Beagles and Brother-In-Laws

It is a gorgeous, sunny day...windows open...would be nice if the beagles weren't so talkative today...but I guess they are happy it's a sunny day too. Many people love to hear the yelp of a beagle. I admit it is a nice sound sometimes...when they are hunting...but not so much when 9 of them are talking to one another.


Ah yes, another benefit of being a redneck’s bride. Hunting dogs are necessary, even if they never go hunting. This phenomenon is actually the result of being the sister-in-law of a redneck. John has differing taste in hunting dogs than his brother. Therefore, the dogs that belong to us are beautiful retriever types with silky coats, warm eyes and a high degree of training.

Fred’s breed of choice is the beagle. Yes, they are cute. Yes, they can hunt like crazy, when given the opportunity, but when the redneck comes to the age where he no longer wants to climb the hills for a rabbit or squirrel; adding dogs to the pack is just not necessary. Currently, of the nine dogs he has, only two have ever actually hunted. Yet he brings home a new one when an elderly dog is gone and has even bred a couple of his females in the past few years, resulting in new additions to the farm’s K-9 family.

He does have one dog that is not a beagle; she is a Chesapeake Bay retriever. Now, generally, these dogs are amazingly smart, hunt forever and, being territorial and loyal, make great guard dogs. They are muscular with a coat of wavy chocolate colored hair. Unfortunately, poor Shiloh is not the prime example of the breed. She has never learned to hunt, although he did take her out a few times when she was young. She only barks at 2 a.m. when an opossum or something walks by, but when thieves are loading tools from the barn into their truck, she watches in silence.

These dogs are well cared for, even though they really serve no readiliy identified purpose. They are not companions, as they are all outdoor dogs. They are not guard dogs, they are not hunters. But, Fred loves them, He feeds them, waters them, and cares for them everyday. He makes sure their immunizations are up to date, gives them the preventative treatments recommended by veternarians for things like heartworms and calls each of them by name. (although a few of them have the same nick name) He doesn’t care that they aren’t of champion lines, or that some of them aren’t even very smart. He loves them unconditionally – and they love him.

As I watched him load the weekly supply of 50 pound bags of dog feed from his pick-up to the front porch (redneck remember) I thought of all the work he puts into these dogs. It made me think of the way God loves us. Unconditionally…and all we have to do in return is love Him. He doesn’t ask us to be anything that we are not. He cares for us and protects us every day, as long as we stay in His will.

Fred has lost a couple of dogs because they dug out of their pen or broke their chain. It breaks his heart for one of his dogs to run into danger and be hurt. Each time he has to say goodbye to a dog that has run blindly onto the highway, not understanding the danger when they leave their pen, he hurts deeply.

Oh how it must hurt the Lord when we run away from His presence, just to chase something that caught our eye…a rabbit or a butterfly is all it takes to lead a dog from safety, sometimes it is less than that for us.

The beagles are quiet now, they will shout with excitement in a few hours when Fred heads to their kennels and pens with buckets of dog food and water.

It’s amazing what a redneck’s bride can learn from beagles and brother-in-laws.

Last month I posted about my experience with Morrel Mushrooms...I thought you might like to see the biggest ones I have ever seen. Mind you, they get larger...but these were pretty awesome.

I have become a redneck's bride

It has happened.

It's official.

I have become a reneck's bride.

Yes, you would think I would have figured that out 18 1/2 years ago. But, I realized, as I was driving through Missouri to Illinois that I was paying more attention to potential hunting and fishing sights. As I entered the Land of Lincoln, my eyes suddenly watchful for the condition of farmer's fields, I found myself compairing the height of the corn at home with the recently planted crops along the highway.

Years ago, my sites were set on the closest shopping malls. Where Steinmart was located and the finest dining in the area. What has happened to me?? Shopping seems such a waste of time when I could use my precious hours finding new ways to stew a rabbit.

This morning as I sat in the hotel dining area. We chatted about our expectations for the marketing seminar we were waiting for and talked about upcoming travel...then I saw it. It was beautiful...about 4 inches high...Not quite to the point of an elephant's eye...maybe a rabit's eye?

A field of corn...growing within 10 feet of the hotel's french doors. It was wonderful to see God's miracle of new growth so close to such a sophisticated place. I breathed a sigh of satisfaction, I may never be able to hide the real roots of my hair color...but the roots of country life established when I became a redneck's bride have grown deep...The roots that tied me to city sidewalks have resorbed...and I am so thankful for my redneck life.

The Morrel of the story

One of the things I learned when we moved to Rushville, MO was the difference from my California, big city life to life in the country when it comes to foods and how they are prepaired. Some of the adjustment was learning exacly how much batter to use when you batter and flour anything resemling chicken, thus making it acceptable to the redneck pallet.

One of the most interesting new things for me, was to go into the woods and gather food. I knew it could be done, but actually selecting edibles from the forest floor made me a bit uneasy. What if I poisoned my hubby instead of nurishing him? Learning the secrets of the Morel Mushroom Hunt took years and frankly, it never excited me to walk for hours, in snake infested woods, avoiding poison ivy and being slapped in the face with the thorny branches of locust trees.

In the end, a plastic grocery sack filled with dirt, twigs, ants and beetles, oh...and some mushrooms is the reward.

Still looking for a redeeming degree of entertainment or flavor for foraging the forest floor for fine foods, I learned to cook the priceless wrinkled shrooms. Soak them, clean them, dry them, dip them in an egg mixture, roll them in seasoned flour and pan fry to golden brown.

Take a big bite and....YUCK, BLECH...SPUTTER.... Wow...not worth it at all...what was I thinking. It has to be an aquired taste.

Then, something changed that made it worth it. John came in for dinner. His eyes lit up when he saw the platter filled with mushroom goodness. He took a bite and his face exploded into a grin so wide he couldn't hide the partly eaten mushrooms in his cheeks. He regained his composure and devored every bit of the fungus I found offensive.

His love of morrels makes it worth finding them for him.

It's not about whether I like the foods of the forrest, but that in cooking them I honor my redneck man and more than that, I honor God's requirement for a Redneck Bride.

http://patlayton.net/2010/01/share-a-dream-and-win-a-dinner-date-with-pioneer-woman/

This is the link to Pat Layton's blog. I am so new to this stuff that I didn't put it in correctly in the original post.

Blessings,
Pamela

Dreaming of family heritage

I had a dream when I was young, I wanted to marry a man who loved his country, move to the country and live happily ever after. This city-girl's dream came true when I married the baby blue marine that brought me home to the farm in the middle of nowhere in Missouri. It seemed my dream had come true.

The great thing is that we can have lots of dreams. Today my dream is to make our home a place where people feel comfortable stopping by and to keep the ‘homeplace’ for his brothers, sisters and extended family.

We moved in to my mother-in-law's house when she was sick and stayed after she passed away. We have been updating and renovating to complete the dream she had when they built the house, with their own hands, in 1947. Her dream for a warm and loving home was fulfilled as she raised her 5 children within these walls, nursed family members, and ran a chicken business to send her children to private schools. As she breathed her last breath her dream to pass her work on to her children was fulfilled as she stepped into the arms of the savior.

Each year we have a huge family gathering on the farm. Another dream is that we will have the entire Sonnenmoser/Kuhnert brood of over 200 people with us in the next year or two. Our highest number so far has been 120, that was the summer before we said good-bye to John’s mom.

What do you dream of doing? Check out my friend Pat Layton’s blog at http://patlayton.net/2010/01/share-a-dream-and-win-a-dinner-date-with-pioneer-woman/ to share your dream and enter a drawing for a free book.

Treasures of a Redneck Christmas

As I was wrapping Christmas presents yesterday I thought of this blog and the fact that I had neglected it for the past month. But you know, there is a lot to do before Christmas, and blogging, quite honestly, had slipped my mind. I had too many other things to think about, like what size shot John needed the most and how much of it would fit in his stocking without pulling it off of the mantel. Of course the conclusion was to put the empty shells, for reloading, in the stocking and wrap the heavy shot to put under the tree.

I found perfect wrapping paper last Christmas, so I bought quite a bit of it. I hope I can find something similar when this runs out. Not everyone has gifts that look like they have been wrapped in a duck blind. Of course for variety, I also picked up some John Deere paper with Santa driving an antique tractor through the snow. If you also grabbed several rolls of these last year at your local Walmart, you know what that means, right? You are either a redneck, and proud of it - or married to one and know how much he will appreciate the true style beneath the tree.

Well, with the wrapping done I decided to share with you a few tips for a perfect redneck Christmas.

1. A Christmas tree is not complete without at least one John Deere Tractor and a couple of well placed deer ornaments.

2. Unless you can put a 4wd pickup under the tree, acceptable gifts include, ammunition (be sure to check the caliber), a new shotgun or rifle, a camouflage ice chest, a mounted jackalope trophy, duck calls, accessories for his boat or pickup, NASCAR tickets and cast iron cookware. (of course you will be the one to use this the most, but he'll appreciate his vittles bein' fixed in the right pan). If you decide to give clothing, you should look for heavy flannel shirts, long underwear and warm socks.

John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson DVDs make great stocking stuffers. My hubby likes the hunting and fishing DVDs too, but make sure they are redneck made and not some city dude that decided to open a guide service for other city dudes.

You can never go wrong with a Cabella's or Bass Pro Shops gift card. Yes, I said gift card. Unless you absolutely know what he wants, he will appreciate being able to pick it himself. When it comes to hunting and fishing gear, what one man loves another loathes, so don't take any chances. Plus, the gift card gives him an excuse to go all the way to the city to shop, if you're lucky your nearest location is close to an outlet mall or new shopping center and you can ride along. Just don't ask him to shop with you. No worries - he will be perfectly happy to drop you off and you will have plenty of time while he browses the bargain cave in search of the perfect redneck treasure.

3. Don't get too fancy with Christmas dinner. Smoked pheasant, duck or other game birds are fine. You can't go wrong with ham or even a nice brisket. It's just the side dishes that kind of drive him crazy. Mashed taters with gravy, vegetable dishes with normal descriptions, like casserole or pickled work well. For dessert a pecan pie, from scratch is highly recommended.

4. He will probably go hunting if the geese are flying, so be ready to kiss him goodbye at sunrise. It's a great way to start the tradition of letting the kids get you out of bed at 4:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. They are happy because they have been laying awake for an hour anyway. He is happy because he gets to go hunting and YOU are happy because you have the rest of the morning without interruption to get things ready for Christmas dinner.

I hear my redneck man creeping down the stairs, so I am gonna run get breakfast for him before he heads out in the cold. I'm not even sure what season it is, but I'm sure some critter or other will be finding it's way to our table this week. I will share the rest of the redneck Christmas tips over the next three days. Don't forget to watch for our complete menu and photos from a redneck Christmas day.

Be Blessed,

Pamela