Sunday, August 5, 2012

Summer Catch Up

We've been staying busy over the last few months.  Just trying to soak in all of the summer fun that we can.  Summer being our favorite time of year, we try not to let any time slip through the cracks as we inevitably inch closer to winter.  The blog has moved to the wayside, so I am taking this rainy morning to try and recap our adventures.


Bat Blitz:  I spent a week in Apalachicola National Forest catching bats for work.  It was so much fun and I met a bunch of really great bat biologists.






Lo Country boil:  The day I returned from travel, some friends of ours invited us to attend our first lo country boil.  It was delicious!




Greenhouse lighting and irrigation:  We FINALLY got the lights and irrigation up and running in the greenhouse!  Now we can travel without worrying about our plants.


Cedar key trip to bring Jim's jeep home:  The green jeep has landed in PCB!



Released cheese: We released our beloved porch opossum, Cheese.  She now lives in Marianna at the swamp.


Canned salsa:  I canned salsa with our garden veggies...then ate it all :o)  It was delicious!





Found a rife on beach: After a day of fieldwork, I happened upon a rife that had washed ashore.  Score!



Garden:  Our garden is kicking butt and taking names.  We have had fresh and tasty veggies for months!




Camp:  We both took the week off of work to attend the annual Schulz summer camp.  We cooked a whole hog.  Fun was had by all!

My b-day:  I got a year older...and ate a bunch of  ice cream cake!


4th anniversary:  We celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage!



Grouper season:  We slayed the grouper on opening day of grouper season.  They made some fantastic tacos!



Jim b-day:  We threw a party to celebrate Jim's 30th birthday.  Who knew a slip-n-slide could be so much fun!







Tattoo removal: Last but not least, I am in the process of having a tattoo on my leg removed.  It is a painful process but well worth the trouble.  This picture is immediately after the first treatment.  After 6 weeks of waiting, I go in for my next (and hopefully last) treatment tomorrow.




I am sure that I have forgotten some things, but I am ready to get back outside!  Until next time!











Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Cinco de Mayo

The Keith family celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style...with a party at our house!  Words cannot explain.  Here are some photos.









On the Hunt

I have just returned from travel for work.  I spent the last 6 days in Perdido Key,FL and Orange Beach, AL. We were there to trap Perdido Key Beach Mice, which are an endangered species. We were trapping, tagging, and taking genetic samples before releasing them back into the dunes.  It was exhausting work that consisted of working all night every night and resetting traps during the day.  It was such a rewarding experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It is, however, great to be home with my husband and fur babies...which expanded while I was away.  We now have a pet baby opossom named Cheese.  Here are some photos from my trip and our new family member.
Cheese nesting

Cheese :oD

My first beach mouse

 Perdido Key

Beach mouse

Saturday, May 12, 2012

PICKLES!!!!

This past week our cucumber plants kicked it into over drive and pumped out some huge fruit.  Looking at them, I knew exactly what I was going to do with them.  Make pickles!!!  Here's the process.
Some of the ingredients

The dill brine 

Spices in the jars

Top view of the cayenne blend.

Top view of the habanero blend 

Cucs in the jars, ready for the brine

Chips. Cucs in the jars, ready for the brine

Spears. Cucs in the jars, ready for the brine

Brine added

Ready for the canner

In the canner

Cooling off

Finished Cayenne pickles

Finished habanero pickles

Can't wait to try them in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!