Strawberry Jam

Linda had borrowed Pauline's Ball Jelly & Jam Maker when they came back from IN.
We went to the berry patch and picked another gallon of strawberries, so we were almost ready to make some jam. We worked together to get the job done. I cleaned the berries while Linda cleaned the jars, then I started a pan of water boiling to heat the jars as Linda measured out the berries she squashed. We both measured out the ingredients for the jam, Sure-Jell, sugar and a little butter, then added them, except the sugar, to the jam maker and started the cycle. Four minutes later it beeped a few times to signal that it was time to add the sugar, I did that and put the lid on too.
 
About twenty minutes later, a few more beeps and I pressed cancel and unplugged the appliance. I began ladling the jam into the jars and it made 5 half pints. Linda put the tops on and then the rings and set the filled jars back into the hot water. We turned the temperature up so the water would boil for 10 minutes, then took the jars out and let them set on a towel on the stove top. We tasted the jam and oh boy was it good! We made another batch with the remaining berries. 9 half pint jars with sealed lids and one with a plastic lid to use right away.
 
Yeah baby, homemade strawberry jam with peanut butter on toast. Now that hit the spot this morning!

First Picking

When Linda came home from the school, we rode in the Mule across the road to our strawberry patch. We each had an ice cream bucket and started picking. The berries were really close to the ground, kind of buried in the dead grass and hid from plain view. But we found quite a few. We ate as we picked too, then poured our buckets together and headed to the house. Here's a picture of what we made it back to the house with in our gallon bucket.
 

Hoadley's Quilt

Last weekend it was rainy and Pauline and Brent were here with their kids. It worked out well, Pauline needed to finish a quilt she had started making, so Linda and I watched Julie and Kyle while she quilted. The project had begun when Kim Bourke and Linda were talking a few months ago about Kim's Dad having a lot of Crown Royal Whiskey bags and him wanting a quilt made from them. Linda brought them home and talked to Pauline, they bought material for the lining and the other items needed and Pauline began the work. The work was hit and miss, sometimes she would work a lot on it, other times not at all, but then came the realization that Hoadley's 75th birthday was coming up, so it was time to "get'er done". She worked most of the weekend in order to finish.
  
After Pauline finished, they washed the quilt and laid it out on the table. It was really done well!
 
After Pauline and Brent left, Linda boxed the quilt up in one of the Crown Royal Whiskey boxes that Kim had gave to Linda with the bags inside.

I wasn't allowed to post pictures last week because they were afraid someone in IN might see pictures of the quilt and ruin the surprise. Linda and Stacey went to Brent's house Friday afternoon and rode to IN with Pauline, Julie, Kyle and Brent. They attended the party for Hoadley on Sunday and were there when he opened the box with his quilt inside. Linda said he was very pleasantly surprised and that he complimented Pauline on her work. 

Rain All Weekend

Pauline, Brent, Julie, Kyle and their dogs arrived Friday evening. We talked until bedtime and caught up on each others activities.
Saturday morning it was raining when we woke and it rained all day long. We stayed inside most of the time watching movies and playing with the kids. Pauline was enjoying working on a quilt while we kept the kids busy. We took a short trip to Columbia to pick up some thread and eat lunch, then back to the house. Saturday evening, we rode down into TN to a place in Byrdstown called "the Dixie" where a band was playing. The teacher that Linda is working with at school dates the lead guitar player in the band and she had asked Linda to come hear them play. It was a small place and nearly full when we arrived late. We found seats near the front and enjoyed the music. After the band quit playing, we talked with Jennifer for a few minutes, then headed back to the farm.
Sunday morning it was still raining. Linda had asked Brent to replace the USA Flag we have hanging in our barn hallway, so Kyle and I brought the tractor up the driveway to use the scoop to lift Julie and Brent into the air so they could replace the flag.
  
  
After lunch, some took naps, others watched the Pacer game on TV and I watched Julie and Kyle. Pauline and Brent went home with their kids about 4 PM.

Julie Donates Hair To Locks Of Love

Linda and Stacey left early to go to Smith's Grove to see Julie donate her hair to Locks Of Love at the school. They picked Kyle up and took him along, then met Brent at the school. Edmonson County Elementary had an assembly in the gym and Brent cut Julie's hair near center court in front of the other kids.
  
After Brent had whacked Julie's hair off, she was taken into a small room where a hair stylist then gave her a professional hair cut and styled Julie's hair.
  
Linda and Kyle kept watchful eyes during the entire process. Julie was taken back out to the court and she was introduced to the WKU Girl's Volleyball Team. They all gave Julie 'hi 5s' for donating her hair to the Locks Of Love program to benefit other kids.
  
Stacey donated her hair to the Locks of Love program in July of 2006.

Drain Installed

Ever since we had the house built, we had two holes beside the driveway that collected water from the gutters and other places around the house. I had placed several concrete culvert tiles beneath the driveway and the water would flow from one side to the other side, then out of the hole and down the hillside. The problem that developed over years was that the concrete tiles had just about filled with dirt and gravel that had washed into the holes. I decided to put in two PVC pipes to drain the water out of the holes and hopefully wash the dirt out of the tiles at the same time.
 
I used the tractor's back hoe to dig the ditch for the PVC pipes and then Stacey and I dropped the two pipes into the 35' long ditch.
 
I covered the pipes with the dirt from the ditch and smoothed it out as best I could. After a few rains I will work the dirt down to the level of the yard.

Jason's Birthday

We picked up Jason at his house around 5 PM and I drove to Glasgow. We parked in the lot at Zaxby's and waited a few minutes for Pauline, Brent and their kids to arrive. When they joined us we went inside and ordered our meals. We talked during the meals and continued the conversations for a while after everyone had finished.
 
We all left the restaurant and continued talking a short time outside. We all told Jason "Happy Birthday" before getting in our cars and heading home. His birthday is actually on the 18th of April.

Stacey and Jason yacked all the way back to Jason's house. We let him out and he went inside, then we headed back to the farm. When we pulled in the garage, Linda asked me to come back outside and take a look at what was watching us pull in. It was a big frog sitting on the walkway by one of our path lights, I guess catching the bugs that swarm around the lights.

Cruise-Out

Linda, Stacey and I took the 56 Chevy to Burkesville and met up with other members of the CRC car club.
 
We drove North on Highway 61 and took the bypass around Columbia. Then we drove about 1/2 mile to Betty's OK Diner to eat. The parking lot was nearly full as we pulled in and when we went inside it was just as full. We had to wait on people to leave and their tables to be emptied, but eventually we were all seated at separate tables. We ate and then headed East to Russell Springs to attend a small car show. Our club donates $100 to the God's Pantry Car Show and I needed to give Darrell Smallwood the money.
  
  
  
After the car show was over, we headed back to the farm and put the Chevy in the pole barn, then drove the truck to Bowling Green and went to Sam's Club for supplies.

Egg Hunt

Pauline and Brent came to the farm Saturday morning to stay the weekend and pick up Julie and Kyle. Saturday while riding in the Mule and letting Daisy run, we found an alphabet rug in the creek. Brent and I drug it out of a gravel bar and put it in the back of the Mule. We hauled it to the house, laid the rug out on the gravel driveway then used the power washer to deep clean as much mud and dirt out of the rug as we could.
  
After Brent and I sprayed the entire rug, Linda took a turn washing the dirt out too.
Easter Sunday Stacey, Linda, and I were in IN and the weather was rainy, so we decided to have our egg hunt this weekend. I took the kids with me in Mule and we rode around the hay fields for about 10 minutes while the 'bunnies' hid the eggs. We came back and the baskets were waiting and there were eggs all over the place. Julie and Kyle jumped out of the Mule and ran to find the eggs. When all 100 eggs had been found they began cracking the eggs open and emptying the candy onto the picnic table.
  

Our farm dog, Daisy, liked the egg hunt and really enjoyed eating jelly beans.

Grand Kids Visit

Linda, Stacey and I met with Brent in Glasgow Monday evening and picked up Julie and Kyle. They are staying with us at the farm during 'spring break'. We've done the usual stuff including riding in the Mule and letting Daisy run the fields, throwing rocks in the creek and the kids seemed to enjoy those things. They were eager to be outside until today, it rained and we took a trip to Somerset to look at some of the boats they have on sale. After that, we ate lunch and returned to the farm. Linda had the three kids dancing along with a game on the Wee.
 
After wearing them down a little, a bowl of chili filled their bellies and then Linda read them some stories out of Stacey's old books.
 
It was nearly bedtime after the reading was done.