Trains, Automobiles, Pigs, Peaches and Jars, lots of Jars.

I am sorry to say that I have deserted you all for the longest time in my blog writing history.  Three day and I have left you all hanging.  I have even gone camping and not missed more than one day so that should tell you that my life has be in an uproar since Thursday.  Friday was the beginning of the spin.  I slept very little on Thursday night Poppie had to get up at 4 and take Bug the 150 miles to the train.  Thursday we had taken Mr Red to the butcher to have him butchered and trammeled. It is a fancy machine that magically takes all the hair off of the pig so they are good to roast as a whole hog.  Bug and Poppie packed it in a cooler, that fit all the descriptions for size that the lady from Amtrak said it needed to be.  Belle had picked it up in Zootown for us when she had taken the Ladies to their last day of Vacation Bible School.  All was ready and in order, they got to the station with 20 minutes to spare.  What?  There is a weight limit that the lady forgot to tell them about?!!  The size is fine but 50 pounds over weight!  NO! You can not take it on the train!!  Okay so no going on the train, how to get from Kalispell Mt to ND with a whole hog and Poppie cannot take you??  They came the 150 miles home, Bug was on the phone with everyone he could think of, including his boss who's daughter is getting married the next day and needs that piglet in ND asap.  What to do, what to do?? No one could take him, all were working or had to be to work in the morning.  Finally a savior came to the rescue.  Drama called and gave pity to Bug and the whole situation.  She would drive him there and back but had to be back to work by 1 on Saturday.  They were off on their adventure.  They arrived in ND and she turned right back around and drove straight home, she got to work with three minutes to spare.  The Lord be praise and Drama must really really love Bug, she went out of her way and did what she did not have to do out of the goodness of her heart. 

The Ladies and I baked all day between Booboo having to be at her first piano lesson and them both having to go to the Relay for life Walk, it was a long, long, long day.  I also had my BBFC paper work to do which I manage to find time to do at 9 right before we went to sleep and slept the sleep of the dead.  I love when you get to sleep after a long hard day.  We did think of  Drama who would not get to bed until the next night, much longer two days for her.  The pig made it and the Bride, and the Boss were happy. 

The Ladies had a slow Farmer's Market, which is pretty normal for the Relay For Life weekend, every one is too sleepy to come to the market.  They did get a little more overflow from the BBFC people.  We had 24 cases of peaches that two lovely volunteers had to hand sort, they managed to save 22 acceptable cases. Very good peaches but very very ripe.  I got all finished up and could not go to my nieces baby shower, the Ladies went in my stead, as I had to go to St. Regis and help Drama and King pack approximately 400 jars of old canning, some of it from the seventies, up the stairs from and old cellar and into our car and pickup.  King has to fix his aged mom's foundation and the jars needed out of the way.  She blessed me with them, all I had to do was get them out of the cellar, dump the contents in to either the pig slop or the garbage and they were free.  I never pass up free jars.  Poppie is actually doing all of the dumping, Booboo and I are doing the cleaning.  Some of the jars lids are so rusted if you tap the lid it disintegrates. He has to use the pliers to get the rings off those ones.  Some are old mayo jars which I never usually keep but had decided to keep a couple dozen because I gift a lot of canning to people who are not canners, and they don't always give the jars back and I am think throw them away, so for those people I am going to make up gift canning and put it on a gifting shelf so I don' lose my jars.  To people that can I gift my mason jars, I know they will use it again or give them back.  I know I am terrible but jars cost lots, sometimes just lots of work in the nearly hundred weather.  Drama again went beyond to be of assistance to me. 

I didn't get my peaches canned on Saturday, I was packing jars so Booboo, Yogies (yes Yogies helped) canned peaches all afternoon in the again nearly 100 degree day.  The Ladies took turns dipping the peaches out of the boiling water and into the ice water,  I peeled, they sliced and pitted and put them into the jars, no not any of the new ones, I have to sort them all out as they come out of the dishwasher.  We got 28 quarts, still have a case and a quarter to finish up this afternoon, once Booboo and I get back from going to the Zoo with Lady.  We did get a nice barbequed lunch after Church, Lady took pity on us and her and Sweetie invited us out so we didn't have to make lunch before the canning began.  This morning we have to make a quick run into the Zoo and be back in the early afternoon or late morning.  We will finish up the peaches either as freezer pie filling or jelly, but no more straight canning. 

I am again sorry I neglected you but I just couldn't seem to fit you all in, it was a loooong three days.  As I write to you all Poppie, Son and Mokie are loading three piglets into the trailer, they are taking them to the butcher who needs them for all the whole pig roasts orders he has for the 4th of July.  Chocolate, Pokie and one of Son's no names went.  We will be getting a new gilt from Son to replace the two we sent in.  The butcher really needed smaller animals than Son had so he took Son's smallest, and our two.  The cycle here never ends always unpredictable and never really planned.  Oh, and I forgot Wednesday Poppie had picked weeds all day and dumped loads to the goats,  he didn't realize that the two weanlings wouldn't know which weeds not to eat to much of.  They literally ate themselves to death, both died less than 24 hours later.  Poppie was very saddened by their loss and felt so bad.  He didn't know he was hurting them, and I didn't know he gave the weeds to the weanlings.  The other goats were in hog heaven.

May the Lord bless your day and your life, he certainly does all of ours.  May you being in the Lords loving arms and know you have his gift of salvation.... tomorrow.