Buckshot Gets Bored

Recently my escape artist horse has had a much harder time getting out. Since he can't leave he's found some new ways to amuse himself around the farm. He's gotten into the chicken coop and I mean all the way in! He's so big the roof was resting on his butt and he got a couple scratches for his effort. I worked quite a while cleaning paddocks today getting them ready to put gravel in to help with drainage. My nosy horse came to "help" by knocking over the muck buckets after I filled them up. He also "helped" Mango finish her food even though she didn't offer. Buckshot has always been very nosy and will come snoop on the house and look in our windows. Two mornings ago I heard weird thumping on the porch but the dogs and cats were all in. When I went to let the dogs out a large section of our screened in porch was missing the screen. I am not positive that he did it, but my dear husband is convinced that the noise I heard was Buckshot rubbing his booty on the porch to scratch it and tearing down the screen. I thought it sounded like something was in the porch maybe a raccoon or possum. Whatever it was I still have to mend the porch.

Buckshot the Bad Alarm Clock

Oh man, where do I even begin this time. Buckshot, my very nosy horse, has been up to no good lately. It all started with him learning that if he leaned on the gate it would eventually open (since remedied) and he could leave. His first trip got me an early phone call from Animal Control. This time I was woken up at 5:50 am by someone laying on their horn in my driveway. "Hey do you have a horse?" someone's yelling. I fly out of bed and grab the nearest article of clothing, running for my boots and the back door. About the time I'm headed out the wide open back gate I realize that the "clothes" I pulled on is a skanky sundress I wear before bed, I keep heading down the driveway towards a large delivery van and a huge 300 pound guy with super long dreads down his back. He's yelling about a horse and pointing towards direct buy around the corner. I turn and there is Buckshot walking as fast as he can down the side walk heading towards the freeway exit ramp and morning commuters on the 680. The giant guy offers me a ride and I am thinking "oh hell no" and my kids are asleep in the house, but I have no chance of catching Buck before he gets to the freeway so I hop in anyways. So we go tearing out of the driveway and hauling tail around the corner Buckshot spots us and spooks. Buckshots answer to every thing scary is "speed" so of course he starts trotting up the 680 ramp heading straight for 70 mph traffic. I jump out of the van and run catching him about 30 ft up the ramp. In my panic I hadn't grabbed a rope so I start home holding him by his halter, not very safe but I have no choice. Buckshot decides he's scared of the squishy direct buy grass so I switch him sides. When we come to the end of the sidewalk there is a teeny bit of water in the gutter, maybe 1/4 inch, Buckshot is petrified and refuses to walk over the water and leaps over the gutter instead, somehow I hang on and don't get my arm pulled out of the socket. When I get him back home he's "scared" of the gate and doesn't want to go in. After a quick reminder that I am in no mood to tolerate any funny business he walks through with no problem. Now that we know he can open the gate for we've added an extra lock you need thumbs to use. I give it a month!

Buckshot's Latest Adventure

My horse Buckshot is a pretty funny fellow. He likes to go for walks and will test the gates to see if they're locked. Evidently he found an open gate this morning because at 7:55 AM I received a phone call. "Hi this is Solano County Animal Control, do you own a white horse with brown spots?" I immediately started running for the door "Yes, I do. Where is he?", they tell me "In front of the fire station". I am hauling ass out the back door headed across the pasture when I see Buckshot and two escorts standing at the pasture gate. Some nice men (they must be my neighbors down the street) saw him walking down the sidewalk headed towards the underpass (and the freeway) and walked him home, the guys called the police when they realized that the pasture gate was locked and couldn't figure out how to get him back in. I guess he didn't bother to mention that he had come out the backyard gate and down the driveway. We've found him in the driveway a couple of times and I am starting to wonder if he can open the backyard gate. At least he wasn't at the bar again this time! After all this when I was walking him back in he kept giving me this look like "What Mom? I stayed on the sidewalk." He was being so calm and sweet that I hopped on for a quick ride around the yard and cuddle before giving him his breakfast. That was probably his plan all along. I can see him out in the pasture plotting "If I open the gate and leave someone will call Mom to pick me up. Then I'll make cute faces until she gives me food."

Watermelon Pickles

I have been wanting to try canning but have been nervous about screwing it up and wasting food or worse making us all sick. So I decided to try making watermelon pickles. You make the pickles with the watermelon rind, I figured at least if I totally screw up it's something I would have thrown to the chickens anyways. I did end up screwing up but it wasn't a big deal (I overcooked them but they still taste okay) better safe than sorry right? I didn't buy any special equipment other than jars. I used my big camping kettle with a veggie steamer rack in the bottom and some tongs to fish out the super hot jars. This worked fine for doing just a few pints, but I don't think the steamer rack would hold up to pint jars or that my pot will be big enough for that matter. I used the rind from one watermelon it yielded 3 pints of finished product and we sampled the last few pieces that didn't fit in the jar, mmm. Watermelon pickles it turns out are sweet and have a hint of clove. I don't usually care for sweet cucumber pickles but these actually taste pretty good! They look pretty in the jar so I think a jar or two will go towards what I want to give away for the holidays. Here's a pic of the finished product and the recipe as found in the Third Edition of Putting Food By by Hertzberg, Vaughn, and Greene.



Recipe: Watermelon Pickles

8 cups prepared watermelon rind
1/2 cup pickling salt
4 cups cold water
4 teaspoons whole cloves
4 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water

Step 1) Prep the rind: Trim all green and pick off rind and cut into 1 inch cubes, thick rind is best.

Step 2) Dissolve salt in cold water pour over rind cubes (add more water to cover if needed). Let stand 5-6 hours

Step 3) Drain and rinse well. Cover with fresh water and cook until barely tender no more than 10 minutes (err on the side of crispness), drain

Step 4) Combine sugar, vinegar, and water, add cloves tied into a small cloth bag (I used cheese cloth), and bring to boiling, simmer for 5 minutes, pour over rind cubes and let stand overnight.

Step 5) Bring all to boiling and cook until rind is translucent but not at all mushy, about 10 minutes.

Step 6) Remove spice bag and pack rind cubes in hot sterilized pint jars, add boiling syrup leaving 1/2 inch of head room (tip- divide the syrup evenly among the jars then top pff with water if needed).

Step 7) Process in a Boiling Water Bath for 10 minutes Remember to Adjust for Altitude!! Remove jars and complete seals if necessary. Makes about 4 pints (mine only came out 3)