Slip Sliding ~ Spreadable Butter and other Terrific Tidbits

Getting to the barn and back, and out there and back again, was no easy task yesterday.  We woke up to frigid temperatures after being spoiled rotten with warm weather. 

However, all that half melted slush, froze, and muck boots don't have spikes on the bottom.  It took everything I had, to get back with the eggs and not fall (and break any or break something on me). 

I've wanted to make a spreadable butter for a while, and finally got the time to make it.

Especially after last winter, getting butter to spread was difficult.  It was cold enough in the kitchen to keep it as if it were refrigerated.

I chose a recipe I found online, and adapted it with organic ingredients. 

I used my electric hand mixer to blend it, but my non-electric hand mixer would have worked too.

I put some in my small glass butter dish, and the rest in canning jars.  I tried this out on a grilled tuna (mixed in with some home canned relish) and swiss cheese sandwich for lunch.  Delicious.



It's another cold day here.  That's okay with me, I need February to slow down now. 

I'm lacking in reading my current book.  I did however, get some handiwork done last night.   With recent events around here, reading is the last thing on my mind.

We seem to have another (a milder event) late night, cat food robbing raccoon.  I saw Jasper staring out the door, so I flipped on the outside light and there he/she was.  Hm.  It ran off, but later in the night when I wanted to let a dog out, it was back (even though the water was frozen and the food bowls empty).  The old big barn can't come down soon enough.  I'm sure that's where he/she is slumming out.  It's pretty big too. 

So, I thought Hubby would be having the worst day story, but now it's Oldest Daughter.  On her birthday, she found out the tires on her car have dry rot.  She's told they were surprised she even made it in to get her oil changed.  Literally.  Most likely from her car sitting while she was in boot camp/training, and us not driving it (if I had known, I would have driven it once a week, but....)

When Hubby got home from picketing (they did strike, so his entire week is gloomy), he thought I was nuts.  So, he went out and checked her tires.  Sure enough, she cannot drive her car until she buys new tires. 

With the high cost of recent pet costs, she is flat broke.  She can't go to work without a car, and I can't drive her until Hubby repairs his truck and gives me my car back. Who wants to crawl under a truck when it feels like it's in the teens to fix it?

If you have been wondering how Oldest Daughter has been doing since she lost two pets within two days, you now know.

There is a light at the end of this tunnel, right? We're trying to get there anyway.