Chokecherries, Firewood, and Child-Choking

We picked the kids up from their grandparents Saturday afternoon. The grandparent hangover was horrendous. They fought and fought and fought. Lucinda the pug hid under the couch most of Saturday. It was really that bad. They seemed to have mostly recovered by yesterday afternoon.

Some friends said we could go to their property and pick chokecherries, so we went their yesterday morning. We picked over 6 pounds of the silly things. We made jelly and chokecherry syrup yesterday afternoon, as well as canning 7 pounds of mushrooms.

The aforementioned friends have a large plot of land on the face of the mountain. For the last 5 or 6 years, they've let us go up there and get firewood, so I walked around their property yesterday for quite a while. It looks like the firewood is going to be very, very tough to get at this year and I might consider some other options. It's nice to have the wood stove blasting away when it's cold outside. The reduction in utilities is a big bonus as well. But if I have to pay $110 a cord to have someone deliver, it's hard to justify the expense.

I mentioned our new neighbors a while ago. I'm afraid my first impression unfortunately may have been accurate. I watched the mom yell at their son Friday afternoon, then put her hands around his neck and shove him. The competition for Parent of the Year may be pretty tough this year.