I know, I know. Just where the heck have I been for the last month? Weeeelllllllll, it's sorta like this. Jeremy went into the "old" computer I was using and realized that our famously slow internet service here wasn't to blame for the molasses-like speed on the computer. I think he said something like, "The problem with your computer is that there isn't enough RAM in the hard drive to run the giga byte of the mother board." Yeah, that's exactly what he said was the problem. At least that's the story I am sticking with for now. It was decided that the time had come to get Debbie a computer that was ready for the 21st century.
So off we three went to Knoxville to the closest Best Buy. Yes, we do live in the hinterland, and it is well over an hour to get to any of the big box stores we took for granted when we used to live in suburbia. But I digress. A couple of exhausting hours later we were driving back up the Plateau with a big new box in the back of the car. Whew! It's hard work picking out a new computer....especially when we three had very different ideas of how to approach the problem of choosing one that would "last" me a while.
And so we ended up with a very slick new Apple....without a tower! That was a revelation to me......no tower, and no laptop. Just a huge screen that houses the entire computer behind itself....that's it! And it's absolutely quiet, no running fans sucking dust up into a monstrous tower at my feet, blocking my legs under my desk. Can you tell I love it? I'm getting used to the very different operating system and so far, so good. Except for one thing. Yeah, there's always one thing.
I haven't been able to completely figure out the photo "stuff". So, no pics for the blog just yet. But I'm working on it.....in between my other daily obligations. You know, things like.......holy cow! I didn't realize our strawberry patch was going to produce so many berries the second season after planting.
I'm serious. I've been picking enough berries to fill three huge colanders to overflowing......every three days. Yes, that's a lot of berries, and this has been going on for a month now. After making strawberry syrup(quite by accident, I might add), and strawberry vanilla jam(oh, yumminess!), and freezing strawberries for future use(by the quart), and dehydrating thinly sliced berries for use in tea later.......anyway, after doing all that, I finally ran out of things to do with them. Now what?
Idea! Sell them. Yup, that's exactly what I've been doing, Selling them by the quart. I pick them myself around 7am, and by 9am I am delivering them along with dozens of our eggs to eager customers. How cool is that? I know it sounds crazy, but all the hard work that goes into keeping our little farm running is the most fun I think I've ever had in my life.
I do hope you'll forgive me for my recent absence. Besides picking, canning and selling berries, I've also been weeding the potager garden, laying down mulch in an attempt to thwart the tenacious weeds in there, and planting new herbs and flowers for cutting later this summer. And, oh yeah, I am still preparing 3 meals a day, making our bread, dehydrating herbs, making butter from raw milk and trying to keep our farmhouse somewhat clean.
Um, and then 2 weeks ago I got a call from some of my old sewing clients in Florida. One called Wednesday, one called Thursday. Would I be able to make a t-shirt quilt for their daughter/niece for graduation? Which is June 7th? Pretty please? Gulp. I urged both ladies to get those t-shirts sent to me pronto and I would do my best. So in between all I just told you that I have been doing daily, I now had 2 quilts to knock out in record time,
I'm proud to say that both quilts turned out beautifully and have been shipped back to my clients who will receive them well before June 7th. But I sure did put in some late hours in the studio.....and I was able to utilize my new longarm quilting machine to quilt both quilts in short order. AND.......
.......Jarrad got the results back from his PET scan on May 19th. There are no signs of active cancer cells in his body! Praise God! His oncologist said this was the result he was aiming for and Jarrad would require no further treatment. We are all so grateful to each and every one of you for the prayers and support you have shown our family this last 5 months. Thank you, everyone. Jarrad and Dawn have decided to take some time off and have a family camping trip. And they're coming up here next week! I can hardly wait to see them all and to lay eyes on Jarrad again.
So, I'll close now as the sun has come out and dried up the grass from our recent rains. I think I will rev up my tractor and do some mowing, something that I love to do! I know, how crazy is that? It's actually fun for me to hang out in the sunshine, watch the birds swooping overhead and cut paths thru the fast growing grass.
And today is Joel's and my 29th wedding anniversary. What a blessing to celebrate it here on the Plateau, breathing in the fresh mountain air all the while I marvel at our fortune to live out our days at Whispering Oaks. It's time for me to sign off, but I'll be back real soon.
Debbie
