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Those of you who suggested the Corn Zipper in yesterday’s comments, it is clear to me that great minds think alike. Mine should be here later today, and hopefully it’ll be exactly what I need. Especially since Fred picked another ten ears of corn yesterday (which I put in Food Saver bags, husk and all, vacuumed and sealed, and stuck them in the freezer.
The food dehydrator should be here later today, and it can’t be soon enough – I need to get those cherry tomatoes a-dryin’, because we’ve got a metric ton of them. I’m also going to try my hand at drying zucchini and yellow squash, and maybe some pattypan, too.
If I post an entry on Monday saying that one of the cats disappeared over the weekend, it is NOT because I dehydrated one of them, then vacuum-sealed them in a Food Saver bag. I’d never do that (unless they were being veryvery annoying, of course).
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Comments:
Can you not get regular, NORMAL bugs like little ants, or maybe a house fly? What’s with all of the prehistoric monsters???
Well, we get those too, of course, but who the hell wants to see pictures of a little ant or a house fly (we usually get a couple of flies in the house every day. I’ve become quite skilled with the fly swatter!)? I want to ook y’all out with a picture of a big, nasty bug!
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Are you sick of the gardening questions yet? 🙂 Do you water your garden by hand, or do you let the rain (lack thereof this year, I hear) take care of it?
I’m not sick of the gardening questions, as long as y’all realize I’m no gardening guru and very well might not know what the hell I’m talking about! We’ve had so little rain this spring and summer that Fred’s been using soaker hoses in the garden. He usually waters a couple of rows every day. He uses a regular sprinkler for the cantaloupe and watermelon section of the garden, because those plants are growing kind of willy-nilly.
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I LOVE zucchini, but have never had patty pan squash. Not to sound stupid, but how do you cut that up? Do you eat the rind? Thanks!
I usually cut it up so that I get the biggest slices, if that makes any sense – holding the squash so the stem is pointing to the side, I cut it straight down, in slices, and I don’t peel it first. So far we’ve eaten it
oven-fried and also sauteed with garlic and onion. The taste is similar to zucchini or yellow squash, but I think it holds together a little better than those do. I love the pattypan squash oven-fried, but I think next year we don’t need to plant quite as many of them – we have a ton in the freezer, and I’m not sure if it’ll work to oven-fry them this winter. I guess we’ll see!
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does Sugarbutt get up on your cabinets without leaving scratches on the sides??? My orange tabby kitten Boudreaux has wrecked a very nice buffet (sideboard) by digging his back claws into the side for leverage when he jumps up on it. Grr.
I actually had to go look at the cabinets to see if there were any scratches; there aren’t, maybe because Sugarbutt jumps up onto the counter, from there to the top of the refrigerator, and then from there to the top of the cabinets, and none of those jumps are all that high.
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Say goodbye to Tina Louise, y’all. She’s off to the pet store tomorrow.
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It’s tough to be a Toms.
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Previously
2006: If the vet tells me that Tommy’s overweight, I’m going to say, with great dignity, “We prefer to call him ‘portly’.”
2005: Mia.
2004: There were a couple of parts that had me laughing so hard I could barely breathe – especially the line “I see you have a little swimming mouse”.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Have I ever mentioned that I’m kind of a dork?]]>
Sauteed baby pattypan squash (1″ or so) is the SHIZZLE.
I’m sure I can speak for many of your readers in that I find it so fun to hear about your new adventures in the country:) We moved out to the country almost 6 years ago and enjoy seeing how you adjust, too. Although, seeing your nice vegetable garden makes me jonesn’ for fresh veges!
I meant to comment yesterday about fresh dill but I ran out of journal readin’ time. Fresh dill is usually in the produce section carried seasonally. In Idaho, you’ll see it grocery stores displayed in buckets because it comes on long stalks. If I don’t see it at the grocery store, I’ll look for it at produce stand. It’s worth the effort, in fact Fred should grow some. I’m not that into pickles (except pickled beans which are the best) but the smell of fresh dill is the “shizzle” to echo Amanda.
Hi, Robyn,
Here’s my 2 cents for today. I use a John Deere Spin Steer riding mower – it steers by turning the back wheels instead fo the front, so a)it’s easier to steer around gardens and other obstacles, b)it’s very easy on the shoulders, and c)you can turn on a dime, meaning you can go up and down the rows just like a push mower. I can usually mow an entire acre in 45 minutes. We bought ours 5-6 years ago, and it’s been one of the very best investments we’ve ever made.
Cheers,
Lisa
Now that’s a cute set of bookends.
Bye bye Tina Louise, good luck!!
I think you should name a future foster kitty pattypan. I don’t know why, but it cracks me up every time I read it. 😛
It’s almost time for the spud to go, huh? 🙁 Will she have a gaggle of cats waiting for her at her new home, or is she gonna have to go cold turkey? Which of the cats at your house is she gonna miss the most? Are any of the 6 (eight!) “her” cat?
i think corn zipper sounds like a penile incident. it made me think of “franks & beans” from there’s something about mary.
my grandmother had this corn stripper (rather porny also, huh?) that looked like the bastard lovechild of tongs and tweezers with a hole in the side where you stick the corn cob and pull down to shave all the kernels off, but i didn’t see one on amazon. i guess they went the way of hands tools for waffle cuttings, and rotary eggbeaters.
Hello, I have been reading you via Jane for years and loved Smart & Sassy. I have a cat question, plea for help.
My 15 year old cat became depressed while I was away for two weeks and he lost a lot of weight. He stopped eating but would drink water. I have been force feeding him baby food, between 1 and 2 jars a day if I am lucky. He seems like he put on a pound or two but I still feel his spine when I pet him. I have not taken him in to the vet because I know they are going to tell me terrible things. If he is going to die then I don’t want to torture him first. He is alert, loving and I still can get him to purr. Do you have any advice?
Thanks for listening. 🙂
That’s a great picture of Sug and Tommy. They look like mirror images of each other.
(But who’s the evil twin, I wonder…)
Sandy – take your kitty to the vet! They might be able to help him get better sooner. They can also force nutrients and fluids if necessary.
I waited too long once, and I lost my kitty.
“If the vet tells me that Tommy’s overweight, I’m going to say, with great dignity, “We prefer to call him ‘portly’.” From a year ago today… I had to laugh.
I took my dog to the vet the other day for a suspected ear infection and casually quipped. “He is a little overweight too, can you recommend a dog food?”. The doctor SNORTED and said “A LITTLE overweight?! This dog is obese!” Sniff. Diet food and lots of walks all round apparently. (For both of us!)
can you pleeeease post more Mr Misterious pictures? I love that cat, he makes me giggle all the time 🙂
Hi Robyn, I jus saw a commercial for “Green Bags” that I thought might be handy for you, if you don’t want to can/freeze all of your veggies but would like to keep some out for consumption… buygreenbags.com.