Chicken Wraps

So last night after spending the day in the hospital, I wanted to fix something quick and easy for supper. Alex thought it looked "gross" and wouldn't eat it.
I found the original recipe on a package of chopped cabbage and tweaked it a bit.
Cook 2 chopped green peppers in pan. Add small package of chopped cabbage (or chop it yourself) Add 4 cooked and shredded chicken breasts. Saute all until veggies are soft. Add teriyaki sauce to taste. Heat for a few minutes more. Wrap in flour tortilla and serve. Peter liked this so he's having leftovers for lunch today.

The Doctor said I'm "great"

Last Wednesday the medical van came out to the church to offer medical services. In order to keep them coming they need warm bodies receiving services. Since the services are free and I like to support the church activities, I signed up and had my blood drawn to be tested.
This morning at 5:15 a.m. the medical company called and said that my potassium level was dangerously high and I needed to go to the emergency room right away. This based on blood drawn 6 days ago.
So I end up at the ER (thank you Magie for taking the boys on no notice, just me showing up and dropping them off). The hospital proceeds to run more blood work (I can't tell you how much I enjoy having blood taken, really I can't tell you that because I'd be telling a big fat LIE.)
In addition to the blood work they also did an EKG and some other tests. The results came back negative, fine, great etc. Come to find out if the lab lets your blood sit around for 5 days it starts to deteriorate and gives a false level of potassium. So instead of a level 7 (stroke city) it's at a 4 (quite a normal range). So basically there was a lot and lot of worry (Peter, my MIL, my BIL, my SIL, Magie and me) for NOTHING. Except for the big whooping bill we'll get from the hospital and a raise in our health insurance. And I'm healthy.

Friday follies

It's the fourth Friday of the month which means pantry day. On the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month several of us unload and stock the shelves at our church's food pantry. The following Saturday people in the community can come shop for food. We have a wide variety of food to choose from. It's based on a point system, no more than 40 points per family. And the air conditioner wasn't on at the church. It's over a 100 degrees today, enough said.
Tomorrow we are finally taking Lily to the auction in Fowler. Magie is going to loan me the beautiful Phoebe to be the lead doe for awhile since Luna and Jet aren't up to the job. Hopefully Jem, Sasha, Baby or Lorelei will be our new matriarch to take their mom/grandma Sage's place.
I tried to leave a comment for Meredith about the eggs on her post (see 7000 feet to the right) but the computer wasn't cooperating. Those are Amercuana eggs. I have everal chickens that will lay those when they get a little older. They (whoever they are) say that the green or blue eggs are actually lower in the bad cholesterol. I used to have some hens but they went for some predator's lunch.
Sunday we are planning to go fishing, probably at Willow Springs pond in Fountain. It's a nice place, trees, bathroom facilities, picnic tables (my fishing requirements plus reading material) and fish (that the guys requirement).

Pork chops and rice casserole

Last night we had supper at the MILs and she fixed this-

5 thin cut pork loin chops
2 cans consomme
1 t. thyme
1 t. marjoram
1 c. uncooked rice
Place rice in bottom of casserole dish. Brown pork chops well in skillet with a little grease (oil). Place in casserole. Salt and pepper lightly. Sprinkle with thyme and marjoram. Put thin slices of tomatoes, onions and green peppers on each pork chop. Pour consomme over all. Bake at 325* for 1 1/2 hours or until rice is done and liquid is absorbed.

It's wabbit season...no it's dryer season

The other day a friend of mine, it's not Magie, saw a skunk going across her yard. In the daytime. Which usually means it's rabid and there are reports of rabid skunks in the area so better be safe than sorry. So this friend gets her shotgun and proceeds to shot the skunk.
She hits the skunk, it staggers. She shoots it again. It staggers. Fortunately the skunk is now across the road in a pasture so she shoots it again. Finally it drops.
Going back into the house she then proceeds to shoot her dryer. I don't profess to understand guns but she was doing something with the spent shell casings. The shot went through the front of the dryer and out the side without hitting the drum. The shot then punctured a number of juice cans and soup cans on the pantry shelves. Imagine the mess, if you will. Just another day living in the country.

A moment of silence, please

We have had an invasion of devasting proportions. Several weeks ago I planted 9 tomato plants, green beans, sunflowers, hot peppers and currents. In the last two days the little green grasshoppers have just decimated the garden. I'm not starting over. I'll plant out wildflower seeds instead. Those little bugs are also eating my one larger lilac and munching holes in the iris leaves.
It was rather chilly, sweatshirt weather, here yesterday. I even turned the heat lamp back on for the baby chicks last night.
Something happened with the nesting momma duck. Three of her eggs went missing yesterday between 10 am and 10 pm, she abandoned the remaining three eggs and took her two babies to another corner of the shed. I think I'm going to put her in the chick room with the babies in a cage. Should be fun, she's rather protective.

Change is good

So I made some changes to Green Gates Farm blog. I changed the design. I'm not talented enough to design my own. I added three new blogs to follow. One is Magie's Meadow, she's my bestest friend (yes Mom, I know "bestest" isn't a real word but that's the word Magie and I use.) I also added Carpool Queen and 7000 feet, both pretty awesome blogs and 7000 feet takes place in Colorado, yeah for Colorado. Nothing against the other 49 states, but you have to admit Colorado is pretty awesome. And I wasn't born here, nope, I'm a native Kansas girl.
So there will be some changes going on at the real life Green Gates Farm. We are selling Lily, one of the Boer does at the auction today. She's been butting Heartlee, Baby and Sasha around and they don't have a momma to take care of them. Well, Sasha does but Sage isn't getting up and doesn't acknowledge Sasha as hers anyway.
This next week I'll be gone most of the time helping Magie move to the new farm. and then the following week I'll start redecorating the master bedroom--wallpaper and paint, flooring. Hope to finish it by Alex's birthday on July 10. He will be 7.

10 on the 10th

This is my first 10 on the 10th so bear with me. Thanks to Meredith at Live at 7000 feet for this list. Please see her blog to the right as I can't figure out how to do a link.
10 things I can't live without

1. Andy
2. Alex
3. Peter
Isn't that enough?
4. My parents
5. My best friend Magie
6. Magie's three girls
7. Grandma's pot roast recipe
8. open space - why we live in the country
9. the multitude of animals running around here
10. last but not least Pepsi-Cola.

There, I did it

Dinner time prayer

This evening Alex, almost 7 and will be in 1st grade this fall, was reading the dinner prayer. Bear in mind that Peter wrote it out and he has very bad penmanship skills. The word in parenthesis is what should actually be said.

Lord, we thank Lee (thee) for this food, and bless it to the nourishment of our bodies. Forgive our sons (sins) and sove us for food (for Christ's sake.) Amen.

I'm sorry I couldn't help but to start laughing. Alex left the table in a huff and only came back so that he could have dessert of icees.

Happy Birthday baby brother

It was 41 years ago today that my mom had my little brother. Ken was born with a black eye and a dent in his head because they induced as my dad was leaving in three days for Vietnam. He was a helicopter pilot in the US Army. Ken's 5 years, 6 months and 8 days younger than me and about a foot taller.
He was okay as a little brother, HE got away with a lot more than I did. He was pretty funny most of the time. There was the time that right before school pictures he not only hit his head on the radiator he also cut his bangs....he was three at the time so you know how his self barber job turned out.
I keep telling Alex that he's a little brother like his Uncle Ken and his dad. Andy prefers to be the older sibling like me.
But anyway - Happy birthday Kenny.

Wishes

If wishes were horses, I'd have a whole herd. Saw a shooting star tonight while I was filling the horse tank. I wished for another horse so Comet would have a buddy since Gypsy doesn't like him much and Sophie hangs out with her mom.
Wished the coyotes would be quiet.
Wished that the boys would get along better. But they are good kids. Mostly.
Wished that while the population of snakes is declining in Africa, the rattler population in Colorado could take a serious nosedive. I really, really don't like snakes.
Wished it wouldn't be hot tomorrow, I have peppers and tomatoes still to plant.
Wished the grasshoppers would find something else to eat besides my garden.
So, if wishes were horses.

Cereal

My boys love cereal. Especially Alex. He would live on cereal if I'd let him. He has cereal for breakfast, morning snack, lunch dessert, afternoon snack--you get the idea.
When I was a kid, we had healthy cereal or grits for breakfast. The boys don't like grits, (I didn't either back then). Having Alpha bits was a rare treat. I don't get a lot of sugary cereals. Mostly we get corn flakes or rice krispies. I do have a box of raisin bran crunch but the boys don't like it.
They keep asking for oatmeal but I just can't wrap my brain around oatmeal in the summer. I do have some blueberries to put on the cereal but we think Andy is allergic. Also have mixed berries and strawberries. But my fave is still captain crunch. The original.

Radio Pudding

Many year ago my Grandma Smith was listening to the radio and heard this recipe broadcast. She missed the name of the dessert so the family knows it as "Radio Pudding."

Make a syrup out of:
1 c. sugar
2 c. water
1/8 t. salt
Put into baking dish

Cream together 1/2 c. sugar and 1 T. butter. Add 1/2 c. milk alternately with mix of 1 c. flour, 2 t. baking powder, 1 T cocoa. Add 1/2 c. raisins and drop by spoonfuls into hot syrup.

Bake 350* for 25 minutes. Serve with whipped topping. Recipe makes 6-8 servings, in a 9x9 pan. Double for 9x13 pan.

We have had this for many family get togethers, mostly holidays. And there's never any leftovers.

Our church is celebrating it's Centennial. We are putting together a cookbook. This is one of the recipes that I'm submitting.

Compassion vs. Craziness

Over at Bee Haven Acres they've adopted a 15 year old dog, asking are they crazy? I don't think so but then I'm the one who brought home a 25 year old mare (Aunt B), a 22 year old blind mare (Nikena) a number of crippled birds, plucked bare chickens and then there is Danny the beagle who came from the pound. Danny, I was told, was 4 years old, I have always thought him older, so now he is at least 10. And then there is Eliza, we adopted her a year ago as a nine year old, maybe. She has a lot more energy then Danny. So I don't think anyone who adopts an older dog or cat, crippled duck or blind horse is crazy, just compassionate. And if we are crazy, so what? it's for a good cause.