The Old Folks Home

[microchick]

I think C&R gives 5 points for every dollar spent. This year I scored a new electric fry skillet and a new coffee maker using a year's accumulated points. Started over with something like 800 points left and now have enough to get two turkeys......If I can find room in the freezer for them.

 

[ronott1]

Our local C&R has a store membership card where you collect points for buying groceries. This year for 15,000 points you get a free turkey. I just checked my point total. 32,000 points.

SCORE!

Nice!

A Free Turkey would be great!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I am hoping to hunt a turkey! See them a lot here.
Has anyone else seen huge flocks of grackles? Twice recently we have. Hoping they go away.

 

[microchick]

Yeah, big flocks of migratory grackles. What's funny is that we have very few around the farm. I think a pair nested in our overhang porch this past spring that that is the first I've seen since we first bought property in Missouri almost 10 years ago.

In fall though they congregate in the trees and make an unholy racket to the point that I'll go out and shoot a rifle at one of our berms just to get them to move along...they do, to a tree across the road and then the whole process starts all over again.

I'm seeing the first Juncos arrive at the feeder. Last winter we had a pair of blue birds winter over in one of our bird houses. I saw them last week on the deck looking the nest box, which I had moved to the back yard and hung on a multi nest box hanger my husband made for me. About a half hour later I saw them out back, busily checking over the 5 boxes there. So happy to see them back. There is just something about blue birds that make me smile. Them and Indigo Buntings.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Yeah, big flocks of migratory grackles. What's funny is that we have very few around the farm. I think a pair nested in our overhang porch this past spring that that is the first I've seen since we first bought property in Missouri almost 10 years ago.

In fall though they congregate in the trees and make an unholy racket to the point that I'll go out and shoot a rifle at one of our berms just to get them to move along...they do, to a tree across the road and then the whole process starts all over again.

I'm seeing the first Juncos arrive at the feeder. Last winter we had a pair of blue birds winter over in one of our bird houses. I saw them last week on the deck looking the nest box, which I had moved to the back yard and hung on a multi nest box hanger my husband made for me. About a half hour later I saw them out back, busily checking over the 5 boxes there. So happy to see them back. There is just something about blue birds that make me smile. Them and Indigo Buntings.

We had bluebirds nesting in the box outside our kitchen window in TN. I love to build nest boxes. I don't think there is enough open area here for blue birds, but i have seen buntings.

 

[microchick]

They are pretty little birds. So blue they are almost black.

We also have a lot of Grosbeaks around in the winter but my favorites are the wood peckers. My old platform feeder had a notch in it and I would watch the woody's select a sunflower seed, carefully put it in the notch and use it as a holder to break the seed open and repeat. Not bird brains at all.

 

[chickisoup]

Whew!!! finally caught up! Ok, yes, I cheated a little and did some skimming.
First, yes, Metformin has been proven in recent studies to cause B12 deficiencies in some users. The Diabetes Ass. now recommends that you ask your pcp to test your levels.

I grow Indian corn mostly because it's about the only corn that will grow in our short season. Had no idea about the protein levels. I need to check my variety!
My feed is NOT heavy on the corn, guess that's why it's so expensive.
I buy 50 lb bags of organic rolled oats from my natural foods store. My chooks love it as an evening treat.

Speaking of evening, it's snowing. Should thru the night but shouldn't get too much. Tomorrow is going to be fun. We should hit our daily high of maybe 25o F around 5 a.m. then it's all downhill from there with the winds picking up and we should be hitting below zero windchills by 4 pm. Whoopee. Another record broken. Our nighttime temps have been hanging in the single digits or so for a few days now. Only warmer tonight because of this snow. Actual temps will be below zero next couple nights for sure. Guess we're paying for the balmy October. My poor Aussie going thru an explosive molt just runs (dumping feathers the entire way)out the pophole, thru the enclosed breezeway and right into the greenhouse, plops down on a haybale and barely moves from there until it's time to reverse her path. Poor thing did stick her beak out into the yard when the sun popped out for a minute today but a big gust of wind caught her and so many feathers went up in the air I swear it looked just like she exploded! Back into the greenhouse she ran. I took mercy on her and put a water dish in there for her and scattered some of her favorite mealworms.

Nobody cooking Thanksgiving dinner for me. In fact we got the phone call last night and guess who's going to be deer camp cook again? Yep. Going to be the grandsons this year. They're great young men but boy, I'm not as good at the 4:30 am breakfasts as I used to be. Anyway, any time we have hunters, I always make the Thanksgiving dinner on opening day since it's only a few days early of Thanksgiving here anyway. I just do as much prep as possible (like pies and such) before they arrive which makes things easier. It can get pretty crowded in my little kitchen trying to work around hungry deer hunters when they come wandering in for lunch. They eat the big meal on Saturday and then turkey sandwiches and leftovers the next day while they watch the Packers game.
They should have some luck this year. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my coffee early the other morning and watched a nice buck chase a "lady" across our field. She was having none of it so he doubled back and commenced to scent mark all over and under my favorite red pine. Men.

 

[CapricornFarm]

They are pretty little birds. So blue they are almost black.

We also have a lot of Grosbeaks around in the winter but my favorites are the wood peckers. My old platform feeder had a notch in it and I would watch the woody's select a sunflower seed, carefully put it in the notch and use it as a holder to break the seed open and repeat. Not bird brains at all.

We have loads of wp's, tons of dead trees here. Had flickers raising babies in front of the house here.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I think C&R gives 5 points for every dollar spent. This year I scored a new electric fry skillet and a new coffee maker using a year's accumulated points. Started over with something like 800 points left and now have enough to get two turkeys......If I can find room in the freezer for them.

sounds like a good store there also great BF had all these points for his credit card from the bank he is at we have a 17 piece beautiful caphalon cookware I love it set saw it where we shop is 139.00 for 14 pieces... I think I want ham and cheese sliders on New day it will be just the 3 of us so why not

 

[Beer can]

I like both red and white wine. Red goes into stew and pasta sauces. White goes into chicken dishes, risotto and etc...Yep, do not drink it but use it in cookng!

I have a hard time adding good booze to food....lol
Bourbon is great for chicken and steak. One of my favs is a beer mixed with good seasonings garlic and herb or Italian, dry seasoning, instead of the oil and vinegar it calls for, just add one beer to soak/marinate venison, chicken or beef spiedies for a day min or week or two. Spiedies I guess are a regional thing here, everyone does them up, kind of like meat kabobs I guess.

Thanks for the tip! I need to check into indian corn

So many varieties, and all adapted to our local areas. There's lots of Aztec and Incan corn well adapted to hot and no rain. For me Iroquois have lots adapted to cold short season.