In Oklahoma, disasters are [sadly] not an uncommon thing. Think about the past 5-10 years...how many times have you been without electricity? If you live in Moore, probably a LOT! {Ah, the joys of living in Tornado Alley...}
Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, terrorist threats, etc. all should scare you just enough to be prepared.
High Maintenance to Homesteader has been featured in the Homestead Barn Hop!
My lick-the-pan-clean recipe for caramel is #80 on the list. Go check it out [along with some other really awesome homestead blogs] and vote for me, please! To vote, just click the "Like" button above the title of my entry. Thanks!
Remember I told you that I was going to pick green beans while my Aunt Karen was out of town? Well, I did. And, it nearly killed me.
But, before we get to the gruesome details, here are a few shots of my Aunt's beautiful back yard...
Gorgeous, right!? I hope mine is half as lovely some day.
Alright, back to the story at hand... Unlike my Aunt Karen, Aunt Jeanie, Dad and Grandma Schader; I've never been on a farm in my life. I've never picked a green bean. Heck, I've never even seen one before it was picked! So, when I showed up and saw this...
My first thought was "holy crap". That's her raised bed. Those are tomato bushes in back (each roughly the size of a 9 year old) and 2 rows of green beans in front. Seriously, like 15 feet of green bean bushes. Times TWO!
I didn't know it was okay to get up in the bed (remember, she's out of town, and I'm all on my own here...) and walk between the rows, so I did the one foot in, one foot out method. The back of my right thigh felt like Freddy had taken his claws to me for a week!
Aunt Karen did prep me by telling me I'd want to come in the morning "before it gets hot". Uh, let me tell you something folks, there is a H U G E difference between when it's cool and before it gets hot. I now know this. Very well. And I will never forget the difference as long as I live.
I also didn't have the sense God gave a rock, and I didn't bring anything to drink. I really thought I'd be in and out of there in 30 minutes. Tops. HA! I've been "schooled", as Hayden likes to say.
After about 35 minutes of being bent over, one foot in-one foot out of the bed, sweating like I didn't know I could sweat, and thinking I'd knock over a small child for a glass of water...I started to feel funny. My ears started ringing...and I seriously thought I was going to pass out.
This was my view for about 5 minutes...
Once I cooled off, I got my high-maintenance-wimpy-booty up and got back to work.
I picked about 4 pounds in about an hour. I don't know if that's good time or not. I'm sure it's not. Oh, and Aunt Karen informed me that we don't measure in pounds, we measure in quarts, or bushels if it's a larger amount. Got it.
These babies don't last long around here, so I decided I'd just blanch and freeze mine.
However, she was able to get another picking off the bushes, and had enough to can! Post on pressure canning to come!
Last Saturday Hayden and I attended the 4th birthday party of my friend Janel's son, Chapman. The party was at her brother, Daniel's, home. His wife (and Janel's sister-in-law) is Krista, who I mentioned here because of her awesomeness. Got the family tree down?
Their place is beautiful. This is the view from the back porch.
Absolutely breathtaking...
They have 10 acres...with COWS!
Oh my, Hayden was so excited to be that close to a "real live cow"!
The babies were so stinkin' cute! And technically I think they're called calves, but I still plan to call them baby cows. Judge me. I don't care one bit.
Kaitlyn, Daniel & Krista's daughter, said she'll even teach me how to milk a cow. Sweet!
It only took a few hours sitting on their back porch, enjoying great company and conversation, to realize just how much I want this life. Granted, it'll be on a much smaller scale since I'm a single Mom, but I just love the wide open spaces. You can't help but relax...it's impossible to be stressed surrounded by that much natural beauty.
