Deer and Goats

I woke up for real sometime after 8:00 AM (I am guessing, but it was light outside) on Sunday morning. I turned on the coffee pot Jake or Carla prepared Saturday night. By the time it was done, they both had gotten up, too.

We all had coffee and chatted a bit, and then I went and changed into my outdoor clothes. Jake pulled their car out so I could get mine out and I was headed home.

Still no sign of snow plowing or salting on even the major roads. When I finally pulled into my drive I was worn out from just worrying! It was just about 10:00 AM, BTW.

First thing I did after changing clothes and starting the last load of the weekend laundry was to call my snowplow guy. He said he'd be here in an hour or so and he was. When he finished he rang the doorbell. I went and asked him what I owed him. He said, "Give me a hundred bucks!" I said, "Hell, if I had a hundred bucks, I'd buy me a snow blower and wouldn't have to keep calling you!" He laughed and said, "Okay, then give me twenty dollars." So, I did.

I straightened up the house while waiting on the clothes dryer. With the laundry all hung up or folded and put away, I decided it might be a nice time for a nap. I lay down around 2:30 and woke up at 4:00 PM!

Refreshed, I went and started tonight's dinner, Venison Chili. I got the ground venison from Mark (a fellow hunter) at work. Because I know how lean venison is, I used another pound of regular hamburger to get some fat in there. Then I browned both in my Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, I diced a cup of yellow onions, a cup of green peppers, four cloves of garlic and three jalapeno peppers (that I seeded first). Once the meat was browned, they all went into the pot along with 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder, two teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, one teaspoon of black pepper (freshly ground), 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1/8 teaspoon of ground coriander and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon. I stirred all that together and let it cook until the vegetables were soft (4-6 minutes).

Then I added on 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes (after squishing them up with my hands - one of my favorite things), three cups of beef stock and three of Joe and Kathy's beautiful bay leaves. I brought the pot up to a simmer and cooked it, partially covered for about 40 minutes (stirring occasionally).

I took that time to check with Lu and see how she was feeling. She's still sick (8 days later) but is on the mend. Thankfully, Sadie never caught it. I told her I was about to try her goat soap and she was thrilled (she's been hoping for some feedback).

After hanging up, I drained and rinsed five cans of cooked beans: Cannelloni, pinto, red kidney, black and great Northern beans. Those went into the pot and got stirred and I went into the shower.

So, I am trying her Waqua Creek Kids Rosemary and Oatmeal scrub. She had warned me there would not be as much lather as I was used to, but there seemed to be enough, to me. It certainly was abrasive and reminded me of the Lava soap we had when I was a kid. But, I did feel remarkably clean and fresh when I finished and my skin was very soft. I wouldn't want to use it everyday, but it did do the job!

So, then it was 8:00 PM and time for my Sunday night shows. I ate two bowls of chili for dinner and went to bed at 11:00 PM.