Sunday morning, Sept. 9, 2007

Hello Everyone,
I woke up at 3 a.m. and read for a while, then just got up. I do that now and then.

I had a very busy week, and it's not over yet. Still lots to do with the garden. I was able to dig up one sweet potato, and I had it last night with supper. Yum, yum. According to the research I've done regarding sweet potatoes, it says not to dig them up until the first frost hits the vines. Well, I couldn't wait, and hubby and I went out and found one. There was a small one beside it, and I have no idea if it will grow anymore or not. We'll see later on.

I also tried and hopefully succeeded in canning sauerkraut. Oh, my. What a mess that turned out to be! The old fashioned shredder I had, well, let's just say, it certainly did shred it, and I had shredded cabbage everywhere, and the first jar turned out to be more like Cole slaw. Then I tried using the other part of the shredder, but was really getting to close to my knuckles and fingers, so I ended up just cutting up one very large head of cabbage and a smaller one in small pieces. I did end up with five quarts. The recipe I used was out of the local newspaper and was by an Amish lady that puts in articles each week. I didn't think just a teaspoon of salt and vinegar per quart of water was enough, so I added a little more to each jar. Couldn't hurt could it? Anyway, I put them (actually hubby did), in the basement. The Amish lady said to wait two months before using. Hubby is not anxious to try this, as he told me he ate home-made sauerkraut once and got really sick! Uh-oh.

I do believe the Hummingbirds have flown the coup! Also, we have not seen any Cardinals, Blue Jays, or Red-bellied Woodpeckers for a long time and some other species. Hubby and I were talking about his, and he recalls at this time of year, certain types of birds disappear for a while. Not sure why that is. Maybe they are getting enough to eat elsewhere such as natural stuff instead of birdseed. I marked the calendar and we will see if it happens again next year. There was a Nuthatch yesterday, but basically it is only Yellow Finches, Purple finches, and those goofy English sparrows that seem to be multiplying before our eyes! They are not the greatest bird. Whomever introduced them over here from England, sure wasn't thinking to clearly on that one. Those birds can have as many as 3, 4, or even 5 clutches of babies from early spring to late summer. No wonder there are so many of them. They are not pretty, and they do not even have a pleasant song, but an irritating chirp. They run the Bluebirds off every spring. They even kill Bluebird adults and their babies. Not nice birds.

The other day, Mandy the one beagle we have, came running back from the field. Hubby noticed she had something in her mouth. He yelled at her, she dropped it, and he went over and discovered it was a baby rabbit. It was so cute. Hubby thought it might be about 3-4 weeks old. It was really lively. While he held it, I took a picture of it. He then took it down to the woods and released it. We don't often see rabbits around, as the neighbor lady lets her cats run all over the place, and they are notorious for getting baby rabbits. Hubby really gets upset about this at times. The neighbor lady lets her dogs do the same thing. Recently I called the dog warden about it because her dog was over in our front yard doing his business, and then our dogs chased after it, and Mandy the beagle, ended up being attacked by her dog and the dog put a hole in Mandy's neck. I was livid! This lady is the President of the local humane society and I guess she feels (justified?) she is allowed to let her animals roam and run wherever they want to go, plus do their business in any one's yard, because of her position?? Hmm.

For you dog and cat lovers out there-Beware of two dangerous and potentially life-threatening foods to your pets. RAISINS AND GRAPES! Yes. Believe it or not, they are poisonous to dogs and cats. They can cause immediate kidney failure and very possibly DEATH within hours!

Still no sign of Henrietta/Herman. Gone forever I guess. Sure hope he/she is doing well in some pond somewhere.

I did hear from the lady at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Wheeling, W.Va. She will let me know ASAP when I can have a signing down there. I am really excited about it and looking forward to it immensely.

I will be giving the Author's workshop this coming Saturday. I will be calling the Arts Center later in the week to see how many have signed up for the class. I have so much to share with them.

I start back with my W.I.S.H. sessions tomorrow. I went into the office on Friday and called about twelve women, and invited them to come to the session. I do hope some come in so I can give them valuable information to help them with their situations of abuse and violence against them.

Till next week, have a safe week! Fall is just around the corner. The leaves are starting to come down, the birds (Starlings) are gathering on the wires and the trees, and another summer is coming to a close. Where did the summer go?

Be blessed,
Becky :)