Updates

 I think it snowed four consecutive Thursdays.  I hope the snow is over for the year and spring takes winter's place soon.  We've had some nice days, but it sounds like this weekend will be cold again.  I pulled the taps out of my walnut trees last week and finished boiling.  I ended up with a quart of syrup and a quart of "jelly" from about 16 gallons of sap.  I've decided that walnut syrup tastes like the filling in pecan pie.  Next year I might try to find some Maple trees to tap.

A couple weeks ago the truck that delivers our feed had a new graphic on the side.  Jack and Logan were impressed!

Last Saturday we went out to Iowa for our granddaughter's first birthday party.  We had a good meal, party, and fellowship.  Jake and I then headed out to the woods to do some shed hunting.  We didn't have a lot of time, so I didn't find any.  But, it is always good to be tromping around in nature.  The weather was nicer across the river than it was at home.  We filled up with gas in Iowa ($.50 cheaper!) and then headed for home late afternoon.  I wasn't paying any attention to my speed driving through Western Illinois until I passed an oncoming patrol car and watched in my rear view mirror as he turned around.  I knew I was in trouble!  He followed me for awhile and then turned his lights on.  He was very nice and just gave me a warning ticket.  I don't think that I have had a ticket in over 30 years, and I think I've only had two total.

Sunday we served lunch for the first time since Covid hit.  And it was the first Sunday that we could switch back to serving at the tables instead of cafeteria style.  It went well, and I was told that the Sunday school kids cheered when they heard the serving switch!  Our fridge and freezers are stocked with some of the leftovers, so I should have plenty to eat for awhile.

Our refrigerator started acting up about three weeks ago. First the old farmers wife found everything melted in the freezer, then when I cranked up the dial we froze everything in the refrigerator section.  Then it would warm up again and I couldn't stabilize the temp at all.  Finally it stabilized at 30 degrees in the freezer and 50 degrees in the fridge.  Not safe for food for very long.  We purchased this one the week of our wedding almost 39 years ago!  We did some online shopping to see what was available in new ones, but because of the supply chain issues, we probably would have to wait a couple months to get a new one that we liked.  The other problem is that they make refrigerators taller than they used to.  To get the same cubic foot capacity that we had (or even a couple cubic feet smaller), the new fridge would not fit in the space we have.  We would have had to tear out a cabinet to make a new one fit.  We called the repairman, and after I talked him through all that was happening, he finally discovered that the fan that cools the compressor was not always starting. The compressor would run a few minutes, then overheat and shut down .  A new fan motor was available for our old model, so he ordered it for us.  Today he came and installed it and we have cold food again!

I have been asked to serve on the Eureka Home board.  I served on the board once before, but it has been twenty years since.  I enjoyed it then, but I clearly learned and gained more than I contributed.  I am unsure about the time commitment, but I am looking forward to working with a new board and administrator.

  And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.          Genesis 41:36

   

It's a Boy!

 We had another snow storm a week ago Thursday.  It wasn't as big as the previous week's snow, this one leaving us with 6-7 inches.  The old farmer's wife made snow ice cream, something I haven't had in years.  It was better than I remembered, and it was especially good with Dr. Pepper poured over it.  It was like one of those slushy drinks!

Mice tunnels in a shallow drift.

My alarm had already gone off and I was up when I heard my wife's cell phone ring a little before six.  I knew without waiting to hear, what that probably meant; D#1 was in labor and she needed a baby sitter!  I headed outside right away to start moving snow so that grandma could get out of the driveway.  By the time she was backing out of the garage, I had a path cleared to the road for her to head to T-town.  After they were all up, she brought the four girls back to the farm for a couple of days.  By noon we heard that a baby boy had made his entrance into the world.  We now have 8 granddaughters and four grandsons.  Congratulations to the parents!  The four girls were excited to have a little brother.

I made a sledding hill for them out of one of my snow piles. 

The week before delivery, D#1 brought me some maple sugaring tree taps and collection bags so that I could tap my walnut trees.  Yes, you can tap other trees besides maple!  The flavor will be different of course, but we thought we would try it.  

 I tapped three large walnut trees and the first week I collected about 8 gallons of sap.  I used an LP  turkey fryer to boil down the sap and then finished it on the kitchen stove.

It took most of the day to boil the 8 gallons down to the last gallon, and then while it was finishing on the stove, we decided to eat supper.  And we overcooked it!  It is now walnut jelly!

I may try to rescue it buy mixing it with more sap and reboiling.  I was disappointed.  The taste is sweet, but very unique.

And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,                        Exodus 15:25