Lifetime Changes

Well, as some of you already know Danny and I have left his beloved mountains of NC and moved to my beloved flatlands of Florida. It was necessary for more than one reason. I lost my job back in Dec 2009 and Danny lost his in Dec 2010. Prospects had not looked good for me at all and were looking even worse for Danny. Then we got letters from the ESC of NC that stated since the unemployment rate had decreased (about 1/2 of a percent) in NC, that the Federal Gov't would not longer support the extended benefits program. I was on extended and Danny would have needed it about 6 weeks later. So seeing that we were running out of time, we had to make a life changing decision. An opportunity opened up in Inglis, FL and we applied.
So here we are back in Florida, closer to my family but further from his. It's always hard being away from the people you love, especially when, now it includes your own children and grand-children. But we are adults, and we will survive. It is also great for my asthma. I have been doing a lot better since we got here. And we are both gainfully employed ( thank you Lord).
There is a small problem with my blog though. The name says "Hodges on the Hill". Well, we're not on the hill anymore, so I guess next time you see this blog, I will be changing the name. I could use a little help though. I have thought about, "Hodges in the Flats" or Hodges on the River ( Withlacoochee River across the road). Or something like that. I just don't know, so I'm open for suggestions.
It's good to be back, I'm loving it here. It's quiet, peaceful and the work is not that hard.

A MUST READ

Catching Wild Pigs

A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut!


"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have" Thomas Jefferson

APPLE BUTTER

It's apple time again! Yeahhhhhh!! Tina picked me three buckets of apples yesterday at a friends house and I started peeling and cutting as soon as we got home. The first run was 34 jars. I'm so excited. I still have a bucket and a half. Lots more to come.
I can hear them sealing from here. Pop, Pop, Pop!!! I love the sound of canning jars sealing. Have I said that before!! LOL

Late Night Visitor

The other night we were just sitting around. I was playing on the computer and Brenda was watching TV in her room. We kept hearing this odd noise and the dogs started to bark toward the front windows. We went to investigate and found this beautiful Regal Moth flying around outside the front of the house.









You can see by the size this is a pretty big specimen. They can get up to 6 inches across. They are one of the largest moths in North America.











As you can see by this picture, the Regal Moth is truly regal. The larval stage is called a Hickory Horned Devil. Although they look quite foreboding, they are actually not mean or dangerous.

Back in the Kitchen..Again! Part Duex

I started making homemade vegetable soup this past week. Danny's sister, Diane, gifted me with bunch of tomatoes, so I started making soup and salsa. So far, I have 40 jars of ready to heat and eat soup and 33 jars of salsa.









I can't wait for the apples and pears to come in. There won't be any plum jelly this
year because the worms got them first. Maybe the birds will eat them. They are
full of protein you know. Ewww, yuck!!

Fourth of July

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I posted on this blog. But a lot has been happening. Sh-h-h
don't tell anyone, I should have been posting about that too. Jamie finished truck driving school and went to work with Prime, Inc. out of Missouri. So now he's on the road all the time. Tina is with him on the truck. She will be coming home soon to start her truck driver training and afterwards she'll be joining him on the truck, team driving.

Ambre and Kojak decided to move back to the coast. Ambre got accepted at Carteret CC in the nursing program and Kojak starts work tomorrow with DirecTV. So that leaves me here alone except that Chris's grandmother is staying with me while we get Ambre's house ready to move into. She will be renting from them. So I do have someone here with me and she is a big help. She makes sure I take my meds ( she's bossy like that! hehe!)

We went out to visit Ambre and family over the fourth of July weekend. Even though they had only been gone a couple of weeks, we were missing them something fierce. Right now they are staying with Kojaks grandmother and looking for a place of their own. Here are a few pics of our adventure.

We were hiding on the little
beach area on the island
when K and Ambre brought
them down. They were
looking like "who are those
strange people over there
taking our pictures. " Then
they realized who it was
and pandemonium broke out.

We stayed near the end of the island at Calico Jacks. You could see the Cape Lookout Lighthouse from the boat docks.

The air was so clear.
You can almost see
the light keepers house
at the base of the light-
house. The light was
turning and I tried to
get a pic and the light
but the only one I was
able to get was blurry.

We went fishing too.
I don't know what that
is that Danny caught.
But Ambre caught this
really cool, toadfish. It
had the tail of an eel
and the head of a cat-
fish w/o whiskers.







Anyway, we had a great time and can't wait to go back
Labor day weekend. Hopefully by that time, they will
be in their own house and we can stay with them. I
would not recommend Calico Jacks. But it is very
beautiful and relaxing there on the island. I would not
mind living there at all.

Back In the Kitchen....Again!!!!!

Well, summer is finally here. The time for planting is over and the time for harvesting natures bounty has begun. Danny's sister, Diane gave me some cucumbers and squash. I canned the squash and made pickles with the cukes. I enjoyed making the pickles so much, I went and bought some more. The plums will be ready soon for jams and jellies. Already beat the birds to the cherry trees and froze the fruit for pies later in the year. The apple tree is full and the pear tree looks about the break with all the fruit that's on it. Why is it that I hate cooking but I love to can. Who knows, who cares. Here are some pics of my canning so far.
Here are the four quarts of squash I got. They turned out real pretty and colorful.
This is the first batch of dill slices I made yesterday. Can't wait to taste them. I have to wait 24 hours.
Twelve more pints of dill slices and 11 pints of kosher spears. Yum!!! Tomorrow it's more kosher spears and bread and butter pickles. I hope I can find the jars. I bought the last two Walmart had this morning. Anyway, can't wait for the apples to ripen so I can make apple butter and canned pears too. Yum! Yum!! Oh! Wait. I've still got two jars of pears left from last year. I think I will have one right now. Goodnight everyone. Enjoy your summer.