A Pocket Watch

How many still carry a pocket watch?  My husband does and did for years, then it stopped working so he bought a traditional wrist watch.  About 2 years ago he started having problems with his little finger getting a catch when he would bend it.  Lucky it was in the summer months, he usually doesn't wear his watch because of working outside.  About a week after he took it off his finger got better and he blamed the ordeal on the watch around his wrist.  I'm sure that was the problem since it has never happened again.  He never put the wrist watch back on and kept carrying it in his pocket.  For Christmas this year our granddaughter (she likes gramps best) bought him a new pocket watch.  I tried to get credit for the gift since I had suggested it when she inquired about a gift for him.  If it isn't enough that she has him wrapped around her little finger, hand and whole being this just sealed the deal.  His face said it all when he picked the pocket watch out of the box and read the engraving.  She did good!  He has always called her "Hammer", apparently she likes the name.

Because a little girl loves her gramps.



Do you know what the little pocket in the front just above the big pocket of blue jeans is for?  That's right, a pocket watch.  A watch fob is hooked to the pocket watch and then hooked to a loop on the jeans or a belt.  I'm sure many have no idea what the little pocket is for, at least the younger generation.  I use mine to stick a Tylenol in if I think it's going to be needed without carrying the bottle in my purse.  Of course a good many have gone through the wash too.

That little pocket watch pocket.

Well here is a great tip for all of you that eat farm fresh eggs.  I mean the ones that are less than 3 weeks old.  The store bought eggs range from 1 month and could go up to more than 4 months old.  That's the truth.  Remember the disease last year that led to hundreds of thousands of chicken being euthanized?  Well when the put out the recall for the eggs it went up to 6 month dates on the cartons.  Ewww.....If you are hard boiling store bought eggs you probably have no problem peeling them.  For farm fresh eggs it has always been a nerve wracking time and getting nice smooth peeled eggs for deviled eggs was maybe 50% nice and 50% not able to use.  Here's the trick that I did yesterday for the first time!  18 eggs, 5 unusable and that was the first five that was trial and error.  Once the eggs have boiled for 20 minutes leave them in the hot water.  In a wide mouth quart jar put about 2 inches of cold water.  Add a hot egg and shake the jar about 6 shakes, no more.  When you take the egg out it will already have started to lift the egg shell away from the egg and enjoy peeling that egg.  It worked great for me.  Now after about 4 eggs I dumped the water and added fresh cold water to the quart jar.  Success with beautiful smooth eggs for deviled eggs.  I liked the brown eggs better than the white eggs because I could visually see when the shell was coming off.  Do not keep shaking thinking the egg shell will all come off, it does but by doing so it breaks the white of the egg. 4-6 shakes at the most.

You can see how the shell came off.

First batch, 18 eggs, 13 smooth, 5 not. 
The 5 first trial and error.

I am going to confess to a failure, my fault.  I put the egg yolks in my food processor, mistake!  I thought what a quick way to get the egg yolks creamy smooth.  Unfortunately adding the mayonnaise only turned it into oil...remember if you have ever made homemade mayonnaise the key is not to over beat.  So the first dozen eggs went to the chickens.  Had I not had success peeling the eggs I would not have made the second batch. 

My cousin's granddaughter messaged me another way that is suppose to make peeling fresh eggs easy.  I will be giving it a try this week and post how it works.  I love when people "pass it on."  Thanks Emily Kellogg, another gal that raises chickens!  Must run in the family.