Bread-making Day

Yesterday we made our weekly batch of sourdough bread (Thanks for the starter, Ms. Elizabeth! It is delicious.). I shaped the loaves, and I decided to make two loaves and one batch of sourdough rolls. Annie concocted a delicious cinnamon swirl filling for one loaf. It smelled so good while it was baking, and it came out of the oven at lunchtime. Perfect! Of course, I had to have some of the fragrant, hot rolls as soon as they became cool enough to handle.

Our garden has been giving us an abundance of tomatoes this year. Maybe somebody planted too many tomato plants... But we have enjoyed having tomatoes any way we want them. Yesterday we dried some of our plum tomatoes in the dehydrator. They turned out quite well, but we ate them before we could put them away. I've made an abundance of fresh tomato salsa, and I experimented with tomato sauce as well.

I tried a new heirloom variety of cucumber this year. It is called the Lemon Cucumber, and it really does resemble a lemon. The flavor is excellent, and it does not become bitter. This is a variety I will definitely grow again next year. We are also growing Rattlesnake pole beans, which are green with dramatic purple stripes. They are very good, productive green beans. I must confess to a fondness for growing unusual veggies. That is one reason why I am interested in heirloom seeds. There are many different varieties. I am thankful for our large garden area, which allows me to experiment so freely.

Our Oklahoma Trip

We had a lovely time with our family during our trip to Oklahoma. The three full days that we were there were packed full of fun activities. Momma, Annie, and I swam in the pool every day. The first day, we were able to go and watch one of my cousins play a baseball game. Then we went to tour the historic winery where my grandfather works. We went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant. After dinner, we all headed out to drive around my uncle's cattle farm. It was muddy and wet, so the ride was full of adventures like sliding and crossing creeks.

Roman Riding!

The next day we were able to go and see a rodeo. We enjoyed some of the events, but others we could have done without. One of the entertainments was a lady who had trained her horse to do tricks. Her performance inspired me to work more with Peg. She had her horse do the Spanish Walk and other fancy moves, she dropped a handkerchief from the saddle and had the horse pick it up and hand it to her, and at the end he reared up and waved to the crowd! An eleven-year-old boy performed Roman riding atop two galloping, white Tennessee Walking Horses. He jumped from one horse's back to the other, rode them backwards, jumped over a big jump, and straddled three fiery poles. It was quite a show.

One of my cousins fishing at the pond

On the last day, we went to the local farmers' market with my grandmother. On the way home, we stopped at Starbucks. Mmmm! We also went shoe-shopping with my aunt. She introduced us to a neat frozen yogurt place called the Orange Leaf. That afternoon we took their boat out to the pond at the local country club.

I am in the boat with two of my cousins.

The visit with our family was a special time. It is never long enough, so I am already wondering when we can see them again.

Jasmine, the little horse, is doing quite well. She is receiving the medication that will cure her illness, and her coordination issues have disappeared. We are so thankful.

EPM - Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, or EPM, is a serious disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of the horse. It is transmitted by possums, and it causes muscle wasting, droopy ears and eyelids, loss of coordination, paralysis, and death. The progression of the disease can be rapid, taking less that three days to kill a horse. I always hoped that I would never have to deal with EPM.

On Sunday morning, as we were all getting ready to leave for church, we received a call from our neighbor, Ms. Rae. She was concerned because Jasmine, the yearling filly, had suddenly fallen down three times that morning. After a lightning fast change from church-going clothes to horse clothes, Momma drove Annie and me to Ms. Rae's house. I was praying hard, because I was afraid Jazzy might have West Nile virus or EPM.

After examining Jazzy, Annie and I agreed that she was exhibiting symptoms of neurological problems. Ms. Rae decided to call the vet, and we went home, changed back into our church clothes, and went on to church. After church, I called Ms. Rae to find out what the vet said. She told me that the vet diagnosed Jazzy's problem as EPM, but thankfully it was in an early stage. The vet was able to give an IV drip to prevent the further progression of the disease. The medicine that can cure EPM was not on hand, but it should be available today.

We are all thankful that Jazzy has such a good chance of recovery. If God had not allowed Ms. Rae to be late going out to feed, she would not have seen Jazzy fall down. By the time her problem was noticed, it could have been too late to save her. Now, she is getting treatment and responding well to it. Jazzy's balance and droopiness has already improved. Praise the Lord!

We are off to Oklahoma to visit our family tomorrow. It should be a really fun time. I cannot wait to see everyone. We will be gone through Sunday, and our kind neighbors will care for our animals again. I hope all the critters behave themselves.