During the blog gathering there were a lot of things that folks enjoyed, as you can read on their blogs.
I think one of the things that had the biggest impact, however, was Open Carry.
Here we had a bunch of people, almost all from out of state, in a tiny town, openly carrying their firearms. A couple didn't have much choice, their states' concealed carry permits not being honored by Colorado, but for the most part, it was a choice to carry openly. And for a few, a treat.
None of them had any nefarious plans, nor acted like it, and no fuss was raised.
Because, guess what? Around here, we don't care. Well, for the most part. There was a bit of grumbling to the owner of the restaurant where we met for breakfast every morning, mostly from the little blue haired ladies. Such grumblings were met with the assurance that what those people were doing was completely legal, they were here yesterday morning too, and they're really nice folks. Now, did you want toast with that or a biscuit?
The ability to walk down the street with a gun on your hip and garner strange glances not at the piece in your holster but rather at the Texan guy in a skirt is something that I tend to take for granted. Seeing how much it was enjoyed by everyone attending was a nice reminder of what Small Town USA is like to those who don't get to live there.
Open carry versus concealed carry is not so much an argument here as a fashion choice. Do I wear a cover garment or is it too darn hot?
So the next time you're arguing the topic of "open carry" remember this: In a small Colorado town, where you turn your clock back fifty years when you cross the city limits, it's not a big deal. Our sleepy little non-metropolis takes a gun on your hip with the same even stride as a horse being ridden down Main Street, or an electricity-generating windmill going up on the outskirts of town.
And maybe, just maybe, all those argumentative folks making such a big fuss (on both sides of the issue) could learn a little something from that.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Pan Gravy Ala FarmMom
Ok Phlegmmy, here ya go Lady.
For good pan gravy the very first thing you MUST do is fry up some good dead critter be it beef, chicken or whatever suits your fancy.
Then decide how much gravy you want to make. For Farmdad and I, I leave about 1/4 cup of the grease that I fried my meat in in the bottom of the pan. Make sure your grease is hot but not smokin hot.
Take a few tablespoons of flour and stir it into the grease. It needs to be just enough that it doesn't leave extra grease on top of your mess in the skillet. It should look somewhat like a thin paste:
Now the real secret to pan gravy is to let the flour cook into your grease. Do not under cook the pasty substance or you will be left with a very starchy tasting gravy. Actually most people think they are going to burn the gravy if they leave it too long and in a way that is exactly what you are doing but not enough to blacken it just get it to a nice golden brown. This usually takes 2-3 minutes.
Now the next step is the hardest. You really can't leave your gravy at this point. Take your jug of Whole milk,( whole milk makes a richer gravy) and start pouring it into the pan stirring constantly. ( Love my coated whisks for this. ) Put plenty milk in to start with or you will end up with a sticky glop. You must keep stirring the gravy and adding milk slowly as it thickens to get the right consistency. It will start out very runny but will thicken pretty fast. Add a little milk and let it thicken then add some more and so on. Keep adding milk and stirring till the gravy is bubbly and the consistency that suits you. If you happen to get it a little thinner than you want just let it bubble for a minute or two and it will thicken some more:
Stir, Stir, Stir! Too little stirring will leave you with lumpy gravy.
At the end, your gravy should cling to the spoon. It's going to be slightly more runny than you think it should be, but don't worry! It will thicken as it cools down:
Now you're ready for a delicious meal!
Once you get the hang of it good pan gravy is easy to make and will impress your friends to no end. (obviously LOL ) The best advice I can give is just practice till you get it the way you want it. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work the first time. I had many failures before I got my first GOOD batch of gravy.
*post written by Farmmom, photos, editing, and compilation by Farmgirl.
For good pan gravy the very first thing you MUST do is fry up some good dead critter be it beef, chicken or whatever suits your fancy.
Then decide how much gravy you want to make. For Farmdad and I, I leave about 1/4 cup of the grease that I fried my meat in in the bottom of the pan. Make sure your grease is hot but not smokin hot.
Take a few tablespoons of flour and stir it into the grease. It needs to be just enough that it doesn't leave extra grease on top of your mess in the skillet. It should look somewhat like a thin paste:
Now the real secret to pan gravy is to let the flour cook into your grease. Do not under cook the pasty substance or you will be left with a very starchy tasting gravy. Actually most people think they are going to burn the gravy if they leave it too long and in a way that is exactly what you are doing but not enough to blacken it just get it to a nice golden brown. This usually takes 2-3 minutes.
Now the next step is the hardest. You really can't leave your gravy at this point. Take your jug of Whole milk,( whole milk makes a richer gravy) and start pouring it into the pan stirring constantly. ( Love my coated whisks for this. ) Put plenty milk in to start with or you will end up with a sticky glop. You must keep stirring the gravy and adding milk slowly as it thickens to get the right consistency. It will start out very runny but will thicken pretty fast. Add a little milk and let it thicken then add some more and so on. Keep adding milk and stirring till the gravy is bubbly and the consistency that suits you. If you happen to get it a little thinner than you want just let it bubble for a minute or two and it will thicken some more:
Stir, Stir, Stir! Too little stirring will leave you with lumpy gravy.
At the end, your gravy should cling to the spoon. It's going to be slightly more runny than you think it should be, but don't worry! It will thicken as it cools down:
Now you're ready for a delicious meal!
Once you get the hang of it good pan gravy is easy to make and will impress your friends to no end. (obviously LOL ) The best advice I can give is just practice till you get it the way you want it. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work the first time. I had many failures before I got my first GOOD batch of gravy.
*post written by Farmmom, photos, editing, and compilation by Farmgirl.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Wow
I've already gotten more response than I expected from the serialization of Jane.
I have the very best readers, obviously. Ya'll are great.
I'll leave Chapter Five (with which you get everything posted on the blog with a bonus of the prologue) available for another week or so, if I can get Chapter Six polished to satisfaction in that time.
Once Chapter Six is announced, if you need Chapter Five and previous, you'll have to note that on the paypal page when you make your donation.
I'll do my best to get chapters out in a timely fashion, from here on out.
Thank you guys, really. You all Rawk!
I have the very best readers, obviously. Ya'll are great.
I'll leave Chapter Five (with which you get everything posted on the blog with a bonus of the prologue) available for another week or so, if I can get Chapter Six polished to satisfaction in that time.
Once Chapter Six is announced, if you need Chapter Five and previous, you'll have to note that on the paypal page when you make your donation.
I'll do my best to get chapters out in a timely fashion, from here on out.
Thank you guys, really. You all Rawk!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Poll
Over to the right there's a poll. If you want to weigh in on which recipe(s) Farmmom posts on here, speak your mind there.
I'm so helpful, I can't hardly stand myself.
I'm so helpful, I can't hardly stand myself.
Just because Phlemmy made my head swell I will put up a couple of recipes here on FarmGirl's blog.
I will leave it up to you folks on what you want me to post. I will post with photos (if Farmdad and Farmgirl will help with that) because some of the directions will be "when it looks like this". I warn you now that most of my recipes are a splash of this or dash of that or what have you. So spicing is gonna be to taste. If you like it spicier add more! Take the recipes and make them your own.
The biggest majority of my recipes came from my mom and grandmother, various aunts and not least my mother-in- law and the best cook in the entire world, Farmdad's Grandmother. Grandma Sugar was bar none the best cook I have ever met in my life and I learned more from that woman than anyone else in this whole big world. She was an incredible woman and would be proud of her recipes being passed on. So tell me what Country Cooking recipes you want and I will try to pass them along.
And yes Phlemmy the Pan Gravy will be the first!
I will leave it up to you folks on what you want me to post. I will post with photos (if Farmdad and Farmgirl will help with that) because some of the directions will be "when it looks like this". I warn you now that most of my recipes are a splash of this or dash of that or what have you. So spicing is gonna be to taste. If you like it spicier add more! Take the recipes and make them your own.
The biggest majority of my recipes came from my mom and grandmother, various aunts and not least my mother-in- law and the best cook in the entire world, Farmdad's Grandmother. Grandma Sugar was bar none the best cook I have ever met in my life and I learned more from that woman than anyone else in this whole big world. She was an incredible woman and would be proud of her recipes being passed on. So tell me what Country Cooking recipes you want and I will try to pass them along.
And yes Phlemmy the Pan Gravy will be the first!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Jane
Well. You all know about my car troubles and the fact that I'm gonna be working to get a new truck in the immediate future.
I'm going to be picking up a second job and selling some critters to help raise the cash for it. It's still a daunting prospect at this point, however, because what I need for my day to day life is rather expensive. But as it stands I was driving other family members' pickups more than I was driving my car even before it blew up, just because I needed the space/towing ability/four wheel drive or what have you to accomplish what I needed to accomplish.
Someone commented that I should put up a tip jar. And shortly, that I should point it out, since they just realized that I did have one over there on the right.
Now, I haven't pointed it out and I haven't been asking folks to tip, because frankly, I consider a tip jar just that... a tip for liking what I post. If folks want to tip, great. If not, well, times are hard all around and I'm not going to bleg.
So please remember, this isn't a bleg.
This is an offer. One that I wouldn't make if I weren't hurting for cash. Not that I don't love all ya'll enough to offer this it's just....
I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, and tell you the offer.
I think most of ya'll are familiar with Jane, and she and her friends have gotten some really good feedback. I've been asked elsewhere when the next chapter will be available, and I've been answering "when it's published."
Well, here's your opportunity folks. Over on the right is a donate button. Everyone who donates a dollar gets all of Jane through Chapter Five in their email inbox.
Everyone who donates more than a dollar will also receive a thank-you note via snail mail, provided they give a mailing address.
Availability of Chapter Six will be announced, as will availability of the rest of the chapters as they're finished. I figure it's not fair to start something like this and then not finish it.
Also, what's currently up of Jane on the blog will be ALL of Jane that's available on the blog. It's not fair to the people who are kind enough to help me out and pay money to see my scribblings if I just throw them out there for everyone afterwords.
I want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of my readers for just reading. I enjoy my little corner of the blogosphere, and it's such a compliment when someone takes the time to comment or email me saying they like what I write.
You folks are the ones who keep me writing, whether it be a blog post or sitting down of an evening and banging out a little more of Jane. So thank you for taking the time to come and see me here, it means a lot to me.
I'm going to be picking up a second job and selling some critters to help raise the cash for it. It's still a daunting prospect at this point, however, because what I need for my day to day life is rather expensive. But as it stands I was driving other family members' pickups more than I was driving my car even before it blew up, just because I needed the space/towing ability/four wheel drive or what have you to accomplish what I needed to accomplish.
Someone commented that I should put up a tip jar. And shortly, that I should point it out, since they just realized that I did have one over there on the right.
Now, I haven't pointed it out and I haven't been asking folks to tip, because frankly, I consider a tip jar just that... a tip for liking what I post. If folks want to tip, great. If not, well, times are hard all around and I'm not going to bleg.
So please remember, this isn't a bleg.
This is an offer. One that I wouldn't make if I weren't hurting for cash. Not that I don't love all ya'll enough to offer this it's just....
I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, and tell you the offer.
I think most of ya'll are familiar with Jane, and she and her friends have gotten some really good feedback. I've been asked elsewhere when the next chapter will be available, and I've been answering "when it's published."
Well, here's your opportunity folks. Over on the right is a donate button. Everyone who donates a dollar gets all of Jane through Chapter Five in their email inbox.
Everyone who donates more than a dollar will also receive a thank-you note via snail mail, provided they give a mailing address.
Availability of Chapter Six will be announced, as will availability of the rest of the chapters as they're finished. I figure it's not fair to start something like this and then not finish it.
Also, what's currently up of Jane on the blog will be ALL of Jane that's available on the blog. It's not fair to the people who are kind enough to help me out and pay money to see my scribblings if I just throw them out there for everyone afterwords.
I want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of my readers for just reading. I enjoy my little corner of the blogosphere, and it's such a compliment when someone takes the time to comment or email me saying they like what I write.
You folks are the ones who keep me writing, whether it be a blog post or sitting down of an evening and banging out a little more of Jane. So thank you for taking the time to come and see me here, it means a lot to me.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Weekend to Remember
Just to start things off, I don't have the gift of words that all of our guests this weekend do.
I really just wanted to take an opportunity to thank all of the wonderful folks that took time out of their daily lives to show up in our little town and grace us with their personalities and humor.
To start the weekend off NFO and AEPilot Jim showed up Thursday and worked their coondog butts off helping finish things up before everyone else got there. They pitched right in cleaning brisket and pork shoulder with a little bit of munching thrown in ( which is a prerequisite for cleaning BBQ). Then on Friday they helped FarmDad set the range up. And such a range they put together! The weekend would not have turned out near as well as it did without their help. Thank you so much guys!
Thursday night Christina LMT, Gay Cynic, Labrat and Stingray, Breda and Alan from Snarkybites and Snarky got in.
Christina... Such a warm giving woman! Lady you are magic with your hands. My Physical Therapist says that you have taken probably 4 weeks off of my recovery time! You are a very special individual and let no one ever tell you different.
Gay Cynic... You have a heart of gold and a sense of humor that makes me spit liquid all over my keyboard. ( I'm not telling how many times this weekend I spewed drinks through my nose because of you)
Labrat and Stingray.... You are just adopted! You are now my children and you are stuck with me! I am expecting monthly visits to your poor decrepit nother mother.
Breda.... What a wonderful woman. Such a go to attitude! I loved seeing you on the range. There is nothing you won't try. I admire you immensely!
Alan.... We really didn't get to visit much but I did enjoy what little time we did!
Snarky... I have to admire the way you stepped right up to the plate to try new things.
Saturday brought Ambulance Driver and Miss Katy Beth, and Lawdog and Phlemmy.
Ambulance Driver.... Wow just what can I say. I am sooooo sorry that I missed the Lapdance! I am so sorry about the deer incident but you have to admit that it did make a whiz bang ending to the weekend! Come back soon!
Miss Katy Beth... Such a darling child. Cute as a bugs ear and just as well behaved as anyone could ask for. Her parents should be proud as punch! Especially knowing who her Daddy is!
Lawdog.... He stole my heart right after he showed up. The man gives amazing hugs!
Phlemmy.... A woman with a heart the size of Texas who oozes class from each and every pore! It was such a joy to have you!
Sunday brought in MattG and JPG.
MattG...... such a gentle giant! It has been a long time since I have seen such a gentleman. It was our pleasure to have you in our home!
JPG... It is a little hard to say what I want to say about you since it is on such a personal level but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the gift you gave me this weekend. Know that you will always be welcome in my home. God Bless you!
I thank each and every one of you for coming. There is so much more that I want to say to each of you but I just can't find the words. I am already looking forward to next year! I have not had this much fun in years!
I really just wanted to take an opportunity to thank all of the wonderful folks that took time out of their daily lives to show up in our little town and grace us with their personalities and humor.
To start the weekend off NFO and AEPilot Jim showed up Thursday and worked their coondog butts off helping finish things up before everyone else got there. They pitched right in cleaning brisket and pork shoulder with a little bit of munching thrown in ( which is a prerequisite for cleaning BBQ). Then on Friday they helped FarmDad set the range up. And such a range they put together! The weekend would not have turned out near as well as it did without their help. Thank you so much guys!
Thursday night Christina LMT, Gay Cynic, Labrat and Stingray, Breda and Alan from Snarkybites and Snarky got in.
Christina... Such a warm giving woman! Lady you are magic with your hands. My Physical Therapist says that you have taken probably 4 weeks off of my recovery time! You are a very special individual and let no one ever tell you different.
Gay Cynic... You have a heart of gold and a sense of humor that makes me spit liquid all over my keyboard. ( I'm not telling how many times this weekend I spewed drinks through my nose because of you)
Labrat and Stingray.... You are just adopted! You are now my children and you are stuck with me! I am expecting monthly visits to your poor decrepit nother mother.
Breda.... What a wonderful woman. Such a go to attitude! I loved seeing you on the range. There is nothing you won't try. I admire you immensely!
Alan.... We really didn't get to visit much but I did enjoy what little time we did!
Snarky... I have to admire the way you stepped right up to the plate to try new things.
Saturday brought Ambulance Driver and Miss Katy Beth, and Lawdog and Phlemmy.
Ambulance Driver.... Wow just what can I say. I am sooooo sorry that I missed the Lapdance! I am so sorry about the deer incident but you have to admit that it did make a whiz bang ending to the weekend! Come back soon!
Miss Katy Beth... Such a darling child. Cute as a bugs ear and just as well behaved as anyone could ask for. Her parents should be proud as punch! Especially knowing who her Daddy is!
Lawdog.... He stole my heart right after he showed up. The man gives amazing hugs!
Phlemmy.... A woman with a heart the size of Texas who oozes class from each and every pore! It was such a joy to have you!
Sunday brought in MattG and JPG.
MattG...... such a gentle giant! It has been a long time since I have seen such a gentleman. It was our pleasure to have you in our home!
JPG... It is a little hard to say what I want to say about you since it is on such a personal level but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the gift you gave me this weekend. Know that you will always be welcome in my home. God Bless you!
I thank each and every one of you for coming. There is so much more that I want to say to each of you but I just can't find the words. I am already looking forward to next year! I have not had this much fun in years!
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