There goes VW Bug # 46!!

Greetings from Villarrica, Paraguay! Dan has been punch-bugging us for the last 3 days (he´s up to 46). Who wudda thunk there would be Volkswagon "punch bugs" down here!!??

It is the rainy season here, no doubt about it. That hasn´t stopped us from having a great time. Karen narrowly made it out of her site during a huge rainstorm before the buses stopped running. Once again (like in May), we met at the bus terminal during a tiny shower!

Everything so far (food, South American wine, highways, you know...the basics etc.) has been great. The rain has kept us from visiting Karen´s community, but we´re going to make a concerted effort to get there tomorrow. In the meantime we've been visiting Villarrica, eating well, playing cards, and visiting with Karen!

Today we started down her road to just check out the conditions...it became obvious that we should turn back when, all of the sudden, a white VW bug went slipping by which sent us into gales of laughter only to be followed by Dan´s report that...there goes number 40!
Having lots of fun getting caught up with Karen. She is one tough but sweet cookie!

Arrived in Santiago de Chile

Had 2 great flights and now we are in Santiago for a few hours before going to Paraguay this afternoon. Dan enjoyed the big plane, movies, etc. It is beautiful here. The mountains are amazing. This airport is much nicer than Sao Paulo, Brazil. Very modern and appealing. Next stop, Asuncion, Paraguay!

Getting Ready for South America

We leave to visit Karen in Paraguay on Friday, November 16th! We'll spend half the trip with Karen and then we'll visit Chile for the other half. Dan will miss 3 days of school (which he doesn't mind) and 8 days of basketball (which he minds a lot). I think Shadow will probably take up residence with Duke and Homer during our absence.

Harvest 2007

The fall 2007 harvest is complete. You can see the progression of the farming season beginning with the picture to the left. The corn is about 4-5 inches tall.







This picture, taken August 1st, has 8' tall corn. Both July and August each had about 7" of rain.






Here is Tom in the combine harvesting the corn. Incidently, Jeanne, this portion of the field of corn belongs to Tom. Yours is further west.


And for you bloggers who can't get enough, I've posted a short video clip of what it looks like to be in the combine during corn harvest. Just click on the play button.

Harvest Central

There is so little storage available for corn that grain elevators are starting to pile it up outside. I'll post a picture of that next time.

Farmer attire has changed from the days of yore (or at least of Tom's dad). As you can see, Tom sports collared shirts, shorts, and Red Wing boots. A thoroughly modern farmer.

If you were in the cab with him you'd probably bask in the coolness of the airconditioning while listening to a Cubs or Bears game on the radio. Newly installed in the combine is a GPS unit to track every bushel of corn or soybeans.

Lastly is the annual Threshermen's Bluegrass Festival. Autumn ain't complete without a little shit-kickin' music to stir your soul.

Harvest Update 1

Took this picture with phone in my camera. If you click on the picture you can see Tom in the red International Harvester with Andrew following along in the tractor and 2 wagons. The dog and I arrived just in time to deliver a diet soda and some sunflower seeds before they moved to the field next door.

In the next week or so I'll take some pictures on a real camera and share them.

Stan's Stupendous Peppers & Tom's Terrific Tomatoes

Stan's hot peppers made for some tasty salsa this summer. And Tom brought me ripe tomatoes to make a batch of Aunt Ollie's Hungarian spaghetti sauce. I don't think the recipe is very Hungarian, except for the fact that Aunt Ollie was Hungarian. My plump, grandmotherly butcher highly recommended the salsiccia sausage to mix with ground beef for the meatballs.

Tom gave the pond a treatment today. The pond floats and kayaks are all put away in anticipation for some ice skating in a few months! Dan has been helping Tom repair the combine.
Aunt Ollie's Hungarian Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs Recipe
Sauce
4 T olive oil
2 medium onions chopped
4 small garlic cloves chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
64 oz fresh tomatoes (cut off tops, squeeze out seeds, par boil to remove skins, chop until your hands hurt)
12 oz can tomato paste
some wine or water to thicken sauce to taste
2 t crushed sweet basil
1 t tyme
4 t sugar
3-4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c fresh chopped parsley

Saute the onions, pepper, and garlic in oil for about 5 min on medium/low heat. Add fresh tomatoes and cover, bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 min covered. Meanwhile, add 5 spices together. Then add spices, paste, and add water or wine to obtain desired thickness. Simmer partially covered for a few hours.

Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef
1-2 lbs Italian sausage (salsiccia or hot, your choice) (remove skin)
2 eggs
1/2 t pepper
2 chopped cloves garlic
1/2 c fresh chopped parsley
heavy sprinkling parmesan cheese
2 slices bread (whatever you have on hand)

In large mixing bowl, mix everything together with your hands. Wet the bread slices and add them, too. Make sure all is thoroughly blended. If you have patience, let the mixture stand for 20 minutes.

Make meatballs (about 2" diameter) and place in oven pan lined with aluminium foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, remove meatballs with a fork and spoon (scraping off any fat) before putting into sauce. Serve with noodles or freeze in meal-size containers.