My Life, my photography, my passions
Icicles aren’t as easy to photograph as I thought. I tried to get the glistening of the sun and the drops melting off, but just couldn’t get it right. I do like the stained glass window of the church in the background. This was taken at the Christian Church in Elmwood, Nebraska. Between Elmwood and Murdock (6 miles away) we’re a community of less than 1000 people, but we have five churches which are a crucial part of our lives.
For those who have been following, I have been searching for the indestructible squeaky toy. I searched online and found a company that advertises Mighty Dog Toys, “Rethink Durability” from mydogtoy.com, well let’s just say even a toy ranked 9 on the durability scale didn’t survive Brody.
This little foxes ears and tail were the first to go, then a hole in it’s side, and the stuffing came out within two hours. I do have to state a disclaimer. The company clearing states that these toys are meant for interactive fun and play and not meant as a chew toy. Very few have tried to get a squeaky toy away from a Jack Russel. He doesn’t want to let go.
This was a day that I went outside to take pictures of frost on leaves and found a better subject. “Mr. Cardinal at your service, thank you very much. But, you’ll have to be patient. I won’t pose for you. You’ll have to be quick, because I don’t stay in one place very long.”
My fingers froze as I waited behind the tree near the feeder. I tried not to move and could hear this little guy flying around me as he tried to find a secure place to land. Most of the time he was too far away for my camera to zoom in and get a really good shot. I was lucky with this one. I looked up and there he sat about fifteen feet above me in the tree. I had time for one picture before he was gone again.
If this cow could talk it would say. Yeah it’s cold, but we live in Nebraska, so what you complaining about. These Angus cattle looked pretty comfortable in the corn stalk field as I stopped the car to take pictures. How do I know they look comfortable. They weren’t huddled together to stay warm, but were scattered on the ridge-line casually eating corn and stalks. (There are more pictures of them in my Flickr page.) They probably thought I had some range cubes or Crystalx tubs for them as they started walking towards me.
Seeing how I’m an Animal Science major from Oklahoma State University I could probably, and should, say more about this breed. But it’s late and I’m behind on my posting. I will that Angus cattle say they are the most popular breed in the mid-west and cows are often crossed with Herefords and called “Black Baldies” (love that name) . Their meat is considered the best in the world and the Japanese especially insist on “Black” Angus beef. They will even visit Nebraska and inspect the cattle before they are purchased to assure the black purity.
Angus branded beef is considered premium, and displays significant marbling which results in superior taste, tenderness, and juiciness to other domestic cattle. There isn’t anything better than a Angus T-Bone steak cooked on the grill in the summer.
Again it’s soup time. I would call this Chicken Noodle Soup, but my son said it didn’t have the right kind of noodles and had too many vegetables, so it’s homemade chicken vegetable soup instead. Regardless, David had two servings, so it must of been pretty good. What more can I say about soup that I haven’t already said.
Homemade soup is ideal for anyone on a budget and who wants to save money. I buy raw carrots, celery, and onions, chop and freeze for easy use and then use frozen corn (better yet free farm corn from my neighbor), or add beans. When I find chicken on sale I stock up and put it in the freezer. Easy and economical.
The onions, carrots and celery you chop and freeze for future batches of soup and the seasonings you can also use for future recipes. In the end you can make a over a gallon of soup for less than $5.00 a pot and less than 0.35 per serving. That is saving my friends.
I used some frozen chicken broth I had saved in the freezer (that reminds me I need to make some more) and just went into my refrigerator for the ingredients.
Add all the ingredients together in the order listed above in a large pot, with the exception of the pasta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for an hour. Add pasta, increase heat to med low and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Freeze leftovers for tasty meals later. My soup pot is rarely put away during the winter and my favorite freezer containers are the Ziplock Twist and Lock bowls. It is VERY important to have a secure lid when packing soup for lunch. I don’t want my soup spilling all over the car during my commute or in my lunchbox.
T-fal A92280 Specialty Nonstick Stockpot Stock Pot, 12-Quart, Black
Ziploc Twist ‘N Loc , Medium Round, Containers & Lids, 2-Count (Pack of 2)The BrokeAss Gourmet CookbookFamily Feasts for $75 a Week: A Penny-wise Mom Shares Her Recipe for Cutting Hundreds from Your Monthly Food BillFreezer Meals: 39 Gluten Free Meals From Freezer To Crockpot Plus Shopping List To Save Time And Money-Cook On A Budget And Eliminate Gluten … Cooking, Freezer Crockpot Meals) (Volume 6)
