was thrilled to see the scale go down again yesterday morning. I’m now down 10 pounds since April 26th! Yay!!! Eating is feeling more like joy and less like deprivation. I get more food than I can get down most days.

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I mowed the yard in the mid afternoon and I was really glad we have the use of an old John Deere tractor here at the farm. It was mighty hot but the job went quickly. I walked around a lot yesterday and took pictures. I went on walks up and down the road and identified trees and weeds and wildflowers. I saw a new bird but it was fleeting so I’m not sure what it was. It was beautiful.

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I was sitting on the porch taking pictures of the quilt in an old chair when something caught my eye. The Broadhead Skink that visited Wednesday was back again. Then later I felt something on my leg and found this American Dog Tick scurrying along my leg! Yikes! I did a couple loads of laundry…some of my clothes and I stripped the bed and washed the blankets. Things get really musty here. I’ll turn the dehumidifiers on before I leave. We had that brief rain shower on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to soak in. The ground is actually cracking.

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I worked a little on the shop late yesterday afternoon, but decided to put it away and pick it up again this morning when I’m fresh. I haven’t had time to devote to it and I actually forgot how to do a couple of things. But it’s like riding a bike…it came back to me pretty quickly. I’ll work till midday then I’ll head home to my sweetheart. I miss him when I’m away for too long!

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So, that’s a wrap for May. Welcome, June! My Birthday MONTH!!!

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?

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“A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

\nProverbs 21:2 NIV\n
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We all need to find hope. This would make a perfect gift when someone needs the encouragement that Scripture so freely gives.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-06-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/06/01/ta-da-im-finally-finished.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/31/almost-finished-with-the-quilt.html", "title": "Almost Finished with the Quilt!", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday morning, prepared to work on the quilt while I waited for the guy to come hook up the fiber optic phone line. It was about 7:30. I was enjoying the birds singing all around the house when suddenly…I remembered something vitally important. My sewing needles were in my knitting bag…in the truck…at home. Oy! I looked at the time and thought I’d wait a bit before I called Mr. FixIt to see if he might run them out to me.

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I waited till 8:30 to call and even then, I woke him up. I hated that, but the neighbors here were already working and I really needed to finish that quilt! I asked ever so sweetly and added an offer to fix him breakfast, which he gladly took me up on. Within an hour, he was here and saved the day. We had breakfast out on the front porch and before he could get it together to head to town, the phone guy came.

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The outside wiring was already finished. All he needed to do was hook up the modem inside and do the paperwork. I did a speed test when I first woke up so I could see what we were getting on the old line. Comparatively, this fiber optic system is like a rocket! I put it to the test by backing up my iPhone. It took six minutes. SIX MINUTES! That’s crazy! At home, if it updates at all, it takes HOURS. Mr. FixIt shook his head and told the repairman he would never get me to stay home now! lol

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This new foray into speedy downloads has shown me one thing for sure…we need to do something about the internet at Marshmallow Ranch. The service provider here at the farm is Armstrong. At home, it’s Frontier. Armstrong has been working on stringing fiber optic cable in their service area for the last few years. Frontier has done nothing. And, one company cannot work in the other company’s area. So…there has to be a viable alternative.

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I am not a fan of Elon Musk, the man. But he does have some brilliant ideas and one was Starlink. I don’t like what it’s done to the night sky, but I like writing this blog and I can’t spend four or five hours a day trying to get our S-L-O-W internet to upload photos. When we were camping at Leith Run last week, there was a couple who live in their fifth wheel full time. They use Starlink and love it. It works everywhere they go and the speed is great.

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There are several packages available through Starlink. The home system has a waiting list. But the RV system is portable and you can use it at home or on the road. So I’m going to check into that and get rid of Frontier altogether. And, if the speed is what they say it is, we can ditch satellite TV and just stream through Starlink. We could end up saving money monthly and break even in a year from the investment of buying the setup equipment. I’ll let you know what I learn about it.

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Once the service guy was gone, Mr. FixIt went on to town to help his friend Joe fix a broken door. I sat down with the quilt in my lap and started stitching the binding over the edge by hand. It took seven hours and my wrist have just about had it. I wanted to sew the label on but I looked in my knitting bag and could not find my measuring tape. So that part will have to wait till I get home.

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Close up of the binding. I’m using invisible stitches. I love the little stripes in the fabric.

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I need to mow here at the farm today, then I can sit down with my laptop and get some work done on Marshmallow Ranch Designs. I want to take advantage of this high speed internet and compare how much more I can get done. Oh, and the diet is continuing to work. After a plateau of sorts, I’ve dropped weight the last three days in a row! Noom taught me to eat more regularly and include my snacks, which I was kind of passing on. As soon as I did that, the weight started going down. The weather has been gorgeous this week!

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?

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“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

\nJames 1:5 NIV\n
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When I was a girl, the patio furniture had cushions covered in barkcloth depicting tropical plants and flowers. I can’t see this prints without thinking of sitting on the patio at my friend’s house, sipping on some sweet tea.

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My grandma had a million sayings. She had a saying for everything. Some were old timey Appalachian sayings handed down through the generations. Other’s were colloquial…a turn of phrase she’d heard from a neighbor or someone at church. Then there were things she just made up. I never knew which was which and have often been taken aback when I’ve heard others say something I was sure was a Grandma-ism.

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When you hear “When there’s fog on the hill, there’s water in the mill”…what does it mean to you? Have you heard it before? Did your grandparents have sayings that fit daily occurrences? Do you still use them? I’d be interested to hear from you because it couldn’t have just been MY family who spoke in such a fashion.

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I finally got the binding put together and sewn to the quilt yesterday. I folded it up neatly and packed up the car for a couple of day’s retreat at the farm. That way I can sit and hand stitch the binding when I fold it over the rough edge of the quilt. I’ll be sitting here anyway waiting for the phone guy to come hook up the fiber optic cable. 

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Once I put my groceries away, I went out on the porch with my second cup of RYZE. I was enjoying listening to the birds (and watching for snakes) when I heard a small “bleating sound”. I looked in the direction from which it came, and standing there as sweet as could be was the tiniest little fawn. Right on the edge of the lawn by the creek. I reached around for my phone gently so I would scare the little thing. But before I could take a good picture, it moved under the flowering quince bushes. A little while later, mama stuck her head out to see what was going on then she too faded into the underbrush.

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It is amazing how lush and green everything is right now. Not long after the little fawn went under the bush, the sky opened up and we had a really hard rain for about 20 minutes. It’s like a tropical rainforest here. And the birds! It’s a chorus of birdsong here. Even though there is a two-lane blacktop road that passes in front of the farm, I have to say it is much quieter here than it is at home, so the birds singing is just a delight to listen to.

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I’ll stay here for a couple of days until I get the binding finished on the quilt. If I did it at home, there would be something else to do that would steal me away from the task and before you know it, I could be stitching on the way to the wedding! Once I get this done, I’ll mow then I can go home and see what else I can get into! There is always…ALWAYS something to do here on Marshmallow Ranch!!!

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“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.””

\nJames 4:13-15 NIV\n
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The flowers have been so beautiful this spring here in West Virginia. This sweet apron will remind me of summer’s abundance when I’m working in the kitchen come winter!

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/30/when-theres-fog-on-the.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/28/beautiful-may.html", "title": "Beautiful May!", "content_html": "\n
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Good Morning, Ranchers!

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May leaves us all too soon, doesn’t it? I know it’s supposed to be the kickoff to a wonderful summer, but in and of itself…May is just about perfect. When I woke up yesterday, I put the kettle on and took my mushroom coffee out to inspect the pollinator gardens. I’m sad to say, there weren’t nearly as many bees as there were last year. I don’t know if whoever had bees have stopped or what. I’ll keep watching for them. And when I mow, if I see one I wait till it moves on so I don’t run over it.

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I sat on the steps of the camper and finished my morning drink and headed inside to see what Mr. FixIt was up to. He was just getting up so I got my morning hug and headed out to mow. It wasn’t a terribly hot day, but the allergens were kicking my butt yesterday. Honestly, I am terrible allergic to hay and when I mowed around the pollinator gardens, my nose was running like a sugar tree. I used to get that way when I worked with horses. And what is in the pollinator garden? Well…hay! That’s all hay is…field grasses and wild flowers. Really good hay usually has alfalfa and clover, too. But that’s why I’m so allergic…I’m growing hay! lol

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I have the mowing down to a science. I can get the whole place finished in three to three and a half hours. I have the fields mapped out in my head and I figure out the passes around the field to include as few three point turns as possible. That really cuts out a lot of time. I was finished by 2:00 so I had the rest of the afternoon to chill before we went to the former Mrs. FixIt’s house for an impromptu dinner party. The kids were there and one set of grandkids and their significant others. And Aunt FixIt was there, too. We had a fire and ate lots of good food…pulled pork, corn on the cob, broccoli salad, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, deviled eggs and I don’t know what all. Grandpa had the kids and grands up playing Corn Hole and as we left, someone was going for marshmallows to make s’mores. It was a really fun day! 

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The next time we see the whole crew will more than likely be at the rehearsal dinner! Two weeks!!! Ok, I REALLY have to work on the quilt today. We’ll wait till next week to mow at the farm. I have to be out there for a couple of days anyway for the phone guy. I can mow while I’m there.

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Here are some photos from the last week…I hope you enjoy!

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Photos: Top Row - Mr. FixIt hiking in front of me, Golden Ragwort (toxic to dogs, cats and horses!), Our little shady spot by the river. Middle Row - Coleus, my reading material, Coleus. Bottom Row: Daisies in the pollinator garden, Canada Geese (8 Adults and 47 babies swam across the river right in front of us!), Red Sorrel

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“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

\nMatthew 24:35 NIV\n
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No ads on Sunday…rejoice and be glad in it!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/28/beautiful-may.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/23/appalachian-cooking-on-a-diet.html", "title": "Appalachian Cooking on a Diet?", "content_html": "\n
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Why…yes, as a matter of fact! When we were camping last week, we went into Yokum’s store to look around. They had a little diner in the back and we decided to sit and have a salad. I wish she would have told me how big the salads were because we each bought one. My word…we could have easily fed four people and had some left over! 

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As we left the store, I happened to notice there were one pound bags of fresh ramps for $10 in the cooler. I overheard the clerk telling someone ramp season was nearing it’s end so if we wanted any, we’d better snap them up now. Not one to miss out on something, I rummaged around and picked the freshest looking batch they had.

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Now…I have never had ramps. My first father-in-law was from Richwood, WV…the self-proclaimed “Ramp Capital of the World!” He would tell me stories of the ramp feeds when he was growing up and it was a flat out right of spring to eat at least one mess of ramps. It was considered a spring tonic to cleanse your blood after being inside all winter. Ramps are a good source of Vitamin A, Selenium, and Chromium so I suppose they have some nutritional value.

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We talked about ramps the other day, and yesterday had to be the day to use them or they were going to go bad. I took them outside and swished them around in a bucket of cold water, emptied it out and refilled it, them washed them again. Ramps have a bulb on them like green onions, but the tops look like Lilies of the Valley. So, when you find them in the woods, take a good whiff of one of the bulbs because the Lily of the Valley is poisonous. 

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These were most definitely ramps. They smell like a cross between an onion and garlic. The guy in the old country store said this was a fine year for ramps because they weren’t too strong. I guess some years they can be downright rank. But this mess was very mild. I cleaned and cleaned till I had all the sand and any leaves that were turning wilted and slimy removed. I cut off the root end, cut the bulb from the stem, and sliced everything up…tops and all. I saved a few of the ramps that were beginning to send up a flower shoot and I’m going to find a place in the woods down by the creek where I can plant them and see if I can establish a bed. We’ll see.

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You do not want to cook ramps in your house…no matter how mild they are. You won’t get rid of the smell for weeks! I asked Mr. FixIt to light the grill for me then I brought out the utensils I was going to need. I found a recipe for a ramp and potato frittata that sounded great, but some of the ingredients were NOT on my Noom plan…namely a cup of heavy cream and grated cheese. I decided to see what I could use from the pantry and I was SO happy with the results!

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I ended up with about two cups of chopped leaves and sliced ramps. I had two cans of sliced new potatoes that I drained well. I beat eight eggs n a bowl with salt, pepper, a heaping tablespoon of goat cheese, and half a can of evaporated milk. I put about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the cast iron skillet and set it on the grill. When it was hot, I put in the potatoes and shut the lid on the grill to bring it up to frying temperature. I opened the grill and turned the potatoes from time to time to keep them from burning. 

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As soon as the potatoes started getting a little brown, I tossed in the ramps and tops and cooked them till they were softened and become translucent. Then I poured the egg mixture over everything and immediately shut the grill for no more than a minute. When I opened the grill, the edges of the eggs were getting browned and I started lifting and turning the eggs to then would set and stay fluffy.

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The timing had to be perfect…too little and you have pockets of runny egg. Too long and the eggs get rubbery. You just have to watch them close. I plated up the eggs and were rushed in to sit in the dining room and enjoy our feast. I wish I could tell you I took a picture of the dish when it was completed, but we were in such a hurry to eat…well, you know. We have leftovers and can have more tomorrow if we want. We took some over to my bonus daughter because she hadn’t had them either.

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My bonus daughter took a white peonie and put it in water with blue food coloring. The peony took up the blue and it shows in streaks on the petals. When I looked at it, I could see a very tiny drop on the tip of the stigma. It had also taken up the blue dye and it looked like a tiny gem dangling there. It wasn’t as big as the head of a pin, but it caught the light just right.

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While we were eating, I remarked to Mr. FixIt how incredibly mild they were…you could hardly taste them. Then…about thirty minutes after eating, I guess they kicked in because I couldn’t get to my toothbrush fast enough! I brushed and rinsed and brushed and rinsed a couple of times and I wouldn’t be surprised if you can still smell them on my breath today. But, they really were surprisingly good. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to go buy ramps every year, but if they were available, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to cook them again.

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How about you? Have you ever had ramps? 

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Our peonies finally bloomed yesterday!

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“Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

\nGenesis 1:29 NIV\n
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If you do decide to cook some ramps, you’d better have a nice candle to banish the “aroma”!

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The garden is filled with Field Hawkweed and the bees love it!

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Mr. FixIt headed out mid morning to help the soon-to-be newlyweds with the new roof on their house and left me to my own devices at home. I lazed around and fixed a nice breakfast, then headed out with my hot cup of RYZE to check out the pollinator gardens. I could see the new yellow flowers from clear across the field and was really excited to get some lovely close up shots.

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The dainty little Blue-Eyed Grass is so sweet. Old-timers called them “Bluettes.”

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I use my iPhone 13 Pro Max for all my photography. I’ve never claimed to be a true photographer, but the iPhone takes the guesswork out of capturing good shots 99% of the time. One of the really great benefits of this phone’s camera is a plant identifier link built in. When you are viewing the photo, swipe up and hit the link “Look up: Plant” to find out what you’re looking at! Would you believe I just discovered this little bit of sorcery in the last week??? Amazing! What else can this phone do that I haven’t discovered yet?

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The Philadelphia Fleabane looks like tiny little daisies.

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When I was going through the photos for this post, I wasn’t happy with one of them. It was out of focus So I went back out to reshoot and I was just so taken by the beauty of this little oasis in the far field. Why didn’t I do this years ago??? I took off my shoes for a little grounding and eventually, I just sat down alongside the garden…watching and waiting for the bees to get close enough to capture in a photo.

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The Lyreleaf Sage blooms all around the stem every four or five inches.

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It didn’t take long. I still didn’t get as clear a photo as I would have liked, but these will do for now. I sat there for a long time, thanking God for making such beauty and allowing us to be stewards of this portion of the earth. It finally got a little to hot to sit out there so I came in to edit and finish writing my daily missive to you. My “Letters from Home,” so to speak.

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Creeping Charlie is a ground ivy in the mint family and is used as a salad green in many countries.

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While I really should be in the house, working on the finishing touches of the wedding quilt, I can’t help but sit out here in Grace…our little camper. The door and windows are wide open and the fan is moving the air around. I can watch and hear the birds, flitting from the hedgerow to the trees and singing the songs of their people.

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Clockwise from Top Left: Yellow Woodsorrel, Daisies, Dandelion, Mouse-ear Chickweed, a tiny little Maple Tree, and WhiteClover

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I pulled the other half of my dinner salad from last night out of the fridge and happily munched on the tasty and colorful veggies and the savory chicken on top. I made a balsamic vinaigrette from a lovely balsamic glaze and EVO to round out the flavors. 

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Meadow Buttercups are one of my all time favorites. Their little faces turn up the the sky and follow the sun all day.

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Sunday is made to be savored…to honor and praise our Maker…and to rest our bodies, minds, and spirits in His most excellent care for the day. This makes for a perfect day in my book!

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My ground level view of one of the Pollinator Gardens. I’m a happy girl!

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“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”

\nProverbs 3:7-8 NIV\n
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One of my all time favorite photos was taken out at the farm. Grandma’s Heritage Peonies are show stoppers every year and if you get the light just right, they look like they’re straight out of a Renaissance painting!

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/22/my-morning-walkabout.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Home","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/19/may-please-stay-forever.html", "title": "May Please Stay Forever!", "content_html": "\n
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Grandma’s rhododendron in all her glory!

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Oh, my gosh, y’all…wouldn’t you love to bottle up some May and save it for January or February? Yesterday was one of those days you wish would last forever. Clear skies, high 70’s, a riding mower, and GOBS of flowers! We went out to the farm after breakfast and mowed. It’s been two weeks since we got the chance to mow out there and buddy, it really needed it.

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The first thing I noticed when I drove up the driveway was the monster rhododendron in the front yard. I meant to have Mr. FixIt take a picture of me in front of it because it towers over my head by a good three to four feet. But we got busy and I forgot. Grandma’s peonies, flags, and irises were in full bloom, as well. 

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Iris Sibirica…the Siberian Iris. This is what my grandma called “flags”. There are also smaller wild iris that are commonly called flags. The word comes from the Middle English word “flagge”.

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When we were preparing to go to the farm, I asked Mr. FixIt to walk out to the pollinator gardens to see if we’re making progress. One is full of buttercups and toadflax and the other is chock full of white clover. There were butterflies fluttering around and you could hear the bees buzzing as you walked up. I’m so excited to make these patches grow.

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These are absolutely the most beautiful peonies I’ve ever seen. Grandma would cup her hand beneath one of the saucer-sized blossoms, bend down, and bury her nose in the soft sweetness of her precious posies.

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Our peonies aren’t out yet here at Marshmallow Ranch, but it’s shouldn’t be long. The irises are crazy…I’ll get photos of them tomorrow. The chocolate mint smells divine when I clip the edge of the flowerbed as I mow. The European Starling is still servicing her babies in the eaves of the house but they should be fledging soon. Little fuzzy caterpillars show up in the oddest places. The Eastern Towhees and the Catbirds flutter around in the budding sycamore trees that line the creek bank out front.  The earth is bursting forth in all her glory and my heart is happy.

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This is a Flame Azalia…a kind of rhodododendron that grows wild in the underbrush of the dense forests of Appalachia.

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Today we mow here at home because Saturday, it rains. I picked up our granddaughter’s quilt for her wedding at the quilt shop yesterday and the only thing I need to do is put on the binding and sew on the label. Then I can show it to you! This will be a good rainy day project once the mowing is put away for the week.

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These are ramps. They are a well celebrated delicacy of spring in the Appalachias. You either love them or you hate them. They are the allium tricoccum and are called many different names besides ramps…ramson, wild leek, wood leek, and wild garlic. As the names suggest, they taste like a cross between onion and garlic. Some years you get a mild season of ramps, but most times, you can smell them cooking from a mile away. I love them fried with potatoes then pour beaten eggs over them and bake them like a frittata. SO good. Churches and civic organizations put on “ramp feeds” every spring as a fundraiser. Folks go out and forage the woods for ramps and morel mushrooms way back in the hills, then bring them into town where you can just about bet a fella has a pickup truck and he buys up the ramps, then sells them for a profit. Sort of like a “farmer’s market”. I paid $10 for this one pound bag. They say this is a mild year for ramps, so we’ll see!

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I took lots of good flower photos this week so I’ll be adding to the note card collections in my shop. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in my big blue club chair in front of Grace. When we got home from the farm, we took out the chairs and ate our supper here. As the sun set, the evening chill moved in so I eventually had to pack it up and move back indoors.

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One of our Pollinator Gardens…they’re doing great!

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I lead a charmed life, don’t I? There was a time after losing Mr. Virgo that I couldn’t imagine living another day without him by my side. I definitely couldn’t have imagined this magical life I’m living. Try as I might, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Then, when I gave it all to God to carry and I placed Him at the center of my world…that’s when everything fell into place and love came knocking on my door. 

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We ended the day sitting quietly together, sipping a new coffee substitute my cousin gave me when we were visiting. It’s called Ryze. I have been a lifelong coffee drinker till my stomach started giving me fits every time I drank it. So I quit cold turkey and went to decaf tea. This is a refreshing change of pace. It is made of a little bit of coffee and six different kinds of mushrooms that supposedly have healing properties. I don’t know about all that, but it is nice to taste something reminiscent of coffee without getting the stomach ache and nausea I was getting before. I’ll update you as we go along as to whether it’s worth the hype. So far, so good.

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“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

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Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV

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I love my new pollinator gardens! This sweet mug reminds me of the wispy grasses and little delicate flowers that invite the birds and the bees and the butterflies to some sit a spell.

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Our new pollinator spaces are already producing native wildflowers!

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Land’s sake…Mr. FixIt and I can’t hear each other more and more often these days. Remember that time we went on a road trip and we’d pass people who were weaving on the road? He’d say, “Yep…he’s a Texan!” I couldn’t figure out how he knew that or why Texans are such poor drivers. Finally I passed someone and I saw for sure they weren’t from Texas…they were from New York. So, when he said, “Yep…he’s a Texan.” I turned to him and said, “Gotcha…he is not! He’s from New York!” He looked at me puzzled and said, “What are you talking about?” I said, “Well, every time we pass someone weaving, you announce he’s a Texan.”  He started laughing and said, “Textin’! He’s a textin’!” We laughed our butts off over that one!

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Most of the time it’s not at all important and we finally figure it out, between hearing loss and Appalachian phrases. We had a long day mowing yesterday and were taking a break in the shade of the maple tree. 

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“When we get this mowing finished, you wanna go in and have a salad for supper?

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“Sure.” I said…even though I’ve had way too much salad this week. Then he mentioned we needed more paper plates. I told him we had some in the camper. Then we went on with our mowing. I finished before he did and went in to take a most welcome shower. I took a couple of pieces of salmon out earlier to thaw, so newly washed and cooled off, I set to cooking supper. I decided to have a proper meal and make baked salmon, quinoa, green beans, and the leftover salad from last night.

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Mr. FixIt came in and looked at me working in the kitchen.

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“What are you doing?”

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“Well, I decided instead of salad we’d have a cooked meal tonight so I’m putting the salmon in the oven.”

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“I thought you wanted to go out to dinner?”

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“I’m sorry…what?”

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“I asked you if you wanted to go out for salad after we finished mowing and you said yes.”

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“No…you asked if I wanted to go in for salad after we finished mowing.”

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“I said “IN”…meaning “in to town for salad.”

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“Oh, my gosh! I totally didn’t get that from what you said. But now I have this great piece of salmon ready to cook. We can go tomorrow night if you want salad in town.” 

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He just shook his head. I know now he meant to take me out so I didn’t have to cook, but honestly? I’d much rather have a home cooked meal than to go out. And after his shower and his yummy salmon, he was pretty darned glad we didn’t go “in to town for salad.”

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It got really hot yesterday…in the 80’s. I mowed slathered with 70 spf sunscreen and carrying my golf umbrella. It took a little bit longer to mow around the new pollinator gardens, but they’re going to be worth it when they’re grown up and developed. When I got closer, I could see native wildflowers popping their little heads up in the grasses. It was so pretty. And my little patch of buttercups are still blooming. Now I have the best of both worlds…the beautiful groomed fields with big free form pollinator areas. I can see more beauty in our future!

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“The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

\nPsalms 145:9 NIV\n
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Sometimes words are hard to find when comforting a bereaved friend or relative. I know when I lost Mr. Virgo, I craved soft fuzzy blankies. Here’s a beautiful sunset I found and thought it would be perfect with a Scripture on it. Feel free to send the link to others who may need just the right gift for such a time.

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/12/what-did-you-say.html", "tags": ["Choices","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/11/back-home-again.html", "title": "Back Home Again!", "content_html": "\n
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Here’s a funny story. Well, I guess it depends on who you’re talking to whether it was funny or not. The former Mrs. FixIt sent Mr. FixIt a picture today. It was a huge…and I mean HUGE possum in a live trap on her porch. She was trying to catch a pesky raccoon that has been eating her birdseed and getting into her plants up on the deck. Instead, she got Mongo the Marsupial! She tried to figure out what she was going to do and finally decided to just open the door and let it go. 

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Instead, it stayed in the cage. Would NOT come out! She had errands to run so she left the door open and left. When she returned, Mongo was still in the cage doing what possums do in the daytime. Snoozing. Well, she really wanted that thing back in the woods where it belongs so she got the water hose and started spraying it. That did the trick! That possum bolted right out of the cage and made a beeline……straight into her house!!! 

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I’m sure she nearly jumped out of her skin. She took off after Mongo into the house and he was nowhere to be seen. She had to go play hide and seek with a possum the size of a Buick! She finally found poor ol’ Mongo, scared to death and cowering in the far back corner of the closet in the spare room. He got as far as he could go and was trapped. The Former Mrs. FixIt spent the better part of an hour trying to get that thing out of there. She opened all the doors and set to evicting the possum.

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About that time, Mr. FixIt was finished with the project he and his buddy were working on. He was only a couple of blocks away from her house, so he decided to stop by and see what she was doing with this guy. He saw the storm door propped open and thought, “What the heck?” So he stuck his head in the door.

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“Hello? HELLO!”

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“HELP! I’m back here!!!” she hollered.

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Mr. FixIt followed her voice and, thinking something might have happened to her, hurried to the back of the house. There she was with a big stick, trying to prod the recalcitrant critter out of her closet. She had removed everything but he still wouldn’t move. She handed Mr. FixIt the stick and told him to press down on the possum when it came out. 

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He looked at the stick and he looked at the possum and he looked at the stick and said, “Don’t you have a laundry basket or something you can throw on top of it?”

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Eureka! They got the basket over poor scared Mongo and scooted him down the hallway and out the door. When she lifted the basket, Mr. FixIt said that possum took off like a shot down the steps and into the woods. By this time they were both overheated and sweating buckets. They turned on the air conditioning and I’ll bet she’s still sitting there, trying to recuperate!

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I, on the other hand, enjoyed a wonderful, quiet afternoon at home working on my shop. Someone commented the other day that I should put my pretty flower photos on note cards and sell them in my shop so that’s what I worked on yesterday. I hope to have them and the Comfort Blankets live in the shop tomorrow. But I also have to mow today, so…we’ll see. Oh, I lost 3.3 pounds at the farm this week!!! Wahoooo!

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?

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“who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’”

\nJob 35:11 NIV\n
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#Opossum, #Marsupial, #TalesFromWV

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I love the colorful hearts on this Weekender Tote! So cheerful and fun!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/11/back-home-again.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/10/practicing-husbandry.html", "title": "Practicing Husbandry", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve really enjoyed my stay out here at the farm. I told Mr. FixIt last night, I didn’t realize how worn out I was. While I did get some work done on the computer, what I really did the most was soak this place up like a sponge. I did a lot of porch sitting and bird watching and listening to the whispers of the past. It was restorative in a way no place can give me. And now I’m ready to go home and get back to work.

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I always sleep really well at the farm and this trip was no different. However, a mama cardinal has taken up residency in the Carolina Spice Bush right outside the bedroom window. At 4:30 yesterday morning, she decided to regale me with the song of her people. There wasn’t even a glimmer of light out there, but she was ready to rock and roll. I decided to wear earplugs last night.

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There is also a cardinal nesting in the big Rhododendron in the front year. I think there’s a robin in there, too. I don’t want to get close enough to look at the nest because I don’t want to disturb them. I did work outside a good deal yesterday afternoon. I took the loppers to the grassy area between the monster cherry tree and the barn. It was beginning to feel like you were in a cave going up there and that keeps it dark and wet. When the ground stays wet, there’s no place for water to drain and the ground gets soft and mushy and it adds to the humidity in the summer which isn’t good for the wood buildings. I don’t get a whole lot done, but it sure looked more open when I was done. Husbandry does not just involve animals. It also involved the management of the resources around you.

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I need to strip the bed this morning and wash the sheets before I pack up and head home. I timed the trip out here perfectly…I’m almost out of food. Just enough for breakfast this morning. I haven’t been able to weigh myself here so I’m really looking forward to seeing how much I’ve lost since Saturday morning. I went for long walks while I was here. That’s one thing I just wasn’t doing over the winter. I went sedentary as soon as the weather got cold. I just can’t continue to do that. 

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I’m feeling better every day! More energy…more motivation…more hope!

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?

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“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.”

\nPsalms 96:11-12 NIV\n
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A sneak peek at what I worked on this week. I stumbled upon the soul-soothing comfort of fuzzy blankies in my camper when I was a new widow. I was given a beautiful comfort quilt with a Scripture on it, but the texture of the fabric wasn’t comforting to me. So, I’ve designed warm fuzzies with Scriptures on them. Look for them in the shop this week.

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/10/practicing-husbandry.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/09/a-busy-day-at-the.html", "title": "A Busy Day at The Farm", "content_html": "\n
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This little guy greeted me at the barn door when I went to get the ladder!

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The day started out pretty slow yesterday. I decided to call the phone company to see if they could check to see why we have no service. She sent the request to the technical department and they did whatever booboo they do in the back on the…I don’t know…computers maybe? She said she would call me back when she knew something. Then, as soon as Mr. FixIt got here around lunch time things started hopping. 

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He brought the tools I needed. The first thing we did was hook up the old phone he brought from our house, but it didn’t work any better than the other two I had here. Pretty soon, the phone company called back and said they would have to send a technician out. So we moved on to the next job.

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We gathered up our tools and headed to the cellar house to work on the pump. First, we pumped air into the bladder inside the tank. Then we opened the top of the pump and poured in almost exactly six and a half gallons of water till the water came up to the top. We hurried and put the connectors back together and flipped on the pump and in just a few seconds, you could here the timbre of the pump that let us knew it was drawing water from the well. Hurrah!

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Once the pump built up enough pressure to turn off, I went inside and opened a faucet in the kitchen sink to bleed the air from the lines. Wow! It’s been a long time since the well was used so water sat in those old pipes for at least six months or so.  The water that came out looked like charcoal. Ugh! I let it run till the pump kicked on again and when the water was running clear, I filled up the empty jugs we use for priming the pump. 

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While I was filling the water jugs, I heard a big thud up in the cellar house. As soon as that happened, a whole bunch of air came gurgling through the faucet and the water turned dark again. I think we must have hit an air pocket in the well and it jerked the pipe and stirred up the sediment. I waited for the water to clear again, but by this time, the water coming out of the faucet had reduced to a trickle. There was so much sediment coming through, it clogged up the little screen filter in the faucet. So I turned it all off and took every faucet screen aerator off and cleaned them well. Now we were in business!

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The next chore was to take the exhaust pipe off the hot water heater and clean it out and make sure there weren’t any bird nests in it. Once it was cleaned, we put it all back together and attached it securely to the house. We didn’t have any duct tape so Mr. FixIt ran over to the next little town that has a couple of stores and got what we needed. When he came back, he taped up the joints to seal them. There are still a couple of things to do to get it just right, then I can light the hot water heater and we’re back in business!

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Right about then, the phone repairman pulled into the driveway I was happy to hear it wasn’t something inside. He started tracing his way back. The first box was fine. The box across the road was fine. So he had to drive to the next box. He was gone for a good half hour, but when he came back….we had phone service AND internet. Yay!

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While Mr. FixIt stowed his tools in the truck, I cleaned the washing machine and ran it through a cycle, I was wearing leggings when we worked on the exhaust pipe and I had to sit down on that wet, muddy ground in order to see what I was doing. I worked for a while with a wet hiney, but as soon as I got the chance, I cleaned the washer and threw those dirty things in that first load. 

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Everything works like a charm. Mr. FixIt gave me a smooch and off he went back home to hold the fort down there. I fixed supper and ate out on the front porch. It was just a lovely, lovely day. Not too busy…not too hectic…just the two of us fiddling around and making things work. I texted Beans with an update and told her what we’d accomplished and that was that. It started raining just before 8:00pm and that was my signal to put everything away for the day and write my post. It was a good thing, too because I was pretty much done. My back had the last word!

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I didn’t get a lot of pictures yesterday. I was too busy working. But here’s what I have. 1) The old road up to the top of the hill where the back of the farm is. 2) LOTS of milkweed shoots means food for the Monarchs. 3)Tons of Mayapples grow in the underbrush. 4) The creepy crawly dark place under the front porch. It has a wire gate in front of it to keep the critters from taking up residence down there. 5 & 6) What day would be complete without a snapshot of my meals for the day? I really only eat twice a day plus snacks. Brunch was the second half of my baked potato fried in a tiny bit of butter along with a big mushroom and a couple of scrambled eggs and some colorful peppers. Dinner was skinless boneless chicken thighs on top of a chopped salad. Sooooo good!

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?

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“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 NIV\n
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#Work, #TheFarm, #Repairs

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Being at the farm reminds me that everything Grandma cooked tasted better because it was seasoned with love!

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Shop Now

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/09/a-busy-day-at-the.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/05/08/a-week-of-clean-eating.html", "title": "A Week of Clean Eating", "content_html": "\n
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It’s been a week since I started Noom. I’m here to report it’s been much easier than I anticipated. I attribute that to the support the app gives me every day…several times a day. And physically, I feel completely different. My memory is a little better, I think. I know I feel clearer, if that makes any sense. I mood is stable. I’m sleeping soundly. And I am not at all hungry. As a matter of fact, I have to force myself to get enough calories to meet the minimum requirements. 

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The weight isn’t falling off fast, but overall I’m down 2-3 pounds. I finally got a new scale, however I left it home so while I’m here at the farm, I’ll have to make do with what’s here. I have been getting more exercise. I went for two walks yesterday after the rain stopped. It really poured for several hours with lightening and thunder. I slept through most of it till Mr. FixIt called around 10:30! I’m loving the meals I’ve been making. Lots of roughage! Lots of color! Lots of water! Here are my plates from lunch and dinner yesterday. So, so yummy. 

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Breakfast was two eggs, over easy. 1/4 each of green, yellow, and red peppers, 8 grapes, about two tbsp. of blueberries, and 2 tbsp. cottage cheese. Dinner was two boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1/2 baked potato with 1 tbsp. sour cream, 1/4 head of steamed cauliflower, and marinated red and yellow pepper strips. I usually like to dip my veggies in Ranch Dressing, but I would rather have more food for those calories. So I put the strips of peppers in a coffee tumbler and added 1 teaspoon of Brianna’s French Vinagrette over them and shook them up to coat. It was perfect…you get the flavor without all the unnecessary calories!

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I took a ton of pictures when I was on my walkabouts yesterday. I went up behind the barn a good ways and saw the three waterfalls. I managed to stand in a place where I could get all three in one picture. Mr. FixIt was planning on coming out yesterday to work on the pump and try to figure out what’s going on with the telephone line. I also want to get the hot water heater lit. We need to check the exhaust pipe to make sure there are no bird nests in it. If we get those things done, then we’ve made great progress.

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I was a lovely and relaxing Sunday. I don’t miss the television one bit, but I’m sure glad my sweetheart is coming to see me today! Enjoy my photos!

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?

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“He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”

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Matthew 8:26 NIV

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#Storms, #Rain, #Wildflowers, #CleanGreenEating

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Wildflowers after a spring rain are probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!

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Shop Now

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We waited till the dew was off the grass then I went out and finished mowing here at Marshmallow Ranch. Mr. FixIt got the tiller out of the pole building and dug up the area along the fence and planted the Elephant Ear bulbs. Those things multiply every year so we always have more than we planted the year before. Maybe I’ll throw the container in the trunk of the car today with a handful of bags and give them away after the bridal shower for our eldest granddaughter.

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Mowing at Marshmallow Ranch…look at that sky!

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We took a break to eat lunch, then headed to The Farm to mow. The grass everywhere has grown like crazy with all that rain then a sudden warmup. When you ran over it with the mower, it kind of mashed the grass down. Then you’d go around a couple of times and it almost looked like you hadn’t mowed there. I ran over a water snake without realizing it. Mr. FixIt motioned for me to come over and look. To him, every snake is a “copperhead, more than likely.” Bless his heart. As best I could tell it was a water snake.  I finally got the tractor mowing finished and helped Mr. FixIt by doing the last of the push mowing. Then we were really done for the day.

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View from the barn at The Farm.

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It was 6:45 when we got to the intersection to turn left and head back home. About 5-6 miles in the other direction, there’s a little gas station and country restaurant. Mr. FixIt suggested we turn right and let someone else fix our supper since we worked so hard. Let me tell you…distance is a tricky thing here in WV. Five to six miles in Colorado is a hop, skip, and jump. Here? It takes three times as long to get anywhere because of the curvy roads. 

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My $5 find…a McCoy planter in the sweetest blue with a quilted pattern.

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We got to the restaurant just fifteen minutes before they closed. The grill had been shut off, but there were still several menu choices. Mr. FixIt had a hotdog and a bowl of potato soup. I had a chef salad. It tasted pretty darned good after all that hard work and I didn’t have to do the dishes afterwards. As we waited for our food, we wandered around the little restaurant. Sometimes local people stop in with some antiques and the owner sells them. There was a beautiful yellow crock with a blue stripe that I very nearly bought, but really…how many crocks do I really need? However, there was the most darling little McCoy planter in a light blue color that I just had to take home with me. And…if was only $5.00!!! Score! I’ve decided to buy an African Violet like my grandmother used to grow and see if I’m any good at it.

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As we were sitting in the booth chatting, a woman sitting on the other side of the restaurant called out to me. 

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“Aren’t you Ginny?”

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I still can’t believe it when people recognize me…especially ten miles from nowhere.

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“Yes, I am!”

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There there was that couple of minutes of small talk catching up with what we’ve each been up to, when I had to ask that question that I seem to ask more and more these days.

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“Please forgive me. I know we’ve met, but can you refresh my memory as to how and when?”

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After all…there’s one of me. There are going on 6,500 of you all.

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“I’m Jean _________. You spoke at our church a few years ago.”

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Suddenly I totally remembered the night in question and I remember speaking with her that evening. Just a sweet, sweet gal. It still humbles me when people know me and I really appreciate it when they stop. And say hello.

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Lots of people traveling on a Friday evening.

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On our way home, we marveled at the gorgeous sky and I had to pull over at the top of the hill to take a few pictures. By the time we got home, we were both ready to put our feet up for a while. Mr. FixIt is much like Mr. Virgo…the TV is their martini. Not me! I gave him a big kiss and headed to the quiet seclusion of the camper…the she-shed…the playhouse. One of my happy places. The other is the farm and since our internet has been totally erratic the last few days, I’m going to head back out to The Farm tomorrow after the bridal shower and stay a few days so I can get some designing done. Mr. FixIt will come out Monday with some tools and we’ll fix the pump on the well again.

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Well, I sure picked the wrong spot to sit down yesterday. Did I mention I’m on my final weight loss journey? In my defense…the old picnic table is rotten and needs to be dismantled and sent to the brush pile.

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It was a busy, fun, and productive day and we both knew we would sleep like a baby! I’m really looking forward to the bridal shower today. The kids posted a picture of them in front of the courthouse where they got their marriage license yesterday! It’s getting real!

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?

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“Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

\n1 Thessalonians 5:13 NIV\n
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This sweet blue apron with white birds makes a lovely housewarming gift.

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Shop Now

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Look at that sky!!!

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For the first time in what seems like forever, the sky cleared to intermittent clouds and sun. No rain and the temperature got up into the 60’s! The grass dried up enough by 1:00 to start mowing. Of course by that time I could have practically baled hay. It was very slow going. I had to raise the mower deck and mow really slow so I would reduce the risk of breaking the belt. When I was making one round, I noticed a beautiful patch of bright and shiny buttercups. They looked so healthy turning their little faces up to the sun that I just couldn’t mow them down. 

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Beautiful Buttercups!!!

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I stopped the mower and asked God what he wanted me to do. I immediately got a picture in my mind of a dream I had a couple of weeks ago. Two free form shapes with a wide path between them for interest. I could see a garden bench and a birdbath and I thought…I’ll build a meditation garden where I can come and sit and watch the butterflies and the pretty flowers grow. I’ve started out small and I’ll see where it takes me. 

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You can see the two pollinator areas…the one on the left is on a slight incline. The one to the right is flat so you don’t see it as well.

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As I wandered around the field after I finished mowing, I heard the creek running so I walked over to listen as the water tumbled over the rocks creating a small waterfall. In the rainy season, this little creek can really roar but I’ve never seen it overflow its banks. This is the creek out front between the house and the road. There’s another creek out back along the fields that has actually flooded a couple of times, but it doesn’t come anywhere near the house. I don’t think it would ever rise into the pollinator garden, either.

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The creek out front. The area I call “the hedgerow” follows this creek.

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Since we got such a late start, I didn’t get all the grass cut, so I’ll have to go out today and finish. Mr. FixIt got his part finished. We need to take his truck to the dump because it’s still filled with old shingles from the roof job last fall. I can’t help him tomorrow because it’s our granddaughter’s bridal shower. We’ll probably wait till Monday to do that because we have to get out to the farm and mow there soon. It’s a never ending list of things that need doing around here. But I always feel so accomplished and content when I go to bed after a hard day’s work. 

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I had to pop in the camper and realized I had the worst hair out there mowing in the breeze…but I felt beautiful with my sun-kissed cheeks!

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Happy Cinco de Mayo! I remember going to Cancun for the very first time on May 6th, 1989 and everyone looked…well, like they’d partied hearty the night before. Wow, that was a fun trip with friends and great memories were made.

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?

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“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Songs 2:11-12 NIV\n
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*** Let’s Go Outdoors ***

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Shop Now

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I have no idea how they came up with the name for Noom, but they hit it out of the park with their app. First off, let me say…I’ve lost FOUR pounds since Monday. I know…the first few pounds are water weight, but I’ll take anything I can get! I haven’t been a bit hungry and I have eaten anything I wanted. Yesterday morning was Mr. FixIt’s fabulous oatmeal. I mixed mine with blueberries and dehydrated peaches.

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My sweetie always adds a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, and adds cinnamon and my home brewed vanilla. So, so yummy. We never eat lunch but I had a midday snack of a cup of green seedless grapes. I fixed salmon, baked potato, and sweet kale salad with a little French Vinaigrette. I was so full afterwards, but as I’m writing this, I am sure I’ll have my daily yogurt before I go to bed.

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It’s so easy to keep track of what you eat. If you’re cooking a dish that you make over and over, you can create a custom meal then you only have to enter all the ingredients once. You just name it, then the next time you make it, you just select the meal and everything in it goes on your food list. I didn’t get very many steps in yesterday. I had every intention of walking in the park when I went to the Post Office to mail Little’s birthday present. Once Little opens their birthday present, then I can share pictures. OMGosh! It was so cold and drizzly, I just didn’t have it in me to exercise. It will be warming up now, so it won’t be such a difficult thing to accomplish. 

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Seriously, if any of you want to try Noom, I can send you a link for a free trial and $20 off. Just send me a private message with your email address. I already have one person doing it with me. It can keep us accountable if we have a group to support each other. I think the statistic said that having a friend do the program with you increases your odds of reaching your goal weight by, like…32%. That’s pretty impressive.

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I’m looking forward to having some sunny and warm weather so we can mow. Honestly, it looks like you could bale hay out in our field! I’ll have to cut the grass high, then run back over it cutting it to the normal height. We didn’t go anywhere yesterday and I still didn’t get all the things done that I wanted. Our internet was really dicey…probably because of the rain. If it’s still out today, I’ll have to call them. I write on my iPad and it uses cell service for data. But I’m out of luck when I need to use my laptop to work on my shop.

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That’s about all the news from here. As I write this, I’m sitting in the camper…typing as I listen to the rain on the roof. It’s one of the things I love the most about camping. It’s so relaxing and I have to fight to keep from snoozing till it’s time to go to bed for the night. I continue to sleep so much better…I think I’ve found the right combination of “treatment” for my insomnia. It’s so wonderful to wake up after a solid night’s sleep!

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?

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“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”

\nDeuteronomy 32:2 NIV\n
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#Spring, #Rain, #Cold, #NOOM

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-05-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/05/04/may-the-fourth-be-with.html", "tags": ["Choices","Change","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/20/holy-toledo.html", "title": "Holy, Toledo!", "content_html": "\n
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Saying Goodbye to the Old Hybrid Camper

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I can’t tell you how tired we both were last night. I stayed home and mowed while Mr. FixIt took a bunch of stuff to the salvage yard. As I was making one of my rounds, I looked over and there was the gentleman who bought the old hybrid camper coming to pick it up. It took him a couple of hours to get everything tacked down and get it ready to transport. I continued to mow and when Mr. FixIt got back, I stopped for something to eat. 

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It was really hot out there yesterday. Up in the low 80’s. I used my umbrella and sunscreen. I still needed to take breaks and I drank one of those dehydration rescue drinks. They’re called Drip Drop. There are other companies that make these, but this is the first thing I’ve ever used that keeps me from getting heat exhaustion. That’s something I avoid like the plague. Once you’ve had it, it seems to come on more easily and more severe. You can buy Drip Drop through my affiliate account on Amazon if you’re interested in trying it. One bag ought to last you a year or two. I mix one up in a bottle of water and keep it in the cup holder on the tractor and sip on it as I mow. It’s a miracle! Here’s the link for the variety pack.

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I don’t think I even made supper last night. I pieced on this and that during the day and was just too tired. Mr. FixIt bought some egg salad for sandwiches but I didn’t even want that. After my rest break, I went out and moved the new camper around to the back of the house. It’s convenient in the winter time to have it by the building where we can keep an eye on it and plug it into the bigger outlet. But once summer comes, I like having it out in the field. And now, with the old hybrid gone, the only thing left out there that needs to go is Mr. FixIt Junior’s old Chevy S-10. Then I can FINALLY have the little campground I envisioned three years ago! I don’t know when we’ll have time to put in an electric pole, or even IF we will since we’re considering downsizing and moving closer to town. But I can have friends come down and “boondock”…camping without any of the frills like electricity. We do have water and shower access. 

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The fella who took the camper today said he thought he smelled a copperhead. I don’t know if any of you have smelled this particular poisonous snake or not, but they put off a smell like cucumbers. He said it was really strong out where he was hooking up the camper…which of course is very near where I was writing this post last night! Snakes don’t necessarily scare me, but I’m not fond of the poisonous variety.There are wasps nesting in the engine compartment of the S-10…yet another reason to get it moved out of here. They were swarming all around me when I was mowing and they can be aggressive. I remember going across the road to check the mail at Grandma’s farm when I was a teenager. I opened the door to the mailbox and there was a nest of bees that attacked me as I ran. They stung my hands and my back. It was decidedly unpleasant and I don’t care to have a repeat performance.

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Today is a less strenuous day. We need to do a little laundry, a little packing, and finish straightening up the living room, dust and vacuum. Then we can hop in the truck and head for the beach on Friday! We have someone to watch the kitty, I have my knitting packed, and I get to see the Girl Campers at their Camporee. Beach time with the fam, toes in the sand. It’s going to be a great vacation!

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?

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“The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

\nPsalms 121:7-8 NIV\n
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#Travel, #Mowing, #FarmLife

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“Let’s Go Camping!”

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/20/holy-toledo.html", "tags": ["Travel","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/19/country-living-aint-for-sissies.html", "title": "Country Living Ain’t for Sissies", "content_html": "\n
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I can’t imagine living on an actual working farm with animals and hay fields and huge gardens. There was a time when that’s all I wanted, but I was much younger then. No, I’m grateful for the five acres we call home and even that will fall by the wayside one of these days when we need to downsize and live closer to the kids. 

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We’re in that stage where the grass shoots up overnight and you feel like mowing is all you do. We need to get this place and the farm squared away in the next couple of days. I didn’t go to town with Mr. FixIt yesterday. I elected to stay home and clean house. I got a lot done, but there’s still a bit more to do. When my sweetie got home yesterday, he did the weed eating in the fenced yard around the pool then started with the push mower till he just couldn’t do anymore. I went out and finished and swept the walk. Now all we need to do is the riding mower and I can knock that out in 3.5 hours. I have a system with the least number of three-point turns that shaves time off the clock.

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When the mowing was finished, I made a quick supper of Buzz Buttered Steak sandwiches and chips. And I was done for the day. The temperature is supposed to be down near the mid-30’s with a possibility of frost! At least it’s not snow. I know it’s just going to be a matter of a few weeks and we’ll be complaining about the heat and humidity. But for now, I’ll be happy as a clam to have temps in the high 60’s and low 70’s. I finished going through my pile of books and projects by my chair and put things away. Just a few more things and the house will be presentable for company. 

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The other evening, I notice someone drove down into the yard. We live right along a dirt road and it gets really narrow just before a curve to the left. Two cars cannot pass each other so, instead of backing up 20 feet where the road is wider, folks will sometimes come off the road to let the other car pass. The people on the other side can’t move over because there’s a ditch there and the hillside just beyond. We went it and reviewed the security cameras recordings to see if we could see who did that, and while Mr. FixIt was watching, the UPS truck drove off the road just beyond the original tracks in the grass. 

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The UPS guys drive so fast out that road. There is a sign stating the road narrows and there is a 10mph speed limit but that doesn’t seem to deter very many people. This time, the UPS guy was driving about 40mph, came around that turn, and was face to face with another car. He slammed on his brakes, skidded on the gravel, and dipped down into the grass. You might think it wouldn’t be a problem because it’s a field. But we take great pride in keeping the place up nice. And when there are deep tracks in the grass, it makes for a really bumpy ride on the mower. Mr. FixIt called the UPS folks and they’re coming out today to assess the damages. 

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It’s always something out here and it keeps you hopping. I am super glad we don’t have animals and big gardens to deal with as well. We are grateful for the serenity.

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“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

\nRomans 12:9-13 NIV\n
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Bright Blocks of Color cheer me up almost as much as traveling does!

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My new shoes in the “Ocean Waves” pattern. I got them for the beach!

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OMGosh! It’s been really chilly the last couple of days but it warms up on Wednesday. The low last night was predicted to be 39° and 36° tomorrow night. I took the quilt top to the quilter yesterday morning. I stopped for donuts on the way in case there were folks there and sure enough, the parking lot filled up right after I arrived. We all sat around and talked about the projects we’re working on and nibbled on our pastries. It was so much fun. I miss having a stitching group to get together every week. Maybe this fall I’ll organize something!

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I got a notification that a couple of samples I ordered from my shop had arrived so I stopped at the Post Office to get them. Then I headed home to help Mr. FixIt clean house. We got in the habit of stacking books and magazines beside our Big Red Chairs and we have a tendency to throw our jackets on the back of the sofa. So it just took a little while to get things put away. 

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We have to go to town today for an appointment and to pick up prescriptions. I noticed some little black ants in the camper this weekend so I need to get some ant poison to leave in there. I really need to move the camper around to the back of the house and get it away from the maple tree because that’s where the ants are coming from.

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By late afternoon, we were ready to stop for the day and I fixed supper. I thawed out some salmon and made saffron rice with mushrooms and steamed asparagus. OMGosh! It was SO yummy. Mr. FixIt never complains about my cooking, but he has…only once…told me something was good but I didn’t have to make it again. *giggle* He’s such a gentle man. Anyway, he raved about this meal so I need to make it more often. I think I only have one more meal left out of that large salmon filet I bought in late January. Fish is really good for you!

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He had never had saffron rice before. I haven’t made it in years. I bought some saffron at the store a year or two ago and finally decided yesterday was the day. I don’t know if you’ve ever cooked with saffron or know where it comes from. It originated in Greece but today it comes primarily from Morocco, Greece, India, and Iran. It comes from the saffron crocus and looks just like the little caucus that blooms in the early spring except the stigmas are longer. Each flower only produces three strands of saffron that are harvested in the mid morning while the flowers are still closed. And all this is done by hand. It takes at least 1,000 to produce one ounce of saffron which can costs $60.00 an ounce or more. You can get a .07oz tin for under $14 through my affiliate link on Amazon HERE.

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I take a couple of good pinches of the saffron and put in a tiny dish. If you have a mortar and pestle, grind it with a half teaspoon of sugar then add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water. Stir and let sit for the the saffron to “bloom”. Then add a little salt. While the saffron is soaking, caramelize some onions and sliced white mushrooms. Stir in the cooked rice and the soaked saffron along with another pinch of the dried saffron and you have a beautiful, rich side dish that goes wonderfully with seafood, chicken, or lamb.

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Two more sleeps…it’s time for a road trip, y’all!

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?

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“But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”

\n1 Corinthians 8:8 NIV\n
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#Saffron, #Cooking, #Salmon

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“What happens at the campfire, stays at the campfire”

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“There was fog after yesterday’s rain.”

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OMGosh! Y’all…I got all the rows pieced together yesterday and half the borders cut! I would have continued to work on it, but bending over the pool table to work for any length of time hurts my back. I’ll have it finished on Monday and take it to the quilt shop to get it quilted. It should be ready in time for the wedding. I told Mr. FixIt that I’m NEVER going to make such a complicated pattern again. And…folks may have to get by with quilted wall hangings from now on!

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My grandma made very few quilts that were actually quilted. I remember as a very young child, there was a quilt on her old quilting frame that she rolled up at night and stuck in the corner of the dining room. Then when the neighbor ladies came, she propped the frame up on the backs of dining room chairs. They sat around the quilt and everyone had a hand at quilting it. Grandma even let me take a few stitches. I was thrilled and I’m sure that’s where I got the quilting bug. 

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My mom always had McCall’s Needlework & Crafts Magazines around the house. I don’t know where she got them because we didn’t have extra money for such things, so I’m sure someone gave them to her. I loved that magazine so much! There was always a little craft for kids to do and I looked forward to each new issue so I could make something special. Mom was an excellent seamstress but I don’t recall her making quilts. She sewed clothes. And she was fastidious with it, believe me. When I learned to sew, she supervised with an iron fist! I’ve ripped out so many seams it would make your head spin. She always made me BASTE my seams by hand before I sewed them. Drove me batty!

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When Mom died and I came home to get her affairs in order, I found many items that were only half finished. Now that I look back, I should have kept and finished them, but there was so much to do, it was too overwhelming. So I let them go to the church thrift store. I’m sure someone was happy to have them.

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My Grandmother Roush was the quilter in the family. She pieced quilts and gave them to family members. At some point, I had a quilt she made and hand tied. It was made out of terrible polyester knit fabrics from the ‘60s…in shades of green and orange. I kept it and used it for years but somewhere along the way, it wasn’t around anymore. She did give me a quilt top she pieced from very light fabrics…white, yellow, and green. I knew nothing about quilting, so I put it away for the day when I might learn. When it was time to quilt it, I took it out of the box it was in, unwrapped the tissue paper, and somehow something had leaked into the box and the top was ruined beyond repair. 

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When Daughter #2 was little, I took classes at the local community college and learned how to quilt. Several of the other doctor’s wives got together and worked on crafts when our babies were little. I knew the basics from watching my grandmothers, so I watched my friends intently and before you knew it, I was making quilted wall hangings. It grew from there, but now I’m at a point where the tedious work is just more than I want to put into things. I’ll still make simple block quilts but nothing like this latest project!

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Mr. FixIt went to town again yesterday to help his friend put up the storm door they bought the day before. I stayed home and worked on the quilt and my shop. We had another thunderstorm in the afternoon which was lovely. We’ve needed rain here. There have been several fires already this spring. I never thought of West Virginia as being prone to wildfires. I don’t remember them when I was growing up. But global warming has changed everything and the weather is completely different now.

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As soon as this quilt is finished, we need to do a whirlwind job cleaning this house so we’re ready for my cousin’s visit in a couple of weeks. Then it’s packing time and we’ll head for the beach! I’ve been eyeing the weather in North Carolina and it’s not looking terrific. However, we’ve been there many times when they predicted cold, wet weather and it turned out gorgeous. That’s what I’m praying for!

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I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Sunday! 

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☔️

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“Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.”

\nJohn 12:28-29 NIV\n
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“Be Still and Know That I Am God”

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The view from the end of the far field…my other happy place.

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It was quite a job, but Mr. FixIt and I got the blades turned around right without having to take off the mower deck. Believe me, it was not easy. We were both rolling around on the driveway, reaching as far as we could and jamming a piece of 4x4 in there to keep the blade from turning as Mr. FixIt tightened the bolt. As soon as we were done, we gassed it up and added oil and I was ready to go. Wouldn’t you know, just thirty minutes in, the belt popped off again! But once we had it back on, it stayed on and I had the mowing done in about three hours. 

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Our Flowering Quince…one of my favorites here at Marshmallow Ranch!

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We decided to clean up and head to town to eat at our favorite homestyle diner for the huge salads they serve, then we went to City Park and walked a lap. We had to stop at Lowe’s…again! I think I’m going to have to forward our mail there as often as we go! But, once that was finished…we were done for the day. 

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The pear tree I thought was dying has bloomed after all!

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I went for a walkabout last night when the light was so pretty and reflecting spring in that greeny-gold way it does at this time of year. Between the flowers at the park and here at home, my heart was as full as my tummy! It was a beautiful day. I told Mr. FixIt on our way into town that being out and working like we’ve been this week has felt like such a reprieve from the long, dark, cold of winter’s grip. 

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A closeup of the Flowering Quince.

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I’m sure we’ll be sore today, but it’s the good kind of sore that come from an honest day’s work. I look at what my cousin Tammy and her girls accomplish raising cattle and lambs, gardening, and putting all that food by on top of the mowing, and I have it easy, really. As I was rounding the last lap of mowing, my heart swelled with the love I have for this life with Mr.  FixIt. The love I have for this land…for West Virginia in general. I know I said I was going to leave the far field unmoved to create a pollinator garden this spring, but it’s just so beautiful when it’s finished. It takes me less than four hours to mow it all. And the seed to create the field the way it needs to be done is expensive. We’ve just decided we like it this way so this is the way it will stay for as long as we’re here. I mean….we live in West Virginia. It’s not that we’re lacking the availability of pollinator friendly meadows all around us.

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I always love the view down in the far field when the sun has gone down behind the ridge. Soon, those trees will be leafed out!

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I’ve been seeing tons of butterflies this spring. And there are bees galore. Mr. FixIt came out the back door the other night and there was a bat hanging from the light fixture over the stairs to the basement. I haven’t seen any snakes yet this year. The field is filled with mole and vole tunnels….little ridges that stick up high enough for the mower to scalp them. 

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Flowers at City Park during our walk.

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We may go out to the farm today to see if we can get the old John Deere started and get that yard mowed for the first time this year. I need to get downstairs and finish up that quilt by Monday so I can get it to the quilter. I hope you all are getting outside shaking some of the winter blahs off!

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“I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations.”

\nIsaiah 61:10-11 MSG\n
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“The Weekender Bag is lined and roomy for a quick trip, or to tote anything from groceries to your knitting to sandy beach towels! A stylish way to gad about town.”

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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/12/its-tractor-time.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Choices","Farm Life","Happiness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/11/the-first-of-the-outdoor.html", "title": "The First of the Outdoor Days", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was the perfect day for outdoor chores. Sunny and 68° with nothing but a gentle breeze. Mr. FixIt went out to start working on the lawnmower since I so generously popped the belt off the mower deck this weekend. I tell you what… there’s not much that ruffles my husband’s feathers. He just takes things as they come. 

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While he was working on the mower, I got to work on moving the Big Birdhouse so I could mow the long grass underneath it. First, I had to mow the spot where I was planning to move it. I got the push mower out and filled it with gas then set to mowing the designated spot. It wasn’t long before Mr. FixIt came over and indicated to cut the engine. He needed to run over the hill to the hardware store to get some washers for one of the deck wheels. While we were there, I dropped off a return at the UPS pickup site in the auto parts store. Then we headed to the post office where I had a package. (Daughter #1’s birthday present!)

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We popped over the the hardware store then the little mom and pop market for some of their dynamite fresh ground beef for burgers later. We ran over to the little quilt shop to make sure I can bring the quilt to her by the end of next week. Finally, we headed back home and I finished up my mowing. I moved the camper to the new spot and Mr. FixIt came over to help me get her set up. He had the mower deck off and cleaned up but found we needed new blades, so I locked everything up when we set off for town….again. 

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A quick stop at Lowe’s and we had the blades and booked it home. Between the two of us, we got the belt and the deck on. (Full disclosure…I only lent a hand when Mr. FixIt couldn’t get his hand to work the way it was supposed to and to help with heavy lifting.) We finally got everything put back together and I hopped on the tractor to try it out. Something was wrong. It was scalping the lawn at a setting that I usually use. Unfortunately, it turned out the blades were on upside down. By this time we were both tired and dirty and just…done. We’ll attack it again today. 

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I finished getting the a-frame camper set up and I took a whole new series of photos and a quick video walkthrough. We reduced the price and we’re praying the perfect buyer comes along. This is camping season!

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I cooked burgers for supper and we dined al fresco for only the second time this year. It was so delightful sitting in the warm sunshine with my sweetie. But then, as soon as that sun dipped down below the far ridge, the breeze turned decidedly chilly. I finished the evening by watering the new rose bushes and putting things away. It was time to sit down and write my letter to you. Letters from “home.”

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“for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

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Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV

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#spring, #outdoors, #farmlife, #mowing

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“Go Where the Wildflowers Bloom”

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Look at these points, but please don’t think they all look that way because they don’t!

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Wasn’t yesterday the perfect day??? Sunny, warm, and Easter…the perfect combo! We cleaned a lot this weekend. I worked on the quilt and made a great deal of progress. It’s been a very long time since I made such a complicated quilt and my skills are rusty. But, it’s a gift, not something for competition so I’m happy with it. I’m sure the kids will love it.

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We didn’t have a family gathering this weekend. We had a family dinner last week and everyone was either working or going to other family members’ houses. So, we praised God and puttered around here. Nothing big to report. Mr. FixIt is the sub on the Sunday night bowling league and he bowled for someone who couldn’t come. So, I came out to the camper to write my post. 

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If you aren’t a camping person, you probably think I’m nuts for wanting to sleep out there as much as possible. When I was pretty young, the neighbors up the road from Grandma’s farm had a little camper in their yard. It was lined with birch wood and had windows and little lace curtains. There was a dinette and a bed. I don’t remember the bathroom or kitchen. These folks were second cousins and I’d go over to play with their kids. Seven girls! We’d get in the camper with our dolls and pretend we were traveling the countryside. 

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I never got to camp in a camper till I was an adult. For a very brief time we had a VW Vanagon Camper and I loved it. It turned out to be a lemon so we sold it but not before we made one cross country trip with Daughter #1 when she was around ten years old. Between that little camper at the cousins’ and the van, I was smitten and from then on, I wanted a camper of my own. It turned out I didn’t get one till Mr. Virgo died but I’ve had one ever since and don’t plan to be without one for as long as I can keep going.

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The next couple of weeks are going to be busy. I mowed a few rounds on the riding mower this weekend and proceeded to pop the belt off the mower deck so we have to replace that today. I need to finish that quilt top and get it to the quilter before we leave for our beach trip. I have two long arm quilters that I take my quilts to. One is a friend from high school about twenty-five miles away. The other is right here in our little village. It’ll depend on who can get me in the quickest and do it the cheapest. It’s really pricey to have it done, but I’m not going to try that on my own. Then we need to pack for the beach. I’ll be so glad to get down there and smell the salt air!

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?

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“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

\n1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV\n
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#FarmLife, #Quilting, #Mowing

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“My Grandma’s Black Cap Jelly Recipe….in her own handwriting!” We talked about this recipe in yesterday’s post.

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Shop Now!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/10/getting-to-the-point.html", "tags": ["Camping","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/08/another-tax-season-is-in.html", "title": "Another Tax Season Is In The Books!", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt got a closeup of our Dwarf Rhododendron! Good job, babe!

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Whew! I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be finished. Even with all the work I did in advance, it still took me five days to do the taxes. Good golly! I was determined to get them done yesterday so I asked Mr. FixIt if he would mind making his world famous oats for breakfast so I could get to work. After breakfast, he left me to my own devices and went out to change a part on Louisa the Lincoln. The “Service Engine Soon” light has been on for a week. At first it said it was the gas cap so we got a new one. No change. Then it indicated the Mass Air Intake Sensor was faulty so we ordered a new one. I had to help a little because Mr. FixIt only has two hands.

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The engine light stayed on, so we went to the auto parts store in our little village and had them connect it up to the computer reader again. She told us we fixed the mass air intake error, but it was still saying there was a faulty gas cap. We checked it and it was tight. The other error was for a faulty oxygen sensor. Mr. FixIt will figure out how to fix that. He knows how to do everything! He and Mr. YouTube!

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On our way back from town, he asked if I’d like to go to the little pizza joint at the edge of Parkersburg to get some supper. He knows how many times I have cleaned that kitchen this week and he knew I was ready for a break. I jumped at the chance and we went to Pete’s Pizza. Someone told us they make excellent hot sub sandwiches. They were very tasty. Pete’s has wing nights once a week so we may have to try that some time.

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We took the long way home and checked out the flowering trees. They’re getting so pretty and people are mowing everywhere. I’m going to have to mow soon…at least the yard inside the fence. We need to give Mr. FixIt’s back a rest…he’s the bowling substitute on Sunday night. So I’ll probably do the push mower, too.

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Just a couple more cool days and nights and the temperatures will start climbing as we head deeper into official spring. I’m so relieved to get winter behind us. As we drove back down our road last night, Mr. FixIt said he thought my pretty pink dogwood that he planted for me died. That made me sad. It really grew a lot the last three or four years. I’ll go out and check it today to see if there’s any hope. The peonies have shot up ten inches in two days! The underbrush in the woods is getting that beautiful bright spring green, but my redbud still has no blooms at all on them…not even buds. We did have some prolonged freezes this winter and its been hard on the vegetation

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Still no word if my brother got moved yesterday, but I’m hoping for the best!

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?

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“Come on, let’s go back to God. He hurt us, but he’ll heal us. He hit us hard, but he’ll put us right again. In a couple of days we’ll feel better. By the third day he’ll have made us brand-new, Alive and on our feet, fit to face him. We’re ready to study God, eager for God-knowledge. As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival. He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground.”

\nHosea 6:1-3 MSG\n
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Stir up something sweet for Grandma with this darling apron!

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Shop Now!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-08T08:11:24-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/08/another-tax-season-is-in.html", "tags": ["Growth","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/07/hokey-smokes.html", "title": "Hokey Smokes!", "content_html": "\n
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The bottom of our Dwarf Rhododendron doesn’t look so good.

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Yesterday was one of those days when all I did was make more work for myself. I sat down to continue working on the taxes and I couldn’t find our receipt for the real estate taxes anywhere. So, off to our little village I went. I picked up a package at the Post Office then headed to the County Courthouse. After greeting the very nice guard at the entrance, I headed down the hall and ran into one of my Facebook friends. Rain and I hadn’t met in person yet. We came to be friends online through our mutual friend, Sparky. I introduced myself and we stood in the hallway for forty-five minutes. She loves to fish. Me, too! She makes jewelry out of old silverware. Me, too! (Though not for some time.) She loves to read, write, and takes awesome photographs. We love a lot of the same things so I think we’re going to be fast friends.

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After we said our goodbyes, I went on down the hall to the Sheriff’s Office. I asked for a copy of our real estate taxes. She asked, “Paid or Due?” Turns out, the new ones are due at the end of the month so I just went ahead and paid them while I was there. I mean, it’s only money, right? Oy.

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Next stop was the Piggly Wiggly. I love to tell you about my trips to the Piggly Wiggly because I just love to say…Piggly Wiggly. Whoever came up with that name deserves an award or a side of ribs or something! The Pig is the kind of grocery store you find in a town with 706 souls. There’s a large selection of locally produced items like jams and jellies and the like. There’s a small produce section that keeps the staples you need when a trip to town is out of the question. It’s got everything but alcohol. I think the section I love the best is all the Piggly Wiggly Merch. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, socks, tote bags all with the uber cute Piggy mascot. There are a couple of t-shirts with our town name on them and of course the local high school team has a strong presence. It’s small town living at its best and everyone is so friendly and nice.

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I spent the rest of the day making phone calls and chatting with customer service over an item that needed returned. Finally, I looked up and saw the time. It was going on 5:00 and I needed to start supper. I took liver out of the freezer a couple of days ago and it had to be cooked last night. I had a package of ready made mashed potatoes in the fridge, but I was really disappointed to see they were bad…even though they were still in the “use by” date. So, out they went. I found some instant mashed potatoes in the pantry, but I think they were perhaps around since the Civil War. Out they went. In a last ditch effort, I got two cans of sliced white potatoes out and put them on to fry.

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We wanted sautéed liver and onions. When I cut into the onions, they were rotten so I had to call Mr. FixIt in town to buy more. Finally, finally, finally I got everything cooked including some of my home canned half-runner beans and we ate high on hog, I’m telling ya!

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I never did get back to the taxes. They’ll have to wait for today. Mr. FixIt kept busy all day working on the last of the hallway trim then he started on the big bathroom. By the end of the day, we were whupped. And mowing hasn’t even started yet! The cold front came in Wednesday night and it will be noticeably cooler the next few nights, so no “camping” for me till it warms up again. Mr. FixIt told me I need to get back out to the farm before I miss all the spring flowers! Soon, soon.

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?

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 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

\nHebrews 4:11 ESV\n
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When life hands you lemons, grill some salmon!

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Shop Now!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/07/hokey-smokes.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/05/getting-things-done.html", "title": "Getting Things Done", "content_html": "\n
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If I would have started earlier, I think I could have gotten these taxes finished in one day. While having the banking finished ahead of time was a real help, there were still a few papers I couldn’t find. We’ll have to run over the hill and get copies of the personal property taxes today.  We are really diligent about putting anything tax relate in a special container. Well, ONE of us is…I’m not saying who it is but he gets in trouble every year for the same infraction. (Oops!)

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While I worked all day on the computer, Mr. FixIt planted our new rose bushes and got the weed eater out to trim the back yard. He wanted to run over to the market in our little burg so I put the computer down and said “Let’s go! I don’t want to lose all of this glorious warmth by sitting cooped up in this house!” We rolled the windows down and let the velvety spring air blow over us as we marveled at the blooming redbud lining the road. For some reason, our redbud in the hedgerow did not bloom this spring, yet less than a mile away, they’re showing off something proper. The only thing I can guess is the frost got them. They’re growing right by the creek so I think that made it colder. We may not be able to see them out the kitchen window, but there are plenty to see around the countryside.

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When we got home, I made sandwiches for supper while Mr. FixIt pulled out an extra chair for me to sit in while we ate. Our first meal al fresco for the year! It was 79° yesterday and expected to be 86° today! We’ll have a cool front pass through tomorrow evening so our temps will cool down again. These gorgeous days make up for all the cold weather we’ve had this year.

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I went back to the taxes and finally got to a place where I could stop for the night. We have to make a trip to town today for a couple of appointments, then the youngest WV grandchild is having a birthday dinner this evening. So, it will be a long day but I’m really looking forward to a break and getting out of the house to do something different. 

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My sweet brother called yesterday to tell me they are moving him tomorrow and he sounded so excited! Please pray his move goes smoothly and he adjusts quickly to his new surroundings. He owns so much of my heart…all I want is his happiness and security!

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We are close enough now to our beach vacation that we can see the projected forecast. So far it looks like there’s a little rain which isn’t unusual. We figure if we get 2-3 good days on the beach, we’re golden and the temps look pretty good. I’m really excited because the Girl Campers will be down on the OBX at some point during the week and I get to visit with them for a little bit. I’ll probably have to forego my annual trip to Knitting Addiction with the Girl Campers in town. Mr. & Mrs. FixIt Jr are coming down for the week, so I don’t want to spend a lot of time away. They are so much fun to travel with!

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If I don’t get the taxes finished today, then for sure I’ll have them done tomorrow. Then I can get back to that quilt and finish it up to take to the quilter. I’d love to get that done before we leave. The time is going to start flying by now and before we know it, it’ll be fall again. Summer is the fastest few months of the year.

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?

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“And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”

\nGenesis 1:16-18 ESV\n
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“Be Kind” It’s been my mantra for as long as I can remember. 

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Shop Now!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/05/getting-things-done.html", "tags": ["Camping","Grace","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/02/hold-tight-toto.html", "title": "Hold Tight, Toto!!!", "content_html": "\n
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We’ve been getting high wind warnings for days saying Saturday was going to be bad. I don’t know that it was any worse than last Saturday but the wind sure blew! We went out to take pictures of the pear tree blossoms before they were ripped from the branches and while we were out there, we heard a big tree crash on the ridge beyond the dirt road. We heard it going down, but there are so many trees up there we couldn’t see exactly where it was. All my life, I never really worried about a tree coming down on me…till I moved back here. All those year growing up, we traipsed around this woods like a herd of goats without a care in the world. Now if there’s a stiff wind and we have to drive someplace, I have my eyes on the trees as much as I have them on the road. I don’t know what I think I would do if I saw one coming down on me. Perhaps it would be kinder to just not watch it falling. 

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So, the power went out around 4:00PM. We called the power company and reported the outage. They estimated it would be back on at 8:00PM but I’m not holding my breath. The power went off just as I put supper in the oven. I made salmon filets the same way I made them a few weeks ago in my smaller iron skillet. I sautéed mushrooms and onions in a little butter, placed the salmon on top and spread some of that wild and long grain rice you buy in the microwave pouches all around the edge. I seasoned it with Tabitha Brown’s Sunshine Seasoning with a little extra garlic, fresh ground pepper and lemon juice. I covered the skilled with a lid and popped it in a 350° oven. It hadn’t been in there for five minutes when the power went off. These new stoves have a safety mechanism that turns the gas off if the power goes out so I just left the door closed and let it sit in the oven. About forty minutes later, I took the skillet out and plated the salmon and rice and it was divine! I think it would have been better to take it out a little earlier but it tasted great.

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Mr FixIt got the generator out and started to make sure it was ready if the power didn’t come back on. That way we at least would have lights. I got out my knitting and started working on this sweater I started when I was camping with the girls. I have never knitted with real Irish wool before and it feels so rich and lovely. It’s a great, deep red tweed. I think it’s going to knit up beautifully and should make a pretty cardigan.

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I worked on some new designs yesterday but the power went out before I was finished. Leaving them for today…or tomorrow. Who knows? We did a walkabout an caught some pictures of the flowers. The deep freeze nipped some of them, but I’ll take what I can get!

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?

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““So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.””

\nJohn 3:7-8 MSG\n
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*Keepsake Box - Here’s a place to store your special keepsakes when you’ve lost your special person. I had an old leather watch box that I used, but I love this one…especially the comforting Bible verse.

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/02/hold-tight-toto.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/04/01/storms-abrewin.html", "title": "Storm’s a’Brewin’", "content_html": "\n
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Eastern Phoebe sitting on the satellite dish outside the bedroom window.

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Our laundry room is in the basement. As with most houses built in the late ‘60s to early ‘70s…the convenience of main floor laundry facilities was likely something found in the homes of the well-to-do. Unless, of course you counted the backwood houses with a wringer on the back porch or in a shed out back. Because our laundry is downstairs, it doesn’t get done quite as regularly as it should. As such, we often have to make a trip down there to get a daily essential. In my case last night…a nightgown.

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As I walked through the bedroom to look in my chest-of-drawers, I glanced over and saw my mother’s flannel “granny gown” folded neatly on the safe in the corner. I don’t know why, but I’ve kept it there for the last couple of years. When my uncle sold the farm, I found it in a gift box with a tag… “To: Wanda From: Peeps.” It was a Christmas gift, tucked away on a high shelf and forgotten lo these many years. Mom died in 2004.

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When I looked at the nightgown, my mind raced back to the Christmases I received one just like it as one of the few presents I got from Mom and Dad. It made me smile. I can still remember curling up in that nightgown under the sheets and a pile of blankets. I drew my knees up and pulled the heavy flannel down over my legs to my toes to help warm me up faster when I first hopped in bed. Electric blankets were a luxury we could ill afford. And the heat was always turned down low overnight to save money.

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I dug around in the drawers and eventually came up with something that would do in a pinch to keep from heading downstairs. As I was rummaging around, I heard the storm coming. I hurriedly changed, turned off the light, opened the curtains wide, and jumped into bed to write. The lightning crashed and echoed off the surrounding hills…illuminating the room in that eerie flashbulb fashion we all know.

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I love storms…especially here in West Virginia. Sometimes they are slow moving and it seems like it will rain forever. Other times you can see the weather radar in your mind’s eye…tracing the deep red and yellow blotches of color coming from the West, sweeping over us, then quickly heading over the high ridge to the east. Storms are comforting to me. But then again, I have never suffered through severe storms like this country has seen worsening over the last few years.

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Mr. FixIt and I went to town yesterday to pick up some groceries and we were talking about the severe storms this week. It made me wonder. Do other countries have tornadoes? I’ve never heard about tornadoes in any other part of the world other than the USA. Why is that? If it weren’t for the fact that the dinner table is an electronic-free zone, I would have Googled it. Do any of you know? I know there are hurricanes and typhoons and cyclones in other parts of the world…but what about tornadoes?

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We are due to have severe winds again today with gusts up to 70mph. That’s worse than last weekend’s storms which took out trees and had our power off for seventeen hours. We’re better prepared this week in case the electricity goes out again. I hope you all are safe and know you are all in my prayers! Let us know what’s going on in your neck of the woods.

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?

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“…you will find refuge…”

\nPsalm 91:4 ESV\n
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I posted the eight aprons on Etsy yesterday and they are so stinkin’ cute!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-04-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/04/01/storms-abrewin.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","God","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/29/conversations-with-god.html", "title": "Conversations With God", "content_html": "\n
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The deadnettle is blooming by the back door.

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Now that the weather is warming up, we’re getting some little old jobs done here at Marshmallow Ranch. Mr. FixIt painted the hallway and he’s been working on the wood trim and baseboards. The door of the closet at the end of the hall tends to drag across the carpet, so he took it off the hinges yesterday and we carried it outside. He got the table saw out to cut about a quarter of an inch off the bottom.

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He was so careful, measuring and putting tape on the line so the cut would be clean. I held the door carefully for him while he pushed it through the saw. When he took the tape off, it was perfect! No splintering and we were really proud of it. He painted the door on both sides and let it dry before we carried it back in the house, only to find out…

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We cut the top off and not the bottom! Argh!

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(I think I heard him say the “D” word!)

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I know what you’re thinking… “Can’t you just flip the door upside down?” I found out the answer to that question and it’s “No!” The door knobs on doors are not right in the center. So if you flip it, the knob is going to be too high. The easiest thing is to move the hinges on the door to adjust the position. It’s not a hard problem to fix…it’s just not what you want to do…making an easy job harder. I know he felt really bad but neither one of us caught the error till it was too late. Ahhhh…another lesson learned.

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I didn’t make it to the sewing machine yesterday. I had a few things to do on the computer and one thing led to another, taking me down the rabbit hole of possibilities. I found some darling fonts and cute graphics and elements to incorporate in designs. If you’re really careful, you can find these without spending a lot of money for them. After I downloaded them, I designed some cute T-Shirts for moms. 

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Now that it’s not so bitter cold outside, I can start working at my desk in my studio downstairs. Then I can stay focused and set a timer to stay on task. Time spent on the shop. Time spent working on the quilt. And a little time spent knitting with a cup of tea…just for me. It’s easy to throw yourself into your work of the day and forget to take a breath. We get so caught up with our daily lives…with our stuff…that we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves through God’s provision. His Word. His Caring. His Love for us. His Gifts that he gave us. 

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I study the Word at night. When I take a break, I knit conversations with God.

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?

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““If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

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#God, #Chores, #Work

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/29/conversations-with-god.html", "tags": ["Faith","Gratitude","God","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/28/a-charmed-life.html", "title": "A Charmed Life", "content_html": "\n
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This was taken a ways back. I ran across it this week and it just makes me smile!

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I didn’t get much sleep Sunday night. I was SO excited about the shop opening. And, I admit…a little nervous. I went through everything in the shop, over and over, till I couldn’t see straight and I finally called it good a 2:00AM. When I woke up at 7:30 and turned the “Sleep Focus” off my phone, it chimed and jingled with all the notifications that told me you’d been busy looking and liking my shop. I was tickled to pieces!

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I woke up feeling like a student getting out of school with a glorious summer stretched out before her. That was a long stretch of work and it was such a joy to see it live. My work isn’t finished. I need to design new products every week but that’s the beautiful part of this. When you’re doing something you love, you never work. So, nearly eleven years ago, I set out to make money through my creativity. And here I am! Doing all the things!

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I finally got down to the studio yesterday to work on the quilt! Sometimes I need to have something give me a jump start to get motivated. Once I get back on the horse I can usually get things done. I got a little less than two rows of the quilt sewn together. I may just get this thing done before the wedding after all!

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Mr. FixIt fiddled around with some projects while I was sewing and working on the computer. I did laundry and just took such pleasure in a sunny spring day. I’m looking forward to a week of creating in a different way….rain or shine!

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?

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.”

\nPsalm 104:12-13 ESV\n
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#Spring, #Quilt, #Sewing

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/28/a-charmed-life.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/26/a-busy-windy-day.html", "title": "A Busy Windy Day", "content_html": "\n
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I started off my day slipping quietly out of the house early to meet a few of my classmates for our ‘71 Divas Do Coffee gathering. It was so good to see the girls…some of whom I hadn’t seen since our class reunion last August. They all looked so wonderful and healthy. It did my heart good to spend time with them. 

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It was getting really windy by the time we came out of the coffee shop. I had a couple short stops to make before I headed back to Marshmallow Ranch. Mr. FixIt was just finishing his lunch when I got home and then he got back to work on the hallway. I noticed a few things in the project on Friday night that I wanted to tidy up so I did spend a little time working on the computer.

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Mr. FixIt had just finished and was sitting down to watch golf when the lights started to brown out and flicker off and on. We kinda held our breath, but we knew it didn’t look good. Sure enough, about ten seconds later, the electricity went off and that was that. I brought a take-and-bake pizza home to cook for supper but without power, we were pretty much out of luck. Since he ran out of caulk for the moulding in the hall, Mr. FixIt suggested we run into town to get more and then go out for supper.

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We stopped at Walmart to buy the caulk, but the near empty parking lot told us the power was out there, too. Of course, Lowe’s next door would be no help. We decided to go up to Vienna to the Walmart on that side of town. Walmart didn’t have the caulk, but the Vienna Lowe’s did and we were soon set.

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Since we were on the north side of town, we decided to head up the river to Marietta, Ohio for the best ribs in the Mid Ohio Valley…Boathouse BBQ. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been very cautious about eating in restaurants hence we ordered our food to go and ate in the car overlooking the sweeping view of the river. Between the high water and the stiff winds, the river looked more like a muddy ocean with choppy white-capped waves than its usual placid surface. I would have loved to sit out on the beached dock, but the wind had a decided nip to it even though the temperature was in the seventies. So, we sat in the comfort of the car. I cant tell you how many “car dates” we’ve had in the last three years.

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On our way to the restaurant, we passed an apartment house with an enormous tree that crushed the roof in. I haven’t heard anything, so I do hope everyone was safe. I watch a scanner page on FB and there were reports all over town of down trees and power lines across a large swath of the surrounding area. As we drove slower to home, we saw some of the electricity was restored but alas…ours was not. There was no indication on the power company website when the service might be restored.

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As I am writing this, we have the battery-powered camping lantern on the table beside Mr. FixIt’s Big Red Chair and I am sitting happily in the dark on my side of the room tippy-tapping on my keyboard…writing my thoughts to you. I have to say, I’m loving the peaceful camaraderie with no TV. The peepers are going crazy out there and this might be a night to sleep in the camper. Maybe I’ll hear an owl…or a whippoorwill. Or just a calmer wind blowing through the trees on the ridge top beyond the far field.

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?

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“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.”

\nPsalm 107:29 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/26/a-busy-windy-day.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Prayer","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/25/the-final-countdown.html", "title": "The Final Countdown", "content_html": "\n
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I spent yesterday doing a little housekeeping of a different sort. I combed thought my project looking for anything that needed fixing. I sat with mug after mug of tea. Mr. FixIt brought me a sandwich to my Big Red Chair. I watched the rain steadily fall outside. And by 6:00, I proclaimed I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m leaving it alone tomorrow then I’ll take one last look through it on Sunday, Then I have the big unveiling on Monday! 

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It’s been a long few months and I’ve learned a lot of things. This is something I’ll need to work on every week, but I won’t have to dive down into it like I have since Christmas. Now I can focus on this quilt and the spring cleaning I have started. So may things have been put on the back burner, but I have a good feeling that the work I’ve put in will pay off in the long run. 

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When I sat down in my comfy chair to work I wondered where Pumpkin Kitty was. It rained all day and I knew she was keeping dry somewhere. I picked up the phone to look behind me and there she was…laying on her little blanket-covered shelf in the window.

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Several years before Mr. FixIt and I got together, the West Virginia Department of Highways did a huge Highway upgrade on the two-lane State Highway in front of our home. Before the new highway came in, the side of the house facing the road was considered the “front.” There is a covered front porch out there and that’s where Pumpkin likes to hang out in inclement weather. She jumps all the way up to the window sills of whatever room we are in and talks to us. We have lots of interaction with her every day so I’m not worried about her. And, she sleeps in the big building every night so she is protected from any predators. It’s fun to have her come say hello several times a day.

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I have organized a coffee gathering for my classmates tor this morning. We haven’t gathered since before Christmas and its time to have a good visit. Then I’ll get back home and get to work on the things I’ve let slide the last few months. This is getting exciting y’all!

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?

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“He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.”

\nLuke 12:54 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/25/the-final-countdown.html", "tags": ["Writing","The Cats","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/24/mrs-fixit-to-the-rescue.html", "title": "Mrs. FixIt to the Rescue!", "content_html": "\n
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I had no electricity in the camper Wednesday night. I was toasty warm so we seem to be past the cold weather now!

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I woke up bright and early yesterday and got started working on my project. It was 7:30 and the house was quiet as Mr. FixIt snoozed away. The day broke cloudy and grey and it started warming up in a hurry. It got up to 76° yesterday! It kept looking like rain but none came. 

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Mr. FixIt headed to town after breakfast to pick up a new ground fault interrupter outlet for the camper. He is so good to let me do things because he knows how much I enjoy it. He offered the occasional bit of wisdom when I was momentarily stumped…but always with a note of encouragement. I had the outlet out and switched in no time, but only the bottom plugin worked. We pulled it back out and looked at it an the only think we could figure was I had the top wires in the wrong holes. I switched them and voila! Worked like magic! Everything turned on like it was supposed to so all is well with “Grace”. Campers are finicky creatures and can get a little bug up their snoot from time to time. It’s nice to have the skills to keep up with the maintenance and repairs.

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I decided to break up my spring cleaning into doable segments so I can multitask. I worked on the spare room yesterday. My cousin is coming for a visit next month. I want to have that room ready for her so I’m not rushing at the end. We’re going to be at the beach the week before she arrives so I’ll need to be ready ahead of time. 

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It was still quite warm when I went to the back of the house to write last night. I propped myself up with pillows and opened the windows wide to let the fresh air in that’s one of the best parts of spring…flinging open the windows and a ring out the house. It’s no wonder people get sick in the winter. We’re closed up tight with other people sharing our air. It feels like being released from prison once the weather warms up enough to open the windows.

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They are predicting locally heavy rainfall here over the next few days. Mr. FixIt went out to the creek to have a look at the storm drain to make sure it is clear. Knock on wood…we haven’t had a bit of water to clean up in the laundry room since we started putting that root killer down the drain. We put it down once a month or so and keep the end at the creek cleared out and so far, so good!

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I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels in here as I’m writing this. It’s a little slice of heaven!

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?

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“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.”

\nZechariah 10:1 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/24/mrs-fixit-to-the-rescue.html", "tags": ["Camping","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/05/about-blowed-away.html", "title": "About Blowed Away!", "content_html": "\n
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Hokey Smokes…the wind was crazy Friday night. It was howling when I was writing yesterday’s post and continued long into the night. Our power stayed on, but it did brown out several times. It is not at all unusual to lose power out here in the boonies when a storm blows in, but we were lucky this time.

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I kept hearing things banging and crashing out there and I fully expected to see detritus everywhere yesterday morning, but we couldn’t find a thing out of place. There were trees and power lines down all around the region and thousands were without power. Then, when morning came, the sun broke through the clouds revealing an azure sky. It was glorious.

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I fixed a good breakfast and we were settled in for a day like any other this time of year. But my eye was repeatedly drawn to the cool, crisp sunshine and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to get out! I asked Mr. FixIt if he’d like to go for a drive. We went to Parkersburg and walked in the park. Then a quick trip to Sam’s. Not for anything specific…just to walk around and look. Then we stopped for sandwiches at Popeye’s and watched the sunset while we ate. 

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Spring is such a hopeful time of year. The world is waking up and so are we. I was thinking about spring out at the farm. When I came off the road to care for the farm in 2016, I settled in to live the farm life I’d always dreamt of. The spring of 2017 had me combing the hills and hollers documenting every little wildflower that popped its head up from a long winter’s slumber. 

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Each shoot represented hope and joy. I went out every morning to document their progress, marveling at how quickly they grew once the warm sunshine coaxed them from the rich woodland soil of West Virginia. This glorious display is accompanied by a symphony of birdsong. When you are blessed enough to have this unsure a sky so blue it hurts your eyes? Priceless!

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I noticed a few small ground cover plants waking up here and there at Marshmallow Ranch. I must get out to the farm soon to catch the wildflowers because it’s truly magical! In the meantime, let’s share our favorite flower shots of the weekend. Mine is a simple pic of a bunch of daffodils at the park in our class flower bed…shot against that incredibly blue sky. What do you have to share?

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?

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“The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Solomon 2:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/05/about-blowed-away.html", "tags": ["Fun","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/03/seldom-a-dull-moment-at.html", "title": "Seldom a Dull Moment at Our House", "content_html": "\n
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Our Giant Sycamores in the Hedgerow

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I can’t say I never have them. Dull moments come to us all. Yesterday was one of those days that things just seemed to need doing, like…right now. I was in the middle of my work on the project when Mr. FixIt decided it was time to do something about the gas stove in the family room. I have noticed the walls were getting discolored up by the ceiling. Then, I saw something that wasn’t supposed to be there…under the stove itself.

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On closer inspection, it was soot. The stove has never produced soot before so I knew something was wrong. I did a little research online and we finally figured out the logs were not positioned correctly. When we had the new carpet put down, we moved that stove. When we put it back, I noticed the logs had become displaced so I put them back as best as I could remember. I had no idea whatsoever that they have to be in a certain position in order to work properly or they create soot. There’s even a photo of the proper placement in the instruction manual. Because I didn’t know this, it didn’t occur to me to say anything to Mr. FixIt or he would have caught my error. Now we have to repaint the family room. But, I was getting tired of the bluish grey anyway. I want to paint the whole house with the same color we used in the hallway…Swiss Coffee. It helps sell a house if the rooms are all one color and we’re still planning on moving to town before too much longer.

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Once we got that messy job finished, it was time to fix supper. I bought a big salmon filet at Sam’s week before last and cut it up in meal sized portions and froze them. I took a bag out Wednesday night for last night’s supper. 

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We have a set of Ninja Cookware and I love that you can put the skillets in the oven. I baked two medium sized potatoes. Then I melted a little butter in the pan. I sliced up several big mushrooms and placed them in the skillet, put the salmon on top of the mushrooms, then nestled the potatoes on either side. I sprinkled Tabitha Brown’s Salt Free Sunshine Seasoning on top and added some fresh ground pepper and a squeeze or two of lemon juice. I covered the pan and put it in a 350° oven for about 15-20 minutes. I removed the pan and placed asparagus spears on either end of the salmon and popped it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so till the spears were just perfect. Oh. My. Gosh! It was amazing!

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So, we got some things done that needed doing and we had a veritable feast afterward. I love when a meal comes together and it’s the crowning touch to a busy and productive day!

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?

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“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

\n1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV\n
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*Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The products I link to are items I have personally used or have been used by someone I know and trust. On occasion, I may share something on my wish list. Your purchase price is not affected by my affiliation.

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/03/seldom-a-dull-moment-at.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/03/02/kiss-me-sunshine.html", "title": "Kiss Me, Sunshine!", "content_html": "\n
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Our forsythia are popping open right and left!

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Oh, my word…I don’t know what the official temperature was yesterday, but around 4:00pm the thermometer on the back of the house read 82°!!!!! I know we aren’t supposed to be excited about the world getting warmer, but when I have a day like yesterday, I feel like I just got let out of prison. 

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We had several things that needed to be done before Mr. FixIt went to town for his turn at errands. Namely, we wanted to switch the tongue jacks between the Big Birdhouse and Grace. It was a lot easier this time because we had the a-frame hooked up to the truck. It wasn’t going anywhere. And we had two solid stand jacks under the front of the new camper. 

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I hooked up the wiring harness between the two batteries on the a-frame like a pro. The fact that my husband thought ahead and took a picture of it before he took it apart was pretty handy. Then, while he was undoing the wiring on the electric tongue jack, I took the manual jack off the other camper. Before we knew it, we had the jacks switched out. Now the only thing we need to do is charge up the battery for Grace, the new camper. Then Mr. FixIt can hook up the electric jack and that part is finished. 

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Why is it, when you put something in a safe place and then, try as you might, when you need it again it’s just…gone! That’s what has happened to the title for the a-frame. I think I know where it is, but I will have to do a little searching for it today. If I can’t find it, I can always run to town and get another one. But it’s just aggravating. The next step is to advertise the camper for sale and I know God will bring us the perfect person who needs it. The nice thing for the new owners…all the little glitches that come with a new camper have already been worked out and they’ll have a fun little camper that will hopefully give them many years of enjoyment.

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While Mr. FixIt was off galavanting around yesterday afternoon, I went out and walked the grounds here at Marshmallow Ranch. The weather was downright balmy. The birds are coming back and they are so hungry after their migration north. We’re really running through the birdseed in the last month. It does my heart good to hear them start singing with the earliest crack of dawn. 

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As I wrote this last night, I was “yard camping” out back. My goal is to sleep in the camper at least one night out of every month this year! There may come a day when I can no longer do this, but it’s no time soon, I hope. I read a story about a woman in her 80’s whose husband passed away right after they bought a 40’ motorhome. Like me, she knew she had to put something joyful in front of her in order to get through her loss. So, she learned how to drive the RV all by herself and now she and her little dog go everywhere together! 

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Age is largely a state of mind. If we can stay healthy and fit, there’s no reason we can’t just keep this up for a good long time. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than camp out and about, sitting under the stars around my propane “pretend” campfire. And when the time comes that we cannot continue to travel, the camper will remain my sanctuary beside the house. 

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Now…on to the next thing!

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?

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“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.”

\nPsalm 104:10-13 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-02T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/02/kiss-me-sunshine.html", "tags": ["God","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/25/mother-nature-is-fickle.html", "title": "Mother Nature is Fickle", "content_html": "\n
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Windy

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It was about 72° Thursday night when I went to bed. The peepers were peeping. The wind was gusting hard and shaking the camper. And I drifted off to sleep like a baby. When I woke up yesterday morning, it was 30° and I quickly threw another blanket over me and turned on the electric blanket. 

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These are the kind of days that treat you with thermometer whiplash and make you wish Mother Nature would just make up her mind already. When I was growing up, I heard that vast spreads in ambient temperature can make you sick. I always thought it was an old wives tale. Working in medicine, we learned that it wasn’t going out with a wet head that made you sick…it was a virus that you picked up. 

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It turns out, it’s kinda sorta true. It’s not the change in temperature that makes you sick but the overall weather conditions. When it’s cold out, the air is drier. The mucus membranes in our upper airways act as a filter to catch viruses before they can get to the lungs. If those viruses hit a desert in your throat, the body can’t defend itself as well. Also, we spend more time indoors when it’s cold out and being in close proximity with others contributes to the spread of respiratory illnesses.

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When it starts warming up at this time of year, everything starts to bud and grow and the air becomes inundated with pollen. It’s a lot windier when the weather changes, so if you are sensitive to pollen and have allergies, that can lead to actually getting sick, too. So…grandma was right, and so were the doctors that taught me.

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By the time I sat down to write last night it was already down to the mid-30’s. I’m tough, and really love to sleep in the camper, but that’s pushing it…even for me. We’ve spent the winter staying on the cool side. I finally convinced Mr. FixIt that we really don’t need to keep the house so warm. It doesn’t hurt us a bit to put on a sweater and we sleep under an electric blanket anyway. Once I got him used to a cooler house at night, it wasn’t a very big stretch to keep the thermostat down in the parts of the house we aren’t using during the day.

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Now that we’ve spent this winter tolerating much cooler temperatures in the house, I’m sure we’re going to have a heck of a time adjusting to the extreme heat and humidity of July and August. Since we’re going to Colorado this summer, I think we should go during late July to early August. Colorado is much more temperate and the evenings almost always cool off into the 70’s. 

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We had a lovely day yesterday. Not a lot of work got done around here. Cooking and cleaning the kitchen is a never ending job. I made some fabulous breakfast burritos yesterday morning. Large flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and home-canned pinto beans, rolled and placed in a casserole dish, then covered with home canned pork green chile, shredded cheddar, and home-canned salsa. I avoided the extra phosphorus and sodium that comes with processed foods and we declared they were just as good as any you could buy in a restaurant. We basically pieced the rest of the day. The older I get, the less regimented I get with the whole three square meals a day. You would never know it by looking at my weight, but I’m focusing more on healthy nutrition, hydration, exercise, and good sleep hygiene. That makes all the difference in the world in how I feel.

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I did work on the project yesterday, but I didn’t seem to get a lot done. That’s ok…today’s another day. It’ll be chilly again so we’re liable to stay around the house today, too. I hope you are having a good weekend and your weather isn’t too tough.

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?

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“For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.””

\nGenesis 8:22 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-25T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/25/mother-nature-is-fickle.html", "tags": ["Health","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/24/what-a-gorgeous-day.html", "title": "What a Gorgeous Day!!!", "content_html": "\n
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I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time sleeping the night before I have to get up and go someplace. I set my alarm, then I lay there and tell myself I’d better hurry up and get to sleep because if I don’t get to sleep pretty soon, I’m going to be overly tired then I might sleep through the alarm and then I keep looking at the clock…one hour…two hours…if I get to sleep right now, I’ll still get four hours and that’s doable…another hour…God, I’m giving this to you…(not really…I can’t stop looking at the clock)…so, if I go to sleep right this minute, I’ll get two whole hours of sleep…that’s better than nothing, I can do this…ALARM!!!! Are you KIDDING me??? I just went to sleep!!!!!

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Anybody? It can’t just be me.

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Anyway, I got up and showered and out the door in record time and arrived at the doctor’s office with enough time to check my emails before I went in. I really liked the doctor. I was basically just getting established in case my parathyroid issues rise up again. The good news is, I no longer have Primary Hyperparathyroidism! The surgery worked. I do however have to reduce my phosphorus intake. Mine’s a little elevated and that can make some of the other numbers go wacky. Overall, pretty good news!

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The weather was stellar yesterday. It was 75° with big puffy white clouds in a gorgeous blue sky. I drove around with the sunroof and the windows open and breathed in all that fresh air. I went to my new hairdresser and she could not believe how fast my hair has grown. I’ve been using a shampoo I bought in the shop and it’s growing out really healthy. A little yellowed at the ends so I’m going to try a purple shampoo once a week to see if it corrects. 

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One of the highlights of my day was having lunch at Panera. A huge salad (this was before I found out that leafy greens are high in phosphorus!) and a large Diet Coke (another no-no!) So, what can you do? You do the best you can, right?

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I had a Zoom meeting then went on the hunt for something Mr. FixIt needs for his woodworking project. Of course, they are phasing out exactly what he wanted so we have to travel about 37 miles each way to find it. I understand…when I want a specific product, I want what I want. I can’t begrudge him the same thing.

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As I drove home from town yesterday, there were flowering trees actually blooming! This is WAY too early for that. The climate is changing faster and faster and it’s troublesome. The fierce snowstorms this week are crazy. I mean…a blizzard just outside of Los Angeles? Nuts!

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The clouds looked downright angelic last night. It was still in the 70’s!

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I hope you all are faring well out there. Please be safe and take good care of each other! Our temps take a nosedive today with a high of 47° and a low of 29°. Big difference from yesterday.

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?

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“He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains.”

\nPsalms 104:10 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-24T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/24/what-a-gorgeous-day.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/23/little-bunny-foo-foo.html", "title": "Little Bunny Foo Foo", "content_html": "\n
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The first year or two that I lived here on what has now become known as Marshmallow Ranch (formerly known as The Ponderosa), there were no critters in the back yard. Before that, a big Australian Shepherd policed the fenced in back yard and nothing dared to enter. But, after those first couple of years, the dog’s scent dissipated and the bunnies came back with a vengeance. 

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We’ve given up trying to raise a garden here because between the poor soil and the bunnies, we were knocked down every year. That’s just as well…we can get better produce while we support local farmers anyway. And, I love the bunnies. Something got one in the yard the other night. I’m thinking one of the owls from the surrounding woods had a fine supper. Or maybe an early morning hawk. Either way, the yard was littered with bunny fluff on Monday morning. It is the hazard of country living.

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When I went out to the camper last night, this beauty sat stock still and didn’t make the usual run for the shadows. I stood and talked to the bunny while I carefully took out my phone to capture a photo, knowing fully well I might miss the opportunity. Night shots on a phone…no matter how wonderful they are, loses detail when you zoom in. But if you take the picture, then crop it down, you get better definition.

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Mr. FixIt stood at the door, watching me watch the bunny. I waved him out to me because the peepers were also calling. They really shouldn’t be out this early…it’s a sign of negative climate change which affects everything, including the storms we are subjected to. Storms have been getting worse and worse over the last few years and it’s not a good sign. All that being said, there is a little flutter in your heart when you start seeing and hearing the first vestiges of spring. 

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I saw a robin in the pear tree yesterday morning. I was awakened at dawn by the sound of rain on the roof of the camper. Mr. FixIt has ditched his jeans and has changed to shorts. Now, it won’t matter if there’s a blizzard…he’ll be wearing shorts till next winter. (implied eye roll) Our diet is changing. Gone are all the heavy sweets and stews. We had a lovely chef’s salad last night. And I was back in the camper again. I’m making it a goal to sleep in the camper at least once every month of 2023! The time for heading out to a campground will be here soon then Mr. FixIt will come along with me.

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We didn’t get quite as warm yesterday as they predicted, but today ought to be in the mid to high 70’s and that is blissful…global warming aside. My peeps in Colorado are freezing with sub-zero temps and snow. Yet another reminder of why I left there. I just can’t do snow like that anymore.

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I have errands in town today, so the project will sit for the day. I need a break anyway. Big will have a birthday soon and I want to get a little care package sent to her. I’ll need a farm fix soon, as well. Keeping busy with this project since Christmas has kept my mind occupied and made the deeper darkness of winter pass more quickly. I do better with the “winter gloomies” if I have something big on my plate.

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?

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“Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.”

\nProverbs 21:5 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/23/little-bunny-foo-foo.html", "tags": ["Health","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/22/scratch-scratch-scratch.html", "title": "Scratch, Scratch, Scratch", "content_html": "\n
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I sleep in the camper whenever it’s warm enough and we’ve been getting some lovely, unseasonably warm weather this month. When I came in yesterday morning, Mr. FixIt was still snoozing so I went to the kitchen to make my tea. While I waited for the kettle to boil, I heard a noise. At first, it sounded like it was in the bottom kitchen cabinet by the refrigerator. I was almost afraid to open the door, but I finally screwed up my courage enough to take a peek fully expecting a raccoon to pop out at me. Whatever it was it sounded big!

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Relieved that Rocky Raccoon wasn’t taking up residence in the kitchen cupboard, I tried to follow more closely to see exactly where it was coming from. I finally made my way into the hallway on the other side of the wall from the kitchen. There, very clearly over by the door…something was definitely in the wall.

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We live out in the country on five acres. We get critters from time to time but none that sound this big. I was ready to tear the wall apart, but the ever wise Mr. FixIt stopped me because then we would not only have a big hole in the wall, but we would also very likely have a critter in the house with us. He assured me…if it found its way in there, it can find its way out. Just give it some time.

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Finally around 3:00 it stopped scratching around and we assume it made its way out of the wall the same way it got in there. If it continues today, it will warrant further investigation, but for now…I’m sleeping in the camper out of the reach of the wild things! Mr. FixIt just laughs at me. He’s lived in the country a lot longer than I have!

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What started out as a cloudy morning gave way to gusty winds, then the sun broke through and it was gorgeous. Mr. FixIt got out more baseboards and took them outside to paint. I work on the big project and made pizza. That was about the extent of the excitement in my world yesterday…which is fine by me. 

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We’re supposed to have temps in the mid-70’s today, but it’s going to rain most of the day. Another home day! The grass is greening up and it will be time to mow before long if this keeps up. With this early warmth, I’ve been listening for the peepers to start singing. They shouldn’t be out this early, but the last few years, they have been. Climate change will do that. Although I’ve seen posts on Facebook affirming their presence, I have not heard them here at Marshmallow Ranch. 

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I have been hearing more and more birds in the last week. The songbirds have been warning up their pipes at the first light of dawn. I especially notice them when I’m sleeping in the camper. We keep the feeders full so they can get some quick fuel when they arrive from their winter grounds. Lots of suet blocks so they get some fat for energy. They make my heart sing. I still have to laugh at our little Tufted Titmouse that taps on the window…telling Mr. FixIt the window feeder needs refilled. 

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The world is waking up. God’s promise that life does go on…in spite of us. I know there is such a large swatch of the nation facing winter storms today. My heart is with you. Please…be safe out there!

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?

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“Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Songs 2:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/22/scratch-scratch-scratch.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Home","Happiness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/20/the-grounds-keeper.html", "title": "The Grounds Keeper", "content_html": "\n
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Pumpkin Kitty is almost three-and-a-half years old already. She is our resident Grounds Keeper and keeps the area fairly well free from mice and snakes. She also catches the occasional vole but those little suckers are mean so she usually ends up batting them around till they manage to get away. So far, she has never left us a gift on the doorstep. She probably thinks since she is the Queen, she needn’t leave presents for the hired help. 

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Since her brush with death during the coldest part of winter, she has steered away from the pool. She still goes up on the deck, but I haven’t caught her leaning over the edge for a drink since her inadvertent baptism in the pool. She’s starting to mellow out a little, too. She doesn’t attack us nearly as often as she used to. But she’s still really fickle and you cannot trust that you’ll get away with your hand intact after scratching her head. 

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Mr. FixIt is the Cat Whisperer. She’ll let him pick her up and carry her to the building to give her treaties. I’m not as apt to do that. I’m not a fan of bleeding. So, when I walk by her to the building, she starts meowing like she does with her Prince. Then, if I walk on by, she amps up the volume as if to say, “Hey! Down here! How am I supposed to get to the building for what is rightfully mine???” It actually makes me giggle. 

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We didn’t get the a-frame camper cleaned this weekend. It was kinda cool and windy so we did mostly indoor stuff. Some pictures of Big TOW-Wanda showed up in my memories yesterday and it got me to thinking about our new camper and ways I can dress it up to make it warm and cozy. 

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The valance for the big window over the dinette fell off last summer and rather than put it back up, I’ve decided to make some curtains instead. If I make curtains for one window, I need to make them for the other two. And, there is a large room divider curtain, so I might as well do that one, too. 

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I really loved the backsplash in Big TOW-Wanda. I’d love to have that look in the new camper, but the wall over the sink has a lot of control panels, switches, and outlets on it. It may not work out the way I envision. I’m sure I can do something to make it homey. It’s not like I don’t have anything else to do so it may just end up being a dream.

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We have errands to run in town today. I am hoping it will be warm enough to go for a walk in the park with my sweetie. We both want to start getting these winter pudgies off. It’ll be no time and we’ll need to get out and start doing the heavy work. We should really ease our way into it. 

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I’m almost ready to get back to the quilt! The knitting has been put aside since before Christmas so I could work on this project. There’s light at the end of the tunnel. Now before you get all excited…it’s not my book. But I’m laying the groundwork for that in the not so distant future. 

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?

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“Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off.”

\nProverbs 13:11 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-20T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/20/the-grounds-keeper.html", "tags": ["Camping","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/19/twinkle-twinkle-big-bright-stars.html", "title": "Twinkle, Twinkle Big Bright Stars", "content_html": "\n
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Saturdays are often a catch up day around Marshmallow Ranch. Mr. FixIt headed to town first thing to pick up moulding for the newly painted hallway. And, of course, like every other trip to town, they didn’t have what he needed so he had to go to another store. In the meantime, I cleaned house.

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The sun was shining brightly and the windows were really dingy after having a Christmas tree in front of them for months. I don’t know if you’ve ever used Norwex products, but they have a wonderful two-cloth system that doesn’t use chemicals. With the windows all sparkly, and the kitchen clean and tidy, I ran the vacuum then sat down with the computer to do a little more work on this project. 

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I’m making a lot of progress and I think I’m still on course for the big reveal in the middle of March. I gave up on the more complex program and went back to the simpler, though more expensive, version. It’s looking good, I think. And I’m getting pretty psyched for it. Feeling appropriately enticed? ?

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Just after dark, Mr. FixIt was heading to the kitchen to put the kettle on when he stopped and looked out the door in the family room. He went out without saying a word and I knew that meant he saw something in the sky. My sweetheart has a love for the out of doors and especially the night sky. We had perfectly clear skies last night and after days of rain, it was lovely to walk out and see the stars.

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Just over the crest of the far hill were two huge stars. Well, actually…two huge planets. Jupiter and Venus were showing off last night and I was glad I grabbed my phone to snap a photo. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has an extraordinary camera and you can take photos of the stars in the night sky which astounds me. 

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I remember making the trip to West Virginia in the summer of 2016 for my 45th High School Reunion. My Uncle had just asked me to come off the road to live on the farm and take care of it. When I got home after the last party, I laid down on the wheelchair ramp out back and watched the Milky Way. It is incredibly dark out there and with no light pollution, it felt like you could reach out and touch the stars. 

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Star watching is one of my favorite things to do, too. I think that’s why Mr. FixIt and I both love to camp. We can get away from city lights and watch for shooting stars and satellites. I’ve still never caught a glimpse of StarLink but I have seen the International Space Station. We are still on the roller coaster of highs and lows on the thermometer, but Tony the Weatherman told us it looks like our risk of snow is pretty much gone. We had another very mild winter. On the one hand, I am concerned by the implications of climate change. But on the other, I am relieved we didn’t have a rough winter. As a matter of fact, we didn’t have to run the snowblower even once this year.

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Today will be another mild one with a high near 60°. I’ll take that any day of the week!

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?

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“He counts the stars and assigns each a name.”

\nPsalms 147:4 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/19/twinkle-twinkle-big-bright-stars.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Peace","Farm Life","Heaven"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/02/17/christmas-is-finally-over.html", "title": "Christmas is Finally Over", "content_html": "\n
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I hate giving up on the twinkle lights. But something had to give. The ornaments and tree were getting dusty. It had been ages since I really took notice of the tree. I need to wash the big picture window the tree sits in. The carpet needs cleaned in the family room. And I was two days past my cutoff of Valentine’s Day. It was time. 

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After sleeping in the camper Wednesday night, I came in bright and early yesterday morning because the rain was starting around 8:00. I didn’t want to tote all my stuff in and risk getting my iPad wet. I put the kettle on for tea and tiptoed down the hall to see if Mr. FixIt was awake yet. It didn’t appear he was, so I fixed my tea, toasted a bagel, and went in to the Big Red Chair to start working on my project. 

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When Mr. FixIt hadn’t made his entrance by 10:00, I went looking for him. Try as I might, I still walk down that hall with trepidation when I think he should be up already. He understands that and tries not to worry me, but if he’s asleep, he doesn’t have a lot of control over that. When I peeked in the door this time, there he was with a great big smile on his face and I was ready for my morning hug!

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We were soon up and at ‘em because there was a lot to do. The rain started so Mr. FixIt got back to work with the carpet shampooer. He needs to get more moulding and that has to wait till the rain has passed. I worked on the project then he brought the Christmas totes up. He snoozed a little while I took down the ornaments and carefully wrapped them. We weren’t quite finished when it was time to start supper.

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The Pasta Primavera was such a hit last time, we’ve decided we’ll be putting that on the menu rotation. It is a little time consuming so I’m hoping after awhile it will go quicker. It is so tasty though and we have enough left over to tomorrow’s supper. I love having enough cooked that I don’t have to make a meal every day. 

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After supper, I sat down with Mr. FixIt to watch the news. The tree stood dark in the window and I wonder to myself if the children down the road will notice it’s gone when their parents drive them past. They’re such sweet little things and they love Christmas so much! I think I’ll bake some cookies soon and take some over.

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So much to do in the coming weeks. I can’t really afford to dink around a whole lot or I’ll be WAY behind. My goal is to have this project ready by the middle of March, then I can move on to other things that need doing. And, before you know it…it’ll be time to start mowing again! Isn’t that crazy???

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It is awfully nice to hear the rain on the roof…even if it’s asphalt shingles and not an old-fashioned tin roof like the farm. It would be a little louder in the camper, but it’s a rubber roof. Still not the same. I’m bound to get back out to the farm again in the next couple of weeks. Here it is, Friday again. Do you all have something planned for your weekend? I hope you are all safe from the impending storms! I know this scripture is a little early, but it paints such a lovely picture, doesn’t it?

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?

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“Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! God has done great things. Fear not, wild animals! The fields and meadows are greening up. The trees are bearing fruit again: a bumper crop of fig trees and vines! Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your God. He’s giving you a teacher to train you how to live right— Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do. And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil. * * *”

\nJoel 2:21-24 MSG\n
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Groundhog Day comes every year and I don’t really recall ever hearing “Spring is JUST around the corner!!!” It’s always “Six More Weeks of Winter!!!” Right…so what else is new? It’s the first week of February. Of course there’s more winter! But I can pretty much guarantee you Spring will come a lot sooner in WV than it will for my Colorado family. Or for many of you, as well. 

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I woke up yesterday morning and snuggled in with Mr. FixIt for the morning news review on our phones. He looks up the weather and reports to me. I look up the most recent news flash and report to him. We check our schedules to see where we need to be or what chores must be accomplished. Then I pull up my “To Do List” and add things we think of…usually something we need at the store or a prescription to pick up. The most important “news” that starts our day is “How did you sleep?” Sleep reports are big news anymore! Finally, we check the blood sugar and decide what’s for breakfast.

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I padded down the hall to the kitchen and put the kettle on for tea. If we don’t have anywhere to go, I’ll start breakfast. Mr. FixIt lets the cat out and starts the fire in the family room. We looked outside yesterday morning and the sun was shining. We knew that ol’ groundhog was full of it. We surely don’t have SIX more weeks of winter! It’s time to start scheduling some camping trips for the season that’ll be here before we know it.

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Since it was such a sunshiny day, and since we had some errands that really needed doing in town, we bundled up and headed out in the 30° weather and hit the road. We got our usual breakfast sandwich at the Golden Arches, then made our stops throughout town…methodically planning each to keep us from zig-zagging and retracing our steps.

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Our first stop was Harbor Freight. I’ve told y’all before…if this man wants to have his way with me, he takes me to a hardware store! I am NOT your typical frou-frou fancy chick. Not anymore, anyway. I threw my tiara out the window a long time ago. I set my sights on a piece of hardware I needed to replace. A lot of my important tools were stolen out of a storage unit in Colorado when I was selling my house ten years ago. Many of which, it turns out, Mr. FixIt has in that “hardware store” we call a building out back. This tool he did not have. It looked like Harbor Freight didn’t either, till the clerk checked in back and they just happened to receive a new shipment that hadn’t been put on the shelves yet. Mama was a happy camper…because…it was on sale for 25% off. Excellent!

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After a quick stop at Sam’s, where spring was evident at every turn, we went to my other favorite store…Rural King. Our best dates end up at Rural King!!! Free popcorn and all things farm related. We needed more birdseed because these freeloaders are eating us out of house and home. We deferred replacing the broken feeder till next year. We have three big feeders, two suet baskets, a window feeder, and a finch sock out there…that will get them by. The big 40# bags of birdseed were sold out. We bought one 20# bag and stopped at Ollie’s Discount Store to see if they had some. They had little 5# bags for more than we paid for the 20# so that was a no go.

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Our last stop took us to Walmart for the rest of the items on the list. They had 20# bags of birdseed there so we topped off what we needed. It turns out, buying birdseed has become a $4 Billion industry in this country. Feeding birds is big business. We feed them because we love them. We love watching them flit around the feeders and the ground below. It’s tranquil and therapeutic. It strikes a chord deep within each of us…food is love and feeding those we love soothes our souls. 

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Feeding our feathered friends has been a tradition in this country for over a hundred years. We all can remember the little back yard bird feeders at our grandma’s or auntie’s house. They might have purchased a small bag of seed and doled it out over the winter in order to catch a glimpse of a colorful bird like a cardinal or a bluejay or what have you. But when the pandemic hit, participation in the hobby of feeding birds exploded because we were stuck at home and needed a diversion.

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We’ll keep feeding our birds as long as we can afford the seed. And maybe we don’t need to buy that extra feeder after all. We stop feeding in the spring. We do start in the fall, but it really doesn’t pick up to the “spendy” category till late winter or early spring. We don’t feed in summer because there’s plenty of natural forage and even if there’s food in the feeder, you rarely get a bird come in for that kind of seed when there’s a plethora of worms and grubs and bugs to nosh on.

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We were back home by 4:00-ish. We missed the school bus traffic and the state highway people were finished with the major tree-trimming project they’re doing on our little two-lane blacktop. I have nothing scheduled till the 13th, so I can dig in and get some work done on this project. The learning curve seems to get steeper and steeper, but I am bound and determined to do this! I may go out to The Farm for a few days. No TV…no cooking and cleaning the kitchen. Just peace and quiet and faster internet, if you can believe that.

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It was good to have a day out in the sunshine, getting some exercise, and hanging with my best fella. Some of you may have gotten a glimpse of Mr. FixIt Tuesday night when I inadvertently posted his birthday picture to this page instead of my personal page. It was only up for a few minutes till I discovered my error. If you did get to see him…you’re one of the few who have gazed upon his handsome visage! Lucky you!!!

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?

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”

\nPsalm 104:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/02/03/punxsutawney-phil-is-full-of.html", "tags": ["Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/01/26/eating-from-the-pantry.html", "title": "Eating From The Pantry", "content_html": "\n
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My cousin in South Carolina is wicked smart. She can go shopping and come back with a car load of goods and more money in her purse than when she left the house. It’s incredible! I am always in awe when she posts on FB about her bargains and I try to emulate her financial acumen…though not nearly as successfully.

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One thing she does at this time every year is eat out of the pantry for a month and buy little to nothing save for a few perishables. We were out of eggs yesterday, so I did ask Mr. FixIt to pick up some when he was in town. I stood in front of the pantry and looked at what we had. I chose spaghetti. Then I had a peek in the fridge and grabbed the last four slices of bacon and two big cloves of garlic. 

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I cut the bacon in little pieces, put about half a cup of water in a skillet and dumped in the bacon. I gave it a good stir and set the heat to medium while I smashed and minced the garlic. I put the pasta on to cook. The water evaporated on the bacon and it fried up so nice and crispy. Once the bacon was done, I strained the crispy pieces out and put about a teaspoon of the bacon grease back in the skillet.

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Still on medium heat, I gently stirred the garlic for about 30 seconds till it was lightly golden brown. You do NOT want to burn garlic or it gets terribly bitter and you have to start over. I put the garlic in a bowl along with another scant tablespoon of the bacon grease. Then, when the grease was cool enough not to fry them, I added three fresh eggs and one extra egg yolk and one cup of finely grated parmesan cheese, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper.

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I carefully drained the water from the al dente pasta and reserved a cup of the hot cooking water. It was pretty starchy, and I needed that for the sauce. After I put the pasta back in the pan, I gently poured a half cup of the pasta water in the egg mixture and whipped it carefully. Then I poured the sauce in the hot pasta and added the bacon. I tossed it several times over the next two to three minutes and watched that raw egg sauce magically cook by the heat of the spaghetti. Voila! Spaghetti Carbonara! Everyone should know how to cook this incredibly easy dish. It’s quick, economical, and looks like you’ve been slaving in a hot kitchen all day. So, so yummy!

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Yesterday was one of those days where I felt like all I was doing was cooking and cleaning. I made French Toast and bacon for breakfast. It was NOT a low fat, low carb day. But we seldom eat so rich. It’s just nice to know you can whip up something so delicious with stuff you have on hand. Oh, and by the way…Dollar General has had eggs at just under $4.00 so we got two dozen.

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Mr. FixIt and I talked the other day about getting chickens. I guess we aren’t the only ones because there have been several stories in the news of late about the truth of rearing chickens. I’ve heard of people adding up the numbers and, not only was it a full time job keeping up with the hens, they ended up paying about $18 a dozen. We are at a point in our lives where we would just as soon pay someone else’s to raise our food. I’ll buy in bulk from farmers and farmer’s markets before I’ll spend all that money and maybe not have good results.

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I worked at my desk yesterday and wasn’t quite as productive as I’d been the day before. There’s a big learning curve in what I’m doing but man is it a blast! I finally reached my brother. He has lost two phones since Thanksgiving! I have no idea what’s happening to them, but they can’t find them anywhere. He has a land line which is how I spoke with him, but he can’t hear very well on it. We’ll be going to Colorado this summer sometime so I’ll make it a point to straighten all that out. 

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Mr. FixIt is at the beginning stages of purging the house. He’s lived here since the late ‘70s so it’s going to be a huge undertaking. It’s like when you catch your kids doing something awesome. You want to thank them and point out how happy you are, but you don’t want to jinx anything so you let it go! lol Let’s just say, I’m tickled to death and I’ll do anything to support him while he gets to work. I’ve already done the big purge when I sold the Colorado house. I know what he’s up against and it isn’t pretty nor is it easy. But it IS satisfying.

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The week is half gone and we’re sliding into the weekend soon. Mr. FixIt is going to the WVU Basketball game on Saturday with his son. I elected to stay home. I have so much to do and I am not crazy about crowds. While our little county doesn’t have any reported cases of Covid, you KNOW it’s here. They’re just not reporting their positive tests anymore since we’re taking our tests at home for the most part.

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It’s been an ordinary day in the ordinary life of some ordinary folks. But man…we sure do have fun with it!

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?

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“…Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!”

\n1 Peter 4:7-11 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-01-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/01/26/eating-from-the-pantry.html", "tags": ["Choices","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/01/22/simplicity.html", "title": "Simplicity", "content_html": "\n
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The other day I was browsing through my Facebook feed and saw a friend from high school had posted pictures of his wedding back in the mid-‘70s. It reminded me of my own to Hubby #1. We were so young. I haven’t seen the pictures for many years. I gave the wedding album to Daughter #1 a long, long time ago, but I can assure you…it was a quite simple affair. 

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I wore a dress I had made for a dance program in my senior year. It was white dotted Swiss with long, sheer sleeves and an empire waist. My Maid of Honor was my best friend, Martha. She wore my formal from the Sweetheart dance I went to in the spring before graduation. My parents didn’t have money for a big wedding. And big weddings weren’t de rigueur…not in my circles, anyway.

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One of Mom’s friends made little almond tea cookies. We borrowed the punch bowl and made the usual “punch” with orange sherbet, ginger ale, and cranberry juice. There were a couple bowls of mixed nuts and the obligatory wedding cake. Quite a modest spread compared to today’s over-the-top extravaganza. The average price for a wedding this year will run a whopping $29,000! I’ll bet we didn’t spend $200, and that included flowers and decorations. 

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I have had three weddings since then. My most extravagant was with Mr. Virgo because that’s what he did for a living…hospitality management. We got married in my favorite restaurant and had a sit down brunch for 75 people. It was a lot fun and including the photographer, we probably spent $8,000. Of course, we highly expected it to be my last wedding so we went all out. And we know how that ended. 

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If you’ve been around a while, you know Mr. FixIt and I got married in the near field here at Marshmallow Ranch. (I used to refer to our place as The Ponderosa, but Marshmallow Ranch gives credence to the grounds.) We rented a tent. We bought bales of hay for the seating and covered the bales with a collection of old quilts. We had a two tiered cake made. I made my bouquet and Mr. FixIt’s boutonniere with silk flowers from Michael’s along with decorating the tent with twinkle lights, balloons, baskets of mums and assorted pumpkins. I smoked four pork butts and served pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and soda. Pretty simple stuff and we maybe spent $2500.

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Simplicity. There’s something to be said for it. Gone are the days when I lived the affluent life. And honestly…I am quite happy living this simple country life with my Mr. FixIt. As with most of the people I know, our retirement income is pretty well fixed so we are careful with our money. And we are creative in ways to bring more in while we have the wherewithal to do so. 

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You don’t have to live on five acres to have a peaceful country life. I’ve lived every bit as much a country life on a main thoroughfare in Denver. “Country live” is as much a state of mind as it is mowing and tending to a large parcel of land, gardens, and animals. I stumbled across a trove of Mother Earth News Magazines back in in the late ‘70s. I canned our food, baked our bread, cultured our yogurt, made grape nuts from scratch and raised a garden in the side yard. I sewed clothes for my daughter and myself. AND worked full time putting Hubby #2 through medical school. 

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I took the weekend off from my studio where I’ve been working on my new project. I needed a good break. I didn’t feel well Friday night wasn’t sure I’d make it to our youngest great grandson’s 1st birthday party yesterday, but a good night’s sleep and a hot shower and I was ready to go. We all had a great time at the party at one of the fast food restaurants with a playground for the kids. The adults got to visit while the littles ran around like their hair was on fire…whooping and hollering. 

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I’ve ended up being exactly where I want to be.

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?

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““Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”

\nMatthew 6:19-21 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-01-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/01/22/simplicity.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Happiness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/01/15/the-veil-is-so-thin.html", "title": "The Veil is So Thin", "content_html": "\n
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“Pumpkin Kitty snoozing on her mama.”
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One thing that has certainly changed since Mr. Virgo’s death is my perceptions. Life itself is finite and the veil is so thin. You’re here. Then you aren’t here. When that reality actually sinks in…when it’s been someone who means the world to you…you will never, ever see life the the same way. It’s inescapable.

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We had a near tragedy here at Marshmallow Ranch yesterday. Mr. FixIt waited for the temp to come up a bit before he let Pumpkin Kitty out of her cozy building to get a little fresh air. We were supposed to go to town around 10:30am for a birthday party, but we had a little skiff of snow and the scuttlebutt on Facebook said the roads were glazed with ice. I don’t like this road in good weather. I just had this niggling feeling we needed to stay home.

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After Mr. FixIt let the cat out, he went to the building to refill the bird feeders. I was sitting in the living room, working on my laptop, when I hear this blood curdling scream. I ran to the door and listened and I could tell it was coming from inside the fenced yard. At first, I thought it was Mr. FixIt and something had happened to him. Then I realized it was an animal. Sound travels weird out here with the metal building and I couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from. 

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I was going to go on the other side of the pool because it sounded like it was perhaps an animal that was hit on the road above us. Then, suddenly I heard splashing water. Something was in the pool! With my heart in my throat, I ran to the edge of the pool and there was our Pumpkin Kitty, sinking to the bottom, her eyes opened wide!

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I reached down as far as I could without jumping in myself, and grabbed the scruff of her neck. I knew if I let go of her, she would run off and freeze to death. So I ran to the door of the building and yelled to Mr. FixIt to come in the house right away…I needed him. Then I ran into the house and wrapped the poor soggy cat in three thick towels. Mr. FixIt popped his head in the door of the bathroom and asked what he could do. 

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I asked him to plug his heating pad into the power strip by the Big Red Chair. I went out and sat in the chair and he covered the kitty and me with my fleece throw and wrapped the heating pad around the poor cat. She was shivering like crazy, but I held her close…something she detests. (The picture above is an old photo. The last thing I was thinking about yesterday was taking a picture of me holding her. I just wanted her to get warm!) Those towels were wrapped around her tight and she wasn’t getting away. I sat there for a couple hours, rocking her and whispering comforting words to her.

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Then I asked Mr. FixIt to get her popup enclosure out of the garage. It looks something like a popup tent with screened in sides. We put a big blanket in the enclosure and I put Pumpkin inside. By this time she was pretty dry. I placed the enclosure over near the gas stove in the corner, and there she stayed for the rest of the day. She was finally warm and cozy and she slept for a couple of hours. 

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By the late afternoon, we took her back out to her heated bedroom and she snuggled right into the blankets in her bed. We dodged a huge bullet yesterday, but it taught me a lesson. I’ve been looking at animal safety ladders for pools. I never bought one because I didn’t find one that looked like it could support a cat. They’re mostly for frogs and squirrels. I have designed one that will support a good sized animal and will buy the necessary supplies to build one right away. 

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But first, I needed to figure out how she fell in the pool. She loves to walk around the railing of the pool. She has never slipped in before, but we had that dusting of snow Thursday night. Judging by her footprints, we figure she went to the railing and when she jumped up, she slipped on the ice and fell in. Let me tell you…we’ll be figuring out some way to keep her out of that pool one way or another, that’s for sure.

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This explains the nudging…the whispering of the Holy Spirit…telling me not to go to town. Because, if we would have, there is no way our poor kitty would have survived. We were meant to be there to help her. I’m hoping this teaches her a lesson and she stays away from the pool. But no matter what, we’re coming up with something to protect her…and all other kitties that may come along and try the same thing. We live in the country. Pumpkin is an outdoor kitty…with a twist. She has a 30’x40’ building with a heated bed and heated water dish. She has treats and good food and blankets. She’s a good mouser. We haven’t seen a mouse since she came to live with us in 2019. She’s one of the most pampered outdoor cats you’ll ever find.

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We needed to go to town later in the afternoon so we left after we put her to bed. On the way there, we saw places where cars had slid off the road which further convinced us God didn’t want us going to that birthday party. I feel so guilty because I dropped the ball on creating a safety device to prevent this from happening. 

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Thank you, Lord…for protecting this little black kitty. She’s used up three of her nine lives now.

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?

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“Good people are good to their animals; the “good-hearted” bad people kick and abuse them.”

\nProverbs 12:10 MSG\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-01-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/01/15/the-veil-is-so-thin.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Fear","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/01/13/a-week-packed-into-a.html", "title": "A Week Packed Into a Day", "content_html": "\n
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See the sparse trees with the dusty pinkish gold leaves? Those are Beech Trees and this time of year, they really stand out in the woods against the dark wet background. I call them ”The Dusty Pink Ladies” as they dance around beneath the towering deciduous forest.

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What an incredible day it was yesterday! I didn’t sleep well either night I stayed at the farm because it was just way too hot. That old drafty house is either too hot or too cold. I even had the bedroom window open. Sometime in the night I got up and when I came back to bed, I forgot to shut the bathroom door. There is a small vent free gas stove in there and man, did it ever heat up the bedroom. And once I woke up, I was done. I stayed awake the rest of the night and finally got up around 7:00. 

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I fixed my tea and warmed up the leftover pancakes. Once I had breakfast done and the dishes clean, I settled in the easy chair with my laptop. It took me three days to do one job because…before I could do this, I had to do that. Then there were three things I had to do before that could be done. It went on and on…round and round. By 6:00 last night, I finally had all the pieces put together and I was essentially done with biggest part of it.

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I’m getting really excited about this project. I think it’s going to breath new life into my blog. I know it’s breathing new life in me! I came home all bubbly and bouncing around. I was glad to get back to the cool bedroom and warm hugs from my sweetie. He went to town in the early evening and I forgot to ask him to pick up a pound of tavern ham and some chips. I ran out in the rain and stood out in the side yard waving my arms but he didn’t see me. I tried to call him but he wasn’t picking up the phone. So, I did the next best thing. I called the little store he was going to and asked the man who answered to have Mr. FixIt bring home my desired purchases. 

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It felt like living in times gone by…asking the shopkeeper to bring home some meat and potatoes. See? We DO live on the Little House up the Holler! I talked to my Auntie Rosie yesterday and she knew who I was, but she was talking word salad. She didn’t really know where she was or why she was there. Poor thing. But I steered the conversation to safe topics from the distant pass that I was fairly sure she would remember. 

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So, all in all…it was a really good day! It got dark enough for folks to have to drive with their lights on at 9:00 yesterday morning. Then the thunder crashed and the house shook. The wind gusts blew around the corners of the house with a whistle. An hour later, the sun broke through for a bit and the storm was gone. It came through in waves all day and by dark last night, the temp started dropping and they predicted snow.

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Let’s hope today is a beautiful day with the world blanketed in white! Stay safe everybody!

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?

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““If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!””

\nPsalm 91:14-16 MSG\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2023-01-13T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/01/13/a-week-packed-into-a.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/12/22/the-first-day-of-winter.html", "title": "The First Day of Winter", "content_html": "\n
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Ahhhh, the Winter Solstice has come and gone and so has the longest night of the year! Every day forward…from now to June 21st…every day will bring more light and less darkness. Isn’t that a wonderful thought? 

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It would be very easy to wish this time of darkness away. To only look forward to brighter, better days. But if we do that, we are cheating ourselves out of an experience. All experiences…good and bad…have a purpose. Good times make us joyful. Bad times make us stronger. And quiet times give us space to meditate. To slow down. To breathe and just…be. ALL times should make us grateful for the experience.

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I awoke in the early hours yesterday and couldn’t get back to sleep. I ruminated on several things that I couldn’t put away. I read for a while. I tossed and turned. I know I was keeping Mr. FixIt awake, but I just kept thinking I’d fall asleep soon. Three hours later, just after dawn, I finally drifted off and my sweetheart came in at noon to check on my. I’d been awake for just a few minutes. Even though he was on the other end of the house, and I hadn’t made a sound…he knew I was awake. He’s good that way.

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Since it was so late, I heated up the leftover quiche for “brunch” and we settled into our cozy red chairs. I picked up my knitting and started Christmas stocking #4. Winter is definitely coming in the next couple of days. I was chatting with my dear friend Sue in Colorado the other night and they are predicting the lowest wind chill temperatures EVER recorded. I sent a message to the girls to make sure they keep the cabinet doors open under the sinks so the room heat can get in and to keep the faucets dripping slightly to avoid freezing pipes.

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Our furnace is right beside our pipes in the basement here at Marshmallow Ranch, so I’m not terribly concerned about freezing. I think we are pretty prepared out at the farm. Pumpkin Kitty has a 30’x40’ building that’s all her own with a heated bed and a heated water dish, a big window to look out of, and Mr. FixIt leaves the light on for her at night. He’s sweet that way. 

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We have plenty of food and water. We have the gas fireplace in the family room and a gas wall stove in the basement if the power should go off. We have the generator, too. We cook with gas so I’m pretty sure we could last for quite some time without power if need be. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Please stay safe out there and check in to let us know what’s happening in your neck of the woods!

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?

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“The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds. Ice is formed by the breath of God, and watery expanses are frozen.”

\nJob 37:9-10 CSB\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-12-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/12/22/the-first-day-of-winter.html", "tags": ["Choices","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/12/07/step-one-is-done.html", "title": "Step One is Done", "content_html": "\n
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The making of tamales is a laborious undertaking. After going through a week of cooking for Thanksgiving two weeks ago, I’m not going to do an all day marathon and get these things done in record time. I’ve watched a great video…multiple times…on the how-tos of tamale making so I think I have a pretty good idea of what’s involved. 

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The cook in the video makes everything from scratch, including the red chili sauce. I don’t have access to dried red chilis like guajillos, ancho chiles, or chiles de arbol here in the nether regions of West Virginia. So, I am making do with a ready made red enchilada sauce from a can. Yesterday, I seared medium chunks of a good sized Boston butt pork roast. I placed the meat in my 8 qt. cast iron Dutch oven along with half an onion, two bay leaves, some Kosher salt, some whole black peppercorns, and four whole cloves of garlic. I added 10 cups of water, brought it to a boil, covered it with the heavy lid and lowered the heat to a simmer for about three hours. 

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The meat came out fork tender, just like the lady in the video said it would. I scooped the meat out of the broth, shredded it with two forks, and covered it tightly with Saran Wrap. When it was cooled, I strained the broth into quart jars, covered them tightly, and everything went into the fridge. I’ll assemble the tamales today sometime then steam them. It’s labor intensive and I can see why women get together in groups and make hundreds of them at a time. It is a tradition in most Hispanic cultures.

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Other than that, and cleaning the kitchen twice, I didn’t get much else accomplished. We’ll see what today brings. The nice thing about getting the pork prepared yesterday…if I don’t feel like making the tamales today, I can bag up the cooked meat and freeze it then get it out when I’m ready. Easy peasy!

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And the big bonus? It was still nearly 60° T 11:00 last night! Guess who slept in the camper???

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?

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“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

\nIsaiah 32:18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-12-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/12/07/step-one-is-done.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/12/03/gearing-up-to-give.html", "title": "Gearing Up to Give", "content_html": "\n
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I made another trip to the grocery store yesterday. Last week’s trip was to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday’s was to gear up for the holiday baking soon to ensue. We are really careful with our spending on groceries. We don’t eat fancy and we very seldom eat fast food or processed meals. This keeps the bill down. However, holidays are a different story. I don’t mind paying a little extra for the “splurge” that is Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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There’s always an event to go to or someone to give a little gift to as a thank you for services rendered during the year. So, I like to start early in the month and get ahead of some of the baking. This means, of course, that I’m going to blow the food budget out of the water at least twice…and probably three times between the middle of November through the end of the year. This is ok because I plan for it. 

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Inflation as taken a bite out of everyone’s budget this season. I’m really happy I started making Christmas gifts for family last December. The yarns I used were drastically reduced in a store wide close out, so the items I knitted are of good quality yarns. My cousin in Indiana is in sales. She buys close out lots of items for everything from office supplies to clothing and this year she scored a sweet deal on some plush hoodies. Combined with my knitted items, the family…at least the girls…will get some really nice presents that didn’t break the bank.

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There are lots of ways to curb your spending at this time of year. I personally feel like regifting and repurposing ought to be normalized for holiday gifting. Good quality items that are clean and useable and in perfectly fine condition can be just as cherished as something you pay a bundle for. I would suggest that you have a conversation with your gift recipients beforehand. Make it a challenge. Set a spending limit with specific instructions that the gift be thrifted, shared, repurposed through crafting, or homemade. 

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I mean, seriously…do we actually NEED more tchotchkes? No. We need more time. Offer a group outing as an alternative to individual gifts. Get everyone together to make gifts for others. Volunteer at a meal for the homeless and take the family with you. Seeing others less fortunate than themselves goes a long way toward humbling children and demonstrating a giving heart. 

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We have little ones who live out the road from us. I’m making cookie boxes for them. The trash man is getting some, too…along with a little folding money in his card. The mail delivery person is getting a little packet of fudge. I want to put the money in the food I feed our family and the time we spend with them. The littles will get a small toy with a couple of dollars. One dollar for their piggy bank, and the other for the bell ringer in front of the store.

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Let’s move into this holiday season with different kinds of gifts for our fellow man. Let’s show a whole lotta Jesus in our actions. After all…that’s the Source of all Love. Let’s spread a lot of love and joy…and some homemade goodness. And remember, when you give to the poor…don’t tell anyone. make your gift anonymous that it may remain pure of heart and minus praise for the giving.

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?

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“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”

\n2 Corinthians 9:6-12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-12-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/12/03/gearing-up-to-give.html", "tags": ["Family","Holiday","Humbled","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/30/finding-comfort-at-home.html", "title": "Finding Comfort at Home", "content_html": "\n
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Knitting in front of my ”fireplace”…the one on Netflix!

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Comfort comes in many forms. There is comfort in food, as that is the origin of nurturing in our lives. The same goes for the comfort of touch and smell and sound. It can harken us to our earliest memories of our family of origin who loved us, held us close, and fed us. Comfort may change form over time and it may come from different sources, but it always takes us back…way back to “home”. 

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When we go through times of emotional upheaval, we reach for those things that brought us comfort. And if they no longer work, or they’re no longer available to us, we make substitutions. When I went through my divorce from Hubby #2, I found comfort in the home I built. I chose colors and furnishings that calmed me. I burned a zillion candles and played soft, soothing music that made me feel safe and secure. When I lost Mr. Virgo, I found comfort and solace in camping.

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The Farm has been a touchstone my entire life and I am always comforted there. I can walk in the back door and instantly feel calm. When I was going through the worst episodes of fear and anxiety and sadness in my life, I could close my eyes and visualize Grandma’s house, the wooden staircase leading to the “Girl’s Room” upstairs, and the warm bed piled high with comforters. The house was always warm…and there were always wonderful aromas wafting up from the kitchen. It smelled of good cooking and lemon oil furniture polish and Ivory Snow.

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When we woke up yesterday, I snuggled over against Mr. FixIt to soak up his warmth. I remember the pain Mr. Virgo’s sudden absence brought me and I swore, if God would ever see fit to bring me another partner, I would memorize every moment to save up…just in case. We always check in with good morning greetings and how did you sleep questions. We look out the window and wonder about the weather of the day. One or the other of us picks up a phone to check the temperature and forecast. Then we take a look at the calendar to see if there’s anything going on. We hold hands and share contented sighs. Then one of us has to break the reverie and get the day going by getting up. It’s usually Mr. FixIt whose feet hit the ground first. He starts the electric tea kettle while I get myself up and about.

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That ritual, in and of itself is incredibly comforting and I know all too well how nebulous it is. I padded into the kitchen and made oats and toast for breakfast. We watched a little TV. I baked bread and froze a couple dozen hot rolls for later in the month. I was at the end of my flour supply. I didn’t have enough bread flour, and the all purpose flour was a little past its prime. But we were down to just a few slices of bread, so I baked anyway.

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I heated up turkey pot pie for supper, then Mr. FixIt went out to put up the inflatables. We hung the huge four foot wreath up together on the end of the house facing the road. I knitted a little on the sweater. Every row is another row closer to being finished. And here it is…the last day of November. Another month gone…a brand new month starting tomorrow. We sat in our big red recliners and enjoyed the warm glow of the Christmas tree. I read with my lap comforter thrown over my legs. Mr. FixIt softly snoozed with his feet up. The flames in the gas stove that looks like an old fashioned wood stove flickered softly. This is my comfort and joy.

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We don’t live in a fancy new house. We don’t drive expensive cars with the latest gadgets. We don’t jet set around the world or buy the best of everything. We don’t need to. We have everything we could possibly need right here on this beautiful patch of ground. We have a big, healthy family. And we have each other. What more could I possibly ask for? 

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God has answered every prayer I’ve ever uttered one of three ways. Yes. Yes, but not right now. Or, no…I have something better in mind for you. I rest in great comfort knowing He is always a breath away from us. And I am always and eternally grateful.

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?

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“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

\nRomans 8:28 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-30T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/30/finding-comfort-at-home.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/27/recipe-roundup.html", "title": "Recipe Roundup", "content_html": "\n
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Who doesn’t love a little pie with their topping?!

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Many of you have been asking for the recipes I used for this year’s Thanksgiving Extravaganza, so I’m going to leave them here for you with my critique/comments, for what it’s worth. 

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I made a wonderful Apple-Cranberry Compote but without the figs. They’re kind of hard to come by around here. I found the recipe on a website for diabetic friendly recipes. You can find the recipe HERE.

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The turkey was a fresh twenty-one pounder from Butterball. I followed this recipe:

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\n[www.wyseguide.com/citrus-dr...](https://www.wyseguide.com/citrus-dry-brine-turkey/)\n
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I adapted Kaleb’s recipe for dressing. I made half with Italian sausage and the other half with oysters. I couldn’t find chestnuts. This recipe puts the dressing in a slow cooker and I’ll never make it any other way!

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\n[www.wyseguide.com/easy-slow...](https://www.wyseguide.com/easy-slow-cooker-stuffing/)\n
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I baked the bread for the dressing as well as the hot rolls from a recipe I’ve used for thirty-five years. I actually won First Prize in the County Fair with this recipe. It makes four loaves, or two loaves and two dozen hot rolls, or…four dozen hot rolls. Perfect for a crowd! The recipe is from America’s Best State Fair Recipes by Catherine Hanley. You can purchase the book online HERE. I really recommend you get this cookbook…there are so many wonderful recipes in it. My copy is worn and stained so you know it’s that good! The recipe was submitted by Elaine Janas of Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Minnesota State Fair. I am hoping it’s ok to share her recipe here with adequate recognition and praise because it really is awesome!

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“Sweepstakes White Bread\n\nWhen an exhibitor wins a blue ribbon in the same \"lot\" three\nsuccessive years at the Minnesota State Fair, she or he must skip two\nyears before entering in the same classification again. So Minnesota\nhome bakers now have two years to try for the top prize in white bread\nas Elaine Janas takes her brief hiatus. In a state where superb yeast\nbakers abound, the bread categories are so competitive that judges\nhave to resort to using fractions of points to award ribbons. But Elaine\nJanas is the all-time champion, as her bread wins the sweepstakes\naward for the best-of-all bread entries, in addition to blue ribbons for\nwhite bread. Besides sharing her recipe here, she also offers some of\nher baking secrets that have never been published. See Elaine Janas'\nYeast Baking Tips, pages 80-81. She credits state fair judges with\nhelping her perfect her yeast baking as she studied score cards and\nmade changes to improve her recipe and technique during the nearly\n25 years since she entered her first loaf of bread. Her big three-rise\nrecipe makes four loaves of bread.\n\n2 (1/4-oz.) packages active dry yeast (5 teaspoons)\n1/2 cup warm water (110F/45C)\n1 teaspoon sugar\n2 cups milk, scalded\n1/3 cup sugar\n1/3 cup shortening\n2 tablespoons salt\n1-1/2 cups cold water\n5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour\n5 to 5-1/2 cups bread flour\nButter\n\nIn a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 teaspoon\nsugar. In a large bowl, combine scalded milk, 1/3 cup sugar, shorten-\ning and salt. Add cold water to cool mixture to lukewarm. Stir in\ndissolved yeast, 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of bread flour.\nBeat well, until smooth. By hand, stir in enough additional flour to\nform a stiff dough. Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead a\nminimum of 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Wash\nand grease large bowl. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover with\nplastic film; let rise in a warm place, 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until doubled in\nsize. Punch down dough. Cover; let rise 30 minutes. Punch down\ndough. Divide dough in 4 pieces; shape in oblongs. Cover with an\ninverted bowl and let rest 15 minutes. Grease 4 (8-1/2'' × 4-1/2') loaf\npans. Shape dough pieces in loaves. Place in greased pans and lightly\ngrease tops of loaves. Cover and let rise until loaves are light and\nalmost as high as you want them when baked, about 45 to 60 minutes.\nPreheat oven to 400F (205C). Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes or\nuntil loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pans.\nImmediately butter tops of warm loaves. Makes 4 loaves.\n\nElaine Janas \nMinneapolis, Minnesota\nMinnesota State Fair”
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I made my sweet potatoes a little differently, too. A long time ago, when I was on one of my many weight loss journeys, I learned about this method and have used it quite a bit over the years. Peel about six good sized sweet potatoes and thickly slice them. Place them in a large glass casserole dish, dot them with butter, and cover with foil. Bake at 350° till they are fork tender. Then I place them in a bowl, add a couple good shakes of cinnamon and a couple cups of fresh cut-up pineapple and mash it all together with a potato masher. Spread in a casserole dish, brush with melted butter and sprinkle about three or four tablespoons of brown sugar on top. About thirty minutes before supper, put them back in a 350° oven till they are heated through and the brown sugar is a little bubbly. (In the diet days, I used Butter Buds and Brown Sugar Substitute which will cut down the calories and sugar a good bit.)

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For the Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, sauté several slices of bacon cut up in little pieces and till crispy, toss in a bag of whole, trimmed Brussels sprouts, stirring to coat and pop that in the oven to roast for about fifteen minutes or until they are tender.

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And the last dish was the Winter Vegetable Salad with Maple Balsamic Glaze. You can find the recipe on my Pinterest page HERE.

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And, that’s it. Any of this would be just as good for Christmas Dinner, too! It was one of the more labor intensive meals I’ve prepared, but it was really special. I invited the kids to take whatever leftovers they wanted so things were pretty well cleared out in a hurry! That’s a good testimony of a successful dinner party, I’d say.

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It will be time to start baking for Christmas before we know it, but I’m going to take a little time to recover from this week before I start in on that! I didn’t do a thing yesterday but put the dishes away, eat leftovers, and take a nap! Nothing wrong with that, either!

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“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

\nHebrews 13:16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-27T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/27/recipe-roundup.html", "tags": ["Family","Holiday","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/26/blessings-abound.html", "title": "Blessings Abound!", "content_html": "\n
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What a day! Other than missing the loved ones who couldn’t be with us, the day was truly perfect. Every aspect of the meal came out to the minute to be served at the same time. I think I could have put the turkey in 30-45 minutes earlier and it would have been right on the money. But it didn’t disappoint and that dry rub was AMAZING! The meat was tend and juicy and well seasoned throughout. The Winter Vegetable Salad with the Maple BalsamicGlaze was a big hit. The hot rolls were devoured in a flash. 

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It’s funny…as we filled our plates in the kitchen and made our way to the dining room table, I turned to everyone and said, “Listen…I love you all as my own, so I’ll tell you like I’d tell my kids. I have been cooking since Monday. Let’s sit and savor this meal with each other. This is such a treat to have you all here with us.” And…it was perfect. I think it was the longest meal we’ve had together and it was delightful!

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The kids went downstairs and played pool. Mr. FixIt went down to “show them how it’s done.” Us girls sat upstairs and gabbed and watched the football game. When everyone left, Mr. FixIt and I cleaned up the kitchen to that’s behind us. Today we can just veg out and eat leftovers. 

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It was an all around success and the kids couldn’t thank us enough. What an absolute treat!

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“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

\nPsalm 133:1 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/26/blessings-abound.html", "tags": ["Family","Gratitude","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/25/gearing-up-for-the-big.html", "title": "Gearing Up for The Big Day", "content_html": "\n
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First, I truly hope you had a good Thanksgiving Day if you celebrated yesterday. And for those of you…like me…who are having their dinner today or over the weekend…hang in there, kiddo. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

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I’ve been cooking since Monday. Every day…all day long…cooking and cleaning and planning. I’ve done this all my life…work on something till I drop. And when I drop, believe me, it isn’t pretty. Mr. FixIt has a long held tradition with his kids and their mom and aunt and anyone else who joins them. They go to the City Park and walk the Turkey Trot along with about 4,000 other health conscious individuals. I always elect to stay home. For one thing, I’ve got way too much to do. For another…this is their thing…something they’ve always done. I want them to still have that one thing. I have things I do with my kids alone. It’s ok. And, it gives me a little space to check in with my physical, mental, and emotional heath to see how all this rushing is affecting me.

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It took a long time for me to learn to listen to myself…to care, love, and nurture myself. In the past, I’d keep pushing till I crashed and burned…and beyond. Yesterday morning, I kissed my husband goodbye and gave him the obligatory warning to be careful. I mixed up one batch of dressing and put it in the garage refrigerator. Then I sat down and checked in. Immediately…the feelings I’d been pushing down all week came bubbling up and over. I let them flow. And, instead of negative self talk, I asked the little worker bee who is me…”What do you need to do right now, sweetheart?”

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“Sleep, please.” My inner voice sounded tired and frazzled.

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“Ok, darling…let’s go take care of YOU!

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I climbed in the bed in the guest room. It’s dark in there when you draw the curtains. I snuggled down under the soft, fleecy blankets, and turned on the 432hz music I’ve been sleeping to. And drifted off to sleep. This was at around 10:30am. I woke up at 1:30 in the afternoon. My body needed that and I didn’t feel at all guilty about it. I got up and got back to work in the kitchen.

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Mr. FixIt called on his way home from town and asked if I’d thought of anything I needed from the store. I thought about it for a moment and said, “You know what? If they have ready made pies, why don’t you pick up a couple? That will be one less thing for me to worry about making.” I know I’m known for my homemade baked treats, but I decided to work smarter…not harder. I doubt our guests will care one way or the other.

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After getting both pans of dressing baked, I loaded them up in the two slow cooker crocks and put them back in the garage refrigerator. I’ll take them out this morning and let them come to room temperature and turn the cookers on. I got the turkey cleaned and rubbed down. Kaleb on Wyse Guide said to run your hands under the skin to separate it from the meat and put your dry rub in there as well as the cavity and then on top of the skin. Then you set the whole thing in the fridge on a rack in a shallow sheet pan, uncovered, so the skin can air dry. That helps it get really crispy and golden brown in the oven.

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I placed the giblets and the neck in a saucepan, added about half a box of chicken broth, three sticks of celery and a carrot cut in chunks and a minced shallot. I threw in a few stems of fresh thyme and a generous couple of shakes of poultry seasoning, covered it, and set it on the back burner of the stove to simmer for an hour or so. I strained off the broth and set it in the fridge for tomorrow’s gravy. Then I nibbled on the neck bone. Not a lot of meat there, but what’s there is sweet and tender. 

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I realized when I got everything tucked in the fridge…I hadn’t taken the time to eat more than toast all day. I cut up an avocado and put it on top of some cottage cheese and called it a day. I’ll start back at it this morning and we’ll be sitting down to eat around 3:30 this afternoon. It’s amazing the amount of work that goes into a spread like this. The new recipes added some time to the prep this year, but if we like the new dishes, they can easily be incorporated next year. You know, once you make something, it’s usually easier the second time.

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I saved a video from Martha Stewart making the BEST New York Cheesecake. It’s time to make that again…but certainly NOT today! Christmas is a month away!!!

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“For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.”

\nHebrews 6:7 ESV\n
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#Thanksgiving, #Blessings, #Food, #FarmLife

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-25T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/25/gearing-up-for-the-big.html", "tags": ["Family","Holiday","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/21/let-the-cooking-commence.html", "title": "Let the Cooking Commence!", "content_html": "\n
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No, we’re not having venison. But this beautiful boy was in the near field when I got home last night. An 8 point white tail buck! I haven’t seen one this big in quite a while. The field was full of deer. There was a smaller 4 point buck, as well as the twins from this spring!

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There is a Kroger Store across the river in Ohio that I always go to when I’m on the hunt for something special. It’s as close to a Colorado grocery store that I’ve found in this area. They carry a lot of hard to find items and let’s face it…if you’re going to go to all the trouble of making a Thanksgiving dinner, it might as well be fabulous, right? 

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I’m making the stuffing from scratch this year. I’m going to make a new Brussels Sprouts salad I found on Pinterest that looks heavenly. I already made the cranberry sauce last night while Mr. FixIt was bowling. I used a recipe I found online as a guide and did my own thing, which is how I roll.

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Speaking of rolls, I’m trying something new in the bread department, too. Kaleb from the Wyse Guide blog has a video that he made with his grandma where they make Butterhorns…a buttery crescent roll that’s been around since as long as I can remember. I’m looking forward to trying that, as well.

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I’m also going to try Kaleb’s Citrus Dry Brine for the turkey this year. You don’t need to do a wet brine for a fresh turkey because it’s pretty darned juicy on its own. But this dry brine gives the meat a well seasoned flavor and a crispy, brown skin that’s just gorgeous to look at and tastes great, too.

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Usually I just do the same old things, but this year I want to shake it up a bit. We may be having some extras around the table and there’s nothing I love more than feeding people. Like I said before…cooking is my love language. And, it’s something I really enjoy doing. I texted our friend Richard last night and he’ll stop by today for a jar of the cranberry sauce I made. I don’t know that there’s anyone in the family but me that really loves it, so this way it won’t go to waste.

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Here is the recipe for the cranberry sauce. I’ll include more recipe links tomorrow.

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Ginny’s Fresh Cranberry Sauce\n\n2 apples, peeled and chopped\n1/2c. Maple Syrup\n1/2c. Water\n1/2c. White Wine\n1 Bag Fresh Cranberries\n10 Dried Apricots, cut in small pieces\nJuice and Zest of 1 Orange\nDash of Ground Cloves\nDash of Ground Cinnamon\nDash of Ground Nutmeg\nDash of Salt\n\nCombine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer till apples are tender and mixture is thickened. Mash the sauce with a potato masher. Pour into jars and cover. Let cool then store in the refrigerator. Can be made several days in advance. I’m sure you could can this as well.\n\nYield: 2.5 pints\nI used two wide mouth pint jars and one jelly jar. Honestly, I think this is the best cranberry sauce I’ve ever made. When you just use straight cranberries and sugar, it can be kind of overwhelming. The apple and apricot in this sauce mellows out the bitterness you sometimes get. Yummy!
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“give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.””

\nLuke 6:38 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-21T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/21/let-the-cooking-commence.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Kindness","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/19/winter-is-creeping-in.html", "title": "Winter is Creeping In", "content_html": "\n
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Every once in a while, I have a night where I sleep like a baby. I woke up suddenly at 6:30 yesterday morning to the incessant chirping of Mr. FixIt’s phone announcing an impending snow storm. I was sure I was awake for the day, but I fell back to sleep and woke up at noon! I rarely do that and it was delightful to wake up thoroughly rested. Still, not rested enough to want to do much of anything.

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We need to do some cleaning for company coming on Friday. We’ll be observing the FixIt Family Thanksgiving that day and we love to have the house all pretty for them. I want the tree up, too. So, there’s lots to do. Some time in the afternoon, Mr. FixIt suggested we start cleaning and I begged him to take this one day off and enjoy the snow and each other’s company. That’s what we ended up doing and it was so peaceful.

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We had a snow squall yesterday afternoon that made the ground white in thirty minutes. The temperature didn’t get over 33° all day. I was going to cook a pork roast yesterday, but I didn’t get up in time to put it in the slow cooker, so I’ll do it today. We can put on some music, clean the house, then put up the tree. I bought some new lights to replace the burned out ones on the pre-lit tree. It’s still perfectly fine to use and the new ones are so expensive.

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There are certain areas of my life where I’ll scrimp. Making do, reusing, upcycling…I’m all about that. Eggs? I passed them up at the Pig when they wanted almost $7.00 for eighteen eggs. But the fresh turkey? I won’t pass up a fresh turkey. Frozen turkey can’t compare to the moist and flavorful meat of a fresh bird. 

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I remember so many Thanksgivings of my childhood when Grandma baked the turkey in a brown paper grocery bag because she read it made it tender and juicy. I loved my Grandma, with the white hot heat of the sun, but she cooked meat to death. The turkey, while a beautiful golden brown, was dry as a bone. That’s how I learned to eat the dark meat. It was hard to make the dark meat too dry.

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I have cooked approximately forty Thanksgiving dinners in my lifetime and I have always searched for the perfect turkey. It wasn’t until I discovered brining a fresh turkey till I found nirvana! I have the turkey and the brining bag. I still need to buy the brine mix and whole cranberries. I think I’d like to put chestnuts and oysters in the dressing this year so I’ll have to go to the store sometime early next week. 

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Have any of you cooked your dressing in a slow cooker? Kaleb of Wyse Guide…a blog I follow…has a wonderful recipe that I want to try. He also has his grandma’s recipe for Butterhorns on there. They sound incredible! You can find his blog HERE.   https://www.wyseguide.com

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I always get excited about cooking a big traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. I grew up in Appalachia, and subsequently lived twenty-seven years as a Jewish Mother. I’m all about feeding people. It’s my love language…to make sure you eat the best meal of your life at my table. Sometimes I miss the mark, but I’ve gotten pretty good after all these years. I especially love planning a unique dessert. You can NEVER have too many desserts!

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Do you have big plans this year? Is there a new recipe you’re going to try? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food? Let’s share some recipes and get excited about this!!!

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“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”

\nPsalm 7:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/19/winter-is-creeping-in.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/17/quiet-tears.html", "title": "Quiet Tears", "content_html": "\n
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I awoke to a “beep” and a red flashing light at 4:00 yesterday morning. I was sleeping so soundly, it took me a bit to figure out what year it was, let alone what planet I was on. I searched for the source of the flash. It was the control for the electric blanket. On this particular blanket, if the electric goes off while the blanket is turned on, the control flashes all the buttons red until you turn it off. A safety mechanism, I suppose.

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The bottom line was, the power had gone out. Judging by how warm my feet were, I’d guess it wasn’t off for long. I picked up my phone to see if there was any kind of power outage notification and there was not. However, it wasn’t two minutes later the power went off again and this time it stayed off till 10:30. I went in the bathroom and turned the gas heat up just a touch and opened the curtain “door” to the living room to add some ambient heat.

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The temp is heading south in a hurry in the next couple of days and we’ll be seeing lows in the 20’s. I went out to the cellar house to check the heat tape on the well pump (it was working fine) and I noticed a faint tick-tick-ticking sound on the leaves. I looked down at the dark wool sleeves of my Navy pea coat and saw…little tiny snowflakes! I was hoping to miss those for a while…but, there they were.

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The snow didn’t last long. I ate my breakfast and took my tea to the chair by the window to prepare my knitting when the phone rang. It was my cousin and Aunt Rosie calling. What a joy to hear their voices! Our conversation lasted for nearly two hours. My Aunt Rosie is the last of my mother’s sisters still with us. When I told her I was at Grandma’s house, I could hear their love through the wires.

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My aunt told me about the vivid dreams she’s been having about times long ago. She said they would make great stories, even if they were just her own. I must get her to tell me some of them before I no longer have the opportunity. I asked her if I could read yesterday’s post to her and she said yes. By the time I got to the end, she was crying and at first I felt bad that I had made my beloved aunt cry. Then I realized, those tears are good tears. They are not tears of regret. They’re not even necessarily sad tears. They are reminders of deep love and time well spent in the presence of loved ones. I was glad I got to share that moment with her.

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Aunt Rosie was my champion when I was just a button of a baby. I remember her hiding me in the closet when I tore my mother’s book. She didn’t want me getting in trouble. She sent pictures of me as a little tot at her wedding. She helped Hubby #2 and me when we needed a little money to go to interviews for internship and residency. She was the one who met me in Charlotte to fly home for my mom’s funeral. We shared a double bed in the “Girls’ Room” upstairs at the farm. We laughed and shivered at the hundreds and hundreds of Asian lady beetles tip-tapping on the ceiling and vowed we weren’t staying another night in that house.

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As we get older, our stories are sometimes all we have left of happier times…simpler times…times of “back home” and “remember when”. Without being dismissive of her feelings, I gently brought her back to happier memories. We talked for nearly two hours and by the time we finished, the light was getting dim. I put everything away and came to Grandma and PopPop’s bed to write this love letter to you all.

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I love when my stories touch your hearts. I know then that I am doing what God sent me here to do…my life’s purpose. To bring you back to your own stories through the telling of my own. In this age of divisiveness, I am here to say, unequivocally…we are all far more alike than we are different. If we could just get back to the telling and sharing of stories and of love and laughter and fun…the world would become a much better place.

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I hope you can reach out and touch people with your story today. Let us not waste the one big and beautiful life we have been given. When I look at this floor, I feel the heartbeat of every soul that ever walked on it. Sharing that can only raise us all up because…it’s nothing but love.

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“Let all that you do be done in love.”

\n1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/17/quiet-tears.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Love","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/16/home-of-my-heart.html", "title": "Home of My Heart", "content_html": "\n
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I walked in the back door and it was as if a tuning fork was placed in my chest. It was raining and the sound of the drops on the tin roof was more magnificent than any symphony I’ve ever heard. Immediately, I was at peace and looking forward to a couple of days here at The Farm.

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It’s rained a lot since Thursday and the creek is running high. I love the sounds and the smells of this house. It takes me back to my childhood. I have a vivid memory of a Thanksgiving here at my grandma’s house. I was probably around ten or eleven years old. Mom and Dad had us bundled up in the back seat of the Oldsmobile. It was raining and cold, exactly like it was yesterday. The leaves on the ground were no longer crisp and rustling. They rehydrated in the rain and were now plastered together like a macabre kind of carpet with tufts of green fibers intertwined. There was a heavy, wet smell of damp earth and moss and old pine needles. 

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Grandma met us at the back door, her apron hastily tied over her ever-present cotton house dress. Her hanky peeked out from the pocket over her once heavy bosom…her hair neatly combed and twisted in a bun at the nape of her neck. I never saw her any other way, save for the days she washed her hair and the long, silver and black tresses draped down her back. She bent forward with her hands clasped together and pressed to her knees. Her eyes crinkled up with her smile as she prepared to wrap us up in her arms for one of the sweetest hugs on the planet.

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She smelled like vanilla and Beeman’s gum and Ivory soap. Her hands were worn yet soft from years of hard work on the farm. The roadmap of lines over her face told of countless joys and countless tears. Her heart was always overflowing with love for her family and she was never happier than when the house was full of conversation and squealing children.

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When you stepped into the kitchen of this old house, the heat and humidity hit you like a ton of bricks. The aroma of roasting turkey and dressing competed with the pot of half runners and salt pork simmering on the back burner. She handed each of us a raisin filled cookie and sent us on our way to play with our cousins who were visiting from out of town.

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The kitchen was quiet when I walked in yesterday, save for the rain on the roof. There were no yummy smells wafting out the back door to greet me. No “Ginny Lynnie…git yorself in here ‘fore you cetch yer death a cold!” I carried the groceries in and set them on the countertops where everything was still in the same spot as I left them the last time. Mr. FixIt called as soon as I walked in the back door, checking in to make sure I arrived safely. What a good husband he is! I put away the refrigerated items, gathered the magazines I brought from home, and pulled up the curtains in Grandma’s window. 

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It was dim in the room, even with the curtains opened so I went upstairs to find an old lamp to set by the chair. Once that was done, I sat there till the sun went down…my hands resting in my lap…the pages unopened as I soaked up the peace and quiet of this house. This home of my heart.

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I sat back and closed my eyes….and remembered and remembered and remembered.

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?

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“but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.””

\nMatthew 19:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/16/home-of-my-heart.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/11/exhaustion-has-set-in.html", "title": "Exhaustion Has Set In", "content_html": "\n
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This has to be one of the most stressful weeks we’ve ever had since we’ve been married…short of the two small strokes Mr. FixIt had in the spring of 2020. Everyone worked so hard and we are so grateful and so proud of them. I honestly did so much stuff yesterday, I can hardly remember it all…it became a blur after a while.

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I got up early and took the shingle hoist back to the rental place and stopped for some bread on the way home. When I returned, Mr. FixIt Jr. was there all alone on the roof trying to get the flashing on and it wasn’t cooperating. It set him back at least two hours. Finally he got it into place and he started laying the shingles.

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Mr. FixIt Sr. set up a work station below and cut the end shingles to size. The young Mr. FixIt really needed someone to lay out shingles for him so…I got on the roof. I know. I promised I wouldn’t. But my gosh…he was working so hard and we had no idea when the reinforcements would arrive. I was very careful and he helped me off the ladder onto the roof. I got up to the peak and stood there for a few minutes and said, “Nope…not happening. You have to come back over here and help me on the ladder. My talents are best used elsewhere.” I was careful, and God was with me, and I will NEVER….EVER….do that again. I absolutely promise you!!! My days of being a daredevil are gone, gone, gone. I was a little sad about that part, actually. But I’m still adventurous!

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I toted the cut shingles from the work station over to the edge of the roof and threw them up to the World’s Greatest Stepson! When he finally worked away from the edge and could reach the other shingles to put down by himself, I went inside to start doing what I do best…COOKING! I took the leftover beans the former Mrs. FixIt sent over to us on Wednesday and turned them into a big pot of delicious chili. As it simmered, I decided to make some banana bread with some overripe bananas we had. I rarely ever make a recipe exactly like it’s written. I use them as a general guideline for things like temperature and baking times and an overview of ingredient proportions. Then I do my thing and quickly write it all down and…voila! A new recipe is born…this one with a really crazy secret ingredient!

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So…without further ado (because I’m so flipping tired I can’t see straight) here is my recipe:

\n\n\n
Banana-Carrot Nut Bread\n\nThis variation on traditional banana bread is so dense and moist. It browns so beautifully and the crispy edges of the loaves are the BEST! And…you get extra fiber from the carrots…win-win!\n\nPreheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8”x4” loaf pans and set aside.\n\nDry Ingredients:\n\n3 cups All Purpose Flour\n1/2 tsp. Salt\n1 tsp. Baking Soda\n1 tsp. Baking Powder\n2 cups Granulated Sugar (next time I’ll try using one cup because it was really sweet!)\n1 tsp. Cinnamon\n1 Cup Chopped Nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts would be really yummy, too.)\n1 Cup Grated Carrots\n\nWet Ingredients:\n\n3 Lrg. Eggs, beaten\n1 Cup Vegetable Oil\n3 Lrg. Overripe Bananas, mashed\n8 oz. Sauerkraut, drained (Yes…sauerkraut! There’s an old Appalachian recipe for Kraut Cake so that made me think of adding it here. It didn’t disappoint…you would never know it was in there and it really contributed to the moist texture.)\n2 tsp. Vanilla (I make my own vanilla and it is the best! Better than Mexican vanilla…if you can believe that!)\n\nCombine the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Add the chopped nuts and carrots and toss together to mix and coat the veggies and nuts. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just enough to combine them. Divide the batter equally between the two loaf pans and place in the preheated 350° oven. \n\nI baked mine for about 65 minutes. I got just a little more batter in one of the pans and it was very slightly undercooked in the middle. Not enough to ruin the loaf…it just fell a bit in the very center.\n\nRemove from the oven and place pans on wire rack to cool for a few minutes then remove from pan. We didn’t take the time for the loaves to cool before we cut them and they might have looked a little prettier if we had. But, they didn’t fall apart, so I call that a win! \n\nServed warm with butter, it was a wonderful balance to the spicy heat of the chili. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
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Once dinner was finished, I retreated to the kitchen again and cleaned up then went out to help wherever I could. It was almost dark when they finished the first side and I was certain they couldn’t get the second side done last night. But these kids are the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. The reinforcements arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon. We found every light source we owned to shine on the roof and the guys wore head lamps. I even found a solar motion light I brought home from the farm. Even though it’s been in the garage for over a year, it still was fully charged and worked as long as the kids did.

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They finally came down off the roof at 6:38. There’s a little bit more to do, but they overlapped the shingles at the ridge of the roof and Mr. FixIt Jr. will come over on his next three day weekend to finish. All he’ll have to do is cut open the top ridge, trim back a little bit, and place the ridge vents. He’ll also need to do a little caulking here and there. And this part of the roof is done!

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They finished with literally hours to spare before the rains from Hurricane Nicole hit. God had our Guardian Angels watching over us all week. Only a couple of minor scratches and a lot of sore muscles. We finally collapsed last night and we aren’t moving today!

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I am so incredibly blessed to have married into this family. I love these kids like my own!

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?

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-11T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/11/exhaustion-has-set-in.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/10/still-plugging-along.html", "title": "Still Plugging Along!", "content_html": "\n
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We had a heavy frost on yesterday morning so it was a bit of a late start. Which is ok from the labor standpoint. Everyone is working so hard…especially Mr. FixIt Jr. I know he is a chip off the old block because his dad is a really hard worker and has been all his life. His body is just pretty beaten up and his balance is off since the strokes. He just can’t get on a roof anymore. But that didn’t keep him from working hard in every other way from the ground.

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You can see clear through the house!

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Mr. FixIt and I took the trailer yesterday morning to pick up the shingle hoist from the rental place. It’s like an extension ladder with a motor and cable system. There’s a flat tray that you lay the shingles on and it works on a pulley system to lift it up to roof level. It’s really cool! We needed to get the wood repairs finished before that could start.

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Mr. FixIt Jr. threw down the pieces that needed replaced and his dad and I used them for templates to cut out new wood. They got the long support strut out that needed replaced and the 2x4 we bought was about two feet short. I ran to our little town hardware store to buy an 8’ board and they soon had a piece spliced on the end and it fit in the spot seamlessly. 

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Pinto beans and cornbread. I crumble my cornbread into the bottom of the bowl, add a couple scoops of piping hot beans, top with a generous heaping spoonful of diced onions and a big squirt of spicy brown mustard. I add a dash of finely ground chipotle pepper for a little kick. This is stick to your ribs, Appalachian comfort food right here. Love in a bowl!

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The former Mrs. FixIt sent over a pot of pinto beans and corn bread so I didn’t have to cook. She is so thoughtful that way. I went in to heat up some supper for us while they finished replacing the damaged wood. We took a break and sat in the warm sun for a little bit. Our daughter-in-law came after she got off work to help.

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As they were getting started hoisting the shingles up, we pulled the roll of tarpaper out to start precutting the strips to staple on the wood surface. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a miscalculation and we needed two more rolls of tarpaper. I elected to run to town real quick to the big box hardware store and got back as fast as I could. In the time I was gone, they got all the shingles up to the roof and used up the one roll of paper. 

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Our daughter-in-law and I rolled the paper out on our back sidewalk, measuring the length by chalk lines on the cement. We cut the rest of the strips, rolled them up individually, and she carried them up the ladder to the roof. We kept busy refilling the staple hammer with staples and sending it up the ladder. And right at dark, all the tarpaper was in place and stapled down.

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We gathered all the tools and covered them with a drop cloth. We got the shingle hoist taken apart and put it in the trailer to return today. Then we sat and visited for just a little bit before we sent the kids home with the all familiar farewell...

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“Watch for deer!”

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That’s West Virginian for…I love you! 

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?

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“Do all things without grumbling or disputing,”

\nPhilippians 2:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-10T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/10/still-plugging-along.html", "tags": ["Aging","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/09/oh-my-gosh-what-a.html", "title": "Oh My Gosh! What a Day!", "content_html": "\n
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The cedar trees are gone!

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We got a fairly early start yesterday. The very first thing on the agenda was scrambled eggs and toast. We’ve been eating a good breakfast every day and I think it’s helping me keep from noshing during the day. And, I’m sleeping better. I may have lost some weight, but I haven’t stepped on a scale in quite some time, so I’m not quite sure on that.

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We drove over to the polling place and voted. The other night, I told Mr. FixIt we should go vote early so we wouldn’t have to stand in line. I knew we’d be busy yesterday and I didn’t want to take too long voting. He laughed at me. He said he’s lived out here since 1979 and he has never stood in a line. Ever. We went in and sure enough, we were the only ones there. There are two voting machines. TWO! One for him and one for me. Mr. FixIt told them I didn’t want to stand in line and they laughed and laughed. I told them…in my defense…I lived in Colorado for forty years. There’s a line for everything! She asked if I wanted a sticker and I told her I was good. I was just heading back home to put a roof on the house. 

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I love country life!

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We added to the burn pile!

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Boy, howdy…did we work our butts off yesterday. Well, my stepson worked HIS off, for sure. The first thing we did was cut down the three cedar trees out front. They were leaning precariously close to the house. The first one came down kinda where we wanted it. The second fell towards the house instead of away and it slid down along the gutter and landed parallel to the front. The third fell in the opposite direction and came so close to the house it wasn’t funny. 

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There are two brick pillars with a round cement ball on top of each…one on either side of the front steps. The tree knocked one of those off and came within an inch of taking out the railing on the basement access steps. Good thing cedar trees are relatively soft and squishy or we could have had a real mess on our hands.

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Cedar is the most beautiful wood and it’s so aromatic.

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Mr. FixIt Jr. took the chainsaw to the bottom of each tree to knock off some of the trunk. Then he wrapped a tow strap around the base and I dragged them around to the burn pile. The guys followed me around and cut each tree up…one at a time and added them to the pile of brush that’s been accumulating over the last few years. We got a beautiful stack of cedar logs for the fire pit.

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Once that job was finished, it was time for more work on the roof. Mr. FixIt Jr. got the rest of the shingles scraped off. While he was up there, II did climb the ladder just enough to reach over the edge of the roof. There is about a two foot wide strip of underpayment that needs to be replaced so I worked on removing the nails and pried that piece out. Wow! It was crazy the amount of bees nests that were in the the soffit below. And a couple of dehydrated mice, as well. Ugh!

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WVGranddaughter #2 and her beau came out to help. I fixed lunch for the two Mr. FixIts. Then everyone got busy and by 4:30, we had everything ready to replace the boards today. This morning, we need to go to town and rent the shingle hoist. We also need another sheet of plywood. And a 16’ 2x4 to replace the one where the leak rotted it. When we get back, we’ll replace the wood that was water damaged then roll out the tar paper and staple it down. And then…the shingles!

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I was supposed to go to the doctor today and we were to meet friends from out of town for lunch on Thursday. But there is just way too much to get done and it has to be finished by sundown Thursday night. Because sometime during the night, it’s going to rain. So, I cancelled both of those, unfortunately. Sometimes you have to do the grownup thing and be responsible. Believe me, I’d rather be doing just about anything besides what we’ve been up against this week.

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When the kids were preparing to leave, they were discussing what to have for supper. Mr. FixIt suggested Chinese food. They weren’t in the mood, but we were! Of course, that means I had to drive to town, place the order, wait for it to cook then drive home. It’s a whole hour before you’re tucking into that yummy lo mein…but oh, is it ever worth it!

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I was so exhausted by the time I was finished eating, I could have gone straight to bed. I’ll be so glad when Friday gets here!

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?

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“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

\nProverbs 13:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-09T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/09/oh-my-gosh-what-a.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/08/hard-work-never-hurt-anyone.html", "title": "Hard Work Never Hurt Anyone", "content_html": "\n
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We had all the tools set up and ready for the “crew” when they got here. By “crew” I mean my stepson. After classes were over, his youngest and her boyfriend came out to help. Other than that…it was us. You will be happy to know, we did NOT get up on the roof, nor did we climb the ladder any higher than two rungs to hand something up to them. Mr. FixIt Jr. go almost all the shingles scraped off. Mr. FixIt Sr. and I picked up all those shingles off the tarp and threw them in the back of the truck. We’ll take that load to the dump this morning. The young ones will go with us to help empty the truck.

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The underlayment where the two rooflines meet has pretty much rotted away and needs replaced. That’s a job for today.

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There are two old cedar trees out front that droop down onto the roof. They are filled with yellow jackets and they have to go. My stepson will bring the big chainsaw out and get those cut down while we’re at the dump. Then we can get back at it. I’m really looking forward to sprucing up the landscaping next spring.

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I went to get fried chicken for supper and it was way overcooked so I just bought sandwich fixin’s. We sat out as the sun began to set and it got really chilly…really fast. As soon as the sun drops below the ridge of the far hill, we’re pretty much done. The boys worked for another hour or so. We went around with the long magnet and picked up nails that had dropped on the lawn, then we sent our team home for the night.

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I was helping with the shingles yesterday when I noticed the grit from them kept getting in my shoes. I went inside and rummaged around, looking for a pair of sturdy hiking boots. I found an old pair of Salomons that I used to wear cross country skiing. I’ll bet I haven’t put them on for probably ten years. I notice they didn’t feel quite right on my feet. When I stopped for supper, I looked down and realized the sole was coming right off the boot! All the cushy part between the boot and the sole was disintegrating right before of my eyes. I sent an email to the Solomon Boot Company to see if they might resole boots there. I’ll let you know if they do and how much.

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Speaking of boots, Pumpkin Kitty was totally enamored with them. She rubbed all over them and when I tried to walk away, she kept running and getting in front of me so she could rub on them some more. Then, when I finally had to get back to work, she ran and flat out attacked them…nearly biting and clawing me in the process. I tell you…I am not fluent in “cat”. I have no idea what her game was.

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I was so tired by the end of the day, I couldn’t do much more than crawl into bed. Today’s another day!

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

\nColossians 3:23-24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-08T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/08/hard-work-never-hurt-anyone.html", "tags": ["Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/11/01/we-are-between.html", "title": "We are “Between”", "content_html": "\n
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I had the tatas smashed yesterday…October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I always try to get my mammogram done that month. Unfortunately, yesterday was the last day that will happen in October because Medicare makes you wait a year and a day after your last one…and that was yesterday. Now, I’m out of October days for the future. This time was a lot easier and less painful, for some reason. I was in and out of there in fifteen minutes.

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Since I was so close to the bridge over to Belpre, I made a trip to my favorite Kroger store. We usually purchase a few items at a time…once or twice a week. This time I had to do a big purchase spree and restock some basics so that’s always a little more pricey. I’m really careful when I shop these days and I watch for coupons in the app of the store I’m in. I was pretty surprised it wasn’t much more expensive than usual. Fortunately, other than bread and milk, we shouldn’t have to go to the store for a while. I bought pecans and buttermilk to make pralines! More on that when I get the time to make some.

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While I was at the store, I bought a bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on the off chance that we would have Trick or Treaters. I’ve lived here for five years now, and we’ve never had a single one. So…we have candy! I remember so many Halloweens…Trick or Treating with my friends. Getting a popcorn ball or a candy apple. Getting full sized Snickers or Three Musketeers bars. Learning if you take a pillowcase, it holds a lot more candy than that little plastic pumpkin we used to carry. 

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My most memorable Halloween was around fourth or fifth grade. I had chicken pox so I couldn’t go out with my friends. I was allowed to lay on the couch and look at the kids in their costumes. Nothing like exposing the entire neighborhood to a contagious disease, right? Most people didn’t understand contagion back then, either.

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When my kids were little, Hubby #2 took them out to do the rounds of the neighborhood while I stayed home and handed out candy. When Daughter #1 was little, we bought her a Wonder Woman costume. It was the late ‘70s. The costume was plastic. It’s always cold in Colorado this time of year. By the time they got back home, her costume was hanging in shreds and my daughter was in tears. Turns out, it was SO cold her costume literally broke into pieces. It was pretty traumatic.

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And so…it’s November. I’ll be decorating for Christmas soon. I love the lights and the festive atmosphere. It brings joy and light into the dreary darkness. I used to wait till after Thanksgiving, but…you know what? The heck with that! Life is short…and times are uncertain. I need a little Baby Jesus energy around me. It doesn’t dilute any holiday to expand it and make it bigger.

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I remember growing up…my dad would pile us into the Oldsmobile just a few days before Christmas and take us to the neighborhood tree lot. Dad would walk around and look and shake every tree till he found the perfect one. He’s make the guy pick it up and stomp it down on its trunk to make sure the needles weren’t falling off. Then he’d start the dickering. I remember one time he got a tree for $2.50 but they were usually at least $5.

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The most disappointing thing came when he made us take the tree down just a day or two after Christmas. My friends had their trees up for weeks…but not us. Now I’m the boss of me…and if I want the tree up for three months, by golly losing Mr. Virgo and living through the lockdown has shown me that’s just fine!

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This is the cusp of winter. As I lay here writing this, I can hear the crickets outside the window here on Marshmallow Ranch. When I drove home from down with a trunk full of groceries yesterday, a rain shower had left the road dark and glistening in the sunlight that broke through the clouds. The last of the changing leaves glowed deep copper, brilliant scarlet, rusty brown. I remember walking through the leaves on my way to school as a little girl…my shoes going swoosh-swoosh-swoosh with every step. We’re in a kind of limbo now…holding our breath for the time change and the onslaught of winter’s greeting. That time when the birds start fighting over the feeders and cat’s coat starts getting a little thicker. When the crickets try desperately to cling to their last few nights of raucous love songs before they’re silenced by the northern winds.

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The nether-lands of “between”…waiting.

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?

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“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

\nIsaiah 40:31 ESV \n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-11-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/11/01/we-are-between.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/30/a-slow-sunny-saturday.html", "title": "A Slow Sunny Saturday", "content_html": "\n
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Saturday is college football day at our house and the Mountaineers are the center of the universe. We had a late start to our day and WVU had a fairly early game, so that made for a lovely brunch in front of the television, cheering on our favorite team. I still had some cornmeal mush leftover so I sliced and fried it in butter. I have to remember to cook it longer next time because it was just a little too wet. That makes it too soft and it falls apart easier. Still, if you fry it up crispy and golden and serve it with butter and syrup…oh, my! It’s SO good. We had the leftover biscuits from Friday along with sausage patties and eggs over easy. It was a filling, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast that lasts all day.

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Mr. FixIt left in the afternoon to go help his friend Joe with a few odd jobs so I had the afternoon home alone. This doesn’t happen too often, so I curled up in my recliner with my knitting and binge watched Tipper Pressley and Brenda Gantt videos on YouTube. Of course, now I want to make butter…and pecan pralines…and the perfect corn bread in a cast iron skillet. Those shows always make me hungry and just when I thought I’d have to get up and bake something, Mr. FixIt called to say he was on his way home.

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Just before he came home, I put Pumpkin kitty in her great big building and did a little walk about to see what’s growing around the yard. I noticed the ground moles have tunnels dug all through the yard that mash down when you step on them. I pulled a couple of handfuls of seed pods off one of the redbud trees in the hedgerow. The leaves have all but finished falling off the pear trees. I found two or three pears but only one I could reach. It came off in my hand when I touched it, but it’s as hard as a rock. I brought it in and placed it on the windowsill in the kitchen to see if it will ripen. 

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We have a little mom and pop grocery store in our town. They grind their own burger and man is it ever good. My sweetie brought some home the other day and we had hamburgers from it. There were a couple left over so I heated them up for a quick supper. Mr. FixIt wanted pork and beans so he opened a can. I can’t hardly eat those after growing up with them. Most of the time, Mom would just open the can and dump them in a serving dish cold, stick in a spoon, and call it good. To this day, I won’t touch them unless I’ve doctored them up with a little BBQ sauce, brown sugar, bacon, and onions, and bake them.

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I caught a beautiful shot of the trees on top of the far hill glowing in the last of the setting sunlight and they were remarkable. It just about takes your breath away, the beauty that surrounds us every day. I see bounty at every turn. Mr. FixIt finished unloading the firewood so the trailer is free to go pick up the roof shingles…hopefully tomorrow. We took an old wood pallet and stacked the wood on it to keep it up off the wet ground. Some of it was dry, but the majority of it is still green, so this will be for fires next year.

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Hmmmmm….I’m still thinking of those pecan pralines. I think I’m going to HAVE to make some!

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?

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“Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”

\nProverbs 22:9 ESV\n
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#Bounty, #FarmLife, #Pears

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/30/a-slow-sunny-saturday.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/29/after-the-jab.html", "title": "After the Jab", "content_html": "\n
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The last time I had a Covid Booster, I kinda felt puny for a couple of days. This time, not so much. My arm isn’t even all that sore today. I suppose I still had enough antibodies in my system to not react terribly, but I’m awfully glad we got the vaccines. We still are vigilant with mask wearing and hand washing and social distancing. We’ve relaxed a little bit with restaurants, but then only mid to late afternoon and ask to be seated in a far corner booth. I’m feeling really confident that we can get through the holidays a bit more at ease than we did last year.

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I am perfecting the two ingredient biscuit recipe I learned this summer. I made a batch yesterday and it is indeed the most forgiving dough. The biscuits were perfection! I fried up some sausage and eggs to go with them and we had a fine feast before a day of chores.

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My stepson called yesterday morning to ask if we wanted a load of firewood. Mr. FixIt jumped on that, hooked up the utility trailer, and headed over to help. While he was gone, I did a little cleaning and knitting while I watched Celebrating Appalachia videos on YouTube. It’s such a peaceful oasis in the storm of news and social media. Yesterday was a particularly awful day with the attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband. I’m sure you join me in prayers for his speedy and complete recovery. Some days are harder than others to deal with the brokenness of this world. 

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When Mr. FixIt returned with the load of firewood, I went out and helped him unload and stack it by the fire-pit out back. It wasn’t a lot of wood, but we could both feel it in our backs by the time we finished for the day. The kitchen was completely out of hand so I did a thorough cleaning before I sat down to watch the news. When it was done, I came out to the camper to write. I was thinking of ”yard camping”, but decided to come back in after I finished this post. I’m not soft, but I didn’t want to spend the entire night with my arms tight under the covers. I guess I’m relegated to occasional visits or naps. *sigh*

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I have a couple of prayer requests to add before tomorrow. My dear friend Sue has hit a bump in the road in her recovery from knee surgery and could use some prayers for strength and healing. Little has had mono for a month and is still struggling with fatigue. And my friend Gail asked for prayers for Chuck for a brain bleed with upcoming surgery on Tuesday. Big is in her first big college swim meet this weekend. Prayers for safety and strength. Thank you!

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We need to go get the roofing shingles today. And…I found the electric blanket! It was folded up inside a quilt I had taken off the guest bed this spring. It was stuck behind the “Tub-o-Yarn” I bought when the knit shop closed this summer. Mystery solved!

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What’s going on in your neck of the woods this weekend?

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?

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“for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

\n1 Timothy 4:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/29/after-the-jab.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/28/more-hustle.html", "title": "More Hustle", "content_html": "\n
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Every day there seems to be something pressing that needs to be done. Yesterday we went to town for an appointment and finally got our Bivalent Covid Vaccines. We picked out the shingles we want for the new roof. We had dinner out. We walked a mile in the mall. Picked up a prescription, and hightailed it home. As we were leaving around 1:30 in the afternoon, I flipped on the back porch light and sighed. I know as sure as I know my name…there’s no such thing as a quick trip to town and we’d surely be home long after dark. We were.

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We need to go in either today or tomorrow to get the shingles and the other supplies so the boys can get started on the roof. We’re pushing it now to get it done before the snow falls. There are still things that need to be done to put the camper to bed for the season. There are some wooden cabinets out by the garage that are covered with an old tarp that ripped so we need to replace that, too. 

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I did get to sit with my tea yesterday morning. There was an early morning chill in the air so I wore the little capelet my friend Pat knitted and gave to me when her store closed. It’s perfect to just throw around your shoulders when knitting or reading. I didn’t even pick my knitting up yesterday. I told Mr. FixIt I want to finish knitting the sleeves on this sweater so I can get back to the quilt for the grandkids’ wedding. I’m really trying to stick to my commitment of “one project at a time.”

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The leaves are falling in earnest now. The large leaves of the sycamore trees out front float straight down like little bronze parachutes in the autumn sunlight. The squirrels rustle around burying nuts at the base of trees sounding all the while like a herd of bison zipping through the leaves. Turkey vultures circle silently above, looking furtively left and right for some tasty roadkill. The red shouldered hawks scream as they zoom across the far field hunting…always hunting.

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The grass is brittle and dry now. Our mowing days are over for a few months till the earth awakens again in spring. This is the time for us to rustle around like the squirrels getting all the work done before winter takes us into hibernation. The blessed hibernation I am looking forward to with knitting needles and sewing machine and baking pans at the ready.

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I can’t find the electric blanket for our bed anywhere. Where on earth could I have put it?

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?

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“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

\nGalatians 6:9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/28/more-hustle.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/27/when-three-days-feels-like.html", "title": "When Three Days Feels Like a Week", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve had three days that felt like a week of bad Mondays…but this camping trip was over the top good! The weather was absolutely perfect. Mid 70’s, clear skies without a cloud to be seen till the last night. Then it rained for a few hours and it was just lovely to lay there listening to the pitter-patter on the camper roof. We came home today and both proclaimed it felt like we’d been gone a whole week!

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I decided to park the camper by the big building out back along the driveway. There are two reasons. One is it’s easier to plug the camper in with the power cord that came with it. That way we don’t have to use an extension cord. The second reason is safety. I have a dear friend who took her camper out of her barn to pack it for a trip and someone stole it during the night. She was fortunate to get it back, but it was only because she took hundreds of fliers around and scouted till she found it.

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This is the first time I’ve ever had a camper that has a lien on it. We’ll be selling the a-frame in the spring and pay it off, but technically…the bank owns it. I don’t want anyone stealing our camper, but especially one we don’t own free and clear yet. If I store it by the big building, we can park our extra truck in front of it and save for dragging the pickup out into the field and getting through two locks on the camper or using a crane to lift it…little Grace isn’t going anywhere. 

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We spent about an hour after we got home, emptying things out of the camper and the back of the truck. Then we finally caught up with the mail, emails, and messages we didn’t get while we were out of cell range. Actually, that felt really good. We ended up going to bed earlier, sure. But we curled up in the camper and ate snacks and watched old episodes of West Wing. I have a tendency to watch it when we’re in the whirlwind of an election year. I used to find it so timely and informative as it closely followed the way elections and the government were run. Now I watch it with a tinge of sadness that politics isn’t like that at all anymore. It’s like everyone’s good grandparents died and no one learned a dang thing from them about manners and social niceties. 

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Vultures!
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I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve kept my nose pretty much out of politics on here this go round. I learned a lot from the last couple of elections. Short of ending relationships, you still have to face the people you berate on social media…no matter what the outcome. Lord knows there’s enough crap out there on the internet, doing it’s darnedest to split us up. I’ve decided, short of encouraging vaccinations and practicing good hygiene, to keep my head and heart on God and vote my conscience…just like I did before everything headed south. I’m not perfect. I may slip up from time to time. But we all need to have a safe place to go and talk about the good things in the world. There still are plenty of good things. And when you see bad things, please…do what you can to stop them.

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After every camping trip this year, I’ve been left wanting more. This time, I feel like we accomplished what we wanted to do, and now it’s really time to make hay while the sun shines…so to speak. We are getting our bivalent Covid vaccine today. They are encouraging people to get them in October in order to build up immunity before the holidays. I don’t know about you, but I want to spend the holidays with family this year so we’re going to do what we can to do that while remaining healthy.

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We’ll go tomorrow and get the supplies to have the new roof put on the house. Time is flying and soon there’ll be snow. I want to be ready.

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?

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““Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

\nRevelation 22:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/27/when-three-days-feels-like.html", "tags": ["Camping","Gratitude","Farm Life","Kindness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/23/the-dastardly-deed.html", "title": "The Dastardly Deed", "content_html": "\n
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About a year ago, we bought a beautiful set of Ninja pans from Kohl’s on a really super deal. I’ve never had a great set of pans. Other than my cast iron, most of what I have ever cooked on have been cheap “buy a pan here and there” kind of cookware. Nonstick pans are notorious for flaking and scratching whether you follow the directions or not. But this set? Ohhhh, this set has been primo and I love them.

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I’m really careful when I use them. I never use a metal utensil. I follow the directions to a T and never use nonstick cooking spray. I use very little oil and then it’s high quality. I was popping the waffles in the toaster yesterday (my leftover homemade waffles…not the mass produced variety) when I turned around and there was my beloved…spraying my precious skillet with “Crap-in-a-Can”! Gahhhhhh!!!!

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Please keep in mind…I’ve cut out caffeine and coffee in general the last few weeks. I hadn’t even had my decaf tea yet. So…there’s that. But I let out a squeal and a bloody “Noooooo!” that made Mr. FixIt jump a foot. What I thought was perhaps a momentary lapse of memory was apparently something that had been going on for months.

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Bless his heart.

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He used the spray. A dastardly deed! And…as the package insert said it would…the egg stuck. Apparently from not using ENOUGH spray, I’ve been told! So, I (eventually) let it go because it’s just a skillet. But it’s been a really GOOD skillet, darn it.

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We were just finishing breakfast when the former Mrs. FixIt called and asked if my sweetheart could take her to pick up some shelves she bought. She doesn’t have a truck. He asked if We had anything going and I said, “No…go help!” So off he went. I cleaned up the kitchen and made a batch of cornmeal mush so we have some to fry up on our camping trip.

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I spent the afternoon watching my favorite guilty pleasure…Appalachian cooking videos with Tipper Pressley on her YouTube channel “Celebrating Appalachia.” I knitted a little and chatted on the phone. When I got hungry, I decided to make a fried egg sandwich. But….the skillet! Argh!

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I decided to just see what I could do with it. I ran some hot soapy water and washed the pan thoroughly. I dried it well, then set it on medium to preheat. I cracked the egg and dropped it into the skillet…no oil, no butter, no spray…and hoped for the best. And, sure enough…that thing didn’t stick! Eureka!

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Mr. FixIt called on his way home to see if I needed anything. He told me he was bringing me some fried chicken livers from Miller’s Chicken in Athens. I told him he was no longer in the doghouse over the frying pan debacle because I got it cleaned up and it works like it’s supposed to. (We had long since apologized for the pre-tea tempers.) And, the chicken livers were SOOOOO good!

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The weather was warm yesterday and if you are from around these parts, you know that the first warm day after the first cold spell brings out those nasty vermin we all love to hate. The Asian Lady Beetle. Between them and the Stink Bugs, it is a scourge that honestly takes part of the fun out of fall.

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I cannot believe God actually told Noah to add Stink Bugs and Asian Lady Beetles to the ark! What was He thinking???

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Hmmmmm…maybe Naamah caught Noah fouling her cookpot so she slipped them in as revenge!

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?

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“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

\nPsalm 34:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/23/the-dastardly-deed.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Marriage","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/19/rough-nights-and-great-days.html", "title": "Rough Nights and Great Days", "content_html": "\n
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The first few years of my grief journey were filled with really rough nights and marginal days. There were nights I held the side of the mattress and willed myself to make it to morning with my sanity held somewhere near intact. It was so incredibly difficult, but then morning would come and the anxiety and fear would fade into the background a bit…only to return with a vengeance at sundown.

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With time…and hard work…the really hard nights became bad nights and the days became better. The really hard nights faded eventually and I only had a bad night on occasion. Monday was one of those nights. The day had been stressful then just before bed, I found out someone I love dearly was unwell. And I ate too late. Bad combo and I just didn’t feel well.

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I woke up yesterday with a massive headache and a stuffy head and I was afraid I’d picked up “a bug”, but…with a little movement and a little caffeine, I shoved the icky aside and moved on with my day. Mr. FixIt and I went out to the farm to make sure the heat was turned on and the pump was working. Last year the pump froze and it was an absolute mess to fix. We wanted to preempt that scenario by wrapping the pump and tank in heat tape to keep it from freezing. 

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I lit the little gas stove in the bathroom to keep the pipes from freezing in there. And the furnace was already on so the house was perfectly warm. I turned off the dehumidifiers for the season, swept the floors, checked the mail, and we’re all good. I’ll get out there for a little R&R one of these days.

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We got home in late afternoon. The sun sets earlier and earlier now. And it’s pretty darned chilly. I decided to open a jar of the vegetable beef soup I canned this year. I purposefully canned it rather bland so I could season it to my liking when I heat it up. I added a variety of seasonings, including just a dash of smoked chipotle pepper for a little zing. Oh, my gosh! It was SO good served with garlic Texas toast!

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We have an errand in town today and I am certainly hoping it won’t turn into an all day ordeal. We may get our Covid booster while we’re at it.

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We’re a good team.

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?

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“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,”

\nHebrews 10:24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/19/rough-nights-and-great-days.html", "tags": ["Grief","Growth","Choices","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/16/a-super-sunny-saturday.html", "title": "A Super Sunny Saturday", "content_html": "\n
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Taking a break for a s’more!

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Friday night was the first night I’ve slept in the house in a month. Our little home on wheels has beckoned me to “camp” in our field under a canopy of stars…even when the temperatures hovered near freezing. The only time I can talk Mr. FixIt into sleeping in the camper with me is when we are actually…you know…CAMPING. At a campground. I don’t blame him. He has a bad back and the mattress in the camper is brutal. However, now he has no excuse!

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The new mattress is here!

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After opening up the box and following the directions to allow the mattress to open up and restore its original shape, we had to leave it alone for 24 hours. I went out yesterday to dress the bed and clean the camper to get it ready for the last few days we’ll have the chance to sleep out here. Mr. FixIt promised he would come out here to sleep last night. It will give him a chance to try out the new mattress and see what he thinks of it.

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It was sunny and warm yesterday. After I got the camper cleaned up, I stretched out on the bed to try out the mattress myself. I think I’m going to like it! The sun was shining in the big curbside window and it was so warm and cozy in there. I was just about to doze off when Mr. FixIt called and wanted to know if I’d like to go out for pizza. Oh, heck yeah! I love when he “asks me out.” One should never stop dating their life partner. I want him to always know I’d choose him over and over and over again and he feels the same way.

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We went for a little detour on our way home and caught some great views. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of traffic on that little two-lane because of a Harvest Festival at the fair grounds so I couldn’t really stop to take pictures save for this beautiful white-faced bull. If we’d had jackets with us, we might have stopped to see what was going on at the fairgrounds, but it was getting pretty chilly. We came home instead.

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We saw this big handsome fella while we were driving out the backroads last evening.

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As I was laying here writing this, a lovely barred owl started calling in the sycamore trees along the hedgerow. I love their vocalizations. 

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“Who-cooks-for-you? Who-cooks-for-yooooooou?” 

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The other night we were driving home and a whippoorwill flew right out in front of me. I was so sure I hit it and it just made me sick. They are becoming more and more rare in our area. It saddened me to think I may have hurt it. 

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I saw a “wooly worm” in the field yesterday afternoon. Old wives tales say their coloration predicts the severity of the winter ahead. Allegedly, the more black there is, the worse the winter is supposed to be. This little guy said “Winter will come in like a lion and out like a lamb.” At the same time, the same variety of caterpillar told my friend (just 20 miles away) it would be a harsh winter because the coat was solid black. 

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There are some “old wive’s tails” I totally believe in. For instance, if you see the underside of the leaves showing on a hot summer afternoon, you should get ready for rain because it’s on its way. That’s science…heat rises and when moist heat rises sharply, thunderstorms and rain develop. But wooly worms? Yeah…the jury’s still out on that.

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Tractor Supply had some beautiful mums on sale!

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Mr. FixIt bowls tonight. I’ll take the camper up today to empty the tanks, then I can winterize it. I told my sweetie I’ll go out to the farm to mow sometime this week and I’ll stay for a couple of days. Hunting season is coming soon so there will be people in and out of there and I won’t get a chance to stay again for a while. 

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?

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“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

\nProverbs 24:27 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/16/a-super-sunny-saturday.html", "tags": ["Love","Change","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/12/paul-bunyans-got-nuthin-on.html", "title": "Paul Bunyan’s Got Nuthin’ on Me!", "content_html": "\n
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We’re knocking out the chores here at Marshmallow Ranch. When I moved to Mr. FixIt’s place in November of 2017, there was a maple sapling in the flower bed in front of the kitchen window. It wasn’t very big…maybe an inch or a little more diameter. I kinda liked it because the birds would swoop in and then on the feeder. And in the fall, the leaves turned yellow…like aspen trees in Colorado.

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Fast forward five years and that sucker had grown higher than the house with a trunk at least six inches across. There are also three cedar trees out there. All of them are beginning to hang over and make contact with the roof over the family room and that’s creating a problem. They’re just way too close to the house so they have to go.

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We don’t do a huge amount of arboreal work, but from time to time, we need to take something out. When we ran across a deal on a small 14” electric chainsaw, we figured that would be good enough for the kinds of projects we have around here. A large tree limb fell at our rental house this spring so we had to cut that up. Later in the summer, another one came down and we used it again.

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This was the first time we’ve really used this chainsaw here at home and we faced a couple of issues. First, maple is fairly hard wood. It took a LOT of cutting to get it to the point of coming down. And second, the chain had gotten dull and it made the job a lot harder than it should have been.

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When I was a young wife and mother and lived in the mountains of Colorado, our log home was on two acres a few miles out of town. We cut and split our own firewood because we were poor. I used a huge Stihl saw that made quick work of the soft woods we were cutting. As I worked away on that maple with that teeny tiny little toy chainsaw yesterday, I was getting frustrated because I know what a BIG rig can do. 

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I suggested we go rent a real chainsaw. My sweet Mr. FixIt reminded me we have a chainsaw…it’s right here…and all we need is a new chain. He’s right of course. I was just hot and tired and frustrated and wanted the job done as fast as possible. Instead, we ran to town, bought TWO replacement chains, then got dinner and sat by the river watching the sunset. 

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I may not have won the Great Chainsaw Debate…but I won a nice evening and a nice meal with a nice view and my BEST GUY. That trumps any ol’ chainsaw, any ol’ time!

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?

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““For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.”

\nJob 14:7 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/12/paul-bunyans-got-nuthin-on.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Marriage","Frustration"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/11/getting-the-work-done.html", "title": "Getting the Work Done", "content_html": "\n
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Well, we crammed a whole summer’s worth of camping into the last month and now it’s time to pay the piper. I got up yesterday and started emptying the cabinets in the camper and making lists. I knew I needed to drive into town to run necessary errands, so I fixed us some breakfast out in the camper, since that’s where the breakfast food is still sitting in the refrigerator. We sat at the dinette and I started my list.

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I am not happy with the small ceramic heater I purchased for the camper. Even at it’s lowest setting (59°), the fan never shuts off and I can guarantee you it was a LOT warmer than that in there. I decided to return it and get a more suitable one. Also, I bought an anode rod for the hot water heater in the new camper, only to find out this one does not have an anode rod. I thought they all did. Apparently the guy at the service department that sold it to me didn’t know either because he argued with me. He said (a little to pretentiously) they ALL have anode rods at which point I took great pleasure in educating him otherwise. 

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There are brakes on trailers that are powered through the electrical plug in the back of your tow vehicle. And, in case the trailer should become unhooked in transit, there is a safety mechanism called a breakaway box. A long cable is attached to the undercarriage of your tow vehicle and the other end attaches to a pin…much like that of a hand grenade. Should the trailer come unhitched, the safety chains you attach to the frame catches the trailer and keeps it from running away. Should the safety chains fail, the cable grows taut and pulls the pin out of the breakaway box and the brakes are automatically applied to the wheels of the camper, stopping it from moving on down the highway without you. Pretty neat.

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Our problem occurred when the way-too-long cable hung down too low and dragged on the highway on our way home Saturday. I noticed it right away when I was unhooking. It was very nearly worn through and I am so grateful it wasn’t needed because it would have failed. I wanted to get a pin with a pigtail cable, but they didn’t have one in our little burg. I ordered it online and it will arrive a week from today. I returned the anode rod, ran my errands, picked up a late lunch and came home.

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Mr. FixIt and I watched a couple episodes of Grace and Frankie then it was time to get some work done. He cut the elephant ears back, mowed some, and cleaned the chainsaw. I jumped on the riding mower and worked as long as I could see there my row was. I can pretty much tell when we’re at the end of the mowing season. It’s when you get hypothermic on the tractor. Jeez-o-Pete…I was freezing by the time I stopped.

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We heard from my stepson yesterday. They’re at the beach and he is using the new rod and reel we got him for his birthday. He sent pictures of the fish he caught. He saved five out of the fifteen blues and they were going to clean them and have a fish fry. Mr. FixIt was so excited for his son. He beamed with the pleasure you feel when a gift really works out for the recipient. 

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We are due to have a couple of really beautiful days coming up. I’ll finish the mowing today and maybe we will get out to the farm to mow one last time out there. I bought the fixin’s for Broccoli Cheese Soup for supper tonight. I’ll serve it with some piping hot biscuits fresh from the oven and it will be a meal fit for royalty! We need to start working on the building…cleaning, sorting, organizing. We simply must make ourselves do this. Because it won’t be fair to leave such a mess for one of us to clean up alone when the other of us passes. 

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These are the things that occupy your mind when you have been widowed. What never occurred to you before will be front and center thereafter.

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?

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“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

\n1 Peter 5:7 ESV\n
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#Prepared, #Autumn, #Chores

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/11/getting-the-work-done.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/04/spelling-counts.html", "title": "Spelling Counts!", "content_html": "\n
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I can’t tell you how many words I’ve written on this blog over the nearly ten years since I started. Millions, I would hazard to guess. I’ve made my fair share of grammatical as well as spelling errors and thankfully, I have wonderful friends who send me private messages to let me know of an error. That’s because they know errors make me crazy. 

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I have been known to stop reading a book if I find too many spelling errors. It’s almost like it should be impossible to make mistakes with all the editing software out there. I do know it’s those spell corrector programs that often throw you under the bus. Poor spelling just bugs me…especially if it’s something that really should have been seen by more than one pair of eyes.

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For instance…how many times have you seen an ad in the paper for a “dinning room table”? Seriously? It’s dining! And don’t get me started on there, their, they’re. I was walking through the Halloween display at a big box store yesterday and saw this “Pumpkin Spece Love” sign. I mean..am I missing something? Is there something called “spece” that I am unaware of? I know, I know…people who live in glass houses…

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All that aside, the key point here is…I was out. Shopping. By myself. I cannot remember the last time I took myself on a shopping excursion. But, my first stop was at the DMV to get the tags on the new camper we just bought. It was a good thing I was called up to the handicapped window and was sitting down when he gave me the total. Sticker shock! It always is. So, after such an experience, I needed a little retail therapy. 

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Well, not really. It was more browsing than buying, but I did pick up a few things. I’ll show you pictures later in the week while we are camping so you can see how cute they are. The other day, Mr. FixIt stopped at Aldi on his way home and went down the “Aisle of Shame.” It’s a great source of pride for me to know I’ve turned him on to that particular erotic zone. He called me on FaceTime to show me a handheld shower head exactly like what I’ve been looking for and it was ON SALE. I hooked it up in the camper yesterday afternoon. I had to jerry rig it a little bit. I kept the hose from the old one and just changed out the shower head and it works great.

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Today, we need to get up in the wheel wells of the camper and caulk any place that looks like water could leak through. Then we need to restock it with warmer clothes and some comfort foods. Two of the nights we’ll be camping is supposed to get down in the 30’s! That’s going to be pretty darned chilly! This electric blanket will keep us comfy cozy, but we’re going to need to wear jackets and lap blankets when we sit around the propane fireplace. We may actually toast marshmallows this time…and have hot cocoa!

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I got a good shot of the hilltop across the road just before dusk yesterday. It was a gorgeous day, but as soon as that sun went behind the far hill, it cooled off fast. There’s no doubt it is fall. And before we know it, the snow will fly. So let’s get out there and have adventures before it’s too late, shall we???

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“He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.”

\nPsalm 104:19 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/04/spelling-counts.html", "tags": ["Camping","Fun","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/25/taking-it-easy.html", "title": "Taking it Easy", "content_html": "\n
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I slept like a stone, but still woke up with this headache. Occasional scratchy throat. I don’t feel sick as much as “puny”, as my grandma used to say. I tested yesterday afternoon and was negative. I’ll keep a close watch and continue to go easy. I’m just tired, I think. We run and run and run then I crash for a couple of days. It’s not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

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I knitted on the baby sweater. I read. I took a nap. Mr. FixIt and I had supper out in front of the new camper again. And I knitted some more. Before it got too dark, I walked around and took some pictures for you. We are getting more color. The dogwood tree has bright red berries on it and the birds dart in and out of the hedgerow to snatch them. The seed pods are drying nicely on the redbud so I’ll gather some in the coming days.

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I’m glad we got the mowing done as soon as we got back. We are getting intermittent rain coming through. The nights are cool and refreshing in the 50’s. The highs have been in the high 60’s, low 70’s the last couple of days. I used to dread fall because it is the harbinger of winter’s long, dark nights. But after mowing five acres the last five years, I’m tickled to death to see the grass go dormant so I can get other things done.

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I did find something interesting through a fellow I know on Facebook. He share the name of an app…FlightAware.

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This is the app I’m using. I think they asked to start an account, but I elected to continue as a guest and I get all the information I want for free.

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I’ve been hearing a helicopter fly over our house at least twice a week. He was talking about using that app to find out what a certain kind of plane was that flew over his house. The app told him what kind of plane it was, where it took off from, and where it was heading. I downloaded it and while I was knitting outside the camper in the late afternoon, I heard the helicopter.

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I quickly looked it up and it was a medical flight coming out of Morgantown. It was fascinating to watch the flight real time and on the app. I thought of my Grandma. What would she have thought if we saw a plane flying over the farm and I pulled this small, flat device out of my pocket, poked a few buttons, and told her that was an airplane flying from Washington, DC to Dallas at 30,000 feet? Can you imagine? It’s crazy what we take with a grain of salt, isn’t it?

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I need to get back to the quilt sometime this week. I’d like to finish this baby sweater first. There’s really nothing much new going on. We need to get out to the farm in the next few days to mow. Maybe after another day of rest, I’ll feel more like getting up and getting stuff done. I’ve learned to listen to my body, and my mind and spirit, and rest when it’s time to rest. I used to push through till I was way beyond lost and exhausted. There are benefits to aging. Knowing when to say enough is enough is one of them.

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?

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“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

\nGalatians 6:9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/25/taking-it-easy.html", "tags": ["Health","Gratitude","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/24/tick-tock-tick-tock.html", "title": "Tick Tock Tick Tock", "content_html": "\n
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Set up for our picnic!

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We got a call yesterday that we may have been exposed to covid over the weekend. Thursday night I started getting a headache a little bit of a scratchy throat. I haven’t tested yet. It could just be from the cold front coming through or camping by the river, but if the symptoms continue or worsen, I’ll definitely test. We have no plans to go anywhere in this next few days anyway. We cancelled our trip to the dealership yesterday to pick up the a-frame and we’ll do that as soon as we can.

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We spent the day just chilling. I knitted and Mr. FixIt cleaned out the truck. We tied the tarp down on the ‘67 Franklin. I keep telling myself I’ll fix it up one of these days, but alas…the days fly by and there it sits. It really should go to someone who has the time and talents to rebuild it. We have to stay home long enough to advertise it and sell it and that’s a bigger problem than fixing it ourselves.

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Supper al Fresco

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My sweetie and I had supper in front of the new camper again last night. It’s so pleasant to sit outside. Thursday night got down to 42° and let me tell you…it was a tad nippy in the camper! My little electric space heater is in the a-frame, I think. I do have an electric blanket I could bring out to the camper if I can find the cord. I added another puffy comforter so that ought to help. And, it was only predicted to get down to 51° last night, so maybe it won’t be so bad.

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We walked around the perimeter of the far field last night after supper. There are tons of seed pods on the redbud that are almost ready to gather and save for planting next year. It’s a game of chance waiting for them because the critters in the woods are doing the same thing for culinary purposes. There were a lot of what looked like wild grapes everywhere. When you squeeze them, they look just like grapes, but I tasted a tiny bit on my tongue and they certainly don’t TASTE like grapes. They just tasted wild.

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I’ve pulled out the winter socks!

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We noticed several trees that have died in the last couple of years…most near the power lines to I’ll have to call to see if they’ll come remove them. I noticed a small area I missed when I mowed on Thursday afternoon so I jumped on the tractor and finished that off in a hurry. Thursday was the Autumnal Equinox…the first day of fall is here already. Where has this year gone? The days pass slowly but the years seem to fly, don’t they? 

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So, in honor of autumn, I have put on socks! My tootsies are thanking me. 

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?

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“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

\nIsaiah 40:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/24/tick-tock-tick-tock.html", "tags": ["Camping","Comfort","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/17/mr-and-mrs-fixit-get.html", "title": "Mr. and Mrs. FixIt Get to Work", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was a FixIt kinda day around Marshmallow Ranch. After a yummy country breakfast, Mr. FixIt had to replace the innards of the toilet in the main bathroom. We had a…ummmm…vibrant conversation in the plumbing aisle at Menard’s on Wednesday. I was firmly convinced that all the toilet needed was a flapper valve. He was equally firmly convinced it needed that filler thing-a-ma-jig. He was trying desperately to make me understand that the reason water was going in the bowl was because the filler valve wasn’t shutting off so the water was going down the overflow pipe. 

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I am the first one to admit I am wrong…on the rare occasions that I am. lol However….when I went in to survey his work, there was the old flapper valve in the trash. I’m not saying maybe I was right. What I’m saying is, maybe when he got in there he thought he might as well fix everything. He always does exceptional work. And I’m always up in his business because I have this insatiable curiosity and I love to learn. Besides, it’s terribly important that I learn how to do all the things in case I’m left to do them alone again. 

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While my counterpart was working on the plumbing inside, I was working on the plumbing in the new camper. I needed to get into that hot water heater and try to get rid of the rotten egg smell. I emptied the tank, but I wasn’t strong enough to take the pressure release valve off. Mr. FixIt dropped what he was doing and came right out to take it off for me. Once that was done, I replaced the plug on the hot water tank and poured about a gallon and a half of white vinegar in and added water to dilute it a little. It needs to sit at least eight hours and it should just eat up the calcium deposits in the tank. I’ll drain it and flush it several times today to get any sediment out. And that ought to do it.

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Oh, and by the way, I stopped using the fluorouracil about five days ago to give my skin a little break and it’s healing up nicely. It’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom! I can’t wait to see what the new skin feels and looks like when it’s all healed.

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I had a chance to knit a little in between jobs and the new sweater is coming along nicely. I brought my knitting out with me to the camper last night and enjoyed the night sounds while I got a few more rows done. My knitting friend Gail told me about something super cool that I just had to find. It’s called a “Raglan Knitting Wheel”. Copyrighted in 1969, it was developed by a professional knitting teacher and it is amazing. Here is a blog post about it that I found.  

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I think we’ll need to mow today here at home and tomorrow out at the farm. We leave to go camping for three days on Monday. I told Mr. FixIt I want to camp as much as possible to make up for lost time. He’s such a sport…always ready to have some fun. He gets to go fishing this time!

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“…A time to tear down and a time to build up.”

\nEcclesiastes 3:3 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/17/mr-and-mrs-fixit-get.html", "tags": ["Camping","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/08/a-full-day-and-then.html", "title": "A Full Day and Then Some", "content_html": "\n
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My Happy Place

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Remember yesterday when I told you I never know what I’m going to end up doing any given day? Well, that’s how the day turned out. I started out in the kitchen…with two pressure canners running. My little one holds seven quarts or nine pints. The big one will hold twenty pints on two levels, but still only seven quarts. I finished canning the green chili and got six more pints for a total of eleven. Then I did a run of seven quarts of pinto beans. I canned an eight pound bag of Walmart’s Great Value Dried Pinto Beans and got twenty pints and seven quarts for a total cost of $5.98 plus a little bit of my time. And they’ll taste so much better than processed beans in a can. 

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Homecanned Pinto Beans

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Some of you asked for my green chile recipe. I put a link to a recipe the other day that I looked at. But I always end up making my own version no matter what a recipe says. So, here’s mine as best as I can tell you. I rarely ever measure anything so I’ll do my best to relay it accurately.

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Pork Green Chile\n\n     1 quart cooked pork (I always use butt roast cooked in the slow cooker till tender)\n     1.5 boxes of chicken bone broth\n     2 jars of 505 Southwestern Flame Roasted Green Chiles, 16oz. each\n     1/4 c. dehydrated minced onions\n     1 to 3 tsp. minced garlic, to taste. I used 2 tsps.\n     2 heaping tsps. Ground Cumin\n     1 heaping tsp. Ground Black Pepper\n     1 heaping tsp. Smoked Paprika\n     \n     Mix all the ingredients together in a slow cooker. Mix a couple of heaping tablespoons of all purpose flour in with 1/2 cup of water or use some of the extra bone broth and stir it in the chile. Heat on high till hot and bubbling around the edges and is slightly thickened…about an hour or two. It’s even better when served the next day as the flavors marry. Serve piping hot with tortillas or a quesadilla to dip in it. I like to squeeze a wedge of lime over mine and add a dollop of sour cream on top. Yummmmm!\n\n     This freezes or cans well. I canned mine in pints because I usually heat it up and pour it over burritos.\n\n     An alternative would be to cut the meat up in chunks when it’s raw and add the rest of the ingredients and let the meat cook with the chiles. When I make a pork roast, I use it for a hot meal first with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Then I make another meal of cold pork sandwiches. So, I already had cooked pork in the fridge.
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While I babysat the canners, I started knitting a new sweater. I decided to try a simple turtleneck version this time. I’m using the same yarn but a darker blue that would go great with denim. This pattern calls for a mock turtleneck, but Gail tells me I can just knit it longer so it folds over. I really love this designer out of Denmark…PetiteKnit. The pattern is called Novice Sweater. What can I say…I’m still learning the ins and outs of sweater making even though I may not be a rank novice. I’ve been working really hard the last couple of weeks so I am taking a sabbatical for a long weekend with my knitting needles and no work. Just good food…and maybe a nap!

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As soon as I finished the canning, I headed out to the mower and got everything finished. I came in around 5-ish and made cold pork sandwiches and potato salad for supper. There is something wonderful about having food made up ahead of time that you don’t have to cook. The day was perfect…75° with intermittent clouds. Mr. FixIt and I went out after the sun set and it was so cool and lovely. 

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Passion Flower
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Crab Spider…caught a ride on my hat!
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African Lily
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I contacted the service department yesterday and even though our camper has been there for six weeks (THIS time), they still have not received the parts they ordered to fix it. I’m just about done with this. Ohio has a generous Lemon Law and I’m about to have a discussion with them. This isn’t right. We’re missing our favorite camping season completely. More than a little frustrating.

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In the grand scheme of things, no matter what kind of inconveniences head my way, I still have a pretty blessed life. The Bible doesn’t say we MIGHT have troubles from time to time. Instead, it tells us we WILL have troubles, but when troubles strike, remember whose child you are and straighten that crown!

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“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”

\nPsalm 34:17-20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/08/a-full-day-and-then.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Camping","Farm Life","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/07/working-without-a-schedule.html", "title": "Working Without a Schedule", "content_html": "\n
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Green Chili. Forgive the mess in my kitchen. Things get out of hand quickly when I can.

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I rarely work with an itinerary. I usually have a vague idea of what I’d like to accomplish the following day, but I’m always really flexible in case something comes up that needs my attention more than what I intended. That’s what happened yesterday. 

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I got up early and finished piecing the last row of blocks, then I laid them all out on the floor and played mix and match till I got the look I was going for. I noticed a couple of the blocs are much smaller than the others and I could have sewn the seamed a little wider than a quarter inch. I’ll have to give them a closer look and either rip them apart and resew them, or start from scratch. It’s a good thing I have extra ten inch squares to work with.

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By the time I got them all arranged, it was 2:00 and I had other things that needed doing. I wanted to can the green chili that I made on Sunday so it will last on the shelf all winter. I had a lot of the pork roast left over so I put another slow cooker full of green chili on to simmer while I loaded up the canner with what was already made. As soon as that canner was running, I started on the pinto beans I bought a couple of weeks ago. 

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I’ve been watching canning videos and there are women who can their dry beans so they’re ready at a moment’s notice for a winter meal. I made up twenty pints of beans and put them in my big canner. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at the bar in the kitchen, babysitting the canner to make sure it gets to the proper pressure and stays there for a full seventy-five minutes. Before long, I will fill another canner with the second batch of green chili. I may be at this for a while.

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I chatted with Daughter #2 and her wife yesterday morning while I was sitting at the sewing machine. She is a tattoo aficionado. When she saw my face, she was alarmed. “Mama! What’s going on with your face?!” I explained I was doing what she asked me to do…treat the dangerous skin cells. I also told her it felt like battery acid on my face. She suggested I put Aquaphor ointment on the inflamed skin to soothe it. I put some on and it felt better almost immediately. I will never go outdoors again without slathering on sunscreen.

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I recently received a jury summons but the trial is scheduled for Monday. I already had something planned and paid for so I asked if I could be excused. I hadn’t heard back so I called yesterday. Turns out, I have been excused so one less thing on my plate. I have been summoned for jury duty many times over the years. A few times I actually went in and either was dismissed after questioning, or a last minute plea deal was accepted. I’ve served on a jury once. I believe in fulfilling my civic duties. But I’ve never been called since Mr. Virgo died. I don’t know how I would do with medical subjects or graphic photos. My PTSD kicks in just thinking of serving. I mean, I will if I have to. In our county, we can request to be excused for any jury duty once we hit seventy years of age. My memory isn’t what it used to be, and I have trouble hearing and following along sometimes. I certainly would hate to affect a trial negatively because of that. I have nine more months before my next birthday. We’ll see what happens.

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I’m not sure I’m going to push myself to get this quilt top finished this week. I want to be sure I do my best work and rushing won’t achieve the results I am looking for. This is a relatively new behavior for me. There was a time when I would push my way through something till I’m pulling my hair out. I don’t want to do that anymore. If I don’t enjoy an activity, I’m not interested. I think I’ll set it aside and pick it up next week. In the meantime, we’re chasing down an electrical problem in Louisa the Lincoln, the lawn at the farm needs mowing again, and the pump needs to be primed. Perhaps today will be the day for these chores.

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““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

\nMatthew 6:25 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/07/working-without-a-schedule.html", "tags": ["Aging","Choices","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/06/the-perfect-porch.html", "title": "The Perfect Porch", "content_html": "\n
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I was listening to Tipper Pressley on one of her Celebrating Appalachia videos on YouTube yesterday while I worked on this quilt. She was talking about her front porch and how important porches are to people…not only to those in Appalachia, but to people all over the world who have them. They expand our living space and bring us into the outdoors during the warmer months of the year. They offer safe places to relax and read or visit with friends, family, and neighbors. 

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Porches facilitate community or solitude. They offer a cool place to get out of a hot kitchen during canning season. They’re a resting place when you’re too old to chase the young’uns around the yard but you still want to be a part of things. You can watch for the mailman or the newspaper or the school bus. You can wave goodbye to your loved ones as they back out of the driveway and head on home.

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I’ve had some really great porches in my lifetime. One of my favorites was the farm style house I had built after a divorce. I needed my house to be as Appalachian as I could get living in the Rocky Mountains. I had dreams of living in my home state of West Virginia, but I still had a young child to raise and those dreams had to rest on the back burner. It wasn’t a huge porch, but I had plenty of sitting room and flowers and, white wicker furniture, a barn wood bench, and an old chippy-green rush-seat chair. 

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My country-style porch in Colorado.

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When Daughter #1 was little, we lived in an old brick bungalow that had a great front porch on it with swings. It was nice to sit out there and watch the world go by…and the traffic. It was a very busy street in Denver. I have had decks and patios that served as porches. And I’ve lived in tiny apartments with no porch at all. When I lived in my camper, the whole outdoors was my porch.

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But, my favorite porch of all times was Grandma’s front porch out at the farm. We still sit out there and have a cold drink whenever we go out to mow. When I’m there for my R&R breaks, I sit out there and knit and listen to the birds. I have so much history…so many memories that include that porch. I remember sitting out there with my grandma, stringing and snapping beans to can. I still have the old roaster pan lid that Grandma used to sit in her lap and peel potatoes or shell peas into. 

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This sound takes me back to the long summer days of my childhood and Grandma yelling at us kids to quit slamming that screen door!

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One of my friends has the greatest porch. He designed it and had it built onto his historic red brick home and let me tell you…it is stunning. One of these days, I’ll ask him if I can come over and photograph it for you because it is truly magazine worthy.

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Here at our house, we have the pool deck with the pergola on it for shade and a nice table and chairs, but that’s not really a porch, per se. There is a porch on what is officially the front of the house, but it’s just not very conducive to sitting and relaxing. It’s on the busy road side of the house so there’s a lot of traffic noise. And there is a gravel road along the side of the house so it’s really dusty out there. Maybe someday we’ll have a covered porch we can sit on and watch the rain. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy whatever porch I might get to sit on at any given time.

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We’re almost at the end of porch sitting season. I hope you’ll share a picture of your cozy porch in the comments below and tell us what makes it your special place. Give us all something to dream on.

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“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

\nIsaiah 32:18 ESV\n
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I woke up super early yesterday and decided to whip up a batch of biscuits. I made my coffee and took two piping hot biscuits with butter and homemade jams and headed for the pool deck to watch the morning sun come over the hill. I brought you along on a FB Live if you want to catch it. You can see the morning fog in the trees. It was delightful, even though the dew was dripping on me from the pergola.

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Mr. FixIt was still snoozing so I went downstairs and started sewing on the quilt. Things were going great for a couple of hours but then I started feeling really hot and within moments I was sick. I seem to have become sensitive to my morning coffee which is a real bummer as I am a coffee hound. I have been burning the candle at both ends this week and haven’t slept well so went back to bed and slept till 2:00 in the afternoon. When I got up, I felt much better.

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I took some 7UP and soda crackers, just in case, and went back down to the sewing nook and got several blocks put together. I had to stop and rip some seams out of the first three because I didn’t put them together quite right. I ended up hanging the first block on the fabric board behind my sewing machine as a guide. Once I did that, I didn’t have a problem putting them together correctly.

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Around 4:30, Mr. FixIt came down and asked if I could help with a project. A couple of years ago, we finished remodeling the bathroom off the master bedroom. This summer, it has sprung a leak around the exhaust pipe. It did that once before and Mr. FixIt got up there and nailed the rubber gasket down around it and that fixed the small leak. But this week, it started leaking with a vengeance. 

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The Offending Leak

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Now, you know my sweetheart had a couple of small strokes in 2020 and his balance is forever changed by that. He does great, he works hard and he can do just about anything, but climbing up a ladder and going up on a roof is NOT happening. We have boys, but they were working yesterday and it’s supposed to rain all weekend. So…I’m the next best thing. Mr. FixIt said I may not want to do it and if I didn’t, we’d work something out. I told him I’d have a look.

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Stupid Human Tricks

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The first thing I did was say a prayer. A BIG prayer. Then I crossed myself for good measure…in case Mr. Virgo was watching. I know God was…and all my legion of guardian angels it takes to keep my adventurous butt safe.

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The first time I climbed up the ladder, I asked if we could change the angle so the ascent would be less steep. I came down and we repositioned the ladder. The second time I climbed up, I didn’t like that there wasn’t enough ladder at the top so that I’d feel more comfortable stepping onto the roof. I came back down and we extended the ladder another rung. This time I went up and, after just a few moments of hesitation and evaluating where to put my foot, etc., I stepped confidently on the roof and made my way to the offending pipe.

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I had a rope tied around my waist and pulled up the battery powered caulking gun. Mr. FixIt tossed up the hammer and a bag of roofing nails. I proceeded to nail down the rubber flashing and caulked the heck out of that thing. I had rubber gloves on and I smeared the black goo into all the seams of the shingles as well as the top of the rubber gasket where it looked dry and aging. If that thing leaks now, I’d be really surprised. 

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I lowered the caulking gun back down over the edge and tossed the hammer after making sure Mr. FixIt and the cat were nowhere near. Mr. FixIt held on to the ladder with a death grip and, using the top of the extension, I easily held on and stepped around with my sturdy work boots. I was back down in record time. It was still pretty hot up there and the ball of my hand is red from using it to lift myself up and down. I only got a little of the black goo on me so now we’ll wait and see how it does in the rain.

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The offending pipe…caulked within an inch of its life!

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Mr. FixIt beamed when I came down the ladder. I know he is so proud of me when I do things like this. He thanks me profusely and tells me I do a good job. That means a lot to me. Losing Mr. Virgo so suddenly has taught me I need to know how to do things around here…anywhere, really. I’m happy to help and to push my boundaries to see what I am still capable of. I didn’t feel unsafe and the pitch of that roof is so low, it’s nearly flat. I would NEVER get up on a steep pitched roof. And hopefully, I won’t have to get back up on this one. But I know I can…at least for the time being.

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I remember when my grandma broke her first hip. The doctor asked my aunt if she had ANY idea what her mother was doing at the time. My aunt allowed she did not. Turns out, grandma had tied a rope around her waist and tied the other end to a tree. She was going to have my uncle cut down the tree and she wanted to “make sure that tree didn’t go down into the creek and block it up.” Well, as luck would have it, the rope broke before the tree was felled and she hit the ground, breaking her hip. It’s a darned good thing because that tree would have whipped her down with it! So, see? I get this craziness honest!

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Once I got down from the roof, I went right back down to the sewing machine and worked for another couple of hours. Like I told you the other day…Step Four on this quilt is going to be the most complicated and time consuming of them all so I just have to plug along and be happy with progress.

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?

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“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

\n1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/03/the-highs-and-lows-of.html", "tags": ["Prayer","Aging","Farm Life","Marriage","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/02/september-how-ive-missed-you.html", "title": "September!!! How I’ve Missed You!", "content_html": "\n
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Even though it isn’t officially autumn, you have to admit…September is getting there. It’s getting dark noticeably earlier. And the nights have a chill that I love. When it hits 64° outside by 9:00, I turn off the fans and fling the windows wide open so I can hear the night sounds. I figure, if it’s ten degrees cooler outside, I can justify turning off the AC and enjoy that wonderful cool air.

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When we bought the Lincoln last month, I was not impressed with the tires so my sweetheart, being the frugal shopper he is, started the “Great Tire Hunt of 2022” and found a deal. They arrived Wednesday afternoon, so he enlisted my help in the endeavor yesterday. I couldn’t figure out why he needed me till he reminded me he couldn’t fit the tires in the trunk and he certainly couldn’t put them on the leather interior. After driving a pickup for ten years, I just don’t think like a “car driver”.  

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God was really looking out for us when Spirit nudged me to get new tires. The front tires were fairly new but they were snow tires…knobby, noisy, and soft. They’ll wear down too fast driving year round. We were told the back tires “had plenty of tread”. And indeed, by looking at them, they did. But getting them off the car and inspecting them up close, they were terribly dry rotted and the tread was beginning to separate. But now we have safe new tires that are quiet and provide the smooth ride a Lincoln is known for. When I was driving around testing out the new tires, her name came to me. “Louisa the Lincoln”. Works well with “Freda the Ford”, right? Louisa was one of my dearest friends in the world…a true Southern lady. Perfectly apt for this little Southern Belle of a car.

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I worked on the quilt till Mr. FixIt called me to come pick up the tires. While I was in town, I decided to check out Bolts & Quarters…the big quilt shop in Parkersburg. Oh. My. Word. Danger, Will Robinson! That place was total eye candy. The rainbow of fabrics took my breath away. Every pattern you could imagine and then some. And the machines??? Get out! Who pays $10,000 for a sewing machine? Apparently a die hard machine embroidery artist, that’s who. Ohhhhh….if I were twenty, no THIRTY years younger with unlimited funds, I’d have a sewing/craft room that would make your eyes pop. 

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When I got back home, I finished “Step Two” on all sixty-four squares. Today, I’ll start cutting them up in “Step Three”. I looked around at my humble little sewing nook and my $50 prize Singer I picked up on Marketplace and said, “It’s good enough for me!”

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Once the sun headed over the hill past the far field, I jumped back on the tractor to mow the other half of our five acres. The closest thing to a calamity to happen this time was nearly mowing over a Praying Mantis. I stopped a fraction of millimeter from sending him to bug heaven! I’m so glad, too. They are not only magnificent creatures, but they eat the bad bugs. 

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The other day at the local quilt shop, someone mentioned they hadn’t seen a single dragonfly this summer. As I was coming around the pear tree with the tractor yesterday, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and there was a dragonfly. I smiled and mowed on to the last warm and sunny spot left in the field and within seconds I was totally surrounded by hundreds of dragonflies! They danced and swirled and the sun glinted off their iridescent fairy-like wings and I was mesmerized. I started a Facebook Live Video to share the experience with you all, but the quality of videos was reduced so much, there was no way you could see them. And, I didn’t realize how bad my face looked on the video. I’ll take a picture and share with you soon, but this chemo cream is knocking the socks off any skin cancer cells within a mile of it. I look like someone threw battery acid in my face. So, I took down the FB Live that recorded, but here is a video. If you look closely, there are little dots out in the field as well as the ones up close…all dragonflies!

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DRAGONFLIES!
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Once I was finished mowing, I helped Mr. FixIt trim one of the huge forsythias along the roadside of the yard with the pole lopper. I’m telling you, you could go out there with a flamethrower and a week later it’s taking over again! It’s like living in a tropical rainforest here. Before we knew it, the sun was going down and we were done for another day. We’re older now. We still get a lot done, but we’re a little slower at it. And there may or may not be a heating pad involved later in the evening.

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As I was putting my sewing away and turning off the lights, sewing machine, and iron, I made an executive decision. I know myself well enough to know I can go off on a tangent and hyper focus on one thing, letting everything else slide. I have invested in all this beautiful yarn, so I’m going to knit one project, then quilt or sew something. Back and forth. Share the love…and the obsession! We’ll see how that goes, right? lol

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

\nColossians 3:23-24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/02/september-how-ive-missed-you.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/01/the-ber-months-are-here.html", "title": "The ‘ber Months Are Here!", "content_html": "\n
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Hello, September!

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Just because I’ve got a new, fun project in the works, doesn’t mean the grass stops growing. I worked on the quilt for a few hours yesterday and then hear the familiar “rrr-rrr-rrr” of the push mower and I knew it was time to step away from the sewing nook and get some real work done.

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I no sooner did my first round, cutting the perimeter of the yard, till I ran over what I thought was a stick. Turns out it was the extension cord that didn’t get put away in a timely fashion. It’s my fault…I was the last to use it and it was buried down in the grass. It took me a few seconds to realize what I’d done when the motor seized and stalled. That’s when I knew I had succeeded in wrapping the extension cord around the mower blades. I tried to pull it out, but it was really wedged in there. So, I had to put my tail between my legs and admit to Mr. FixIt that I’d made a big boo-boo.

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He came out and looked and together we decided we needed to bring the ramps over and run the front of the tractor up so we could see under the mower deck. Mr. FixIt got under there and fiddled around with the cord but couldn’t seem to make any progress with unraveling it. I asked him to let me try. I’m a mom…I’ve had a lot of experience untangling things out of little girls’ long hair. I figure this couldn’t be any harder.

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Because my shoulders aren’t as wide as my handsome husband’s, I was able to wiggle in under the front of the tractor between the wheels. I held the shortest end of the cord and moved it enough to tell where the next loop was. Once I got that one unwound, it was a simple task to repeat the process till it was free and I could pull it all out from under the mower blades. At which point I was now wedged in between the wheels under a pretty hot engine. Mr. FixIt gave me a hand and pulled me out of there and we congratulated ourselves for another problem solved without spending a dime!

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I went on with the mowing and got both the big fields finished just as the dew started to settle. I drove around to the side of the house and sprayed down the mower and the deck to get all the damp grass off of it and pulled into the stall in the building. I was covered with grass, but filled with the satisfaction of another good day’s work being accomplished.

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I’ve broken the quilt into steps. I finished sewing sixty-four color squares to sixty-four plain linen-colored squares around all four sides on Tuesday. I had eight stacks of eight squares each. Yesterday I worked on each square, one at a time, cutting them in an “x” corner to corner, ironing each triangle open into a square shape and sewing them back together in a pinwheel pattern. I got four stacks finished, which means I have four more stacks to do today. Then I can move on to step three.

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Sewing is a lot more physically taxing than knitting. Between sitting and standing, reaching and twisting, then mowing and crawling under the tractor, there were muscles in my back and shoulders I’d forgotten I had! I was so happy to get in that hot shower last night. I’ll be back at it today…mowing the other half of our five acres, working on the quilt, and who knows what else I’ll get into! We still need to get out to the farm to prime that pump and it’ll be time to mow again.

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I am so grateful and blessed to have my health and I’m able to do the things I love to do around here. I feel so much better than I did before I had the parathyroid tumors removed. Even though it wasn’t pleasant, I’m really glad I did that. The only thing I’m dealing with now is a kind of “chemotherapy” for these precancerous places on my face. I use a cream called fluourouracil. I put a thin layer on one section of my face (right now I’m treating my nose, my upper lip, and one small place on my cheek. It’s the weirdest stuff. It leaves the healthy skin alone, but everywhere there’s abnormal cells turns bright red and it literally burns those bad cells away. 

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I have had small lesions frozen or burned off before, but this stuff is much more effective at rooting out those spots you can’t even see or feel yet. I have to keep using it for several weeks and of course, I have to be super careful to use a high SPF sunscreen while I’m being treated. This is what I get for all those years of worshiping the sun and spending time in a tanning bed. It burns like a son of a gun, but I’m looking forward to clear healthy skin when I’m finished.

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?

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“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

\nProverbs 3:7-8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/01/the-ber-months-are-here.html", "tags": ["Health","Aging","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/30/preparation-and-planning-and-prayer.html", "title": "Preparation and Planning and Prayer", "content_html": "\n
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There was nothing I would have liked more than to get started on that quilt yesterday. However, Mr. FixIt had an eye appointment and he needed to have that super duper extra strength eye dilation done. He asked if I’d drive him. Of course! How could I turn down this sweet man? I had a couple of errands to run in town anyway, so while he was in the doctor’s office, I took care of them.

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When we finally got home, I mixed up a batch of cornbread and heated up the soup beans. Even though it was 95° yesterday, those beans tasted great! And speaking of beans, I recently watched a YouTube video about canning beans and decided those would be great to have on the shelf for quick meals in the winter. I bought an eight pound bag of pinto beans yesterday at Walmart. That should make about 12-14 quarts of beans canned in my pressure canner. All for under $6.00! Too often, I buy beans, forget to put them on to soak, then change my mind and make something else. Eventually, the beans get too old and hard and no matter what you do to them, they won’t soften up and cook right. This way I have them, I’ve canned them myself, and I know what’s in them.

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In case you’re wondering, that is a generous squirt of spicy brown mustard on top of my beans. I grew up eating mustard on my beans…I have no idea why. I can’t imagine eating them without it. I added the chopped onions, but it turns out they weren’t Vidalia onions and they were WAY too strong for me. So, I fished them out once we sat down to eat.

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We have seen multiple signals that the inflation is easing, but I still want to be prepared just in case we ever get into a food crisis like what happened during the pandemic and resultant supply chain issues. The more food we have put up in the cellar, the easier I will feel about the future. I have things set up here where I can do things like sewing for people if I needed to make extra money. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen. I’m just saying I’m a good Girl Scout and I believe in being prepared.

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Mr. FixIt and I talked yesterday on our way back from town. I want to set up a sewing space where I can leave things out and not have to put everything away at night. We decided the game room downstairs would work great for now. There is a sliding glass door down there that lets in a lot of natural light. I can set up my tables there and I won’t disturb Mr. FixIt if he’s watching TV. And vice versa.

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I picked up some sewing thread yesterday and got the buttons sewn on the sweater, so it’s officially finished! I’m very happy with it. I have the same yarn in a darker blue that will go really well with denim. I already have it in my knitting bag to start on the next one. One of our fellow readers commented yesterday how productive I am. I had to smile because I surely don’t feel very productive at times. I think of all the things I’d love to do, but all the other stuff gets in the way. Still, I am accomplishing more in my golden years than I did in the first half. I figure, as long as the people I love are happy, and I have something to show for my efforts, and I continue to find joy in that, I’m good!

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Life is fleeting and it is what we make of it. This isn’t a dress rehearsal and all it take is to start pushing 70 to bring that into clear focus. My sweet mama just lived to be 78. We don’t know the number of days we’ll be given here, so we’d darned well better make good use of the ones we have, right? We can’t know what will happen in the future, but we can prepare ourselves as best we can and pray all good things will come to those we love.

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?

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“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””

\nJames 4:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/30/preparation-and-planning-and-prayer.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/29/on-to-the-next-project.html", "title": "On to the Next Project!", "content_html": "\n
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My Uncle Bud gave me the 1/2 gallon Ball jar and the other two I’ve picked up along the way. One of the quart jars is a #13. They are rare because moonshiners broke them. They were considered bad luck.

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The sweater is finished…all but sewing on the buttons down the front. The sleeves are the perfect length. It’s soft and warm and not at all itchy. I’m still not sure if it’s mine or if it’s a gift. We shall see.

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I finally got the beans cooked. I got the smoked ham hocks out of the fridge to put in the cooking pot with the beans and they had mold on them! I was really disappointed, but I also had a package of ham bits and slices for cooking so I put a good couple of handfuls in the slow cooker along with an onion, quartered, and a generous amount of black pepper. Before we had time to eat them, Mr. FixIt decided he was going to go to town and sit with the guys at the bowling alley and visit. He misses bowling with his buddies so he was excited to go shoot the breeze for a little while. I packaged up the beans and we’ll heat some up tomorrow along with a cast iron skillet full of crusty cornbread for supper.

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A yummy pot of soup beans and ham. I’ll bake up some crusty cornbread in my favorite iron skillet later on today. That’s good eatin’ right there!

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I actually did laundry yesterday. I hate doing laundry in our washer/dryer. The washer is billed as “high efficiency” that’s supposed to use less water and doesn’t have an agitator. It doesn’t do a full load and I cant see how that is any more efficient than doing half the number of wash loads in a regular washer. I get really frustrated with it because there’s always soap scum left on the clothes and I end up running them through an extra rinse cycle. So, usually Mr. FixIt does the laundry. But, yesterday I decided to give it another go and, while it really wasn’t any better than my first attempts, I stuck it out and got most of it done.

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When Mr. FixIt left, I decided to run to town to Walmart and pick up some sewing notions. It’s been a gazillion years since I’ve had a sewing machine that worked and when I downsized, most of my supplies were stolen when the storage unit was broken into. I’m kind of starting from scratch. I needed a cutting mat with a rotary cutter and ruler and a small ironing board to keep beside me as I sew. I bought a carry case for the sewing machine, but when I got home, I think it’s too small so I’ll return it next time it go to town. I needed thread and quilting pins and machine oil for the sewing machine. Today I can set up my temporary sewing nook since we aren’t ready to fix up a more permanent sewing/craft/office space for me yet. There’s always some other project that takes precedence. Maybe we’ll get to that in the coming year.

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We need to get out to the farm this week and prime the pump. And we’re hoping to have a family gathering over the Labor Day weekend so there’s planning that will go into that. The grass is still growing so there’s not slacking off the mowing at this time of year. I’m so grateful to have had a slow, laidback weekend. I’m ready to hit the ground running today and get some things accomplished!

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?

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“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

\nPhilippians 2:14-16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/29/on-to-the-next-project.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/28/smack-my-headi-forgot-the.html", "title": "Smack My Head…I Forgot the Beans!", "content_html": "\n
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I added about half a teaspoon of baking powder to the self-rising flour this time and I love how high these biscuits rose…and so light and fluffy!

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Ever have one of those moments where you just KNOW there’s something you’re forgetting to do? Well, when I woke up yesterday morning at 6:00 (why that early, I have NO idea), I checked to make sure my post actually…you know, posted. It did. And you wonderful people started talking about how good those soup beans and ham hocks and iron skillet cornbread sounded, I was like… “Dang! I knew there was something I was supposed to do before I went to bed!”

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I forgot to put the beans on to soak. I know there are shortcuts like bring them to a boil then cover and remove from the heat. Or cook them in a pressure cooker. But they never quite taste great unless I cook them the way I always do…in a slow cooker seasoned with a couple smoked ham hocks and chopped up onions and a generous grind of fresh black pepper. I’ll try again today!

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Since I woke up so early, I decided to get up and work on the sweater and get it finished. And I did. However, when I tried it on, the sleeves were too short so I ripped them back out to the point before decreasing for the cuffs and added a couple of inches. I’m not exactly sure what went wrong other than the fact that it’s hard to read the length correctly till you try it on with both sleeves. Of course, it could be that this is only my second sweater and I just don’t have the technique down yet.

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Mr. FixIt lounged around this morning and didn’t get up till “brunch-time” so I fixed a big spread…sausage, eggs, fried potatoes, cooked apples, and homemade biscuits. I used Tipper’s recipe again and I’m telling you…I am SOLD. Seriously the best biscuits ever. I stored the leftovers in a plastic food container, then before bed last night, I warmed two of them up in the microwave for twenty seconds, spread a nice portion of real butter on top and a dollop of my homemade plum jam. 

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*swoon*

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Other than those two things…I didn’t get a thing accomplished yesterday. Mr. FixIt went out after it cooled down to wash and wax the Lincoln. We live on a gravel road and the dust is terrible. Then you get a sprinkling of rain and you can imagine what it looks like. We watch a lot of reruns of Law & Order and last night we watched an episode of America’s Got Talent that we had recorded last week.

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It actually felt pretty good to not have anything pressing to do. It’s supposed to be in the 90’s today and tomorrow, so there may be a whole lot of nothing getting done around here the next couple of days, as well. And that’s ok. One doesn’t have to be totally productive every single day. Accomplishing self-care is still an accomplishment.

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?

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“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

\nPsalm 127:2 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/28/smack-my-headi-forgot-the.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/27/the-lord-always-provides.html", "title": "The Lord Always Provides", "content_html": "\n
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I am the first to admit…I spent a goodly portion of my adult life as a spoiled princess. While I’ve never been exorbitantly wealthy, I had pretty much anything I wanted. I was blessed, even though I wasn’t always aware of just HOW blessed I was till I became a widow and the majority of my monthly income instantly disappeared. I soon learned how to start watching how I spent my money and trimmed back my “gotta have that” list.

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Even so, when I started dating Mr. FixIt and it became evident we were going to share the rest of our lives together, I still had some bad shopping habits. I loved shopping till I had to downsize. Now I hate it. I don’t have the patience to hang out in a mall all day and drag bags of crap home that I do not need. Still, every once in a while, I find something that would really make my life easier or that would help me get from Point A to Point B in a more efficient manor.

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When I decided to make a quilt for my bonus granddaughter’s wedding, I realized I had a huge hurdle to overcome. I have an old Husqvarna Viking sewing machine, but the cassettes that make it run are stuck in a box somewhere in this house. It’s not going to do me a bit of good unless I go dumpster diving in the storage room in the basement. And that ain’t happening.

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I’ve thought several times over the years that I would get a new sewing machine, but they can get really pricey. I was really lucky to be able to use the sewing machine at the little quilt shop in our town the last time I made some quilts. When I went in to buy material this week, I found out she stopped selling machines and she needed the floor space for more fabric so there aren’t any sewing machines in there now.

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What to do? I already made the commitment to make they quilt by buying the material. I woke up yesterday morning and had the answer. I looked on FB Marketplace and there were two machines locally that would work fine. One was $100 and the other was $60. I figured I’d take whichever one answered first. Turned out it was the $100. It’s a Singer that also does embroidery. When I asked her if you need a computer to use the embroidery part she said yes, but straight sewing worked great…and, she would take $50. Sold!

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We drove to town to pick it up. She had it set up on the kitchen table with a little fabric in it and sure enough…it stitched perfectly. Fifty bucks is a steal and if I can get the embroidery part to work, it’ll be icing on the proverbial cake. As we were packing everything up to take it out to the car, I mentioned that I’d be all set if I could just find a serger. She said she had a friend who was selling a Brother serger for $50! She called her friend, gave me the address, and in fifteen minutes, I had a new-to-me serger to complete the sewing room I didn’t know I was going to have!

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I love getting a good deal. I love the hunt for the best price and finding exactly what I wanted or needed. FB Marketplace has really turned out to be handy for us. Once we had the two machines, we ran a couple of errands and headed home with our treasures. We sat out on the deck after the rainstorm and watched the sun go down. I mentioned to Mr. FixIt that we still needed to mount the new rain gauge somewhere. He went to get the drill and a couple of screws and in two shakes he had another job crossed off our list.

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The next couple of days are going to be really steamy hot here so I’m happy the mowing is done and I can work on projects in the air conditioning. I bought buttons yesterday for the sweater I’m knitting. I’m ready to bind off the second sleeve then I can pick up the stitches and knit the front plackets. Once I have the buttons stitched on, I can set up a table in the family room downstairs and start working on the quilt.

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I’ll put on a pot of beans with smoked ham hocks today and later I’ll bake a cast iron skillet of cornbread to go with it. We may not be living high on the hog, but we’ve got everything we need to live a sweet, comfortable life. And best of all…we get to do it together. That fact is not lost on me.

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?

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“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.””

\n2 Corinthians 9:8-9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/27/the-lord-always-provides.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/26/two-steps-forward-three-steps.html", "title": "Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back…Cha Cha Cha!", "content_html": "\n
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Good Morning from The Farm!

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I woke up yesterday morning in my grandma’s room, in my grandma’s bed, and looked out my grandma’s window. The sun had just lit up the ridge atop the far hill with a sudden golden glow.  I smiled and stretched and just enjoyed the peace of the moment…listening to the birds and bees and bugs zooming around out there.

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I got up for my morning ablutions, dressed, and picked up my phone. I was preparing to make my morning coffee when I pressed the button on the coffee maker and…nothing. I looked down at my phone and there was no internet connection. I flipped on the ceiling light in the kitchen. Nope, no power.

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I made my coffee by hand. Since the filter and grounds were already in the pot, I just heated up the water on the stove and made a “pour over”. Works like a charm. I took my coffee and my knitting out on the porch and sat there for a couple of hours enjoying my surroundings. Around 11:30, I heard the beep on the microwave and I knew the power had come back on.

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Grandma’s MASSIVE Hydrangea!

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I called Mr. FixIt and found out the predicted high was near 90°…pretty hot without air conditioning. I was thinking I might tough it out till I went back in the bathroom again and heard this strange groaning sound. I thought there was some sort of animal stuck in the dryer vent but when I tipped my head this way and that, I finally figured out it was the pipes behind the toilet. I flushed it and it worked fine but I didn’t hear the familiar sound of water going back in the tank. That’s when I knew we had a pump problem.

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Apparently, when I flushed earlier, and the power was off, the built up pressure from the bladder in the pump housing was enough to refill the tank on the commode, but it also let the water level and pressure down enough to hit that magic point where the pump needs to be primed. Well, I had six large jugs of water, but I lacked the strength to unscrew the plug and prime the pump. I called Mr. FixIt and he offered to come out to fix it, but I elected to just go on home and we’ll go out together in the next few days to get it working again. It’s not a big deal…just an inconvenience.

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Pretty colors for the next wedding quilt!

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I stopped at the darling quilt shop in our little town on the way home and picked out the material to make a quilt for one of my bonus granddaughters for their wedding gift. I haven’t chosen a pattern yet but the fabrics are stunning. I’ll have to put my knitting on hold for a little bit and get the top made so I can send it to the machine quilter so it will be done in time for the wedding next June.

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My next stop was our local market. They sell what they refer to as “tavern ham”. I just love it! It’s moist and juicy, a little sweet, and not overly salty. We had sandwiches for our early supper and watched the news. Mr. FixIt needed to finish mowing the back yard. At some point, he came in and said he’d run over a hose for the pool pump and we needed to fix it. I went out to see what he was talking about. He said we’d have to run to town today to get a replacement hose. My brain started going over the vast inventory in the big building out back and I was quite sure we already had a section of hose that would work. I went in, walked straight to it, and within ten minutes, we had the hose replace and the pump running efficiently with no leaks!

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Grandma’s hydrangea bush was all abuzz on Wednesday afternoon…volume up!

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Some days you go two steps forward, and three steps back. And then other times…you just do the Cha-Cha and call it a day!

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?

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“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

\nProverbs 16:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/26/two-steps-forward-three-steps.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Frustration"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/25/stranger-than-fiction.html", "title": "Stranger Than Fiction", "content_html": "\n
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There are some stories that are so “out there” you have to ask yourself how on earth they happened. Here’s one of them.

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As you know, Big started college this week. Right? I don’t know how she got to be that old that quick but there ya go. I won’t divulge what school she goes to, but it’s in the Pacific Northwest so…far away. I received a text today from her other grandma saying she ran into the typical freshman logjam and couldn’t get into any of her core classes this semester so she signed up for electives. That’s ok…I think it’s a good idea to ease into college and not be terribly overwhelmed right out of the gate. One of her electives is theater related, which is kinda cool since her mom was a theater major and this is WAY out of her wheelhouse.

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The next text I received was from the former Mrs. FixIt. She sent me a screenshot of a FB post of a friend she and Mr. FixIt have known for decades who lives in our little town. The gal was sharing the news that her granddaughter was checking into her dorm…at the same college Big is attending! AND…she’s a theater kid.

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I sent the screenshot to Big and said…”Teeny, tiny world. This girl is at your school and is interested in theater. Your paths may cross.” She texted me a few hours later…they are in a class together!!!

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You can’t make this stuff up!

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I came out to the farm yesterday for a couple of days R&R. I knitted till the sun went over the far hill then got the riding mower out and mowed. The evening was so pleasant. I visited with the neighbors across the road then sat on the front porch till it got dark. Now that the yard is mowed, I can just sit and knit today. I only have a couple inches left on the second sleeve. Then I can knit the front plackets and this sweater will be finished.

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Oh, and I was washing my supper dishes when I looked down and water was running out from under the kitchen cabinet. I got down to look and the u-shaped trap under the sink had come loose. I tried to fix it but I only had a small hand towel and couldn’t sop up the water so I’ll check it again today. I may end up having to go to the next little town over and get some plumbing parts. It’s always something with an old house. Caretaking is what I do to earn my stays here and if I ever need to buy something, the owners reimburse me so I’m still calling this a win-win situation.

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”

\nColossians 3:23-25 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/25/stranger-than-fiction.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/24/mr-fixit-to-the-rescue.html", "title": "Mr. FixIt to the Rescue!", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt was still reading the news in bed when I left to go knit yesterday morning. I stopped and picked up my coffee, found a good parking spot, and headed in to visit with my knitting crew. It was a bittersweet morning, but we exchanged contact information and vowed to try to find another venue for our gatherings. Pat, the store owner, gifted the members of the knitting group with a lovely goody bag with yarn, a knitted piece, a cute dishtowel, a pattern book, and some notions. What a sweet gift none of us were expecting.

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We knitted till mid-afternoon then I ran an errand and headed home. Mr. FixIt went to town to pull the tomato plants and bring the stakes home and he wasn’t back yet. So, I jumped on the riding mower and got to work. When he got home, he started up the weed eater then the push mower. I stopped at around 4:30 to fix supper.

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For some reason, I have been thinking about something Mom used to cook all the time. Hamburger gravy. Mom usually served it over toast or mashed potatoes…and sometimes refrigerator biscuits. I used to use tube biscuits a long time ago. I’ve tried over and over to get my homemade biscuits just right and…even with Miss Brenda Gantt’s Buttermilk Biscuit videos…I still couldn’t perfect them.

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As I was knitting on Sunday evening, I watched YouTube videos about Appalachian foodways and found one on foolproof biscuits. Tipper Pressley writes the blog “Blind Pig and the Acorn” and her YouTube Channel is “Celebrating Appalachia”. She tells a story about trying to learn how to make good biscuits when she was a new bride. She was finally given a recipe that was…literally…foolproof. 

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You can watch Tipper make these biscuits by following this link.

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Tipper uses White Lily Self-Rising Flour and says you don’t even need to write this recipe down. It has to be self-rising or you’ll need to add 1/4tsp. salt and 1 1/2tsp. baking powder to every level cup of all purpose flour if that’s all you have. You use two parts flour and one part heavy whipping cream. That’s it. I used two cups of self-rising flour and one cup heavy whipping cream. Stir it with a fork till it just comes together, scoop it out on a lightly floured counter top, fold it twice then pat it down with your hands till it’s maybe 3/4” thick. Cut it out with a 2” biscuit cutter and bake in a 425° oven for 12 minutes. 

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These were the best biscuits I’ve ever had. I liked them so much better than the ones made with buttermilk and Crisco. (Sorry, Miss Brenda!) I had the ground beef crumbled. fried, drained and set aside. I mixed up the gravy and put the biscuits in the oven at about the same time. Once the gravy was done, I added the ground beef and as soon as those biscuits came out of the oven, I broke a couple open in the bottom of a bowl and ladled on the piping hot deliciousness I remembered from my childhood.

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Mr. FixIt and I watched an old rerun of Andy Griffith while we ate and I’m telling you…I think I felt my mom smiling down on me. I know my grandma was because there’s nothing she loved more in this world than a perfect biscuit to sop her gravy up with!

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As soon as we’d finished eating, I hopped back on the tractor and was almost finished when I looked down and there was some weird looking piece of metal sticking out from under the mower deck. I immediately turned off the mower and went to get Mr. FixIt. It turned out to be a piece of trim inside the front edge of the mower deck that helps to reinforce it. The metal was already bent and not salvageable so he figured we could just cut it off.

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First, we had to figure out how to get the mower up on ramps. Mr. FixIt bent the piece back so it wouldn’t puncture the front tire. I couldn’t drive forward because the piece of metal kept sticking in the ground. So, I backed the mower to the driveway and we ran it up on the ramps we use when we’re changing the oil. We got the saws-all and my sweetheart had that thing cut off in less than a minute so I could finish up the mowing before dark.

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And that’s how our work day ended at 8:00 last night. I was super glad to have that job finished. Now, I can clean up the kitchen and I’m free to go to the farm or just sit here at home and knit to my heart’s content for a little bit. I took some more photos yesterday morning. The flowers are so pretty…what few we have.

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?

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“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.”

\nProverbs 12:24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/24/mr-fixit-to-the-rescue.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/23/my-endofsummer-walkabout.html", "title": "My End-of-Summer Walkabout", "content_html": "\n
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The sycamore are changing…last to leaf out…first to die.

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I have never run a marathon, but I can imagine you feel pretty beat up the next day if you hadn’t properly trained for it. Now, I have no idea how to properly train for a weekend canning marathon, but I don’t figure sitting on my hiney knitting like a madwoman helped the situation. I fixed breakfast yesterday morning and went to my recliner with my coffee. I knitted for an hour while Mr. FixIt flipped through the channels then decided I’d better get busy and process the last canner full of soup.

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We don’t have many pears this year because we had a couple of late freezes.

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When I stood up from the recliner, I could hardly walk. My calves were tight and I swear I could hear my feet screaming. It wasn’t pretty. I pushed on and stretched a little and pretty soon I was limbered up enough to get around. I finished the canning, peeled a bag of apples, made a galette, then cleaned up the kitchen. I got another hour of knitting in before it was time to fix supper. We had one of those summer suppers…a burger patty, fresh tomato and onion slices, a dollop of cottage cheese and a small handful of chips. The house was already too hot…I didn’t need to add to it.

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Apple Galette ready for the oven.

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Mr. FixIt worked on the Lincoln yesterday. The housing for the headlights had condensation inside so he got in there to clean it up and seal up the seams. While he finished up, I walked around the property and took pictures. There are bright yellow, red, and orange leaves turning here and there. We have pears this year…not a ton, but a bucketful if they make it that far. It was nice to have a slowish day.

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Queen Anne’s Lace

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This is the last week our little yarn shop will be open so it’s our last Tuesday to get together with my new knitting friends. I’m hoping we can arrange someplace else to gather because I really enjoyed it. 

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The Pink Dogwood Mr. FixIt planted for me turns scarlet in the fall!

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I was reminded yesterday of the passage of time. As my older daughter and her husband take Big to college to get her set up in her dorm, our little great granddaughter started Pre-K. Don’t you wish you could freeze time…just a little? Whenever I have one of those moments…those Kodak, this-doesn’t-happen-every-day moments…I make a concerted effort to soak it up. Because, I was so busy living life and raising kids that these special moments slipped by me without me realizing how special they truly were. 

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Elephant Ear leaf…close up.

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Sitting at the corner of 70 and Forever gives you pause.

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?

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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

\nPsalm 90:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/23/my-endofsummer-walkabout.html", "tags": ["Aging","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/22/a-job-well-done.html", "title": "A Job Well Done", "content_html": "\n
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What beautiful Georgia Peaches…and they taste SO good!

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My cousins over in the mountains near the panhandle of West Virginia routinely can hundreds and hundreds of jars of food every year. They butcher beef and pork. They raise cattle. One has a high tunnel and they sell plants, flowers, and veggies. Their larders look like something out of a magazine. So, when I accomplish what I did this weekend, I feel a little like… “Meh, they do this all the time. It’s not a big deal.” Yeah…tell my feet that! lol

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Scalding the peaches for a minute then plunging them in cold water lets you slip the skins right off of them…easy peasy!

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I didn’t start working on this stuff till rather late on Friday afternoon. Then it wasn’t just dig in and do. I had bags of groceries and produce all over the kitchen…that had to be carted in from the driveway. When I have a zillion things to bring in the house, I sweetly ask Mr. FixIt why on EARTH he decided to build the garage/building/driveway so FAR from the door. Oy!

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This is the first time I’ve tried dehydrating peaches. I’m thinking of adding them to oatmeal in the deep winter. doesn’t that sound yummy?!

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So, in forty-eight hours’ time, I dehydrated two big containers of mushrooms, canned twenty-eight quarts of tomato sauce, one and a half pints of tomato paste, fourteen quarts of peaches, a dehydrator load of peach slices, and fourteen quarts of vegetable beef soup plus enough to can another four quarts, I think. I took the last canner off the heat last night just before midnight. I was going to save the soup for today, but I got my second wind and Mr. FixIt had to substitute on the bowling league last night, so I just went for it!

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Parsnips, carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, fresh corn cut from the cob, garlic, the tomato paste I made Saturday, a large container of V8 juice and six containers of low sodium broth (beef, beef bone, and chicken), a head of cabbage coarsely chopped, and two large bags of sweet kale salad mix that had lots of yummy veggies in it (and it was one sale!). seasoned to taste and easy on the budget. This will taste so good when it’s snowing!

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I ran two canners last night. One has the little weighted gauge…you just select what pressure you want to run and then you can pretty much do what you want as long as you are within earshot of the kitchen. You have to listen for the “jiggle, jiggle” of the steam rattling the weighted gauge. The other canner has a dial gauge. It’s a lot trickier. You have to watch that gauge and adjust your flame to keep it at, or a little above, the pressure you want. Because, if it drops too low, you have to start timing all over again. The processing time for vegetable beef soup is eighty-five minutes at ten pounds pressure at our elevation. I got my knitting and made myself as comfortable as I could on the bar stools and finished the first sleeve of the sweater I’m knitting.

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I heated the soup up enough to pack it hot, but not so hot as to cook the veggies. pressure canning will cook them plenty during the processing time.

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While the second canner was processing, I cleaned up the kitchen and emptied the first canner and cleaned it so I can run the last bit of soup today. And that’s it for a little bit. I still have some jams I’d like to make, and a batch of apple butter and applesauce. But other than that, I should be finished with the canning. Now I can focus on clearing out the old freezer downstairs so we can get a new one. I’d like to be able to buy some things in bulk and freeze them.

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Doesn’t this look yummy?!

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I’m not a “prepper” by a long shot, but I am a good homemaker and I like to have enough set by to be prepared. A lot of us didn’t have things in place when the pandemic hit and I’d like to avoid that kind of uncertainty again. I like to be able to help people out with a meal should they need one without a lot of planning or running to the store. 

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We’ve had a lot of thunderstorms here the last couple of days. You can feel the change…fall is creeping in ever so slowly. I went out yesterday and checked the milkweed to see if we have any monarch butterflies coming out and I didn’t see a single caterpillar or chrysalis either one. I did see a sweet little butterfly on our African Lilies, but no monarchs. I hope they come back. I’m even more determined to build a pollinator garden now!

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?

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“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”

\nProverbs 15:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/22/a-job-well-done.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/21/putting-up-tomatoes.html", "title": "Putting Up Tomatoes", "content_html": "\n
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A bushel and a half of tomatoes took me a little more than fourteen hours of work to process. I ended with twenty-eight quarts of tomato purée and a pint and a half of tomato paste. I just cooked down the last of the purée because there wasn’t enough to make a canner full and I can use it in the vegetable beef soup I’m going to can the first of the week.

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My helper was unable to come over yesterday, but I managed to get it all done without too much trouble. Mr. FixIt put the finishing touches on the new steps by mounting solar lights on each step. We went out and sat on the deck when we were finished and it felt so good to catch our breath and enjoy the quiet evening.

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If I were a great deal younger, I would invest in a freeze dryer. You can preserve a lot of food in a shorter amount of time, and it doesn’t take a whole room to store it. I don’t use my dehydrator like I should. I keep forgetting to use it. I did get a load of mushrooms dried. When I shared my canning shenanigans of this weekend with my friend Gail, she told me she has taken to dehydrating her tomatoes. Then when she’s ready to use them, she reconstitutes them with very little moisture and they come out thick and rich. I may have to try that. I dehydrated tomatoes a couple of years ago and I stored them in olive oil. They got all yucky looking and after a year, I threw them out. Maybe I didn’t need to store them in the fridge in the EVO, but my home economics brain said not to store them at room temp. I guess I’ll need to research that some more.

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My first canner load of tomatoes, the pulp separated from the juice. The pulp floated at the top and there was a golden fluid in the bottom half of the jar. I know they are perfectly fine…they just didn’t look pretty. I Googled it and read that you should do a hot pack and heat the sauce, then process it. I tried that, and the second batch didn’t separate nearly as much. Good to know. I made two batches with no flavorings, one batch with chili and garlic, and one batch with Italian herbs.

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I’m working up the peaches today. I love a good Peach-Blueberry Pie in the depths of winter, so I’m canning these in slices. And maybe a batch of jam. I think Peach Jam is my all time favorite. Once the peaches and soup are finished, I think I’ll take a couple of days off and go to the farm for some R&R and get off my feet for a while. I remember helping my grandma can when I was little. She made it look effortless. Let me tell ya…my dogs are barkin’!

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?

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“Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;”

\nProverbs 30:24-25 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/21/putting-up-tomatoes.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/20/in-my-country-kitchen.html", "title": "In My Country Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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I got up pretty early yesterday. Well, early for ME. I ran to Riverbend Farm for see if I could get some of her wonderful tomatoes, but alas…I believe I missed the window. It’s getting a little late in the season for tomatoes. I did the next best thing and went to one of my two favorite farm stands. Ward’s Market is where my mom always used to get her produce in the summer. They had canning tomatoes…a half bushel for $15. I bought a bushel and a half…which equates to 75 pounds of tomatoes. 

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I dropped the half-runners off to the former Mrs. Fix-it and she gifted me a big pot with two different varieties of Wandering Jew…a plant that is pretty near impossible to kill. Which is good, because I am NOT good at keeping houseplants alive. I showed her my tomatoes and gave her the biggest one in the box! It really was the prettiest tomato of the season, I think.

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After our visit, I headed to the Kroger store in Belpre, OH. It’s the closest to a Colorado grocery store that we have in this area and I just love it. I bought all the ingredients to make Vegetable Beef soup that I’ll can. On my way home, I pulled into Witten’s Farm Stand and bought a head of cabbage for the soup and a half bushel of peaches for $40. I’ll can those and make a batch or two of peach jam. We went through what I made last time and it is so, so good!

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I got started on the tomatoes and I was so happy with this Weston Tomato Press & Sauce Maker. So quick and easy to turn quartered tomatoes into purée while expelling the skins, seeds, and cores into a separate container. If I had chickens or pigs or a compost pile, I would have disposed of all that pulp that way. But, I don’t so out it went. 

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I was nearly finished straining the tomatoes when Mr. FixIt called me out to help him with the railing. It’s been way too hot to work out there midday so we needed to get a lot done before dark. As it was, we could barely see when we cut the last board and screwed it in place. I am really proud of the job my sweetheart (and my stepson) did on these steps. You can sure tell an engineer built them because they’re sturdy as can be. If we need to grab a railing to keep from falling, that thing isn’t budging!

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I also sliced two large containers of mushrooms and put them in the dehydrator.

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So, as I sit here typing, it’s going on 10:30pm and I’m whupped. I have a canner load in, working it’s way up to 10 pounds of pressure. When it gets there, I need to I start timing and making sure it stays there for 15 minutes. Then I can turn off the heat and let it cool overnight. I don’t have room in the fridge for the rest of the tomato purée so I’m going to put it in a crockpot to simmer overnight to thicken. My stepdaughter and her husband are coming over this afternoon to help us get some things done. She’ll help me with the canning and he’ll help Mr. FixIt with hauling brush.

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It’s going to be a busy and productive day here at Marshmallow Ranch!

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“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

\nProverbs 13:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/20/in-my-country-kitchen.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/19/hard-work-and-a-foggy.html", "title": "Hard Work and a Foggy Bottom", "content_html": "\n
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Here on Marshmallow Ranch, we have two creeks bordering our property. They join down at the end of what I call “the far field” where it pretty much comes to a point. At this time of year, temperatures during the day can get quite hot but drop to really great “sleeping weather” temps at night. The ground is saturated from all this rain we’ve been getting so we get fog in “the bottom”…the lowest spot on the property. We have two neighbors within sight…both situated on the other side of the creeks. When we went out to star gaze Wednesday night, the fog rolled into the bottom and the neighbor’s porch light cast an eerie glow in the mist.

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I love waking up and looking out the window into a milky fog. It takes me back to when I was a child growing up just six blocks from the Ohio River. We often waited for the school bus in a pea soup fog so thick you heard the bus coming before you saw it. With the fog and the cooler night temperatures and the chorus of bugs all around, I’m really enjoying knitting this warm, cozy sweater. I know the house will smell like apple butter soon and leaves will start falling from the trees. 

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Didn’t even make a dent!

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Up until I moved in with Mr. FixIt, I dreaded autumn because it meant winter would be fast on its heels. Now…after mowing five acres for the last five years, I’ve learned to relish the cool, crisp days of fall. And with all this beautiful yarn, I’ve learned to appreciate winter. Actually, it took the Covid lockdown to make me appreciate being safely tucked in the house with my sweetheart by my side. After all, I can dread winter or I can embrace it. Either way…it’s still going to be winter. So why would I want to just plan on being miserable for three months or so?

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We’re working hard on the projects we want to finish before the snow flies. Mr. FixIt and I got the second railing put up on the deck stairs. I took the hedge trimmer out and cut the heck out some big forsythias and flowering quince along the field side of the house. I went around front and cut down the peony bushes and some tall weeds that got out of hand. I knitted through the heat of the afternoon, but I didn’t look at the pattern, and relying on my mistaken memory, I forgot to decrease stitches before I knitted the cuff. I’ll need to tease that out today. My mom would have said, “You need to stop and lick your cat over.” One of her folksy sayings that meant…fix it. Lands, she was something to deal with when I was sewing my own clothes. She made me rip out so many seams the fabrics would wear thin.

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Here it is…Friday. Big’s last weekend at home before she heads off to college. When your kids are growing up, you think…”Maybe when they’re out on their own, I wont worry.” Ha! Then things settle down and if you are blessed with grandchildren, you get a whole new set of concerns. She is going to do great and you want to know why? Because her parents did great and they poured their hearts and souls into their kids so they’ll do great, too. 

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Today, I’ll help Mr. FixIt with anything he needs, then I’ll head to town to look for produce to can this weekend. I need to drop a jar of half-runners over to the former Mrs. FixIt’s house to thank her for the home canned salsa she gave us a couple of weeks ago. I’d like to can tomatoes and peaches. And, all this brush I cut down the last couple of days isn’t going to grow legs and find its way to the brush pile on its own!

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Our work is never done…but I tell you what. I cherish every moment I’m given on this little slice of paradise we call home.

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/19/hard-work-and-a-foggy.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/18/the-august-night-symphony.html", "title": "The August Night Symphony", "content_html": "\n
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Deep in the dregs of January, I could kick myself for not spending more time outdoors in the summer…especially in the evenings. I got a text from our good friend Steve last night. He said he’d heard there was a possibility we could see the Northern Lights if the sky was clear and dark. I said, “Come on out!” 

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We set up chairs out in the field…three friends, listening to a symphony of sound surrounding us. We didn’t see any of the Aurora Borealis, but we did catch lots of shooting stars and satellites. And, it was 11:30 when we gave up and came inside. I’d missed my creativity window by a country mile and I almost decided to just post a repeat. However, every day is remarkable in one way or another, so I’m here…typing in the wee hours.

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We worked on the steps today and got one railing finished. Mr. FixIt went out after supper and put cement in the postholes. We’ll work on the other side today if it isn’t too hot. I trimmed a lot out of the forsythia on the road side of the yard. Everything gets totally out of hand by this time of year. I spent some time knitting on this sweater. I finished the bottom ribbing and used a stretchy cast-off. I picked up the stitches for one of the sleeves and have it done down to the elbow. 

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If you are interested in finding out which bug is playing which part in your August Symphony, here’s a nice sight with the songs of summer. Check it out HERE.   http://songsofinsects.com/thumbnail-guide-to-species

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“Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.”

\nLeviticus 11:21-22 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/18/the-august-night-symphony.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/17/knitting-for-the-boys.html", "title": "Knitting for the Boys", "content_html": "\n
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During the two World Wars, the United State’s Government asked the folks at home to help out and do what they could from home. Women went to work in the factories in the jobs abandoned by the soldiers who headed off to fight. There were collection drives for anything that could be of use for the war effort. People even collected urine during the Revolutionary War because there was a shortage of gunpowder and someone thought they could make it with urine, soil, ash, and sticks. It didn’t work from what I gather.

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One of the most productive things the good folks back home could do was knit sock, sweaters, hats, and gloves for soldiers. Prolific knitters had patterns had patterns in their heads, handed down orally from generations before them and they just knitted them over and over. But not everyone had someone to learn from so printed pattern books were a necessity. 

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The first printed knitting pattern was found in a medical book from 1655. Pattern books became far more popular during the Victorian Era, but mostly focused on needle arts like embroidery, cross stitch, lace, weaving, and others. These skills influenced knitting and the first knitting book was published in 1837.

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I went to knitting group yesterday. I forgot my wallet in the truck, so there was no shopping for yarn at 75% off…which was REALLY hard to take. But God was looking out for my bank account so I was happy to just sit in the white rocker in the corner of the room and chat with the other knitters there. One is a gal named Susan who graduated from my high school three years before me. She pulled something out of her bag and said, “Have I ever shown you this?” It was a pattern book by Bear Brand and Bucilla Yarns. Most yarn companies publish pattern books for use with their yarns. This one was a delight! I had never seen one so I took pictures of the front and most of the patterns. I might try them one of these days! You can read an interesting article about the history of knitting HERE.  

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I love things like this. When I had my needlework shop, I ran across a stack of Needlearts Magazine and just loved looking through them. Some were in poor shape and I used cutouts of the ads in some of my art jewelry when Marshmallow Ranch first started. Some of you may have purchased some of those pieces.

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We only have one more gathering in the shop…next Tuesday then Pat and Mack close down for good. I wish I would have found the shop years ago when I first came to West Virginia. It would have been nice to spend more time with these fun, intelligent and talented women. 

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Mr. FixIt worked on the steps some more but ended up needing more cement and boards so another trip to town was warranted. I sat and knitted all afternoon and watched Tipper’s “Celebrating Appalachia” videos on YouTube. When he got home, I needed to help him hold some boards in place. It finally started raining and that was the end of the job for the day. I toyed with the idea of going to the farm for a couple of days, but my sweetheart needs me here to help with this project. There will be other days to go to the farm when we don’t have so many pressing chores. It will be winter before we know it!

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“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.””

\nGenesis 8:22 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/17/knitting-for-the-boys.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Crafts","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/16/mr-fixit-fixing-things.html", "title": "Mr. FixIt Fixing Things", "content_html": "\n
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I finally rallied after our very busy weekend and was up and cleaning at a respectable hour considering retirement and all. I piddled around the house. Mr. FixIt made oats for breakfast…one of my favorite things. I took my coffee to my recliner and knitted while I watched the documentary I told you about yesterday. “To Which We Belong” was a wonderful story of ways any one of us can make changes that can reverse the effects of climate change. It did it in a way that steered completely away from politically charged terms like “global warming”. As a matter of fact, the entire focus was on individuals and things they are doing to improve the earth’s soil which in turn will improve the air, water, and temperature. It’s not too late and I was so encouraged by this film. I strongly encourage you to watch it.

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As I was settled in my chair, Mr. FixIt headed to town. He has a project in the works and he needed some supplies. He is replacing the stairs to the pool deck and adding a handrail for stability. When my stepson was here last week, he dug the postholes and unfortunately put the porthole digger through a drain pipe. He came out yesterday to help his dad repair that and build the steps. As with most any job, it entailed another trip to town for a part. That is one of the downsides of living this far away from everything…it’s often inconvenient when you need something.

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When the documentary was finished, I put my knitting away and went out to mow. Lands, the grass is growing like crazy with all this rain. I hate when I mow and there’s a thick layer of cut grass left on the surface. However, I don’t like to bag up the clippings. I think it’s better for the soil to put the nutrients back into it by decomposing. They’ll disappear in a couple of days and you’ll never be able to tell it was there. As I mowed this time, I tried to visualize where I would like to start my pollinator garden. It was fun to picture the end results. A friend of mine shared a picture of a logging operation going on in an older area of his farm. As he panned the video, I notices several beehives in the background and I asked him about them. It turns out, he made a deal with a local bee guy. He gets over 20 pounds of honey a year in exchange for letting him keep bees on his property. Now, that’s a fair deal. I might see if I can find someone to do that. We don’t eat that much honey, but I could barter it for canning vegetables.

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Once I got off the mower, I fixed a quick supper. I texted a friend who is newly retired and he was sitting out on his gorgeous covered porch, drinking wine and enjoying a beautiful summer evening. Mr. FixIt was building the steps with his son, so I grabbed my knitting and headed into town to schmooze with my friend. We met and bonded through our late friend, Diane. Sparky always talked about her friend Richard but I’d never really knew him till after she died. As a matter of fact, he is the one who called me to tell me she had passed away. It was nice to sit on a summer’s eve and talk about our buddy.

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I got home and the steps were finished and my stepson was gone. They did a great job on this project. The only thing left is to set the posts in cement and mount the railing and that’s one more thing we can check off our to-do list. Today is knitting group. Only this week and next before the shop closes and we will need to come up with another place to meet. There are several options to look at but I don’t want to take on another project. One of the other gals will try to organize it and I’ll be happy to go.

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I’m about ready to start the ribbing around the bottom of the sweater. This pattern is so simple and easy…I love it. It’s hard to believe August is half gone!

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““He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”

\nJob 6:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/16/mr-fixit-fixing-things.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Friends","Pollinator Garden"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/15/the-past-and-the-future.html", "title": "The Past and The Future", "content_html": "\n
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When my mom retired, she got into genealogy with a vengeance. She didn’t have a computer or internet access, so I did her research for her. When she passed, there were several boxes of genealogy files in her house that I donated to the Hacker’s Creek Pioneers Central West Virginia Genealogy Library in Horner, West Virginia. They were thrilled to have them. Through my own research, I discovered four of my former classmates were related to me in one way or another. This was the first year they’ve all attended and I got a picture of us together. That was such a treat!

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I remember the year my aunt and uncle went to their 50th Class Reunion. I thought, “Wow…I’ve always thought they were so YOUNG!” I mean, really…fifty whole years had passed since they graduated? And now…here I am. And we’re…so YOUNG! lol Well…we aren’t THAT young! At 11:00 on Friday, I thought surely the clock on my iPhone was mistaken. It HAD to be later than that! I was truly the social butterfly and ran around chatting with so many friends…some I hadn’t seen since graduation.

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Saturday morning, we had twenty-four gals for our coffee gathering that was SO much fun. We all brought a chair and our beverage of choice and sat in a big circle. Some of us didn’t leave till around 1:30. I was really tired at this point so I headed home to a little siesta. Saturday evening was the dressier Dinner/Dance and seein’s how Mr. FixIt clean up pretty good, we were ready to trip the light fantastic. 

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Attending an event at the historic hotel in our town is always a treat. Everyone was dressed in their finery. We staked claim to our tables and soon were directed to the buffet line where we were served our meals already plated. The food was good. Small portions were the order of the day. I don’t eat that late as a rule, but I made an exception and paid for it by 10:00 when I had to asked my sweetheart to bring me home. The combination of spicy food eaten too late and a really LOUD DJ and two days of chaos and noise and wall-to-wall people just did me in. 

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We were home by 10:30 and I was in bed by 10:32, I think. I had a day of dry toast and crackers and DripDrop electrolyte solution and by 1:00, I was well enough to head to the farm to mow. We literally had a 45 minute window to cut the grass before the next rain hit. It has been so wet, we couldn’t mow for the last couple of weeks and that grass was thick and wet. No matter how many times I rode over it and over it, mulching it down to ever smaller pieces, I could not get rid of the clumps of wet grass laying on the top. Hopefully in a few days, those clumps will decompose and provide moisture and nutrients to the lawn.

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It’s unbelievable how the leaves are already starting to turn here. I think it must have something to do with the excessive heat and moisture we’ve been having. Everyone I’ve talked to have said they can’t remember a wetter summer than we’ve had in West Virginia this year. Global warming is indeed real…and our weather is changing drastically. I haven’t seen a single monarch butterfly this summer and that makes me so sad. I am heartened to see some of my friends in other counties have them.

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I am determined to create more pollinator space here on Marshmallow Ranch next season. My table partner at dinner Saturday night was my friend Chris Tanner German. Her sister is Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, Pamela Tanner Boll. Her most recent film is “To Which We Belong” about farmers, ranchers, and scientists finding ways to mitigate climate change. We had a wonderful conversation and Chris suggests I start small, adding to the pollinator garden every year. This will make the change from mowing all of it a more gradual process, thus appeasing my sweet Mr. FixIt who….let’s just say…shies away from drastic change. 

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You can watch Pamela’s film through this link:

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TO WHICH WE BELONG

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“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

\nGenesis 2:15 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/15/the-past-and-the-future.html", "tags": ["New Ideas","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/12/then-and-now.html", "title": "Then and Now", "content_html": "\n
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A friend of mine shared a photo of a really epic Camaro he’s bidding on. It’s going to be his new toy. That’s cool. We’ve got toys, too. My two favorite toys are the camper and the riding mower. My pickup ranks up there, as well. Mr. FixIt’s old truck has 222K miles on it now, I’ve learned. We need something fairly economical and reliable that will last us. So we bought a 2002 Lincoln Continental yesterday with only 52.8K miles. That’ll last us a while, I’m guessing. We only paid $7500 for it and in today’s used car market, that’s epic. There’s just one thing….

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I feel so OLD when I drive this thing. It’s like…a GRANDMA car! Or…what I always considered a Grandma car…back before I became a hip grandma who towed a 30’ camper back and forth across the country with an uber cool F-150. It’s depressing. Then, I remind myself…

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First world problem, Ginny.

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“God brought you a reliable, affordable, and comfortable ride! Why can’t you just be grateful and leave it be?” Suitably chastised by my own better angels, I realized it’s true. So…in the photos on the left…I was in my early 50’s, working at a 5 Star resort in southern Colorado, with two young grandbabies. I wasn’t a widow yet. In the photos on the right…I am in the last gasp of my 60’s and I AM a grandma. Heck, I’m a GREAT GRANDMA. As in…we have four great-grandchildren thanks to marrying Mr. FixIt. I’ve been a widow for close to ten years. Of COURSE I’m going to look, act, and feel my age. At least part of the time!

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Before we picked up the new-to-us car, we drove out to the farm to survey the damage from last night’s flash flood. It is SO bad out there. There are a few people who lost a lot. Most people lost some things and have a whale of a mess to clean up. As far as I know, there haven’t been any injuries or fatalities reported. They are working with the office of emergency preparedness to try to get some help from FEMA.

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The neighbors across the road had a lot of damage. Three bridges wiped out.

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After we finished with the car sale, we went to the DMV to get the tags, then Mr. FixIt and I parted ways for the rest of the afternoon. I took the car over to one of the MANY new car washes that have sprung up all over our little hometown. Once I ran it through the wash, I took the towels provided and wiped off all the sap from the trees the car was parked under before we bought it. It cleaned up really well. There are only a couple little cosmetic things wrong with it…a little bubbling in the chrome in the front grill, the rear driver’s side seatbelt doesn’t work, and the headliner has come loose at the back by the rear window. Not bad at all for a twenty year old car.

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Our power will be off all day today, so we are going to stay in a hotel in town at least one night…maybe both nights of the reunion this weekend. It’s going to be really hot and muggy and that will NOT be fun with the AC out. This way we can get all dressed up in comfort before we go to the party. 

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It’s gonna be fun, y’all!

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“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

\nPhilippians 4:19-20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/12/then-and-now.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/11/runnin-like-a-chickennbsp.html", "title": "Runnin’ Like a Chicken\u0026nbsp;", "content_html": "\n
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The morning dew on the Elephant Ears.

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There was a goodly portion of the day yesterday that was pretty laid back. Mr. FixIt had to go to town to get his hair cut. Big to-do this weekend…gotta look good, right? While he was gone, I thought I’d just sit and knit a while…which I did. Then he called and said he found a used car for us and wanted my input. We’ve been wanting to get something that would be lower mileage and get better gas mileage. His old truck has surpassed 200,000 miles and that is not a reliable vehicle should you need to make a long trip. He went by and gave it a test drive. I trust his judgement so today we’ll go pick it up. 

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A 2002 Lincoln Continental with only 52,000 miles on it. Sweet!

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The parts came in for the stove yesterday so I tore into it and got the right control panel installed. The oven works now! Hooray!!! Now I can return the other part and get my money back. I asked Mr. FixIt if he was suitably impressed with my skills. He said, “You’re some kinda woman!” I take it that’s a yes! lol

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You can learn how to make this simple and delicious staple HERE. (Photo courtesy of In the Kitchen with Matt)

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I gave him a list of things I wanted from town, so when he was on his way home, I started supper. As I was knitting, I watched cooking videos on YouTube. As I thought of a certain food, I looked up how to prepare it. It’s fair season here and that reminded me of the food trucks that sell Navajo Tacos and Navajo Fry Bread out west. I had a package of ground beef in the fridge so I fried it up with taco seasoning, heated up some refried beans, and made fry bread. It’s kinda like a tortilla, only thicker. It’s soft and foldable and makes the BEST tacos! We had some wonderful sweet corn, on the cob…dripping with butter. SO good!

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I love doing that kind of cooking from time to time, but man does it ever make a mess! By the time I got it cleaned up, the news was over and it was getting close to time to write. We got one heck of a thunderstorm right about then and it poured so hard, it filled the pool up. The former Mrs. FixIt called to say she was driving through standing water on the city streets and several of the parking lots were full of water. As I write this, storm warnings continue to arrive on my phone.

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Bumblebee
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Morning Glory
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Mildew
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Sourgrass
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I’ve made great progress on the sweater. A few more inches on the bottom and I can knit the ribbed edge. I walked around between storms and took some pictures of the flora. Even with all the rain, it was a beautiful day and I feel like I got a lot accomplished. And isn’t that what we are supposed to do every day? Accomplish something that improves our lives and the lives of others? A noble endeavor, indeed.

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“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

\nPhilippians 2:13 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/11/runnin-like-a-chickennbsp.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/08/changing-seasons.html", "title": "Changing Seasons", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt and I cleaned house this weekend because my stepson and his family were coming over. Mr. FixIt II had a birthday last month and we were all really busy, so yesterday was the day to celebrate. We ordered pizza so there wasn’t a lot of fuss and heat being generated in the kitchen. The boys went out and dug post holes for the new steps and railing we’re putting in for the pool deck. We are getting older and balance is becoming a concern, so it’s time to have something to hang onto if needed.

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As with many DIY projects, this one took a turn when the post hole digger hit the drain pipe for the downspout so now we need to repair that before we can move forward. It’s always something. First the oven mess…now this. I think we need to slow down and draw our plans out to think everything through before we just fly by the seat of our pants with these things. The next big project is get roofs on these two houses before winter.

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When the kids left, Mr. FixIt checked in with his bowling buddy and found out their first meeting was in thirty minutes! So, off he went and I settled in to work on this new sweater. Oh, I really love this yarn. I think I’d like to have it in a dozen different colors! It knits up really fast and is light as a feather.

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I went across town to get a little bite of ice cream and sat by the river. The locusts were calling. The river was high and muddy. We’ve had tons of rain the last couple of weeks. The leaves are changing already. Way too early. I believe it’s from the more extreme weather we’ve been having. Lots of rain. Lots of heat. Sitting there watching the golden light slicing through the leaves and hearing the whir of the insects took me back to my childhood. This is the time of year when we start thinking about heading back to school and I can distinctly remember what that felt like as a kid. A combination of exciting anticipation and total dread. New clothes, new notebooks, seeing friends. All good. But the end of those carefree days of summer? So sad.

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So much to be done before the snow flies!

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Ahhhhh….farm life!

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“He changes times and seasons…”

\nDaniel 2:21 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/08/changing-seasons.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/07/the-naked-ladies-are-out.html", "title": "The Naked Ladies Are Out!!!", "content_html": "\n
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Not a great picture, but it was already dark.

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No, not THOSE kinds of naked ladies! I’m talking about those uber cool pink lilies that kind of just pop up out of nowhere and show off for such a brief time in late summer. We had a super fun day yesterday. I hunkered down and knitted and baked a cake then went to a kitchen gadget party at 4:00 with my cousin while the guys hung out at the bunk house and lit the fire. After the gals finished with the party, we went to join the guys. It rained buckets while we were in the Community Building, but the rest of the evening was lovely. There was a huge tree across the road when we came around a bend. Good thing we were going slow so I could stop. A lot of people out in the country have a chainsaw in the back of their truck for just such emergencies and someone had cut just enough out of the downed tree to let one car at a time come through.

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We stopped at the farm after to make sure everything was in working order. It was dark by the time we headed home. We came around a curve out on the two lane and there was a car on the other side of the road with its flashers on. I could barely make out someone waving his arms trying to get out attention. I slowed down to see if they needed help and it turned out there were lines across the road. Apparently the storm took them down. Not knowing how long it would take to get help out there, we turned around and took the long way home. There’s never a dull moment in the boonies of West Virginia. I was amazed at the number of cars we passed on that country road. The only thing I could figure is they were heading home from the County Fair. 

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We were happy as little clams to get home from our evening out, but it was getting past my time for productive writing. I’m kinda worthless after 10:00…I turn into a pumpkin! Instead of writing a long story, I’ll share the recipe for the cake I made for the cookout. I watch a YouTube channel called Celebrating Appalachia that I dearly love. I often watch her videos while I knit and I always learn something wonderful. Tipper was talking about the church suppers held during Homecoming, also known as Decoration Day. When she was a child, she ran to the dessert table every time to see if anyone brought Chess Cake because it was her all time favorite. So, of course I had to make one! It is SO quick and easy and it really yummy! Here is a link to the recipe on Tipper’s blog called The Blind Pig and the Acorn. When I make it next time, I’m going to cut the powdered sugar in half and maybe add an extra egg to that topping mixture. It was really rich!

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Blog: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/?s=Chess+cake

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tvso8PRLxR0

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Let me know if you make this easy dessert!

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“He must manage his own household well…”

\n1 Timothy 3:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/07/the-naked-ladies-are-out.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/06/what-a-nice-day-off.html", "title": "What a Nice “Day Off”", "content_html": "\n
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It seems funny to say…I need a day off. I mean, every day is a day off, isn’t it? Retirement is wonderful in that we don’t have to get up every day and drive to work and stay there for.ev.er. Then drive back home and cook supper and clean up then crash for an hour before bedtime…only to get up the next morning and do it all over again. To be honest, I think I’ve worked a lot harder since I’ve retired. I’ve certainly kept busy and accomplished a lot. The only difference is…it’s mostly fun when you GET to do it as opposed to HAVE to do it.

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I warmed up corn cakes and fixed some eggs for breakfast. Once I cleaned up the kitchen, i could sit down and work on my next project. I bought some of the most wonderful yarn at the knit shop this week. Mochi from Berroco is 37% baby alpaca, 35% nylon, 24% fine merino wool, and 2% “other fibers”…whatever that is. The yarn is cabled instead of twisted and it’s light as a feather. Yet, with all those wonderful natural fibers and all that air space, I think it’s going to be really warm without all the weight.

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This yarn is so soft and light, it’s like knitting with gossamer.

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In the late afternoon, I went in to fix supper. I was going to bake some smoked kielbasa in sauerkraut. I turned on the oven, then mixed up the ingredients in a small baking dish. However, when I went to put the casserole dish in, the oven wasn’t hot. Uh-oh. I immediately knew there was something amiss and it most certainly had something to do with the control panel I replaced earlier this week. I ran through all the steps in my mind, wondering if I forgot to plug something in. I couldn’t think of anything.

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When I put the new panel in, it didn’t look exactly like the one I took out, but I just figured they had updated it. Mr. FixIt is the one who looked up the part for me so I was sure it was right. I just put it in without giving it much thought and I must admit…I didn’t turn on the stove to see if it worked. I went online and downloaded the user’s manual and I couldn’t find any troubleshooting steps that helped.

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I finally went on the Frigidaire website itself, put in the model number of the stove, and looked up the replacement parts. Once I got a close look, I could see where the problem was. The two control panels looked exactly alike except for one small detail. In the bottom right corner of the new panel, there was a selection called “Quick Bake”. In the same space on the old panel, it was a “Lock” icon. Neither one of us caught that and we had two sets of eyes on it. I’ve ordered the new part and started a return process for the part that doesn’t fit. I knew that job was too easy!

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I decided to make another sweater with the same pattern as the one I made for Big. It was quick and easy…and it has classic lines. I don’t have a traditional cardigan so maybe this one’s for me…maybe not. I’ll decide when I’m finished. We are supposed to go to my cousin’s place in the country this evening for a bonfire and a barbecue, but it’s supposed to rain hard today. We’ll just have to wait and see. Rainy days are nice for knitting!

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?

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“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.”

\nProverbs 31:10-13 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/06/what-a-nice-day-off.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/04/im-not-your-typical-girly.html", "title": "I’m Not Your Typical Girly Girl", "content_html": "\n
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When I went to school, we took an aptitude test that would give some idea what career path you might enjoy. While many of my friends were getting results like doctor, nurse, lawyer, and teacher…I came out as a mechanic. I was mortified but later in life learned that interest would serve me well as an adult. I studied to be a Radiologic Technologist…a career that is quite mechanical based. Drawing blood, visualizing internal structures, reading x-rays all require special thinking…something I excel at. When it came to doing things around the house and building things, I was aces. I can tear things apart and put them back together. Even the simple tasks of putting up a tent or towing a trailer involve a great deal of mechanical skills. And besides…they’re fun!

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When I was canning the half-runner beans last week, I had two canners going on the stove top. The two larger burners are on the right front and the left rear. My smaller canner was on the left and it was pushed back against the control panel on the back of the stove. I remember smelling a very slight odor that reminded me of melting plastic, but it was fleeting. I had some plastic containers a little to close to the stove so I assumed that was where the smell was coming from.

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When I was cleaning up everything the next day and wiped down the stove, I noticed I had actually melted the left side of the control panel. The buttons would not work on that side. So, Mr. FixIt showed me what pieces to order to fix it. They arrived on Tuesday, so yesterday morning after breakfast, I unplugged the stove and pulled it away from the wall far enough to get back behind it to work.

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I had no idea how to change this piece, other than a general understanding of “plug and play” electronics. I found the right tool to take the cover off the back of the stove. I carefully observed the panel and how it was connected to the power. There were four screws holding it in place. Philip’s head. I got the right screwdriver and removed the panel being very careful to place the screws in a small bowl for later. I unplugged the power connection on the panel and removed the four screws. The whole panel easily slid out from the opening and I set it aside.

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Using a damp cloth with some grease cutting detergent, I wiped down the area and placed the new unit in the opening. I reinserted the four mounting screws and plugged in the panel. At this point, I plugged in the stove to test the control panel and it worked perfectly! I screwed the back cover in place, cleaned up all the drips and grease from the sides of the stove and the  cabinet wall. Then carefully slid the stove back in place.

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Voila…done!

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The next chore was replacing the cover on the secondary filter assembly on the pool pump. Mr. FixIt bought a new one and we soon figured out this was a two person job. One of us had to plug a drain hole while the other removed the old like and replaced it with the new one. Try as I might, I could NOT get that lid to seat right. So, we switched places and Mr. FixIt gave it a shot. He was sure it was the right piece, but this pump is a different brand and the size was off by the slightest of margins. We ended up putting the old lid back on and now we’ll have to take the new lid back and exchange it.

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As I was straightening the living room and moving some things out of the way for the carpet dude who is returning today, I noticed places where the termites have made small holes in the wall. I wasn’t around when Mr. FixIt discussed the treatment plan, and I like to have a thorough understanding of what is going on and what to expect. I’ll have to call the termite dude today and quiz him. It may be perfectly normal to get migrating termites after a treatment…I don’t know. But I’ll find out…if for no other reason than curiosity. 

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I have always had to assume a good deal of the responsibility for repairs at the house. Hubby #2 was a doctor and was gone a lot. Mr. Virgo was NOT mechanically adept in the slightest and I did the repair things that I could to save money. Then, when I became a widow, there WASN’T anyone but me to do stuff. Thank God for YouTube videos and how-to books. Mr. FixIt is often stunned that I not only CAN do these kinds of things, but that I WANT to and genuinely LIKE to do them. I think he kinda beams when I can figure something out. And when I am finished with a job, he invariably says, “Great job, baby!”

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That’s when I kinda beam right back!

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“Do all things without grumbling or disputing,”

\nPhilippians 2:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/04/im-not-your-typical-girly.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Strong Women","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/02/in-the-middle-of-a.html", "title": "In the Middle of a Mess I Find Gratitude", "content_html": "\n
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Sometimes things have to get torn completely apart before they can get fixed and made whole. I’ve learned this lesson over and over and over since Mr. Virgo died. Those lessons, while hard earned, have served me well in a plethora of circumstances since. I know it’s not a big deal. I know beyond all else that this is a first world problem. Trust me…I am grateful for every single thing in my life. That being said…things are going to be in a real mess around here for the next few days.

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Remember a few weeks ago when I showed you the weird mud tube that was growing up out of our new carpet in the family room? It turned out to be a termite tube. The family room used to be a garage and the floor underneath the carpet is cement. It turns out, there is a small crack in that floor and it allowed termites to tunnel in. We can’t have that! The termite guy came out that very afternoon. (I have the district team leader on speed dial since the great Flea Fiasco of 2016 out at the farm!) He scheduled someone to come out tomorrow, August 2nd and said we would need to have the carpet lifted so they can drill down into the cement to treat these nasty buggers where they live.

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We scheduled the carpet dude to come out yesterday. That meant we had to move all the furniture from that end of the room so they could peel the rug back. I took a nap when we got home from Columbus on Sunday, so…I was still awake at 6:00 yesterday morning. I just got up and moved what furniture I could manage alone and left the rest for Mr. FixIt and the carpet dude. Unfortunately, the carpet padding is glued down and they can’t lift that, so hopefully they can accomplish what they need to do without tearing everything out. If that happens, we have to remove the entire carpet and install a new pad. Ugh!

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Once the house is treated, the carpet dudes will return on Thursday to put everything back down. In the meantime….the entire room is an exercise in chaos. I’m not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination. But this is a little….no, a LOT over the top. But, it’s small potatoes. You know why? Because even as we speak, there are families down in Kentucky who have suffered devastating floods and they would be thrilled to have a house that was still on its foundation. There are families in California who are running for their lives from devastating wildfires. And don’t even get me started on Ukraine.

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No, this is an inconvenience. A hangnail on the thumb of life. I will not complain about any of this mundane stuff. I mean, really…it’s not like I have anything else to do to keep me occupied. I still can’t mow. We’ve had monsoon rains for a good portion of the last two weeks. I think tomorrow is shaping up to be the most promising day to get out on the tractor, but we’ll see.

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Mr. FixIt had to run to town yesterday and I stayed home to work on this hat I’m knitting for Christmas. I got Bear’s extras packed up that didn’t fit in the suitcase so I can get them shipped off to Colorado. I cleaned the kitchen. And that was the extent of my accomplishments  for the day.

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“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

\n1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/02/in-the-middle-of-a.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Choices","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/28/day-twelve-was-just-plain.html", "title": "Day Twelve Was Just Plain Nice", "content_html": "\n
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I told Mr. FixIt on Tuesday night…”I’m not doin’ nuthin’ tomorrow!” And I pretty much meant it. I worked so hard Monday and Tuesday on those beans, I decided Little and I would just have a lay low day. We pretty much accomplished that. “Grandpa FixIt” went to town for an appointment and to the the funeral home for the visitation for an old employee, so Little and I just hung out here at home. 

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It rained most of the day, which was lovely. It kept the temperature down and it was cozy to look at. I cleaned up the kitchen and made my coffee. I washed the sweater I knitted for Big and blocked it. Then I sat down to knit. Little got their drawing supplies out to work on. While they colored, I watched YouTube videos about Appalachian life and cooking. One of my favorite channels is Celebrating Appalachia. She had an episode on making Appalachian Peach Cobbler. We bought a small basket of Georgia Peaches at one of Witten’s Produce Stands on Monday, so I decided that’s what we needed. 

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Here’s the recipe as I made it.

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Preheat your oven to 350°

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Peel and slice your peaches. I scald them then put them in cold water. The skins will slip right off of them and you won’t waste a bit of that yummy peach flesh. (We saved a couple of peach pits to try to grow our own fruit trees!) Place your peaches in a bowl with a little water and lemon juice to keep them from discoloring.

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Place two sticks of butter in a large baking dish. I have a nesting set from Anchor Hocking and I use the size up from a 13”x9”. Place in the oven till the butter is melted.

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Mix 2 c. Self Rising Flour, with 2 c. Sugar, and I add an extra teaspoon of Baking Powder to give it a little boost. Set aside.

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Mix 1 c. Milk and 1 c. Buttermilk and set aside. 

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Strain your peaches reserving about a cup of the juice. Place the peaches, juice, and 1/2 c. Sugar in a saucepan and boil for five minutes, stirring frequently.

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Take your baking dish out of the oven. Pour the hot peach mixture in over the butter, but do not stir. 

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Mix the milk/buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. You’ll end up with a wet batter. Pour this batter over the peaches and butter and again, do not mix. I used a cookie sheet under the baking dish because the pan looked pretty full and I didn’t want it to boil over in the oven. It didn’t by the way, but better to be safe than sorry and have to clean up a mess.

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Place in the oven at 350° for 40 minutes or until the top is getting golden brown. The peachy bottom with be pretty runny but it’s made a yummy syrupy concoction that pairs well with the cobbler topping. Remove and serve warm in a bowl with vanilla ice cream or cold or heated up again. However you want it, just spoon it up and enjoy! SO good!

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I cooked a big pork roast in the slow cooker yesterday and that will feed us for several days. Anything to keep from having to cook every day, right?

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I did a little walkabout after the rain and checked out the flowers. There was an errant Elephant Ear…quite a distance from the flower bed where Mr. FixIt planted the bulbs this spring. And we are finally getting some flowers on the Passion Fruit vine. There are lots of Morning Glory vines, but I’ve only seen one small flower on it this summer. We need to mow already, but it’s been too wet with all this rain. Two more sleeps and Little goes home.

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Oh, and when I was cleaning up the kitchen yesterday morning, I noticed I melted the controls on the back of the stove while I was canning! Who knew you could melt the stove when you’re cooking on it? It seems like a bit of a dichotomy. I hate that I did this but Mr. FixIt brushed it off. He said he would look online to see if he could find a replacement panel.

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“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”

\nProverbs 15:17 ESV\n
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#Love, #Family, #FarmLife

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/28/day-twelve-was-just-plain.html", "tags": ["Family","Love","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/24/day-nine-was-divine.html", "title": "Day Nine Was Divine!", "content_html": "\n
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It was 80° by 9:00 yesterday morning. We needed to get out to the farm to mow before it got too hot but after some of the dew had dried off. It’s a delicate balance. I can be ready to go out the door in two minutes flat. Why is it Mr. FixIt takes for.EV.er??? Mr. Virgo was the same way. He always accused me of pushing him. Good grief…we’re going to MOW, not have an audience with the Queen! Get a move on. My sweetheart has met his match with Little. They were neck and neck getting ready. We left at 11:30. It was heading towards 90°…fast!

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I’m not sure why, but we’ve been having a heck of a time getting the mower out at the farm to start. I usually end up running the battery down then we have to push the mower down to the house and jump it with the truck. This time, we got it in place and decided to check the oil. It was low so Mr. FixIt added some. I tried one last time to start it up and…bam! It turned over like it was a brand new machine! 

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We adjusted the mower deck up a notch and out I went. The grass was still fairly wet, but it mowed fine. Mr. FixIt ran the push mower and I trimmed some of the overgrowth that’s narrowing the driveway. We had to stop a few times for a cold drink. It was pretty miserable by the time we were finished. We got back to our little burg and stopped at the Pig for a few groceries. We were thinking we might jump in the pool when we got home, but there was a wicked storm brewing and the sky was dark enough my headlights came on.

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Instead of swimming, we each went to our separate corners for a little “me time”. It wasn’t until we discovered Little is on the autism spectrum that I realized I am, too. I’ve always known I “think differently”. Daughter #2 does, as well. It’s not a bad thing. We are all high functioning. It’s our super power. But it IS draining. And when we’ve “peopled out”, we need to recharge our batteries. There’s not a darn thing wrong with that. It’s how we maintain our shine!

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We thought we might make a trip across the state to see some cousins and my uncle, but we’re down to one trusty vehicle and it’s been a bit dicey of late. The temperature is supposed to hit 100° today and I decided not to go. If we had a breakdown in this heat and have to wait for a tow truck or walk five miles for cell service, we’d be in a heck of a mess…especially with Little. If it cools down this week and if I can find a super good deal on a rental car…maybe we can go later. I would really love for the WV peeps to get to know Little like I do.

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Once I had my stretch out time, I went out to the hedgerow with the loppers and started pruning stuff back. It grows over so much that I have to lean to the side when I mow under it. I’m tired of getting grabbed by the thorns of the multiflora rose that threatens to take over. Also, the gusty winds of the storm that blew through spread the branches from the burn pile all around so I had to gather that up, too.

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There’s never a dull moment here on this little slice of heaven. My reward at the end of the day was a beautiful sky and a cool shower. Oh…and a nice, chewy brownie!

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/24/day-nine-was-divine.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life","Littles"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/21/day-five-was-so-cool.html", "title": "Day Five Was SO Cool!", "content_html": "\n
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We had a blast at our sleepover at the farm. We told stories and walked out to see what a really dark sky looks like. It was the first time Little has actually seen the Milky Way! We warmed up leftover pancakes and corn cakes for breakfast. I sat on the front porch with my knitting and coffee and listened to the birds. Little slept in then we packed up and did a little walkabout. I showed them what the buildings were used for. We looked at the pictures of the people who built them. I explained how things worked before they got running water on the farm. 

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When we left, I decided to take Little back up on the hill where the old home place was. I explained how the kids had to walk all the way down off the hill, catch the school bus and ride all the way to the nearest school after they outgrew the little one room schoolhouse down the road. Then, when they rode back at the end of the day, the bus driver dropped them off at the base of the hill and they walked all the way back home…rain or shine, snow or ice or the heat of Indian Summer. It’s just the way it was.

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We drove out the new road they built to the compressor station for the gas pipeline. I was amazed how noisy it is and I’m so glad they built it way back on the hill and not any closer. There is an old church across from the driveway that turns into the compressor station. In the mornings, the family used to go to the little white church that I attended many years later. Then, in the afternoons, they walked out the ridge and went to this little church for Sunday evening services. 

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Little was fascinated with the signature book for visitors. They signed their name under mine with a smile. We looked around and commented how the old church is settling on one side. When we went back out to the truck, Little said, “Nana, there were cobwebs and bugs and dirt in that church. We need to go back and clean it. The windows could use a good washing, too.” I so love this kid! I told them we would go back before their trip is over so we can give it a good cleaning. We might leave a floral arrangement in their great great grandparents’ honor. That would be nice.

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On our way back home, I showed Little where Frank and Beans live…the new owners of the farm. As we drove by, I mentioned the building at the end of the drive. It was where the bus driver parked the school bus. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and before I could get a good look, Little called out, “Nana, look!!! An OWL!” Sure enough, there was a Barred Owl sitting on the ground, right smack dab in the middle of Frank and Bean’s driveway! It was in the area where I caught the recording of the juvenile calling in the middle of the night the last time I stayed at the farm. Pretty neat!

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Someone has seen a young black bear on the hill above our house two days running. I told Little we needed to drive out the road on the ridge to see if we could find it. We didn’t, but we came around a turn and there were wild turkeys crossing the road and going into the woods. Little got to see them. 

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We got home and had some quiet time. I worked on a Christmas Stocking I’m knitting with stranded color work…a technique I haven’t used since I made Big’s baby dress eighteen years ago. I cleaned and cut up a huge pan of broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts to pop in the oven to roast alongside a good sized salmon filet. I bought a bottle of really good quality lemon infused extra virgin olive oil at William-Sonoma when I was in Colorado in May. I’ve been waiting for just the right time to try it and…all I can say is…WOW! What a lovely addition to both the fish and the veggies. We ate the whole 13”x9” pan just the three of us.

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After supper, Little and I jumped in the pool and swam around till nearly dark. We have some of our best conversations when we are outside in nature. We talked about faith and God and what a cool guy Jesus is. Little looked up and pointed at a flock of birds above us. I was about to tell her about murmurations when they suddenly started one…swooping in and out of curved formations. It was fascinating. Then, just at dusk, the bats came out and one kept diving the pool for drinks of water and that’s when I told Little we’d had enough and it was time to get out!

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We needed to get some things out of the camper, so Mr. FixIt helped me set it up. It has leaked again, so I need to get it back to the dealer. I’ve just about had it with this thing. Too many problems for a brand new camper. We did keep it set up and decided to “camp” in the field last night. There was a storm predicted, but we were bound and determined to tough it out! You will have to wait till tomorrow to see how that worked out!

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?

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“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

\nMatthew 6:26 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/21/day-five-was-so-cool.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/19/day-three-was-fun.html", "title": "Day Three Was Fun!", "content_html": "\n
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I let Little sleep in yesterday morning. I remember when my daughters were that age. They need to sleep because they’re growing and they’re busy cramming their brains full of new knowledge. I cleaned house and knitted till I finally woke them up to get the day going. We drove to town to visit our favorite antique shop. Little bought three neckties, a teddy bear and a necklace. Then we went to Michael’s to get some crafty things. They love art so we bought a new sketchbook and colored pencils and a few other things. I bought some green, red, and white acrylic yarn to knit some Christmas stockings for the kids.

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Photo shared with me by a friend on Facebook.

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We’ve had so much rain the last several days. We all went on a walkabout last night to watch the sunset and see if we could find the twin fawns. They didn’t disappoint…they were out grazing by the campers and we got some pictures of them. Someone posted a photo of a young black bear on the hill just above our house. I’ve been seeing bear scat in our field this year so I keep a weather eye out for him when we are out there…especially at night. You could walk right up on one and not even know it.

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I was making breakfast yesterday when Mr. FixIt called me in to the living room. He said there was a huge turtle out in the yard. It turned out to be TWO turtles doing what turtles do to make MORE turtles. We saw bunnies and a big fat groundhog, as well. The whole menagerie was on display. I made a big pot of soup beans with smoked ham hocks yesterday and showed Little how to bake cornbread in an iron skillet. 

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We ended the day with Little sprawled out on the living room floor…drawing and coloring. I worked on the hat I’m knitting and we watched an old episode of Big Bang Theory. It was a really good day!

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?

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“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”

\nProverbs 12:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/19/day-three-was-fun.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/13/getting-stuff-done.html", "title": "Getting Stuff Done", "content_html": "\n
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The buttonhole placket was so much easier to knit than I thought it would be.

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I paid $4.36 for gas yesterday! It’s coming down. The supply chain issues are evening out and they are predicting prices on most goods will fall accordingly. The crazy housing market is cooling off and maybe someday young people will be able to buy that little house with the white picket fence. I don’t know. All I know is, when you live on a fixed income, you’ll take every break you can get!

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I had the oil changed on the truck yesterday when I was in town. I also had the tires rotated. I never really bothered buying the lifetime warranty on tires till I retired and money needed to be stewarded better. To be honest, rotating your tires isn’t as big a deal when you live in Colorado. Most of the roads are straight and if your wheels are aligned properly, you don’t wear them out unevenly. Not so here in the twisty-turny state! When Daughter #1 visited last summer, she remarked on the weird speed limit signs out our two-lane blacktop. She said, “Mom, I couldn’t even get UP to 55 before the next turn came and said 20mph. I laughed and said, “Sweetie, those are just recommended speeds. Y’all do what you can around here.”

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I was tickled to have the time to sit at the garage while they worked on my truck. It gave me some solid time to work on Big’s sweater. And…drumroll please…I got it done! Well, the knitting part is done. Now I have to weave in five million tails from where I joined yarns. This bulky yarn only had around a hundred yards of yarn per skein. So every two inches or so, there is a join. And this particular yarn is very slippery. I have to weave in the ends, then anchor them with a needle and thread to keep them from slipping out. Very time consuming, but it’s going to be beautiful when I’m done!

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Mr. FixIt also had a laundry list of things to do yesterday, and rather than sit at the garage with me, he drove in separately. He brought home tomatoes from the garden in town and they are SO yummy! Supper was a ham sandwich with thick slices of tomato, salt & pepper, and a slathering of Duke’s Mayonnaise on whole wheat bread. Yummmmmmm!

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We need to change the actuator on the lift for the Big Birdhouse today because tomorrow…we camp and get to see most of the Colorado family!!! I cannot wait!

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?

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““Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.”

\nNumbers 2:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/13/getting-stuff-done.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Farm Life","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/11/the-weekend-in-review.html", "title": "The Weekend in Review", "content_html": "\n
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The smokehouse and the barn at The Farm.

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Forty-eight years ago, I became a mother. Forty-eight. I don’t understand how she got older than me but she’s a keeper and I’m so proud to be her mom!!!

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This whole week went by so fast, I lost track of the days. We are in heavy grass growing season with all the rain we had in the last ten days so that means more mowing. Mr. FixIt went to town on Saturday to help a friend with some plumbing and I stayed home and knitted. Then yesterday was mowing day at the farm.

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One of our first tomatoes of the season.

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We bring our push mower out to cut the ditch out front and the edges where I can’t get the riding mower. As Mr. FixIt was making a space in the bed of my truck, I went into the garage to put a folding table away and bring out the mower. I was reaching to lean the table against something when I lost my balance a little. I reached out to steady myself on the garage refrigerator and got the edge of the door…not the side as I intended. The door opened and away went my brace. I tumbled forward over the push mower and into the riding mower. I really wrenched my pinkie on my right hand and have some bumps and bruises, but I don’t think I broke anything except my pride. The first thing that went though my mind is when the doctor’s office questions me at each appointment. “Have you had any falls?” They only started asking me that at the last couple of visits. I’m…of a certain age. 

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*sigh*

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We have an old John Deere at our disposal about at the farm and when I say old, I mean ancient. But man, when they say nothing runs like a Deere…they aren’t kidding. We have a heck of a time getting it started. I ended up running the battery down, so I disconnected the gear box and pushed it down toward the house so we could jump it with the truck. I got to where the round started sloping and called for Mr. FixIt to come push me so I could ride down and have my foot on the brake. It wouldn’t do to have the tractor run into the creek!

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Japanese Lantern Plant

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Before we jumped the mower to start it, Mr. FixIt lowered the mower deck for me. It’s been mowing too high and you can hardly tell you’ve gone over it at all. Once that was accomplished, we jumped it and it started up without too much trouble and runs like a big dog. The grass was thick and damp and we were cutting it pretty short, so there was a lot of clippings in clumps on the lawn. I ran over it and over it several times till they were all mulched up. Mr. FixIt ran the push mower and we were finished in short order.

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We stopped at the little neighborhood market on the way home and got a package of “Buzz Buttered Steaks”. This is a local delicacy that I’ve enjoyed since my childhood. As a matter of fact, I was a genuine grown up adult before I realized a “steak” wasn’t a frozen square ground beef patty with a pat of butter on it sold six to a box in the freezer section. These things were staples at our house when we could afford meat and they really are SO good! In the late ‘70s, someone stole a panel truck with several tons of these beauties on it and were fat and happy when they got caught. The whole incident put Buzz Buttered Steaks on the map and they enjoyed quite a boost to their sales. I was amazed they still make them. We don’t get them very often because I like to stay away from processed foods, but every once in a while, we like to indulge. We sliced up a home grown tomato and a Vidalia onion, topped it off with a generous slather of Duke’s Mayonnaise, and had a right proper summer supper.

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Pumpkin napping on the kitchen window sill.

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I only have about eight inches of the second sleeve to knit on Big’s sweater, then the front placket. Today we mow here at the house. The family arrived safely in VA Saturday night and they’re having a big time already. I can’t wait to see them later this week. I’m taking all kinds of goodies down with us! It’ll seem so strange to see them all outside of Colorado. 

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?

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“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

\n1 Timothy 5:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/11/the-weekend-in-review.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/08/its-about-time-for-some.html", "title": "It’s About Time for Some Good News!", "content_html": "\n
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The View From my “Office”

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I had my followup appointment with my endocrine surgeon yesterday. Almost all of my numbers have settled down into the normal range except one and it’s only mildly elevated. Overall, I’d say I’m about 80% better than I was before the surgeries and I will take that as a hug win! I suppose what symptoms I do have can be easily attributed to age related changes and there’s nothing anyone can do about that except make healthier lifestyle choices, i.e. eat clean and green and exercise more. I don’t have to see him for six months and then I’ll be discharged barring any unforeseen consequences. Yay!

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I started doing some deep cleaning before Little arrives in just over a week. Then we went out and cleaned the pool. It was a cool and refreshing dip on a hot, muggy day. We celebrated the occasion with a trip to the little country store for a scoop of Black Cherry ice cream to enjoy down by the river. 

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The twins hang out in our field every day now. I rarely see mama so I know they are on their own. I saw a rabbit for the first time this year. I’ve seen evidence the rabbits are being hunted here…probably by the myriad hawks we have hanging around. Several times I’ve walked around the end of the house only to startle the young Red Shouldered Hawk that has been sitting on the satellite dish and telephone lines. 

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When I walked in from the camper yesterday morning, there was a small snake skin by the front door. Mr. FixIt was weed eating on Monday and said he saw one go under a big rock right there. I couldn’t find it then, but it left the evidence behind for all to see. Mr. FixIt isn’t a snake guy, so I’m the one who has to deal with those kinds of critters. Honestly, they’ve never really bothered me. But, then again…I’ve never seen a live poisonous snake either, so I’m not sure how I would react in that case. 

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A Long Exposure Shot Caught the Lightning Bugs

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I’ve been thinking about activities for when Little is here visiting. I definitely want to show her how to can and make jam. I need to can half runners this year because I’m almost out. We’ll bake together. I want to teach her how to make pizza from scratch. We’ll do some crafting and antiquing. That child loves a good junk shop and laws there’s enough of them around here to stay busy the entire time. Camping and swimming and bonfires and s’mores and watermelon seed-spitting contests. I can’t wait!!!

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The new actuator came for the camper. Mr. FixIt has watched the videos how to replace it but I haven’t seen one yet. That’s our next big project. I have about five or six inches of one sleeve knitted on Big’s sweater. So much to do…so little time!

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?

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/08/its-about-time-for-some.html", "tags": ["Family","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/07/the-calm-after-the-storm.html", "title": "The Calm After the Storm", "content_html": "\n
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We had appointments with the eye doctor yesterday. Time for new glasses, I’m afraid. For years, I only bought my eyeglasses through the optometric clinic. Sometimes I had really great insurance that provided a new pair every year. Other times I had none and paid out of pocket whether I could really afford it or not. We didn’t have much of a choice of buying options. Now we live on a fixed income with Medicare and Social Security. We’re back to being careful with our money. As they say…watch your pennies and your dollars will watch themselves.

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Mr. FixIt is the one who turned me on to buying my glasses online. He had used Zenni for a few years so I gave it at try the last time I needed a new pair. While they weren’t the greatest quality…certainly not what I had become accustomed to…they were perfectly adequate. The prescription came back accurate and they were delivered in a couple of weeks. And, I was able to buy a pair of glasses and a pair of sunglasses for less than one pair would have cost had I gone my more traditional route.

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The key to getting glasses online is to tell the optometric office when you check out that you would like to have a copy of your prescription along with your Pupil Distance measurement. They won’t like this, of course. They are banking on you spending a delightful hour or two trying on frames and fawning over your choices then dropping some serious coin in their store. I head them off at the pass by looking them directly in the eye, smile and say, “I’m retired and live on a fixed income. I buy my glasses online, so I will need a copy of my prescription, please.” I’ve never had any trouble save for a slight shift in demeanor which doesn’t bother me a whip. Mr. FixIt ordered his new glasses and sunglasses last night and they totaled under $200. I’ll fiddle around with mine later today. 

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I received a gift from a friend yesterday. Kindness doesn’t grow on trees. Kindness is a choice. And it is one that far too many people have forgotten to make anymore. It doesn’t take much to be kind. My friend lives in a teeny, tiny magical cottage and she is forever having to curate what she can keep and what she can send on its way to bring joy to another person. She didn’t go out and buy these treasures for me new. She poured her love into them for a while, then she sent them on to me. She does this for people all the time. 

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I’m going to start doing this. This isn’t “re-gifting.” This is spreading love with tangible items that were carefully selected for a specific person and a specific purpose. It doesn’t cost as much as buying a gift and shipping it. And it reduces waste while it spreads kindness into the world. So, thank you to my sweet friend. You are so special and so loved!

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I was writing this post when Mr. FixIt called to me to come look at the sunset with him. The sky was streaked with peach, yellow, pink, blue, and indigo as the sun headed west for it’s final hurrah of the day. The creek was roaring from the heavy rain we had in the afternoon. The frogs were serenading from the creek beyond the far field. Bats dipped and dove over our heads, feasting on the early evening treasure trove of mosquitoes. The catbird in the maple tree out front was putting up a fuss as we were invading her turf. The lightning bugs were rising from their daytime hideaway in the field grasses…on the search for summer love. I turned to my sweetheart and smiled. He wrapped me in his arms and held me close, kissing me on the forehead. And for that moment…we were safe and all was right with the world.

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?

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“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

\nHebrews 13:5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/07/the-calm-after-the-storm.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Choices","Farm Life","Kindness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/05/those-west-virginia-hills.html", "title": "Those West Virginia Hills", "content_html": "\n
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A lone little daisy in the field.

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We have four days of rain coming up so we spent the entire day outside getting caught up on mowing and trimming. If we don’t stay on top of it, we will soon look like a tropical rainforest. I was looking at the hedgerow around the fields and the yard yesterday. We really need to get the hedge trimmers and the chain saw out and get some of this stuff cut back before it takes over. 

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I was out in the camper the other night and opened all the curtains and windows to let the cool night air in. It was a waining moon and really dark out. I pulled the screen aside and curled up on the bed…my chin resting on my hand. There was a light show extraordinaire going on outside in the trees lining the creek. The lightning bugs were out in force. 

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I hope you can see the little twikle lights of the lightning bugs.

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When I was a kid, we ran around in the yard at Grandma’s catching lightning bugs and putting them in jars. We put them on our bedside tables thinking they’d be so bright at night, we could read by the light of their little tails. Unfortunately, the sweet harmless bugs met their end in the glass jars, I’m afraid. But we were children and it was the ‘50s. Life was simple and easy.

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I had never seen lightning bugs the way I see them here. I suppose when I was a child, I just never looked up to see them in the trees. They turn the woods into sparkling twinkle lights and it delights me every time I see it. it happens like this for just a few short weeks, so I spend as much time as I can…sitting and watching. Storing up the experience and saving it for the dark nights of winter. I think that’s why I love the Christmas tree to be left up for so long when the days are so short. 

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Our babies…one laying in the shade and the other standing to the right.

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We elected not to drive into town last night for more fireworks. We were pretty tired and we’d already seen them on Saturday here in our little town. The Annual Ice Cream Social was held with a parade, a 5K run, live music and vendor booths, culminating in a glorious fireworks display down in the field next to the elementary school. We parked our truck in the school parking lot along with several other local townspeople. 

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I’ve lived in a lot of places in my life. Big cities and small towns and on five little acres out in the country. I’ll take the country any day of the week where I can sit and watch nature’s fireworks…up in the trees in the form of fireflies or up in the sky in the form of lightning and the rolling thunder of these West Virginia Hills.

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?

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“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

\nProverbs 6:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/05/those-west-virginia-hills.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/04/the-lords-day.html", "title": "The Lord’s Day", "content_html": "\n
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We often end up mowing on Sundays simply because of the way the storms roll through. Unfortunately, they don’t keep a schedule and, as the old adage says, you have to make hay when the sunshines. We were blessed the last three days with a half inch of rain and the grass was too wet to mow yesterday. I sat in my recliner with my headphones, listening to worship music and knitted on Big’s sweater. I’m almost ready to knit the ribbing at the bottom, then I can start the sleeves.

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I have a lot on my plate in the upcoming month. I need to get the house ready for Little. We need to finish getting the pool ready and catch up on some laundry. There is a part being delivered this week that we have to replace on the new camper. There will be mowing…both here and the farm. The push lawnmower is still not working, and we are in the thick of repair season, so we won’t be able to get it fixed in a timely manner. So, we’ll be researching and buying a new one then fix this one later to use as a spare. I need to finish this sweater and pack for our trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Just lots going on.

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I try to stay away from the news and I can usually succeed in doing that. But I always pay attention when Heather Cox Richardson says “read this”. Well, I read it and was not prepared for this particular bit of news and I didn’t sleep a wink on Saturday night. I know know if you experience that, but when it happens to me, I’m a wreck the following day. My threshold for triggering my PTSD is much lower and I end up feeling flushed and anxious over the dumbest stuff. So, after my morning “church”, I stretched out and talked with God for a while. 

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My conversations with God are always good…no matter whether it’s something I want to “hear” or not. I always leave enlightened, calmed, soothed. Like I’ve been listening to a lullaby sung by the most beautiful voice ever. We had a social engagement and I just didn’t feel up for it. If it weren’t a family event, I might have been inclined to beg off and stay home. But, when it’s the kids and the grands, you don’t say no unless it’s absolutely necessary.

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We all gathered at their horse farm and had a cookout. It was fun to catch up with people I haven’t seen in some time. We were super careful to keep socially distanced from others…no hugs and kisses. I worked on the sweater and chatted with everyone around me…the sound of a horse quietly flicking his tail and occasionally stomping a heavy hoof in order to shoo away the biting flies that plague them in the summer. I could hear him rip mouthfuls of grass, happily munching away as country music played in the background. 

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There were hoops and hollers as teams of two challenged each other to multiple games of cornhole. We sat around nibbling on deviled eggs and bratwurst, crudités, meat and cheese trays, salads and a yummy dessert pizza with a sugar cookie crust and fruit on top. By dusk, the younger were heading up to the top of the hill to watch the fireworks. We elected to come on home. We neither one had any business walking up and down that hill in the dark, and I wasn’t about to drive my truck up there without having done it in the daylight first. 

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We came on home. Mr. FixIt remarked his back was probably going to give him fits, so I elected to creep in the camper. When I got everything ready and squared away, I opened the curtains and couldn’t believe how many lightning bugs there were out there in the trees along the creek. I loved listening to the fireworks far off in the distance. And it wasn’t long till I was ready to turn in for the night.

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Today, we may end up mowing if we don’t have rain. And, of course, there will be knitting. 

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?

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“And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.”

\nLuke 15:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/04/the-lords-day.html", "tags": ["Family","Holiday","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/02/july-is-here.html", "title": "July is Here!!!", "content_html": "\n
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Just about every year of my adult life, I took at least a week…and often two or three…and brought my girls to West Virginia to see their Mountaineer family. Most often, we came in July. You could pretty much bet the monsoons of June were past and it wasn’t so dreadfully hot and humid like August. Since my girls are almost sixteen years apart, there were just a few years I had both of them with me.

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I have great memories of those trips. When my older daughter was little, she stood on a stool and brushed her great grandma’s long hair. I have a picture of her holding a bamboo fishing rod with a safety pin for a fish hook, wearing a Holly Hobby hat and a one piece play suit. When my younger daughter was little, we took “moon baths” out behind grandma’s house. We waited till dark then stripped off and lathered up, then poured cold buckets of rainwater over ourselves to rinse off. It was the only way to cool off enough to sleep.

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Now it’s ME that lives in West Virginia and Little is coming in July in two weeks to see us! We’ll be baking and swimming, crafting and sewing, and I’ll indulge in a new experience…cosplay! If you don’t know what that is, it’s where you dress up like your favorite characters, makeup and all, and film yourself or take photos. Little is really into it and I’m into Little so we’re going to give it a go! It should be fun!

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We had some pretty hard storms come through yesterday. When I saw the sky darkening and heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, I shot out of the house to close up the camper. I left the windows open the evening before and I didn’t want everything to get wet. I prepared to lower the top of the camper and….the actuator (the mechanical part that lifts and lowers the top) didn’t work. I tried checking the circuit breakers and the fuses, but that storm was rolling in fast at that point. The sky started crackling with lightning and thunder so I closed it all back up and ran for the house.

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So, now I have yet another thing wrong with the camper. I spoke with the service guy and he sent another email to the factory with photos and the additional info about the actuator. We have camping reservations when we go to Virginia to pick Little up so they are going to ship a new actuator to us and Mr. FixIt can replace it. That way we can still use the camper that weekend, then I can get it up to the dealership. They will have to ship it to the factory, I imagine. Still waiting to hear. We don’t have camping scheduled again till September so hopefully they will get the camper in and out and back to us in a timely fashion.

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After supper, Mr. FixIt went out to see if the storm knocked any limbs down. Pretty soon he came and tapped on the window in the family room and motioned for me to come outside. I followed him out into the shadow of the nearest pear tree and looked in the direction he was pointing. There, on the ground beside the camper, lay the twins…the tiny spotties…the fawns that joined our little tribe this spring. Later in the evening, Mommy joined them. There’s a big, fat groundhog in the front yard this summer. I don’t like them hanging around, even though I don’t have a garden this year. But they dig up the yard and embankment with tunnels that can pose a safety hazard and damage structures. 

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I continue to watch this sweater that I’m knitting for Big grow longer and more beautiful. I’ll have quite a lot of finishing work to do on it, but I’m thinking she’ll really enjoy it when I’m done. We’ll be having a lot of rain this weekend so I’ll get a chance to work on my knitting and getting a little housecleaning done in preparation for Little’s arrival.

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?

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“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”

\nProverbs 17:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/02/july-is-here.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/01/and-the-year-is-half.html", "title": "And the Year is Half Gone", "content_html": "\n
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So, is 2022 really half over? Is the glass half full or half empty? Neither…it’s full to overflowing! You can see the water…it looks diminished. But there is air filling the rest of the cup. And that air, even though you can’t see it, is just as important. The calendar may imply we’re half done, there’s an awful lot of unseen days ahead with great potential if we give it our all! We can make a huge impression on the world in six short months!

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I really enjoyed my time at the farm. It’s always so beautiful at this time of year. And I saw all kinds of critters….deer, a little tiny baby bunny, birds galore, lots of wasps and honeybees and bumblebees and butterflies and lightning bugs, two huge European hornets (thankfully deceased), a slick lizard, and a great big black snake! It was a plethora of nature!

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I stripped the bed and washed the linens. I would have hung them out to dry, but I didn’t have enough clothespins. I love the smell of sheets dried in the sun, but they are always a little rough on the skin if they aren’t dried in the drier. Personal preference, I guess. I cleaned up a little around the farmhouse. There’s always lady bugs and dead wasps on the floor. And of course, we always track in dirt and grass and leaves. 

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When I got home, I pulled out my knitting and somehow I’ve gotten something on it. I don’t know if it was my morning coffee or what it is. I will have to work on it a little this morning. I’m making great progress…just finishing the third skein of yarn. Bulky yarn and big needles make for a quick job when you’re knitting a sweater.

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We went to our little town to get an ice cream last evening and went to check out a new little junk shop called Happy Jim’s. Trust me, Jim was happy. And talkative. We could have been there for hours listening to his stories. He had great stories! I found a perfect vintage tablecloth…not a spot or fray on it. As a matter of fact, it hardly looked used at all. Try as we might, neither one of us could find the price. Happy Jim asked me if $5.00 sounded good. We paid up and I continued to browse during the bulk of the storytelling. I was holding the tablecloth in my arms so I held it out in front of me to admire my find. I don’t know how we missed it, but there was the price tag. It was the same color as the pattern where it was placed. $18.00! I went right to Happy Jim and said, “I’m a good Christian, and I cannot in good conscience walk out of here paying the wrong price.” He took a good look and he said, “Well, ma’am, it looks like you got yourself a good deal!” I objected but he wouldn’t hear of it. “Just tell the folks you got yourself a good deal here at Ol’ Jim’s place, ok?” So, you heard it from me…you can find a good deal at Happy Jim’s!

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When we got home, Mr. FixIt and I took a walk around the property just before dark. There are several pears on the two trees out between the house and the main road. They’re pretty small and the trees look to be blighted. I’m not a tree person, so I’ll have to search the internet to see what I can do for them, if anything.

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We still don’t have the pool just right. We can’t seem to get the water clear. We have one more thing to try and hopefully that will fix it. It would be awfully nice to get in it on these hot summer days. I came out to the camper last night to write and even though it was still pretty warm out, the fans circulated the air and made it quite comfortable. With the price of gas and the crowds at the campgrounds, I’m finding “home camping” to be a viable and cost effective alternative. Heck, you’re just going so you can sleep in your camper or tent anyway. What difference does it make where you park it or set it up? I’ve camped in tiny back yards and I’ve camped in National Parks. It’s sleeping no matter where it’s done, right?

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s a Holiday weekend…I hope you get out and enjoy the outdoors!!!

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?

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“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”

\nPsalm 145:5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/01/and-the-year-is-half.html", "tags": ["Travel","Camping","The Farm","Farm Life","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/29/knitting-and-bunnies-and-birds.html", "title": "Knitting and Bunnies and Birds", "content_html": "\n
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We had to run to town yesterday to do errands. Usually that turns into an all day ordeal, but I managed to schedule things to make them go smoother. I dropped off Mr. FixIt at his buddy’s house to work on the tomatoes while I went to get my blood drawn, then we stopped at the post office box and the pool supply store. A quick stop at the gas station and we were home by 3:00…a record, I think!

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I was antsy. I wanted to go camping. The low temperature is going to be perfect the next two nights, but the days are going to get pretty sticky. Mr. FixIt really didn’t want to go and honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to pull the camper by myself this time. Still, I had itchy feet. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a sleepover at the farm, so I asked my sweetheart if he minded me going over for a couple of days. He’s so sweet…he never, ever objects to me doing whatever I need to do to maintain balance in our life. For that, I am grateful and it encourages me to make our time together epic. He’s a smart man!

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I threw some things together and headed to the home of my heart. I always do a walk about to make sure things are all looking good. Everything was in ship shape. I sat on the front porch and knitted on Big’s sweater. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and there was a little Carolina Wren hopping toward me, moving her head this way and that. She stayed for quite a while. There was a little, tiny bunny in the front yard nibbling on the white clover. Every once in a while, something scared it and it darted off into the underbrush only to return when the coast was clear. It finally started getting cool and I headed indoors. 

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I heard a bird out the back door so I took my phone to investigate. It wasn’t dark yet. I looked up and scanned the hillside and noticed something amiss. There were several branches with lots of dead leaves on them and that only means one of two things…a tree has died from disease, or it’s come down. And that’s just what happened…it came down right on top of the old cellar house. There are limbs resting on the electric line going to the building, but there is still power up there. I did pull my truck back from under the lines, though. You can see the trunk of the tree where it broke off about twenty feet up. Judging by the way the leaves have turned brown already, I’d say this happened during the storm that knocked out our power for two days a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know how we missed it the other times we’ve been out here. I guess we just don’t look up enough.

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There have been more things like this happening in the last year since the farm was sold. I think houses know. I think they die. How many times have you seen an old house look perfectly fine then just fall apart quickly after its people leave? I told Mr. FixIt, we need to come out more often and talk to the old girl….make sure she still knows how desperately she is loved. Maybe plant some flowers. I am so happy her new owners love her like we do…but I just think this old house misses her people.

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It’s so incredibly quiet here. At night, the birds have gone to roost. The only sound is the dehumidifier humming quietly in the basement. Occasionally the hot water heater kicks on. As I write this, I have the window open feeling the cool evening breeze and listening to a Barred Owl just across the creek.

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Life is good!

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?

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“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

\nJohn 3:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/29/knitting-and-bunnies-and-birds.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/27/bippityboppityblue.html", "title": "Bippity-Boppity-Blue!", "content_html": "\n
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Big has always loved Cinderella…her very favorite Disney Princess. Now she’s all grown up and preparing to head to college in the fall, but that doesn’t mean that particular shade of blue isn’t still her favorite! Au contraire! This was the color of her dress for senior prom. I promised her I’d knit a sweater to take to college with her. She’s heading to the Pacific Northwest and things get pretty chilly up there.

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First, we went on the prowl for the perfect sweater pattern. Pullover or cardigan? She chose a cardigan. That will be more versatile for her, I think. Next, we needed to pick out a yarn. I got one and didn’t like the feel of it and ended up giving it to my friend, Gail. I ordered a new yarn…a blend of cotton and bamboo. I started knitting the sweater yesterday and I’m not totally sold on this yarn either. It’s really heavy and will weigh a ton when it’s done. I’ll keep at it. It will be more like a sweater jacket than the soft sweater I was envisioning. But, it should be really warm and that was the goal.

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We had storms predicted in our little corner of the world yesterday and even though the sky puckered up several times, nothing really came of it. We mowed at the farm on Saturday (and saw a gorgeous buck in velvet antlers on the way) and yesterday, we just hung out at home and watched movies while I knitted. I heated up some leftover pot roast, made a rich gravy and served it over mashed potatoes with half runner beans and squash on the side. It was the first time I’ve really cooked a meal in a while. 

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We have a pretty slow week planned. More mowing, as always. Hopefully we’ll get some cool nights. We still don’t have the pool in tip top shape for the season. We need to get on top of that soon because LIttle is coming to stay with us for a couple of weeks the last half of July and…besides our cooking adventures…the pool is the biggest draw! It’s hard to believe that not only is June nearly over, but the year is half gone! 

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Why do summers fly by so fast?!

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?

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“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.””

\nGenesis 8:22 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/27/bippityboppityblue.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/25/back-home-and-back-to.html", "title": "Back Home and Back to Work", "content_html": "\n
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We camped at Beaver Creek State Park near East Liverpool, Ohio this week. It’s one of our favorite campgrounds, largely because my dear friend Gail is sometimes the camp host there. She isn’t hosting again till fall, but she was supposed to come camp with us at least one night. Unfortunately, she was a little under the weather this week so we had to take a rain check on the visit. We still had an amazing time, as always. 

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We visited Columbiana and shopped at the local antique dealers and ate at Das Dutch Haus restaurant and it was SO good. We took apple dumplings home for dessert and they were heavenly! We had ice cream TWICE at Bruster’s Ice Cream Shop in Calcutta. They have Black Raspberry ice cream at this time of the year and it’s one of my all time favorites. Mostly, we just hung out at the campground, chatted with what few campers were there, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the woods in June.

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Midweek camping is the way to go. Even at the peak of June, people don’t usually start showing up till Thursday night. We took long walks and got lots of good photos with nothing but nature in them. We did gain some fellow campers on Thursday night and it was so fun to hear the kids playing, riding their bikes, and running around catching lightning bugs. Tuesday and Wednesday was really hot and we had to run the AC, but Thursday night got down to 56° and I actually woke up cold at 3:30am. I had to get up to turn off the fans, and then…of course…I couldn’t get back to sleep till just around dawn. Poor Mr. FixIt…there isn’t another room to escape to in a camper, so I kept him awake, too.

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There was something I saw at the campground that really upset me. I was sitting with Mr. FixIt, the sun was setting, and I had been knitting. I set my needles aside to get up for a drink when I noticed something on a tree at the edge of our campsite. I walked closer and…believe it or not…someone had BRANDED the tree! Like…with a livestock brand! I know there is someone out there who thinks it’s uber cool that there’s a tree at every campsite they’ve ever camped at with their “brand” on it. But that is just wrong. What ever happened to “leave no trace”? Campsites and parks should be left better than you found them! Don’t leave “art” like decorated rocks or walking sticks behind for the “joy of others to discover”. Don’t stack rocks in streams…it disturbs native habitat for all kinds of critters. Don’t move picnic tables or fire rings. 

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Go to the woods…enjoy it to the fullest…then leave it pristine for the next guest! Nature is for everyone.

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*stepping off my soapbox now.

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And now, it’s time to get back on that mower and get some work done around here! So glad to be back home and with you fine people. I hope you’re enjoying summer so far!

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“You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.”

\nPsalm 74:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/25/back-home-and-back-to.html", "tags": ["Camping","Fun","West Virginia","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Home","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/19/somebody-bring-me-a-bottle.html", "title": "Somebody Bring Me a Bottle!", "content_html": "\n
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Be still, my heart…this green!

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No…I’m not looking for a drink. I gave that up twenty-one plus years ago. What I want is a bottle that I can preserve this day in. Some way to put it on a shelf and save it up for January. Honestly, it could not have been a more beautiful day. With a high of 74° and a clear bluebird sky with a lovely breeze and brilliant sunshine, the green was so intense it almost hurt your eyes!

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Mr. FixIt ran to town first thing to tie up the tomatoes and do a little weeding. I ran to town to see if my package I’ve been waiting for was at the post office, but it was already out for delivery. I’ve been waiting for the new mounting bolts for the carburetor that I replaced on the push mower. I thought six were in the package, even though it only takes two. Well, when the mail was delivered later, there was only one bolt. I held my breath as I installed it because it doesn’t take much to strip the threads. 

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I got the bolts in…one old, one new. I turned the gas flow on and waited. No leaks!!! Whew! Now, to start it. It turned over on the second pull, but the throttle still surges. Doggone it. We fiddled with it and got to where it will mow, but something still isn’t right. We’ll have to take it in and see if they can adjust that throttle or perhaps it’s a fuel line issue. In the meantime, it is workable…enough to do what we need it to do, anyway.

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I went ahead and finished with the riding mower and Mr. FixIt ran the weed eater. He mowed half the back yard with the push mower and I finished the other half. Somehow when we were working on the carburetor, I injured my wrist pushing myself up off the ground. I’ve had a little trouble with the joint at the base of my left thumb, but now it’s bigger trouble. I’ve got a thumb stabilizing wrist splint on it to keep from banging it and to remind me not to try to put my weight on it to get up.

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I can still knit, though. So…there’s that!

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Dodged a bullet on that one!

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“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

\n2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/19/somebody-bring-me-a-bottle.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life","Frustration"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/18/maters-and-berries-and-emancipationnbsp.html", "title": "‘Maters and Berries and Emancipation\u0026nbsp;", "content_html": "\n
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At least once a week…too often more…we have to run to town and do errands. With the price of gas, we try to hold all errands to that one day if at all possible. I think we’ll probably have to start grouping our medical appointments to cut back on drives into town. A round trip including errands all over town can easily rack up thirty, forty…even fifty miles. When you get around 16 miles per gallon and your gas costs upwards of $5 a gallon, it pays to collate your errand list into as efficient a circuit as possible.

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We went to Sam’s and bought a few bulk items that we needed. They had a great sale on chicken thighs for 98¢ a pound. One of my friends and I have a game where we try to beat each other’s best deals. I was so proud of that chicken. Then she told me Walmart had whole legs for 84¢ a pound! (If we didn’t have so much to do this weekend, I would have bought enough to can a few jars.) I beat her on gas, though! $4.86 a gallon at Sam’s. The line reminded me of the ‘70s during the oil embargo. 

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I always pick up a rotisserie chicken when I go to the store. We have sandwiches a lot over the summer because you don’t have to heat up the house cooking. I love cold chicken or roast beef sandwiches. We bought bread at the discount bread store for much less than we could get it at Sam’s. When we got home, we had our chicken sandwiches and watched the recording of America’s Got Talent from Tuesday night while I worked on the socks I’m knitting.

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I’ve been extra careful shopping the last few months. I found a really big chuck roast for $17. I’ll put it in the slow cooker in the morning. Then we’ll have meat to take with us on our camping trip next week. We bought Hebrew National hotdogs. I won’t scrimp when it comes to hotdogs and sausages. I don’t want beaks and bits in my buns!

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We stopped to water the tomatoes at our friend’s house in town and they have gotten SO big! They need tied up and the suckers pruned again. Mr. FixIt went out when we got home and picked our first harvest of blueberries. We only have one blueberry bush but it’s really loaded this year. It has just about outgrown the cage Mr. FixIt built over it to keep the birds out. Maybe in a couple of years, we’ll get enough to make a batch of blueberry jam!

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We’ve had little bits of rain the last couple of days but nothing to speak of. It was a tad bit cooler yesterday with a high of 84°. Today isn’t supposed to get over 75°! That’s much more like our normal June temperatures and I’ll take it any day of the week. It’ll be a good day to mow. There is so much to do around here this time of year. But, farm-life is the best life and it’s so, so good for you to get outside in the fresh air to do a solid day’s work.

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I hope you enjoy your beautiful June weekend! For those of us who may not have had a good relationship with our fathers, may we remember those good men who perhaps stood in that space for us. And honor the fathers of our children…present or not. Remember Juneteenth and send up a solemn prayer in honor of those who suffered unspeakable tragedies under enslavement. I am grateful President Biden made Juneteenth a national holiday. You can read more about this holiday HERE.

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““Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”

\nExodus 21:16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/18/maters-and-berries-and-emancipationnbsp.html", "tags": ["Faith","Forgiveness","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/13/a-day-on-the-tractor.html", "title": "A Day on the Tractor", "content_html": "\n
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We started out pretty early yesterday. When you have to mow in West Virginia, the afternoons can become so hot and sticky. It’s best to get done as early as you can. We still haven’t received the bolts I ordered for the push mower, so Mr. FixIt busied himself with the weed eater and the pole lopper. I rode the lawn tractor and mowed.

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I read somewhere that people should observe “No Mow May” and I had to laugh. They obviously don’t live in a tropical rain forest like we do. If we didn’t stay on top of the mowing and trimming, we would be overrun in one growing season. As it is, we lose a foot of field every year. Then we go through and cut it all back again. It’s crazy how much things grow here.

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Grandma always said at this time of year, “We’re knee deep in June!” I’d love to bottle these days up and keep them year round. Seventies to low eighties and I’m a happy camper…even out on the mower. I still mow with my big golf umbrella and headphone playing worship music. I sing at the top of my lungs. I have no idea if the neighbors can hear me, but I know Jesus can so that’s all that matters to me!

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My first trip around the field and I came across this box turtle booking it toward the creek. I did what I’ve read to do. I carefully picked him up and moved him a few feet in the direction he was  heading and placed him in a protected area of tall grass. Mr. FixIt took the weed eater down to the creek and cleared out around where the storm drain comes out. He also got rid of a lot of low hanging branches that I was having trouble navigating on the mower. Once we were finished, we headed out to the farm to mow before it rained in the evening. I’m leaving tomorrow for a couple of days camping with some girlfriends and I didn’t want my sweetheart to have to do this work alone. 

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Today is my 69th Birthday. I usually celebrate my whole birthday month, but this year someone I know and love is struggling with health issues and it somehow felt rude to go over the top celebrating my own good health and good fortune. It felt like flaunting and that’s not who I am. Mr. FixIt and I were watching CBS Sunday Morning yesterday.

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“Tomorrow’s your birthday!” he said with enthusiasm.

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I breathed a sigh of relief that he remembered without me having to say anything. I’ve spent many birthdays disappointed that no one remembered. I’m past that now. If they don’t say anything by the day before, I have no problem reminding them. I’m just happy I didn’t have to with my sweetheart. When we were on our way to the farm to mow, I suggested we go to town and get a steak dinner and go to the park tonight for a picnic. I love picnics! Some of my favorite birthday celebrations have been simple dinners out in nature. 

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This begins my last year of my 60’s. I’ve thought a lot about that the last few weeks. I doubt 69 is going to be quite as fun as ‘69 was. That was one crazy year! The Beatle’s last public performance. The first flight of the Concorde. The Boeing 747 made its debut. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was THE car to have. There was Woodstock. Neil Armstrong and “Buzz”Aldrin were the first humans to step foot on the moon. I turned 16 years old that summer. That’s a magical age anyway, then add all these huge events…it was a pretty monumental year.

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So, I’ve decided…I’m going to end my sixties with a bang and shoot for all kinds of good things. Lots of camping and nature. And lots of time with my family and friends. Here’s to a really good year…and many more!

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?

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“May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!”

\nPsalm 20:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/13/a-day-on-the-tractor.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Aging","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/09/god-and-the-big-black.html", "title": "God and the Big Black Bear", "content_html": "\n
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When we were mowing here at the house this week, I used just about all the gas in the can. There was maybe a cup left. Mr. FixIt was using the push mower and needed gas, so he used some in one of our spare cans. I have no idea how old it was, but sure enough…it was bad and the mower just would not run. About a year ago, the throttle started surging on it so I knew it was going to need some work soon. 

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Ever since Mr. Virgo died, I’ve been adamant about learning how to do things on my own. There is a boatload of stuff to know when you live on five acres, so Mr. FixIt is really good about teaching me or talking me through it all. I tried putting a new air filter on it and that didn’t help. We had already emptied the old gas so I put fresh gas in it. Nothing. So, we put the mower up on the picnic table and I set to work tearing the carburetor apart. I wanted to clean it out and see if we could get the mower running again.

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I got the carburetor cleaned up and everything put back together, but it leaked gas. We ran to town to get a new one and I put it back together when we got home. There was only one problem. One of the mounting bolts was stripped and that’s why it leaked. We ordered replacement bolts online and they’ll get here in a week. Then we can try it again. It feels so empowering every time I do something like this and I am so appreciative that my husband isn’t territorial.

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Once we got everything put away, we headed to the farm to mow. There are four different county roads between here and there. We had just turned onto the third road when Mr. FixIt said, “Boy, I sure would like to see a bear out here! I’ve lived in this area since 1979 and I have never seen a bear once!” I reminded him we have them because we’ve seen scat. I am sure I heard one out at the farm one time, but I’ve never seen one here either.

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We drove on through the countryside, admiring the lush green and commenting what a beautiful day it was. The wildflowers are plentiful along the roadways and everywhere you looked there were daisies and red clover and honeysuckle. We came around a bend about a mile before our next turn, and there…I kid you not…there was a really good sized black bear running up the road and across! It looked back at us and hightailed it up the far bank and into the woods.

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We looked at each other in stunned silence, mouths agape, and then we started laughing at the sheer absurdity of it! I mean…seriously??? Did that just happen??? Yep, it sure did. We both lamented that we didn’t get a picture. Coincidence? Maybe. Mr. Virgo? Possibly. God? Most definitely! God delights in providing all his children’s needs and sometimes, what His children need is an unexpected surprise and a whole lot of laughter!

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And a really great story!

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?

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“Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.”

\nProverbs 17:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/09/god-and-the-big-black.html", "tags": ["God","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/06/07/bugs-and-bunnies.html", "title": "Bugs and Bunnies", "content_html": "\n
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I love mowing days in June. Everything is so green it hurts your eyes and it’s not hot enough to fry an egg on the driveway. Although 84° certainly was hot enough for me, thank you. I still mow with my big golf umbrella. People have worried I might tip over and impale myself, but our land is nearly flat as a pancake and in the three or so places it isn’t, I set the umbrella aside so…not to worry. The world looks a whole lot better from the seat of a tractor.

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Mr. FixIt told me yesterday evening that he found a dead rabbit in the front yard. He said it wasn’t torn up nor did it have any visible wounds. There was scat out there but he ran over it with the mower before I had a chance to look at it. He said it was big like the bear scat I showed him. I can’t imagine a bear catching a rabbit, but I suppose stranger things have happened. We didn’t hear anything out there. It could have been poisoned, too. 

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We didn’t get more than a handful of blueberries last year…now look!

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There are fledgling Eastern Phoebes just about ready to leave the nest over the cellar stairs. I do hope they leave soon. The nesting material is getting loose and I’m afraid they’ll fall out. Mama and daddy are still feeding them so they’ll be on their way soon, I’m sure. I did get to see the bird nesting in the empty mailbox next to ours yesterday. I’m pretty sure by the nesting materials and the quick glimpse I got of her, it’s a Carolina Wren…what my grandma called a Jenny Wren. 

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We had the weirdest thing happen Sunday afternoon. I was looking for my hiking boots to take to the grandkids’ farm. I headed to the front closet and something on the carpet caught my eye. It looked like a stick. But it was sticking up out of the carpet. I reached down to pick it up and the end snapped off. It was hollow and crumbled into dust between my fingers. I’d never seen anything like it before but I know enough about nature to know it was created by an insect of some sort.

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I took a snapshot of it and used Google Lens and lo and behold…termites! It was a mud tube made by a subterranean termite. I didn’t waste any time. I have Dodson Pest Control on my speed dial ever since the Great Flea Fiasco of 2016! I called my friend Chris there and told him what we had. “Yep…termites!” He sent someone out yesterday afternoon and $1700+ later, we have treatment scheduled for the first part of August. We have to peel back the carpet to expose the concrete slab underneath. The inspector surmised there is a crack underneath that’s allowing them in. Mr. FixIt took him out front and sure enough, there is a crack that goes right where the mud tube was.

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We drove into town last night to get an ice cream. On the way back, I asked Mr. FixIt if he wanted to go out to Riverbend Farm to see how Melissa’s tomatoes are doing in the greenhouses. Oh, my! She says they are full size and that means thirty days to picking season. She has a couple of good rows of half-runner beans. I told her I wanted a bushel and she laughed. “You and everyone else!” Maybe I’ll get lucky and get some of hers! I love going places now and running into people I know in this little town. I’ve been here for five years this fall.

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It’s supposed to be rainy the next few days so I’m looking forward to getting some work done in the house. I still have to put all that camping gear away. I called yesterday to put a bug in their ear at the dealership and remind them I’ll be picking the camper up next Tuesday…ready or not. Hopefully it’ll be finished! We’ve made reservations to camp at Historic Williamsburg in July. We’ll be picking Little up for a couple weeks of fun at Nana’s house! I can’t wait!!!

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Starting and ending my days out on the deck is heavenly. I’m making a concerted effort to sit outside as much as possible this summer because it will be all too soon when we’re stuck inside again!

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?

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“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have…”

\nHebrews 13:5 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-06-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/06/07/bugs-and-bunnies.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/05/02/farm-living-at-its-best.html", "title": "Farm Living at its Best", "content_html": "\n
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We live on five beautiful fairly flat acres in West Virginia. To say we are “hobby farmers” is a stretch. We’re more like a sod farm that doesn’t harvest and sell our sod. We grow a few things. And, other than the cat, we have no livestock. We basically have a really large yard that we keep mowed because it brings us such joy and peace. Not only the act of mowing, which is highly therapeutic, but also the looks of the verdant green when the afternoon sun hits it just so. The air gets a bit of a golden green glow and…well, it’s just lovely. And we feel so blessed to be its stewards.

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I know many of you wish I’d keep at least part of it for pollinators. I keep thinking I will…then spring comes and I’m itching to get out there on the mower for my “farmer fix”. I keep ruminating, and perhaps next year will be the change. But, for now, I’m keeping like it is. It makes me happy. And, Lord knows…there’s so much sad in the world. We all need a little more happy.

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Yes today was not the lay low day of rest I was planning on. Since I’m leaving midweek for Colorado, Mr. FixIt needed me to help him with a few things he can’t do alone. We went out on the deck and put the cover over the pergola. Some of the market lights seem to have gathered moisture during the winter so I removed the covers and dried them out so we can light them. Then I went out to change the turn signal bulb in the driver’s side mirror. 

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I watched the YouTube video that showed exactly how to do it. I wasn’t sure I was going to be successful because it was really complicated. And, since it’s such a tiny space to reach behind, I had to use my headlamp in order to see back there. With a great dial of fiddling around and moving the mirror this way and that, I finally got it off there, removed the front cover, and replaced the bulb fixture. When I turned on the engine and flipped the turn signal, it was still making the rapid clicking which indicates a burned out bulb. 

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I couldn’t figure out why it would do that till I went to the back of the truck. It turns out, on the rear of the truck, there are two bulbs on each side for the turn signal…an upper and a lower. The lower was burned out. I put the light housing back in place so I could take Mr. FixIt’s truck and get a replacement bulb in the auto store in our little burg. I also ran over to my friend’s house to pick up something he had for me as a memento from my friend Diane who passed away in December.

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When I got home, Mr. FixIt was adjusting the hitch a little higher for the camper. I needed to help him with that before I could work on the turn signal, but we made quick work of it and were done in no time. Then I hopped on the riding mower to finish the last of the mowing for the week. By that time, Mr. FixIt needed to get ready to go to his end of the year bowling banquet. He only substituted this year so he didn’t bowl very much, but he still loves to go to the banquet and visit with the folks…some of whom he has bowled with for over 35 years.

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I finally sat down and knitted for a while in the quiet of the evening. I listened to the birds, then the thunder, and finally the rain. Another day is done. Two more sleeps and it’s time to go on a road trip! 

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You up for an adventure???

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?

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“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

\n1 Peter 3:7 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-05-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/05/02/farm-living-at-its-best.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Road Trip","Fitness"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/30/high-fives-and-hot-water.html", "title": "High Fives and Hot Water", "content_html": "\n
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There is ALWAYS something that needs to be fixed…especially when you live on a farm!

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I know I said I wasn’t going to go to town yesterday, but…I had to. I ordered a lamp for the turn signal on my truck and it came in. The nice parts dude woke me up at 8:30 to tell me so what choice did I have? I ran in, picked up the part, and headed to Kohl’s to pick up a few things for summer. I was really excited to get several shirts, a sweater, and a dress for under $100! I stopped at Walmart to get some windshield washer fluid and saw a couple more things I couldn’t live without so my summer wardrobe is complete.

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I picked up lunch on the way home and called Mr. FixIt to be ready to head to the farm as soon as I got there. We needed to finish up the pump and get the water back on. We made great progress…finally getting the parts reconnected and the pump primed. Then…we found a pinhole leak in one of the old parts we were trying to reuse. We turned everything off, released the pressure, took the old parts off and headed to the closest hardware store…only to discover they were closed by the time we got there.

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We stopped for an ice cream cone. Ice cream makes you think better, you know! lol We regrouped and decided to drive all the way into Parkersburg and get the parts at Lowe’s then head back to the farm. We worked from 2-9pm but we finally got that thing back together and running! You never saw such celebrating when we plugged that pump in and it came to life! There is still a very, very slow drip at one connection. We are going to let it sit overnight. Sometimes sediment in the line can plug theses up. If not, we’ll get some of that epoxy putty you can use to stop leaks and see if that works before taking the whole thing apart again.

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The pump hasn’t been running for several months and there was a great deal of sediment in the water. I was a bit shocked when black water came out of the faucet, but then I remembered that time I left the tub running and ran the well dry. That scared the heck out of me because I thought I’d ruined it, but it came back once the water seeped back into the well.

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Today is mowing day. This is the time of year when we need to mow about every five or six days. It’s supposed to storm tonight so we need to get it done. Mr. FixIt spaded the flower bed yesterday morning where we plant the Elephant Ears every year. We’ve decided not to plant tomatoes at home this year. Our soil here just doesn’t produce a good yield for all the work it takes. A friend of Mr. FixIt’s lives in Parkersburg and still owns his dad’s house. Their yard produces the BEST tomatoes ever. Since Joe doesn’t live there full time, we’re going to plant our tomatoes over there this year in the hopes of having a better crop.

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Lots to do this week to get ready for the trip west. I’ll trying to get out of here on Thursday…Friday at the latest. I called yesterday to check on the progress of the camper repair. As you might imagine…they still haven’t received the parts. I told them if it isn’t ready, I’ll just pick it up on the way through and use a cooler this trip. I can drop the camper off on my way home from Colorado. 

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I told Mr. FixIt on the way home from the farm last night…I’m not doing a thing on Sunday. It’s our day of worship and rest!

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?

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“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.””

\nJohn 4:13-14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/30/high-fives-and-hot-water.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/25/a-shock-to-the-senses.html", "title": "A Shock to the Senses", "content_html": "\n
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Our redbud is still blooming!

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We went from meat locker to microwave in less than twenty-four hours! It was downright chilly last week when the wind blew but the last two days at the beach were very pleasant…in the sixties. We got home well after dark Saturday night and by the time we went to bed, the temps were back down in the sixties which made for pretty good sleeping weather. That and being thoroughly exhausted after driving fourteen hours. 

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We knew it was warm here while we were gone. The family said they turned on their air conditioning already. We got up to a beautiful sunny day and took a good look around. There was a good deal of rain the first half of last week. Add heat in the eighties and the grass grew thick and deep. It was in desperate need of cutting.

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I went out to have a cup of coffee on the deck and I could tell already that mowing was going to become pretty uncomfortable, pretty quickly. Mr. FixIt ran to our little town to fill up the gas can and I got started on the mowing. We had to take a break mid afternoon to cool off before we went out to finish. 

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I’m telling you…I just do not tolerate heat like I used to. And by bedtime, even with a shower, I was still way overheated. We’ve tried to put off turning on the AC but just couldn’t put it off any longer. We had such a lay low winter that pulling off a week at the beach, a fourteen hour drive, and a full day in the hot sun mowing and I’m toast. So, I’m going to keep this short again as I’m writing in front of the fan, sipping electrolytes.

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Getting old(er) ain’t for sissies.

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?

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“for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

\n1 Timothy 4:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/25/a-shock-to-the-senses.html", "tags": ["Health","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/15/apologizing-to-grandma.html", "title": "Apologizing to Grandma", "content_html": "\n
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Zoom in on the picture to see Grandma’s Johnny Jump Ups in the yard.

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When we went to the farm on Wednesday to mow, I backed the tractor off the trailer and headed to the road end of the yard to start mowing. As I turned off the drive and into the soft, spring green grass I saw a sight that stopped me in my tracks. I turned off the tractor and just sat there, admiring what lay before me.

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A whole yard full of Johnny Jump Ups. I can remember as a very little girl, picking handfuls of these little treasures and bringing my bouquet to Grandma. She would pull out a tiny cup and carefully place the flowers in water to enjoy till they wilted away.

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I could hear my grandma’s voice as plain as day.

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“Don’t you mow down my posies, pet!”

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It made my heart hurt. Grandma led such a simple, yet rich life. She’d had a hard row to hoe. The middle child of three, she lost her mom when she was nine years old. Her little brother had just turned five when their mom died. Her dad was a difficult man and made their lives pretty miserable growing up. He had a string of wives he picked up along the way to “mother” his children. The only one I knew was his last wife…Grandma Pearl. Grandma loved her, but she was already grown with a family of her own when she came along.

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Take a really close look at Grandma’s old house and you’ll see it was cheaply made before the depression. Upgrades were made along the way and she eventually got indoor plumbing and a bathroom. She always said this house was like the Taj Mahal to her after the places she’d had to live over the years. She nurtured ever flower and plant on the place and often brought cuttings home from friends and neighbors to expand her gardens. 

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West Virginia has an abundance of wild flowers that take your breath away and one that Grandma treasured was the little violets she called Johnny Jump Ups that covered her yard. The grass would grow long and thick before they finally faded and she would finally allow my Uncle Bob to mow. As I sat there looking at her beautiful flowers, I pulled out my phone and took a picture. Even the iPhone 13 Pro Max with its incredible camera couldn’t do that yard justice.

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Finally, I sighed and apologized to my grandma for cutting her pretty posies. I know she would be bitterly disappointed, but we need to “make hay while the sun shines” around here and we were right smack dab between rain storms. There was a lot of work to be done so I turned the mower back on and went on with the job at hand.

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“I’m so sorry, Grandma. I took a picture…and I’ll always remember you when I see these pretty little posies.”

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?

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“The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Solomon 2:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/15/apologizing-to-grandma.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/14/peekaboo-spring.html", "title": "Peek-a-Boo Spring!", "content_html": "\n
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The dance of spring can be wild. Multiple seasons appear in rapid succession within just a few hours. Afternoons can bring violent storms and high winds…thunder and lightning…tornadoes…hail…heavy rain….and beautiful sunshine. We’re trying to wrap up things here at home before we make our annual trek to the beach. I wasn’t sure if we would have a window dry enough to mow at the farm with all this rain we’ve been getting, but yesterday we found our opportunity.

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We haven’t messed with the older tractor in the barn this spring, and since time is a precious commodity this week, we just packed up our riding mower on the trailer and off we went. It was pretty windy and we both found ourselves praying that God would keep the trees standing on the hillsides on either side of the area we mow. We thanked him profusely when we were finished and not even a branch had fallen.

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The lawn out at the farm is so small we can finish in not much more than half an hour. And, just as we were wrapping it up, it started to sprinkle. Perfect timing! We loaded up the trailer and headed on home. Mr. FixIt spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning out the truck and starting to pack for the trip. I went in and worked on the taxes. I was waiting for a 1099 that I found out yesterday, I don’t need. So, taxes are delayed again. 

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I really don’t like waiting till the last minute to do this stuff. It just seemed to sneak up on me this year for some reason. Everything went really smooth except for one little hiccup. I needed to download something and couldn’t for the life of me get it to work. Enter…Debby from TurboTax Customer Care. She walked me through the process and it worked fine…till I tried to submit the tax returns via e-File. I imagine about half the country was trying to do the same thing at the same time and I got a popup that said there was transmission difficulties, to close the program and come back in an hour to check the status. I am sure, at some point it will go through. 

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So, everything is mowed, the laundry is just about finished, the taxes are all but complete, and all we need to do is throw a few things in a suitcase and we’re outta here! Even though we have a house sitter, Miss Pumpkin is going to the Kitty Hilton to visit with her little kitty friends. It always works out to coincide with her yearly checkup so she’ll get all that done while she is relaxing at the “spa”.

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Now…breathe!

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?

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“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

\nProverbs 13:20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/14/peekaboo-spring.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/02/farm-life-is-fun.html", "title": "Farm Life is Fun!", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday morning to a weird chewing sound. Anyone who has ever lived in an old farmhouse knows there are any number of critters that could be making this noise, but let me tell you…I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt…this wasn’t your everyday little ol’ field mouse. This sucker sounded like maybe a beaver commenced to making the house his new home.

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I gingerly pulled back the curtains that serve as the “door” between the bedroom and the living room…afraid of what I might spook in the process. I didn’t see anything, but after a moment, the chewing commenced again. I listened carefully and from what I could tell, it was coming from the area of the front door. 

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Not wanting to scare the thing away before I had a chance to identify it, I tiptoed carefully across the living room and carefully pulled the curtain on the door back ever so slowly. There, in all his glory, was a fat grey squirrel doing his best to eat the house! I smacked my hand hard on the wall on the other side of his feast and he jumped three feet in the air…his little legs pumping before he ever hit the ground.

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I opened the door with some trepidation. I mean…was he just standing off to the side waiting for me to come out in the open before he pounced? Or did I really scare him away? Did he have friends out there ready to take me on? I wouldn’t put it past the little beasties! But, alas…the critter was gone and I had a chance to look at the damage. Let’s just say this little fellow has been at this for a while. There was a three to four inch semicircular hole in the outer level of wood with distinct teeth marks from the time spent trying to…what? Get in the house? I can’t imagine why he would want to chew through the side of the house when there are easily a dozen places where he could more easily gain access. Wear down his teeth? Squirrels, like beavers, have teeth that continually grow and they need to be worn down with chewing. I imagine that’s where this was going, but why the house of all things? There’s a million trees…standing and fallen…where he could go. There are outbuildings…the old barn…heck, he could have gone to Chicago for that matter. Why did he want to chew that place in particular? We’ll never know because I scared him off before I had the chance to ask!

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I sat down with my trusty iPhone and searched the internet for “How to keep a squirrel from eating your house.” It popped up before I had the chance to finish asking, meaning…I’m not the first person to ask this question. Oddly reassuring. It said you could pour hot sauce on the spot, but the poor little squirrel might get it in his little eyes which could lead to blindness and since I cannot have a blind squirrel running into things on the farm, I elected for option #2…mothballs.

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Now, did I have mothballs? Well, in all honesty, I thought I had seen some down in the basement but no…it was Epsom salts. Not a good alternative, unfortunately. I needed some light bulbs for the kitchen fixture anyway as they were burned out. And I was out of paper towels. So, I grabbed my purse and keys and headed back over to the Dollar General where I had visited the day before.

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I searched up and down the aisles and finally asked a clerk if they had mothballs. She was good…she told me off the top of her head where they were…exactly. After paying for my purchases, I headed back home with my bright yellow sack to banish the tree rat! I needed a mesh sack and didn’t have one, so I cut the scrubby netting off the back of a dish cloth and that worked nicely. I took a length of my yarn and tied up a few mothballs in my makeshift sack and hung it over the place where Rocky Squirrel had been recently noshing. We’ll see next time if it worked!

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In the meantime, we had several snow squalls come blowing through. As is typical this time of year, we saw hail, sleet, graupel, snow, rain and sunshine all in the span of fifteen minutes. It was epic! I changed the light bulbs, loaded up the truck, and headed home. The Piggly Wiggly was PACKED at 3:30. What on earth do people need to buy at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon…the line on both registers was six deep! *gasp*

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With the fixin’s for a big ol’ pot spaghetti in hand, I headed on home to greet my sweetheart. Absence indeed does make the heart grow fonder and we are always tickled to death to see each other after a couple of days. After dinner, I finished the hat I started knitting Wednesday. It was one heck of an April Fool’s Day!!!

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“for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”

\n1 Timothy 3:5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/02/farm-life-is-fun.html", "tags": ["Strong Women","The Farm","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/01/wake-up.html", "title": "Wake Up!!!", "content_html": "\n
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I was awakened yesterday by the sounds of heavy equipment and the incessant beep-beep-beeping of a back up alarm out front. I dressed quickly, grabbed my phone, and headed out the door to see what was going on. The highway dudes were clearing up the rockslide that occurred a couple of weeks ago. Cool!

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I came back in and fixed my coffee. The morning was fairly warm and breezy with intermittent clouds and showers. I took my knitting out on the front porch and worked while I listened to the birds. I don’t have feeders out here anymore. But I had plenty of company out there amongst my furry and feathered friends. The cardinals, blue jays, robins, wrens, sparrows, woodpeckers, towhees and a gorgeous red-tailed hawk were joined by chipmunks and grey squirrels. It was quite the show!

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Along about 1:00, I decided to take a drive over to the next town to check out the new Dollar General. I heard it was a real humdinger and they were right. This thing has a huge grocery section which is quite a convenience when you’re twenty-five miles from a real store. 

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Next was an impromptu stop at the church thrift shop. They weren’t officially open, but there were several cars out front so I took my chances. I wandered around a bit and didn’t find anything I needed…till the last aisle. There was a magnifying floor lamp with my name on it. $10! I saw them in January for up to $250 so this was just what the doctor ordered. It will really help when I knit at night with dark colors. 

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I debated where to go next. Back to the farm or on up the road to visit Berdine’s Five & Dime to get some chocolate covered peanuts and then a stop at the cemetery to visit the family. 

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It was 73° as I sat on the headstone and happily munched on my “penny candy” in the little paper sack and chattered away. I told Grandma all about her pretty posies that are blooming. I told Pop-Pop I thought I’d finally figured out how to fix the pump and all I needed was a good strong pipe wrench. I told my Uncle Sonny that I spoke with his fiancé a couple of weeks ago. I apologized again to my Uncle Bob for not always being nice when he teased me. He was differently abled and I was a petulant, headstrong child. I told Mr. Virgo I was glad I placed some of his hair in the ground alongside Mom’s headstone since I can’t visit him often in Colorado. And, I told my Mom I saw the most beautiful purple dress the other day that she would have loved.

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As I turned to leave, I glanced to my right and there, at the edge of the woods, was a redbud tree blooming. Oh, I love it when they bloom! They look like airy purplely pink clouds floating along the winding country roads and they just make my heart sing. I went to the truck to get my camera to capture photographic proof that spring has indeed arrived in West Virginia, whether it snows again or not. 

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I came back to the farm. Rather than knit, I stretched out on the bed to read and before I knew it, I dozed off. It’s been a restful couple of days even though I haven’t had running water. I’ve listened to the owls call at dusk. I’ve slept in Grandma’s bed. I’ve eaten chocolate covered peanuts and watched the flora and fauna running rampant and rich. 

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My soul is refreshed. Don’t be fooled today! 

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?

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“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

\nIsaiah 32:18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/01/wake-up.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/30/thank-god-im-a-country.html", "title": "Thank God I’m a Country Girl", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been a farm girl for as long as I can remember…whether I lived in the country or not. The love of the land bit me when I was very young and the dream was never far away, even when I lived and worked in a city. This picture was taken at the log house Hubby #2 and I bought after he finished his residency and joined a practice in a tourist town on the Western Slope of the Rockies. 

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If you look closely, you can see the semi-arid, desert-like land we lived in. Rain was hard to come by. Lawns and gardens had to be irrigated with water you bought and paid for. And the ground itself was hard packed and needed so much work to foster it into something workable. As I fiddled around with my plantings, I dreamt of a farm in the lush green land of my youth. 

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For a number of reasons…not the least of which was being Jewish…my husband didn’t feel West Virginia would be very welcoming. Besides, he was a Colorado boy, born and bred. They don’t transplant well into humidity. So my dream of that verdant farm remained just that…a dream. I did the best I could with what I had to work with.

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On this day, I borrowed our neighbor’s tractor and plowed up a huge garden. I worked it, planted it, babied it, and fought the wildlife for my budding plants. Between the deer and the rabbits…it was a tough war. That summer, I left the watering to my husband and my daughter and I went to West Virginia to visit my mom and grandma. On June 23rd, he called me to break the news. It got down to 23° overnight and I lost everything.

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I was so disappointed. I vowed that very day to buy all my veggies from local farmers. I made friends with some people who lived on a mesa west of town. I drove out to their farm once a week to buy my produce from their organic farm in person to keep them from having to give a cut to the farmer’s market they frequented. I knew full well from watching my grandparents grow strawberries to sell…there’s a boatload of work in it and you need to get back every penny you can.

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When this photo popped up yesterday, I smiled at the warm memories it invoked. I was so young and energetic and idealistic. I was supremely confident my marriage would last the rest of our lives and we were going to live happily ever after. But, life isn’t a fairy tale and time can change even the most committed people. 

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I am who I am today, largely because of that twenty-year marriage. It gave me my second daughter. It gave me experiences and life lessons I couldn’t get any other way. Even though things got really, really hard at the end of that marriage, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because of the personal growth it forced me to make.

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I look at photos like this and compare it to where I am now in my life. I was thirty-four years old in this picture. I’m soon to be sixty-nine. A lot of water has gone under that bridge. Life has passages we go through….times of smooth sailing and times of strife. I know full well how blessed I am to be right where I am and with my Mr. FixIt. I don’t let a day go by without telling him how happy I am that our paths crossed again and that we chose to live out this adventure together.

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On occasion, my mind wanders to the darker sides of life. After having lost Mr. Virgo to a massive heart attack, I am fully aware how tenuous life is…how easily it all could be snatched away. I used to feel anxiety and fear at the “what ifs”. I’ve stopped doing that (most of the time, anyway), because that is not how God wants me to live my life. He tells me in His instruction manual that I cannot gain one hour in my life by worrying. He tells me not to be afraid…that He will equip me with exactly what I need, when I need it. And, He will carry me when the going gets tough.

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I have complete faith that He will do what He says He will because…I’ve seen Him fulfill His promises…over and over and over. Remembering that fact instills me with the confidence that I can do anything with Him in my life because He strengthens me. I know that He lives within me and He is greater that he who lives in the world. He makes sure that no weapon formed against me will prosper. These promises have gone a long way toward improving my emotional and physical wellbeing. 

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I don’t know how to act my age because, I’ve never been this age before. So I’ll just live each one of the days like it’s my last and enjoy the ride.

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?

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

\nProverbs 3:5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/30/thank-god-im-a-country.html", "tags": ["Faith","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/28/west-virginias-state-food.html", "title": "West Virginia’s State Food", "content_html": "\n
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I don’t remember pepperoni rolls when I was growing up. I think the first time I had them may have been when I came home from living in England in 1975. I’ve tried my best baking them over the years without much success. Which isn’t a real problem because you can find a decent pepperoni roll at just about any gas station or mom and pop convenience store. Around here, bakeries make them alongside fritters and cream horns and you can buy them by the bagful.

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We have a local bakery in our little burg that makes really good pepperoni rolls, but the demand isn’t too high so they only make them on Fridays and Saturdays. I seem to be busy on those days. I do indulge in their donuts mid-week so I feel like I’m supporting them.

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I was sitting in my recliner, knitting another pair of mittens and watching basketball yesterday with Mr. FixIt. I got a hankerin’ for a good pepperoni roll but wasn’t about to get up and go out in 30° temps to try to find some. I’ve been ruminating since Christmas about the dough I use to make my homemade cinnamon rolls. I wrote a post about them HERE. They use an interesting dough that stays soft and chewy for days so I decided to try it for pepperoni rolls. 

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Oh…My…Gosh!!!

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They were heavenly! Light, moist, chewy…divine! I brushed them with butter before and after baking. I also dusted them lightly with grated parmesan cheese and a bit of Italian seasonings. I think next time, I’ll try just brushing with butter after the baking as I think it contributed to the darker crust. Also, I wasn’t please with the parmesan cheese. It was hard, dry, and brown by the time they were baked and the flavor wasn’t on point for me.

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I filled the rolls with about six of the big slices of pepperoni and used the only cheese I had available at the time…sliced Colby Jack. Next time I’ll probably add more pepperoni and try mozzarella…maybe in string cheese form. You can use hot pepper cheese to turn up the heat a little bit. That’s always good.

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I finished one mitten of a new pair I’m knitting with the superwash wool I bought at our local yarn shop on sale. I can get one pair of mittens or one hat from one skein with just a bit left over and each skein only cost me a dollar! These will be lovely gifts come Christmas. I shipped off some hats to my Colorado grands last week and I’m looking forward to hearing what they think of them.

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Today is another chilly day so I’ll be staying in and knitting again. Not too many more days like this. I can HEAR the grass growing! We should be up to 80° by Wednesday!

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“Give us this day our daily bread,”

\nMatthew 6:11 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/28/west-virginias-state-food.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/27/soup-beans-and-corn-bread.html", "title": "Soup Beans and Corn Bread", "content_html": "\n
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My recipe for soup beans is very simple. Soak 1 small bag of navy beans overnight. In the morning, wash and sort through for any errant stones, then place in slow cooker. Add a good sized smoked ham hock and a medium yellow onion cut into chunks. Add enough water to cover the beans by an inch and add fresh cracked black pepper. Cook on high for 4-6 hours till tender then drop to warm till meal time. Serve with hot cornbread fresh from the oven.

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Even though we don’t technically live on a farm, we do have five acres out in the country. We garden and mow and put up food in the fall, just like we did when I was growing up, so…I call it a farm life. I love it. The peace and quiet. The spring peepers (little tree frogs) calling. The great variety of birds that visit our feeders. All the great flower beds we have around. Our property is essentially a trapezoid-shaped chunk of land bordered by two creeks and a country road. It’s our little slice of “Almost Heaven”. 

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When I was a young bride, all I wanted to do was to get the heck out of here. When I became a single mom, I elected to stay in Denver for the greater educational opportunities my daughter would receive. When my second daughter was born, any thought of moving to West Virginia was impossible till she grew up and finished college. By that time, I was married to Mr. Virgo and he had no desire to move back here. He’d spent his entire life trying to get to Colorado and that’s where he would stay till the day he died.

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Once he was gone and I passed that one year mark as a widow, I pulled up roots for a number of reasons and made the big break for my home state. God has plans for us to prosper, and I’ve prospered emotionally big time since arriving in West Virginia. It is the home of my heart. Living on my grandparents’ farm was such an incredible blessing. Then, running into Mr. FixIt again and eventually marrying and moving to this plot of land…my life has come full circle.

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I’ve kind of slacked off the baking and country cooking over the winter, but occasionally I just need to pull out all the stops and go for a great meal of comfort food. Last week, I cooked a pot of soup beans with a great big smoked ham hock, a quartered yellow onion, and a few dashes of cracked black pepper in them. We’ve each eaten a couple of bowls of beans from that pot and there was enough for each of us to have one big bowl yesterday. 

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I put the beans on to reheat in my grandma’s old waterless cookware pan that she cooked potatoes in. Then I set to mixing up a batch of cornbread. I’ll share a link to the recipe HERE. I used my #8 Griswold cast iron skillet to bake it and….oh, my….it was SO good. Crispy on the outside and deliciously moist on the inside. I don’t like a crumbly cornbread. But I also don’t like it to be too cake like or overly sweet. This recipe was perfect and it has gone in my arsenal to make again. The recipe calls for milk, but I like buttermilk in my cornbread so I easily made the substitution.

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We enjoyed a lazy Saturday. It was cold and either raining or spitting snow off and on all day. Hopefully, this is the last of Old Man Winter, but we could still get a cold stretch in April. I finished the black wool hat to match the mittens and worked on the shawl I’ve been knitting. Hopefully I’ll have it finished for the trip to Colorado in May. I’d like to wear it to the graduation since it will be outdoors. It’s still pretty cool in May in the Rockies.

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It’s hard to believe March is almost over. Our fruit trees are trying to bud out but we’ve had two nights in a row below freezing, so I doubt we’ll see pears and crabapples this year. I have the new bedding out in the Big Birdhouse so hopefully I’ll get a little time out there today dressing the twin beds. I need to check the fridge, and if it’s still not working on electric, then give it a try on propane. If it isn’t working, I’ll need to call the dealership tomorrow to schedule repairs.

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I can’t wait to go on a real camping trip!!!

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?

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“And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

\nGenesis 1:29 ESV\n
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#Comfort, #SoupBeans, #Cornbread

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/27/soup-beans-and-corn-bread.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/24/were-off-to-see-the.html", "title": "We’re Off to See The Wizard", "content_html": "\n
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We had some pretty fierce spring thunder boomers come through here yesterday. I was out in the Big Birdhouse chatting with my dear friend Gail when a notification came across my phone. We were under a tornado watch from 1:30-10:00 last night. Severe thunderstorm warnings with possible quarter sized hail and winds up to 75mph. Wowza! I quickly gathered up my stuff, dropped the top on the camper, and hightailed it inside.

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I have to say, I absolutely love thunderstorms. I remember as a kid in grade school, the windows in the classroom were huge because the building was really old. (It had the wooden desks with inkwells, so that tells you how old I am!) I remember the cozy feeling when the sky would get really dark in the middle of the day and the rain would come in sheets, beating against the wavy glass windows. The old milk glass globes on the lights that hung overhead cast an eerie glow to the scene.

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Thunderstorms are different here in WV than they are in Colorado. They’re bigger and darker and louder. You’ve heard Garth Brooks sing about how the thunder rolls? Well, that’s what it does here. The windows shake. Sometimes car alarms are set off. You can hear a storm coming from far off. And they travel fast, too. They pack a lot of wind and knock trees down over power lines and interfere with your satellite. I wish we had a big porch with a roof that I could go out and sit to watch the storms when they roll through.

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The worst of the storms passed by the time I sat down to write this last night around 8:30. I had the windows wide open and could hear the spring peepers serenading the little girl frogs. Water dripped off the edge of the roof into a little groove in the ground that matches the edge of the roofline. We had so much rain last night, there was standing water in the yard.

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I was supposed to go to join my camping friends today for four days of crafting fun, but poor Gail was sick with the flu this week and we all decided it was best to postpone. We have been so careful during the pandemic, we haven’t had so much as a cold, so I would really hate to get sick at this point. Fortunately, she is over it now, but better to be safe than sorry, right?

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I noticed the other night, the refrigerator isn’t working well in the brand new camper. I’ve unplugged it to give it a chance to thaw out just in case it’s frozen like air conditioners can do. It’s going to be really chilly the next few days, then we’ll be back to good weather next week. If the fridge doesn’t start working correctly, we’ll need to take it in to get fixed. It’s always something, isn’t it?

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I was the bird whisperer again yesterday when another little male downy woodpecker hit our window. I finally put the stickers up that I bought. My son-in-law’s mom says they work great for her, so hopefully I won’t walk out to find stunned birds on the stoop. We had a rainbow that ended right on our road. I think I’ve found the pot of gold…don’t you? 

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“As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.”

\nEzekiel 1:28 KJV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/24/were-off-to-see-the.html", "tags": ["Faith","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/17/an-eventful-day.html", "title": "An Eventful Day!", "content_html": "\n
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Our helpers couldn’t come yesterday so there was a change in plans. We got “Birdie” set up and cleaned out the ladybugs and stink bugs. Mr. FixIt gave her a bath. And I headed to the farm for a couple of days. It had been a while since I got to visit and I was in need of a farm fix. 

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The weather was stellar yesterday! I sat on the front porch and knitted in the sunshine. It was 71° and delightful. Along about 4:00, a lead car for a wide load pulled up out front. You never know what you might see out these old country roads, so I opened the camera on my phone and prepared to take a video of whatever lumbered by. 

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\n[youtu.be/aPRKMB-S1...](https://youtu.be/aPRKMB-S1oE)\n
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Soon, here came half a house on its way to become someone’s home in the country. Over the years, the phone line that crosses the road has begun to sag lower and lower. The trailer slowed way down then inched forward. Suddenly, the top of the house snagged the phone line and he hit the gas!

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I started yelling and telling him to stop and back up. The truck behind him was honking. The guy in front of him was waving his arms. He stopped, but not before he stretched the heck out that wire. The guy in the lead car got an extension ladder out and two guys extended it and lifted the line so the house could glide under it.

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Once all the commotion died down, I went back to the porch and picked up my knitting. I was looking at that line and thought it looked lower. I pulled up an earlier photo and compared them and indeed…it was MUCH lower. I tried to call the phone company but they were closed. 

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I had been having a little trouble with the water pump earlier so I was on the phone with my cousin who lives down the road. All of a sudden, a fully loaded logging truck came barreling down the road, caught that line, and ripped through it like butter! So, that was that. The water wasn’t running, and now the phone was out. And without the phone, I had no internet. And without the internet, I had no cell service. And without the cell service, Mr. FixIt couldn’t reach me and wouldn’t know what happened.

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I packed up my stuff and came back home. Not at all the relaxing day I was hoping for, but like Beans said…it was a good thing I was there or we would never have known what happened. I was in the right place at the right time again, it seems.

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?

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“When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

\nProverbs 16:7 ESV\n
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#RightPlaceRightTime, #Accident, #TheFarm

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/17/an-eventful-day.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/15/my-little-hideaway.html", "title": "My Little Hideaway", "content_html": "\n
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It was sunny and gorgeous yesterday and just about all the snow has melted. The creeks were roaring and the ground was spongy beneath my feet as I walked out to the camper for a little recharge. I do so love having a space to call my own. I love taking a good book and crawling under the electric blanket for a read and a little nap. It’s so restorative. 

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Just as I drifted off, the whole camper shuddered and I thought a huge gust of wind had come up…like a microburst. It turns out, it was the large slab of snow on the slanted roof that gave way from the warmth of the rising sun. Honestly, I about jumped out of my skin when I heard that roar and felt the rumble. 

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When I got out to the “Big Birdhouse”, it was still pretty cold. I plugged in my little ceramic heater and the fan gurgled and groaned and I realized it was on its last leg. I went back in the house and brought out the “fireplace”. I bought this heater when I was living in Big TOW-Wanda up on the banks of the Ohio River in 2015. 

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One thing I didn’t realize with this bigger heater…it doesn’t have a thermostat. I was all snuggled up and once I got warm, I fell asleep. After an hour or so, the temperature outside was 62° and I woke up in what felt like a dry sauna! It had to have been 90° or more because that heater just kept running. 

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We went to a birthday party for one of the West Virginia grands last night. We got to play with our “great grand-doggy”, Ivy. She is a Bern-Doodle and is the sweetest girl. It feels weird to gather with people again. We felt fairly comfortable because everyone had been vaccinated and boosted. But, I’m not sure I will ever look at socializing the same.

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Today is the knitter’s gathering. I’ve already come to look forward to Tuesdays! It reminds me of when my youngest was little and I was a stay-at-home mom. When she turned two, her pediatrician said it was time to start socializing her so I took her two days a week to the daycare program through the hospital. That gave me a few hours to clean uninterrupted and gather with some girlfriends to stitch. Women need community. It is just as important now as it was when I was a young mother.

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Our weather will be warm and sunny till Friday. I do believe Spring has sprung!!!

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?

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“for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/15/my-little-hideaway.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/06/springtime-in-west-virginia.html", "title": "Springtime in West Virginia", "content_html": "\n
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Ahhhhhh….what a gorgeous day! Yesterday dawned bright and crisp and by late afternoon, it was 80°!!! It just doesn’t get any better than that. While we could have gone out and about, we elected to save the gas money for the travel we’ll be doing later in the spring and summer. Mr. FixIt finished hooking up the electric jack on the Big Birdhouse and piddled around a bit outside. We had a small bottle of bleach in the tool bin in the Little Birdhouse last summer and the road vibrations caused the cap to loosen and leak. The result was this weird corrosion on anything metal which included the manual crank for the jack in case of power failure. He spend quite a bit of time sanding it down and cleaning it up.

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We got the big extension ladder out and I climbed up to take the Christmas wreath down. I also replaced the halogen bulb in the floodlight. Mr. FixIt was my spotter. His balance is not reliable since his strokes so there’s no more climbing ladders for him. I’m still quite strong and steady. I won’t go too high, but this was fine. We were both very careful. It’s farm life…what can I say?

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We had a fingernail moon last night and it was still 72° well after dark, so I headed out to the camper for the night. I always invite my sweetheart, but again…he doesn’t really see the point if we are parked 100 feet from the house. That’s ok…he doesn’t mind if I go out. It gives me a little quiet time in the camper and always feels like a cozy getaway. I brought out my knitting and was happy as a little clam. I finished a mitten and got a lot done on its mate.

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As we lead up to the anniversary of Mr. Virgo’s death, I want to revisit some of my posts surrounding that time in my life. I mentioned premonitions in my post yesterday and someone wanted to hear more about that. Here is a post about what I experienced leading up to his death. It’s from the year after he passed.

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\n[www.marshmallowranch.com/premoniti...](https://www.marshmallowranch.com/premonitions/)\n
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?

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““Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

\nMatthew 5:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/06/springtime-in-west-virginia.html", "tags": ["Grief","Love","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/25/learning-lace.html", "title": "Learning Lace", "content_html": "\n
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I’m really enjoying learning new patterns and stitches in knitting. I just finished the rainbow scarf/shawl last night. One thing I’ve discovered…you really do need to block your work when you make something like this. To block a hand knitted garment, you need to wet it, then lay it out on a thick blanket or comforter that you don’t mind a little color bleeding on, gently stretch the piece to the shape you want, pin the edges, then let it dry completely. If you ever have to launder the piece in the future, you need to repeat the steps for blocking. I will block both of the scarves I just finished this week and show you what they look like after.

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I have quite a bit of both yarns left, so I think I’ll make some hats with matching fingerless gloves for the grands. They should love that! I really love the lacy section of this piece. Now I’m thinking I need to make something that’s all lace…like a sweater or vest or a bigger shawl. 

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I ordered a couple of books this week. One is the 50th Anniversary of the Foxfire Book of Simple Living. The first Foxfire book was published in 1972. I would have sworn my family had the first volume when my PopPop was still living, but he died in 1971. At any rate, I remember that book in the bookcase out at the farm and I read it on Sunday afternoons during the traditional nap time. I’ve wanted to be a farmer all my life. I sure took the long way around Robin Hood’s barn to get here.

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I think I’ll take a few days off from knitting. Or, at least set a specific time to knit. Like, during the evening news. It’s rainy right now. I need to start a little spring cleaning. I need to move around and stretch my legs and breathe. Like the green shoots peeking up between the carpet of leaves around the house, I’m feeling life coming back into these bones.

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I know you may be anxious to get out there and rake up the leaves from your flower gardens, but let them lay for awhile. There are bees and bugs in there…sleeping. And, when the dandelions start to bloom, leave them alone. Those sleepy little bees are going to be SO hungry. Let them have the first sips of spring from those cheerful yellow blossoms.

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I had the opportunity to talk with an old friend of mine. Joanie owned a lovely home goods store in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. After my divorce from Hubby #2, I found it impossible to get a job in medicine. I knew everyone in town and the gals who owned the little downtown shops were my friends. I started working one day a week for each of five stores. I was known as the “Downtown Shop Girl”. I loved working in Joanie’s store. Her late husband was an attorney in town and when I found myself as an extra in a Charles Bronson movie being filmed in town, I was paired with Bob on the platform at the train station. 

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Joanie is big time into genealogy and we had a lovely conversation about our tips and tricks. The second book I ordered was The Pioneers by David McCollough who also wrote 1776 and John Adams. The book follows the original settlers of the Mid-Ohio Valley and I can hardly wait to see if I find familial connections in its pages. Joanie is a member of the DAR. I know I have family from both my parents’ ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. So, maybe I’ll also become a member. We’ll see. 

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And, here it is…Friday. Another week done…another week closer to true spring. Before we know it, we’ll be mowing again!

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-25T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/25/learning-lace.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/23/counting-stitches-counting-days.html", "title": "Counting Stitches, Counting Days", "content_html": "\n
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Oh, how I love this yarn. The softness comes from 70% Superwash Merino Wool and the sheen comes from 30% Bamboo. It’s like butter. It’s lightweight and warm…just what you want in a wrap for a May outing in Colorado. The pattern is super easy and I love the edge it creates as you end rows and begin the next. It’s a series of open loops that seem to fit the nature of the both the pattern and the yarn.

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The shawl I’m currently knitting. The picture shows different yarns, but the one I am using is self striping. I could have thrown in some different textures and stitches, but I’m keeping it simple.

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I awoke yesterday morning out in the Big Birdhouse along about 3:30. I was chilled and couldn’t quite figure out why till I discovered the electric blanket was no longer working. It is super frustrating for me to spend perfectly good money on something only to have it stop working after five times. We’ll try to return both blankets. Mr. FixIt’s is still in its packaging, but if one has stopped working, the other will surely be right behind it. Here is where I have to point out…you get what you pay for. In an effort to save a few dollars, I caved and bought the cheapest electric blanket I could find. Sure enough, it underlines my shopping mantra. “Buy the best you can afford. It saves you money in the long run.”

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Starry, starry night.

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Even though I covered up with an extra quilt I had in the camper, I didn’t really warm up because I didn’t want to turn on the small ceramic space heater. It had just started raining and I wanted to hear the raindrops hitting the roof of the camper. As I lay there fiddling with my phone, I decided to take a picture of the interior with the night vision setting of my iPhone. The blue light from the clock on the microwave created an enchanting “under sea” look that was fun.

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By the glow of the microwave clock.

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I waited for the sun to come up and somewhere around 6:00, I drifted off for a couple of hours. I had to pack up my camper bag and wait for the rain to slack off a bit before I headed indoors. Mr. FixIt was sitting in the family room when I came in so I poured my coffee and sat down with him. He had an appointment in town in the early afternoon and I had my Zoom call with my brother out in Colorado. 

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Afterward, I turned on YouTube and watched a few videos on Appalachian folklore, caught a couple tutorials on knitting and making sourdough English muffins, and worked on the new shawl I’m knitting. This one starts with a cast on that ends up being the center of the back of the neck then expands the further down you go. By the time you get down to the place where you knit the lace border, you have 218 stitches. I’ve learned to place a stitch marker every five rows so I don’t have to sit and count that many stitches very often. 

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Once I start the lace border, I’ll have to go back to paying close attention in order to get the pattern right. It rained hard all day, so it was a perfect day to knit by the fire and listen to old tales from the Appalachian people. There were several videos about old folk sayings and wive’s tales…much of which I heard from my elders as I was growing up. I’ll share some in another post one of these days.

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Today is an at-home day. I think I may do a little baking as it is expected to be rather cold and dismal grey here. This bright and cheerful yarn is just what the doctor ordered for days such as this!

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?

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““Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”

\nJoel 2:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/23/counting-stitches-counting-days.html", "tags": ["Camping","West Virginia","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/22/when-you-find-youre-out.html", "title": "When You Find You’re Out of Shape", "content_html": "\n
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It’s Tuesday…2-22-22!

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Lands, sake! I am SO out of shape! When winter hit and the outdoor chores were over, and there were no big holiday parties, no big indoor projects to accomplish…I sat down. Well, of course I did! I had knitting to do. And, while I knitted away…happy as a little clam…my muscles atrophied and I feel like I aged ten years. This cannot happen. I’m not even 70 yet. I have things to do, places to go, camping to accomplish.

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I was fixing my breakfast when I heard Mr. FixIt rummaging around downstairs. He had decided to run the snake down the drain by himself and, truly…it is a two person job. The cable got twisted and he was having a heck of a time. I gulped down the last of my coffee and sat on the bottom step to help him. We struggled with that thing for two hours. When we did it last year and I was in great shape after mowing and working all summer, it still killed my hips and back. Fast forward to yesterday, a little over two week post op, and….let’s just say I wasn’t as much help and I hoped to be.

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By the time we got the cable twisted up twice and jammed in the housing, we both gave up. There’s always another day. We did managed to pull out a big clump of roots from the drain, so we are hoping the rains coming this week won’t overwhelm the system. We both retreated to our respective recliners for the rest of the afternoon.

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Since I finished the latest project Sunday night, I decided to pick up the next one. I had a few choices of yarn and I selected a bright, colorful Merino Wool and Bamboo blend. I found a better pattern for a true shawl so I set to knitting. This yarn is SO soft to the touch. It’s super stretchy. And the colors create stripes, just like a rainbow. I think this is the one I’ll wear to my granddaughter’s graduation in May in Colorado. We’ll see how it turns out.

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It was 66° here by late afternoon so I decided it was a good camping night. It’s supposed to start raining in the middle of the night and I can listen it tapping on the roof of the camper. I haven’t replaced the chair in the camper since we returned the rockers, so I didn’t bring my knitting out. This camper isn’t really conducive to sitting propped up in bed to knit because the roof angles down at each end. So, I’ll write, and read, and maybe watch a movie.

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My friend did well during her medical procedure yesterday and I wanted to thank you all for your prayers. I get to see my brother today over Zoom so I’m really looking forward to that. I need to start getting more exercise so I can get back to work here. Use it or lose it, am I right?

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?

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“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

\n2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/22/when-you-find-youre-out.html", "tags": ["Health","Camping","Aging","Farm Life","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/21/a-new-week-begins-and.html", "title": "A New Week Begins and There’s Work to be Done", "content_html": "\n
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The tree is down, the sun is out, and I’ve finished the little shawl/scarf I knitted. I still need to block it. I followed the pattern exactly and had enough yarn left over to knit another one, I believe. It isn’t as large as I pictured it being, but it’s still lovely and was an adventure in learning how to knit lace. I am finding the more intricate the pattern, the more I need to concentrate while I’m knitting. I lost count how many times I needed to rip out a row…or three! I found I needed to put my headphones on and listen to the campfire whenever I knitted the open lacy sections. But, it’s done and now I can move on to other things.

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We are expecting some much warmer weather this week…and some rain. Typical seasonal weather for West Virginia. There are areas of the state that will see 2-4” of rain in a week. I’ve lived through summers in Colorado that didn’t see that kind of rain in six months. The rivers are rising. Trees are falling because the ground is saturated, the roots are shallow, and the wind just brings them down. I’m amazed (knock on wood) that we haven’t lost power here. It’s not unusual. We have the generator out on the front porch, gassed up and ready…just in case.

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Today marks two years since Mr. FixIt had his first stroke. Six weeks or so later, he had another one. I am so happy to say he is doing really, really well. Very little residual effects. His balance isn’t great so there’s no more trips up tall ladders for my man, but when we think of what it could have been…oh, my! We are SO grateful that God spared us. We have poured ourselves into each other, knowing that we all live on borrowed time and tomorrow is never guaranteed. 

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My “Aunt Arlene” called yesterday. She was to marry my Uncle Sonny in the mid-‘50s but never had the chance. He was killed in a plane crash. I sent her one of The Farm memory books and she remembered my uncle telling her how much he loved Grandma’s Raisin Filled Cookies. I included Grandma’s handwritten recipe in the book, so Arlene called me last night to ask me some questions about it. I don’t know if any of you have kept your grandma’s or mom’s recipes only to see they were written more as notes than actual directions. She said she was committed to getting them finished so I sure hope they tasted good to her!

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I had a lovely chat with Big last evening. You know how kids prefer texting. I find we “talk” a lot more if we text instead of talk on the phone. Big soon turns eighteen, graduates from high school, and will head off to college in the fall. I know what my daughter is going through with this. She seems to be handling it well…probably much better than I did. That may be because her children are much closer together. Little will graduate in three years then there will be the inevitable empty nest. When Daughter #1 graduated from high school, I still had a two year old at home. Big difference.

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I don’t know if you are ever really prepared for that first child to grow up and leave you. It broke my heart when she and her new husband moved to Long Island…about as far away as they could get without leaving the country. I was in the throes of a depression anyway…having her so far away didn’t help matters. My daughter and her husband have a much stronger marriage than we had when she went out on her own, so I have great hopes for them to be successful.

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I’m not at all sure what I’m going to get into today. I’m thinking of going out to the farm for a couple of days at some point this week. Other than that and a phone conference on Tuesday, I have nothing scheduled till coffee with my classmates on Saturday. I do need to start some repair work on the smaller a-frame camper soon so I can get it on the market. Our big project for the summer will be cleaning out the big building and getting a new roof on our house as well as our rental. That and the trip to the beach as well as the trip to Colorado and it’s almost as though the summer is over before its started.

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Is it just me, or does time seem to race by the older we get? I remember looking at summer as an endless stretch of sun-warmed days filled with fun and friends and laughter. Now it seems you blink and you miss it but somehow you managed twenty doctor’s appointments and a garden and mowing in there. I am committed to spending more time sitting in the shade of a tree and sipping on iced tea this summer. Savor every moment because the water level in the bucket of life is sinking ever lower with each passing year.

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?

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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”

\nPsalm 90:12-17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-21T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/21/a-new-week-begins-and.html", "tags": ["Aging","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/19/spring-rains-and-snow-flurries.html", "title": "Spring Rains and Snow Flurries", "content_html": "\n
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We received nearly two inches of rain on Friday, then we woke up yesterday with snow flurries. It was cold and gray and pretty dismal. I was looking forward to a day at home, knitting and cooking a little, but our West Virginia Daughter called to say the bad winds had knocked a big limb out of the tree in the front yard. It was wedged right between the front steps and the front gate and they were kind of stuck. So, we packed up the chainsaw and went to town to help them clear the yard. 

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The other night I was sitting in the camper knitting and rocking in the new outdoor rocking chair we bought at Sam’s when there was a loud POP and the seat collapsed. Now, I’ve gained some weight, but not THAT kind of weight. Since we were going to town, I packed the chairs in the truck and we took them back for a refund. It’s really frustrating when shoddy workmanship causes something to break after using it twice. Especially when you pay over $50 for it!

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We finally got back home by late afternoon. I fixed pork roast with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Oh, my….it was SO good. Then I settled in to knit. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. In the past, I would rip out several rows if my stitch count was off…even by just a stitch or two. With this pattern, and this yarn, I’ve learned you can fudge a little by adding a stitch at each end of a row, or knitting two together (depending on if you have too many or two few stitches.) Things don’t have to be absolutely perfect every single time, right?

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I’m at the point where I feel the seasons changing around me and my mind is telling me to gear up and get things done around here. I can’t just sit and knit every day. Spring is coming before too long and I’m itching to get to work on some projects that are long overdue. First things first, I’m saying goodbye to the Christmas tree today. I’ve really enjoyed the twinkle of the lights, and now it’s time for the house to be put back in order. I can live in chaos for a certain amount of time, then I have to get crackin’!

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Break time’s over!

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❤️

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“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

\nPsalm 51:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/19/spring-rains-and-snow-flurries.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Change","Farm Life","Marriage","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/18/the-mysterious-moonlight-and-helvetia.html", "title": "The Mysterious Moonlight and Helvetia", "content_html": "\n
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The ring around the moon.

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Night before last, I slept out in the camper. Mr. FixIt loves to camp, but doesn’t quite see the allure when the camper is less than 100 yards from our comfy bed and a real live bathroom. Still, he does not mind when I get a hankerin’ to go “camping”. He always comes out to kiss me goodnight and brings me a bedtime snack. He da man!

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As he was leaving the camper to go back inside, he called over his shoulder, “You’d better come out here and look at the moon coming up. It’s going to be a beauty tonight.” I jumped up, stepped into my camping crocs, and grabbed my phone. I’m having a blast taking pictures with the camera on this iPhone 13 Pro Max. OMGosh! It has a function where you can take low light and night photos now and they are just magical.

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Every evening after I’ve written my post and I’m unwinding for bed, I text with my son-in-law’s mom. Sue and I started daily texting when she was going through some medical issues a couple of years ago and I felt helpless living so far away. I couldn’t bring her dinners or come to visit, so I asked her what I could do to help her. She said, “Text me every night and tell me your stories. It gives me something to think about when I’m having treatments.” 

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The fog rolling in.

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We’ve always been close. I have told my daughter many times that she won the lottery when it came to a family to marry into. They are the best people. But texting with her every day has brought us closer than ever and now, if we don’t at least check in to see how the others’ day went, it just feels weird. So, we were just wrapping up our chat when I looked up and the moon was high in the sky over the camper. I could tell there was a ring around it, so I ran out and snapped a few pictures. 

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Rings around the moon appear when the moonlight refracts on ice crystals in the atmosphere. We see them a lot here in West Virginia…I guess because it’s so humid here. When I woke up yesterday morning, I looked at my phone and saw the rain was going to start soon so I headed back into the house. Mr. FixIt was still asleep so I put a pork roast in the crockpot, ran the dishwasher, made my coffee, and settled in to knit for awhile. 

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Mr. FixIt had an appointment in town yesterday afternoon and I stayed home for some quiet time. It was lovely because the fog rolled in, the stove was glowing, and I turned on the TV. That’s unusual for me, but I’ve been enjoying watching videos about the Appalachias and her people. I love the music and the cooking, the old stories and photographs people share. I watch these when I’m home alone knitting. It’s so soothing and peaceful.

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My morning view out the big picture window in the camper.

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There was a wonderful documentary on Helvetia, West Virginia. It is our “Little Switzerland” here in the Mountain State. Switzerland was a very, very poor country and people emigrated to this country to seek a better life and a place where they could own land. They settled into a very remote mountainous area that isn’t too far off the road I take when I go to visit my family in the Eastern Panhandle. 

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This particular documentary was made possible with major support by the National Endowment for the Arts and was produced by Gerald Mills of the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. You may recall me visiting there there for the state fiddle and flat footing competitions when I was hauling the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer around all over the state in the fall of 2019.

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I’ve never been to Helvetia, but now that I’ve seen this, I really must go. Here is a link to the documentary. It’s an hour long, but it’s just delightful and I hope you’ll take the time to watch it.

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\n[youtu.be/Sk2Gv2lKz...](https://youtu.be/Sk2Gv2lKzRI)\n
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Happy Friday, everyone!

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❤️

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“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

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James 4:14 ESV

\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/18/the-mysterious-moonlight-and-helvetia.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Aging","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/17/the-bird-whisperer.html", "title": "The Bird Whisperer", "content_html": "\n
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The birds in the ‘hood were going crazy yesterday. I heard birds I’ve never heard before. I saw the nesting pair of red shoulder hawks that live in the woods nearby. I captured a photo this week of a yellow-bellied sapsucker. Sometimes when I capture a bird’s call on the Merlin app on my phone, it says it’s very rare in our area. In that case, I try to catch the call again and get a visual sighting.

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I’m really not all that knowledgeable about birds. I just have a passing knowledge and I know where to look them up. This app really helps. This weekend the the Annual Audubon Bird Count. Maybe one of these days, I’ll take the time to be a part of that. In the meantime, I love our little feathered friends.

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I was sitting in the recliner knitting yesterday morning when Mr. FixIt caught my attention. He was standing outside the storm door waving at me and motioning me to come outside. When I opened the door, he pointed down and there was a male downy woodpecker sitting on the sidewalk…stunned. He had flown into the storm door. I need to put decals on that door to keep them from hitting it. 

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I gently scooped up the little critter and went over to sit on the steps leading up to the deck. His head was precariously tipped to one side, his eyes were moving with nystagmus which indicates dizziness, his beak was slightly open. He printed rapidly and one eye wasn’t as open as the other. I held him gently and let him rest. I whispered to him. I asked God to heal this little creature. 

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At one point, his eyes closed and he went limp. His little head lolled over against my thumb and I held my breath as I watching his. I started talking to him and told him what a big, brave little bird he was and that I really wanted him to fly again. He suddenly took two big breaths, shuddered and….opened his eyes! I cheered him on and he picked up his head. I stroked his head and said I’d take my cue from him.

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About two minutes later, he moved his feet under him and pushed up against my fingers. I opened my hand and off he went…first to the porch railing, then to brush behind the building, and finally up into his favorite maple tree! Hooray! I was so happy to see him fly away. Mr. FixIt and I both went in to wash our hands. We moved the feeders around a little because one of the hooks wasn’t strong enough to hold two feeders when they were full.

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My sweetheart went to town in the afternoon and I worked on the shawl I’m knitting with the new yarn I bought Tuesday. It is a much more complex pattern for a lacy, airy wrap that I’ll take with me to Colorado in May. I had to tune out any extraneous noises by listening to the recording of a fireplace that I love writing to. 

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The moon is bright and the skies have been clear the last couple of nights. I played with the camera on my new iPhone. It takes night photos which is SO awesome!

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It was 65° yesterday so I went “camping” out in the Big Birdhouse last night. We bought new camp chairs a couple of weeks ago. I moved the table top and set up the chair in it’s place in the camper so I could sit and knit. Well, after about 20 minutes, one of the hinges on the new chair broke. I looked carefully and it was made out of plastic! How frustrating to spend $50 for a camp chair and it broke like that. We’ll take both of them back to Sam’s and get a refund!

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❤️

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”

\nPsalm 104:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/17/the-bird-whisperer.html", "tags": ["Camping","Farm Life","Big Birdhouse"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/01/you-can-see-a-birds.html", "title": "You Can See a Bird’s Song", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt and I have lazy mornings in the winter. We don’t have to hurry outside to mow or get the outdoor work done before the heat of the day. One or the other of us wakes up, and our movements awakens the other. We stretch and say our good mornings. We ask each other “How did you sleep?” Then we check to see what the temperature is outside. What is the day going to look like? Do we have anything on our schedule? What’s new in the world? We catch up on our social media and the news. By that time, he’s awake enough to get up and get the tea kettle on. Then he moseys out to let Pumpkin out of the building so she can begin her busy day of grand adventures around our little homestead.

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I usually stay in bed for a little while longer. I used to try to read my bible studies first before I read anything else. But my aging brain has a tendency to focus on the last thing I read and I don’t want that to be the news. So, I read my morning devotionals and make my way to the kitchen for a cup of tea.

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However, yesterday morning as I was getting out of bed, I heard a bird I couldn’t identify. I opened the Merlin app on my phone and went to the window to see if I could capture this new song. Even though I crept quietly to the window, the bird must have seen me through the window or heard me somehow, because that sweet song stopped. I carefully laid the phone on the windowsill and went on in the bathroom for my morning ablutions. 

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When I came back out and picked up my phone, there were two songs identified. The American Crow and the Greater White Fronted Snow Goose. That’s odd. From the red dot after the bird identification, this bird should not be seen at all in our neck of the woods. And I don’t mean an errant neighbor either. This bird is often seen in South Dakota. So, either we had a trespasser, or more likely a misidentification. 

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The Merlin app has a really cool feature. When it identifies a bird, you can click on it and listen to the sound it recorded and identified. I picked up my phone and clicked on the bird and heard….ummmmmmm….a recording of my “morning ablutions”! Gasp! Well, we’ll just erase that particular recording ‘cause nobody has to hear THAT! lol

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These really cold days have had birds flocking to our feeders. The beautiful flashes of color zooming in and out have been wonderful to watch. Like the picture I posted above, if the temperature and light are just right, you can see a bird’s breath when they sing their beautiful songs. I’ve never been able to capture the photo myself. There are often moments you can only relive in your memory because a camera wasn’t handy or you were quick enough on the draw.

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This reminds me that every day, all over the world, beautiful things are happening in every moment but we just aren’t there to see them. That doesn’t make them less beautiful. But it should serve as a reminder to always look up when we are out in nature. God puts on a show every single day if we just slow down and look.

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May you all take moments to feel peaceful and centered and look for the beauty of today.

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Happy February!

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❄️❤️❄️

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”

\nPsalm 104:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/01/you-can-see-a-birds.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/30/thoughts-and-feelings-on-a.html", "title": "Thoughts and Feelings on a Cold Blue Winter’s Day", "content_html": "\n
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Wow…is it cold or what? We were in Columbus the last few days and felt the bitter blasts of flat Midwest winds. I didn’t even look up the wind chill factor. I think it just makes you colder. But I do know this…when it’s 3° outside and the wind is blowing, it’s flat out miserable. Our hotel room was on the first floor. I don’t know if the room was cold simply because it was cold outside or the fact we were sitting on a huge slab of cement. The heater had a governor on it and you couldn’t turn the thermostat up over 78° and at that level, it blew nothing but cool air…until it didn’t. Then it got way too warm. Next time, we will elect to stay on an upper floor. 

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As we were driving home yesterday, Mr. FixIt asked if we could stop at Rocky Boots in Nelsonville, OH. We are of an age now that we know to ask each other what we want for our birthday or Christmas gifts. We have everything we need and there’s absolutely no need to go overboard on huge gifts…especially if it’s not something we really want. Mr. FixIt has a big birthday coming up so I’ve asked him to let me know what he would like. Unfortunately, he has an unusual foot size so he wasn’t able to find the comfy boots he was hoping for. We’ll have to keep looking. 

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We were surprised that Columbus got so much less snow than we have at home. You could really tell the difference between Columbus and Nelsonville. We got out of the truck and there were piles of snow reminiscent of my winters in Colorado. When we got back in the truck and headed home, there was something about the way the sun reflected on the snow under the clear cerulean blue sky brought me back in time.

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Have you ever had a memory come to you and instantly you are transported across time and space to something warm and wonderful? That is what happened yesterday. It was the winter of 1982. Denver had a Christmas Eve blizzard that stopped the city in its tracks. People were delivering nurses to the hospitals on snowmobiles. And once you were there, you didn’t come home till the roads were cleared. Hubby #2 was in Medical School so fortunately, he was home with us.

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We rented an old brick bungalow the color of a sandy beach. It had big windows and zero insulation. We had no money to speak of. We used a kerosene stove in the middle of the living room for extra heat. Daughter #1 was eight years old. We gave her the only bedroom in the house and we slept out on the sun porch in the back. Ice formed in the corners of her room and on the windows in ours.

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We were poor and in love and didn’t care that we had no money. We walked to the store in the snow and carried our groceries back home. I was filled with dreams of living in the country and having a farm with chickens and gardens. I baked our bread, made homemade granola and yogurt, and started seedlings inside for what vegetables we could grow in the flowerbeds around the house. We did whatever we could to entertain ourselves on the cheap.

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That’s where I was teleported yesterday as I drove through the farmland of Ohio. I held that warm memory up to the light of today and realized…I’m exactly where I dreamed I would be oh those many years ago. It isn’t at all like I thought it would be at the time. There was a whole other marriage and a death between then and now. Another child came along to add to the family. Dogs filled our hearts and broke them when their all-too-short lives came to an end. Moves were made. Hearts were broken and mended. Old lives were lost and new lives were added and here I am…back where I started.

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West Virginia. With a different West Virginia boy than the one I first set out with. And a big family to love. I bake our bread, I can our food, I grow a garden. That’s why that warm feeling that came over me yesterday seemed so familiar. 

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It is my life. And it is so, so good.

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❄️?❄️

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“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

\nProverbs 16:9 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-30T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/30/thoughts-and-feelings-on-a.html", "tags": ["Colorado","Family","Aging","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/25/happy-winter-birds.html", "title": "Happy Winter Birds!", "content_html": "\n
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Being one who doesn’t care for winter, I have to look hard to find the beauty. When you find the beauty, you find the good. And when you find the GOOD, you find GOD! (Thanks for the reminder, Sue!) All around us, the world is frosted and sparkly.  And even if it’s wet and grey, the stark contrasts reflect the rest we find in this season. The trees rest. The animals rest. Everything seems to rest…save for the birds.

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The birds are busy from sunup to sundown…searching for food. They seem to play a never ending game of hide and seek among the naked branches of our forsythia and flowering quince. The swoop in to rest on the fence line or rummage around on the ground for the leavings tossed aside by the more persnickety titmice and blue jays. I love the brilliant flashes of crimson when the cardinals flit back and forth from the protection of the trees to the more open and vulnerable landings on the feeders.

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Mr. FixIt and I love the birds. He added two more feeders this winter so we can attract even more. He is diligent about filling them. We especially love the one in the picture window in our family room. It is clear plexiglass and attaches to the window with suction cups. It allows us to stand very still and watch the birds up close. When we are sitting in our recliners, we can hear them fly in and peck, peck, peck on the bottom. It makes us smile.

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Birds offer bright spots of joy in the dark, dismal days of winter. And they remind us not to be anxious about anything. The birds don’t fret about anything. Their every need is fulfilled by their Creator. (Supplemented by the kindness and generosity of His children.) Birds remind us that God will take care us our needs, as well. There’s no need to fret about what we will eat or what we will wear. The Bible reminds us that worry won’t add one hour to our lives.

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My new yarn and one of the knitting needles I will need for my sweater arrived yesterday. The hardest thing I will have to do this week is to finish knitting the second sock of this pair instead of setting it aside and starting on the sweater. It takes discipline, let me tell you. Because my little Gemini self would be tickled pink picking up the new project. Then who knows when…or IF…I would ever get back to the socks.

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This is a new behavior for me and it has become a focus for me this year. When I finish the sock, I’ll lay out all the things I’ve knitted since the first of December (minus those things I gave as Christmas gifts.) I have friends who take pictures of all their projects, who they made them for, the name of the pattern and what materials they used, when they started it and when they finished. I have the first step down pat. I take the pictures.

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We do have to run to town today. As I am writing this, it is misty raining after snowing all afternoon. Our appointment isn’t until 11:00 so I’m hoping the roads will just be wet by that time. If not, we may have to reschedule for another day. I really don’t like driving this road when it’s slick out. It would be one thing if I had studded snow tires on my truck, but that is not the case here. I used to have them every year in Colorado but here? They laugh at you because it doesn’t snow that much. Of course, the studded snow tires don’t help at all on ice and we get more of that here than snow packed roads.

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I’ll need to make a batch of broccoli cheese soup this afternoon to warm us up after venturing out. What are some of your favorite comfort foods for cold and snowy days?

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❄️?❄️

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“The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold. God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water.”

\nJob 37:9-10 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-25T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/25/happy-winter-birds.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/23/more-cast-iron-more-knitting.html", "title": "More Cast Iron, More Knitting, More Snow", "content_html": "\n
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My son-in-law’s mom texted me yesterday. She found a really cool piece of cast iron in the shed they’re cleaning out and will hold it for me till we get there in May. This is called a Gem Pan. Our grandmas and great grandmas made Gem Cakes in these back in the day. It looks like you could also use the pan to bake individual tarts or mini quiches, as well as corn cakes.

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My grandma didn’t have anything as fancy as this. She had two or three cast iron skillets. My mom had several. I took them with me when mom died and I cleaned out her house and of all things…they were amongst the items I let go of when I downsized. In the end, it’s ok. Because, one cast iron pan is as good as the next for cooking in and this way, I’ve been able to concentrate on collecting Griswolds. I do have several pieces that are unmarked save for a size number.

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I finished the tube portion of the first sock in this pair yesterday. Now I need to cut in the heel. I want to finish this pair quickly because my sweater yarn arrives next week and I can hardly wait to start on that. I chose three colors…a soft heather grey, a medium rose heather, and a dark heather grey. I have the supplies I need and I’ll print out the pattern. This one doesn’t have a tutorial video. I found those to be so helpful when knitting the socks. I saved them on my YouTube channel so I can go back and view them when I need clarification on a particular step.

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Now that I know my surgery will be coming up sooner rather than later, I do need to get some things done around the house in preparation. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to be traveling or I know I’m going to be down for a while, I like to have the house in order, the pantry stocked, and maybe even some dishes prepared ahead of time to make meals easier upon my return. Remember…we were talking just the other day about being a good scout and always being prepared.

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I am so grateful that my family members with covid are getting over it now. Thank God for vaccines…they really did their job in protecting them from severe illness. I was talking with a couple of my cousins this weekend and we marveled that we had managed to avoid getting it. Then, I woke up yesterday morning with a scratchy throat. The older I get, the more easily I choke on my own saliva…or air, for that matter. I got choked Friday afternoon, so I think that’s why my throat was a little sore. I’m going to watch it and not get up in Mr. FixIt’s face for a couple of days. I mean, after all this time staying well, wouldn’t it be a bummer to get covid right before I’m scheduled for surgery?

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My girlfriends from my class are gathering for coffee on Saturday, but I’m not going. Other than going to the hospital for my pre operative testing, I’m sequestering myself from everyone. I don’t want to run any risks. There will be time for gathering for coffee after this surgery is done.

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The temperature was 3 degrees at our house yesterday morning. I think it’s going to be warmer in the next few days. Isn’t it funny when you start to call the 30’s “warm”? It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? We have a 62% chance of snow today.What’s it doing in your neck of the woods?

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❄️?❄️

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“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

\nPsalms 127:2 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/23/more-cast-iron-more-knitting.html", "tags": ["Health","Family","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/18/a-beautiful-day-in-the.html", "title": "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", "content_html": "\n
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As it turned out, we got quite a bit more snow that I thought we would, given the meager amount when I went to bed Sunday night. The sun was shining for a while in the morning and it was pristine. Mr. FixIt waited for a while before he went out to blow the snow off the sidewalks. Our snowblower is battery powered and the snow was deep and pretty dense. He had to take it in two sessions to give the battery a chance to recharge.

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It never got over freezing yesterday. I was so glad we had nowhere to go. I put a pork roast in the crockpot in the morning and worked on the socks I’m knitting. When my sweetie came back in from his second trip out in the snow, I warmed his tummy with a plate of roast pork, sauerkraut, and fried potatoes. Comfort food is so good on days like this.

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I’ve been thinking of my mom a lot the last couple of days. We are coming up to the eighteenth anniversary of her death soon. I was trying to remember what she would have served us when we came in from playing in the snow. She wasn’t much of a cook, but she made the BEST potato soup I’ve ever had. I’ve tried so many times to recreate it with only nominal success. 

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I don’t think anything you make in your adult life will stand up to comparison with something your mom or grandma cooked for you when you were a child. Even a grilled cheese and tomato soup from a can tasted better when Mom made it. There was such a huge dollop of love in everything they prepared for us in the kitchens of our youth.

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When Grandma made pies, she always took the extra crust, sprinkled it with salt, and baked it. I swear, I could take a whole recipe of pie crust and bake it that way and be hard pressed to not eat the whole thing. I’ve never been terribly taken with the filling in pies anyway. Just give me the crust with salt…or maybe with a little strawberry jam or apple butter on it…and I’m a happy camper.

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I will forever miss my mom. 

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\"Mom\"
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Her cool hand on my forehead when I was sick. Her warm hugs that comforted me when I cried. The way she stroked my head with her soft fingers when she was putting me to sleep. Humming “Bye oh, Bye oh” when she rocked me. She smelled like powder and love. Her full head of wavy black hair was accentuated by the ruby red lipstick she wore. 

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I could make her laugh till she flew into a coughing fit. She didn’t have an easy life with my dad, so I lived to make her laugh and forget her troubles…if even for just a little while. I wish I would have been kinder…more generous…more available to her in her later years. I lived in Colorado for forty years and came home every summer for at least two weeks, sometimes longer. She came to visit me a few times. 

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I never understood her insistence that she live here in West Virginia. Till now. And here I am… 1400 miles away from my kids and grandkids. I’m sure they don’t understand my insistence that I live here, either. I spent my entire adult life wishing I lived “back home”. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have Colorado and West Virginia closer to each other. I understand my mom a lot more now than I did at any other time in my life.

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We have no place else to go today and I’ll be finished with this pair of socks in another day or so. We aren’t expecting any more snow in the next couple of days. As I expected, school was cancelled here today…because it snowed yesterday…so the kids get a four day weekend. Maybe their mamas will fill their little tummies with a nice bowl of potato soup when they come in from sledding.

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That would be nice.

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❄️?❄️

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“fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him,”

\nPsalms 148:8 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/18/a-beautiful-day-in-the.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/17/wheres-the-storm.html", "title": "Where’s the Storm?", "content_html": "\n
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They've been talking all week about this MASSIVE storm that was supposed to hit us yesterday and today…like, 5-8” of snow. Now, I’m writing this at 9:00 on Sunday night, and so far the sidewalks have just enough snow to make them white. Unless a lot more comes in overnight, we’ll see a whole different scenario that what was predicted.

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I feel sorry for weather forecasters. They can study every model, calculate every possibility, compare and scan and look at all the gauges and computer printouts and radar and still be wrong, wrong, wrong. Perhaps they need a weather rock. If it’s wet, it’s raining. If it’s white, it’s snowing. If it’s moving, it’s windy. We are often just as far ahead if we stick our head out the window and look. Yet, you can get an app on your phone that sends you a message to say it’s going to start raining in seven minutes. Often, it’s right. Go figure.

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We changed our doctor’s appointments from today to Wednesday in anticipation of this latest round of dire predictions. Facebook is full of stories of empty shelves at Walmart. Did they wait too long to go? Or were the people ahead of them greedy and buy ALL the things…just because they were there? My Denver family have seen shortages in the stores secondary to the strike at King Soopers. In all this time of “supply chain issues”, I have yet to see it reflected in our local stores unless they’re predicting snow. Then, everybody and their brother runs out to get “French Toast”…eggs, milk, and bread. Oh, and let’s fill a whole cart…you know, just in case we can’t get out till the spring thaw.

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These people would never make it in the Colorado Rockies in the winter. I know they haven’t had big snows since they’ve been in the grips of this drought and if you waited till the threat of snow was over, you’d only get out in July and August. I talked to my sister-in-law in Salt Lake City last night. We discussed the difference between winter driving here vs. the Rockies. First, the feel of the snow under your tires is different. Here, the roads feel greasy when there’s snow on them. Colorado snow is a lot dryer and compacts differently. Also, it doesn’t snow nearly as often here in West Virginia…no one uses studded snow tires while they’re de rigueur in Colorado.

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I put a crockpot of chili on late Saturday night and we had a big bowl while we watched football yesterday. I’m making quicker progress on the second sock and shopping online for yarn to make a sweater next. My brother has managed to dodge any real illness with his case of Covid…just one day of head congestion. He was fully vaccinated and boosted…on time. Daughter #2 and her wife weren’t as lucky. She hasn’t had fevers for a few days, but still feels pretty darned sick, bless her heart.

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We have no place to go till Wednesday, so it’s more knitting for me!

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?

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“The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold. God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water.”

\nJob 37:9-10 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/17/wheres-the-storm.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/14/sending-out-prayers-by-the.html", "title": "Sending Out Prayers by the Bushel", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday morning in my grandma’s bed. I looked out at the trees…their naked fingers reaching for the murky sky. A flash of copper zipped by the window and I scooched over to see if I could find it again. An Eastern Towhee was flitting in and out of the Carolina Spice Bush and the Flowering Quince on the creek bank…its wings rustling the crispy leaves underneath, looking for something tasty. I smiled. 

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This is what I come here for. I rolled back on my pillow and pulled the covers up under my chin. At the moment, everything was still. No furnace, no pump, no logging trucks. Just Bluejays and Carolina Chickadees and a Hairy Woodpecker up in a dead tree somewhere. *sigh*

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Someone shared here yesterday that relinquishing everything to God is like flexing a muscle. The more you do it, the stronger it gets. When God miraculously lifts the heavy burden of anxiety off you in a situation where you have always had anxiety before…you notice that. And, you want more of that peace. That “peace beyond understanding.” The only thing I did differently during my procedure a couple of weeks ago was A) I handed it over immediately and B) I didn’t ask for it back. That worked so well, I’ve been practicing it over and over and over and it’s really helping!

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I slept like a stone. 

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“Thank you, God.” I whispered. “Thank you for carrying my worry basket last night.” 

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I thought for sure I would lay awake all night worrying about my Colorado peeps. When I woke up refreshed, it further reinforced just how strong that “giving it to God” muscle is getting. It’s a behavior modification. Something works and it’s easier to do again the next time you’re faced with the same challenge.

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I checked in on my brother yesterday and got to talk with him on the phone. He said he woke up with a stuffy head, but by the time I spoke to him, he felt better. I was so relieved. Then I heard from Daughter #2 and they do have Covid. This was their fifth day and I think they are turning the corner. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern. I would very much appreciate it if you could keep lifting them up over the next few days till they’re all feeling better.

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It felt great to get home yesterday. It feels like I’ve had a two week vacation. The weather man is predicting a huge snowstorm at the end of the weekend so when I was finished with my doctor’s appointment in town, I headed for the grocery store. I knew it was packed when I walked in and there were no buggies up front. Someone brought one back into the store (don’t you just love that when people bring the carts in?) and I tried to do a quick sweep around the store to pick up necessities. I wore two masks and stayed away from people as much as possible and slathered my hands with sanitizer when I got back to the truck.

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When I got home, I did that dreaded chore…cleaning out the fridge so there would be room for the new stuff. Mr. FixIt took out the trash and I loaded the empty storage containers into the dishwasher. Then we had some time together, sitting in the family room, watching the news and old Big Bang reruns. I knitted a few rows on this pair of socks. They aren’t going as fast as the other pair. That’s because the yarn is much finer. Gail thinks I’m ready to try a sweater next!

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Oh, and I lost seven pounds since the last time I saw the endocrinologist! Hooray for me!!!

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?

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“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

\nMatthew 24:13 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-14T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/14/sending-out-prayers-by-the.html", "tags": ["Faith","Health","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/09/step-by-step-by-step.html", "title": "Step by Step by Step", "content_html": "\n
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It was a beautiful day yesterday. The sky was clear and blue. The sun was shining. And it wasn’t quite as cold as it was on Friday. I knitted. Surprise, surprise! I also cooked a little and cleaned the kitchen. Sometimes I get discouraged with cooking because it’s immediately followed by cleaning…again. But, you can’t live on sandwiches all the time and I had a hankerin’ for biscuits and sausage gravy. That right there is a stick-to-your-ribs (and other miscellaneous body parts) kinda meal. I pulled out my biscuit bowl and cast iron and had a heyday.

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I am making rapid work of these socks. I can’t believe I’ll have a pair knitted in one week. That rarely happens for me. I usually get bored after a while and have to work on something else. But these are different and I really like this method. I think I’m going to try a toe up technique at some point. That way, you can make the foot of your sock plenty big enough and just knit the top till you run out of yarn so you don’t waste any.

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As I sat knitting and watching football, notifications came in on my phone. Most of the time I didn’t bother looking, but occasionally I peeked in to see what was going on. Someone shared a meme that gave me pause. It was about forgiveness. I’ve learned to forgive others for trespasses against me. I’ve learned to forgive myself my human frailties. I shudder to think how much time I’ve spent hoping those who hurt me would say “I’m sorry”.

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Take my dad, for instance. Or the men who molested me when I was a kid. Or those who wronged me in relationships. For all of those traumas, I’ve had to heal without an apology. It’s painful. And it’s wrong. But…the lack of an apology was not my fault. No more than the trauma itself was. People are who they are…good or bad, right or wrong. They make their own decisions and it’s a reflection of who they are. As long as I keep my side of the street clean, take ownership of my errors and do my best to make amends, I’ve done all I can do. Life isn’t a neat and tidy package all wrapped in pretty paper and a bow. It’s messy and sometimes downright ugly. I think God gives us many chances to learn from our mistakes. That’s why life sometimes feels like the movie, Groundhog Day. Humans are presented repeat opportunities to learn and grow. It’s up to us if we actually wear that mantle and rise above our trials. And leave them behind. It isn’t easy. It takes a lot of introspection and hard work. I have to say, I think I have a little better handle on that at sixty-eight than I used to. One of the perks of aging, I guess.

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We are expecting rain today. I am expecting to finish these socks and start on something else.What are you expecting in your neck of the woods?

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?

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“Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!”

\n1 John 2:24-25 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-09T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/09/step-by-step-by-step.html", "tags": ["Forgiveness","Farm Life","Healing","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/07/remembering-my-rebirthday-and-watching.html", "title": "Remembering my Re-Birthday and Watching it Snow", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was my “re-birthday”. It marked 22 years since one of the darkest days of my life. It turned out to be the turning point that actually saved my life. It was the first day of the 8,036 days I’ve spent sober. It was also the lowest point of my depression. Hubby #2 had long since emotionally checked out of our marriage and I had no idea how I was going to survive without him. That night…22 years ago…I overdosed on two full bottles of pills and could easily have died. 

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It was the end of my twenty year marriage, but it was the beginning of the journey back to myself. I became a better mom…a better friend…a better human. In time. It was hard work and I seriously think it was that experience that gave me the tools I needed to navigate the grief of Mr. Virgo’s death. January 6th is Epiphany…a day of joy and faith. Joy and faith eluded me that day in 2000. It took a lot time, but I’ve found both again in ways I’d never experienced…even with my late husband.

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I marked the day with Mr. FixIt. We fiddled around the house a little. We watched some mindless TV. He went to the store for bread and milk. I started knitting the second sock. Then we settled in to watch the “Severe Weather Bulletin” on the news out of Huntington. We can’t get the local news through our satellite company, so we watch what’s happening to our neighbors a couple hours south of us. 

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The “Severe Weather Bulletin” interrupted regular programming for at least three hours. They had remote broadcasts from eight or ten reporters. They’d switch over and the reporter inevitably said, “Yep…it’s still snowing here.” Then they would pan over and show you the snow on the road. Yep…the road was white. It was snow alright. I had to laugh, because…well, I lived in Colorado for forty years. Where…you know…it SNOWS!

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The first snow after Mr. Virgo died. Colorado - December 2013

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It’s so funny to see what happens in different areas of the country when it snows. An inch of snow can paralyze a southern state for days. In Colorado, it’s called October. Or November, December, or any month…clear through May. And sometimes June or July if you’re up in the high country. School let out early yesterday afternoon. You know…to get the kids home before the Snowpocalypse hit. There won’t be school today, I guarantee it.

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When my kids were in school in the mountains of Colorado, they only had one snow day that I can remember. It was -27 and they couldn’t get the buses started that morning. If Coloradans called off school every time it snowed…well, there wouldn’t be much schoolin’. So, I kinda giggle at the mass hysteria when we get a little snow here in West Virginia. It was awfully pretty. And I was really glad we didn’t have any place to go yesterday. We just made a big pot of spaghetti and watched it snow. It was a really good place to be…literally and figuratively. 

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❄️

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““He orders the snow, ‘Blanket the earth!’ and the rain, ‘Soak the whole countryside!’ No one can escape the weather—it’s there. And no one can escape from God.”

\nJob 37:6-8 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/07/remembering-my-rebirthday-and-watching.html", "tags": ["Colorado","Gratitude","Grace","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/06/one-sock-done-one-to.html", "title": "One Sock Done, One to Go!", "content_html": "\n
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I finished the first sock yesterday. I had two skeins…one per sock. I nearly ran out of the first skein and it took me a bit to figure out what I did wrong. I followed the pattern precisely, but I think I could have made the top a good two inches shorter. Then the foot could be longer. But, as it is, these will fit Little perfectly. Tiny feet! A perfect Valentine’s treat!

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I didn’t sit all afternoon and knit like I have been. I had some other things to do. I needed to mail three packages. Two late Christmas gifts. And, a book for my dear friend Diane’s granddaughter. She is grieving the loss of her Granny, so I sent her a copy of “Rise Up, Little Bluebirds” written by Kristy Boike. Remember when I shared the story from CBS Sunday Morning about the man who lost his wife to brain cancer? She was an avid gardener and loved bluebirds. So, after she died, he started making bluebird houses. His daughter not only lost her mom, but soon after…lost her father-in-law. Her four children were struggling with the losses and, being a former primary school teacher, she wrote a sweet book that helps kids process their feelings about loss and normalizes conversations about grief. I hope it helps her. That child was the center of Diane’s universe…and vice versa.

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Mr. FixIt got the generator out and cleaned up. It started right up for him and he wanted me to go out and see if I could start it, too. I told him as soon as we became serious about this relationship that I need to know how to do everything around this place…just in case I ever have to do it on my own someday. Once you have lost your spouse, you will forever be aware of how tenuous life truly is and I don’t ever want to be caught flat footed. He reminded me of the steps to get it ready, and on the second pull, it fired right up. We have it out on the covered front porch along with the snow blower (it’s actually battery powered) so we’ll be ready for the coming snowfall. We have the battery plugged in and charging.

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On my way back from the Post Office yesterday, I stopped at the two grocery stores in town to pick up a few things. Dick’s Market for fresh ground hamburger, and deli sliced Colby Longhorn cheese and sliced Tavern Ham. Oh…that ham is fabulous and makes the best sandwiches and is great on breakfast biscuits with egg and cheese. Speaking of biscuits, I stopped at the Pig and got fresh buttermilk, bacon, and some great pepperoni and cheese to make homemade Pepperoni Rolls. I may make a batch of Cinnamon Rolls, too. We’ll see.

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While I’m not a huge fan of winter, I sure don’t mind getting stuck at home with lots of fun foods to bake and eat. And, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be stuck at home with than my sweet husband. Knitting, baking, sitting with my sweetheart, and watching the snow fall outside. It doesn’t get any better than that!

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My world is so vastly different now than it was as a new widow. This is the ninth winter since Mr. Virgo died. That first winter in Colorado as a widow was so awful. We had SO much snow that year and…thank GOD I had great neighbors with snowblowers. Between them and hiring the sprinkler guy to come dig me out of a few really big dumps…plus all the times I shoveled by hand in between…I was absolutely bound and determined I would never live where I had to deal with snow like that again. 

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Enter the Winter of 2014-15. I had moved to West Virginia to live on the farm, but Christmas found me scrambling for other living arrangements. I housesat for a friend for a couple of months up in Marietta, Ohio. I remember sitting in the front window of the second floor loft apartment…drafty and cold…watching the snow pile up outside. I was bereft. Things hadn’t worked out at the farm like I thought they would. And I spent those two months scanning thousands of photos onto external hard drives. The memories were so thick, you could cut them with a knife. And they cut my broken heart even deeper.

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By the end of January 2015, I was living in my camper up on a ridge overlooking the Ohio River. The river was frozen and made sounds like ice being dropped in a cooler…all night, every night. The train ran by within a couple hundred yards…every few hours. Tug boats pushed barges of gasoline, chemicals, and coal up and down the river…day and night. No running water. My fridge stopped working and I lost all my food. I showered at Planet Fitness and did laundry at a laundromat for the first time in three decades. It was…challenging, to say the least. But, it made me a stronger person, I think. I had to learn how to survive and thrive on my own. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. However…I wouldn’t necessarily want to repeat it.

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It’s a good life I live here on five acres with Mr. FixIt. I never dreamed I’d be where I am today…and certainly not with my old high school chum. If you would have told me this was where my life would lead, I’d have said you were crazy! Yet, here we are. This is a great story…chapter…volume of my Book of Life.

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?

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“We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails.”

\nProverbs 19:21 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/06/one-sock-done-one-to.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Marriage","Crafts","In the Kitchen","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/05/weaving-a-thread-into-a.html", "title": "Weaving a Thread into a Tapestry of Life", "content_html": "\n
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I’m making great progress on knitting these socks. You can do that when you sit down and knit for several hours a day. I’m enjoying learning a new technique, and once I got the rhythm down using a single 32” circular needle, I realized my friend Gail was right. I probably won’t go back to knitting socks any other way. Turning the heel was an entirely different proposition altogether and, again, I am SO glad The Crazy Sock Lady filmed an entire tutorial of knitting the sock from start to finish. I am a visual learner, so watching it being done on a video that I could pause while I caught up was extremely helpful.

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I’ve been sharing pictures of my progress on the socks every day and many of you have remarked how you love the pattern. I just wanted to show you what the yarn looks like when it’s in the skein versus what it looks like when you knit it up. The skein looked like a hodgepodge of colors…no rhyme or reason to it. Then, as you knit, you can see that the yarn was dyed via a computer program so that the colors change automatically as you knit and the pattern emerges like magic! So cool!

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As I sat in my recliner knitting yesterday, the house still and peaceful, I let my mind wander to the pattern emerging in my work and realized…life is a lot like this ball of yarn. What we see as utter chaos, God sees as His plan for our lives. We go through the work…the day to day living…and in the background, God already had a preprogrammed pattern in mind. We just can’t see it until we start getting further along in our “knitting”. If we stay the course, the pattern emerges into something beautiful. But if we steer off in the wrong direction and “drop stitches”…the end product will not be nearly as beautiful as what God intended.

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My brother called yesterday as I was knitting. He sounded so good…upbeat and healthy. I was a little worried about him when he moved to his new place. People with cognitive impairment struggle with change. It’s confusing and can cause a regression in their mentation. Sometimes that regression becomes permanent, but I was really happy to hear him doing so much better now that he’s had time to adjust. He said he was really looking forward to spring when he can get out and walk again. He doesn’t walk well enough to go out in the snow. 

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I’m so proud of the job he’s done. Eighteen years ago this month, our mom passed away. He had always lived at home with mom and she did everything for him, which wasn’t beneficial for him, but gave her a sense of being needed. I often told her she wasn’t doing him any favors and there would be a time when he would have a rude awakening. He would not only lose and have to grieve for our mom…he would also have to learn how to do the things mom had always done for him. It wasn’t easy for him. It wasn’t easy for me, either. I had to force myself not to “rescue” him. But I am so incredibly proud of the job he has done…from learning how to do his own laundry to shopping and cooking and keeping his room and himself clean and tidy.

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Mr. FixIt finished installing the new medicine chest in his friend’s bathroom yesterday. Today, he’ll get the snowblower and the generator out and get them ready in case we need them in the coming snowstorms. We are heading into our two-three snow months here in West Virginia. We watched the news last night and saw all those poor people stuck out on I-95 in Virginia for up to 36 hours. Fortunately, we have all the food we could possibly need for a whole month or more here at the house. And when we have our emergency electric supply ready in the form of a functional and fully fueled generator…we’ll be all set. I’m glad we don’t have anyplace to go for a while and can be safe, happy, and healthy at home. 

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We are truly blessed and oh, so grateful!

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?

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

\nJeremiah 29:11 NLT\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/05/weaving-a-thread-into-a.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/04/making-progress-on-knitting-and.html", "title": "Making Progress on Knitting and Recovery", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt does odd jobs for friends and family from time to time. Yesterday, one of his friends needed a new medicine cabinet installed in his bathroom. It’s an old house and anyone who has worked on old houses can tell you…there are seldom square corners and measurements are somewhat haphazard. Thus was the case on what has turned into a two day job when the new cabinet wouldn’t fit into the old hole. He’ll go back today with the proper tools and make the hole bigger to accommodate the new cabinet.

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Having the house to myself yesterday afternoon was rather lovely. The sun was shining and the temperature didn’t get much over freezing. It was the perfect day to do two things. Try on the new cashmere sweater my sweetheart bought me for Christmas…and sit in my recliner and knit. The sweater is a lovely pink…just the perfect shade that you find inside a conch shell. Slightly peachy…so pretty and oh so soft. It feels warm without being bulky and it’s not at all itchy. And it fit perfectly. The sleeves slightly balloon out above snug cuffs and there is a slight stripe created by a K10P2 pattern. Perfect!

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The socks are moving along nicely. I created the cup of the heel last night before I put it away to write this. I love the sock yarns that look variegated until you knit them, then it’s apparent the dye was placed strategically to create stripes and patterns in the stitching. This particular sock is called Vanilla, because there’s nothing fancy about it. There is a twenty row K1P1 rib stitch cuff, then everything from there down is essentially a stockinette stitch. 

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I’m really glad there is a YouTube tutorial for every step of this simple sock design because I’m not only learning how to knit in the round on a single 32” circular needle…I’m also learning a new way to turn a heel and join it. I’m pretty much a self taught knitter, so I am not terribly familiar with all the terms and abbreviations that are in a written pattern. I do have the written pattern for this sock, but I need the tutorial…at least the first time.

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My friend Marion’s mom was my seventh grade science teacher. She stood at the front of the class knitting sweaters and never once looked down at her work while she gave lectures. It was phenomenal. I watched her knitting intently because I’d never seen it before. No one in my family knitted, although I did find an old warped pair of knitting needles in my grandma’s cedar chest around the same time I was in Mrs. Corbin’s class. I scrounged up some yellow yarn and tried my hand at knitting. My tension was so tight, I could barely force the needle into the stitches and there were holes in my work. I think I got something that looked vaguely like a potholder and called it good. I never tried to knit again until sometime in the ‘90s. I could crochet with the best of them, but knitting eluded me for the longest time.

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I didn’t understand about the different kinds of yarn. I spent months knitting a sweater on needles that were too big and used acrylic yarn that pilled terribly. It was a huge waste of time as far as a sweater goes, but it was a learning experience. Somewhere along the line, I learned how to knit dishcloths and that gave me the confidence to try more difficult things. I made scarves and hats. Then, when Daughter #1 told me she was expecting Big, I was determined to knit her a baby dress. 

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Being the pragmatist, I found a cute pattern that used brightly colored yarns in nothing but a stockinette stitch. The design was achieved by changing colors. It was fun to see it slowly take shape…the operative word here is “slowly”. I knew I would never get a tiny dress done before the baby came because I was learning as I went. So, I chose a Size 2T and believe it or not…finished the week before Big’s second birthday! Poor Little…she never got the kinds of things Big got because, by that time, I was working sixty hours a week. I’ve tried to make it up to her in other ways.

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We have absolutely NOTHING planned this week…no doctor’s appointments. I have no place to be but home. It’s supposed to snow Thursday night. I have a couple of late Christmas presents to get to the Post Office today, then I’m free to knit to my heart’s content. This is the time of year God sets aside for us to recover and rest from the labors of the land and I have every intention of taking advantage of it!

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?

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12 So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. 13 Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is.

\nRomans 14:12-13 MSG\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/04/making-progress-on-knitting-and.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/27/we-hit-it-out-of.html", "title": "We Hit it Out of the Park!", "content_html": "\n
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We’ve had to divide up the family parties since covid. One faction believes in vaccines and the other does not. It’s not a problem in the summer so much because we can gather outside, but during the winter when we can’t do that, we have to take everyone’s choices into consideration and make the necessary adjustments to holiday festivities.

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My bonus son and his family came yesterday for lunch and to exchange gifts. When I joined the family, I introduced a Colorado tradition of chili and homemade cinnamon rolls. I’ve been baking cinnamon rolls for decades. As a matter of fact, I used to supply one of the local coffee houses in Glenwood Springs with my cinnamon rolls once a week. They were always a big hit and people would call ahead to reserve them. Well, I thought they were good, but they couldn’t hold a candle to the new recipe I tried yesterday!

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The 2021 Recipe of the Year for King Arthur Flour is Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls. OMGosh! These things are HEAVEN ON A PLATE! They are light and pillowy soft thanks to an extra step at the beginning of the recipe where you make a Tangzhong…a cooked paste of flour and milk to which you add the wet, then dry ingredients. The recipe sounds complicated, but it is surprisingly easy to make. You know how wonderful Cinnamon Rolls taste when they’re fresh from the oven…but within a very short while, they get hard and dry? Well…these will last up to a week (although I cannot imagine them making it that long the way we eat them!) They are SO good…I will never make a different recipe when I want this particular yummy goodness. They were a major hit…so much so that the youngest grandchild wants to come out this week and learn how to make them!

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We exchanged gifts and had a wonderful visit. I felt much better yesterday and having family around did me a world of good. I didn’t get to see all the family in person, however we at least got to talk with all of them either over the phone or on video chat. It turned out to be a Merry Christmas after all! Inviting Jesus into every circumstance has really helped me feel so much better. That being said, I’m still not terribly excited about the upcoming procedure this week, but I know He’ll be there with me so I have nothing to fear.

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❄️

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“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

\nRevelation 3:20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-27T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/27/we-hit-it-out-of.html", "tags": ["Health","Comfort","Holiday","Farm Life","Baking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/22/the-winter-solstice.html", "title": "The Winter Solstice", "content_html": "\n
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The only real celebration I observe for the Winter Solstice is letting out a huge sigh of relief. The days will start getting longer now…by imperceptible increments…until some day a few weeks from now we’ll notice it’s not dark all the time. I am a craver of light. My father walked along behind me turning off the lights in the house. I wanted MORE lights! My former husbands did the same thing. When I finally bought my own home after Hubby #2 and I split up, I didn’t put one curtain up…much to my neighbors chagrin, I imagine. I just couldn’t stand to not catch every moment of light possible. When Mr. Virgo came along, unfortunately TV and window curtains came with him. Small price to pay, but still…I hated both.

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Mr. FixIt and I live out on five acres with no close neighbors. There is, however, a large picture window on the end of the house facing our dirt road and when the lights are on, there’s no way to hide in there. When I first moved in here with my sweetheart, there were heavy, dark, blackout curtains on the windows and the bottom half of the room was painted very deep, dark green. It was a cave and I couldn’t breathe! The first thing I did was rip the curtains off the windows and throw them away. They were old and the gas from the heat had deteriorated the stitching. 

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That helped a great deal. But there was still not enough light, so within a week of moving in, we painted the walls a very soft blue/grey that was bright enough to not be garish, yet soothing enough to make you sit down and sigh. I love that room. We have a 58” television on the end opposite the window. If I’m home alone, I often turn on the “fireplace channel” and sit there knitting and rocking in my chair. It’s so soothing. However, the other day, I took the trash out and when I turned around, I caught the view through the full glass storm door and it honestly looked like the living room was on fire! I feel bad for my neighbors when they drive by…I’m sure they’ve done a number of double takes as they drive by.

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I mean, it’s not like we’re running around “au buffo” or anything. At first, this was a totally new thing for Mr. FixIt…no curtains??? I swear he went along with it because we were so newly in love, he would have crawled through ground glass to make me happy. By now he’s used to it. I bought him a clear acrylic bird feeder that sticks onto the picture window with suction cups so we can watch the birds sweep in and eat just inches from us. 

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Oh…speaking of birds. I saw a picture the other day doing the rounds on Facebook. It showed an iron skillet with fat in it from having cooked bacon probably. It suggested you put oats in the fat to absorb it and put it out for the birds. Well, before I do ANYTHING regarding birds, I consult my local bird expert, Julie Zickefoose. I sent her the picture and asked if it was ok to do. She answered with a resounding ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Salt and nitrates are horrible for birds so DON’T DO THAT! If you see it floating around, please share that warning with the person who posts it. Thanks! We love our birds and we want to do what’s best for them!

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We saw our family doctor for the last time…he’s retiring and yesterday was his last day. Hubby #2 is also a retired physician and we have had some discussion about the emotional lability involved with such a major change. Some people think they’re not going to have a bit of trouble transitioning to retirement, then they find there are a lot more emotions involved in it that they expected. I warned our doctor of that. He looked at me like maybe I had gone round the bend. Then he said, “You know…you’re probably right.” Some people take to retirement like a duck to water. That’s how I was. But to others, there’s a lot of their “self” wrapped up in their career. I just wanted to give him a head’s up so he wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happened.

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We went to Sam’s to get scallops for Christmas Dinner. My sweet, frugal husband looked at the bag and put them back. “Oh, I don’t really need them that bad.” I marched right passed him, picked up that bag of frozen scallops and said, “It’s Christmas and you work hard. You’re having these!” He just smiled sheepishly. Then I went over to the meat department and picked out the most extravagant yet reasonably priced delicacy I could find and chose a lovely package of lamb chops. Mr. Virgo taught me how to make them grilled with a marinade of orange juice and maple syrup with a touch of rosemary. They are the BEST!

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We helped a friend jump start his car. We picked up the two new sets of pots and pans he bought for us with his friends and family discount. We delivered the former Mrs. FixIt her set. Then we went to the grandkid’s farm to see the new puppy. When we got home, I baked two batches of chocolate chip cookies and that was it for me for the day. Today I’ll bake more, then we can deliver cookies to the neighbors on Christmas Eve.

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The days will slowly grow longer now. But as they do, there will be knitting and baking and other projects to be done around the house. Lots of birds to watch. Lots of sunsets and life moments to catch with my camera. Lots of words to write. Make some memories this week, people. I’ve again been reminded how quickly life is gone.

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❄️

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“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

\nProverbs 16:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/22/the-winter-solstice.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/11/if-its-christmas-it-must.html", "title": "If It’s Christmas, It Must Be Time For Aebleskivers!", "content_html": "\n
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The #32 pan has a lip on it which keeps the oil from spilling over into your flame when it bubbles up.

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I never heard of aebleskivers till my friend Judy showed me how to make them back in the ‘80s. Aebleskiver literally translates to “apple slices” in Danish and the filled spherical shaped pancakes of the same name are made in a special pan. A long time ago, I had a nonstick aebleskiver pan and used it a few times. It went to the wayside when I downsized and sold my Colorado house. A few years ago, I bought one off of Amazon and when it arrived, it was cast iron. And not the nice smooth cast iron of years past, but the rough cast iron that’s made nowadays.

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I’ve been told that with enough use and good seasoning, these rough pans can become usable, but I’m skeptical. I never had much luck with a Lodge pan, for instance. The surface is so rough and pitted and the food always ends up sticking. I returned the aebleskiver pan to Amazon and didn’t think much of it. These days, if I buy a piece of cast iron cookware, it’s going to be a Griswold.

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The original Griswold foundry was established in Erie, PA  in 1865 and they made door hinges. However, in the 1870’s, they branched out into cookware and became the most respected name in the business. The company lasted till 1957. Their cookware is prized and highly collectible and people hand down their cast iron pans with as much circumstance as handing down family jewels. In many cases, in the hills and hollers of Appalachia…cast iron skillets WERE the family treasures.

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I have a couple of Griswold skillets. I have my grandmother’s cast iron waffle pan, but I cannot recall if it’s a Griswold…I’ll have to look sometime. Mr. FixIt knows by now not to even bother showing me a piece of cast iron unless it’s a Griswold. So, yesterday, when I was sitting in the living room knitting, he sent me a text from Facebook Marketplace. As soon as I opened it, my heart skipped a beat. 

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An Antique Griswold #32 962 Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan for $85!

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I didn’t even know Griswold MADE an aebleskiver pan! And, not a bad price, apparently…I looked them up and some went for at least $135…sometimes more. I looked over at him. He smiled.

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“Offer them $75.”

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It’s what you do. 

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“It’s only been on there for fifteen minutes. They aren’t going to take that!”

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“Well, you won’t know till you ask.”

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I sent the offer and she accepted! Hmmmmm….maybe I should have offered less. Nope! The offer was just right. No need to be greedy! We made arrangements and were in the truck heading to town in five minutes. I was so excited to find this pan and add it to my collection. And, it’ll be another new tradition I can start with my grandchildren…making Aebleskivers together. I still have the Aebleskiver Cookbook so I’m really looking forward to cleaning up this pan and seasoning it.

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You never know when you wake up in the morning what is going to come your way. What kind of adventure is right around the bend? Who are you going to meet that’s going to change your course? I am firmly convinced our lives are like a mountain stream. We have twists and turns. Sometimes it is rough and rushed. Sometimes it’s slow and placid. But every inch of the journey is an education. I always know God will lead me right where I’m supposed to go.

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Today, I’m happy a funny, lumpy little pan fell in my path.

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For more information about Aebleskivers, check out this website for The Solvang Restaurant.

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?

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

\nProverbs 3:5-6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-11T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/11/if-its-christmas-it-must.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/07/the-moon-and-the-stars.html", "title": "The Moon and The Stars", "content_html": "\n
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I went outside last evening to do something and stopped in my tracks. The curve of the moon…nothing more than a thumbnail…was like a cup, ready to catch the “falling star” that was Venus. It took my breath away. Anytime the moon is near the horizon, it looks much bigger than it really is. And unless you have the proper camera lens, it’s not going to look like much more than a dot on a picture. But I loved the way the Christmas decorations shed light up on the naked maple tree with just the ghostly images of the building and fence. And there was the celestial spectacle, just waiting for me to see it.

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It reminded me of how we live so much of our lives in the dark without knowing what beauty lies beyond our diminished horizons. For instance, if I hadn’t have thought of something I left in the truck, I never would have walked out the back door at exactly the right moment. Yet, this beauty would have been there, whether I saw it or not. We don’t look up enough. Or out, for that matter.

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We are all too often like a pickup driving an old back road. Over the years, the storms that come along turn the road to mud. And when the people come, which they inevitably do, their wheels dig deep ruts in the road. Eventually, the mud dries, but the ruts stay. After a while, it gets harder and harder to steer out of those ruts till it’s actually the road steering us. 

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The only way around that is to look further ahead down the road, plot your course on a different path, and steer away from the ruts. Taking a different path leads to different scenery, different experiences, different outcomes. And, sometimes you are treated to an entirely different view you weren’t expecting.

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There is so much beauty in the world. Don’t let the naysayers and the mainstream media pundits tell you there is not goodness out there. I sat in line at the drive-thru of my favorite coffee shop yesterday. I asked the gal at the window how much the order was behind me? It was under $5, so I said, “Add it to mine.” I pulled off to the side to sit and really savor my coffee slowly and I glanced in my rear view mirror as the person behind me waved enthusiastically. It made me smile at the simple gift I could give to a stranger.

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I had to stop at Walmart to pick up a couple of things and decided to buy longer charging cords for our new phones. There was one young girl waiting on people in the electronics section. I found myself thinking about all the other things I needed to do and asking myself if I should leave the line and pick up what I needed and come back or just wait it out. The thought, “Well, this is just the way things are now. The pandemic has changed so many aspects of our every day lives. The supply chain is messed up. People are not just settling for lower paying jobs now so there’s a shortage of employees. Yada, yada, yada…” 

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I could have gotten myself in a tizzy for nothing. Instead, I listened. Christmas music was playing. A woman was looking at the photos she was picking up and smiling at them. A young man was sitting in one of the electric scooters you can drive around. He was carefully reading the boxes on some sort of electronic item making sure he had the right thing. And elderly couple shuffled slowly by…bent over…holding hands. They carefully carried a small bag of oranges. I felt eyes on me and looked over at the young woman behind the counter. She was so serene in the midst of the line waiting for her attention. She smiled at me.

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“What can I help you with?”

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“Are you sure? I just need a couple of charging cords.”

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“Sure, come on.”

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We walked over and I had what I needed in less than thirty seconds.

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“Thanks so much!”

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“Not a problem. Have a great day!”

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As I turned to walk away, I heard her sweet voice say to the next customer “What can I help you with?”

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There is beauty in the world. You just have to look for it. For some odd reason, that was the impetus I’ve been looking for to get me started on decorating the tree. All of a sudden, that was all I could think of…just getting home and handling the treasures we share just this one time a year. By evening, I had all but the most fragile vintage ornaments up on the tree. I’ll finish them today, vacuum the room and pick up a little, and we’ll call it good. I didn’t put all the tchotchkes out this year. I just wanted to keep it simple. 

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We have a very busy month ahead with lots of end-of-the-year appointments we have to attend. It’s not the laid back holiday month I had hoped for, so keeping everything else simple makes things seem a little less hectic. Having the tree finished opens up opportunities for a little impromptu baking. I picked up some apples and ready made pie crusts. Remember, while homemade from scratch is excellent, there’s nothing wrong with substituting a little store bought to make your life easier.

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Remember…Work smarter, not harder.

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?

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“Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah”

\nPsalm 89:37 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-07T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/07/the-moon-and-the-stars.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/06/old-stuff-and-new-stuff.html", "title": "Old Stuff and New Stuff", "content_html": "\n
\n\n\n

Daughter #1 tagged me in a post over the weekend. It seems she was going through items that had been in a storage shed for 15 years and came across a tin of hand made Christmas ornaments she and I made together when she was little. They were salt dough gingerbread men and I’m amazed they lasted this long. Three of them were broken beyond repair and disintegrating, but she laid them out on a paper towel and took pictures of them so I could remember with her.

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I got a tiny bit verklempt. I still remember the day we made them. We didn’t have a ton of money when she was a child so we handmade a lot of things. I remember cutting the hole in the top with a straw so we could string that curly ribbon through it to hang. I remember how proud she was to paint the Girl Scout. I think she was only in Girl Scouts a couple of years so this had to have been elementary school. I don’t remember what we painted them with, but I do remember putting a coat of something like ModPodge on them to make them last.

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It’s so cool to make memories with your kids when they’re growing up. And you don’t know what activity is going to stick with them and give them warm memories of their own. She remembers long bike rides and trips to the library because they were free. She also remembers what it was like to eat black and white boxes of macaroni and cheese and whatever you could grow in the yard out back. She remembers trips to West Virginia and combing her great grandmother’s long hair. This is the daughter that is not overtly demonstrative. She is a much more matter of fact, rub a little dirt in it and keep going, shake it off kind of person. I wouldn’t expect her to cry at a Kodak commercial. But this gal will drop what she is doing and run to your side in a moment’s notice if you need her. Sharing this little memory made my day.

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Talk about making someone’s day, I made Mr. FixIt as fine a country dinner as I’ve ever cooked last night. My bonus daughter gave us some venison tenderloin the other day. Now, I’ve eaten deer meat maybe once or twice in my life and was never a fan. I wasn’t really sure how to cook it. I remembered Brenda Gantt did a video this fall about cooking the backstrap so I watched that a couple of times. I soaked the deer meat in water and squeezed the blood out, then I soaked it in buttermilk for a few hours. I cut it in strips, salted and peppered it and dredged it in flour. I put some homemade cornbread in the oven, heated up some pinto beans, fried potatoes, and then fried up the deer meat. It all came out piping hot at the same time. Of course, my kitchen looked like a bomb went off in it, but it was a great meal. I think the only thing that might have made it better would have been some collard greens.

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Still didn’t get the decorations on the tree. I almost did, then my sweet husband snored his way through a couple of football games and I didn’t want to disturb him. So I just sat here and knitted happily enjoying a peaceful afternoon. I have another chiropractor appointment today. The back is MUCH better! So…maybe when I get home? We’ll see. I don’t seem to be in a terrible hurry with it this year, for some reason. It’ll get done.

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❄️

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“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

\nGenesis 9:3-4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/06/old-stuff-and-new-stuff.html", "tags": ["Family","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/05/ice-ice-baby.html", "title": "Ice, Ice, Baby!", "content_html": "\n
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Pardon the mess…we are still a work in progress here!

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Well, we’re making progress here. My back pain was much improved after seeing the chiropractor on Friday and sitting on ice packs several times Friday and Saturday. Thank, God! It was becoming alarming…I don’t have time for this, you know. All that sitting gave me an opportunity to knit. Last year, I bought tons of that cotton yarn you knit dishcloths out of and I’m just about finished with it. I love tucking a little homemade something into a card or under the ribbon of a larger gift. Homemade spells love in my book. I’ll have a whole basket full of dishcloths and that ought to last me for quite some time and I can move on to other things.

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The first thing we did yesterday was run into our little burg and hit the coffee shop and the bakery. What a great way to start the weekend! When I got up yesterday morning, Mr. FixIt had the tree upright and lit. I needed to center it a little better and fluff out the branches. If you notice in this picture…there’s nothing on it. That’s because I couldn’t figure out how to decorate it AND sit on ice at the same time. You can also see it’s kind of “striped”. A strand or two of the lights are out. That happens sometimes with pre-lit trees. I could tediously go through each bulb and try to find the one that’s burned out. Or, I can do what I did last year….run a string of white lights in the blank spots and call it good. Work smarter, not harder, right?

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Mr. FixIt went out and washed our poor old blow-up Santa off. He gets pretty muddy by the end of the season and needed a bath. A little later, I went out and helped him hang the wreath on the end of the house. Then he took his new hedge trimmer and cleaned up the forsythia at the corner of the house. If you aren’t careful, those things will take over and then need cut back regularly. We watched football. We ordered some Rada knives from my bonus daughter’s church so he ran to town to pay for them. She gave us some venison…tenderloin and steaks…so I’m trying my hand at cooking that today. I love elk, but I’m still on the fence with venison. We’ll see.

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Today, we’ll finish with the decorating, I think. Then I can write the Christmas cards while I’m sitting on ice packs. We plug along, working at our own pace. It’s good to not have a schedule you have to meet. That’s one of the benefits of retirement…and winter!

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❄️

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“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

\nRomans 14:5 ESV\n
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#Decorating, #Christmas, #Tree

\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/05/ice-ice-baby.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Crafts"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/04/aint-it-good-to-be.html", "title": "Ain’t it Good to Be Back Home Again!", "content_html": "\n
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*che-wink*   *che-wink*   *che-wink*

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I opened my eyes and listened to the cheery *che-wink* of an Eastern Towhee rummaging around in the leaves and lower branches of the flowering quince on the creek bank outside the open window. Yes…it was cold. But I had a pile of blankets on me and slept like a stone in the chilly air coming down the holler. I stretched and opened my eyes, rolling over and squinting without my glasses, trying to catch a glimpse of the beautiful bird with the black jacket and russet vest. I saw a flash of the showy “V” of black and white on his tail feathers as he fluttered off to another resting place.

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As I laid there, gazing up at the ceiling, I took stock of what was hurting today. This parathyroid thing makes pain of some level a nearly every day ordeal. It’s just something I deal with and pray they can fix when they find and remove the offending glands. What I was most interested in yesterday was how my back felt. I was disappointed that it was more sore than the day before. Time to give in and see someone about it.

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I made an appointment with the chiropractor for the afternoon and started gathering up my things to leave the farm once again. My sweet husband called to check in. He was on his way to pick up a deer someone gave his daughter. She had a full day of work ahead of her cutting up and packaging the meat for the freezer. He also drove all over town trying to find a new Christmas Angel tree topper. The lights finally went out in ours and it couldn’t be fixed, but…after a good twenty years of service, it was time to get a new one. 

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Mr. FixIt went to every store in town and finally found one. He tried to find an outlet in the store to plug it in but there wasn’t one to be had. So, he brought her home and hoped for the best. He plugged her in last night and we neither one liked her. This wasn’t a “well, maybe she’ll grow on us” thing. This was oh, heck no. She had colored lights, where we wanted white. Not only was she multi-colored, the lights changed colors every two seconds. You couldn’t even see the angel…just the lights. And she had fiber optics which for some odd reason just gives me the creeps. It’s like a hairy spider or caterpillar to me.

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Since this was the only one to be found in town, we resorted to the internet and found one from Penney’s. She’s exactly what we both were looking for. She won’t be here until well after the tree is decorated so the old gal can keep her place of honor til the new angel shows up. Mr. FixIt moved the furniture out of the way while I was at the farm so we can set up the tree in front of the living room windows. 

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The chiropractor did x-rays and gave me a gentle adjustment. A lot of icing over the weekend and I’ll see him again Monday. He smiled as I left and said, “We can fix this.” That is always reassuring. I told him we need to because I’m a busy woman and I have stuff to do!

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I’m really looking forward to setting the tree up today. I have so many wonderful ornaments that bring back warm memories. Some belonged to my parents, a couple to my grandparents. There are several I collected over the years at my friend Judy’s epic Christmas ornament exchange parties. Some I made myself. Some were gifts. And there are the special hand painted Ne Qwa ornaments I’ve been collecting for the last fifteen years. I am always so happy to see the decorations every year. It’s like running into old friends on the street and telling a story of how we met.

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Hopefully I’ll have beautiful pictures to show you tomorrow. I took today’s snap of the barn out at the farm yesterday as I was heading to my truck. I love the way the naked fingers of the tree are reaching up for that azure sky. I love the weathered wood of the barn and old smoke house. I love the carpet of leaves the color of a well worn saddle. Everything about that farm is enchanting to me. This was just another example. I’ll be back again!

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❄️

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“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”

\nPsalm 8:3-5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/04/aint-it-good-to-be.html", "tags": ["Fun","The Farm","Choices","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/02/its-palindrome-day.html", "title": "It’s Palindrome Day! 12/02/2021", "content_html": "\n
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The last time I came out to the farm, I expected to stay two nights but I had a dinner engagement wrong in my mind and had to cut it short. Then, there was all the hullabaloo surrounding Thanksgiving. Then I hurt my back and haven’t done much of anything since Saturday night. I do not like to take pain medication, but I did give in for the first couple of days. Then, just like clockwork, I stopped and my mood took a nosedive. It always does and that’s why I don’t like to take that stuff in the first place. So, if I was going to be blue, I knew where I needed to go. 

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The Farm.

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I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to still have the opportunity to come stay at the home of my heart. My grandma’s goodness is baked into the timbers of this house and any time I get to stay here, it’s like medicine to my spirit. I got here mid afternoon and crawled into Grandma’s bed. It rained off and on and the sound on the tin roof lulled me off to a gentle slumber. I woke up and heated up a little supper and climbed back in bed with the memory book I wrote about the farm. I’m leaving a copy here so everyone who gets to visit can see the history of the place.

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As I was looking through the book, I noticed the year Grandma and Pop-Pop got married. On October 13th, it was 100 years ago!!! I can’t believe that. My grandpa died forty-eight days before their 50th Wedding Anniversary. So, he’s been gone fifty years. It’s funny what the mind does to you when people are gone. When they are a part of you, and you hold them in your heart, that’s where they live and time is irrelevant. It is elastic. It stretches out interminably and shrinks back to the size of a grain of rice. They are always gone, yet they are always here.

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On Thanksgiving this year, I experienced a wave of grief where I missed everyone. All of my loved ones who went before were tearing at my heartstrings. I don’t think I’ve quite put them back to bed yet. Hence another reason to make a retreat to the farm, gaze at my book of memories, and feel them all around me once more. I’ll rest and process and heal a little more, then I’ll head back home to my beloved Mr. FixIt. 

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And this time…I promise…we’re going to decorate for Christmas!

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It takes a special person to love a widow or widower. I thank God I have that special man in my husband. He supports me and lets me fly and be who I need to be and feel what I need to feel. He’s so very special. 

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I am so grateful I had all these photos to put this book together for the family. My brother tells me he has it in a place of honor in his apartment. My Aunt Rosie says she held it and looked through it and remembered all the wonderful times she had growing up here and had a little cry. My cousin Cathy says she didn’t know half the stories that were in it. My cousin Tammy loves it and wants me to send her digital copies of all the photos. Daughter #1 took her copy with her to the family Thanksgiving dinner and shared all the stories she remembered. This is going to be a gift for generations to come and I’m so humbled I am the one to put it together.

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❄️

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\n

“Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:”

\nNehemiah 7:5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-02T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/02/its-palindrome-day.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Aging","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/26/let-the-games-begin.html", "title": "Let the Games Begin!", "content_html": "\n
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I just had to show you this AMAZING sourdough starter. I bought a one ounce jar of starter from King Arthur Baking Company and was thrilled to see it arrived fresh. And look…after only two days of feeding, this thing has taken on a life of its own. It is aromatic and rich and so active…I’m just thrilled! I can’t wait to get in the kitchen and started baking sourdough again.

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Another Thanksgiving is in the books…this one decidedly low key. Mr. FixIt got up at the crack of dawn and went to walk with the kids in the Turkey Trot. I elected to stay home and not overtax these aching bones of mine. I’m hoping after we solve the hyperparathyroidism issue, I can get back to my normal way of life and I can go play with the kids again.

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Our town delivered Thanksgiving meals to our door yesterday morning, so we didn’t even touch the soup beans I had in the crockpot. I’ll make cornbread today and we can have them today. I also decided to wait till today to put the tree up. I love when it’s up and the lights glow in the window, but the idea of slogging everything up the steps and putting it up is not as exciting. As with most things, this Gemini has to be in the proper space to get anything creative done.

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I loved all the video calls I had yesterday. Seeing the kids helps make the distance shrink just a little bit. They look good, they’re healthy and happy and thriving. One cannot ask for more than that in this life.

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I hope your holiday was filled with moments that warmed your hearts. I hope you held close the memories of those no longer with you. And, I hope you made new memories to take with you as we move on down this road of life.

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Life isn’t always easy at this time of year. Pace yourselves, dear ones. Eat well. Drink plenty of water. Get good sleep. Go outside and walk every day. Touch the earth, kiss the sky, and embrace nature. It’s good for what ails ya!

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They’re predicting a little skiff of snow on this morning. And so…it begins.

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?

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“for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”

\n‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-26T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/26/let-the-games-begin.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Holiday","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/23/getting-started-on-the-starter.html", "title": "Getting Started on the Starter", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday and smiled at Mr. FixIt.

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“I’m makin’ waffles!”

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“Hey…that sounds great!”

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I padded into the kitchen, got my coffee brewing, and started to gather my ingredients. I like to make high protein pancakes because I try to keep tight control on Mr. FixIt’s blood sugars. Poor man doesn’t stand a chance, marrying a Diabetes Educator. Regular pancakes will cause a spike in blood sugar then when the simple carbs burn off, it’s crash city and that not only feels bad, it’s not good for you.

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I had the buttermilk, milk, and butter combined when I reached for the eggs and came up empty. Well, we had one…I needed three. I went in to tell my sweetheart I was running to town to get some eggs. While I was there, I picked up some more flour, another container of pancake mix, and some sugar free syrup. If you ever want a really good sugar free syrup, try Smucker’s. It tastes great and it’s thick, like regular syrup. Most sugar free syrups are runny. I got back and made a big batch of waffles. I had enough to freeze for at least two more breakfasts. You can just pop them in the toaster like the ones you buy in the freezer section.

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While I was at the store, FedEx delivered my package from King Arthur. I ordered a sourdough crock and a starter. I thought it would be dehydrated, but I was thrilled when it arrived and was fresh! After breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen, filled my flour container with the fresh flour I bought, and fed the new starter. It smelled great. Kinda of sweet and fruity with a hint of sour. The one I was using for the last year and a half had developed a lovely fermented aroma with hints of wine and apples. It had matured so well, and I was hopeful it would last me a lifetime, but I neglected it beyond repair.

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I set the bowl aside with the new starter and saw Mr. FixIt off to run errands. Then I washed all the windows in the family room. I want to put the tree up so I needed to get those windows sparkling clean. I don’t know if you have ever used Norwex products, but I swear by their glass cleaning system. It consists of two cloths. One is a microfiber terry. You wet it and scrub the glass with it. You never use soaps or chemicals with these cloths. The second cloth is smooth and has a kind of sheen to it You wipe the glass dry and polish it with that one. When the cloths get soiled, you boil them in plain water and stir them with a wooden spoon to remove any dirt, let them dry on the back of the kitchen chairs then fold and put them away the next day. So, so simple and they work without streaking.

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By the time Mr. FixIt got home, I was cuddled up in my recliner under my throw. My cousin received her books yesterday and texted. She LOVED them! She wanted to know if I had all those photos so she could scan them. I did her one better. I’ve already scanned them all so I’m in the process of emailing them to her. I can only send five photos in each email because our internet is so slow. But hey…where else do I need to be? It’s a small labor of love for my sweetest cousin.

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I bought candied fruit at the store yesterday so I’ll look for my Aunt Marge’s White Fruitcake recipe today and get started on that. I’ll have Mr. FixIt bring the decorations up from the basement so we can get that going as well. It’s going to be pretty cozy in here soon!

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?

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“for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.”

\nJeremiah 10:3-4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/23/getting-started-on-the-starter.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/22/update-on-all-the-things.html", "title": "Update on All the Things", "content_html": "\n
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I received an email over the weekend from the daughter of the soldier named on my POW/MIA bracelet! She was thrilled to hear of another of her father’s bracelets out there and thanked me profusely for taking the time to find her. She shared her mailing address and I’ll get the bracelet sent off to her this week. The internet is still good for sharing love and light around the world. Like all tools, it’s what you use it for that makes the difference.

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I fiddled with my new phone yesterday. I’ve been puzzled by something for the last several years. Somewhere along the line on one of my phone upgrades, I went from around 500 contacts in my phone to nearly 3,000! Nearly every name had multiple entries of the same name with all the same contact information. Also, my calendar might have one person’s birthday listed three or four times on their special day. 

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I just couldn’t figure it out. I talked with the people at the Apple Store. Nothing…making the term “Genius Bar” seem somewhat dubious. I’ve asked in various forums. I Googled it. The answers I got varied from “Here…buy this app. It’ll fix it” to long detailed instructions to “get to this setting and click on _______” but the place they wanted me to click didn’t exist. Every once in a while, I’d sit down and delete or link the contacts, but they inevitably came back. I just couldn’t make heads nor tails of the whole thing and figured it was something I had to live with.

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Yesterday, I sat down with the phone and explored the settings. I know it had to be something simple like a switch was selected, but where it was eluded me. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander the “streets” of my phone. What would make something be repeated so much? Then I remembered seeing a drop down menu that listed my five email accounts that I use: one for personal, one to use when I need an email to sign up for something and don’t want to get inundated with spam, one for the Cloud, one for my Apple ID, and one for my business.

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I pondered those five accounts and remembered seeing “Yahoo” on one of the multiples, but not on a different one. I wondered if it could possibly have something to do with the fact I am using so many email addresses. When I went in the drop down menu, there was a place to click on each one. And sure enough, each one consisted of multiple tabs I could select…one of which was “Contacts”. Another was “Calendar”. I went through and unselected everything but email on all of them except for my personal email and the Cloud. 

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Sure enough, I immediately went WAY down on the number of contacts. I spent about an hour linking what few were left as duplicates, as well as deleting names of people I couldn’t even remember. I ended up with 499 contacts! Voila!

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My new sourdough starter should arrive today. I woke up in the middle of the night last week and decided to order a fresh, new batch of starter with a covered crock specifically to use with it. I’ll throw out the old flour and get fresh, new flour and get a nice new batch of sourdough started. It’s about time to get that going again. I’m also going to look up my Aunt Marge’s White Fruitcake recipe and make some fruitcakes soon. And some of Grandma’s Raisin Filled Cookies. 

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Our little town delivers Thanksgiving meals to anyone who wants them. You don’t have to qualify…they just want to share a good meal with everyone. I love our town. We don’t have a stop light in the whole county and we look out for one another. My friend Diane shared the number, so I called and ordered two meals. That means I don’t have to cook a big meal this year. Instead, I’ll start my holiday baking and put up the Christmas decorations this week. We decided our phones are our gifts to each other. That takes a lot of pressure off of holiday preparations and I think we can just sit back and enjoy the whole season this year! That’s the plan, anyway.

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You know what they say about plans, right? lol

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Come…take a walk with me!
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?

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“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

\nProverbs 16:9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-22T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/22/update-on-all-the-things.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Gratitude","Holiday","Farm Life","Crafts","Cooking","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/19/the-farm-book-is-here.html", "title": "The Farm Book is Here!", "content_html": "\n
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Ok, it’s not MY book…yet. This is the memory book I’ve made for the family. I know…it’s supposed to be a surprise for Christmas, but my gosh…to see it in print and hold it in my hand???? I am now SO super motivated to finish my own book and get it published! I’m such a stickler for perfection. (I have a couple of dear friends who send me private messages to tell me when I have a typo in my blog!) I read this thing cover to cover…several times and still, there are two little typos. But, I don’t care. They probably won’t even be noticed by anyone but me anyway.

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Our day was filled with tum-tumming around the house…cleaning a little, picking up a little. Moving things around and organizing. It’s going to be time to put the tree up…maybe this weekend!!! I love the lights and Lord knows…we need all the light we can get at this time of the year! I think we’re probably pretty settled into cool weather so the ladybugs aren’t going to be as big a deal from here on out.

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Along in the late afternoon, Mr. FixIt asked if I’d like to run to town and get pizza for dinner. This is something we seldom do anymore, and I’m not one to turn down a date night! The sunset was aMAZing last night. We stopped at a church parking lot to get a picture without power lines in it. It got even prettier after we started driving again, so those will have to stay mental pictures since there was no place else to pull off.

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The pizza was divine! We sat in the car in the parking lot and savored every crispy, savory bite. Pete’s Pizza in Mineral Wells is the BEST pizza I’ve had here in West Virginia. And, inside every pizza box is a handwritten inspirational message. “You are LOVED!” “You’re doing a great job!” “Kindness Matters!” They always make me smile. We met the family who owns the pizza parlor at church a couple of years ago and they are such good people. I love when people pour their hearts into their work and it makes such a visible difference.

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After pizza, we ran a couple of errands and gassed up the truck. I think we may be able to stay home for a couple of days…unless my new phone comes in! In which case we’ll make another trip into town. I take so many pictures for this blog, and phone cameras have improved so much over the years. My phone has slowed way down and the battery is beginning to lose its umph. I know, I could just get a new battery, but Verizon is offering such a great deal for trading in your old phone, it’s crazy NOT to get a new one. 

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Today is more of the same…house stuff…laundry, cleaning up. I reconstituted my sourdough starter and tried to get a new one going and it molded as well. I suppose I need to throw out my flour and get different starter and sterilize all my equipment. Oh, and I tried to season the cornbread pan my Uncle Bud gave me and succeeded in filling the house with smoke. I think I had the oven up too high. I’ll try again today.

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It’s “Feel Good Friday!” Tell me what you’re doing today to feel good about yourself!

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/19/the-farm-book-is-here.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Feel Good Friday"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/16/kitchen-mishaps.html", "title": "Kitchen Mishaps", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been pretty lucky in the kitchen over the years. I have won a box full of ribbons for my pies and cakes and for canned and baked goods in various fairs and contests over the years. I’ve been featured in a couple of local papers when I lived in Glenwood Springs and was known as “The Pie Queen”. I taught baking classes and baked for a couple of the restaurants in town. I can remember two major mishaps in the Colorado kitchen. 

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I was in a hurry to get my cakes to the judging table at the Colorado Mountain Fair one summer. I had to park quite a distance and Daughter #1 helped me carry the cakes. Unfortunately, she tripped and the cake flew into the air, did a flip, and landed on it’s top on the ground. She was devastated and I felt so bad for her. I couldn’t have cared less about the cake itself. Another time, the face didn’t turn out the way I wanted, and at the last minute, I tried to turn it into a kind of trifle thing and it was a disaster. 

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When you win a lot of ribbons, expectations begin to be placed on you to continue with bigger and better desserts. It really was a lot of fun, but it was an incredible amount of work. The refrigerator was off limits to my family and heaven forbid they eat something I’d been working on as a main ingredient for a complex presentation. Presentation is as important as the flavor and texture of anything you enter in competition.

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I haven’t baked like that in years. I finally quit competing when I overheard someone say the contests were getting less entries because my two friends and I took almost all the ribbons…year after year. My last year competing, I won four blue ribbons and one second place. I didn’t figure I could do much better than that. I decided if I quit before being perfect, it would help me stay humble. 

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During the lockdown, I…like so many in this country…began baking. I taught myself how to bake sourdough bread which was quite an undertaking. One of my friends is Kate Dunbar…the Campground Gourmet and currently BBQ Pit Boss on the production of the prequel for Yellowstone, 1883. Kate lost her precious husband a little over a year ago. Just before he died, she sent me some of her dehydrated sourdough starter. 

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I’d been wanting to bake sourdough for years, but it was never the right time for me. Being home a lot presented that opportunity I’d been waiting for and I threw myself into it with great fervor. There are several pounds of sourdough on my backside as a result, but man…was it ever good. I kind of got a little burned out on it after a year. I did continue to feed the starter about twice a month to keep it going. Little and I baked sourdough this summer, and now that the weather is getting colder, I got the starter out to feed it and get it growing.

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I fed the starter last week and it grew like crazy. I decided to feed it one more time before I baked my first loaves of the season. When I looked at my starter the next day, there were grey streaks running through it and I knew something was terribly wrong. I took the link off and it had an off odor and I realized I’d picked up some bad bacteria. Unfortunately, that was my only working starter and I knew I had to throw the whole thing away and sterilize anything I’d been working with…jars, spatulas, measuring cups. 

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I keep the bottle of filtered water and a jelly jar by the stove. I use the jelly jar for the water and warm it up slightly in the microwave before adding it during the feeding. And I use a small coffee measuring cup for the flour. I got into the habit of setting the measuring cup in the top of the jelly jar as it just fit. When I picked everything up to clean it, there was mold on the bottom of the measuring cup. I had inadvertently contaminated my sourdough starter.

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Fortunately, I dehydrated a batch of starter last spring so I’d have some to fall back on should something like this happen, but I was really sad I’d killed my starter because it was really ripening well and had picked up some nice wild yeasts along the way. It was starting to develop a really good flavor. I have started feeding a new starter so we’ll see how that goes. Hopefully I didn’t kill the yeasties with too high heat in the dehydrator. I won’t know for a while.

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?

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“But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””

\nMatthew 4:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/16/kitchen-mishaps.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/12/summers-reprise.html", "title": "Summer’s Reprise", "content_html": "\n
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It seems I drive a lot…more than I care to, actually. But it just seems there’s always something that draws me to town. I told you earlier that my truck needs brake work, so we ordered new rotors. They were supposed to arrive on Wednesday, but didn’t get here till yesterday. Which actually worked out perfectly. We had our family Thanksgiving yesterday at the former Mrs. FixIt’s house, so we dropped the truck off at the garage on the way.

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Earlier in the day, I drove out to the farm to drop off some things for Frank and Beans and to see if they’d received any mail for me. Even though I complain about being away from home too much, I do love to drive because it affords me my best thinking time. As I was driving home, the sun was slanting through the trees and turning the leaves a fiery red, gold, yellow and a deep bittersweet orange. I thought of the term…Indian Summer.

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The term has been around for at least 200 years. It describes that period of abnormally warm weather after the first frost. It was probably given the name since this was the harvest season for the Native Americans and it was know as the Indian’s Summer. Meteorologists have used the term for decades. It conjures up Friday night football, raking leaves, the smell of woodsmoke, and whatever activity that takes you outside to enjoy the last glimpse of summer before she says goodbye and Old Man Winter takes over.

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I have become more sensitive and empathetic since losing Mr. Virgo. Part of what has changed for me is the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes, if even for a brief moment. Many terms have been altered and modernized as we become more aware how our words and names affect others. Our nomenclature should evolve as the world changes…as we change. I thought about “Indian Summer” and I wondered what term would be equally descriptive without being offensive to a particular ethnic group. 

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Summer’s Reprise. That is what I came up with. Reprise literally means to “repeat the performance of”. And…it’s a lyrical term. It conjures up the same images of the former “Indian Summer” and adds a hint of musical grace to it. It is nature’s second rising…an encore, if you will. Not to be confused with the negative connotation of “reprisal” which means an act of retaliation.

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Yes…Summer’s Reprise. A time to bask in the sun for one last chance at that extra squeeze of Vitamin D. One last hurrah before the rain comes (as it is doing even as I write this) and steals away Autumn’s glorious gown and dashes it to a muddy heap on the forest floor. All of this came to me as I drove my 385 horsepower “leaf blower” through the countryside…looking in the rear view mirror as the leaves whirled up behind me…sweeping the roadway clean.

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Our Thanksgiving meal was wonderful. It was great to see almost all of the family. One group didn’t attend. Our great granddaughter came running to me and clung to me like I was her most prized possession. Her little brother wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me a big squeeze. The bigs and the littles…the old and the young…gathering around a fire, balancing heaping plates of delicious food on our knees…thanking God for the bounty, the company, and yes…Summer’s Reprise.

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?

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“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

\nPsalm 107:1 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-12T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/12/summers-reprise.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Gratitude","Holiday","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/11/grandmas-kitchen.html", "title": "Grandma’s Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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(I’m not sure I would attempt to make this recipe as written. I think the measurements are off.)

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This is the cozy time of year…when you’re more apt to fire up the stove and do a little baking just for the comfort of it all. The smells, the tastes, and the memories they bring to mind are just one of the things I love about fall. I’ve always loved the change of seasons when the colors are rich and glorious and the light is filled with gold. I’ve always felt a little melancholy along with the fade from summer to winter, but this year feels a little different. We had such an incredibly busy year, I’m really looking forward to the down time winter inevitably brings.

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We did some needed chores around the place today…Mr. FixIt outside and me mostly inside. It was a beautiful day…warm enough for short sleeves. We didn’t have the stove running in the family room today, so we didn’t have a plethora of pests trying to invade our space. That’s not to say they didn’t dive bomb us when we were outside. Mr. FixIt and I moved the little a-frame around to “the campground” here on Marshmallow Ranch (aka The Ponderosa). We chained it up to another camper and covered it for the winter.

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I worked on a couple of projects today…the family room and the farm memories book I’m putting together for the family. I really need to get it finished so I can order them in time. I was going through a box this week trying to find the property taxes from last year. In the box, I found Grandma’s steno pad where she wrote down her favorite recipes. Honestly, there aren’t very many and for the most part, she didn’t cook with a recipe. But there are a few that just evoked such wonderful, warm memories of the kitchen at the farm.

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Grandma had certain recipes that she made all the time. She always had Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. She said when her kids were growing up in the depression, the ingredients for those nutrient rich handfuls of heaven were affordable and with a glass of milk from the dairy cows she kept, she could always rest easy knowing her kids were getting something good to eat for breakfast. She often made Raisin Filled Cookies in the fall when the walnuts and hickory nuts had fallen. She made box cakes but always dressed them up. Pineapple Upside Down Cake was my mom’s favorite. My Uncle Bud and I loved the Yellow Cake with Penuche Frosting. I made Grandma’s Brown Sugar Pie for Thanksgiving the first year I moved back to West Virginia and my Aunt Peeps swore you couldn’t tell the difference between it and the ones Grandma used to make…a high compliment coming from her.

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Grandma always said she couldn’t make a pie crust that was fit to eat. That’s not entirely true. There were many times when she took the extra crust, laid it out on an old flat pot lid, sprinkled it with salt and baked it plain. I could eat my weight in that…seriously. But, often her pie crust was dry and flavorless. When I found her pie crust recipe in the notebook, I had a rush of memory. I made pies for her and she raved over the crust. I told her how I made mine and she wrote it down. I don’t think the quantities are exactly right in this recipe, but it is pretty much the one I used when I baked for competition. I can’t guarantee you this would come out right if made the way it’s written so I’ll just say…let’s look at it as a great example of my grandma’s handwriting and her love for me that she would attempt to write down my recipe.

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Anyway, as I read through and did some editing yesterday, I took pictures of the recipes most of us would remember and added them in the book. I know everyone will love seeing them in her own handwriting. I certainly do. I’ve got the price down to $42 a copy. I know that’s exorbitant for a memory book, but it’s the best I can do with Shutterfly. If you know of any other place to self publish high quality photo books, please let me know.

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“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

\nGalatians 6:9 ESV\n
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This was before they got bad!

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Oh…the continuing saga of the lady beetles. It was a wonderfully warm day yesterday. And, you know what that means? The uptick in the number of lady beetles takes an astronomical leap. This is my fifth November in this house and I’ve never seen an infestation this bad. Actually, now that I think about it, last fall was fairly light in the beetle department, so maybe that’s what they’re so bad this year. I vacuumed them up several times during the day clear into the evening. This is the worst I’ve seen since 2004 when my mom died.

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The day started out good, though. I had a hankerin’ for buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. I’m getting better at making them. Like learning how to bake with sourdough, these things take time to perfect. I think this batch was the best so far and I actually ended up handling the dough more than usual. Maybe I haven’t been working them quite enough out of fear of making them tough.

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\n[youtu.be/pev2kxd5Y...](https://youtu.be/pev2kxd5YCU)\n
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Once things were put away, we got to work scrubbing the little a-frame and getting it ready to put away for the winter. We had it under the maple tree which was a HUGE mistake. It had little black spots all over it that looked like mildew. But, with a lot of elbow grease and a scrub brush, we finally got it clean. We’ll move it around to the “campground” tomorrow so it doesn’t run the risk of a limb falling on it this winter, then we’ll do a little work on it and sell it come springtime.

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It was a day of putting things away and doing laundry and changing beds. I cooked my own version of a rotisserie chicken in the Ninja combo pressure cooker/air fryer. It was yummy with those leftover biscuits, crinkle cut fries, and macaroni salad. We’ll need to do some mowing today. I thought for sure we were done for the year, but alas…we don’t seem to be. We need to run the snake down the drain out back again before the winter rains set in. Mr. FixIt is going to start cleaning out the big building soon. And I need to go through the boxes downstairs and get rid of more stuff. 

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We are having an early Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow with the FixIt Family! I can’t wait!

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?

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“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.””

\nGenesis 8:22 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-10T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/10/bugs-and-buttermilk-biscuits.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/09/the-scourge-of-the-lady.html", "title": "The Scourge of the Lady Beetle", "content_html": "\n
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My mom died in January 2004. My Aunt Rosie met me during a layover in Charlotte and we flew the rest of the way together. We rented a car and drove to the farm where we were met by two more of Mom’s siblings…my Aunt Peeps and my Uncle Bob. It’s a small farm house, as you have seen in the photos I have shared over the years. There are two bedrooms upstairs and one small room on the main floor where my grandparents slept. There was a rollaway bed in the “Girls” Room” so my Aunt Rosie and I bunked together.

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When we arrived at the farm, Aunt Peeps matter of factly told us about a recent development. It seemed a non-native insect had been introduced to the US…the Asian Lady Beetle…in an attempt to gain control of a heretofore unnoticed over abundance of aphids. Aphids had never really bothered me as I didn’t raise roses and didn’t live in the country. But someone somewhere thought it was a good idea to bring these nasty creatures to this country and let them loose where they have proceeded to procreate into this yearly…scourge.

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As we lay in the dark, we heard the “tic tic tic tic tic” of the little buggers hitting the ceiling above us. I don’t think we slept because we were afraid our mouths would gap open and one of them would fall in. It was awful. At this point, no one knew how to keep them out of the house short of a nuclear weapon, so the only recourse was to suck them up in a vacuum cleaner. Asian Lady Beetles have something in common with that other autumnal nemesis…the Stink Bug. When you suck these bugs up in a vacuum cleaner, they release a decidedly unpleasant aroma into the room. There’s nothing like it. Really.

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The following morning, we gave each other a knowing look and said in unison… “I’m not sleeping here again.” We packed our bags back in the rental car and headed for mom’s house in town. The lady beetles are there, too…but not nearly in the numbers that they are in the country. Which brings us to today. The “Great Emergence” begins after there has been a period of very cold weather. On the first warm, sunny day that follows, you can’t walk outside in the afternoon without being covered with these bugs. And if they get down your shirt and get stuck in a skin fold, they will pinch the heck out of you! 

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In the late afternoon, with the sun shining behind them, there are literally thousands…hundreds of thousands…millions of them flying. I came home in the mid afternoon and was wearing a white shirt. By the time I got to the door, I was covered. Ugh!

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I don’t like using insecticides, but these things have NO natural predators. Even the cat gags when she smells one. I have been told by my friends that if you spray around the doors and windows of your home during the first week of October, you can at least keep the inside of your house somewhat clear of them. And yes…I’ve tried essential oils and herbs and other natural remedies to no avail.

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I love Indian Summer…but I’m telling you, I’ll be so glad when it gets cold and stays cold to keep these things under control. In the meantime, I am posting this video that I took a couple days ago. I wish I would have taken another movie yesterday because they were particularly impressive.

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\n[youtu.be/aJ9Xbcyfa...](https://youtu.be/aJ9XbcyfasY)\n
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Do you all have them where you live? Let us know how dispersed these beasts are!

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???????

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““All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.”

\nLeviticus 11:20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-09T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/09/the-scourge-of-the-lady.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Warning","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/06/never-come-between-a-girl.html", "title": "Never Come Between a Girl and her Truck", "content_html": "\n
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When I was a single mom in Denver back in the mid to late ‘70’s, I didn’t have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of. I was living in HUD housing, supplementing my meager food budget with food from WIC, and occasionally qualifying for Food Stamps. I was poor as a church mouse and trying my best to raise my child alone 1,200 miles from my family. Hubby #1 was out of the service and had moved back to WV after we split for the last time. To say I was struggling was an understatement.

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I could have stayed home on welfare. I would have loved the time with my daughter. But I knew that wasn’t the lesson I wanted her to learn. I wanted her to know when the going gets tough, you keep moving onward and upward. You never settle. I was only working part time, which didn’t bring in much money. When I finally found a full-time job, I was so proud of myself. Up to that point, every vehicle I’d had was a “throwaway” that I managed to scrape a few hundred dollars together to buy. 

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One time, I bought a huge boat of a car from some Iranian dudes for $250. The hood AND the trunk were wired down with coat hangers. There was duct tape in too many places to count. Sometimes the Bendix spring would get stuck and I’d have to get the hammer out that I carried with me all the time and give the starter a few solid whacks to break it loose. Finally, when the power steering and power brakes went out, I limped it into a car dealership and bought my very first semi-decent vehicle…a royal blue Ford Pinto.

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Over the years, I’ve still occasionally held onto a junker because I didn’t feel like putting a lot of money or effort into getting a newer vehicle. Then…finally…Hubby #2 finished medical school and residency and joined an established practice. Slowly but surely, our vehicles became newer and more reliable. I’ll never forget the very first brand new car we bought. It was a gorgeous emerald green Honda Accord with tan leather seats. We felt so affluent.

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I don’t buy new vehicles anymore. The depreciation when you take them off the lot just hurts too much. I’m happy to buy a three or four year old pickup with lowish miles and call it good. Still, there’s the maintenance issue. When you get into older vehicles, more things go wrong, and they become unreliable. Mr. FixIt is our resident mechanic. He changes the oil and the brake pads and always makes sure things are working as they should.

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With the crazy busy year we had, a few maintenance things snuck up on us. Here in West Virginia, vehicles must pass a State Safety Inspection every year in order to drive them on the roads. This is a good thing. Until you know you need new brakes in order to pass the inspection. And, the truck is older and the salt they use on the roads here have taken its toll.

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Mr FixIt ordered new brake pads, rotors, and calipers for his truck back in September when we got home from Colorado. Bless his heart. He’s poured his heart into getting the job done between camping and taking me to Columbus for doctor’s appointments. He’s broken old brake lines and had to buy new ones, bending them with a special tool we had to order off Amazon. 

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Sure, we could have taken the truck in and had the work done, but he did it himself for less than a quarter of what it would have cost, even at a mom and pop garage. Yesterday afternoon he finally finished! I am so proud of him for stubbornly plodding his way through and getting the job done. His job was made more difficult because he had those two small strokes last year. The feeling and dexterity is diminished in his hands and I know it was terribly frustrating for him. When he just couldn’t do something, which wasn’t often, I’d come and hold something for him. 

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We went to town yesterday to get the tag on both of our trucks because they were due. The inspection is also due, so since we had my truck, we stopped at the garage on our way home to get that finished. And…guess what?

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It needs new brakes! 

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Oy!

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?

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“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

\nJames 1:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/06/never-come-between-a-girl.html", "tags": ["Love","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/04/jack-frost-nipping-at-your.html", "title": "Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose", "content_html": "\n
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Holy Camping Gear, Batman!

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Ol’ Jack Frost came and bit our gardens Tuesday night. We awoke yesterday before dawn to 30 degrees. I didn’t get a picture of the elephant ears. They were the most obviously damaged of all the plants. What were great big beautiful leaves turned into limp dishrags hanging from the tall stems. I’ll try to get photos today.

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I finally sat down to sort through all the camping gear yesterday. Our living room looks like a tornado hit it, but I made considerable progress. I threw away a lot of things that I knew we’d never use that weren’t in good enough condition to keep. I also threw out a ton of just trash. Living in a big camper for three years allowed me to accumulate a boat load of “stuff”. For example, I somehow ended up with three cans of slide lubricant…a dry silicone spray that you use on the slide outs in big campers. I don’t have a camper with slide outs now, but the cans are full and I can use them on other things. But…three? This is what happens when things are in such disarray that you cannot find what you need so it’s easier to just buy more. The first law in downsizing is to stay organized. The second law in downsizing is to stop buying crap that makes you disorganized. Did I tell you I’m a work in progress?

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I helped Mr. FixIt a little bit today. He was finally at the point where he was ready to “bleed the brakes”. I learned a lot about how brakes work and what’s involved in changing them by watching him. I had to sit in the truck and pump the brakes and hold pressure. We repeated this several times as he tightened the brake lines to stop small leaks. Then, I had to pump them, hold the pressure, then press hard as he let out the air in the lines. 

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When I was sitting in the truck, waiting for Mr. FixIt to make the adjustments on the brakes, I was feeling a moment of impatience…like if I had my phone, I could play a game, or check the news. Then I laughed out loud at the absurdity of the notion that I needed anything more than feeling the warm sun on my face and seeing how bright my silver hair is in the sunshine and being out here helping my husband. I looked up and it took my breath away. Thin, wispy clouds were swirled across the brilliant blue of the November sky like a watercolor painting. Oh, it was so pretty! Love the simple things, y’all. Just love every minute of it because it’s gone so, so soon.

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I’ve always enjoyed mechanical things. When I was really little, my dad would put a towel on the truck fender and lay me across it so I could watch him work. When I was a teenager, I had to know how to check all the fluids, add oil, antifreeze, and windshield washer fluid, and change a tire before I could get my license. Mr. FixIt taught me how to change the oil in my truck. I’ve only done it a couple of times because my wrists are losing strength. I’d love to be able to do something like change my brake pads, but I think this time…at the very least…I’m going to need to have my rotors turned because my brakes vibrate when I push them down. That happens when they get too hot, which can easily happen when towing a camper. It’ll be time to get mine done soon.

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The pool has been winterized, as have both campers, and the farm. We still have lots to do before the snow flies, but we’re making progress! Unfortunately…we are fast approaching those potential snows. I’m dumbfounded that it’s the first week of November already! Where DOES the time go???

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?

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“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

\n2 Peter 3:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/04/jack-frost-nipping-at-your.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/11/03/its-always-something-isnt-it.html", "title": "It’s Always Something, Isn’t It?", "content_html": "\n
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Home again, home again…jiggety jig!

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What a crazy couple of days. We got to Columbus by 5:00PM on Monday. I wrote my post and we ordered carry out. I just had a salad and soup but it didn’t sit well. Butterflies and GERD…great combo. Also, I forget when we stay in a hotel room, Mr. FixIt watches his TV. I ended up putting in my earplugs and reading my Bible devotional. When I’m anxious, I have made it a habit to call on Jesus first before I chase down a rabbit hole. Sometimes I read the Bible. Sometimes I listen to praise music. Last night, I had a conversation with Him. I asked Him to go for a walk with me. It was so relaxing and peaceful. In my mind’s eye, we walked through the woods with the beautiful colors. I focused on the sounds and sights and smells and before I knew it, I was settled right down and snoozing.

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We both awoke before dawn yesterday and read the news and weather. My sweetheart brought me tea and yoghurt and a banana from the breakfast bar. Then we packed and left for my doctor’s appointment. As with most big medical centers, it’s kind of a hurry up and wait thing. I wasn’t really anxious yesterday. It’s always the night before in anticipation. We really loved the doctor. He was very reassuring. He went over everything with us. There’s good news and bad news. Anytime there has been surgery in an area, scar tissue builds up. In my case, the scar tissue has cut off the jugular vein on the left side. It’s ok…it doesn’t hurt me at all. As a matter of fact, the body is so miraculous, if the vein gets cut off or even removed, the body builds NEW veins to take it’s place. That’s where we are…new veins being built on the left. Which is good, but they are very small and it does diminish the chances of being able to thread a tiny wire through it. Because of this, he conservatively estimates he has a 50/50 chance of finding the missing parathyroid glands. Fifty-fifty is more than 0/100, so we will move forward with the venous sampling. He has had good results with this procedure, and he may be the only doctor in Ohio that does it. We came away feeling good about the whole thing. Especially when he told us my surgeon is THE cream of the crop!

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We took our time coming home and stopped in Lancaster to go through the Olde Shoe Factory Antique Mall. Wowza! We didn’t see half of it…it was amazing! Didn’t buy a thing but I sure saw lots of things that I loved. We got home around dark and had supper. I thought I might try sleeping out in the new camper last night. The temp was predicted to get down to around 28 and I wanted to see if the little heater would keep it warm. It was 39 out and I lasted maybe fifteen minutes. I didn’t want to turn the furnace on so I just packed back up and came inside.

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As I was gathering my things, a notification came across my phone to expect a freeze overnight. Suddenly I remembered…I had turned off the furnace at the farm in the spring and hadn’t turned it back on. I came in the house and told my sweetheart and before I could finish, he had the TV off and was up, ready to go with me. We changed the filter in the furnace, put fresh batteries in the thermostat and set it at 72. Then we turned on the gas stove in the bathroom to keep the pipes from freezing and turned off both dehumidifiers. So the farm is ready for winter…now we need to get things straightened up around here. I’ll work on the camping gear today…promise!

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Whew…that was a very fast and furious 36 hours. I’m really ready to have a couple of days at home!

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???

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“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

\nRomans 12:2 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-11-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/11/03/its-always-something-isnt-it.html", "tags": ["Health","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/10/04/the-blessings-of-autumn.html", "title": "The Blessings of Autumn", "content_html": "\n
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The Forsythia are Blooming…Again!

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I spoke to my cousin last week. She told me she and my aunt were out for a nice walk. It had finally “cooled off” and was only 84 degrees. They live near Las Vegas. Summer is 120! I can’t imagine living like that, yet that’s what’s coming with global warming, I’m afraid. I remember living in Colorado. There was always that moment when you knew autumn was coming hard. You get up and turn on the furnace. Then, mid-day…you turn off the furnace, take off your hoodie, and open the windows. Then, mid-afternoon…you change into shorts, close the windows, and turn on the AC. Then, the sun sets. You turn off the AC, open the windows to catch a breath of fresh air. Shortly after, you close the windows, put the hoodie back on…and maybe socks. By bedtime, you have the electric blanket warming up and maybe you can get by without the furnace for a while longer.

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The African Lily is Putting Out Seed Pods

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Here in West Virginia, it’s a different game. We have humidity. That makes the heat feel hotter and the cold feel colder. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had the AC on, and we aren’t anywhere near needing the furnace. I slept in the camper Saturday night and the temps got down in the 50’s. It was right comfortable out there, although I did turn on the electric blanket on low.

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Another Giant Puffball has Started on the Lawn

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We still have much to do to prepare for winter. We need to close down the pool yet. The garden needs cleaned up, the brush pile burned, and some shutters replaced. Mr. FixIt is going to put new rotors and brakes on his truck this week if it doesn’t rain too much. I need to winterize the camper and clean it out from the last trip. We were so busy all year, my brain has kinda been on autopilot since we got back from Colorado. I need to get moving and get things done around here. The snow will fly before we know it!

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Passion Fruit…also called Passion Flower Pods

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I wandered around the yard over the weekend and took some more photos. The flowers are producing seed pods for next year. I harvested some seeds from the evening primrose under grandma’s kitchen window at the farm. I need to see if I can get some more before the wind scatters them everywhere. I didn’t get the iris thinned out this year…again. Maybe next year will be better…less hectic. Whadda ya think? Any chance of that? lol

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?

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“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”

\nIsaiah 40:29 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-10-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/10/04/the-blessings-of-autumn.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Comfort","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/09/29/the-mister-picked-a-purple.html", "title": "The Mister Picked a Purple Pepper", "content_html": "\n
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Our trip to Colorado pretty much threw our gardening and canning out the window this year. You can’t be gone a month and expect the garden to tend itself, and what I really wanted to can came on while we were gone. Namely, half runner beans. Next year’s trip will happen in May for Big’s graduation. So we’ll be home for harvest season. We did get some purple peppers and there are still many blooms on the plants. I doubt seriously they can come to fruit before the first frost, but we shall see.

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Mr. FixIt mowed the backyard yesterday while I did some routine maintenance on Birdie. When you drive that far, you need to go around and check to make sure you haven’t lost any screws and tighten any that may have loosened on the rough highways. Even when you drive below the speed limit and try to avoid all the potholes, a camper still gets the stuffin’s shaken out of it so It’s best to keep up with your preventative maintenance. 

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I am shocked tomorrow is the last day of September! This year has flown by…much faster than 2020 which took approximately a decade and a half. October is one of the prettiest months of the year here in West Virginia. Our third wedding anniversary is coming up the middle of the month. We usually take a trip to the beach in October, but with the trip to Colorado under our belts, I think we’ll just explore our own beautiful state as we celebrate another year of marital bliss.

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I’ve really wanted to take a camping trip and revisit some of the beautiful places I stayed when I was towing the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer a couple of years ago. When I asked Mr. FixIt what he’d like to do that week, he suggested we camp somewhere and take one of the excursion trains to see the colors. I love that we are so attuned to each other and enjoy the same things. I’ll sit down this week and plan out a fun trip for our last camping trip of the season. Another adventure awaits!

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Mr. FixIt has things to do in town today, so I’m going to piddle around here at home. There is always something to keep me busy!

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?

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“A cheerful heart is good medicine….”

\nProverbs 17:22 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-09-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/09/29/the-mister-picked-a-purple.html", "tags": ["Camping","Farm Life","Birdie"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/26/the-found-garden.html", "title": "The Found Garden", "content_html": "\n
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I have made many FB friends since I started writing this blog. People I genuinely care for and admire. I learn from them. I celebrate their successes and mourn with them their losses. These were the people my Aunt Peeps referred to as my “pretend friends”. I mean…I can see where she was coming from. She had zero experience with technology and social media. She didn’t understand it and thought I was pretty “cuckoo”, to use her terms. But, my readers are special to me.

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One such friend is Julie Zickafoose. Julie is an amazing woman with a huge, wide open heart. She is an artist, and author, a naturalist. She is a latent hippy mama hell bent on saving Mother Nature and all God’s creatures. Her love for flora and fauna is admirable and…well, I want to be her when I grow up!

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Yesterday, she wrote a beautiful post on her Facebook page about her found garden. Plants that volunteered in the ground of her greenhouse. Flowers that shed surprising amounts of seed that she was able to nurture over the winter and plant in the spring. Bits of flotsam and jetsam found on the discount shelf in the plant section that she nurtured and revived until the thrived on their own. Strong, sturdy, and unbelievably gorgeous. And…almost all for free.

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This got me to thinking about my measly “found garden” this summer and I’ve decided to make it a goal to nurture some flower beds around the house next summer. I went around yesterday and took a few pictures. You’ve seen these crazy lilies called Star of Bethlehem that revived themselves from what looked like nothing but dead, dry bulbs into tall and stately stem of perfect white stars.

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One day last week, I was walking up the sidewalk and glanced over at that same pot and spotted a tiny little purple flower in the same pot as the lilies. When I went over and took a closer look, I was amazed to find a perfect little petunia. Where that seed came from, I’ll never know. It had to have been in the potting soil I dumped in the galvanized tub along with the near lifeless lily bulbs.

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Another surprise came in a different tub. It was under the bird-feeder. Usually, all you’ll get are grasses, unless perhaps a bird has eaten a berry or something and the seeds land in a fertile place a grow. Honestly, I’m as puzzled as I can be because a virtual plethora of vines with a tulip shaped leaf started growing. And growing. And growing! They started to climb the fence and the other flowers and went crazy. They didn’t bloom for the longest time until this last week. Then they started producing beautiful bluebird blue trumpet shaped flowers and I caught my breath…

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Morning Glories!

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I have tried for YEARS to grow morning glories and I have never, ever been successful. I have no idea why. I have a black thumb…I can kill a silk plant in no time flat. And these just….showed up! I didn’t have to do anything.

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They remind me of how God shows up. Nothing we can DO can make Him love us more. We can’t “get in his good graces” by our works. He won’t love us any more if we work harder, or earn more money, or win prizes, or rise to the top of the food chain. All we have to do is be kind, be good, be more like Jesus. That’s when God shows up and brings flowers up out of the dirt where none were planted. It’s one of the ways he says I love you, I see you, I’m rooting for you. 

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Flowers are a gift from God. Little miracles. Miracles happen every day…if you just open your eyes and look for them. I’ll miss my surprise flowers while I’m gone. But, hey…maybe God will have something else waiting for me when we get home! Today would have been my mom’s 96th birthday. Instead, she will be forever 78. Just ten years older than I am now. She left us all too soon, and I miss her dreadfully. Interestingly, the little tiny petunia is purple…her favorite color. 

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This makes me smile.

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?

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““Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”

\nLuke 12:27 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/26/the-found-garden.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Growth","Gratitude","God","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/25/when-is-it-a-disasterwhen.html", "title": "When is it a Disaster…When is it Just…Life?", "content_html": "\n
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There are truly disasters that occur. Things that could not have been predicted that befall us and change our lives in a heartbeat. The floods in Tennessee…the terrible ice storms in Texas…the dreadful fires in the west. These are all things that, aside from the unfortunate predictability of increased global warming, are still horrifying to watch. And even more horrifying to be a part of.

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I’ve been thinking about my grandparents and my parents and how they lived through the Great Depression and World War II. Those were both events that shook our country to the very core. Our great and great great grandparents lived through the Civil War…a time when the very fabric of our being was torn in two. They didn’t throw their hands up and cry woe is me. They rolled up their sleeves and put others first. They put their shoulders to the wheel and pushed forward with all their might.

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We’ve become both softened and hardened by technology. We’re soft because there are machines and computers that do everything for us. Everything…EVERYTHING is done electronically. We’ve put all our eggs in one basket and it’s not going to take long for someone to figure out how to take a sledgehammer to them and it won’t be pretty. We’ve become hardened because it’s hard to tease out fact from fiction for the typical Joe and Jane America. We’ve become hardened because we have a screen to hide behind and we don’t have to look in the eyes of our real and imagined adversaries.

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But, with all that being said…I truly, truly believe there are far more good people in the world than there are really bad people. The thing is…goodness doesn’t sell advertising space. Sensationalism and keeping every single news cycle focused on all the terrible things can keep us in a constant state of anxiety if we let it.

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I received an e-mail yesterday from the Census Bureau asking me to fill out a “Coronavirus Household Pulse Survey”. It asked questions they didn’t ask in the regular census. The purpose of the survey was to gauge our reactions to the pandemic. How it’s affecting us….physically, financially, mentally, and emotionally. It asked if we were having trouble meeting bills. Were we able to seek and receive the healthcare we needed. Are we getting enough food. This is designed to find out where the trouble spots are and where resources are needed the most. 

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One of the greatest lessons of the Depression and WWII was the need for social services to help people through the tough times in life. And, it was fortunate our ancestors were largely farmers and hard work was already a part of their daily lives. They knew how to do all the things that need doing and, unfortunately, a lot of those skills have died out with them. I am a strong proponent of bringing Home Economics and Shop classes back to schools. I think there should be a class that teaches young people how to fill out job applications, balance a checkbook, file taxes. I’ve seen programs that match schools with nursing homes and senior centers in order to enlighten both demographics. There are places that put day care centers in nursing homes and it benefits the elders as well as the littles.

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How can we preserve the skills that are rapidly dying? What skills do you have that you might share with young people? What if all the electronics went away tomorrow? Who would know what to do without YouTube and Google? These are things that roam around in my head when I’m not busy enough, I’m afraid. But they are things that should be addressed. Our great grandchildren’s lives may depend on it.

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As disastrous as the pandemic has been, these sorts of things are just a part of life. Sometimes life is cake…and sometimes it’s really, really hard. Devastatingly hard. Knowing we are not alone in our difficulties can go a long way in calming our fears of the unknown and the anxieties of uncertainty. God walks with His children…always. That was one of the biggest gems I discovered in the flames of my grief. While I was a widow and I was crushed…I was never alone. We are brokenhearted over many things right now. But please know this…God draws near to the brokenhearted. It is when we can communicate with him most intimately.

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?

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“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

\n1 Peter 4:10 NIV\n
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#Skills, #Talents, #Knowledge

\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/25/when-is-it-a-disasterwhen.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Growth","God","Wisdom","Courage","Warning","Choices","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/24/its-getting-dark-in-here.html", "title": "It’s Getting Dark in Here", "content_html": "\n
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We’re Getting Little Hints of Gold!

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Summer cruises right along and it begins to feel like it did when we were kids…like it might just last forever. Then, there’s that one evening when you look outside in shock. It’s starting to get dark earlier and it’s become noticeable. At 7:30 last night, I looked over at Mr. FixIt and said, “OMGosh! It’s getting dark already! When did that happen?!”

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I’m not ready for winter, by any stretch of the imagination. But I am open to the idea of cooler, crisper days, good sleeping weather, the splashes of color over these West Virginia hills…and no more mowing for a few months. We’ll miss a goodly portion of our beautiful fall here. It will be replaced with the quaking aspen and bluebird skies of Colorado. I’m praying we don’t get snow while we’re there because we’re taking the little camper. I have seen eight inches of snow in Denver on September 16th before, so it’s not unheard of.

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I don’t want to shovel snow yet, but I do love when I can get my sweaters and leggings out and start baking again. It’s just too hot to bake in the summer time. It makes no sense to power up the AC and the oven at the same time. I look forward to really good apples and picking out pumpkins and mums. I love when the garden and flower beds are cleaned, raked, and mulched. I look forward to cleaning the tools of summer and putting them away till spring. I like not having to worry about the chemical levels in the pool. 

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My very favorite time to camp in West Virginia is the first three weeks of October. The leaves are gorgeous and the skies are almost always clear save for some puffy white clouds here and there. I didn’t can anything this year. I still have so much left over from last season. I figured I would and it’ll still be good for another year or so. That’s the beauty of home canned produce…it lasts and doesn’t ruin like frozen veggies.

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While I had lots of work to do yesterday, Mr. FixIt and I were both pretty tired from all the outside work over the last few days. He did have to run an errand in town, but I stayed home. And we both stretched out in these wonderful recliners we bought last year. I never really like the looks of a recliner, but the comfort can’t be beat if you buy a good quality chair. I doubt we’ll get much more recliner time this week as we start packing up. 

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It’s almost time for another adventure!

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?

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“I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!”

\nPsalm 119:19 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/24/its-getting-dark-in-here.html", "tags": ["Colorado","Camping","West Virginia","Change","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Birdie"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/23/summer-sunday-supper.html", "title": "Summer Sunday Supper", "content_html": "\n
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You could just about guarantee where my mom, brother, and I would be on any given Sunday when I was growing up. Sunday suppers at Grandma’s house was just what we did. I’d guess many of you did the same. I especially loved those meals in the summer. Grandma had a “truck garden”…the garden that’s close to the house so you can run over the little bridge to pick fresh veggies. We had “Farm to Table” dining long before it became cool and trendy.

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During the week, we are often far too busy to cook a proper meal. There’s all the work outside that keeps us hopping from late March to late September. The garden, the mowing, the pool, constant repairs…it’s a big job for two people. So we often just grab sandwiches or salads for our main meal. Except on Sundays. I try to fix something nice as a reward for our hard work of the week, and to celebrate the day of rest.

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When Mr. FixIt was finishing up snaking the drain…for the umpteenth time…I headed to the kitchen, pulled some pork chops out of the freezer and placed them in a bowl of cold water to thaw. I put on a quart of my home canned half runner beans on to simmer on the back burner while a few new red potatoes were cooking in the little pressure cooker I picked up last summer at a junk shop. When the pork chops were thawed, I dipped them in buttermilk and dredged them in seasoned flour then fried in a little oil using my biggest cast iron skillet. Earlier, I cut up some fresh onions, cucumbers and tomatoes and made a little salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. It was a delightful meal and reminded me of how swiftly summer and its freshness is gone.

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It will be a busy week as we make the preparations for the big trip to Colorado. I made an executive decision when I had the camper at Setzer’s. I had them repack the wheel bearings so Mr. FixIt wouldn’t have that to do. I’ll get the new tires put on this week. We’re getting pretty excited!

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It’s Monday…another day, another week, another fresh start. We get new starts every day. I hope your week brings you beauty and blessings.

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?

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““Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

\nIsaiah 43:18-19 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/23/summer-sunday-supper.html", "tags": ["Choices","Change","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/22/theres-a-fungus-among-us.html", "title": "There’s a Fungus Among Us", "content_html": "\n
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I got back from my little impromptu camping trip in the early afternoon. It was already in the mid 80’s but as soon as I had the camper unhooked and set up, I hopped on the riding mower. I told you yesterday, with all this rain, you could HEAR the grass growing. I wasn’t kidding. It was amazing. But that wasn’t the only thing that grew fast…take a look at this mushroom!

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I would bet money this thing wasn’t there Friday when I left for Huntington. If it was, it was very small. When I walked into the back gate, this thing was like “HEY…I’M HERE!!!!” I’ve posted it on my personal page as well as Twitter, so let’s see if we get a hit. Someone out there is bound to be a mushroom forager! 

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When I lived in England, Hubby #1 came home from work one day with a grocery sack FULL of mushrooms. They looked exactly like the white mushrooms you buy in the store. He said they were given to him by well trained mushroom foragers, and…since they weren’t red with white spots, and since I was a pretty young housewife on a budget, I fried them up in about a pound of butter. We sat down with a fork and ate every one of them…they were SO good. The differences between fresh food and store bought is staggering. I’ve never been brave enough since to eat a mushroom I’ve found. Now, I know what a morel mushroom looks like so you can guarantee if I ever find any of those…I’m eating them. Or selling them to a fine restaurant!

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It was 88 degrees when I finally finished mowing the five acres. Mr. FixIt was using the push mower and the weed eater. We both finished at the same time. I went inside to change and jumped in the pool. We have struggled with algae all summer. Mr. FixIt treated the water with algaecide this week so there was a layer of sediment on the bottom. I vacuumed as much up as I could, then I used a broom to stir it all up and clean the sides of the pool. When I was done, the water was a dull murky greenish brown again so I added more algaecide. We didn’t have a bit of trouble last summer. But it was so hot and dry this year, and what we thought was algaecide…wasn’t. I think we’ve got a handle on it now…just in time to start thinking about closing the pool up for the season. Pools are an awful lot of work, but when you’ve been mowing for a few hours in the August heat, there’s nothing like a refreshing dip. And, since it’s been so rainy this week, the water was a great temperature.

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Yesterday was one of those “just do the next thing” days. Mr. FixIt and I work very well together as a team. We just start working. And whatever we’re doing just seems to work in tandem till the job is done. I’ve never really had a relationship like this. Hubby #1 and I weren’t together long enough to have a place to work on together. Hubby #2 was a doctor. He mowed the lawn in our later years together, but I did the gardening and planting, building, painting, etc. He was always too busy. Mr. Virgo, God rest his soul, was NOT handy with tools. He got on a kick one time and decided to refinish the night stands in our room to match a new bedroom suite he bought. When those turned out pretty well, he decided to refinish my mother’s cedar chest. He used a combination stain and varnish kind of thing and when he was finished, you couldn’t open the chest! It was the thought that counts and it made a nice bench.

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And now…I have Mr. FixIt. He doesn’t get that name for nuthin! He can do ANYTHING. He’s so handy and creative and fun to work with. On occasion we butt heads because I want things done MY way way and he wants them HIS. I almost always back off and learn there’s more than one way to get a job done and I don’t ALWAYS have to be right! I love it when life is fun and hard jobs are made easier with a willing partner.

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?

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“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

\nProverbs 31:26-27 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/22/theres-a-fungus-among-us.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/19/birdies-little-road-tripginnys-little.html", "title": "Birdie’s Little Road Trip…Ginny’s Little Break", "content_html": "\n
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Ok, show of hands. How many of you have had something scheduled the following morning. You brush your teeth, take your meds, set your alarm and say your prayers. You lay back, tired from a full day…ready to sleep. And all you can see is the numbers on the alarm clock. 

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“6:30. Dang, that’s early. I haven’t gotten up that early in ages. When WAS the last time I got up that early? It must have been when I had my surgery……Gosh…that surgery! I’m so disappointed it didn’t work! Now I’m going to probably have to have another one. Just need to get that next scan done. Wait…when is that scheduled? Oh, yeah…the day after we get back from camping. Which is four days after we get back from Colorado! What was I thinking??? We’re going to be exhausted! Speaking of exhausted….settled down now. Get to sleep. Breathe in….breathe out. Think calm thoughts. Think of the beach……The beach. We’re really going to miss our October trip to the beach this year for our anniversary. Which one is this? Let’s see…’18 to ‘19, ‘19 to ‘20, ‘20 to ‘21. Three! Holy cats! How did that happen so fast??? Three whole years. We are so blessed and have so much fun together. Yeah, we’ll miss the beach, but we are going to have such a wonderful time in Colorado! ……. Oh, I have to remember to pack……” 

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You get the idea. Staring holes in the ceiling and ticking off the lists in your head is NOT how you get a good night’s sleep. Neither is waiting for the alarm to go off. Mr. FixIt set his alarm for 4:00 to go downstairs and check the storm drain. He was so sound asleep, I had to shake him three or four times to get him awake enough to turn it off. I had been asleep all of one hour…I kid you not. And that was the end of any sleep for me. I got up before my alarm was due at 6:30, took my shower, and headed out in the early morning light to tow Birdie down to Setzer’s to get the leak fixed. It was raining hard as Tropical Storm Fred passed through the Mid Ohio Valley. I drove slowly in the gloomy grey of the wet Wednesday morning traffic.

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The monotony of the windshield wipers drove home how tired I was and I had to resort to singing and blasting the air conditioner to stay awake. It took about two-and-a-half hours to get there towing Birdie. She’s so light and easy to pull, you hardly know she’s back there. I checked her into the service department. They may get to her this morning…maybe tomorrow. And, the sealant has to cure for at least six to eight hours before you can tow. I went back to the truck and unhooked the camper and tried to decide if I had it in me to drive the two-and-a-half hours back home through this rain. I made an executive decision and went to a name brand hotel and checked in. I barely made it to the bed before I fell sound asleep for four solid hours. What utter bliss!

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When I awoke, I took myself out for a curbside supper from the restaurant across the parking lot from the hotel. Then I went to Menard’s home store and picked up a few storage solutions for the little camper for our trip. I got back to the hotel well before dark and checked in with my sweetheart. All is good on the home front. We bought new blades for the drain snake a few weeks back. He ran it down the drain and it let loose like someone popped a cork. These blades were bigger and heavier duty than the ones that came with the machine and they were much more effective. Between keeping the gutters clean and snaking the drain on a regular basis, we should be good till we can get a permanent fix when we get home from Colorado.

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The joys of farm life and home ownership. There’s always something to be built, torn down, fixed, replaced, organized, or thrown away. There’s hardly ever a time when you can just sit down and work on a hobby…not during the summer anyway. This is the time of year when I start to long for the change of seasons…for no other reason than the mowing will be done. For a few months anyway. This idea I have to turning the far field into a pollinator-friendly cacophony of wildflowers will cut down on our mowing responsibilities in the future, as well.

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Always thinking ahead. 

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And now….for that long awaited bubble bath!

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?

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“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

\nMark 6:31 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/19/birdies-little-road-tripginnys-little.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Peaceful Moments","Choices","Farm Life","Birdie"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/08/14/rainblessed-rain.html", "title": "Rain…Blessed Rain", "content_html": "\n
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It has been so terribly hot and dry here in West Virginia the last several weeks. While Mr. FixIt was in town running errands today, I went over to the Piggly Wiggly to get pork chops for supper. As soon and I pulled into their parking lot, the first big drops of rain hit my dusty truck with resounding splats and I thougt, “Finally! We get some much needed moisture!” Alas, as soon as I got just out of town limits, the road was dry as a bone. Nothing at our house either.

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I called Mr. FixIt to see if he was getting rain in town but there wasn’t anything to report. I asked him to stop at Witten’s and get some fresh corn and a muskmelon. The rain nearby did have an effect on our temperature and we rapidly dropped…first to the 80’s…and finally into the 70’s. Such a relief! It was the first time in a while I’ve felt like cooking.

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I still watch Cooking with Brenda Gantt on Facebook and I’ve tried several of her recipes. When I make pork chops, I never get very adventurous with them. I usually fry them in a skillet with a touch of butter and salt and pepper. On rare occasions, I might use a dry rub and bake them, but I like to keep the salt content down. Miss Brenda makes a pork chop that has been dipped in buttermilk then dredged in seasoned flour and fried in a little oil in an iron skillet. I decided to try that.

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So many times, when I try to make a meal with multiple courses, they don’t come out at the same time. Usually, one dish comes out overcooked and dry and the others follow along in stages. Last night, everything came out perfect. While the pork chop was fried, it came out moist and juicy and not overpoweringly greasy. When I make my corn-on-the-cob, I set the water to boil, shuck the corn, drop the ears in the boiling water, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn off the burner. The corn cooks perfectly and is never soggy. I cut up a cucumber a friend gave us, along with a Vidalia onion, and a couple of tomatoes from our garden. I took a shaker jar and added about an inch of olive oil, a couple inches of warm water, a good shake of a wonderful Lemon Pepper seasoning I bought at TJ Maxx, and a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar…shook it up well and poured it over the cut veggies. Added a little more salt and pepper to taste for a lovely summer fresh salad. I cut up a couple of crook neck squash from our garden and sautéed it in a little butter with some fresh cracked pepper. Lastly, I cut up some of the muskmelon in a bowl and called outside for Mr. FixIt to clean up for supper.

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We ate in the dining room…an event reserved for those rare occasions when we have an actual full meal. Everything was wonderful and my sweetheart praised each course as he ate. I swooned over the corn. He swooned over the Tomato Cucumber Onion salad. (Thank you to whoever told me to try that. It was divine!) We both swooned over the pork chops. I really love squash sautéed. Mr. FixIt eats it boiled with a little butter, salt and pepper. He didn’t comment one way or another on the squash, but he ate it all. Our only disappointment was the muskmelon. It was mushy and flavorless. I haven’t had a good one all summer. I’m not sure what’s going on with them this year…maybe it’s the hot weather.

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After supper, we went out and watched the deer in the far field. There’s a set of twin fawns…still spotted, but growing out of that phase. The air was cooler, so I gathered my things to sleep in the camper. It is such a treat to “camp”…even if it’s on our own property. The rain will make the grass grow and soon, we’ll be out mowing again. As my friend, Frannie quoted Kelly Dwyer the other day…

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August is like the Sunday of Summer.

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To paraphrase Ms. Dwyer…It’s like the last of summer. School has started. It’s Sunday night. I haven’t even started my homework that’s due tomorrow. I’m rushing to get everything done before it’s too late.

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It would be easy to get caught up in that rush of completion and miss the last of these lazy, hazy crazy days of summer, wouldn’t it? So, here’s what I suggest…stop what you’re doing…pour yourself a tall, cool drink…grab a really great magazine…and go sit in the shade somewhere this morning before the heat of the day drives you back indoors. Then, tonight…go sit on the porch or out in the yard…and just….listen. I can guarantee you, you will NEVER sit indoors on a frigid February day and wish you hadn’t spent so much time outdoors in August.

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?

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“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

\n2 Peter 3:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-08-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/08/14/rainblessed-rain.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/26/the-creature-from-the-black.html", "title": "The Creature From the Black Lagoon", "content_html": "\n
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Remember that film from 1954? It was filmed in 3D black and white…allegedly a horror film about this slimy green creature that climbed out of the…well yeah…the Black Lagoon. I never found it particularly scary. I was mowing this weekend and thought maybe I had stumbled upon the creatures distant cousin…lurking in our field.

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It was a patch of green slime mold. I have no idea how I knew but as soon as I saw it, I knew what it was. Maybe I saw it as a kid and my dad or PopPop told me. Anyway, I was kind of surprised to see it so I looked it up. It is actually called Nostoc and is a phylum of bacteria. It has chlorophyll so it gets its energy from the sun.

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We have something like it growing out in the driveway that looks like greenish black grapes when we’ve had a lot of rain. You have to step carefully because it’s jelly-like and very slippery when wet. I ran over this with the mower so it was fresh and gelatinous. It’s found in poor drainage or hard compacted soil in areas that receive a lot of rain. That is West Virginia.

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I was talking with the neighbor across the road from the farm about the changes we are seeing in West Virginia weather. We used to have long stretches of fairly dry weather here in late July through August. Known as the Dog Days of summer since that was the time of year rabies became more widely spread. The last few years have been so incredibly wet and the woods look like a tropical rainforest. Everything is so overgrown and dense. I’ve never seen anything like it here.

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We had an incredibly busy weekend between traveling to buy the little camper and getting it home, moving Big Tow-Wanda out of the way and putting the little camper in her parking spot, mowing five acres, going to our great grandson’s second birthday party…we were totally done by last evening. So, we jumped in the pool, only to discover it needed a good cleaning. That’s the one cleaning job I never mind doing because…you’re IN the pool!

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We are doing something interesting today. We are going to see an acupuncturist. Mr. FixIt can’t take arthritis medicine, so we are hoping for some improvement through acupuncture. I wonder if it helps hyperparathyroidism? I had an overuse injury to my hip back in the ‘80s. I tried everything…OTC medications, an orthopedic surgeon, massage, and chiropractic. Nothing helped. As a matter of fact…it got worse. Someone suggested acupuncture so I tried it. It took three sessions, but it was gone! Let’s hope we have the same luck for my sweet man.

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Aging ain’t for sissies.

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?

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“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

\n2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/26/the-creature-from-the-black.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Aging","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/25/family-friendly-farmingwest-virginia-style.html", "title": "Family Friendly Farming…West Virginia Style", "content_html": "\n
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Melissa gives us a tour of the greenhouses on her parents’ farm.

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One of the special treats Mr. FixIt and I enjoy in the summer is a lovely evening drive through the country. The temperature cools down. We don’t need the air conditioning. The light shifts to a soft green glow with touches of pink and blue. The world seems softer and gentler. A kind and safe place for sharing some love.

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As we drove home from town last night, I suggested we take a ride out to a family farm we know of. The Offutts have owned this expansive 600+ acre farm for about 35 years. They raise cattle and sell beef. There used to be a nursery on the back of the property where they sold rhododendron. Then, in 2018, they added a greenhouse. In 2019, they added a second.

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Can you imagine this view every night from a rocking chair on the front porch, sweet tea in hand? God was just showing off when He created West Virginia!

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One thing I love is their honor system produce stand. Bags of tomatoes, a cooler of green beans, and whatever else they may have at the moment, sit on a table beneath the nose of a gooseneck trailer. We came here last summer and bought produce…placing our money in a can then putting the rock over it so the bills wouldn’t fly away in the wind.

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This was Melissa’s Grandfather’s Cattle Truck that he sold years ago. A gentleman restored it, and Melissa’s dad bought it back a couple of years ago. “It’s great fun in parades!” says Melissa. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find a 1946 West Virginia License Plate, would you?” Hmmmmm…I just might, Melissa!

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When we pulled up, a young woman was walking back from the greenhouses. Melissa is a daughter of the Offutts. She met us with a friendly smile and asked if we’d been there before. We told her we had and introduced ourselves. I told her I’m a writer and asked if she would mind showing me around and let me take pictures. 

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The Honor System Produce Stand

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Last year was a banner year for tomatoes. This year, it seems they are struggling a little, however Melissa noted she had a late start in planting them this spring as she has five children under the age of nine. One of them was brought home from the hospital just four months ago, so she has had her hands full with them. Add two greenhouses and it’s been a lot. 

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Rows and Rows of Tomatoes

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Growing things is Melissa’s therapy. She said she wan’t going to come down to the greenhouses last night, but when her husband had all five kids in the tub, she decided that was as good a time as any to escape for a little R&R. She happily showed me around. They have some beautiful peppers going. A new batch of cucumbers is just leafing out. Of course, there are the tomatoes. And rows of green bean plants about six inches high. 

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Loofah Gourds Growing in the Greenhouse

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One of the coolest things was in the back of the first greenhouse. Melissa is growing loofah gourds on a large arbor. She says she planted them outdoors last year, but they have an incredibly long growing season so they didn’t dry and become “loofahs”. This time, she decided to grow them in the greenhouse and started by planting seeds in pots indoors at Christmas. It will be November before they fully dry.

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My Weekend Bounty: Muskmelon from Ward’s Market, Parkersburg, WV; Tomatoes from the Offutt’s greenhouses - Nursery Road off WV Rt. 14; and Apple-Walnut Pie from Abruzzino’s Italian Bakery - Gypsy, WV

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The Offutts farm sells meat, honey, and produce. They sell what they can at the roadside stand and the two local markets as well as the school buys up everything else. I love to support local farmers by buying direct. If you find yourselves out WV Rt. 14 heading east, make a left at Nursery Road. Make a left at the first fork and drive on till you find the Honor Stand at a bend in the road. Tell Melissa you heard about her wonderful tomatoes here at Marshmallow Ranch and Ginny sent you!

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?

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He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. 

\nIsaiah 20:23\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/25/family-friendly-farmingwest-virginia-style.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Peace","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/20/when-the-little-people-come.html", "title": "When the Little People Come", "content_html": "\n
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I had an appointment in town yesterday morning and snuck out without waking Mr. FixIt. I stopped for a coffee and read my morning devotionals while I waited for my appointment time. Once I was done, I got a text from one of my bonus granddaughters asking if she and the kids could come swim. Turned out TWO bonus granddaughters and all three great grandkids arrived. It was so much fun, but I told them there was a reason God gives children to young people. They were SO busy!

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When the kids were finally worn out and they headed home, I told Mr. FixIt I’d make him a nice supper and headed in the house. He laughed and called after me, “Are you sure you’ve got the energy left for that?” Well, I wasn’t at all sure, really…but I would give it my best shot.

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I herb roasted some chicken thighs I got yesterday…eight huge meaty thighs for $2.99! Fixed some fried green tomatoes. And opened a quart of my home-canned half runner beans. The only thing missing was hot buttered biscuits, but I didn’t want to heat up both ovens.

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It was so good to see the kids. Our granddaughter said she hadn’t been to our house since Christmas 2019! The pandemic kept them away last year, and she’s been super busy so far this summer. They loved the new carpet in the family room. It was so much fun swimming with the kids. The almost four-year-old was really timid about the water at first, but by the time they left, she was jumping in and letting me catch her and putting her face in the water. The almost two-year-old wasn’t having it. He is not crazy about water. But, by the time they were ready to leave, he would come sit at the edge with me and put his hands in the water. I held water in my hands and made like it was a big secret and asked him what it was He said “water” as plain as day. He has grown so much…they all have. The little one is about a year-and-a-half. He was a daredevil at first and we were all on our toes trying to watch him. 

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My Favorite Summer Dining Spot

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I’ve really been enjoying summer and not cooking so much. Cooking just heats up the house. It reminds me of why people had summer kitchens back in the day. I’d love to have one where I could not only cook in the summer, but can in the fall. My late cousin, Tommy, had the most fabulous kitchen set up in their garage. He could butcher, can, smoke, and barbecue to his heart’s content out there. I miss him…he was one sweet guy.

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We are having cooler night-time temperatures this week and that makes for great sleeping weather out in the camper! It’s my “substitute camping” experience…but hey…when you’ve got five acres, you might as well take advantage of it, right? 

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I hope you are enjoying your summer so far!

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“So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.”

\n1 Timothy 5:25 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/20/when-the-little-people-come.html", "tags": ["Family","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/18/the-cupboard.html", "title": "The Cupboard", "content_html": "\n
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My Pop-Pop sitting by the cupboard. It sat in the dining room till the late 60’s when my great grandfather brought some antiques over to the farm. A gorgeous glass china hutch took its place.

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It’s been a fixture at the farm since I was little…around four or five years old, I suspect. Grandma’s jelly cupboard came into my life by way of an auction. An auction at the old house two farms down from ours. The property Frank and Beans own. The day I met them on the front porch, they called out… “We’re your neighbors!” THAT property. 

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Grandma and Mom pulled me around in a little blue wagon. They bought me a hot dog for a nickel. And Grandma bought the cabinet for $5. That was a lot of money to her. She needed more room to store her dishes and this one was the perfect size.

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It was covered with several coats of thick, white enamel paint. My Pop-Pop let me “help” him strip the paint off to reveal this beautiful golden oak beneath. I still remember what the paint looked like when the scraper pushed it into a rippled ribbon. I still can feel my Pop-Pop’s weather work-worn hands covering mine as we held the scraper together.

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Pop-Pop painted the inside a garish orange color. I never liked it…but it has aged beautifully. Deep and rich…like an heirloom pumpkin or the bittersweet you sometimes see in the wood in late autumn. I always knew, if there was anything at all the I ever wanted from the farm, it was this cabinet.

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I promised Frank and Beans that I would go through the photos that belonged to my mom and send any that were taken of the farm…the house and outbuildings and barn. The strawberry field and the old home place back on the hill. The nearly bare hills that are now thick with trees and underbrush. As I looked through the old black and white photos, there was grandma’s cabinet that now graces our living room…home to my collection of quilts.

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The cupboard where it sits today. So many memories! That’s the old carpet!

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I hope you enjoy going down memory lane with me!

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?

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“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”

\nPsalm 145:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/18/the-cupboard.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/06/horses-and-heavens.html", "title": "Horses and Heavens", "content_html": "\n
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What a fun day! Little learned how to make French Toast and agrees with me…the very BEST bread to use is day old homemade sourdough! It was a taste sensation. Then, without any prompting, she went and walked her two miles. I worked on a project on the computer all afternoon while Little chilled out in her room. When it was time for supper, we thought we would go into town and get Pete’s Pizza…a special treat. Unfortunately, they were closed. So, we went to Popeye’s Chicken instead, went to our granddaughter’s to see the horses and feed them peppermints, and took a ride out to the farm. I wanted to see if my cousin was having a bonfire, but I’m sure they did that Sunday night.

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The last stop of the evening was Calhoun County Park…a designated “dark sky” area. We got there just after sunset and sat in our chairs, marveling at the display slowly revealing itself over our heads. It was amazing! Little saw the Milky Way for the first time. Denver skies aren’t great for star watching. We saw satellites and identified constellations through an app on my phone.

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We got home around midnight and stood in the field in awe. The trees along the creek on the far side of our fields literally GLITTER with lightning bugs…ie fireflies. Little has dubbed it the Magic Fairy Forest and she isn’t wrong…it’s jaw dropping. I’m going to have to organize a group campout here to share this beauty with others! 

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The icing on the cake came when Little asked, “Can we sleep in the camper again tonight, Nana?” Be still my heart…I want to bottle this up and keep it forever, this sweet, sweet thing!

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“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.”

\nPsalm 147:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/06/horses-and-heavens.html", "tags": ["Family","Camping","Fun","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/03/another-busy-day-in-paradise.html", "title": "Another Busy Day in Paradise", "content_html": "\n
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Little is sure keeping us busy! I’d forgotten what it was like to have a 14-year-old in the house. They like to sleep…a lot! They like to stay up late and read and then sleep the day away. But that isn’t happening at Nana’s house. We have other things to do so she’s up and at ‘em much earlier than she would like. 

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We made sourdough pancakes yesterday morning and Little thought they were great. We ran to town and got gas for the mowers. While we were there, we stopped in the store that comes the closest to being a combination housewares and hardware store. Little likes cosplay. If you don’t know what that is, it’s what we used to call playing “dress up”…kinda. The costumes are based on anime, historic, mythical, cartoon, or movie characters to name a few. There are also original characters. While we were in this store out in the middle of nowhere, Little found two headbands she could use in her costumes. 

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Since she’s been in West Virginia, she keeps going on and on about how lush and green it is…and she keeps feeling like a fairy is going to pop out of the woods and ask her on a quest. Little has a very vivid imagination and she is very creative. She does character makeup really well. I could see her doing movie and theatrical makeup for a living…or at least a decent way to make some extra money in college. When she showed me the headbands and told me her ideas for a fairy costume, I remembered some things I had around the house that I used when a friend and I dressed up and went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I searched around and found her a corset and a couple of petticoats and a top hat. She was in hog heaven. She dressed up and we did a photo shoot out in this little cove that she loves. We had a blast!

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Mr. FixIt installed my vintage medicine cabinet in the little bathroom off our bedroom. We purchased a three globe fixture to mount above it, but I wasn’t satisfied with the way it looked. I wanted something more like a fixture from the farm. He looked all over the internet and finally did a search for vintage lights on E-Bay and BAM…there it was! The perfect light for over the sink. It won’t be here till the 15th. We are so close to being finished with that room then we can start on the big bathroom.

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I mowed all five acres yesterday. We grilled out on the deck and had burgers and corn-on-the-cob. For dessert, we had a little of the homemade ice cream I made last weekend. We’ve been dishing it out sparingly. 

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Ahhhhh….summer!

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?

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“May you see your children’s children…”

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Psalm 128:6 ESV

\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/03/another-busy-day-in-paradise.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/07/01/dont-touch-the-pretty-caterpillar.html", "title": "Don’t Touch the Pretty Caterpillar", "content_html": "\n
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Happy July! 

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When I was a little kid, I was playing in the Guthrie’s back yard. Our ball went into a shrub and I reached in to get it. I pulled my hand out in a hurry because it felt like something burned me. My clearest memory of that incident was how puffy the back of my hand got. And it hurt. It lasted for a few days and went away. I remember being told I probably got stung by a caterpillar, but I don’t recall seeing one.

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This little bugger got me on Monday afternoon and it’s such an annoying itchy mess on my neck. I didn’t know about the little hairs sticking in your skin just like the soft, downy “hairs” on some forms of cacti. I didn’t know you need to take a piece of sticky tape and pluck the little hairs out of your skin. The caterpillar landed between my collar and my skin and when my granddaughter told me it was there, I reached up and felt around which ended up pressing the hairs not only into my skin, but into the fabric of my collar. I wore the shirt for another two hours and every time I turned my head, I was poking myself over and over with more of those little barbs.

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The particular caterpillar involved was most likely a Definite-marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar. This picture looks the closest to what I remember it looking like. I wish I would have thought to take a photo. Within an hour, the site started burning and itching a little. It was about as big around as a quarter. Tuesday there was definite spread and little red bumps. Yesterday, it was really red and there were definite hives. I did some searching online and there wasn’t any one remedy. It said to try over the counter steroid creams, or Benadryl cream. It said to wash the area and use the tape to remove the hairs. It suggested using cold compresses. It definitely said not to scratch the site. Yeah, right. I read that too late!

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I downloaded the app from the Poison Control Centers last night, entered all the information I had, and was told what I am experiencing is normal and I don’t need to go to the ER. It said it was ok to use both the topical Benadryl cream as well as oral for a short period. Cold compresses would soothe the area. And stop scratching. It said it can take up to four days to resolve. As I write this, I’m at about 54 hours. I truly believe this was the worst of it and it’s going to start getting better now.. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll be on the lookout for hairy caterpillars and stay as far away from them as I can!

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We went to the farm yesterday to mow. It started sprinkling on us as soon as i got off the riding mower. We headed home, put everything away, and the moment we walked in the door, the sky opened up and it poured the rain down, but it didn’t last long. We had several quick thunderstorms zip through but no real rain to speak of. We did have severe rains and flash flood warnings last night, so we’ll see what happened once the sun comes up today. 

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We drove to town late in the afternoon to buy a big tarp to put over my little ‘67 Franklin. The old one ripped apart in less than a month’s time. We got it covered just as the rain hit at home. We had ice cream for a treat, and that was the end of the day. Little enjoyed just hanging out in her room much of the day. Down time is important for a kid. Today, we need to walk for exercise. Then this afternoon we meet Frank & Beans at the farm for a run-through of how things work. 

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There’s always a story, isn’t there?

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?

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“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

\nProverbs 22:3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-07-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/07/01/dont-touch-the-pretty-caterpillar.html", "tags": ["Health","Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/25/the-praying-mantis.html", "title": "The Praying Mantis", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve seen these around the last few weeks. The first one was about a month ago and it wasn’t a half inch long…just a hatchling, or thereabouts. About a week ago, I was driving to town to join my high school friends for coffee when I noticed another one on the windshield wiper. It was about an inch long and, unfortunately, it was swept away before I could find a place to stop and rescue it. 

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This one was on the frame of the garage door. I always like to see these glorious creatures because, for the most part, they keep the bug count down here on Marshmallow Ranch. They’re a scary looking critter, but they won’t hurt you a bit. Now, that’s not saying what happens to the male during mating. The female evidently becomes a little peckish by all that activity and is known to chow down on her paramour…while doing the deed. They have a lot in common with black widow spiders in that regard.

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Folk lore says spying the mantis is a sign to be still and meditate. She looks for all the world like she’s praying, yet “preying” is far more accurate. They are odd with their triangular shaped head and their googly eyes. When they are very still, they will pivot their head and stare right into you. And…oh my gosh…those claw like forearms and “hands”. They definitely have some creep factor working for them. I would never kill one of these beauties. They remind me, like the platypus and the giraffe…God definitely has a sense of humor.

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I went to the grocery story yesterday and I’m telling you…I can’t remember the last time I went and bought a cart full of groceries. We just don’t eat that much. But we have the kids coming today, and the family gathering Sunday to meet each other. So I needed lots of stuff. I’m going to make homemade pizzas for the crowd. We’ll swim. And catch lightning bugs. And eat watermelon. And maybe watch a movie on my new outdoor theater! 

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Prayers for safe travels for my kiddos. Oh, I can’t wait to get my hands on them!!!

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?

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“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

\nRomans 1:20 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/25/the-praying-mantis.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/24/with-all-good-intentions.html", "title": "With All Good Intentions", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. Virgo’s Clock…I hung it, set the pendulum in motion, the time on the clock said 6:07. I turned to check the time on my Echo device…6:07!!! You can’t make this stuff up!!!

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We start every day with a semi-plan. We may not know exactly what we’ll accomplish every day, but we have a general idea in which direction we want to go. We’ll be moving right along at a respectable clip when all of a sudden, something pops up and sends in a completely different direction. That’s what happened yesterday.

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I finished cleaning the guest bedroom, put the new sheets on and selected the quilts I wanted to showcase. I moved Grandma’s mirror from the family room to the guest room and hung it over my “Kindness Matters” sign. I took down a small wall quilt that I was tired of looking at and hung a whimsical picture with some sort of fairy tale reference. To be honest, I didn’t take the time to read the info on the back of the painting that explains it. I’ll get to it.

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I put the last of the books on the bookshelves in the office and adjusted the placement of some portraits of our ancestors so the symmetry was more pleasing. Once I was satisfied with all that, I went downstairs to get the twin sized memory foam mattress to put on the floor in the guest room for Little. As soon as I stepped in the storage room, I knew something was wrong. The floor was wet! I called for Mr. FixIt and he said that room has never gotten wet like that. The only thing different is, he put a new galvanized window well in early this spring. I don’t know if the rain was just too much for it and the water backed up and leaked through the casement window. Or, if it’s still related to the drainage issue from the mitigation of the road when it was totally redone many years ago. The lot has never drained right since, so I guess it’s time to call the state road folks again.

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Miraculously, there were only three cardboard boxes down there on the floor and they were filled with old camping gear, so I transferred them to rubber tubs for storage. Unfortunately, we lost the two mattresses. They were pretty saturated and not knowing the exact source of that water…out they go. I mean, I know it wasn’t sewage, but any water with potential contamination or the presence of mold has no business in your bed. I pulled the twin bed out of the camper and brought it in the house, dressed it in coordinating bedding, and the guest room is ready for my family!

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The former Mrs. FixIt came over yesterday bearing gifts. She know Big is a vegetarian, so she brought me the latest copy of Vegetarian Times magazine…and big, beautiful, juicy red tomato. There is a man that’s been setting up a produce stand across the road at the mailboxes for the last couple of weeks. She stopped and Vick us both up a couple of tomatoes. I had some wonderful Colby cheese and some sliced tavern ham in the fridge so I made us some great sandwiches for supper. 

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Mr. FixIt finished connecting the fixtures in the bathroom and everything worked great, except there is a small drip behind the wall when the hot water supply was turned on to the shower. We turned it off, and in a couple of weeks when we start working on the big bathroom, we can tear into that wall and fix that little problem. In the meantime, two thirds of the bad is fully functional! When he was finished, he mounted the door to the bedroom. Then he shampooed the carpet in our bedroom. Back off girls…I saw him first!

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I wanted the refrigerator cleaned out yesterday, but the mess in the basement diverted my attention. So, I will get that done this morning then run to town to go grocery shopping. I haven’t done a proper shop in months and I want to stock up on the special treats my Colorado kids love! Isn’t it fun to spoil your loved ones when they come to visit? I remember my own grandma greeting me at the door with, “You want some jelly bread, sug?” And off she’d go making me two sliced of bread with butter and her homemade black cap jelly! Lord…I’l love to have a cupboard full of that stuff! I need to perfect it myself this year.

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T-Minus One Day! I’m so excited I could plotz!

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“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

\n1 Timothy 5:8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/24/with-all-good-intentions.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/22/wowza-the-sky-is-falling.html", "title": "Wowza! The Sky is Falling!!!", "content_html": "\n
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Man, did we have some crazy weather yesterday. I mean like, Wrath of God thunder and lightning and rain, rain, rain! We even had a tornado warning. I was going through some papers in a box when I heard Mr. FixIt’s phone make some sort of weird noise…just like the one that comes over the television when there’s an activation of the Emergency Broadcast System. I picked up the phone and was met with bright red letters and exclamation points saying there was a tornado warning for my area and we should go to the basement immediately. 

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I asked Mr. FixIt if he had ever seen that before and he said very, very rarely. We grabbed what we needed and went downstairs and watched the radar on our phones as the thunder was crashing overhead. The rain came down in torrents and we could tell it was overwhelming the gutters, but I’m so happy to say…the drain out back stayed clear and we didn’t get a drop of water inside the basement!

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As soon as the coast was clear, we put on our rain boots and went out to survey the damage. We didn’t hear any trees crashing, but when we were down at the big creek out back, there was a huge log flowing downstream. And, the creek flooded out of its banks and up into the field. Mr. FixIt says it doesn’t happen very often and this is the first time I saw it. The road crew came early this spring and graded the gravel road alongside our house so the water would flow away from the yard. Well, we still got standing water in the yard and this time, water flowed down off the road and created its own little creek across the near field. We’re going to have to have them figure something else out because this won’t work. Intermittent thunderstorms were forecast for all of last night. I just got setting in TOW-Wanda to write when the next wave hit. I packed everything up quickly and came back in the house. I really didn’t want to be out there if another severe storm came through.

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Now, update on the bathroom…we have a toilet! It’s not hooked up to water yet, but it will be today. We managed to put it in without killing each other. It must be hard for Mr. FixIt. I know just enough about renovations and tools to be dangerous. I think he should do it my way. He says, “I don’t know.” Which, loosely translated means… “I think it’s great you’re helping me and that you’ve done things like this before, but…we’re going to do it this way.” Which is fine. Because…when it’s MY job, I’m going to expect him to do it MY way! Which he does.

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T-Minus four days and counting till Daughter #1 arrives with the kids! I made a lot of progress on their room yesterday. Not much left to do and I’ll be kicked back in my summer dress and pearls with a cold ice tea with a plate full of sugar cookies…sitting on the veranda when they arrive. Looking all the world like this hasn’t been a bit of trouble getting ready for company! You know I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat just to see my Colorado Peeps!

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The average annual rainfall for New Castle, Colorado (where I used to live) is 15 inches. In a YEAR. Yesterday, we got about 2.25” in around an hour’s time. It’s crazy how wet and humid it is here in West Virginia.

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?

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“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

\n1 Peter 4:8-10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/22/wowza-the-sky-is-falling.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/21/four-baby-birdies-and-the.html", "title": "Four Baby Birdies and the Bath", "content_html": "\n
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The New Bathroom Floor

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We have a security light out at the end of the house…the side we painted and put a new door on this spring. We’ve also been doing a lot of work outside on the front porch because it’s covered and Mr. FixIt can work out there when it’s raining. Sometimes a bird nests on top of that security light, but I hadn’t seen one, nor had I heard any babies chirping…but there WAS what I assumed to be and old nest up there.

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Mr. FixIt came in yesterday and said there was a little baby bird out on the sidewalk that had died. I went out and looked. The baby had a few feathers, but it’s little tummy was still naked and transparent. I picked it up carefully and put it in a small cardboard box and went back to what I was doing. Five minutes later, Mr. FixIt came in again and said there was  another baby bird, but this one was alive. I asked him to get the ladder and I could put it back in the nest, but it died before he could even get the ladder out of the garage. I put the second baby bird in the cardboard box.

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I went back to the project I was working on, and sure enough…ten minutes later, Mr. FixIt came back in and said there was a third dead baby bird on the sidewalk. I didn’t get it. He was running a saw, but it was on the other side of the house. He was passing by twenty feet below the nest from time to time, but that shouldn’t have upset the mama bird. We needed to run to town to get some more supplies for the new bathroom, so we left for a few hours.

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When we returned and put things away, I moved the rug by the door under the nest and there was another dead baby bird. I did some research and it said that sometimes a bird raising its first clutch will push her babies out of the nest because she doesn’t know what to do with them. Stress and frequent close encounters with the next may cause a bird to abandon a nest, but it was obvious this mama was kicking her babies out. I finally figured out what went wrong. When I picked up the first baby bird, my hands were nearly instantly covered with bird lice. I read in an article, if the nest is infested with lice, the parent may abandon the nest altogether or kick out the babies. So, I think that might be the answer.

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It was sad and I hated to lose a whole nest of babies. I did knock the nest down later when I was sure there were no more babies up there. It’s all part of nature and living in the country. In the past, I’ve had to deal with birds nesting in places they shouldn’t be. If you take a rag and soak it in the old-fashioned liquid Lysol that comes in the brown bottle, you can then place the rag in the spot where you want to deter the birds from nesting and it will deter them. It was too dark to do that last night, so I’ll do it today.

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Mr. FixIt finished the trim in the bathroom yesterday. It’s going to be so pretty when it’s done. He does REALLY good carpentry work. It may take him forever to get started on a project, but one he does, he’s a dynamo! I am one blessed little wifey…living the country life.

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?

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”

\nPsalm 104:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/21/four-baby-birdies-and-the.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/20/the-buzzard-and-the-crow.html", "title": "The Buzzard and The Crow", "content_html": "\n
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A Crow “Mobbing” a Turkey Buzzard…aka Vulture

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I grilled burgers last night for supper. We’ve been working hard, and I though it would be nice to enjoy a meal on the deck. A reward, as it were. When we finished eating, we sat back and looked around at our handiwork in the yard. It was a lovely evening. The neighbor’s rooster was crowing. He crows a LOT. And every single time, it makes me smile and reminds me…we really DO live in the country. 

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As I was lost in reverie, Mr. FixIt asked, “Is that a bird up there?” I followed his gaze to a dead branch in the top of a tree…silhouetted agains the sky. Whatever, it was…it was really BIG. I went inside to get my binoculars and focused them on the hill beyond the two-lane hardtop. I saw the distinct red head and said, “Turkey Buzzard.” Mr. FixIt took the binoculars and soon agreed.

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The Turkey Buzzard isn’t really a buzzard at all…it’s a vulture. They are listed with two separate names in most of the world, but in America…the names seem to be interchangeable. Buzzards have sharp beaks and talons and most often kill their prey. Vultures eat carrion…dead animal carcasses who have met their unfortunate demise. In these parts, mostly road kill. 

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After a while, I looked up and there was a second bird there…much smaller. I looked through the binoculars again and there was a crow. They seemed to be eyeing each other and soon, the crow dove with outstretched talons at the bird. I’ve often wondered why small birds are so brave and attack birds three to four times their size or more. And, why do the bigger birds take it? Even though the vulture was no threat to the crow, she was probably protecting a nest or chicks or even just her own turf.

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This made me think of mamas and how they protect their babes at all costs. And, just because your chicks have left the nest, you don’t stop trying to protect them. And you worry about them. I’ve been doing a lot of Bible study lately about fear, anxiety, and worry. God must have known by our nature that we humans would worry about stuff. That’s why He tells us at least a hundred times in the Bible…don’t be afraid. Cast your worries upon Him. Who can add one hour to their lives by being anxious?

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One of the devotionals I’ve been reading talks about God giving us an order. “Don’t be afraid.” If we worry which turns to anxiety and fear, we are not doing what God commanded us to do. Disobeying God is sinful. Thinking of it that term, it’s been a little easier to stop myself before I go too far down the rabbit hole of fear.

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I’ve been trying to figure out why I am so much more prone to worry and anxiety lately and I think I finally got it. Last year, while there was concern about getting covid…there was also comfort when all my peeps were at home and in their houses. Nothing much can happen to them when they’re safely ensconced. But this year…everyone is traveling everywhere. Daughter #1 and Big are on a big road trip. Little is going to fly alone for the first time on Monday. My son-in-law will fly to meet them the following week.

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I realize how totally irrational it is and that it’s all about control. As I am wont to do, I chastised myself for being so silly. Then I read a news story about families going from Cabin Fever to Separation Anxiety with the world opening back up. And…I got it! I’m not alone. It is reassuring to know others are feeling the same things and I’m not “crazy.” Like the moms in the article, I’ll get used to them being out and about in the world and stop being a “helicopter Nana.” Pretty soon, I’m sure.

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The Little Bathroom is Coming Right Along!

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In the meantime, we continue to get much done here. Mr. FixIt is making great strides with the small bathroom off the master bedroom. He got the walls and trim painted yesterday. He got the hardware back on the door so he can mount it when he’s finished with everything else. I cleaned the kitchen in time to dirty it back up again. I fed the sourdough again so Little and I can have a good, active starter for bread when they arrive. I made Cherry Hand Pies and Faux Beignets for dessert. “Faux Beignets” are so easy. Just fry pieces of pie crust (I used ready made from the refrigerated aisle) then dust them in powdered sugar when they’re still hot. I cut circles out of the pie dough, put a couple cherries from the pie filling in the middle, topped with a second circle and crimped the edges then fried the pies. Drizzle with a little powdered sugar glaze. And that was it for the day.

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Dining al Fresco…waiting for the burgers to grill: Cherry Hand Pies: Faux Beignets: Yummy dessert!

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Today is Father’s Day…a difficult day for many. I didn’t have a relationship with my own dad. I decided two marriages ago never to look for my father’s love through a relationship. I’m happy now in a new marriage and we are equal partners here. So, where to look for that “dad” I never had? Turns out…I only had to look up! My Father will love me forever, never leave me, never hurt me, never put me down. Best decision I ever made, by far!

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?

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“So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.”

\n2 Corinthians 8:11 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/20/the-buzzard-and-the-crow.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/18/mowing-and-playing.html", "title": "Mowing and Playing", "content_html": "\n
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Elderberry

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The mowing never stops. We are still mowing out at the farm as it hasn’t changed hands yet…but mainly, because I love it. I love how it looks when it’s mowed. We stopped on the way out and got some lunch and a drink to take with us. We sat on that front porch after the mowing was finished and just admired how lovely it all is. I love how there’s always a new flower to replace something that’s spent. 

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Clematis

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The clematis vines were spectacular. The elderberry bush is laden with clusters of small, white flowers that will turn into little purple berries. You can make an elderberry wine, but the most common use is an elixir that some swear improves immunity during cold and flu season. There are sprays of tiny pink multiflora roses climbing up the banks of the creek and on the hillside above the driveway. And under the dining room window are Grandma’s Evening Primrose. She called them “9 o’clocks” because that’s what time they bloom. You can sit and watch them open.

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Pink Multiflora Rose

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Even without seeing the nearly four inches of water in the rain gauge, you would know we’d had big storms out there. The grasses and weeds along the creek banks are swept to the left in the direction of the rushing water, and clearly rose at least three feet. It’s no wonder it looks like a tropical rainforest out there. The vegetation is so thick and lush and green. I know I tell you this every two to three weeks…but this is my absolutely favorite time of the year.

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Smooth Hydrangea aka “Snowball Bush”

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After we finished mowing, we came home to unload and drop off the trailer before turning around and going back to a cookout at my cousin Rick & Charlotte’s bunkhouse. Their driveway goes down a steep embankment and then you drive through the creek to the other side…not something you can do with a trailer and mower on the back. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it, but we could have dropped the trailer off in their barnyard and picked it up afterwards. But, hey…it was a beautiful day for a drive. It felt so incredibly normal to sit around a fire and have a meal with people. I will NEVER take that for granted again!

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Nearly 4” of Rain in a Week!

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It was so incredibly relaxing to just stop, let someone else do the cooking, and sit with a bunch of people around a fire. I knew about half of them. Well…I’m RELATED to about half of them. And I was related by marriage to another one I’d never met before. It was fun to meet new people and to tell great stories. We told them all we could hardly wait to do it again sometime. Such nice people.

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Evening Primrose

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On the way home, we stopped at the gas station. I rolled the window down and there was this awful smell. Mr. FixIt got back in and I asked him what on earth was so stinky. We went around the corner and found it. The catalpa trees are blooming. They smell sickeningly sweet and somewhat rank…like something died, maybe. Let’s just say, I’m really glad we don’t have them in OUR yard!

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New Mown Grass

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It’s time to mow again here at home. Mr. FixIt will put another coat of paint on the new bathroom door and then we’ll go to town to buy a new door and frame for our bedroom, run some errands, and get back home before it rains. The heat comes back today. We were really blessed with three straight days and nights of unseasonably cool weather.

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Pink Multiflora Rose

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Did I tell you this is my FAVORITE time of the year???

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?

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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

\nPsalm 119:105 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/18/mowing-and-playing.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/16/preparing-to-teach-at-marshmallow.html", "title": "Preparing to Teach at Marshmallow Ranch", "content_html": "\n
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In just over a week, Daughter #1 will be pulling into our driveway toting Big and Little. Big is really big now...seventeen and preparing to visit colleges with her mom  the following week. And Little isn’t so little anymore. She was only five years old when Mr. Virgo died. She’s fourteen now. It doesn’t seem possible...especially since I haven’t seen any of them since August 2019 when Daughter #2 got married.

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Although Big came with her mom to visit me here in WV when I was fixing up my mom’s house, she doesn’t remember it because she was only nine months old. They did come several years ago to visit the farm and my Aunt Peeps, but I was working in Colorado at the time and couldn’t get away. So, this is their first visit with Nana in the country. While I doubt my “time travel” plans will be terribly impressive to a seventeen year old, I’m firmly convinced Little is going to enjoy what I have planned for her. She is staying with us for two weeks while her mom and Big go on their college tour.

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Little has always been SO much like me. She is bright, funny, incredibly creative, loves looking through old boxes of junk, loves to cook and sew, draw and paint. I’ve been thinking of all kinds of fun things to do with her. I want to teach her to bake sourdough bread and buttermilk biscuits and grits. I want to teach her to knit dishcloths. We’ll garden. She’ll learn about the mower and the weed eater. We’ll plant geraniums. We’ll “camp” out in TOW-Wanda. I want to take her to a nearby park that has been named a Certified Dark Sky area so we can lay back and look at the stars. I want to spend time with her at the farm and teach her about the night sounds and the different birds and grandma’s flowers. I want to share the family stories that I have been entrusted with. We’ll explore the countryside and maybe visit some cemeteries and find the names on her family tree chart I made for her. I purposefully left the birth and death dates off so she can learn where to find that information.

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All in two weeks. Think we can do it? I’m 99% sure we can, and she’s going to love it. I remember taking Daughter #2 on a three week road trip for her 13th birthday, and a trip to Cozumel for her 16th. The difference between those two trips was remarkable. So I hope I’m getting in under the cutoff date when Nana’s not so cool anymore. Thank God Big has come back around and we have great conversations again. 

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Little is an old soul, and I’m truly looking forward to exploring with her.

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?

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“Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.”

\nJoel 1:2-3 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/16/preparing-to-teach-at-marshmallow.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life","Littles","Crafts","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/15/positive-aging-is-a-mindset.html", "title": "Positive Aging is a Mindset", "content_html": "\n
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So, 68 years and 1 day. I don’t feel a bit different on the inside. I’m still younger on the inside, but I’d have to say...overall, I’m crushing this aging thing. I’m always doing something because there’s always something to do. That keeps you young! There is truth in the old adage “Use it or lose it.” I’m so happy to see Mr. FixIt feeling like getting up and moving and working hard. And, if he’s working...I’m working. That’s just how it works.

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It was 87 degrees yesterday afternoon and I was out there trimming and pruning and cutting down trees. I moved three truckloads of trimmings to the burn pile. I cut down half a dozen maple trees. I trimmed this tunnel-like area where I drive the tractor when I’m mowing. Everything grows like a tropical rainforest here, so it needs to be cut back frequently. I cut that weed/plant/tree thing that was taking over the corner of the house. And I trimmed and pruned the crabapple and one of the pear trees. 

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I worked a half hour at a time and took breaks in the AC. I discovered this electrolyte powder called DripDrop that was designed by an ER physician to keep people from needing an IV. I’ve found if I drink at least one of those when I’m working in the heat, I do really well and I recover quickly. When we finally finished, I was going to jump in the pool, but I haven’t had the water tested yet this year so I decided to wait to make sure the chemicals are right.

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Mr. FixIt finished mudding the drywall yesterday. So today he can sand it then paint. Once he gets that done, he can plumb the fixtures and put in the lights. I have an old medicine cabinet that I want to put in there to give it a country feel. A little trim work and he’ll be finished. In the meantime, the next three days are supposed to be much cooler. Our son-in-law is going to help Mr. FixIt with some projects around the yard tomorrow. And my bonus daughter will help me inside. 

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I’m feeling much better about things this week. I was struggling a little last week. Feeling a little overwhelmed. Feeling a little old. Feeling a little stressed and anxious. I know from past experience...if I get back to reading my devotionals every day and reading what the Bible says about what I’m going through, I always feel better. Because I know Jesus is big enough and strong enough to carry everything I give him. I just have to remember to give it and stop taking it back!

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We are all a work in progress, aren’t we? 

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Even at 68!

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?

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“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

\nIsaiah 41:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/15/positive-aging-is-a-mindset.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Aging","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/14/thats-how-it-goeson-some.html", "title": "That’s How it Goes...On Some Birthdays, You Work!", "content_html": "\n
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When you live in the country, you have to take what comes and deal with it in the moment. Sundays. Holidays. Birthdays. When something needs your attention, you deal with it. I told you earlier in the week that we ran the snake down the back storm drain and got it running smoothly. Then, for some reason, it clogged back up on Saturday. We set up the sump pumps but...we couldn’t get any of the three pumps to work reliably and the hoses kept clogging. I know we need to do some major repair to that drain to make a more permanent fix, but until then, we jury-rig it to get along.

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The weather prediction for yesterday was severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. It was also my birthday. And Mr. FixIt was trying to get the last of the lawn mowed with the push mower before it rained. Then, my bonus son called to say they were out at their daughter’s putting in hay and we should come out. We decided to take my chocolate cake out and share it with them, have a quick visit, and get back in plenty of time to snake the drain again.

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Just as it happened last week, as soon as we hit the blockage, the water drained right down like a bathtub. The only thing we can figure is, with all this rain and hot weather, the forsythia and flowering quince growing over the drain pipe are sending roots in like crazy and clogging it up quickly. We’ve got it open again...and just in time. It rained very hard in the early evening. A grand thunderstorm with constant thunder and lightning all around us.

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There’s not many things I like more than chocolate cake and thunderstorms! I’ll have to admit though...when I heard the storm coming, I came inside from the camper where I was set up to write this post. When they said “severe thunderstorm warning”...they weren’t messing around! I’m propped up in the guest room, the window open so I can see and hear and smell the storm, and I am impressed. This is the hardest rain we’ve had so far this year. I can’t wait to see how much is in the rain gauge. It’s a very slow moving storm and it is dumping rain like a waterfall. You can hardly see the trees on the hillside across the big creek. Mr. FixIt keeps going downstairs to check the drain. So far, so good. 

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Here we are...knee deep in June. We could be knee deep in water before it’s over with. There are flash flood warnings and Mr. FixIt says he has seen the water clear up in our field maybe five or six times in the 45 years he’s lived here. 

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Post storm note: Once the rain was over, we had just shy of 1.5” in less than 45 minutes! Everything was cooled down, clean and green afterwards. There is flash flooding all around the area. We went down to check the creeks and I noticed the water was flowing backwards up the ditch where our storm drain comes out. In less than a minute, the water raised at least a foot. We could hear the trees cracking on the other side of the creek, so we quickly backed away. It was really impressive, but...we’re still here!

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?

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“May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!”

\nPsalm 72:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/14/thats-how-it-goeson-some.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/12/a-comforting-routine.html", "title": "A Comforting Routine", "content_html": "\n
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Not ours...just an idea of what I want to create.

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Mr. FixIt and I have reached a lovely place in our relationship where we know what needs to be done around the place and, without really coordinating our efforts, we just start the next job at hand. I enjoy doing all the typically “male” jobs like riding the tractors to mow, trimming tree branches with the pole saw, or running the drain snake. I can tackle and accomplish just about anything I set my mind to, although...I do have to admit...it is getting just a little more challenging to do some things.

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For instance, I was mowing yesterday afternoon...trying to get as much done as I could before the next rain storm blew in. Down at the end of the far field, there are several old sycamore trees that have a tendency to lose some branches when we have hard winds. I have to stop the mower frequently to get off and move limbs before I can move on. Up and down, up and down. Finally, at the end of the afternoon and my umpteenth up and down, I discovered my right leg would simply not lift me up anymore. It had had enough, I reckon. Not to be discouraged, I just went around to the other side of the tractor and lifted myself up and over with my left leg. You just have to make do with what you got sometimes, don’t you?

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I didn’t get the fields mowed before it started raining hard enough to send me back to park the tractor in the building. I put my tools away and went to find Mr. FixIt. He had been around the side of the house trimming the last of that monster forsythia bush and loaded the trimmings up in the back of his truck. He was just backing up to the burn pile when I came out of the building. We congratulated each other for a good afternoon’s work and went inside to wash up for supper. 

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I love summer meals when you can just make sandwiches and call it good. No heating up the kitchen or doing a ton of dishes afterwards. Finishing off with some cold watermelon really hit the spot. It has been so hot and sticky the last couple of days. We enjoyed stretching out in the cool air conditioning and watched a couple old reruns of Frazier before we finished our last push for the day. Mr. FixIt went out to empty the branches from his pickup. I cleaned up the kitchen and opened some boxes that were delivered yesterday.

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I splurged and bought a couple of things I’ve been wanting. First, the food dehydrator I used last year has just about had it. The plastic trays have become so brittle, more and more pieces fall off every time I use it. So, after doing some research, and getting recommendations from friends, I ordered a COSORI Food Dehydrator. The trays are metal so I won’t have the breakage problem over time. And, the heat and fan are in the back so the air flows across the food and not up through it. That keeps you from having to rotate the trays as often. My friend Gail uses hers every day in the summer and swears by it.

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The other thing I got is actually a gift for the family. I’ve been wanting an outdoor movie projector and screen so we can have movie and pool nights here at the house this summer. Last year, we didn’t let the kids come out to swim. We didn’t know if Covid could spread in a pool and Mr. FixIt needed it to do his daily physical therapy exercises. And, of course, there wasn’t a vaccine then. This year will be different. Just about all of the family have been vaccinated and those that haven’t been are good about social distancing. Here’s a link that shows 20 ideas for outdoor movie nights! 

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I also ordered a few poster sized family tree charts so I could fill them out for the kids before they get here. That was my last chore of the day...filling out three of them. I have a couple more to do. The rains are moving out for a bit so we’ll be back to doing outdoor chores soon. The mowing never stops. I’m going to take a break this morning and join some gals from my high school class for coffee. We haven’t gathered since January 2020 so we are all really excited to see each other! 

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I hope you all are getting a chance to get outside and stretch your legs. We are knee deep in June, as my grandma used to say, and it truly is my favorite time of the year!

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?

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“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

\nPhilippians 2:14-15 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/12/a-comforting-routine.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","West Virginia","Love","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Marriage","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/11/my-cup-runneth-over.html", "title": "My Cup Runneth Over", "content_html": "\n
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We’ve had some big time rain in the last several days. When we had that dry stretch, the thought went through my mind...we should get the drain snake out and make sure the roots aren’t encroaching in the French drain around our house. That’s what the gutters drain into, and if we don’t keep it free and clear, we can easily end up with water in the basement. We’ve been diligent about it since last fall, but the last time we did it was just before we went to the beach in April. Needless to say, there’s been some root growth and our procrastination bit us in the butt yesterday.

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I bought a water sensor several months ago. It is connected to our weather center that I bought Mr. FixIt a few years ago. The sensor sits on the cement floor by the door and as soon as it detects water, it sends a text to my phone to let me know. That’s great, except for one thing. I have notifications turned off except for emergencies and I forgot to include the sensor as an emergency! *shaking my head*

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We kinda slept in yesterday. At about 9:30, I looked at my phone and there was an alarm notification for 4:00am! I jumped up and found Mr. FixIt and told him the basement was wet. We both went down and fortunately, it wasn’t bad at all. But that drain was certainly plugged up. We set up the sump pumps and got them going to try to get ahead of the game. 

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I didn’t feel well yesterday. I keep getting this pain between my shoulder blades and some pressure in my chest so yesterday was the day I decided to get it checked. After tests and an EKG, we decided it’s a combination of stress and my hyperparathyroidism. Both can cause symptoms that mimic a heart attack and after watching Mr. Virgo die, I don’t take chances. I came back home and rested in the afternoon and felt much better by dinner time.

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Pork chops, baked potatoes, and fresh steamed asparagus is just what I needed to start eating a more balanced diet. Once I did the dishes, I went downstairs and the two of us worked on the drain. We ran the drain snake down and when it hit the spot that was clogged, the water just drained down so nice. We ran a hose down and flushed it out for ten minutes for good measure and gave each other a well deserved pat on the back.

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We finished the day trimming the giant forsythia bushes along the fence. We reached as high as we could, but I refused to let either one of us get up on a ladder to trim the high stuff. I have my limits and that’s where I draw the line.

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I was thinking about that drain as I sat down to write this post. Our lives are often like that drain. We go along taking good care of ourselves till we start getting too busy. Things happen...like a pandemic, and husbands with strokes, and a contentious election, and an insurrection, and your lifelong happy place sells and you can’t do anything about it, and then it’s mowing season and the house is a mess and company is coming and.....BAM! The drain clogs...the bucket gets full...my cup runneth over. 

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I’m better about giving things to God. I really am. But, old habits die hard and I just put my head down and put my shoulder to the wheel and keep pushing. Today is another day, and I can get up and try again. I am just really glad we got that drain unstuck and we will all work better now.

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?

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“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

\nProverbs 12:25 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/11/my-cup-runneth-over.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Choices","Farm Life","Anxiety"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/05/mowing-and-weed-identification.html", "title": "Mowing and Weed Identification", "content_html": "\n
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We missed the dark pink blossom, but this one is a beauty!

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It didn’t rain yesterday so I finished the rest of the mowing. I much prefer getting it all down at once since staggering it can lead to long weeks of multiple mowing days. I don’t mind mowing, but I have to many other things to do to tie up too much time. The road in front of our house was moved several years ago in order to cut down on some of the really bad accidents in the sharp turns. Since that time, no one enters or leaves that side of the house. All the action is on the other side where the pool is. There is a sidewalk leading from the door to the driveway and big metal building. Consequently, we refer to that as the “front” of the house.

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The only time I really see the other side of the house is when I mow. The other night at my bonus granddaughter’s softball game, the former Mrs. FixIt and I were handing our phones back and forth sharing photos of our flowers. She asked if the dark pink peonies had bloomed yet. I din’t even know we HAD dark pink peonies. When I was out there mowing yesterday I looked and sure enough, there had been blossoms...but I missed them. I did catch some pretty medium pink blooms though. 

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I have NO idea what this plant is but I’m sure it’s a weed!

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While I was wandering around, I noticed the plants at the corner of the house had grown like crazy! I’ve been posting the photos trying to identify what it is and haven’t come up with anything yet. I’m sure it’s invasive because it just took over. Mr. FixIt had that stuff cut clear down to the ground last fall and here it is 10’ tall already! I’ll have to get after that pretty quick.

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Mr. FixIt stretched a line out last evening to show where the trench is going for the power line to the “campground.” I’m really excited. It would have been in already if it wasn’t for the rain this week. We’re going down today to pick up TOW-Wanda. We’ll set her up temporarily by the building so we can plug her in out there. That way, we can sleep out there and give up our bed for company when the kids come in three weeks!!! I talked with Big on video chat yesterday for nearly an hour. She is pretty much vegan so we discussed menu options that she will enjoy. Little isn’t a very picky eater so there’s no real worries there.

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Mr. FixIt laid the line for the trench for the electric to the “campground.”

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We’re heading into a hot stretch now after having some very pleasant weather the last couple of weeks. I’m pretty much taking the weekend off to play in TOW-Wanda and get her all cleaned and set up. We haven’t “camped” at all since about this time last year...so I’m pretty excited! There’s something special about spending time close to nature. I’ll get back to the inside work at the first of the week.

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?

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““But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”

\nJob 12:7-12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/05/mowing-and-weed-identification.html", "tags": ["TOW-Wanda!","Camping","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/03/an-abundance-of-green.html", "title": "An Abundance of Green", "content_html": "\n
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I wish I could bottle the first week of June and keep it for January. This is the time of year when the green that hits you as you walk out your door almost hurts your eyes. The vegetation makes me think of the tropical forestation in Hawaii or Mexico. So lush and thick and so, so green. The air even looks green.

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Tuesday evening, I drove to town to try to catch my bonus granddaughter’s softball game. Although I thought I had plenty of time to spare, they weren’t doing well and they called the game early due to the “Ten Run Rule”. I got there just after it ended, but I still got to see the kids and visit for a little bit. As I drove home, I had the windows down. The wind blowing in carried the redolent scent of honeysuckle and multiflora rose...so sweet and hypnotic. I caught myself wanted to close my eyes and breathe that heady aroma in...committing it to memory.

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We have honeysuckle growing on the fence surrounding our backyard. Every time I walk out to the truck or to do some chore outside, I’m met with that familiar sweetness. I think the first time I recognized it was out at the farm. One of my mom’s cousins lives a couple miles down the road and we often took walks out there. I remember going for a run in the ‘70s and that scent stopped my in my tracks till I found its source. If you pull a blossom of honeysuckle off the vine and suck the end, you can taste that sweet nectar that attracts every bee from five counties. 

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We headed out to mow our five acres yesterday around noon. I should have gotten an earlier start because by 3:00 it was drizzling pretty steady and the grass became too wet to mow without clumping. I got the two big fields done and Mr. FixIt finished mowing the edges and the bank by the road. He also had the weed eater out. It doesn’t look like we’ll have another shot at it till Saturday or so because of rain.

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Setzer’s called yesterday to say TOW-Wanda is ready to pick up. They sealed the roof, replaced the 7-pin power cord on the front, and replaced the plug on the main power cord. When I was a newbie, I pulled away from my neighbor’s house and forgot to unplug the cord from the outlet on their front porch. I dragged the cord for a few hundred yards before someone flagged me down. By then, much of the rubber was ground away and seemed to be getting worse as the material hardened with age. 

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Campers are fun, but they are a lot of work. You have to keep up with regular maintenance and watch them like a hawk to catch things before they become major problems. I’m still thinking of downsizing and have my eye on a couple of camper models I might be interested in. Like cars, campers are in short supply this year. We will be feeling the effects of the pandemic for some time to come. For cars, it is a shortage of computer chips. For campers, it’s the foam core insulation and the glue that fastens down the laminate sheets. There were a couple of fires that damaged the plants that produce this products. All that trickles down to the consumer in higher prices and/or shorter supply.

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Mowing put cleaning on the back burner yesterday. Now we’ll have to decide if we want to go pick up the camper or stay home and get things done around here. It depends on the weather, I think. If it’s raining, I’ll wait a couple of days to bring TOW-Wanda home. We haven’t slept in the camper once this year because of her leak, so I’m really anxious to get her back here and camp!

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?

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“The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”

\nGenesis 1:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/03/an-abundance-of-green.html", "tags": ["TOW-Wanda!","West Virginia","Peace","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/02/theres-always-an-adventure-with.html", "title": "There’s Always an Adventure with Mr. FixIt!", "content_html": "\n
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A Little Lake We Found

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We were puttering around the house yesterday. Mr. FixIt was preparing to put another coat of paint on the man door to the building and I was going through an old tub of papers, photos, and mementos from Colorado. He took a break and checked his phone.

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“Hey, here’s a camper someone is selling right here in town. Wanna go see it?”

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Always up for a drive and a look/see at a camper, I jumped up and put on my shoes. He got a text from the fella and had read the directions to me. I admit, I was only half listening, but enough to help get us there. We headed out and finally found the first turn off. For some reason, I didn’t think we were supposed to drive so far out that road. We are talking a single lane, dirt road with mud holes and rocks and no cell service.

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I was just about ready to give up when Mr. FixIt looked at his phone. 

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“Well, would you look at that...I have three bars!”

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We were high on a hill by this time, so I stopped right there and got my own phone out. I looked at Google maps and could see where we were. We weren’t anywhere. I mean...we weren’t on any road that was on the map. I switched to satellite and...bingo! The road magically appeared! I ran my finger backwards, looking for landmarks. Then, I headed forward and found the next two turns. Yes...you read that right. Two more back roads. I was beginning to hear banjos!

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Once we had it in our heads which direction to go, we set off again. The road was getting more primitive with high spots and ruts, but not a real problem for my truck. I had four wheel drive if I absolutely needed it. Suddenly, we came to an intersection that looked like a three-pronged pitchfork with the left prong bent out at a 90 degree angle. I stopped in the center.

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“I think we need to keep going straight and bear to the right!” Mr. FixIt said.

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Now, I don’t have any sense of direction. Unless there are mountains to the west like Denver, or the sun is setting, I’m pretty much useless. So, imagine my husband’s dismay when I said, “Nope, we need to go down there.”

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“Down there” was a dogleg turn onto a steep road winding down into the shadows of the dense canopy of trees. Mr. FixIt was the one hearing banjos now. But, the man DID say “You’ll find me down at the bottom of the hill.” And, by golly...this was going down the hill!

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We twisted and turned and squeezed past the trunks of downed trees that were sawed off. Down, down, down...till, finally...Mr. FixIt said, “I can see cut grass down there!” Sure enough, we came around a turn and there was the back end of a camper sticking out of a metal canopy cover. There was a man with two big dogs. He gave us a wave and I knew we were there. It took us forty-five minutes from home to go maybe 15 miles by road...but not four miles as the crow flies. 

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There’s something about people who live that far off the grid. Although he had electric and water and septic, he lived in a small manufactured shed he had turned into a cabin. The most expensive thing out there was the cover over the camper. People like that live out there for a reason. They like the peace and quiet away from people. But, this guy obviously liked to talk and he met his match when it comes to Mr. FixIt.

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It literally wasn’t five minutes till they figured out they both knew several people. Some Mr. FixIt worked with, one who’s a dear friend of a friend, and another we actually graduated from high school with. Even out in the boonies, we know people. We knew right off, the camper wasn’t for us. But we obliged our host with some polite conversation and talked about places we’ve been and things we’ve seen. He kept the dogs in a kennel, thank goodness.

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After a respectable bit of time had passed, we started the Appalachian goodbye ritual. There’s the first announcement.

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“Well, we’d best be going.” Followed by a couple more stories. Then, we managed to move a few feet in the general direction of the truck and followed with the second announcement.

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“Well, we sure have enjoyed chatting with you. Thank you for sharing you’re beautiful place here.” That’s when the history of the property gets told and we heard about the last two or three owners. “There was a cabin here once that burned. The fella lived in the chicken coop after that.” We’ve made it within ten feet of the truck now. Finally, phase three of the departure ensued.

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“Oh, my gosh...look at the time! We really need to scoot and let you get back to what you were doing.” Mr. FixIt shared he’d been in the middle of painting the man door when we decided to come see the camper. This initiated an 8-10 minute discussion of how hard it’s getting to do those kinds of jobs. “It’s hell getting old.”

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Finally, the last goodbye. 

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“Welp...we gotta go!” And, off we went in the truck, waving as we bounced down the rocky drive and headed back up the steep and narrow gravel road that lead us back to civilization. As we drove home, we allowed that was a fine excursion and we’d have to tell the kids about these hidden roads for their Jeep rides. I’m really glad we got to meet this fella. He told us sometimes he goes two weeks without seeing another soul. He was good company and I’m glad we could spend some time.

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Honestly, there is never a dull moment with this man of mine...and I wouldn’t change a thing about him. Life is a joy!

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? 

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

\nProverbs 3:5-6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/02/theres-always-an-adventure-with.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/06/01/my-heart-is-happy.html", "title": "My Heart is Happy", "content_html": "\n
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Late Afternoon at the Cemetery on the Hill

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Yesterday was a perfectly beautiful day. We slept in, which is always nice. We stopped for breakfast on the way into town, then picked up my bonus daughter and son-in-law. They didn’t know where some of the family graves were, so we took them with us. Every year it’s the same thing. We know where all but one of the graves are in this huge cemetery. We walked around for a good forty-five minutes when I had the bright idea to look at the picture we took a couple of years ago of the headstone we were looking for. We all studied the photo, then fanned out and our son-in-law had it in less than a minute. Thank goodness it wasn’t as hot as it was out there last year. 

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We Found the Elusive Headstone

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Our high yesterday was only 72 and I consider that perfect. Even in the sun, you aren’t over heated. We decorated all the graves then I realized, same as last year...I hadn’t bought enough. We went to Dollar Tree and they were sold out. Then we went to Michael’s. They had flowers, but I wasn’t going to pay $5 for one flower when the cemetery is going to throw the decorations away in ten days. So, I bought pinwheels. They were festive and colorful and move in the wind. 

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A Stunning Lily Growing at a Gravesite

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We dropped the kids off and headed out to the country to my family’s cemetery. On the way, Mr. FixIt asked if I wanted to drive through the state park that’s on the way. It was a lovely day. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the trees are all fully leafed out and provided a full canopy that cast a fresh green hue over everything. One campground was nearly empty...the other nearly full. We figure the empty one is where the families camp most often. The people in the other campgrounds seemed more our age.

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We arrived at the cemetery and I once again was struck by how beautiful and well kept it is. Nearly every headstone was decorated...and all military graves were decorated with flags. I love that so many people have peonies planted on the graves. My grandma would love that. I am going to propagate some of Grandma’s peonies from the farm. I’ll plant some for us here at home and some up at the cemetery. We wandered around and looked at the headstones and the dates and thought of the families who had to say goodbye. 

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As I placed flowers on my grandparents’ grave, I told them the farm had been sold and we’ve al been working hard getting things out of there. I told Grandma all about Frank & Beans and how they already love the farm. They have grand-babies so there will be little ones in the house again some of these days. I told her she would be really proud of the way we took care of the farm all these years without her and that we will still be able to visit the old home-place because Frank & Beans really get it. They know how much we love the place.

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A Carpet of Rhododendron Blossoms

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On our way home, we stopped at the farm and brought another load of things home. There are only three things left in the basement, Grandma’s bed/bedding, and what little is in the outbuilding and barn. We drove home as the sun was setting and decided it was a really good day all the way around. 

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It is a brand new month...and, my heart is full and happy.

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?

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“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out.....”

\nJohn 5:28 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-06-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/06/01/my-heart-is-happy.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Holiday","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/31/move-on-mr-swiftyou-too.html", "title": "Move On, Mr. Swift...You Too, Mr. Raccoon", "content_html": "\n
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The Square Cap on the Chimney Keeps the Swifts Out

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For the last couple of years, we’ve had chimney swifts nesting in out chimneys. And each year, it seems they brought more and more of their friends. While it WAS fun to sit out on the deck of an evening and watch them dive and swoop and chatter through the sky above us, sitting at the dining room tables was noisy. The birds nested down in the chimney and we’d hear them in there fluttering and chattering for hours. Then, when they started finding their way into the house last summer, I’d had enough of their fun and games. Chimney swifts cannot land and perch horizontally. They rest on vertical surfaces they can cling to making the inside of masonry chimneys, hollow trees, and old abandoned buildings perfect for nesting. You aren’t supposed to handle them yourself. You are supposed to call the experts to come get them. I didn’t know that at the time so I did carefully let them out through the door in the family room. Besides, we live way out in the country. There aren’t any bird experts near who could come rescue a swift.

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While I have sincere love for God’s creatures, I don’t necessarily want them living in my house. So, last fall, I asked Mr. FixIt to cover the chimney tops to keep them out. Because chimney swifts are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, we waited till all the fledglings had left the nest and the birds migrated south before we locked them out for good. These sweet migratory birds will return year after year to the same nesting site, so we needed to get the new chimney caps on before they returned in the spring.

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One evening last week, we were sitting outside having dinner when I heard the familiar chitter-chatter calls from the swifts and I knew they’d returned. We sat and watched as they dove down toward the chimneys and pulled up at the last moment when they detected the obstacle before them. Time after time, they dove down. I felt really guilty for displacing them, but I knew they would soon be off to find a suitable place to nest. It wasn’t a day or two when they had moved on.

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There’s always something new to learn living in the country. While this isn’t my first rodeo, I find myself Googling all kinds of things to learn more about my surroundings and the proper way of doing things. And anytime I’m doing anything regarding wildlife, I’ve learned to do my research before I start working. We went to town Saturday and I didn’t consider it would be dark when we got home. We should have put the cat up for the night before we left. As it was, we pulled into the driveway and off went a raccoon, running out of the building. I’m sure it was having a field day with Pumpkin’s cat food. Yesterday, I noticed she was scratching, so I went right out and treated her for fleas and ticks. I’m sure Rocky Raccoon brought some hitch hikers in with him.

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I spent the afternoon yesterday sorting and filing two or three years worth of papers and shredded another three bags full. That was the last of it so I fixed up my new extension cord by my recliner, connected my chargers, and got things tidied up in the family room. I’ve made great progress toward getting and feeling more organized. I’m counting down the days till the girls get here and I can’t wait. I wish Hannah and Kate were coming, too. But they both have new jobs so it will be a while before they come to West Virginia.

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We are going today to decorate graves of our loved ones. I pray you find peace today and the memories of your loved ones passed brings you comfort.

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? 

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

\nJohn 14:27 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/31/move-on-mr-swiftyou-too.html", "tags": ["Peace","Holiday","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/30/i-have-a-dream.html", "title": "I Have a Dream", "content_html": "\n
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My Bubby turns 70 this fall. We’ll be traveling to Colorado to help him celebrate. My dear sister/friend texted me yesterday telling me her husband will soon be 75. Mr. FixIt will be 70 in the early New Year. And I’ll be 68 next month. I told my friend, “How can this be possible? We were just laying out with baby oil and Sun-In in our hair...like, five minutes ago!” And now? Wow!

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It’s not bad, though. I mean...I’ve done an awful lot in this life. I had countless “careers”, four husbands, kids galore if you count all the ones who called me “Mom”. I’ve lived in England and Colorado and now back to my roots in WV. I’ve traveled alone halfway around the world. I’ve pulled a 30’ camper by myself back and forth across the country. I’ve slept under the stars and howled at the moon. I’ve skinny dipped in hot springs in the nooks and crannies of the Rockies. I’ve brought two amazing women into the world...my greatest achievement.

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And now...I have this amazing life. This almost-68-year-old amazing life with this wonderful guy I’ve known since I was a kid. And we live on five beautiful acres in the country. Honestly...I’m living my dream life. Short of owning Grandma’s farm, this is perfect! And, now that we’ve decided to stay put, my heart is putting down roots even further. I’ve been thinking about ways to carve out spaces on our acreage that are not only beautiful, but functional and fun.

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I’ve wanted a “she-shed” for years. I have it in my head what I want it to look like. I save photos that I see and file them away for reference. There is a beautiful shed in a garden in Seattle that inspires me. It’s a Little White House that the owners rent out as a space for photo shoots and teas and such. I’d love to have something like that. To make this into a complex with little sheds and gardens and paths. A place for a couple of campers. A large communal fire pit. We already have the big building. We could start with something like an Autumn Festival and sell antiques. We could have a place for live music. There’s plenty of room for parking. It could be really cool. Or it could just be a dream. Who knows? The important thing is...always having a dream. Something to look forward to. Something that brings you joy. 

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Sixty-eight. Hey...it’s not NINETY-EIGHT! I have a DREAM!

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?

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“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

\nPsalm 37:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/30/i-have-a-dream.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","New Ideas","Gratitude","Comfort","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/27/the-ants-are-back.html", "title": "The Ants are Back!", "content_html": "\n
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A couple of years ago, we were inundated with little black ants. They were everywhere, including places they were certainly NOT welcome...namely, my kitchen! Ugh! One morning I walked in to start my coffee. I left a box of cereal on the counter the night before and there was a black line of ants marching to and fro...in a direct line from the box to the corner of the window. It reminded me of that song we sang as kids... “The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!”

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I think they were so bad that year because our hummingbird feeder hung from a hook outside the kitchen window and it leaked. That just invited them in. I mixed up a solution of sugar and borax in a bottle of water. I saved a few caps from soft drink bottles, put a cotton ball in each one, and poured the borax/sugar solution over them till it was soaked. I kept several on the sill between the window and the screen. For a few days, they were just covered with ants, but they took the borax back to the nest and that got rid of them. 

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Last summer, we hung the hummingbird feeder in a different place and I as soon as I saw the first couple of ants, the cotton balls and borax came back out. They were gone before they got a foothold. I’m hoping the same will be true this year. Mr. FixIt forgot about the hummingbird feeder and put it up in the old spot where it hung for a couple of days before we remembered it shouldn’t go there. So, here’s hoping they will be gone soon.

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Mr. FixIt is really knocking these chores off our very long list. Yesterday, he replaced boards in a door frame in the building where carpenter ants got to it. I continued sorting through papers and started another pile for shredding. Oh, and cleaned out the fridge. Who doesn’t just love THAT job? I fed my sourdough starter again because Little will be here in a month and I promised to teach her how to bake bread. I’ve been a little lax at feeding it so I may need to start fresh. I’ll know in a day or two.

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The weather forecast said rain the last couple of days, but the most we had wasn’t even enough to wet the sidewalks. We are getting so dry, the grass is crispy when you walk on it. When the wind blows, yellow leaves float on the breeze as though it were autumn. The only upside when it’s this dry is less mowing. My sweetheart went out with the weed eater the other evening and was working on the bank by the road. The weed eater jammed and shut off. That’s when he heard a buzzing sound. He looked down and right in the area where the next swipe would have gone was a yellowjacket’s nest! They were going in and out of a hole in the ground. They aren’t very aggressive at this time of year, but come July, this could have been a very different story. God was watching out for my man, that’s for sure.

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Mr. FixIt waters the garden every evening, but we’re going to have to start watering twice a day as hot as it’s been. I need to feed the tomato plants. The pool is clearing up more and it’s about warm enough to get in and vacuum the bottom. The exciting news is, the utility people are coming out this week to mark their lines so we can finally lay the electric out to my little campground! Between Mr. FixIt’s strokes and covid, that job got pushed back and I’m really excited to get it done. Then we can have campouts with my friends and it won’t cost a thing!

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Well, the week is half gone. My goodness...how the time flies! The peonies started to bloom today. I’m looking forward to the weekend with a little break in the heat...and hopefully some moisture.

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?

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“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”

\nProverbs 6:6-8 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/27/the-ants-are-back.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Fun","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/26/pumpkins-magnificent-adventure.html", "title": "Pumpkin’s Magnificent Adventure", "content_html": "\n
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Pumpkin

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For those of you who’ve followed a while, you’ll know I lived in my camper for a few years and vowed never to have pets again. Mr. Virgo’s little dog died just three months before he did and it was all just too much. I didn’t want to lose any more beloveds. Then, when I came off the road, I inherited a farm cat I dubbed “Boy Cat”. When I was gone on a trip over Thanksgiving, I came home to a tiny little kitten with exactly the same markings as the long-haired big boy except he had a short, sleek coat. I named him “Kitty Boy”.

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While Boy Cat eventually warmed up to me and marked me as his by rubbing his face on my legs, Kitty Boy was as wild as wild could be and took off like a shot if he saw you. No rubs and chirps, but he came back every day to be fed and slept soundly through the winter in his bed box complete with an electric warming pad. While not a terribly enthusiastic cat person, I came to love them and watching their antics around the farm.

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Boy Cat and Kitty Boy

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When the time came to move to join Mr. FixIt at the Ponderosa, the farm kitties moved quite happily to my cousin’s barn down the road and adjusted well. Fast forward to Halloween 2019. Mr. FixIt and I had been married a year and I took off for several weeks camping all around the state of West Virginia in the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer. When I returned, here was this little black kitten someone had dumped and Mr. FixIt had been feeding him. I wasn’t thrilled to be tied down with another pet, but when this little thing shot straight to me like she’d been waiting forever to see me...well, let’s just say...she’s home.

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We woke up yesterday morning and decided it was THE day to take TOW-Wanda down to Setzer’s World of Camping to get some leaks fixed. We haven’t moved that camper for at least two years...maybe three. As a matter of fact, we weren’t really sure when we camped in her last...save for sleeping out there in the field at the Ponderosa. All four tires and the spare were low on air so I got them pumped up. Mr. FixIt struggled and finally got the big tarp off of her. The battery was dead so we had to plug her into shore power to raise her up with the electric tongue jack.

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Towing TOW-Wanda to Setzer’s

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It was already near noon by the time we got her completely hooked up and ready to go. I went and closed the doors to the car. Mr. FixIt went to close the doors to the bay. We were sweating buckets. We grabbed a couple of electrolyte drinks and hopped in the truck for the three hour drive to Huntington.

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When we got there, we went inside to register with Matt in the service department and told him all the things we wanted fixed. We visited a little while, then went back out to unhook the camper so the tractor could pull it into the shop. I needed a tool to unhook the weight distribution hitch so I went over to the storage compartment in the belly of the camper. When I opened the hatch door, I stood there so confused for a few seconds. There was Pumpkin! She cautiously peeked her head out and looked around...sniffing the air.

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Now, Pumpkin is like most cats I’ve ever known. She’ll let you pet her for a few seconds then when she’s had enough, she’ll turn around and bite you a good one! Not this time. I picked her up and she literally climbed me and planted her head under my chin. Bless her heart! It never occurred to us that she would have jumped into the belly of the camper. And she’s black as night so you would never see her in there with all the gear and cargo we carry.

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Pumpkin Peeks Out From Her New Roomy Carrier

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Fortunately, she was no worse for the wear. We gave her a drink and sat with her for a while in the truck, running the air conditioning so she’d cool off. We stopped at the first Walmart we came to and bought a collapsible pop-up pet carrier and got her settled in on a nice clean blanket and hit the road home. She does really well in the car on the interstate. And she does fine for the short ride to town, which she often makes with Mr. FixIt. But you put this poor kitty in the car and go very far on these twisty turny West Virginia roads and she lets loose from every orifice. I don’t know what to do about that. The only time we ever go far is when we have to take her to the vet...or, when she’s a stowaway on an illicit adventure, apparently.

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From now on, we’ll double and triple check compartments on the camper when we leave for a trip. This could have had disastrous results, and should serve as a warning to others, but fortunately...all it left us with was a very snuggly kitty...and some blog fodder!

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?

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“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

\nPsalm 145:9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/26/pumpkins-magnificent-adventure.html", "tags": ["Travel","TOW-Wanda!","West Virginia","Warning","The Cats","Farm Life","Road Trip"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/25/getting-things-done-and-making.html", "title": "Getting Things Done and Making Big Decisions", "content_html": "\n
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Shredded Documents

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We’ve been checking things off the master list of things to do here at the Ponderosa this spring. And, I’ve got to say...it feels pretty good. The end of the house that we painted and put a new storm door on looks great! The electric line over to the deck is going to come in very handy. We had the kids over Sunday evening and plugged a fan in and it made all the difference sitting out there. Plus, the market lights are so pretty. 

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New Paint and Doors

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Mr. FixIt had things to do in town today and I elected to stay home and get some things done here. I had all kinds of plans, but ended up sitting for five hours shredding documents. We’d been putting it off, and since I’ve been doing some deep cleaning and organizing, today was the day. I still have some to do, but managed to get the most of it done. Now, to file the papers that weren’t shredded. Oy! The work of life is never done, is it?

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Irises Blooming

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I remember when I was a new widow, sold my house and 95% of personal belongings...I felt so incredibly free and liberated. There was none of this accumulating, organizing, cleaning, purging, and re-accumulating that life seems to be filled with. My time was my own, to come and go as I pleased. Now, my time is full....but I’m incredibly happy. Not so much with the clutter, but we’re dealing with that...slowly, but surely.

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A Room Always Looks Worse Before it Looks Better

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Change has been a big focus in our lives the last few weeks with the sale of the farm. And, it has come to change our priorities in a way I didn’t expect. For the last couple of years, we’ve been giving serious consideration to selling the Ponderosa and moving to our acre lot near town. The driving had become cumbersome, and the responsibilities and upkeep seemed to loom large as we begin to wind down toward our sunset years. 

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The Butterflies are Coming Back

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Living near town had great appeal to me. Our friends and family are there. We’d be closer to medical facilities and shopping. And our outdoor chores would be minimal compared to here. However, knowing the farm was always there to commune with nature and get our “country fix” made it easier to think of letting this property go. After going through what I’ve experienced with the farm selling, I gained a greater insight to Mr. FixIt’s attachment to this place.

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Mama Box Turtle in the Far Field

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I know how I feel losing my lifetime home. This weekend when we were driving home from mowing at the farm, I asked him how committed he was to selling out and building on our other property. He’s lived here on the Ponderosa for 45 years or so. That’s a long time to put down roots. We discussed all the pros and cons and what it would take to even get the lot ready to build a house on....all huge considerations.

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Milkweed...Waiting on Monarchs

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In the end, we’ve decided to just stay put where we are for the time being. For a lot of reasons, really. Neither one of us are ready to give up farm life yet. I love waking up to the neighbor’s rooster. I love the mockingbirds in the hedgerow and the lightning bugs in the field. I love the little town we live close to. I love having a garden and a pool and a place to see the stars. I especially love having a place to “camp” on our own property. It’s what I moved to West Virginia for in the first place...to live in the country.

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The Near Field by the Road

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Mr. FixIt agrees. This is home to him. And, somehow...after going through the farm selling...it’s suddenly become more “home” to me, too. Besides, Covid showed us we don’t need to drive to town as often as we were...merely out of boredom. We’ve saved money on gas and dining out and extra shopping. And, we’re getting this place fixed up and more like “ours” and less like “theirs”.

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Sunset Over the Far Field

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I’m feeling more settled this week than I have in a long time. Having the sale of the farm dangling over my head for the last few years has been difficult for me....like waiting for the ax to fall. Now that it’s here, I know where home really is. It’s wherever we are...so, it might as well be here because it’s what we are blessed with. Sometimes the best things in life are right under our noses.

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?

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“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

\nProverbs 24:3-4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/25/getting-things-done-and-making.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Wisdom","Aging","Farm Life","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/23/pure-mountain-spring-water.html", "title": "Pure Mountain Spring Water", "content_html": "\n
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PopPop and three of his brothers in front of the house before it was moved onto the new basement.

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Ok, I’m still doing some remembering. Even though the farm was sold at auction on Tuesday, that doesn’t end my relationship with it. I am incredibly blessed that the new buyers will welcome me there. And there are still so many stories to be told. This is the oldest photo I can find of Grandma’s house. The men picture here are four of five brothers...my PopPop is the third from the left.

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This is when the house sat on stacks of stones. Vines grew on the front porch to help keep the living space cool in the summer. If you zoom in, you can see the oil well derrick that stood in the back yard. For many, many years, the house was left natural and weathered to a beautiful, rich grey. The bad part about that is, the wood is more susceptible to rot and insect invasion. Sometime in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, I came home for a visit and my uncle had painted the house red with white trim. I was devastated because it didn’t look like “home” anymore. Now, I can’t imagine loving it more. The red has mellowed to a deep, rusty color in some areas...depending on sun exposure. 

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The Old Oxbow Spring

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The house didn’t have running water till it was moved onto the new basement. That must have been around 1958 or so. This picture was probably taken in the early to mid-fifties, judging by the car parked in the yard. Grandma had to depend on the well to wash clothes and to bathe in the old galvanized tub. At the time, the well water was sweet and drinkable. However, once they took that derrick out of there and capped the wells in the area, the aquifer was fractured and the water was brackish. That was devastating when it was the only source of water.

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An Old Milk Can (not my photo)

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For a while, I remember hauling water from the old Oxbow Spring. I rode in the pickup with PopPop and hauled two or three milk cans of water home a couple of times a week. There was an aluminum ladle with a long handle that had a bend in the end of it that hung on a nail by the can in the kitchen. When it was really hot out, they kept the water cans in a root cellar to stay cool. I belong to a Facebook group that shares memories of the area and someone posted a picture of the spring. People still go and collect water there, although...someone mentioned there’s an old cemetery on the hill up above the spring. That might make me think twice about drinking the water now, but back then, we were happy to have it. I do believe Grandma always boiled our drinking water...no matter the source.

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An Aluminum Dipper Like Ours (not my photo)

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Our temps here in West Virginia have gone from meat locker to microwave in the span of a few days. It won’t be long and we can hop in the pool of an evening and cool off. We went over to see one of the granddaughters and her fiancé this morning. They just graduated from WVU and are fixing up an old house that was converted from a barn on 90 acres. They board horses and raise their own hay. I was telling Mr. FixIt...I would have given anything to have had something like that when I was their age. We are so proud of them...they’ve really been working hard, and it shows.

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We went for a little drive afterward and checked out the high tunnels where they grow the best tomatoes just a few miles from the Ponderosa. They’re already waist high! I asked Mr. FixIt not to plant so many tomato plants this year...just enough for the table. I’ll buy from the folks at the high tunnels when I want to can tomatoes. We have ten plants instead of twenty-three! We also have zucchini, yellow squash, and lettuce planted. I’ve been so busy over at the farm, I haven’t dabbled in my flowers yet, but I will soon. I still want to bring some back from the farm. We will probably go over and mow today before it gets too hot. Even though the auction is over, it hasn’t closed and I don’t want to leave it looking like a hay field for the new owners.

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I hope you enjoy your day. It’s been lovely!

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?

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“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won't you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it? Otherwise, you will start building the tower, but not be able to finish. Then everyone who sees what is happening will laugh at you. They will say, “You started building, but could not finish the job.””

\nLuke 14:28-30 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/23/pure-mountain-spring-water.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/22/on-mr-fixit-time.html", "title": "On Mr. FixIt Time", "content_html": "\n
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When you’re retired, things aren’t quite as scheduled as they are when you have limited time to get projects completed. This can be a good thing if you normally stress out about things that you envision need to be finished in a certain period of time. However, once you hit retirement, things may not be done in a timely fashion. I have discovered there are two time configurations in our house...my time, and “Mr. FixIt Time”. Now, do not get me wrong, when this man gets a job done, it is as good or better than any professional you’d have to pay the big bucks to. But...it may take a little longer than you particularly care for.

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We bought this pergola three years ago at the end of the season. We got it half price. I was sure we would be packed up and moved and living on our property near town by then, so I asked him to just put it in the building and we’d put it up at the new house. The new house got pushed back then one day I looked out and the pergola was being erected on the deck. And, I liked it! We went out and bought commercial grade market lights at the end of the season...half off. I wanted to put them up right away, but Mr. FixIt wanted to run electric out to the deck and have a nice GFI outlet to plug them in so we wouldn’t have to run an extension cord. Smart man!

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Then he had his strokes last spring. Between that and the pandemic, that was the end of the home projects for pretty much an entire year. Now, I’m happy to report, other than the usual aches and pains of arthritis, my sweet man is back in action and he’s been blazing through these jobs...one after another. Our son-in-law came and helped him dig a trench to run the electric line through a conduit out from the building to the deck. Once they were finished, my step-daughter and I hung the market lights and I just love the way they turned out. If I’d have had more energy, I would have cleaned the table and dressed it better, but I did good to take the pizza box off and put the chairs in. It was a long day.

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I didn’t get nearly as much done indoors as I wanted but I made progress on two rooms. I’ve been going through papers that need to either be burned or shredded. I sent the kids home with some things I thought they might like. The doctor called and my brother was discharged and heading back to the mountains. He was feeling a lot better and very anxious to get home. 

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It was a busy and productive day and I am incredibly grateful to have this wonderful partner to share my life with and to work beside. Even if he doesn’t work on MY time schedule! 

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?

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“But do everything properly and in order.”

\n1 Corinthians 14:40 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/22/on-mr-fixit-time.html", "tags": ["Fun","Love","Farm Life","Marriage","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/18/my-grandma-had-a-dream.html", "title": "My Grandma Had a Dream", "content_html": "\n
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She was only fifteen when she ran off with the hired hand on her daddy’s farm and got married in Oakland, Maryland. She finished eighth grade, and could read and write and cipher. PopPop was twenty-two. He also left school when his daddy died young, leaving his mama to raise five little boys under the age of ten. He was the oldest and he needed to help feed his little brothers.

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Grandma always dreamed of having a farm of their own where they could raise their kids and feed them with what they could grow. She was a farm girl, after all. I have pictures of her riding the plow horse when my great grandfather put up hay for their cattle. Grandma saw that long drink of water in my PopPop and the rest, as they say, is history. 

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Life has a way of happening in spite of what you plan. I’m still learning of their early years. I know they were married in 1921. Her first born was a little boy, named after his daddy. He was born sleeping in 1924. I do not know where he was laid to rest, but I do know that my mom was born the following year in Indiana where PopPop and Grandma had gone for work. Their second child was born in Illinois the year before the Great Depression began. They had two more children before they headed back home to West Virginia. They had six children before the Depression ended.

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As I moved things around yesterday, preparing to pack up the last of my belongings, I noticed something was taped to the window frame in Grandma’s room. When I took a closer look, I smiled. I’m sure the rest of the article clipped from the Journal Star of Peoria, Illinois is somewhere in my papers. I remember it was a photo of some flowers in a garden...Lily of the Valley, to be exact. They reminded Grandma of home, so she cut that picture out and vowed to find her a farm where these delicate little flowers could grow. She finally did, sometime between 1932 and 1934.

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West Virginia was home to both of them, and they soon found a place back on the hill on this very farm. Eventually, they purchased the farm and moved down off the hill into the present house. Grandma always said...this farm was her dream and she never wanted to live anywhere else in the whole wide world.

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When my grandma became older, my Aunt Peeps took this clipping and taped it to the window frame in Grandma’s bedroom where she could look at it. She always called this place her little slice of heaven, and my aunt wanted her to see her coming heavenly home as something loved and familiar.

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As I sat on the front porch during my dinner break, it started raining. I threw a handful of old English Walnuts into the yard to lure the squirrels out for a treat. I noticed a little scuffle under the rhododendron and soon, out popped mama robin with three fledglings chasing her...wanting to be fed. They’re big enough to eat on their own...but they wanted the comfort of something familiar. I could relate.

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You see, even though I’ve been saying I let go of the farm already, it’s obvious to anyone reading my posts the last couple of weeks...that wasn’t quite true. It’s the same as these little fledgling robins...I need to leave the nest, but I want the place to feed me. I once climbed a cliff with Hubby #2. When I looked down, I froze. He tried to talk me out of my fear but I was escalating. Finally, he calmly said...

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“Well, you can figure out a way to move on from this point, or you can buy real estate here.”

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I got the same message yesterday from a very dear friend. She shoots from the hip and kicks me in the butt when I need it.

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“Look, you’re going to either need to buy the d*** place, or move on. You can’t stay where you are.”

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They were both right...unless I’m prepared to buy the real estate where I am...and I just can’t. I mean...I COULD, but I shouldn’t, I have to find a way to move on. I’m finding little bread crumbs...marking the trail in the direction I need to go. Finding this little snippet of old, crackly newspaper with my aunt’s shaky writing on it let me know I’m on the right track. It says...

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“Mom’s Lily of the Valley”

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It was a picture of what she dreamed of having one day. This was it...her special place. She made sure I loved it like she did. And now she’s leading me on to great adventures elsewhere. (It’s more accurate to say, my memories of her are inspiring me. I’m not ACTUALLY having conversations with dead people.) I’m not sure what the next adventure will look like, but I know who my traveling partner is...my sweet Mr. FixIt. And, as he says...

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“There’s always an adventure with Ginny McKinney!”

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My story isn’t finished yet, but I’m telling you what...I am so grateful to have had this little slice of heaven to call my home and to love with all my heart, whether I owned it or not.

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?

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“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.”

\nEcclesiastes 3:1 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/18/my-grandma-had-a-dream.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","The Farm","Comfort","Wisdom","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/17/it-was-the-best-of.html", "title": "It Was the Best of Times...It Was the Worst of Times", "content_html": "\n
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Charles Dickens was speaking of the events leading up to the French Revolution, of course. And my little slice of reality is nothing in comparison. However, whenever we are going through hard things, our things are the hardest things because they’re OUR things. Grief has many sources, and it’s no small thing to walk away from your family home.

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I’ve been at the farm since Saturday afternoon. I thought I’d get a lot done yesterday, but I did not. And that’s ok. I sat on the front porch most of the day, staring at my grandma’s huge rhododendron. It isn’t lost on me that THE most beautiful peak of bloom is occurring during my last official day here. Tomorrow evening is the close of the auction. I’ve asked everyone I know to buy the farm so I can still come here. Who knows the fate of this land besides God? I just have this wonderful feeling it’s going into the hands of someone who will love it the same as I do. I’m going to stand on that conviction.

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I was a sponge yesterday...soaking up every ounce of love from this place. I awoke to the beloved sound of a gentle rain on the tin roof...even though we had no such rain predicted. I drove over to the service station-diner-convenience store-tire center early to get some butter. I forgot to bring some over and I want pancakes on my last morning here. The time passed all too quickly and just as the light began to change, I snapped this shot of the perfect blossoms on the perfect bush in the most perfect place I know. I sat on the porch and watched the chipmunks chasing each other around the yard. A flicker kept sweeping in to the old, rotten stump of the poplar tree my PopPop planted years ago...snatching an insect here and there, then flying on. A big, fat rabbit slowly made its way along the base of the spirea along the ditch by the road....nibbling on the new grass and avoiding the bee balm and flags.

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The neighbor across the road was planting his garden. It’s always so lovely because he keeps the deer out with an electric fence. Otherwise, it’s nothing but a salad bar for critters. His wife came out with Molly, their one year old lab pup who is full of boundless energy. Bees from the hives down the road buzzed from flower to flower. I happily munched on my sandwich, sharing some chips with the chipmunks. Four-wheelers came one by one down the road...heading back home after a fun day of “muddin’” on the area’s many dirt roads that lead to old oil and gas wells and timber cuts. 

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As night fell, I talked with Mr. FixIt. I told him I saw him on the security camera planting OUR garden. I laughed and told him he can’t get away with anything now that we’ve put those in! lol We hung up and I came in, locking the doors behind me...just as Grandma did over the decades she lived in this little red house in the holler. This is my last day. The last night I’ll spend in my grandma’s house. Even if it DOES sell to someone I know and even if I DO get to sleep in here again...it’ll be different. It won’t be ours...mine. Not physically, anyway.

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Life is still lovely...and it will go on. More stories will come. I’ll remember things I haven’t told you about the old home place. And...more likely than not...I’ll tell you stories I’ve told you before. I’m of that age, you know. It’s one of the joys of growing older...you get to tell stories with freshness because you can’t remember who you’ve told them to before. Probably easier on me than you, come to think of it.

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The barred owl came to talk softly to me in the growing darkness. He didn’t give his usual full call....just a short “coo” to let me know he was there. Then, ever so slowly, he made his way from tree to tree...getting further and further away...till I could just barely hear him in the woods on the far hill. Fitting, I think....that things get softer and further away as I let this lovely place go.

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Tomorrow morning, you’ll read of my last night here...but it’s surely not the last you’ll hear about the farm.

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?

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“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers.”

\nJeremiah 29:11-12 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/17/it-was-the-best-of.html", "tags": ["Faith","Grief","West Virginia","The Farm","Gratitude","Grace","Wisdom","Farm Life","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/11/every-yearits-the-same-thing.html", "title": "Every Year...It’s the Same Thing!", "content_html": "\n
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Ok, those of you have followed me oh, these many years know what happens every single year at tax time. I wait till the last week, then I sit down to do the taxes and the doggone computer decides it needs to choose THAT EXACT MOMENT to download thirty-seven updates plus a scan of the hard drive, then there’s an error downloading something and you’re on hold with tech support for three years and the whole thing makes me wonder why on EARTH I stopped drinking! Ok...that may be a small exaggeration...but still, all day on the computer and I was no further getting the taxes done than when I started. Except now my computer has every shiny new update created by mankind!

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You might say...why don’t you do the updates ahead of time? At which point I would politely reply, “I did! About three or four weeks ago, I downloaded all my transactions from my bank and balanced the account....the first time I’ve done THAT in years! I also updated my security software and scanned my hard drive and cleaned the trash off it and defragged it. I was ready! But, nooooooooooo! Microsoft had to release a zillion new updates right at tax time. I’m blaming them. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

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One thing I did while I watched the little hamster wheel turn on my computer screen was...knit. I figured if I had to be close by to hit “yes, I want this program to change my hard drive”, I might as well get something productive done. And it’s the darnedest thing...I didn’t have a bit of trouble with the pattern. I figured I’d be ripping out every other row. I think God took pity on me and let at least one thing go smoothly yesterday!

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As I was checking my calendar, when I discovered...to my great dismay...that May 12th is TOMORROW! The open house at the farm is tomorrow at 4:00. OMGosh! I have SO much to do to get the house in the shape I want it to be. So, the taxes get moved to the back burner, again. And today I will work my hiney off and get this place ship shape!

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I took a break in the afternoon and took a walkabout. The iris along the driveway have started to bloom. It was a cool day and the sun popped out every now and then. If West Virginia would stay 74 degrees year round, I’d be a happy girl. But before we know it, we will go from meat locker to microwave and it will be so sticky hot. I’ll enjoy this as long as I can!

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?

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“then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.”

\nLeviticus 26:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/11/every-yearits-the-same-thing.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/10/making-memories-every-day.html", "title": "Making Memories Every Day", "content_html": "\n
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Heaven
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Mr. FixIt and I both have full calendars this week. I’m over at the farm, continuing to clear things out and make it presentable for an open house on the 12th and he’s at the Ponderosa, getting the family room ready for the new carpet that’s being installed on Friday. He’s also preparing to put in an electric line from the building to the deck so we can hang our strings of market lights on the pergola. 

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Rhododendron
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I have all the old blankets bagged up to take to the Humane Society for the doggos. They’ll love having comfy, clean bedding while they’re waiting for their furever homes. All the things that are being thrown away from the “Girl’s Room” upstairs have been bagged and piled on the back porch, waiting for another load to go to either the Ponderosa or the dump. Most of the items from the “Boy’s Room” have been staged to either pack or bag up as trash. Then, the only thing I have left to do is vacuum and the upstairs is finished.

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Screendoor
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Next on the list is the basement. Oy! That’s something I’m not looking forward to because it is an absolute mess down there. So much has already been hauled out, but there’s still WAY too much down there. Not all of it is mine, of course...but I’ll get it as organized as I can and throw obvious trash away. 

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Farmhouse
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I swore when I was finished downsizing at my house I would never do this again. Not only am I doing it for the farm...we also have to do it at the Ponderosa. Once we have the farm taken care of, there won’t be that mowing hanging over our heads once or even twice a week. That’s going to free up a bunch of time for us.

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Grandma
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My Mother’s Day was lovely. Everyone either called or texted their greetings. It was a dreary, rainy day so I was just as happy spending it indoors finishing up the last week of this project. Saturday, however, was STELLAR! The sky was an amazing blue with big puffy white clouds. I walked around and snapped some photos with the freshly mown grass. Grandma’s rhododendron are popping out a little more every day. I’m going to take some of the flowers over to the Ponderosa with me. I remember when Grandma brought some of them up from Aunt Myrt’s house and planted them on the hillside. She LOVED her posies. And now I’ll love them. I can propagate them and share with the cousins later.

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Turkey/Chicken
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I knitted for a while in the afternoon. The pattern for this shawl is such a booger to follow. I count the stitches after every row and I cannot tell you how many rows I’ve ripped out because they aren’t coming out right. Grrrrr. My friend Gail told me to use stitch markers, but I haven’t had time to go to town to get some. I know I could use safety pins, but I have packed those. So, I’m doing the best I can while still enjoying the process. 

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Mush
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Today’s agenda? The taxes. Finally!

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?

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“And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.”

\n1 Samuel 25:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/10/making-memories-every-day.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Downsizing","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/06/time-marches-on.html", "title": "Time Marches On", "content_html": "\n
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I’m kind of entering a countdown now with the farm. My ability to stay here whenever I want is coming to an end. Consequently, I’m spending as much time here as possible. I came out Tuesday. My cousin Tammy came out yesterday to help me go through my aunt’s things. We bagged up all of her clothes and shoes. The sizes are very small as my aunt was fastidious with her weight. I’ll bet she never varied more than a pound or two save for the “freshman 20” and the wasting of old age. And, for someone as incredibly frugal as she was, there were many designer pieces in her closet. She had grand style.

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Tammy was my first best friend, other than my brother. She’s a little younger than me but we share a lot of the same characteristics. She reminds me so much of our grandma. She works hard and loves gently. She has six little grandchildren here and one in Heaven. They are as much the apples of her eye as we were of Laura Belle’s. She’s warm and no nonsense and tells you like it is and is SO funny. I was tickled to pieces to have her all to myself at our grandma’s house for a few hours.

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We packed her van so full, I warned her not to slam on the brakes or everything would come crashing down on her. She took an old dresser. Being the oral historian of the family, I shared the history of this particular piece of furniture. Our great grandfather was a wheeler-dealer and dabbled in cattle and auctions and orneriness. He was...let us say...colorful. Big, tall, brawny with a deep timbre to his voice, he would gather us up on his knee and recite “The Village Smithy” to us when we were children. He was a former watchman and worked his way up to the state patrol. At one time, he did his rounds on horseback. He was a bit of a dandy with the ladies, as well. I was both enamored and scared to death of him. He died when I was sixteen.

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I do remember a time when I was a child, for some reason Grandpa was staying here at the farm. By this time he had terrible arthritis in his hips and could barely walk. (He had one of the first hip transplants ever done.) Because of this, Grandma and PopPop gave up their bed and let him sleep on the main floor. The only light in this room at the time was the ceiling light and apparently that wasn’t good enough for him. He brought an antique dresser of quarter-sawn oak from Virginia and set it up in the same little tiny bedroom where I am writing this post. He drilled a hole in the top of the mirror frame and installed a light socket so the could have a light that wasn’t right in his face when he read in bed. Of course, that ruined the value of the piece...except, we have the story that goes with it. 

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There are some things money can’t buy.

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I walked around the farm a little in the afternoon. We had two-and-a-quarter inches of rain in the gauge. The creek is still running muddy and everything was pristine in the late afternoon sunshine. I peeked quietly at the baby robins in the nest in the big rhododendron bush by the old gas light out front. When I looked at the photos later, I thought something was wrong with one of the babies. It’s eye was pale and the surrounding area was stark white. After studying it for a while, I realized...the sun was dappled, shining through the leaves and branches and budding flowers in just the right way to create that illusion.

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It is definitely much cooler after the rains of the last couple of days. I had to turn on the furnace and the electric blanket. But the window remains open. The barred owls have been very vocal this trip here and I want to soak up every sight, sound, and smell. I’m counting down the days...dreading when the last one comes.

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?

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“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”

\nPsalm 104:12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/06/time-marches-on.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/03/snips-snails-puppy-dog-tailsand.html", "title": "Snips \u0026 Snails \u0026 Puppy Dog Tails...and Snakes...and Mice!", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve never had the pleasure of raising a boy. I love all the boys in my life immensely. But, I didn’t have to do all the things boy moms do like go to the ER every other week or follow along behind them catching everything that falls. I was treated to Teddy Bear Teas and “Let’s Put on a Show!” That was my mom life. Don’t get me wrong...dealing with girls’ hormones while you’re dealing with your own can be a trip. And don’t get me started about girl drama. But, I admire Boy Moms. They earn their crowns in an entirely different way. This little guy is as sweet as they come and his younger sister was a peach...my kind of energy. I guess I’m just a girl mom.

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I met my uncle and his youngest granddaughter and her family over at the farm yesterday. First, let me tell you....when my fully vaccinated uncle got out of that truck and we hugged? Ohhhhhh, I wanted to cry, it felt so good and so....normal! They weren’t there five minutes till we got the barn unlocked and they set to emptying out the loft of assorted Model A parts and forge blowers and pumps and lawn mowers and windows. They filled several blue plastic barrels and half the gooseneck trailer. Then we started in the house, then the cellar...both upstairs and down. The house is beginning to get that hollow sound of vacancy. It’s a little eerie...a little sad...just so, different.

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While they were in the barn, they came across a couple of black snakes. And Katie was digging through a box of books when she uncovered a mouse nest with two tiny little baby mice...not an inch long. I hope mama mouse got back to them in time. In all the time I have been at this farm, I’ve seen one garter snake and a fellow driving up the road stopped and killed a copperhead out front. Granted...I never necessarily went looking for them either!

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I had already gone through a lot of the stuff in the house and staging it so it would be easier to get to. They picked and chose those things they wanted to take home with them. And all too soon, they were climbing back into the truck to head home. Uncle Bud is in his 80’s now and....my oh my...he is the spitting image of my PopPop. Well...what I imagine my PopPop would have looked like at his age. He passed away when he was only 71.

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By the time I got home, and got the truck emptied of yet another full load, I was exhausted and hurt all over. I made hamburgers and a little potato and macaroni salads, took a hot shower, and I was D.O.N.E! I am not doing anything except knit today...period.

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?

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“We love because he first loved us.”

\n1 John 4:19 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/03/snips-snails-puppy-dog-tailsand.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/01/a-face-with-no-name.html", "title": "A Face with No Name", "content_html": "\n
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When I was rummaging around in the box with my late uncle’s flag, I found this photo at the bottom of the box. I don’t recall ever having seen this picture hanging in Grandma’s house. The frame is long gone...broken along the way somewhere with no money to replace it. When I looked at the photo in person, I didn’t notice a name written anywhere. But, now that I look at the snapshot I took of it, there may be some faint writing along the bottom of the woman’s white dress shirt. I’ll have to take a closer look when I go back to the farm on Sunday and maybe my uncle will recognize her.

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I brought another truckload of stuff home yesterday. The boxes were so heavy and cumbersome and by the time I loaded and unloaded, I hit the wall and ended up sleeping for a couple of hours. This health issue has knocked down my typical go get ‘em stamina down a peg or two. I hope to build that back because there is much to be done around here and finishing up at the farm.

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As I was bringing the last of the tubs for this load down from the upstairs bedroom, I noticed a huge scrapbook tucked behind an old mirror leaning against the wall. It was in a white plastic trash bag. I pulled it out and my aunt had stuck a note to it with my mother’s name. I put it in the truck with the rest of the stuff and looked at it when I got home.

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When I was cleaning out mom’s house after she died, there were countless scrapbooks with newspaper clippings that caught her fancy glued into them. Articles from the local newspaper about people she knew or happenings in the valley that were interesting to her. She loved to cut out patterns or stories from magazines. It was certainly a treasure trove of stuff that interested her. I looked carefully and the only thing that was familiar to me was an announcement for my first in-law’s 25th wedding anniversary celebration. That I’ll cut out and sent to Hubby #1. I’m sure he’ll enjoy that. It’s a shame to toss something like this scrapbook, but if I hold onto everything anybody I’ve ever known has owned or loved, there won’t be any room in this house for US. Things have to go. Much of what I’m bringing home from the farm will go. I just need to take the time to go through it and I didn’t do it out there. Now I’m out of time.

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When I finished packing up the truck, I went to check the mail. As I walked down the driveway, I noticed a white car pull up to the big sign announcing the impending auction. It was the neighbor from down the road. Jean used to walk with my aunt several days a week when Grandma was still living. She told me it just broke her heart to see the farm leaving the family. We sat there along the roadside for a good half hour...reminiscing and sharing stories. She loved my family and, like many who watch their contemporaries pass before them, she expressed her loneliness. I try to call her every time I’m at the farm. Now I’m going to set a reminder in my phone since I won’t be going out there after the farm changes hands. 

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My uncle is coming to the farm on Sunday with one of his granddaughters and her family to get another load from the barn. I’ll be there to help and we’ll go through the house to figure out what to do with the furniture that’s left over. It’s not worth much but maybe someone can get some use out of it. My cousin will come next Wednesday to get some more of my aunt’s things. It won’t be long and everything will be gone. I’ll sweep it all out...and that will be that.

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On a brighter note, I received the extra yarn I ordered for the shawl I’m knitting and I’m making great progress. Mr. FixIt kept the home fires burning while I was gone and he started cleaning out the pool last evening to prepare for summer. Time marches on.

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Today is May 1st! Happy May Day!!!

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?

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“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.”

\nZechariah 10:1 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/01/a-face-with-no-name.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Downsizing","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/29/full-moons-and-hoot-owls.html", "title": "Full Moons and Hoot Owls", "content_html": "\n
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I never sleep well when the moon is full. It was going on 1:30 yesterday morning when I finally dozed off. I was awakened a couple of times by a bird calling in the Carolina Spice Bush along the creek bank. Bless its heart...it almost sounded like it was questioning why it was singing at such a crazy hour. It was quite pretty. I couldn’t identify it as I was unfamiliar with the call, and...it was the middle of the night. I really wanted to sleep.

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Barred Owls at The Farm - turn up volume!

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Then, at 4:00...a couple of Barred Owls decided to have a conversation very close to the bedroom window. I grabbed my cellphone quickly to record them for you and it came out great! Now, that kind of sound I don’t mind getting woken up for. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go back to sleep. So....I laid there. Not tossing and turning. Just...listening. I was still awake when the first tentative morning song came. Gradually, one after another, birds were trying to outdo each other and it was a veritable chorus. I wish I would have recorded that one...perhaps another time. I was so enthralled, I didn’t think of it. 

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I never realized there was a pattern to the morning songbirds. They start out a little soft...a call here, a song there. Then, one by one, more and more birds join in till it’s like an entire orchestra playing the crescendo of a symphony! Finally, the bird go about the business of the day and head out doing what birds do and for the rest of the day, there is a steady background of chatter. If you focus on the birds all day, it can become overwhelming.

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I finally got up and made coffee. I told you I had to give up coffee before I had my surgery? Then, for about two weeks after, I could drink it again. And now...I’ve slowly gotten to where it made me sick again yesterday morning. I was going to dig in to work, but decided to take a truckload of stuff over to the Ponderosa. When I got there, I emptied the truck, woke up Mr. FIxIt, and laid down to try to sleep for a while. 

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I woke up feeling great, so I headed back over here to the farm and will pack up some more stuff. Each load I take out, I feel less like a burden is hanging over me. You eat an elephant one bit at a time...that is the same way you get a big job done. As I write this, there is a storm heading this way so I’m hurrying to schedule the post before it hits. Storms take the electric out frequently here in the country. 

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Hope you all have a wonderful day!

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?

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/29/full-moons-and-hoot-owls.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/27/the-best-gift-ever.html", "title": "The Best Gift EVER!", "content_html": "\n
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We had a lot to do yesterday and in order to get it all done, we had to split up and share the chores. I ran to our little burg and bought gas for the mowers and picked up the mail that was held. Mr. FixIt headed to town to pick up the cat. 

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The grass was really thick, and still a little damp with dew in the shady spots, but I got right to work. I filled the gas tank and topped off the oil and started the mowing. Things were moving right along...I had about 15-20 feet all around the edges of both fields and the yards done when...the blades stopped turning on the mower. No sound, no sudden problems...they just stopped turning. Although it’s never happened to me, I knew the belt had either broken or popped off the pulleys. Well, that was not what I expected.

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I drove back to the big building and pulled the old tractor out to finish mowing. Mr. FixIt changed the oil this spring so both tractors would be operational. I hopped on, turned the key, and...nothing. The battery was dead! Hmmmmm...I sat there cogitating. Now, taking a mower deck off and changing out a belt is not part of my skill set so the next best thing was to jump the old tractor with my truck. 

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I pulled my truck up close and hooked up the jumper cables, started up the truck, and hopped on the tractor. It started right up! I felt so empowered! I sat there for a little while to let the battery start to charge up a bit. I thought, “I’ll just leave it running and unhook the jumper cables and turn off my truck, then I can get back to work. I started to get off the tractor and the engine promptly threatened to die. Of course! There is a safety switch under the seat. The engine will stop when you lift weight off it.

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Ok...Plan B. I tugged on the jumper cables to disconnect them, but I parked a little too far away to get leverage. By this time, the tractor had been running for a good five minutes. I was sure it would start again. I turned it off, disconnected the jumper cables, turned off the truck, and hopped back on the tractor. I turned the key and....nothing. Grrrrrrr. I pulled the truck up closer, repeated the steps above, got the tractor started, disconnected the jumper cables and thought, “How am I going to turn off the truck?”

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Well...the answer was...I wasn’t. I had a full tank of gas and Mr. FixIt would be home any minute, so I just headed out and mowed. When he got home, I drove up to my sweetheart and yelled, “Turn off the truck!” He shook his head indicating he couldn’t hear me and motioned for me to turn off the tractor. I shook my head and said, “I can’t...the battery’s dead!” He shook his head and yelled, “Turn off the tractor!” I yelled back, “Turn off the truck!!!” lolol We both ended up laughing when he finally figured out what I was asking him to do. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were a sight!

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Taking the mower deck off and cleaning it then running to town for a new belt and blades (one was cracked in two places) was not on Mr. FixIt’s agenda today. The old tractor really beats me up so I felt like I’d gone ten rounds in the WWE by the time I was done. I told my sweetheart, if he’d let me stretch out for 10 minutes, I’d go to town with him and buy him dinner. It was a fair trade, but the icing on the cake came as we drove home and the Pink Moon rose over the hills of West Virginia and took our breath away!

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We are so incredibly blessed to live the life we have in the most beautiful place in the world. (OK, I’m biased.) I thought as I mowed...how this ground, this West Virginia red clay...has formed me as much as God forming Adam. My blood runs blue and gold and my heart will always be a Mountaineer. 

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Montani Semper Liberi...Mountaineers are Always Free!

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“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

\n1 Peter 2:16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/27/the-best-gift-ever.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","TOW-Wanda!","West Virginia","Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/26/the-strawberry-shed.html", "title": "The Strawberry Shed", "content_html": "\n
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I’m gearing up for a busy week both here on the Ponderosa and out at the farm. Both need mowing desperately. This is the time of year you can almost hear the grass growing. Warm days and spring rains bring everything to life here in West Virginia. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, you have to stay on top of this stuff or it can so get out of hand.

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We’ll bring Pumpkin home from the Kitty Hilton today. We sent her favorite kitty food with her this time in hopes that she isn’t as skinny as she was the last time we brought her home. There are errands to run in town, but I may send Mr. FixIt in to do those while I run the mower over the fields. I find it quite meditative and enjoyable. 

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We’ll go out to the farm Tuesday and mow. I’m anticipating driving separate vehicles so I can stay for a few days. There’s so much work to do out there, and I truly need some alone time to let out the tears that I’ve been holding in since I saw the auction listing. All that just makes saying goodbye more real. I am so pleased we have till July 3rd to vacate the premises, though. There’s a little more time.

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Today’s photo from the farm came from the sale website and I had to share it. This is what we called the Strawberry Shed” where the ladies sorted the strawberries as they came from the field. Then, sometime in the mid afternoon, PopPop would take me with him in the old Ford pickup and take a load of strawberries to the local Farmer’s Market. Women would line up and grab the berries off the conveyor belt before they even got in the store. That rusty metal rectangle on the side was lifted up and hooked to chains to create an awning to shade the berries and keep things cool inside. I’d love to take that off and use it as a decorative piece someday...either in a family room, dining room, or sunroom...or maybe in the garden. But, now that it’s in the auction piece, I don’t think I could get it. I’ll have to make due with photos and memories.

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I’m making great progress on the shawl I’m knitting, but I’m finding I simply cannot follow the pattern if the television is on. I do much better if I wear my headphones and listen to my “writing soundtrack”...the sounds of a roaring fire and a thunderstorm. I discovered the pattern is for a short shawl and if you want a longer version, which I do, you need to buy three more skeins of yarn. They didn’t have one of the colors I needed at the shop where I bought the kit, but I found another website and got two skeins on sale. I have someone special in mind for this piece and I’d like to have it finished before her birthday.

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So, we’ll hit the ground running and see what we can accomplish with the gift of this week. Yesterday was a lovely day of rest and I thoroughly enjoyed my recliner and my knitting. 

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?

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“He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.”

\nExodus 35:35 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/26/the-strawberry-shed.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Choices","Change","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/15/when-we-get-spoiled.html", "title": "When We Get Spoiled", "content_html": "\n
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It isn’t normal to have temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s this early in the year in West Virginia, but when they go back to normal...we whine. Well, I whine, anyway. We are now back to much more seasonable temperatures here and with the rain, it feels a bit more like fall than spring. 

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We are preparing for our beach vacation to our timeshare on the Outer Banks. And, like any good Girl Scout, I’ve been watching the weather predictions for North Carolina. Every time we’ve been there together, there has been maybe one or two days out of the week that are a little cool with a little rain. This time, the highest temperature predicted is 68 on Friday. *sigh*

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When you’re planning a trip and you are unsure of the weather, you inevitably end up taking a lot more clothes than you expect to take. We have laundry facilities in our condo, so we really don’t have to take much, but I always end up with enough for a six month stay. I am absolutely determined to pare down the amount of stuff we tote with us. 

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Food will be easier to deal with this time because we feel more comfortable going to the grocery store. Being fully vaccinated and wearing double masks and gloves, we should be perfectly safe shopping for food down there. Everything we take down has to be hauled up to the second floor, so it will behoove us to pack lightly.

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In preparation, we ran the snake down the drain at the bottom of the back stairs and it went right through. I think if we do that every other month or so and keep it cleared out, we shouldn’t have any more trouble with it backing up. I was really happy about that. It means a bit more freedom for us to get out of Dodge more often.

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Honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s the middle of April already! I was hoping to have my camper down to the dealership to get repaired long before this, but it just hasn’t worked out. I’m really, REALLY ready to go camping! As soon as we get back and the weather is good, that’s the next thing on the list. I do have a camping trip planned for next month and I can’t wait!!!

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Things have gotten pretty much back to normal here since Mr. FixIt’s strokes last year...thank God! I count my blessings that it wasn’t any worse for him and his stamina is nearly back to where he was before. He can’t climb ladders anymore, and he has a little trouble with his fine motor skills in his hands...especially the left. But, if that’s the worst thing, we can handle it!

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God is so good to us!

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?

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“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

\nJohn 16:33 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/15/when-we-get-spoiled.html", "tags": ["Health","Overcoming Obstacles","Gratitude","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/14/the-things-that-take-my.html", "title": "The Things That Take My Breath Away", "content_html": "\n
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Redbud Out on the Two Lane

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Unless you have driven down a country road in West Virginia in mid April and been treated to the magnificence of a full on display of redbud and dogwood...you are seriously missing out on God showing off! Some years are better than others and the stars must be aligned just right this year because they are show stoppers. And, no matter how hard I try, photographs just do not do them justice.

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Violets Growing Out of a Crack in the Sidewalk

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As soon as I had breakfast down me yesterday, Mr. FixIt had the mowers loaded up on the utility trailer and we headed to the farm. By the time we got there, the morning dew was dry and it was smooth sailing getting the lawn mowed. I think back to the year I lived there on my own and had to mow with a push mower. Land sakes...it took ALL day and I was exhausted. And it’s only about an acre. I once thought of getting a riding mower for out there, but never did. Let me tell you...a riding mower makes short work of that yard. Poor Mr. FixIt uses the push mower and trims around the edges where the riding mower can’t reach. He also mows the ditch out front along the road and when we’re done, it’s a showpiece! I did a load of sheets while we were mowing and once they were finished, we headed home.

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The Lawn Always Looks Great Freshly Mown

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As we pulled in the driveway, I told him not to put the riding mower away when he took it off the trailer. I could NOT believe how much the grass has grown since I mowed it last week. We quickly set to the chore and had it knocked down long before dark. But, man were we tired. Mowing is a lot harder on the back the older you get. I bought Mr. FixIt some pretty strong CBD lotion for his back and he swears it works. So I decided to try it myself last night. I’ll let you know how well it works.

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Our Redbud at the Ponderosa

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I also started bringing home some tubs of my belongings from the farm. There’s still a lot of stuff out there that I brought with me from Colorado, and since I haven’t touched it since 2014, you can imagine just how badly I need it, right? The last thing I wanted to do was drag that stuff to the basement last night, but I had to. The tonneau cover on the back of my pickup doesn’t keep the bed dry and we’ll be getting rain again today. Heavy boxes and my poor sweetie couldn’t carry one more thing so it was left to me this time. I just slid them down the steps, one step at a time. It wasn’t all that bad.

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I turned off the gas heaters out at the farm now because we are long past the threat of freezing pipes. In exchange, I turned on the dehumidifier. It’s that time of year when it will start getting hot enough to bring up the humidity and left to its own devices, that house will get moldy inside and that just will not do. There’s so much to do there to get ready to sell and I know it’s not mine, but my uncle lives on the other side of the state so I need to at least get my part done. 

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So, that’s it for another day of farm life. I have a new appreciation for REAL farmers. Those who raise animals and hay and crops and work from sunup to sundown. This is just pretend farming, but I love it just the same. It is wonderful when you lay down at night with the bone weary satisfaction of jobs well done. I do love that!

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?

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“It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”

\n2 Timothy 2:6 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/14/the-things-that-take-my.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/12/listening-to-the-night-sounds.html", "title": "Listening to the Night Sounds", "content_html": "\n
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I love the sounds of spring. From rain on the roof to the happy chirping of frogs in the wet areas around us, Unfortunately, TOW-Wanda has a leak that needs fixing so we can’t sneak out there and “camp” till she’s fixed and I’m really missing that! I don’t know if we’ll have the time to get her down to the dealership to get fixed before we leave...mainly because it’s supposed to rain every day this week, except Tuesday. We’ll have to mow out at the farm that day. 

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The night sounds are different here at the Ponderosa than they are out at the farm. You don’t hear the frogs out there like you do here. But, we have neighbors that live closer now and we hear. Their dogs barking periodically. I’ve learned I can pretty well mask them with a fan in the window, but this week is cooler, so it may be a little less comfortable in the bedroom. The farm has the ever present sound of the creek. Sometimes it’s just a trickle...sometimes a roar. The biggest difference is the sound of rain on the tin roof of grandma’s house. There’s nothing that compares to that.

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When we finally sell this house and build in town, I’d love to have a roof just like the one at the farm. Then I can hear that sound again whenever it rains. I don’t even know if they still make that kind of roof, but I can dream. At one time, I wanted to build an exact replica of Grandma’s house....but, it’s two stories and a basement and for practical reasons surrounding aging in place, we’re going to have to opt for a ranch style home. I’m going to have my favorite picture of the farmhouse printed and framed and present the family with copies this summer. And I’ll keep one in our home...perhaps over a fireplace. A place of prominence...a place of honor.

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We had a busy weekend. We installed another security camera and we got the pump hooked up on the pool. You wouldn’t think that would amount to a lot of work, but believe me, it took all day Saturday. We have two more cameras to hook up and the pool to clean. We have to mow at the farm and get things ready for our trip to the beach. There’s never a dull moment around here!

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?

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“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

\nProverbs 24:27 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/12/listening-to-the-night-sounds.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/11/in-search-of-the-silver.html", "title": "In Search of the Silver Linings", "content_html": "\n
\"Grandma’s
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The Farm

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Yesterday we talked about letting the farm go and the inevitability of change in our lives. I read the lovely comments and encouraging words you left me on my post and it gave me much to think about throughout the day. When life hands me lemons, I start looking for all the different ways to use them. There are so many ways to make a lemon sweet and more palatable.

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When I took over the farm in 2016, I also took over the utilities. When I no longer have that to deal with, I’ll have at least an extra couple hundred dollars in my bank account. That’s a good amount of camping I could be doing. Also, we won’t be responsible for the mowing and that will give us a lot more time and less pressing need to always be here.

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You know, normally I never would have had the opportunity to spend more than a week or two at the farm when I came home for vacations every year. After Mr. Virgo passed and I came back to West Virginia to help my elderly aunt, I had a taste of life in the country. It only lasted ten weeks that go round, but it was enough to let me know it was the life for me.

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When I returned to West Virginia in the summer of 2016, I was presented with an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. My uncle was taking my aunt to go live with him and he needed someone to live at the farm and take care of it. He asked if I could come off the road and stay there for him. I didn’t have to think twice. 

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Having all this time to live in my grandparents’ house was such a gift from God. I did a lot of healing there. Not only from the wounds of losing my husband, but of losing so much of myself over the years. It brought me back to my simpler roots. I remember, as a doctor’s wife...talking to one of my lifelong friends. Apparently I needed to be brought down a peg or two because she reminded me, in no uncertain terms, that she and I had the same roots in the red clay of Appalachia and it would do me well to remember that.

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I’ve never forgotten that conversation. Living a simple farm life after downsizing humbled me in a way nothing else has. As I read stories on Facebook yesterday, I was reminded of the most basic point. I am letting go of a house. I have friends letting go of their children, of their marriages, of their livelihoods. I have friends who are in life and death struggles with health concerns. I am letting go of a HOUSE. I’m not planning a funeral, yet I will grieve. I am not burying a loved one, yet I am bereaved.

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It isn’t lost on me the way God is helping me through this. Daughter #1 and her girls will be here the week before we have to vacate the farm. We are planning a gathering of family to say goodbye to the old girl...and to the long line of loved ones who called her home and are no longer with us. Little is staying with us while my daughter takes Big to go see colleges. You see? I get to not only share the farm with Little, but I get to share my heart and the stories of her ancestors and instill a love and appreciation for what came before her. She and I have never been together....here. It’s extraordinary how well orchestrated this is. God is so good!

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It is a natural process in life to grieve the things we lose that bring us such love. And, just as I have learned to keep Mr. Virgo’s memory alive within me, the same will be true of the farm. I will remember the sights, sounds, smells, and every little feeling that creaky old house gives me till the day I part this earthly plane. When I hear rain on the roof of a camper, I’ll be transported back in time to a little red house in the woods. When I lay my head on a pillow where I can hear the rushing sounds of water in a creek, I will close my eyes and remember.

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When I hug those I love, I give away bits of the love my family poured into me. That love comes from an endless source...a fount of remembrances of love and joy and faith. I carry the farm within me. I AM THE FARM and THE FARM IS ME.

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We are one and we are love...simply because, we were loved. By the family and by the land upon which we stood. For we are but sojourners here.

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?

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““The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.”

\nLeviticus 25:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-11T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/11/in-search-of-the-silver.html", "tags": ["Faith","Family","Overcoming Obstacles","Positive Energy","West Virginia","The Farm","Gratitude","Love","Wisdom","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/06/the-jobs-are-lining-up.html", "title": "The Jobs are Lining Up", "content_html": "\n
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It’s springtime in full force here on the Ponderosa and the list of things that need doing is getting longer already. We were going to paint yesterday, but we received an invitation to an impromptu late Easter Egg Hunt for the great grandbabies and off we went! They were so cute...hunting for the eggs, then running around themselves and hiding them again so the could do it all over. I wanted to get them something other than candy, but Papaw won and they each got a basket with treats and toys in it. I remember how much fun that was when I was a little girl and it brought back sweet memories for me to watch them.

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Mr. FixIt was looking at something in the back of his truck when I came out to leave. It was an old wheelbarrow that was made by Ames back when he was an engineer there. I looked at that sad old thing...well used but suffering from being exposed to the weather over the years. The wood is grey and rough, the bed is rusty but solid, and the tire was rotted to the point it wouldn’t hold air. Now, the former doctor’s wife in me thought...I’d just get rid of that thing and get a better one. But, the frugal West Virginia boy I married said...This thing can be saved!

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We bought a new wheel for it over the weekend, but we neglected to actually measure the tire beforehand. Consequently, the new wheel was much too small. We returned it yesterday and found a suitable replacement. Now the wood will get sanded and oiled and the pan will get wire brushed and painted. And we’ll have a wheelbarrow that will be perfectly suitable to do the odd jobs for which it was intended. I’ve changed a lot since I met and married this man. I might have been a lot better off over the years if I would have remembered my frugal West Virginia roots along the way instead of disposing of things when they were looking ragged.

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When we got home from town, Mr. FixIt taped off the window on the outside wall we are painting today. We had to order a special extension cord for the security camera for the back of the house and it won’t arrive till Thursday. In the meantime, we can put one up over the side door of the garage. 

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Checking off a list gives me a great sense of accomplishment. It’s just that...I keep finding more things to add. I guess that’s called life, right? There’s always something to do. 

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Always!

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?

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

\nColossians 3:23-24 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/06/the-jobs-are-lining-up.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/01/a-sweet-homecoming.html", "title": "A Sweet Homecoming", "content_html": "\n
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Happy April, everyone!

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I took my time over at the farm yesterday morning. I was awakened early by a hard rain driving down on the old tin roof. That house was built at least 85-90 years ago and it has the original roof on it...to the best of my recollection. That’s not 100%, you know. I laid there for at least an hour listening to the roar before I drifted off to sleep again. Having just that little sheet over the window kept the morning sun from rousing me too early. When I finally woke up, the creek was roaring. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the rain gauge out on Tuesday so I am not sure how much rain we had, but judging by the creek I’d say upwards of a half to three-quarter of an inch.

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I love the window right beside the bed in Grandma’s room. You get a nice breeze in the room without it being too cold. As time went on, Mr. FixIt and I texted our “Good Mornings” to each other. We both slept well. Finally, I decided it was time to gather my things and head back home. There’s always the prerequisite tidying up and packing the truck and having one more cup of coffee in Grandma’s chair. By the time I left, it was nearly 2:30. 

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As always, Mr. FixIt and I were tickled to see each other. Just a couple of days away is a nice break but not so long that we can’t stand it. I walked in the house to the sweetest smell of a Pineapple Upside Down Cake baking in the oven. My mom wasn’t a terrific cook, but she was known far and wide for this cake and she taught me how to make it...therefore, I’m a bit of a snob about it. I have to tell you...my husband makes an awesome version. His has a little less brown sugar, a little more butter, and he uses some of the pineapple juice in the cake batter making it incredibly moist. I rarely bother with the Maraschino Cherries any more, but he added them and I just thought he did a terrific job.

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The only job around the Ponderosa yesterday was removing the old storm door we are replacing. We need to paint that door as well as the end of the house, but we are in the middle of a few days of rain...and maybe even a little bit of snow! Last night’s low was predicted to be 29 degrees. Tonight and tomorrow night are 22 and 23 respectively. It’s hard to go back to chilly weather when you’ve had nice, hot days...but at least we don’t get spring blizzards like they do in Colorado.

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I am watching the redbud very closely because I’d like to make a batch of Redbud Jelly this spring. My friend Stacie gave me a jar of it last year and...oh, my....it is such a pretty and delicate pink. This time last year, I was still baking two loaves of sourdough bread every week and it tasted wonderful toasted with a slathering of real butter and some of that jelly. It’s no wonder I have all this weight to lose after eating my way through the pandemic! You can find the recipe for Redbud Jelly HERE.

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Today is my annual pilgrimage to see my dermatologist. I had a melanoma (in situ) removed from my arm in the summer of 2005, so I am extremely careful to get checked regularly. As we, ahem...ripen, it is vitally important that we watch our skin for any changes. We were the sun-worshippers, were we not? My girlfriends and I used to mix up a bottle of baby oil and iodine and use it for suntan lotion. Then, in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I used a tanning bed...never giving it a thought. My wrinkles are reminding me of those carefree...and careless...days of my youth. Get yourself checked, dear ones. I want you all safe and healthy and happy!

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?

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“and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.”

\n2 Samuel 6:19 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/01/a-sweet-homecoming.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Marriage","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/31/what-is-that-noise.html", "title": "What is That Noise?", "content_html": "\n
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I like quiet. I don’t like the television blaring or traffic humming or weird mechanical noises you often times get in a house. So, when I get to have some quiet time out at the farm, the last thing in the world I’m going to do is turn on the TV or listen to music. Consequently, I have discovered my tinnitus has cranked up a few notches since the last time I stayed out here on my own. I can really hear the ringing when everything else is still.

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The refrigerator crapped out sometime last fall, so we bought a small dorm fridge and that thing is so quiet, you don’t even know it’s there. The old fridge used to run all the time...rarely cycling off...and it was just on the other side of the wall from Grandma’s bedroom. Fortunately, I sleep with earplugs or I’d never last a night. But now it’s so quiet, all I can hear is my ears ringing...and birds...and the occasional car going up and down the road. 

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We are supposed to get hard rain here today. I finished the laundry last night and put it in my truck so I don’t have to drag it out in the wet. I do love to hear the rain on the tin roof here. There are two levels of roof here so when there is a gentle rain, it drips down off the upper edge down onto the lower porch roofs. That’s when you hear a dripping “plink” sound that is somewhat like a wind chime. And of course, when there’s a good rain, the creek runs hard and loud about ten or twelve feet from the bedroom window.

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I sleep with the bedroom window open, no matter what the temperature is outside. I have an electric blanket on the bed and it makes for cozy sleeping. I’ve read it’s healthier to sleep in a cold room and I believe it. Between always having fresh air and wearing masks, I haven’t had a cold in two years. I usually have one or two every winter and this is a welcome change. I do believe I’ll continue the mask wearing in public during cold and flu season from now on.

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Speaking of the bedroom window, the shade has long since deteriorated to the point you cannot put it up or down. There is only a sheer curtain and the window is right beside the bed. Now, granted, you’d have to be about eight or nine feet tall to see in that window, but I always kinda feel exposed when I sleep here alone. I went upstairs to look for something to cover it with and came across this narrow twin sheet. I put it up and laid here feeling the good quality of the fabric. Who know how old it is. Then I noticed a marking stamped in the corner. Turns out, it is a top sheet from an old Pullman sleeper car. I have no idea where it came from or how it got here. My grandparents were NOT travelers. I do have two aunts that would have traveled by train and I suppose it could have made its way here through them. My best guess is, my great grandfather brought it. He was all the time buying lots at antique auctions and dragging the stuff over here. It very likely could have been in a box of things he brought here in the ‘50s and ’60s. However it got here, it’s pretty cool and works perfectly as a window curtain.

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We are supposed to get down in the 20’s the next three nights with a chance of snow showers. March came in like a lamb so I suppose it’s going to go out like a lion! It’s always shocking when you have a nice day in the mid 70’s then crash down into a hard freeze. But this too shall pass and before we know it, there will be days so hot we can’t breathe and we’ll be wishing for some of that cool air. Staying in the present and enjoying what we have is always the best way to live. I’ll be heading back to the Ponderosa sometime today so I can see what Mr. FixIt has gotten himself into while I was gone. It’s kinda funny...my phone pings me when motion is detected on the security camera and there was my sweetheart, mowing and trimming around the yard. 

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It’s the last day of March already! Hokey smokes...time flies!

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?

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“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

\nColossians 3:14 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/31/what-is-that-noise.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/29/in-the-still-of-the.html", "title": "In the Still of the Night", "content_html": "\n
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It rained so hard, it just poured over the gutters!

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The Covid Era has changed many things for Mr. FixIt and me. There have been big changes surrounding going to church and socializing and having the kids over. Those have been difficult. And, as is my tendency...I look for the silver linings and one of the best is our new bedtime routine. I’ve always excused myself to the bedroom to write while he watched his evening shows or a movie. When I’m finished writing and have my post scheduled, I chat with my son-in-law’s mom for a half hour or so to catch up. We got into that habit when she was going through chemo and radiation for breast cancer and now we feel weird if we don’t check in.

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I’m usually wrapping up my conversation with Sue when Mr. FixIt comes to bed. Then, he starts pulling up funny videos that we watch for another half hour or so till we are sleepy. I love that. We watch Keeping Up Appearances, mostly. It’s an old British sitcom and we just adore the characters. Hyacinth is an overbearing matronly woman who fancies herself some kind of socialite and wishes to rise in her circles by rubbing elbows with aristocracy. Her poor husband Richard has learned long ago to nod his head and “Yes, dear” his way through life. There are a variety of other characters and subplots, but the story is just about as simple as that. It’s great fun and there’s no foul language. I do kind of cringe at some of the situations Hyacinth gets herself into, but overall...it’s just good, clean fun.

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After Mr. FixIt gives me a kiss goodnight and turns off the light, I read my devotionals and drift off, maybe an hour or so later. In the wee small hours yesterday morning, I kept seeing a flash of light. I thought it might be this eye that’s been bothering me. The vitreous hasn’t finished detaching and I still get little flashes of light in it. Soon, I figured out what it was. The big, bad thunderstorm that was heading in from the south hit us with a vengeance. I watched the radar as the large bands of red marched over us and the sky opened like a waterfall.

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It wasn’t long till the new security system sent me an alert. I opened the camera to find what looked like a movie filmed from behind a waterfall. We got about a half inch of rain in just an hour or so and it just obliterated any real view of the driveway. I’m still trying to figure out the best settings for recording the motion events. Most often it’s the cat or the wind or a passing car that triggers the camera to record. I’ll get the hang of it.

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We have one of the tractors ready for mowing. I was under it holding a nut while Mr. FixIt tightened a bolt when I heard my stepdaughter pull in. It was a delight to sit around in the sunshine in chairs and still have a socially distanced visit. She and her fiancé dug up some forsythia and flowering quince shoots and some flowers to plant in her yard she brought my canning jars back empty. I sent some home with her...full. She brought us a bag of apples and a bag of potatoes. It feels so good to do normal things.

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I’ve been reading more and more stories about re-entry after social distancing and how it’s going to be a problem for some. I’ve been talking about this for a while. I have social anxiety. When I had that little raffle camper and had to get out and about and travel through much of that winter, I found my spring adjustment to being around others was much easier. Unfortunately, with the pandemic, I couldn’t do that as well and I’m working on getting myself back out there and socialize while still remaining safe.

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Social distancing really suits introverted and anxious people because nothing is expected of you. They’re the ones who found peace in the pandemic. I’m a real mix of introvert and extrovert. I love people...I love hugs and social contact...AND I love to spend time at home with Mr. FixIt and off on my own. As a matter of fact, I’m going to take a little break and head out to the farm this week for a few days. At least this time I don’t have to worry about getting quarantined out there, wondering if I was getting covid!  Ahhhh, the benefits of getting vaccinated....that little bit of security you feel knowing you have antibodies now. It’s wonderful and refreshing!

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?

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““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

\nMatthew 5:14-16 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/29/in-the-still-of-the.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/27/knocking-down-the-to-do.html", "title": "Knocking Down the To Do List", "content_html": "\n
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Forsythia!

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As soon as coffee was consumed, it was time to start working on the security system. Mr. FixIt headed on out with the first camera and his tools and got to work. I messed around in the house and pretty soon, here he came back to ask for my help. He still has a little dexterity issue after the strokes last spring and, even though he hates to ask for help, he trusts my ability to do so.

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Little did he know, as soon as we began, my sugar took a tank and I could hardly hold the drill because my hand was shaking so much. I bailed and went inside to eat something. By that time, I had the mounting hardware lined up and taped to the soffit where he needed to drill, so he had it done in just a few minutes. Sometimes it takes more than one person to do a job that we used to be perfectly capable of doing alone. Those are bitter pills to swallow when you’ve been as independent as Mr. FixIt and I have.

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We played around with the camera angles till we got what I wanted to see. We have decided to add two more cameras to the building and another on the back of the house. It’s a little extra money, of course, but I am so impressed by the quality of the picture this thing gives. I haven’t had any experience with security systems except for that episode in Colorado after Mr. Virgo died.

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I let a young sales girl talk me into adding a security system to my house because it was dark on that hill, the green space went up the side of the mountain from the back of my house, and there were no street lights out there. It was really dark, and I was alone. We had talked about getting a system before, but hadn’t gotten around to it. I thought maybe this was the right opportunity.

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Remember how I’ve told you not to make big financial decisions in the first year after your spouse dies? Well, there are reasons I’ve told you that...because I made some pretty big mistakes. That security system from Vivint cost me a lot of money, then when I sold my house the following summer, I called to cancel. I was informed I needed to take the service with me to the next house because I hadn’t had the system long enough to cancel without penalties. I asked how much it would cost to just get out of the contract. I’ve forgotten the exact amount, but I think it was over $2000!

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This system is made by Cobra and you can buy it with two cameras for $229 on sale right now at Harbor Freight. Each additional camera is $99. But there are no monthly fees and you can record events, view remotely from an app on your smart phone, and it has an intercom. You can yell at intruders and tell them you’ve called the police. Pretty cool. At least I’ll know who comes and goes out there.

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The boxes from the Florida trip are emptied and preparations are being made for the next trip...a REAL trip...to the beach! I’m cautiously optimistic and hope the trend in covid continues to go down with more vaccines. We’ll see what happens after the craziness of spring break! I’m also preparing for a really BIG event! Daughter #1 and Company are arriving in late June and Little is staying with us for a week!!! OMGosh! I can hardly wait to see them. Daughter #2 called yesterday and she got a new job. So like is really good this week here at Chez Ponderosa!

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?

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“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

\nProverbs 14:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/27/knocking-down-the-to-do.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/25/basking-in-the-sun.html", "title": "Basking in the Sun!", "content_html": "\n
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Pardon the Pollen!
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Boy, howdy...yesterday was a PERFECT spring day in West Virginia! We hung around the house till about 2:00 then Mr. FixIt asked if I wanted to go for a drive out to the farm. We hadn’t been there since the week before we went to Florida and I was itching to catch some spring flowers blooming. 

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Actually, there was only one small patch of daffodils in bloom, but it won’t be long till the spring flowers are going to burst forth in their flashy displays. Everything in the house was great. I turned down the heat and checked all the lights, windows and doors. The only thing that has changed is a huge tree up the holler fell across the creek and the big boxwood out front split in half with the weight of the last spring snow. That made me sad, but it’s all part of life in the country.

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We decided to take the long way home. Our first goal was the cemetery to see my mom and family. Then we went to town. Ever since Mr. FixIt saw footprints in the snow all around my car, we have been on the hunt for a reliable security camera system. They had them on sale at Harbor Freight so now I’ll know who dares to set foot out there.

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We got dinner and took it to the river and sat on the tailgate having a picnic. We stopped to see two of our great grandchildren on the way home. It’s the first time we have really seen them up close since the baby was a newborn. Even though we are vaccinated, we still wore our masks. The kids are much more lax with precautions than we are so it’s imperative that we remain protected.

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The Belpre Bridge
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It felt so good to get out and drive in the sunshine! It was 80 degrees by the time we got to the river and....oh, what a welcome sight. It’s been so long since we’ve taken a riverside picnic. It was seriously like medicine. 

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?

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“so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

\nMatthew 5:45 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/25/basking-in-the-sun.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/21/resting-as-an-olympic-sport.html", "title": "Resting as an Olympic Sport", "content_html": "\n
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I think I like this resting thing. I have my laptop updated, my hard drive cleaned and defragged, and my bank account up to date and balanced. I watched several episodes of Dateline and Weekend Mystery and American Idol. Ok, the TV is a little much. I have watched more in the last two weeks than I have in the last two years because Mr. FixIt and I were staying in hotel rooms. I couldn’t get away from the TV very easily. It’s not a habit, though...that’s for sure. 

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I did watch one episode of Dateline that was intriguing. It was about a Jane Doe that had been murdered in Texas and some amateur genealogists worked together to eventually find out who she was. Now THAT kind of work I would find addicting. These people spent hundreds of hours scouring for information on the internet and thousands of phone calls and texts. They volunteered, along with hundreds of other amateur genealogists, with an organization called The DNA Doe Project. You can find more information HERE. I found it fascinating.  

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Yesterday started out cold but by late afternoon it was 62 degrees. Mr. FixIt says if we listen hard enough, we can hear the grass growing! I had to get outside to sit in the sunshine for a while. It’s supposed to be nice again today, so we are going for a little drive to check out the barn raising at a family member’s farm. I still need to get those irises divided! Time’s a wastin’!

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What was that I was saying about liking this “rest” thing? 

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?

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“Let's do our best to know the Lord. His coming is as certain as the morning sun; he will refresh us like rain renewing the earth in the springtime.”

\nHosea 6:3 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/21/resting-as-an-olympic-sport.html", "tags": ["Health","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/20/the-first-day-of-spring.html", "title": "The First Day of Spring...2021", "content_html": "\n
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This is the day I yearn for from the first frost. I’ve actually done better with winter the last two or three years. I’ve kept myself busy with lengthy projects that need time and attention and it keeps my mood lifted. The time always seems to pass quickly when you are engaged in something you love. But, when this day comes, I always feel a sigh of relief and a weight...however imperceptible...lifts from my shoulders.

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I took the advice of you good people (and some close friends in the medical field) and did nothing yesterday but relax in my recliner and heal. And I felt much better for it. My friend Ellie reminded me we only have so much vital energy and we need to use it to heal. If we use it on other things, we don’t have any left for our body to do the hard work of repairing itself. She gave me the example of what people say when they’re doing too much... “I was feeling so much better, then....” Thank you, Ellie. Your gentle reminder was well received and I feel your love and hugs and prayers all the way from Florida.

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One of the first things I saw on Facebook yesterday was this quote from Eleonora Duse, an Italian actress who rivaled Sarah Bernhardt in the late 19th Century. My friend Becky tagged me because she knows this is MY best day, so I needed to share it with you. When I drive out the little 2-lane country roads and see the grass green up along the ditches and creeks, my heart soars. When the crystal clear blue skies bless me with sunshine on my cheeks, I take a deep cleansing breath. Thank you for thinking of me, Becky. When God turns the page on another season and the earth comes alive...so do I.

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I remember thinking to myself in March of 2013...if Mr. Virgo had to die, I thanked God it was at the beginning of spring and not the beginning of winter. I took my little camper into the wilderness and backroads of Colorado for three months and started to heal my broken heart...one campfire at a time. Nature cradled me in warmth and sounds and smells that soothed my spirit and helped me walk through the fires of grief without being burned alive. I was ever so grateful for that because I know full well it would have been a different story six months later during a Colorado winter.

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I don’t really have anything on my schedule until April Fool’s Day so I’m going to take my time resting and healing the next couple of weeks. After the way I felt Thursday, I think I have a greater appreciation of the way aging effects recovery from illness, injury, or surgery. Things just don’t work like they used to. I don’t really begrudge that. Aging is a natural part of life and it’s not like I can’t do what I really want to do. I just have to adapt and approach things a little more slowly and carefully now....especially until my bones build up with calcium again after surgery. I have too many things to do than to have a broken hip or something. 

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So, my lovelies...may you have a wonderful First Day of Spring. I hope you get outside and enjoy some fresh air, and hopefully some sunshine, and lift your hearts with joy.

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? 

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“Winter is past, the rain has stopped; flowers cover the earth, it's time to sing. The cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

\nSong of Songs 2:11-12 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/20/the-first-day-of-spring.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Aging","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/05/day-its-a-matter-of.html", "title": "Day 354: It’s a Matter of Engineering", "content_html": "\n
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Where the water meets the creek from the drain we baby!

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I told you all the other day about the water coming off the road into our yard when we get really hard rains. It saturates the ground, overwhelms the French drains around the foundation of the house, and the runoff has nowhere else to go but the drain at the bottom of the back stairs. I cannot tell you how many nights we have stayed up or set our alarm for every three hours to check the basement or suck up water at the door where it comes in. 

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First of all, that’s a pain in the butt. Second, we are prisoners here because we cannot just up and go someplace if rain is predicted and...let’s face it...it’s West Virginia. We get a lot of rain. We called the Division of Highways and they said they would send someone out. The next morning. Mr. FixIt and I were talking over coffee and he said he didn’t think it was going to do any good since they haven’t done anything up to this point.

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So, we called the Charleston office a second time the next day. I just wanted to ask when there was an engineer here in our district, because this road has an engineering issue. It wasn’t forty-five minutes till they DOH folks were here. They checked the road from every angle and agreed the road was not graded properly to begin with. They’re coming in with an initial quick fix to replace the dirt and gravel berm to keep the water from flowing down in the yard. Then they’ll come back when a grader is available and shave the road down on the far side so the water will flow into the drainage ditch where it belongs.

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You know what they say...the squeaky wheel gets the grease? Well, sometimes you just have to look on a higher shelf for better quality grease, ya know what I’m sayin’? The folks here couldn’t have been nicer to us and we are so grateful we may finally be past this terrible problem!

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Today is “Feel Good Friday” and I’ll tell you what...that made me feel pretty darned good!

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?

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“God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.”

\nJames 1:12 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-05T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/05/day-its-a-matter-of.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/02/day-the-walkabout-and-a.html", "title": "Day 351: The Walkabout and a Missing Pie", "content_html": "\n
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See, this is why I don’t bake the good stuff...I eat it. We polished off that whole apple pie in little more than twenty-four hours. It’s ridiculous....but OH SO GOOD. Life is short, right? Eat dessert first. Use the good dishes. Wear that hat. Don’t wait for a special occasion. TODAY is the special occasion!

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Yeah, I know...I’ve worked in medicine long enough that I should be encouraging you all to eat right and exercise and stay fit and live forever. And, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m sure I’ll get back to that really soon. After all, mowing season is coming and I’ll be working my butt off again. But, I’m not going to beat myself up over a few pounds gained because, dang it...it was a pretty rough year. And, by golly, we made it through! There is something to celebrate there, I think.

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Being good to yourself isn’t always about doing all the right things. Sometimes it’s about doing the right things for you...right now. The “right things” change with the season and the seasons of life are not defined by the elements or the months or the time the sun sets. The seasons of life are noted when you feel the paradigm shift and the earth moves under your feet. You feel it when your world shakes you and wakes you and you ride every wave till you’re spent. You feel it when your heart breaks open and spills on the ground. And, sometimes you feel it when you hear the water rushing in a full creek or peepers in the holler. This is what living close to the ground has given me. I feel my roots so deep in the West Virginia red clay mud.

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I love when Mr. FixIt and I go out and walk the land we own. It changes every day. We’ve heard hawks screaming in the surrounding trees. We’re convinced they’ve been feeding on the moles and voles sticking their little heads up from the saturated ground because we see the holes in their tunnels. I love the way the fog starts rolling in as the sun sets. It rolls like a carpet, spreading out from the creeks and settling in the low places.

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There are more and more migrating birds showing up. I haven’t taken time yet to sit and watch the feeders to identify them, but I hear their calls in the morning when I awaken. The window is always left open and the flowering quince and forsythia are just outside our bedroom. I love to hear the world wake up from its quiet slumber. We still haven’t had thunderstorms yet, but they’ll be coming before long. We have a stretch of sunny yet cool days coming, then warming up by next weekend. These are the days I love the best in West Virginia.

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When life is good...it is very, very good.

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?

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“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.””

\nGenesis 8:22 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-02T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/02/day-the-walkabout-and-a.html", "tags": ["Aging","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/03/01/day-rain-peepers-and-apple.html", "title": "Day 350: Rain, Peepers, and Apple Pie!", "content_html": "\n
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I love sixty-four degrees! We keep the thermostat at 64 degrees year round. We have a gas stove in the family room that keeps us a little toastier, but the rest of the house stays at 64. In the summer, the AC is on...until the heat of the summer breaks. Then...as soon as I see the outdoor temperature is 64, the AC is turned off and the windows are thrown open wide. The opposite is true in the winter. As soon as the thermometer hits that magic number, I can breathe again. It means spring is well on its way...even if there are more freezes, or even snow after.

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We had heavy rain yesterday. When I woke up, I could see the water dripping from the eaves out the window and knew the rains had come. I could hear the roar of heavier rain as it came over the far hill....louder and louder as it made its way closer and closer...till it pounded the roof over my head. I smiled. I love, love, love rain. Maybe that’s why I love West Virginia so much. We have received between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain from this storm.

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Sometime in the afternoon, I got up from my comfy red chair to make that apple pie I told you about. As I peeled the apples by hand, I mentioned to Mr. FixIt it was a good thing I don’t like to peel apples very much, because I dearly love apple pie and we’d be having it far too often. I make my pie crust in my food processor because it’s ready in no time. But peeling the apples. Ugh. I try to make it a meditation, but that doesn’t always work. I glanced at the clock and decided I knew the perfect way to pass the time.

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I moved our little Amazon Echo into the kitchen where I sat at the breakfast bar. I knew my Colorado peeps were gathered at Ben & Sue’s house to celebrate Big’s birthday, so I made a video call. As I finished the apples, and rolled out the dough, I visited with my family and sang Happy Birthday with them. It was so much fun! We all laughed as Big opened her box in a box in a box times five to get to the money she requested. Her mom is taking her to the Olympic Swim Trials this summer to observe, then they’re coming here. We will keep Little with us while they go look at college campuses. (How is this possible???) I cannot tell you how incredibly excited I am to get my family here!!!

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I heard the very first sounds of peepers up the holler last evening...their bright and cheery calls beckoning their mates to do what little froggies do at this time of year. The creeks are roaring and our yard is filled with water, but our work on the drain last week was successful. It’s working like it’s supposed to, which is a great relief. 

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As I write this, I again remind myself of our many blessings for which we are so grateful. I think of my dear friend who lost her only sister yesterday. I think of another dear friend who lost a cousin to suicide last week. And another dear friend whose niece is suffering “locked-in syndrome” after a brain bleed and a major stroke right as they were about to have their first baby. It kind of makes any complaints I may have seem pretty puny in comparison. God is so good to us and provides for our needs. I am so grateful I have His presence in my life...to lean on in times of trouble. It’s easy to forget to thank Him when things are going great, so I’m especially mindful to express my gratitude.

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Goodbye, February...Hello, March!!! I hope you have a pleasant Monday and things go well in your world this week.

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?

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“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

\nJames 1:17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-03-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/03/01/day-rain-peepers-and-apple.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/24/day-of-a-certain-age.html", "title": "Day 345: “Of a Certain Age”", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been playing with my hair...trying to dress up a plain old ponytail or bun with a fun hair wrap. The color isn’t quite right on this one. I ordered a lighter one with more curls. We’ll see if it works better. I was remarking to Mr. FixIt yesterday...I cannot believe how grey my hair has gotten in the last five years. But I still have a streak of my former color in my bangs on one side that goes back a ways on top.

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Yeah...I’m there. I’m at that age where, as my good friend Diane says, you can sneeze and be laid up in bed for three days. I’m THAT kind of old. Monday morning I woke up with the worst sore throat. But it wasn’t like “sick” sore. It felt more like whiplash. I started the inventory. Did I fall or make any sudden movements? Was I getting sick? Is this what happens with Covid? Could it have something to do with the tumor I’m having removed in a couple of weeks? Who knows?

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When I woke up yesterday, it felt much better. Then I remembered...on Sunday, I woke up, turned my head to took out the window and yawned. I felt a spasm in my throat and I immediately stretched it out. But that’s the only thing I could think of to cause that soreness in my neck. I’m just grateful I am not getting sick...I have too much to do!

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Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous here on the Ponderosa. The sun was shining and the temperature got up to 54 degrees! Wahoooooo!!! I stood outside and turned my face to the sun for some much needed solar therapy. After lunch, Mr. FixIt asked if I was ready to help him with a project. We needed to run the snake down the back drain to make sure it’s running clear because we are getting big time rain this weekend. And, we want to make sure the drain is open while we are away. I have a monitor down in the basement by the back door that detects when the floor gets wet. I’d hate to be in Florida and get that alert!

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There are some things Mr. FixIt can’t do after his strokes and since I can, and I absolutely don’t mind getting my hands dirty, I changed into my work clothes and headed to the basement. We have this thing down to a science now. I wear rubberized gloves for protection and he keeps a can of 3-in-1 oil handy to keep the cable running smoothly between my hands. I get outside the door and sit on an overturned bucket and run the foot pedal for stop and go. He shifts the mechanism from forward to reverse on my command. 

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We got the snake down as far as we could with the big blades then switched to the smaller ones to fine tune the tough part where the drain runs underneath the flowering quince and forsythia. If we do this every month in the spring and summer, we should keep that drain running well. When we were finished with the snake, we ran the hose down the drain with the balloon on the end to flush water through it. Then we walked down to the creek to make sure the water was flowing through the drain ok. 

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The creek is running really high due to all the snow melt. We carried a shovel down with us to clear out the distance from the end of the pipe to the creek. It can get filled with mud and silt from the high runoff. Now that we have that job finished, we can breathe a little easier. It’s a reminder that farm jobs are going to start picking up before we know it and those long leisurely days of relaxation are soon coming to an end.

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When we finished, Mr. FixIt walked by me and said, “You did a really good job today.” It feels so good to be appreciated for your hard work and I don’t take that for granted. Neither does he. We’re a good team and work pretty well together. I have a tendency to get a little bossy because I think my way is better, but he’s a good sport and lets me think it. lol

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We have errands today, and tomorrow we get our second vaccine. And...February is almost over. Amazing!

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“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

\nProverbs 24:27 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-24T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/24/day-of-a-certain-age.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/20/day-chocolate-chip-cookies-fix.html", "title": "Day 341: Chocolate Chip Cookies Fix Everything!", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been on the prowl for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for the last three decades. There was a bakery restaurant in Glenwood Springs called The Daily Bread. It was THE place to go for breakfast and lunch and I’ve spent countless hours lingering over Terry’s Eggs Benedict or my favorite salad that was served in something akin to a wash tub. I’d order mine with extra turkey, avocado, and no croutons. As soon as the server took my order to the back, I’d hear John call out...”Ginny’s here!!!” I loved that place.

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And, as much as I loved all the wonderful dishes they served, their signature was a huge chocolate chip cookie. It was a good four inches around and nearly 3/4 of an inch thick. It was dense and chewy and rich...the perfect balance of buttery goodness, deep dark chocolate, and chunks of pecans. Oh...they were divine. And, try as I might, I could neither pry the recipe out of Terry or deconstruct the cookie myself to recreate it. Nothing I ever made came close...until this week.

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One of my little guilty pleasures the last few months has been watching cooking videos on Facebook. Cooking with Brenda Gant and Emmymade are my very favorites. Emmy is bright and young and spunky and she always tastes her creations and gives a solid critique which makes you almost taste what she’s made. Brenda, with her grey ponytail and her southern drawn and her praise for Jesus mixed in makes her recipes for things like her Buttermilk Biscuits and Sawmill Gravy seem like something I absolutely HAVE to try.

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I also enjoy watching Kaleb share recipes from the kitchen of The Grey Boxwood Farm where he lives in his grandma’s house. Sound familiar? When I saw his recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie, I knew right then, I needed to try it. This recipe uses a couple of ingredients you don’t usually see...molasses and malted milk powder. The former I had in my pantry, but malted milk powder was nowhere to be found in our semi-rural area...not even over at the Belpre Kroger store, which is a darned close comparison to the grocers I was used to in Colorado. You can find a much wider variety of hard to find items there, but alas...no malted milk powder. I had to order it from the internet.

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Baking, for me, is something I must be in the right frame of mind in order to do it well. Much like writing, if I’m not in the right headspace, you can just about guarantee the results will not be worth the time and effort put in. I saved the video in my Facebook files to look at when the mood struck me to bake them. That happened this week when we were snowed in. Like I told you the other day, when I bake cookies, I really want to mix, bake, and eat them in relative short order. These cookies are more involved and the dough really should chill in the fridge for twenty-four hours to get the best flavor.

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It was all I could do to resist baking even one pan full of cookies before that time was up. But I resisted and I have to say, the results were surprisingly good. Still not the Daily Bread chocolate chip cookie my memory carries, but maybe I’ve just built them up so much in my mind that I’m remembering something bigger and better than they really were...I don’t know. But these are really, really good. Crispy golden around the edges, thick and chewy in the center, with a depth of flavor you don’t normally find in a Tollhouse Cookie recipe. I attribute that to the malted milk powder and molasses. Just enough difference to make you sit up and take notice.

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I was so engrossed in mixing and baking these and staying present in the moment, I didn’t take any photos, so I lifted a screenshot from the video itself. I can’t take credit, but those are exactly what my cookies looked like. We dropped off a container at the former Mrs. FixIt’s house yesterday when we went to town for birdseed and prescriptions and ham hocks for my sweetheart’s Split Pea Soup. (That soup is NOT my thing, but I love him.) We are slowly polishing off the rest of the cookies, even though I packaged them in six-to-a-bag ziplocks for the freezer. (No...they never made it downstairs. Sue me.)

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If you want to try a really great chocolate chip cookie, check out the Wyse Guide Facebook page HERE. If you make them, come back and let me know what you think.

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“But don't forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God.”

\nHebrews 13:16 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-20T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/20/day-chocolate-chip-cookies-fix.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/17/day-staying-safe-cozy.html", "title": "Day 338: Staying Safe \u0026 Cozy", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was my completely cozy Hygge day here on the Ponderosa. I set out to enjoy the day with the intent of finding joy in the mundane moments instead of feeling cooped up for yet another cold and snowy day. Making a habit of finding joy in the moments of our lives makes things easier...not only on ourselves, but also on our life mate if we have one. I remember doing the same thing when I was alone and joy always makes life a little easier.

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We didn’t have the massive ice storm they predicted. I was awake during the night and looked at the weather radar. At about 1:30 yesterday morning, the storm seemed to break up and move on. There was just a little ice on the branches. Not like my friend Gail up in northeastern Ohio. She woke up to 2-3” of ice coating everything. We were very blessed we didn’t lose power here, unlike many other areas south and west of us. As a matter fact, our kids had a lot more ice in town than we did. 

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We have a gas stove in the family room and it keeps it nice and warm in there. I brought my lap desk in and sat with my laptop, working on genealogy most of the day. I took a break and made a batch of Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe called for half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips. I had to use all semi-sweet so maybe the chocolate flavor won’t have the same depth of flavor, but I’ll bet no one will turn them down.

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Just before Christmas, a couple of neighbors stopped here at the house to leave us some cookies. I sent the first one off with the only tray of cookies I had ready. The other one got a fruitcake and I’ve felt guilty ever since I found out (after she left) she is our new next door neighbor. There are always sweet treats around at the holidays, so I decided the first time I make these extravagant chocolate chip cookies, they are getting a tray of them!

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The cookie dough has to rest in the fridge for 24 hours, according to this recipe. That allows the flour to fully absorb the moisture and develop the flavors. There are a few unusual ingredients in this recipe, like malted milk powder and a little molasses. I’m really looking forward to tasting them. I’ll bake them this afternoon and we’ll take the Christmas tree down. I noticed last night it was still fully light outdoors at 5:00 so I won’t miss the twinkles quite so much. Besides, I want to get it all put away before the end of the month. It’s time.

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Last night, I put the computer away and got out my knitting. I always knit up dishcloths after supper because I don’t have to think about a pattern and I can watch the news and maybe a couple of episodes of The Big Bang with my sweetie before I go write. I heard him in the kitchen puttering around and pretty soon, here he came with a bowl of sliced strawberries with a little maple syrup drizzled over them. Ohhhhh, that is so yummy. I’ve had to cut out coffee and ice cream lately because it wreaks havoc on my stomach. These little gems were a delightful dessert...just what the doctor ordered!

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We got the call to schedule our second Covid vaccine tomorrow. I will be so happy to get that behind us. I know we will still have to be careful because we can still carry Covid to others who may not have their shots yet, so we will continue to wear masks when we are out. However, the sooner 70% of us are vaccinated, the sooner we can get back to a more normal life. I’m more than willing to be patient and continue to wear a mask to protect others.

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I hope, wherever you live, you are able to go outside and breathe some clean, fresh air today. Treat your lungs to some healthy oxygen!

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“Then someday, I will heal this place and my people as well, and let them enjoy unending peace.”

\nJeremiah 33:6 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/17/day-staying-safe-cozy.html", "tags": ["Health","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/16/day-ice-ice-baby.html", "title": "Day 337: Ice, Ice Baby!", "content_html": "\n
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I grew up in West Virginia, but I had barely turned twenty when I left the state and moved to England to live with Hubby #1. I really didn’t have much of an understanding of the weather here, other than big thunderstorms in the summer and sometimes snow in the winter. Since moving back here in 2014, I’ve come to appreciate the subtle nuances of our climate in the Mountain State. 

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The winter of 2014-15 was pretty remarkable as far as snow and arctic temperatures go. I know this because I was living in my camper on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River. That was one crazy season with lots of snow and double digit deep freezes that was so cold, my refrigerator stopped working in the camper. I made my escape one weekend...exactly six years ago now (has it BEEN that long?) and checked into the Historic Blennerhassett Hotel in downtown Parkersburg. 

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The winters since really haven’t been that bad. This is my fourth winter living here on the Ponderosa. We do what all people do who live out these country roads in preparation for winter storms. We make a run to Sam’s for some goods, we make sure we have batteries for the flashlights, and we charge up all of our electronics and chargers. Because, we are a heavily wooded state and trees fall down in storms.

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Our major task since Friday has been starting the generator. Mr. FixIt dragged it up to the house from the building and tried to start it without luck. He tried again Saturday and Sunday. Sunday evening he got to the auto parts store in our little town just before they closed to buy a can of starter fluid. He spent the majority of yesterday hunched over the engine on the generator, cleaning it out and changing to fresh fuel. He pulled and pulled and pulled that starter cord and nothing.

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I went out in the afternoon and helped him lift it up on a piece of plywood set across two sawhorses so he wouldn’t have to bend over so much. Finally, he was ready for me to help him put it back on the ground. It tried to start several times but just wouldn’t do it. Mr. FixIt had to take a break so I asked if I could try starting it. I made a small adjustment to the choke, pulled three times, and it started up just like it was brand new! Of course, the look on my husband’s face was priceless. lol

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Like the majority of the country, we are in the path of a major ice storm. In all my years, I have never experienced this. My friend Kate has been sending out videos of the damage to her trees in Texas and it’s crazy how hard this storm is for them. It started raining lightly around 4:00 and just before dark, I could see icicles forming on the pergola out on the deck. I think the gutters are frozen because the water is running over them in several places. As it gets colder, we are going to be in one heck of a mess.

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As I sat writing this, I didn’t hear the usual road traffic out front and it always surprises me how quiet it is without that droning in the background. I’m glad we are at a point in our lives where we don’t have to go anywhere. It always sits in the back of my mind that Mr. FixIt had his first stroke almost exactly one year ago. When I got up to come back to the bedroom to write last night, I looked at him and said, “You can’t get sick again...especially tonight.” He smiled and promised nothing would happen.

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We can’t live in fear and worry about things that may never happen. So, as I walked down the hall, I just handed that particular weight to God and He’ll take care of it for me. He’s very good at that.

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“So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in.”

\nMatthew 24:42-43 CEV\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/16/day-ice-ice-baby.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/12/day-i-shoulda-known-better.html", "title": "Day 333: I Shoulda Known Better", "content_html": "\n
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Winter Creek
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One would think, after all I know about trauma and grief and PTSD, that I would know better than to watch the unfolding of the impeachment proceedings. I’m not going to get into a discussion of who is right and who is wrong. This is my page, so I have the right not to get involved in the political aspects of all of this. But, from a purely human standpoint, watching it all over again has been brutal.

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The Hedgerow
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Why did I watch? Good question. My best answer is, I’m an American citizen and when something of such import occurs, I feel it is my responsibility to know what’s happening. I was interested in seeing the exact timeline...which was well documented. And there were visual graphs that brought that information into clearer focus that I don’t think any of us were quite aware of before...especially those involved.

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Mysterious Hole in the Snow...No Footprints...No Nothing...Just a Hole!
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I made it through to about 1:30 yesterday afternoon then I became, quite literally, physically ill. It’s a combination of things, really. The wrong thing for breakfast. Coffee has suddenly started bothering me. And, unexplained stomach upset is one of the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism that I struggle with. Of course, one can only brush up against the triggers of PTSD so often without going over the edge and unfortunately, I pushed my boundary too far. It will take some work to re-compartmentalize that information, but it’ll come. And hopefully my upcoming surgery will take care of this particularly bothersome side effect of this disease.

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Abandoned Nest in a Cedar Tree
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In the meantime, I’m working on a few writing assignments and that is always a healthy distraction. I worked a little on the genealogy yesterday, but really...I just needed a break from the noise and the chaos, the TV and the screens, and just go outside and walk in the snow. We had quite a winter storm Wednesday night and it left us with about four inches of the white stuff. Mr. FixIt went out with his new snowblower and cleared the sidewalks once the snow stopped. He does like that and it’s good for him to have something to do.

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Buckthorn Berries in the Snow
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A walk in the snow did wonders for my disposition. Meandering along the half-frozen creek, listening to the sounds of winter birds chattering low in the hedgerow. The low riffle of water as it trickles across stones worn smooth by the ever present flow. Feeling the collapse of earth beneath my feet where the moles and voles are busy living their lives underground...creating soft tunnels you can trace by the slight mounds in the snow. Seeing the snow covered nests of the summer birds, long gone south for the winter, waiting patiently for the spring thaw and their joyous return. The snow around the feeders marked heavily with little four-pronged footprints of the dozens of visitors...enjoying the abundance of our feeders. The bright scarlet and vivid blues of the cardinals and jays as they swoop in from the brush and trees that surround our property. Trees that reach naked arms to the leaden February sky. I breathe the cold air deep into my lungs with a hunger I forget I have. This long, quiet darkness of winter can wear thin in these days before the spring thaw. But they force me to find the hand of God as he leads me beside these still waters...and restores my soul.

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

\nPhilippians 4:6-7 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-12T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/12/day-i-shoulda-known-better.html", "tags": ["Faith","Health","Overcoming Obstacles","God","Fear","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Insight"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/01/29/day-my-wish-came-true.html", "title": "Day 319: My Wish Came True", "content_html": "\n
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I’m a much simpler, less demanding, uncomplicated woman than I used to be. I’m highly flexible, if not terribly patient. When I first came to live at the Ponderosa, one of the first things I noticed was how difficult it was to wash dishes with the faucet that was on the kitchen sink.  It was exceedingly low, and it had one of those water filter attachments. It was terribly cumbersome and I just hated it. 

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That was over three years ago. There have been many times I’ve asked if we couldn’t PLEASE get a new faucet. Mr. FixIt assured me he had a great one...out in the building...that he’d been meaning to put on there. But, there’s always something else that needs doing or someplace else that’s more fun than being home so it’s never been a huge priority. The only time it really gets to me is when I’m doing something big, like canning or cooking for a crowd. I knew it would get done one of these days.

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Last week, my sweetheart found the replacement faucet he was going to use, only to discover several of the parts had gone missing over the years. We went to Lowe’s and they had the entire display torn up, but we scrounged around and I found one I liked. Mr. FixIt wanted to get me one of those foofy faucets with the sprayer that pulls out of the end and the touch control, but I told him...really, I’m not that complicated. It doesn’t have to be fancy...just tall!

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We got the new faucet home and the next morning, he got into the box and wouldn’t you know it...there were pieces missing out of that one, too! Argh! Ok, I went online, picked the exact one I wanted, and he had to order it from Charleston...but it arrived on Tuesday with all the pieces. I was busy Wednesday, so yesterday morning after breakfast, Mr. FixIt turned off the TV and picked up the faucet and his tools and went to work.

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It has been decades since any work has been done on the plumbing under that sink. The shut-off valves were frozen, so we had to turn the main water supply off. Then, it took both of us under the kitchen sink...him in one cabinet, me in the other...to get the connections loosened and off so he could go to town and get two new shutoff valves. Once that was done, putting everything back together was fairly easy. I had to stand up top and hold everything in place while he went underneath and tightened the connections. And, before we knew it...mama had a new faucet! It’s the little things now.

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Since I finished the website transfer, my next item on the list was banking. For those of you who have been reading me from the beginning, you know that every single year, I leave balancing my checkbook on Quicken till the very last minute before doing taxes. Then I end up pulling my hair out for three days trying to download software updates and entering a whole year’s worth of downloaded transactions from the bank into Quicken. Not this year! I got everything downloaded yesterday and balanced to the penny, I might add!

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It feels good to check things off the list. The breast ultrasound came back normal. What they were looking at is actually smaller after three months and most assuredly benign. I worked on my Ancestry a little bit last night. That was something I truly enjoyed doing when Mr. Virgo was living. I worked on it while he watched TV. I spent a couple of hours on it last night while my sweetheart watched his shows and it was such a nice treat. It’s honestly the first time I’ve been able to sit down and work on it since Mr. Virgo died...and it didn’t bother me a bit.

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Wounds heal after time. Scars remain, but even their pain recedes with the right “medicine.” It was a busy and productive day...and a fun, relaxing evening. I’ve lived the last several years wondering when the next horrifying thing was going to happen. Yesterday, I asked a friend of mine... “Is this what normal feels like?” It’s been so long since I could breathe and let my guard down...but I’m loving this feeling of peace and contentment.

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“I pray that the Lord, who gives peace, will always bless you with peace. May the Lord be with all of you.”

\n2 Thessalonians 3:16 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-01-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/01/29/day-my-wish-came-true.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/01/20/day-sunshine-land-and-pollination.html", "title": "Day 310: Sunshine, Land, and Pollination", "content_html": "\n
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After lingering snow flurries yesterday morning, the sun was shining through the kitchen window when I made my way to the coffeemaker. It was a gorgeous day, albeit quite chilly. I worked on the website again most of the day and I’m 3/4ths of the way through June 2016. I finally quit in the late afternoon and went for a walk around the perimeter of our acreage. The ground is soft and wet. Interestingly, in a swath about ten feet wide, all the way around, the ground was full of humped up ground where moles and voles dig tunnels looking for grubs.

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I’m still considering how to make the area more pollinator friendly while maintaining the aesthetics of a neat and tidy property. I do love the look of the vast green fields when they are freshly mown on a summer’s eve. I don’t love being a slave to the lawn tractor. As soon as I get finished with my website, my next project is to research plantings for birds, bees, and butterflies. 

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It felt nice to get outside and feel the sunshine on my face. I snapped a shot of TOW-Wanda with her “winter coat” on. She has a leak that needs fixing so I covered her up to avoid any more water damage. I’ll take her down to my friend Lynn’s RV Dealership in Huntington one of these days to get her fixed. I still want to sell her and get something smaller that’s easier to tow. I think we’ll be much more likely to get out and camp if we don’t have a huge camper to pull. There’s always the idea of getting a seasonal spot to camp on. Then you don’t have to tow...you just take your food with you and go to the campsite whenever you want to camp.

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We are on two waiting lists for the Covid vaccines. As soon as we get our second shots, I can schedule my surgery and we’ll head to Florida for a week or two. That can’t happen soon enough to suit me...I need some sun and sand!

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Prayers we all stay safe and healthy in the days and weeks ahead. And please....wear a mask, wash your hands, and mind your distance. We all really want this to be over. 

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““ ‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’ ””

\nNumbers 35:33-34 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-01-20T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/01/20/day-sunshine-land-and-pollination.html", "tags": ["Health","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/01/06/day-baking-buttermilk-biscuitsthe-old.html", "title": "Day 296: Baking Buttermilk Biscuits...the Old Fashioned Way", "content_html": "\n
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Along with grief comes a lot of triggers to bad, sad, traumatic and scary memories that can be really hard to deal with. I had PTSD after Mr. Virgo died and I really wanted to just turn off my brain and never remember anything again...ever. Thank goodness, that’s not how it works. I had “grief brain” for a couple of years, but as the bad memories faded to the background, I was really pleased the good memories could billow up in their place.

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I was scrolling through the suggested videos on Facebook the other night. I watch a lot of cooking videos. And, those cute little “talking” dachshunds...Moonpie Starbox and her little sister, Buttercup. I get the biggest kick out of “Cooking with Brenda Gantt.” She is so country...she could be my kin. She has great cooking videos. Nothing fancy, she just shows you how it’s done. Well, how SHE does it. I love her!

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I came across this video about making biscuits in a dough bowl and something way, way deep back in the recesses of my mind flickered. I had to think about it and cogitate a bit till I placed where I’d seen this before. My grandma’s sister-in-law was a small, wiry woman that lived in a little house a few miles from the farm. Aunt Ann was great! She always had a feedsack apron on over her house dress. She might have anything from a little chick to a baby squirrel or fresh farm eggs in her pockets any given time. She had those thick lenses in her glasses that magnified the ornery sparkle in her eye and a laugh like rainwater...smooth and clear and easy.

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We used to go over to visit Aunt Ann when I’d stay with Grandma some during the summer. She always had ducks and geese and chickens and more fresh eggs than she knew what to do with. There were kittens and puppies and who knows what all running around her yard. We would sit on the porch and talk for a spell and eventually it was time to go home. I remember always feeling sad that it was time to leave. I’m so glad Daughter #1 has memories of her Great Aunt Ann, too.

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I will not swear on a stack of Bibles that it was Aunt Ann that made her biscuits like this, but that’s who I immediately thought of when I saw this video. I also remember my Aunt Peeps telling me about Grandma Teters’ (her first husband’s grandmother) making her biscuits in a dough bowl. They had a house along the “turnpike” where teamsters stopped overnight to rest. It was the predecessor to the B&B. When I went to visit my Aunt Peeps one summer and she sent me home with Grandma Teters’ crocks. 

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That big blue crock on the left was Grandma Teters’ dough bowl that she made biscuits in like Brenda Gantt in her video. The next blue crock is one I purchased along the way. The third blue crock was used for whatever was needed...serving at the table, carrying scraps to the pigs and chickens, or maybe mixing up a bowl of cucumbers and onions with a little vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper...a sort of “refrigerator pickle” commonly served in the summer. Maybe with a little cut up tomatoes in it. Refreshing!

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The little yellow crock with the light blue and pink stripes around the top was Grandpa Teter’s “sody crock.” He suffered from a “sour stomach”, so whenever he walked past his bowl of baking soda, he’d scoop up a finger full and eat it, washing it down with some spring water. That was the early equivalent of Alka Seltzer or Tums. The two small crocks have cracks in them so I don’t use them. I keep them inside another bowl so they don’t get bumped and broken. 

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When I downsized, there were a few things that I absolutely refused to part with, and these crocks were among my most treasured possessions. And now, I have this vague memory and the knowledge of just exactly how Grandma Teters made her biscuits in that big, blue crock.

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You can watch Brenda Gantt making Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits the old fashioned way HERE.

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“Everything that happens has happened before; nothing is new, nothing under the sun.”

\nEcclesiastes 1:9 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2021-01-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/01/06/day-baking-buttermilk-biscuitsthe-old.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/23/day-special-deliveryjust-in-time.html", "title": "Day 284: Special Delivery...Just in Time for Christmas!", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been feeling kinda blue about Christmas this year. Covid has us sequestered and the kids all feel like they could just as well be on the moon. Top that with our firm commitment NOT to buy each other gifts this year and the season has just been...blah. I certainly have no complaints about the gift thing. We bought ourselves new recliners this year. Then the microwave went out and we replaced that. We had a trip to the beach in October. And there was an unexpected assessment on the condo this year, so we figured that was plenty. There really isn’t anything we really need anyway.

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I’ve been so blessed to have all this time and supplies to do so much canning this year and those things don’t come cheap. But there’s only so much room in the kitchen and I’ve long since run out of space to store my small appliances. There are the shelves in the basement where I can store them but I know just as soon as I cart them downstairs, I’ll need one of them. Some of them are fairly heavy and unwieldy. An idea has been bouncing around in my mind for the last several weeks.

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My dear friend Ryb had a beautiful piece of furniture built in her Colorado kitchen to store her small appliances and baking pans. I always admired that, and vowed someday to have one. Then, divorce took away my big country kitchen and the house I built was just too small for such a cumbersome piece. Segue to 2020 and the Ponderosa. Another country kitchen, but still not enough room to house all my kitchen gadgets. I’ve been scouring Facebook Marketplace for something that might work but nothing was catching my eye. So, I did what I always do...I gave it to God and went about my business.

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Yesterday morning, I was having my coffee when a notification came across my phone...from Mr. FixIt...who was sitting on the other side of the living room. 

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“Look at this,” he said.

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It was a three piece, solid wood bookcase cabinet combo. An early entertainment center, really. But lovely. Country styling. Light oak. Interesting. I figured it would be way more than I wanted to pay. I kinda had a price in mind...$300.

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“Nice! How much to they want for that?”

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“$300!”

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“Each piece?”

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“No...total!”

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We looked at each other and smiled. I texted the lady and made arrangements and by 8:00 last night, the office was cleaned out, the furniture was in it, and it was holding all my appliances! I mean...if I would have measured out the space I needed to house my stuff, I couldn’t have done any better than this! It is so solid and heavy (thank you Harry and Joe for helping bring it home!) Seriously, it took three men to get it over here.

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As I carted my appliances from the floor of our dining room into the office adjacent to the kitchen, I placed each one in just the perfect spot. And with each trip, my heart got lighter and lighter. Because, I realize how truly blessed I am. I know there are people struggling mightily this year to just put food on the table. We are blessed this pandemic hit when we were retired and not when we were trying to raise a family. But, mostly...my heart was light because God always provides us with what we need. 

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Did I NEED that piece of furniture? No, I did not. Did it brighten my heart and fill me with a sense of awe that God hears us? Yes, it did. God isn’t a Sears & Roebuck Catalog. You don’t just send out wishes and He fills them like the genie in the lamp. But He provides and wants to hear from us about all our hopes and dreams and wishes. Sometimes He says no...a LOT of times He says no. But...sometimes He says yes! We have been so blessed to be able to help out food banks and assist a few people during these trying times. This gift makes it easier for me to be organized and cook and provide for others without breaking the bank so that we CAN keep helping others. I am so humbled that God is so good.

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?

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“You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Then many people will thank God when we deliver your gift.”

\n2 Corinthians 9:11 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/23/day-special-deliveryjust-in-time.html", "tags": ["Faith","Uplifting Stories","Positive Energy","West Virginia","Gratitude","Change","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/18/day-be-careful-what-you.html", "title": "Day 279: Be Careful What You Wish For", "content_html": "\n
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I was browsing photos in a Facebook Group I belong to the other day. It was one of those “You Might Be From __________ If...” pages. People post stories and photos. There are a precious few of the “old guard” who grew up and know those pictured. But there are far more who come on and say... “Does anyone recognize the people in this photo?” Those are the sad ones because the elders are dying off without labeling the photos or teaching the young’uns who were in them.

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My grandma was pretty good about writing the names of folks on the back with the stub of a pencil, most likely whittled to a point with my PopPop’s pen knife. This particular photo caught my eye because I’ve seen it all my life. It’s the old one room schoolhouse that was a couple of miles from the farm. My mom and one of her brothers are in that photo and I smiled at the memories that came rushing back to me.

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We have that photo somewhere in the family archives, and now, thanks to modern technology, I have it safely ensconced in my iPad and the Cloud. I can still see Grandma in her rocking chair by the front window, looking through her “picture book” and walking down memory lane. She would point and name everyone, then tell a story or share their nickname. Everyone had a nickname. Just yesterday, my baby cousin asked me what Grandma’s name was for me. I was “Ginny Lynny” or just “Pet”. She was “Trinket”. 

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This particular photo was taken shortly after the Great Depression. I want to say it was around 1936-37, judging by the size of my mom and her brother. When Grandma saw pictures like this, she shared with me the hard stories. Stories of struggles and just trying to get by. She would tear up when she said their milk cow was the only thing standing between her children living or dying of starvation. They never wasted a thing. Shoes were resoled at home because there wasn’t money for a cobbler. Clothes were sewn from flour sacks and mended and handed down. Grandma had a baby every two years till she nearly died after the last one and they saved her life with an emergency hysterectomy.

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It was right around this time when Grandma and PopPop managed to scrape enough money together to buy the farm that I still take care of. When they moved down off the hill into that house, Grandma said she felt like a queen in a castle! She didn’t have running water or an indoor bathroom for twenty more years. They had an old wringer washer with a hit and miss engine out on the back porch. My earliest memories are of Grandma carrying buckets of rainwater she heated on the stove and pouring it in the washer. 

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She used lye she made from ashes and mixed it with rendered fat from butchering to make soap that was used for everything. Wash was done once a week. You started with the delicates when the water was still clean and soft and you ended with work clothes. PopPop worked in the pipe yard on old oil and gas well pipe and parts. He was always sticky and stinky with black creosote and a hard day’s sweat when he got home. Those work clothes had to be boiled and scrubbed on a washboard by hand to get the most of the grease out of them. I remember they were always an army green or khaki color.

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Once the clothes were as clean as they were going to get, Grandma used the rinse water to scrub the floors of the house and the last bit was thrown out on the porch and worked with a broom to get what mud they could off the steps. It was a hard life she lived, working from sunup to sundown doing as much hard work as any man, then mending clothes and sewing on buttons at night after supper. 

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I look at that picture of my mom as a little girl, and I’m humbled. The “going back in time” I get to do at the farm at my age is a walk in the park compared to actually living the life they lived. You hear people say “It was a simpler time.” Simpler? Be careful what you wish for. Simpler in those day meant they didn’t have the time sucks we have now. They didn’t have TV and computers. They were lucky to see a newspaper or a magazine. They didn’t know what was happening in Asia or the Middle East or Africa unless a missionary happened to be traveling through trying to raise a little money for an orphanage somewhere. However, their lives consisted of hard work and more than their fair share of sadness. And fortunately, I come from the kind of people whose glasses were always full to overflowing and I heard of all the goodness of life.

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What are we giving our children’s children’s children to know about those who came before us? What are we handing down from our great grandparents’ days? What are we teaching them about long lost skills like growing our own food and preserving it or making our own clothes and tools? Part of the purpose of this blog is sharing the past along with the stories of the present. You’ve followed along in my grief journey after losing Mr. Virgo. You’ve been here for the adventures in the camper and traveling the country as a widow trying to heal my broken heart, one campfire at a time. You shared in my joy when I found love again with my best friend from high school and remarried. Interspersed with all these events are the stories of my roots. I share them with you here because many of you grew up with similar lives and they spark your own memories. Some of you couldn’t dream of living such a life and it’s like reading a history book. So, why do I share so much of myself and my family’s history?

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Because...one day, I’ll be dead and gone, and my grandchildren and their grandchildren’s children will read these stories and know from whence they came. I don’t have great material wealth to leave to my family...to the world. All I have are my experiences and my knowledge and my wisdom...the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

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I’m the storyteller.

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?

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“Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.”

\nEphesians 4:15-16 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/18/day-be-careful-what-you.html", "tags": ["Family","Uplifting Stories","Strong Women","West Virginia","The Farm","Comfort","Wisdom","Aging","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/17/day-baking-down-memory-lanegrandmas.html", "title": "Day 278: Baking Down Memory Lane...Grandma’s Raisin Filled Cookies", "content_html": "\n
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From as early as I can remember, I was in the kitchen making something. Out of necessity, I learned to cook the meals at home when I was still in grade school. Mom was...ummmm....challenged in the kitchen, as it were. Her culinary concoctions were enough to make me beg her to let me go to the cooking school for kids at our local community center one summer. Things were much better around the table at our house after that.

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As with many of us, this challenging year has driven me back to the kitchen and to my roots. As I was preparing to bake cookies this week, I was reminded of Grandma’s favorite cookie. She made a huge batch of Raisin Filled Cookies whenever my Uncle Bud and his family came to the farm for a visit. My uncle would whisk in, wrap his mom in a big bear hug, and reach around her for a handful of these delectably soft cookies before he headed back out the door to empty the car.

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My uncle lost his wife a couple of years ago, then continued to care for his sister...my Aunt Peeps...till she finally had to go into a nursing home. My aunt passed away this summer, and Uncle Bud has been on his own for the first time in his life. He was one of those men who honestly didn’t know his way around a kitchen. Aunt Viv was a stay-at-home mom and always took care of everything. As I went through my list of cookies I like to make, I thought of my uncle alone up on that mountain and decided I’d make Raisin Filled Cookies for him.

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These were never my favorite cookie. Grandma always used black walnuts in them because that’s what she had available. Back then, you used what you could produce on the farm and we had vast woods around us. My Uncle Bob would gather walnuts every fall...rubbing the husks off them till his hands were stained brown. They were like that for months. Then, in the winter, Bob would crack the walnuts and Grandma would pick the nut meats out and freeze them for use throughout the year.

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Black walnuts make my mouth sore when I eat them. I get blisters and I really don’t like the flavor as they’re quite strong. I called my uncle yesterday and told him I didn’t have walnuts and would pecans be ok. He said he actually preferred pecans, so pecans it was. I cooked the raisin filling and after the news, I made the dough. I ran out of dough and still had three to four cups of the filling left so I may make some Raisin Bar Cookies today.

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I was really pleased with the recipe, but they were much sweeter than I remember my grandma’s to be. She was pretty frugal with her ingredients. Even though they’re a little labor intensive, I think they were well worth the effort and I’ll make them again. The sourdough starter is well fed and bubbling so I’m going to make the dough today and bake it tomorrow.

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You can get the recipe for the Raisin Filled Cookies HERE.

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“Get a large bowl. Then mix together wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and millet, and make some bread. This is what you will eat for the 390 days you are lying down.”

\nEzekiel 4:9 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/17/day-baking-down-memory-lanegrandmas.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Holiday","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/13/day-nailed-itkinda.html", "title": "Day 274: Nailed It...Kinda", "content_html": "\n
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Have you ever seen those posts on Facebook where someone sees the cutest thing on Pinterest and tries to make it...only to fail miserably? However, in true optimist fashion...and with much self-depredation...posts a side-by-side comparison of the two? Yeah...well. I had one of those experiences yesterday. 

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First...the turkey is STILL too frozen to remove the giblets so it has to wait till today. Since the oven was unoccupied, I simply HAD to bake...right? I was so excited to use my new-to-me cookie press from the thrift shop. It came from Pampered Chef and had a dozen or more different extruded patterns...all for the amazingly low price of $5! I had the perfect score...or, so I thought.

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I found a video on YouTube with a recipe for the PERFECT Vanilla Spritz Cookies. It had a couple “secret ingredients”. Vanilla Bean Paste which I JUST happened to buy at TJ Maxx when I bought the Indian Ginger I used for the Appalachian Gingerbread. Powdered sugar...which I just happened to find a bag of stuffed in the back of the cupboard I cleaned out this week over the microwave. And, cornstarch. Apparently, these magic ingredients create the perfect light and crisp Spritz Cookies for your holiday baking needs.

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Right.

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It took for-e-ver to mix the dough. I should have used the big KitchenAid mixer, but opted for the handheld instead. When I finally got all those dry ingredients incorporated in the butter, it was a pretty stiff dough. Come to find out afterward, I really could have added some more flour because it was raining and high humidity outside and I was working with the kitchen window open. 

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Once I finally got the dough mixed and chose my design, I set to filling the tube on the cookie press. Back in the day when I tried this before, the press I had was only about an inch to an inch and a half across and made tiny little cookies. You could easily get three or four dozen out of a batch of dough. The Pampered Chef press is easily two and half inches across and one tube full of dough nearly filled a cookie sheet. The raw cookies were pretty big and I knew they would spread so I placed them pretty far apart. I only got eight on each cookie sheet.

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The first thing that happened was...the cookie would not stick to the parchment paper, even though I had tacked it down at all four corners with a bit of raw dough. I took the paper off and buttered the pan. Nope...still wouldn’t stick. The dough just lifted off with the press every time I picked it up. So, I tried putting the pan in the freezer for a few minutes. This time, about 3/4 of the cookies stuck. The rest I had to scrape off and try again till I was finally successful.

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The first batch was perfect...very slightly brown at the edges...but they were pretty flat and didn’t hold their pressed shape much at all. Disappointing. The second batch were placed in the freezer for a few minutes before I baked them. They came out too brown and no better shaped...but still edible. By the third batch, I was just about ready to throw the whole mess out the window...batter AND press. I had dough left and it would NOT stick, so I gave up, rolled the dough in balls the size of a small walnut and baked them anyway.

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Moral of the story is...sometimes those really great gadgets you find in a thrift shop are there for a reason. At least I was only out $5 and not what it would have cost new. I’ll just clean it up and take it back to the thrift shop the next time I have a bag of donations. maybe someone else will have better luck with it than I did.

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At the end of the day, I have to admit, the cookies were really tasty...light with a crispy bite and a melt in your mouth texture. Still, a full two and a half hours to bake two dozen cookies was not very time efficient. We ate some with a little ice cream last night after the news. So, all was not lost and a lesson was learned. I need a tad more “instant gratification” than that when I’m trying to make a ton of cookies for holiday gift trays. I’ll stick to bigger batches of drop cookies for that.

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“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”

\nProverbs 24:16 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-13T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/13/day-nailed-itkinda.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/11/day-just-a-simple-country.html", "title": "Day 272: Just a Simple Country Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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There was a time in my life when I was fussy about my surroundings. I mean, I grew up in a tiny little house and spent as much time as I possibly could out at my grandma’s farm. I was used to just having the basics...nothing fancy. And while I was a doctor’s wife for twenty years, I can’t say my kitchen was extravagant. Big, yes...tons of cabinets and storage for days. But it certainly wasn’t like some of the kitchens the other doctor’s wives got to cook in. 

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I built my own house after my divorce in 2001 and had a simple galley kitchen with lots of light...light cabinets, light countertops, light flooring, and no curtains. I needed as much light as I could get. My kitchen was perfectly functional, but really small. I didn’t know what small was till I moved into my camper and lived for much of three years. Now THAT’S tiny living.

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When I came off the road and moved back into the little red house on the farm, I was back to my roots. The kitchen was really a nice size. My uncle made the cabinets out of cedar back when they moved the whole house onto the newly built basement. Grandma was in hog heaven in that kitchen...it was like the Taj Mahal to her, and it was perfectly serviceable for me as well.

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Then along came Mr. FixIt. When we set up housekeeping, the kitchen at the Ponderosa was already set up. Fortunately, he is a really flexible guy and gave me free rein to adjust and move things around to suit my cooking style. It’s funny. We’ve been together three years now and whenever he empties the dishwasher, he still puts things in the “wrong place.” I have to laugh because he lived here for forty years...it’s ME that’s putting everything in the wrong place...poor man. It’s a nice sized kitchen, and it’s nothing fancy...just a simple country kitchen. And I couldn’t care less. I am blessed beyond measure to have this wonderful man who is willing to share this beautiful life with me. 

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About three or four weeks ago, the big over-the-stove microwave died. We went to Lowe’s and bought a new one only to realize several hours later...we weren’t sure if it had the right kind of exhaust. Sure enough, it was the wrong kind so we cancelled and kept shopping. Mr. FixIt is quite the bargain hunter and he quickly found us a deal at Big Sandy Superstore. We ordered the new microwave and it came in late last week.

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First things first...the family room needed cleaned and organized so we could put up the tree. Once that was accomplished, it was time to tackle the new microwave. We took the old one out on Wednesday then had to run to town to get a new outlet to plug it into. Errands took up all afternoon...as they always do. There is no such thing as a “quick trip to town.” Mr. FixIt did get the outlet wired Wednesday evening, but we left the actual installation for yesterday.

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After a nice, leisurely breakfast...it was time. There was measuring. And remeasuring. Then discussion about the measurements. There was puzzling over the template...turning it this way and that. There was trimming and more measuring. Then it was time for tea. Holy cats! It took us five hours to install that microwave. There was no blood loss. There were very few bad words spoken. And we were still married when the job was complete, so I’d call that a success!

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Of course, once the job was done, I had to clean the kitchen...again. It seems that is all I get done. Cook. Clean the kitchen. Over and over and over. My friends and I were discussing the other day...our lives have become something akin to the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. Every single day is the same stuff with very little variety to it. Breakfast. Clean the kitchen. Some other chore. Lunch. Clean the Kitchen. Another chore or two. Dinner. Clean the kitchen. News. Write. Snack. Clean the kitchen.

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Covid has done this. Retirement has done this. Comfort has done this. We had family come over yesterday and we all lamented how the year has just felt weird because we didn’t have our big family Thanksgiving Dinner and now we are facing the same disconnect at Christmas. They decided we’ll have to set up the outdoor propane heater outside our big picture window and share Christmas that way. We are only halfway kidding. I’m not quite sure but somehow we need to work it out so we can at least see each other and the babies, even if we can’t get close and be inside and give hugs around their necks.

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There is hope around the corner, though! The vaccines are coming and it’s going to help us turn the corner and start heading into a post-Covid life. We can’t let our guards down completely because the vaccines are still only 95% effective. But it’s going to be a darned sight better than this last year has been.

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Today, I’m going to try making Appalachian Gingerbread and I’m working on a surprise to go along with it. We’ll see how it works. My friend Diane came over yesterday with some extra food she had received and we neither one want things to go to waste. I have a large container of plain yoghurt now so I’m going to set it over a strainer in cheesecloth to drain some of the whey and make a soft cheese we can use on bagels instead of cream cheese. Thank goodness I am getting some of my “Merry Mojo” back!

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?

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““Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”

\nLuke 14:28-30 NIV\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-11T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/11/day-just-a-simple-country.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/08/day-the-gift-of-an.html", "title": "Day 269: The Gift of an Heirloom Recipe", "content_html": "\n
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The first day of holiday baking was a huge success. After a relaxing start to the day and enjoying my morning coffee, I got to work in the kitchen. I grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s when the obligatory holiday fruitcake came to our house...usually as part of my dad’s Christmas bonus package. Fruitcakes back then came in these really great heavy-duty tins embossed with festive Victorian holiday scenes. These tins often went on to become the button boxes many of us remember sifting through at our grandmother’s homes. 

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I really hated fruitcake. It was almost a rule of thumb that children and fruitcake did not mix and if you liked it, you never admitted to it. It was thick, dark, gummy, and so sickeningly sweet. Once in a while, I might pick out a candied cherry and eat it, but that was the extent of my experience with fruitcake. The fact that it’s often soaked in booze might have been a deterrent in my house growing up. (I received a cookbook as a wedding gift from my grandma and she crossed out the word “beer” in a recipe for barbecue sauce!)

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Enter, Mr. Virgo. Fruitcake, like opera and the Philadelphia Eagles, entered my world along with that tall, handsome man. Unfortunately, he liked traditional fruitcake. I happened to mention this to my cousin’s wife and she sent me my Aunt Marge’s White Fruitcake recipe. She assured me, even a diehard fruitcake hater like me would love this recipe. The following year, I made two loaf pans of fruitcake before Thanksgiving, wrapped them in cheesecloth, and started giving them a weekly drink of bourbon.

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The week before Christmas, I brought the fruitcake in from cold storage in the garage and cut a few slices for Mr. Virgo’s gustatory pleasure. He declared it the best fruitcake he had ever tasted. I felt this was a fine endorsement and he talked me into trying a piece myself. Being the good sport that I am, I complied...fully prepared to again, hate it. But...oh my GOSH, people! It was divine! Granted...it’s still not something I’m going to overindulge in. It is definitely an acquired taste. But as far as fruitcakes go, this is the bomb. And here’s where the bad news comes in.

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I cannot share the recipe with you.

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My Aunt Marge was an incredible cook. Legendary. She worked and perfected this recipe over the years and would never give the recipe away, no matter WHO asked. I was privileged to be gifted this recipe and had to promise I wouldn’t share it. (Trust me, I asked with you all in mind...no go.)

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So, why am I sharing this when I can’t share the recipe? Basically, to share my love for my Aunt Marge. To share a tradition. And, yeah...to maybe brag a little that I finally found a fruitcake I can eat. Don’t be too dismayed. If you hate fruitcake as much as most people, you’ll just scratch your head at the thought people really eat this stuff. If you DO love fruitcake, you can Google “White Fruitcake” and find a recipe that might give you something like Aunt Marge’s. But I doubt it will be as good as this one. ‘Cause...it’s truly a family heirloom.

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Next up...Banana Bread!

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?

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“Your wife will be as fruitful as a grapevine, and just as an olive tree is rich with olives, your home will be rich with healthy children.”

\nPsalms 128:3 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-08T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/08/day-the-gift-of-an.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Holiday","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Baking","Memories","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/12/03/day-buying-in-bulk.html", "title": "Day 264: Buying in Bulk", "content_html": "\n
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We’re being exceedingly careful when we venture out shopping. We try to time our trips to the store when we are least likely encounter large crowds. Just about every state in the country is experiencing a large surge in Covid cases and we are bound and determined to not become statistics. It’s not easy to dodge crowds at this time of year, so we’ve taken to buying in bulk at Sam’s and limit exposure by limiting the trips themselves.

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We hit the jackpot this week. Sam’s had 90/10 ground beef for $2.68 a pound. I only bought one five pound package. I should have bought two at that price. We also bought a family pack of really nice pork chops. When we got home, I divided the meat up in meal sized packages and froze all but what I needed for spaghetti sauce last night. All told, we got four meals out of last night’s sauce. And put twelve packets of meat in the freezer. Each freezer pack came out to $2.65. Not bad for a few minute’s work.

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There didn’t seem to be a shortage of anything when we were shopping. There was plenty of toilet paper and paper towels. I was pretty amazed that all the Christmas decorations were gone, save for three styles of trees. Granted, it was Tuesday so we didn’t see any of the shopping frenzy we might have seen over the weekend, but it seemed like there was plenty of everything. Hopefully we’ll avoid the kind of hoarding we saw in the spring at the beginning of the pandemic.

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So, the vaccines are coming. Now the big hurdle will be whether people feel safe taking them. Personally, if Dr. Fauci will take it, so will we. I grew up in the polio years...I understand the importance of vaccines. I worked my whole life in the medical field, my last job in Clinical Pharmaceutical Research. By the time they get to the point of vaccinating our age group, there will have been several months of injections given and we’ll have an even better idea of how they work. I know you have to do what you feel is best, but the more people who receive the vaccine, the greater the “herd immunity” and the quicker we can get life back to some semblance of normalcy. I don’t know about you...but I’m more than ready! I want to see my Colorado peeps!

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The tree is still not up...but I’m making great strides in getting ready for it. The packages have been shipped (and received). Still a little shopping but it’s online and they are delivering it to the recipients. Then I can sit down and write the greeting cards and do a little knitting. It’s just been crazy busy around here...but in a good way!

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?

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“Be sensible and store up precious treasures— don't waste them like a fool.”

\nProverbs 21:20 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-12-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/12/03/day-buying-in-bulk.html", "tags": ["Wisdom","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/11/29/day-looking-for-my-merry.html", "title": "Day 260: Looking for my Merry Mojo", "content_html": "\n
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I’m having trouble finding my footing with the change from uber busy spring-summer-fall to...indoors. There are a million things I could/should be doing, but I am not finding the wherewithal to get after it. I STILL haven’t made those pumpkin pies. Not that I didn’t try. I pulled the dough out of the fridge yesterday and when I started rolling it out, I knew something was terribly wrong. It was springy, like bread, so I knew the gluten got activated. Also, I used that cheap bargain basement flour from the Piggly Wiggly and it’s just not good for much of anything. I ended up throwing both the dough and the remaining flour away. I promise I’ll bake these pies today!

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We had company yesterday. It’s really something when you get super excited if someone comes over. The former Mrs. FixIt called Friday evening and asked if we had extra room in the garage freezer for a twenty pound turkey. This is the great thing about buying turkey after the holiday...you can get really good prices. Kroger had big turkeys on sale for $ .59 a pound so we asked her to pick up one for us. We already had a big twenty-four pound turkey in the downstairs freezer, so we put it in the garage fridge to defrost and put the new turkey in its place. Here’s the best part of the story, though. When she was checking out, the manager asked her if she would like a Black Friday Special. Well, who doesn’t want that, right? So, he sold her the turkeys for $ .39 cents a pound. Too bad there weren’t more turkeys (she got the last two) and we don’t have a bigger freezer. I would have bought several. It was really great to stand out in the sunshine and visit for a while and show her all the work we’ve been doing around the Ponderosa.

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My missing mojo shows up in my missing Christmas tree, too. I swore I’d have it up before Halloween, and now here we are after Thanksgiving and I’m procrastinating for some reason. Maybe my motivation will return today! I’ll start with baking those pies after church, then we’ll drag the decorations out, turn on White Christmas, and before we know it, the job will be done. Then I’m not taking it down, like...ever! lol I think the fact that we have had to forego having the family over for the holidays is what’s bumming me out. I can’t jump on a plane and fly to Colorado to see the family, either. 

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Mr. FixIt made me a bowl of ice cream last night as we watched the news. He put a little chocolate sauce on it, and I added a couple spoonfuls of cranberry sauce on top. OMGosh! It was SO good. It tastes like chocolate covered cherries. I’m determined to try as many new recipes and methods of serving the leftovers. I will freeze a container for the turkey I’m thawing out.

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“Big” sent me a picture of her “Gingerbread Camper” the other day. I had to laugh. This was the grandchild who went camping and absolutely loved it, saying over and over, “We need to do this again, Nana!” Till the next summer when her adolescent self decided camping with Nana was infinitely uncool. Yet, here she is...I knew those memories would come back with fondness one of these days. It warmed my heart.

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Have you decorated for the holidays? If you are newly bereaved, you may find it very difficult. I managed to put up the tree the first Christmas then was promptly depressed the next day. The second Christmas was when things fell apart with my Aunt and we didn’t have any decorations. I don’t think I really decorated until I settled back on the farm in 2016. Do you have favorite ornaments? What about traditions surrounding trimming the tree? I saw a story where people are flocking to buy real trees this year because of the memories of the hunt for the perfect tree. I haven’t had a real tree in many, many years. Basically, because I feel it’s wasteful, but also there’s the fire hazard and mess it makes. I have a candle with a very realistic pine tree scent. That’s good enough for me.

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It’s time to get back up and get in the game. There’s work to be done and fun to be had and memories to make...no matter the circumstances!!!

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?

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“It is truly wonderful when the people of God live together in peace.”

\nPsalms 133:1 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-11-29T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/11/29/day-looking-for-my-merry.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","Memories","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/11/19/day-a-little-rr-at.html", "title": "Day 250: A Little R\u0026R at The Farm", "content_html": "\n
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I can’t remember the last time I got away for a couple of days at the farm for a little recharge time. Mr. FixIt is doing really well these days and I’m feeling a little braver in going off on my own for a little bit. Not too far, though. I’m only eighteen miles away, so if he needed me, I’d be there in a whipstitch. And, as he said...he has plenty to do to keep himself busy while I’m gone as there is never a shortage of work around the Ponderosa.

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I had to run to town this morning, so by the time I did that and a couple of errands, it was after 2:00 when I got to the farm. The big refrigerator out there never worked again after the power was off for several days from the tree falling over the line. I have no idea how old it was, but it had certainly seen its better days. When Mr. FixIt and I went to Sam’s this week, I picked up a small dorm sized fridge to bring out here. All we really need is room to keep enough food and drinks cold to feed the two of us when we stay out here for a few days, so small was better.

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It took a good two hours to clean, move the old fridge, and set up the new one. I brought four big baskets of laundry out to do today. I also brought a stack of magazines since I never seem to find the time to just sit and read them. I don’t know how to describe the feeling I get when I come out here. It’s like taking a king-sized step back in time. I connect to that little girl that lives inside me. I touch my grandparents, my mom, my people who have gone before me.

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I sleep in the same bed they did, in my grandparents’ room. I look out the same window. It restores something primal in me and heals my heart. This year has been rough all the way around. But it’s been full of opportunities, too. Opportunities to touch people and be touched by them. To practice trusting God. To lean into my relationships...especially with my family. To continue to build on that foundation with Mr. FixIt that will carry us through good times and bad. 

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Still, I’ve come to appreciate the introverted aspect of my extroverted personality. I love people, and I thrive on service. Now I recognize...and don’t fault myself for stepping away to recharge. It doesn’t make me selfish. It makes me smart. Because, I know I can give so much more when my cup is full and I have to fill it with peace and quiet. No TV. No noise. No expectations. 

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Just me. 

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And God.

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And the little red house on the farm.

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?

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“Generosity will be rewarded: Give a cup of water, and you will receive a cup of water in return.”

\nProverbs 11:25 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-11-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/11/19/day-a-little-rr-at.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/11/15/day-keeping-our-distance.html", "title": "Day 246: Keeping Our Distance", "content_html": "\n
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When we bought our new recliners, the plan was to take the old ones over for the the grandkids to use. But, it was raining....for a whole week. Then it was too cold. Then we had to mow. Then they were working shift work. Then Covid started spiking like crazy. As time stretched on, I couldn’t imagine how I was going to fit the Christmas tree in the family room with all this extra furniture. Finally...yesterday was gorgeous and the kids had the day off. They came out to pick up the chairs and we had a little socially distanced visit sitting on the tailgates of our trucks.

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My step-daughter’s boyfriend climbed the antenna tower to the roof and checked the openings of the chimneys. This is where the chimney swifts have been nesting and I want to put an end to that. Somewhere along the line, Mr. FixIt came into some wire baskets that had been used in the locker room of the local swimming pool. From what I could see, these baskets looked like the perfect size for the top piece of the chimneys and would keep the birds out. The first one slipped right on like it was made for that upper pipe. But the second was about a half inch too small so we’ll have to come up with something else.

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I haven’t heard a single critter up in the attic since Mr. FixIt and Harry fixed the soffits last week under the eaves of the house. That’s a blessed relief because sitting here writing these posts in the evenings and hearing things scurry around over my head was disconcerting, to say the least. I know...we live in the country, and this is what happens but if you can do a little preventive maintenance, you can keep this things at bay.

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The garden has been cleared and the tomato stakes put away till next year. The pool has been cleaned and treated, the ladder removed, the filter disconnected and emptied, and the deck furniture battened down agains the winter winds. The leaves have been mulched. The vines and excess vegetation from around the house has been removed and placed on the woodpile. The last thing to do is clean the lawn tools and treat the fuel tanks so they don’t get gummy over the winter.

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We worked so hard over the summer, it’s been a treat to kind of kick back the last week or two. I’m heading to the farm tomorrow for a day or two. I need to do laundry and get things prepared for winter out there, as well. I like to decorate for the holidays so the home place looks cozy and inviting. Undoubtedly, there will be ladybugs and stink bugs that made their way in through the inevitable cracks of a nearly 100 year old house. Those will need swept up. I want to make sure the rain gutters are cleaned out and the downspouts lead away from the house. The dehumidifiers need cleaned and put away. The electric space heater needs to be pugged in and the thermostat set to kick on should the gas go off and there’s no heat. We don’t want the pipes to freeze, even though I do keep the pump unplugged when we aren’t there. And, I need to set up the little gas stove in the bathroom by lighting the thermostat and testing it. 

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The bathroom was added thirty years after that house was built. It’s nothing but a cinder block room with a cement floor. It doesn’t have a furnace vent. So there has always been a small gas stove in there with the thermostat set to kick on when it gets really cold. We’ve been having some unseasonably warm weather this fall, but it’s not going to last too much longer. Besides, I need to have a little R&R at the farm. I haven’t had any time there on my own for months and I know my days there are numbered at some point.

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The Covid numbers are climbing ever higher, dear ones. I know we are tired, but we must stay the course and think of others as well as ourselves in this next season before a vaccine becomes available. I want you all with me next year because there are lots of adventures to be had and lessons to be learned out there! Please wear your masks and encourage others, as well. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Stay away from crowds. You know the drill.

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I hope you have a blessed Sunday and enjoy your day of rest. I’ll be back this evening with the Sunday Evening Prayer Circle. See you then!

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?

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

\nGalatians 6:9 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-11-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/11/15/day-keeping-our-distance.html", "tags": ["Family","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/11/11/day-farm-work-is-never.html", "title": "Day 242: Farm Work is Never Done", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was probably the last day till spring with the thermometer hitting 80 degrees. Rain was scheduled to arrive in the wee hours this morning and with it come the more seasonable temperatures. This late stretch of warmth afforded us the opportunity to finish up a few more projects around the Ponderosa. 

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West Virginia is lush and green with annual rainfall that rivals a tropical rainforest. Consequently, plants grow like crazy here and if you don’t stay on top of it, you can soon feel like Jack and the Beanstalk. Such was the case with the North end of our house. We have a huge hydrangea bush that took up a full third of the wall and wrapped around the front corner. There is an old television antenna and, unfortunately, a combination of wild grape and Engelmann Ivy climbed it to the top with abandon. The base of some of those vines were a full three inches thick and woody.

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This was one of the many jobs on our to-do list and it finally got bumped up to first priority. Last Week, Mr. FixIt and his buddy Harry fixed the soffits under the eaves to keep the critters out of the attic this winter. That’s when they decided to tear out the vines and hydrangea this week. Actually, I didn’t realize they were going to scalp it quite this much. I was working inside and my sweetheart asked me out to see their handiwork. The nice thing about West Virginia...it won’t be too long and there will be growth again. We’ll need to salt the ground where the grape vine is because it’s harder than the dickens to kill.

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We still have to get the antenna down, but they needed a third pair of hands so it will just have to wait. We’re getting rain today...1-1.5 inches, to be exact. So it will be an inside day. Time to get those shelves downstairs cleaned off so I can store all these beautiful jars of food I canned this summer.

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We ended the day with a trip to get Chinese carry out. We sat in front of the old one room schoolhouse and had a picnic while the sun set over the ball fields. It was a good and productive day. Farm life...even just a little five acre plot with a barn cat...is a good life. It’s the life I’ve always dreamed of.

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?

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“My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains to make their valuable crops grow.”

\nJames 5:7 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-11-11T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/11/11/day-farm-work-is-never.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/11/09/day-nothin-but-blue-skies.html", "title": "Day 240: Nothin’ But Blue Skies", "content_html": "\n
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I’m in transition. It’s not quite winter, not quite fall...and it feels a little like summer. We went out midday and started mowing. I really thought it was behind us, but you could definitely tell after the first swath..it needed cutting again. At this time of year, I always hope it’s the last mowing of the season and...hopefully...this was it. As I was coming up through the near field, I had to stop and take a picture. The sky was absolutely perfect, the temperature was 78, and the trees beyond the two-lane out front still have some color clinging to the crowns of the trees. It was the kind of beautiful that takes your breath away.

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We still have some more things to take care of before the house is buttoned up for winter. There is an old television antenna at the end of the house, just outside our bedroom window. Old wild grape vines have take over and the antenna is covered. We need to get those vines torn down as well as remove the upright antenna support to keep them from ruining the roof and soffits. The corners of the soffits have already been pulled down a little and critters (I’m thinking chipmunks and squirrels) find their way into the attic and scurry around up there. Fortunately, it was a warm day when the guys repaired those corners because we aren’t having anything trapped up there. They must have gone out exploring for the day. They’ll just have to find somewhere else to hole up for the winter instead of running around over my head!

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I’m giving a Skype interview this morning with WSAZ this morning...talking about meal preparation when traveling in an RV and what things to pack. That should be fun! I really love the gals who work for this station. I recorded a segment with them last fall when I was towing the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer last fall and they were so much fun to work with. I’ll attach a clip when it’s posted.

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I came so close to going to see a Class C motor home yesterday. It looks like it’s in great shape and it has low miles for it’s age. However, it’s a 1990. Thirty years is a long life for an RV. One of the reasons I didn’t get a motor home in the beginning was the possibility of two engines breaking down since you have to tow a small vehicle behind you. If you don’t have a “toad”, you either have to pack everything up and take your RV to town with you if you need to make a trip for supplies, or you stay at the campsite all the time. So, I let my better angels talk me out of even looking at it. That way I won’t even be tempted. 

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When did I get to be such a grownup? 

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?

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“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

\nPsalms 19:1 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-11-09T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/11/09/day-nothin-but-blue-skies.html", "tags": ["Choices","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/11/01/day-once-in-a-blue.html", "title": "Day 233: Once in a Blue Moon", "content_html": "\n
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A blue moon is the second full moon in one month.

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Happy November! Election season is almost over and I’m lining up my new activities for the coming months. First, we had a “Blue Moon” last night. It is the first time since 1944 that the second full moon in one month could be seen in all four time zones in the continental United States. It was also Halloween and the the end of Daylight Saving Time for 2020. Yes, kids...two more months and this year is behind us! I will not be sorry to see this one go, I’m telling you what. 

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Sycamore Leaves are HUGE!

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The day started out with dense fog here at the Ponderosa. We discussed our plans for the day over a pancake and sausage breakfast. We needed to run into town to Walmart and while Mr. FixIt took care of his errand, I perused the appliance aisle. I’ve been seriously considering getting an air fryer and after asking for advice on my Facebook page, I was ready. I decided on the Ninja Foodie because it doubles as a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, toaster oven, and dehydrator. 

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Our meager pumpkin haul for 2020.

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When we got home, we took out some of the fresh fish we brought back from the beach to defrost. While it was thawing, I helped my sweetheart with a few things around the yard. We needed to get Pumpkin’s building ready for winter. I got her bed ready with the platform heater and a fresh blanket. Then we washed her heated water dish so it won’t freeze when it gets cold. She is comfy and cozy out there and protected from critters. We decided to put her in the building earlier than usual, given it was Halloween and she’s a black kitty. We live in the country and we just didn’t want to take any chances with our sweet girl. As usual, we didn’t have any Trick or Treaters here.

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The Ninja Foodie

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I unboxed my new kitchen toy and read all the directions. We wanted hush puppies and there was no way to make those in the air fryer. I did fry those in oil and drained them well. The French fries came out of the Ninja hot, brown and crispy. I placed them and the hush puppies on a baking sheet and put them in a 225 degree oven to stay hot. I normally like a wet breading on my fish but Mr. FixIt bought a dry cornmeal breading. I coated the fish and even though it browned in the air fryer, it wasn’t necessarily appealing and it was dried out around the edges. I made some homemade tartar sauce and it still tasted fine. It wasn’t bad for a first try.

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Fish and Chips...Ninja style!

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We watched college football all afternoon and evening and around 8:00 we went out to see the full moon. It had just peeked over the hills across the two-lane and it was indeed beautiful. We have the pool finished now so it’s put to bed for another season. And now...it’s yet another Sunday. I hope you have a beautiful day!

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❤️

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“it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.””

\nPsalms 89:37 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-11-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/11/01/day-once-in-a-blue.html", "tags": ["Change","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/31/day-well-butter-my-buns.html", "title": "Day 232: Well, Butter My Buns and Call Me a Biscuit", "content_html": "\n
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I decided yesterday was a great day for an iron skillet full of yummy homemade biscuits. I first tried baking biscuits when I was old enough to stand on the kitchen stool at my grandma’s elbow out at the farm. I learned to cook the way she did...a pinch of this and a dab of that. She learned to cook when “receipts” had measurements like “put in a hunk of lard the size of a hen’s egg” or “add a scant teacup full of sugar”. Grandma actually had an old coffee cup that she used as her one cup measure. She was a good ol’ country cook and I have tried to be just like her.

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I’ve tried every recipe out there and seldom make a biscuit that’s swoon worthy. As I learned to bake a mean sourdough this year, I’m vowing to perfect my biscuits this winter. My go-to method at the moment is Virginia’s Best Biscuit Mix from Big Spring Mill in Ellison, Virginia. It uses their self rising flour and they add high quality shortening right in it so all you need to add is buttermilk or whole milk. I use buttermilk. Three cups of biscuit mix and one cup of buttermilk makes a baker’s dozen of very tasty biscuits. 

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I find it takes much longer to bake than the 10-12 minutes recommended. I think the batch I baked yesterday took a good 25 minutes to get a nice golden brown. I used my new 11” cast iron skillet that recently seasoned. I added a teaspoon of bacon grease to the skillet and set it over a low flame to warm the skillet just enough to melt the fat. Then I spread it around with the back of a spoon and took the skillet away from the heat. You don’t want it too hot. 

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Working quickly, I mixed the dry and wet ingredients together and turned it out on a lightly floured surface. I dusted a small amount of flour over the top and on my hands and gave the dough three or four turns, kneading it till it was just incorporated. I didn’t even bother with a rolling pin. I just patted the dough out till it was about a half inch thick and cut all the rounds I could get out of it and placed them in the skillet. I took the leftover pieces of dough, gently pressed them together and flattened it out again. I only got a couple of biscuits that go round. The last little bit of dough was hand shaped into a biscuit and added to the pan. 

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I popped the skillet full of biscuits into a 425 degree oven and baked them about 20-25 minutes...but that was with opening the oven door a couple of times. You’ll want to watch them at around 15 minutes or so to see that they don’t burn. I always melt about three tablespoons of butter to brush on top of the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. Serving them hot with butter and my homemade apple butter was a wonderful treat on a very chilly fall morning.

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The rest of the day was busy...delivering food to a friend recuperating from surgery, running a couple of errands in town, and a stop at Joann Fabrics for a little sparkly thread for my knitted Christmas ornaments I’m making. I also have a project I’m making as Christmas gifts so I picked up some melting chocolate and lacy cupcake papers. I’m not doing anything this weekend except sit and knit. I need a weekend off.

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What do you want to bet it doesn’t quite turn out that way? lol

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❤️

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“If you cook bread in a shallow pan for this sacrifice, use only your finest flour. Mix it with olive oil, but do not use any yeast.”

\nLeviticus 2:5 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/31/day-well-butter-my-buns.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/28/day-a-girl-needs-a.html", "title": "Day 229: A Girl Needs a Little “Me Time”", "content_html": "\n
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I had the day off yesterday. Well...I was off by myself. A doctor’s appointment, a breast ultrasound, and a DEXA scan (bone density). All quick, one right after the other and timed perfectly so that when I was done, I had about three hours to do whatever I wanted. My first errand was to one of my favorite stores...Rural King. I purchased an apple peeler a few weeks ago to make working up all the apples easier. However, they don’t make them like they used to and it didn’t work at all right. As a matter of fact, it created MORE work. So, I returned it and got my money back.

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Next stop was Michael’s. I needed to get some supplies for winter projects. I purchased several skeins of Sugar ‘n Cream cotton yarn to knit dishcloths. They make great little gifts. I also got some more clear plastic ornaments to knit covers for and some fluffy white yarn. I think I’ll make snowballs. My cousin shared one of her favorite recipes with me the other day and I want to try it. “Goat Cheese and Fig Cornbread” sounds wonderful and she says it’s amazing. I went to TJMaxx because they have all the great Christmas specialty foods out now. I picked up some imported fig jam and I can’t wait to try out that recipe. They also had some really nice herbs and spices so I picked up a variety of things to try. It’s hard to find Herbs de Provence in West Virginia so you have to get it when you see it!

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As I was driving home, the light was so beautiful, it was hard to keep my eyes on the road. The light was muted and golden with casts of misty blue. The trees have shed much of their leaves only to expose the dense underbrush blazing. Patches of scarlet and crimson mixed with canary yellow. Swaths of russet met the deep green pines. Rich, deep dark chocolate browns rustled with gold and pink and deep burgundy. It’s as though the trees beckoned...begging me to turn and look just once more before the coming rains strip them bare. I felt as though I was driving through a Monet painting...soft, a little out of focus, muted brights. It was brilliant. 

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I thought of the days of wanderlust on my state park tour this time last year. I was about to wrap up a good solid six weeks of camping on Halloween. The trees were giving up the ghost and the chill rains of fall had descended. I was footloose and fancy free for the last half of September and all of October. I will never forget that time on the road and all the amazing places my home state has to offer. As I drove out the two-lane blacktop toward the Ponderosa, I was reminded how tremendously blessed I am to live in this beautiful place that feeds my soul.

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My sweetheart was waiting for me at home. He offered to carry my bags in, but I was fine. I helped him search for the kitty to put her to bed. (She was already in her building asleep on the tractor seat.) I heated up leftovers and we watched the news. It is a sweet and simple life we live here. The days are easy this time of year. No mowing. No canning. Just everyday pursuits...catching up inside with the stuff left undone from being outside since March. Though there are still things to do out there. The pool has officially been put to bed. Some of the garden plants have been cleared. Today we go to town to pick up our new chairs...the first real furniture we have purchased together. When we get back, we have to clean out the gutters because the rain from the hurricanes will be here soon. 

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It really doesn’t end, does it.

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❤️

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“You control human events— you give rulers their power and take it away, and you are the source of wisdom and knowledge.”

\nDaniel 2:21 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/28/day-a-girl-needs-a.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Gratitude","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/24/day-slips-and-dips-in.html", "title": "Day 225: Slips and Dips in the Road", "content_html": "\n
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West Virginia notoriously has really bad roads. Because of the large amount of rainfall and the fact that country roads are most often on the sides of hills, roadways often slip right off and head down the slope. Sometimes “Single Lane Ahead” signs are placed before the slip with times stoplights to give people turns to drive through until the funds are available to fix the problem. We are a poor state, so roadwork is prioritized and these country roads are often way down the list. 

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There is one road in particular that we cross to get to the farm. It cuts a lot of time off the trip and it’s a pretty good two-lane blacktop. However, there is an area not far from the intersection that started to slip really bad in the last couple of years. They patched it a couple of times with extra asphalt, but that’s just a temporary fix as the soil beneath the road continues to slough away. Usually, when a big project is going to be carried out that will interrupt traffic flow, there will be some sort of warning released to find an alternative route. My person who usually warns me of such things had surgery this week, so we were clueless when we headed to the farm to mow early yesterday afternoon.

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When we got to the road construction, we were diverted down a small country lane alongside the river. Mr. FixIt says we have driven out this road, but with my head injury from the truck accident three years ago, I often don’t remember places we have been together, especially in the year or so following the accident. I was driving like I’d never seen the place so I had no idea what lay ahead. The “road” is seriously one lane of crumbling asphalt. And a narrow lane at that. I have a big F-150 pickup and was pulling the utility trailer with the mowers on it. I assumed, since the road was so narrow, the flaggers would have folks take turns driving either direction. But, nooooooooooo. Every time we passed a car...and there were plenty of cars...we each had to get two wheels off the road in order to pass. 

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There was one place, near an intersection halfway through this detour, where there was no place to go on either side. That’s when I met another truck, towing a utility trailer. And a big SUV. And another big truck hauling a bass boat. I just stopped dead in the road. I had about six cars behind me so I couldn’t back up. The truck coming at me started inching backwards...uphill...into a turn. The folks behind him followed suit. Finally, there was just enough room for me to slip by them. I thanked them profusely for helping me out, and in typical country fashion, there was a slight pause as Mr. FixIt and the driver greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries. He knows EVERYONE. lol

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We finally made it through and I told my sweetheart, we needed to wait long enough to be sure they were finished working for the day before we returned. Road crews will typically finish up around 4:00 around here...especially on a Friday. It was 4:30 when we came around the bend and there was the flagger, directing us back down the single-track lane. I was not happy about it, but what choice did I have. Fortunately, the traffic was thinned out and it wasn’t quite quitting time so we didn’t have a lot of trouble coming back. 

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This is country living. You take things in stride and do the best you can with what you have to work with. I’ve grateful our road made it up the list and is receiving a complete overhaul so the slip with finally be fixed with a long term solution. Fortunately, I think this was the last mowing we’ll have to do this year out at the farm. The grass really hadn’t grown too much, but there was a carpet of fallen leaves that needed mulching up and now it looks ready to put to bed for the winter. Everything else looked great at the farm. We took a break in the mowing and spent some time just enjoying the place. I stretched out on Grandma’s bed and stared out the window at the last of the falling gold drifting past the window on the breeze. Another growing season done. Another goodbye to a year with as much time spent at the farm as was possible. Another Indian Summer complete. Today the weather makes a change and things cool down. Rain will be coming in and soon there will be nothing but bare branches reaching up through a thin blue sky. It’s time to get something else done besides mowing.

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❤️

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“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.”

\nEcclesiastes 3:1 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/24/day-slips-and-dips-in.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/23/day-the-sweetest-sounds.html", "title": "Day 224: The Sweetest Sounds", "content_html": "\n
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After such a long day on Wednesday, I was happy to sleep in a little yesterday. Mr. FixIt, being ever the early bird, was up long before me and I had what the Brits call a “lie in”. I stretched and read a little and gazed out the bedroom window at the cerulean sky. Suddenly, I heard the little tinkle of the bell on the cat’s collar as she jumped up onto the exterior window sill. She sat there and tweedled and chirped and sang me her “hello kitty” love song to start my day. I raised my phone, flipped the camera, and there she was...this little black cat that popped into our lives last Halloween. She’s a pistol. I could hear her purring as soon as I started talking to her. 

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I really didn’t want a cat. I didn’t want any pets. Mr. FixIt is enough for me to keep up with and we love to drop what we’re doing and go, go, go. The last thing in the world I wanted was something that would interfere with that. But, when I got back from my sojourn last fall in the raffle camper, I came face to face with this little black fluff ball that came running to me like... “It’s YOU! I’ve been waiting FOREVER!” I turned to my husband and said, “D*** you.” And we both laughed.

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Then, he had two strokes. And life slowed down for a while. We were worried. We didn’t know what the future would look like. Mr. FixIt needed something joyful to look forward to just like I did after Mr. Virgo died. I bought a camper. Mr. FixIt got a cat. Every day, he walks out to the building in the mornings to let the kitty out. Whenever he goes out to work, the kitty follows him like a puppy dog. He greets her with “What’s a pretty kitty doin’, huh?” She melts into a puddle on the sidewalk...rolling and stretching and chirping at him. Pretty soon, he picks her up for a little snuggle and a scratch behind the ears and a kiss on top of the head. That’s when I realized...God sent this little kitty to us. We had no idea where she came from. We had no idea we needed her as much as she needed us. It softens my heart when he announces he’s going out to put the cat to bed for the night. He asks her if she wants a treat and he either picks her up and carries her out or she makes a beeline for the building. He shakes out a few little yummies and puts them on top of her food, turns on her light, then tells her goodnight.

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We all need to feel needed. A man and his cat...needing each other through the tough times.

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❤️

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“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

\nProverbs 12:10 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/23/day-the-sweetest-sounds.html", "tags": ["Family","The Cats","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/22/day-takin-care-of-business.html", "title": "Day 223: Takin’ Care of Business", "content_html": "\n
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Foggy Bottom on the Ponderosa

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Yesterday was a day of pure satisfaction. I was up at 6:00am to head into town for my yearly mammogram. I had a lumpectomy done a couple of years ago so it’s really important to stay on top of that. I was amazed to have the results by the time I got back home...normal! When I got home, Mr. FixIt was just getting his day started. As soon as breakfast was done, we were off to the County Court House to vote early in person. As I predicted, we are the smallest and least populated state, so there were only two people in front of us. They had us seated on benches with several feet between us. Everyone wore a mask. I’m glad we got there when we did because the line went out the door by the time we left.

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Fog Rising on the Ponderosa...8:30am

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Mr. FixIt had to go to town in the afternoon to let a repairman into his friend’s house while they are away. While he was gone, I mowed the five acres here at the Ponderosa. The sun was going down over the far hill and the trees were literally glowing gold. I kept stopping the mower to pull out my camera and snap some photos. Mr. FixIt came home with a sandwich for my supper. I rode the tractor out into the field and stopped there to eat among the shower of leaves. It was so beautiful and peaceful!

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Late Afternoon...the Long Shadows Taking Over

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I have to go to the DMV today. Mr. FixIt stuck my 3-year camper sticker on his license plate by mistake so I need to replace it. Then I’m meeting my late cousin’s wife for a visit. She lives in Tennessee so I don’t get to see her nearly often enough. I’m really looking forward to a little socially distanced conversation. Oh, and by the way...our Covid tests were negative...thank God. I was sure they were, but I’ve had a little bit of a sore throat since we got home from the beach and of course, that is worrisome given what’s going on.

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I must say, felt such a sense of relief to have voted and done my civic duty. I know I tried to stay out of the boxing ring when it came to politics this season, but I certainly wasn’t always successful. I do want to say, no matter the outcome, I’m really praying for our country to come together and work for the greater good...lifting each other up. And, if I have offended any of you, I hope you will forgive me. This election cycle has the been the most contentious I’ve known since the ‘60s and I wasn’t always my best self.

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I hope you get a chance to get outside and enjoy God’s beauty around you today. I know it snowed in the upper Midwest, but we are enjoying a little Indian Summer here in West Virginia with a high of 80 degrees.

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❤️

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“then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.”

\nDeuteronomy 11:14 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/22/day-takin-care-of-business.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/21/day-doo-doo-doolookin-out.html", "title": "Day 222: “Doo, Doo, Doo...Lookin’ Out my Back Door”", "content_html": "\n
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When we got back from the beach, we had thirty-three pounds of bagged and frozen fish filets in our huge cooler packed in ice. We have a refrigerator out in the pole building and I needed to move some stuff out of that freezer to make room for the fish. I had several bags of vegetable soup, a pound of hamburger, and a small chuck roast in there. I put them down in the refrigerator part and yesterday, I checked and they were just starting to thaw a bit.

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I carried it all inside and dumped the soup in a large pot. I added a quart of the tomato sauce I canned earlier this summer. Then I chopped up the hamburger, cubed the chuck roast, and tossed them in a little flour, added salt and pepper and cooked them till they had just lost their pink color. I added the meat to the soup, adjusted the seasonings, and brought it to a boil. Then I canned eleven quarts of fabulous vegetable beef soup. Now I have all this great soup to add to the shelves for winter. Canning is a lot of work up front, but it sure saves time when you’re fixing a meal. And there’s nothing better than homemade vegetable beef soup!

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As I was waiting for the last canner load to process, I sat down in the family room and looked out the back door. I caught this sliver of moon hanging low over the near field beyond the pole building. You can see the honeysuckle vines on the fence to the left of the back gate. The fog rolled in as night fell. I love the little treasures I find every day here in the country. After a day of standing on your feet and working, having these moments to catch my breath and share this beauty with my love is a blessing I still have to pinch myself over.

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A friend of mine texted the other day. She was the Human Resources Director that initially hired Mr. Virgo in Aspen. We’ve been friends ever since and she was the person who came to my home the week after Mr. Virgo died to help me begin to make some sense of the paperwork involved with dying. Anne was back at her Colorado house cleaning out more “stuff” when she came across a couple of pictures she had to share with me. They were taken at our wedding and one shows Mr. Virgo walking out and up the aisle to wait for me. I smiled when I saw him. I rarely see pictures of him that I haven’t seen before.

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I don’t cry anymore when I see pictures of him. He has been placed in a safe place in my heart and I rarely take him out. I’ve learned how to live in the present and enjoy what God has given me this go ‘round. But I did have a dream about Mr. Virgo the other night. And my mom. Mom had passed the year before I met Mr. Virgo so he only got the stories. In my dream, I realized I hadn’t seen Mr. Virgo in a while so I told my mom I was headed to Aspen to see if I could find him. I’ve had that dream a couple of times since he died. The first time, I found him in my dream. He was working in an office. He was wearing a handsome hand-tailored suit and was shuffling papers at a large desk. We sat down and talked, although I can no longer remember what was said. This time, I couldn’t find him. It didn’t leave me bereft like the first time. It was more like, “Ahhhh, yes...I remember that love. He doesn’t live here anymore.” It’s ok now. It’s ok to move forward. It’s ok to have a happy life and to laugh and love again. And, it’s ok to keep those memories tucked in a safe place in your heart. Because they will never go away entirely. I am blessed to have a strong, secure man who gave me room to hold those memories.

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So, today I get my annual mammogram. Keep checking the tatas, ladies...it’s important. Then, I am going to go to the courthouse and exercise my right to vote. Who knows what I’ll get into after that? Mowing, probably. We are thinking this is probably the last time of the season since we have had two hard freezes here. We’ll have a little warm up in the coming days before the regular frosts of fall arrive. And you know what that means in West Virginia, right? The arrival of the Asian Ladybugs and those gosh awful stink bugs! Ugh...it’s just an infestation and I dread them every fall. Here’s hoping the blue Dawn and water solution I sprayed around the windows and doors helps to ward them off.

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❤️

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“They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.”

\nPsalms 118:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/21/day-doo-doo-doolookin-out.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Wisdom","Farm Life","Widow","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/20/day-testing-testing.html", "title": "Day 221: Testing, Testing, 1-2-3", "content_html": "\n
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We live in a tiny, sparsely populated county in rural West Virginia where an awful lot of people scoff at the idea of wearing masks. And we’ve been extremely lucky. There have been only twenty-nine cases of Covid-19 in our county. But, up till a week ago, there was half that. With the fact that we traveled...very carefully, but still...and the fact that our numbers here at home doubled in a week, free testing was offered at the small clinic in town yesterday afternoon. We drove over and didn’t even have to get out of the car. The test itself is only slightly uncomfortable and we should have results in 24-48 hours.

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We went to town yesterday morning to pick Pumpkin up from the Kitty Hilton. They loved her there and gave her lots of loves. Poor thing made a mess in her crate on the drive home but was no worse for the wear. She was happy as a little clam to get back to her old haunts and explore. I read online that you could spray a solution of water with a little blue Dawn dish soap in it around your windows and doors to keep the Asian ladybugs and stink bugs out. I have no idea if it works, but I gave it a try. I’ll let you know. I also brought in the hummingbird feeder, cleaned it, and put it away for next year.

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We’ve been busy trying to put everything away from our trip so we haven’t messed with putting the garden to bed for the winter yet. We had two hard freezes so the growing season is over in our neck of the woods. It’s sad to see all the beautiful pumpkin and passion flower vines hanging limp on the chain link fence. Our one little pumpkin is resting on the ground out by the pepper plants so I need to get that cleaned out.

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I finally took the time yesterday to take a picture of the dining room table filled with the fruits of my labor. It’s pretty darned impressive, if I do say so myself. I still need to clear out a space on the shelves downstairs to store the filled jars. That’s when they are so pretty. Our little great granddaughter came over for a socially distanced visit last evening. She can count to ten now so we played hide and seek. When she hid, she scooted into some weeds and her baby fine hair got filled with burrs. It took us over an hour to strip them out...bless her heart. She was such a trooper and sat very still.

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Slowly getting back into the swing of things at home. It isn’t easy for me to let go after a very busy summer and then traveling. There’s still mowing to do, both here and at the farm. I need to organize all my canning accoutrements and put them away for the season. Then I can take a little break and do something else for a while. It was truly fall here yesterday...cool, rainy, and showers of golden leaves falling all around. The Lord is putting the earth to rest for the winter...I need to prepare to follow suit.

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❤️

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“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat; winter and summer, day and night.”

\nGenesis 8:22 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/20/day-testing-testing.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/09/day-my-word-of-the.html", "title": "Day 210: My Word of the Day...Obstreperous!", "content_html": "\n
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On our way out to the farm yesterday to mow, we stopped by Charlotte’s barn with a big bag of apple peelings for the chickens. Oh...they LOVED me! I can’t remember when we went last, but the grass was SO long. And, it’s changed again. It’s gone from this rough fall grass to very fine grass that grows really fast and stays damp. Oh...it was a booger to mow! I had to go over it and over it and over it dozens of times to mulch it all up because we don’t bag it. It took forever, but when it was finished, it was so lovely. The late afternoon sun was golden as it reflected off the leaves turning the red farmhouse a deep garnet glow.

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I did a load of laundry while we were there because the water and gas are free and it lets me stay at the farm longer. I started the load then went out to mow. When I came in and checked on the washer, it was humming but not moving. I fiddled with it for a bit then realized I had not turned the pump on! I ran out to the cellar house and plugged in the pump and we were back in business in no time. 

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The neighbor across the road called me a couple of days ago to say there was a box on the front porch and he moved it to the back to get it out of sight. It turned out to be a box from Misfits Market that was delivered to the wrong address. I took it to it’s rightful owner and hope it isn’t completely spoiled. Have any of you used Misfits? From the advertisements, it looks pretty neat. You receive a box of vegetables that may not look as pretty as the ones in the store, but they’re still perfectly useful. I’ve been thinking about checking into it. Maybe when we get back from the beach. My daughter gets a box of vegetables every week from a warehouse in Denver and loves it, but we don’t have anything like that here.

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We stopped on the way home and picked up some supper and sat at the park having our weekly date night. It was a little chilly to sit on the bumper, but the leaves were still beautiful and the river was as smooth as green glass. Believe it or not, I’m not always the nicest person to be around when I’m getting read for a trip. I have my head in the clouds, thinking of a million things that need to be done. When Mr. FixIt talks to me, I don’t hear it half the time in the days leading up to vacation. This week has been a challenge with the added chores surrounding canning. When we finally sat down last night, I looked over at him and said, “It’s a darned good thing you love me because I can be a real snot.” He objected vociferously. “You are not a snot!”  I looked at him and grinned. “Ok...I’m obstreperous!”

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I sat there mulling that over. 

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obstreperous: adjective

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  1. resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly.
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  2. noisy, clamorous, or boisterous
    3. \n
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Yep...that’s me. There’s not much of anything delicate and ladylike about me, although I can clean up and be presentable in public. I wasn’t always this “free to be me”. Mr. FixIt has brought that out in me in a big way and sometimes I still feel like I need to rein it in so as not to be “too much”. For FAR too many years, I was “too much”...too loud, too boisterous, too...too...too. I stifled myself to fit a mold till I got lost down inside. Not anymore. Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s the times. Maybe it’s Mr. FixIt embracing my every quirk. I don’t know. All I know is...now I’m obstreperous...in the very best of ways!

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T-minus one day and counting. SO much to do today, I hardly know where to start...but I made a list. I can’t live without lists anymore. I’m just at that age. I tell Mr. FixIt, we have one brain between us and it’s a good thing we have each other...obstreperous or not!

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❤️

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“Always be joyful and never stop praying.”

\n1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/09/day-my-word-of-the.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Wisdom","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/10/06/day-apples-galore.html", "title": "Day 207: Apples Galore!", "content_html": "\n
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This is only about a third of what I worked up yesterday.

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I had five bags of apples and another dozen assorted loose apples in a basket and it was time to get started. I got a bit of a late start yesterday but I plugged right along for several hours...washing, peeling, coring, quartering, and slicing apples galore! I’d probably say, all told, I had almost a bushel of apples and I almost got them finished before I threw in the towel. I’ll get back to them this morning. They are resting in an acidulated bath overnight to keep them from turning brown. 

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I bought one of those apple peeler-corer-slicer gadgets a couple of weeks ago. I had one a long time ago and it worked pretty well. This one? Not so much. It’s made by Norpro and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. The “blade” that peels the apple is curved and leaves a stripe of solid apple peel in between rows of white peeled apple. It takes more time and effort to clean that up than it does to peel the apple with a vegetable peeler and trim it up with a paring knife. A real pain in the keister.

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About halfway finished!

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I took a break in the late afternoon and went out to finish mowing. I noticed a lot of new blossoms on the pumpkin vines, but it’s way too late in the season to get new pumpkins. From what I can see I only have one medium pumpkins and one mini, and this is without really investigating amongst the vines and leaves. I need to plant them in a different place next year.

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I need to get this all finished before Wednesday because that’s when I need to start packing for our trip. Not so much with the clothes. We have a washer and dryer in our condo at the beach. No, what I want to pack is what I will need for the kitchen down there. It has the bare minimum items and I need to gather up what I will need to prepare the dishes I have planned. We don’t want to eat in restaurants or go into grocery stores out on the Outer Banks, so we’ll be taking everything with us. Good thing we have a full sized pickup truck!

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I need to pack my electronics because I have an article to write for the winter edition of the new Girl Camper Magazine. Oh, if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to check it out at www.girlcamper.com and see what a beautiful job Janine has done with the magazine. Very classy and professional yet cozy and homey. I also need to pack my knitting. I can hardly wait!

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❤️

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“Store up enough food both for yourself and for them.”

\nGenesis 6:21 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-10-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/10/06/day-apples-galore.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/26/day-an-apple-a-day.html", "title": "Day 192: An Apple a Day", "content_html": "\n
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I knew this was going to be a busy week in the kitchen. I bought two bags of apples at the roadside stand earlier this week. I thought they were Braeburn apples, but turns out they were McIntosh. In all actuality, I’m glad of that because I love a tart applesauce and that was my main intent with this batch.

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I bought one of those little gadgets that peel, core, and slice your apples for you. You clamp it to the counter top, stick your apple on a rod with three prongs on the end to hold it in place, then turn a handle. As the apple moves nearer to the blade, the peel comes off in one long thin ribbon. It’s pretty neat, although it didn’t work quite as well as the one I used to have in my Colorado kitchen. Either they are making them cheaper or the apples themselves weren’t firm enough. I ended up not using the corer or slicer function preferring to quarter and trim the apples by hand with my favorite paring knife.

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As I finished each apple, I placed them in a bowl of water with lemon juice added to keep them from turning brown. I placed about 3 cups of apples in my food processor with the steel blade and added about a half cup of water. I processed this to a soft consistency and added it to my large 23 quart canner...the only pan I had big enough to hold all the apples. After draining the apple slices, I added them to the canner along with 1c. of granulated sugar and 3T. of lemon juice. You need that extra acidity to safely preserve the applesauce in a water bath canner.

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I cooked the apples till they started getting soft and then used a potato masher to break down the apples into sauce. I wasn’t quite getting the consistency I wanted, so I used my immersion blender to further break down the apples. I like my applesauce to have some small chunks in it so it looks homemade and not like something out of a baby food jar.

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I filled my hot jars with the hot applesauce, leaving a one-half inch headspace, wiped the rim, then placed the lid and ring to just past finger tight. My water bath canner holds eight pints. Once they came to a boil, I started the timer and processed them for 20 minutes. When the time was up, I turned off the heat and removed the lid of the canner and let the jars rest for about 5-10 minutes before I removed them from the water and placed them on a clean towel to cool.

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I had a little over a pint of applesauce left and I didn’t want to run the canner again for one jar. So, I added a little brown sugar, apple pie spice, and butter then cooked it down till it was getting pretty thick. I had a half recipe of pie dough left in the fridge from the tomato pie earlier in the week so I rolled it out, placed the sweetened applesauce in the middle and drew the edges of the crust up and over to form a simple galette. I baked it till golden brown at 375 degrees...about 40 minutes or so.

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My memories of apples involves my grandma again. She had borrowed a large copper kettle and made a huge batch of apple butter one fall. I was very young and somehow my memory has us making it in the back yard over a fire, but I would not swear to that. I do know she used a big bag of cinnamon red hot candies in it for color and flavor, but they didn’t take into account the sugar content of the candy and it came out awfully sweet. Still, nothing ever went to waste on the farm and it was eaten with delight...most often by the spoonful right out of the jar.

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As I labeled the grape jam from Thursday and the applesauce yesterday, I marveled at how beautiful the jars are...all lined up on our dining room table. We have shelves in the basement and all this work is going to be gorgeous once the jars are cleaned and lined up for winter storage. I have my ear to the ground...looking for an attractive primitive wooden cabinet for the dining room to store all these extra appliances I have accumulated over the last few months. I hate storing them downstairs because I use them fairly often. I prefer to have them a few steps away from the kitchen when I need them.

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When all was done, Mr. FixIt and I drove to town, picked up a sandwich for supper, and ate it sitting on the tailgate of my pickup as we watched some locals fishing from the bank of the Little Kanawha River. It was a beautiful, productive day. 

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Today...I need to make Salisbury steaks and Italian meatballs for the freezer and work on the pie pumpkins. Another busy day ahead!

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❤️

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“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”

\nColossians 2:16 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/26/day-an-apple-a-day.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/24/day-playing-with-fire.html", "title": "Day 190: Playing with Fire", "content_html": "\n
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When I lived in Colorado, you knew fall was here when the roadside stands set up for fire-roasting green chiles. It was like any roadside stand you might see selling tomatoes and corn back east or in the south. But there, a gas fired chile roaster was set up. It looks something like a great big Bingo basket that gets rotated over a flame and slowly roasts the chiles till the skins are blackened and blistered. Then, the hot chiles were weighed out and packaged in plastic bags. All you had to do was grab a bag and take them home, clean the blackened skin and either cook with the chiles right then, or put them in freezer bags and freeze for use during the winter. 

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Any self respecting western cook had at least a few bags of fire-roasted green chiles in the freezer. I like to use them to make Pork Green Chile...a delightful change of pace from the traditional red chili with beef and beans. I also love green chiles in scrambled eggs or quiche. I’ve even seen them added to apple pie, although I have to admit I’ve never tried that...yet!

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One of the items a roadside chile stand sells is wreaths or ristras...long strands of red chiles that dry as you use them for winter decor. Sort of like putting out Indian corn or wreaths of dried leaves. You might also find jars of salsa with varying degrees of heat or perhaps red or green pepper jelly. I love a soft goat cheese on crackers with hot pepper jelly as an appetizer accompanied by smoked almonds and fresh figs or apples. That makes for a lovely treat on a crisp fall afternoon.

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One of my fondest memories of Colorado was when Daughter #2 was little. One of my best friends was Barbara, the wife of one of the surgeons in town. Her baby was about ten months younger than mine and we used to get together often to let the children play while we worked on cross-stitch projects. One fall day, we decided to can salsa. We went to the farmers market and bought our supplies and spent all day chopping and cooking and making the best salsa ever.

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I haven’t made salsa in ages...probably over twenty years. The other day Mr. FixIt asked if we could make some. I didn’t have enough of our own tomatoes so I bought a ten pound flat and some nice yellow onions at a roadside stand on Monday. Then I bought two kinds of peppers, garlic, and cilantro at the store and prepared to have another busy week preserving.

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There were several steps leading up to actually making the salsa and the first thing I wanted to do was fire-roast my peppers. I bought a couple of jalapeños for the salsa and picked up some beautiful Poblano chiles to make Chile Rellenos. I have never roasted peppers myself so I Googled how to do it. I know you can roast them over any open flame so a propane grill works fine. You can hold them over a fire and roast them like a marshmallow, but I wasn’t interested in starting a fire. I opted for roasting them over a burner on our stove since it’s gas and it worked great!

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The grates on our stove are sturdy and aren’t spaced too far apart so they work perfectly. All I had to do was turn the flame on high and lay the pepper on the grate. It snaps and crackles as the hard membrane on the skin blisters and blackens. It only takes two or three minutes to properly roast a pepper. Poblanos are a rather large, flat pepper with a fairly mild flavor although they can vary and sometimes you’ll get a surprise when they pack some significant heat. But in general, they are mild and make the best Chile Rellenos. I’m making some to freeze and take with us to the beach. 

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Mr. FixIt likes his salsa very mild with pineapple in it. I like mine to pack a punch. Therefore, I divided the tomatoes and made half his way and half mine. I used a simple recipe I found on the Ball website. This particular recipe uses one of their electric Auto Canners, which I don’t have. I followed the directions except I processed the filled jars in a water bath for 15 minutes. I added some chile powder to both batches. I added crushed pineapple to Mr. FixIt’s and just a quarter of one jalapeño for flavor. It was sweet and flavorful...just the way he likes it. I added a little extra salt to mine, added the rest of the jalapeño plus another full one, and...just before I ladled it into the jars, I adjusted the heat by adding some more Tabasco and cayenne powder. Now mine has a nice kick to it without being overpoweringly hot. You can find the recipe HERE. 

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I finished with twenty half-pints of salsa...ten of each variety. These will be so nice to have for dipping with corn chips or for topping those Chile Rellenos or any number of other Mexican dishes we enjoy. Mr. FixIt was gone all afternoon so I had the house to myself, working happily in the kitchen as I listened to old-time bluegrass by the Stanley Brothers.

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It’s FALL y’all...and I’m in my element!

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❤️

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“Work hard, and you will have a lot of food; waste time, and you will have a lot of trouble.”

\nProverbs 28:19 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/24/day-playing-with-fire.html", "tags": ["Fun","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/20/day-apples-honey-for-a.html", "title": "Day 186: Apples \u0026 Honey for a Sweet New Year", "content_html": "\n
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Back in the day when I was living a Jewish life, every holiday was celebrated in our home. There are fun holidays like Chanukah and Purim and solemn holidays like the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Those are the days for introspection and forgiveness. I haven’t always been my best self and the angst of this year has not brought out the best of my at every turn. 

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I’ve been reading the tributes to Justice Ginsburg and I’ve learned so much more about her. One thing struck me in particular. No matter what she was faced with...be it pay inequity, the struggle to get into a “man’s world” and be an attorney, her husband’s cancer or her own, she never shrank from any of it. She never took a woe is me attitude. You may not agree with the causes she fought for, but you have to admit...the woman was force to be reckoned with.

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There have been many strong women in my life that I have looked up to and strove to emulate...my mom, my grandma, a favorite aunt, a dear friend...even my own girls. I’m adding RBG to my list. Striving to keep suiting up and showing up is the mantel we wear now that she is gone. It’s up to us to continue to fight for the rights she fought for. If not for Justice Ginsburg, I would not have widow’s benefits from Social Security. I wouldn’t have had many of the opportunities I was afforded in my life if she hadn’t stood up for us.

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So, in honor of RBG...and because we desperately need a sweet New Year...We had apples and honey last night. Fried Apple Rings and Honey, to be exact. I cut Granny Smith apples across and made thick slices. I used round cutters to cut out the center core and the outer skin. I didn’t have to peel the apples and they were perfect rings. I soaked them for a few minutes in a solution of Fruit Fresh to keep them white. Then, I mixed up a batter with all purpose flour, a little sugar, and enough buttermilk to make it creamy. I dipped each apple ring in the batter and fried in oil to a golden brown. Served on a plate while they’re hot and drizzled with honey, these were the perfect little treat at the end of a busy day. Not too heavy, not too sweet.

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We worked hard all day in the back yard. We cleared everything out of there that wasn’t essential. I trimmed the monstrous Flowering Quince and Forsythia bushes while Mr. FixIt power-washed the house. I filled the back of the pickup three times with limbs and branches and hauled them over to the brush pile. In a week or so, when the branches are dried, I’ll burn them. 

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It seems the work is never done. But I’ll keep suiting up and showing up...just like RBG and all the other wonderful women in my life.

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❤️

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“God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.”

\nPhilippians 1:6 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/20/day-apples-honey-for-a.html", "tags": ["Holiday","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/18/day-ohhhhhtomato-pie.html", "title": "Day 184: Ohhhhh...Tomato Pie!", "content_html": "\n
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When Mr. FixIt and I were visiting the Outer Banks for our anniversary, we stopped in a seafood shop to check out what the local waters were offering. Among the many delicious varieties available was a seemingly out of place item...Tomato Pie. I asked about it and they said it was a southern thing and very tasty, however...the price was outrageous and you couldn’t buy just one piece. You had to buy the whole pie. I could only think of one thing...what if we didn’t like it? I would hate to throw all that food away. So, I vowed to try making it myself when my own tomatoes were ready.

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Over the weekend, we noticed the garden was heavily dotted with the bright red of ripe tomatoes. Yesterday was the first chance I’ve had to stay at home and play around in the kitchen. The first thing I did was check on my brined pickles. I hate to report they were a huge flop. I don’t know what happened. Maybe they were overripe. Maybe my brine wasn’t the right concentration. Maybe my jars weren’t sterilized. I don’t know. They were soggy and some were downright slimy. And there was mold on the surface. I wasn’t about to taste them. I just dumped them out and washed and sterilized the jars. That’s not bad...one failure in all the things I’ve cooked and canned during covid. It was disappointing, though.

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Once I had that mess cleaned up, I went out and picked a bucket of tomatoes. Not all of them were ripe but I hate leaving them out there for the critters to eat. I line up the ripe ones on the counter and windowsill till they turn red. I had about eight or ten medium tomatoes ready to do something with. I scalded, peeled, and cored them and gently pressed out the majority of the seeds. Then I put them in my new food processor with the steel blade and processed them till they were smooth.

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I put the tomato purée in a saucepan and simmered it till it was reduced by about a third and was the consistency of spaghetti sauce. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne and set it aside. I made some pie crust in the food processor and rolled out half. The other half went in the fridge to make something with today. I lined a 10” pie plate and set that aside. Then I made a roux. Are you familiar with that? You melt butter and stir in flour over a low heat. You keep stirring till the roux gets a nice golden brown, then you add the tomato sauce that has been cooling. Once the two were combined, I turned off the heat and browned some chopped up bacon till it was crispy. I drained it well on paper towels and sprinkled it in the bottom of the pie crust. Then I added a handful or two of grated mozzarella cheese. 

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I put the cooled tomato sauce back in the food processor on low and added four extra large eggs, one at a time till they were fully incorporated. I preheated the oven to 375 degrees, lined a baking sheet with foil and set the pie plate on it, poured the tomato/egg mixture into the pie shell, sprinkled another small handful of grated mozzarella on top, and popped it in the oven. I baked it for 50 minutes...watching it the last ten minutes or so to make sure it didn’t burn.

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We let the Tomato Pie cool a bit while we cleaned up then sat down to try it out. I have seen a dozen different recipes for Tomato Pie and it runs the gamut from nothing more than thickly sliced tomatoes baked in layers with grated cheese to a two crust version that looked kind of loose and runny. I wanted mine to look more like the one I saw in North Carolina...more like a quiche. And that’s exactly what this one looked like. And....oh, my! The flavor!!! It tasted like eating a big plate of spaghetti without the heaviness of all that pasta. I made a pie crust recipe that used butter only so the crust was very tender and flaky. It was fabulous, if I do say so myself. And Mr. FixIt loved it!

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We were in such a hurry to eat, we didn’t have anything with the Tomato Pie...but it would have been lovely with a nice green salad and a glass of wine if you choose. A luscious end of summer treat made extra special with our own tomatoes. You know me...I don’t really cook with recipes so writing it like this is the best I can do and you should be able to duplicate it in your own kitchen. If you try it, let me know how it tasted!

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It’s “Feel Good Friday” and cooking up something yummy in the kitchen on the Ponderosa makes me feel really good!

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❤️

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“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

\nGenesis 9:3 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/18/day-ohhhhhtomato-pie.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/17/day-itty-bitty-critters.html", "title": "Day 183: Itty Bitty Critters", "content_html": "\n
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I was hopeful when we spent the entire day in town on Monday, it meant I wouldn’t have to go back for a week. But that was not to be. I woke up yesterday and went over my to do list and remembered I needed to have blood drawn. Dang. I needed to pick up flea medicine for the kitty and buy a new set of sheets for the camper. And I’ve been wanting a food processor. I have one of those tiny food choppers, but they don’t do what I need done. Mr. FixIt had an appointment in town as well, but we decided to drive separately since we each had things that we needed to do.

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When I got home, I stretched out to read my instruction manual for the food processor. I bought a simple 9-cup Kitchenaid that grates, slices, and processes with a blade. I really didn’t need the Mercedes model. After my little siesta, I went out to finish mowing. As I was pulling the tractor back into the building, something caught my eye. A baby Eastern Rat Snake was sunning itself at the doorway and I startled it. The little baby went slithering behind the extra refrigerator. 

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I know we have snakes out there. Remember the story I told you last year about rummaging around in the back corner, putting away camping equipment, and that massive Black Rat Snake fell out of the rafters and landed on the box in front of me? Yeah...there are snakes. I keep my eyes peeled when I’m in the building.

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I like walking out to the camper on a warm summer night and seeing the little frogs and toads. They hang out under the outdoor lamp and catch bugs. By the end of summer, we have fat little critters all around here.

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Mr. FixIt and I were giving the kitty a little snuggle before I put her flea guard on and noticed there are tons of red tomatoes on in the garden. Today will be a kitchen day, for sure. Maybe I’ll get to try out my new food processor.

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And, ohhhhh....there’s nothing like new crisp linens on a camper bed!

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❤️

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“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

\nProverbs 6:6-8 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/17/day-itty-bitty-critters.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/16/day-zoom-zoom-zoom.html", "title": "Day 182: Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!", "content_html": "\n
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I had my first Zoom meeting yesterday. Well, almost had it. One of the key members didn’t show so we postponed till next week. I was all jazzed to see what this Zoom thing is all about. First of all, it took me three hours to prepare for it. I wanted to use the desktop computer, but I couldn’t find my plugin headset. Our computer doesn’t have Bluetooth so I couldn’t use the wireless headset. I finally figure out I could used the plugin headphones on the laptop while using the laptop’s microphone. It was quite a chore.

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I wanted to used one of those really cool backgrounds like I see some of the celebs use when they are on Zoom. But, I would have had to have a green screen and I just didn’t have the inclination, nor the time, to waste on it. It all worked out and maybe I’ll figure out that background thing before the next meeting.

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I don’t remember if I told you...our new neighbors have chickens! I’ve always wanted chickens and to hear a rooster crowing. This way, I don’t have to feed them or keep them safe yet I can still hear the hens clucking as they scratch around the neighbor’s house. And that rooster! Close enough to hear...far enough away to not be annoying. So now when my friends come to camp with me, they can hear real farm animals! My country cred just went up immensely. 

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Oh, the nights are getting so much cooler now. Our high yesterday was in the upper 70’s but Monday night’s low was 51 degrees. We threw an extra cover on the bed out in the camper. I wouldn’t let Mr. FixIt shut the windows, though. I like a cool room with warm blankets. It’s so cozy!

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When I was finished on the computer yesterday, I went out to ride the lawnmower and got the two big fields finished before dark. I had to come in and put on a flannel shirt before I was done, though. The air has a definite chill to it now. There are some leaves falling already. I didn’t have time to work in the kitchen at all yesterday other than to do the dishes and clean. I’ll have to find some time today to get something done in there.

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I always have good intentions to get certain chores done on certain days. It makes me think of the calendar in Martha Stewart Magazine. You know the one...September 3rd, pull the spent flowers from the south garden...September 9th, harvest the gourds...September 17th, mulch the roses. You know as well as I do, these are the orders she’s giving the hired help. I had to let my hired help go. They were nipping at the cooking sherry and stole the silver. lol

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I guess I’ll just do what I always do. Look at what needs doing and do it...one chore at a time. It keeps me honest....and usually pretty tired.

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❤️

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“No matter how much you want, laziness won't help a bit, but hard work will reward you with more than enough.”

\nProverbs 13:4 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/16/day-zoom-zoom-zoom.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/15/day-hummingbirds-hollyhocks.html", "title": "Day 181: Hummingbirds \u0026 Hollyhocks", "content_html": "\n
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I met my classmate’s sister in the McDonald’s parking lot yesterday and traded my wide mouth canning lids for the coveted regular size. Three for three...even Steven. At the same time, two of our grandkids met us with their sweet little boy....our first great grandson. It was all I could do not to pull him out of his car seat and kiss him all over. I haven’t held my babies since February! But, ohhhhh...it was so good to see them. 

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Honestly, that was all we planned to do, but one thing led to another and we didn’t get home till after 6:00 last night. That is the nature of a trip to town when you live out in the country. You try to squeeze all the errands you possibly might need to do into that one trip and hopefully you don’t have to make another one for a while. 

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We did the usual...bank, post office, Sams, grocery store, and checking on a friend’s house while he’s away. On a whim, we decided to stop in Kohl’s. There are a couple of things I’ve been looking for and I hoped to find them there but alas...no luck. On our way home, we stopped for a sandwich. The last think I want to do after a day of running around is to cook. 

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One of you wrote yesterday asking where I got our yard flag. Honestly, I can’t remember, other than it was locally. I looked online and found a website that sells the same flag. You can look in the comments on yesterday’s post and find the link if you’re interested. I loved this flag as soon as I saw it. I’m crazy about hummingbirds and even though we had our feeder out at the appropriate time with the correct feed and changed it regularly, we just didn’t have as many hummers this summer. 

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I love the deep red hollyhocks. The only time I’ve ever had hollyhocks was when Hubby #2 was doing his residency. We lived in an old farmhouse surrounded by more modern mid century houses. After researching, I found out that this area had been a dairy farm at one time. The house we lived in was the main residence for the farm. There were old flowerbeds around the house and I did my best to be an urban farm girl and bring them back to life. I planted garnet colored hollyhocks along the sand-colored brick on the front porch. On hot summer evenings, as the sun began to dip low and turn the air to spun gold, the hummingbirds would bob and weave and dive their way around the yard, fighting for a sip of the sweet nectar. Daughter #1 and I would sit in the front porch swing...the sound of the chain squeaking as we swayed back and forth and the darkness closed in around us.

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There was a lot of traffic on Holly Street and I would do my best to tune it out and focus on what little night sounds I could hear in the busy neighborhoods of east Denver. Crickets. The whine of mosquitoes around our ears. The distant bark of a dog. I would rock and close my eyes and pretend I was back home on the farm in West Virginia. I swear...I missed home more than anything in this world and would count the days till I could hop on a plane and come see my family.

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Now, as I write this, I’m laying in a camper...the windows thrown open. The night air is cool and tonight we’ll need an extra blanket as it’s supposed to get down to 51 degrees. There are the crickets. And the katydids. The whine of a mosquito and the sound of the neighbor’s dog announcing a possible four-legged interloper. This time, it’s the occasional car that passes up the road out front that breaks the stillness instead of the other way around.

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I still marvel at this scenario. There was a time that I didn’t dare dream I could live here again...let alone live on five acres where I can grow anything I want. Or care for Grandma’s house and stay there whenever I want. Or find my BFF from high school and marry him. I am living my dream. There is only one thing that would make this life better...having my Colorado family closer. That would be absolute perfection!

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But...this is pretty darned close!

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❤️

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“You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.”

\nPsalms 16:11 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/15/day-hummingbirds-hollyhocks.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","Comfort","Wisdom","Choices","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/14/day-so-this-is-what.html", "title": "Day 180: So, This is What a Weekend Off Feels Like?", "content_html": "\n
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A cozy “faux fall” day at the Ponderosa.

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I’m “retired”. I asked Mr. FixIt how we ever did all these things plus work time and a half and raise babies. He said we were a heck of a lot younger back then. True...but even two years ago, I wasn’t doing half what I’m doing now. I think part of that has been coping with Covid. Part has been the fact that I cannot eat all this Covid Comfort Food without working it off or I’m going to become unhealthy. Part has been an escape mechanism. But a very real part has been the sheer joy of celebrating life in the country with my best friend...gardening, mowing, trimming, growing, baking....aching! It just feels good, so I keep doing it.

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Taking two whole days off seemed decadent after the work we’ve put in the last few months. I kept thinking there was something I should be doing...or COULD be doing. Something more productive than football. I baked that cake on Saturday. I fixed us a nice brunch yesterday after online church. It was a lovely “faux fall” day. It rained off and on all day. It stayed cool. And the fog started rolling in by 5:00. It was cozy, and just what the doctor ordered.

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One of our fellow readers contacted me Saturday after reading I had wide mouth jar lids and needed regular. Her sister wanted to trade with me so I’m meeting her today...three boxes each. I only have eighteen quart and maybe eight pint jars left. I need to go out to the farm and get the food processor to make my End of the Garden Relish. I also need to shake up the vanilla extract I have steeping and check to see how the brine is coming on the dill pickles. Also, I need to pressure wash the smoker...I still haven’t gotten it cleaned since the last use.

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Sunday Brunch at the Ponderosa...eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and toast with my new plum jam. Yummmmm!

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Our next big outdoor chore is putting an extension on the drain pipe out at the creek. When the big rains come, the creek washes mud, dirt, and rock up over the drain. If we extend the pipe out another ten or twelve feet, there won’t be so much to dig out next time. We’ll have to go back out to the farm in the next week and take the pole saw to some more trees. Preventive maintenance is huge when you have so many acres to care for.

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I hope you enjoyed your weekend and you have a good week!

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❤️

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“The earth and everything on it, including its people, belong to the Lord. The world and its people belong to him. The Lord placed it all on the oceans and rivers.”

\nPsalms 24:1-2 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/14/day-so-this-is-what.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/13/day-a-lazy-saturday-at.html", "title": "Day 179: A Lazy Saturday at the Ponderosa", "content_html": "\n
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I wish I would have kept track on my calendar how many nights I’ve slept in the camper this year. Not getting to have a real camping trip this year was one of the many changes Covid brought into our world. Not of the most importance, mind you...but something Mr. FixIt and I both love to do. So the next best thing was spending as many nights in the camper as I/we can. Sometimes Mr. FixIt joins me. But, sometimes we’ve worked too hard and the change from one mattress to another is hard on his back. So, occasionally, I stay out there alone. 

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Friday night was one such night. We worked so hard at the farm earlier that day, and we knew it was not going to be a restful night with all the tossing and turning and groaning with every movement. We both slept like logs and awoke feeling refreshed yesterday morning. Over coffee, I told Mr. FixIt what my plans were for the day.

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Absolutely nothing.

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I know, right? I took the day off! I read and relaxed and talked to some of my people on the phone. I did run the dishwasher. And, I baked an Apple Upside Down Cake. You make it exactly like the traditional one, only substitute apples for the pineapple. To be honest, I think I liked it better. I baked it in my trusty Griswold iron skillet. I love that thing...you can cook anything in it.

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I did some research online yesterday. We had a friend come by on Friday to show us her new car. As we stood talking, something fell from the sky and landed on the hood of her car. She jumped a little and said, “Did you see that? What is that thing?” I looked closely and it looked for all the world like a little ball of dirt. There were no trees overhead, so...where did it come from?

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Then, yesterday morning, there were several of them on the roof and hood of my truck. This was really becoming a mystery!

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I did what I always do...I asked my Facebook friends if there were any science geeks out there who might have a clue. I heard everything from alien eggs to caterpillar poop. Then a friend sent me a link to a story about these mysterious bits of clay falling from the sky. There was a story out of Wales. And another out of Georgia. After digging around on the internet and reading story after story, I finally found the answer.

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Yellowjackets!

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Unlike wasps and hornets, yellowjackets nest underground and all that dirt has to go somewhere. As the bees excavate underground, they make a wad of dirt and saliva, carry it up out of the nest, and drop it in flight. That’s where the little balls of dirt come from. Now the job is to find out where the nasty little buggers are making that nest. The article said wherever you find these little balls of dirt, there is more than likely a busy yellowjacket nest within fifty feet. There is a spot off the side of the driveway that seems to interest the cat and she sometimes jumps and dives around it. I’ll have to carefully observe then see if we can eradicate it. Yellowjackets are nasty, aggressive critters.

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Taking a day off is good for the spirit. I think I’ll take another one off today!

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❤️

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“But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, “Let's go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest.””

\nMark 6:31 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/13/day-a-lazy-saturday-at.html", "tags": ["Farm Life","Baking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/12/day-battling-west-virginia-vegetation.html", "title": "Day 178: Battling West Virginia Vegetation", "content_html": "\n
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The area where we removed the biggest trees.

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Colorado has snow. West Virginia has dense foliage. Both are a result of moisture. Both are beautiful. And, both can be a king-sized pain in a horse’s patoot! We went out to the farm yesterday to do battle with the tough fall grass that grows in September. It’s so hard to cut. Then, instead of weed eating, I took the pole saw to several small trees and wild grape vines.

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The trunks of most of the trees were around an inch or so across, but there were a few that were around 3-4” and they were more cumbersome. You really have to stay on top of things around here or you soon have a veritable jungle surrounding you. The Rose of Sharon at the back corner of the house had grown in so close, you could hardly walk through there. That had to be trimmed back, as well as some of the branches still attached to the tree that fell. They were encroaching in the yard where I like to mow so they needed to go.

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The larger brush pile.

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Old blackberry canes, multi flora rose, wild grape vine, Virginia Creeper, sumac, pig weed, sycamore...all rapid growing and invasive. Of course, as soon as you get them cut, you have to haul them off to the brush pile or the grass will die where they lay. One tree was absolutely woven into the shrubbery with wild grape vines...just like weaving fabric. That one was a lot of work to get out and we had to chain it up to the tractor to pull it out of the road and into the yard where we could cut it up in smaller sections. I know I’m going to be sore today. For those of you who may not know what a pole saw is, it’s literally a small chainsaw on the end of a telescoping pole so you can reach low lying limbs without a ladder. Ours extends to about twelve feet so you’re trying to wield this thing around over your head and hold it steady while it chews through four or five inches of wood. It’s hard work, trust me.

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The smaller brush pile.

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I also ran a couple of loads of laundry while we were there, and we didn’t even leave our house till the bread was baked. We were supposed to go to the class picnic today, but with Covid and the new warnings to hunker down for the fall and winter, we just decided not to go. Some people say you can’t let fear keep you from living your life...we only get this one trip...make the most of it. My answer is, we are not living fearfully. We are living scientifically informed. Just wear the mask so we can get this over with. There...that’s my PSA for the day.

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These nights are “false fall”...a series of cool evenings that are great for sleeping in the camper with the windows open. There are so many who cannot open their windows because of the smoke. We are blessed here. Lots of moisture. Lots of vegetation. Lots of work...but so worth it!

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❤️

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“And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

\nGenesis 1:11-12 ESV\n
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#HardWork, #Vegetation, #WestVirginia

\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/12/day-battling-west-virginia-vegetation.html", "tags": ["Strong Women","Positive Energy","West Virginia","The Farm","Gratitude","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/10/day-beans-tomatoes-picklesyummm.html", "title": "Day 176: Beans \u0026 Tomatoes \u0026 Pickles...YUMMM!!!", "content_html": "\n
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Ok, yesterday was a marathon day in the kitchen here at the Ponderosa. I started out by packaging up the dehydrated mushrooms then rummaging through the garden to get a few more Roma tomatoes. I set what was ready in the dehydrator and turned my attention to the green beans.

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I had enough of the beans cleaned yesterday to set a canner on to process. Then, Mr. FixIt and I enjoyed rocking in the recliners, watching old Frazier reruns while I finished stringing and snapping the last of the beans between canner loads.

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I learned something yesterday. I should have weighed the beans, because apparently I had a LOT more than I thought. According to the weights and measures scale for produce, a bushel of snap beans should weigh between twenty-eight and thirty-two pounds. This should result in a quart of processed beans for every one-and-a-half to two pounds of raw produce. Initially, I figured I would get two canners full with enough leftover beans to cook up a mess for supper. (\"Mess is Appalachian for a batch...a dinner's worth with leftovers.)

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I ended up with four canners full! That's twenty-eight quarts. I did my math and I payed just over a dollar a quart for these babies. AND I got the fun and satisfaction of putting them up for winter. I know, I know...this is nothing compared to what my cousins can every year. They put up hundreds of jars of food. I'm a little limited by supplies this year as I was sort of starting from scratch in the canning department. I'll get more jars and lids next spring.

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When the last canner was filled and on the stove, I got out my fermenting equipment and got two quarts of dill pickles started. They will sit for one to three weeks in the brine till they get to my desired taste. I made one quart with hot red pepper flakes for a little extra pizazz. I would normally use dried whole red peppers from the spice aisle but Walmart didn't have them.

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And that was the end of my day. I was tired...but it was a good kind of tired. My hands smell like garlic and they're soft from working with wet beans for two days. My hips are sore from sitting so much. But, ohhhhh.....those beautiful jars of bottled summer take my breath away when I look at them!

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It was not till I was typing this last night to post this morning that I noticed the date. Today would have been Mr. Virgo's 70th birthday! It feels so unreal. He will always and forever be 62...a number I passed five years ago. I can't even imagine him at 70. He would have reluctantly retired. He had no hobbies other than golf and me. I never, EVER would have considered taking off in the camper by myself and having adventures without him. He told me when we were first dating that if I was the kind of woman who was going to leave him alone for long stretches of time, he wasn't interested. I had been in a two decade marriage with a workaholic who had dinner between 8:00-10:00 every night. I was ready for that one-on-one attention.

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Don't get me wrong...I absolutely adore Mr. FixIt and I treasure every moment we have together. AND, I learned I need some space to recharge from time to time...for my own mental health as well as the comfort of my spouse. Different people. Different marriages. Different expectations. Still...I think of that silver-haired man and smile now.

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Seventy.

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Wow.

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Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mr. Virgo!

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❤

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Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/10/day-beans-tomatoes-picklesyummm.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","Gratitude","Wisdom","Aging","Peaceful Moments","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Widow","Memories","Marriage","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/09/day-learning-in-the-garden.html", "title": "Day 175: Learning in the Garden", "content_html": "\n
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I walked by the garden the other day and I noticed a few nibbled off branches on one of my tomato plants. My first thought was...the deer have been in here and snacking on my garden! At the same time, a distant memory swam around right under the surface and I knew there was something familiar about this particular scenario. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. 

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As you’ve seen in my posts of the the last few weeks, things have really been busy here on the Ponderosa. Between mowing, gardening, harvesting, canning, and baking bread, I’ve had little time to spend perusing the plants in our little tomato patch. As I pulled the wagon full of produce and groceries from the truck to the house yesterday, I looked over and now my tallest tomato plant was noting but sticks at the top. Now, I know deer can stand up on their hind legs to reach fruit in trees, but I couldn’t see that happening in the middle of a tomato patch without other plants being damaged. That’s when it hit me....that memory of a scourge in a garden decades ago in Colorado.

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The tomato hornworm!

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As soon as I emptied the wagon, I went out the the garden to look for the nasty beasts! And...there they were. Now, here is where it would have behooved me to do a Google search and learn something about this infestation before I made an unfortunate mistake. When I saw the worms with the white egg like sacs on their backs, I assumed they were eggs. I immediately plucked the stem with the offending monster and mashed it...”eggs” and all.

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Enter YouTube. Come to find out, that was what is called a parasitized tomato hornworm. There is a small wasp that lays it’s eggs on the caterpillar. They hatch and become larvae and burrow down into the hornworm...killing it. The trick is to find the hornworms, cut them in half with an old pair of scissors, and be done with them. Then, when you find one with the wasp eggs on it, you carefully snip off the leaf it is currently chowing down on and transfer it to a “sacrificial tomato plant”...one that maybe isn’t growing so well or producing very much. Essentially just giving it something else to eat till the wasp eggs hatch and the larvae kill it naturally. You actually want more of those wasps in nature. Unfortunately...I learned this too late for two hornworms, but now I know better.

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I told you yesterday I was going on the prowl for half runner beans and I found them. They are more expensive than stringless green beans because they are labor intensive to produce. The plants are a cross between a bush and a pole variety so they do grow vines. You have to put up stakes down the rows, then two or three times during the growing season, you string twine across from stake to stake and give the vines something to grow on. Half runners produce longer than bush beans and, according to my grandma, they make the best eating beans. 

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We here in West Virginia cook our green beans to death. A country cook would think you were absolutely crazy to serve a green bean “al dente”. No, you clean your beans, remove the strings, snap them in two to three pieces into a good sized pot, add water and a little bacon or salt pork, some cut up onion, a little salt and black pepper and set it on the back burner to simmer on very low heat all afternoon. You have to watch and add water when necessary because there is no saving a pot of scorched green beans.

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After I had the dehydrator loaded with more sliced mushrooms, I gathered my tools and sat down in my recliner to string beans and watch old Frazier reruns with Mr. FixIt. It took me about three to four hours to do the first half of the bushel. I put the cleaned ones, and the remaining beans in the garage fridge to sit overnight and will get back to them today. I place wet hand towels over top of the bean to keep them fresh and moist. Once I finish, I can pack my jars, load my canner, and process them. 

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My canner holds seven quarts which takes about 14 pounds of beans. So, fourteen quarts will take about twenty-eight pounds and take two rounds with the canner. A bushel weighs about thirty pounds, so I will get fourteen quarts plus enough to cook for supper this evening. Each canner load only processes twenty-five minutes in the pressure canner at our altitude here on the Ponderosa...650 feet elevation, however adding the ten minute boil out time to time building up and reducing pressure naturally...you have at least an hour and a half or two hours per load.

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This may seem like an awful lot of work when you can buy a can of green beans for less than a dollar. I can guarantee you, if you haven’t eaten home canned green beans, you don’t know what you’re missing. Sure, home canning is work...sometimes long, hard, hot work. However, inside each sparkling jar of lovingly prepared food is a little slice of summer. It’s not just the food in the jar...it’s what’s NOT in the jar. No preservatives or chemicals....just love and memories and sunshine.

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❤️

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“Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't let them say you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival.”

\nColossians 2:16 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/09/day-learning-in-the-garden.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/08/day-getting-things-done-for.html", "title": "Day 174: Getting Things Done for Winter", "content_html": "\n
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You can see the tree to the left that fell and crushed the old meter box. You can also see the old iron bridge that went across the creek to the outhouse.

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My Colorado family has checked in and they are expecting snow today! I think they said it will be the earliest measurable snowfall in twenty years. I must say...I certainly don’t miss that! I miss my kids and my Colorado peeps...and I miss the beauty of the Rockies...but I do NOT miss snow and cold...not one bit. Still, snow will come to West Virginia one of these days and getting ready for it is what a proper country gal does.

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I wanted to make another batch of jam yesterday, but we decided we had better go to the farm to mow and finish building the enclosure for the gas meter. I found out why there is a cover for it. The holler up behind the house works like nature’s air conditioner as the cool air sweeps down through the woods past the house. That’s great in the summer, but in the wintertime, that same air flow brings frigid temps with it. There is a good deal of moisture in natural gas and the water condenses and lays in the gas lines. If it gathers at the meter and the temperature takes a nosedive, the line can freeze and shuts off the gas to the house. Then, there’s no heat and the water lines are the next to go. 

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We’ve been really lucky the last few years to have fairly mild winters, but you never know when one will be harsh. The little shed surrounding the gas meter protects it from that downdraft through the holler and helps to keep the gas running. We finished rebuilding it yesterday and got it in place and if I do say so, we did a pretty good job. We decided not to mow out there. The grass hadn’t grown nearly as much there as it did here at the Ponderosa, so we didn’t even unload the mower.

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Oh, we did have one little bit of excitement on the way over to the farm. I’m the one who hooked up the little utility trailer and loaded the riding mower and lawn mower while Mr. FixIt was busy doing something else. I checked everything, just like I do when I hook up the camper. I did notice the latch that locks the hitch in place was a little hard to put down, but I finally got it. Well, we stopped at the Piggly Wiggly for some lunch supplies and when we went over a bump, the trailer came unhooked! Thank God we were going very slow or that could have been a problem. The safety chains did their job and nothing was damaged. We got it hooked back up and didn’t have any more trouble.

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Dehydrated mushrooms. I was surprised how easily these dried.

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I emptied the dehydrator and put the mushrooms in a jar before we left for the farm. These will be really nice to throw into soup, stew, and spaghetti sauce over the winter. Our dining room table is getting filled with jars of goodies. Mr. FixIt thought we should carry them downstairs, but I told him I want to take a picture of the bounty before we do that. I love looking at all the jars of healthy foods put away for the coming winter.

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It’s time to bake sourdough again and I think I’m going to try to cut the recipe in half and only make one loaf this time. I actually had to throw some away last time because it got moldy. I should have stored the extra loaf in the fridge, but there wasn’t enough room and I just got so busy canning, I forgot about it. I really hated to throw that bread away! If we had a pig or some chickens, that would have gone out to them. I still haven’t fixed up a compost bin yet. So much to do...so little time to do it.

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So, Labor Day is gone and we are heading into fall. I’m not minding it a bit this year. We don’t have a thing on our schedule till Saturday so we’ll see what we can get into here at the Ponderosa. I’m on the prowl for some half-runner beans to can!

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❤️

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“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.”

\nEcclesiastes 3:1 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/08/day-getting-things-done-for.html", "tags": ["Family","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/07/day-jam-and-jesus.html", "title": "Day 173: Jam and Jesus!", "content_html": "\n
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I love Sundays in the country. While they are supposed to be a day of rest, they most often turn into a different kind of worship...the kind I do every day. First, since we are staying out in the camper every chance we get, we are sleeping so soundly that it isn’t hard to completely miss online church. However, yesterday, I opened my eyes, smiled at my sweetheart and he said, “Good morning, baby...ten minutes to church!”

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I glanced at my cell phone to confirm and hopped right up. When your man is excited for church, you get moving! I was up, dressed, in the house with coffee in hand at 10:00...a new world record, I am sure!

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Church was really great, even though they played a repeat of the last sermon of 2019. For one thing, it was so cool to see what life was like just 9 short months ago. A little nostalgic, I have to say. Also, our pastor...as I am sure any pastor would be...was so animated and on fire in front of a congregation without restriction. Next Sunday they are going back to in person worship, but we will stay home and continue to watch online. We just feel safer that way and we still get spiritually fed. This is actually working very well for us under the circumstances but I will look forward to the day we feel it is a healthy choice for us to go in person. In the meantime, we do not feel deprived of the experience.

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As soon as church was over, I headed to work in the kitchen. I filled the dehydrator with sliced mushrooms and set it aside to do its thing while I turned to the main task at hand. I had peaches and plums that needed to be made into jam and I could hardly wait to try the new Jam & Jelly Maker. When I preserve food, I set everything out in an orderly fashion so I don’t have to go looking for something I need right in the middle of things. There might be a little wiggle room if you are canning tomatoes or green beans, but jams and jellies are absolutely time dependent.

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As I set to peeling the peaches, I asked Mr. FixIt if he would mind filming me while I did it. I wanted to show how easy it is to peel peaches and make jam. It was the first thing I learned to can when I started and anyone can do it...especially with this handy appliance. When Mr. FixIt was in high school, he ran the stage crew so he is quite at home behind a camera. However, from a technical standpoint, we made some errors so there is definitely a learning curve.

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For one thing, I not only had the window fan going, but I also had the exhaust fan on over the stove, trying to keep the house from getting too hot. That’s great for temperature...not so great for sound. The second thing we discovered...if you film in portrait view and compose the movie in the app iMovie, it converts to landscape orientation. That’s cool except...it cuts off the top and the bottom of the film. In other words, the top of my head is cut off, but you can hear what I’m saying, so we’ll just take it as a learning experience. Just a head’s up disclaimer if you decide to watch. I’ve added a link to my YouTube Channel. (Yes...I have a YouTube Channel...who knew? lol)

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It was a productive day. The Jam & Jelly Maker only makes four jars at a time. If there is a downside, that’s it. However, the upsides are awesome. It stirs itself and the temperature is preset so there’s no scorching. And, while one batch is cooking, you can get the ingredients together for the next batch. It went very smooth once I got the hang of it.

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I ended up with eight jars of Peach Jam, but not enough mashed fruit left for a third batch. I pulled the plums out of the fridge and cut up enough to make up the difference and made four jars of Peach-Plum Jam. It was my favorite. The flavor combo was really special. Then I made four jars of Plum Jam but there were not enough mashed plums to make another batch. I put what was left over in a jar in the fridge and will buy some more plums today to add to it. So, sixteen jars of jam and a dehydrator full of mushrooms. Not a bad afternoon’s work.

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When we had the kids over on Friday for homemade pizza, I only baked three of the four pizzas. I covered the fourth one tightly and set it in the garage fridge to have over the weekend. It seemed like the perfect time yesterday so after the mess from the jam was put away, I baked the pizza on the pizza stone and I think it was even more flavorful than the others. The flavors had a chance to meld in the fridge and it was really delicious. I’ll do a pizza-making video one of these days!

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When all was said and done, I stretched out to edit and upload the video to YouTube. While I waited for the upload to go through, I fell asleep. Who would have imagined such a thing, right? I hate falling asleep that late, but it couldn’t be helped. It was a really good day. Sometimes worship comes in the form of putting food by for a rainy day.

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You can watch my “Making Jam with Ginny” video HERE.

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❤️

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“Flowers and grass fade away, but what our God has said will never change.”

\nIsaiah 40:8 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/07/day-jam-and-jesus.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Gratitude","God","Farm Life","Cooking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/09/06/day-cool-nights-camping-at.html", "title": "Day 172: Cool Nights = Camping at the Ponderosa", "content_html": "\n
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We are still socially distancing other than a weekly trip to get groceries or an occasional doctor’s appointment. We have had family over that also social distance and we keep that six foot distance. We have had a total of three people in our house since February and that was very briefly and again, socially distanced. 

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Campgrounds were packed this year. Because of Covid, more people opted to camp for family vacations because it’s safer to have your own bedroom and bathroom and kitchen. Also, you are automatically socially distanced at a campground, so overall it’s a safer option. Consequently, campers sold like hot cakes and campsites were hard to come by.

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Having our own “campground” makes it easy to feel like I’ve had my yearly quotient of camping experiences. And these cool nights have just been delightful. Friday night, it got down to the mid to low fifties and I had to put an extra blanket on the bed. Mr. FixIt has camped with me about half the time. He knows I need to have small spaces of time when I can decompress alone and I don’t feel nervous about it because he is literally less than forty steps from me. I just keep my phone turned on in case he needs me.

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I finished mowing yesterday and glory be...some of the kids came out again. And, they brought me two dozen quart canning jars! I emptied the dehydrator and got a quart of banana chips out of it. Today the sliced mushrooms go in. I will also start on all the jams and jellies today. We went to the grocery store yesterday and I was shocked to find the kind of pectin I need for the new Ball Jam and Jelly Maker I bought.

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We picked up a couple more 2x4’s to finish the project at the farm. Last weekend, they were a little over $3.00 each. Yesterday, they were nearly $6.00 each! So, did they jack up the price because more people would be working on projects this weekend? Or, is this the start of a trend where we see higher prices secondary to the Covid crisis? It depends on who you ask, but I imagine it’s a little of both. Just like the new bread bakers causing flour to become scarce, so too are other Mr. (and Ms.) FixIts out there with more time on their hands and less traveling. Combined with the supply side being diminished because of Covid, it’s just another thing we have to deal with.

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We have a 30’x40’ building out behind the house that is jammed full of stuff. It’s sort of like having your own Home Depot. You can go in and look around and pretty much guarantee you’ll find something you need. My stepson came yesterday to borrow the extension ladder. My stepdaughter is coming out today to get an extra water heater we have out there to replace the one in her house. I love that we can have these things at our fingertips, even though I would much prefer if they were neat and tidy and organized...and much less voluminous.

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It is so hard to believe summer itself is very nearly gone. It’s been a lot of hard work with a lot of things accomplished and that gives me a certain sense of satisfaction. I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day Weekend!

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❤️

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“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat; winter and summer, day and night.”

\nGenesis 8:22 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-09-06T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/09/06/day-cool-nights-camping-at.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Holiday","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/31/day-making-hay-while-the.html", "title": "Day 166: Making Hay While the Sun Shines", "content_html": "\n
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Grandma’s Hydrangea full of Honeybees

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I thought for sure I was going to be a lady of leisure yesterday. But, nooooooooo! Even though it was Sunday, the Weather Channel App informed us first thing when we woke up what our day was going to entail. We had absolutely no other choice than to go to the farm and mow. But first, we had to go back to town. We got to the pharmacy too late on Saturday and then, when I opened up my brand new jelly maker, the knob for the lid was missing. Fortunately, they had another one and held it for me till we could get back yesterday morning.

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As soon as we got back home, we loaded up the truck and the trailer and headed to the farm with the mowers and assorted tools and materials we needed for a project we are working on. The grass was still pretty wet, but I went ahead and mowed anyway. It just meant I had to mow over it several times to mulch up the wet clumps of grass that gets left behind. It takes twice as long, but you do what you have to do.

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The Gas Meter between the House and the Barn

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While I mowed, Mr. FixIt got to work on rebuilding the cover for the gas meter. The week after the tree brought down the power lines, a smaller tree fell...narrowly missing the gas meter itself. It basically crushed the old sheet metal “lean to” that covered the gas meter to protect it from the weather...and I suppose falling limbs, as well. Mr. FixIt took the pieces of mangled sheet metal and removed all the rotten wood and laid them out on the sidewalk. Then he took a heavy hammer and the rubber mallet and beat it back flat. 

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Rebuilding the Cover for the Gas Meter

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He measured and cut the wood to rebuild the frame. I finished mowing the front yard about the time he needed me to help reassemble the lean to. We realized when we got the sides and back done that we were going to need more wood. So, we put our tools away and I made lunch while he ran the weed eater. After lunch, I mowed the back yard with the push mower and he finished the weed eating. We were about done in by the time we loaded the mowers back up and headed home.

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That’s when Mr. FixIt said the back yard at the Ponderosa really needed to be mowed but he just didn’t think he had it in him to do it. I told him that was no problem...I could do it. We unloaded the mowers and I set to work. He emptied the truck and took everything inside and came out to run the weed eater around the fence, the sidewalk, and the pool. He can’t stand it if I’m working and he’s not helping.

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We finally finished around dark and that was the end of our day. I know it was Sunday and we aren’t supposed to work on Sunday. But, we enjoyed seeing the fruits of our labor and working together on a project. We talked about God and brought Him with us in everything we did. And, we thanked Him for Mr. FixIt’s improved health that allows him to do the things he loves to do. We are so grateful to still have access to the farm. We are so grateful for our health and our home and our relationship. So that had to suffice for our “Sunday Sermon” this week. We can watch our online church today...God will still love us.

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Oh, I wish you could have heard the honeybees on Grandma’s hydrangea bush out back! When I came around the corner of the house to take stuff inside, I could hear them from twenty feet away. A man down the road keeps about 25-30 hives so we have lots of bees which makes me so happy. The Rose of Sharon is nearly spent. There was another limb down from the huge old cherry tree out back so I told Mr. FixIt I need to get my vintage trailer out of there and bring her to the Ponderosa to work on before the snow flies.

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There’s never a dull moment around here and I’m telling you...TODAY I am taking the day off. After I make a pan of lasagna...and maybe an apple pie!  

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❤️

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“Honey is good for you, my children, and it tastes sweet. Wisdom is like honey for your life— if you find it, your future is bright.”

\nProverbs 24:13-14 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/31/day-making-hay-while-the.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","The Farm","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/30/day-oh-happy-daythe-drain.html", "title": "Day 165: Oh, Happy Day...the Drain Works!", "content_html": "\n
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I took yesterday off! I told the boss-man I was NOT working all day and he thought that was a fine idea. It’s a good thing, because I had another near sleepless night Friday. We had thunderstorms come through periodically all day Friday and into the night. Mr. FixIt was worried about the storm drain we cleared out with the snake this week, so he set his alarm to go off at 2:00, 3:30, and 5:00. First...I probably fell asleep about 1:30, so that was the end of sleep for me. Second, it hardy rained at all overnight so it was overkill. But, like he says...better to be safe than sorry. 

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The only thing I did yesterday that was “work related” was take the new gizmo I bought, hook it up to the hose, and run water down the storm drain for twenty minutes or so. The Drain King works kind of like a balloon angioplasty where a balloon in streamed into a vein (like a pipe) and it is inflated to open the vein. The only difference here is, the ballon makes a seal in the drain, then the water is shot out under pressure down the pipe and blasts out the clog. Voila!

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I threaded the Drain King down the storm pipe and turned on the water and then walked down to the creek to see if it was working. As you can see, there is water running through the ditch we dug out this week down at the creek. It works, it works! Now, maybe we won’t be such slaves to the whims of the rain gods and we can go camping when the tomatoes are finished!

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We went to town for supper last night and stopped at Walmart. I bought myself a kitchen toy. I’ve been wanting one of these Ball FreshTECH Jam and Jelly Makers. I’ve made jams and jellies for years and there’s always a time when I get distracted and scorch the fruit because it doesn’t get stirred like it’s supposed to. Or, I forget to set my timer and either the jam is too loose or too stiff. This little gadget takes the guesswork out of the whole process. You put your ingredients in, turn it on, and it stirs, cooks, and times the process for you. I am always multitasking when I am in the kitchen, so we’ll see how it works in the next couple of weeks.

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It was a relaxing and stress free day. I think I’ll do a repeat today. Except...I’m going to make lasagna with the rest of the sauce I made Friday. Have a happy day!

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❤️

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“But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.”

\nIsaiah 40:31 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/30/day-oh-happy-daythe-drain.html", "tags": ["Be Joyful!","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/29/day-step-onepick-tomatoes.html", "title": "Day 164: Step One...Pick Tomatoes", "content_html": "\n
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Earlier in the season, I wasn’t at all sure I would get many tomatoes. Blossom end rot was decimating my crop, but I changed the feed and...wham! They are coming on like gangbusters now. I had another bucket ready yesterday morning and...they don’t know a day off from nothin’! 

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I went out and got the crocks of bread dough from the garage fridge first thing so I could bake in the cool of the day. When you bake sourdough bread in a dutch oven inside your kitchen oven, you have to heat it up to 500 degrees. It doesn’t take long till your house is overheated...even at 9:00am. I have a window fan so I put it in the kitchen window and exhausted as much of the heat out as I could before the outside temp climbed.

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I am thrilled with the success I’ve been getting with my sourdough bread. I have read that the longer you bake sourdough, the more wild yeasts grow in your environment, and the tastier your bread becomes. I’ve been getting a really nice “oven spring”, as well. That’s the amount of rise you get in your bread in the oven before the crust gets too hard to expand. The cuts I make on the surface helps that as well as the way I form the dough before I set it in the fridge to raise slowly overnight. One of the loaves was at least 5” high before I cut it in half. The cutting kinda smashed it down a little.

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As soon as the bread was done, I considered just stopping for the day, then I checked my tomatoes and I cannot stand to lose even one. So, I scalded them in boiling water, dropped them in ice water, slipped the skins off and cut the core out. Then I gave them a quick flip of my wrist to extract the seeds and dropped the pulpy tomatoes into my cooking pot. When I was finished cleaning the tomatoes, I strained the seeds from the juice in the bottom of the bowl and added it to the pot. I set it on a low flame and when the juices started to simmer, I used my immersion blender to chop up the tomatoes but stopped short of actually puréeing them. I let the sauce simmer all day, seasoning it here and there to my tastes.

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Later in the afternoon, we made a quick trip to town for meat and mushrooms for the sauce and finally sat down for a feast at 6:30! I didn’t actually get my day off. But, Mr. FixIt mowed because I was busy inside, so I didn’t have to do that. Maybe today will be my real day off! lol

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❤️

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“It is useless to get up early and stay up late in order to earn a living. God takes care of his own, even while they sleep.”

\nPsalms 127:2 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/29/day-step-onepick-tomatoes.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/28/day-the-evening-and-the.html", "title": "Day 163: The Evening and the Morning", "content_html": "\n
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This is the time of year when I look back and remember long, leisurely days of knitting in front of the fire...a mug of tea, fuzzy slippers, and snow falling gently outside the window. And I wonder... “Will we ever get back to those days again?” 

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I’m sure we will...eventually. At least we didn’t have to wrangle that drain snake yesterday. I am not sure I had another day in me to mess with that thing and still walk upright. I hit the ground running yesterday. I mixed up some bread dough and fed the starter again. I set it aside in the fridge for the time being. It will grow slower and actually develop a nicer flavor if you do that from time to time. It saves you from having to feed it every day.

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I turned the bread dough every thirty minutes. You don’t knead sourdough bread...you lift and fold the dough every thirty minutes for about three or four hours to incorporate and support the rise from the wild yeasts. They aren’t as strong as commercial yeast. In between the turns, I emptied the dehydrator and used the kitchen shears to cut the dehydrated tomatoes into julienne strips. Then I packed them into sterilized jars and covered them with olive oil to preserve them. A whole bucket of tomatoes shrank down to two pint jars...but oh, the flavor that is packed into those two little jars will add a little sunshine to dishes in the coming year. They can’t be beat!

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Once the tomatoes were done, I turned my attention to the smoked pork that was still warming in crockpots. I ran the jars through the dishwasher earlier and they were still steaming hot. I packed the jars, put in a teaspoon of pickling salt and topped it off with hot broth, sealed the jar, and set them one at a time in the simmering water of the pressure canner. Once filled, I placed the lid on and let the water boil without the pressure cock. I placed it on 10 pounds and as soon as it jiggled, I set the timer for ninety minutes. 

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By then, the bread dough was ready to be worked and formed into two round loaves. Once they were wrapped in flour sack dishtowels and placed in crocks, I took them out to the refrigerator in the garage to rise overnight and I’ll bake them this morning. 

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The timer went off for the canner and I turned off the heat. Once the canner cooled and the pressure was equalized, I removed the pressure cock and the lid and let the canner rest for another thirty minutes to acclimate. Two pork picnics produced another seven quarts of smoked pulled pork that’s unbelievably good. I had two quarts and two pints of broth left over that I used in the jars of pork. I didn’t want to throw that way, so as soon as the canner was emptied, I processed them for thirty minutes. Now, when I smoke pork the next time, my broth will be ready made.

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When I made that vegetable beef soup in the spring, I couldn’t find the pressure canner so I ended up freezing it. I’ve decided to bring it in from the freezer in the garage and cook it up again and can it this time. I have a huge tin of mixed veggies I want to put in it. I have enough tomatoes ready to make a batch of spaghetti sauce, too. That should just about finish up my available canning jars.

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I love looking over the bounty I’ve created for our winter eating. These things will be so nice to have when that snowed-in leisure time returns and I can have a day of knitting in front of the fire. It sounds delightful right about now, doesn’t it?

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❤️

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“Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do. Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won't have to depend on anyone.”

\n1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/28/day-the-evening-and-the.html", "tags": ["Strong Women","Positive Energy","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/27/day-if-at-first-you.html", "title": "Day 162: If at First You Don’t Succeed...", "content_html": "\n
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Round three of the “snaking the drain” saga. I had some things to do first. Run to the nearby Piggly Wiggly and pick up the pork picnics I ordered. Make the pork rub. Rub the pork and get it in the smoker. Clean and prepare a bucket of Roma tomatoes and load the dehydrator. Feed the sourdough starter and make a batch of sourdough pancakes with the discard. Clean up the kitchen. THEN I could go downstairs and help Mr. FixIt.

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We wanted to run the snake down that drain at least once to make sure it was open. We painted a line on the cable the first day to indicate where the point of resistance was. Tuesday we could get all the way down...fifty feet. But, for some reason, yesterday the cable would not feed beyond that point. We fussed with it...pulled it back...sent it down again...same thing.

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That’s when we noticed the cable was all jammed up in the drum. We turned everything off and unplugged the unit for safety, then manually pulled the cable all the way out. Easy peasy. However...as soon as we tried to run it back in, the cable would just flip around and twist on itself. I straightened that thing our three times...no easy feat. We brainstormed different ways to get that cable to go back into the drum but we came up with blanks.

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Then, Mr. FixIt said, “We COULD go read the instruction manual.” This, from the man who already read the manual three days ago so I didn’t bother reading it. I can’t say a word, though. I didn’t think of reading the directions either. I went in and read the instructions and within two minutes, I went back downstairs and stuffed that cable in manually. Bingo!

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We ran the snake down one more time and it went the entire fifty feet with no resistance. The cat snuck in the basement...again. She bit Mr. FixIt when he picked her up...again. She’s a pistol. It was getting to be a lot of fun at our house and I was hangry. *sigh*

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I heated up pizza for supper. I couldn’t believe it was 5:00 already. The pork came out of the smoker at dark and went in the crockpots to slow cook overnight. I used Diet Pepsi this time for the broth. The tomatoes are dehydrating nicely but they take a while here in West Virginia. We had an inch and a half of rain on Tuesday so the sky was hazy with humidity and that will slow the process. 

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I fed the sourdough starter before I headed in to write so I can start the bread this morning. I checked on the sauerkraut and it’s coming along...bubbling and fermenting well. I’ll also be canning this smoked pork and putting the dehydrated tomatoes in olive oil to preserve them. I cannot believe it’s Thursday already...time is just getting away from me. 

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I think I’m taking tomorrow off!

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❤️

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“Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk will make you poor.”

\nProverbs 14:23 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/27/day-if-at-first-you.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Strong Women","West Virginia","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/26/day-calling-in-the-troops.html", "title": "Day 161: Calling in the Troops on the Ponderosa", "content_html": "\n
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Today would have been my mama’s 95th birthday! Happy Heavenly Birthday, Wanda Belle! 

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It was hotter than blue blazes yesterday and we had to work on that drain some more. I ran the snake down several times and we weren’t making any progress so I suggested using a different blade on the end. We switched to a metal end that looks like a spring. I told Mr. FixIt that we might break through with that end, then we could switch back to a cutter. I put the snake down twice and we got stopped at the same point each time. We painted a small white spot on the snake to mark how far we got down.

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Each time we pulled the snake back out, there were strands of fibrous roots attached. The pipe goes underneath the forsythia and flowering quince so there’s no wonder there are lots of roots down there. Finally, we got the snake to break past the roots and the mark we painted and extended all 50’ into the drain. We changed to the smaller cutting blade and it went through twice so at least we knew we had an opening, however small.

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There were several times when I could feel the snake getting caught up in the roots and every time, I calmly asked God to help me get this job done. And every time, I got further and further along. God isn’t just there to help with the big stuff. He wants to help with everything. He loves when you ask him for assistance in your everyday life. And he answers. I was sure to thank him every time I made progress.

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The storm drain goes to the creek so we went down to make sure that end was open. It was covered with at least two feet of earth from the spring floods! We worked with a 100 degree heat index and soon decided this job was bigger than the both of us so we called in the troops. Our friend Harry and his son were there within the hour and ninety minutes later, they had the ditch dug out and water was flowing through. And what should come out of the pipe? A golf ball! A remnant from the days when an active dog lived here. He loved to throw golf balls down the back steps into the drain. 

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There are a couple of things we still need to do before this drain is winter ready. There’s a thing you can put on the end of a garden hose that goes down the drain. When you turn on the water, the gizmo fills up and compresses against the edges of the pipe, creating a seal. Then, the running water builds up pressure and blows out the stuff that’s clogging up the pipe. After it flows well, we’ll put a solution down it that kills the roots in the pipe without killing the flowering shrubs above.

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At the end of the work day, we were both too tired to cook so I ordered a pizza and picked it up. We had one heck of a storm come through here. It started just as the boys were finished digging the ditch and ended about ninety minutes later after dumping an inch and a half of rain. The storm drain did its job and the pumps didn’t kick on! On the way back from town, I snapped this picture. Even though it was well in the nineties yesterday, when that storm came through, the temperature dropped rapidly and the hills were shrouded in fog. You could see the hint of fall coming.

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Used to, the idea of fall saddened me because winter would be close on its heels. Nowadays though, fall means cooler temperatures and the outdoor work begins to slow down. I’m looking forward to that...less mowing, less watering and weeding the garden, more time for a little fun...like camping and bonfires and roasting marshmallows. We are ready for a little break from the frenetic summer schedule.

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When you live in the country on acreage, there is always something that needs to be done. When we go to my cousin’s for Thanksgiving, the men always go out and work the fields during the day while the women cook and visit. A body needs as many hands as he can get when things need fixing. The key is, knowing when it’s time to call in the troops. We are getting to the age where we have to admit...it’s time.

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❤️

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“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.”

\nMatthew 7:7-8 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-26T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/26/day-calling-in-the-troops.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/25/day-snaking-a-drain-and.html", "title": "Day 160: Snaking a Drain and Praising Jesus", "content_html": "\n
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Have you ever run a drain snake? I’m not talking about those little hand crank jobs that you get the hair clog out from under your sink. No...I’m talking about that big ol’ mama honkin’ electric job like a plumber uses. We have a drain at the bottom of the back staircase down into the basement that gets clogged with roots and the like and really should be snaked out once a year. Well...it hasn’t been done for three years and this spring we had a mess on our hands.

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When the drain gets clogged, the water backs up and comes in our basement. When this happens, we have to take the carpet cleaner and suck up the water. It’s a mess and king sized pain in the patoot. We decided to buy one of these snakes instead of rent them over and over and yesterday was our lucky day. We’ve had dry weather so before it got too hot, we got to work.

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I’ve never run one of these things, so I watched Mr. FixIt closely. There is a cable with blades on the end. There is a power switch that starts the cable to turning. Then you feed the cable down into the drain. In our case, it has to go about fifteen feet then makes a hard turn so you have to navigate the blades through there. Then, the cable is fifty feet long. The object is to get all that cable down in there to chew up any roots and clear out the drain.

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We had to run it down and pull it back several times to remove roots from the blades. It’s really hard on your back, so I finally took over and did the feeding. The last two times we put it down, it hit snags and I could not seem to get it to go past that point. By then the sun was overhead and it was getting really hot so we gave up on it for the day.

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I love to learn how to do new things. I love learning how to be self sufficient...not that I’m thinking I’ll have to be any time soon, but experience has taught me it is best to know how to do what needs to be done. We’ll get back to it today. I picked another pan of tomatoes last evening so I have enough to can some. I ordered more pork picnic roasts to smoke and can. And, it’s just about time to bake bread again. We found more canning jars in the basement so I’m not as short as I thought I was. And, there’s a dehydrator so I think I’m going to try drying some of the Roma tomatoes and pack them in olive oil to preserve them.

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This is a beautiful time to be alive...if you LOOK for the beauty. It’s still out there!

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❤️

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“God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do.”

\nEcclesiastes 3:11-13 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/25/day-snaking-a-drain-and.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Strong Women","Wisdom","Farm Life","Widow"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/24/day-farm-life-making-sauerkraut.html", "title": "Day 159: Farm Life - Making Sauerkraut", "content_html": "\n
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Sometime in the spring, when I bought a few toys for the kitchen, I came across a fermentation kit made by Ball Corporation. It uses a typical wide mouthed quart jar and this cool spring with a zigzag base that looks like a potato masher. It also has a plastic lid with a vent to release gasses as the food inside ferments.

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I cant really remember if my grandma made sauerkraut when I was little or if I just have incorporated that into my memory from all the stories I’ve read. She did have huge pickle crocks and I know she made pickles, so it shouldn’t be a hard stretch to think she also made kraut. I know she had a kraut cutter somewhere along the line...a wooden tray with a sharp blade set in it for slicing cabbage into this strips.

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Somewhere over the last couple of months, I misplaced the directions for the kit...as usual...so I looked it up on the internet. It suggested using napa cabbage, but I had regular. I searched for a recipe using the typical heads of cabbage and found one by Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman fame. 

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I removed the outer leaves then cored and washed the cabbage. I saved one good leaf then using a very sharp knife, I cut the cabbage into very thin slices. I weighed the cabbage and used the appropriate amount of pickling salt and tossed it together to evenly distribute. Then, I covered the bowl with a clean flour sack dishtowel and let it sit for a while.

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About an hour or so later, I commenced to massaging the cabbage for about 5-10 minutes. This took a lot of hand strength...rubbing, squeezing, mashing...till the cabbage had been greatly reduced in size and there was a fair amount of brine in the bottom of the bowl. I washed the fermenting jar, spring, and lid in as hot soapy water as my hands could stand and rinsed it well.

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I packed the now limp cabbage into the jar, mashing it down with my fist as I packed. Once all the cabbage was in the jar, I cut a circle out of the reserved leaf and laid it down on top and pressed it down. This helps hold all the cabbage under the brine. Then, I strained the remaining brine from the bowl and put enough in the jar to bring it up to about a half inch headspace. I pressed the spring down onto the leaf covering and screwed down the lid. I set the jar in a pie plate to catch any drips that may bubble out through the vent in the lid. 

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This jar will sit at room temperature and ferment anywhere from 1-4 weeks, depending on how sour I want the kraut. This doesn’t make enough sauerkraut to can, obviously. But we don’t eat it often enough to warrant making a huge batch. I used two small head of cabbage for this one jar. I just thought it would be fun to try something different for my Covid Kitchen Chronicles. With all the bread I bake, my kitchen is teeming with wild yeasts so it ought to make some really good kraut.

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❤️

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The only verses I could fined about fermentation:

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“No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put only into new wineskins.”

\nLuke 5:37-38 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/24/day-farm-life-making-sauerkraut.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/20/day-celebrating-farm-life-in.html", "title": "Day 155: Celebrating Farm Life in the Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was tomato day. I took my soup pot out to the garden and picked every tomato that was ready. With the pot full to overflowing, I headed back into the kitchen and commenced working them up. I thought I would have tomatoes coming out of my ears this year with twenty-one plants, but up to this point...we’ve only been getting a handful at a time. Not enough to do anything with, but too many to eat. We’ve given a few away and we lost a lot to blossom end rot. I’ve been told by experienced farmers that this hasn’t been the best year for tomatoes. Seems about right since it’s the year WE decided to go whole hog.

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I was in my canning prime in my early 30’s. I was telling Mr. FixIt yesterday, it wasn’t anything for me to put up a bushel of green beans, a couple flats of tomatoes, and a couple flats of pickles up over the three day weekend of Labor Day. I would have jars of food spread everywhere, stored in boxes under the bed and on shelves in the basement. I’d give jars away as gifts. I was prolific. Now? Ahhhhh...the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

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I set to with my big pot of tomatoes. I elected to use the Foley Food Mill method to get a smooth, seedless and skinless sauce that I could use in a soup or a creamed tomato gravy. Optimistically, I washed six quart jars. I washed, cored and quartered my tomatoes and put them in the canner since that’s the biggest pot I have with a heavy bottom that wouldn’t scorch them. I turned the flame to medium and started mashing the tomatoes with a potato masher to get the juices flowing. I kept a close eye on them, mashing and stirring and adjusting the heat till they were soft and tender.

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I removed the canner from the fire and scooped up the stewed tomatoes into the food mill. If you haven’t used one of these, they’re pretty handy. There’s a kind of slanted plate that draws the tomatoes over a screen and presses the juice and flesh out while keeping the seeds, skins, and any coarse fibers in the pan. You empty it and fill again and repeat till you’ve processed all the tomatoes. Then, you have this wonderful, smooth tomato juice.

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Now, what you want your end product to look like will determine how long you simmer your juice over medium heat. You stir frequently. I wanted mine to be the consistency of store bought tomato sauce....a sort of thick, pulpy juice. When I was satisfied, I ladled the hot sauce in the hot jars with about a tablespoon of lemon juice in each jar for extra acidity, wiped the rim with white vinegar, centered a hot jar lid and screwed it down with a jar ring. Then I placed them in the boiling water bath, adjusted the water level from the simmering tea kettle, and timed them for 35 minutes from the time they reached a rolling boil.

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I got...get this...TWO QUARTS!

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Yes...all those plants, all that hoeing and weeding and watering and feeding and babying those tomato plants and I got two quarts of juice. I have discovered this. You do just as much work to can two quarts as you do to can twenty. I should have bought more tomatoes to add to mine. When Mr. FixIt called from town to see how I was doing (he was looking for a replacement chain for the pole saw) I told him I was really disappointed. He said, “Look at the bright side. You know exactly what went in those jars.” Ever the optimist...we are a good match.

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As soon as the jars were in the water bath, I set to making a peach-blueberry lattice top pie. I reached back to my baking contest days and used my never fail pie crust that has lard in it. SO not good for you...SO flavorful. Then I made the recipe that won me a blue ribbon in the Carbondale Mountain Fair sometime back in the early ‘90s. I hadn’t made it in years and forgot it needed instant tapioca, which I did not have. I used flour...and not enough of it. So the pie is soupy....really soupy. But flavor? OMGosh...knock your socks off awesome! Served warm in a bowl with a spoon, it just couldn’t be beat.

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By the time I was done with the pie and had it in the oven, the jars of tomato sauce were ready. I just turned off the heat and let them sit while I fried up some bacon for BLT’s. I had a big tomato...still warm from the sun. And a head of butter-crunch lettuce from the greenhouse down the road. It was meal fit for a king. 

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Oy! I can feel my arteries crackling. 

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❤️

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“I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat.”

\nGenesis 1:29 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/20/day-celebrating-farm-life-in.html", "tags": ["Fun","Comfort","Farm Life","Baking"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/18/day-ahhhhthats-more-like-it.html", "title": "Day 153: Ahhhh...That’s More Like It!", "content_html": "\n
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I can almost feel the stress melting off my shoulders by the moment. After the last few hectic weeks, and then backing off from social media, I am much more centered and relaxed. The fact that the nights have been cooler and we’ve been “camping” out in our field at the Ponderosa. Sleeping in my camper always makes me a happy girl!

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I worked on the website for a few hours yesterday while Mr. FixIt was at the dentist. When he got home, we hooked up the trailer and took the mowers out to the farm. We got about halfway there and the road was soaked. It was so cool to watch the steam rising up from the hot asphalt after the rain that had just passed through. It wasn’t too much further that the road was dry. We bet each other whether there was rain at the farm. I said there was...and I won. Not a bet I wanted to win, though. The grass was thick and wet and not easy to mow.

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When we were at the farm last time, we noticed that the internet wasn’t working. I called to report it and left my phone number but never heard from anyone. I sat down to call and was on hold for quite some time when I looked out the window to see the neighbor’s garden. Lo and behold, there on the bird seed bin was a brand new modem the phone guy left for me. I hooked it up and we were back in business in five minutes flat!

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Once the lawn was mowed and I had a good thirty minute video chat with Daughter #1, we packed back up and headed home. I told Mr. FixIt that I felt we definitely deserved ice cream after all that so we stopped at the Piggly Wiggly to get some. We happily munched out on a Magnum Double Caramel bar on the way home!

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As soon as we had everything unhooked and put away, I made a beeline for the camper to write. It was a little stuffy after being closed up all day, but it was soon cool and comfortable from the strategically placed fans. We don’t have a single thing planned till the 29th! I’ve been letting the tomatoes ripen and I think today is the day to get them picked and canned. Seriously, it won’t amount to much once I cook them down. As soon as the garden is finished, it’s camping time for us! 

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I feel a hundred pounds happier!

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❤️

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“Our Lord, we belong to you. We tell you what worries us, and you won't let us fall. But what about those people who are cruel and brutal? You will throw them down into the deepest pit long before their time. I trust you, Lord!”

\nPsalms 55:22-23 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/18/day-ahhhhthats-more-like-it.html", "tags": ["Faith","Health","Overcoming Obstacles","The Farm","Gratitude","Comfort","Wisdom","Peaceful Moments","Choices","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/08/day-sparkles-in-the-grass.html", "title": "Day 143: Sparkles in the Grass", "content_html": "\n
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The other night, I was heading out to the camper to write. We have been blessed with some lovely, cool nights so we’ve been taking advantage of that and “camping” at the Ponderosa. We still haven’t fixed up our “campground” here on the five acres. It seems there is always something else needing our attention. Hopefully, it won’t just be a pipe dream and we will have this ground available so my camping friends can join me.

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I was wearing my headlamp, and as I passed the garden, something caught my eye. When I turned to look, the light reflected back from two eyes staring intently at me. Fortunately, it wasn’t too dark and I could make out that it was a bunny...in my garden. Exactly where bunnies should NOT be. I shooed her away and started to turn when....something else caught my eye.

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There were dozens of tiny green dots all around the garden. It was as if the place had suddenly been enchanted by fairies with tiny green lanterns. These little green lights were intermingled with tiny white lights like glittering diamonds. I was mesmerized...and quite puzzled.

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I decided to just stand very still and observe. Perhaps the answer would reveal itself to me. It didn’t take too long to figure out the white glittery lights were reflections off the dew that was gathering on the grass. It was lovely and a bit disconcerting...like looking down at stars. As I marveled at the sight, one of the green “lanterns” moved ever so slightly. I tried to count the green lights, but there were too many...though much fewer than the white ones.

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I had to get closer to see what these green lights were. At first, I thought perhaps they were a phenomenon called foxfire, a bioluminescent fungus that can grow in woody areas. I’ve never really seen it in person, but the photos I’ve seen didn’t match this save for the fluorescent green color. No, this was something entirely different.

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I crept forward ever so slowly keeping my eyes trained on one particularly bright green spot. When I was about five feet away, it jumped! It slowly dawned on me. I was surrounded by spiders on the move in the grass and when they looked at me as I walked through their territory, they light reflected back from their eyes...just like the bunnies did...and the deer that bed down in the far field. I was enchanted! It was magical to discover something that has been there my whole life and suddenly “discover” it at the age of 67.

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I was so entranced but the sight, I didn’t think to try to film them. I went out the next night, but we had mowed the lawn and there weren’t as many spiders. But I did find this video where a guy found the same thing in his yard. As a matter of fact, his video looks exactly like what I saw so I thought I would share it with you HERE.  

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There are tiny treats in life. Little gifts that remind us there is so much more going on in the world than the horror du jour on the news and social media. I took a moment to thank God for giving me the eyes to see His beautiful creations, the place to look for them, and the time to slow down and appreciate them for the gifts they are.

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I hope you look for the tiny gifts God brings you today. They are everywhere...if you ask to see them and take the time to look.

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❤️

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“Don't be fooled, my dear friends. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.”

\nJames 1:16-17 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/08/day-sparkles-in-the-grass.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/07/day-having-trouble-feeling-good.html", "title": "Day 142: Having Trouble Feeling Good?", "content_html": "\n
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It’s “Feel Good Friday” and I don’t know about you, but...it could get pretty frustrating looking around this dark world for something to feel good about. I gave this week’s edition of FGF a good, hard look yesterday. I usually search the internet for some story or video that tells of some heart warming thing someone has done. That’s all well and good, but it wasn’t working for me yesterday. So, I do what I always do when I need a little inspiration. I went for a walk with Jesus.

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First, we went out into the garden and looked at the abundance of tomatoes that are coming on. There’s zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, green onions and peppers, pumpkins and Passion Flowers. The honeysuckle clings to the fence along the back of the yard and brambles of wild black raspberries tangle in the corner over the rhubarb. Sumac and wild grape vines threaten to shade the garden as they compete with pokeweed and Virginia Creeper. I felt the stress in my shoulders begin to ease.

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I gave the plants a good drink and took off for a walk around the far field. I saw a hole out there when I was mowing this week and I wanted to check it out. As I ambled across the fresh mown grass, I asked Jesus to give me something to feel good about. I let my mind go blank as I strolled and took in the sights and smells of the pasture. I let myself feel the gratitude for the beauty of this place Mr. FixIt has so generously shared with me. I started humming softly to myself. 

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“I’ll Fly Away” started drifting around in my mind. Not just any version either. It was the Stanley Brothers bluegrass gospel version. It was on their album “Good Old Camp Meeting Songs” and was recorded in May 1962...the month before I turned nine years old. In an instant, I was back in the front yard of Grandma’s house out at the farm, a quart jar in my hands, catching lightning bugs. Grandma and PopPop were inside with the Grand Ole Opry on...cranked up high...and Ralph and Carter Stanley were singing “I’ll Fly Away”.

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My heart smiled.

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A few years ago, I met a lovely young woman named Rachel. She plays the guitar and sings in her church and I had the pleasure of singing with her at a few gatherings when I was staying in my camper up at the river. We harmonized really well together and sang several of the old timey gospel hymns. It’s a precious memory I will always keep close.

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I continued my walk and peeked at the progress on the neighboring property as they clear some ground. As I was coming back down the road, I saw Mr. FixIt out looking for me in the field. The cat keeps losing her breakaway collars and he was hoping to find the one he bought her yesterday. No luck.

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I came in to write this, opened Facebook, and the first person I saw on my feed was...Rachel! My heart smiled big! I searched for, and listened to, some of Ralph Stanley’s great bluegrass gospel and found this album. So, this is today’s treat for “Feel Good Friday.” If this doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what will!

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The Stanley Brothers - Good Old Camp Meeting Songs

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Love you all. Take care of yourselves...and each other.

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❤️

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“speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV

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#GospelMusic, #StanleyBrothers, #Hymns

\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/07/day-having-trouble-feeling-good.html", "tags": ["Faith","Uplifting Stories","Prayer","Positive Energy","West Virginia","Grace","God","Wisdom","Peaceful Moments","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/04/day-fall-down-fallout-fall.html", "title": "Day 139: Fall Down, Fallout, Fall Over", "content_html": "\n
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I had to zoom over to the farm yesterday to meet the satellite guy. That was what I thought to be the final fix from the tree-falling fiasco of last week. The farm is really rural and there was a county-wide planned power outage yesterday from 7:00am to 1:30pm. This happens fairly frequently as they work on what is often quite old infrastructure. When the satellite guy arrived, the power was still off and didn’t come back on till after he left. He said we were doing this job on faith. Faith that he did the job right and it would work once the box rebooted. Sure enough, the power came on, and the TV worked. However...the internet would not come back on. I called and there was an outage at the main hub. Hopefully it comes back on and we don’t have to have another service call.

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I arrived at the farm before Mr. FixIt. When I pulled up at the house, I noticed the sheet metal “lean to” that protects the gas meter was crushed. When I looked closer, another tree had come down and just narrowly missed the gas meter by a couple of inches. I cleaned up the branches and threw them up behind the barn. Then I lifted up the tree. It really wasn’t too heavy because it was dead and pretty well dried up. I moved it to the side and dropped it...right on my foot! Let me tell ya...that thing was a little heavier than I thought when it landed on my toes. Just dinged them up pretty good and I’ll have some decent bruises out of the deal.

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We mowed and did the laundry and ate a lovely lunch on Grandma’s table. I cannot do anything there without feeling her love...for the place...for me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that she would be so incredibly pleased that I take such good care of her house. One of her kids complained to her once about this dusty old house. She told them in no uncertain terms that this house was like the Taj Majal to her. She used to cook on a hot plate on the stair landing of a boarding house. This place is the Ritz compared to some of the places she lived.

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Oh, she’s showing her age, this old house. She’s going on a hundred years old, I think. The kitchen floor is off kilter with a hump in the middle that makes you feel like you’re heading downhill when you cross over it. The refrigerator is on shims to keep it level. There are rain stains in the ceiling tiles my uncle put up back in the ‘60s. The house has four kinds of linoleum on the main floor. The walls are plaster and lathe on the main floor and a kind of cardboard looking stuff upstairs. I think the same curtains are up that Grandma hung when I was a little girl. 

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Grandma was a frugal woman. Having survived the Great Depression with six children, she learned how to make things last. I remember washing sheets in the old wringer washer downstairs and then she would take bits of material and sew up any holes or worn places in them. She used her treadle sewing machine and she made that needle fly. I always wanted to learn how to do everything she did. She wasn’t always a patient teacher because she had work to do, but she taught me a lot. It would be my highest complement to be even just a little like her. 

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We ended the evening mowing a little here at the Ponderosa and gathering a shirt bottom full of ripe tomatoes from the garden...still warm from the sun. I cut them in wedges and arranged them over cool cottage cheese with a couple good twists of fresh ground salt and pepper for Mr. FixIt’s supper. It seems like I am always busy doing something, but it feels like a much simpler life than I’ve ever lived before. I think it’s because it’s here...in West Virginia. Time is a little slower here...a little gentler...a little sweeter.

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❤️

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“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

\nPhilippians 4:19 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/04/day-fall-down-fallout-fall.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Love","Aging","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/08/03/day-churning-butterand-other-crazy.html", "title": "Day 138: Churning Butter...and Other Crazy Notions", "content_html": "\n
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I grew up churning butter in Grandma’s kitchen out at the farm. She wouldn’t let us use her good butter churn. She handed each of us a quart jar with some room temperature heavy cream in it and we had to shake and shake and shake till the butter began to separate from the buttermilk. It was hard work I’m telling you, but it was all part of Grandma’s plan to wear us out so we’d go to bed at a decent hour.

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I now own both my grandma’s and my mom’s big Daisy Butter Churns. They sit on top of the fridge with Grandma’s only flower vase and my hand coffee grinder that I use when I’m camping. With it just being the two of us, and since I don’t have a dairy cow, I’ve never used the big churns for anything but decor and memories. Still, I had it in my mind that I wanted to churn small batches of butter to spread on my homemade breads.

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When we were up at Lehman’s Hardware on Friday, I found this little gadget in the kitchen store. I was intrigued by the design of it. The lid comes off and there is a strainer underneath. Then the bottom unscrews to allow you to remove the butter when you’re finished. You put heavy cream in the jar up to the line and let it set out overnight. Then the next morning, you shake it vigorously for around three minutes till the butter comes. You are supposed to take off the lid and just strain the buttermilk off, but I found with the warm temps in the kitchen and holding it in my hands, the butter solids weren’t terribly firm. I didn’t want to lose any of the butter when straining it off, so I poured a little ice water in to allow the butter to firm up a bit.

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After the first straining, I poured more ice water in and shook the jar to rinse the butter. I did this several times till the water I drained off was clear. The next step is fun. Using a small spatula, I scraped out all the butter into a bowl and began to press the butter to remove all the buttermilk. If you don’t remove all the buttermilk, it will quickly sour and ruin the butter. Once I was satisfied the buttermilk was out, I added a little salt and folded it in. It made just shy of a cup of butter. Then...I cooked breakfast.

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I have just about finished cooking the last of the coarse ground yellow grits I bought from Gaston’s Mill up at Beaver Creek State Park last fall. I combined 1.5 cups of the coarse ground grits with 1/2 teaspoon salt then poured 4 cups of hot water over it, stirred it together, covered with a lid and set it aside for twenty minutes. While the grits were soaking, I grated 2 ounces of Parmesan cheese and cut up a stick of unsalted butter. I didn’t use my freshly churned butter because I wouldn’t have had enough for the grits as well as toast.

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After the grits had soaked, I brought them to a boil over medium low heat then lowered the flame and stirred them with a rubber spatula for a full twenty minutes will they were very thick. I added the cheese and the butter and folded them together till it was fully incorporated. I popped the sourdough in the toaster, fried up a few eggs, and slathered the fresh butter on the toast. I like my grits in a bowl and put the eggs on top then cut them in with a knife and fork. A little salt and pepper to taste and it was a feast. Definitely NOT on anyone’s diet, but it was Sunday. Sunday is my day of rest and culinary indulgence.

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I feel like I’m living in an episode of Little House on the Prairie...and it’s SO much fun! The tomatoes are coming on fast. I’ll be canning later in the week. Today the Dish guy is coming to replace the satellite that got squashed when the tree fell at the farm last week. The work is never done around here!

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❤️

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“People who don't take care of their relatives, and especially their own families, have given up their faith. They are worse than someone who doesn't have faith in the Lord.”

\n1 Timothy 5:8 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-08-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/08/03/day-churning-butterand-other-crazy.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/31/day-a-blessed-day-of.html", "title": "Day 135: A Blessed Day of Rain", "content_html": "\n
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Yesterday was a peaceful day. I made French Toast from my homemade sourdough bread for breakfast. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything so divine as that. There is something wonderful about the texture of this bread that is only magnified when it’s coated with a slightly sweetened custard and fried to crispy perfection in one of my magical iron skillets. 

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I think I’m finally getting the feel for cooking in an iron skillet. I’ve always been a little heavy handed with the heat when I cook. Cast iron demands a gentler approach. There is a delicate balance between hot enough to fry crispy but not so hot as to burn food to the pan. That way, cleanup is much easier and you don’t need water and soap...two things that are deleterious to a well seasoned iron skillet. 

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When it comes time to clean my cast iron, I wait till it’s cooled down enough to handle without burning myself. I sprinkle in a scant tablespoon of coarse grained salt and a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Then I wad up a paper towel and scrub the inside of the skillet with the oily salt. You can feel when any bits of food have been removed because the surface will feel silky smooth under the salt. I take the skillet to the trash can and wipe all the dirty salt and food bits into the trash then wipe the inside of the pan with a clean paper towel and little bit more oil. Once the inside of the pan is done, I wipe down the outside and the handle with what’s left of the oil in the paper, then leave the skillet on the stove top. I have a gas stove. I have heard of people who have used cast iron on a glass cooking surface, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s too easy to scratch or break the cook top.

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Once the kitchen was clean, I set to work in the office again, copying the posts from 2015 and 2016 over to the blog. I’m at the point now where my aunt invited me to leave the farm and I struck out on my next adventure. A sweet friend left for Wyoming to take care of her grandchildren while her daughter was doing her student teaching and allowed me to stay in her loft apartment in exchange for watering her plants and bringing in the mail. 

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It’s really interesting to go back and read my earlier posts. It reminds me how hard grief was those first couple of years. And it shows my how much my life has changed...how much I have changed in the time since I arrived in West Virginia. I really want to get all the work from Facebook transferred over to my blog so it’s safely in one place. I invested a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in my writing these last seven plus years...I would certainly hate to lose any of it. It’s irreplaceable, actually.

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It has finally rained like crazy here off and on all day. Our garden will be so happy. I went out yesterday and found a few tomatoes that aren’t quite ripe, but something has been eating the low hanging ones. I imagine it’s the relentless bunnies I chase off only to find them right back a few hours later. I was trying to get a picture of how tall the tomato plants are but the only way to really do that by myself was a selfie with my hand raised up. As you can see, the plant is a good six inches beyond my reach...and I’m 5’6” tall! It’s crazy how much they’ve grown. 

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Here it is...the last day of July! How can that be possible? I promised Mr. FixIt we would go for a drive today. It’s time for an adventure. I’ll keep you posted!

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❤️

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“Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do. Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won't have to depend on anyone.”

\n1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-31T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/31/day-a-blessed-day-of.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Growth","Gratitude","Presence","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/30/day-birds-bugs-and-bread.html", "title": "Day 134: Birds, Bugs, and Bread", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday in one of my favorite places in the whole wide world...TOW-Wanda! Night before last got down into the 60’s and it was perfect sleeping weather in the camper. Mr. FixIt and I went out after supper to watch for meteors and while we were stretched out on the lounge chairs by the pool, we decided it was the perfect night to go “camping”. I gathered what we needed and headed out to the camper and he joined me later when the news was over.

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We both sleep really well in the camper. It’s probably the best mattress I’ve ever owned. I bought it when I got my first camper about three weeks after Mr. Virgo died. I woke up fairly early and went in to fire up the stove and bake a couple loaves of sourdough. After I cleaned up the kitchen, I worked on here. I still have two years’ worth of posts to copy from Facebook over to the blog and I work at it whenever I have an hour or two. It’s something nice to do when it’s too hot outside. 

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I baked a couple of pizza crusts and we had homemade pizza for supper. Afterwards, I went out to water the garden and picked a few tomatoes. I’m still seeing some blossom end rot on my tomatoes so I’m hoping they respond to the tomato food I put on them a couple of days ago. It would be a shame to put all this work into growing them only to have them be ruined because I didn’t feed them right.

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Mr. FixIt and I were sitting in the family room watching the news when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. He jumped and said, “There’s a bird in here!” I looked over at the window and sure enough, there was a little chimney sweep fluttering against the glass trying to get out. I grabbed the first thing within reach to trap it before it flew around...Mr. FixIt’s WVU hat! Ohhhhh....he wasn’t too happy about that but I caught the bird faster than he could grab the hat away from me and let it go outside.

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Later on, I was back in the bedroom writing this when I heard him “whoop” again and called for me. “There’s another bird in here!” I grabbed a dishtowel this time and caught the little bird. We took it outside and it got really confused by the outdoor light and kept fluttering around it. Before I could get the door shut, it flew back in! I corned the little thing in the kitchen and this time we turned off the outdoor light and closed the door before I let it go.

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We had to determine where the birds were getting in. We know we have had Chimney Swifts in our chimney for the last couple of years because we see them swooping in and out at dusk. And, we can hear them in there feeding their babies. I checked the upstairs fireplace and the glass fireplace door was closed, as was the door to the dining room. They had to be coming in from the fireplace in the basement. 

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Mr. FixIt swore the flue was closed. He pulled on it and said, “Yep...it’s closed.” I don’t trust anything unless I see it for myself so I got down on my knees to shine a flashlight up the chimney. It wasn’t closed and I am telling you what...it was a darned good thing birds didn’t shoot out of there at me! He closed the flue for sure this time and I double checked it so I don’t think we’re going to get anymore birds in here.

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Then, as I was getting up off the floor, I notice little round circles all over the floor. I couldn’t see very well because I didn’t grab my glasses when I went running to catch the bird. Upon closer inspection, I realized what I was seeing. Little baby millipedes. HUNDREDS of little baby millipedes. Ok, I’ll catch birds. And I’ll catch snakes and spiders and groundhogs and raccoons and possums and turtles. But centipedes and millipedes creep me totally out. Mr. FixIt to the rescue.

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While my sweet hubby was vacuuming up the curly little devils, I was online Googling why the heck we had a gazillion of these critters in our basement. It turns out, we had a really long wet spring so a whole bunch of the buggers were produced. Then, since it’s been so incredibly dry, they’ve been coming in under the basement door trying to find moisture. Vacuuming them up is the quickest way to get rid of an infestation. Then, you want to make sure the crack under the door is sealed. You can also use ant spray to deter them. 

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So, it was a crazy busy day farming here at the Ponderosa. Honestly, you don’t know from one day to the next what we’re going to run into. Let’s hope there’s no big surprises today!

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❤️

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“The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.”

\nPsalms 104:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/30/day-birds-bugs-and-bread.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/29/day-the-many-faces-of.html", "title": "Day 133: The Many Faces of Grief", "content_html": "\n
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I received a phone call yesterday from my baby cousin. She was the one who lived far away and came to visit us several times when we were growing up. She’s had her hands full...caring for her mom, my favorite auntie. And for her husband, who has been ill for quite some time. They are young...not quite sixty. I remember the first time I got to see her. She couldn’t quite walk and my aunt had her dressed in the sweetest little outfit with a matching coat. Her little curls stuck out from under the edges of the matching bonnet.

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We were all smitten with our “Trinket”, as Grandma called her. She was like a china doll and we didn’t even mind that Grandma paid all her attention to this little one. We knew she was special. Anyway...she called yesterday. Her beloved husband passed in his sleep Sunday night. My heart breaks for her because I know what she is going through. I know what she has ahead of her. I pray for her comfort and peace. I know she is very strong and capable and she will get through this. I just hate it for her.

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When I look back at pictures of us all those many years ago, we had no idea what was going to happen to us in our lives. She is now the third of us cousins to lose a spouse. Grandma lost her only love when she was sixty-five. She showed us girls how to live through that with strength and dignity and courage.

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There are so many faces of grief. It isn’t just the death of a person that grieves us. We can feel just as deep grief whether the source is a person, place, or thing. I’ve been grieving a potential loss the last couple of years knowing my beloved family farm will not always be “mine”. My uncle owns it and he is aging now. He cannot keep coming to fix it or put the money into it forever, so the time will come. 

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I was grieving that more this week since the tree came down and the house needed fixing. It made the “eventuality” come closer to the forefront. I have to admit, I became distraught over it. Then “Trinket” lost her husband and God whispered...”All things must come to an end and come Home to me.” 

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We can make all the plans we want. We can have dreams and adventures. And in the end, our best gift is the memories we made with the time we were given. I’ve been having a lot of fun with this baking and gardening and canning. And, as soon as that settles down, my focus is back on writing. I’m going to write the story of...The Farm: A Story of Love and Land. I’ll gather pictures and stories from everyone and we’ll have a book for the family to read and remember. Then we’ll have a grand reunion and say a proper goodbye to this home of my heart. 

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I have no idea how much time I have exactly for this project, but I’m giving myself a year. That should be plenty. And it will help ease my dependence on the old house. Someday she will not be ours...she will belong to another family. But, she will always and forever be the home of my heart.

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❤️

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“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”

\nIsaiah 32:18-20 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/29/day-the-many-faces-of.html", "tags": ["Grief","Overcoming Obstacles","Strong Women","West Virginia","The Farm","Growth","Gratitude","Wisdom","Choices","Change","Farm Life","Widow"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/25/day-rock-of-ages.html", "title": "Day 129: Rock of Ages", "content_html": "\n
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I finished cleaning the kitchen yesterday and put away the canning paraphernalia for a few days, then headed to the farm. My Uncle “Dudley” was going to be there by 4:00 to cut up the limbs on the tree that came down and fix a few things, so I wanted to be there and have an apple pie baking in the oven when he arrived. I pulled into the drive and...there he was. Well, his truck was there. And the limbs were all cut and moved. I put the cooler in the kitchen and went to look for him.

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The barn door was open so I knew he was happily rummaging around...seeing what he might find. I heard him humming as I walked up from the house.

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“Uncle Dudley!” I called out to him.

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“Virginia Lynne!” He hollered back. 

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“I thought you said you were going to be here at 4:00.” I gave him my sternest frownie face, which never fooled him.

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“And so I shall!”

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“You stinker...I was going to have a pie coming out of the oven when you walked in the door, but you ruined the whole thing!” I laughed at him and so wanted to get the big bear hug I always get when we see each other.

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His name is Gerald, but they call him Bud. “Buddy Boy” when he was growing up. He was in high school when I was born...my mother’s youngest brother. There’s only him and one sister left of the six children....the first stillborn. My mom was the oldest. So we are only about fifteen years apart. The same distance between my two daughters. 

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I’ve always felt a kindred spirit with my uncle. I am mechanically minded and he loved to teach me how to do things when I was growing up. I’ve learned so much from him. He looks exactly like my Pop Pop and he makes me smile. Always.

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As I sat in my grandma’s chair peeling Granny Smith apples for the pie, the electric was off and he was on the porch working. Sometimes he’d go downstairs to look for a tool or stop for a drink. But while he worked, he hummed a tune. Soft and low. I couldn’t make it out at first. Then, suddenly...I recognized it.

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Rock of Ages.

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My mind immediately swept me back to my childhood to a hot summer Sunday, fresh home from church. Grandma sitting in this very spot, peeling potatoes for supper. Or maybe stringing beans or shucking corn. I would sit on a little stool beside her and “help”. She told me stories and we talked about what I learned in Sunday school. And, in the silence in between, she would softly hum Rock of Ages as she worked the paring knife with deft precision.

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I smiled with the memory as I came back to the present. My uncle is in his early eighties now. I put the pie in the oven and walked out to join him, wiping my hands on a dishtowel. We grabbed a cold drink and sat down to cool off on the front porch. There, we sat for a good hour, softly talking about this and that. Mostly about our mutual love for the farm. He would sell the farm to me...and I would buy it in a heartbeat. If I were only thirty years younger and it didn’t need so much work. The water isn’t good for anything but cleaning. The next tree that falls could take the house with it. It’s got pretty good bones, but it’s the original metal roof from a hundred years ago. No...I would just be borrowing trouble if I bought the old place. As long as he lives, I will still have access to the place. I know my time there is finite.

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My cousins came over. Mr. FixIt got there after Physical Therapy. We got the electric back on. I fed the boys. We all had pie on the front porch and sat till long after dark telling stories. We said our Appalachian goodbyes...

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“Welp...I’d better be gittin’ on.”

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“Are you sure I can’t get you a piece of pie?”

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“Oh, no...I’m fine. Hey, did I tell you about..............”

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Twenty minutes later, there’s a lag in the conversation.

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“Ok, I really gotta git.”

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“Oh, hey...have you ever heard that story about.......... Honey, you tell him. You tell it so much better than me.”

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Thirty minutes later.....

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You get my drift.

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I showed my uncle where to turn on the dehumidifier when he leaves today. I asked him to turn off the water at the toilet and turn on the front porch light. And don’t forget to lock up. I left him the rest of the pie.

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“I’d hug you...but I can’t.”

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He smiled that smile...Pop Pop’s smile...and winked. “I wish you could too, shug.”

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*Shug...short for sugar. Grandma always called her loved ones, shug. She also called me Pet.”

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I climbed in the truck and backed out on the country lane and toot-tooted the horn as I pulled away. I turned off the AC and rolled down the windows. I smiled as I felt the warm velvet night air and hummed...

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Rock of Ages, cleft for me...let me hide myself in Thee...

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It was a very good day.

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❤️

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“All of them also ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ.”

\n1 Corinthians 10:3-4 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/25/day-rock-of-ages.html", "tags": ["Family","Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/22/day-farm-lifehappy-wife.html", "title": "Day 126: Farm Life...Happy Wife!", "content_html": "\n
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Mr. FixIt had Physical Therapy yesterday so I decided it was the perfect day to put up some Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles. As soon as the kitchen was picked up from the mess I made baking the Pepperoni Rolls, I took a box out to the garden and picked the squash I’ve been letting grow. They were some monsters! All told, I ended up with seventeen pounds of squash. 

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When I used to make this about three lives ago, I grew both green and yellow zucchini. When I told Mr. FixIt I wanted to grow them for pickles, he bought the crookneck variety. I thought maybe they would work. Unfortunately, when I started cutting them up, I realized the yellow crookneck squash gets very hard...like gourds...when you let them grow big. They just didn’t work for this...and they are too woody to eat. Lesson learned. My cousin is raising a couple of pigs so none of this stuff will go to waste.

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You can tell a great cookbook when it’s got splashes and spills on it and the very best things you’ve tried are on dog-eared pages. I’ve made so many things from this cookbook. I’ve won many ribbons at fairs and baking competitions. When I was preparing to sell my home and downsize, this was one thing I would not part with.

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Once I got all the veggies cut up, I layered them with pickling salt and set them to rest for an hour or two. This draws out the excess water...something especially needed when substituting squash for the cucumbers the recipe calls for. I stumbled on this whole Zucchini Pickle thing quite by accident. 

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I was growing zucchini and tomatoes in the garden I put in at a rental house when Hubby #2 was in Medical School. Anyone who grows zucchini knows...after the first few servings, it’s easy to let a few get away from you and grow way too big to eat. We were poor as church mice and I was raised by a frugal grandma. You never wasted food! I rummaged through my cookbooks and found this one. It has recipes from all over the country that have won ribbons at State Fairs. I saw the recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles and I thought...what the heck? It’s worth a try!

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Eureka! I could sit with a fork and eat a whole jar of these. I had some of those little tri-colored sweet peppers about the size of jalapeños. They are colorful with their red, orange, and yellow. I cut them in rings. And, I cut the last two Vidalia into chunks. The turmeric ends up coloring the pickled squash yellow so they are not only good to eat, but they make a beautiful gift.

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Mr. FixIt came in with the mail...and there was my copy of Girl Camper Magazine. It was everything I could do to not open it up right then and there and sit down with a cup of tea. Then, while the cut veggies were resting in the salt, Mr. FixIt and I went for a lovely swim. The water was 91℉...so it wasn’t necessarily refreshing, but it was wet and it’s always fun to float around out there and chat as the sun goes down. The deer flies aren’t biting just yet, and it’s still too early for the big horse flies. We haven’t had a big mosquito problem this year because it’s been so dry.

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I still have two or three big zucchini left so I can make more pickles today. I have ten pints done, so far. The tomatoes will be coming on hard and heavy soon. I need to find someone who sells green beans, too. 

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Farm life. This is what I’ve waited my whole life for.

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❤️

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“The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.”

\nProverbs 21:20 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/22/day-farm-lifehappy-wife.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/20/day-mary-mary-quite-contraryhow.html", "title": "Day 124: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...How Does Your Garden Grow?", "content_html": "\n
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The is the first year since I moved back to West Virginia that I am staying home all summer. I usually spend a month in Colorado with my kids, but Covid and Mr. FixIt’s health put a damper on that. So, the commitment to grow a garden took hold in the spring and...here we are. I gathered a handful of peppers off the three pepper plants yesterday. Peppers aren’t my favorite thing, but I wanted to put some banana pepper rings in my zucchini pickles this year to give them a little zing and there were several plants marked down at the greenhouse. Something happened to the labels, so it was anybody’s guess what kind of peppers I would end up with. It’s fun to take a chance once in a while, right?

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The zucchini and yellow squash are really getting big so I’m definitely going to pick them today and get those pickles in the jars before I run out of luck and one of my nocturnal visitors decides they’re hungry. The Passion Flowers are blooming as they climb up the old chain link fence.

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When I saw this meme the other day, I laughed. It’s so true. Growing anything is empowering. I remember all the times I had a garden in Colorado and how hard it was to grow much of anything. But, tomatoes? Lands...you could grow a tomato in the worst little square foot of soil and get at least enough to satisfy some of your cravings. I tilled and dug, planted and weeded, and watered those tomato plants and I was lucky if they came up to my waist. We have tomato plants out here in this garden that are taller than me...by a good foot and a half! The Romas are really putting on fruit fast now. They will be great for canning stewed tomatoes. The Big Boys and Better Boys are doing very well. There are some that are as big as baseballs now. There are some other varieties out there, but Mr. FixIt never saves the labels so other than the Romas, I don’t know what the others are.

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It has been so terribly hot here...and sticky with humidity. Once it hits 10:30 or so in the morning, it’s really difficult to do much of anything. I’m still having to water 2-3 times a day to keep the garden from frying. Thank goodness we had a couple of rain showers pass through last evening. We dropped over twenty degrees in a matter of an hour or two. Now it will be even more humid today, but we have to take the rain when we can get it. We do have some little pumpkins setting on. I’m looking forward to harvesting some “Wedding Pumpkins”. These are grown from seed salvaged from the pumpkins that decorated our wedding nearly two years ago.

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Our ground is getting cracks in it. West Virginia soil has a lot of clay in it and when it dries out, it contracts leaving great cracks and fissures. I remember one year I came home in the summer to visit and there had been a really long hot and dry spell. The ground out at the farm had cracks in it that were 2-3 inches across. It’s not that bad here...yet. Maybe this little bit of rain we got will bring some of the grass back. We haven’t mowed in over two weeks here at the Ponderosa.

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I hope you had a good weekend and that you are staying safe and healthy.

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❤️

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“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”

\n2 Timothy 2:6 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-20T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/20/day-mary-mary-quite-contraryhow.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Growth","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/19/day-comfortable-seatingcoming-up.html", "title": "Day 123: Comfortable Seating...Coming Up", "content_html": "\n
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If you’ve been following me any length of time, you know I went through a huge downsizing after Mr. Virgo died. And I swore I would never accumulate another dang thing...SWORE. Yet, here I am, happily remarried. And the stash is growing. In my defense, there was a lot of stuff when I got here. And, in all actuality, we haven’t purchased a heck of a lot since we got married. But since Mr. FixIt’s strokes, we have noticed his arthritis is bugging him a lot more because he can’t take the medications you typically take. Yesterday, we decided to go take one more stab at finding a comfortable chair for him.

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We went Friday to just about every place in town and didn’t like anything. This time, we hit pay-dirt. Belpre Furniture had dozens of recliners to choose from. I’ve gotten to the point I bypass the “bargains”. Bottom of the line merchandise ends up costing you in the end because it wears out or breaks before too long and you have to replace it. I’m also past the point of buying the best there is. I’d rather buy mid-range and get the best quality I can.

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We ended up with matching La-z-Boys in “claret”...a deep wine red that will look nice with the blue/grey sofas we already have. When I had my home in Colorado, I had Ralph Lauren ladies’ wingback recliners. Perhaps not the most comfortable, but they were so stylish and the living room looked so “put together”. Now? Heck...I am all about comfort. I really do not like how these overstuffed recliners and sofas look. But I also do not care because if I’m going to sit down for any length of time with my sweetheart, I’d better be able to get up without frowning and having to walk, wincing till my joints get the cricks out of them. I also hope getting a new, more supportive chair will help my hubby feel better, too.

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The part of me that went through that downsizing is groaning. But the part of me that likes a little more “cush for the tush” is a happy little camper. Oh, another downside of Covid...it will take ninety days to get them. I told him there was absolutely no hurry. So, here we are...two new pieces of furniture. What’s next? End tables? An area rug? Will this madness ever end? lol

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❤️

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“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”

\nProverbs 24:3-4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-19T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/19/day-comfortable-seatingcoming-up.html", "tags": ["Fun","Comfort","Downsizing","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/18/day-more-critters-more-mowing.html", "title": "Day 122: More Critters, More Mowing, More Ice Cream!!!", "content_html": "\n
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I’m still eating my way through the pandemic. Pandemic Pounds are justifiable...things are sucky...eat ice cream...liberally. The variety du jour is Cookies and Cream. *swoon* Maybe I’ll get the ice cream freezer out and make some homemade! Of course...I’ll have to find the ice cream freezer first. *sigh*

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It continues to be hot and sticky here in West Virginia. And one of the true upsides of that is...the grass has gone dormant. Well, it’s really more like...it’s gone crispy. Seriously, whereas just three weeks ago, you could sit and watch the grass grow, now there are large areas in the lawn that crunch under your feet when you walk. The only thing that seems to be growing in the lawn is the flowers on the clover. They pick their little heads up and the honeybees glide from one to another all day long. When it’s like this, we really don’t have to mow nearly as often. It’s been almost two weeks here at the Ponderosa and it still doesn’t need it. It’s been the same amount of time at the farm, but it is cooler there and in a holler so we mowed it yesterday morning before the sun got things too toasty. 

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As I walked out of the house to go to the car, I heard a noise I didn’t recognize. I stood stock still and listened, running the sound through my memory banks. It was metallic but it wasn’t mechanical, per se. Was it coming from inside the house? Was it the sliding closet doors in the guest bedroom when Mr. FixIt was looking for a clean shirt? Suddenly, I heard it again and I knew what it was. The live trap! I’ve been trying to catch the really big raccoon that kept bending the trap up and escaping. The trap was set for the last few evenings with no results. Till yesterday morning.

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There he was...in all his splendor! A brute of a raccoon. As I approached the trapped, I spoke softly to him, but he rammed himself into the cage, snarling and spitting at me. He was a monster! I picked up the cage by the handle and it had to weigh twenty pounds, at least. I had to hold the cage out away from me because he kept reaching his almost human-like foot out to get at me. We put him in the back of the truck, loaded the tractor up on the trailer, and headed to the farm. There is a pull-off out a two-lane country road on our way to the farm. It’s right on a river. There are no houses in the immediate vicinity...just a lot of countryside and hills. The perfect habitat for an errant raccoon who does not need to be eating my garden.

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We lifted the cage out gently and set the opening towards the woods with the river beyond. Mr. FixIt had a long pole with which to gently urge the critter away from us, should he decide to come after us. I needed to open the cage, but didn’t necessarily want my hands near the opening. I happened to have a pair of loppers in the truck and I was able to hold onto the trap door and open it from a couple of feet away. We needn’t have been worried. As soon as there was an inch of space between that door and the trap, the raccoon took off like a shot into the tall grass, running down towards the riverbank.

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Mr. FixIt and I congratulated ourselves on a humane transfer. Many people “dispatch” raccoons because they get into the chickens and gardens. It’s a country life...and varmints are often taken care of rather than go to the trouble of trapping them and moving them to other places. I have been known to do the same, but as I get older, and my heart gets softer, I let them live another day.

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So, we had the raccoon. I found another beautiful bright orange box turtle when I was mowing. I only moved him out of the way of the blades. We saw some gorgeous birds...Cedar Waxwings. I don’t believe I have ever seen them before. They were hanging out down by the locks on Wednesday evening. They have a little tuft of feathers on the top like a Cardinal. But their feathers are so smooth and sleek with distinctive markings on their backs, wings, and tails. I was thrilled to see them. (The pictures of the bird and the turtle were lifted from the internet.)

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I love how the flowers at the farm change during the summer. This weeks’ beauties are a beautiful scarlet-colored “Bee Balm” on the bank by the driveway. And the beautiful lavender “Rose of Sharon” over on the creek-bank at the corner of the house. My heart sings every time I get to go out there.

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We were done and back home before noon and spent the rest of the day in quieter pursuits in order to stay cool. We are trying to stay on top of the watering to keep the garden going. Right now it’s twice a day. We truly need rain...a good soaking rain. I need to mulch the garden but I don’t want to use pine needle mulch or anything toxic. I have a huge roll of craft paper. I’m going to put a couple of layers out between the rows of tomatoes to try to keep some of this precious moisture in the ground.

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❤️

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“I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”

\nSong of Songs 2:1 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/18/day-more-critters-more-mowing.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Gratitude","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/16/day-snakes-frogs-and-dragonflies.html", "title": "Day 120: Snakes, Frogs, and Dragonflies", "content_html": "\n
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Last summer, I told you a funny story. Well, sorta funny. I was working in that little camper I bought last spring. Remember? The one that fell apart when I got to Colorado? Yeah...that was an expensive lesson. Anyway, I was working in the camper and Mr. FixIt was spraying around the house foundation for ants. We had a horrible time with ants last year.

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I told Mr. FixIt I’d be done soon and then we’d put the steak on the grill for supper. I heard him yelling so I stuck my head out the door.

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“We’re you saying something?”

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“Steak!”

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“Yes, honey...steak. We’re having steak for supper.”

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“No...Steak!”

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“Steak?”

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“STEAK!!!”

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I climbed down out of the camper and started walking toward him. “Well, for crying out loud, sweetheart...if you want it now, go start the grill!”

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“Look! SNAKE!!!”

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Hokey Smokes!

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“Where???”

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“It was right here...but now I don’t see it.

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“What kind of snake?”

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“I think it was a copperhead!”

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Great...poisonous. I have to say...I’m 67 years old and I have never seen a poisonous snake to my knowledge, but a snake is a snake. So let’s get this one.

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We walked around the corner of the house where he saw the snake and it was indeed gone. However, there was this hole...in the side of the house...where the old door was before they boarded it up when they converted the garage into the family room. A hole! In MY house...where a snake has taken up residence as I sit a few feet away on the sofa!

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Every since then, when I walk around the corner of the house, I look for that snake. The generator is sitting over there. I imagine the snake is hiding under the tarp that covers it to keep the rain and road dust off. I picture it reaching out and biting me every time I walk by. Every. Single. Time. I avoid that corner of the house as often as possible.

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Until Tuesday. I had to refill the hummingbird feeder that hangs out in front of the kitchen window. So, I had to walk past...the hole. And there...on the sidewalk...in front of the hole...was a snake skin. 

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The creature has grown!

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It has shed its skin because it is getting bigger. Wonderful. 

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I went in and said, “Ummmm, would you mind coming out here for a moment?”

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Mr. FixIt dutifully plodded along after me.

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“Look.”

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I pointed, accusingly. As if somehow it was his fault he hadn’t filled that hole about a hundred years ago.

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“There’s nothing that says that snake was actually IN that hole.”

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Oh, yeah?

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I reached down and picked it up, gave it a little tug...and...it was stuck on something INSIDE the hole!

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My brain started racing. Was is hung up on a nail or a board? Or...was it still attached to the snake???

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Oy.

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I have no idea...and I’m not getting down in there to find out. I was thinking I could dust the area around the hole with flour and then I could see if the creature is going in and out. Or, I could take a sledgehammer to the wall and see if there’s a whole nest of vipers in there.

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Or, I can avoid that side of the house for the rest of my life. I’m not usually afraid of snakes, but when I don’t know if it’s poisonous or not...AND I don’t know if there is some passageway between that hole and the interior where I sit...I am, how shall I say? Uneasy.

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So, I’ll turn my attention to the other critters of the Ponderosa that I caught sight of this week.

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A tiny little toad and a beautiful dragonfly with windowpane wings. And we’ll just leave the snake for another day.

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❤️

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“In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.” (Ok...I know they’re talking about wine here, but still...)

\nProverbs 23:32 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/16/day-snakes-frogs-and-dragonflies.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Fear","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/13/day-hallelujaha-cool-night.html", "title": "Day 117: Hallelujah...A Cool Night!", "content_html": "\n
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I have really missed getting out and camping this summer. We did get some good camping in during the cool nights of spring, but once the summer heat index started creeping up, and night time temps didn’t go down enough for sleeping in the camper without air conditioning, we were kind of stuck sleeping inside. We could take the camper to a campground nearby, but there are a few reasons why that’s not optimal. Mr. FixIt is still having physical therapy and medical appointments. We have the cat...and the garden needs watering daily. And, why should we pay to camp in a noisy campground with potential Covid exposure when we have five free acres and our own electric? 

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It rained off and on all day yesterday. It did get up to the low eighties, but the low was predicted to be 61℉! That’s all I needed to hear. Once I was finished with the bread dough and had it in the fridge to rise overnight, I gathered my writing gear and headed out to the camper. I haven’t been in it for a few weeks so I needed to open it up, air it out, and cool it off. But within a very short time, it was quite comfortable in there and I quickly set up my little writing nook...happy as a clam!

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I had a long video chat with Daughter #1 for her birthday on Saturday. It’s not the same as being there with her and it has been many years since I’ve missed a birthday in person. It breaks my heart that I can’t be there this summer. I have never gone this long without seeing my kids and I don’t like it one bit. I think, if I had a smaller camper and if Mr. FixIt hadn’t had the two strokes this spring and if we didn’t have the cat or the garden...I’d pack us up and head west. The good thing about traveling with the camper is being self enclosed with your own kitchen, bathroom, and bed. You can pretty much self-isolate as you travel as long as you are extra careful at the gas pump.

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I’m watching the zucchini getting bigger and bigger. I’m really looking forward to making pickles this week and showing you how it’s done. It is a great way to use up those huge zucchini that get away from you in the garden and they are SO delicious! I could eat a whole jar with a fork. The tomatoes are looking great and the peppers are getting bigger. I am not sure if the banana peppers are ready yet. I don’t know what they are supposed to look like. I thought they were supposed to turn yellow, but they are still green. I’ll take pictures tomorrow so maybe some of you with experience can tell me.

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I’ll bake bread early this morning to keep the house from getting too hot. As soon as the loaves are cool, I’ll wrap them and ship them to my girls as a treat from mom. If I can’t be there to hug them, at least I can send them bread baked with Mom-love. I remember one time going over two years without seeing my mom. I remember being so incredibly shocked by how she had aged in such a relatively short time and vowed I would never do that again. And I didn’t. I took my kids to West Virginia every summer of their lives while my mom was still living. 

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I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom and my grandparents this weekend. I’ve been thinking how terribly worried I would have been about them...living so far away in Colorado. And now, it’s me that’s here and my own kids and brother are the ones out west. I would have never predicted this scenario in my wildest dreams. But you know what they say...if wishes were horses, and all that. This is the hand we have been dealt. This is the hand we will play.

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I caught a picture of Pumpkin sleeping beside me on the deck yesterday afternoon. I seldom see her sleeping as there is SO much to do and see on HER five acres! 

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❤️

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“The Lord answered, “Could a mother forget a child who nurses at her breast? Could she fail to love an infant who came from her own body? Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you. A picture of your city is drawn on my hand. You are always in my thoughts!”

\nIsaiah 49:15-16 CEV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/13/day-hallelujaha-cool-night.html", "tags": ["TOW-Wanda!","West Virginia","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/10/day-on-taxes-and-time.html", "title": "Day 114: On Taxes and Time Machines and Turtles", "content_html": "\n
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I was chilling out on the couch last evening, watching the news when I realized...today is Friday. I remarked how quickly the weeks seem to be flying by. And, in other ways...it seems like we’ve been in this Covid mess for-ev-er! I can tell time is passing because my garden gets bigger every day. The “Day ___” here on my blog is getting higher every day. And if I don’t quit eating a whole pie (with Mr. FixIt’s help, of course) in a day’s time, I’m going to be as big as the broad side of a barn.

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I went out to the farm yesterday to work on the taxes. As I expected, the internet went out at the house, so I saved myself a great deal of frustration by going out there. I tried the air conditioner again and it doesn’t work. Now it’s so late in the season, I don’t know if I’ll be able to find a new one, but I’ll look. 

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Mr. FixIt ran errands in town without me yesterday. He needed to stop and get something to eat in a hurry, and even though we’ve talked about not eating at fast food till this crisis is over, he stopped at Popeye’s to get a chicken sandwich. As he sat at the window, he watched the girl handle the money, then put the lid on his drink, and grab the bag of food...all without a mask or gloves. Now, our governor issued a mandate on Tuesday that masks indoors were mandatory...and I would certainly think everyone in food service would be wearing them. When the girl brought the food to the carry out window, Mr. FixIt held his hand up.

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“I’m sorry...I am not going to take that food.” 

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“Really? Why not?”

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“Well, you aren’t wearing gloves. You aren’t wearing a mask. You handled money, and you put the lid on my drink without sanitizing your hands. I don’t want this.”

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“What am I supposed to do with it?”

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“Unfortunately, that’s not my problem. The governor mandated masks and all food service workers should wear gloves.”

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And, with that...he drove away. He called me later and said, “I did a thing. You’re going to be so proud of me.” And I am. I know it’s not easy for him to be cross with people, but these are extenuating circumstances. I suggested he go to a grocery store and get a little lunch meat and bread and make himself a couple of sandwiches, which is exactly what he did. We’ll call the manager and the customer complaint line today. We don’t want anyone to lose their jobs, but this was unacceptable, given the circumstances.

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There is just so much going on at once. I think that’s why it feels like the time is flying by. The discussion about returning to school is very concerning for me. We have grandchildren who are still in school. My daughter is a teacher in an inner city high school in the Denver Metro area. I am not afraid of the virus for us. We stay home mostly and when we do go out, it’s always with masks and we carry hand sanitizer and wipes with us at all times. But the kids going back to school? That worries me. 

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The governor of Florida said...if you can go to Walmart, if you can go to Lowe’s...we can make school work. Yeah...ok. But, when I go to Lowe’s or Walmart, I don’t go five days in a row and stay for seven hours crammed in a small classroom with thirty other children...many of whom will be fighting wearing a mask. There are so many variables. I know children need socialization, but look at it this way. The vast majority of Americans went to school every day to be socialized and to learn how to get along well with others. How is that working so far? 

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I don’t know what the answers are. But I can tell you this...if my children were still in school, I think I’d be homeschooling them. I wish I had something better to offer. I wish there was a time machine we could either go back in time and fix things, or go forward and bypass all this.

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I caught a huge raccoon in my live trap sometime during the night. So huge that he bent the trap door and got out. I found it first thing yesterday morning. So much for that idea. I guess I’ll be sharing the garden with the critters after all. I did do something good yesterday. I was coming home from the farm and about to turn onto our road when I saw a box turtle trying to cross the road. It was “rush hour” meaning there’s twenty more cars an hour going by. I pulled off the road and stopped the truck, jumped out, and save the little guy before he got smushed on the pavement. I hopped back in the truck and crossed to road and into our driveway. Then I carried the turtle down to the end of the farm field and let it go near the creek...where I let the other one go. Maybe they’ll be friends!

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We have the same breath...those animals and me. 

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❤️

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“I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?”

\nEcclesiastes 3:18-22 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/10/day-on-taxes-and-time.html", "tags": ["Growth","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/09/day-hot-enough-to-fry.html", "title": "Day 113: Hot Enough to Fry an Egg", "content_html": "\n
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We are just a couple of weeks into summer and the heat is oppressive. When they say it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity...they’re wrong. It’s both. I remember all those summers I flew home to West Virginia with a child in tow, arriving to the welcoming arms of my loving family. It was usually late July, early August and I would disembark the plane and step into what felt remarkably like a full fledged sauna. When you can SEE the air and you know it’s not pollution, you know your skin is going to be “dewy” and your clothes are going to stick to you before you can drag your suitcases to the rental car.

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When we visited West Virginia, we usually stayed out at the farm. Sometimes it was up in the top of the cellar house...sometimes upstairs in the main house. Either way, when we went to bed, it was SO hot and there was no air conditioning. We did have fans, and that helped some, but my younger daughter’s favorite memory is the “moon baths” we took out back just after dark. We stripped down, lathered up with warm water from a bucket, and then took turns pouring panfuls of cool water from the rain barrel over our heads. It was so refreshing, and the best way to end the day.

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These days, Mr. FixIt and I head to the pool out back and swim for an hour or so at the end of the day. We float and watch the lightning bugs as the stars come out overhead. The air feels like velvet at this time of year. Even though the water temperature was 90℉, it still felt good...especially when you get out and the breeze cools you off. It’s a lovely way to slow down and catch your breath.

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We did the usual watering in the gardens yesterday. We had a really hard rain in the late afternoon, but it didn’t last nearly long enough to soak the ground. I wore shoes this time...that bee sting is still swollen and itchy. The tomato plants grew six inches in a day...and we are getting lots of little tomatoes and some peppers and squash. We watched a movie in the afternoon when it was too hot to do anything else. I walked around the corner of the house and got dive-bombed by wasps so I had to get the spray after them. They were really aggressive. 

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The internet guy came and checked a few more things and said he’s done all he can do for us...it must be the service. It worked great for a couple of hours after he left and then it was down again for four hours. I called and they said they changed some sort of setting in the modem and to try again. It came back on so we’ll see if it stays on. If not, we’re going to have to come up with something else.

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Today I am heading to the farm so I can do the taxes with some assurance the internet will stay on. Hopefully I can get the air conditioner to work out there. It’s always something, isn’t it?

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❤️

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“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

\nJames 1:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/09/day-hot-enough-to-fry.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/08/day-the-birds-and-the.html", "title": "Day 112: The Birds and The Bees", "content_html": "\n
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I had a little break yesterday when Mr. FixIt went to physical therapy without me. I worked on the taxes a little...till the internet went out again. The service tech was just here on Friday and put in new wiring and a new router. Ten minutes after he left, the internet went down again. It comes and goes. I can’t seem to figure out why. I hope he can because he’s coming back today to take another stab at it.

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I puttered around the garden and tied up the tomatoes. It is amazing how fast they have taken off and how heavy they have become. They are becoming heavy laden with nice green tomatoes. I’m certain we’ll be canning tomatoes this summer! The little raccoon that’s been after our bird feeder managed to knock it down during the night so I set out the live trap to see if I can catch it and deliver it somewhere far, far away from here.

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When I was finished in the garden, I headed back inside. The yard inside the fence hasn’t been mowed this week and it is full of clover. And wherever you have clover, you have honeybees. I was walking everywhere barefoot, not a care in the world. Then, I suddenly thought, “Oh, I’d better be careful or I’m going to get stung!” And....BAM! I felt that sharp, electrical shock of pain go through my foot. I looked down and I didn’t actually see a bee, but I assume that’s what it was. It’s been ages since I had a bee sting and I felt like a dolt for not wearing my shoes when I knew better. But, hey...I’m a West Virginia girl. We don’t wear shoes when we don’t have to!

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I mixed up some pie crust and set it in the fridge to chill while I peeled some Granny Smith apples and had a pie ready to pop in the oven when Mr. FixIt came home. As soon as it was done and the news was over, I went out to help him put some more stakes in for the last of the tomatoes. We watered the garden and called it a day.

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I consider it a good day indeed when you can eat hot apple pie with whipped cream for supper. Farm livin’ is the life for me...bee stings and all!

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❤️

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“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.”

\nDeuteronomy 11:13-15 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/08/day-the-birds-and-the.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Growth","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/07/04/day-chronicles-of-a-country.html", "title": "Day 108: Chronicles of a Country Wife", "content_html": "\n
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After staying up late to bake two loaves of sourdough bread on Thursday night, I mixed up a batch of dough for English Muffins. I love this recipe because you put it in the fridge overnight and bake them the next morning. And, it makes three dozen smaller muffins or two-and-a-half dozen regular sized ones. I used my electric skillet this time. I had more control over the temperature. And, I could cook a dozen at a time. You cook them on one side for about seven minutes, turn them over, pop the lid on, and cook another seven minutes. Then I put them back on the baking sheet and put them in a 350 degree oven for about nine minutes. They were perfect, and...I can freeze them and have fresh English Muffins for the next three weeks!

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Once the muffins were finished and the kitchen cleaned, I was pretty much finished for the day. The internet is giving us fits and the guy came out to fix it. It worked for two hours then was off again. That’s one of the frustrating things about living out in the country...modern conveniences aren’t as quick and easy to come by. He’ll come back soon and hopefully figure things out.

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I noticed on my rounds through the garden that something was into my squash. I looked around and very nearly stepped on a good sized box turtle. I explained to the little critter there wasn’t room for the both of us in my veggie patch and he had to move back down to the creek. I carried him to the end of the far field and set him loose in the underbrush with lots of vegetation and water accessibility. He doesn’t need my squash and tomatoes as much as I do.

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I harvested the first zucchini from the garden and made Zucchini Fritters with it. Mix up a batter with half cultured buttermilk and half all purpose flour. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix with a fork till well blended but little lumps are ok. Dip each slice one at a time in the batter and slip into a pan with hot oil. Cook till golden on each side and drain on paper towels. I served them alongside pork chops and it was fabulous!

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You can find the English Muffin recipe here: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-english-muffins-recipe

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Enjoy your Fourth of July, dear ones!

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❤️

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“who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’”

\nJob 35:11 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-07-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/07/04/day-chronicles-of-a-country.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Peaceful Moments","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/27/day-back-from-the-farm.html", "title": "Day 102: Back From the Farm", "content_html": "\n
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I was telling Mr. FixIt on the way home yesterday...when I get to stay a couple of days at the farm, I feel like I’ve had a week’s vacation. It’s not like I went out there and put my feet up for two days. There was mowing to be done. Cooking, cleaning, and laundry. But there’s something about that place that renews my energy. It’s magical. 

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When I awoke yesterday morning, I was rested and refreshed. I achieve a deeper sleep at the farm. The bed is smaller. It’s up against the wall and, since Mr. FixIt’s strokes, I get the inside up against the wall. And I get the window at my feet. The night air in that holler gets pretty cool so I throw another blanket on instead of closing that window. I crave fresh air. I sleep with the window open year ‘round. Yeah...you should have been a fly on the wall when we had THAT discussion. 

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We had a really hard rain during the night while we were at the farm. The noise is deafening on that old tin roof. And it’s a symphony to my soul. As the rain subsides, the water continues to drip from the top roof to the porch roof and the plink, plink, plink is a song I’ve listened to since I was a baby. There’s truly nothing like it.

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The first night we were there, my cousin and his wife came over to share a wonderfully sweet watermelon I picked up in town. We sat at the picnic table Mr. FixIt bought me for my first birthday we were together. The second night, I stood across the road and spoke with the neighbors about our gardens and how the creek is trying to navigate it’s way back to it’s original position before they built his house. I turned to look back at Grandma’s house and noticed one of the trees on the bank across the creek leaning way far out. It looked as though it might fall on the house at any minute.

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I walked back home and inspected the errant tree. I called Mr. FixIt out front to look at it. We decided it likely will not hit the house if it comes down, but its branches would more than likely damage the front porch and would definitely take down the power lines and the satellite dish. So, there’s another job that needs doing...sooner rather than later.

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My view when I first open my eyes at the farm is this window. It was Grandma and Pop-Pop’s view for many, many years. I cannot look out this window without feeling like the luckiest woman on the planet. I can’t quite describe what it feels like to truly be “home”. I spent decades pretending Colorado was home...but it never, ever was. My people are there. My home is here. My heart lives in both places. I will forever be torn...first when I longed to live in West Virginia, and now because so many of my loves live so far from me.

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I cannot help but think back to my mother. She was in her last couple of years of life when I begged her to move to Colorado where I could take better care of her and my brother. She refused. This was home. I was furious with her because I couldn’t help her like I wanted to and I felt she was SO stubborn. And now, here I am. There will be a conversation down the road when my daughters will want me to come “home” to Colorado so they can better care for me. And, I will be the one saying no. At least, as long as Mr. FixIt is around. That day is not today. 

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Today, I live where my spirit sings.

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❤️

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“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.””

\nMatthew 6:34 TLV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/27/day-back-from-the-farm.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/23/day-where-is-the-kitchen.html", "title": "Day 98: Where is The Kitchen Fairy?", "content_html": "\n
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I don’t understand it. My kitchen looks like I’ve cooked a meal for the 101st Airborne when I’m done making....anything. Egg sandwich? Clean the range. Thanksgiving Dinner? Disaster! Bake two loaves of bread, make a double batch of tofu, and a summer pasta salad and I have to run the dishwasher AND wash the dishes and run a load of dishtowels! And clean every surface, the sinks, and the floor. It’s ridiculous! I keep looking for the Kitchen Fairy to come and clean but so far, no luck.

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The thing I love about the sourdough recipe from Tartine’s is how foolproof it is. The detail in their cookbook and the abundance of step by step photographs really simplify what sometimes feels like a daunting task. I always wanted to try sourdough, but I was always a little intimidated. It all seemed so incredibly complicated. I especially love how the book teaches you about the dough’s characteristics and how to treat it with care. This is not a dough that you pound and knead. This is something you develop a relationship with. 

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The dough is very wet. The first step combines nothing but water, fLour, and your leaven (the sourdough starter/flour/water combo. You only stir it with your hands until the flour is moistened. Then you let it rest. You add even more water with salt in it by squeezing the dough around gently. You cover and let rise for thirty minutes. You don’t knead it. You gently lift it up and fold it over on itself, give the bowl a quarter turn, and lift and fold again. In the first two hours of rising, you do this every 30 minutes. You can actually see the character of the dough change with each gentle folding. I love the feel of the dough. You can feel the life in it. I’ve never felt that when baking bread before. This is an experience.

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Once you get through all the steps, you can shape the round loaves in a towel lined bowl and pop them in the fridge overnight. I took it out at 8:00 yesterday morning and had two loaves of fresh, hot sourdough by 10:00. Once the loaves cooled, they went in an airtight storage container to soften overnight. Today, it will be a whole lot easier to cut the round loaf in half than it would have been yesterday. I’m taking some over to the former Mrs. FixIt this morning. She sent us three jars of homemade jam last week.

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Today is our big trip into town for shopping and errands. Too many errands to count, really. I’m glad yesterday was pretty low key. Tomorrow is PT for Mr. FixIt and a trip to the farm to mow and do laundry. And the beat goes on...

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❤️

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“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

\nEphesians 5:21 NIV\n
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#Homemaking, #Sourdough, #Tofu

\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/23/day-where-is-the-kitchen.html", "tags": ["Fun","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/22/day-grassmake-it-stop.html", "title": "Day 97: Grass...Make it Stop!", "content_html": "\n
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This is the time of year where you can almost see the grass grow. Long, sunny days of hot, humid weather brings slow, steady growth. Add the rain that’s coming in the next three days and it’s going to get crazy out there! Mr. FixIt is still recuperating from his last stroke so he can’t really mow right now. I love mowing, so I don’t mind it at all. And, he is so appreciative. He always thanks me when I pick up the slack and tells me what a good job I’m doing. It makes it so much easier when you are appreciated.

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I mowed the whole six acres yesterday...including with the push mower inside the fenced yard around the pool. Mr. FixIt took the hoe to the garden. My stepson told me to mix up a solution of one gallon of water with one teaspoon of Epsom salts in it. He said to pour one whole gallon on each tomato plant, once a week. I got all but eight of them fed when Mr. FixIt thought maybe I shouldn’t do all of them...just in case. Probably smart. We’ll do a science experiment and see if it makes a difference.

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While I was mowing, I also worked up another couple of loaves of sourdough bread (on my water breaks). It was ready to put in the fridge in the garage by evening and will rise slowly overnight. I’ll bake it first thing this morning before it gets too hot. It was nearly 8:00 by the time I was done and a dip in the pool was just what the doctor ordered.

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As I was writing this, thunder started rumbling as a storm front approached. It was the perfect ending to a really stellar day. Summer Solstice is over and the days will get incrementally shorter now. But for now...

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We are knee deep in June!

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❤️

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“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.””

\n‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/22/day-grassmake-it-stop.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/21/day-pizza-on-the-grill.html", "title": "Day 96: Pizza on the Grill", "content_html": "\n
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We had a little social gathering last night. Just six people. Socially distanced. But, it was for dinner. This was my first attempt at cooking for company after Covid and I was a little nervous. I wanted to make sure our guests were comfortable with what I made, so I chose homemade pizza. I wore gloves during prep, and I wanted them to see that the food was untouched after baking.

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I made two batches of pizza dough. I never double a recipe when it comes to yeast dough. It never works really well. I found a recipe where you can rebake the crusts kind of like those yeast rolls you buy at the store and finish baking at home. I had four large pizza crusts ready. When our guests arrived, I quickly assembled the first pizza and popped it into the gas grill at about 500℉. I ran back in and topped the second pizza and by the time I got back out, the first was was ready. I put the second one in and took the first to the table and transferred it to a large rustic wooden cutting board on the table under the maple tree. The sun was on the other side of the big building and the evening began to cool. I baked all four pizzas and there was plenty to send home with our guests. We ended the evening with a lovely lemon cake that they brought with them.

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I forgot how much I love entertaining. Mr. FixIt and I have had the kids over for socially distanced visits, but to prepare food and sit around talking for hours is such a treat. The other day I had to go into town without Mr. FixIt. I kissed him goodbye and turned to leave then looked back.

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“I don’t like leaving you.” It was different before the strokes. Now I worry. 

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“I know. We’ve been together 24/7 for the last four months. It does seem weird, doesn’t it?” He gave me that reassuring smile that told me two things. He’ll be ok. And if he isn’t, we cannot spend the rest of our lives walking on eggshells. So far, the tests they’ve been running are all good. I told him last night we have to accept that we may never know why he had two strokes in less than three months. We might as well move forward as though he’ll never have another one.

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We used the last of this week’s sourdough bread so today I’m making more. I made yoghurt yesterday. I don’t think I like this culture I’m using. It comes out more like cheese than yoghurt.I told Mr. FixIt last night...I no sooner get the kitchen cleaned till I’m off making something else and messing it up again. It’s like picking up after your kids...only I’M the one making the mess!

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Edit: I want to make something clear here. The people we chose to dine with last night have been following strict social distancing so there was an added level of safety there. And, when I said I need to tell Mr FixIt we can’t live in fear of this, I meant the fear of another stroke. We don’t live in fear of the virus. We live with caution. There’s a difference. Safety first, always.

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❤️

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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

\n1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/21/day-pizza-on-the-grill.html", "tags": ["Fun","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/16/day-finallythe-perfect-loaf-of.html", "title": "Day 91: Finally...The Perfect Loaf of Bread!", "content_html": "\n
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I think I’ve been playing around with this sourdough for a couple of months now. My first loaf was kinda sad and disappointing. The English Muffins were divine. The second loaf was worse than the first. I believe I could have used it as a door stop! It was dense and dry and didn’t resemble traditional sourdough in the least.

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I kept feeding my starter and getting it really active and bubbly. At the same time, I dove headlong into researching the intricacies of sourdough. It turns out, there is as much artistic feel for the dough as there is science involved. I came across some YouTube videos that were extremely helpful. They led me to the book, Tartine Bread. Mr. FixIt said I could get whatever I needed for my bread baking forays as my birthday gift. So, I bought a cast iron dutch oven and the Tartine Bread book.

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I’ve been studying it carefully for about a week. There are copious photos illustrating each step of the process. This particular recipe is for the Basic Country Loaf and is enough for two loaves of bread. We happened to have a large Dutch oven so until my smaller one comes, I used the one we have. It worked fine...just heavy and awkward and when you are dealing with a cast iron pot that is 500℉, you want something that isn’t quite so unwieldy. 

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It took all day Sunday to get the loaves ready for the final rise. But the time they got to that point, it was 10:00 at night and I was NOT going to wait another three to four hours for that rise, then another hour and half to bake (forty-five minutes per loaf, one loaf at a time.) Fortunately, there was a paragraph that let me off the hook. It said if you weren’t prepared to bake at that point, you could cover the bowls of dough and place them in the refrigerator for up to twelve hours. Eureka! In the refrigerator in the garage they went!

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Yesterday morning, I cranked up the oven to 500℉ with the empty cast iron Dutch oven inside. When it came to temperature, I got it out and set the loaf in on parchment paper, scored the top of the loaf, put on the lid and popped it back in the oven. I turned the heat down to 450...still MUCH hotter than I ever would have imagined baking a loaf of bread. Twenty minutes later, I took the lid off the Dutch oven and was amazed at the oven spring the loaf had attained. It was pale with a shiny skin on it and nearly filled the Dutch oven. It baked uncovered for another 25 minutes and when I took it out, I could have cried. It was that beautiful.

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I took it out, paper and all, and placed the cast iron pot back in the oven and cranked it back up to 500℉. When it was ready, I repeated the whole thing. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn the heat down to 450 this time and the loaf was a little darker than I would have liked. And it didn’t attain quite the same degree of oven spring as the first loaf because the higher heat killed off the yeast before it could get that lovely rise. Still, both loaves were lovely and a far cry better than either of my first attempts.

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I have such a sense of accomplishment! The Tartine Bread book comes from Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. He designed the recipe so you could make loaves that look exactly like their bread. I didn’t have his same starter, of course. Nor did I have freshly milled flour, but the bread I made certainly held its own in comparison. When you thumped on the bottom of the loaf, it sounded hollow. The recipe uses a very hydrated dough and you can tell all that moisture got cooked off. The crumb was tender and airy with almost a custard feel on the tongue. It was not overly sour which was nice. I made toast with it right off. Then we had sandwiches with it for an early supper.

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The only thing that gave me any trouble was the crust. It’s beautiful, but we don’t have a single knife at the house that could easily slice it...not even the electric knife. A friend suggested a Cutco bread knife. I’ll have to do some research on that. In the meantime, the daytime temps are rising this week, so no bread baking for me for a while. I’ll make some English Muffins, though. I can do those in an iron skillet on top of the stove. And, it looks like last night was probably the last in the camper for a while, too. At least until we get the power run out there.

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I wonder what my next project will be?

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❤️

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“But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””

\nMatthew 4:4 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/16/day-finallythe-perfect-loaf-of.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/14/day-way-to-go-pulling.html", "title": "Day 89: Way to Go! Pulling off a Great Birthday!", "content_html": "\n
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My mom always said, “Mind over matter!” She was right, of course. I could have headed into my birthday without expectation. My post yesterday morning looked like that’s where I was heading. And, somewhere between there and here, I heard my mom’s voice telling me “Mind over matter” and I pulled myself up by the bootstraps. First, I made sure I slept really well Friday night. I didn’t eat spicy food and I didn’t eat late. I took it easy on caffeine in the afternoon. And I practiced good sleep hygiene before bed, ie no TV, no news, soft music, and we slept in the camper. It was cool overnight so it was the best sleeping weather. 

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I woke up completely refreshed and the sun was shining and we were knee deep in June! The green is so green it almost hurts your eyes. We had a nice, healthy breakfast of oats and fresh fruit and coffee and loaded up the tractor on the trailer. We hauled it over to the farm and knocked out the mowing in record time. We hit the road and stopped at the pizza place for sandwiches. After having a picnic by the river, we headed on home. 

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All my people either called, FaceTimed, or texted me for my birthday. I got lots of pictures of Grandma’s flowers out at the farm. I had a Magnum Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream Bar as my “birthday cake”. Life is GOOD!

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You know, bad stuff happens to everyone. We cannot always be sitting on top of the world. Sometimes we find ourselves in the valley. That’s normal...even though it sucks. And...like I said yesterday...it’s perfectly OK to NOT be OK sometimes. If you find yourself struggling often and you feel like you are floundering, it is ok to talk to a Mental Health professional. There is nothing wrong with that. I’ve had a lot of therapy in my life so I have a lot of tools in my toolbox to handle most situations. In this case, I just had to have a really good night’s sleep and tons of contact with people who love and support me...including all of you. 

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Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement and the Happy Birthday Greetings! You really helped me pull myself up by the bootstraps and get moving and the day turned out to be grand!

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Here’s to showing 67 how it’s done!

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❤️

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“For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.”

\nProverbs 9:11 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/14/day-way-to-go-pulling.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Aging","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/12/day-harrys-garden.html", "title": "Day 87: Harry’s Garden", "content_html": "\n
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In the middle of yet another busy day of appointments and trips to the pharmacy for yet another prescription, Mr. FixIt and I decided to go pay a visit to his good friend, Harry. Harry loves Atomic Fireballs. Addicted to them, really. So, every time we go to Sam’s, we get Harry a box of them. Harry doesn’t ask for much. He works hard. He lives a simple life. And...he’s a widower.

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Harry lost Myrna a little over a year ago after a long struggle with cancer. She was his everything and we were worried for him. Mr. FixIt and Harry worked together for many years and they just bonded. They’ve bowled on the same team for decades. After being with me for the last three years, my sweetheart has a pretty good understanding of what it means to have your spouse die. I have to say...he touches my heart every time he reaches for those candies that Harry loves. Or, when he picks up the phone and says, as he is looking up the number, “I’d better check in on Harry and see how he’s doing.”

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When we arrived, Harry came out with three lawn chairs and guided us to a cool shady spot alongside the modest house he shares with his son and two dogs. We caught up with each other’s latest news. He just got back from a visit with his young grandchildren...twins that Myrna was crazy over. The two men discussed the woes of broken down machinery when they compared lawn tractor sagas. Then Harry lit up. 

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“You wanna come see the garden?”

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We walked around the corner of the house and there was this beautiful garden spread out before us. It was enough to make me catch my breath. Row after row of onions, lettuce, carrots, beets, beans, corn, tomatoes, and pumpkins...all neatly tended in a soft, sandy soil. Nothing like the dense, wet clay we have to deal with. Harry doesn’t live all that far from the Ohio River. His garden was once part of the riverbed.

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He grabbed a couple grocery bags and stuffed them with onions and lettuce. I’ll make a wilted lettuce salad this evening. For those of you unfamiliar with the glories of wilted lettuce...you start with lots of well washed leaf lettuce, add some sliced green onions and set aside. Fry up some bacon. Crumble the bacon on top of the salad. When the bacon grease cools enough that it won’t spatter, add a little sugar, salt and pepper stirring well till the sugar dissolves then add a good splash of apple cider vinegar. Heat it up and stir to get all the crispy bacon bits off the pan, then pour over the salad and toss well. Eat it right away so that it’s wilted, but not soggy. Ohhhhh, heavenly days! This was the only “salad” I knew growing up and it brings happy memories every time I eat it.

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We finally had to say our goodbyes and thanked Harry profusely for the fresh produce. As we drove home, I reached over and held my sweet husband’s hand. He is a good man with a kind heart and I am so proud of the kind of friend he is. He warms my heart.

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❤️

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“not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

\nPhilippians 2:4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/12/day-harrys-garden.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Grace","Love","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/10/day-its-hot-in-here.html", "title": "Day 85: It’s HOT in Here!", "content_html": "\n
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Land’s sakes...it was so hot yesterday, you could have fried an egg on the sidewalk. We had a couple of appointments in town with an hour and a half in between, so we rand a few errands. I was out pumping gas at Sam’s and carried the trash around the end of the truck to the can nearby. I had to walk out of the shade into the sun and it was searingly hot. Not only that, with our humidity level, the heat index was around 100℉. Brutal.

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When we got home around 3:30, I realized we left the house AC off and it took forever to catch up and cool it off. Then, of course, I had to cook supper. When I stopped in Kroger on Monday to pick up a couple things, the first thing I saw was green tomatoes. I totally missed the whole fried green tomato thing last year because I was gone so much. I picked up two and headed to the seafood department. I chose a good sized swordfish steak. I don’t eat swordfish that much because I prefer it fresh and you can seldom find it here. I noticed a tray with garlic, sliced citrus, pats of butter, and sprigs of herbs. I asked the clerk if that was available to add to the fish you buy. He said he could put anything on it I wanted and he would pop it in a microwave bag with instructions on the bottom. OMGosh! How easy is that? I had him add lemon pepper, lemon slices, two pats of butter, and a sprig of rosemary. 

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When it was time for supper last night, my kitchen was already hot so I couldn’t stand the thought of heating it up any more. I mixed up a simple beer batter (1/2 beer, 1/2 all purpose flour), whisked it till smooth, coated each slice of green tomato on both sides then dredged them in stone ground corn meal. I fried them in my Griswold iron skillet that I bought at a steam engine show a couple of years ago. The fish was done in four minutes in the microwave and it was perfect. The fried green tomatoes were the best I’ve ever made. I didn’t add salt to the batter and they really needed salt at the table, but other than that, they were perfect.

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I am excited that we don’t have to go anywhere today. It seems like there’s something every single day that takes us here and there. I didn’t think after the lockdown that I would miss staying at home, but I do. In the same breath, I miss getting out in my camper and traveling around the country. I miss my Colorado family. We missed our spring beach trip this year. But, we are doing what we need to do right now. It won’t last forever and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be doing life with than this guy. 

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❤️

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“She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

\nProverbs 31:27 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-10T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/10/day-its-hot-in-here.html", "tags": ["Family","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/09/day-time-for-tofu-tuesday.html", "title": "Day 84: Time for Tofu Tuesday!", "content_html": "\n
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We used up last week’s tofu over the weekend so it was time to make a new batch. I actually make a double batch to get a good sized cake of tofu when I’m finished. It last a week and gives us 3-4 meals, depending how we prepare it. I paid $35.00 (including shipping) for 13 pounds of new crop of Laura Soybeans from the Chambers Family Farm in Iowa. They are certified organic and non-GMO. I did a quick estimate and a double batch of tofu costs me approximately $1.17 to make, not including the initial purchase of tools to make it or the coagulant which you only need to purchase once or twice a year for around $10-12.00. Bottom line...this is a really inexpensive and easy way to make a tasty meat alternative that’s really good for you.

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I put the beans on to soak the night before and rinsed them well in a colander after they were rehydrated. They start out as little round beans that are smaller than peas and turn into oval, pale yellow beans approximately the size of cooked Great Northerns. I have a Soy Milk Maker that I purchased several years ago because I didn’t drink dairy at the time. In twenty minutes, you can turn three cups of rehydrated raw soybeans into a delicious milk. Double the batch, curdle it, and load up the tofu mold and the whole thing is done in about ninety minutes...not counting the overnight soak or the pressing time.

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The steps are illustrated in the photo above:

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  1. Setting the soybeans to soak. One batch of soy milk in this machine uses 100 grams which equals approximately 1 cup of beans, so I put in 2 cups of dry beans, rinsed. I keep my soybeans in two airtight containers stored inside a cupboard. This keeps them cool, dry, and critter free. 
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  2. The soaked beans and filtered water go into the machine.
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  3. Snap on the top, plug it in, and hit “Soy Beans”. Easy peasy. The machine does it all. It heats the beans and grinds them, then brings the milk up to the proper temperature to kill the enzymes so it can be easily digested. Using a blender is just as good, although it does have to be heavy duty to grind the beans fine enough to extract the milk.
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  4. When the machine signals after about 20 minutes and the milk is ready to strain.
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  5. I use a nut milk strainer bag that I stretch over a large sieve that rests on top of a large pan to catch the milk. Since I am using a double batch, I use two pans then combine them when I’m ready to curdle the milk. I twist the bag and use a rubber spatula to press out the milk because it is still hot from processing. (If you are using a blender, you have to bring the milk to a boil for 5 minutes after you strain it and let it cool to about 160-175F before you add the nigari.
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  6. The damp pulp that is left over after straining out the soy milk is called okara. It is packed FULL of protein and fiber and is an excellent addition to muffins, cookies, soups. You can even dry it in a dehydrator and grind it into soy flour in a food processor.
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  7. I was in a hurry yesterday and I stirred my soy milk a little too aggressively after I added the nigari. You’re supposed to gently stir the soy milk while adding the nigari/water mixture then cover and let sit undisturbed for 15-25 minutes. I was running out of time and tried to rush it and the curd suffered but I still managed to get a good cake of tofu out of it.
    8. \n
  8. This is my tofu press. I ordered this one from Japan simply because I used to have one like it years ago and wanted the same one. I have a smaller plastic one if I want to make a small batch. You can also use a clean plastic berry container or some sort of produce container that has holes around the bottom for draining. Whatever mold you use, you line it with a damp piece of muslin that’s big enough to cover the bottom and sides with some to fold over the top. Place the top on the mold or if you’re using some other kind of container, cut a thick piece of a plastic lid that will fit down inside the top of the mold and place something heavy on top to press the excess moisture out. I used a quart jar of beans. The longer you press, the firmer the tofu. Just place a saucer on the bottom of a container larger than your mold to hold the whole thing up out of the whey that you press out and set the whole thing in the refrigerator.
    9. \n
  9. Once you’ve achieve the density you like, take the cloth wrapped tofu cake out of the mold and lace it in a container with a lid. Cover it with water and place it in the fridge. Change the water every day and your tofu will stay fresh and delicious for a week.
    10. \n
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My favorite way to cook with tofu is to cut it in cubes and marinate it in a mixture of a little olive oil, red chili paste, garlic, and a little soy sauce. I put it in a container in the fridge overnight and stir fry it with assorted veggies and serve it over quinoa or rice. I also like to stir fry cubed tofu in a little oil, drain it well, and serve as a protein in a salad.

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We are already seeing some of the health benefits of eating a healthier diet. I don’t know that you can easily take all meat away from a 68 year old West Virginia country boy, but we’re doing a pretty good job of it. We are substituting things like salmon or swordfish once or twice a week to satisfy his meat cravings. The rest of the time it’s salads with tofu, or stir fry, or a dish with quinoa and vegetables. Quinoa is also packed with protein.

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So, there you have it...Tofu Tuesday!

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You can read more and find a recipe for tofu HERE.

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❤️

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“Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

\nGenesis 1:29 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/09/day-time-for-tofu-tuesday.html", "tags": ["Health","New Ideas","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/08/day-getting-it-all-done.html", "title": "Day 83: Getting it all Done", "content_html": "\n
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Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. During the growing season, and with all these medical appointments we have to go to, some of my “rest” gets done praying in the garden and on the tractor. We watched our church service remotely again yesterday. We are not staying away out of fear...we are staying away out of an abundance of caution. We cannot afford to let either one of us get sick and not everyone wears a mask at church. Yes, we run into the store where not everyone wears a mask, but that is not in a closed room seated for 90 minutes...social distancing or not. It’s a personal choice and we don’t feel any less Christian by worshipping at home.

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Yesterday was really a busy day with mowing and planting the last of the tomato plants and watering the gardens. I brought a couple of old galvanized tubs home from the farm last week. they were split in the bottom where they froze before I had a chance to tip them over. I used the square one as a planter for three Roma Tomato plants. 

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I fed my sourdough starter three times this weekend in preparation for baking bread today. I also have the soybeans to make into soy milk then into tofu this afternoon. This is in addition to a medical appointment so we’re hopping.

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I’m still learning about sourdough starter and how it all works. I’ve been watching YouTube videos and the starter I’ve been seeing didn’t look like mine. Mine was runny and flat. Turns out, I wasn’t feeding it enough. Now that I’ve got this down, the starter has an almost rubbery texture...like wet Silly Putty. And it smells heavenly...tangy and yeasty. And look at those bubbles! Those will produce the kind of sourdough bread you see in fine restaurants. I’ve learned a trick to making a deep golden brown crust with a lighter center. Now to see if I can make that work in my own kitchen.

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I made a dozen whole wheat sourdough pancakes yesterday morning. They’ll last us through the week. Last night, I made salmon, corn on the cob, and fresh sliced tomatoes. We dined al fresco on the pool deck which was delightful. We are so happy with the shade from the pergola we built this spring. It used to be too hot out there to eat unless it was after the sun went over the far hill.

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It will be a very busy week, to be sure. 

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❤️

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““Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

\nJohn 6:34-35 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-08T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/08/day-getting-it-all-done.html", "tags": ["Health","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/07/day-mr-fixit-and-his.html", "title": "Day 82: Mr. FixIt and His Cat", "content_html": "\n
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Pumpkin the kitty isn’t a kitten anymore, but she is still small...and feisty. She has never been a real snuggle bunny, although she will let you hold her till she decides it’s time to bite. Then you put her down in a hurry. Sometimes she stalks your feet and pounces as you walk by, giving you a solid chomp on the shin. Sometimes you don’t like her much, but most of the time she is tolerable and some of the time she is just too darned cute for words.

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I’ve never been a huge “cat person”. I’m doing my best here with this one....but I must say, it’s for my husband’s benefit. He loves having an animal around. Pumpkin is Mr. FixIt’s cat and she follows him everywhere. When he drives to town to pick up his lottery tickets, she happily hops in the truck with him to go for a ride. Wherever he is, Pumpkin isn’t far away. She’s kinda like a dog in that way.

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I was sitting in my recliner the other morning having coffee when Mr. FixIt headed out to the building to do some cleaning and organizing. I caught this picture of Pumpkin tagging along behind him as he headed out to work. The new tractor is still in the shop and when it comes back, it needs a good parking spot. We filled the old spot with tools brought home from a worksite, so we had to find more room.

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We loaded up the truck to take some things to a family member and delivered it yesterday. It’s amazing what people find valuable and refuse to part with. Coming from a place where I have already gone through the downsizing project, it’s pretty hard to not just order a dumpster and toss stuff. I figure if we can clean out ten square feet at a time, we will make some serious headway before the snow falls. Fingers crossed.

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I was working on a project the other day and needed something. I thought we would need to make yet another trip into town, but before we did, I asked if it was possible we had the item in the building. Mr. FixIt went right out and returned with exactly what I needed. Not only that, it was a brand new one! It’s like living with your own personal Home Depot out back! The only problem is...we need the night crew to do an inventory and get everything organized. Now, if we only HAD a night crew!

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As much as I fuss about the lack of organization around here, I’m still happier than I’ve been in a very long time. So, maybe someday this will all be left to me and I’ll have to handle it. So what? I’d much rather enjoy my time with Mr. FixIt now rather than rag at him all the time to get the place cleaned up. There’s always time for cleaning up down the road. There may not be as much time for hugs and laughter. That’s the important stuff.

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❤️

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“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

\n1 Peter 4:8 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/07/day-mr-fixit-and-his.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Aging","Choices","Change","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/02/day-a-day-at-the.html", "title": "Day 78: A Day at the Farm", "content_html": "\n
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The second clutch. I think one egg didn’t hatch.
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Once I finished mowing at the Ponderosa, I spent a little time in the kitchen preparing some homemade real vanilla extract to steep. I will be giving them as Christmas gifts, so I place three vanilla beans in each bottle...two cut beans into one inch pieces and leave one whole so it looks pretty. I poured a cheap vodka over them and sealed each bottle. I stored them away in a cool, dark cupboard in the dining room. Then, once a week, I’ll shake them up to keep things loose in there. By Christmas, the extract should have a deep, rich taste from the Madagascar beans and smell divine.

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When I was done in the kitchen, we loaded the mower into the back of my truck and headed to my favorite place in the whole wide world....my grandma’s farm. I can’t believe how much the grass grew in just six days. I wanted to get it done before the heat hits today so I don’t have to work outside so much. Mr. FixIt is getting stronger and was able to do some weed-eating while I mowed. I still had to take a few breaks to cool off.

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As I was mowing down by the road, I found these flags blooming under the elderberry bush. They are so delicate and the waning light set them off with a soft glow. There are blossoms coming on the elderberry bush so I am hoping to harvest some berries for syrup. It’s an excellent natural immune booster.

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When we got home, I transplanted my pepper plants and three of the squash plants into the two large containers I painted yesterday. The bunnies are back so I don’t know if I’m even going to bother planting beans this year. They just eat them off at the ground once they’re about three inches tall. Our tomatoes are abysmal this year. We bought them so early and they really needed to be transplanted in larger containers about a month before they went into the ground, but there was just too much going on to accomplish that. I told Mr. FixIt not to worry about it. I’ll just buy my vegetables at the farmer’s market this year. Next year, I’m going to build a container garden along the fence so I can have beans without feeding the bunnies. I was hoping the cat would keep them away, but no such luck.

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And that was the end of my day. We have camped in our field several nights in the last week. Last night was the end of the really cool nights so we may end up back in the house...we’ll see. I love being out there and “pretend camp”. I see my friends starting to get out there and enjoy their campers and travel again. I hope there will come a time when I can do the same, but for now, I am content to stay here with my sweetheart while he’s still recovering and having physical therapy.

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I may bake something yummy again today. It is my therapy.

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❤️

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“Give us this day our daily bread.”

\nMatthew 6:11 KJV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/02/day-a-day-at-the.html", "tags": ["Camping","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/06/01/day-mow-mow-mow-the.html", "title": "Day 77: Mow, Mow, Mow the Grass!", "content_html": "\n
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I love Sundays. We had homemade toasted English Muffins with our breakfast yesterday and ate as we watched online church. Our church started back to in-person services this week. You had to go online to reserve a space and they only filled to 30% capacity. We won’t be going to any in-person services until there is a vaccine for this virus. We had Covid antibody testing done last week because we were both under the weather in February then Mr. FixIt had his stroke. Since stroke is one of the known side effects and, since I’m trying to find anything that might have cause it, we had the testing done locally. No real surprise that we were both negative, but I felt we needed to cover every base. We can’t risk him getting Covid, and there wasn’t a mask to be seen on anyone they showed in today’s service. As long as we can watch from home, that’s the way it will stay.

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As soon as church was over, it was time to do the Sunday Stretch-Out...aka nap time. I read and relaxed and napped in the camper while Mr. FixIt stretched out in his recliner for a while. When I got up, he was rebuilding the generator. I cleaned and painted a couple of pots to plant my peppers and zucchini in. We were sitting in the shade under the maple tree around 4:30 when I saw how long the grass was getting in the near field. I jumped on the tractor and got both fields mowed then came in, fixed supper, and we watched the news. I don’t have to tell you how awful that was. It seems like we are being hit with blow after blow. When things build up and build up and build up, there is bound to come a moment of saturation when everything comes to a head. I just wish it didn’t entail such wanton violence and I pray for peace, justice, and humanity.

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Today I’ll finish the mowing here, plant the peppers and squash, then head to the farm to mow. I’m making a batch of pure vanilla extract this week and it’s time to make another batch of yoghurt. I’d also like to make a challah. I haven’t done that in ages. It’s supposed to get hot tomorrow and stay that way for the foreseeable future. The pool is just about ready to swim in...just in time for the hot weather!

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❤️

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“He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth:”

\nPsalms 104:14 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-06-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/06/01/day-mow-mow-mow-the.html", "tags": ["Peace","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/30/day-back-in-the-kitchen.html", "title": "Day 75: Back in the Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been itchin’ for the kitchen all week and finally got to spend the day in my “food lab”. I started out putting soy beans on to soak so I could make tofu before the end of the day. I meant to set them out the night before, but I forgot. In order to make them plump up faster, I covered them with hot water to give them a jump start, then set them aside while I went on to the next idea.

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I bought blueberries on special a few days ago and I knew if I didn’t use them up somehow, I was going to lose them. So, I mixed up half a cup of water and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice with half a cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of cornstarch. I stirred in three cups of fresh blueberries and brought them to a boil over medium heat and cooked them till they were thickened and glossy. Then I poured them into an airtight container and popped a beautiful container of Blueberry Sauce to be served over ice cream or cake or yogurt. Yummmm!

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Once that was done, I fed three jars of sourdough starter that I have going. One is for a friend. One is my regular starter. The third is my experimental starter. I’m thinking of turning it into a sweet starter to use for a Southern Sourdough Bread recipe I found. Once the starters were fed and put away to incubate, I mixed up a big batch of Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancake batter and that’s what we had for brunch. 

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The thing about sourdough...it rarely tastes the same every time you use it. It grows and changes and picks up new wild yeasts. And it gives off more and more acids and that’s where sourdough gets its name....it’s very tangy. You can increase the tanginess artificially by adding citric acid, or you can let it rise overnight in the refrigerator. My pancakes are always tangy now because they use older, more acidic starter. Yesterday’s were delicious and I don’t think I can ever go back to pancakes from the box again. They’re much too....blah. 

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Once brunch was complete, I mixed up a dough for English Muffins and set it to rise. By this time, I was ready to get outside and get some sunshine. I took down all the bird feeders and filled them. I took down the old hummingbird feeder and threw it away. I don’t know what it is about that feeder, but the hummers just don’t love it. I filled and put up the one from the farm. Hopefully, the little velociraptors will return.

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I sat down to watch “Grant” with Mr. FixIt. I tried...I really did...but I just couldn’t stick it out. I kept thinking of the million other things I could be doing instead and I begged my leave. I went back to the kitchen and cooked up a double batch of spaghetti sauce and sweet it in the crockpot to simmer and thicken. 

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I ran the soaked soybeans through the soy milk maker...two loads this time...and strained the solids from the soy milk. I saved the thick, damp solids (called okara) and put it in an airtight container and stored it in the fridge. There are things I can do with that. We’ll talk about that when we come to it.

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Once the soy milk was heated then cooled to around 170, I gently mixed in a liquid nigari solution to start the curd process. Once the fluffy white curds began swimming in the lightly yellow whey, I scooped them out and placed them gently in a cloth lined tofu box. But this time, Mr. FixIt was tapping his foot...it was time to leave for therapy. I placed the lid on the tofu box and set a quart jar of dried beans on top to gently press the extra whey from the bloc of tofu and make it a nice firm texture. My preference for slicing and cubing for cooking.

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A quick trip to town, Physical Therapy, post office, a takeout picnic from Olive Garden (because it was date night!) and a stop at the store finished of the town trip. As soon as I got home, I had to unbox the tofu, place it in the storage container, cover it with fresh water, and pop on the lid. Stored in the fridge, that block of tofu will feed us several meals and remain fresh all week as long as I change the water every day. I stored the three jars of starter in the fridge, then prepared the English Muffin dough for its final rise before cooking. While it was rising, I did the dishes and wrote this post. Tomorrow, I’ll show you the final step in cooking the English Muffins.

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Another good solid day of “fun work”. Another good kind of tired at the end of the day. It’s supposed to be cool the next few days so I’m looking forward to some field camping this weekend!

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❤️

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“Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.”

\nEcclesiastes 9:7 NIV\n
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#Food, #Baking, #Comfort

\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/30/day-back-in-the-kitchen.html", "tags": ["Fun","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/28/day-welcome-to-my-world.html", "title": "Day 73: Welcome to my World", "content_html": "\n
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Ever since I told you about Lehman’s Hardware a few weeks ago, I’ve been itching to make the two hour drive to go see it. I was all set to go today as it is supposed to rain, but last night I told Mr. FixIt I would rather stay home and enjoy the fruits of our labors this week. It took three days to do all the mowing...and that was three long days. I finally finished last evening but I wasn’t done yet.

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I pruned some trees back along the fence, put away a lot of stuff that had gathered in the yard, got the pool pump plugged back in, and put the lawn chairs away for the night. I burned a couple of boxes in the fire pit and hauled the limbs to a place down by the creek and threw them over the hill. I could have worked for another hour, but I told Mr. FixIt, by that time I’d lost interest. He just chuckled.

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West Virginia went from meat locker to microwave in about a week. Every day for the last several days has been up in the eighties and it’s been too hot to work for at least two to three hours in the late afternoons. The former Mrs. FixIt came out for a visit yesterday and we all sat socially distanced in the shade of the maple tree and visited for a couple of hours. When it was time for her to go, I felt like I did when I was a kid and the fun was about to be over. This social isolation is difficult.

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After I was finished with the yard work, Mr. FixIt and I went for a ride through town and out a country road I’ve been wanting to explore. My friend Stacey lives a couple of miles out this lovely little lane and I’d never seen their new place. I wasn’t disappointed. They live on seventeen acres and have the most darling white farmhouse with a covered front porch. I knew when I came around the turn and saw the way the porch was decorated that I’d found the right place. It looked like something right out of Country Living Magazine.

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We had a country visit. The kind where you drive by in your pickup, holler at someone out on the porch, then sit in the truck in the middle of the road and talk for half an hour. I was about to leave when Stacey asked if I’d like to have a jar of that Redbud Jelly she put up this spring. Oh, my...I said “Yes, please!” so fast it’d make your head spin! Since I’m staying home today, I’m going to try my hand at making sourdough English Muffins so I can have some with that lovely pale pink jelly!

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I mentioned to Stacie as we left that I feel like I’ve been in prison and they’ve let us out on good behavior. But, they might send us back if we don’t mind our P’s and Q’s. I was thinking about this as I was mowing yesterday. I don’t know if I will ever be able to eat in a restaurant again without thinking about all the germs. I don’t know if I will ever relax in a plane or at the theater or a party the way I used to. What if people want to hug me? What if I feel comfortable enough to hug someone and they draw away from me?

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The other day, we stopped to say hello to one of Mr. FixIt’s friends. Joe doesn’t socially isolate or wear masks and he came right up to Mr. FixIt’s window to chat with him. I immediately put my hand up and asked him nicely to back up some because we really cannot take any risks with my husband’s health after these strokes. He was respectful and backed away. There are others who do not. We stopped at the pool supply store Tuesday. There was a line of twenty people. Not all had masks. Not all were maintaining social distancing. I asked my sweetheart to stay in the truck while I got what we needed. The man behind me kept crowding in my space. 

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This is a different world. I have a feeling that things will loosen up again, but maybe not so much till we have a vaccine for Covid. I’ve been reading all the fuss about the vaccine and let me tell you something...Mr. FixIt and I will be the first in line to get it. I’ve lived through the polio era and seen the ravages of that disease. I’ve had vaccines regularly since I was a child and there’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t glow in the dark. I don’t have autism. My kids don’t have arms growing out of their foreheads. This one will be fine. It isn’t the “mark of the beast.”

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I was interrupted writing by the weatherman’s prediction of two inches of rain tonight. Good thing I put Epsom salts around the tomatoes earlier in the evening so the rain can wash that down into the soil and hopefully perk them up. I also had to run outside and get the ladder and climb up to make sure the gutters were clear. (Mr. FixIt held the ladder for me. Those headlamps we bought ourselves for Christmas have sure come in handy around here.) 

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Whew! It’s always something! 

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❤️

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“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

\nProverbs 3:3-4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/28/day-welcome-to-my-world.html", "tags": ["Faith","Love","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/25/day-learning-new-skills.html", "title": "Day 70: Learning New Skills", "content_html": "\n
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A few years ago, a clerk at the swimming pool supply store gave Mr. FixIt a handy dandy little trick to keep from having to empty so much water from the pool in the winter. It was supposed to keep the skimmer from freezing. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and the skimmer cracked. Being the frugal fixit man my husband is, he managed to jury rig the whole thing and get another four years use out of it. He’s a smart man. But, alas...the time came when we couldn’t keep it together with spit and glue anymore and we bit the bullet. We bought a new one.

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Now, in my old life as a Princess, I would have just called the pool guy, ordered a skimmer, and have him come out and install it. I always justified those expenses by figuring out how long it would take me to do it multiplied by how much I valued my time. I valued my time a LOT. Nowadays, we have nothing BUT time, and being the frugal fixit man that he is, we set to installing the skimmer ourselves yesterday. 

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With a break during the hottest part of the day, I’d say it took us a good five to six hours to install that baby. It’s made well, and all the parts were there, but I could NOT turn the screws when it came time to put it together. I tried and tried. I grunted and may have said a naughty word or two. Mr. FixIt wasn’t helping when he said, “Just turn it!”

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I looked at him and informed him he was getting dangerously close to doing this entire job by himself. Finally, I took the two pieces apart and looked in the holes. They were not threaded. Mr. FixIt took the drill and drove the screws into the holes to pre-thread them. When we tried the second time, they went in much easier. However, I couldn’t get the leverage I needed to drive them all the way in. I knew the only way this was going to work was for one of us to get in the pool to be in the right position.

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There was no way I was going to let my husband get down in that water. Not only would there be the balance issues from last weekend’s stroke, but there was the issue of the water that had not been cleaned yet. I couldn’t risk him getting an infection in his feet or legs. So...I said, let’s have a good dinner, then I can get in there and we’ll whip this thing out.

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I pulled the pork roast out of the oven and as it set, I steamed some broccoli, made a bowl of coleslaw, and sautéed the remaining mushrooms that were nearing their final days. We enjoyed our meal out on the pool deck, admiring the new pergola we built this spring and yet again congratulating ourselves for being so smart to buy it. It really keeps the temperature down at the table. After supper, we drove over to town to get a little ice cream for dessert.

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It was finally time to get in the pool and get this done. It was SO cold. The pool thermometer said “Lo”. I asked Mr. FixIt how low was “Lo”. He had no idea. I’ll tell you what...I know! “Lo” means “Darned Cold”! But this was exactly the position I needed to be in to put my weight behind it and it was no time till we were done. The seal around the skimmer was water tight and there were no more leaks. Eureka! I did a little happy dance and Mr. FixIt laughed.

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“Get out of there before you get hypothermia!”

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I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing a good job. And I love that I have a patient husband that is willing to teach me these things. Having these strokes has brought us a sense of urgency in getting jobs done and teaching me how to do everything around here. It’s all part of the whole “Autumn” thing.

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Sitting in the bedroom with the windows wide open and writing is the peaceful ending I crave to every day. It is my meditation time. I love hearing the frogs and the night noises and the tapping of my keyboard. It is the rhythm of my life.

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❤️

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“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

\nProverbs 3:24 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-25T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/25/day-learning-new-skills.html", "tags": ["Health","Uplifting Stories","Overcoming Obstacles","Gratitude","Wisdom","Aging","Change","Be Joyful!","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/24/day-finding-a-gentle-space.html", "title": "Day 69: Finding a Gentle Space", "content_html": "\n
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In the harshness of the covid pandemic, the news and social media is constantly abuzz with the the latest numbers and the most current predictions and the total reversal of recommendations. It’s enough to make your head spin. I know mine has been. I’ve been thinking about the curveballs life has been throwing at us this year and I can’t help but think all the tough times I’ve experienced in my life have been training me for this. 

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I’ve got to tell you...this year was definitely not what I had in my Five Year Plan. Which just goes to show you what happens when you make a Five Year Plan. Life just seems to have a way of shoving all your plans to the side. I didn’t plan on being married again. But I’m so blessed that I am. We didn’t plan on two strokes. But we are so blessed they weren’t worse. We didn’t plan on a pandemic of epic proportions that would change the course of the world, but...here we are.

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Yesterday was a day that brought into focus the simpler things in life. I shared with you a while back that the frame on our two year old tractor broke in half a few weeks ago. It’s in the shop and who knows when it will get fixed. Fortunately, we have a second, older tractor but it hasn’t been run in two years. It has taken a great deal of work to get it going again. For one thing, the mower deck was broken and needed welding. Our grandson-in-law came yesterday morning and welded it for us. Then, my step-son helped Mr. FixIt get the mower deck reattached. We still need another piece to adjust the level of the deck, but it’s running and will mow...just not terribly evenly till we get a new cable on it. I felt so loved and so grateful for the presence of loved ones. It is what we do. We help each other best when we expect nothing in return.

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I planted onion sets in the garden. My friend Gail sent me pumpkin seeds that are third generation “wedding pumpkins”...the ones we used for decorations when we got married in October 2018. I planted a few along the side yard and I can train them to grow up the fence. I took a walkabout to see how the flowers are fairing. In the corner of the yard, there is a shady place with an earthen berm between the yard and the creek. With all the rain we’ve been getting, the creek is running along at a pretty brisk clip. 

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I stood in the morning light and felt the gentleness of the moment. I sipped my coffee and felt the warmth as I held the mug between my hands. The birds were singing in the pear tree in the yard and the sycamores that line the creekbank. Insects buzzed here and there and a yellow swallowtail butterfly seemed intent on joining me in my reverie as it fluttered all around. The irises you see in this picture will soon be blooming. They are yellow and are actually called flag iris or just flags. They look modern and angular and remind me of an Asian painting. 

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The moment struck me as peaceful in the quiet anticipation of these beauties that will burst open like fireworks in a few days. Catching them preparing for their moment in the sun was reminiscent of waiting for the curtain to go up on a much anticipated Broadway show. It was tangibly delicious and this picture captured it beautifully. 

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I wish I could have caught the butterfly in the photo...but that’s just the way life goes, isn’t it? It is perfect in it’s imperfections.

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❤️

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“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

\n1 John 4:12 ESV\n
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#Blessings, #Family, #Gratitude

\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/24/day-finding-a-gentle-space.html", "tags": ["Family","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/23/day-call-lowesim-building-an.html", "title": "Day 68: Call Lowe’s...I’m Building an Ark!", "content_html": "\n
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Hokey Smokes! It has rained 20 inches so far this year in our neck of the woods. We waited all day yesterday to get enough warm sunshine to dry out the yard so we could mow one more time before my step-son comes to get his riding mower today. Mr. FixIt had physical therapy and we needed to find a couple things for the old tractor to work on it today. By the time we got back home, the skies opened up again and we were back to square one.

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Hopefully today is a nice day and we can mow and be good for another week, at least. I mean...on the one hand, when it rains you don’t have to mow. But, on the other...the grass grows like crazy with all that wonderful moisture. It’s a Catch-22. We also need to take the push mower out to the farm and mow out there. And this time, Mr. FixIt can’t help. I’m definitely going to get back in shape with all this exercise!

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I hate that I’m not spending as much time in the kitchen as I was. It’s so soothing to me to create good things that nourish my family...and our wounded spirits. We have nowhere to go this weekend...our people are coming to us to help with mowing and welding and fixing things that need fixing. I can spend some time in the kitchen and bake them some treats to take home. That will soothe my heart and bring me peace.

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I’ve been thinking about my Aunt Peeps a lot this week. While she was a sophisticated woman with impeccable taste in fashion, she was a country girl at heart. She once told me, her main goal in life was to get a teaching degree and use it to make enough money to buy a farm in West Virginia. I don’t recall seeing her can and preserve food, but she was quite the cook. She didn’t quilt or sew, but she could work sunup to sundown with any man and give him a run for his money. She was an enigma. Tight as a drum with money, yet incredibly generous when she saw you were trying to improve yourself through education. She was your cheerleader if you were a hard worker. She deeply appreciated a good work ethic and had no patience for someone who she felt was lazy or “working the system.”

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She and I didn’t always see eye to eye about things, and I talked WAY too much for her tastes, but...we had one thing in common and that was the love we felt for Grandma’s farm. She was born in Pekin, Illinois along with two of her siblings. Grandma and Pop-Pop were living there during the Depression where work was to be found. When they finally came back home, there were already four children. Two were born after they moved back to West Virginia. The Farm was where they grew up. It’s where I grew up, too.

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My Uncle Bud came home to the farm last weekend to pick up some things that belonged to Aunt Peeps. He needed to find a picture of her for her obituary. I didn’t get to see him because that was the day Mr. FixIt came home from the hospital. I spoke with him this week and he was so pleased with how well we are caring for the family home. He said he was worried it would begin falling apart without someone living there full time, but I told him we go there often enough to breath life into the old place.

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There are some things that are failing...like the big barn and the old tool shed. They are starting to lean and there’s termite damage. But overall, the place looks great for being nearly a hundred years old. I still yearn to go there often to just rock on the front porch and listen to the birds and the wind in the trees. Everything is aging...the old home place, the tractor, the Ponderosa...and us.

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These are the things that went through my mind as I sat pretending to read while I watched my sweet husband having physical therapy. We’ve known each other since we were kids. But we’ve only been together a little over three years. We’ve both changed a lot in those three years. This marriage isn’t like the marriage of my youth...where time stretched before us like an endless summer vacation. This is the marriage where we get to wrap each other up in warm, comfy love and ride the long wave home. There’s no fooling ourselves. Oh, we aren’t at death’s door....but it is Autumn now. And, there is much comfort knowing I’ll be going through this with my best friend at my side.

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❤️

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“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

\nActs 20:35 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/23/day-call-lowesim-building-an.html", "tags": ["Faith","Family","Overcoming Obstacles","West Virginia","Comfort","Love","Wisdom","Courage","Aging","Choices","Change","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/16/day-busy-insidebusy-outside.html", "title": "Day 61: Busy Inside...Busy Outside", "content_html": "\n
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This week flew by. All these projects keep me from dwelling on the time creep and we wrapped up the week with a bang! Mr. FixIt got the mower deck off the old tractor to get it welded. I fed the sourdough and made a batch of blackberry jam. Unfortunately, it didn’t set so I need to do it over today. Just repeat the process and add more pectin. I cut the fresh tofu in half inch cubes and set it in the fridge to marinate for supper. Harvested the alfalfa sprouts I’ve been growing in the kitchen. I saved the blackberry containers to use to keep the sprouts fresh in the fridge...score! I drained the coffee elixir from my Toddy brewer for cold brew. So that’s ready for some delicious iced coffees in the coming weeks. We tilled the garden and planted fifteen tomato plants, two hills of squash...one yellow crookneck and the other zucchini, and I planted some extra squash in a planter I have. I like to let the squash get really big, then cube them up and can them like bread and butter pickles. I washed dishes a hundred times. I took lots of pictures to share but I’ll wait till the jam actually sets. Then I will share some. Till then..I’m done. This was a beyond tired day but we needed to get it done before the rain comes again.

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The big news is, I made stir fry with the marinated tofu, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, egg, jasmine rice and a couple of handfuls of the fresh sprouts I harvested yesterday. We ate out on the deck by the pool and Mr. FixIt looked at his supper and started naming the ingredients. When he said “chicken”, I just smiled. He looked at me in surprise. 

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“That’s tofu?”

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“Yep! What did you think?”

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“Pretty good!”

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That’s Mr. FixIt speak for “delicious!”

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Score!

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❤️

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“and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

\n1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-16T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/16/day-busy-insidebusy-outside.html", "tags": ["Fun","Gratitude","Comfort","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/14/day-cranking-it-up-a.html", "title": "Day 59: Cranking It Up a Notch", "content_html": "\n
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This feels good...this level of busy. It’s not the kind of busy that you do to avoid dealing with something like grief. I’ve done that kind of busy. This is goal oriented, let’s-get-something-done-around-here busy. My poor husband. We’ve spent the better part of the last three months sitting in our recliners binge-watching the entire seven years of West Wing. We finished it on Monday. I swear, we looked at each other with a hint of sadness and said, “Now what?”  Poor guy didn’t know what hit him...out came “the list”. 

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We have projects that need doing. And invariably, we just get into one when something else pops up and steals our attention. A couple of weeks ago, Mr. FixIt ran over something out in the field and it lodged in the mower deck. He had to stop and move the blades to get it out. It turned out to be a piece of metal. He showed it to me later and we finally figured out it was a piece of the mower itself.

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We got down under the mower and found the sway bar that holds the mower deck steady was dangling down. That’s not good. He went inside and looked up the part and ordered a new one. It arrived Monday...without the bolts to attach it. So, he went back out and got underneath there to find out what kind of bolts he needed and how to attach it. That’s when he discovered the frame is broken completely through on one side. That REALLY isn’t good. 

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My very patient husband sat on hold with the Husqvarna service department for forty-five minutes yesterday before he gave up. We had to get out to the farm and mow. (Grandma’s rhododendron is starting to bloom!) While we took turns mowing, he called a local dealer and explained what happened and they said to just bring it in. It’s still under warranty, thank goodness. Now we have to get a crack on the mower deck of our old riding mower welded so we can get out there and mow here at the Ponderosa. Time’s a wastin’ and the grass is growing...fast!

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While the Mister was figuring out the tractor, I made a half gallon or so of soy milk and turned it into tofu. I wanted to do a practice run before I document it here. We’ll have it for supper tonight. I need to really make this taste great...because my husband has had it before and didn’t like it. I’m hoping it was just the preparation he didn’t like. And, he’s never had homemade tofu. It tastes totally different than the store bought variety.

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This kind of busy is good. It’s the kind that leaves you with tired muscles and sense of accomplishment. It’s honest to goodness work and there’s not a thing wrong with that.

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❤️

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“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

\n2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/14/day-cranking-it-up-a.html", "tags": ["Family","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/13/day-staying-afloat.html", "title": "Day 58: Staying Afloat", "content_html": "\n
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One of the biggest challenges the coronavirus has presented me is keeping my mouth shut when I read things that are diametrically opposite to my own beliefs. Opinions, theories, assumptions, disinformation, half-truths, and flat out lies occupy the space where my friends and I have met to visit every day since 2009. It’s like throwing a lovely garden party and your crazy uncle drops in. You want to be nice, but he’s ruining your fun. How do you make him leave without hurting his feelings?

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I’ve been really busy on my social media pages. I’ve discovered the joys of the drop down menu up there on the right hand corner of every post. I give consideration to the post. I check the reference source. I balance it against my beliefs. I consider who posted it. Then I make a choice.

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There have been very few that I have unfriended right away, but a couple have managed to win that trophy immediately. I just want my fun space back. I want to talk with my peeps.

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I saw this meme on a friend’s page yesterday and it struck me how true it is. We don’t have control over anything outside ourselves. All we can do is control our response. I have to remind myself of this when I do something so ill-advised as try to hold a sincere conversation with someone whose agenda is to stir up trouble. I know better...I just get tired. We’re all getting tired. I just have to remind myself to walk away from the computer more often.

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I’ve started leaving my phone in another room for much of the day. I check early to see if my post link works and respond to you all. I check my email, the weather, the news. I answer texts. I read my devotionals. Then I get up and keep busy and work on projects. After lunch, I check in again before I spend my afternoon reading or working on something quietly...preferably out in the camper. Watch the news. Fix supper. Spend some time with Mr. FixIt. Then I write my post. Distancing from my electronic devices isn’t easy for me. I love them. But they don’t always serve me well. This meme is a good reminder.

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I pulled out my soymilk maker yesterday and cleaned it up. The user manual is long gone, but through the wonders of the internet, I found it online. I soaked soybeans overnight so this morning I’ll make some soymilk. If I have enough, I’ll make a batch of tofu. If not, I’ll flavor it with a little vanilla and sweetener and have some delicious soymilk for cereal and drinking. It’s been a very long time since I’ve made tofu. It will take a while to work the kinks out and remember how it’s done.

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Today is mow-at-the-farm day. I can’t wait...the rhododendron should be blooming soon!

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❤️

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“To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

\nRomans 12:20-21 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/13/day-staying-afloat.html", "tags": ["Grace","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/12/day-still-the-sweetest-thing.html", "title": "Day 57: Still the Sweetest Thing", "content_html": "\n
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So, after my virtual meltdown on my blog yesterday, Mr. FixIt and I had a really beautiful day. We’ve been binge-watching West Wing and we are down to the last disk in the collection...the final three episodes. We have really enjoyed this series and I was thrilled to introduce my husband to its intricacies. I think he had only watched a couple of episodes back when it was on the air, and it’s one of those shows you really should watch in succession in order to bond with the characters.

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We decided in the afternoon to head up to Marietta, Ohio. It’s a college town, so there’s a level of sophistication mixed with Midwest charm that I find really cool. I never really spent time up there when I was growing up. Going to Marietta would have been a BIG trip for us...it was in a whole other state! Granted, you could SEE that state from the house I grew up in, but still...it seemed so far away.

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After we finished our errands, I asked Mr. FixIt if he’d like to go over to Barlow, Ohio to Seaman’s Mercantile to check it out. When we were at the nursery last week getting tomato plants, the owner shared her love for canning with me. We were chatting about the best place to buy jars and lids when she told me about Seaman’s and I just had to check it out.

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The original business in the building was started in 1857. The business has changed hands, and names, over the course of time and has been owned by Charles and Kara Seaman since 1983. I fell in love the second I crossed the threshold. There were flyers to the left of the door advertising butcher pigs and other assorted farming interests. The front window was filled with canning supplies. There were little treasures to be found at every turn.

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I went with a singular purpose. I wanted to buy a large sieve to drain tofu, yoghurt, and cheeses. I knew what I was looking for but couldn’t find it in the local shops. When I went around behind the cooler filled with soft drinks, there it was...hanging on a nail high above my head. I climbed up the step ladder and plucked it off the hook. While I was up there, I spied a clear plastic half gallon jar with a screw on lid that I could use for storing dry goods so I picked that up. I also noticed a box of canning and pickling salt. I want to try my hand at making sauerkraut and you can’t use table salt. The iodine will ruin the kraut. Bingo...just what I needed.

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As I was checking out, Mr. Seaman and I struck up a conversation about canning and preserving. He told me he had a couple of glass jars this same size if I was interested. They were a good price so I picked them up as well. They will work as my pantry storage for flour to keep it fresh. The owner at Sim’s Greenhouse told me about a large stainless steel canner that is made by the Amish. She had just received one for her birthday and it came from Seaman’s. It’s huge! It is a large rectangular box and fits over two burners. It was $121. I was tempted...but decided to wait and see how much I actually can this year. I told Mr. FixIt, if I were thirty years younger with a large family, that would definitely be a worthwhile investment. I just don’t know if I will be canning the kind of quantities that would justify such a purchase, so I passed...for now.

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It turned out to be such a lovely “date day” and we were reminded yet again why we really do enjoy each other’s company. You can find Seaman’s Mercantile HERE.

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❤️

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“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

\nProverbs 24:27 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/12/day-still-the-sweetest-thing.html", "tags": ["Family","Fun","Comfort","Farm Life","Marriage"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/09/day-up-to-my-elbows.html", "title": "Day 54: Up to My Elbows in Flour", "content_html": "\n
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I know I’m not the only one baking up a storm. You can’t find yeast. Flour is in short supply. There really is something to that theory of reaching back for comforting smells and tastes when you are going through troubling times. And there are not many aromas more comforting than bread baking in the oven.

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As I’ve told you in the last couple of weeks, I have never explored the wonders of sourdough so I felt it was high time to try my hand at it. Bread has been around longer than metal. Our earliest ancestors baked flatbread from the grains they gathered and ground between stones. Egyptians recorded the use of leavening in both beer and bread. Wild yeasts have been used since before the written word. 

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Sourdough starter is created using nothing more than flour and water. Wild yeasts are all around us, but specifically they are on the wheat berries themselves. When they are ground, the yeast spores ride along in the flour. Mixing the flour with water gives the yeast food to grow on. The acids produced by the fermentation process are what gives the bread its distinctive sour taste.

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Making sourdough bread is a true labor of love. You nurture the starter, feeding and babying it every day with just the right amounts of nutrients. I actually bought a kitchen scale...something I thought I would never in this lifetime need. Now I can’t imagine not having one. I use it for everything. Every morning, you stir up your starter and discard all but four ounces. Then you add four ounces of lukewarm water and four ounces of unbleached white flour or whole wheat or pumpernickel...depends on your recipe. Stir it well. I place a sandwich bag over the jar and poke a few holes in it so it can breathe. Then, you do it all over again...every morning. It really is becoming second nature.

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I mixed up the beginnings of the bread on Thursday night, covered it with plastic wrap, and placed it in the fridge overnight. Then I took it out yesterday morning and started playing with it. It was a good ten hours before I had two hot, crusty loaves fresh from the oven. We could hardly wait to cut into it and slather on some butter. It wasn’t as sour as I expected it to be. I still need to work on this, but I was really pleased with my first batch.

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In the meantime, I mixed up a batch of yoghurt and set it up to culture overnight. Today I need to make a blackberry pie with the berries I picked up this week. We are having a cold front this weekend, so puttering in the kitchen is just what the doctor ordered. It’s the perfect escape and it fulfills my basic need to nurture and feed those I love. While things begin to open up around us, we continue to stick close to home. We are healthy and happy here. 

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We’ve been camping all week out in the field here at the Ponderosa, but I conceded defeat last night. I agreed to sleep inside since it was supposed to be down as low as the 20’s by daybreak. Probably tonight, too. It will soon warm up again and later in the week we can get back out there in TOW-Wanda and camp. 

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If you are interested, here is an excellent recipe for sourdough bread. There is a link at the bottom for a recipe to make homemade sourdough starter.

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❤️

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“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.”

\nEcclesiastes 9:7 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/09/day-up-to-my-elbows.html", "tags": ["Fun","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/07/day-making-friends-with-my.html", "title": "Day 52: Making Friends with my Oven...Morning Glory Muffins", "content_html": "\n
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The first time I ate a Morning Glory Muffin was in the late ‘80s at The Daily Bread Bakery & Cafe in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We were new in town and I was told it was the place to go for great food and a congenial atmosphere. The walls were full of paintings and photographs by local artists...some of whom have gone on to be quite successful. I first saw the paintings of Dean Bowlby, Dan Sprick, and Arlene Law’s work there. All brilliant artists. This was the place where I sang “You’ve Got a Friend” with Carole King!

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The big draw at Daily Bread were John and Terry...the owners. They really got to know you and were genuinely happy to see you, each and every time you came in...one of the pleasures of small town life. I always ordered a particular salad without croutons and add extra chicken and avocado. Invariably, when John got the order, he called out from the kitchen...”Ginny’s here!” It always made me smile.

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I have played with my recipe for Morning Glory Muffins till I found just the right balance between moisture and delicate flavors. I’ve added things like Greek yoghurt...something that wasn’t a “thing” back in the ‘80s. Bran muffins don’t have to be dry and boring. These are SO yummy and moist. The molasses gives them their dark color and earthy flavor.

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Ginny’s Morning Glory Muffins

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

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Stir the dry ingredients together then add:

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Using a rubber spatula, fold all ingredients together till everything is moistened and there are no dry pockets of flour. Don’t overwork.

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I like big muffins so I use the pans with six muffin cups. Spray each cup with nonstick spray. I like to use Baker’s Joy. Using a ladle, fill each cup leaving about a half inch head room. This recipe makes 9 large muffins.

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Bake in a 400℉ oven for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool.

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These are dark and full of wonderful flavors and textures. They are not overly sweet and are packed full of good for you fruits and vegetables and dairy. It’s my favorite way to get in that extra fiber we all need.

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I was thrilled yesterday to find my sourdough starter alive and well with a fluffy, bubbly consistency. I fed it again and today it should be ripe and ready to bake with. The only thing I did differently was to warm up some water in my Instapot on the yoghurt setting, then add a little cool water till is just felt good and warm. I turned it off and set the jar with the starter in it after I’d fed it. I put the lid on it and the water stayed warm for a couple of hours. I just left it in there overnight. I think I’ve found my groove!

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❤️

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““And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them....”

\nEzekiel 4:9 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-07T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/07/day-making-friends-with-my.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/05/day-the-book-that-started.html", "title": "Day 50: The Book That Started it All", "content_html": "\n
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When I was growing up, we spent just about every weekend out at Grandma’s farm. We drove out on Friday night and came home on Sunday evening. The farm was as much my home as the little one my parents bought back in 1960. I was a voracious reader. From the moment the alphabet clicked with me and I realized words could transport me to other worlds, I made my escape as often as possible.

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My grandparents didn’t have much schooling. My grandma only went through the eighth grade, if memory serves me correctly. I’m not sure about my Pop-Pop. I do know they were literate and could cipher...their term for doing math. Once, I finished my books I brought with me and was rummaging around for something to read. Grandma had a bookcase in the living room with what precious few books they owned. The one that caught my eye was the first Foxfire Book. 

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We have talked about the Foxfire books here before. When I was going through my earth mama phase, I had all the Mother Earth News Magazines. And, I had the entire series of Foxfire books. Reading Volume One out on the farm when I was young absolutely cemented in my heart how much I wanted to live on a farm when I grew up.

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I did have those three years when we lived in a five bedroom log house on two acres. Then life took me in a different direction. Still, I fulfilled much of that dream by incorporating homesteading skills into my city life as much as possible. Moving back to West Virginia and living on the family farm was a huge deal for me. Not only was it soothing to my soul, but it lit that fire within me again to be more self sufficient. 

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Now that I’ve remarried and live on five acres, and we’re in this “new normal”, I’ve been browsing some of my favorite websites looking for the tools of the trade. I found Lehman’s Hardware online many years ago when I was building my house in Colorado. I had a picture in my mind of a country farmhouse look and Lehman’s sell reproduction appliances that look like something you might have seen in an early 1900’s kitchen. Alas, they were too pricey for my budget but there were so many intriguing tools, I’ve always kept them as a resource.

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Lehman’s Hardware caters to the Amish community by selling tools and appliances that are non-electric. And, you’ll find old-timey things like butter churns and ice cream makers and all manner of household gadgets and supplies. I have several items I have purchased from them over the years. They are high quality, sturdy, and a fine investment.

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It didn’t occur to me till a couple of years ago that Lehman’s is only a two hour drive from here. I still haven’t managed to get there for a visit, but I sure hope to soon. When I go, I’ll take you with me on a virtual tour. Lehman’s is in Kidron in the midst of Amish Country in northeastern Ohio, not far from Beaver Creek State Park where I camp with my dear friend, Gail Bable...the camphost there. We normally hold a Girl Camper outing twice a year and we are really missing it this spring.

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You can visit Lehman’s Hardware Store HERE.

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❤️

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“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

\nPhilippians 4:12-13 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-05T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/05/day-the-book-that-started.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/04/day-why-were-reaching-back.html", "title": "Day 49: Why We’re Reaching Back to Foods that Comfort", "content_html": "\n
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My yoghurt turned out ok after all! It wasn’t terribly flavorful, though.
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As I was puttering around in the kitchen Saturday, this thought kept recurring. I haven’t made tofu or yoghurt or baked my own bread in a gazillion years. I know there are economical concerns at work here. And there are skills that should be passed on to the younger generations before they are lost. But it’s not that simple. Something kept nagging at me. Then I watched CBS Sunday Morning yesterday and things became clear.

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Homemade Yoghurt with Buckwheat Honey and Homemade Grapenuts
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Mo Rocca is an actor and comedian who does a segment on the show every week and yesterday’s was about comfort food. When he started talking about familiar brands, I realized the connection I was missing as to why I’m heavy into reviving old skills. It’s not really so much about the food itself, although that’s an added bonus. It’s also about the feeling I get making that particular food.

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There are a lot of Kodak moments in my life...periods when the world seemed golden and life was glorious. One such time was when Hubby #2 was in medical school and residency. We didn’t have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of. We often ate Hillshire Farms packs of cheese and summer sausage because I could buy them at Sears with my charge card. I made most of our food from scratch. There was nothing extra. We slept in an uninsulated sunporch in the heat of summer and the depths of winter. We worked hard and any recreation had to be free...like, bike rides and trips to the library and walks in the snow at night. 

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Baby tomatoes are growing on our tomato plants on the window sill.
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I was gloriously happy in those years. Probably because I was at that age where I didn’t know what I didn’t know. My reaching for the yoghurt maker and the organic non-GMO soybeans has  a lot to do with the feelings I associate with making those things. Kneading bread dough. Grinding soybeans. Rolling out noodles. It’s a meditative exercise and everything we see, touch, hear, taste, and smell can bring us to a safe place in our hearts and minds during such unsettling times as these. 

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It’s the same thing I feel when I walk into Grandma’s house out at the farm. That first breath in takes me to a place of personal safety. We all need to feel safe. If baking cookies or making yoghurt can bring that feeling to you, then go for it girlfriend. If you gain a few extra covid pounds, then so be it. There will be plenty of time for the news and the virus and the election down the road. Take today and make something nice for yourself or someone you love. 

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You can watch Mo Rocca’s segment on Comfort Food HERE.

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❤️

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“This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”

\nPsalm 119:50 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-04T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/04/day-why-were-reaching-back.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/03/day-trial-and-error-in.html", "title": "Day 48: Trial and Error in the Kitchen", "content_html": "\n
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I was really productive in the kitchen yesterday. I made a double batch of spaghetti sauce and cooked a huge pork shoulder...both in crockpots. Then I decided to try my hand at making yoghurt in my instapot. That was a big no go. It smelled like yoghurt, but even after 10 hours, it was still a soupy mess. I used to have a yoghurt maker a zillion years ago and I used yoghurt starter. I never had a bad batch. So, I gave in and ordered a yoghurt maker online. I eat a lot of yoghurt so I think it will soon pay for itself. You can buy one HERE.

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I’m on Day 3 of the Sourdough Starter. Oh, my gosh...this is like having another pet! You have to feed and water it every day. Like...forever! The guy on the YouTube video said it’s like brushing your teeth...you’ll just get used to it being something you do every day. I am looking forward to trying it out though. Mr. FixIt and I both love sourdough bread. And, I had sourdough whole wheat pancakes once and they were fabulous. We’ll see how this works out.

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My friend, Kate Dunbar, is the Campground Gourmet. She sent me this sourdough starter and she used to have her own bakery, so I’m guessing it’s pretty good stuff. Kate is the Food Editor for Girl Camper and she takes the most beautiful photographs of food. I really need to up my game. I would love to put lovely photos out for you like the one above, but I seldom remember to take pictures till either the kitchen is a disaster or I’ve finished and the product is half eaten. I’ll try to remember to take pictures more often.

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Mr. Virgo used to roll his eyes when I cooked. I can cook for two and make the kitchen look like I’m feeding the 5th Battalion or something. I try to clean as I go, but I seem to be able to do one or the other...not both at the same time. This makes for long days in the kitchen, but I really am enjoying it at this point so I’m not complaining. 

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Things are starting to open up, but we’re still closed for business here on the Ponderosa. We’ve had no lack of things to keep us busy at home. I want to see the grandkids and the babies, but we’re just going to have to wait for a while to see how things go. We think that is the prudent thing to do. That being said, it is really hard to believe it is May already.

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I hope you are all staying well and doing the best you can. My prayers are always with you.

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❤️

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“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,”

\n2 Corinthians 3:5 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-05-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/05/03/day-trial-and-error-in.html", "tags": ["Health","West Virginia","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/05/01/day-its-feel-good-friday.html", "title": "Day 46: It’s Feel Good Friday \u0026 I’m Gettin’ Back to my Roots", "content_html": "\n
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It’s May Day! Can you believe that??? In what seems like three lifetimes ago, I was a bit of a hippie earth mama. I had all the Mother Earth News Magazines and the Moosewood Cookbook. I made all of our bread, yoghurt, tofu, pasta, granola, and Grape Nuts. I grew veggies on any piece of land available. And I frequented the Farmer’s Markets to preserve as much food as possible. I was a girl on a budget. I did all this while working full time, raising a child, and putting my hubby through medical school. What can I say...I was young and could do anything.

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I can still do all those homestead crafts, but once my second child came along and Hubby #2 was established in his medical practice, it was just easier to buy stuff than make it. Times have changed and I’m living this country farm life. And with the changes in the economy, I am picking those skills back up and dusting them off. I buy a couple cases of canning jars every time I go to the store. And I’ve slowly picked up some necessary pieces of equipment that I’ll be needing like tofu making supplies and the like. I’ll show you how I do that once I get everything in place.

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I came home from the farm yesterday. As I was pulling out of the driveway, I had to stop and take a picture of the dogwood. The hills look like they’re draped with white lace. The flowering dogwood are so delicate and airy and they don’t last very long. You can see in this photo that some of the trees are beginning to leaf out but the dogwood stand alone with their flat four petaled posies.

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I stopped at the store on the way home to pick up some Chobani plain Greek yoghurt. I’ll need about a half cup to use as starter so I can make my own. I was going to buy some whole wheat flour, then remembered I had some that had been stone ground at the mill up at Beaver Creek State Park in Lebanon, Ohio. When I got home and got everything put away, I decided to make a batch of homemade Grape Nuts.

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This is one half of the thin “cake”.
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The Amish make everything from scratch and somewhere along the line, I learned how to make this tasty crunchy cereal from an old Amish recipe. Once you’re done, store the cereal in an airtight container. It should last a while since it doesn’t have oil or eggs, but it’s so good, you won’t have it around for long.

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The “cake” has been through the food processor and ready to toast and dry in the oven.
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I’ve been trying to cut down on sugary treats but I love having a little ice cream in the evening. Last night, I put a couple heaping tablespoons of the plain Greek yoghurt in a bowl, drizzled some buckwheat honey over it and sprinkled a couple handfuls of the cereal on top. Oh, my gosh...it was amazing! Buckwheat honey has an entirely different taste than orange blossom or wildflower. It’s a dark brown and reminds me of molasses with its strong, bold flavor.

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Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal...toasted golden brown.
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Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal
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Preheat oven to 350℉.

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Mix dry ingredients together.

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Mix wet ingredients together and add to dry ingredients. Stir to make a batter similar to pancake batter.

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Line a large baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Pour batter onto the paper and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to finish cooling on wire racks. 

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Break half of the “cake” into chunks and pulse in a food processor till you get the consistency of Grape Nuts. Line the baking sheet with another piece of parchment or waxed paper and spread the crumbs around into an even layer. Place in a 275℉ oven. Take them out every 10-15 minutes to stir them around. It will take about 45 minutes to toast them till they’re dry if you live in a humid area like WV. Let them cool and place in a large bowl. Repeat with the other half of the “cake”. Once the other half is finished and cooled, place the entire batch into an airtight container to store in your pantry. Serve as a topping for yoghurt or ice cream. Use as a crunchy sweet addition to a salad. Or eat as cereal just like the Grape Nuts in the box. This tastes SO much better than the store bought variety!

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So, there’s my Feel Good Friday suggestion...bake up some homemade Grape Nuts! Easy peasy and it feels good to make something wholesome like the hippie mama I used to be!

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❤️

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“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

\n1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV\n
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I usually reserve writing my post for the evenings after supper and any TV that I might want to watch...which is very little. The Voice, American Idol, maybe something special...but there’s very little on there that interests me. I’m at the farm working on the laundry and taxes and everything I’m doing, including writing this post, is dependent on the electricity staying on. That is a dicey prospect in the country, especially when we are under high wind and storm alerts like we are at the moment. (3:00pm yesterday afternoon to you.)

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Since it’s 81℉ as I write this, I am sitting out on the front porch, listening to the birds in the flowering quince on the creek bank. I can hear the water in the creek gently gurgling as it flows by the house. Actually, there are birds everywhere and I love the sounds as they echo down the holler and through the woods. It gives a slight echoing sound. The trees are leafing out a lot now so when the wind blows, you can here it blowing over the far hilltop. There is a chipmunk rustling in the leaves to my left, looking for a meal. The washing machine drones heavily in the background as a bee buzzes around me. 

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I saw a blue heron glide in and land across the road in the creek bed on the far side of the neighbor’s garden. The mama robin is busy bringing worms to her babies that I showed you yesterday. The dogwood and redbud trees still show ghostly splotches of color in the mostly bare trees on the hillsides. Grandma’s clematis vines are reaching for the sun and wrapping themselves around the pole out front. The snowball bush she insisted every generation have their picture taken in front of is still doing its best to grow. It doesn’t look nearly as big and healthy as it used to and I don’t know why. I just accept what is.

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The catbirds love the shrubs along the creek and their cries make me think someone’s kitten might be wandering around, but I haven’t seen a cat here in well over a year. I can tell they are gone because the chipmunks are brazen these days. I walked around and took lots of pictures of the spring wildflowers for you. I want to go for a walk before the rain comes and see if I can get a picture the Jack in the Pulpit up by the old log house my cousin’s family owns. 

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Waking up and doing my work around the house with NO television blaring is a rare treat for me. I thought of going home when the laundry is done, but I think I’ll stay another night. Sometimes my batteries just need a recharge that only this place can give. I don’t know what I’ll do when I can no longer come here for my respite from the rest of the world. This is such a special, special place in my heart.

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When you read this, it will be Thursday and the week is over half gone already. It has been 45 days since we entered this shelter-at-home period. In some ways it’s flown by. In others, it seems like we’ve been doing this forever. Of the things I’ve been kept from, hugging my family and friends has been the number one thing I have missed. Eating in a restaurant is number two. I would like to not wear a mask or worry about contamination. I’d like to get that money back that I’ve lost out of my retirement. I’d like to lose the extra C19 pounds I’ve packed on. 

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Overall, we’re still blessed beyond belief to have gotten this far without the virus affecting our health or that of our peeps. We’ll just keep plugging along day by day with an attitude of gratitude.

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❤️

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“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

\n1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-04-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/04/30/day-a-walkabout-on-the.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/04/29/day-new-life-on-the.html", "title": "Day 44: New Life on the Farm", "content_html": "\n
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I woke up yesterday, scrounged around for a clean t-shirt and quickly came to the conclusion it was laundry day. I’ve told you before, I like to do my laundry out at the farm. There are several reasons for that. First, the gas and water are free and who doesn’t like free stuff, right? Second, we have one of those new-fangled washers without an agitator. They are supposed to save power and water but you can only wash a third of the amount at a time, and the cycles last three times as long. So, I can’t figure out how that saves energy. Also, you need a degree in engineering to work the darned thing and no matter how many times Mr. FixIt shows me...I just don’t get it. It’s far easier and less stressful for me to make a bi-monthly pilgrimage out to the farm for a little R&R and laundry time.

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Going out to the farm doesn’t mean I can just throw the laundry in the truck and go. I stay at least one, maybe two or three, nights on this trips and I need stuff. An overnight bag, toiletries, medications, reading material, my iPad-iPhone-Laptop and assorted chargers, my lap desk, my fuzzy blanket that I sleep with, plus the laundry. Then I have to stop at the store on the way to the farm and get food because we don’t keep much out there. It’s quite a chore to make the trek out there and then pack it all up to come back home.

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I was emptying the groceries and assorted items from the truck yesterday when it dawned on me...I forgot the bag of clothes hangers. We partially dry most of our clothes and hang them up to finish to reduce wrinkling and shrinkage. I remembered going into the spare room to get the bag of hangers and somehow got distracted by something and left without it. It wasn’t going to do me much good to do laundry without them. And I hated the idea of driving back home to get them and coming back out to the farm...a total of sixty-six miles. 

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I texted Mr. FixIt with my dilemma. I asked if he would bring the bag of hangers out along with the push mower. The grass was in desperate need of mowing and it will be raining for the next several days. Fortunately, I have a very accommodating husband. He brought my hangers and the mower. We took turns mowing and had it done in about ninety minutes. Then I fixed us a nice early supper. We sat out on the front porch to enjoy our meal while we admired our handiwork. The birds were singing. The mama robin was swooping back and forth gathering worms for her babies nesting in the rhododendron. The creek gurgled softly next to the house.

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Everything is getting green. The wildflowers are starting to bloom. There are Trillium showing their white, three-petalled blossoms on the bank beyond the driveway. Mayapples, violets (Johnny Jump Ups), Bee Balm, Wild Blue Phlox, Snowdrops, White Clover, Dogwood, Redbud...and a variety of flowering shrubs I haven’t identified yet. I did find some of the Carolina Spicebush that I was afraid was lost to the guys who cleared out the creek last year. I’ll get more pictures today, if it isn’t raining too much.

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I do so love it here. When I walked in yesterday, I took a deep breath. I swear...my grandma will live forever in that first breath when I walk in her home. It’s like she is right there in the kitchen, welcoming us in. As I lay here in her bed, propped up on the pillows with the window wide open, I wonder what she would think of the person I’ve become. I am so vastly different than I was when I last saw her in 1998. She didn’t get to see me at my best. She didn’t get to see me as a Christian. I know that would have pleased her to no end. 

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I think she’d be proud of who I am now.

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❤️

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“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

\nIsaiah 1:16-17 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-04-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/04/29/day-new-life-on-the.html", "tags": ["Faith","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/04/28/day-the-census-and-voting.html", "title": "Day 43: The Census and Voting are Civic Duties", "content_html": "\n
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I’ve been looking for the good stories to use on “Feel Good Friday” because Lord knows there are far too many of the tragic ones. One such story was about a little four-year-old Staten Island boy. Little CJ Tardy’s mom wanted to keep his time structured like his pre-school class days so she started out with the Pledge of Allegiance. Now he is doing a daily Zoom call with up to fifty participants from family and friends to first responders.

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There are more American Flags on display. People are planting “victory” gardens. I’m seeing more people coming together and helping food banks and checking in on the elderly. There’s nothing like a national crisis to create unity...or at least a semblance thereof. 

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We received a postcard in the mail a couple of weeks ago to request a mail in ballot for this year’s Primary Election. It came on the heels of the 2020 Census. Both are important. I know there are some who blow off both of them, but they are terribly important. The Census isn’t Uncle Sam gettin’ up in your bidness. It’s how the Government determines where the funding for individual programs is distributed...by population.

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I took care of the Census online the end of March. Yesterday, I sat down with my ballot for the primary. I read down the list and was dismayed by how many names I didn’t even recognize, let alone know anything about. (One of the side effects of watching very little television.) I spent the next couple of hours with my smart phone in hand searching the names of each candidate and reading their bios and platforms so I could make an informed choice. 

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This is the first time in my life that I have felt such urgency in voting. I have to admit, there were times in the past that I voted a straight ticket or I voted in the women candidates on principle. This years is different. There’s a lot riding on this. The people holding offices in this country will be facing circumstances the likes of which no one has seen since the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. They need to be prepared to govern in ways we haven’t even thought of yet. I felt the heavy mantle of responsibility in a way I’ve never felt before.

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I was happy with my selections. As I was folding the ballot and placing it in the two separate envelopes, Mr. FixIt and I were watching Governor Jim Justice give the daily Covid briefing. He ran and was elected as a Democrat then changed his party to Republican a couple of years ago. He sounds like he just came down out of a holler with his accent and folky colloquialisms. And his ill fitting suits sag on his massive frame. His sallow skin and heavy lidded eyes make him look unwell. But I’ll tell you what...that man is rockin’ the management of this Covid Pandemic. And he loves the West Virginia people. 

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After I voted, I grabbed my sneakers and hopped on the riding mower. I mowed the whole thing in less than three hours. When I parked the tractor in the building, I noticed a rod hanging down. I got down under the back to see what was wrong. Mr. FixIt found a metal bracket out in the field the last time we mowed and I suspected this rod had something to do with that. The internet can be a marvelous tool. Within 10 minutes, Mr. FixIt and I had the whole thing figured out and ordered a new part for the tractor.

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Our field is so lovely in the late afternoon light after it’s just been mowed.
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There’s nothing prettier than an expanse of freshly mown field. I’ve talked with Mr. FixIt about cutting down on the mowing...maybe letting part of it grow back into pastureland. I was feeling guilty that I was depriving critters from habitat, and...while that may be true of the exact area of the field...we are quite literally surrounded by forest on all four sides. There are lots of meadows and pastures and fields and gardens. This expanse of green makes us both happy and as long as we can physically do it, we probably will.

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When I was a doctor’s wife, and even when I was the princess I was with Mr. Virgo, we didn’t have the time nor the inclination to fix things. That’s what garages are for. Oh, early on I was quite the fixit guru, but as time went on, I let more and more of those handyman projects go to the professionals. I wish I would have been more frugal all those years and done more of the work myself. And it would have been left to me. Hubby #2 was too busy and, seriously, Mr. Virgo didn’t have a handy bone in his body. He was cute, though. 

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I had a real sense of accomplishment when I was finished for the day. I relaxed in a bubble bath and let that good feeling of warm skin, sore muscles, and happy countenance wash over me in the reverie. I do love a good hard day’s work.

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❤️

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

\nColossians 3:23 ESV\n
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#Work, #Mowing, #FarmLife, #Coronavirus

\n\n", "date_published": "2020-04-28T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/04/28/day-the-census-and-voting.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","West Virginia","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2020/04/23/day-prioritizing.html", "title": "Day 38: Prioritizing", "content_html": "\n
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Homemade Apple Pie
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It isn’t always easy to do a do-over...those moments where life throws you a king sized curve ball and you get to reinvent yourself. There were the divorces. The overdose. Mr. Virgo’s death. The move to WV. Marrying Mr. FixIt. And now...coronavirus has sent us into timeout giving us the opportunity to rethink some things. There are very few things I actually regret doing in my life. But every single time I’ve had to rebuild or rethink has been an incredible time of personal growth.

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I received an email this week from my financial advisor with that dreaded “we need to talk” subject. I’ve expected this and was actually preparing to call her anyway. We set a time for yesterday. I sipped my coffee out by the pool in the morning sunshine while we talked about strategies and being good stewards of the funds we are entrusted with. Danielle has taught me a lot about money. I wouldn’t say I’m financially wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. But what I do have, I want to be careful with.

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My mind wandered back to when I first became a widow. I had so much to deal with....bills, debt, and planning for a future without my primary breadwinner. I had the money from my divorce settlement and I was still years away from Social Security and Medicare. I had been a “kept woman” for most of my adult life having the luxury of staying home for a portion of that as a stay-at-home mom. Honestly, I knew nothing about money and avoided the conversation like the plague. Once I became a widow, I had no choice. I had to learn.

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I didn’t handle my finances very well. Whether it was denial or rebellion or an attempt to soothe my grief with spending, money slipped through my hands like water. And, if I’m going to be brutally honest...in that first year or two, I honestly didn’t think I could possibly survive that so I might as well go out with a bang. Of course, there came a moment of clarity when I realized I had to rein it in or lose my retirement money completely, thank God. 

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Somewhere in yesterday’s conversation with Danielle, I had a lightbulb moment. I told her I didn’t know if it was being married to a down-to-earth, frugal WV boy or reaching “a certain age” or what...but I’ve suddenly felt a sort of fiduciary maturation of late. I can talk about money without my palms sweating or my heart racing which is such a relief.

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When I first started with Danielle, she asked if I wanted to work with a secular guideline or a faith-based one. I had never heard of taking a faith-based approach to financial management and that certainly appealed to me. When we talk about my retirement funds, we talk about looking at my money with intentionality. Where do I want to be in two years? God has blessed me with these funds. How can I use them responsibly?

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The spigot of spending has been turned off by this pandemic. What was once multiple trips to town per week has dwindled to one. It’s given me the opportunity to re-evaluate the shopping experience. When we come out of this, I know my own personal spending habits will be different. While the reason we are having home is tragic, we can...we MUST...learn new skills.

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My shopping list is usually in an online shopping app. I put what I think I need in my cart and leave it there for a week. Then I review it and invariably ended up either deleting items or saving them for consideration later. If, after two or three weeks, I feel it’s warranted, then I complete my purchase. My recent order included supplies to make homemade tofu. It’s been a long time since I’ve made my own. It tastes so much better than the store bought variety and it’s an affordable source of protein. I buy my soybeans from a farm in Iowa. They are organic and non-GMO. I don’t know if I could ever be a vegetarian, but I can certainly substitute meats with fresh tofu 2-3 times a week.

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I’ve cleaned up my schedule, we’re cleaning up our living space, we’re creating ways to enjoy our property without the expense or hazards of travel while still maintaining the experience, and now we’re cleaning up our diet. Well, yeah, ok...there’s pie. But I substituted part of the sugar with Splenda. Hey...one step at a time, ok?

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❤️

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“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

\nRomans 8:28 ESV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2020-04-23T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2020/04/23/day-prioritizing.html", "tags": ["Positive Energy","Comfort","Choices","Change","Farm Life","Widow"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/15/home.html", "title": "Home", "content_html": "\n
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\"Farmer Fred\" and his wife, the \"Viking Princess\" are Facebook friends of mine. Those folks who my aunt used to call my \"pretend friends\", but undoubtedly the kind of people I like to fill my life with. While we've never met in person, Farmer Fred regales me with stories of living the farm life in Michigan. He tells me stories of his military career and how his princess still takes his breath away. He shares pictures of his draft horses and farm equipment, old logging operations and hand crafted stacks of hay that hearken back to a bygone era. He gives me helpful advice on do-it-yourself stuff around the farm and offers words of encouragement. Farmer Fred and the VP are good people and someday we'll sit together over a meal and discuss farming and literature and the human condition. But for now, our \"therapy\" is achieved over a virtual cup of coffee and a few snippets of life in the nether regions of this country.

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Yesterday, we discussed \"home\". Being a military man shaped Farmer Fred's world view and his concept of home. But his bottom line is, home is where the VP is. I totally get that. Home was wherever Mr. Virgo was. We moved to two different places before we came back to our little house in the mountains where he lived out his days, yet home had nothing to do with our address. Home was his heart. Home was my name feeling safe in his mouth. Home was his blue eyes and welcoming arms. Home was lying by his side in the wee small hours, listening to his breathing. Then…I became homeless.

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Death is a heartless thief who steals home away and places it just out of our grasp. Pictures and memories are all we have to remind us of what home truly was. We remember what home felt like. And every breath makes us yearn to go home again. I was lost, floating on the vast ocean of grief in a rudderless skiff…the storm threatening to capsize me at any moment. In my pain, I had forgotten something very important. My home…my real home…does not lie in the heart of another. It does not exist in a box of wood and stone. It isn't held in the hands of a man. My home is in Heaven. I'm just here on temporary assignment…a sort of \"working vacation\" where I've come to learn to love, among other important lessons. But basically, to learn to love unconditionally. When my assignment here is complete, however long that is, I'll go back home. Until then, I have different addresses and different lessons to learn while I live there.

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That doesn't mean we can't find a sense of home in the hearts of those who love us. When we love enough to feel safe in the embrace of who we love…that is a beautiful thing. That FEELS like home. For a long time after losing Mr. Virgo, I refused to believe I would ever feel that again. But time eases wounds and quells fear. I know if God wants me to have the sense of home a great love can give, I'll stumble upon it. It will walk right through the door and into my life like a gift dropped by sweet angels of mercy. In the meantime, I rest in the arms of my Father's embrace and I'm as close to home as I can get…for now. ❤️

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“You know the way to the place where I am going.”

\nJohn 14:4 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-15T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/15/home.html", "tags": ["Choices","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/14/remembering.html", "title": "Remembering", "content_html": "\n
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This was the \"offending\" picture I hung when I lived here two years ago. For some reason, my aunt didn't like it. While she said it was the content, I believe it was more the fact someone was in her space. She just wasn't ready for that. Now that I'm here on my own, I'm thinking of those great pieces I kept but now reside in Colorado waiting to be retrieved. This picture is one of them. I've always loved it and will get it back one of these days.

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I spent a good portion of the weekend working on the kitchen. I still have the lower cabinets to clean out then scrub the cabinets themselves. Then I can paint the walls and put in new countertops and that room will be done. The Formica is coming up off the old countertops and new ones aren't that expensive.

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I can't believe November is half over. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there will be lots of visits with family and friends in the next couple of weeks. The holidays are fraught with emotional landmines. I hope you are gathering your support systems around you in preparation. Remember, self-care is not selfish!

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❤️

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“We love because he first loved us.”‭‭

\n1 John‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-14T02:30:57-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/14/remembering.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/12/the-gift.html", "title": "The Gift", "content_html": "\n
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Every day I open my eyes and look out the window to the right of my bed here at the farm. I smile when I see the sun just touching the ridge across the road and I thank God for the gift of another day. I look around the room that my grandparents shared for thirty-some years. My eyes settle on an old grainy black and white picture of six children, blissfully unaware that they were poor as church mice. My mother, the eldest, stands in the back, her head cocked with a wry smile on her pretty face. I don't think my mother ever believed she was beautiful but with her wavy raven hair, dancing green eyes, and quick, open smile...she was darling. I smile back at my mama and her siblings. Half of my loved ones in this photo are gone now, their smiles left frozen for all time in a cheap 5x7 metal frame.

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I reach for my phone to check the news, weather, and e-mails. I check in with messaging and answer anything that came in overnight. I get up and make my coffee and cereal. Then I \"come to The Ranch\" and sit with you here. I read every one of your comments and respond in some way...either a \"like\" or a comment in return. I do that because I want you to know I read every word you write. The words you share with me move me. They make me think. They remind me of where I've been or give me hope for where I'm going. They humble me and touch my heart. They remind me how blessed I am and I am so grateful.

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I had a conversation with my agent the other day. I sent my book proposal at the end of summer and I've been trying to write from the outline. I've been just frozen for weeks. I can't write that way. I am an extemporaneous writer...I tell story after story and weave them together like cloth. When I try to write from an outline it's about as interesting as reading the instructions included with your vacuum cleaner. So, frustrated, I told her I have to do this differently. I have to just write the book, then I can write the outline and then the book proposal. My biggest fear, I told her, is running out of time. I don't want to miss this opportunity because I'm stumbling in the dark. She assured me she isn't going anywhere...and that's a great relief! So, I keep plugging away.

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After I read your comments and I interact, I do my chores and in the afternoon I sit down and write my post for the next day. Sometimes it's late in the afternoon and I sit in front of my \"happy light\". This week has been so gorgeous here in WV. We are having cold nights, but our days are unseasonably warm. Wednesday, I sat out on the front porch to write my post and I wanted to share my view with you. It is truly a gift to get to sit here with you every day. It is a gift to wake up to the same view out the same window that my grandparents looked through every morning. It is a gift to have friends and neighbors stop by for a cup of coffee or call with a cheery hello.

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I know there is turmoil going on out there. I know there is backlash after the election, but I cannot \"go out there\". There's a reason I stopped watching TV when Mr. Virgo died. It's too distressing. I don't have my head in the sand. I know what's going on because I read the news. I just don't listen to endless rounds of talking heads spewing commentary. I find out what I need to know then I do something else. It's much better for my well-being. I know I'm pretty insulated here...but, it's the way I like it. The way I need it. For now anyway.

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❤️

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“Rejoice always,”‭‭

\n1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-12T02:30:39-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/12/the-gift.html", "tags": ["Grief","Growth","Gratitude","Writing","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/11/nesting.html", "title": "Nesting", "content_html": "\n
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I've put off really making this house look more like my \"home\" since I wasn't entirely sure my aunt wouldn't be coming back here to live. Although no one can read what the future holds with any certainty, it is likely she won't return here to live...just to visit, perhaps. Anyone who followed Marshmallow Ranch in October 2014 knows I came here originally to live in TOW-Wanda on the family farm to help my aunt who was living here alone. That arrangement lasted until I made the mistake of hanging a painting she didn't like in the dining room. That was the beginning of the end of my stay. Which was fine. She just wasn't ready to have someone here with her and I had other things that needed doing. Now that she is unable to live here alone, she is with her brother and I am the caretaker at the old homeplace.

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This is the home of my heart and even though it has taken me off the road for awhile, it is a welcome respite. And now I'm feeling free to make some changes that better reflect both my personal tastes and the character of the place. This cupboard has been in the family since I was about four years old. My mom and grandma took me to an auction down the road. I was young enough to be pulled in my little blue wagon. They bought me a hotdog for a nickel and I happily became addicted to auctions as I munched away, eyes as big as saucers with the activity. Grandma bought this cupboard for $5.00...an amount not easy to come by when you're pretty much living off the land. It was painted with several coats of white enamel paint. Being mechanically minded, I was curious when Pop-Pop started stripping it. He let me \"help\" and I can still remember how the paint wrinkled as I pushed it with the scraper I held in my chubby little-girl hands. I not only became addicted to auctions, I developed an instant adoration of anything old and the magic of bringing it back to life. There's only one thing out of the entire farm that I absolutely want as my own someday, and that is this cabinet. It holds so many beautiful memories for me.

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This piece gets moved from the kitchen to the dining room and back...with the whim of the occupants of this little red farmhouse. Yesterday, it got moved back into the kitchen \"where it belongs\". That's where it was when I was growing up. So it's back home. I used to hate the color Pop-Pop painted on the inside. It was undoubtedly a bit of leftover paint he had under his workbench, or perhaps something he picked up from a neighbor. It used to be this garish orange. Now it has darkened to a beautiful deep pumpkin color. Perfect for a country kitchen. I steam cleaned the floors and scooted it into place, leveling it with paint stir sticks. Soon I'll retrieve my dishes from my friend's basement and place my treasured antique crocks on the top of the cupboard.

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Step by step, my meditation of the mindfulness cleaning and decorating brings me is creating a safe haven for me. I'm creating a place of comfort for visitors to share a cup of tea and a word of friendship. A place where I can write. A place filled with love clear to the rafters. It feels really good in here.

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❤️

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“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”‭‭

\nColossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-11T02:30:29-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/11/nesting.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Memories","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/09/give-me-light.html", "title": "Give Me Light", "content_html": "\n
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Ugh...I can't stand feeling like it's midnight when it's actually 5:27! I've had trouble with Seasonal Affective Disorder in the past so I'm always proactive when the time changes. A couple of years ago, I bought a \"Happy Light\" by Verilux at Sam's Club. The broad spectrum light helps keep the winter gloomies at bay. I sit down in the big rocking chair by the front window at 4:30 to write my post for the next day. I turn on my \"Happy Light\" that is strategically located to shine directly on me. Then I read and write until about 7-7:30. This extends my light exposure to the average day and really helps my mood stay stable. I also keep active. I've been maintaining my weight loss so my carbohydrate intake is low which also helps. I take St. John's Wort daily as a natural mood stabilizer and keep an active social calendar. I travel at least once during the winter and this year I am going to try to get someplace warm where I can stick my feet in the sand and get some warm sunshine in late January or early February. That's my recipe for feeling good all winter. Now, we'll see how that pans out.

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I've been busy with winter preparations here on the farm. I brought in straw bales to make kitty shelters on the porches. Yesterday, I cleaned and put away the patio furniture from out front, put fresh light bulbs in the outdoor fixtures, swept and cleaned the front porch, and moved the old ironing board I use for a kitty perch over to the living room window so I can see out the window in front of the rocking chair. I cleaned out the food from the pantry in TOW-Wanda and brought it into the house, tossing anything old and out of date. I got out my combo crockpot/pressure cooker/steamer and my George Foreman Grill and got them cleaned up, and worked on cleaning out kitchen cupboards. My next big chore is buying a steamer to clean all the floors. There is linoleum in all the living areas of this old farmhouse and a painted cement floor in the bathroom, all of which need a really good deep steam cleaning. Once the weather keeps me indoors, I'll paint and decorate.

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And then...there's this. We have a new president. Maybe your candidate lost. Maybe your candidate won. This is where grace comes in. Grace if you are on the losing side...and grace if your candidate won. Here's the thing...I don't put my faith in human beings. I put my faith in God. He has a plan. He doesn't make us privy to His plans. He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us. So...here's where you can demonstrate grace. Pray for the winner...by name. If that winner is not your candidate, pray twice as hard that God will touch hearts and minds and remind our president that the rest of us are still out here. 2020 is already in the works. Get involved. Do your best. Don't live in fear, dear ones. There IS goodness out there! Go find it. Go make it. But don't hide.

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My fervent prayer is for peace. I always pray for peace. I will not leave. I never leave a fight. Today...we are Americans.

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❤️

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“Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.”‭‭

\nEcclesiastes‬ ‭11:7-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-09T02:30:29-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/09/give-me-light.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Gratitude","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/07/old-barns.html", "title": "Old Barns", "content_html": "\n
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The countryside of rural America is studded with old barns. Whether currently being utilized or whether they are slowly being swallowed up by the earth, barns are a symbol of our agrarian roots. Big, Amish barns of Ohio. Quaint barns with hexes over the doors in the Dutch country of Pennsylvania. Small barns along roadsides with the remnants of \"Chew Mail Pouch\" advertising fading into the weathered wood. Red barns...white barns...barns of old grey wood bleached by years of sun and rain.

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I love barns. I love the smell of hay and manure...feed and sweat...leather and dust. I love rusty old farming equipment, especially the horse drawn variety. Barn cats sit on the stone stoop, waiting for a squirt of milk by the deft squeeze of a farmer's leathery hand. Cattle lowing and stomping away flies. Horses munching oats. Piglets grunting and rooting into their mama's belly during their evening feed. The crow of the rooster...the cluck of the hens. The coo of the doves and pigeons in the rafters. The haunting hoot of a barn owl keeping watch out for things that scurry to and fro.

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Old, empty, forgotten barns make me sad. Their dreary, empty windows belie the life they once housed. They were the bread and butter of farm life. They held a place of honor. It was a celebration to build one. It is a sad day when one dies and falls to the ground. As I drove through the countryside the other day, I caught glimpse of this barn. I pictured a woman putting a touch of beauty back in her aging barn's eyes by placing colorful mums in the windows. It made me smile. It reminded me that not all old and dying things are without love, be they human...or big, old barns.

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Take care of one another and share some love today. It could be a rough week coming.

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❤️

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“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”

\n‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-07T02:30:59-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/07/old-barns.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/11/03/alarming.html", "title": "Alarming", "content_html": "\n
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\"Danger, Will Robinson!\" I don't know if I'm going to be able to use this driveway alarm or not. It went off four times during the night. I wouldn't have batted an eyelash at that except my friend down the road stopped the other night to tell me about all the break-ins in the area lately. This is an excellent demonstration of the power of suggestion. The threat has always been there, but it meant nothing till it was articulated in well-meaning conversation.

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The power of fear is remarkable. Just hearing about the break-ins changed my sense of personal safety to the point that I jumped every time that alarm went off last night. I started leaving all the outdoor lights on. I checked and rechecked the locks on the doors. I slept with my gun beside me. I moved the rifle back into the bedroom from the kitchen where it could be seen and used against me. I locked up the back of the truck. I put a lock on the cellar so no one would steal the pump.

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Steal the pump?!?! Do you see how crazy this is getting? How unsettling this has become?!?! It's ridiculous. Absolutely nothing is different in my world except the two minutes talking about all the weed-eaters that have been stolen and gas pilfered. I have nothing of value here save for TOW-Wanda and she has a hitch lock that would rival Ft. Knox.

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I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that read \"Fearful people do stupid things.\" While that is political in nature given the upcoming election, it's just as true if it were not. I will not live my life in fear. When I do, I am weak. I make poor decisions. I don't necessarily listen to \"the truth\". I give my power away. I have lived too much of my life in fear. I won't do it anymore. This is the same little house on the same little farm on the same little two-lane blacktop as it was an hour before that conversation. I'm taking reasonable precautions to deter vandals. After that, I'm letting go of the fear and paranoia. I know from experience...when you sit in fear, you attract things to be fearful of. I rebuke fear. I have to. I live alone and I need to LIVE...whether I'm alone or not.

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My friend Nancy posted this today...\"Nancy's Nuggets: This popped off the page at me...Consider carefully how you listen...Luke 8:18 NIV So, think carefully about what you are hearing. Matthew Henry comments on this: \"Take heed of those things that will hinder our profiting from the word we hear, take heed lest we hear carelessly and slightly; and take heed after we have heard the word, lest we lose what we have gained.\"\"

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I will not lose my sense of peace.

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The alarm is being moved closer to the house today so it's out of the deer and possum crossing. I'm raising it higher so it doesn't go off so easily with the smaller critters. It will now be brought back into my line of sight from behind the huge rhododendron down the driveway. Other than that, I'm done worrying about weed-eater thefts. I'm taking back the night.

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❤️

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“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

\n‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118:24 KJV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-11-03T01:30:09-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/11/03/alarming.html", "tags": ["Grief","Overcoming Obstacles","Fear","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/10/31/surprises.html", "title": "Surprises", "content_html": "\n
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After the Annual Invasion of the Asian Ladybug, I was hoping my surprises were over for awhile. Ahhhh...no. I live on a farm now. This is not a life for the faint of heart.

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Yesterday started out on a lovely, although somewhat disappointing note. I had every intention of going to church but when I woke up at 10:30, I realized that wasn't happening. Instead, I cooked a leisurely breakfast of French toast. Gluten free bread is great for this as it has a very dense texture. I had a patty of hot breakfast sausage and fresh ground Starbucks. It was 65° when I carried my meal to the little red bistro table on the front porch. I took my time and relished the warmth of the morning knowing full well we could have snow in a month.

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Just as I finished my coffee, a shiny red pickup went up the road at a pretty fair clip. I heard him stop and back up and thought he was going to turn up the driveway. Instead, he stopped, pulled forward, backed up, pulled forward, backed up...all while looking out his window at the road. Curious, I walked off the porch and down to the edge of the road to see what he was up to. He noticed me, smiled, waved and yelled, \"Copperhead! It was on its way over to see ya!\" With a tip of his hat, Mr. Pickup was gone and I was left staring in disbelief at a mangled mess in the middle of the road in front of the farmhouse. Oh...ick! \"Ok...I can do this.\" I found a stick, picked up the leftovers of said dead copperhead and tossed it in the brush pile...undoubtedly with several of his living relatives. That is the first snake I have ever seen at the farm since I was a little girl and my grandma killed a six foot black snake in the outhouse. I developed the remarkable ability to avoid emptying my bladder for an entire weekend after that. At least...not in an outhouse!

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I put out straw bales on the porch yesterday with blankets over them to keep the kitties warm over the winter. I swept 500 ladybugs off the porch and the front of the house. And I set up a driveway alarm to let me know when a car comes up the drive. I can't hear anyone till they set foot on the porch and it startles me. Now I get to hear every deer that walks up the driveway at 2:00 in the morning. Brilliant. There isn't a setting labeled 'car' vs. 'deer'. I checked.

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So, where \"snake\" hadn't been on my radar, now I wear my rain boots to check the mail...even when it's not raining. And, I also know why grandma carried a hoe everywhere with her. We always thought she was just crazy about weeding. Turns out, a good sharp hoe can dispatch a copperhead nearly as fast as a pickup truck if you don't mind getting up close and personal. Good golly...fleas in the basement, spiders in the laundry (safety tip...do NOT leave your underwear on the bathroom floor on a farm! Just sayin'!), possums in the cat food, roving nocturnal deer setting off alarms in the middle of the night, raccoons in the trash, and now copperheads facing down pickup trucks. Nope...this life ain't for sissies. Not by a long shot!

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❤️

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“they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!””

\n‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-10-31T01:30:06-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/10/31/surprises.html", "tags": ["The Farm","The Cats","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/10/30/theyre-baaaaack.html", "title": "They're Baaaaack!", "content_html": "\n
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Asian beetles....not to be confused with the common lady bug. Lady bugs are sweet. They eat aphids. You see one on the rarest of occasions when it lights on your sleeve. You pick it up on your finger and hold it to the wind and make a wish when it flies away. Asian beetles? You walk into your house on the first really hot day after the first freeze and hundreds...HUNDREDS of them are on the Windows, the curtains, the floor. They're tap-tap-tapping on the ceiling. You vacuum them up only to have more an hour later. They stink if to smash them. They leave unremovable yellow spots on everything. Gross!

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Then, there was the invasion of the possums last night. I was eating dinner when I heard the familiar loud crunching in the cat dish. They simply do NOT have table manners! I've chased them off. I'd trap them if I thought I could stand to go near the trap afterwards. I think I would just catch one in the trap and then move to another state!

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The colors yesterday were absolutely amazing! The sun hit them just right and suddenly there are a lot of reds coming out. I went for a drive in the country and stopped at my favorite antique store. I bought a small section of a ladder from an apple orchard. I want to hang it from the ceiling and hang pots from it in the kitchen or herbs in the dining room. Or, I could prop it up against a wall and fold quilts over the rungs.

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Cold weather brings out the domestic goddess in me. I cooked a brisket in the crock pot yesterday that was killer. I served it with mashed red potatoes and the best Brussels sprouts. A baked apple topped it off for the perfect fall meal!

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Ginny's Brisket

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Rinse a medium sized brisket. Pat dry. Trim any extra fat on the bottom side. Sear both sides in a hot skillet. Place on cutting board and cut in large chunks. Place in crock pot. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder. Slice one large yellow onion and place the rings on top of the meat. Pour one bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce over all. Fill chili sauce bottle with water and shake then pour around the edge. Cover with lid and cook on high in your crock pot for at least 5 hours. Yummy!!!

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❤️

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“So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred.”‬‬

\n‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭24:10‬ ‭NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-10-30T01:30:39-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/10/30/theyre-baaaaack.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Baking","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/10/16/doctor-doctor-i-can-see.html", "title": "Doctor! Doctor! I Can See!", "content_html": "\n
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Farm life has me up and doing things at the ungodly hour of \"0 Dark Thirty\". Things like feeding the farm cats. When I first got here, I was awakened at 8:00 by what I was certain was someone trying to break in the house...first the back door, then the front. I snuck into the living room and, with great trepidation, pulled back the curtain on the front door only to find a very hungry cat glaring at me at eye height...her claws gripping the screen. I think they are plotting to kill me by loving me to death. Another delightful little task on the farm is taking the trash out at 5:30am on Wednesdays to keep the raccoons and possums out of it. You have not lived till you hear the sweet barn cat out on the porch eating the food you left a few minutes before only to go out and come face-to-face with a possum the size of a Buick. That gives aerobics a new meaning.

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As I stood in the kitchen yesterday, contemplating how a self-proclaimed road princess like me found herself living in an old drafty house in a shady little holler with possums and coons and fleas, I waited patiently for my coffee to brew. As I leaned against the sink, I looked to my right and noticed the door frame had a little piece sawed away. My eyes ran up the frame and found a matching place about six inches from the top of the door and I smiled with a memory.

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When I was a very little girl, this house did not have indoor plumbing. As a matter of fact, it didn't even sit where it is now. It used to be farther back from the road when my uncle and great-grandfather built a basement, put in plumbing, and rolled the house down on pipes to the new foundation. Before the move, and the new kitchen sink, the door hinges were on the other side opening from right to left. Consequently, the screen opened in the same direction. I was only six or seven years old when it switched, but fifty years later I was still reaching for the handle of the screen door on the right instead of the left.

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Life after loss is a lot like that. Things have been moved on us. I go to pick up the phone every Sunday night to call mom and check in. I see something funny and think of texting Mr. Virgo to tell him. I turn over in bed and reach out to find...emptiness...more often than I care to admit. Someone moved our stuff. Someone changed our lives. It doesn't break my heart like it used to. Now it's more like, \"Oh, yeah...right. He's gone.\" and I move on. Most of the time, anyway.

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Seeing those marks where the old hinges were reminded me that I can learn how to open doors with the other hand. I can change and still go in and out. I'm not trapped anymore.

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❤️

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“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.\"”‭‭

\nDeuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-10-16T01:30:15-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/10/16/doctor-doctor-i-can-see.html", "tags": ["Family","Grief","Growth","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/10/13/letting-go.html", "title": "Letting Go", "content_html": "\n
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I've been having a little trouble with writer's block lately. It's not necessarily that the words won't come. I write...then, when I go back later and read it, I hate it. It's extremely frustrating because it's hard to make progress when you're writing the same chapter over and over. This happens once in a while and, as my agent says, \"Good writing can't be rushed.\" The harder I try to forge my way through it, the worse it seems to get. So, I have to practice, yet again, letting go.

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I'm a bit of a control freak. I don't like letting go. It leads me down paths that are sometimes dark...sometimes scary. Letting go isn't always easy. But, I'm reminded as I look out over the hills surrounding this little red farmhouse...there's something beautiful in letting go of what holds you tight. There's freedom in the wind.

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Our trees aren't of a brilliant hue this season. We had a long hot and dry spell in August and September so there isn't as much sugar in the leaves. The dropping of leaves is inevitable. The letting go has to come or there won't be the lush growth of spring. There has to be a period of dormancy. Without it, there would be no change. Maybe the lesson here is to make sure to feed and nourish your spirit in the growing season in order to see the brilliance and the beauty of the colors so letting go becomes more of a celebration.

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I always write my posts at night and schedule them to post at 4:00 so you have them early. Occasionally, it's after midnight and I inadvertently schedule the wrong day. That happened today. And, as is the case with much of my writing lately...I erased the whole thing and started over. But now...now I'm listening to rain on the tin roof of this farmhouse that I love. I'm snuggled under the throw made from the fur Mr. Virgo gave me. Coffee is in my immediate future. I'm letting go today. The words will come.

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❤️

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“\"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

\n\n", "date_published": "2016-10-13T01:30:22-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/10/13/letting-go.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/10/10/into-the-woods.html", "title": "Into the Woods", "content_html": "\n
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My first real loss was when my maternal grandfather passed away. My Pop Pop was the absolute light of my life and when he died the summer I graduated from high school, I was devastated. Pop Pop showed me how to do everything he did on the farm and, being a bit of a tomboy, I took to it like a duck to water. I know this house like the back of my hand, but it's been a long time since I've walked the property lines of this farm and I was in for a workout.

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Last week I was told the timber was stolen off the farm. I was so upset...not only at the loss, but that it allegedly occurred on my watch. I told my uncle (who owns the farm) and he came yesterday to check it out. We walked a good portion of the seventy acre property. My childhood memory had the orchard and spring on the opposite side of the farm.

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It was so cool to spend the afternoon with my favorite uncle in the whole wide world. He told me so many stories. Like, the one where the old Model A they turned into a farm truck threw my Pop Pop out and rolled on top of him. This uncle and his brother, my Uncle Bob were there when it happened. Uncle Bob ran down and literally picked up the Model A so my Pop Pop could get out from under it. They went back later to get the tools out of it and the two of them together could not budge that thing. Adrenaline creates superhuman strength.

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As it turns out, the only timber missing were some oak trees that had fallen during an ice storm. No one had clear cut our farm. I can't tell you how relieved that made me. I love our woods. I'll be keeping a close watch up there to make sure folks know there's someone around and I'm not to be messed with. When they see tire tracks they know someone is watching.
I once toured the Philadelphia Museum of Art with an artist as my guide. Yesterday afternoon was much like that with story after story of this land and those that have spent a lifetime loving and caring for it. What an amazing experience.

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❤️

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“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

\n‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-10-10T01:30:36-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/10/10/into-the-woods.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Farm Life","Memories"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/10/03/autumn.html", "title": "Autumn", "content_html": "\n
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The wind is carrying a chill these days. Leaves fly and spin on the breeze and soon they will blanket the floor of our woods like a dark, damp carpet. There is a constant rustling noise in the background and the sound of the dew dropping is a higher pitch than when the leaves were green. The hummingbirds are gone, headed south for warmer climes. Clouds roll over the ridge across the road as chickadees fight over who gets to sit at the feeder.

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I love autumn. This year it isn't filling me with the dread of the oncoming winter for some reason. As I sit on the front porch, I still hear crickets. Birds are calling far up in the woods...their songs ringing down through the holler. The rain that woke me at 6:00 has created a small trickle through the creek running alongside the house...the tiny waterfalls plunking out a staccato beat. The farm cats are wandering the hillside above the house looking for a gift to present at my door. If I'm not quick enough to feed them in the mornings, they jump on the screen door to the front porch with a bang!

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I'm used to the rapid drop of leaves in Colorado. Like most everything here, fall lingers...meandering it's way through October. Time...sweet time. Nothing is rushed. I seasoned a skillet yesterday morning as I listened to classical music. I drank my coffee on the porch. I read. I wrote. I listened. I prayed...

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Thank you, Lord...for your bounty.

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❤️

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“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

\n‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-10-03T01:30:50-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/10/03/autumn.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Gratitude","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/29/smooth-sailing.html", "title": "Smooth Sailing", "content_html": "\n
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About twelve or thirteen years ago, one of my friends lost her husband after a brief illness. Three of us decided to take her to Mexico where she could unwind and let her hair down. How that woman found the strength to do that, I will never know because we went less than a week after the funeral! I cannot imagine how she survived that.

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While we were staying at this beautiful, all-inclusive resort, we had access to every possible recreation. One day, we decided to take a sailing lesson. We hopped on a small Hobie Cat and quickly learned how to zip back and forth. I took to sailing like a duck to water, so to speak. My friends soon tired of the whole thing and I dropped them off on shore then headed back out to sea. I really stretched my boundaries that day.

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Stretching my boundaries is something I strive to do on a regular basis. I'm finding, the more I stretch, the bigger my world gets. And the bigger my world gets, the more I have to stretch to reach out for new horizons. One thing begets the other begets the other. Public speaking is my brass ring of choice currently and I'm always looking for new opportunities.

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Things are going well here at the farm. My neighbor across the road gave me some red bell peppers last night. The cats are fat and happy. I'll work on the gutters today. It's been so cold I had to turn the furnace on last night! I brought sheets and blankets in from the camper. I bought a memory foam topper for the mattress. I pulled out my mom's quilt to put on the bed. I am heading to a family wedding this weekend. The Internet and Wi-Fi cellphone service works great. I'm a happy camper this week!

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❤️

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“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”‭‭

\nIsaiah‬ ‭40:29‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/29/smooth-sailing.html", "tags": ["Family","Courage","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/12/chipping-away.html", "title": "Chipping Away", "content_html": "\n
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When I was a little girl, my Uncle Bob would take a pick axe to a rocky outcropping up by the barn. He'd pick away and dig out wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow load of rock then spend hours with a sledgehammer busting it into gravel. He would load that gravel up in his wheelbarrow and fill in the driveway a couple times a year. He was a hard worker and I was always proud of that nicely graveled drive up past the house at the farm. As I walk down to get the mail and the newspaper, I look down and that rock is still there, pressed firmly in the earth, mossy ground covering winding between the gray stones, and I think of my sweet Uncle Bob. Grandma had chicken pox or measles when she was pregnant with him and he was born with a developmental disability. He was without guile...the sweetest angel unawares.

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Just as my uncle chipped away at the stony outcropping, I chipped away yesterday at the nagging problem of how to have an uncomfortable conversation with my aunt. I asked God in church yesterday to send the Holy Spirit to speak through me. I asked my pastor to pray for the situation. And, I rehearsed scenarios as I drove across the state. I don't like uncomfortable conversations, so at the last minute as I walked in the house, I asked God to take away any discomfort. And, He did! I sat and visited for awhile. I showed pictures of what I'm doing in the house. Then I asked my aunt why her friend would think I was coming to live with her. That gave her the out she needed. She said she could understand how her friend might have misinterpreted what she said but that wasn't her intention. As with many things, my sweet cousin Suzy hit the nail on the head yesterday when she commented that I could express my concerns but the bottom line is, fleas and all, it's my aunt's decision to make as long as she has the faculties. And, after my discussion with her yesterday, I came to the conclusion that while this is not the ideal scenario, she will come back to the farm...at least for a while. My uncle and I both get the feeling she wants to come back to say goodbye. And that is valid. I promised him that, while I cannot live there while she is there, I am more than happy to go out once or twice a week to bring her food, check on her, and make sure she has clean sheets on the bed. That is the very least I can do...for her AND for my uncle. I feel it is my Christian duty. And, I feel pretty good about that.

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❤️

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““Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”‭‭

\nMatthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-12T01:30:16-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/12/chipping-away.html", "tags": ["Family","Overcoming Obstacles","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/10/the-river.html", "title": "The River", "content_html": "\n
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My time here on the river is coming to a close. There are a number of factors involved but the biggest is familial obligation on both parties. I'll be spending a larger amount of time out at the farm and with winter coming, there's just too much to worry about with the river house. If there was a frozen pipe like last year and I wasn't there for several days, the results could be disastrous. The possibility remains to return next year, but I have come to learn not to count on too much too far ahead. I will certainly miss this view and the ready access to the river.

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I'll miss the sound of the riverboats and the trains. I'll miss the peepers in the spring and the katydids in the fall. I will miss the change of light with every moment in the day. The way it plays on the water. The days the river is as still and flat as glass. The days deep in January when the river freezes and you can hear the barges breaking through like a perpetual ice maker in a fridge. The lap of the waves after the pleasure craft have roared by. The occasional sternwheeler going up or down river. The smell of raw green vegetation when the farmer harvests corn or plows the soybeans under to enrich the soil for next season. Yes, I'll miss my time here. And I am so grateful to my friends to have had this opportunity.

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This weekend is the Sternwheel Festival. Coffee with the Divas. Church on Sunday then a quick trip to visit my family over on the east side of WV. Back a couple days later then hauling the camper up to Columbus to get some warranty work done. Next weekend will find me at the Country Living Fair in Columbus, OH. If you are there, stop and see me with the Sisters on the Fly and that fabulous Girl Camper podcaster and GoRVing blogger, Janine Pettit! Back on Saturday, serve at church Sunday, then I'm co-leading a group discussion on The Prayer of Jabez at New Wineskins (pub church) Sunday night. Then it's back to the farm and settle in to write, write, write. Oh, and paint the roof, fix a leaky spot, wrangle fleas, trim weeds, spray for poison ivy, paint the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom... A farmer/writer/blogger/speaker/wanderer's work is never done!

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❤️

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”‭‭

\nJeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-10T01:30:07-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/10/the-river.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/09/arrrrgh.html", "title": "ARRRRGH!!!!!", "content_html": "\n
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The fleas are back!!! OMGosh! Seriously? I went downstairs to look for a container of some sort to hold birdseed to keep from attracting mice and, sort of as an afterthought, looked down at my ankles. There they were. Nasty little buggers! Not many, but more than one so it wasn't a hitch hiker. I'm still within the 30 day warranty so they need to come out and spray again.

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I have the bird feeders hung on the new garden hook out front. My friend hung a roll up shade on the front porch to keep the heat down in the late afternoons. It was 90 degrees when I sat down to write this yesterday afternoon. It has been so long since we've had rain, the earth is cracking open. The leaves are turning brown and falling off. It's hot and sticky humid. The kind where you can't get dry after you shower. I take moon baths. I stand out back and wash with the water in the rain barrel. I pretend there's no air pollution contaminating the rain water. ?

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This book isn't going to write itself so I'm back at it. I wrote the introduction yesterday and updated the proposal accordingly. I cannot write creatively unless I'm feeling inspired. It's a Gemini thing, I think. Extremely frustrating, to say the least. I just keep plugging away at it as I can. Fortunately, my agent understands that good writing can't be rushed. Thank God for that!!!

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❤️

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“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”

\n‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:29‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-09T01:30:39-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/09/arrrrgh.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/04/sunset.html", "title": "Sunset", "content_html": "\n
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There is something special about sunsets. For me, they are a gift from God. A reward after a good day. A gift of comfort after a bad one, with the reassurance there is still beauty in the world. I've been getting a lot of gifts from God lately. A beautiful bouquet of white flowers, dinner with a friend, Old Mama Kitty rubbing on my legs and purring her heart out when I feed her, quiet mornings on the farm sipping my coffee and watching wild turkeys running up the road. Yesterday morning, I looked up in time to catch a bald eagle flying overhead. It was a fleeting glimpse, but I'm sure that's what it was. Such beauty in the world.

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The yard needs mowed out at the farm. The thing about West Virginia, more rain equals more grass. The neighbor down the way mows for my aunt but only once a month. By that time, the place really needs a brush hog run over it. I bought a gas powered trimmer yesterday to run around my camper and to use at the farm. There's a mower up in the barn that I'm going to check out and see if I can get running. Mowing is good exercise and it will look nicer. And, it feels good to work hard and see the results of your efforts. Hard work never hurt anybody, or so said my grandma.

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❤️

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“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.”

\n‭‭Psalm‬ ‭65:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-04T01:30:10-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/04/sunset.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/03/exploring.html", "title": "Exploring", "content_html": "\n
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After doing my morning chores yesterday, I decided to go exploring back on the farm. We referred to this part of the property as \"back on the hill\". There was an old road that we took up there for years but it's hardly even passable in an ATV. Pop-Pop had converted an old Model A into a farm truck and he'd take us back on the hill in it. That road was so steep we had to lay down in the bed of the truck with our feet on the tailgate to keep from getting tossed out. Amazing that we didn't get killed!

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I drove back the old oil and gas well road. I stopped at an old country church and looked around then headed for the familiar road leading into the back of the farm. I searched everywhere. Turned around and took another road but before long I realized that wasn't the right one. Turned around again and was heading out when I ran into a fella that lives down the road. I asked him if he knew how to get to the road I was looking for. He was very kind and went to get his four wheeler to show me.

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The ground is so grown up back there now, I almost didn't recognize it. It's amazing how quickly the woods will take over land. There's nothing but the roof left of the old home place. And this is me in the doorway of the Strawberry Shed. This farm produced the finest strawberries in three counties. We had quite a production going. My great grandfather built this shed. The workers would bring the flats of strawberries to the big window in the front (on the wall to my left). Women would take the flats, sort and cull the berries, and hand them off to be loaded onto the back of my Pop-Pop's truck for the ride into Parkersburg to the Farmer's Market. I had two favorite parts of the day...being alone with my Pop-Pop on that ride into town and being alone in the kitchen with my grandma cooking lunch for the berry pickers.

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I look back now at what a huge amount of work it was to grow and sell those strawberries. After paying for supplies, gas, and hired help, they couldn't possibly have made much money. But any little bit helped in those days. Now that I'm the \"farm keeper\", I needed to get back here and see what's what. The ground is posted \"No Hunting\" but there is evidence that hunters have stayed in that shed. I'll go back up in the fall when the colors are awesome and post pictures. Maybe I'll mount a game camera up there and see what kind of critters show up. It turned out to be an absolutely glorious day and I feel tremendously blessed!

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❤️

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“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”‭‭

\nPsalm‬ ‭104:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-03T01:30:05-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/03/exploring.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/02/a-room-with-a-view.html", "title": "A Room With a View", "content_html": "\n
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I'm getting into a routine here at the farm. I wake up, make my coffee, and take my reading to the front porch. This is my view. It is sometimes foggy early and it lends a dampening stillness. I sit and drink my coffee, read my devotional, say my prayers, and read a few pages of a couple of books. By then the newspaper has been delivered. I walk down to the road there and get it, read the news and check the classifieds and obits, read Dear Abby and my horoscope, then settle in to do the puzzles. Once I finish that, I get some chores done around the house or out on the grounds. At lunchtime, I drive up to the cemetery to write my post and read my messages. When I return to the farm, I write on my book. It is so peaceful and serene here.
I was thrilled to have the gas turned on again. Now there's hot water...and plenty of scrubbing being done!

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No word from the hotel regarding the roof rack issue.

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❤️

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“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”‭‭

\nPsalm‬ ‭119:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-02T01:30:31-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/02/a-room-with-a-view.html", "tags": ["The Farm","Comfort","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/09/01/farm-critters.html", "title": "Farm Critters", "content_html": "\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2016-09-01T01:30:32-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/09/01/farm-critters.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/25/the-barn.html", "title": "The Barn", "content_html": "\n
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As I came around the turn at Pickle Street (yes...it's a real place!), the big red barn caught my eye. The farmhouse looks different now that they added the aluminum siding. (They had to take it off the National Historic Registry for that egregious act!) I first came to this farm as a little girl back when my aunt and her first husband owned it. It had belonged to his grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Teters. After my uncle died and my aunt remarried, she sold this farm. I was honored she gave me three of Grandma Teters crocks along with the stories on two of them. (The big blue one pulled double duty. The cream was raised in it and the biscuit dough was made in it every morning. They ran a boarding house for teamsters and there were plenty of biscuits made in that crock. The small crock held baking soda. Grandpa Teters had a \"sour stomach\" all the time so the bowl was filled with baking soda - or \"sody\", as they called it - and he'd eat a teaspoon of it every time he walked past.) Also, I got a red child's rocker with a woven seat and a curved front oak curio cabinet they pulled out of this barn. It hardly offers basic shelter anymore with great gaps in the wood siding. I wanted to stop and get some pictures while the place is still standing. There is a church a half mile down the road. My great-grandfather donated the bell that is in the steeple of that church. Lots of ties in this area.

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I visited my aunt yesterday and she seems to be recuperating nicely. I think she is with it enough to understand she can't live alone anymore. Actually, she seemed happier than I've seen her in a long, long time.

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I didn't sleep well Tuesday night. Far too much on my mind and getting excited about the trip to DC and my talk. I had my alarm set for 5:30 yesterday morning to take the trash out. I was going to pack quickly and head out but I laid down...you know, for just a minute. Three hours later I woke up. By the time you read this on Thursday morning, I'll be on my way to Washington!!! Can you tell I'm excited???

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❤️

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““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”‭‭

\nMatthew‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-25T01:30:45-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/25/the-barn.html", "tags": ["Family","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/21/best-of-both-worlds.html", "title": "Best of Both Worlds", "content_html": "\n
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I am so incredibly blessed. Splitting my time between the farm and the river is perfect. The farm is so peaceful...even though the first couple of weeks has been taken up with cleaning, painting and flea wrangling. My days are so simple. I get up and feed the kitties, put on my coffee, and walk across the road to get the paper. I take my coffee to the porch, read the paper, and do the puzzles. Then it's time to do a good solid 3-4 hours work on a project involving upkeep/improvement. I break for lunch and write for the next 3-4 hours. In the evening, I make phone calls, read, and write.

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By the time the weekend rolls around, it is time to go to the river. Lazy mornings, coffee, exercise, boating or kayaking, reading, writing, socializing...it's a simple life. It will become more complicated in the winter but for now, I'm enjoying the simplicity.

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Last night was Homecoming and I met friends for a Fleetwood Mac tribute band and fireworks. Today, I have my Serve Team orientation at church. I have never officially been trained and served in a church before so I am very much looking forward to this. I love the feeling of belonging...of fitting in.

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❤️

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“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

\nHebrews 6:10 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-21T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/21/best-of-both-worlds.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/19/painting.html", "title": "Painting", "content_html": "\n
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This house is old. Really old. And there hasn't been regular maintenance done in quite some time, as you can see. In addition to ridding the basement of fleas, I am cleaning, clearing, and freshening the place up with a coat of paint. I'm not sure what kind of paint was on this wall before, but it's soaking the primer (the white paint) up like a sponge. It's going to look so much better when it's done! I'm trying to wrap this up before I head to Washington, DC next week for my talk at the International Conference on Positive Aging. I'm getting really excited for that!

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It takes an hour round trip to get to cell service and I need to get back to my painting before the afternoon rains. This weekend is Homecoming in my hometown so I'm heading back to TOW-Wanda tomorrow.

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❤️

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““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

\nJohn 4:34 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-19T01:30:47-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/19/painting.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/19/flea-update.html", "title": "Flea Update", "content_html": "\n
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I went downstairs and vacuumed the basement today and took the bag out behind to barn to dispose of it. When I peeked inside, I saw NO live fleas!!! Monday will be a week since they sprayed so I'll check again then. If there is even ONE live flea, they're coming back out to spray! OMGosh! What an ordeal!

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I finished painting the living room yesterday. I need to do a little touch up then I can put it all back together and head to DC! Oh, the roof has a leak so I'll need to get up there before winter and do something about that. There's lots of work to do, without a doubt. But, it's a labor of love.

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I wish I could convey how incredibly peaceful it is out at the farm. It's wonderful!

\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-19T01:30:24-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/19/flea-update.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Gratitude","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/16/buddies.html", "title": "Buddies!", "content_html": "\n
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One of the greatest things about spending so much time in West Virginia has be connecting and reconnecting with my high school friends...most of whom still live here. West Virginia is part of who we are. You can go away, but more than likely, you'll be back.

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This is my favorite picture from Saturday night. My partner in crime...Diane. We didn't know each other in high school, but connected through Facebook. She's the funniest woman I've ever met and I adore her. We travel to the big city of Charleston to attend live concerts at Mountain Stage. We gab and solve the world's problems and laugh till we cry. She's a hoot and a half, this one!

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News from the battlefront...the exterminator was here and I'm writing this from the cemetery on Monday afternoon so you'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out if the little blood sucking vermin have been eradicated. I was up at 5:00 hauling stuff up out of the basement, getting things up off the floor, and vacuuming up fleas and eggs and larvae. I took the vacuum cleaner bag out and disposed of it behind the barn. By 6:30 I was standing in the backyard cussing up a blue streak. I had to vacate the premises for four hours so I went to the greater metropolis of Harrisville on safari. I'm on the prowl for chocolate covered peanuts and wifi!!!

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❤️

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“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

\nProverbs 18:24 NIV\n
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(...or a sister!)

\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-16T01:30:02-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/16/buddies.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Farm Life","Friends"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/12/an-army.html", "title": "An Army", "content_html": "\n
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You guessed it...I used \"The Enforcer\" on my unwelcome house guests yesterday. It's one step shy of napalm! I sprayed every floor around the periphery then in the center. I kept it closed up overnight. I think I got what few there were in the bathroom from where I danced like a ninja when I found my legs black with the little suckers. Then I went down in the basement for the ultimate test and...those bad boys were STILL doing the Macarena down there. I think I may have decreased the numbers...slightly. That does it...time to call in the pros!!!

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Here's where it gets gross. It seems flea eggs can lie dormant for months and then...the VIBRATION from your steps triggers a mass hatching!!! Ewwww!!! He'll be at the farm first thing Monday morning. My instructions are to pick everything up off the floor and vacuum thoroughly before he gets there and take the bag outside to dispose of it. I'll treat the kitties once a month to assure myself they are flea free in case she brings the long haired one in this winter.

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In the meantime, I went yesterday and got my hair trimmed, a MUCH NEEDED pedicure, and a very cute pair of little strappy sandals on sale! This is a big weekend...my 45th High School Reunion!!! It's time to party and forget fleas for a while!!!

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❤️

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“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””

\nExodus 33:14 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-12T01:30:30-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/12/an-army.html", "tags": ["Health","Overcoming Obstacles","The Farm","The Cats","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/11/you-scream-i-scream.html", "title": "You Scream, I Scream...", "content_html": "\n
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We all scream for ice cream!!! Ok, it's 92 degrees as I write this on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30. I'm sitting out in the McDonald's parking lot, eating an ice cream cone. Things are desperate! As I told you, Tuesday I set off flea bombs in the basement and the bathroom out at the farm. I kept the house shut up tighter than a drum for six hours...three times what was recommended. I went in around 8:00pm and opened the windows and started the fans running to clear out the toxic waste cloud.

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I intended to sleep in my tent up by the barn, but everything is infested with fleas and I couldn't run the risk of contaminating my camping gear and then bringing it back to my camper. So, I slept in the back seat of my truck. Now, before you look at me as that poor street person, this is one swanky truck! It's a full double crew cab and the back seats fold up leaving a large flat space that I spread out blankets and a sleeping pad. Comfy cozy!

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I went across the road to check the mail and the neighbor was standing out there looking at his garden (which is gorgeous, by the way!) and I told him about the flea issue. He said he never had much luck with flea bombs and to get this stuff called Enforcer at the Rural King. I went downstairs yesterday morning with great hopes the fleas would be eight tiny toes up but instead they were all doing the Macarena down there! Holy cats!!! Ok...time for the big guns! I drove back into town and bought 3 GALLONS of this stuff, industrial gloves, a respirator, rubber boots and a Hazmat suit! Well, ok, it's coveralls...but still. When I was heading back toward the farm, I passed the McDonald's and this here little ice cream cone was calling my name...and who am I to deny it a chance in the sun??? Besides...I am a Superhero!!! You may call me....

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\"The Flea Slayer\"...

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...I hope!

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❤️

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

\nRomans 12:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-11T01:30:21-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/11/you-scream-i-scream.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","The Farm","The Cats","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/10/treasures.html", "title": "Treasures", "content_html": "\n
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I'm sleeping in my grandparents' room. I think it's the same bed. Could be the same mattress the way it feels. My Pop-Pop essentially died in this house. By that I mean, he was probably already gone from the massive heart attack he suffered at the dining room table while Grandma was out in the cellar house getting the jar of green beans she was going to fix with his lunch. My Uncle Bob carried him out to the car and Grandma drove the 35 miles like a maniac to the State Patrol office, but the patrolman told me later he was gone long before they got there. An ambulance brought him to the hospital where I was doing my x-ray training and they pronounced him. They placed his coffin in the living room not fifteen feet from where I'm writing this. He rested there three days before the funeral, my grandma barely leaving his side...a position she had kept two months shy of fifty years.

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Grandma had her last stroke in this bed. My aunt said she talked all night to Pop-Pop and my Uncle Sonny who was killed when he crashed his fighter jet in Germany when I was two. They took her to the hospital the next morning and she was gone in a few hours.

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My Uncle Bob died in this bed. My aunt had heard him coughing in the night and was relieved when he finally became quiet, thinking he was getting some good sleep. My Uncle Bob was an angel unawares. Grandma had chicken pox or measles (I'm not sure which) when she was expecting him. He was born with a slight facial deformity, a very pronounced lazy eye, and a strong speech impediment. The kids made fun of him at school and Grandma would have none of that so she just kept Bob at home. He was strong as an ox and sweet as could be. He had a sense of humor and remarkable insight. He teased me unmercifully by mocking me if I cried which made me very angry as a little girl. But he taught me to play checkers and he loved I Love Lucy as much as I did. He never told a lie. He didn't know how. If I did something wrong, all Mom had to do was look at Bob and he told her everything. Yes, as a little girl, he made me angry. But as I matured, I realized how precious he was. What a gift he was to everyone who knew him. His headstone reads \"Manager of the Bell\" because he rang the bell in the church steeple every Sunday of his life till he got too sick to go. My aunt has buried two husbands, her parents, a brother and a sister and she said there's no one in the world she misses more than my Uncle Bob.

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I've thought a lot about him the last couple of days. I've thought about all of them since I've been here. This place is thick with memories. I was so afraid I had lost my connection here. But it's with me. It's the cloth of my past...the memories, this house, this land. As I laid in the bed that my family has shared over the years, I felt wrapped in their love, comforted by their energy that lives on in this place. No matter where I live, this will always be home.

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❤️

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“Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

\n1 Thessalonians 5:13 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-10T01:30:03-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/10/treasures.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Change","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/09/giving.html", "title": "Giving", "content_html": "\n
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I never really looked at staying on the farm as giving of myself, but I feel the gratitude of my family for caring for the place with the same love my grandparents had. Even though I wasn't able to stay here and care for my aunt the way I intended, I can care for the farm with all my heart and soul.

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I came to town to get a flea bomb. It seems my aunt let the farm cat stay in the basement all winter and now it's infested with fleas down there. Thank goodness it's confined to the basement. So, I stopped in to the family cemetery as I came over the hill since my phone started beeping and buzzing as soon as I hit a service area. I thought I'd take a moment and tell you a funny story.

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While my aunt was in the hospital, we had to report to the doctor something she told us earlier. It seems she's been hearing voices. They talk to her in the middle of the night and tell her the same thing over and over. \"Your house is on fire!!! You must leave your house immediately!!!\" We thought \"Poor thing...she's gone 'round the bend.\" As I was driving out to the farm yesterday, I was mulling that over in my mind. When someone is delusional and hears voices, they don't hear the very same things over and over. I remember her telling me something in the spring about a voice telling her to get out of her house because it was on fire. But she brushed it off as a weird dream and I didn't give it much thought...till now. I kept thinking, \"Why does this sound SO familiar?\" Well, suddenly it hit me!!!

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Two years ago, when I lived on the farm in my attempt to care for her, my uncle asked me to install fire and carbon monoxide detectors. My aunt insisted I only buy what was on sale and the only ones on sale that were combo units, get this....TALK TO YOU!!! Yep, that's right. When they go off, they say \"Your house is on fire!!! You must leave your house immediately!!!!\" I'm not sure what set them off...low batteries, high carbon monoxide from the gas stove she burns constantly, a full moon? Who knows? But that has to be what it was because it's the same message over and over. I bought new batteries but haven't put them in yet. I'm waiting till I hear voices in the night!!!

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(Face palm)

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❤️

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“It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.”

\nDeuteronomy 11:12 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-09T01:30:05-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/09/giving.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","The Cats","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/08/home-of-my-heart.html", "title": "Home of my Heart", "content_html": "\n
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Just a quick note to let you know I arrived safely. I had to run to the next little small town to buy a long distance calling card. I can't be TOTALLY cut off from the world! I'm going to sleep till noon tomorrow! I haven't stopped running since I got to WV. It's so peaceful in this little holler. Can't wait to sit on the porch and listen to the night. Talk to you soon!

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❤️

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“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

\nPsalm 29:11 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-08T01:30:59-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/08/home-of-my-heart.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Gratitude","Comfort","Peaceful Moments","Farm Life","Memories","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/07/looking-up.html", "title": "Looking Up", "content_html": "\n
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Remember lying on your back on the grass on a hot summer day and looking up through the tree branches above you? The ground was lumpy and cool. The grass tickled the backs of your legs. Bugs buzzed around your ears. And your skin was damp with the salty sour sweat of playing Tag or Red Rover. There was magic in that cool shade beneath those branches. Something solid and comforting...as if the arms of Mother Nature herself were protecting you from the great big world of adulthood.

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Last night, I went to a concert on a hill overlooking town. A local musician opened and the main act was Ronnie Frugé, a true Cajun guitarist from the bayous of Louisiana. He told stories about his songs and entertained us for nearly three hours. I didn't have a blanket, but I laid my head back and looked up through the trees overhead and remembered those days when summer was waning and the new school year loomed large in front of me.

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I was always filled with this sense of change when I was on my back under those trees...a mixed feeling of excitement and dread. And that's what I'm feeling right now. For those of you following along for some time, you'll remember I came to West Virginia two years ago to care for an elderly aunt that needed help. It didn't work out for either of us and I moved on to other arrangements. She hasn't been feeling well lately so she's visiting her brother and I'm going to stay at the farm for a while. This is the home of my heart, the place that has always been my \"safe place\". Having to leave so abruptly two years ago affected how I saw the old homestead in my heart. I'm hoping by going back, I can regain some of the magic it once held for me. I want to connect with it again. So, I'm excited to go stay there. Yet, I'm afraid it will never be the same. I'll just have to see what kind of magic I can work while I'm there.

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And, here's the problem. There's no cell service on the farm. And, there's no internet unless I drive a few miles away to the family cemetery, which I have no problem doing. But, I'm thinking I need to just....be. Be present. Be there. Be disconnected. Be peaceful. Be introspective. I need to write without distraction. And then I'll be back Thursday evening to start my weekend of festivities for my high school reunion.

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I'm going to spend some time looking up through the branches of my life...of my past...and just stare at the sky for a while. I know you'll understand.

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❤️

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””

\nJoshua 1:9 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-07T01:30:15-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/07/looking-up.html", "tags": ["Family","The Farm","Aging","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/07/31/rhubarb.html", "title": "Rhubarb", "content_html": "\n
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My grandma always cooked rhubarb and served it as a sauce...sort of like applesauce. There was always a covered dish in the fridge with this sweet-tart, pale pink nectar of the gods. She had to swat me away from it or I would eat the whole thing.

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I used to cook up rhubarb when my father-in-law would bring us a mess of it. At dinner last night, my older daughter told us she often came home and there would be two buckets full of rhubarb on her porch and she knew Pop had been there.

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We celebrated my son-in-law's grandma's birthday last night. Since I'm not eating gluten, I didn't have cake. But I did splurge with a little vanilla ice cream with warmed strawberry-rhubarb sauce over it. Oh, that was heavenly...taking me back in time. The addition of strawberries gives just a little something extra to an already divine concoction. Grandma Lois turned 87 and she wanted me to share the recipe she used.

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Grandma Lois' Strawberry-Rhubarb

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This sauce is wonderful warm over ice cream. The family ate it over angel food cake last night although they are quite fond of serving it over warm biscuits. It's great as a side with roast pork. And...it's good straight out of the pan with a spoon. When I think of summer foods, I think of watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, corn on the cob, cucumbers and onions, and rhubarb. Once I have had those foods, it's really been summer.

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❤️

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“This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit.”

\nAmos 8:1 NIV\n
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Photo Credit: sunnysidelocal.com

\n\n", "date_published": "2016-07-31T01:30:38-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/07/31/rhubarb.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life","Memories","Cooking","In the Kitchen"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/05/09/grandmas-rhododendron.html", "title": "Grandma's Rhododendron", "content_html": "\n
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I wouldn't necessarily say my mom's mom had much of a green thumb...at least not with house plants. I don't think it ever occurred to her, as a farm woman, to have plants indoors. She would have seen it as frivolous and a complete waste of time, space, and resources. She did enjoy the occasional bouquet of posies on the dining room table but that was it. Grandma had a really good eye for planting outdoors though. She managed to plant flowers that bloomed in succession so there was always color around the yard. And her vegetable garden was always remarkable.

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I tried having gardens. From little beds of tomatoes to square foot gardening to a massive 4000 square foot garden that served merely to feed the prolific deer in the area. I pretty much came to the conclusion farmers markets are there for a reason. I used to can and preserve a lot. Jams, jellies, pickles, green beans, tomatoes, applesauce and peaches were my staples. I love canning, but no longer have the room for prepping, cooking, or storage. It's one of the things I let go for this new life I've created.

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I have become a sort of life architect. I first had to give thought to what I want my life to look like, then I had to ask God to bring the building blocks, and now I'm fitting them this way and that to see what fits where. After the initial heartache of having the need to do this, I have discovered the joys of creating the beautiful life I want to live. Sometimes I try to fit something in that really wasn't meant for me. Then I have to back up and dismantle a little and start again. Such is the nature of life in general, but after great loss, it's more poignant...more intentional. At least it has been for me.

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As I prepared to photograph grandma's rhododendron, this lovely swallowtail butterfly came and lit right in front of me. Another God moment. Another moment with Mr. Virgo.

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❤️

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“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

\nPsalm 23:2-3 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-05-09T01:30:09-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/05/09/grandmas-rhododendron.html", "tags": ["Family","Comfort","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/02/19/downsizing-two-years-later.html", "title": "Downsizing: Two Years Later", "content_html": "\n
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I mentioned in yesterday's post that I regretted some of my spending choices in the first year or so after Mr. Virgo died. I look back and wonder what on earth I was thinking. I was warned. I was also in a near emotional coma so maybe I can't be blamed entirely, even though I am completely responsible. I didn't take exorbitant trips. I didn't fly to Europe or anything. But, there was still quite a lot of frivolous spending in an effort to escape my pain and loneliness.

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Do I regret the sale of my house? Maybe a little but only because the mortgage was fairly reasonable. If I would have rented it out, the rent would have paid the mortgage payment with plenty left over to build up a home repair fund while supplying me with at least some gas money. That's the downside...the regret. The upside is, I'm not in huge debt. That affordable mortgage wouldn't have been paid off till I am 90 years old! I may never have been free. The house was 13 years old and starting to need work...a lot of work. Big ticket items like new appliances, paint inside and out, and new flooring were screaming to be done. The utilities were sometimes $400-500 a month between heating costs in the winter and summer irrigation. All in all, I really just miss my neighbors, my covered front porch and my gorgeous flower beds...even though it was getting increasingly expensive and exhausting to maintain those, as well.

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Do I regret the drastic downsizing I did to squeeze myself into less than 200 square feet of living space? It has been two years now since I made the decision to sell out and downsize so I've created the following list.

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Stuff I Regret Getting Rid Of:

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Yeah, I'm trying to think and I got nothin'. I don't need half of what I DID keep so I still have purging to do. I'm lighter and more flexible now that I don't have to provide a huge storage shed called a house. I don't spend time cleaning and dusting. I don't have to stay in one place just because it's a king-sized pain in the butt to pack and move. And, I could have bought all that stuff three times over with what I've paid in the past to have it moved professionally. I miss the warm feeling it gave me to sit in my museum and see and touch all my lovelies, but just the feeling...not the stuff. I kept the items that were dearest to me. The second level attachments went to family where I can either ask for them back someday or at least see them when I visit. The third level attachments went to friends who loved them as I did. After that, it was all just stuff. This gives me peace and joy and a huge sense of relief.

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I know this life is not for everyone. We all have a different level of attachment and love for our treasures. There is a sense of pride in home ownership and in having worked hard for the items that furnish it. The bottom line is this...you must do what you are comfortable with. I'm still looking at a more permanent tiny home as a base camp near family and possibly downsizing to a smaller camper for my adventures. I find I am less inclined to hook up this monstrosity I live in and haul it somewhere for just a weekend. That's not really camping anyway. That's more like moving your house and changing neighbors. I long for the spontaneous trips to the mountains that I made in my little 16' camper.

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I'm still a work in progress. I'm feeling my way through the darkness into the light. I'm getting there...I'm definitely getting there. It feels good to me to do it with less weight.

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❤️

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“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

\n1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-02-19T02:30:26-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/02/19/downsizing-two-years-later.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Downsizing","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/03/18/theres-a-mouse-in-the.html", "title": "There's a Mouse in the House!", "content_html": "\n
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No, not in TOW-Wanda, thank you, God! My friend Janet and I were sorting through boxes upstairs in the cellar house out at the farm on Monday. I had invested in a really powerful ultrasonic rodent repellant last fall. I was certain it would keep mice out of my boxes but there was evidence I was mistaken. I opened a dish pack and was about one third through it when a very large mouse jumped out straight at me! I almost wet my pants. Now, I am not afraid of mice per se but their erratic movements startle me.

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I had made sure there was no food stored in these boxes because that would just ensure an infestation. I did find a bar of soap and some candles that had been nibbled on. Now, I can appreciate a good fur coat and that mouse was a fine example. Apparently soap and wax are good fur conditioners.

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I was jumping all around trying to find something to trap this mouse. A saucepan certainly didn't work even though my attempts had Janet in stitches. Eventually, I told her to move out of the way, I tipped the box over, and the mouse made his escape. Unfortunately, he did not go through the open door so there is a chance our paths may cross again in the coming weeks.

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❤

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\"Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.\"

\nProverbs 10:4\n
\n\n", "date_published": "2015-03-18T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/03/18/theres-a-mouse-in-the.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","The Farm","Downsizing","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2014/11/23/keeping-young-while-growing-old.html", "title": "Keeping Young while Growing Old", "content_html": "\n
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I spent yesterday morning helping my aunt make pies for last night's \"Sing\". She used prepared pie crust for the very first time. She insisted she bake a scrap of it ahead of time because if it wasn't \"fit to eat\" she was going to throw it out and make her own. Her tremor is so bad now, it is painful to watch her try to do the things we take for granted…beating egg whites, stirring filling as it cooks, rolling out crust. As I held the pan for her and she scraped the hot lemon filling into her crusts, she said \"Well, this is my Waterloo. I may make pies for family, but these are the last for the Sings.\" It hurt my heart a little to hear her recognize her limitations. She is such a proud woman. I told her that was just fine…she had done a good job all these years. Folks will understand. Still…passages. The endings that inevitably come. Those little steps…admissions…confessing the infirmities of age tug at your heart strings…whether they are from those you love or from your own lips. She is happy I am here. She was staring down the abyss…alone…as was I. We are two peas now, this wonderful, graceful, beautiful woman and I.

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We lead a simple life here. I practice mindfulness…something I am convinced my aunt has done all her life as did her mother and her mother before her. When I do dishes, sweep floors, haul brush, I focus on the moment. When I do dishes, I am doing dishes. I am feeling the texture of the scrubber beneath my fingers, the warmth of the water, the lemony scent of the bubbles. When I sweep the floors, my focus is on the sound the broom makes as it crosses over linoleum. As I haul brush, I feel the weight of the branches in my hands, the crunch of the leaves as I cross to the brush pile, the chill of the wind as it brushes my cheeks. This makes work a meditation. It keeps life simple. How can we be here if we are there? There is a rhythm here that it has taken me awhile to feel. I had to slow down and be still. The rhythm is deep, quiet, redolent with the smell of the leaves and the whispers of souls passed. It is a source of wealth no bank account could ever fill. It is the essence of love. <3

\n\n", "date_published": "2014-11-23T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2014/11/23/keeping-young-while-growing-old.html", "tags": ["West Virginia","Comfort","Aging","Choices","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2014/11/18/culinary-nightmares.html", "title": "Culinary Nightmares!", "content_html": "\n
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Ok, true confession? I ate a squirrel and I liked it! Actually, I've eaten lots of squirrels. When I was growing up, shooting a squirrel and eating it was no different than catching a fish and eating it. Squirrel season is one of the longest game seasons and the one where many aspiring hunters get their start as a youth. I SO wanted to go squirrel hunting when I was a kid but I wasn't allowed because…I was a girl! Girls didn't hunt. It meant they'd have to handle a G-U-N and God forbid…that wasn't acceptable in my family. I did get to shoot a .22 at tin cans as a teenager but no hunting.

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I am not sure I could eat a squirrel now after living in Denver for so many years. They're like rats there. But I have such fond memories of my grandma's fried squirrel and squirrel gravy. There's not a ton of meat on a squirrel so you might have to freeze them till you get a mess of them. (For those of you who don't know, \"a mess\" means a bunch. As in \"She cooked up a mess a' beans.\" I know…you need a passport to come here.) My daddy taught me how to skin them and clean them. They have a very dark, fine grained, low fat, sweet meat. You quarter them, dredge them in flour with salt and pepper and fry them like you would fry chicken. Ok, now I'll TOTALLY gross you out…my mom would kill for the brain. (Ok, that totally grossed ME out!)

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There are old timey recipe books with other awful offal. Possum, coon, goat, rattlesnake…to name a few. Now, those I have not eaten. I have my limits! What are some odd things you eat or have eaten in your life?

\n\n", "date_published": "2014-11-18T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2014/11/18/culinary-nightmares.html", "tags": ["Fun","West Virginia","The Farm","Farm Life"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2014/11/16/sundays-on-the-farm.html", "title": "Sundays on the Farm", "content_html": "\n
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I've been going to the little church down the road. You don't need to see a picture of it....you've seen a hundred pictures of it. You know the one....little, white, one room, TALL windows, double doors up front, and a steeple with a bell. Some of my fondest memories growing up are wrapped up in this church. \"Aunt Idy\" was my grandma's very good friend and she played the piano. Her name was Ida Mae...a spinster who lived down the road in a house so crooked you could throw a jar of marbles in the front door and they'd run out the back! There used to be a lot more people attending this little church when I was growing up but they've mostly died off or moved on to find work elsewhere. My Pop-Pop and his brother, Uncle Red, took turns leading services as we only had a circuit preacher who came every six weeks or so. One of my mom's cousins always led Sunday School. And my mom's brother, my Uncle Bob, rang the bell when it was time to start the service. He took that job very, very seriously.

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My Uncle Bob was an exceptional man. Grandma had chicken pox or measles...some malady when she was pregnant for Bob and he was born with a developmental disability of some type. He had a terrible speech impediment and a lazy eye. I believe in today's world he would have had quite a different life. But in those days, there wasn't such a thing as Special Education. When Grandma sent Bob to school with the other kids, they made fun of his speech and she would have none of that. She kept him at home with her. He was strong as an ox and he did a lot of the work on the farm. I remember him pounding rock with a sledge hammer and hauling it to fill the driveway. I still think of that when I walk down the drive to get the mail or the paper. He pushed a cultivator through the garden, hauled, lifted, toted, and worked hard every single day. Uncle Bob was totally without guile...the most innocent man I have ever known. He had never, ever lied. He wouldn't know how to. He had a sense of humor that would make a little girl cry. He would give you the food from his own plate if he thought you were hungry. He was a great man.

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When my aunt lost her second husband, my grandma was about to the point where she needed someone to be here with her and Uncle Bob so she moved in with them. Grandma's love for Bob was apparent to all who knew them. Once, Bob was really sick with a fever. Grandma climbed right in bed with him and held him, rocking him like the little boy he still was to her. He would always be her \"Bobert\". After Grandma passed, my aunt stayed on and cared for Bob. She told me a story about him yesterday. Some people came to see Bob and brought him a little mechanical bird in a cage. Bob asked what that bird ate and everyone laughed and said it didn't eat...it was just a toy. After the company left, Bob asked my aunt again, quite seriously, what that bird ate. He was very concerned that if someone entrusted him with that bird, he needed to take good care of it. My aunt says that of all the people in this world that she has lost, the only one she has ever cried for is my Uncle Bob. On his headstone it reads \"Manager of the Bell\". He would have liked that. He was very proud of his job.

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I try to emulate them...my grandma and grandpa, my Uncle Bob. I learned a lot about life and love from them and from that little white church on the hill. I hope to live up to the high standards they left for me as I follow in their footsteps and care for my lovely aunt and this beautiful farm. I will make them proud. \"\"

\n\n", "date_published": "2014-11-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2014/11/16/sundays-on-the-farm.html", "tags": ["Faith","Family","Grief","Farm Life"] } ] }