Poppies. I Heart Them.

A poppy. What a fun name. It sounds hoppy and happy. It is one of my top three favorite flowers. This beauty was waiting for me when I came out to water before school this morning. Glee-producing...that is how much I love them. If I could have had them in my bridal bouquet, I would have. My mom said that they didn't do well as a cut flower. Boo and hiss.


I love the crinkles. I love the hugeness and boldness of it all.


I love the papery look, but when you touch it, it is petal soft.




This one should be open tomorrow morning....as I was walking into the garage to put the camera away so I could go to school (the boys have been using it in the garage as they document the restoring of the Torino)---I noticed this:


How many people can say their outfits coordinated and downright match their garden flowers? Huh? And I didn't even plan it. My poppy and I......we are one.

One More Step Forward.

So, we had a home visit for MidWest Mastiff Rescue on Sunday. I think we have decided to go the rescue dog route again. I must say it was an easy decision. A: Cheaper. (By a lot.) B: Good Karma. C: Sophie was a rescue dog and enough said. I have a soft spot for drama cases. Shocking no one.

I, of course, want to adopt them all. Again, shocking none.

But, we shall start with one. We have requested a female, puppy/young dog. Sometime after July 4th after we are back from our travels so there are fewer transitions to said dog. I think/know I really want a fawn mastiff but, truth be told, I would take just about anything. Although, I am really hoping not a brindle like Sophs because I can still tear up at a picture of her and that might be too much. Or it could be really fantastic therapy. Something tells me that isn't the case.

I just want a dog in the house again. A lot. Frannklin, the bulldog, came for sleepovers this weekend and I had forgotten the sound of clickity-click on the wood floors and the messy water drinking and climbing up on the couch ordeal.

I miss her.

Many Sophomoric Things Could Be Said...

Wurstmaching. That is a lot of meat that will thus become bratwurst. Ah, the Bratwurst. We have already grilled some of this batch and I must say that the boys did a very excellent job. I have yet to sample the cheddar and jalapeno version. This is loading up the sausage stuffer thingy. I am sure there is some official name, but no clue.

These are the casings for the sausage. Apparently, they must be soaked to make them pliable. Sheep intestines, I do believe.

The meat has to be packed in pretty good to avoid air bubbles in the brats.

Sausage stuffing contraption hooked up to the press that will press down on the meat that is packed into the stuffer that will squooge the meat out into the sausage casing....

But first you have to load the casing onto the sausage stuffer and oil it up so that it slides off easily....entering the sophomoric area (If we don't already have a day pass in sophomore land.)

Those casings are long! There is a finished picture at the end of the post. I was surprised.

Some trouble bubbles that were popped with a sharpish knife.

This apparently took some finesse. The person doing this job has to make sure that the casing doesn't get caught up on the loader tip and at the same time wind the stuffed casing into a coil.

Ta Da! This was one casing...I left before they were completely finished. They had two big tubs to fill up.

This is the same first finished product. After there were a couple coils done and in the tub, but before they were pinched off by twisting the casings into sausage shapes, I had a job. That job was to pop the air bubbles in the casings. I was steadfast. I was focused. I did NOT pay attention to keeping the coils neat and orderly. I was thorough in my bubble investigations. I might or might not have gotten a little yelled at for messing up the coils. They were pretty.

And now, they are yummy as the finished product.