What Time is it Anyhow??

I Have too many clocks in my house. At least I have a lot of things that have the time on them. I don't know how this happened. It has a lot to do with the fact that everytime I buy something electronic--it has clock--watch--timepiece or whatever you want to call it made into it. In my kitchen alone are 5 different things that I can look at if I want the time. Well, actually, the approximate time, as none of them say the same thing. That would be partly my fault as I am the one who sets them. The digital ones on the stove, microwave, coffeemaker, and phone all blink when the electricity glitches, and that happens about once a day in the heat of the summer. I finally decided not to set the one on the microwave and coffeemaker. I fix the stove as it continually blinks if you don't and the phone resets itself. I really do enjoy the big clock on the wall with the hands that move slowly around and is pretty much right until I need to change the battery.

In the living room, I have a beautiful Grandfather Clock, inherited from a great Aunt. I love this clock, but it gains about 5 minutes every week and I am not sure how to slow it down as I did not inherit a book of instructions. There is also the proper time at the press of a button on the TV. Part of the day, there is a cell phone laying about the house showing me exacatly what time it is.

In each of the 3 bedrooms, there is a bedside clock. I just know that my company will want to know if they are oversleeping at my house in the morning. They may even want an alarm to wake them. HA! Through the years I have acquired the habit of having a clock in each of the 2 bathrooms. When my children were at home, this was suppossed to hurry them along and let them know that 15 minutes was long enough when someone else was waiting to get ready for school. I have a clock on the radio in the sewing room along with a decorative clock that my son bought for me.

The Den has the time on the computer, on the phone and a lovely barn timepiece hangs on the wall. At anytime, there are about 15 different places that I can look to see just what time it is. They all say different things. Oh the phones and computer are probably right as they are set with some satellite in the sky. The rest are set by me and I am not perfect.

In the home that I grew up in, we had a clock in the kitchen, and one in the bedrooms to get us up in the morning. My grandmother, carried her clock from the kitchen to the bedroom and back. She only had one clock, never a watch and probably was more on time than any of us are today.

For some reason, I have never put a clock in the utility room and Thank goodness, the washer or dryer does not have one. That's okay though as I am just passing through that room. I am glad that no one has bought me a clock for the patio or the porch, I think that would be the last straw. I just try to consider which clock I am looking and take a stab at the right time and be on my way, and I hope that I am not too late. That's my excuse and I am stickin' to it.

Summer Fruit

If you have read Andi's Ramblings or It Just Dawned On Me---You know that our family has been blessed with abundant apricots. Unfortunately, I do not have batteries for my camera and they are dead. I am not as fanatic over cameras and pictures as my daughters are. Shame on me. It might be that I grew up in a time when we didn't take pictures just to be taking them. I guess I just never got addicted to it. Anyhow just ask my daughter, Andi, as she can tell you that a roll of film of her eighth birthday party was finally developed when she was 20 years old. Not as clear as it could have been, but none the less we got the pictures, and proof of who broke the lamp.

Back to the reason for this addition to Perils of the Sandcreek Ranch. We did and still do have a wonderful crop of apricots. It makes me sad how many have gone to waste. I know that my grandmothers would be so ashamed of me for the waste. They each would go out each morning and gather all of the "windfall" fruit and either make it for lunch, make jams and jellies or can the fruit itself. Nothing went to waste. I have made jams, pies, froze apricots, gave buckets of the fruit away and begged others to come and get it. It seems that this is a bumper crop year for everyone. I heard one friend say that she was just putting them into peoples cars at church. Made me think of the squash season. You know everyone locks their car doors for fear of being blessed by everyone who raises them.

This morning, I went with the Rancher to check cattle on the west end of SandCreek and decided to check on the plums. I have NEVER seen so many plums. The bushes are loaded and hanging over the banks of the creek. We had two buckets and filled them with ripe fruit. There are areas that are still green, some just turning and an abundance of ripe ones. God has blessed us. I told the Rancher that we had to gather all that we could as it was the best crop we have ever had. Is this a sign that we will not be having any for several years? I always freeze several gallons for the years we don't have any. Making too much jelly at a time is not good.

Sandhill Plums make the best jams and jellies. I can hardly wait. I remember my grandmother telling of packing a lunch and the family taking the wagon and making a day of picking sandhill plums. They were the only fruit available in the early days. Grandma also made a wonderful Plum pudding and cobbler. She didn't always take the seeds out though and we had to be careful when eating it.

If you haven't had a hot piece of toast topped with homemade sandhill plum jam, you don't know what you are missing. Grab a bucket and head for the country. The thickets along the roadsides are loaded (if they haven't all been picked). Gather the kids and grandkids and make a fun time of it.