Anyway…

Our garden or what’s left from our garden… ain’t much! It was thrown away as you all know, but that’s fixing to change. I shot a video of it this morning and once I took a look at it I was like, “MAN, it’s going to be awhile before you can relax again!” LOL!

I bet ole Deb’s crackin up…dern her time!

I tell you though, our friends have been eatin pretty good, but now even they have evidently had their fill. Honestly though, you’re scrapping for what you’re getting. But thankfully, very little has gone to waste, and then the cows got that. Things find a way of working themselves out.

We’ve got some peppers we’re drying on the bush. Our grandson Devin is coming back this coming weekend and he wants to take the seeds and replant them. I’m just happy to know that he’s taken an interest in gardening and will help him all I can.

I figure 10-15 minutes with me, he’ll bout know everything I can offer him. I never did say I was very bright, huh?

I’ve got a meeting to attend tomorrow, then will be going to pick out a headstone for Debbie Wed. or Thurs. I wanted to make sure I got it right. I think I have.

After that, we’ll be planting seeds once more to get started again. They’ll be tomatoes, beets, radishes, peppers, and probably some more cucumbers.

We’ll be starting okra for sure and some onion sets. Then prior to the full moon in August, we’ll plant our peas. Deb and I came to the conclusion that our peas always did better in the fall. We found there to be less bugs, and our pea crop ALWAYS just seemed to make more peas than they did in the spring.

Another project I’d like to do is plant about a quarter to half an acre of some different varieties of blueberries. We’ve always wanted to do this, but just never seemed to get around to it.

One other thing I’d like to plant, is again, about a quarter to a half acre of peaches. There’s a couple new varieties that are supposed to do very well here in Florida now, and I’d love to try some. The Florida peach was always SO small that people seldom tried growing them. That is supposed to have changed. I’ll look into that a little more.

Most of you guys know that Deb and I had purchased two more greenhouses and had put them under our equipment shed. I’d like to get those up and running as well, but in time. Both these houses are 30 feet wide by 72 feet long, so they’re considerably larger than the one we’ve been using. It is 18 feet wide by 60 feet long.

I’d like to get these set up as you come through our gate, but back against the wood line. This way you’ll be able to see them from the road, but they’ll be back about 300 feet off the road.

I’d really like to retail sell our vegetables and fruit right here on the place. That would work out great for me. It’d give me a ton of things to do, plus generate income for me right here. Deb and I had talked about keeping our paving business for about 3 more years, then letting our son Mark buy it out.

That’s still in my plan…we’ll see.

I do believe though, that our land here will sustain myself easily once I can get this all off the ground. All it takes is time…and money. Time’s not a problem, the flipside to time…IS! LOL!!

This will work though. The few times that Deb and I opened the gate to sell a few plants, the produce wasn’t coming in yet, was actually a surprise to us. People responded. Then, we just couldn’t keep things going with Deb’s ordeal, but the people were calling, “We’re coming by, plus, we’ve told all our friends, BUT, the gate’s never open.”

I had to tell them that Deb was having a few problems, but eventually we’d be open again. They all were very understanding, and promised to keep checking back with us, and some still are.
So, I know this will work for me, but just take a little time. I love doing it, and Deb did too. It was going to be our little niche together.

We had been raised around farming, and agriculture in general, as children growing up, and as we’d grown older, we realized that we’d like to be doing some of the very same things when we… “check-out” from this world! Deb did…I’d like to do the same thing when it’s my time!

You guys take care, and God Bless! Please…keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Today we’re gonna talk chicken here in Miz Judi’s Kitchen.

Course when our youngest son Red’s talking chicken, he’s talking about the time I wouldn’t get on Space Mountain. Or, maybe the time I wouldn’t ride the Ferris wheel at the fair with hm. Or, maybe what I become when I’m startled by of all things…a dern spider! Honestly I can’t stand them!

But since Red’s not here, we’re talking about the real chicken…chicken!

In today’s economy, and with food prices continuing to go up in cost, chicken is an option, but the last couple times Deb and I have been to the grocery store, chicken is going out of sight as well.
Deb and I feel that for all-round meals with meat, hamburger is probably our number 1 choice. First off it’s so versatile with the number of different meals you can set a table with.

Secondly there is absolutely no waste, whether it be bone or fat, and lastly we like it any number of ways, and it’s so easy to food saver and freeze, taking up little room in your freezer. But, hamburger too is going out of sight!

Deb paid $4.99 a pound a couple weeks back, and I saw it on sale for $3.99 a pound yesterday. Hamburger for $3.99 a pound…on sale??

Chicken would probably be our second choice, but we find pork to our liking as well. Okay, okay, maybe all this isn’t so much to Deb’s liking, BUT, personally…I like them all! LOL!

My point is this though. You can cut back your meat portions and still make good, nutritious, belly filling meals, and the best way we find to do this is simply some type of casserole dish.
Not all today’s recipes are casserole dishes, but most are, or just maybe close to being!

These recipes come from, once again Deb’s OLDER sister Louise, and her church’s cookbook. For those who haven’t been to our columns very often, Deb asks that when talking about her sister, I do so with emphasis on “sis’ being …OLDER!

Hey Weezie…Deb forced me to do this!

Before we get started, let’s check out a joke our good friend Edith, from Washington State sent us. Edith, not unlike us, likes a good chuckle every once in a while, and Deb and I both thought this…a good un!

THIS IS WHY WE LOVE LOGICAL OLD PEOPLE

A farmer stopped by the local mechanics’ shop to have his truck fixed. They couldn’t do it while he waited, so he said he didn’t live far and would just walk home.

The old lady replied, ‘Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, and…I’ll hold the chickens!

After that, why don’t we fire the dern cook stove off and throw some vittles on?

Mesquite Chicken

• 1 large can of pineapple chunks
• 4 boneless chicken breasts flattened
• 12 oz. mesquite cooking sauce and marinade
• 1 jar broiled mushroom pieces, or fresh mushrooms sliced and sauté in butter
• 1 lb. deli sliced honey ham
• 4 thick slices Monterey Jack cheese

In a large skillet pour in the can of pineapples with juices and add chicken breasts. Cook over medium-high heat until the breasts are no longer pink in the middle. Remove meat from skillet and discard juices. Arrange breasts in a large casserole dish. Pour mesquite marinade over all the breasts.

Evenly divide first mushrooms and then ham onto each breast. Top each breast with a thick slice of the cheese. Bake on 350 about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Edna Doyle

Chicken Breast Casserole

• 4 chicken breasts, deboned and split in half
• ¼ lb. Swiss cheese, sliced
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• ¼ can sherry or dry vermouth
• 1 cup herb flavored croutons
• 3 teaspoons butter

Place raw chicken in a baking dish. Cover with cheese slices. Pour in soup mixed with sherry. Sprinkle croutons on top and dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 1 hour on 350 or until done.

Bernadine Scheck

Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 fryer
• 1 cup milk
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 (16 oz.) can Veg-All vegetables
• 1 can creamy chicken mushroom soup
• Pam

Boil fryer in salt, pepper and water. When chicken is tender, save 1 cup of the broth. Allow the chicken to cool and take the meat off the bones. Mix the soup, vegetables and broth in a medium sized bowl. Now add the chicken meat to the mixture. Spray an 8-1/2 x 11 inch pan with Pam. Pour mixture into pan.

For the topping; melt the butter and mix it with the flour and milk. Pour the topping in the pan on top of the meat mixture. Cook on 350 for approx.. 45 minutes or until the topping is evenly browned.

Betty Fortner

Chicken Dressing Casserole

Cook chicken and remove bones, (reserve ½ cup of broth). Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Combine soups, milk and broth. Heat thoroughly. Combine stuffing mix and melted butter. Spread half of stuffing in a grease 9 x 13 inch pan. Layer chicken over this then pour soups over, and top with remaining stuffing. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes on 350.

Bernadine Scheck

Well, as you’ve seen, I’ve been kind of on a tirade in regards to the fraud in the government programs, and the IRS. I’m sorry, but in today’s economy I find such wastefulness and complete unconcern by our elected leaders appalling! This statement being true in good times, or bad. Why…because it’s OUR money!

Here we are, the taxpayers or the funders of our Country’s economic system, faced with tremendous challenges of keeping our own family’s fed, a roof over our heads, and all the other costs we incur in our daily lives.

Yet, our elected officials have decided that what we do…is still not enough. Take, take, take from the producers to give to the non-producers, and even ILLEGALS, and further burden us with such total incompetency to even be accountable for the money’s we give them?? What have we come to at this point in our Country?

But, let’s change gears again and get back more on topic of what our site is about…gardening, canning, sharing a recipe or two, and just kinda having a good time. Jerking each other’s chains, and hopefully, many times you guys leaving with a smile on your face! I know through your e-mails you sure put one on our faces! Thanks!

I’ve got a meeting first thing this morning, so I’ll be short winded. Yeah, yeah, I know that’s hard to believe, BUT, I am capable of that…in a pinch! LOL! We’ll see though, won’t we?

Our first video is of the greenhouse again, and ole Deb pickin a few cucumbers. They’re Japanese cucumbers, which we’d never grown before, shoot, I might as well own up that I’d never even heard of them before!

But, we both love the taste, and even when they become very large they still are tender. Most times though we make pickles out of the larger ones. Same with our squash. If you’ve never eaten them, squash pickles are very, very good, and I personally prefer them over cucumber pickles anymore.

Here’s the video…

Ole Deb’s looking pretty good, huh? Honestly though, she’s doing good! The Good Lord smiles on my Deb, doesn’t he? Good night, we are so blessed!

The other video is of our juicing. We’d done a video of this before, but we felt it appropriate to show once more. This, juicing, is one thing we think ALL you guys need to at least consider.

Again, although Deb was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer 13 months ago, every blood test we do comes back perfect. She’s aced every one of them! We do another next week.

Anyway, several of our friends and family are now juicing, even some of our fellow YouTubers, and every bit of feedback we get all praise the benefits they’re seein from the juicing!

All speak of the energy they now have, and how well they feel as a whole. Most all speak of weight loss they’re experiencing as well. Personally, I’ve lost 50 pounds. Talk about feeling better, Phew, I’m like a new man!

I tell Deb I feel like the 6 million dollar man, and she says I ought too…that’s about what the juice has cost us! LOL!!

Juicing, when you juice the quantity and variety that we do each morning is fairly expensive. Actually when we started out it was costing about 100 bucks a week, and recently went to about 160-180 bucks a week. No kidding.

But, Deb’s health can have no cost put on it, and this is the reason for our greenhouse…year round vegetables in a climate controlled area. We of course, supplement our juicing with our other gardens as well.

A couple reasons for this…first off the cost of food today. I know you guys are all seeing this firsthand!

The second is the AMOUNT of fruits and veggies we juice each morning. The reason is because in Deb’s regard, we’re trying to build…a SUPER immune system, and we feel this is exactly what we are doing. It’s working for us.

Now juicing is not the only treatment she’s decided upon with her alternative cancer treatment, BUT, it is one of THE major players.

Our point though is that we feel juicing is so beneficial, you guys may just want to give it a try, healthy or not!

You would not have to juice anywhere near what Deb and I do, again, we do so many for a reason. But, research your fruits and veggies, see for yourself the nutritional value of each, then juice the ones you feel would benefit YOU, the most!

Here’s the video…

As you can see, Deb was having a little problem. Our juicer is beginning to…get tired. That dern thing is a workhorse though, and has been doing just what you just witnessed for over a year now! Plus, we’ll pick enough oranges, tangerines and grapefruit to juice about 4 gallons at a time…on top of what you see we do daily.

So, we love the type of juicer we use, and are very, very satisfied with the job it does, and the longevity of the machine.

By the way, there’s a brand new one under the stairway, still in the box. We’re going to order a new cutter blade though, and we both feel that will make our old one just like brand new. It has, we know, become dull from all the use it’s gotten!

We’d by this brand again, and again, and…well, you get the message!

Well, I’ve got to run!

You guys have a great day, and God bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Our friend Edith sent this video to us, and we thought we’d share it with you guys today. It’s very short, but if you’ve raised any children, especially “male children, “ then I’m sure you can relate!

This too comes from Edith…

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they

were on the way to church service,

‘And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?’

One bright little girl replied,

‘Because people are sleeping.’

We have another friend who contributes “funnies” to us quite a bit, ole Diane up in Virginia. She sent us some animal pics the other day that were pretty funny, but cute as well. Anyway, at the end was a quote that got me to thinking…

“Life is short…smile while you still have teeth!”

Well, today’s recipes come from a cookbook we purchased at a supermarket here in town. We’ve used it before and again, there are some good recipes in it. It’s called, “Taste of Home…Casseroles and One Dish Meals.”

Today’s recipes are breakfast dishes, but, if you’re like Deb and I, there are many times we eat breakfast…for supper!

Baked Apple French Toast

• 20 slices French bread
• 1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup

Arrange 10 slices of bread in a greased 13×9 in. baking dish. Spread with pie filling; top with remaining bread. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, place brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and corn syrup. Sprinkle over French toast.

Bake uncovered, on 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Beverly Johnston, Rubicon, Wisconsin

Bacon and Cheddar Strata

• 1 pound bacon strips
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
• 8 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 8 slices white bread, cubed
• 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups 2 % milk
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet cook bacon in batches until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble into a large bowl. Add the red pepper, onion, and tomatoes. In a greased 13×9 in. baking dish, layer half the bread, bacon mixture and cheese. Top with remaining bread and bacon mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mayonnaise and seasonings. Pour over the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake, covered, on 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Deb Healy, Cold Lake, Alberta

Sausage-Potato Bake

• ½ pound bulk pork sausage
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 jar (2 0z.) diced pimientos, drained
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
• Additional minced chives, optional

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-heat until no longer pink; drain.

Arrange half the potatoes in a greased 8 in. baking dish; sprinkle with salt, pepper and half the sausage. Layer with remaining potatoes and sausage; sprinkle with pimientos.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, chives and thyme; pour over pimientos.

Cover and bake on 375 for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Uncover; bake for 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with additional chives if desired.

Ruth Rigoni, Hurley, Wisconsin

Reuben Quiche

• 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons finely crushed Rye triscuits or other crackers
• 1 tablespoon rye or all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Filling

• 5 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
• 1 package (2-1/2 oz.) deli corned beef, cut into 2 in. strips
• ½ cup sauerkraut, well drained
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, flour and butter; press onto the bottom and up the sides of an un-greased 9 in. pie plate. Bake on 375 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, sauté onions in butter until tender; set aside. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over crust. Top with corned beef, sauerkraut, and remaining cheese. Whisk the eggs, cream, flour, mustard, salt and reserved onion mixture; pour over cheese.

Bake, uncovered, on 375 for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let quiche stand for 5 minutes.

Barbara Nowakowski, North Tonawanda, New York

As you see by today’s title, Deb’s Garden, then it has to be obvious to you all just exactly who wears the britches in this household…and it ain’t me! Basically I’m just “the hired help,” and also she claims on her tax return that I’m…sub-contract labor.

By this she has no tax liability on my account, but this in itself, ALMOST throws me in another tax bracket in regards to my taxes. But by her only paying me $3.50 a day, no not per hour, but a day, I just barely stay under going into another tax bracket.

Her philosophy to me is simply, “Look Dub, I’m really doin you a favor here. If I paid you more, you’d end up paying more taxes, right? On top of this, I keep a roof over your head, let you borrow my vehicle IF, you need to go to town, and I cook your meals and wash your dern clothes. Ya got a pretty good thing going on here, so my advice to you is very simple…DON”T MESS UP A GOOD THING! Comprende?? I thought you might…cause I KNOW the judge would!”

Hence…IT IS, Deb’s garden, on top of everything else around here too! Marriage…isn’t it grand?? LOL!

The garden is doing very well, and my only complaint so far is…where’s the dern rain? Good night it’s been dry. Our pond is about 8 feet below where it should be, and may possibly be 10 feet. I believe it’s the lowest I’ve seen it before.

You know, I just got to thinkin, everything else around here is Deb’s to hear her tell it, so I wonder if she’s gone and took the water outta the pond too? I sure wouldn’t put it past her!

No, the greenhouse is doing great, the grow areas around the greenhouse are doing fine, and in our garden out in front of the house, what we’ve got in there so far, is doing good too! We’re blessed in all sorts of ways. The Good Lord does provide!

Well, here’s a few pictures for you guys to let you in on what’s going on…

Okay, this first picture is of, left to right, sweet peppers, squash (lemon and straight-neck), onions, and cucumbers. We’re getting squash pretty much daily now, and I’ll probably put up some squash pickles this weekend, or the first of the week. We’ve also been eatin some onions out of…Deb’s garden! LOL!

The next picture is of our tomatoes. If you notice, we cut the suckers and lower limbs off. Thanks for the tip Miz Sandy and Mr. Bill, from Mobile!

Inside the greenhouse now, check out our beets comin up between our okra sets. Beets are really, really good for you! Ours aren’t quite ready, but, they’re getting there! We planted Bulls Blood, Detroit Dark Red, Lutz Salad, and Golden.

Check out the height of those volunteer tomatoes. A couple are now bumpin the top of the greenhouse at the low end.

There’s the cucumbers. They’re the Japanese cucumbers. They get 22-26 inches long, but thin. We love the taste, and they’re supposed to be excellent pickling cucumbers…we’ll soon see! If you look closely, you can see some hanging off the vines. We’re fixing to have to tie more string across the rafters and let them run towards the center of the greenhouse.

There’s a close-up showing the cucumbers.

From left to right, watermelons, squash (crook and straight-neck) eggplants, and far left is hot peppers.

Another view of our tomatoes, again Sandy, we removed the suckers. And lower limbs. The cows ate good! I believe they’d of enjoyed us just pullin the whole dern plants up and chunkin em over the fence to them!

The missing spaces, a row and a half, will have black tomatoes planted in them by next week.

Here’s the garden out front, we’re planting a little as we go out there. Got irrigation to it too, now! YES!! The pictures out here were a little fuzzy, but you can see what we’ve done. Check out that water runnin!

This is a partial row of tomatoes, with eggplants finishing the row on the left, then squash and peppers in the right-hand row.

This is two full rows of tomatoes.

Last is a picture of the greenhouse from the other garden…

We hope you guys enjoyed the photos!

Please take care, and God Bless. I’m relaying a message from Deb for you to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

This is Dub…from Deb’s garden, out!

Dub and Deb

The wind though blew the squash around pretty good. We lost two, just broke em off at the ground, but surprisingly we have maybe 3-4 more that need a couple broken stems cut out, and I believe the rest weathered pretty well.

Watching those things blow around brought back memories of my killing those 50 + plants to get our growin season off to a great start! LOL!

I was talking to our good friends, Bill and Sandy, from Mobile Alabama, who by the way are… “Auburn Tiger” fans (hee-hee-hee Sandy), and she’d sent us some pictures of what’s goin on gardenin wise up in their “neck of the woods.”

Their garden was looking great, and I believe Sandy said they’d just brought in 50# of potatoes! They, like us, love piddlin around in a garden.

Both these guys have green thumbs. The proof in the pudding of their having green thumbs was evidenced to me last year. I called them in January, it was about 15 degrees out up there and I ask, “Sandy, where’s Bill?” Her answer, “Oh…he’s out in the garden pickin some tomatoes.”

“???? 15 degrees and Bill’s in the garden picking fresh tomatoes???”

Sandy’s like, “Yeah, he’s been a little disappointed with em though…he don’t think they’ve done quite right.”

“Okay…”

I have to tell you guys, although I hate to, they’re actually Alabama Crimson Tide fans. Gotcha Sandy! Roll Tide!

Anyway, I’ve got about three videos for you guys to look at if you’d like. One is our other garden we’d just prepped for planting, and one is of the greenhouse and grow area. Honestly, all these plants are doing well. We’re pleased.

The last video, which in reality will be the first was sent to us by a friend, this being Wayne, from Alma, Georgia.

Wayne’s a sport-model in his own right, and that scoundrel grows some great blueberries, but he’s pretty stingy with the dern things.

L:ast year as an example he told Debbie and I he’d send us down some blueberries by my brother, and he did. TWO! When I called he told me, “Shoot, that’s one apiece!” LOL!

Here Wayne’s video…

Not a bad idea actually, huh? If I still drank, I’d be takin a ride up to Ace Hardware!

The next is of our garden are we just prepped, followed by the grow area. Hope you enjoy them!

You guys all have a great day, and God Bless! Deb’s hollerin for ya’ll to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

So far, so good with the garden. After getting off to a flying start this year by immediately killing about 50 +plants, we’re going along pretty good now.

If you didn’t know, well, we’d put up a greenhouse, and started most of our plants from seed. We wanted to use all heirloom varieties mainly on account of Deb’s juicing, or, our juicing. By doing so we’d have no genetically altered seeds, but in essence, basically the food God provided for us, and in Deb’s regard we felt this vital.

Quickly, while going through a Sports Illustrated” the other day, I read something that floored me, really. There was a little write up on cancer, and it claimed that in the US, 1 out of every 2 men would contract cancer in their lifetime. ONE out of every TWO! Half!

I found that just incredible?? What’s up with that?

In women’s regard…1 out of every 3. Still, 33% of women in the US today will contract cancer. Why is becoming so rampant? Is this our diets? Is it from most produce today being genetically altered? Is it what is being applied to the crops for insect control?

How about our poultry? You guys taken a look at the size of chickens lately? Hard to find a small fryer these days, or have you noticed? Is this from growth hormones? I don’t know, but I am asking…help me out somebody.

Anyway, as a whole, we’re just trying to eat a little healthier, but I did find those numbers literally staggering!

Back to my killing our first plants…we didn’t have any idea that if you’d started them from seed in a greenhouse, you had to harden them up prior to setting them in the garden in full sun. This is just setting them out in the sun for a few hours a day until they harden, or toughen up to the elements, for about a week. Once that’s done, everything works out great!

By my not knowing this, I set that first bunch straight out of the greenhouse into the garden, and killed the dern things…graveyard dead!

We have been prepping our garden out front the last couple days, and we’re pretty much ready to get started setting out some plants there now as well.

I tilled it in yesterday, both directions, and man, the soil is really looking pretty good. We’re anxious to see how it grows things off this year. We’d added cow manure and leaves over the entire garden area a couple, three months back. We let it set for about 3 weeks then tilled it in.

We then put out more oak leaves over the entire area again, and after building our grow areas around the greenhouse we put about ¾ of a semi load of compost we had leftover in it as well. This and the leaves are what I tilled in yesterday. Honestly, it’s starting to look pretty rich now.

We’ll be planting tomatoes, peppers, and okra for sure, but probably a couple other things too. We almost decided on peas too, but backed off that. We do so well with planting our peas in August, we’ll just keep planting them then!

We’ll also run irrigation to it after planting. The irrigation around the grow areas beside, and in the greenhouse, has just absolutely RUINED me. No more hose draggin if I can help it! LOL!

I’ll share some pictures of how the greenhouse is coming along, and the grow areas too. The vegetables in both are now really taking off! Everything outside when we set the plants in their hole, we added ½ teaspoon bone meal, and then filled the hole up with Jungle Growth garden soil.

Evidently it was just what the doctor ordered getting the plants started off, as again, everything looks good!

I went out earlier to check things out, plus we’d had a pretty good couple of showers, and good night, it doesn’t matter how much water you put to your plants…NOTHING works as well as rainwater! It all just looked…so alive, after the showers!

Anyway, how bout a laugh before we take a look at the garden? This comes from my sister-in-law Patricia, but just plain ole Patty to us!

God Loves Drunks Too

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door.

“Over here on the swing,” replied the drunk.

Here’s our watermelons on the right, our squash in the center, and eggplants on the left.

Cucumbers on the right, onions to the left, squash further left, and sweet peppers on the far left. Many of the onions we grew from seed.

Our tomatoes. Some are now on their third tie.

Red-seeded Simpson on the bottom left, iceberg in the center, and Romaine up top. Okra top right, beets scattered through it, and sweet peppers.

Japanese cucumbers…headed into the rafters.

The volunteer tomatoes headed into the rafters as well.

Another view of the tomatoes in the grow area.

Melons, squash, and eggplants again.

Melons, squash and eggplants taken from upstairs porch.

We hope you guys enjoyed the pictures! Take care and God Bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

You know that Deb and I are pretty simple people. We love our Country, we love our land, we love the freedoms and liberties we’ve always enjoyed as American citizens. We believe that we live in the greatest Country on earth, but, today we see too many far-left leanings that are literally putting our entire way of life as American citizens at risk…very, very serious risk.

Shoot, I’d like to talk today about a dern garden, how the vegetables are doing, how fine Deb’s been coming along, and just sit around and “shoot the bull” with you guys!

But today in our Country there are things we need to make people aware of. How does this happen, well, by talking about it. I don’t enjoy speaking to you guys from a political perspective in the least, BUT, I do feel it’s something that needs to be done. So, let’s talk a little…

Today I’d like to talk about the pricing Deb and I are seeing, not only at the grocery store, and the gas pump, but pretty much just about anything you purchase today. It’s really getting tough out there.

Why is this?

I’d talked with my Mother earlier in the week, and they have quite a few beef cows that my brother oversees on the ranches for her and Dad. First of cattle prices are extremely good, and have been for a while now.

Mom was telling me though that Dad had spoken with some people and they were telling him that the price of hamburger meat could hit $5 per pound, possibly by the end of summer. That to me is unreal. I swear we don’t see how families with 3 to 4 children are continually able to put good meals on the table.

The job markets are down, the pay scales in many cases have dropped substantially, gas is already quite expensive, food prices are rocketing, and it looks as if there’ll be no solution, or downward trend anywhere in the near future.

We were promised “change,” and that’s exactly what we’ve gotten… “change!” Yet, we’re told things are getting better.

Getting better?? Let’s examine just “how better” things HAVE gotten.

Food stamp rolls, or what they like to call, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has grown over 70% since 2007! 70 %! That is sinful…literally!

Our government has indoctrinated people, generations worth, that they are entitled to a home, a car, a free ride at the supermarket, free power, even phones. Entitled, which is the key word here, to these things. Entitled through the hard work and sacrifice of others…we the taxpayer!

Through this indoctrination, we have, and are destroying any type of work ethic by these people. Why would they want to work, shoot, I can stay at home and get everything I need to exist, but exist being the key word as well.

Through our politicians “kindness in their hearts,” which is a ploy in itself for more power, more greed, and more immorality, they are doling out JUST enough for people “to exist!” Not prosper and be in control of their own lives, but to simply receive enough…to exist. That’s all.

So, in other words the entitled have been caught hook, line and sinker in a trap. A trap instigated, and advocated by our elected officials. Entitled in a real world description would simply be…DEPENDENT!

Dependent upon the very same leaders who have instigated, and set in motion a plan to undermine our Country, our capitalist system and the freedoms and liberties it provides, and thus creating a political system that has taken the power away from “We The People,” and put total power into the hands of these Socialistic indoctrinated officials.

They call this, “social equality,” and even have become audacious enough to even call it… “social JUSTICE!”

The reasoning for many of these “entitlements” today is the destruction of a job market. People, our leaders have sold us out. Very little to no steel industry jobs, manufacturing jobs, or textile jobs. Most gone overseas.

How can you continue to run a business when through government regulation, taxation, and union contracts dictating to the employer how to run your business, what type of pay scale you pay your employees, right down to not being able to fire non-productive workers?

What happens on account of such practices? Just what you’ve been seeing for the last several years…companies moving overseas! Yet, all through his campaign, Obama promised to…keep jobs HERE, in America! This obviously was not his intention in the first place!

Look back again at the Cloward-Piven Strategy…the overwhelming of our economic system. This by not helping to get people OFF welfare rolls, BUT instead getting MORE people ONTO welfare rolls! We now have a 70% increase since 2007.

Although the Democrats took CONTROL of the House and Senate in 2006…this is ole GW’s fault! How stupid can you get?

The total, unabbreviated destruction of our Country is what these, and most other governmentally run projects are actually doing. So, this really isn’t the fault of the recipients of such government sponsored aid, but literally the buying of votes provided to far too many of today’s elected leaders…if that’s what you want to call them. I call them…thieves!

The time wasn’t that far back that their actions were considered treason, and in my humble opinion, that’s exactly what they are…treasonous behavior by the powers that be in our Country today. Our conservative values have been in many ways abandoned by our own party, forget the far left liberals for the time being.

Why? Well, they too have realized the power to be reckoned with by these “Assistance Programs.” Assistance my rear-end, they’re giveaways, and worse yet, are literally, once again, indoctrinational tactics!

BUT, through these “giveaways, they too have come to realize that by creating this following of constituents they too may continue to be re-elected…time, and time again!

This is the main reason for my belief today that ALL elected officials should be limited to two terms! Stop this insanity of allowing “professional politicians” to continue to be able to run for re-election!

Through this, we should also be able to put an end to all these incredible retirement, health care, and pension plans our officials have bestowed upon themselves. These to, (political entitlements)…are stealing from the taxpayer! Again, that’s exactly what it is!

Politics today has become totally about the politicians and their own, and we the people have become almost non-existent. We, the very people who actually engineer our economy through our work ethics, and small business are now the…unworthy’s!

Unworthy of being heard by our politicians, unworthy of being considered by many politicians as influential constituents, unworthy of being considered true blue, dyed in the flesh American citizens but instead, possible extremists, rabble-rousers, and even racists.

We the people have been sold out for…the ILLEGAL immigrants, the gimme something for nothings, the anti-America liberal, and the power in the numbers of such people today. Our politicians, are literally…likkin their lips!

If we continue in the direction we’re headed, they’ll soon have POWER…full, total control power for life, and the destruction of America as we always have known and loved her, just right around the corner! Socialism, Marxism, Communism, whatever they call it, it’s all the same to me, BAD, and it’s headed straight at us!

You want to talk about stealing from the people…through entitlements, political entitlements? Take a peek…

I’ve talked on this before, but in Vernon, California, Bruce Malkenhorst, Sr., who retired in 2005, is a former city administrator and is drawing a yearly pension of, are you ready for this…$509,664.00. Yep, the comma IS in the right spot.

What is that…over $40 thousand a month? Yep!

He was convicted of fraud, and ordered to pay back $105,000.00. Poor guy!

Vernon, Cal., by the way had a population of 112 in 2010. Yep, 112 residents!

Also, in a single year in Vernon, according to media reports and other sources, Eric T. Fresch was paid $1.65 million in 2008. In 2009 O’Callaghan was paid $785,000, Burnett, $570,000, and Harrison, $800,000. Malkenhorst, Jr. was paid $290,000 in 2008. Malkenhorst Sr. made $600,000.

This is but one example, in ONE city my friends…this goes on everyday all across our Country. Are we all nuts to sit on the sidelines and allow this to happen? Yep, to that question too!

So you see, I have no doubt that we probably will see $5 per pound hamburger meat. Why wouldn’t we…it’s all part of the plan. They’re succeeding in overwhelming our system with welfare, oh sorry, I mean, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, right?

A 70% increase since 2007, in the worst economic times I’ve seen, would have to be considered a check in their column! Who suffers? The entitled? Nope, but we the people, the taxpayers do…we’re the unworthy, yet, we’re also the very same who continue, through taxation, to fund our own demise! Now really, how crazy is that?

Job loss at record highs, and our government not even WANTING to create jobs…why would they? That would mean you’d have control over your own lives then, right? There’s another check in their column!

Our educational system in many cases controlled by the same far left liberals that teach not about how GREAT our Country is, BUT instead, what acts of atrocity are Country COMMITS! Plus they’re teaching social equality, instead of about all the advantages of living in a Country with a capitalist system.

So, through this we’ve lost our children, simply because they’ve received “half an education!” The education the liberals want them to have. There’s another check in their column!

Right down to the mainstream media. They too, no longer even attempt to report the true goings on in our Country today. They’ve sold we the people out as well. Today these media groups report what they’re orchestrated to report…agendas! Once more, a check in their column.

So once more, I see the future of our Country continuing to function as we’ve always enjoyed, fast becoming pretty cloudy. Will we overcome the obstacles put into, or maybe FORCED upon us being a much better description? Honestly, I do.

But, by saying that, it will take the will of the American people to make this happen. So, with that being said, we have work to do my friends. Tireless hours of work in winning an election this go around, that may very well be the most important election of our lives.

Forget the Democrat, Republican picture for a minute, but understand today, far too many from both party’s have totally forgotten that we the people, are in fact their bosses! So, we have to make BOTH PARTY’S understand we WILL hold them accountable!

You go against our will, you’ll NOT be in office next go round! This message HAS to be sent…LOUD AND CLEAR! Let’s do it, okay? Accountability IS NOT too much to ask, is it?

You pay your taxes, right? Well, it’s pretty obvious they take no qualms in the least of holding you…accountable! Remember, this IS…a two way street.

Thanks for your time today, and sorry about the topic. God Bless all you guys, and please take care. As always, Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Well, today I’ve been back in that dern cookbook, “White Trash Gatherings,” and found a few more recipes I’d like to share with you. I get a kick readin through this cookbook, and it’s about my 4th or 5th pass in it.

It’s really entertaining to read, and if you guys were born in the South, around my time, much of it brings back memories. Good, old, down home memories. I think of my Granddaddy Troy, his wife and my Granny Margaret, and my Mom’s mother, my Nanny Murphy.

Boy, what a different age we live in today. Life was so much simpler then. Don’t get me wrong, life was hard, and you WORKED for what you got…there were no such thing as… “ENTITLEMENTS!!!!”

If there had of been, most would have been too ashamed to have taken them! Don’t get me wrong…people did help people, but it was neighbor helping neighbor. They didn’t need, nor wanted “Uncle Sam” minglin in their business! They took care of one another.

They did love their Country deeply, very deeply as a matter of fact, and didn’t hesitate to respond if duty called, yet their business was just that…THEIR BUSINESS! Once more, Uncle Sam had his place, and it wasn’t tellin them how to live…they wouldn’t tolerate such.

Yet today, we have created an environment of…gimme, gimme, gimme, OR, what’s yours is MINE TOO! It’s expected that we give part of our hard-earned money to people who mainly…just don’t want to work. Get this…it’s expected, and even worse, the ones we’re givin it to, no longer appreciate the fact that we’re doin just that…givin it to em.

Plus, many of the ones expectin, and takin…aren’t even citizens of our Country! What have we come to? What used to be a Nation of achievers, the very best on the planet, is fast becoming a Nation of…YOU OWE ME’S! My thoughts on this…##%**!!…**??!!

Let me get back to these recipes before I DO get angry, and mess around and burn down Miz Judi’s Kitchen by not payin attention to this dad-burned cook stove! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Okay, okay, I feel much better now.

Take a look at pickin up this cookbook. Again, it was written by, Kendra Bailey Morris, and published by ten Speed Press. Revisit your past, and take a stroll down “memory lane!” It’ll do us all some good!

Pinto Bean Pie

• 1-1/2 cups dried pinto beans
• 3 medium, or 2 extra -large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk
• ½ stick butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Whipped cream for serving

Cook up your beans in a plain ole pot of water until real tender, about 3 hours at a low simmer. Strain, and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

Turn your oven on 450.

Get out your blender and puree your beans with the ½ cup liquid. Your mixture should look like thin mashed potatoes. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix real good. Pour your bean filling into a 9 inch pie shell and bake for about 15 minutes. Turn your oven down to 350 and cook your pie for another 45 to 55 minutes, or until it sets up. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Miss Oma’s Grape Jelly Meatballs

• 1-1/2 cups Burney Papper’s Chili Sauce (recipe below)
• ½ medium-sized jar grape jelly (more if you like it sweet)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• ½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, as much as you’d like

Put your chili sauce and grape jelly in a crockpot set on medium-low heat.

For your meatballs, mix together the ground beef with the rest of your ingredients. Carefully shape the mixture into small balls, taking care not to roll the meatballs too tightly.

Fry the meatballs in a shallow pan of hot oil until they’re brown on all sides. Add them to the grape jelly mixture and simmer until nice and tender. Serve straight from the pot with toothpicks.

Burney Papper’s Chili Sauce

• 1-1/2 cups white vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed
• 9 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups chopped onions
• 2 whole jalapenos, sliced in half
• 1 whole cinnamon stick and 1 teaspoon whole cloves, tied up in a cheesecloth

Get your vinegar, brown sugar, and salt to boiling in a good sized pot. Add your tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Add the tied up spices. Cook, uncovered, on low heat until thickened (about 1-1/2 hours), stirrin every now and then. Skim off your foam from time to time. For a thinner sauce, cool and puree in a blender. Store in pint jars.

Ollie V.’s Gingerbread

• 1 cup molasses
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup very hot water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon allspice

Turn your oven on 350. Grease up an 8 inch square baking pan.

Stir up your molasses, butter, and hot water and add your egg. In another bowl, mix up your dry ingredients. Add your molasses mixture to your dry ingredients and mix everything up real good with a wooden spoon. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out nice and clean. Serve warm with a dollop of fresh cream.

We hope you guys enjoyed today’s recipes, and we’d like to thank Kendra Bailey Morris once more for her cookbook, “White Trash Gatherings.” Deb and I have enjoyed it immensely!

Before closing this morning we’d like to share with you guys…”Praying Hands.” It was sent to us by our friend Gary, and we felt you guys would enjoy reading about this well-known painting and the story behind it…

The Praying Hands

Many of you would have seen the picture of “The Praying Hands”, which is present in many Christian homes, but would almost certainly not have heard the moving story behind this popular picture. Here is the story.

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE OF THE PRAYING HANDS

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with
eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the elder children, Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg . Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils
were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, “And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No. ..no…no. ..no.” Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg . It is too late for me. Look …look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother …for me it is too late.”

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.”

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one, no one, ever makes it alone!

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:6

The Praying Hands

Thanks Gary, and sendin our regards, buddy!

You guys have a great day, and God bless you and yours. Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Well, the greenhouse and grow area are really beginning to take shape. I got everything hoed, fertilized, and really, it’s startin to look pretty good. I guess it does anyway. Deb hasn’t complained about anything yet, so that’s always a good thing, and a pretty good gauge that you’re sittin alright in her book.

Poor ole thing. She doesn’t like to offend anyone, her bein so shy and all! LOL! That woman ain’t much bigger than a full grown skeeter, but she’ll get on me like white on rice! Whoever said that dynamite comes in small packages nailed it when it comes to her!

She reminds me of a dern ant. You guys ever watched one? Those little things CAN WORK! Then to sit back and see what they can tote, is amazing! She’s the very same. If that woman weighed 150 pounds, I swear she could take over the world if she set her mind to it. I thank the Good Lord fairly often that he made her no bigger than he did.

Anyway, you guys don’t want to hear about my troubles, do you? LOL!

We staked a few tomato plants in the greenhouse today. This was a couple rows in the middle bed. We’d already staked the ones in the beds with the volunteer tomatoes 2-3 days ago. Next week, we’ll be staking a couple three rows in the grow area.

I believe I’ve bout got that “hardening thing” down pat. The bench we made to get them out in the sun is working great, and we ran micro-jet to it as well. Man…this micro-jet has really made watering a breeze!

We’ve got over a couple hundred plants hardened off, put into 6” pots and ready to sell. Most are different varieties of tomatoes, but there are some eggplants, squash, and peppers as well. Matter of fact, this afternoon I made Deb a sign…vegetable plants for sale.

We’ll set it out by the road tomorrow and let em come in and get a few. I caught the cows in the back pasture, so I shot down there and shut the gate. This allows us to leave the main gate open for traffic to get to the house and they don’t have to jack with opening or closing a dern gate.

Once I put the cows in the back pasture, I took the sign and set it out by the road just for the heck of it. Didn’t say anything to Deb. This was about 5 in the afternoon. It wasn’t 15 minutes I’d sold 20 bucks worth of plants.

About 6:30 I went and took the sign down, turned the cows back out and locked the gate for the night. I’ll move them back in the morning, then reset the sign, and we’re open for business once again. We’re havin a ball! Deb is anyway!

An example…Deb was in the house when I’d sold that lady the plants. By the way, this lady, Fran, was really an interesting lady to speak with. She was a nurse too, so we did have a few things to talk about. The juicing, and some of Deb’s alternatives she does (no Sandy and Mississippi, NOT that one, LOL!).

Anyway, after I’d made the sale, I went inside. Deb goes, “Dub honey, everything alright?” I’m like, “Yeah, why?” She goes, “Are you sure ya don’t have anything to tell me?” I’m like, “NO, why?”

She then says, “Well, I could be mistaken, but I really don’t think I am, BUT…didn’t I hear a distinct, Cha-Ching out there in the greenhouse?” So, I coughed up the 20 bucks! I swear, women can SMELL money, can’t they? LOL!

Maybe tomorrow I can send her up town and POSSIBLY pocket me a dollar or two, huh? I doubt it though!

Well guys, I’m tired, dirty, hungry, fixin to get a shower, eat some supper…AND BROKE! So I’ll close out for now!

If you’d like to watch it, here’s a video of the greenhouse and grow area. Check it out, things are indeed movin right along!

Also, you were goin to send me some pictures last week of your garden Sandy…what’s up with that? LOL! We would love to see how its comin along though for sure!

Plus before I forget…Hey Mississippi, how’s Tennessee? We hope you, D-Lo, and all the rest of the gang are havin a great time! Enjoy yourself Sandra, you deserve it!

Here’s wishing you all the very best, and God Bless you and yours! “Ole Tightwad” says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb