It takes two tables in our home – unless you want to be cramped.
Thanksgiving was just yesterday…right?
Honestly, where does the time go? Before you know it, it’ll be time to pack that dang cottage on wheels again and turn the trucks south. That’s ok, though.
One of the events that I have come to really enjoy being a part of is the Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters, Inc. convention. It isn’t the warmest location in the world to vacation in December BUT it certainly brings together a lot of great people. And…it shouldn’t surprise you. Custom harvesters (regardless of the country they call home) are a different breed of people – some of the best you’ll ever meet and good to surround yourself with. Jim and I left for Lethbridge, Alberta on Tuesday morning. I waited until the last-minute to pack (like I always seem to do) and Jim set the alarm for 3:00 a.m. The flight left at 6:00 a.m. I went to bed at 1:30. “Good, this will give me an hour and a half to catch some sleep”, or so I thought. I woke up at 2:00 and felt like I had been sleeping for hours. Who knows why I woke up – maybe I was afraid we were going to sleep through the alarm? Tuesday felt like it lasted an entire week. I would catch myself wondering, “did this really just happen this morning”? Continue reading
The turkey is cooking. One pumpkin pie baked and another apple in the oven. Why not two in the oven? I’ll show you why:
Whenever the question comes up (which is quite often) – “What should we have for supper”? – Callie’s quick to say, “Sweet and sour chicken”. I know it will never compare to some of her favorite Chinese food restaurants but it probably comes in a very close second. It wasn’t until this past summer that I came up with this “keeper”. And, best of all, it’s not that hard to make.
This recipe begins with cutting up chicken breasts into one inch chunks. I suppose you’re gonna ask, “how much chicken”? I usually make this by sight more than by recipe. So, I’m going to say three large breasts for the four of us. I put flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large zip lock baggie and shake the chicken pieces until they’re covered.
I add Crisco to my cast iron skillet and preheat. When the oil is good and hot, fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and no pink center.
Whenever the question comes up (which is quite often) – “What should we have for supper”? – Callie’s quick to say, “Sweet and sour chicken”. I know it will never compare to some of her favorite Chinese food restaurants but it probably comes in a very close second. It wasn’t until this past summer that I came up with this “keeper”. And, best of all, it’s not that hard to make.
This recipe begins with cutting up chicken breasts into one inch chunks. I suppose you’re gonna ask, “how much chicken”? I usually make this by sight more than by recipe. So, I’m going to say three large breasts for the four of us. I put flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large zip lock baggie and shake the chicken pieces until they’re covered.
I add Crisco to my cast iron skillet and preheat. When the oil is good and hot, fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and no pink center.
Today was Eli’s 6 month birthday. And how did he celebrate? He went to the soybean field with his mama to ride in the Yellow Beast with his grandpa.
In my previous post, scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4 (cont.), I left you with the arrival at “home, home”. This gets a little confusing with referring back to posts but if you need to be reminded where we are from this point with the pictures I posted, you can refer back to scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4.
After we got home, we TRIED to turn on the water, went through mail and whatnot. The next morning, we packed for a week and headed to Grand Island for Husker Harvest Days. We ran into all kinds of people we knew – including the Miseners.
Entering Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, NE.
I’m not sure where this is going to lead but my intentions are to share with you some of the scenes of our travels from Montana to Nebraska, back to Montana and then, finally, back to Nebraska again.
We’ve been “home, home” for two weeks. ONLY two weeks. Harvest feels like a dream. Callie and I made a trip to Omaha on Saturday in search of the perfect Homecoming dress. We met Jenna very briefly at the mall and had lunch with her but basically the day was just a me-and-Cal-day. This doesn’t happen very often. Anyways, she and I had some fairly deep discussions that day; one being about harvest. She and I agreed that unless you’re involved with harvest, you just can’t explain the feelings this industry creates deep down in your soul. We discussed how sad we were that there are people out there who haven’t any idea what a wonderful place Jordan, Montana is because it’s not within their 10 mile radius. Did we find the perfect dress? We found “plan B” dress. “Plan A” dress is on it’s way in the mail. Continue reading
I’m not sure where this is going to lead but my intentions are to share with you some of the scenes of our travels from Montana to Nebraska, back to Montana and then, finally, back to Nebraska again.
We’ve been “home, home” for two weeks. ONLY two weeks. Harvest feels like a dream. Callie and I made a trip to Omaha on Saturday in search of the perfect Homecoming dress. We met Jenna very briefly at the mall and had lunch with her but basically the day was just a me-and-Cal-day. This doesn’t happen very often. Anyways, she and I had some fairly deep discussions that day; one being about harvest. She and I agreed that unless you’re involved with harvest, you just can’t explain the feelings this industry creates deep down in your soul. We discussed how sad we were that there are people out there who haven’t any idea what a wonderful place Jordan, Montana is because it’s not within their 10 mile radius. Did we find the perfect dress? We found “plan B” dress. “Plan A” dress is on it’s way in the mail.
The view from on top of the combine.
I’m sure there are a large number of individuals involved with agriculture who aren’t taking today off. For this, I say THANK YOU! Agriculture knows nothing but daily work (unless it’s raining). And, even then, there’s always something that can be done. Required maintenance on equipment and animals still need to be cared for regardless of the weather. Picnics, vacations and holidays are taken when there is a window of opportunity – not because it says so on the calendar.
As for this little piece of the Ag world, we’re sort of in limbo right now.