Friday October 24, 2008

 

 

Flowerbeds ~ Venison ~ Mint Tea

 

As we discussed plans for our day, Cerwin mentioned that he was going to burn trash and leaves, so I decided this was a good day to prepare our flowerbeds for winter.  I cut the mint tea, trimmed perennials that were deteriorating, and made piles of “stuff” for Cerwin to pick up.

 

 

 This is not one of my favorite jobs, but it is supposed to be rainy tomorrow, and morning frost is beginning to kill tender plants – which was just the encouragement I needed to spend the morning outside.

 

 

Cerwin took the wheelbarrow to the TFC office, so used a tarp to gather leaves and remnants from our flowerbeds.

 

 

We noticed something unusual about our Hickory trees.  There aren’t any nuts this year.  We don’t remember that ever happening.  The grass is usually covered with them.  Do any of my readers know why this would happen?  Our squirrels may have to migrate to another woodlot.

 

 

After the yard was finished, Cerwin went to the butcher shop for the bologna and steaks from the deer he got last week.

 

 

There was twenty-five pounds of sweet bologna.  I froze twenty-two pounds, kept a pound for the refrigerator, and Cerwin gave three pounds to the farmer on whose land he hunts.

 

 

We had only the choice meat cut into steaks.

 

 

I enjoy watching my Game-Saver vacuum the air out of the freezer bags.

 

 

While packaging the meat, I brewed two-and-a-half gallons of mint tea.

 

 

Garden tea is not as sweet and minty at the end of the season, but a bit of lemonade makes it quite tasty.

 

~~~

I felt productive today.

~~~

 

Jere and Kristen’s boys are here for a few hours this evening.  Jere is on his way home from a business trip to Virginia, and Kristen, Abigail, Jana, and a friend are enjoying a girls-only-evening.  Cerwin is hunting with Jeff and Nathan.