Orange Pineapple Fluff

 I've been making Cherry Salad for close to 40 years and seeing as it is always requested, I have made it A LOT.

Then, not too long ago, I ran across a similar recipe for this Orange Pineapple Fluff and I thought it looked promising.

I will link to it HERE, but there were so many ads that I had a hard time reading through the post and it was awfully frustrating.

I made this as a side dish for Easter and we really liked it although I should have made it the night before because it set up much better the next day.

Orange Pineapple Fluff

3 oz instant vanilla pudding

1 C milk

15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

* 1 can fruit cocktail, drained (my addition)

3 oz box of orange jello

1 8 oz Cool Whip

*Drain oranges, pineapple & fruit cocktail. Set aside several orange slices for garnish. In a large mixing bowl, mix milk and pudding mix. Fold in Cool Whip and jello powder. Fold in well- drained fruit. Place reserved orange slices on top. Cover. Chill overnight.

DH left the day after Easter and I finished up the leftovers. I thought it was better the next day and I stirred in some well-drained fruit cocktail which made it even yummier and more like Cherry Salad.

Cherry salad will never be replaced, but Orange Pineapple Fluff is a welcome new addition to my side-dish collection.

Road Time

 Yesterday we loaded up and headed out at 4:30 in the morning and pulled back up to the barn at 5:30 that evening.

Seems like we do that a lot for retired folks. 😉

We headed 2 1/2 hours North to pick up our heifer bulls

We branded them before loading them

Drove another 4 hours southeast, crossed state lines, unloaded the bulls 

So they could get aquainted with the heifers

Looks like he's charming them already

Then another 160 miles west to ride through the cows and baby calves and check on the 3 bulls he picked up the day before.

No cute pictures of the little ones because I couldn't get close enough so here's one of my favorites from the past

Then another 60 miles home. Whew. We didn't even stop anywhere for dinner, but dug into leftovers when we got home. Showers and under the covers by 8 where I tapped out this post and turned out the light,  because DH was going to be back on the road again at 4:30. 

Over 600 miles made for a long day, 

but I did manage to add some stitches to a binding when we traveled smoother roads

Well, I guess it keeps us out of the the rocking chairs. 😂 Rocking chair or truck seat... either way, we were sure tired of sitting!

What's in the Orchard

 You can just scroll past this post. It's just a list for our information. We wanted to document what we planted in the orchard and backyard. The nursery owner, Jaimee also asked us to record it for her since many of these trees are heirloom trees. We have a hard copy and a map, but I wanted to keep a backup here.

                                                            

1. Pomogranite (planted behind the house)

2. Heirloom Pear - 2 varieties: Lower Orchard & Lemon Hogan on a Quince rootstock

3. Heirloom Pear - Jaimee's Big Sweet

4. Stella Cherry

5. Montmorency Cherry - pie cherries

6. Tartarian Cherry

7. Contender Peach

8. Red Haven Peach

9. Heirloom Cinderella Peach (Krymsk 1 rootstock)

10. Heirloom Peach - Brill + 2 other varieties (to be planted in September behind the house)

11. Santa Rosa Plum

12. Heirloom Stanley Plum x Krymsk 1

13. Heirloom Plum & Pluot (to be planted in September)

14. Sweet Gem Apricot

15. Heirloom Apricot (to be planted in September)

16. Jonathon Apple - applesauce & apple cookies

17. Jonamac Apple - applesauce & apple cookies

18. Honeycrisp Apple

19. Heirloom White Cloud Applè x M7

20. Heirloom Black Twig Apple (Salazar Canyon) x Bud9

21. Arkansas Black Apple

22.  Letizia Fig - planted behind the house

23. Heirloom Apple (Antenouka) (planted behind the house) with 4 varieties:

 Black Twig (N) Beechie -Rio Ruidoso Watershed

 Greer #3 (S) Bonito 

 Sawmill (W) Beechie - Rio Ruidoso Watershed

Northwest Greening (E) Old Greer Orchard - no DNA verification. Possibly Fameuse or Montgomery Apple.

Whew. Hopefully we can put our shovels up for a little while. The waiting season has arrived. Waiting...we're not very good at that. 😉

Till the Cows Come Home

 These days our ranching program looks a little different.

We bought a set of cows 2 years ago in South Texas.

The fella that was looking after them, daily, was from a family we've known for 30 years and as dependable and reliable as you could ever hope to know, but we still made multiple trips to help gather or work. It's a 12 hour drive one way so DH put on a lot of miles, always leaving out long before dawn

Unfortunately, the owner and his brother tragically died on the ranch in a plane accident and the family, understandably, lost their compass. Eventually, the manager left and the cattle weren't tended to under successive management so we looked for alternatives. None of this was the family's fault as they were dealing with an unimaginable loss and moving our cows eased their load a bit and gave us peace of mind when it came to our investment.

                           

Thankfully, DH's BIL shared a contact that steered us in a new direction and we were able to move our herd to wheat pasture (still in South Texas) for 6 months, at which time, they droughted out and we needed to move them once more. Of course, the day they processed them (last Thursday), it poured. DH phoned that evening and asked me to pray for it NOT to rain overnight or the trucks wouldn't be able to get in. THAT'S a first. I've spent the last 39 years praying FOR rain. This reversal was completely foreign to me, but pray I did and the good Lord kept the rain at bay.

12 hours on the road after loading 87 pair, unloading in the dark, driving another hour home and unloading horses at 11 p.m. made for an incredibly long day. I know the barn lights were a welcome sight when he pulled in

                            

And then we were headed back out just after 5 the next morning

                                                           

to insure the cattle were settled and paired up. Hated to truck pairs with baby calves that far, but it couldn't be helped and now they are only an hour away and it's easier for us to keep an eye on them.

DH found one sick calf he doctored

 

We are still hunting grass, but a friend had room in his feed yard and let us keep our motley crew there until God opens a grassy window.

We also currently have 40 heifers on wheat and will be moving them May 1st to some lease country.

It's been so very different from what we've known, but we're incredibly grateful for the network of friends and family that have helped us along the way. And all glory goes to our Lord and Savior because not a single step has been possible without Him.