REALLY Long Time A Comin' Pt 2

Part 2 starts off with a funny incident around the homestead.  I gave the chickens a bunch of blackberries and blueberries.  A little while later when I went outside for something, there were two chickens lying at the base of the cedar tree they roost in at night.  They looked to be dead.  After running into the dog kennel, I picked one up and it was lifeless.  Yeah, not really lifeless…more like stoned.

These two chickens must have really liked what I gave to them because none of the other birds had any issues.  What I realized was I had given them the lees from a batch of Blackberry/Blueberry mead.  What’s particularly funny is they made it home but passed out on the front lawn!  They wouldn’t drink the coffee I gave them, but snapped out of it before I put them in the garbage bag thinking they were dead. 7/19/16

Jessie and Bob brought the kids down for a visit in mid July.  The boys got to feed the pigs and we got some grand kid time we so desperately needed.  I also got to teach Bobby how to shoot a bow and arrow. That is special stuff right there.  7/22/16 

Here’s what I got to do for my birthday.  Pull out a sludge pump from 25’ deep in a tank and put a new one in.  It took everything this boom had to reach the spot, actually to the right in the pic.  This was taken after the pump was pulled and had to break down the 70' boom.  Luckily, I didn’t get a bunch of gunk on me while the pump was hanging overhead. Oh...that’s right I did get a bunch of gunk on me – Happy Birthday! 8/12/16

Early September I finally got my birthday card from Sam and Mara.  I thought they forgot about me L.  It seemed odd to receive the card so late, until I opened it and saw the awesome picture they sent along.  Couldn’t have been more happy for them and best birthday present ever. 9/2/16

We needed to get our little piggies to market and soon!  When I called our nearest processor, they said they could put me down for end of January.  Negative.

Next thing was getting a trailer to haul them.  I borrowed a great outfit that goes right into a 5x8’ trailer.  Worked great.  The girls didn’t want anything to do with getting in that thing.  Also funny that they REALLY didn’t want to get out of it either!  Before and after photos provided. 9/27/16

I found a place in Corinth, MS called Rickman’s Meats.  They were 70 miles away but could get the not-so-little hogs in the next week.  Perfect!  These two pics are of Gertie.  Bella was sold to friends to cover the butchering. We got most of the meat back in less than a week - 10/1/16.  The Bacon and Ham took two months to cure.  Well worth the wait - 12/2/16.  I don't think we'll do this project again, although I may get a bigger hog just for a pig roast some time.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Sam came down to shoot another match at K&M.  This time he brought a buddy with him.   Steve is a co-worker and happened to bring a bottle of Lagavulin 16 along with him.  He’s welcome any time!  They came down the day before Sam’s birthday.  Three days of shooting for them, and I was lucky to tag along on Sunday. 10/9/16

Les and I had the Ames Plantation Heritage Festival on Saturday Oct 8^th.  That is always my favorite show.  Love them cannons going off at random times.  The weather was beautiful as were all the folks that stopped by our tent.

Leslie had major back surgery two days after Ames.  Her doctor did a GREAT job and she felt more solid the first time she stood up after surgery.  Her attitude was so good through everything, that they let her leave a day early.  I took care of her as best I could her first few days home. 10/19/16

Then her awesome cousin Michelle with her husband Chuck, came up for a week to help Leslie, and camp their last couple days at Davey Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, TN.  It’s always nice to see those two.  We all get along so well and it didn’t seem like anyone was doing anything too hard.  Leslie’s recovery went so dang well. P.S. I think the chocolate helped her considerably.  10/21/16

I didn’t get out deer hunting at all in 2016.  It was bittersweet.  Two friends harvested deer and offered them to me.  Yoink!  That is such a nice thing.  Some good ol' friends here.  I also came across a small deer #3, in the road on the way in to work, and didn’t want a school bus to hit it, so I threw it in the truck and took it back home.  Only one bad spot on it.  Then the day after Christmas, one of the deer that runs around work was dead in the road.  It went home with me after my short holiday work day.  That made 4 deer (mostly) in the freezer.  I gave most of the last one away to a young family, and some to another couple.  I’d say that was one of the best deer seasons I have ever had. As you can see I DON'T waste any venison when I process it myself.

With one of the deer I made hot Italian/venison sausage and smoked some hot stix and andouille sausage.  It doesn’t get any better.  12/20/16

Leslie had surgery on her frozen shoulder in early December.  It relieved a lot of pain and therapy helped get her arm feeling better. 12/5/16

We had a very quiet Christmas and New Year.  In like a Lion and out like a Lamb.

It sure seemed like such a rough year to deal with, but all these wonderful things more than made up for it.  Guess you gotta take the bad with the good.

Thanks to everyone who have made our lives so Enjoyable! 

Life would be so dull without Y’all.

2017 Promises To Be A Much Better Year For Us All! 

More Posts To Come.

REALLY Long Time A Comin' Pt 1

Well, seems like it’s been a year since the last time I posted anything. 2016 was a rough year, or so I thought.  After getting a new phone, I went back over all the pictures that I’d saved, most were deleted.  Looks like a lot of good things happened at the Arcadia homestead.  Here’s what went down throughout the year.

Blooming Arts Festival 2016 in Linden, TN went alright.  So many great people coming out for the first big show of the year.  It’s our signal that spring is here. 3/18/16

My mother and brother came down to visit the last week of April.  Mom hadn’t been down here in a while because dad’s health was failing.  This was Tom’s first visit here.  I had him weld up some of my press for me and should have had more of it ready to finish.  4/30/16

The same day Mom & Tom left, Leslie’s mother and Bob came down to visit.  They were on their way to Georgia to visit with his family.  We got to take them over to Natural Bridge at the Tennessee Fitness Spa.  It was nice to have our folks come to the homestead…it doesn’t happen very often. 5/1/16

Someone finally fixed the soffit/facia boards on the back of the house.  They had been eaten away by carpenter bees.  Then I needed to cut down the brush behind the house to keep those pesky squirrels from jumping on the house. 5/7/16

Our next adventure started with me building a pigpen, house, feeder and waterer for our two little piggies.  We named them Gertie and Bella.  They sure know how to tear up the earth. 

My Tennessee cousin Tommy Burns stopped by one afternoon with his whole family.  They are a really nice bunch. 5/8/16

For Leslie’s birthday I built her an enclosed raised garden bed.  Julian helped me put it together and fill it up with many layers of dirt, hay, leaves and moisture holding materials.  Our Super Dry summer did it in.  Guess what won?  Oh yeah those dang weeds.  They don’t care what the conditions are.  5/20/16

Sandy and Len stopped by on their trip down the Natchez Trace.  They wanted to drive the whole Trace.  It is such a beautiful drive with more wildlife than you can imagine. 5/21/16

Sam came to stay with us at the end of May.  He signed up for a precision rifle match at K&M rifle range in Finger, TN.  The range is only 55 miles from here.  It was a blast (get it?) watching him shoot out to 1200 freakin’ yards.  He did great in the competition and I had a great time watching him shoot. 5/27/16

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This was the start of our year.  Seems to me that it was a good start and we never had so many folks come by in such a short period of time, except for the Party.  See y'all soon!

Part 2 will come in tomorrow or the next day.