Mischievous Maverick

Remember Maverick, that tiny little kitty that we found under the hood of my car a few months ago? Well, he is growing up. He's a rambunctious little fella. Rambunctious and rotund. That boy eats more than his big barn mate, Cowboy:

"Hmmmm, what's that on the floor? I wonder if it's food"



Anyway, here are a few pics of his first time playing in the snow:
"Weeeee"

"Hey, what's in this bucket?"

"My feets is frozen to the floor"


"Yes, I am precious. Click the pic. You'll see."

Who Needs a Stinkin' Parade?

Since they canceled the Suamico Christmas parade due to the storm, and since we bought all the decorations already, Sara got Hank all dolled up in his parade attire.



We'll begin with his end:
Just lovely.



Next, Sara wove lights into his mane:
He tolerates just about anything. He may not approve, but he tolerates.


The sleigh bells were loaned to us by a friend, and they sound really neat:

I sense a lack of approval on his part:
The decorations on his bridle were picky on his face.




Trying to pose in the wind:

Heading out for a quick lap around the yard:

Heading home. That was enough, and it was cold out:


Kinda breezy:


Less wind here, we'll try to pose again:

Finally, a really nice shot:
Merry Christmas from Hank!

Oh Geez!

Look what's coming, and it's not Santy Craws:


For my readers (I thank you, both of you) from the south and other lovely places that don't experience winter in it's full fury, that blue color represents snow. Lots of snow. The green is rain of course, and the pink stuff is a mix of pure hell. I, apparently, live just north of hell.

We have 10"-18" of whiteshit expected. Followed by strong winds to blow the whiteshit into drifts and just make a bigger mess of things, followed by frigid cold temps to freeze the whiteshit drifts in to place.


Ho Ho Ho...

Cheap and Easy Horse Treats

Got extra carrots from the garden?

Got a food dehydrator?

Try this:


Wash off any excess dirt, slice at about 1/4" thick, and dry for about 8-10 hours - until they are almost brittle. Easy!

Rainy Days

Call for homemade bread.



I borrowed this recipe from the 7MSN blog. There are two posts. It's super easy and it turns out to be quite edible. I've never made bread before, and this was kinda fun.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

...on the back of the couch.

Luci. Super. Dog.

Perfect

Days like this are not very common in Northeast Wisconsin in October. But when they happen, you best take advantage of it. Skies are only this color when it's fall. I don't know why and I don't care. I just like it.

The fall colors are just about at their peak. We did lose a bunch of leaves last week to some heavy winds, but the ones that hung on are giving a good show.

And you know the best way to see the fall colors is from the back of a horse....

With good friends in tow....

Vicki brought her horse Lester over and we all headed out on the Oconto River Trail, a reclaimed railroad grade. It's an easy ride, and a great way to spend an afternoon.

Vicki was a little apprehensive about the ride because Lester's wunna them there fancy schmancy "show horses". Little did Vicki know, but Lester is a super solid trail horse as well. In no time he was leading our group like he's done it a thousand times.


He made it past the killer llaammaass without a care.


And the Big Bridge over the Little River was not a problem.

And of course Oliver was a super star and gave Sara a great ride. He doesn't know it yet, but he's gonna be wunna them there fancy schmancy show horses, too.


Just like Lester. Show horse/trail horse extraordinaire.

Enjoy the fall to its fullest. Winter is just around the corner.

Some Like It Hot

And that's me.

I admit it.

I'm a Pepperhead.

Now, I'm not into the extreme heat like some folks enjoy, but I do like a lil' sweat on the brow.

So much so that I attempt to make my own hot sauce. Pull on your flame retardant suit and follow along.

First, I grow my own peppers:

Then I harvest them, wash them, and prepare them for sauce time:

This time I used a mix of jalapenos, serranos, and habaneros:

The habs are the hot ones (hence the gloves):

All of that white membrane contains the capsaicin, which is what causes the heat. The seeds are hot as well, but it's their proximity to the membrane that lends them their heat. Remember, capsaicin is the main ingredient in pepper spray. Yum!

Here's a pic of some habs in different levels of ripeness:

And here's a beauty of a jalapeno:

And a big bowl of hotness:


All the trimmings. Even the parts I can't use are pretty:

The next step is to boil the peppers in a bath of vinegar and salt:


This is when you wish you had more windows in your kitchen:


It's quite caustic. And the next step may be even more so....the blender:


Oh yeah, we can't forget the carrots:

And the final product:

I ended up with about 7 quarts of hot sauce. Enough to strip the paint off of a really big building. And it's yummy!