My first Squirrel
Luke, teaching me how to skin a squirrel
Everyone gathered around and helped de-feather the duck
This is a duck! (minus a head)
And this is a feathery hat.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Squirrel hunting and Cave diving
We’re on the road again, on our way to our next destination, Minnesota. Right now Tiffany and I are at Starbucks in Des Moines, Iowa. It was raining pretty heavy out so we’re taking a break from driving to refuel and stretch our legs. The last few days have been chock full of new experiences and adventure. Our last day on the Lovell’s Orchard was bittersweet. They took us in to live on their farm and treated us like we were members of their family. Our time spent with them was a wonderful experience learning the ups and downs of farm life and getting to know who the Lovell’s were on a personal level. What we learned from them we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives. Our last day there just so happened to be the first day of squirrel hunting season. We have been wanting to go hunting for a while now and Luke knew this. So as a special treat he took Tiffany and I squirrel hunting. Even thou Tiffany was on rifle team in high school, I had never shot a gun in my life. So before heading out, Luke brought out one of his rifles and a shotgun, and we all took turns lining up the scope of the rifle and firing the shotgun. Twenty practice rounds later we had the scope lined up, than headed out. We drove the truck out to where the orchard meets the forest and walked into the woods from there. Tiffany saw the squirrel first and motioned to Luke to stop walking. She got him in her sights and aimed the rifle, but in a flash the squirrel had jumped trees. Luke told me to make a wide circle around and scare the squirrel back towards Tiffany. I proceeded to walk around and then I saw it. Right above me, and it was getting ready to jump to another tree. I didn’t hesitate to raise my shotgun, take aim, and fire. One by one, leaves fell from the tree and I waited for the squirrel. Then, all of a sudden, it dropped and landed right in front of me. I was so proud that I shouted back to Tiffany and Luke, “I got him!” They both ran up smiling, Luke took my knife and gutted the squirrel, then we went back to hunting for more. After about an hour of searching, the sun had set and it was just too dark so see. We ended the hunt, walked back to the truck, and drove back to the house. I walked into the house with the shotgun over my shoulder and the squirrel in my other hand, with the biggest proudest smile on my face. Then Luke took the squirrel and showed me how to skin it, and gave me the hide.
After washing up, dinner was ready, and we all sat down at the dinner table. Best meal ever! Rosi had prepared Roast duck fresh from the farm, Corn grown on Luke’s parent’s farm, potatoes, and Fried Okra,(Best fried Okra in the world). After dinner we all gathered on the deck and I introduced them to “Apples to Apples”. By the end of the game we were all laughing and smiling and having a great time. It got late, so we all went to bed, and the next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and drove off. Tiffany and I both cried a bit on the drive. The Lovell’s are great people and we loved our time spent with them, but the road was calling us. New adventures and new experiences awaited us.
One of those new experiences was our trip to Mammoth cave. After leaving the farm, we headed to Mummies’ house in Tennessee. There we had lunch with her family. Another great meal that left us feeling fat and happy! We reorganized our trunk, sat and talked with family, and downloaded a few movies online in case we get bored later on our travels. After everyone went home, Tiffany and I got out the squirrel we had been keeping in a jar of salt water, and put it on the grill. After about an hour it was ready to eat. I called Uncle Jamie out of the house and the three of us gathered around and all got to taste grilled squirrel for the first time. It was delicious! Better than I imagined it would taste, and because we kept it in salt water over night there was hardly any gamey taste. After eating our prize, we all went to sleep. Mumzie was more than too kind on insisting on giving up her bed for the night. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever laid in and we fell fast asleep.
Waking up well rested, we gathered our things and headed out to Mammoth Cave. We checked in, found our campsite and set up camp. After pitching our tent, Tiffany, Annabelle, and I all went for a walk. The walk was wonderful, and after about a half hour, we came upon a spring. As soon as my toes touched the water, chills ran up my spine. It was ice cold. I kept running back and forth between having my feet in the ice cold waters, and standing in the warm sand along the bank. Annabelle had a blast running around and playing in the sand, and after a few minutes I finally convinced Tiffany to take her shoes off and play in the water with me. We both felt like little kids discovering water for the first time. After a while, we headed back to camp, and set up our stove to cook dinner. After dinner, we built a fire and toasted marshmallows. I kept catching mine on fire, and Tiffany’s were all coming out perfect. I decided to humble myself and asked Tiff if she would make me toasted marshmallows for the rest of the night, she agreed, and they were all delicious! After the fire died down, we put it out and went into the tent to sleep.
The next morning we both woke up extremely early, and got dressed. Tiffany took Annabelle to the Kennel and I prepared breakfast. After filling up on oatmeal, we put our valuables in the car, and headed to the visitors center to pick up our tickets for the “Wild Cave Tour”. We met up with our tour guide, grouped up with about 12 others, and boarded the tour bus. After about 10 minutes of driving and debriefing, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, and proceeded to walk the steps single file down into the unknown. As soon as we entered, the temperature changed from cold to really cold! Thankfully, we were all wearing coveralls, which kept us warm. The caves were gorgeous! The walls and ceiling were lined with the most beautiful Gypsum we’ve ever seen, almost everywhere you looked, there were flowers made of crystal the size of a grapefruit hanging from the ceiling . The cave was about 10 ft high, by about 20 feet wide, but after walking a few minutes, watching the ceiling and the floor slowly coming together, we arrived at our first challenge. Before us lied a pile of boulders. In between a few of those boulders was an opening, about as wide as a doorway and about a foot high. After telling everyone all the ins and outs of caving, what to do, what not to do, how to follow the person in front of you, and what to do if you loose site of the person behind you, our guide crouched down on his hands and knees and squeezed himself in thru the gap, and one by one, all the members of the group followed after. Once I was in, I couldn’t believe how small the moving space was. In some places the tunnels were wide enough to crawl on your hands and knees, but throughout most of it, all you could do was lay on your belly and pull yourself thru with your hands and elbows. Re-adjusting your torso and legs to work yourself around boulders, corners, stalactites and stalagmites. This went on for about 100ft /about 20 minutes. Near the end of this tunnel, there was another gap about 2ft wide, and about a foot high, that you had to pull your head through first, than your arms, than drag the rest of your body through by grabbing onto something in front of you, and pulling yourself up and through. Only to find yourself in another tunnel only a little bit wider than the last one, and make your way through it before finally reaching the next standing room. Once there, the group met back together, and we all got debriefed on the next part of the tunnel. This time, the tunnel was going to be shorter than the last, but twice as cramped. In he went, and in we followed. There was no turning back now, I wouldn’t know how to go back the way we came anyways. We were in this till the end. The walls were closer this time, and the gaps were smaller, but we all made it. One by one we went in, and one by one we made it out the other side. Each of us helping out the person behind us. Letting them know what to look out for, and teaching the next person our technique on how to overcome each obstacle. If you needed a little help making it through the gaps the person in front of you would pull you through, and if someone behind you needed help making it through, you gave them a hand. Everyone worked as a team, and because of it, the tour guide took us through tougher and tougher challenges because he knew we could handle them. After about 3 hours of this, we arrived at a huge room in the cave, there were tables set up, people from other tours filled the room and in the back people were serving sandwiches and drinks. There was even a restroom. There were about 200 people from different tours in the hall but our group was the only group of people wearing thick coveralls, and hard hats with headlamps. After lunch, we were all debriefed on the next part of the tour and off we went. As we moved along through the caves, the challenges got harder, but the wow factors increased. Sometimes we were looking down into what looked like a bottomless pit, and other times we were looking up a thousand feet, there were rooms with the most intense acoustics you’ve ever heard, there were rooms covered in water, rooms decorated with gypsum, rooms filled with stalactites. The sites were beautiful, the challenges were exciting and the sense of danger was exhilarating. Once we reached the end of the final tunnel over 6 hours had passed. We all made our way to the surface. Boarded the bus that was waiting for us, and drove back to the visitors center to change out of our caving gear. Tiffany and I couldn’t stop talking about the caves. We retrieved Annabelle from the kennel, and headed back to our campsite to make dinner, toast marshmallows by the fire, and pass out in the tent. After such a long day we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
The next morning I woke up thinking someone had just run me over with a truck. Every muscle on my body ached, from my legs and back, to my chest and my arms. Along with the pain, my knees and elbows were both badly bruised up. I woke up Tiffany, and she said she felt the same way. Than when it came time to stand up, the pain only became more noticeable. A simple task such as kneeling on the ground to roll up your sleeping bag was a challenge. Though the pain was great, The idea of what we accomplished felt even greater. Not very many people get to see what we saw down there, so to us what we had to go through was worth it. Tiffany and I broke down the tent, packed up all are things, boarded the car, and checked out. All in a hurry to catch McDonalds breakfast before they switch to their lunch menu. We felt we deserved a hearty meal after what we endured. And every bite tasted like sweet sweet victory.
After washing up, dinner was ready, and we all sat down at the dinner table. Best meal ever! Rosi had prepared Roast duck fresh from the farm, Corn grown on Luke’s parent’s farm, potatoes, and Fried Okra,(Best fried Okra in the world). After dinner we all gathered on the deck and I introduced them to “Apples to Apples”. By the end of the game we were all laughing and smiling and having a great time. It got late, so we all went to bed, and the next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and drove off. Tiffany and I both cried a bit on the drive. The Lovell’s are great people and we loved our time spent with them, but the road was calling us. New adventures and new experiences awaited us.
One of those new experiences was our trip to Mammoth cave. After leaving the farm, we headed to Mummies’ house in Tennessee. There we had lunch with her family. Another great meal that left us feeling fat and happy! We reorganized our trunk, sat and talked with family, and downloaded a few movies online in case we get bored later on our travels. After everyone went home, Tiffany and I got out the squirrel we had been keeping in a jar of salt water, and put it on the grill. After about an hour it was ready to eat. I called Uncle Jamie out of the house and the three of us gathered around and all got to taste grilled squirrel for the first time. It was delicious! Better than I imagined it would taste, and because we kept it in salt water over night there was hardly any gamey taste. After eating our prize, we all went to sleep. Mumzie was more than too kind on insisting on giving up her bed for the night. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever laid in and we fell fast asleep.
Waking up well rested, we gathered our things and headed out to Mammoth Cave. We checked in, found our campsite and set up camp. After pitching our tent, Tiffany, Annabelle, and I all went for a walk. The walk was wonderful, and after about a half hour, we came upon a spring. As soon as my toes touched the water, chills ran up my spine. It was ice cold. I kept running back and forth between having my feet in the ice cold waters, and standing in the warm sand along the bank. Annabelle had a blast running around and playing in the sand, and after a few minutes I finally convinced Tiffany to take her shoes off and play in the water with me. We both felt like little kids discovering water for the first time. After a while, we headed back to camp, and set up our stove to cook dinner. After dinner, we built a fire and toasted marshmallows. I kept catching mine on fire, and Tiffany’s were all coming out perfect. I decided to humble myself and asked Tiff if she would make me toasted marshmallows for the rest of the night, she agreed, and they were all delicious! After the fire died down, we put it out and went into the tent to sleep.
The next morning we both woke up extremely early, and got dressed. Tiffany took Annabelle to the Kennel and I prepared breakfast. After filling up on oatmeal, we put our valuables in the car, and headed to the visitors center to pick up our tickets for the “Wild Cave Tour”. We met up with our tour guide, grouped up with about 12 others, and boarded the tour bus. After about 10 minutes of driving and debriefing, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, and proceeded to walk the steps single file down into the unknown. As soon as we entered, the temperature changed from cold to really cold! Thankfully, we were all wearing coveralls, which kept us warm. The caves were gorgeous! The walls and ceiling were lined with the most beautiful Gypsum we’ve ever seen, almost everywhere you looked, there were flowers made of crystal the size of a grapefruit hanging from the ceiling . The cave was about 10 ft high, by about 20 feet wide, but after walking a few minutes, watching the ceiling and the floor slowly coming together, we arrived at our first challenge. Before us lied a pile of boulders. In between a few of those boulders was an opening, about as wide as a doorway and about a foot high. After telling everyone all the ins and outs of caving, what to do, what not to do, how to follow the person in front of you, and what to do if you loose site of the person behind you, our guide crouched down on his hands and knees and squeezed himself in thru the gap, and one by one, all the members of the group followed after. Once I was in, I couldn’t believe how small the moving space was. In some places the tunnels were wide enough to crawl on your hands and knees, but throughout most of it, all you could do was lay on your belly and pull yourself thru with your hands and elbows. Re-adjusting your torso and legs to work yourself around boulders, corners, stalactites and stalagmites. This went on for about 100ft /about 20 minutes. Near the end of this tunnel, there was another gap about 2ft wide, and about a foot high, that you had to pull your head through first, than your arms, than drag the rest of your body through by grabbing onto something in front of you, and pulling yourself up and through. Only to find yourself in another tunnel only a little bit wider than the last one, and make your way through it before finally reaching the next standing room. Once there, the group met back together, and we all got debriefed on the next part of the tunnel. This time, the tunnel was going to be shorter than the last, but twice as cramped. In he went, and in we followed. There was no turning back now, I wouldn’t know how to go back the way we came anyways. We were in this till the end. The walls were closer this time, and the gaps were smaller, but we all made it. One by one we went in, and one by one we made it out the other side. Each of us helping out the person behind us. Letting them know what to look out for, and teaching the next person our technique on how to overcome each obstacle. If you needed a little help making it through the gaps the person in front of you would pull you through, and if someone behind you needed help making it through, you gave them a hand. Everyone worked as a team, and because of it, the tour guide took us through tougher and tougher challenges because he knew we could handle them. After about 3 hours of this, we arrived at a huge room in the cave, there were tables set up, people from other tours filled the room and in the back people were serving sandwiches and drinks. There was even a restroom. There were about 200 people from different tours in the hall but our group was the only group of people wearing thick coveralls, and hard hats with headlamps. After lunch, we were all debriefed on the next part of the tour and off we went. As we moved along through the caves, the challenges got harder, but the wow factors increased. Sometimes we were looking down into what looked like a bottomless pit, and other times we were looking up a thousand feet, there were rooms with the most intense acoustics you’ve ever heard, there were rooms covered in water, rooms decorated with gypsum, rooms filled with stalactites. The sites were beautiful, the challenges were exciting and the sense of danger was exhilarating. Once we reached the end of the final tunnel over 6 hours had passed. We all made our way to the surface. Boarded the bus that was waiting for us, and drove back to the visitors center to change out of our caving gear. Tiffany and I couldn’t stop talking about the caves. We retrieved Annabelle from the kennel, and headed back to our campsite to make dinner, toast marshmallows by the fire, and pass out in the tent. After such a long day we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
The next morning I woke up thinking someone had just run me over with a truck. Every muscle on my body ached, from my legs and back, to my chest and my arms. Along with the pain, my knees and elbows were both badly bruised up. I woke up Tiffany, and she said she felt the same way. Than when it came time to stand up, the pain only became more noticeable. A simple task such as kneeling on the ground to roll up your sleeping bag was a challenge. Though the pain was great, The idea of what we accomplished felt even greater. Not very many people get to see what we saw down there, so to us what we had to go through was worth it. Tiffany and I broke down the tent, packed up all are things, boarded the car, and checked out. All in a hurry to catch McDonalds breakfast before they switch to their lunch menu. We felt we deserved a hearty meal after what we endured. And every bite tasted like sweet sweet victory.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Last Day at th Orchard
Since this is our last day at the orchard we figured enough had happened to fit into another update.
The day after posting the last depressive blog, we were sad and mentally exhausted. It was the last day the store was going to be open and we were anxiously awaiting Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were planning on stopping by on their way from Michigan to Florida. From 7am to 5pm we had one customer. They went out picking with 4 boxes and a half hour later came back with only a box worth. After they left, Daniel’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Carolyn showed up. We closed up shop and took them around to see the farm and the animals. Carolyn was ecstatic about the whole set up. It really brightened up our day to see their reactions and remember how fascinating the farm was to us when we first arrived. Around every turn was a photo opportunity and in every picture, the little goat Alpha made sure to be seen. They took us out to eat at Applebee’s, which was a massive treat for us. We hadn’t eaten at a restaurant in a long time and missed it. We cleaned our plates spotless. Over dinner, they told us about a job opportunity we might like in Alaska. From what we heard, ski and hunting lodges in Alaska will hire people to come and work four months of their busiest season. You call around February to try and get in, then they fly you out there, you work, and they fly you back. It reminded me a lot of wwoofing, since they provide you food and lodging in exchange for work, but if you stick it out and work the whole four months you make out with around $15,000. Daniel and I REALLY like the sound of that. Two people, each making that much, and we’d have enough back up money to go Wwoofing in Europe, which we really want to do. After dinner we said our goodbyes and gave hugs. It was nice seeing a familiar face after months of new people.
A few days later, Daniel and I were sitting in a pile of hay drinking our morning coffee when we experienced the most horrible and fowl smell. Six feet in front of us, Momma Duck launched herself out of her nesting box holding an egg shell, shaking her head viciously and proceeded to eat it. I decided to take one for the team and open the nest box to see what had happened. Lifting the lid, the smell was even worse and I dry heaved. But there, sitting in the middle of a circle of duck eggs was a tiny newborn chick. Apparently Momma Duck had been sitting on her eggs and two chicken eggs. One egg was a dud and must have cracked open after the other hatched. Since chicken eggs hatch much sooner than duck eggs, I scooped up the chicken (who was covered in rotten egg) and took it into the garage to see if we could build it a little house. We lined the bottom of a peck box with hay and grass and Daniel cut the bottoms off two 20oz plastic bottles to make a food and water bowl. Since drowning is a big concern with chicks, I filled the water bowl with pebbles before putting water in; that way the chick could sip the water from between the rocks and be in no danger. Daniel took another peck box and cut holes in it for windows and cut a flap for a door before duct taping it on as a lid. I figured that the chick (who we named Colonel Sanders) would imprint on me but I was wrong. The Colonel decided that Annabelle was going to be it’s mother. It follows her around, perches on her paws, and peeps when she is out of sight. Annabelle tolerates the baby very well. If it peeps, Annabelle checks on it. If it perches on her, she sighs and lays her head down. If it lags behind while following her, she’ll sit down and wait. The constant peeping from the tiny bird really grinds on our nerves; it makes noise 24/7, even when it sleeps. Unfortunately, the little guy fell sick after four days, and he passed on. Annabelle is very sad about this. I know I shouldn’t get too depressed over it because 10% of chicks die in the first two weeks. Rosi put in an order for 100 baby chickens that day and yesterday she got a call from the post office saying that they had come in. I emptied, bleached, and filled a container with straw and we piled all the chicks into it. They are so cute. 75 are Cornish cross, 10 are golden comets, 10 silver laces wyandottes, and 5 oraconas. The oraconas are mine and Daniel’s favorite because they are brown with black stripes.
We were all busting around early a few days ago. Luke wanted Daniel to take the chainsaw out and cut down dead peach trees and told me to take the loppers and cut the tiny apple sprouts that were popping up around the bases of all the trees. Luke took off on his tractor to get some mowing done. We were doing all this because some census government people were suppose to drop in and count every tree on the orchard. If the Lovell’s don’t have as many trees as they did in 09’ then they might get a grant. Daniel cut all the dead branches and trees and I made it through the first five rows of apple trees before my sprained ankle swelled up. Eventually, the people showed up and it sounded like they are going to get the grant. Fingers crossed.
Last night, I suggested that the younger ducks look delicious and that we should process one. We spotted the biggest of the ducks and tried to corner it but it got past me, Daniel, and Luke. I yelled to Annabelle “Go get it!” and she took off like a bat out of hell. She chased it around the garage and trapped it; running circles around it and snapping her jaws as a warning. Annabelle may have been quick to corral the loose duck but Luke was quicker at grabbing another. He snatched one up like it was nothing and cut the head off, handing me the carcass. Annabelle got the head for being such a good herding dog. She ate it all, Skull, brains, and bill. I held the headless, twitching thing in the air as Rosi boiled a pot of water. They carried the pot out and we dunked the bird in, ruffling the feathers to make sure it got soaked to the bone. The boiling water loosened the skin’s grip on the feathers and we all got to plucking the bird. With four people pulling feathers, it didn’t take long at all. We took the carcass inside and Luke finished cleaning the outside of the bird in the sink. Afterwards, Rosi took over and showed us how to gut the bird. It was crazy seeing the crop of the duck filled to bursting with grass. Once it was all done, we put the bird in a pot of salt water, adding basil, garlic, and other seasoning to it, and put it in the fridge. It sat over night and we’re gonna eat him tonight. It’s going to be delicious.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us at the orchard. Since peach season has ended, I’ve wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into another sweet and juicy peach but they are all gone. Luckily, Daniel and I took a long walk yesterday and found that the apples that are starting to come in are just as good. Rosi, Luke, and all of the kids are so friendly and are fantastic hosts. We are very blessed to know them.
We leave here tomorrow and we have a tour reservation at Mammoth Cave for the 16th. We are so excited and cant wait to head out to our next destination!
The day after posting the last depressive blog, we were sad and mentally exhausted. It was the last day the store was going to be open and we were anxiously awaiting Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were planning on stopping by on their way from Michigan to Florida. From 7am to 5pm we had one customer. They went out picking with 4 boxes and a half hour later came back with only a box worth. After they left, Daniel’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Carolyn showed up. We closed up shop and took them around to see the farm and the animals. Carolyn was ecstatic about the whole set up. It really brightened up our day to see their reactions and remember how fascinating the farm was to us when we first arrived. Around every turn was a photo opportunity and in every picture, the little goat Alpha made sure to be seen. They took us out to eat at Applebee’s, which was a massive treat for us. We hadn’t eaten at a restaurant in a long time and missed it. We cleaned our plates spotless. Over dinner, they told us about a job opportunity we might like in Alaska. From what we heard, ski and hunting lodges in Alaska will hire people to come and work four months of their busiest season. You call around February to try and get in, then they fly you out there, you work, and they fly you back. It reminded me a lot of wwoofing, since they provide you food and lodging in exchange for work, but if you stick it out and work the whole four months you make out with around $15,000. Daniel and I REALLY like the sound of that. Two people, each making that much, and we’d have enough back up money to go Wwoofing in Europe, which we really want to do. After dinner we said our goodbyes and gave hugs. It was nice seeing a familiar face after months of new people.
A few days later, Daniel and I were sitting in a pile of hay drinking our morning coffee when we experienced the most horrible and fowl smell. Six feet in front of us, Momma Duck launched herself out of her nesting box holding an egg shell, shaking her head viciously and proceeded to eat it. I decided to take one for the team and open the nest box to see what had happened. Lifting the lid, the smell was even worse and I dry heaved. But there, sitting in the middle of a circle of duck eggs was a tiny newborn chick. Apparently Momma Duck had been sitting on her eggs and two chicken eggs. One egg was a dud and must have cracked open after the other hatched. Since chicken eggs hatch much sooner than duck eggs, I scooped up the chicken (who was covered in rotten egg) and took it into the garage to see if we could build it a little house. We lined the bottom of a peck box with hay and grass and Daniel cut the bottoms off two 20oz plastic bottles to make a food and water bowl. Since drowning is a big concern with chicks, I filled the water bowl with pebbles before putting water in; that way the chick could sip the water from between the rocks and be in no danger. Daniel took another peck box and cut holes in it for windows and cut a flap for a door before duct taping it on as a lid. I figured that the chick (who we named Colonel Sanders) would imprint on me but I was wrong. The Colonel decided that Annabelle was going to be it’s mother. It follows her around, perches on her paws, and peeps when she is out of sight. Annabelle tolerates the baby very well. If it peeps, Annabelle checks on it. If it perches on her, she sighs and lays her head down. If it lags behind while following her, she’ll sit down and wait. The constant peeping from the tiny bird really grinds on our nerves; it makes noise 24/7, even when it sleeps. Unfortunately, the little guy fell sick after four days, and he passed on. Annabelle is very sad about this. I know I shouldn’t get too depressed over it because 10% of chicks die in the first two weeks. Rosi put in an order for 100 baby chickens that day and yesterday she got a call from the post office saying that they had come in. I emptied, bleached, and filled a container with straw and we piled all the chicks into it. They are so cute. 75 are Cornish cross, 10 are golden comets, 10 silver laces wyandottes, and 5 oraconas. The oraconas are mine and Daniel’s favorite because they are brown with black stripes.
We were all busting around early a few days ago. Luke wanted Daniel to take the chainsaw out and cut down dead peach trees and told me to take the loppers and cut the tiny apple sprouts that were popping up around the bases of all the trees. Luke took off on his tractor to get some mowing done. We were doing all this because some census government people were suppose to drop in and count every tree on the orchard. If the Lovell’s don’t have as many trees as they did in 09’ then they might get a grant. Daniel cut all the dead branches and trees and I made it through the first five rows of apple trees before my sprained ankle swelled up. Eventually, the people showed up and it sounded like they are going to get the grant. Fingers crossed.
Last night, I suggested that the younger ducks look delicious and that we should process one. We spotted the biggest of the ducks and tried to corner it but it got past me, Daniel, and Luke. I yelled to Annabelle “Go get it!” and she took off like a bat out of hell. She chased it around the garage and trapped it; running circles around it and snapping her jaws as a warning. Annabelle may have been quick to corral the loose duck but Luke was quicker at grabbing another. He snatched one up like it was nothing and cut the head off, handing me the carcass. Annabelle got the head for being such a good herding dog. She ate it all, Skull, brains, and bill. I held the headless, twitching thing in the air as Rosi boiled a pot of water. They carried the pot out and we dunked the bird in, ruffling the feathers to make sure it got soaked to the bone. The boiling water loosened the skin’s grip on the feathers and we all got to plucking the bird. With four people pulling feathers, it didn’t take long at all. We took the carcass inside and Luke finished cleaning the outside of the bird in the sink. Afterwards, Rosi took over and showed us how to gut the bird. It was crazy seeing the crop of the duck filled to bursting with grass. Once it was all done, we put the bird in a pot of salt water, adding basil, garlic, and other seasoning to it, and put it in the fridge. It sat over night and we’re gonna eat him tonight. It’s going to be delicious.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us at the orchard. Since peach season has ended, I’ve wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into another sweet and juicy peach but they are all gone. Luckily, Daniel and I took a long walk yesterday and found that the apples that are starting to come in are just as good. Rosi, Luke, and all of the kids are so friendly and are fantastic hosts. We are very blessed to know them.
We leave here tomorrow and we have a tour reservation at Mammoth Cave for the 16th. We are so excited and cant wait to head out to our next destination!
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