Name That Picture

Thankfully she is a dog that will never know I posted this embarrassing photo ;)

Home Sweet Home

I had to laugh when I saw this and grab my camera of course. FG was hugging Rona but her head was behind her.

We returned home yesterday after our looooong road trip. THANKS for all the well wishes! The procedure went very well now just waiting to see if it worked, time will tell!

So happy to be home!

Good Old Fashioned Fun

Last weekend my neighbor, her children & grandchildren came over for some winter time fun.

Rona & Callie

Me & CB

Brother & Sister skating....love this pic!

MM

FG

Saphie (the girl next door)

Putting an End to Hunger

At the end of June I wrote a post about a person we (my farmer friend and I) make weekly meal deliveries to. Tonight marked our 15th trip over to his house dropping by food. Every week we deliver a dozen fresh eggs, milk, bread, garden vegetables, meat, canned goods (donated by friends...you know who you are, THANK YOU!), and sometimes even a sweet treat along with a couple gallons of frozen water to supply his cooler for the week.

In past weeks we have also delivered clothing, shoes, and household supplies (tp, soap etc.). Despite our efforts to supply him with weather appropriate (it was up to 100 degrees here today, actually VERY unusual weather for Maine in September) clean clothing he has the SAME attire on EVERY visit.... worn tan pants, t-shit, zip-up sweatshirt with cutoff sleeves propped up with clothes pins, a belt and sneakers with holes. Kinda strange but, to each his own I guess! My farmer friend has finally convinced the man that he'd take him to the social security office next week in hopes to get him enrolled in benefits. He should be able to collect as he is 63 years old. My FF told him he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to live and he wanted to help him while he could......brought tears to my eyes! I can't imagine life without that man. LOVE HIM, he has become such an IMPORTANT part of my life! There isn't a day that goes by that I do not visit him or at the very least talk to him. One that note I can't urge you enough to take a few extra moments a week out of your busy lives and spend some time with an elderly neighbor or relative. I promise you they will enrich your lives and teach you invaluable lessons if you just take the time and listen.

On a lighter note.....are you wondering why I posted a picture of our naughty dog Rona? Lately we noticed she kept loosing weight to the point of real concern. We wormed her using 2 different wormers thinking that was her problem. After close observation we realized she was literally starving herself in hopes to get table scraps come days end. Despite our dogs bottomless bowl of decent dog food. Can you even imagine? We have NEVER had a dog do something of this nature before. Now in order to get our spoiled rotten dog to eat dog food twice daily we give her what we now call "dog cereal" covering her food with milk or meat broth. Has anyone else ever had a finicky dog like this?

Happy Hunting!

Had to laugh when I saw Miss Callie all comfy on Maine Man's hunting clothes....washed with scentless laundry detergent, hung to dry, in a tote with pine needles.

Honestly, I am not much of a hunter! I would never make any effort if it was not for Maine Man. It is just not in my blood. I think if I shot a deer it may be but for now that is just how it is. I do go out a few times of year and then I call it good. I do enjoy being in the woods but between having absolutely NO sense of direction and my self-diagnosed ADD ;) I don't stand a chance!.

Last year I saw a deer in the woods for the first time. I was quite excited. Even tried chasing after it. Needless to say it escaped being shot by this big bad hunter. This year for the first time MM had me try out his tree stand. I assure you it was not the one above. He had me climb 20 feet up on measly pegs nearly 6 feet apart onto a platform that was way to small for my liking. I told him the only way I'd use the stand is if he built a large deck around it. The next night when I came home from work still dressed in scrubs the kids had me jump on the 4 wheeler. They took me outback to see my surprise. A little whining goes a long way! That how the stand above became.

Wish me luck because I SURELY need it!

Weekly Summary

Maine Man suggested I do a weekly post summarizing the chaos of our lives. Not sure this will be a regular thing but this was a perfect week to do.

* Kitten takes ride to school with MM to pick up kids......under suburban. Amazingly unharmed.

* Rabbits get loose for 282nd time this summer. MM open fires and guess what we have for dinner.

* Boxer injures 1 duck and kills 2. Last week she killed a rabbit.

* Pumpkin & Ham don't go well together! Pigs.....Pumpkin some how gets into Ham's pen and Ham nearly shred her to pieces. Never seen anything like it! THANK GOD MM had not left for work yet!

* Flower Girl & I were struck with a horid gastroenteritis.

* MM was down with a nasty respiratory illness.

Those were just a few of our finer moments so far this week, still have 4 days left.

You had to hear MM narrate of the kitten story, I laughed until tears. Glad the little man was safe.

As for rabbit meat, we all love it. I think it tastes better then chicken. The first time MM cooked it he used a slow cooker. It was ok. Along with it he cooked a duck. FG's exact words were "I liked the bunny better!" I had to agree. I really did not care for the duck. Second time around he coated it and baked it in the oven, yummy!

P.S. BOXER FREE FOR THE TAKING!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

The picture has NOTHING to do with this post. I just can't post something without a picture! I have been promising this recipe to a friend at work. Instead of writing it out the old fashioned way I thought it would be nice to share with you folks. (and it is always nice to have in my recipe archives) My friend Anna gave it to me years ago after she made it up for us a work. It is simply delicious! I cooked it for my in-laws last week and my MIL wanted the recipe, that is a FIRST. Just goes to show how darn good it is!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

3/4 cup dates (pitted & chopped)

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 Tablespoons of butter

3/4 of super-fine sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup self rising flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dates & baking soda. Pour 300ml boiling water over dates & leave to stand. Cream butter & sugar until pale. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beat well after each. Gently fold in flour. Stir in date mixture and vanilla. Pour into buttered cake pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 39-40 minutes until done.

Butterscotch Sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup of heavy cream

1 vanilla bean (split)

2 oz butter (1/2 stick)

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and remove vanilla bean. Pour on & serve!

I always buy the "superfine sugar" that it the above recipe calls for but my MIL suggested putting regular sugar into a food processor. What a good idea!

I like to make it up and serve it cold with warmed sauce.....the flavor, texture, and contrast in temperature really make it happen!

Remember that vanilla extract I made months ago. I used it for the above recipe and have and it seems to do the trick. I will being buying some more vodka to start my second batch since it needs to sit for 3 months.

You Guessed It!

I didn't have you on Rona's behind but I had a few of you on the MUD PUPPY .

Many of you were correct or REAL close. MM & the kids caught it when they went out ice fishing over the weekend. Luke also caught a pickerel but I have no pictures to share because it was SO darn cold and windy. We will be going up North to my dad's in a few weeks and this photo girl will be out braving the elements (in the shack cooking and drinking cocoa) so there will some good ice fishing photo's to follow like last years pictures.

There was a great reponse in comments. I enjoyed reading them all from near and far and a few new faces. I will be checking in on all your blogs within the next couple days.

I will end this brief post with a little something MM read to me tonight from a book he is reading called If you didn't bring jerky, what did I just eat?

Do you ever find yourself thinking about deer when your mind should be on other things? Have you drifted off in a meeting and suddenly realized that everyone is staring at you, waiting for you to answer a question from the boss that you didn't hear? And so you had to wing it, responding, "Um...Maybe we're rattling to often?" You may be suffering from chronic preoccupation with deer (CPD). This is a seasonal disorder affecting millions of men, often with devastating consequences for their relationships, jobs, and self-esteem. In addition to a weak stream of thought, typical symptoms include:

* Frequent urges to go deer hunting

* A desire to go even though you just went.

* Suddenly needing to stop the car to go.

* Waking one or more times a night to go.

If you have experienced even one of the above signs, you're at risk for CPD.............

If you are not a hunter or a hunter's widow come hunting season you may not find this funny but I was laughing my tail off because that is MM ALL the way. I finally have a diagnosis!