Cherries a la Catherine

For the past two days by "after-milking project" has been cherry picking and then cherry drying. Last year, I invented my patented method for drying our sour cherries so they can be eaten alone. So I have been picking, pitting, and sugaring the cherries for use later when everyone is home at Christmas (at some time I am quite sure that mom will make a huge batch of pancakes of several varieties including dried sour cherry, which is a favorite around here). In fact, dried sour cherries are so popular, that I am not making any pie filling. When I was putting the cherries on the trays for the food dehydrator, I got a little suprise. It was not a good suprise like "hey I found ten dollars in my pocket and I managed not to run it through the washer". No it was more like "you left a jolly rancher in your pocket and you dried your pants on high heat, forget ever trying to use this pocket again sucker!" I found that the last person how used the trays not only made jerky using the trays but didn't wash the trays either. On Saturday, I am did some work in the orchard culling peaches and checking on all the trees. Our black raspberries are ready, so I am eating a few everyday. I am planning on checking the other black rapsberry patch some time on Tuesday. There is this black raspberry roulade from Martha Stewart that I really want to try so I need a pint of fresh black raspberries. On Sunday, I checked on the guinea keets for food and water, and of course they were out of both. After I got the waterer filled, I went to the barn to grind some corn for them. I went into the barn through the goats stall, and since I don't fit through a creep gate, I had to unchain the gate so I could get through. By the time I had finished grinding all the corn, all the goats were up in the barn. And Rosalie couldn't figure out how to jump over the chain. But I went back outside and I was chaining the creep gate back when Mr. Strickland decided that he did not like where I was standing and felt the need to ram me into the gate for the lot south of the barn not once but twice. So now I have a nice bruise about the size of my thumb on my thigh were he rammed me with his horn. What makes this worse is that earlier I was able to make the two bulls (who are much larger, and heavier) do exactly what I wanted them to do. I guess I need to show Mr. Strickland that I am the dominant one. Or get rid of him. I vote get rid of him. Although I may move him with the two big bulls, and then maybe he won't be such a jerk. But Sunday night was okay, because I got to see "By the Pricking of my Thumbs" which is a Ms. Marple mystery on PBS, which was very good. It featured Tommy and Tuppence who are two other Agatha Christie characters. And it had Josie Lawerence (who was on the BBC version of Whose Line is it anyway) . So the weekend turned out alright in the end.

"Close the damn door, can't you see that I am knitting"-Peggy Hill, "Keeping up with our Joneses" is on the best King of the Hill episodes ever!