alive and kicking

I want to assure everyone that my community is not simply a world filled with decaying barns empty silos, it's a vibrant place too, filled with people who are dedicated to life in rural Illinois.

One of my long time readers from Florida requested photographs of the food served at the Texas style barbecue. Unfortunately I was so busy cooking and playing ranch boss that I was completely remiss in that task. Well, earlier in the day I did manage to take a shot of bacon frying in the pan. This is part of the recipe for Blanco Beans. I guess the bacon is different in Australia because my stepsister went nuts when she was in the states, eating bacon for almost every meal during her stay.



I got some wonderful fresh herbs and hydroponic lettuce that's produced locally and distributed to the stores. The Herbal Garden's lettuce is so perfect that I decided to photograph it as a piece of art. I placed it in a large margarita glass and set up my fancy photo studio (a table cloth draped over the couch). Isn't it breathtaking? Who knew food could be so beautiful?



Here are the neighbors enjoying the meal. It's a large group (10 couples) and it's only fun if we can all sit together. If we move all the furniture out of the family room we can fit long tables down the middle.



The best part of the evening was when a stranger showed up to party. We were all enjoying our beer and Texas Tea and eating appetizers when the front door opened and in walked a tall cowboy. Nope, we didn't know him, didn't have a clue who he was. He walked into the kitchen where all the guys were drinkning beer, looked around and said, "Nobody looks familiar here!"

Poor guy, he was at the wrong party. New neighbors down the road had invited friends to see their new house. This guy was on the right road and stopped when he saw all the cars. We don't have house numbers out here, just fire numbers that are posted out on the road. So, we did what any good host would do, we told him how to get to his friends house and gave him a Lone Star for the road! Amazingly as this story is, it's not the first time it has happened. We had a couple walk into another party we had a couple years ago. I don't know, the house must look welcoming or something.

So there you go - we are alive and kicking out in the country. My computer cannot say the same and my posting may be spotty or nonexistent in the next woeek as I go into town looking for a new one. And as always, thanks for visiting the Farmers Wife!