Spring Is Near

I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted . Time is rolling along, the days are getting a little longer and Spring is in the air. I drove into town yesturday to get a haircut and saw two patches of daffodils in full bloom. Never knew yellow could be so beautiful. My maple trees are budding out, and the grass is beginning to green up in spots. Spring is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. I always look forward to the world around me coming back to life after a long winter. I guess that is one reason why I love gardening so much. The idea of putting a seed in the ground and watching new life come from it fascinates me. I believe God, in all His infinite wisdom, gave us gardening and growing our food in this manner to remind us constantly of the promise of a resurrected life. I miss Granny so much that it is hard to function most of the time. But I take immeasurable comfort in knowing that there is a Springtime coming for BOTH of us,in which we will grow and bloom together forever in a realm where there will be no Autumn or Winter.

Well, Hurricane Hailey is awake now so time for rambling is over. She is my reality check. When she wakes up , it is cartoons and strawberry cereal, in that order. Next year she will be in school all day with her sister Kelsey. That is a scary thought !!
Maybe I should write a letter of apology to the school now. Really, they are a couple of really great kids who keep my life from becomming unbearably boring.

May everyone have a really great day, and as always....
Via Con Dios
DM

Up In Smoke

Smoke has been rolling since 4am here at Poverty Flats. We have smoked a couple of beef shoulders, a couple of pork shoulders, and about 60lbs of venison summer sausage. It's been a little cool here today but with a fire in the firebox it wasn't bad. It really is a lot of work, but it don't seem like it. I enjoy what I do, but not as much as I did when Granny was here with me.
Some of what was cooked today will be overnighted to South Texas. Yes, South Texas !! We are shipping Texas style BBQ from Missouri to Texas ! Like they don't have any BBQ joints down there. My son Don W. lives in Clute TX, near Galveston on the coast. He and his wife are expecting a brand new baby boy ( grandchild # 20) and she is having a baby shower with about 60 people to be fed. And Don W. thinks our BBQ is the best in the world. Yes, I know he is right. Anyway, they want BBQ so BBQ they will get. I just hope those Texas cooks don't march north and attack. They get pretty touchy about bragging rights to BBQ.
Well, enough of that. It's been a long day and I'm getting to be an old fossil who needs a lot more sleep than I got last night.
I deeply appreciate those of you who drop by from time to time. I hope you will continue to stop by and visit when you can.
Via Con Dios
DM - Pitmaster
Texas BBQ & Beans

Time Flys

Just a quick post tonight to say Thank You to all who have stopped by over the last few weeks with kind words and condolence. It's been a whole month today since Granny left us. In a way,it doesn't seem possible that it has been that long already. But then again sometimes it seems like time has just frozen in place.
Well, I said a quick post, and it would be so easy to ramble on and on tonight but instead I will bid all goodnight...Via Con Dios DM

Got It !!

I think I have gotten the hang of this photo thing. Hard to believe something so simple for some can be so difficult for others. Hope you enjoy these pics. DM

Rainy Day Here

It has rained nonstop here since yesturday afternoon. Our creek is up in the yard and it usually takes about 3-4" of rain just to get it out of it's banks. Don't know for sure how much we have received but it is enough.I had to tread water just to get the horses fed this morning. But on the upside, it gives good reason to stay inside and loaf today. Hurricane Hailey is catching up on cartoons and I am catching up on loafing.
Hailey and I started making summer sausage yesturday, and that was a chore. We ground up 45lb of venison and 12lb of pork fat. Then we had to mix all that, then add all the spices and seasonings and mix it again. It is just marinating in the cooler today.Tomorrow or the next day we will hook the stuffer tube on the grinder and stuff it all into sausage casings. Then it will go into the smoker for about 8 hrs wil some good old applewood smoke. By Friday we will have some world class venison summer sausage.
Have a great day. Via Con Dios DM

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

It's so nice out today I find it hard to believe it's still mid February. I think the temp. is in the 60's right now.
I have been busy listing items on ebay all day and getting them packaged for shipment so they will be ready to go when sold. It's interesting and it keeps me busy. I guess that is worth something. I have to stay very busy or the memories start to weigh too heavy to bear.
The ebay thing is just a way to kill time. Soon it will be time to start BBQing and then time will be a precious commodity. My granddaughter Hailey and I made and bottled 40 bottles of "Taste of Texas" BBQ sauce Friday. That's only a small quantity of what we will need for the season but it's a start.
Well, the horses need to be fed, and the girls do too so guess my spare time is over for now. Until later,
Via Con Dios DM

Warming Up

I think the cold weather is behind us for a little while. The temp is supposed to reach the low to mid 60's today and for the next week. Maybe Spring will come early this year. But then I start thinking that same thing every year about this time. It's still kinda hard for someone born and raised in the deep south to adjust to these midwest winters. My wife was a Missouri gal, and she liked it here so this is where we made our home many years ago. And, after all these years, my own transplanted roots have grown deep here so guess this is where I will stay. BUT........, my heart is still in the deep, warm wintered south.

It sure doesn't seem like a whole month since Granny has been gone. I still keep expecting her to come walking in the door any time. And I find myself continually hoping that I will wake up from this nightmare and find that she is still sitting there in her recliner with her embroidery can in her lap, watching Judge Judy rake some poor soul over the coals.But, in reality, it's not going to happen. And each day that goes by I am coming more and more to realize this. Life goes on, and with God's strength we learn to deal with it. I am learning that to stay very busy keeps my mind occupied and makes life a little easier to bear.

Speaking of being busy, my granddaughter, Hailey and I have been busy this week making and bottling BBQ sauce for the upcoming season. This will be our first year to package and sell our sauce as an item. Granny and I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a name for it Just before she passed away we decided that since it was a South Texas style sauce, as is our BBQ, it would be called "TASTE OF TEXAS". We are really proud of it. For the first 1 1/2 years we would offer a choice between our sauce and the leading name brand from Kansas City. After a while we were running out of our own and taking most of the KC brand back home. So then we began to offer only our own sauce, and folks started asking to buy extra sauce to take home. So, TASTE OF TEXAS was born. For now it will only be available directly from us at the festivals and events where we will be . Hopefully, we can expand that in the near future.

Have a great day, and as always....... Via Con Dios
DM
Pitmaster
Texas BBQ & Beans

Thanks To All

It's kind of a slow day here at Poverty Flats USA. Not much else to write about. I just mostly wanted to say " Thank You " to everyone for your kind words and sympathy. I know that time and faith in God will heal all wounds.Most of the time it is just so hard to stay focused. I have plenty to do to keep busy, with the granddaughters , the horses and the upcoming BBQ season. And as long as I stay busy it is easier to bear the loss.But after 32 years together, everything I see or touch is a reminder of her. And I guess that too will ease with time.

Just got a new digital camera and as soon as I figure it all out I will be posting some photos of the girls, the horses and our BBQ rig.


Via Con Dios DM