I have been cooped up in the house for about 10 days.
Snow, Ice, Frigid Temperatures, No School.
It is awesome!
That’s Oreo, the dog, and THE Mustache Cat! The wind chill here hit -30 degrees, so they have been gazing outside rather than playing outside.
Sharing your love of boiled peanuts, and the explicit description re: their consumption was such a trip down memory lane for me; i just had to send my thanks! To say i anticipate/enjoy your posts is, well, an understatement. I applaud your ‘grit, grace, and glam’!!! A fan of yours…truly!
Thank you for my morning chuckle! I always wanted to try boiled peanuts! Reminds me of my childhood memory of picking wild asparagus along the irrigation ditch in our field. I ate and ate and boy, was I ILL…I still eat asparagus, though.
I think that it is so special that The Moustache Cat gets along with Oreo so well! What a great match…
Note to self: Don’t fool around with ice unless you’re on the edge of said creek. 😉
What about adding some chocolate chips
I can’t imagine living in the country, as I have always lived in the city. Farmlife fascinates me as my Mom was raised on a farm and had many fun and interesting stories to tell.
I live on the west coast and the weather has been extremely mild this year. Looking at your pictures of so much snow and cold does not seem very appealing, but I am amazed at your fortitude and apparent enjoyment of where you live. I guess it’s all in what you are used to.
Our daffodils, tulips, azaleas and flowering cherry trees are almost a month early this year. Wonderful to see them coming up and out, but worry about finally getting a frost that will wipe them out. No worries, the frost came and they are weathering the change.
Love reading posts about living on a farm.
What about adding some chocolate chips?
What a post. I’m really sorry you had to get “our” winter weather. Minnesota is like what you describe what you are having. But we are prepared. We too eat pb here. I like it with tomatoes and some eat it with bananas. But back to your problem. Frozen water. Up north we have heaters that go into the water and when the power is out we use generators. I truly hope your tough weather ends soon. At least it is staying light longer, a sure sign spring will definitely come. Your farm is beautiful.
I am in rapture of that pic of Mustache and Oreo! May be the sweetest pic of that type I’ve ever seen. When you think of how far Mustache has come, it is unbelievable. And to see him sitting alongside Oreo, INSIDE your house…awesome!
Loved your post!
My son-in-law has a special fondness for boiled peanuts…last summer we took a family vacation to beautiful Beaufort SC and it just so happened that the boiled peanut festival was happening the day we were leaving. Haha…they stayed for two extra days just to partake!!!
As for PB I love it with just a bit of honey and I am a smooth gal. My sons could eat their weight in crunchy…funny how everyone has a different way to enjoy the deliciousness.
I am shivering just thinking about landing in the frozen creek!! Glad your buddy was there to help.
Love, love, love PB! When I was in junior high years (and years!) ago, I woke up one morning and remembered I was supposed to have a sack lunch for a field trip our class was going on. Well, my mother decided to make a PB sandwich for me and added a little extra “surprise” to it. When I opened my lunch on the bus that day, I found the deliciousness of PB and bacon on my sandwich. Yes, bacon. It was awesome and I’ve loved it ever since!
Hi Rebekah! You must not have electricity running to your hen house. My father in law ran some out to mine so I can run a heat lamp and a heating base for a waterer. I only have to tote water out once a day from the house since we have to shut off the faucets outside during the winter. Creamy Peanut Butter, Jiff, with butter on both pieces of bread before spreading the peanut butter, and only on soft white bread. Jeff eats his with mayo, yuck. My mothers, foster father was a farmer and after really long days outside he would come in and make toast, spread peanut butter between the two pieces and lay on a plate and pour maple syrup over the top, ate it like french toast. You must spread the peanut butter while the toast is hot and eat right away, do not wait for anyone else to start eating. I still make it for myself every couple of years just to remember. We have been having 20 below temps here also and the grandsons that live with us just went back to school after a few days off. It was around 5 degrees this morning before I left for work and now it is snowing and blowing. I am ready for spring. Ladybug is ready for spring. My poor shut in hens are ready for spring. I think I will try your peanut butter oatmeal asap! Love kitty, he is looking content.
Rebekah, I love to read your blog. I live in Janesville, WI and we have a lot of snow and cold weather here too. I just wanted to let you know that George Washington Carver invented peanut butter and over 200 uses for peanuts. He is my favorite chemist of all. He was a black man who was born to a slave woman in the south, was torn away from her and went to live with a white couple who recognized his intelligence and helped him to continue his education the best that was possible during the time that he lived in the south. He became a teacher and took his students to the dump to find tin pie pans, cans and old tools and utencils to work in a laboratory since no provision for tools was given to black students. He was an honorable man, a wonderful kind hearted Christian, and a gift to all who love peanut butter.
Love your story! What a cute kitty! I put water in empty water bottles (sparkle or ozarka kind) with a lid. Then I use my sons little red wagon to haul it if needed. Just an idea. however, i don’t have to haul it through deep snow. I’m in south Texas 🙂
Hi Rebekah,
I have to agree – boiled peanuts is a ‘southern’ thing. I too, was raised in the south and I think we had roasted and boiled peanuts every summer. I believe some folks use Cajun seasoning in their boiling water now, but I can pass on that. I have to admit I have not had any kind of peanuts in years, except peanut butter. And speaking of PB – we live in the Smokies now and we have had a lot of snow lately and we finally dug our way out and got to town to replenish the staples and PB was high on that list … Jif creamy PB and Jonagold apples. I love peanut butter with apple slices. I’m with Merlin … enough of this snow and ice …let’s get on with spring.
About those chickens – we got a heated water dish for chickens from Tractor Supply and it works great and other than just making sure the girls have plenty of food, treats and a toasty place to sleep, they’re in good shape during these cold days.
Love your mustached cat … I think his twin is the cat that comes by our house for a daily meal and then heads back to the woods. A beautiful little black and white cat showed up a while back and it has a mustache and after a few months, I finally got it to come to our deck for a can of wet food and now it shows up everyday for it’s food, but it is still a bit wild.
Take care and stay warm and make soup!
Also wanted to add that my grandfather, whom we called ‘Papa’, was a farmer down in south MS and ate peanut butter everyday of his adult life and he lived to be 95 years.
Oh whoa, that icy water, brrr it would’ve been a shock to your system when you fell in. :). I’m glad you’re loving the snow. Your photos are great. I love the footprints in the snow. So true that it beings thoughts to mind of those who’ve walked the paths before us. I love history and I think often about ancient cobbled streets where generations before us have walked doing life and those streets are still functioning well and our current generations are walking them now too. Just amazing.
I’ve never tried boiled peanuts before, but I think I saw them in bags in out local supermarket the other day. I’m sure that they will taste different to the real thing, like what you’ve described here.
I love peanut butter too. It’s amazing in popcorn crackers too, warm toast, I don’t add in the extra butter. Some thing else that’s wonderful with bananas chopped on top is Nutella. I especially love it with popcorn crackers, spread nicely on top of a cracker, then slice up bananas on top. Ooh so yummy. You get the crunch from the cracker then the smooth chocolate and then the creamy banana. Just such a fabulous combination. I haven’t tried it with oh, but I think I will now.
Have a wonderful day
Hugs from Australia
Denise
Ya sound like me….love peanut butter, but… learned to stop at two tablespoons…..I lick it slow, sort of, or I will eat some dark chocolate with it,,,,it helps to savor the PB.
/We have a candy cookie recie that has oatmeal, chocolate with peanut butter…. you take 3 cups of quick oats and put it off to the side, then you make the fudge in the pot, the cope for that is n the back of the powdered Hersheys cocoa box. It has the makings for how o ake the fudge-chocolate, butter ( I think)then to the fudge you add three tablespoons to a 1/2 cup of peanut butter and a teaspoon of vanilla. Then add the peanut butter and let it melts thoroughly n medium hwpeat til it comes yo the grudge stage, then pour the fudge mix into the oatmeal, mix well, then spoon the cookies by tablespoon onto
a dish ( makes it easier to get them off when cooled). Talking
about it, I want to make some! Just love baking in the
wintertime.
Enjoy. Susana
Hey Rebekah,
I didn’t read all of the comments but had to reply to a question in your post, so sorry if it was answered already. George Washington Carver is usually credited as the inventor of peanut butter. This is a good thing to know during black history month! Although, I’ve heard that he wasn’t the true “inventor”…it was probably the ancient Aztecs or Incas or other indigenous peoples that grew peanuts. We can grind our own at our grocery store and it is the BEST peanut butter I’ve had. Just enough crunch! I love peanut butter and honey toast…YUM.
Hope your snow continues to be awesome! Alex, the Rural Farmgirl
Your whole report is just wonderful!! especially when you talk of the boiled p-nuts – well maybe that part isn’t wonderful – I AM NOW SO LONESOME for some boiled p-nuts. I am from the west/midwest but have spent many a time in the south and well – love them p-nuts. So did enjoy all of your writing – going to try the PBO tomorrow, we are to get 6-8″s in the next couple days, on top of the last 12″s we got by Sat. So on we go with winter. God bless.
Rebekah, your love of peanut butter made me laugh! I, too, love peanut butter (creamy Jif, thank you very much) and have probably eaten close to a million peanut butter crackers in my lifetime- saltine, ritz, graham, triscuit, doesn’t much matter–it’s just salty, yummy, pb goodness!!! I have never, however, appreciated peanut butter as much as I did when I was pregnant. Having horrible morning sickness (that lasted all day, all 9 months) I realized quite by accident one day that just the SMELL of peanut butter made me feel better. I can’t explain why– all I know is it worked!! To this day, if I don’t feel well, I just open the jar of Jif and breathe deep– better instantly!!! Thank you for a good chuckle this evening!!