My Sis & Me & Alice

This past weekend, my sister came to the farm to help me make jelly and pickles.  We've got plums running out our ears around here from my daddy's tree.  We had two big ole 5 gallon buckets and another bucket full on Saturday.  I'd already put up a slew of jelly already, but we can't let this go to waste. There's also another bucketload of ripe plums still on the tree and a bunch on the ground! We've been givin' 'em away!

We cooked  plums down nearly all day long, and also made jelly while we waited. My seester is my bestest friend in the whole wide world. We're both country girls 'n we figger we can do just about anything alone or together that a man can do -'cept pee standin' up!  And we could probly do that, too, just might not be able to hit what we're aimin' for!  Why wait on your husband to do somethin' for ya when you can probly do it yourself, and you don't hafta wait!  Together me 'n her have gotten into some fine messes, but always got ourselves out of 'em.  We can fix stuff, build stuff, we can fish and hunt, and clean a deer & fish, we can re-wire a dryer from gas to electric (actually seester did most of that), you name it, we've probly done it.  We hung around with our do-it-all dad all the time.  He is still the bee's knees to us!

OK, back to jelly.

Here are the plums cookin' down. It smells heavenly to breathe in all that lusciousness!

Here's me in my farmhouse kitchen warshin' more plums for the jelly...

Sis is dipping up juice to run through the strainer. We put the whole plums in the pot, and the skins and seeds come out in the strainer and we're left with just juice!

We're havin' a laugh over somethin'.  We laughed all day long. AND we never could figger out who took our picture together. Was it Mom? She was there for awhile, or was it my daughter? She was there for awhile, too! Not the most flattering of photos, but good memories nonetheless!  And voila! The final product!!! I sent half home with her for her family and some to mom and dad.  It was so good!  Now with some homemade bread and real butter, I'll be in hog's heaven!  We still have almost a whole 'nuther bucket of plums, ripening and fermenting. I hope I can git 'em done before they rot!

Alice the farm kitten is doing so well.  She is growing right before our eyes.  She's getting less skittish and runs out to the car when we get to the farm.  Loud noises still make her nervous and sometimes she'll take off and run under the porch.  But she's getting better.  She's finally started purring whenever you pick her up and scratch her.  It's been awhile since I've had a cat.  I've had cats all my life and it's nice to have another one. I still think I'm gonna git her a buddy.

Is this not the cutest kitten you've ever seen? She always has dirt in her nose from playing under the porch all the time.  She seems very healthy and playful and she's eating like a little pig.  I'll have to get her to the vet for a check up soon.   Take care, people!  Have a great week!  And keep your dress down!