Cowboy Pinball: The Farm Report 08-02-2020

Cowboy Pinball

The Farm Report

08-02-2020

OR: Tea cart over applesauce!
 It has been an eventful week out here at Oakdale Farm. I'm using pictures from the interweb to help me illustrate what happened.

Last time, I told you about Annie wanting to go running all the time. I usually take her for a Ranger ride and a run morning and night. Sometimes we go at noon. She loves to run. She is a very muscular small dog (about 35 pounds) and she runs like a grey hound. She runs full out, hard chargin' and all in. She is committed to that run!
The other night, I had taken her on her 'last call' run and I was shutting the side shop door in preparation to bring her in for her supper - and my evening respite. She made the run up and back to the timber 4 times. That is about one mile altogether, full blast, hard out, all in. To say it another way, she was tired and exhausted. She wasn't paying attention, and neither was I. In fact, I didn't even know she was coming in behind me. She was. Since I was between the door and her food dish, and since that is a bad place to be, and since she was tired she was a little low on her finesse, and since she is a Texas Heeler at heart - and pushy!, she tried to sneak past me on the left side between my legs and the building. She missed. Since I didn't know she was even coming, I wasn't prepared. So...with all my weight on my left leg, and with Annie Oakley zoooooming past on my left side, the collision knocked me upside down and sideways like I had been hit by a freight train. Or to keep the analogy going, like I had been flipped by a rodeo bull! I felt like it must have been something like the Cowboy Pinball event in the picture above. 

In reality, it was probably more like this picture. But in my defense, I didn't have a lot of time to analyse the situation!

Let's just let it go by me assuring you that THIS is how I felt on the way down! And for those of you who are into old jokes, 'NO' I am not trying to show you what a Scotsman wears underneath his kilt, although apparently it isn't much. Am I having an 'underwear thing'? Bibs 'n Boxers from last time, and now this? Makes a guy wonder.

However, I do have evidence! This is where I hit the steel molding and siding on my shop building. Now, granted, I am a big old guy and the steel is just steel pole building metal, but wham! I hit hard.

'All's well that ends well,' as they say. I'm fine. In fact, for an old guy who just recently had another birthday, I felt pretty chuffed up by the whole event. It's probably a 'guy' thing, but hey! I can still take it. I can take a punch with no ill effects and keep going! I was pretty proud of myself. I was thinking about going out for football again this fall - or maybe trying my hand at rodeo. ' I can do this! ' But, after further review as they say, I have decided not to tempt fate and I'll just tell the story about what happened. It will get even better over time. Rest assured....

Out in the garden, things are producing like crazy. I planted some Greek Pepperoncini peppers. Those are the ones that are in the salad bars all the time. I love 'em. I could just go buy a jar, but what fun is there in that? So I'm trying my hand at putting up my own pickled pepperoncini peppers. Say this fast three times: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepperoncini peppers." Step one: wash 'em up.

Step two: Brine them and let them ferment at room temperature for a few days. This draws out quite a bit of the heat, which I don't really like, and starts the natural lactobacillus (good) bacteria doing their thing to improve the flavor. I make a slit through the bottom of each pepper to let the goodness in.

The brine I use is one I mentioned here in another blog a while back. It is something I make up and keep on hand all summer long. When I get cuke's or something I want to pickle, I bring them in to the shop kitchen and wash them up, snip off the blossom ends and then just pour the brine over them and wait. This is my 'Claussen' pickle knock-off brine. I spell it with a 'K' to add emphasis. Stay tuned, I'll let you know how they come out.

So about the morning after my big upset, I was just about awake; not quite, but almost. I sensed light, heard a big sizzzzzzzzzzle, and then FELT the bang! A bolt of lightning took out the electric transformer and all the stuff that goes along with it to make my house electrified. Living in the country on top of a hill means I get zapped all the time. This time was extra special though. Thanks to the Midamerican Energy guys, I now have a whole new pole, transformer and wiring rig. These guys know what they're doing, and I greatly appreciate how quickly they did it. THANKS GUYS!

This is a rare shot: That's Miss Kitty - the Official Shop Cat - and Annie's shop buddy there in the chair. (My apologies for the condition of the corner of this room. I'll do better on cleanup next time.) Miss Kitty and O.J. both have the same opinion of Annie. You can almost hear her saying, as O.J. does, "You stupid dog." Annie loves her though, and herds her all over the building when ever she has a chance. Miss Kitty only shows up when she wants to tease Annie. They have a thing that way. Most of the time, Miss Kitty is like the Phantom of the Opera: She lives up in the rafters overhead some place in the shop attic. 

Here's a little video for you to watch, if you're into watching cats n' dogs - or if you're in isolation and just don't have anything else worthwhile to do. I didn't have to stage this, they do it all the time. Annie shucks and jives, bobs and weaves, blocks and parries. Miss Kitty just stays centered.

So other than that, it has been a pretty eventful week out here, but I have survived and lived to tell about it - and can 't wait for the next thing coming. Take care.