Social Distancing at the Ranch

I have to say, living in the country sure makes this COVID19 pandemic and social distancing a lot easier. After being a city-dweller for most of my life, one of the things I appreciate most about ranch life is being able to commune with nature simply by walking out my door. Granted, there are times when that's not a good thing. Right, Maddie?

She got bit by a nasty old copperhead Thursday night. And, because she kept messing with the bite area, we had to add insult to injury in the form of the dreaded cone-of-shame. I am happy to report, though, that she is doing fine and now happily cone-free .

Yes, the wildlife is coming out to play here at the ranch. In the days leading up to Easter, we were inundated with baby bunnies. And while they're timing may have been spot-on, seeing their little furry bodies hopping around had our dogs thinking they were toys, which, in turn,  kept us hopping in order to protect the bunnies. So to all the mama rabbits out there, if you love your babies, please make your nests in the woods and not my flower beds. 

Bunnies aren't the only things we've seen, though. This beautiful creature decided to get up close and personal with hubby. Don't you just love how nature has its own unique camouflage? 

The tree frogs are out in force. They're fun to watch, but they sure can make a lot of noise. Especially on a rainy day.

This squirrel spent a good bit of time circling our hillbilly hot tub, debating whether or not he should dive in.

He did not, which was fine by me because we would have probably had to fish him out and I don't see that turning out very well.

And, of course, we always have our deer. Some of them will have fawns arriving in the coming weeks, so we're drawing quite the crowd.

Yes, these beautiful days, along with the pandemic and social distancing, make this the perfect time for taking long walks. 

On this day, me and my companions explored an area that had been burned out in a wildfire back in 2011.

Nature certainly is resilient. The beauty that can rise out of the ashes. 

Just look at those pine trees coming back amid some of the charred remains.

The dogs love exploring and never waste an opportunity to play in the water. No matter where it might be.

While my faithful companions played, I was on the lookout for dewberries. And nature did not disappoint.

It's still a little early. Maybe in another week or so they'll be purple and ready to pick.

Though, I did find a couple of early bloomers that were perfect for a quick snack on the go.

That's what's going on in my backyard. What's happening where you live?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Grilled Omelet/Cheese/Sandwich

Jan here. I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Easter Sunday!

Ours was pretty quiet, partly because of the virus/pandemic, but mostly because of this:

A weekend storm that started with rain and ended with several inches of snow meant that we went nowhere, pandemic or not!

But no worries. Although I'm getting a little tired of eating out of our pantry (going on six weeks now,) I still have enough supplies to try out some new recipes. Daughter-in-law Katie shared this idea on Facebook last week and I adapted it to the food we have on hand.

This is my kind of comfort food, and perfect for a snowy Saturday evening!

Grilled Omelet/Cheese/Sandwich

I should really call this a grilled ham and cheese omelet sandwich...although I'm not sure it makes much difference.

One note - on Saturday I made this on my electric griddle. Earlier in the week I used a skillet on the stove. The stove worked much better, but you can only make one sandwich at a time.

For each sandwich you will need:

2 eggs

a splash of milk (2 or 3 Tablespoons)

salt & pepper to taste

2 slices of bread

cheese (2 slices of American or just under 1/4 cup shredded cheese)

2 slices ham lunch meat or cooked bacon (optional!)

First, heat your pan to medium heat. Scramble the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper and pour it into the pan (or onto the griddle.) IMMEDIATELY place the bread slices in the egg and flip over once to coat both sides with the egg mixture.

Layer both sides of the sandwich with cheese and ham.

I layered cheese-ham-cheese.

Turn the heat down to medium low and let the sandwich halves cook until the egg is cooked through and the cheese is starting to melt. (This is much easier in a skillet, and it helps speed up the process if you pop a lid on top for a few minutes.)

Once the egg is cooked and the cheese is melty, flip one side of the sandwich onto the other one. If you're able to, fold the excess egg into the center of the sandwich.

By the way, this picture shows how important it is to leave a little space between the two halves of the sandwich. There's nothing like a broken bread fail...although it doesn't change the yummy flavor!

Once both sides of the sandwich are nicely browned and everything is melty and lovely, it's ready to go! I find it best to eat this sandwich with a knife and fork!

These sandwiches were perfect for a light supper, but they'd make a great breakfast, too. :-)

And our storm lasted into the afternoon on Sunday, but the sun did make an appearance on Sunday morning - just in time to celebrate Easter!

How was your Easter celebration?

 

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and baby border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.

Pantries and Pandemics

by Jan Drexler

Last week was a doozy, wasn't it?

We were all prepared for the change to daylight savings time, a full moon (it was a beauty, wasn't it?) and Friday the 13th (really, a non-event for me.) But were any of us prepared for the SPEED of the pandemic panic???

Think about it. In the comments on last Monday's post, no one, NO ONE, mentioned the corona virus, school closings, quarantine, a National Emergency....all of that was on the radar out there somewhere, but it wasn't an issue yet.

By Wednesday, Cate Nolan talked about how to survive a possible quarantine in the city (you can read her post here) and on Thursday, Ruth Logan Herne shared about the flu and emergency preparedness on the farm (you can read her post here.) Things just exploded from there.

My dear husband and I tried to do our regular grocery shopping on Friday - between the pandemic panic and a snowstorm in the forecast, the place was packed. We left. We didn't need groceries (we were just going to pick up a few things that were on sale) because our pantry is stocked.

And I'm not the only one. I was talking to my neighbor on Friday evening, and she said they were stocked up, too. We both agreed: when you live in the country and in the North, that's just the way you do things.

I've talked about my pantry in a few other posts. It saw us through the Blizzard of 2013 (you can read about that HERE) and it sees us through the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally every year (you can read about that HERE.)

But the main thing I want to talk about today is USING all that food you've been stocking up on for the past week. Because you have purchased and stored that food for a reason.

And now that reason is here. Whether you're expecting to be quarantined or you're quarantining yourself voluntarily, most of us are going to find ourselves relying on our pantries over the next couple weeks. 

Maybe your stores are packed full of people - germ-carrying people - and you don't need to add your purchasing power in the midst of all that. Maybe your stores are running out of certain items. Maybe you are fighting the flu or a cold, or your immune system is compromised... Or maybe you just want to stay home.

So, today is the day to sit down and PLAN how you're going to use what you've stored.

1. Start with an inventory. You can't plan to use it if you don't know you have it! Count how many cans of tuna, how many pounds of flour and sugar, etc. And don't forget your freezer and refrigerator!

2. Then brainstorm several meals you usually prepare with the food you have on hand. As you do this, assign the foods you need for each meal. For instance, if you're going to make tuna noodle casserole, subtract the ingredients (1 can of tuna, 1 can of mushroom soup, 1 package of noodles and 1/2 package of frozen peas) from your inventory.

3. Look at the food items you have left in your inventory and look for recipes to use them. One great resource is Betty Crocker's "101 Meals You Can Make with Pantry Staples." Go there and scroll through the pages to get ideas.

Your goal is to have fourteen days worth of meals planned. Don't forget to plan for leftovers, too. Last night's leftover casserole makes a great lunch for today.

4. Now, assign your planned meals to days on the calendar. Be sure to use up your perishables first! 

Note: Don't forget to plan healthy meals. As much as you might like them, three meals in a row of only hamburgers isn't healthy. Add in those veggies and fruits! The goal is to stay well, isn't it? 

5. Be creative! Combine foods that you might not have considered before, like this recipe for Quick Pumpkin Pear Soup that I shared a few years ago.

So, how are we feeling about all this?

I hope you are confident and challenged to rise to whatever situation you will need to face. That isn't only a prayer for now - March 2020 - but for always. Being prepared calms the heart and reduces anxiety.

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and baby border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.