Weekending

Whew--what a full weekend!  I got lots done, and of course, there's more yet to BE done. 

Saturday was spent doing some chores in the morning, then going with a friend to pick up some fresh bales of straw for chicken bedding.  Then, of course, came the putting away of the straw before a round of thunderstorms rolled through.  What hot prickly work.  It's great to have it, though, and I devised a way to stack it in bale form in the chicken coop so that, until it's needed for bedding, it can act as a bit of an insulation layer to combat the cold that is coming.  The girls were so happy they laid a whole bunch of fresh eggs.  I was so happy to get the coop cleaned and stocked with fresh straw, before it rained again.

Sunday, I spent the morning doing a bit of tidying up, cake baking, and re-sealing a few quarts of grape juice before my lovely friends came for an afternoon of knitting.  That was so much fun!  A bit more about the canning issue:  If you happen to be shopping Wal-Mart, and see that they carry a 'house brand' of canning jar lids (under the Mainstay produce line), don't even give them a second glance.  I tried them, and out of the box of 12 lids, four completely failed--it looked like they had melted and twisted during processing--and the remaining ones are holding but are very odd looking.  They are very thin and tinny, not at all solid and hearty like the tried-and-true Ball or Kerr canning jar lids.  I brought the remaining case back to the store (yes, I buy my canning lids in bulk!) and promptly bought a case of Ball lids from a local hardware store to add to my stash.  Incidentally, we have entered the time of year when canning supplies go on clearance, so look at your local hardware store (Ace, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and scope out the clearance deals.  I always buy them out of canning lids, if I can afford it.  I tend to go through a case or so per year, so I love those clearance sales!

And here we are, back at the start of another week.  It's going to be a great one, I think!