Wednesday, January 2, 2013

January 1 and 2, 2012

4:00 AM, 16°.  I am still feeling the effects  of the cold, but have quit the V-C.  I couldn't see much improvement with it.  My experience has been  that only time will take care of it.

I did absolutely the minimum  yesterday and spent most of the day dozing in my chair and reading The Winemaker on Kindle.  I had the Kindle plugged in to the wall charger and when I got up, I tripped over the darned thing and bent the little tab that inserts into the  bottom of the kindle.....now, of course, it doesn't work.  I ordered another one from Amazon but it won't be here until the 7th.

DH has been doing all the chores and I haven't milked in a long while.....Willow is probably thrilled!

I did manage to cook a pot of white beans yesterday and we will be having them today with cornbread, fried potatoes and onions.  I will make cole slaw (if I have cabbage in the crisper) or carrot salad (if not).

I never make New Year's resolutions but I have one sort of tucked away in my mind for this year.  I want to make each day count and not let them just get away from me (I know you know what I mean).  We should treasure each one and appreciate our blessings.  I want to be more organized with the house and the gardens, keep better records (daily) with my blog/journal.  That will mean some very boring things but it will be my personal record of each day. 

Random Photos

These were taken during the holidays but not in 2013.

I am still struggling with shooting into light but am re-reading my instruction book and vow to master this camera this year.



and I caught Marlene and Bette with the zoom outside the window,



and this is zoomed in closer,



DH just told me he finally saw them eating  hay.  They are sort of standoffish animals and only hang with each other; we knew they much eat the hay but just never caught them at it.

20 comments:

  1. I tell myself to improve in my camera skills...I just don't listen...:) JP

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  2. What a beautiful cardinal!

    I don't usually do "resolutions", but after losing a close friend to a bicycle accident, and seeing friends lose loved ones this year, I am determined to focus on building relationships. I'm sure I/we will never regret it! Happy New Year!

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  3. I'm sorry to read that you're still in the grips of that cold. Thanks to the early use of zinc products like Cold-Eeze I've not had to suffer a full-blown cold for the past 8 years. Hope you feel better soon. Don't push yourself.

    Aw, too bad about the cable and hope the replacement arrives soon.

    I hear you loud and clear about being 'mindful' of your days. They do tend to slip by unappreciated as we are busy. I know my life is rather poor in the relationship department (it's how I was raised) and it does make me feel sad sometimes, but I muddle through.

    Always great to see pics of the llama ladies. Take care - get lots of rest. :-D

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    1. I found a weird cable about 10 inches long.....it works; so I am limping along with it.

      I keep hearing about the zinc products but since this is full-blown would it still help?

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    2. Don't know about full blown cold, Glenda. What the zinc does is inhibit the virus from 'taking hold' in your mouth/nose/throat so they don't multiply, then they eventually die. I think your's are pretty well entrenched though. I just hope you don't catch flu while you're run down with the cold. I hear it is almost in epidemic proportions in the south and southeast and Ohio right now. Glad I got my flu shot. Take care.

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  4. I hope you are soon feeling better Glenda.

    I really need to learn my camera better. I basically bought it for its macro capabilities and that's about all I know. Now I don't have my personal 'geek' to help me and that's really awful. There are so many reasons why I miss him terribly. Sigh!

    Be well and keep warm.

    Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Oh Lorraine, I forgot he was your personal computer/electronics tech. Let's hope you don't have any difficult issues for a very long time. You can learn that too; I know you can.

      You will always miss him, but I hope it gets easier as time goes by.

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  5. Glenda,

    Good morning Sweetie, I'm sorry your still feeling under the weather. It's a good thing you stopped the V-C if it's no longer helping. Sometimes just having your traditional homemade chicken noodle soup, good sleep, and drink alot of fluids will help. Every now and then a cold, virus, or flu kicks the living daylights out of our system causing us to feel week, exhausted and out of energy. I always look back at Asian remedies to help me through times like this. I will boil water with some fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh thyme and 1 chopped jalapeno. Let all the herbs and peppers steep in pot for 10 minutes, drain liquid from herbs and jalapeno into a cup and drink slowly. This always causes me to heat up, releasing toxins. I dress warm and sleep most of the day afterwards. The next day, I usually wake up feel so much better.

    Obviously you understand some of the camera functions, because your pictures are beautiful. I love the cardinal and the alapacas. Give yourself time and you will know this camera inside out.

    Feel Better My Friend!

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    1. I am saving that Asian tea thing! I am better; finally we dismantled the tree and other decorations this morning. God bless my dear DH, he took all the decorations off the tree, including the 50 or so Hallmarks that have to be wrapped and placed in the boxes. I still have to vacuum the living room but the main work is finished.

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  6. Sounds like you have a good plan for the coming year. I'm working on one of my own, as well. I love your pictures. Would love to take a class, my pictures are so awful. XOXOXO Ilene

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    1. They are not awful!

      I have thought about classes but they are at night and in town which is too far for this old gal to go.

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  7. You are more of a master of the photos than I, Glenda. Part of my problem is I have a very "cheap" camera. I hope later to purchase a better one for my herb blog and business.
    Glenda, I found some "fresh" milk, and I have it chilled in the frig. I would like to make yogurt. This is a new supplier, I have been thinking that I should pastuerize it? It has been filtered, I was going to filter it more. Any suggestions? It is Jersey x milk and has a lot of rich cream.

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  8. Those are great pictures, Glenda! Keep it up.
    Ray
    tennesseecountryliving.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I just visited your blog and will be back.

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  9. Don't pasteurize it! I would only filter it if I could see foreign matter in the bottom of the jar. Have you seen the source up close and personal? That will tell you a lot about the cleanliness of the milk. If you are afraid of the danger of disease, then by all means, pasteurize. If they are clean you should see no matter in the jar other than milk.

    I am not experienced with Jersey milk (yet!) but you may have to skim off some of the heavy cream before making the yogurt. Let me know how it goes.

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    1. Yes, I seen the cow and she is healthy looking and has a couple of months old calf.The milk is creamy, and not clotty or stringy, and smells clean. The lady did not milk in a milk parlor, so I think that I am just going to pasteurize it for my peace of mind. I will skim off the cream, I am so excited to get "real" cream again for my coffee and tea.
      I will keep you posted.

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  10. Glenda, I've found that the charger for my cell phone is the same style of plug, and works for my Kindle as well.

    We have no success with yogurt unless I take the step where it's brought to 185 degrees and then cooled back down to about 110. I've come to the conclusion that it is an indicator that my source of raw milk carries some form of bacteria that hinders the growth of the yogurt culture. Obviously not a harmful bacteria, just something that gets in the way of the yogurt. It's the only logical reason I can think of to explain why a few people have success with raw milk yogurt, but so many of us fail unless it's quick-pasteurized. Since I make my yogurt in quart canning jars, it's easy enough to fill the jars with milk (no lids) and set in the rack of my BWB canner with enough water to come almost to the shoulders of the jars. Bring to a high simmer with a thermometer in one of the jars of milk, remove jars to cool when 185 is reached.

    Happy New Year to you and yours --- here's hoping you get that cold kicked in a hurry!

    Susan

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  11. I love the bird shot. I miss seeing Cardinals so much.

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  12. I made your sisters cinnimon cookies, they were so good, I will have to make some more.

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