{this moment} Sap’s running…

{this moment} – A Friday ritual.  A photo or two – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

Inspired by Soule Mama.

{this moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual.  A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Homemade Pop

In my efforts to quit drinking “Swill” (diet pepsi) as Maine Man calls it I have been doing a fair share of experimenting with beverages.  It has taken me a year to get off the crap as I have slowly weaned myself.  I sound like a crack addict, hell I even had withdrawal symptoms.  Besides water, 1 cup a coffee a day and the occasional frosty, adult beverage  there is not much else I care to drink on a regular basis.  I miss the carbonation so for a special treat I made some  blueberry simple syrup as pictured above. The recipe is here if your interested.  Fill your glass with sparkling water then add a splash of simple syrup .  It is quite concentrated, so it does not require much.

Another recipe that is easy to make is this basic recipe:

In a small saucepan add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of organic cane juice (or sugar), add rinds of citrus.  I have used lime, orange, and lemons for the most part.  Sometimes just using one fruit and other times in combination.  Squeeze a couple of your desired fruit (lemons…etc) into the mixture.  Heat until sugar is dissolved, let cool then refrigerate.  I am not for sure of the shelf life of the simple syrup but I would guess 1-2 weeks.

Storm Nemo

Back when I was a kid this much snow was normal.  Not so much these days.  Just two days ago there was barely any snow.  For the most part the fields were clear.  Last night into today I would say we got near 2 ft in our neck of the woods.  It’s really hard to say how much exactly because there is a lot of drifting going on.Callie is a bit verbal, especially if she thinks there is any chance she thinks you may be gearing up to go out on the back forty…her favorite place to roam free!

The greenhouse….MM never put sides up before winter.  We will have to do so this Spring before planting in effort to keep the heat in.  It gets so hot in there in the summer we have no choice but take the sides down.

The kids were a big help around the house today helping with the animals and even cooking for us.  They cooked both breakfast and lunch including this delicious éclair above.  It was SO good!  They are trying to earn some brownie points with MM because they both really want a puppy.

On any given day this place is a whole lot of work.  Add a couple feet a snow and the work load is much greater.  I am thankful that we were all home and able to pitch in and make everything happen that needed to!

I knew there was a reason I didn’t clean that spider web out.

The cows coming out of the barn at three o’clock this afternoon after being stuck in since last night.  They were not impressed.  Neither was I when I had to muck out their stall.  It is much less work when they spend some of their day outside.  With the high winds it was necessary to button up the barn so it do not fill with snow.  They are closed in again tonight but probably the last time for a long while.

Lily May

Bubba & Beefalo

Crazy kids….can’t wait til my mom sees this photo.  She’s gonna flip!  I assure you they didn’t last long out in the elements.

A lost skill…

It is not usual to walk in our kitchen and find Maine Man cutting up meat at the kitchen table, especially in the Spring and Fall.  This past hunting season he cut up 3 deer.  I suggested maybe he should have one cut up professionally so he could have a break.  He gave me the evil eye and said “I’ve never paid to have a deer cut up.”  Some day we hope to have a meat cutting/canning type of kitchen but for now this does the trick.

If I was stuck with this task I’d have to watch you-tube videos to walk me through it.  Deboning the chicken that is,  I’m all set with cutting up deer and it won’t be long before Country Boy is able to do that on his own.  I am thankful I have such handy men in my life!  Maybe I ought to pay a little more attention.  My theory is if I play dumb I won’t have to do it.  Kind of what he does when it comes to cleaning the bathroom and a few other things around here….lol.

Going through my pictures from last year I realized I posted pictures of the kids and their deer but none of MM.  The meat came just in time as I was running out of beef. I was starting to freak.  I find comfort in full freezers and I must have at least a couple dozen eggs on hand at all times.  I’m a bit of a food hoarder, just ask MM.  It’s another one of my fine qualities that drives him batty.

On a completely other note………

While searching the web recently I searched for the “top homesteading blogs” and found my blog #26 on this site here and again over here at Living Off Grid.  Guess I better to live up to that and step it up a notch.  If your looking for some inspiration I suggest you go on over and check out some of the other links.

Surprise!

On a regular weekly basis the kids make messes science experiments and document some of them with pictures.  When I download my camera I never know what I might find.

You just never know what you’ll find at our house or in our house for that matter.  The kids found this little swallow caught up in the bird feeder.  His beak was overflowing with seeds as though he was choking.  The kids “saved” him and before long he was swooping through my house.

Crazy Kids!!!