"Well Brownie, what do you think of this? The prospector and I are building you a nice shelter to sleep in at night. Something to protect you and the boys from all the nasty predators out there. Did you hear the coyotes last night? Even through Maggie always hears them and barks , we don't want them to sneak up on you while you're sleeping, now do we?" .....,Brownie looks at me as if he understands and then says"Maaaa...." That's no (or sometimes yes) in goat talk.
Then I went in and made some chocolate chip cookies with my helper dog, Moke. He cleans up after me and gives me moral support. He didn't stick around very long. I found him in the bedroom sleeping. He's getting so old. He has trouble going up the front steps now and seems confused sometimes.(sounds like me), but he's still my main man in the kitchen.
This morning after my cup of coffee, I went out and watered everything. It's going to be a beautiful day. Almost all the smoke is gone and it's at least 10 degrees cooler than last week. I bought some Lodi strawberries Saturday, so I made jam...., with helper dog, of course.
This time I used Sure Jell fruit pectin. I didn't cook it to death and the strawberries maintained their beautiful color. I followed the directions inside the box of pectin and guess what? It came out perfect. Third time's a charm. Remember? The first batch was too runny but had a great taste. It had pectin in it but I think I cooked it too long. The second batch, without pectin, took over an hour to cook and turned really dark. With the final batch I added some lemon rind and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I think that is what helps keep that lovely color. So I'm pleased with this batch...., but this is my final jam session. On to the tomatoes, apples and my endless supply of basil. Moke would agree with me but he's in the bedroom taking another nap.
What lucky kids your goats are. A Goat house all of their own. I am sure this will be reason for a dance from Murphy don't you think?
ReplyDeleteOhhh please be sure to tell Moke to take a nap for me. Riley is past that nap stage and it is tearing this G'ma up. I am missing my nap time.... lol
Your jam looks yummy. Melody and Chris were out yesterday evening before dark and Melody couldn't get over all of the pears. It set her mouth to watering and saying things like pear preserves....lol So I know the secret to excelent preserves and jams is Sure Jell and follow directions?
Aw, I just want to give Moke a big squeeze. Our pup pals are such faithful friends, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteYour jam looks awesome. I've never made jam or canned before - my goal was to do it this year (with all the berries we've got coming on), but we'll see if I can find the time! :-)
my husband thinks the dogs have been watching the goings on in the kitchen long enough to be able to produce dinner every now and then :-)
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