LJ is having knee surgery today, and my poor guy had to get up at 4:30 this morning so I could have him at the surgery center at 6:00a. That's just cruel, no?
Back story- LJ tore his LCL (lateral collateral ligament) at work several weeks ago, and the docs finally determined that he tore the LCL and that it didn't appear to be healing on its own (duh). So, LJ's been running around in a brace for a couple weeks, trying to not tear it worse. Bummmer is that the repair will be open surgery, instead of arthroscopic. When he tore his rotator cuff a few years ago, the surgery was arthroscopic, and it was amazing how quickly he healed. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the knee recovery will be the same, both due to the location of the injury and the surgery method. Luckily, the nature of his job is different than it was then, and he should be able to go back to work in a couple weeks (instead of a few months).
So, I'm taking care of the man today, and my amazing bosses agreed to let me work from home on Thursday and Friday so I can keep an eye on LJ. Wish him luck!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Mmmm... Pork
Pork "shoulder" roast with potatoes... Mmmm. Problem is, when I unwrapped this roast to season it (butcher paper labeled "shoulder roast") there were 3 RIBS attached to the roast. Wth? Maybe I'm stupid, but I didn't know there were ribs in the shoulder? I had to cut cartilage and bones out of this, and then trim, roll, and tie the roast. Ugh. Just when I think I've calmed down about the way our local butcher mangled our pigs, I get fired up again. Can anyone explain to me how there would be rib bones in the shoulder? Regardless, considering that we wanted all our roasts to be boneless... Sigh. So, add boney shoulder roasts to bone-in loin roasts, no tenderloin, and all thick (no thin) cut bacon, and my brain is boiling. We're soooo going to have our hogs hauled down to Hubbard next year where we'll try Voget Meats. Though we may take some ground into the sucky butcher to have brats made... Their brats are excellent.
Anyhow, this roast was definitely delicious. I don't think we could ever go back to store-bought pork. We gave some friends a shoulder roast instead of a bottle of wine as a host gift when they threw a party a couple weeks back. For Christmas, they got a new smoker, and tried it out on the roast. Apparently the results were spectacular. So, they went out and bought another roast at the store to make the meal again. Well, our buddy called LJ to complain that the store bought roast was "crap". Lol. He said the store meat was extremely fatty, and mushy. We're pretty happy about that comment. Sorry that he got cruddy meat, but very happy that our pork came out so good, especially considering that the estimated live weights for the four pigs we raised were between 340-380 lbs. Big pigs, but lean, tasty, and the chops are HUGE! It may not be economical, as the pig's rate of growth slows as they get bigger (meaning more feed for less gain), but I think we'll grow them out past the recommended 225-250 mark again this year. Because when I want a chop, I want a CHOP. :)
Monday, December 26, 2011
Happy holidays!
Haven't blogged in forever, or even kept up on my buddy's blogs, mostly because I've been horribly busy and stressed. My dept at work is rolling out a huge software project that has had me traveling all over the state and working plenty of OT, my favorite aunt is very very ill, LJ is having knee surgery on the 11th of January (tore his LCL), normal Christmas season tasks, regular home and critter upkeep, Afro was injured a few days ago(think she may have wrenched her neck sticking her head through the fence) and isn't eating. She just started drinking on her own today (been prying her mouth open several times a day) and I finally got her to eat today (put her favorite soft grass in her mouth and she ate it reluctantly).
In any case, apologize for being MIA for months. Hope everyone had/has a safe and fabulously fun Christmas and New Year's.
Take care, and be back soon!
In any case, apologize for being MIA for months. Hope everyone had/has a safe and fabulously fun Christmas and New Year's.
Take care, and be back soon!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Critter and project updates
Still haven't managed to get to my computer for some real posting, so via iPhone pics, here's an update on some of what's been going on around here.
We were getting lots of these (like 18 a day), but cold weather and short days have the girls laying only 4-9 a day now. Haven't seen a white egg from Miss Blue in about 3 weeks. Either she stopped laying, or she's hiding them somewhere.
The girls are enjoying the new pen I fenced off for them.
And Dunderhead, with his wicked unruly eyebrows, seems recovered (knock on wood).
It is getting colder, and according to LJ, it started snowing after I left for work.
This is just pretty. Snapped while hiking the trails on our property. We've had some raging storms over the last week, so I doubt this lovely web is still out there.
I made this stool for our library so I can reach the top shelves, and I have begun organizing my books. I ordered a roll of dust jacket covers from Brodart, and have only managed to get about 1/3 of my hardbacks covered.
I also made a woodbox for in the house. I got the andirons for $8 at an antique show, painted them satin black (they were a really awful antiqued gold before), and mounted the box on them. I put legs on the back of the box. Works well, holds two sling-loads of wood, keeps bark and chips off the floor, and is PERFECTLY square. I'm pretty proud of that last part. :) (Please excuse the unfinished tile work on the hearth, and the lack of baseboard on the wall...)
Also been working on this little side table I just picked up at the thrift store. It took me about two hours to chip out that awful concrete and glass mosaic. Yuck. Makes me sad, as originally this little table would have had tiles made by, or in the style of, a company like Taylor, Catalina, or Malibu. I've had a few of these tables with their original tiles intact, and just love them. I'm going to refinish this, and see if I can get repro tiles that will fit. If anything, I only paid $7.95 for it, and have some mexican tile that I could make work.
I made some of this (mandarin ginger marmalade), as well as apple sauce and blackberry jam, and learned that the Ball recipes put too freakin much sugar in everything. Luckily, I've skimped a bit, except for the blackberry jam, which unfortunately came out painfully sweet.
I also took some of our pig fat...
And rendered some lard. It's awesome! Though, the crockpot method was gross, and slow, and a pain in the butt. A gal I know swears by the dutch oven method, so I'll try that next. If I don't get a dutch oven for my birthday next week (Mom hinted I would), I'll go out and buy one. We need one anyway. :) (Lard is cooling below. Came out pure white once fully cooled)
And that's about it for now. Gonna spend the weekend cleaning and prepping for Thanksgiving.
Have a great weekend!
We were getting lots of these (like 18 a day), but cold weather and short days have the girls laying only 4-9 a day now. Haven't seen a white egg from Miss Blue in about 3 weeks. Either she stopped laying, or she's hiding them somewhere.
The girls are enjoying the new pen I fenced off for them.
And Dunderhead, with his wicked unruly eyebrows, seems recovered (knock on wood).
It is getting colder, and according to LJ, it started snowing after I left for work.
This is just pretty. Snapped while hiking the trails on our property. We've had some raging storms over the last week, so I doubt this lovely web is still out there.
I made this stool for our library so I can reach the top shelves, and I have begun organizing my books. I ordered a roll of dust jacket covers from Brodart, and have only managed to get about 1/3 of my hardbacks covered.
I also made a woodbox for in the house. I got the andirons for $8 at an antique show, painted them satin black (they were a really awful antiqued gold before), and mounted the box on them. I put legs on the back of the box. Works well, holds two sling-loads of wood, keeps bark and chips off the floor, and is PERFECTLY square. I'm pretty proud of that last part. :) (Please excuse the unfinished tile work on the hearth, and the lack of baseboard on the wall...)
Also been working on this little side table I just picked up at the thrift store. It took me about two hours to chip out that awful concrete and glass mosaic. Yuck. Makes me sad, as originally this little table would have had tiles made by, or in the style of, a company like Taylor, Catalina, or Malibu. I've had a few of these tables with their original tiles intact, and just love them. I'm going to refinish this, and see if I can get repro tiles that will fit. If anything, I only paid $7.95 for it, and have some mexican tile that I could make work.
I made some of this (mandarin ginger marmalade), as well as apple sauce and blackberry jam, and learned that the Ball recipes put too freakin much sugar in everything. Luckily, I've skimped a bit, except for the blackberry jam, which unfortunately came out painfully sweet.
I also took some of our pig fat...
And rendered some lard. It's awesome! Though, the crockpot method was gross, and slow, and a pain in the butt. A gal I know swears by the dutch oven method, so I'll try that next. If I don't get a dutch oven for my birthday next week (Mom hinted I would), I'll go out and buy one. We need one anyway. :) (Lard is cooling below. Came out pure white once fully cooled)
And that's about it for now. Gonna spend the weekend cleaning and prepping for Thanksgiving.
Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Simply the best dog ever
Ok, so he still wants to eat the new puppy, but otherwise he is the best dog ever.
So, I taught Henry at a very young age that nothing is his unless it is given to him. So, he doesn't chew things that aren't doggy toys, and doesn't steal food. I can put a plate of food on the coffee table, mere inches from his face as he sits on the couch, and he will not touch it. Cammi is an entirely different story, having eaten an entire hot pizza (stolen off the stove), a boiling hot bowl of soup, and many many other not-for-doggy foodstuffs. She once choked down a lemon wedge that had fallen on the floor, just so our other dog couldn't have it. I don't write about Cammi much, because I really dislike her. She's LJ's girl though, so I've got to tolerate her.
Anyhoo, back to my golden child, Henry. Last night we were having a pizza dinner in the living room while watching tv. I had left my plate on the coffee table (Henry on the adjacent couch) and gone into the kitchen to grab a drink. As I came back in he room, LJ tossed Henry the crust from his pizza, which bounced off Henry's big rubber nose and landed on my plate next to two big fragrant slices of pizza. The look on Henry's face was priceless... Sort of like that Reading Rainbow episode where Levar Burton drops his ice cream on his shoe. Heartbroken. He looked at me, at the plate, at me, at the plate, and flumped down on the couch with a huff and a sigh. "Henry, do you want that 'cookie'?" ...Ears perk up... "That looks like an awfully tasty cookie." ...glances at the plate and then stares at me... And then the key word, "OK". Henry reached his muzzle out to the plate and gingerly snagged ONLY the little piece of dry crust that LJ had tossed him, completely avoiding my pizza. Best. Dog. Ever. He got a piece of pepperoni as a reward. :)
I love this dog...
Talented
Spoiled rotten!
Curious
Bath tolerant
Hardworking
And yet also a total couch potato. :)
So, I taught Henry at a very young age that nothing is his unless it is given to him. So, he doesn't chew things that aren't doggy toys, and doesn't steal food. I can put a plate of food on the coffee table, mere inches from his face as he sits on the couch, and he will not touch it. Cammi is an entirely different story, having eaten an entire hot pizza (stolen off the stove), a boiling hot bowl of soup, and many many other not-for-doggy foodstuffs. She once choked down a lemon wedge that had fallen on the floor, just so our other dog couldn't have it. I don't write about Cammi much, because I really dislike her. She's LJ's girl though, so I've got to tolerate her.
Anyhoo, back to my golden child, Henry. Last night we were having a pizza dinner in the living room while watching tv. I had left my plate on the coffee table (Henry on the adjacent couch) and gone into the kitchen to grab a drink. As I came back in he room, LJ tossed Henry the crust from his pizza, which bounced off Henry's big rubber nose and landed on my plate next to two big fragrant slices of pizza. The look on Henry's face was priceless... Sort of like that Reading Rainbow episode where Levar Burton drops his ice cream on his shoe. Heartbroken. He looked at me, at the plate, at me, at the plate, and flumped down on the couch with a huff and a sigh. "Henry, do you want that 'cookie'?" ...Ears perk up... "That looks like an awfully tasty cookie." ...glances at the plate and then stares at me... And then the key word, "OK". Henry reached his muzzle out to the plate and gingerly snagged ONLY the little piece of dry crust that LJ had tossed him, completely avoiding my pizza. Best. Dog. Ever. He got a piece of pepperoni as a reward. :)
I love this dog...
Talented
Spoiled rotten!
Curious
Bath tolerant
Hardworking
And yet also a total couch potato. :)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Still too busy
I've been a horrible blogger over the last few months. Problem is, there's still too much to do. By the time I'm done with whatever needed doing, I'm too tired to get out my phone or laptop and post something. Currently at the Oakland airport... Again. A last minute, "we need you down here". The flight was literally booked yesterday. So, I'm here until Friday night. Fun fun fun! I'm going to try, again, to use my free evenings down here to catch up on some blog reading. We'll see!
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