I was tooling around the grocery store today and felt my buns clinching along with my wallet. My eyes even began to water as they bugged out on prices.

If you're like me, and feel like you've been paying more for groceries lately, you're definitely onto something. Why the difference? Unfortunately, the rising gas prices that are pinching your wallet at the pump also have a big effect on groceries. Fuel is needed to process the foods and truck them across the country. Prices for fruits and vegetables as well as milk, wine and ground beef are all on the rise.

Also, the high prices of gasoline have increased the demand for corn-based ethanol, which drives up the price of corn as well as other foods. Half of the corn produced in the U.S. is used to feed livestock that supply meat and dairy products, and corn is used in many food products (just think how many items contain high-fructose corn syrup or use corn oil).

With this is mind, if we are all to keep paying these prices, we should definitely be paying it locally. Support your local economy and your local farmers by patronizing our local farmer's markets, local grocers, and produce stands.

After I put away my grocery purchases and sat down at the computer, I decided it was time that blogging to my friends and readers wasn't all that I could do. I think a letter to the editor of my local newspaper is in order. I will let you know the outcome soon.

I just can't get this little tune out of my head tonight:

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel;

The monkey thought 'twas all in good fun

Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,

A penny for a needle—

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

Goodnight my friends!

We all will enjoy the cooler days of Fall that is certain, but I will miss the hot days of summer. I enjoy all that summer can bring.

I will miss the thunder showers and the dew covered mornings. I will miss the yellow squash and the fresh tomatoes hanging on the vines. I will miss the smell of hay that is newly mowed and the cool nights after the sun sets with sheet lightning in the distance. I will miss fireflies lighting my sky.






I will miss the frogs groaning in the pond, and the I will miss the barefoot opportunities that exist to wander about my yard. I will just miss the whole season.





But Fall is in the air, and so the farm, grass, and animals are welcoming the cooler evening temps. And, I guess that I am too.

'Fall' conjures up visions of gourds, pumpkins, fodder shocks, and colorful leaves. The local farmers market is still being stocked with fresh veggies, herbs, and flowers each week, but I suspect it won't be long before those wonderful Fall colors will splash through the market and give everyone Fall Fever.

I've also noticed that the new market grows each week. Each Saturday, the locals ascend upon the town for a few hours to pick over the freshest of the fruit and veggies as they socialize and catch up with friends and new neighbors. There are a smattering of children from time to time, but they're usually running about playing with new friends or shyly hiding behind mom's skirt. I think it would be wonderful to include the young in this new market; teach them about the farms and what they produce for our table. With that in mind, I will close this blog. I think I will be bringing that idea up this Saturday. "Children Grow at the Market".

The title almost sounds like a weather forecast. Ha!

Sorry for the bad humor. Now for the blog.











I want to apologize for not getting the photos and story to all of you waiting on the blackberry jam. I didn't realize I wasn't ready for canning on Sunday, so I opted to put this off until later this week. Stay tuned for the update.


This afternoon; however, I harvested more garden veggies for a summertime feast. I gathered a mess of beans and began stringing and breaking them to soak for dinner.










Winnie didn't think much of the whole 'stringing the green beans' process.






I slow cooked the green beans in fat bacon with baby red potatoes and corn on the cob. Dinner also consisted of pork roast and cornbread.




To top it all off, I definitely needed to use some of the berries we picked on Sunday, so it was blackberry cobbler and french vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yum!

After dinner, Kent headed for the sofa and I went back to the kitchen to start the process for freezing our abundance of tomatoes.

I finished up with the apples on Sunday, but our tomato plants are reproducing like rabbits this year. (Not that I'm complaining.) They are loving this Southwest Virginia soil. If they keep it up, we have decided to introduce them to our local farmer's market this coming Saturday. It's held here in our hometown of Big Stone Gap, VA. This is their first year working the market and it's slowly proving to be very productive for our area.

Local farms and farmers have been struggling and so I definitely want to get the word out about the importance of farmland protection for local food. With the new farm bill for the state of Virginia; it is a start to turn things around, but I am also cheering for a new "No Farms No Food" campaign spearheaded by the American Farmland Trust. You can find the link to their website under "I support" on the right side of my blog or by clicking on the American Farmland Trust link provided above.

I know how much all of you love finding fresh produce at the supermarket. Please know that you can make a difference by getting involved.

I've filled the last freezer bag of tomatoes and it's time to call it a night. Until next time...

Phew! Not sure where to begin here. Due to the heat wave and lack of rain, I realize I'm going to have to start picking apples, tomatoes, and berries to freeze and can for winter much earlier than anticipated.

So, today I'm going into my back yard to load up most of what I can still find on my June Apple Trees. Then I'm heading up the mountain on my 4-wheeler to pick blackberries along the roadside. I try not to venture into the woods this time of year. It's dangerous enough to pick berries on a mountain road. Keep in mind I will carry a firearm. That is something that just comes with the territory in these parts of the woods. And I'm quite glad that my Grandfather taught me to not only respect a handgun, but also how to shoot well. Black snakes are not my friends!

Later this evening I plan to pick the ripest of my tomatoes for freezing. Of course, I'll also be watering the garden, my ferns, flowers, plants, and puppies. They love the sprinkler in late afternoon to cool them off. They are so cute running and playing in the water as you may have seen on my blog before.










Keep in touch. I'll be back later this evening with photos.

The above title was taken from my daughter, Mira's Flickr site. By now everyone should know she wears her camera around her neck 24/7. So it didn't surprise me when I found my pasta on the internet.


Now don't get too excited. The recipe is so easy my dog could make it..... well, close.

Since the garden has been booming this past month, we have been eating a lot of dishes based on these wonderfully colored veggies. I have had a sore throat and the sniffles all day......due in part to the fact that I rode my 4-wheeler in the rain Saturday night, but...... life goes on. So, I opted for a short cut dinner.

Italian Herb, Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Pasta

* 2 medium garden sized squash
* 1 large garden zucchini
* 1 medium garden red tomato
* 1 medium garden banana pepper
* 1/2 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
* Black pepper to taste
* Fettuccini noodles (serving for 4)
* Dash of olive oil

Set water to boil for the pasta with a dash of olive oil.

Rinse and slice up the garden veggies to your liking and place in sauce pan heated to medium. Pour 1/2 bottle of Italian Dressing onto veggies and cover. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and add black pepper to taste. Fettuccini noodles should be ready for the colander. Combine and commence eating. Yum!

Oh. We did add garlic bread to the menu as an afterthought. Super Yum!

I just took two Tylenol and I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow is always a better day.

G'night!

After a long day running errands, picking up around the yard, taking care of pups, weeding the garden, watering plants and the garden, etc. You get the picture. Our usual stuff. We got a little hungry. After a show of hands, grilled chicken won the vote.

As much as I love to eat, sometimes the preparation and cook times can be a little long on Southern foods, so I opted for a quick and easy method for grilling this evening. This is my quick and easy recipe for:







Italian Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

* 2 lbs. chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips
* 2 -8 oz. packages of portobello mushrooms
* 2 medium sized yellow squash
* 1 large zucchini
* 2 bell peppers (We chose orange and yellow to add color)
* 1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
* 1 dozen wooden skewers soaked in water (or metal if you have them)
* Basting brush

Pre-heat grill to medium heat.

Rinse the chicken and place in shallow dish. Add half bottle Italian dressing and let marinate in fridge for 15 minutes while cutting the veggies.

Rinse all veggies. Slice squash and zucchini into round, bite-sized pieces. Core and discard seeds of bell peppers and slice into nice sized pieces. Mushrooms remain whole with stems. Place veggies in any order on skewers for a beautiful colorful display or how you like. Baste each veggie skewer with the Italian dressing.

Place skewers and chicken on the pre-heated grill. You may also place the basted zucchini directly on grill as we did. Cook time about 8 minutes on each side of chicken while continuing to roll the skewers. Continue to baste the veggies and the chicken while it is on the grill for a perfect juicy taste.



After dinner, the evening air temp was around 65 degrees. Not too warm or too cool, so we decided to use our fire pit. I enjoyed the fire with a nice glass of wine. My husband, of course, with his cold brew. And my daughter played with her camera....... nothing new there.


The ghost is coming to get Kent.

Waiting for the fire to calm down a bit before getting comfy.

We love Friday Night "fire pit" night!

Since there have been thunderstorms for the past couple of days, I realize I have neglected my blog. There is always plenty to write about on the farm with the puppies, kittens, cattle, and regular house chores, but I was waiting for photos before I made any posts. And all good photographers know that the weather is always a deterrent for good photos.

I picked up piles of loose limbs, sticks, twigs, etc. for most of the day into a big pile.

At one point the puppies felt they should help. Ha Ha! We all know they were more underfoot than help, but I enjoyed the company.

I also had to clean out the garden since we have Chestnut Trees that hover above. The storm winds wrecked havoc all over the garden and the yard.

I was in the middle of my garden this afternoon, when the first storm clouds rolled in. I knew I had about an hour's worth of weeding, hoeing, and watering of plants and vines before heading back to the house. I just crossed my fingers and drug out the garden hose.

I knew the garden would get the drink they needed if the clouds dropped on us, so I hurried to drench eight pots of flowers and
twelve hanging Boston ferns wrapped around my 70 ft. porch. Thirty-five feet on each side. Boy, if this old porch could talk. The stories it could tell. My grandparents and my great uncle Cecil would sit out on the porch for hours and swap interesting tid bits along with the gossip of the day.


By now I realized the rain was imminent. But I had more to do, so I put the memories away for a while and finished checking my garden. The tomatoes are growing like weeds, but still too green, even for fried green tomatoes. (Yum.)






The leaf lettuce, red lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, and squash all looked happy and healthy as well, so I high-tailed it over to cover the pool and "batten down the hatches" as grandmother would say.

The storm is rolling in fast and I can hear her plain as day: "You better get inside this house young lady. Unplug the TV's and stay away from the windows. And don't you dare think about gettin' on that phone." This old farm house has been hit by lightning so many times I've lost count. And she was good at reminding us. I can count many an evening sitting in the middle of the living room floor in the dark with only the sound of a portable radio ( no plugs, ha) and the distant sound of thunder. She'd sit in her big pink chair holding her fly swatter, humming some gospel tune until the thunder passed and only a few drops of rain water could be heard dripping from the gutters.

I had to remind my daughter of the windows today. She was too busy taking care of our nine puppies to notice the storm. She was busy washing puppy bowls in the sink right in front of the kitchen window. And without hesitating I heard my grandmother's words fly from my mouth: "Turn that water off and get away from that window, young lady."

I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The storm blew over and all is well at the farm. We're cleaning up the puppy pen and washing puppy blankets this evening. I'm guessing I need to introduce you to my nine beautiful puppies soon. They take up a lot of our time, but it's just another part of farm life.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Have a good evening!