We had a get together, thanks to the one responsible for naming Camp Kathy, Camp Kathy and the great friends that spent almost every weekend here a few year ago. Things have changed, people have moved states away but one thing has not changed; good friends!  Realized how much I missed seeing everyone every weekend for some paintball fun and the food and drinks that followed.

Below are some pictures of those who stuck around for a VERY late dinner after an afternoon of target shooting getting ready for the wild boar hunt coming up next weekend. These are special people here at Camp Kathy, and they all have a piece of my heart. 





 

Ahi Tuna & Listada eggplant from the Camp Kathy garden on the grill for dinner tonight.

Want more daily updates like this.  Find me on Facebook kathleen.rehberg  See you there!!!

Time to buzz the chicken coop!!!!!

Got Spinach or Swiss Chard galore in your garden.  Try this, you'll like it!

1/2 lb. spinach/swiss chard
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 Tbs. chopped onion
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces medium egg noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pepper to taste

Remove and discard tough stems from spinach/swiss chard; tear or coarsely chop leaves.  In pan, cook garlic and onion in half the butter until golden.  Add spinach/swiss chard, cover and cook until just wilted.  Meanwhile, cook noodles as directed on package, drain and mix with remaining butter.  Then toss with cream, cheese and spinach/swiss chard.  Pepper to taste.

Yum!

Got a few cucumbers?  Have you tried this?

2 med. cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 med. onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine cucumbers and onion in bowl.  Add mixture of remaining ingredients, toss gently.  Chill, covered, until serving time, stirring occasionally.

Another day with a chunk of time spent in the garden.  That is a good day. 

Hubby & I mulched around all the pepper plants, eggplants, cabbages, cucumbers, zuchinni, summer squash, butternut squash & watermelon. 

While I watered, hubby planted another row of beets for me & re-planted some cucumbers that my hens had dug the seeds out and ate.  God love them.

Tomorrow night, after I get home from work, we will tackle the two plots of tomato plants.  We would have had more done if we did not have to deal with the leaking shower which resulted in a huge hole in the new ceiling of the re-modeled bathroom downstairs.  It was a semi easy fix with only 1 trip to Menards required but has made quite a mess.

I did chores again this morning & it felt good to be doing some of the things I used to do before the back injury.  I'm a little taken a back by how much strength I have lost.  Taking it slow.  Today was a day of yea.

Remember that old saying, "He went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back" when talking about men leaving their wives?  I kind of put my own spin on it for another wacked out day at Camp Kathy.

Hubby has been working extra shifts again this week due to people calling in sick etc. so we were looking forward to grilling out & having a couple adult beverages tonight. 

We spent the day in the garden pulling weeds & roto-tilling 5 of our garden plots.  Hubby found someone who was selling some straw and made arrangements to go pick it up so we could line the area around our tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cabbages etc to keep down the weeds. 

As he was getting ready to go, I thought I heard running water.  My investigation found water pouring thru our remodeled downstairs bathroom ceiling as girl child was taking her shower.  Yippee.  Seems like every time hubby has some down time, Camp Kathy decides to dump on him.

He hustled girl child out of the shower and proceeded to tear down the new ceiling he put up not that long ago.  Then he left, taking my Durango and some cash.  The only thing that came to mind was all those prior tv show lines from the deserted wives.

I watched the clock.  He did return.  Whew! 

It has been 12 years but it has happened yet again.  The dreaded deer duel with whatever I may be driving.  There are no winners.  The deer never win & I am left with deep sadness, guilt and twisted metal.  Case in point:



This latest match up happened on my way to work day before yesterday.  Week 3 of my new job.  Luckily I was leaving a little earlier anyway and was still early to work even with the mishap.  Really screwed up hubby's morning plans though.  The call from the wife waking him from his slumber, the quick 2 mile run to see what damage was done to Durango before sending her on her broken way, call to the DNR & deer harvesting for the freezer.  Some expensive venison italian sausage just been added to the freezer.

The last duel also happened on my way to work bout 12 years ago.  It did turn into a kind of funny story though that is repeated at every family gathering.

My Uncle Gary was staying with my Dad at the time & he came down to our place to find my van sitting in the driveway. The damage was facing the opposite direction.  Knowing I should be at work, Uncle Gary found it strange to see my van sitting there.  As he was pondering this, the hubby came around the corner covered in blood from field dressing the latest deer hit.

Now, anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I can be, well, difficult to live with at times.  Well, Uncle Gary was caught so off guard at the bloody scene he blurted out to the approaching hubby "What did you do to Kath!" as he was backing up.  My understanding was that the hubby was not that struck that something like that would be said to him & just calmly pointed to the very undriveable van facing away from where Uncle Gary stood.  I guess the hubby's non-shock that he would be accused of doing harm to his difficult wife should concern me if I think about it....but I get it. 

Just another day in the life of Camp Kathy.......to be continued.......I'm sure.

Whose wine?  What wine? Where the hell did I dine?

That is a line from one of my favorite Peter Frampton songs.  That pretty much sums up how my mind has been working lately.

Yes, I have gone back to work in my "chosen" field.  I have been out of the "traditional" work schedule for 3 years now & it has been both exhilirating & challenging getting back into the swing of things. 

I like it.  I almost hate to say it out loud out of fear of jinxing it.  I just hate being the new person.  I liked it much better when I was the go to person.  Not there yet.  Hope to get there soon.  Have boy childs college tuition to pay for.

I am still trying to figure out how to incorporate the Camp Kathy part of me in the day to day right now.  Mostly because of this nagging back thing.  Not only that, but I am mentally challenged by the time I get home.  Brain drain.

It will all get there....eventually.  Looking forward to that.  I like this new job.  I like my Camp Kathy hobby farm.  I would very much like to marry the two Kathy's..........SOON!

By now you are just as sick of hearing me whine about my back injury as I am of talking about it......and feeling it.  This has really thrown a wrench into my gardening abilities.

The good news is that the garden is probably 85% in the ground....but not by me.

Lot 1:  watermelon & butternut squash in...not by me.

Lot 2:  2 kinds of green beans, lettuce mix, beets, zuchini & yellow summer squash... not by me.

Lot 3:  5 different kinds of cucumbers...not by me.

Lot 4:  hybrid green peppers, heirloom green, purple, orange & red peppers, mild hot peppers, eggplants & cabbages...not by me.

What is left is 2 plots of a combined 8 kinds of both hybrid & heirloom tomaoes, 1 plot of onion sets and dill in the plot that also holds the rhubarb.  Only the asparagus doesn't have to share a plot.  That is all that is left to be planted...but not by me.

I feel guilty putting all this on the family.  I did get the seeds started & I will be doing the canning/freezing but it doesn't have the same satisfaction.  I liked starting the babies, planting the babies and caring for them all the way to the kitchen & freezer.  But not this year.  Not by me.