Class of 2019. Three hundred and three students

 Colors are purple and gold  

The Graduate with Grandma and Grandpa 

 Much as I love to preserve and can, I always have a small moral crisis when deciding how to preserve fresh fruit.
Most jam recipes are super easy and great for a beginner, but they also require you to cook the fruit to oblivion (therefore eliminating a lot of the good stuff in it) and then add cup after cup of white sugar…
Not to say that I haven’t done it, but last weekend I sat there staring at 8 pounds of in-season strawberries and I couldn’t bring myself to cook ’em and sugar ’em to death.
So instead, I whipped up two batches of raw freezer jam sweetened with raw honey that jelled so nicely you could almost hold the jar upside down without it falling out.
I know, I know– I can hear the murmuring in the crowd right now. Ya’ll don’t think that’s possible, right?
We’ve all been told that you HAVE to use lots of white sugar in order for jam or jelly to set. And then you have to cook it to finish the process.

Well, when you have a box of this stuff– the rules change a little.
You can make cooked or un-cooked jam with it and use either honey or a minimal amout of sugar to do the sweetening. It comes with a little packet of calcium powder in addition to the pectin that enables you to have thick, set-up preserves, without a boatload of sugar.

Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe

(Taken from the Pomona’s box insert)

•  4 cups of mashed strawberries– preferably homegrown or organic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (This is optional- I believe it just helps the berries to maintain their color)
• 1/2-1 cup of raw honey (You don’t have to use raw, but if you have it, this is an ideal place to use it, since it will be able to keep all of it’s raw goodness)
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal Pectin (affiliate link)
• 4 teaspoons calcium water (this comes with the Pomona’s pectin when you buy it)

First off, mix the packet of calcium powder with 1/2 cup water. Store it in the fridge- it will last for several months and be good for more than one batch.
Place your mashed berries in a large bowl and add lemon juice and honey. Stir well. It takes a bit of stirring to get the thick, raw honey to blend in with the berries, but it’ll happen eventually.

Bring the 3/4 cup of water to a boil. Add the pectin to the hot water and blend it until completely dissolved. (You’ll want to use something like a blender for this. Add the pectin/water mixture to the fruit, stir well. Then, add the calcium water and incorporate thoroughly. At this point, my jam was already very thick and wanted to jell up. If yours isn’t doing that yet, keep adding one teaspoon of calcium water at a time until it starts to set. Keep in mind that it will continue to set as it cools, too.
Place in freezer safe containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Stick in the freezer right away, or keep it in the fridge for a week or so.

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

This past weekend we spent time in Cincinnati. It was our sons birthday, and we went to celebrate!

 My late Mothers Day gift. Dark chocolate handcrafted in small batches. Coffee and chocolate. Is there a better pairing? 

 Micah's Mothers Day gift to me 

Have you ever wondered why we need each other? Why we crave relationships yet find it hard to build the kind we long for?

My craving for closer friendships surfaced as I sat across the table listening to the sounds of laughter and admiring the bond between two women I’d met at a lunch. What they had was uncommon.

The way they loved each other, how well they knew each other and how much they enjoyed each other reminded me of a Hallmark commercial. But I wasn’t watching television. This was real life.

And when I asked how long they’d known each other, they replied, "More than 60 years."

More than 60 years? Now I was more interested in listening than eating lunch. So I put down my fork and picked up a pen like a journalist and tried to think of as many questions as I could. How had they met? What had they done to build a lifelong friendship? What moments and memories filled all those years and kept their hearts so closely knit together? What’s their secret?

Here’s what I discovered:

They were intentional about making their friendship last because it mattered to them.
They became friends in grade school, but their friendship grew and continued long after they both married their high school sweethearts, who played football together.

Things had to be planned and time together had to be priority.
Their families vacationed together for years. And when they were young and had little money, they’d all get together for a meal while the kids played in the yard. But as their kids got older it became more challenging, so they’d get together and play cards once a week — a tradition that was still going strong.

They determined early on they would be there for each other no matter what.
These two lifelong friends were now widowed and counted on each other for companionship and laughter, weekly shopping adventures and everything in between. And they had an understanding between them. If one of them starts feeling down she’ll call the other and say, "Hey, I need to get out of the house." And then they go do something together.

I thought about how different our generation is, how busy we are. How much more we rely on screen time more than face-to-face time. And a twinge of sadness came over me.

Besides my husband, which friend will be able to finish my sentences? Who will know me better than I know myself?

From the beginning of time, God created us to be in relationship — with Him and each other.

Designed in His image, our need for connection comes from God, who has always been in community: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ final prayer for His friends in today’s key verse challenges me. In it, He prays they will know the Father the way He does, and that the world would know His love because of their love for one another. And in Jesus’ prayer we find His heart’s desire for us to be closely connected with each other:

"… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you" (John 17:21a).

How can we do this better? Maybe we can be creative and get together for lunch during a busy workday, or meet to plan menus for our families each week, do laundry at one of our houses, or take turns cleaning out each other’s closets or running errands together.

That was their secret. They wanted to be together and so they made sure they were.

Dear Lord, the longer I live, the harder it seems to build close friendships. With family and work, and all I have on my plate, intimate friendships drop to the bottom of my priorities. And yet I know deep friendships are part of what You want for me. Show me how to get creative, find a new starting point and be intentional by reaching out to a friend this week. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Look at those tiny foot prints!

 How Sweet!

 What a sweet boy.

 Brad and dad playing corn hole.

 Guess who is winning?

A neighbor discarding this treasure.

A comfortable setting outside. I love this! 

 My yard looks just like a park

I can't forget my chickens

What fond memories are made of. Time spent with family.



In the final book of the New Testament known as the Book of Revelation, angels are shown to be sounding trumpets, accompanied by a variety of supernatural plagues upon Planet Earth.
And now, mysterious, unexplained sounds in the sky that some are likening to trumpet blasts are puzzling people all over the world, including the United States.
As Britain’s Daily Mail reports, “Sounding like a trumpet or a collective from a brass section of an orchestra, a selection of videos shot from the Canada to Ukraine, via the U.S., Germany and Belarus show strange goings on above us.”
Get in-depth details about angelic trumpet blasts as well as both the FIRST and SECOND resurrection (yes, there’s a second one, too) in this autographed best-seller that explains in detail what’s coming in your future!
Numerous videos are posted on YouTube from spots across the globe, with people wondering just what is causing the strange phenomenon.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/whats-causing-mystery-trumpet-blasts-in-sky/#J5fr50DmcRqbQJdE.99

'Do Not Count Your Chickens Before They Are Hatched'

You never can tell which are fertile, which will survive the 21 day incubation period and then how many are girls, who stay, and boys who go.

More than 40 percent of U.S. honeybee colonies died over the course of the past year, according to an annual U.S. Department of Agriculture survey conducted by researchers from institutions including the University of Maryland and the University of Georgia.

Shockingly, the worst die-off occurred in the summer, which is typically a good time of year for bees. Most die-offs take place in the winter months, which tend to be more stressful for bees.

"What we're seeing with this bee problem is just a loud signal that there's some bad things happening. 

Poor nutrition is the source for the declining populations of pollinators, including honeybees. Note that the vast areas of land formerly covered by the wildflowers that pollinators use for food have been disappearing as more land is converted to agriculture to take advantage of rising food prices. Since 2007 alone, the land retained by the Agriculture Department for conservation has been halved and continues to shrink

 

Nasturtiums

I love Nasturtiums! They are such a beautiful flower with attractive leaves. One seed makes a delightful showing.
The leaves and flowers are edible, with a peppery tang, and even the seed pods are used as a substitute for capers.  Nasturtiums are loved for their rich, saturated jewel-toned colors. They are fast and easy to grow, and, in fact, do best with a little neglect. There are bushy plants, trailing  types and climbers. Try them in your landscape this summer!

Nighty-night, don't let the dust mites bite... all ten million of them.
If you're like most people, the bed is a sacred place. It's a spot to relax, unwind, regenerate, and dream.  However,  you are not the only one who is enjoying your bed, and this fact is probably making you sick.

It's called sick bed syndrome, and it is caused by the millions of dust mites that are found in the average bed. These mites don't cause you any specific harm directly, but their droppings and body fragments can cause colds and exacerbate existing conditions like asthma and hay fever. Since they enjoy warm, moist environments, the bed is the perfect spot because insulated homes tend to have no drafts and higher humidity.

These dust mites also reproduce, and it is estimated that there will eventually be about ten million of them per bed. In two years, 10 percent of your pillow weight will be made up of dust mites and their droppings. This can lead to eczema, hay fever, rhinitis, coughs, dry eyes and disturbed sleep. It has also been estimated that dust mites could be a factor in up to 80 percent of allergy cases.

How can you slow down and get rid of these nasty mites and their feces?
If you want to stop dust mites from colonizing the bed, a regular vacuuming is important. Fewer mites will survive in areas with hard wood flooring as opposed to carpet. When it comes to killing them off, it turns out that regular machine washing is not the gold standard. One out of four items that are machine-washed at 40 degrees Celsius contain traces of bacteria linked to feces, and washed laundry contains only 14 percent less bacteria than the unwashed laundry.

As a result, a regular machine washing of bedding at 60 degrees Celsius is the best bet to help kill off these little critters. If your washer doesn't reach that temperature, consider a laundry disinfectant. People in alpine areas used to hang their bedding out the window; this was a good practice because the cold air would also kill off the dust mites.

Just when you thought that dust mites might be your only concern lurking in your sheets, it turns out that mattresses can also become a breeding ground for other microorganisms that can trigger a range of illnesses. If people have the cold or flu, it can survive in the bed linen and can also survive a wash. Even worse, a person who has food poisoning could be excreting salmonella into the bed. Norovirus is another concern because it can be carried with no symptoms, and if you decide to sleep naked, it's very easy to pass it on to the linen.

In addition to 60 degree Celsius washes, cold alpine air, opening the windows, removing carpet and using laundry disinfectants, you could also consider investing in allergenic protectors for your mattresses and pillows. This could be quite helpful for those who already suffer from allergy symptoms.

Regardless of what method you choose, it's important to recognize that these microscopic creatures are defecating in your bed. Do your best to get them out of your sacred place so you can get a good night's sleep without the company of ten million filthy and disrespectful uninvited visitors.

 This is a field of clover and wild buttercups.David left this area unmowed so that the bees have nectar to bring back to the hive.

This is my big garden loaded with beans, peas, squashes and cucumbers.  

This garden has my potatoes and tomatoes.

 Yesterday, Jennifer and I went to pick strawberries at Toodlebug Farms. We have been there before. Lots of good berry picking there.

Capping strawberries and mixing with honey.

Packed strawberries in jars with honey and froze for this Winter.  

A broody hen is a chicken that has decided to sit on and hatch a clutch of eggs. The eggs may be fertilized or unfertilized. The broody hen will sit on the eggs day and night, leaving only once to eat, drink and poop. If you try to remove her from her eggs, she may hiss at you and peck you.
If you have a rooster and you want your flock to reproduce naturally, you may be pleased if a hen goes broody
What you should do is remove her and her clutch to a separate area with food and water. This way, another hen won't force her off her clutch, leaving them to get chilled and die. You may need to make sure your broody hen eats and drinks enough by physically removing her from the nest and bringing her to her food and water dishes.
It takes 21 days for a fertilized egg to develop into a new baby chick and hatch, so keep an eye on the calendar.

• How to Hatch Chicks Naturally

If you don't want your hen to hatch eggs or don't have fertilized eggs, you will want to "break up" your broody hen. This just means stopping the brooding behavior. It's important to do this as broodiness becomes "contagious," with other hens catching the idea and sitting on still more clutches of eggs. And being broody for too long is not the best for a hen's physical health. To break up a broody hen, you can start by trying to disturb her when she is in the nest box. You may need to remove her to a separate place without access to the nest boxes, but with access to food and water.

 

You may also try setting a clutch of ice cubes in the nest box so that when she returns to it, it's unpleasant.

Collecting eggs regularly can help prevent hens from going broody, so don't neglect this important part of caring for your chickens.

Mothers Day

 

I love this vase! A Mothers Day gift for me.

 Every year it happens. I don't know why I am surprised. My bees swarmed. They are up in a tree in my yard. I am not even going to dry to capture them. I feel I am replacing the wild bee population. This is my contribution.

Jennifer walking to receive her diploma with a masters in education.



 A family photo of graduation day at University of the Cumberlands.

 My iris's are soo beautiful this year!

I can't believe this beauty. First year for no rain or wind in mid bloom.