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T O P I C    R E V I E W
Ninibini Posted - Aug 01 2020 : 11:34:27 AM


Hi girls! Happy SUPER belated Christmas! Just one day late for Christmas in July! LOL!!! Better late than never! 'SOOOO been missing all of you!

‘Hope and pray all of you are safe and sound and surviving this craziness we are all steeped in these past few months. Crazy. But one thing I know is, there’s nothing like the farmgirl can-do spirit! If anyone can get through this, it’s farmgirls!

Being Farmgirl of the Month this month… Wow. I feel so unworthy because I just haven’t been able to get to visit with all of you here online nearly as much as I want to or should. But I’m still here, I’m still farmgirl-in’. I thought I should catch you up on things with my farmgirl goings-on, and maybe so some of you who don’t know me, will get to know me a little bit better. I sure would love to get to know you, too! There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of you and have something I’m dying to share. Unfortunately, it’s usually in the wee hours of the morning when I get to actually sit down and type, and pretty much every time I fall asleep at the computer, having typed a bunch of crazy garbled gobbledy-gook that nobody will understand, and I give up, usually deleting the whole thing. Kinda like last night, actually. LOL. But rest assured, I’ve been keeping the farmgirl homefires burning, and am still every bit the farmgirl at heart you know and love.

So, I have to tell all of you… I’ve decided that even though I live in an old Victorian in a small city with a postage stamp patch of land, yes – I am truly a farmgirl. Not only at heart, but rather because I do own a “farm.” A funny farm, that is! I am surrounded by the most amazing cast of characters this side of Gilmore girls, including family and friends. Just like a magical Disney movie, we have birds and skunks and possums and squirrels that taunt me daily. Most notably, I even have a dog who thinks she is human – and that is no exaggeration. Arnold Ziffel couldn’t hold a candle to our girl. She eats dinner with the family, on the floor on her own special tray, of course. But she will only eat very nourishing dog-safe human food. (Spoiled? Perhaps. But what she has done to bring my husband out of his dementia induced stupor has been amazing, and for that I will spoil her till the cows come home!) She tries really hard to talk when she has something important to say. She uses her eyes to point in the direction of Dairy Queen when the mood strikes her on the hottest day. She lifts her leg to trees at the park (To which I ALWAYS lament, “Oh, Bella! Keep it CLASSY, girl!” Then she turns to me and smiles with a cheese-eating grin. LOL. What a funny girl!) She spits things out of her mouth a good foot or so when something doesn’t appeal to her choosy palate (Granny Clampett moments, we say! LOL). She brings presents to every one who enters our door (much like her Mama who makes sure everyone leaves with one!). She is a fan favorite with the cows and other livestock we see at every farm we visit (she goes right up to the fence and dances for them – they come right up to watch her and dance WITH her, too! It’s amazing!). AND she loves wearing her apron, just like Mama.

So, yes, I have a complicated, busy, overwhelming farmgirl life… But it’s a wonderful life, full of wonderfully quirky people, full of meaning, full of ups and downs, full of successes and failures, full of laughter, full of precious moments, full of joy… It’s a farmgirl life… just like yours!

I’ve discovered the infinitesimal benefits of composting my garden in place at the end of the season… I will definitely write about that for all of you soon. Right now my garden is literally taking over my yard (the squash were growing up the side of the pool the other day!), and yielding the most deliciously sweet fruits and vegetables we have ever tasted! And if you haven’t discovered the joys of veggie gardening in the shade – I wholeheartedly encourage you to try! The garden has never yielded such abundant crops of broccoli and cabbage before! Whodathunkit?! Oh! And did I ever share pictures of my home-fashioned “greenhouse” between the garden beds?



WOW! Did that work wonders for seed starting! SO easy!

I’m still battling skunks and squash bugs like a vigilant trooper! God has really been helping me with the bugs – He sent a bunch of baby praying mantises to help keep the bad bugs at bay this year! How cool is that?! I’m even becoming braver when it comes to contending with those abundant militant, armored spiders that enjoy taunting me while chewing on their stogies. You would be proud! One was blocking the garage doorway the other day and I was in a rush to get to a friend who needed to get to prompt care with a foot injury. The dang thing stood it’s ground, figuring I would be too faint of heart to do anything to make it move. But I didn’t have time to play around. I mustered every bit of strength and outrage I could, then swatted that thing into the garden abyss with my bare hand! ‘Haven’t heard a dang thing from it since! LOL! Don’t mess with the Nini when she is on a mission!!! I swear I heard the theme song cry, “Wonder Woman!” as I brushed past its web, now flailing in the wind.

I’ve also been inspired to keep growing because of so many wonderful things that you all have shared… Fermenting is my goal this summer.



As you can see in this picture, I’m fermenting garden-fresh tomatoes for sauce to be enjoyed this coming winter. I’ve learned how to freeze eggs – love it! And would like to try to turn some into powdered eggs for longer term storage, but that’s not a priority right now. I’ve already been canning and preserving up a storm, already making a dent in my goal of 1000 jars of canned goodness in my cupboards this summer (I think I’m up to around 200 – 250), and I’ve learned how to make delicious new things like spiced wine pears (thanks to my cousin Nancy), turkey corn chowder, maple beans (and omgoodness, why make any other?!), canned mushrooms, a home-concocted canned citrus “tea,” how to make and store ghee, and so much more.

Oh! AND those of you who remember will be pleased to know that I’ve finally perfected blueberry pie filling! LOL! I kept the old jars with the clumps of berries in the middle for posterity… They make me laugh! They also remind me that sometimes we have to fail on the path to winning! Yesterday one of my girlfriends dropped by and took one of the old “fail” jars home, determined to find a good use for it! LOL! I told her maybe she could slice the berry clump up like cranberry sauce and serve it with cream cheese and crackers. (Actually I might try that myself as soon as football season returns!)

My canning to-do list for the coming week includes maple bourbon pecan pie filling, monkey butter, instant hummus in a jar, pickled red onion, bacon, corn… it’s a tall order, but I’m going to try! And then, of course, I’ll be fermenting tomatoes daily as the morning harvest permits. The cabbage is definitely ready to be turned into sauerkraut, too; and I am pretty sure the potatoes are ready for picking and canning, but I’m not so sure I’ll have time. Ah, the perils of appointments and must-do’s. They can wait a little longer if need be– it won’t hurt!

Whatever I’m able to do I’ll be dehydrating herbs and freezing summer squash and zucchini in between. Last year (two years ago?) I purchased a juicer/steamer. Let me tell you, it makes the whole blanching process an absolute breeze!

All of this crazy preservation stuff (and the concern about upcoming shortages) is forcing me to reorganize, inventory and restock my pantry. That’s been quite an undertaking, especially now that my DH can’t help me like he used to. He used to be my chief jar organizer. He loved putting everything in order and making sticky note lists on the door as to what was on which shelf. I asked him two weeks ago to please bring some of the jars up to the meat cupboard for me. He did. Now I can’t find a dang thing! LOL. Poor guy. He tries. I give him props for trying! So, ANYWAY, that’ll be another project for this month. I’ll have to pull everything out, organize FIFO style, and note everything myself… I’ll have to get our son to take him out to the park or something so his feelings aren’t hurt, that’s all.

I’ve discovered the joys of herbal teas for health and relaxation, and pretty much given up coffee altogether, which is quite a feat for a girl from New England, let me assure you! (If you like teas, you simply MUST check out St. Fiacre’s Farm… https://www.stfiacres.com/ Everything I’ve tried is delicious! I am addicted! And I totally agree with their motto: Good things DO happen over a cup of tea!) I’m sure this fall when the crisp autumnal morning breezes wafts with the smell of a newly lit fireplace’s smoke through my closed morning windows, I will find myself savoring a big cup of freshly brewed French pressed coffee with pancakes and bacon SLATHERED in real maple syrup; but, truly, I can say coffee is just not my thing anymore. At all. There are just too many wonderful flavors, too many health benefits to the various teas available out there. So gentle, so relaxing.. So… beautiful! ‘Matter of fact, to make the experience even more enjoyable and perfect, I bought myself a nice teapot with teacups and saucers!



I can’t WAIT for this Covid crisis to be over so I can have a bunch of friends over for a good ol’ fashioned girl gab and tea!

You’ll also be happy to know that sugar is almost – ALMOST – a thing of the past in our home. I’ve been learning how to incorporate more local honey and maple syrup into my cooking, for sure; but I’ve also slowly cut back on ANY sweetener we have used in the past in cooking. It has been so subtle that the boys have hardly noticed at all, and to be honest, my body’s in a lot less pain because of it. Awesome!

I’ve also discovered the healing benefits of exercise. I had terrible foot pain from bone spurs tearing at my fascia. The doctor knows I don’t do well with any type of medicine, so he ordered physical therapy for me. I thought he was nuts, that this was just another medical money maker, but I like and trust my doctor, so I gave it a whirl for his sake. Now, I really couldn’t afford going to the physical therapist 3 times a week for 6 – 8 weeks, which the PT totally understood. He showed me a few exercises to do at home and said as long as I did them faithfully, I should be okay. He left the door open for me to come back should I need to. It was absolutely amazing! I could hardly walk some days because the pain was so bad. A couple of weeks of the prescribed exercises, and I have absolutely no pain at all! Amazing! I wish this kind of success for everyone!

Yes, I’m still donning my aprons! Matter of fact, CJ has been making them for me on a regular basis, God bless her! I just love them and use them like part of my wardrobe! LOL! My grandma would just love that! And you know what? CJ had made smaller aprons for my little neighbor girls / kitchen helpers a few years ago, which have long since been outgrown. Bella, our super-almost-human fur baby loves “helping” in the kitchen, and always watches longingly when I put on my apron. So, as I mentioned earlier, I may have lost my mind, but one day I tried one of the little ones on her – guess what! LOLOL…



She LOVES it! (Please forgive the carpet and floor - will get to that soon! LOL!) And I can’t help it, but I think it’s quite fitting that my best kitchen cleaner-upper gets to wear HER apron, too! LOL. She doesn’t know she’s not a human… I’m not going to tell her! Let her enjoy what she enjoys, right? It’s not like she’s helping me knead bread dough, for Heaven’s sake! LOL!!!

Finally, I’ve even been working on a business plan for the future that has the most amazing business idea that is right up every farmgirl sister’s alley… I’m SO jazzed about it, but I can’t share it - not yet! I want to make it a reality… Someday… Once it’s a reality, THEN I’ll share and make sure ALL of you can start one, too! LOL... So stay tuned… It may take me a while, but I'm going to do it! Just you wait and see!

And again, I can’t say it enough: Please know that all the little cards, the emails, the phone calls… everything you’ve all taken the time to do for me, have meant EVERYTHING to me. I wish you could spend just one day with me to understand just how much. Time just flies so quickly when you’re overwhelmed, it’s terrible, so sometimes – a LOT of times – it’s months later when I realize I still haven’t sent a note of gratitude. But I HAVE sent up prayers for all of you, and I do think of all of you every day. But this… This honor. I feel like it’s so undeserved because I just can’t pop on and post like I used to. And like I told Lisa, sometimes I get so caught up in the craziness I’m going through that I lose myself. I feel like I’m nothing; just some automaton that carries out its daily duties. It sometimes feels like I could drop off the face of the earth and space wouldn’t even notice to make a sound. Not because people don’t care. I realize people have their own things to deal with. It’s just this caregiving thing is so all-consuming and overwhelming. (God bless all of you who are in the throes of this, too, or who have already towed the line, or who know it is soon coming in your own life. There are no words. Just: God bless you.) My farmgirl sisters, though, always seem to have this incredible intuition that leads them to check in and let me know they’re thinking of me, always at just at the perfect time. You make me feel like space would REVERBERATE if I fell in… Because all of you would be calling, looking for me! You girls love me! You really love me! (My Sally Field moment, sorry! LOL!) And I feel it in the depths of my soul! God bless you, my sisters! I absolutely treasure you!

Well, that's probably more than enough for now... Please post what's new and exciting in YOUR world, too! I'm dying to see what you're all up to and catch up on things!

Happy “Farmgirls are ALL Farmgirls of the Month,” Month! Love you to bits!

Hugs,

Nini


Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!

4   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
Ninibini Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 6:43:42 PM
LOL... Gracie... Just remember to never ask what I REALLY think... LOL! I did see you got my response. Sorry it took so long. Like I said, crazy busy! LOL!

Karin - you are just such a PEACH! SO good to see you! How are you, sister?! It has been way too long!!!

Hugs -

Nini

Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!

katmom Posted - Aug 02 2020 : 12:00:03 PM
hey Nini... are you still at 227?
sent you an message via the MJF site, not sure if it went to your in box or spam/junk box..
hugz
>^..^<

>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!

www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com

craftingram Posted - Aug 02 2020 : 05:58:27 AM
So happy to hear from you Nini! Your positive attitude inspires me. Keeping you in prayer as you continue your journey.

Karin
Sister #2708

Romans 8: 38,39
katmom Posted - Aug 01 2020 : 9:57:07 PM
Hey Nini,,, you really need to come out of your shell and chat with us... lolololol!

You have that "Can Do" attitude that we love.,,, never loose it!
Hugz-n-squisches and try to get into some (more( mischief!!! haha!
Hugz
>^..^<

>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!

www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com


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