amtolle

Happy Watermelon Day

August 3, 2022 is Watermelon Day. Watermelon is a summer staple in my family. Most varieties in stores today are seedless watermelons. But as a child I remember having to spit the black seeds as we would eat the watermelon outside. Or removing the black seeds from the melon as I cut it into pieces and placed in a large bowl.

Picking out a sweet juicy watermelon is considered an art. I seem to be good at it. I have grown watermelon in my garden, and determining if the watermelon is ripe on the vine is the same technique as determining if the watermelon is juicy – a tap on the “bottom” as my dad would say. The hollow sound and mild vibration through the fruit lets you know how juicy the watermelon will be. Soft spots are not good, over ripe or bruised.

There are various ways of preparing a watermelon for eating. How I prepare the melon is determined on who is going to be eating the melon. For my grandchildren, I cut the melon into small bite size pieces. For adults, I will slice and cut pie shape pieces allowing the person to eat the melon with getting the sticky “watermelon smile” associated with eating a half slice. Regardless of how you serve the watermelon, salt always allows the sweet juices to be sweeter.

I have even carved a watermelon to use for serving the bite size pieces. Simple to do and makes an attractive decor for the table. One problem I had while carving the cavity is doing it so the bowl sits correctly on the table. I always seem to get a little off and the bowl does not sit perfectly upright. Once I had to cut the rind on the bottom to get the bowl to sit upright and not dump the contents onto the table.

I compost the rinds. But I would like to try making pickled watermelon rind or a pickle relish from the rinds. Recipes and others say the rinds are like cucumbers and you can use the same recipes on the rinds as you do for pickles. An old family friend said it was common during the Depression Era to make pickles from the rinds as they did not waste anything during that time.

I have even seen recipes for a soup made from watermelon rinds.

In the area of Texas where I live, watermelon was grown as a major crop until the late 1980’s. The town I live in was the train stop for the farmers to put their watermelons on the train to be shipped to the cities. The train depot is a feed store now, and the watermelon fields are used for cattle and growing hay. After harvest, the train cars loaded and on their way, a big festival would take place called the Watermelon Festival.

This weekend is the Watermelon Festivals when the communities gather for softball games, a farmer’s market, eating contests and cooking contests as well a many other activities. One community near us has a rodeo during the festival. Although the watermelons are not grown in the community as a major crop, the festivals are still celebrated reminding us of the past, but mostly to have fun and enjoy the activities.

amtolle

Privacy with Triplets

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

My youngest daughter is pregnant with triplets. Being a young married woman with a child, it was not uncommon for her to be pregnant. When she learned she was pregnant with triplets, her life changed.

My daughter is very private, no facebook, no twitter, no photos of her or her family on the internet. She does not discuss family at work. Family members understand they do not post pictures of her or her family on any internet or social media.

When she was confirmed pregnant she had to inform her supervisors of the future need for maternity leave. When she learned she was carrying triplets, the need to inform more people at work arose. She would have to have medical accomodations in performing her duties. One accomodation was a golf cart to transportation to different buildings, as she was no longer to walk long distances. Her medical accomodations let others know she was pregnant with triplets.

I have posed the situation with her that having triplets will draw attention to her regardless if she wants the attention or not. People notice twins, triplets are more rare, and will definately be noticed. Trips to the store or doctor’s office for checkups, will draw attention. When the triplets start school, they will draw attention.

How does a person maintain anonymity with triplets?

First, no announcements or photos from the hospital when they are born. They have signed documents with the hospital informing the hospital not to photograph, video or print any information concerning their children.

While there are organizations that could assist them with the additional expenses of having triplets, those organizations would want photos for advertisement and recognition of assisting them. They are not receiving any outside help other than family.

At work, everyone wants to see the triplets after they are born. My daughter keeps work at work and home life private. The decision to not take the triplets to work was made well before they were conceived, when she decided to not take her other child to work. She is aware that her coworkers are going to want to see the babies, and she has thought of ways to diplomatically tell them no.

As the children grow there will be more decisions made to keep them safe and not in the public eye.

Be honest, we do not live in a safe world for children.

The days of riding a bike around the neighborhood and being home before the sunsets are gone. As a child there were hours my parents did not know my actual location. Today, it is not safe to let children roam without a parent in eyesight.

My children has observed the mother hen keeping her chicks close, then with one crackle the chicks scurry under her protective wings, totally hidden from the intruder or danger nearby. They are as the hen in how they teach their children to be while away from home.

Children are precious gems in our lives. It is a shame we can not share their beauty with others without the possibility of danger. We have to keep our children and grandchildren close and sometimes hidden in order to protect them.

amtolle

August Beginnings

August is beginning and the mark of summer ending with the grandchildren preparing to start school in a few weeks. There will be no more visits with grandchildren until Christmas break. The softball season is over, and other sports practices been going on for a few weeks. The distance apart makes if difficult to attend any games, but we like to keep track on their achievements.

I have been putting the squash from my small garden up for later meals. We eat some and I freeze some. The work of growing food. The tomatoes and bell peppers do not produce fruit in the heat of summer. Once the temperatures start to drop, they will set fruit for a late harvest in November.

In the part of Texas where I live, people plant two gardens, a spring garden and fall garden. The spring garden has been struggling in the heat. Squash produces well in the heat as long as it has water. The tomatoes, bell peppers will produce when the temperatures drop. The brussel sprouts will begin to grow their fruits vigorously with the cooler temperatures arriving at the end of August. Pumpkins will continue to set fruit and grow until the first freeze in mid November.

In a couple of weeks I will plant radishes, onions and maybe some potatoes. These vegetables will grow well in the cool temperatures until we get a hard freeze in January or February. Cabbages do well in a fall garden.

The lambing for summer is done. Due to the drought, the sheep market is flooded with people selling their ewes and rams because winter feed prices are going to be higher than last year. People selling now, means there will be fewer lambs born in the fall. Less lambs born in the fall means fewer lambs for sell in February and March when the lamb market prices are usually high. I am currently breeding my ewes for fall lambing. I have faith I will be able to continue to purchase feed through the winter and hopefully make a good profit in February.

August is the time to settle down and do projects that were interrupted with visits from family. The grandchildren go back to school, and I go back to work building and repairing the shelters for the animals this winter. Projects that improve our place and home.

August is also the time to start the gifts for family and friends. Considering I did not plant cucumbers this year, I will not be making pickles and relish for Christmas gifts. I will have to make the Christmas gifts this year. One of my projects to get completed in August is the leather crafting work table. My husband wants to make belts for the grandchildren. I will need to have the leather work table done for him to be able to complete his Christmas gifts this year.

Another project is to finish some quilts I started last year for the grandchildren. I am going to set up my quilting frame in the spare bedroom, now that there will not be any visitors until Christmas. I hand stitch all the quilting on my quilts. A task that requires time and patiences of placing each stitch in the right place. When the quilts are completed, they are heirlooms for my grandchildren and future generations. Before I die, I want to have completed a quilt for each grandchild. Some have their quilts, but I have a several more to make and complete.

My year is marked out in months for certain activities and events. August is the beginning of work as the season for playing with family is over until Christmas time.

amtolle

Recycling metal

Today we made the annual trip to the scrap metal place that receives metal for recycling. We work at reusing items by using those items to build or repair something on the place. Sometimes, there is no reusing an item, it is placed in our “scrap metal bin”.

The “scrap metal bin” is a repurposed truck bed. My husband’s son replaced his regular truck bed with a flat bed. He gave us the truck bed as the company was going to charge him for disposal of the old bed. We have been putting any unusable metal for collection in this old truck bed. When the truck bed gets full, we load the metal onto the trailer and take it to a recycling place.

At the recycling place, we are paid for the pounds or tons we bring in. If we were to take these items to the dump station for trash we would have to pay to “dump” the metal there and we would have to sort the metal into another bin separate from trash. The dump station takes the bin to a recycling place and receive the money for my unusable metal. Instead, we save it up and get paid for it.

We do not make much money from saving and hauling the metal to a recycling place. There are people who will come to your place, pick up the old rusty farm equipment, wire and other metal and haul it away. Sometimes they charge to do the clean up, sometimes they do it only for the scrap metal. There is a person in the community where we live who will haul away old appliances and metal items for no fee. Old appliances, farm equipment, cans from canned vegetables and fruits, bent pipe, bent metal posts, anything metal can be taken in for recycling.

It requires less energy to metal scrap metal down and recast than to get the iron from ore.

I also save all the aluminum cans. The aluminum goes into a different bin. It takes over a year to get that bin filled.

It does not seem like much, but we do try to take care of the earth. We recycle, compost and repurpose items.

Triplet Update

This week I was honored with the invitation to attend an ultrasound appointment with my daughter who is pregnant with spontaneous triplets. Spontaneous triplets are conceived without any assistance from fertility drugs or treatments. They were wanting another baby, and was blessed with three.

According to the CDC, triplets happen in 1 out of 10,000 pregnancies. Majority of triplets are conceived with the aid of fertility treatments. Becoming pregnant with triplets without the assistant of fertility treatments is more rare.

They are 28 weeks in gestation, the beginning of the third trimester. Being able to view the ultrasound and see my grandchildren was thrilling. They are crowded inside, moving a lot. They are doing very well. Each baby weighs a little over 2 pounds, total is over 7 pounds. I was able to hear the heart beats of each baby. We were also able to see and hear them practice breathing.

As a mother in the 80’s and 90’s, I only had two ultrasounds during my four pregnancies. Being able to see my grandchildren during this visit was a blessing beyond measure. These three grandchildren bring the number to fifteen grandchildren. I am blessed.

Babies and mom are doing well. We are looking forward to their delivery in September. Prayers and positive thinking are appreciated.

amtolle

Times of Evaluation

I am one of those people who like to have a plan then follow the plan. Only thing, my life does not seem to follow the plan. This is true for most of us. We have plans of things we want to do and accomplish during our life, then life happens, plans change and sometimes just disappear. The changed plans are not bad, some changes in our lives are exciting.

Finding the true love, soul mate, person who completes you is often found unexpected. These are happy events in our lives, that do lend to a different plan. Unexpected promotions or job offers are happy received events that change the plans we have, perhaps moving things forward a little faster. Sometimes job opportunities are accompanied with having to relocate to a different area. Then there are those events in life that bring great joy, but were a total surprise.

In my family, my youngest daughter and her husband wanted another child, to be a sibling to their daughter and a happy addition to their family. Their plan was to have two children. My daughter became pregnant, went for an ultrasound and saw a surprise, three babies instead of one. The fact they were going to have triplets took a moment to digest the surprise. Triplets altered their plans slightly, and with joy they moved forward preparing for three babies instead of one.

Not all events are happy events, some events bring stress, hardship, and having to totally change what you are doing and the direction you are going. These events seem to be the ones we remember the most, I think because we have to make tough decisions and fight our way forward.

Seven years ago a huge event changed my plans and lifestyle. My husband went to work as usually, the company had a safety meeting every Thursday morning. When he arrived at the shop for the safety meeting, after being in the field in the early morning, he knew something was different, a sheriff car was parked in the parking lot. Everyone gathered for the safety meeting, only it was not a safety meeting. One of the directors of the company stepped up, greeted the group, then called out four names and said “you are no longer employed. The sheriff deputy will help you gather your personal belongings from the company truck and then you are to leave. ” He called to have me come and pick him up.

The paycheck stopped, but the bills kept arriving. We sold majority of the horses, keep three for personal horses to ride, praying we would not have to sell them. The end of our dreams and plans of raising horses. The plans for building a new house, sit on a shelf collecting dust. Six months we did not know if we were staying or moving, it all depended on where he found a job. We evaluated our situation, made decisions, shed tears, and moved forward.

How many of us evaluated our lives when we were in lockdowns due to Covid-19. Travel plans were changed or cancelled. Family seemed to be more important. There were births, graduations, weddings and funerals we were not allowed to attend. Items in the store were not available for purchase. Drastic changes to our lives, but not from any decision or choice we had made. Yet, we had to make changes to our plans and our lives.

Some forced to work from home, learned they enjoyed working from home and did not want to return to an office building to perform their duties. Others lost jobs and found new careers. Some businesses closed, others became mobile. The community I live in, has a mobile beautician as well as a mobile dog groomer.

Then there are life changes such as graduation from high school or college, getting married, and retirement. My husband and I are getting close to retirement. We are evaluating what we will be able to afford, what we should keep and what we are going to do when he retires. One thing is certain, our income will decrease dramatically when he retires.

One item we are working on now is to have the house and place paid off, no house payment. When he was laid off, we paid off all our debts except the house, the only debt we have. We made a decision to never have a credit card again, if we can not pay cash, then we do not get it.

amtolle

Christmas In July

Christmas is my favorite holiday to celebrate. I enjoy decorating the house for Christmas. Each year I create a new item to add to the decorations for my house. For me, I need to start early in creating the new item as I have a busy schedule.

One other tradition I started when my children were small is Christmas shopping. I start in July. By starting in July I have time to make unrushed choices in the gifts I purchase for family and friends. I have the time to research and make quality choices in the gifts I purchase.

Another benefit to starting my shopping early is the ease on my bank account. I am able to spread the cost of Christmas gifts over six months, instead of three or four weeks. By spreading the cost over several months, I have a larger budget for Christmas shopping.

Another option for those who love to fight the crowds on “Black Friday” is to have discipline to start early and save for the purchase of gifts. I personally do not like the large crowds in the stores on “Black Friday”. And there have been times I waited hoping for a better price on “Black Friday”, only to not be able to find the gift to purchase. Starting in July, I may not have the lower price, but I do have the item to wrap and give.

I like to wrap the gifts to look special. I am able to spend time a creatively wrap the gifts for each person. Creating name tags and bows unique as the person receiving the gift.

Christmas cards are started in July. I pick out the card and address the envelopes using Calligraphy. In December I will write the Christmas Letter to place in each envelope, seal and mail. Most people receive junk mail and bills in the mail, I keep an old fashion tradition of giving Christmas cards to send cheer in an unexpected place, the mailbox.

I do go shopping in December. I pick out the next year’s Christmas cards as they go on sale. I also buy wrapping paper and supplies when those items are on sale in December. Stocking stuffers are purchased along with peppermint candy canes and candy that is only around during the Christmas season.

After Christmas is a shopping time with every store wanting to get rid of all things related to Christmas. Three years ago I purchased a six foot tree for $25.00 on sale, regular price was over $100.00. There are good deals after Christmas, although the selection is very meager.

Each year when I put the tree up, for a short time there are numerous creatively decorated presents under the tree, until I package and ship.

amtolle

The Demise of Food

Majority of people go to a store to purchase food. Recently in the United States, some food products are not on the shelf. Regardless of where you live, you need food to survive. But where does food come from?

As an example of illustration, a can of green beans. We find the can of green beans on a store shelf. The can of green beans arrived at the store via delivery truck from a warehouse. The can of beans along with hundreds of cans of beans arrive at the warehouse from a production facility. At the production facility is when the can of green beans was created. What goes into a can of green beans.

First, the facility has to have green beans. They arrive in crates, are cleaned, chopped, and blanched or lightly cooked with steam, and ultimately placed in a metal can, with water and sealed. The first item needed is the green beans. Where do they get the crates of green beans?

The crates of green beans comes from a cool storage facility that purchases the green beans from farmers. Farmers sell or store the green beans they spent a year in growing at these cool storage facilities, until a production facility purchases the green beans.

The farmer has acres of land they plow, seed and pray for rain for the plants to grow and produce their fruit of green beans. When the beans are ready, the farmer harvests and ships to the cool storage facility. A year of work.

In Indiana they are in the process of putting over tens of thousands of farm acreage into solar power. Covering the area that once produced corn into solar panel electric farms. I know of these solar farms, as my son is working on the installation of the solar farms, to be completed in seven or eight years.

This is also taking place in other states. I am for green energy, but at what cost. In Indiana they do not want wind generation as the windmills are unsightly. I agree, Texas has many wind farms, and the skyline is ruined. But with wind farms, the land is still able to used for wheat, cotton and cattle production. With solar panel farms, only sheep are able to graze. Cattle destroy the solar panels by rubbing on them to scratch an itch. Sheep are smaller and can not damage the solar panel. The solar panels are placed close, a farmer is unable to work the ground or harvest.

I live on ten acres of land. I raise sheep. I produce enough lamb to feed five families for a year. If I were to raise my own food, I could raise enough vegetables for my husband and myself for a year, but I would not be able to raise wheat for flour, sugar cane for sugar, and other items. I could only raise enough vegetables and limited fruit for my husband and I for a year. I would still have to purchase flour, sugar, spices, dairy products, coffee or tea, and cleaning products from a store.

The need for electricity is growing, the demand is high. With the push for everyone to have electric vehicles, and all appliances in a home being electric creates a high demand. The shutting down of coal generated electric in twelve years, 2035. Solutions to supplying an increased demand for electricity with fewer power plants is solar and wind generation. There is plans to have all natural gas generated electricity stopped in 2050.

Texas during this heat wave is to hit the required use of 80,000 megawatts of electricity per day. Only 20% percent of the electricity produced in Texas is from wind and solar. Texas is leading in the production of green energy.

If hundreds of thousands of acres are removed from the production of wheat, corn, soybeans, etc., where will we get the “green beans” to place on our dinner table?

amtolle

Horse of a Different Color

**Dancer 4 years old**, after returning from the horse trainer.

These two pictures are of the same horse, taken four years apart. When Dancer was born, she was brown with the white blanket and spots on the top of the hips and a white spot or star in her forehead. As a three year old she was still the color as when she was born.

In the spring of her four year old year, Dancer started to have white spots in her black mane (hair along her neck) and tail. I knew from years of raising Appaloosa horses she was going to turn white. Then white spots started appearing all over her body. I had taken her to a horse trainer, as I am not allowed to be the first person to ride an unridden horse any longer.

At the trainers, Dancer continued adding white spots to her color. Her long black mane and tail was turning white, and getting very short. I was having Dancer trained and shown at Reined Cow Horse competitions. Long manes and tails are strongly desired for eye appeal, or beauty of the horse. The trainer was concerned that my horse’s mane and tail was falling out. When the hair supplements, special shampoo and conditioners did not stop the hair loss, the trainer consulted a veterinarian to determine the cause of my horse getting a very thin and short mane and tail, after arriving with a full black mane and tail. The expense of a veterinarian examining a horse while at a training facility is charged to the owner. I was never charged for the veterinarian examine. As there was nothing wrong with my horse.

I do not know if the veterinarian chuckled or laughed when asked to examine my horse for hair loss of the mane and tail. I did when the trainer told me he had called a veterinarian to look at my horse because she was losing her mane and tail, having it replaced with short, thin white hair.

Dancer’s dam (mother) is a registered Quarter horse. Her sire (father) is an Appaloosa. Appaloosa horses change color, usually starting their two year year and up until they are fifteen. Her mane and tail turning white and getting short is an Appaloosa trait, although not all Appaloosas have this trait, very few. Her sire has a beautiful mane and tail as does her mother.

The white color spots appearing, is her black skin turning pink, from lack of pigment in the cells, called mottling. The “white” in her blanket, spots, mane and tail is not white, but lack of pigment and translucent – what gives the Appaloosa their unique coloring patterns.

Her change in color, losing her mane and tail was genetic, nothing anyone can do to change what was happening. Appaloosas are unique in their coloring, as no two are colored the same. If a person finds two very close, they may not be that way the next year.

Each spring we watch Dancer to see what her appearance will me when she sheds off her winter coat. Each year her coloring is a little different.

amtolle

Short Visit

“Distant makes the heart grow fonder”

My oldest daughter and her children have been visiting for the past five days. When planning vacation time, five days seem like enough days to spend time with us and with her sister. When making plans for this visit there was discussion on the children riding the horses, going fishing, playing in the water, seeing lambs and other activities. They arrive and start visiting, the days fly too fast and soon it is time to return home.

We were able to ride the horse one day. The children were given short lessons. My desire was to teach them to ride and have fun. But an one hour ride is not much time to learn or to ride. The temperatures were very high, over 100 degrees fahrenheit every day. The riding was done in the early morning hours, for the health of the children and the horse.

We spent a day with my other daughter and her family. Enjoying playing card games. The children played in the water, and the adults got wet from not so well aimed water fights. There was good food and conversation. But soon the clock said it was time to return home. A few chores needed done. And everyone needed some rest due to a busy day.

We built and painted wind chimes and bird houses. These items will go in my front yard near my little happy spot of a garden. I need to put a sealer on the bird houses. I have already put the sealer on the wind chimes, and I will hang them after they head home. Little reminders of their short visit.

We did not make it to the lake to go fishing. Fishing is one activity everyone enjoys. But the day only has so many hours to play in, and there were not enough hours for fishing. We will have to go fishing on another visit.

Everyone is quiet as we say good-bye. Desires and emotions are divided. They want to return home to their dad, their animals, and activities, but are sad to leave us as well. I know they need to return home. I am sad to see them leave. Children grow up fast, time passes quickly. There is never enough time to say and do the things the heart desires.

We have pictures and memories of this visit. Things to share with those back home. Treasures to hold in our hearts. Bonds built stronger with experiences shared.

amtolle