Only 3 people want to win?

Only 3 people so far have entered to win the 72 hour kit worth $69.95.

You have 7 more days to enter. I know you want to tell me about that leather jacket you thought was so cool back in high school, or the one size doesn't fit all chaps incident.

Find the entry post here>>>Win a Trekker 72-hour kit!

And remember to get your friends to vote on your suggested name before the 30th! 2 names will face off on the 31st.

Yes, I am blatantly trying to get you guys to link to my blog to help me raise money for the Blogathon. Use one of my banners to be entered to win a t-shirt of your choice from Crazy Dogs t-shirt.

And sign the pledge to win a goody bag from RoadRUNNER magazine.

An apple is an excellent thing, until you have tried a peach.

~George du Maurier


I have finished canning my peaches. Got 9 quarts for pie. Well, ok, it is actually a simple syrup with peaches in it.




1 gallon of water, 4 oz of pectin, and 2 cups of sugar. Blanch peaches, and pull off the skin. Pit and throw into the pot with the above mixture. Heat through and can.

The liquid you have left is a wonderful peach flavored simple syrup that can be used for tea sweetening or pops.






I processed 2 quarts of the simple syrup.

I have peach butter simmering on the stove now.

Xippy's Xylophone? Vote Now

Because of the amount of suggestions, we are going to narrow it down a bit. You can vote once on each poll.



Here is our newest little girl. Now you get to decide what her name shall be. The person that suggested the winning name will receive Survival Seeds from Hometown Seeds.

This is part of my blogathon. The winner will be announced on Augst1st 2010. Make sure you link to this page to get your friends to vote!

This poll will be open until July 30th. The two winning names will then have a face off for the final winner on July 31st.

And remember I still have other give-a-ways going on from now until August 1st!

There are 2 polls here. You can vote once on each poll. Not once total. once on the first poll AND once on the second poll.

What should her name be?

• 
  
  Xandra's Xanthippe


• 
  
  Xavia (means new house)


• 
  
  Xanadu


• 
  
  Xiavierre Xuxa


• 
  
  Xuan (means Spring)


• 
  
  Xena


• 
  
  Xstead's Xtra


• 
  
  Xola Xolani (means Stay in Peace & Please Forgive)


• 
  
  Xuxu's Petals


• 
  
  Xanthe

view results
Free vote poll

Second part

• 
  
  Xanto (means Golden)


• 
  
  Xylia (means wood dweller)


• 
  
  Xixian Xi


• 
  
  Xhosa


• 
  
  Xalina (means Moon, light, shine)


• 
  
  Xanthe Xira (means Blonde Messenger)


• 
  
  Xia (glow of sunshine)


• 
  
  Xiu Xiu (heaven Bath)


• 
  
  XIA XING (glow of the sunrise star)


• 
  
  Xanadu Gelfing

view results
Free vote poll

How to stress out your wife

The boys and I roasted hot dogs over a campfire for dinner. Husband was stopping by our friend Hooter's house then headed out to the farm to check on the cows. We left the windmill running because the wind was rather non-existent. Have heard that some 2,000 cattle have died in the heat. That worries me a bit. But the girls (and the 2 little boys) seem to be fairing well at the farmstead.

I was reading and looked up at the tv. There was a severe storm North west of the homestead, too far from the farm to be a worry. I went back to my reading, and after a bit looked up again. There was a tornado warning over the farmstead. My heart sank. Husband was on the motorcycle. I called my mother first to see if she can pull up a more detailed view of the storm, try to pinpoint were it was exactly. Next I called Hooter to get a time line, when did he leave you house?

The news was saying 2 tractor trailers were flipped not far from the farmstead. Oh no! I paced a bit, and called my mother back. Husband isn't home by midnight, I am going out to look for him. That would give him 3 hours to get home. The storm however wasn't moving very fast. I hoped he holed up in the barn.

Husband returned home shortly before 10pm. Here is his story;

He made it out to the farm. The cows were thrilled to see him as always. Though X was missing. He found him laying in the tall grass after a bit. The windmill had done it's job and the tank was almost completely full. As he shut and locked down the windmill he saw dark clouds suddenly erupted in the sky. He thought it would be best to head home. He rode a little too fast on the dirt rodes, the bike slipping underneath him at times in some of the deeper gravel that has recently been placed down to fill in the wash outs that occurred in the storm we drove the cattle in. He slowed a bit, but the storm was looming closer.

Once on the pavement, the rain began. He kept looking in his mirrors because in was an almost constant flash of light reflecting in them, And the sun was setting in front of him, not to the rear. Something to his side caught his attention, his breath caught for a moment. There, not far from him was a debris cloud. He sped up hoping it wasn't coming his direction. The bike swayed underneath him, fighting the wind and wanting to lurch itself toward the debris cloud. He skirted the edge of the storm. Making it home safely and hardly even wet.

I ran out to greet him with a smoke and kisses. The a hit on the shoulder, don't ever do that to me again!


Don't forget the Survival Seeds contest

nor the Trekker 72 hour pack give-a-way!

Think I will turn this post into a contest for Survival Seeds

I was on the computer late last night, when Husband came in. Cows are making an odd noise out there, he informed me. Sounds like bigfoot.

This of course got me to go out into the oh so dark night. It was Winston making the noise (our year old bull). He was staring over to the other corral. There I found Mama mooing quietly and turning circles. She was in labor.

I ran to get Husband and a flashlight. I have yet to see a calf born. The flashlight I found was just about worthless, so by the light of the crescent moon, Husband and I watched the calf come into the world. We could see the silvery colored sack as she slide forth, and then plop. On the ground. And in 5 minutes the calf was up and nursing. From water break to calf walking took 30 minutes.

This morning we went out, and IT'S A GIRL! (my camera has gone missing, will get pics asap)

Now how to turn this joyous occasion into a contest for the blogathon. Simple, you are going to name her.

This will be a 2 part contest.

First, suggest a name in comments. Two rules, name must begin with the letter X and you get one name. (it can be a first and middle like Urth's Umbra)

Second, I will leave this open for 2 days. After that I will close the suggestions and voting will commence. The winner of the voting will win The Survival Seeds from Hometown Seeds. The voting will be open until midnight July 31st. And the winner announced after that.


We have 10 pledges for the blogathon, think we can get more? Thank you to those that have pledges. Your names will be entered in to the drawing for the goody bag from RoadRUNNER magazine.

Just when you thought it was safe to come back here

I whip out another long story.

I get a phone call Saturday night, horse wife had just dropped horse neighbor off at the airport, to head back to Afghanistan, when she got a phone call. Her s-i-l was talking to a vet that had a colt that was going to be put down. She thought horse wife would take it.

The foal's mother was very sick. She gave birth to the little boy and then out right rejected him. Now from the story I got, it sounds like the vet rejected him as well. Didn't feed him for the first 24 hours of life, didn't even clean him up. When horse wife said she would take the baby, he placed an iv for plasma into the tiny neck. The colt weighs maybe 15 lbs. He is a miniature breed. When horse wife got him, he had managed to beat himself up trying to stand. His eye was bloody and swollen shut, he was still covered in birth. And the vet gave her PET (evaporated milk) and told her good luck, he has a 10% chance of making it.

That's when she called me about goats milk. Oddly enough, Patch had (after months of not milking her) swelled up with milk. I got almost 2 quarts from our goat-a-corn, and passed it on to horse wife. The poor colt is having issues. I showed and informed her the best I could. Telling her I have never dealt with a foal before, but goats instead. Next morning enema and her personal vet was called. The foal is on an IV and is receiving antibiotics. If we can get him to live another day and continue to eat, he should make it.

Yesterday, we went to the farmstead. We got water going again, and finished up two sides of the corrals with barb wire. And I became ill. Head hurt, stomach rolled. I told husband we have to call it. I can't do it anymore. Husband begrudgingly agreed. He wasn't feeling well either, and there is so much that still has to be done. We loaded up and head home. Husband decided to go the backside of the property when I asked about a chute in the back 47. No permanent chute, the was a mobile one sitting there as the people that lease it are getting ready to take their cos to market. Husband decided to drive on, taking a different route out of the Flint hills.


We ended up in the Ghost town of Cedar Point. A sign on the bridge called for help, to save the Flour mill on the river.
We don't see a lot of these here in Kansas. The Chase County Historical Society has nominated it for a historical site. Which it should be. You can't park on the bridge where you can see it, but you can stand a little ways off. This part of Kansas is gorgeous by the bye. The Historical Society is trying to raise money to keep the mill standing. Husband and I were talking. Thee have been several small ghost towns in Kansas saved by bikers. I know, odd, but here how it works. 1 small restaurant, 1 historical place, 1 decent but scenic drive out of Wichita and VIOLA! You have a saved community. Wonder if there is a way to talk to the historical society about something like this. Plenty of abandon buildings in that town to sustain a weekend restaurant.

The ride home was pleasant enough. The air helped cool and relieve the headache. Once home I turned on the news, and wouldn't you know it the temperature was 100 F. Have no idea what the heat index was with the humidity, but that would explain why husband and I were getting so sick.

Just got a phone call from the Horse wife, the foal died earlier this morning.