Have A Good Sleep

Ponderance tonight for those who like them. If you don't like them then skip it, lol.

Theron, Tater as we call him, favors my Dad, who he calls Papaw Owl. But, his heart and some mannerisms are that of my Granny Bates, "Tudy", my maternal grandmother. His heart is too tender, and his memory is too sharp for odds and ends facts most folks dismiss about a person they meet. His recall for birthdays, ages, where a person said they were born, a shoe size, a memory a person shared are very detailed in his memory. But he is again like his Papaw Owl and likely won't recall the person's name and will forget the three items on a list he needed to get at the grocery. What a mix he is of my maternal and paternal family.  

I have noted often he has Tudy's crooked-head pose, lol. There is thinking going on when the head tilts. Serious thinking that makes me ask him: "What are you thinking Mr. Einstein?" He giggles and sometimes he will share, but not often. He has been learning that his thinking outside the box isn't how most kids his age think so he has learned to mentally ponder and not share it out loud. I am glad that he has a heart for drawing and writing, and expresses his ideas in a creative outlet that has made for some very interesting drawing and comic strips strewn across my refrigerator.

When he goes to bed he says: "Have a good sleep." Very matter of fact. No lament of I hope or I wish about it. He bids a person to have a good sleep. He has grown up with me saying as I grew up with it, too: "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." I asked him why he says to have a good sleep, who told him to say it, or where he heard it. He said he made it up he guesses, and he likes it better. Thinking about it, I do agree, it's better to bid having a good sleep. It is when our body does it's most intense work at restoring us to prepare for the next day ahead. Simply to sleep, with no tossing, not worried about bed bugs, no mulling things over during the night... just simply sleep.

So... have a good sleep, Tater. Have a good sleep.

Our boer doe goat out for a snack on grass and clover...

Video on our YouTube channel...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxy7z2NjGwE

Toby's first doe for his first year in showing 4-H livestock in 2013.

Rosey when we brought her home...

How a 4-H kid spends his mornings... in his PJs walking his goat for her morning exercise.  No need in getting too many loads of clothes dirty, lol. 

They had fun at the 4-H "Dress Your Goat" contest.  Nothing beats trying to get a goat to wear swim trunks, lol.

Now he's in his third year of preparing for 4-H show 2015, and his little brother Theron is preparing for his first year.  Three adult goats, 5 goat kids, and two more goat kids to pick up in a week.  Whew.

Dad "talking to you people on the computer" on Christmas Eve 2014

     Dad took time on Christmas Eve, 2014, to set at the kitchen table with my sister Teresa and I to capture a few memories on film.

There were eight clips captured.
     Here is a link to clip one...

Christmas Eve interview with Lester recalling Christmas years ago

     He shared Christmas at home as a kid in southeastern Kentucky at the foothills of Pine Mountain along Linefork Creek between Gordon and Kingdom Come, Letcher County, Kentucky.

     He recalled his brother Clarence making a Dancing Dan for him one year.  He recalled his oldest sister Ruth bringing home a turkey to cook for dinner.  Then he recalled hiding Easter eggs and his turn hiding eggs. Caney Creek College would come to the rural areas and bring a little present, and he recalled getting a comb from Japan just after World War 2.

     He recalls Christmas season when he moved to Indiana and would go back to Kentucky with kids and presents in tow.  Christmas for my Mom and her parents -Andy & Tudy.

     He has really enjoyed "vlogging" and has many ideas of what he wants to capture and share with the world, but mainly for the youngest generations so they can get to know him, too.



You can see the other vlogs as well if you click on the Short Acres channel when you watch Clip 1.

Bacon seed 2015

It's that time again... 4-H animal project raising is in full force.

This is our 9 year old son's first year in 4-H and he's just a smidgen excited to be showing pigs.

This is our 11 year old son's third year in 4-H and showing swine.  He's excited, but being a cool eleven year old is harder.

Folks often wonder if we use a stock trailer we have to bring home the bacon seed.  Nope, a dog crate does just fine.  A large dog crate can easily hold two young pigs. It's better because it keeps them more confined and calmer while traveling a short distance home, or sometimes an hour.

When the weather warms and snow or even frost are gone they will be able to go into an outdoor area and root to their hearts content.  The feed cost is high, the clean up is hard work, and the three times a day minimum to check on them for food and water and interact with them is time consuming.

But, in July when they are loaded up to take to the county fair... the hard work and lessons learned result in a fun time walking in the show ring for three minutes of fun.  The life lessons gained will last a lifetime.

One will go to processing for our freezer, one for their sister's freezer, and two to a livestock auction in order to buy a pig for next year's fair.

Bacon seed.  Mmm-good.

Liking the new Crock Pot

I had my eye on this when I saw it a few months ago at Menards.  Good job filling my wish-list, Kainan.

 I took pictures and posted to a shopping tips album I keep on my personal Facebook page early November 2014.

Folks gave me feedback they had seen it at Wal-Mart and other big box stores as well.  I added it to my wish-list as I do like slow cookers.

I have a few crocks in various capacity sizes.  Maybe a few too many to some folks, lol.  But, they are a blessing when cooking for a crowd.  And a big blessing when I want a home cooked meal but not be stuck in a kitchen for hours preparing it.

This one is VERY cool in that the casserole crock part can be used in the oven (not the lid), kept warm in the crock... or after cooking in the crock then browning the top in the oven.





Something I did notice was that cheaper plastic, not as long term durable, seemed to be used on the handles and latches.  It wasn't just Crock-Pot brand either.  I noted that various brands of small kitchen appliances seemed to be made cheaper than older products stored in cupboarda at home.  

I cooked a basic cheese-rice-broccoli casserole Christmas weekend.  It did great.  I started it in the crock.  Then, after I had a roast in the oven, I took out the casserole crock and popped it in the oven to finish the rice dish.  It browned up just right :)   I then took it out and kept it in the crock warmer until I was ready to put away leftovers after supper.  The best part, it cleaned up without soaking or hard scrubbing -even where the cheese had browned on the white crock edges in the oven.  

Today, I put in a 2 pound thin beef roast I had gotten on sale at Kroger, with four softball sized potatoes from our garden food storage, one medium onion from our garden food storage, half a bag of baby carrots, and a few good shakes of Lowery's season salt.  I put in enough water to come up to the first edge of the crock.  I wanted to have a lot of liquid for leftover veggie soup base on Saturday.  

Yum... so very yum!




You can look at more information on it here:
Crock-Pot Casserole Crock, Red Crock-Pot http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MN0EXQM/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_irCPub07ZFRNN

or here:
http://www.crock-pot.com/specialty/new%21-casserole-crock%E2%84%A2-slow-cooker/SCCPCCM350-CR.html#start=4

Life, live it in the present, not the past or future.

-Thursa.