Aerie Report, September 11, 2011

I spent the day in reflection...as many of you, no doubt.

And, yeah. I remember. And I'm still mad as hell.

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When not thinking about the changes that have happened since 9/11, I spent time doing the normal things in life: watching football, surfing the net, canning tomato sauce...that sort of thing.

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With all the stress on security at airports, one has to wonder why we still have a porous southern border and why ICE is kept on such a short leash with respect to illegal aliens.

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Today, we had a few showers but nothing terrible and that is a relief. Temperature was in the mid 70s this afternoon after starting out in the high 50s this morning. More of the same is forecast for Monday.

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I've got to get the grass cut again. IF it dries out and IF I can walk that much. I've also got to stack the firewood I split months ago. It needs to dry out.

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I got seven quarts of tomato sauce out of the box of tomatoes Terry and I picked up the other day. Since we got 14 quarts out of two boxes two weeks ago, that yield is exactly what I expected. There's just enough left over to make tomorrow's dinner: sausage and peppers.

Tomorrow I tackle the box of peaches. Slices in pint jars with 60% syrup to cover. I should get 14 to 16 pints out of the one box.

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My thoughts are with our friend Bruce up in Massachusetts. he's going under the knife tomorrow for prostate cancer. The doctors believe they caught it very early and that surgery to remove the bad boy C-cells should be about all that's needed.

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I'm looking forward to my surgery on Thursday. This calcified lump needs to be gone so I'll get back to normal muscle action in the right thigh. Once that's done, I'll be better able to analyze the sharp pains I'm getting just below the knee. The MRI may have shown no tears, but it sure feels like one.

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Knee problems (and lack of any photos of deer) may force my hand vis-a-vis the New York hunting season. I'm inclined to save my $300 bucks and shrug off this year up north. I still have to get up there to drain the water system, however. (Mark says that everything is A-OK. Irene and Lee have caused some erosion on the road beyond camp, but one of the folks up there has been spreading a couple of truck loads of crushed stone in the washouts.)

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Rutgers football got robbed when the replay officials apparently didn't look at the TWO goal line plays where the the Scarlet Knights scored but were ruled out of the end zone. Coach Schiano should have called for a review even if it cost a TO. And an on-field official missed a blatant pass interference at the end of the game that cost a chance at a field goal. (North Carolina won 24-22.)

The RU defense gave up two long touchdown plays of over 60 yards (one pass and one run), but had 5 takeaways.

The Giants just stunk up the place as they lost to the Redskins today.

The Jets aren't looking that great, either. (Currently 17-7 midway in the third quarter.)

Friday afternoon/evening at the Aeire

Since we were unable to attend the wedding being held this afternoon in New Jersey, Terry and I decided to head over to Wellsboro and the Gemeiner Arts & Cultural Center where she had helped put together a show of the works of the Embroiderers of the Twin Tiers. Ladies from New York's Southern Tier and Pennsylvania's Northern Tier had contributed various pieces of their stitching arts for a marvelous display that will run through the end of the month.

After, we drove over to the Pago-Mar Farms Market, a fruits and vegetable market on Route 287, to pick up a box of tomatoes for more sauce and a box of peaches to be canned. They also had some acorn and butternut squash we will be enjoying in the near future. (A man can only take so many zucchini dishes!)

Then we headed south on Route 15 to the town of Liberty and The Landing Strip Restaurant for their Friday Fish Fry Special. Fried flounder, shrimp and bay scallops with home made cole slaw, French fries and baked biscuit for under $9 and worth much more.

Now it's a relaxing evening at home. Without any rain. For now.

Mmm, mmm, Good!

Fourteen quarts of tomato sauce

Fourteen quarts of tomato sauce ready for the pantry. And another going into the making of sausage and peppers as I type. Not bad from a bushel of beefsteak tomatoes. I probably would have gotten more if these had been Romas, but you can only can what they have at the stand and I've not seen any Romas for sale.

Tomatoes

With cool temperatures (under 65 degrees) and a stiff breeze blowing all day, it was a perfect day to be messing with lots of hot stuff on the stove. So this afternoon I reduced the bushel of tomatoes Terry brought home the other day to about 20-22 quarts of pureed tomato this afternoon. Two pots of that are currently simmering on the stove being reduced to a thickness Terry feels will be best for spaghetti sauce at some time in the future. A third pot is awaiting its turn on the low heat.

We're hoping to get at least a dozen quart jars canned and on the shelf tomorrow.