7-31-10 Cider ‘n Sauce

Up early and running fast from the start. Thankfully my headache disappeared overnight and I was ready to go when the alarm went off. Dad and a crew started the cider process outside, while I got ready for applesauce inside. When the cider was done, Dad and the boys (minus Jesse who was making an automatic chicken waterer) helped with cutting apples for sauce. Somewhere in there we had lunch; when the apples were all cut, Dad and a carload did some errands in Morton. Levi stayed back to sell pigeons and spray weeds, Kate took Joshua outside, and Tori and I finished the applesauce. After making 15# of barbeque for supper and the freezer, we did a final k.p. for the day and took a break. My break consisted of working on school prep and doing some online banking and emails; I got a lot of loose ends tied up which is a good feeling. Chores and supper, and then after supper we all did a few errands before coming home to haircuts (for 4 boys – Levi had his last week), baths/showers, Bibletime, and beds.

The day in pictures:

Inside operations.

Ready to go.

Beautiful apples!

Jars ready for cider.

Lids ready to heat.

Outside operations.

While Jesse ran the press, Dad and Levi unloaded some nice black dirt from Uncle Jerry. My new flowerbed will like that next spring.

Littles found plenty to do – had fun playing in the misty drizzle.

Boiling the cider. These apples are more sour than other years, I think because of my theory as to why so many are falling so early and unripe – the natural thinning process. We added a bit of sugar as we boiled it, which greatly improved its flavor.

Inside to be strained and canned.

We ended up with about 8 gallons of cider; 6.5 gallons were canned, and the rest we saved for fresh. We’ll enjoy it this winter with popcorn. (For the record, that’s about 2 gallons per bushel of apples, which is pretty consistent results for us.)

On to sauce.

We ended up with 42 quarts of sauce, but 2 of those didn’t seal so will be used fresh. Total is now 47 for winter which means we’re about a third done which is great!

I grabbed a few shots of the wood shed, which the boys have been cleaning up and organizing all summer. I wish I had a before picture, but I don’t think I do. Basically there were blocks stacked to the left of the doorway and huge logs stacked to the right of it. All that got moved – some inside, some to another building, some pitched. It looks MUCH better now – Jesse and Jacob did a great job.

That’s all, folks!

7-30-10 Fall Applesauce Debut

A. Joyce came to help clean and do apples this morning. We only did a small bushel, but extra hands in cutting are always appreciated. We’ve been picking up the falls almost every morning, and there are scads of them; I think because we didn’t thin earlier, we’re seeing kind of a self-thinning right now. Some that fall are very ripe, but most are little scrubby things that are going into the cider press. They’re good apples, as in not buggy, but just very small. Levi and Jesse milked, then Levi went to CIT and Jesse helped Jacob (and Tori) with the mowing. The sun never came out much all day, so it was relatively cool (compared to 100), but still very humid. I got another big chunk of school prep done in the afternoon after I read to littles and took a catnap. I love what we’re doing for school this year – I always get pretty excited at this time of year, planning and preparing for another year. It’s so fun, I love doing it, and it’s such a privilege that our nation allows us this freedom. I don’t take it for granted, because many nations don’t allow parents the respect of raising their children how they choose. We are so very blessed. Anyway, chores and supper prep, and then Dad and I went to Pekin to do errands and have supper together (without interruptions)(or spilled drinks). Maybe I’m too selfish, but I love getting my honey to myself for a few hours anyway. Somehow during the evening I picked up a beating headache, so when we got home I rocked Joshua a bit, put him to bed, and then crashed myself. Levi, Jesse, and Jacob went to catch pigeons, and Ben and the girls bombed around while Dad tried to figure out computer problems. Looks like our DVD drive is done for. Boys got home a little before 11:00, and everyone got to bed pretty late, but I didn’t hear much because I was OUT.

A few pictures:

A. Joyce worked with the girls on their Friday jobs – things weren’t as bad as they sometimes are, but we are still glad A. Joyce comes out to help. Somehow it’s more fun:

Sarah helped A. Joyce make this nice award. Good job, boys! (Mainly Jesse, who’s the bathroom monitor.) (Kind of self-appointed because Levi and Jacob are kind of…well…I don’t want to say they’re slobs, but I will say they could do MUCH better in the area of picking up their stinky towels and clothes. Jesse’s a good brother to put up with them. He will be blessed with better character for his efforts and patience.)(Thanks, Jesse!)

Many hands make light work.

We like these vitamixed instead of riced, and canned instead of frozen (good thing too, because I hope to do a LOT – like 150 quarts)(or more if we have enough apples and I don’t get burned out).

Joshua REALLY liked this applesauce, which is great because he’s a picky eater and it’s so good for him. He was taking his snack pretty seriously here.

It’s not a pretty applesauce – the brown/yellow color really isn’t that appealing; but after a couple bites no one cares about the color, because the babyfood texture and sweetness is DELICIOUS!! We do add a little sugar but not even half what we use for our summer sauce. Some of us like the summer sauce, and don’t like this kind; most of us tolerate the summer sauce but really really like this. How spoiled are we that we can have both…and for free?! (Well, kind of – if you don’t count the time and effort (lots of it) of pruning, thinning, spraying, and picking…but we have a good work force here, and who’s afraid of a little work?)(Besides, it’s SO FUN!!!!)

We were all set to pick a few bushels to sauce Saturday but decided to only pick the red ones and let the other ones ripen a bit yet. Even when they fall frequently, we pick them up every morning and are saving them, so they’re not going to waste. They’re a Jonathan apple, called Early Blaze, so they will get more red (and sweet) over time. We ended up picking about a bushel which we’ll do tomorrow.

Time for a few books before lunch.

That’s it!

7-29-10 Praise Ye The Lord

Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: Praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. Psalm 148:1-5

HOW?

Sparkly dew upon the grass, shining like thousands of crystals dancing in the breeze.

Barn swallows delighting me with their antics, diving and swooping in the morning sun, skimming through the air, just above the grass, so tiny and determined.

Robins hopping about searching for sustenance.

Red-headed woodpecker happily tapping for his breakfast.

Songbirds sweetly serenading me with a private concert.

Chicken in the barn singing as she lets the world know of her accomplishment.

Rooster joyfully crowing Good Morning to all.

Distant dogs barking for their morning meal.

Constant buzz of insects – cicadas maybe? Crickets?

Fuzzy ball of bee bumbling about the bushes.

Sun.

Peeking over the horizon, waking the earth.

Dazzling my eye with its radiant array of colors -

Then climbing higher to take its place among the

White popcorn clouds

Drifting in a brilliant beautiful sky of endless breathtaking blue.

Green overload.

Green trees. Green grass. Green leaves, bushes, pastures, fields.

Green cornfields frosted with a thick layer of golden.

A feast for my senses.

Speaking peace to my heart.

Bubbling songs of praise to its Creator.

Too perfect for words to express.

I know,

And I know,

And I KNOW

That heaven is profusely, copiously, more exquisitely beautiful than this ---

But ---

HOW???

~~~~~~

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee, How Great Thou Art, How Great Thou Art!

~~~~~~

Slow peaceful morning; started early because Dad went to Uncle Jerry’s office early; Levi went to CIT by 6:00. Dad picked up Jesse and took him to haul manure for Uncle Randy before he went to work. It was blessedly cool out – very little humidity for a wonderful change. Kids were outside playing most of the morning – little girls in the playhouse, playing house, and the rest racing around capturing all sorts of critters, as usual. Tori worked in the garden, fed Faline, did some sewing and typing, put a tape on the computer, watched littles, helped with laundry, and made lunch while I spent a big chunk of time on Our Family Circus. We are getting very close to being done; my goal of being done by Christmas has been changed to being done before school starts – which is in a week or so. After lunch, we had another great time at the creek - I’m still amazed at the miniature lake we’ve discovered. No, it’s not exactly like a lake, but the fun we have is very comparable to the Glueck Lake Days we used to do when the bigger kids were littles. Today, given the option of Uncle Jerry’s pool or the creek, the vote was unanimously the creek. We all enjoy and appreciate the pool VERY MUCH, but there are just different kinds of things at the creek – like mud fights, crawdads, sand castles, and skipping stones, to name a few. I always debate about taking the camera, and I’ve always taken it and been glad. Aunt Jill says the key to better photographs is to practice, practice, practice, and so I am…and having lots of fun doing it too. The problem is, when I take so many pictures, it’s too difficult to delete the good ones – even if there are 50 of them.

So…..

Breakfast yogurt/milk…still one of the few things Joshua consistently eats with enthusiasm.

Ben (or was it Jacob?? Now I can’t remember!) was excited to find this Monarch caterpillar.

Cows and calves at the creek. The calves are so very cute!

One of Ben’s treasures of the day.

More treasures - Ben found not one, but TWO Monarch caterpillars!

Black locust (I think) thorn. Wonder if this is the kind of thorn used in Jesus’ crown? It was needle sharp – Jacob said Grandpa said these can pop a tractor tire. That’s a nasty thorn!

Kate is between 2 black locust (?) trees which seem to be almost dead. They’re still covered with thorns, though.

Rascal loves the creek too.

One of my favorite shots of the day. (“Got ‘im!”)

Jacob built this pool, just for the fun of it…

…but it turned out to be a great idea, as the water in it warmed up very quickly, unlike the constantly moving creek water. The littles liked it a lot.

These are 2 of a burst sequence of 5; I really like the action in both of them.

I took many burst sequences of Kate’s attempts – finally she succeeded!

Joshua had a blast today – more so than other days, and I’m not exactly sure why. He wandered away from me more – more confident, maybe? Or maybe he was happier because the cows were not in the water with us? At any rate, he had so many precious smiles, jabbers, and giggles.

He was especially pleased to be able to stand in waist-deep water – different from Uncle Jerry’s, where he can’t touch the bottom. He just waved and jabbered to everyone, obviously loving it!

Notice Ben mid-jump.

Levi joined us for awhile when he was done at CIT, but by 4:00 we were back home for showers, chores, and a nap for Joshua. He was a tired little trooper! Uncle Randy brought Jesse home; he helped with chores and digging more potatoes. Supper prep and supper; then Dad and I took a walk. It was so nice out – no/low humidity makes an evening so much more enjoyable. I took my camera, hoping for a picture of Dad in front of Uncle Randy’s corn across the road – it’s hard to believe, but it’s about 4 feet above his head. I didn’t get a picture tonight, but before it dies I hope to. Anyway, with my camera in my belt pouch, I bopped around with the littles and did more practicing after our walk. Everybody else was outside too; seems like we don’t have enough evenings like this. It was wonderful.

Again – lots of practice means lots of good pictures (of course lots of bad too, but those get deleted)(isn’t digital amazing?).

Steers grazing.

The cows were at the red shed; they left their calves at the end of the lane. Here are 5 of the 6.

View from our place, looking east.

Looking west.

Yep, I’d say we’re in the running for The Prettiest View In The Country.

Practice, practice, practice…..

..and what a handsome subject.

Treating a sickly calf.

500

Watching catfish.

Inside then for Bibletime and beds.

~~~~~~

Thank You Lord for another wonderful day, so chock-full of nuggets that it’s hard to understand sometimes why we are so blessed…so many earthly blessings, but even more, the peace and joy in our hearts that only comes from Thy Holy Spirit – the peace and joy of Salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ alone. All this, and Heaven too…only Thou art worthy of our praise. Hallelujah, Amen!