And About Those Black Berries!

I think we had about 14 pounds of black berries. I froze 6 quarts for cobblers and the rest Danny & I made jelly with. Now...in case you don't know.....I DON'T LIKE FRUIT! I don't eat jelly or preserves so this project is performed WITH my husband FOR my husband....and he is the mastermind behind the jelly making anyway. My job is to fetch this & fetch that & wash this & OH WHAT A MESS DANNY MAKES!! I had to remind him that you DON'T BOIL YOUR JARS FOR 15 MINUTES AND WONDER WHY THEY CRACK! He learned that he doesn't like squeezing the fruit with cheese cloth or using a spoon to squish it down. (He bought a juicer yesterday so he would never have to do that again) Anyway it all turned out in the wash or AFTER the wash. We ended up with 16 pints (would have been 17 if the jar didn't crack) and a piece. Danny is ready to make grape jelly now by using the juicer. He has been wanting one for a while. I'll let you know in a month or so how it turns out.

It has been busy around here as usual. Danny has been spraying like crazy....almost everyday for more than 2 weeks. We have been battling aphids. These are little insects that can destroy your pecan crop if they are not put in check. Poor Danny has been wondering if it is worth it or not. With over $6000.00 in sprays & fertilizer....well I sure hope the crop will be good this year.
I haven't been laying around either. The wash is never done...that is if you are like me....I hate having dirty clothes in the hampers! I have also been able to use my kitchen some. My parents-n-law took me to a blue berry farm & I was able to get me a few messes to put up in the freezer. The farm also had black berrys planted too. I got more than a few messes of them & I will show you another day what Danny & I did with them. Any who.....that is SOME of what's happening here. School is starting here today. It just doesn't seem right. ITS TOO DARN HOT FOR SCHOOL!

What IS IT about graveyards? Either people really like them or they don't. This is a picture I took of a graveyard in Cataloochee Cove, North Carolina. It was a private cemetery with very few graves in it from long ago. I had to walk up a steep path to get to it. It was very peaceful & beautiful. Whoever picked the spot had a good eye. I hope that person got their wish of resting there. A place like that gives comfort when you visit a grave. So am I weird or do you see comfort in a pretty place like this?

It is so HOT that I am already dreaming of cooler weather! A weekend in the Smokies would be really nice.

Marci Here are some pictures of the corn creamer. Maybe you can tell where you put the corn cob. I found the video tape of who invented the thing & the number is on it. Let me know if you need more info.

I wanted to show you a few pictures of what's been keeping me busy. This is our building where we do our pecans, store our equipment & house the trucks & tractors. When Danny & his 2 partners opened up a full time starter & alternator shop they used our building here for about a year until they could find a better location. During that time our building got in a serious mess & has been in one since they moved out over 6 years ago. The old work benches were ripped out & rebuilt with better lighting and overhead storage. Peg board added for hanging up tools. The old office was torn down & in it's place...A NEW KITCHEN for me!! You can see the outside wall has been organized with all of Danny's hunting & fishing stuff. All of his rods & reels were hung on the wall, a place for all the cane poles, a cabinet for fishing tackle, peg board for hanging MORE fishing tackle, our tree climbers are hanging neatly on the wall & the fish scalier & oyster roaster are all in their on neat spot. On top of the kitchen is a large storage area. Our hunting buckets & coolers will go up there. Inside the kitchen will be everything I need to do all my canning in the summer & fall. My pea sheller & corn creamer have their place there & I will be able to bag up my pecans here after they have been cracked & blowed. Pecan season will be nice. NO one will be tracking in my house for meals or anything else. We already had a bathroom so we are good to go!

The catch here was that I thought all of this was for Danny....I didn't know I was getting a kitchen until I seen the stove! My parents-n-law & my husband had been LYING to me for the past two months! They have been coming over working like dogs Monday thru Friday for all this time & I was clueless!! Tomorrow they are coming to add some shelves in the kitchen & it will be finished. I'm gonna miss not seeing them so often. They have sure been a blessing to me! Now that is love!