Tuesdays With Tag - Watchin' and Waitin'...

Brynwood Needleworks - Taggart 08.19.19

 Hi, Everybody!

Well, here we are again. Another week older. Another week wiser. Another week bored because the front yard's a mess. Mom keeps tellin' us it's a good mess, though, so I said I wanted to see what the heck she was talkin' about. That led to a walkie to the front yard.

Holy Mashed Potatoes! No grass in the upper yard. It's a good thing we don't usually do our business up there. We'd be outta luck, for sure! 

I'm havin' a little trouble gettin' real enthused about this project. I mean, if all you heard was machines, rock and roll on the radio, and guys with worse hearin' than mine (of course, mine's selective), you might be a little on edge, too. Don't get me wrong. These mason guys are great, but I can't even talk 'em into givin' me a snack from their lunchboxes, 'cuz Mom keeps us in the house when they're eatin'. It's just wrong, I tell ya.

Brynwood Needleworks - Taggart and Bella 08.19.19

 

Boo and I said we'd pose by the new porch project, but we agreed before we got out front that we wouldn't look in the same direction at the same time. (That really drives Mom nuts. heehee) Better luck next time, we say. Even so, she got a pretty good picture of me. Don't you agree? The porch is lookin' good, too!

We've got another week and a half or so of this work goin' on. Our younger son showed up yesterday to go over railing plans, and the electrician is comin' today to run some lines for lightin'. Guess we'll be hangin' around in the house again. Good thing that Black Dog and I don't have thumbs. I'd be teachin' her to play cards, just so I could beat her at it.

Instead, I guess I'll go find a nice comfy spot near the back door so I can throw random barks at people who walk by. That always lights 'em up. I'm not sure what Bella has planned, but as long as she doesn't steal my cookies, we're good.

 

I'm lookin' forward to this all bein' finished, so Boo and I can hang out on the new porch. The weather's been perfect for it, but every time Mom opens the porch door, all I see is a long drop into a big hole! She promises me that I'm gonna love the end result, and she better not be hosin' me!

PS. The coyotes have been howlin' a lot the last couple nights. Must be the full moon. I don't like it one, little bit. I bark if they get too close, and then they quiet down. Mom wishes they'd go away. She worries about the raccoons and 'possums. I guess I just want them to buzz off. All that howlin' makes me a little edgy. sigh

 

 I'll see you again in seven. 'til then...

"Live Like Someone Left The Gate Open".

 

Weekend Update...

Brynwood Needleworks - Apples From Our Old Tree

 

Much of last weekend was spent indoors. We did hit the yard tractors on Saturday afternoon to mow our yard before the rains came early Sunday morning, and it looks better outside because of our efforts. Before I could mow the side yard (I usually do the lower front and side yards, and Handsome does the upper yard and the huge mound for our septic system.), I needed to pick up apples.

The apples looked really nice, so we brought them inside, and planned to use them before the weekend was over. We actually collected another five gallon bucket on Friday, so I offered those to Shelly. I think she'll be turning them into applesauce.

Brynwood Needleworks - Homemade Focaccia

Late evening on Friday, I made up the starter for focaccia. It needs at least twelve hours before it's ready to use, so Saturday noon was my starting time. As I waited, I vacuumed through the house (man, those pups shed!), and then prepared the toppings that would go on the focaccia before I put them in the oven.

It took about two hours for the dough to settle enough to add the toppings, and then another twenty minutes resting. These two beauties came out of the oven at six o'clock (pm) Saturday, and then I headed out to help Handsome finish the yard.

When we came back in a eight pm, all I needed to do (besides a shower) was make a small side salad for each of us, and put a portion of the focaccia back into the oven to reheat. The rest was divided and frozen (except the portion we gave to Andy and Shelly). It will make for a great, quick dinner when we're busy outside most of the day, or I'm in the studio getting projects completed. 

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Sandwich Bread and Apple Pie Filling

 

Sunday afternoon, I made two loaves of Farmhouse sandwich bread and these jars of apple pie filling from those lovely apples. Handsome was eating his breakfast and said the apples were getting a little "strong" so I couldn't delay my canning any longer. That reminds me of another story...

When I was in the yard, picking up the apples, I came upon a strange sight. I could see something moving along the edge of the lilies under the apple tree, and thought it might be an injured bird. Once I got closer, I saw that it was a little, fat mouse.

Mousie would walk a few steps, slowly roll over, and then right himself. I thought, "Oh, great. I don't want to dispatch a sick mouse." So I stood and watched it for quite a while. It was surrounded by scores of apples that had rotted because I couldn't see them among my lilies. The mouse continued to tumble around as I watched and contemplated what to do.

All of a sudden, it clicked. Rotting apples = fermenting apples = drunk mouse! Sure! That was it. This silly little mouse had been eating his fill of the apples under the tree, and he was plowed! I broke out laughing, and then said, "Mouse, you're drunk. Go home!". Whereupon that small furball made his way to the base of the tree, where he quickly disappeared. I'm giggling all over again, just thinking about it.

Handsome always helps me with cleanup, even though I try to keep up as I'm making. It's nice to have most of the used utensils, pots and pans ready to put away, once I get the jars into the canner. When the bread and pie filling were done, so was most of the kitchen cleanup.

I had barbequed baby back ribs on the menu, so I went out and lit the grill. At the end of a long day weekend, we sat down to ribs off the grill, parsley-buttered potatoes, and a small side salad. I admit I may have had a celebratory beer, too.

Whew! That was a tiring weekend! I'm taking tomorrow off, and Tag will be back to regale you with another of his colorful tales. I'll be back on Wednesday with some news to share. The crew will be here any minute, so I'd better finish my coffee and get ready to swing into another week. I hope yours is a good one, too! See you Wednesday.

Sunday Scripture...

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