So, I deactivated my Facebook account last night.  As much as I do see the advantages of being able to interact with hundreds of people in the click of a button, I was just starting to get the nagging feeling that it was bringing me down and ultimately, wasting my time.

I don't know how long I'll stay away, but I'm also trying to detach myself from my smartphone and even the tv too.  It's time to read more books, do more crafts, roll around on the floor with the dogs and Theo, and spend better quality time with Dave. 

I'm not sure how many friends and family followed me over here to this blog, but this is how I'll post pictures and update about what's going on in our lives for now. 


ANYWAY.

Valentine's Day weekend was nothing over the top in our house.  We've never really celebrated it as a holiday, but Dave did get me a sweet card and some of my favorite candy =)

This was the first weekend in a long time that we didn't have plans and there was nothing to hunt!  So we spent the time just hanging out. 

Abbey absolutely loves this kid!

Bundled up to take a trip to the grocery store!

Snuggling with daddy before bed Sunday night.

Genny on her 5th birthday

I'm sure there are many, many articles similar to this one about losing a dog, but I read this one this morning and it touched me.  So, although we have 2 dogs in our home, we each had one before we were married.  Today, I'd like to share a little about the dog that was "mine" before she was "ours", Genny.

Abbey and Genny, circa 2012

I decided to get a puppy when I started my graduate position at UD.  The position required me to first move to Cambridge, MD (October 2009) to work as a technician for 3 months and then move to Milton, DE in January to start my research.  I knew I'd be alone 95% of the time and that this was a great time to get a dog.  I've always been a fan of rescue dogs, in fact our family dog, Shelly, was a rescue and she was by far the greatest dog I've ever known.  But, I was just getting into hunting and I wanted to get a lab that could eventually be a hunting buddy. 

September 18, 2009

I searched for a while and eventually found AKC labs in Kirkwood, PA that were born on July 19, 2009.  Dave and I visited to make sure it wasn't a puppy mill, and it certainly was not.  The pups were all in a backyard with their mother and "aunt".  When we visited there was a huge black male puppy who I nearly chose.  Until I met the little yellow one who was calm and already fetching perfectly.  We picked her up and she let us pinch her toes and hold her upside down (good ways to check to see if a dog will make a good hunting dog).  She was really a sweetheart and I knew then that she'd be coming home with me.

Genny's first Christmas and Shelly

The lady informed me that the puppy I chose was a "dudley" as far as AKC standards were concerned meaning she has yellow hair but chocolate lab genes for pigmentation of her eyes and nose.  The yellow lab "standard" is brown/dark eyes and black nose.  So, Genny is still considered a pure-bred labrador but would not be able to be a "show" dog.  Didn't bother me!

October 2009

Dave and I picked Genny up on September 18, 2009 and brought her home to live in Dave's apartment for a couple weeks before I moved to Cambridge.  She is named after the beer from NY, Genesee Cream Ale for several reasons.  It's a tasty beer, Abbey is also named after a NY beer, and the colors of the can were similar to her colors.  Abbey was not a fan of this new addition who wanted to play NONSTOP.  Abbey is a laid back dog and the hyper activity that was Genny (and still is) didn't mesh with her idea of a good time.  However, she got used to it and now they are truly great friends who even occasionally share a pillow at bedtime. =)

Playing at Broadkill Beach, DE, circa 2011

Good dog.  Circa 2011

Genny is a really good dog.  She learned to ring a bell to go outside very quickly and was generally very easy to train.  She's a great retriever and absolutely loves to run and swim and fetch.  She's easily the fastest swimmer I've ever seen and would probably drown other dogs just to get the stick.  Her favorite toy is by far the frisbee, we can't even say the word without her going absolutely nuts.  Genny is really a quirky dog though, because she is afraid of nearly everything.  I know it's my fault, she heard a gunshot too early on in life and now is pretty skittish.  She even flinches when you pour food into her stainless steel bowl, even though it has happened 2 times a day, every day, for her entire life!  I still think we could get her used to a gunshot and she'd be a great hunting dog, but she's 5.5 years old now and we haven't taken her once.  This year's season just wrapped up, so maybe we'll work on it and try it next year.  Regardless, she's a great dog and we love her so much.

Today, our son is 6 months old!!

So hard to believe that time has passed so fast.  It really seems like just yesterday we brought this little squish home.  We didn't think he was so little at the time, born at a whopping 9 pounds 1 ounce, but looking back he WAS tiny (at least compared to now)!  We are guessing he's around 20 pounds these days (his 6 month check up is next week).

Barely 1 day old.

A little about his personality:
He still isn't a big fan of tummy time even though he's always been able to hold his head up really well.  He'll lay there and play and look around quite a bit and then starts to fuss.  He's rolled over from tummy to back several times (a few weeks ago) but hasn't seemed to realize he can do it whenever he wants to.  He can sit up by himself and only tumbles backwards occasionally now.  He is such a happy, easy-going baby.  Always full of giggles and has a big smile on his face.  He sleeps awesome, typically 7 pm - 7 am every night and a couple short naps during the day!  No teeth yet, but we keep thinking they'll show up any day - he constantly drools and spits and sputters.

His namesakes: We chose the name Theodore after our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt.  Roosevelt was a naturalist and did great things for this country in the way of conservation which is important to Dave and I.  He gets his middle name, Chester, from Dave's grandfather.

Theo and Dave's grandfather, Chester!

Everyday is a new adventure with this little guy, and we're so excited for his future and to watch him grow.   There really is no love like this love.  Even on the hard days, you can't help but smile at this face.  We love you, Theo!


With a full heart,
Missy

(Oh my, I forgot to hit "Publish" last week!!  I'm still learning!)

This week's topic a very cool falcon.  I won't rehash the life history of the bird, you can find that info here.  The American Kestrel (AMKE) is in decline throughout most of its range due to habitat loss.  One of the things we can do to help the AMKE is provide suitable nestboxes in high quality habitat to encourage successful breeding.  Providing new nestboxes and monitoring the AMKE is one of the projects I am starting on the farm where I work.  Last year, we had a bird attempt to nest in an old, broken down nestbox that was put up about 20 years ago.  The box ended up getting taken over by starlings and I am unsure of the fate of the nest.

This is a (horrible) picture of an AMKE with eggs in our old nestbox.

This winter, the guys at the farm have been working to build 3 new AMKE boxes.  I was able to catch up with someone I went to grad school with who now works in Ohio and has been apart of an initiative to put up AMKE boxes to help the population.  She pointed me in the right direction for some good information.




We may do some trapping and banding of the resident AMKEs on the farm and I'll also be monitoring these 3 boxes throughout the summer.  Stay tuned for updates on these awesome birds!

Happy birding,
Missy

Dave and I are avid hunters and typically freeze many cuts of meat each year.  Because of how much meat we store, we have a stand up freezer in addition to our regular fridge/freezer.  Freezing so much of our stockpile is slightly risky because if something were to happen to the freezer or power for too long, we'd lose it all.  My brother is also an avid hunter and introduced us to canning meat to have another storage option.

The downfall to canning meat is it does not have as much versatility when it comes to cooking but it is still very delicious.  Canned meat does not really hold the cube shape so it can't be skewered or stir-fried in the way frozen cubed meat can.  The meat is fully cooked in the can and ends up being very tender and more like a shredded meat.  Regardless, we still find plenty of good uses for canned meat - pasta, chili, casseroles, stews, sauteed with some onions, etc.

Here's how we do it:

First, cut the meat into about 1 inch cubes.

Then, sterilize the lids and jars in boiling water.


After everything is prepped, stuff the jars with the cubed meat.  You should really pack the meat tightly to minimize how much empty space there is. 

Hubs packing jars, he's so dreamy ;-)

This is how the jars should look once packed.   We found that approximately 2 lbs of cubed venison will fit in a quart jar.

Once the jars are packed, put a lid on each one and into the pressure canner!  Following the directions on the pressure canner, vent steam and then bring the pressure up to 10-15 lbs and keep it there for 90 minutes.



 




After the 90 minutes, allow the canner to cool off and the pressure to release.  Remove the jars (carefully, don't tip them!), and allow them to cool on the counter.  Listen and then check for each jar's seal to pop.  If a seal does not pop, store the meat in the refrigerator and use within a week.  Otherwise, store in a pantry!

Finished product

Happy canning!
Missy