Where has the summer gone?
I ask you?
Did you know that it is almost SEPTEMBER!? And September means the start of school and hunting and all things fall-ish? Just saying “Hunting Season” gets me all excited like. Not.
It’s been a busy week. And since I am certain you care, I shall now update you on our riveting lives.
You’re Welcome.
On Tuesday, I had to load up the truck and take the kids and their rabbits to the fair. I have never, EVER, entered anything into the fair. David, the former 4-H champ that he once was, had promised to meet me there and take care of it all.
But, alas. He was running late. So I somehow managed to maneuver the dudes while holding a cage. The girls had to carry in the other cage. We passed by a friendly older gentleman who looked at the boys and said,
“Hey, there! Can I have one of your rabbits?”
Little Dude just yelled “NO!” and Handsome Dude gave him the stink-eye and looked at me and said: “Mom! A stranger is talking to me!”
Perhaps I should expose them to people more? So friendly.
So, I take the rabbits to the rabbit building where there are 4.2 million rabbits. Every single rabbit looks beautiful and majestic and Sweet Pea became nervous and said “Mom. Look at all these pretty rabbits! I don’t think we are going to win.”
And then I felt bad that she was trying to win. Because, folks. We aren’t going to win. Nor were we planning on it.
We were greeted by a Susie Fantastic who knows everything there is to know about rabbits. She handed me several forms and instructed me to fill them out, in her no-nonsense way.
Did you know there are, like, 50 different classes of rabbits?
Color me embarassed.
So. I just looked for words I had heard David say and decided to go with those for the classes. Because what do I care? But then, I had to mark if the rabbits were bucks or does.
Because all of us well-informed rabbit breeders refer to girl rabbits as does and boy rabbits as bucks, didn’t you know?
So, there I am with Susie Fantastic peering over at me from her table of knowledge. I tell Sweet Pea to hold a rabbit and spread the rabbit’s legs apart, because that seems like a good place to start.
And I have no idea what I am looking for.
I considered it to be a low point in my life. Violating the rabbits’ privacy by staring at their crotch areas. Not knowing how to tell if they were bucks or does. And I just decide to mark them all as girls because the kids can only think of girl names anyways.
I’m sure the judges won’t notice.
Then I was “corrected” by Susie Fantastic because I had guessed the wrong breed and two of our rabbits were disqualified on account of their size. She totally schooled me with her rabbit knowledge and got all infomative and what-not, and I just quickly got the heck out of there.
I never wanted this kind of life anyways.
On Wednesday, I made a triple batch of jam. Because that is what 30 year old homeschooling moms do during summer break, didn’t you know?
I don’t think the jam set up right and it is irking me. Hell hath no fury like a woman who has spent all day canning runny jam.
After the jam, I was going to start a batch of meatballs for my freezer cooking stock up pile. Did you know I have over 30 meals? It’s true. Don’t be jealous.
Listen to this brilliant idea: I am going to mix ground elk with ground beef to make the balls of meat. I am hoping to trick myself into trying elk this way. I’ll let you know how it pans out.
BUT. My husband called and said he would be home early and suggested we all go to the beach. So we did.
Little Dude got dressed all by himself. We are quite proud.
My boys taught themselves how to play fetch.
Handsome Dude.
He throws it.
He breaks out all of his muscles to run after it, like the champ that he is.
The waters are rising, yet he perserveres.
Victory!
Little Dude, sporting his sweet, backwards swim-shorts.
Throws it.
Fetches it.
They did this for about an hour, I kid you not.
Was Daisy Mae drinking the lake water?
Yes. Daisy Mae was drinking the lake water.
Alright. Happy Thursday!
Shame on Susie Fantastic. Why can’t people be helpful instead of know it all ish? I bet Susie Fantastic could have assisted you with the whole gender thing.
Changing topics now because that one is a little too odd…the beach looks like fun. A little dirty lake water is harmless I’m sure. We’re bracing for a hurricaine. I keep reading people’s facebook status updates about bottled water, gas in the car, batteries, flashlights and blah blah blah. I need groceries but instead am getting my hair highlighted this afternoon. Priorities ya know!
Have a happy uneventful day : )
I am SO jealous of your freezer meals!! I have zero, unless you count frozen chicken nuggets 😉
For the jam, go to pickyourown.org and read the instructions on what to do if your jam/jelly doesn’t set. I’ve found that I have to use a little more pectin than the recipes call for for my stuff to set the way I like it.
As always, you make me smile…
1. I am extremely jealous of all your freezer meals.
2. I am sorry you had a low point of your life.
3. Runny jam still tastes good, right?
4. The bunny thing is funny. 😉 I entered two pies and a few photos! Here’s hoping!
Once someone gave me some strawberry preserves that were runny. I didn’t mind. They made the best sauce for ice cream, delicious! Just call your runny preserves sauce and serve them up on ice cream, over waffles, whatever your carhartt desires. Yummy not runny.
Oh don’t be silly! You’ve done much worse things than look at bunny crotches, for crying out loud! Besides, wouldn’t the fuzz just cover the….ah.. whatevers?
Voice of experience: Don’t try to fix the jam. It’s not worth it. Simply pretend it is syrup. If it is too set up, simply nuke it and again, pretend it’s syrup!
I am all about self delusion if it makes my life easier.
I won’t go into details on how to tell a rabbits gender, but I will tell you it is invasive and you can’t tell by the human eye. Wink…. I will also say, I have nor will I ever personally find out the sex of a rabbit. So they are all does to me:)
I further will say, that I bet if you had Mr. Lumberjack with you, Ms Fantastic would have been much more accommodating. I, too, hate people who act so superior. It’s the fair people! Please….
Lastly, the beach looks like it was a lot of fun and please tell ms Daisy Mae not to drink the water!
Baaaawwwww!! At least you didn’t take your finger and go digging in the bunny’s crotch area to see what you could find….or did you???? You are too funny!
hi.
I am totally stealing Susie Fanstastic, though I plan on mixing it with my favorite phrase from Rants From Mommyland like so: “Suck it, Susie Fanstastic!” I realize this is not always socially appropriate, but it makes me feel better. And I’m grumpy today.
where is the ‘like’ button? so much easier than actually making a reply…
you go Katie!!!
When the jam turns out runny you call it “ice cream topping” and pretend you did it on purpose!
Everyone totally stole my ice-ceam syrup thunder and now I am disgruntled.
But at least I have never looked for rabbit genitalia.
That’s something.
I have no words… The rabbit genitalia comment killed me dead.
I sometimes think I would like to live in ruralville. I think it would be totally worth it not to deal with people. (Bad day, can you tell?) But then you tell about having to endure entering the fair, and I don’t think I could take it! Plus, it is really hot here and I don’t even want to think about the smell…
I agree . . . hell hath no fury . . . that is enough for a temper tantrum! I’ll have to check that site out above about what to do with runny jam.
PS. I’m really thinking northern Minnesota . . . . but that’s not my final answer.
* “Booooo” to Susie Fantastic – she shoulda been more helpful.
* Homemade runny jam sounds excellent! I’d put it on ice cream, pancakes, and in smoothies.
* I’m so jealous of your freezer meals! Even more jealous that you have a freezer to hold your 30+ meals.
* Day at the beach looks uber-fun. Still so hot here in So Tx – so we are doing some heavy duty praying for rain.
I made runny jelly, called it pancake syrup, and no one knew I had FLOPPED in the kitchen. I am such a liar liar pants on fire.
Hello =)
If you have trouble eating elk or whatever watch the dvd Food, Inc. You will be so glad your husband hunts…I will never buy meat from the grocery store again….or hardly anuthing for that matter.
I hope you at least gave the bunnies tail’s a squeeze after you played doctor. Or at least left them a good tip. Maybe they’d like a helping of syrup on top of their rabbit food for being such good sports.
Didn’t you learn anything from playboy?
And did you ever decide what title to bestow upon your lovely rural-topia to make it more appealing?
My lovely mother-in-law is one of those Susie Fantastics. Its… fun (?). And I truly hope you never have to check the bunnies again. That can’t be fun.
We had bunnies. When he got all excited, I got all grossed out! EVEN after we had him neutered.
Only do that with bunnies that live in your house and not fair bunnies because it’s expensive and then you really won’t know how to answer that question!
I hope Daisy Mae had fun even if you didn’t win!
Miss Susie Fantastic, You better be careful because you are going to get all famous on Taylor’s (aka LJW) blog and a lot of people will want to have words with you!
Um, yeah. Those animal people at the fair like to be very specific. And if you don’t know your specifics they treat you like the new 7th grader in a fancy pants private school. My formerly 4-H hero hubby is supposed to be in charge of these animal shenanigans. And where is he? On a truck. 14 hours a day. for 33 days straight. Who must drive the children to feed and exercise and care for the 4-H animals? the Momma. who has no 4-H experience. And those fair people can tell. I didn’t care for the 7th grade.