Today's Tasks

Even though I'm retired, I'm trying to accomplish something everyday, even if it is the littlest thing.  I am determined not to become a couch potato (though I DO have a tendency to fall asleep in front of the computer sometimes!) and keep busy.  I do have a long list of things that I want to accomplish here, but not, as I thought five weeks ago... in the first two months!

So today... here are some things I did:

 

Can you believe this?  Only the second time since my sister died in May.... and then only a part of the yard where some grass and weeds had grown up since the rain.  It gives the impression the yard has greened over again, but there are HUGE patches of deadness still... the whole middle of the yard in the distance is brown and dead.

 

We are expecting an 80% chance of rain tomorrow.

 

 

I cut off the blue tarp on the pasture pen and replaced it with this one.  It's not big enough, but I wanted to get something on before the storms came. Since there were no grommets, I had to make tiny slits for the zip ties, so I know I have to replace it in a few weeks. Yes, the ugly canvas tarp is still at the front, as they still need shelter from the western sun. I obviously wasn't thinking when I oriented this pen.  Neighbor Kathy is going to make a stand for the doghouse, so it is up off the ground... a ramp and a cover for the door (not a solid cover, a frame with rabbit wire on it)

 

 

Squint and you will see the buzzard sitting in the cottonwood, keeping guard over Clara's body.  There were four of them, actually, this one sat in the tree for a while.  I watched them as I worked.

 

 

What we had for dinner...

 

And here I'll stop and explain.  I decided last weekend that I would use what was in our freezer and our cupboards for dinners this week.  Yesterday was TOO HOT for a casserole, so we had blts.... or Keith did, as I can't get sandwiches down. 

Today, I adapted this from a recipe at Cooking.com to use up some chicken breasts I had thawed out.  The plus side was that the little girls got to have some chicken with their dinner... and we had a great casserole.  I substituted a can of drained peas for the celery.. and Swanson's chicken gravy base for chicken broth... but oh, my, was it GOOD.  We both have been eating lightly, but we both chowed down tonight.

Here's the recipe as it was at Cooking.com.  I did use the onion and garlic as called for... and though it was kind of messy to make, it was really not hard, and great to taste!  It will be even better this winter, with some hot biscuits to eat along with it.

 

 

Rotunda (Abby) and Gertie enjoying their chicken treat tonight for dinner.