Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Mike CHS]

Your granddaughter is precious..

Have a good Christmas with your family.

I'll echo that. A Merry Christmas to you and your family.

 

[Ridgetop]

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

 

[Ridgetop]

Christmas Eve I had a bad headache and couldn't get to sleep. Finally dropped off around 3am. We spent Christmas morning sitting around eating cinnamon rolls, watching movies, and roasting the turkey. DS1 ran the gifts over to DD1's house then came back to take the turkey out of the roaster. I carved the turkey and removed the stuffing into pans to go to DD1's and made gravy. I was feeling better, although really tired, so decided to go to Christmas dinner and gifts at DD1's. Very nice but exhausting. I felt worse today and coughing a lot more so obviously not a good idea to go out. Spent the day watching TV and doing nothing. DD2 and DSIL2 came over to drop off their car since he borrowed the old Explorer to transport a small fridge and microwave to his semi. I was surprised to hear that the new semis have electric outlets in the cabs where you can plug in a mini fridge and even run a microwave! They didn't stay long. DS1 went to DD! and played board games most of the day. I went back to bed, took a nap, then got up and heated some leftovers. DH said it was a very quiet Christmas and didn't feel like a holiday, but then he doesn't do any cleaning, decorating, Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, baking, cooking, getting out the fine china, silver, crystal, setting a fancy table with linens (which have to be ironed), then doing the clean-up, etc., etc. I always did everything for the holidays, and he enjoyed the whole family coming over. I enjoyed not having to do as much and being able to relax.

 

[Baymule]

Being sick on holidays is no fun, but at least this was a quieter Christmas. It was a nice day without all the bedlam and chaos. Get some rest and feel better.

 

[murphysranch]

I hope its not a low grade of Covid, like I had.

I think your reduced Holiday celebration was the perfect time for continuing to pull away from the family.

 

[Margali]

I hope you feel better SOON!

 

[Ridgetop]

Feeling better off and on. Main thing is the cough which comes and goes. Coughing up phlegm. No fever. Just tired and annoyed at self for catching this bug.

Thank goodness for leftovers. DD1's family did not want any of the turkey and stuffing so brought it all home. Then removed other half of turkey meat from bones and made soup. Going to try to can it in next couple days or freeze it then thaw and can if I don't get it done while under the weather. I am using the electric canner so although it only does 5 quarts at a time, it does it with any standing around watching the pressure. Keeping the stock in jars is going to be easier to transport to Texas, and easier than thawing it when needed. I can add leftover cooked vegetables to the stock when I open the jars.

DSIL1 came over today to get ear protectors before the family went to shoot. DGD1 is taking her new Red Ryder BB gun that I gave her this Christmas to shoot at the range. LOL Couldn't find the ear muff type protectors so gave him several packs of ear plugs. He vetoed my suggestion that he run up to Nipomo (3 hours away) to get some from DS3. LOL However, he is going to check to see if DS3 has next week off and if so, family will go up to shoot with DS3.

DSIL2 brought back the old Explorer he borrowed to transport his mini fridge.

DH is back to watching Hallmark movies. I will go down to the shed, bring up the electric canner, and see about washing the jars for canning the turkey soup later today.

 

[Ridgetop]

Made turkey broth from Christmas turkey. Lots of meat in it since the drumsticks got a little dry. Tried to warn DS1 but he read the times to e from the instructions and did not listen to the woman who has cooked turkeys at least 155 turkeys (both stuffed and empty) over the years. I added 3 Ziploc bags of frozen stock to kettle and ended up with 13 quarts. Only stock and meat in jars. Last quart was a little shy, so I added a little hot water to bring it up to the top. It was too full to put in a pint jar. I really like that electric canner and if ai have a lot of stuff to can in Texas might invest in another one. Once all the prep work is done and the canning time period starts, you don't have to do anything else - the canner times everything at the right pressure, then automatically goes into a "cool down" period before beeping you to remove the lid and the jars. Took a while to get used to it the first time but love it. I can do other work, watch TV, etc. without worrying about the pressure level fluctuating.

DSIL2 wants to drive back to Texas in our truck and pull the gooseneck with fencing and stuff in it for us. He actually was going to take a load back (he is now driving long line hauls) and have DD2 and the children fly back but realized how expensive it would be for just the few days they will be back there. He also realized they would need to rent a car. Now he wants to drive back with the family in our truck hauling the packed gooseneck trailer, drop it at our ranch, help DS1 unload and move the heavy stuff around, then use our truck to drive up to Ana to visit relatives for a few days. (Ana is where they plan to rent a house in May and when they move to Texas.) He has a Class A commercial truck license so can certainly drive the gooseneck. Either DS1 and DH or DS1 and I will drive out with the small stock trailer and some other boxes and furniture. DSIL2 will be able to help DS1 with moving the heavy panels out of the right-hand barn area ready for Payton to move half of the round bales inside to protect it. Since we are coming out several months later than I expected, I don't think we will need as much hay to feed this year as we originally planned for.

I have decided that this may be a blessing since we can bring out some of the heavy stuff now and have 2 strong guys to move it. If we need more muscle, I will call a couple people and pay them to move stuff for us. We need to move enough stuff to make it uncomfortable to stay here in California. I don't think DH realizes how much we still have to move! We can't go before January 12 since we both have to see the orthopedic surgeon but need to leave before January 17. This way I can get some of the heavy stuff like the tool shed cabinets and file cabinet loaded and moved, along with some more furniture. I am also going to bring the freezer from the milk shed out this time. That way I can store more food so we don't have to go shopping for several hours as soon as we hit town! I am making a list now of furniture and large items to bring out. All the summer clothing can probably come out too. LOL

Jeremy (our gardener n Yantis) is currently working on the garden area. There is a large Catawba that will need to come down eventually, but for now he is cleaning up the trash trees and brush, removing stumps, etc. to burn. Then he will rototill the entire garden 18" deep with the ashes, and cattle manure from the barn that DH moved over there last summer. I might plant some more fruit trees this year. I am not sure if any of them survived. The apple sort of looked ike it was holding on and actually produced a tiny, wormy-looking apple.
Very sad, but if it survives it will be transplantable. And a survivor!

Sage is acting up again. He pulled the trailer mat out again and refused to go in for his breakfast because without the mat the trailer echoed and sounded spooky. Then Ozel got into trouble - after being a perfect LGD for months, she relapsed into puppyhood and chewed 18" off DS1's good heavy-duty hose.
These things are sent to try us.

 

[Baymule]

Yay for moving heavy stuff! Your son in law is shaping up, I think he found what he is good at. You no longer call him Doofus, so that is a point in his favor. LOL

Bad Sage! I think I’d slam the gate shut first time he goes in the trailer, dart him with tranquilizers and roll wheels back to where he came from.

Bad Ozel! At least it was a hose and not a sheep leg.

 

[Finnie]

I’m glad Ozel got the memo not to allow hose/snakes to live.