Thursday, August 12, 2010

A Good Day

It was a good day today. I was able to head to the grocery store without the kids and I really needed that little bit of time to myself. I dislike waking up to children that say, "I'm hungry/thirsty" to me first thing in the morning, before I even have a chance to get out of bed and get my feet on the floor. Say "good morning" or something first, please! I need a little bit of time to get my engine up and running, go visit the bathroom, get dressed, put on my eyes and ears (glasses and hearing aid) before I resume the mama role.

I don't know, my children seem to have the tendency to stand there looking at me, after calling for me, and I'm staring right back waiting for them to say something. Most times I can handle it, but this morning it was really rubbing me the wrong way, so I was kind of glad I had a chance to run out for a little bit.

We needed more cat food and chicken feed, so off to the local farm store in town. If I drive just a little further, maybe a mile or so, there's the library. I debated going there to borrow movies. Worked out in my head if I borrowed them today, they'd need to be returned on Saturday. Oh what the hell, it's HOT and staying inside where it's a little cooler than it is outside and watching movies sounds good to me.

Right across from the library was a pick-up truck full of corn, a local farmer selling his wares. Hmm, I wondered how much he was selling them for, and if he'd give me a discount for buying a bunch? So I walked over and much to my delight, instead of the standard $5/dozen everyone seems to be charging around here, he'd charge me $4/dozen for buying 10 dozen corn. $40 total. Then the wife said she would knock off an extra $5 to make it $35!! Yes! I was pretty happy with that, so I forked over $35 and then he gave me an extra dozen of "bad corn", where just the tops had been eaten a little by worms, but still good, but you know, people can be fussy. $35 for 11 dozen corn makes me happy-- a better deal than the chain grocery store I had been buying corn from and I saved on gas and taxes, too. Plus, I helped out a local farmer. He even said that by me buying all that corn, might cut his time in the hot sun short, waiting to sell his truckload of corn. So every body's happy!

Then while I was leaving the food store, the construction crew was hard at work, constructing new curbs and the cement truck was partially blocking my way. The construction guy saw me and goes, "Hey baby, you need to get out? You going that way baby?" I nodded and he watched for a space in the traffic and then when I could go, "You can go now baby." Totally made my day. I told Andrew when I got home and he told me I was his baby. Well of course I am! But it's nice when a stranger calls me baby and in a non-creepy way too!

On the way home, I turned up the volume on my old Madonna CD and sang along to songs that I memorized way back in high school. I find it amusing that my girls wonder how I know all the words to the Madonna songs and they don't realize that those songs are older than they are. Needless to say, I came home in good spirits.

I canned some of that tasty corn-- 7 quarts tonight. We'll eat some for dinner tomorrow and I'll work on the rest of it afterwards. I gotta add, I love that pressure canner!! I think with this corn, after I can the rest of it, I'll have enough put away for the winter until the next corn season. Bonus-- the pressure canner cans tomatoes faster than the water canner! Yay!! Tomatoes are coming in pretty good now, and I canned what I had on the counter before they spoiled-- 4 pints worth. I think after tomorrow, I'll have some more to can. We're also eating them in sandwiches, out of hand, taco toppings, etc., because what's the point of canning them all if you can't enjoy some now?

8 comments:

Johnna Sutton said...

My kids suffer from that same disease! Congrats on the corn grab I love it when that happens :) Happy canning farm girl!

Heather said...

"On the way home, I turned up the volume on my old Madonna CD and sang along to songs that I memorized way back in high school. I find it amusing that my girls wonder how I know all the words to the Madonna songs and they don't realize that those songs are older than they are. Needless to say, I came home in good spirits."
I love that you said this because my hubby always wants to know why I want to listen to old music and it's for the same reason! I know the lyrics because I could hear way back then!

Dianrez said...

Can identify with you about the "I'm hungry" song from kids. What bugs ME is that it happens the day after grocery shopping, the refrigerator and the pantry are full, the microwave is available, and the kids go "There's NOTHING to eat, I'm HUNGRY."

Ron said...

Sounds like a great day! Nice find on the corn. You are going to wear that canner out. :)

Ron

jenny said...

Johnna-- oh good! Nice to know my kids are not the only ones like that!! LOL! It can be annoying sometimes!! All done with the corn!! Canning the last batch now. Whew!

Heather-- Exactly!! My whole internal radio is all 80s and early 90s stuff, the music I could hear then! I don't listen to anything new because I can't seem to make sense of it-- sounds like gibberish to me! Plus, who has time for MTV anymore??? LOL

Dianrez-- LOL!! My kids do that too!! I remember my mom complaining when I did that to her too!

Ron-- I probably will wear that canner out! I've used it nearly every day since I got it!

scrambledhenfruit said...

I found your blog looking for a recipe for blackberry jam. I'm loving all of your canning posts (including the jam!) I have a canner but really don't use it very much probably because I'm just not that familiar with it. I picked blackberries today though and I'm making jam! Thanks for the recipe! I'll visit again to see what you're doing with that canner!

Karen Mayes said...

Ugh, my husband also still uses the line... when we have food, he'd whine about not having any food (that he LIKES) to eat ~rolling eyes~

jenny said...

Scrambledhenfruit-- Welcome!! I hope the step-by-step helps you. A lot of people like their blackberry jam seeded, but I like mine without seeds, which is why I do it that way. You can also boil the berries with a little bit of water, then strain through cloth-- it's a little easier because when the berries are hot, they release their juice better. Let me know how the jam turns out! :o)

Karen-- I admit, I have days like that too-- Just getting back from the store and putting all the food away, then I look and there isn't one thing I want to eat!! agh! Those moments at the store where I was a good girl and resisted buying that bag of cheetos, but crave it when I get home. sigh..