Let it Go, Let it Go

After a decade of getting holding on to big stuff from auctions we decided to let it go. We were going to give it to the local charity but found out they are reselling very high instead of low for people in need. We live in the Missouri Ozarks.

After talking to some local friends we decided to give it away to whomever needs it. After less than a week a few needs came into our awareness via friends of friends. And it was not easy. Things had to be moved, measured and scheduled.

Several households now have what was taking up a lot of space for us now gives them a need filled. All it cost them was gas to get here.I am overjoyed that these will now be used instead of collecting dust. Letting go is hard but very good for the soul.

Hope this inspires you to get organized and help someone along the way.

Rockin' October Salsa

What do you do when a neighbors drops of a bushel of tomatoes? You make salsa and can it. This was me the day after our visitors left us. I got all my jars from the shop, cleaned and sterilized and got to making a lot of salsa. Since I had everything out I also thawed a 2017 bag of frozen homegrown tomatillos to make green salsa.

Hot Zesty salsa recipe from the Blue Ball canning book.

Odd pink Canadian tomato peeled

Gloves are a must with hot pepper work

green salsa made with tomatillo I grew and froze in 2017 recipe in the Blue Ball cookbook

The whole gang canned, labeled and shared. One was opened by the neighbor who could not wait. He loved it!

Far Away Friends

Last week our missionary friends from Tanzania stayed at our place. It was a busy fund raising/supply gathering trip for them here in the US. They are vegan and so all meals needed to be healthy and all veggie. I made lentils, bean enchiladas, oatmeal, and lots of other bean dishes.

Lentils from the book Vegan 101.

Vegan enchiladas from the 7 Secrets book.

Their son is now almost 18 years old. How time flies as we have watched him grow.

Taking the smooth tire off the one wheel and replacing it with a knobby off road tire.

The gang the 3 Tafts, the 3 Schochs and Alfreda and  Mr.Jean. This will be the last time they are all together here as they are no longer ordering Country Life co-op foods. We used to order food in bulk and all meet up at the local church for distribution. But their kids are leaving the nest, the Schochs are going back to Tanzania and Alfreda and Jean are getting married! I am so happy to see the young ones grow up into adults and the adults still falling in love. 

And they are outta here

Silver boy was a rescue of 10 weeks got adopted on a farm.

Three stooges hand raised from birth are now all living in new homes.

Bobtail and Torti live together in a new home/farm.

My Frosty cleaning the kittens.

This deaf boy got a special home. The adopter drove in 2 hours away to pick him up. She had raised deaf cats and was looking for a very rare flame point Siamese.

Always boxes of food and pee pads also great kitten cubbies.

Frosty can now rest after helping to teach the kittens how to eat, use the litter box and clean themselves. He is a great mom cat. Frosty is a kitten no one wanted one winter and so I kept him. He is a priceless silver tabby and my constant companion.

Furniture no Further

It amazes me how furniture styles come and go even here in the Ozarks. Several years ago at the local auctions nobody wanted antique wood furniture. They could not give it away bedroom sets. We had a trailer and could move the unwanted stuff. Then the milk paint craze took over and everybody painted everything white.  So we acquired a lot of antique furniture in our shop. Where it remained -for years. I wanted it out since we do not need it. We have a small house but a large shop.

And again antique furniture takes a back seat. Sofas and large flat screen TV's are hot and not big pieces of heavy wood furniture. So we offered to even take these pieces to the local charity- they don't want it. But a friend is expanding his headstone business and needs nice storage in a Victorian style. They are taking the largest pieces off our hands. I had to uncover them and take photos. I had forgotten how nice these were.

Our friend is handy and willing to clean them up and use them in his shop. I will be happy to have room in the shop. They are well made solid wood and do not need much work. But they are too large for our house -since I got the piano. We had hoped someone might want these pieces, a family in need. But even people who's house burned down did not want these antique pieces. I think people are very mobile these days. And if you move a lot, heavy furniture is not easy to move. You need more than two people to move "granny furniture" and a truck and muscles. Whatever the reason, I am glad they will be getting a new home/business instead of gathering dust unseen.

Deaf as a Post

Here are my three latest foster kittens. The mother was killed the day they were born. And now after weeks of lack of sleep and a ton of bottles and KMR we are now at almost 8 weeks of age. Eating dry and wet food and using three litter pans. This is a bobtail female the smallest of the litter but she is the feistiest. The owner did not want them back so I have to find homes for them.

Her  brother is a flame point Siamese with blue eyes and deaf. I noticed this the first week and he is 100% deaf. Going to be a challenge finding the right home for him.

For now he gets along with a sweet male cat of my household to show him the ropes.

Stunning looks!

And the sweetest one the tortoise shell female. She loves attention and cuddling. She is not very pretty to look at but she is a attentive kitten. Waiting to see what color her eyes become. So happy the other two females can hear. Very lucky to have healthy kittens this go round.

All are up for adoption in our town. But there are a ton of
kittens this season. I have the edge with getting them vaccinated, trained and UTD on shots/worming. I am hoping the right person needs a healthy kitten in their life. And I never name my foster kittens. It would be too hard to re-home them and give them away. So I can enjoy the cute time as they are growing fast!

Green Bean Harvesting.

These late summer rains have filled my garden with green beans.

I was able to get in a quick 7 quarts before more rains came. Very happy to have something to harvest this late summer.

Four Weeks Old Kittens

It has been a busy lack of sleep 4 weeks. But the three stooges (the foster kittens) have survived and thrived. Now I am trying to get them into soft food. Oh so messy!

The white and orange male is the biggest eater/complainer. He eats so much them vomits. But I now stop him from over eating. The rest are normal at feeding time.

The gloves are for my protection from tiny claws.

Bobtail is always a hungry female.

The tortoise is very relaxed and loves to have her belly rubbed after a meal.

Feeding the male, again. I have de-wormed them and will have to again. The white one ate the clay litter in the litter pan. I had to give him laxatone to get the GI track mobile. A first in all the years I have worked with kittens- litter eating. One cool thing, a human baby wipe warmer is the best. My kittens are clean and never complain about the cold wipe. It has an LED light for nighttime wipes- very handy. I have not used a bottle warmer, yet. But have one in the wings in case I have a larger litter to foster. I just used hot water to warm a cold bottle. Oh and a test tube holder rack to dry sterilized kitten bottles. That is a time saver!

This 11 week old single male foster only got adopted last week. Very happy for that. And I have three people wanted the three stooges. Very happy to see them go to new homes in about 5 more weeks!

Furry Spuds

Foster Kitten update they are getting fed every 3-4 hours, so happy for the extra time at night. Day time is more frequent feeding and activity. They are crawling all over their kitten tent. The white one is the only male of the three. Have to say that having a baby wipes warmer nearby is wonderful. I can clean the spuds after feeding and they do not get shocked by cold wipes anymore.

And their eyes are opening. This is the tortoiseshell female and the first to open up its optics.

Meanwhile my silver tabby Frosty is a great surrogate for the older foster kitten. No name is 12 weeks and still small for his age. He was found starving between walls of an office and covered in fleas and ticks. But he is doing great at our place.

Foster Kittens day 6

And then there were three, Curly Larry and Moe

The white runt did not live after the first 48 hours. The rest of the litter is thriving including the other white kitten.

Torti is a female.

White one is a male.

Bobtail is a girl.

I am busy feeding and cleaning them around the clock. Being a mom cat is hard work.