This year I was able to can whole tomatoes for the first time. My friend gave me instructions on how she cans tomatoes in a hot bath. I do not have a pressure canner. I also got to make a batch of sweet banana peppers too. The leftover tomatoes I sliced and dehydrated to save for snacking and meals over the winter. This has been a productive season for my canning skills. I am looking forward to apples and pears for jams and sauces in the fall.
At the Texas County Fair in Houston, MO we got to see the Dorper sheep for the first time. Our neighbor is thinking about breeding these sheep on his farm. I had never heard of this kind of sheep before. You do not have to shear them, they are a hair sheep. This is great as finding shearers is very hard these days. These sheep were very docile and stocky, sold for meat. The breeder was showing ewes and a ram pure blood Dorper. His daughter won 1st prize showing her sheep without a halter or lead rope. After seeing these sheep I think my neighbor is on to something fun and exciting to raise. We also enjoyed seeing the young children learning how to show their livestock.
Here in the Ozarks we have farm fairs starting up as fall rolls in. Though a hot 100 degrees, people brought in their livestock to be judged. There were swine, poultry, goats, sheep, rabbits and bovines. They also set up tractors for all to see. I got to see several kinds of chickens I was interested in adding to our farm. We are hoping to see the car demolition derby they are having at night this year after the animals all go home.
One good thing about hot summer days, you can proof bread outside. I was able to get my two loaves of sunflower seed bread to rise on my deck. They both baked up nice and brown. And my cat Daisy waits for our dinner guest in the head chair of our kitchen.
It is way too hot here in the Ozarks. The grasshoppers are baking on my deck, the horses are melting and the chickens are laying hard boiled eggs. I put out 2 loaves of bread to rise on the deck and they were cooking instead! It was 105 out here and that is too hot. Everything is dry. Wildlife is coming to drink out of my horse water tanks. I can barely keep stuff watered. We need rain badly out here. This is way not normal for this area. And now it is August the hottest month normally. We are praying for a good rain in church. It has been like this for the last 3 weeks and that is not normal. I get my outside chores done before 10am and stay inside until dusk for feedings. Lets hope cool fronts come soon and bring rain for all our trees, plants and animals.
My husband does not get it, but I had a first love before him - it was a car. It was a 1965 teal Ford Galaxie. How could someone love a car? It was not the car itself, it was the attention my Grandfather gave me while we worked on his car back in the 1970's in New Orleans. He loved this car and it was how he communicated with his first grandchild. I learned at a young age how to speak car. I learned about chrome, mag wheels, engine sounds, spark plugs and making this car purr. You take care of your car and it will take you anywhere. I understood how to maintain a machine and how it can serve me. It was my first love that car and I miss my Grandfather. 