Most people mistake this little guy for a hummingbird or bee. I absolutely adore these little guys although I don’t think I had ever seen one until I moved down to Southwestern Minnesota.

For years I have been trying to catch these guys in action, but they are quick and usually hard to get photos of. I lucked out while we were enjoying the beautiful weather and a beer up by the garden the other night.

This guy seemed amused by us, and let me get very close which I was thrilled with! 

The Hummingbird Moth is a member of the Sphinx Moth family, and although its larvae (a small green hornworm) closely resembles the tomato hornworm/Five-Spotted Hawkmoth which are notorious vegetable garden pests, the Hummingbird Moth caterpillars feed non-destructively on the foliage of native shrubs and trees.

The main host plants of the Hummingbird Moth is herbs & shrubs. The only place I seem to catch them is on our lilacs & honeysuckle that line our property. 

I hope you have a beautiful day.

xx

So I thought I would share a small part of my world. I’ve been waiting on 10 pallets of grapes to come over the Mexican border for 23 hours now and still. I. am. waiting.

This is the unglamorous part of trucking ha ha ha…

It’s hot out and since I don’t feel like sweating, and mostly since I don’t look too glamourous sweating I have taken to the bunk and air conditioning for the duration of the afternoon.

This morning I did get up and out of the truck. I went for a walk, then made a good, hot, homemade breakfast, and I enjoyed as much of the outdoors as I could before the sun rose up too high making this Minnesota girl uncomfortable. Now that I’ve cleaned, caught up on my reading, and done paperwork, the next thing on the list is to answer emails…uh.

But before I go I thought I would give you the chance to ask a question or two if you’re so inclined about the life of a trucker, or my life trucking. I get a lot of emails asking questions about trucking, and how I live in a truck and I thought maybe someone else would have another, whether it be how I live in Rosie while out, how I cook, or what I do to keep organized in a very small space…

Just leave a comment below and I will try to answer them if you are interested. Oh, and happy Friday!

For everyone who poo-pooed me on planting early, all I can say this year is I GOT LUCKY! This is the best stand of carrots I’ve ever had thus far! I am dreaming of carrot soup, glazed carrots, carrot cake and so on and so forth!

These raspberries were just planted last year, and are obviously prolific little buggers. Raspberry jam anyone?

My garlic is growing great guns too, even if my girls beat the hell out of them early on! I really didn’t think they would make it, but they look good so far! I am SO excited for fresh garlic, although I’m still using last years!

The spinach has not missed a beat and I have been happily eating it for a few weeks now. I greedily take bags with on the truck for salads and on sandwiches. And oh, my oh my, how fresh spinach scrambled with a couple fresh eggs from the girls make me so happy in the morning!

And my beets are just starting, but they have yet to be ate by the rabbits… hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself! I enlisted Hubs to throw some chicken wire over them tonight, so hopefully they will be up and running in no time!

How does your garden grow?

x0

Yesterday I wanted to make a good meal since it was Sunday after all. I still believe in a good Sunday meal that you sit down and truly enjoy when I’m home so I really try to make the most of it.

Since I had pulled a homegrown, organic chicken out of the Freezer Friday afternoon (which really does not ever need too much to be good), and since I love to layer flavors I made my baked buttermilk rosemary chicken with broccolini, mashed potatoes and of coarse homemade chicken gravy.

Most people fry their buttermilk marinated chicken, but I try to be a little bit healthy and save on the stress and mess of frying. And to top it off, the chicken comes out nice and crispy anyway, so why bother?

There comes a time when we all have said ‘I’ve had enough’. A few weeks ago I said just that after being asked numerous times if I was ‘sure’ about the shit I was putting on my  subway sandwich as if I was a brainless twit, while being forced having to listen to just how great the Pilot Flying J is, as told by Trace Adkins which yeah I totally believe (bullshit) he stops there all the time… Barf.

Here is the conversation I unfortunately had to have when I stopped at the Flying J just north of Bakersfield CA a few weeks ago. By the way, Pilot/Flying J I’m pretty much done with you too. I for one am NOT impressed by Trace Adkins telling us (over and over and over on your speaker system) how GREAT your shit hole of an establishment is. My guess is that Trace Adkins does NOT shower in your crappy, hot shower rooms or eat the crap you serve at your Denny’s restaurants. I totally get advertising, but really for the money you spent paying him to try and bullshit us, you could have fixed a few showers or paid employees a higher wage that really care about the driver, and honestly you have turned me off to the point that I’d just rather not.

Me: Hi, I’d like a footlong roast beef on wheat

Girl at Counter: For a dollar more you can add extra meat

Me: No thank you

Girl at Counter: Are you sure?

Me: Yes, I’m sure

Girl at Counter: So, you are going to miss out for a dollar more?

Me: Yes I guess I am

Girl at Counter: I just can’t believe for a dollar more you’re going to miss out on this deal

Me: No thank you. How much extra do I have to pay for you to give me what I just ordered and nothing more?

Girl at Counter: Laugh, then blank stare

Me: That’s what I thought

Girl at Counter: For a dollar more you can add extra cheese, I’d bet you’d like extra cheese

Me: No thank you, I’d like my sandwich as I ordered it

Girl at Counter: Are you sure? Don’t you want a GOOD sandwich

Me: Well, ‘good’ as you put it would be a stretch even with extra cheese & meat, but I’d just like the sandwich that I ordered

Girl at Counter: If you get extra cheese you can get a free cookie

Me: What do you not understand about me wanting the sandwich I ordered

Girl at Counter: Blank stare & dirty look

Me: Oh, so now we understand each other?

That was thankfully the end of the conversation and the end of the line, at least until the cashier tried up-selling the chips and drink…

Now I know these people are taught, brainwashed, and probably threatened by management to up-sell the products we are buying so I am not completely blaming the girl behind the counter, but at what point does the seller notice that the buyer is NOT interested and is now thinking of coming OVER the counter if you don’t stop with the bullshit? They really should teach that as well, when to STOP.

So with that, the time has come for me to NOT eat at truck stops unless they are a mom and pop stop and I am actually supporting something or someone I truly believe in. Pilot/Flying J, I do not, have not, and will not ever believe in. Let me rephrase that, I really use to like the Flying J’s, that is until Pilot got a hold of them.  And I know, all drivers cannot make this choice because the company they work for is willing to support cheap crap, but this is my choice, and if you feel like joining in, I’d love to have you.

Now mind you I have never really gone out of my way to eat truck stop food because generally I bring my food with because of the expense & I like knowing exactly what I am eating. The thing with what I bring with is that usually it’s cold or has to be slowly heated up in my crock pot. I know, I could install a bigger inverter for quicker cooking (which is sitting in my shop) but I just can’t bring myself to let someone cut holes in Rosie.

Every now and then when I don’t bring enough food from home, or if I’m running low on energy a good hot meal does wonders for me. In those times I will in fact stop and get a subway or sit down and have something hot.

So my new venture is going to be cooking outside of the truck (think camping). I have stated many times I will not cook anything in my truck that is going to make me or my truck stink and clearly I don’t have the room. To me, a truck is just NOT a place to be whipping up most foods, unless you have one of those fancy sleepers that was built (and equipped) for whipping up said meals or on the other hand, you just want to smell like a pork chop for the next week. Maybe to some that is a good thing, and by smelling some drivers out here maybe even a PLUS, but not for me.

I have been doing some cooking on one of these using a cast iron skillet and some non-stick aluminum foil when I don’t want a mess, for some pretty good meals thus far. And I have been making my coffee in one of these for a good, true (way better than truck stop) cup of coffee and other than taking a little time (no more than 15 minutes which is still quicker than my crock pot) I am loving it.

So, if you see a girl whipping up a meal at the side of her Peterbilt, well, that’ll be me.  Make sure you wave or stop by. I too will be documenting my cooking here on OGT to maybe help others who want a little more freedom from crappy truck stop food!

I generally make Hubs rhubarb pie because has always said he does not like rhubarb crisp. To make him happy I make what he likes.

Except for every once in a while when I get bullheaded and think what about me? I don’t really care if you don’t like this or that, I’m going to make what I like for once and you can either eat it, or go without.

Well that doesn’t happen very often, but it seemed when I finally got around to making my mothers rhubarb crisp I was kind of totally hopeful that Hubs really didn’t like it… I had visions of packing it up and bringing it on the road for a weeks full of desserts.

Unfortunately, and I will say I wasn’t surprised at all, Hubs loved it and it is now a spring staple around here.

This is such an easy recipe that anyone, even the guys can make, yet SO SO good. This rhubarb crisp is satisfying right down to the depths of my soul and it makes me very, very happy although I miss my mom even more when I make it. I hope you enjoy it too!

I have been home for a  few days now, and I had only been gone a few weeks with a quick weekend home in between but, spring seems to have swept through, waved her magic wand and brought everything into bloom here on the farm.  It’s beautiful of coarse, but I’m not sure I am processing it like I would any other year. My brain seems stuck. It seems to be use to the nice weather we had in December, January and February but the actual spring that we usually enjoy has just never happened for me.

Along with all the blooms, and ever growing grass, the skies too have changed. The weather has been a bit bumpy around here as of late. Since I got home I have been watching the clouds roll up and then either drop to the south or north of us going around the farm leaving me wanting more. That is until today when my camera was about dead and we had huge crashing thunder and bolts of lighting that made the girls run for cover.

This is Henny Penny one of my oldest girls. While we were enjoying a beer she jumped up and helped herself to a few sips of Hubs drink. It didn’t seem to go to her head, and we did not let her drive anywhere.

I have always prided myself on being polite. I run into a lot of women who are just plain bitches and I have first off never understood it, but more importantly never wanted to be like them. Even when I am in a piss poor mood, if the person I’m dealing with does not deserve it, I can reel myself in plenty to be polite and get along.

However. Last week as I was loading oranges on a dock in Bakersfield California I had this thing happen and I have been trying to work through how I wanted to write about it because I don’t want to come off as racist, even though this type of man usually has no problem and does at least once a month slam a door in my face when I am behind them, not to mention these same men will not even ever acknowledge my presence while I am around them.

Last week I was counting my product that was going on my trailer beside a fella that I would consider middle eastern. He wore a turban on his head, flowing linen clothing and smiled and said hello very politely which really surprised me. I of coarse smiled back and said hello to him, but for some reason that put him on my radar, and I guess me on his.

He watched me. I would guess since I was on the dock with my gloves moving load locks out of the way and telling the guys how I wanted my trailer loaded I probably wasn’t a women he was use to seeing. It didn’t take too long for him to come over to me and start asking questions, which I am use to getting from guys but for some reason I started feeling an uncomfortable twinge that comes when I know I’m where I shouldn’t be, yet I can’t go anywhere to get away from the situation either.

He walked up and smiled again then started asking question after question. I was polite, since he had done nothing to make me be anything but. The first question was if I was married and if my husband was in the truck with me. I answered yes that he was in the sleeper which is generally my easy answer rather than explaining that we both own trucks and my husband stays home doing what he does while I’m alone, unattended on the road (which is how a lot of men view my situation). He then asked if I had babies to which I told him no. I jokingly, tried to lighten up the conversation or maybe make myself feel better, by telling him it was hard to drive a truck and have babies and but he started over asking again why I had no babies.

His accent was very thick, so along with having to decipher what he was saying I was trying to decipher where he was going with all of the questioning. I was feeling more and more out of place and alone since the guys that were loading my truck were hispanic and didn’t speak very good english either, which usually is my ‘out’ if I get in a bind with another driver. That option was failing at the moment.

I started checking more of the product going into my trailer until he turned and walked away.

He left the loading dock and I started to relax a bit, but peered out the dock door window next to me waiting to see him get in his truck and hopefully leave. I watched as he came out the door, walking around the front of Rosie looking at her and got into his truck. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Sadly seconds later he got back out and in two shake of a lambs tail was standing on the dock with me once again. He again started with the questions, told me that I had a pretty truck, then asked if he could look into my truck.

I told him no, my husband was in the sleeper, and that it was our personal space. He asked again as if he didn’t understand me to which I said no again and changed my attention to the loaders and tried my best to ignore him. He finally left the dock but unfortunately was still in the parking lot when I was set to leave and head for my next pick up.

When I walked out to Rosie he was messing around moving his trailer axles, so I quickly got on the phone with Hubs who 1800 miles away couldn’t do a damn thing to help me out but I figured if I didn’t come home he would know where to start looking for me. Hubs thought the whole thing was weird too and stayed on the line with me as I pulled out of the dock so I could shut my trailer doors and get on the road where I knew I would feel safer.

I had no more than pulled out of the dock when this same guy was up on the passenger side of my truck peering in at me and into my sleeper, which had no husband in sight by the way. I yelled at him to get the hell off my truck but he just stood there looking in at me all the while smiling. I finally rolled the window half way down and told him that I was on the phone and again to get the hell off of my truck.

He did finally get down, but the time he stood on my truck felt like hours rather than a minute or two and unfortunately I still had to get out and close my trailer doors before I could leave. And I really should have slid my trailer axles too but I had already deduced an overweight ticket was a better option had I got caught for being heavy.

Still on the phone with Hubs I got out to shut my doors and this guy was came around the front of Rosie asking if I needed help. I said no, turning my back to him as I headed to the end of my wagon to shut the doors. In seconds I think, I had the doors shut, parking brake released and was putting Rosie in motion all the while hoping to hell he was done loading and not on the same pick up schedule as I was.

So where do you draw the line? And who do you trust? The first thing my very good friend told be was to stop being so nice and just be a bitch. But up until the point where he physically got onto my truck did I have a right or reason to be a bitch?

Those who know me, know very well that I am quite well protected in Rosie. I have stated many times that I do not believe anyone should be responsible for my safety but me. But all of my safety was in the sleeper away from where I was sitting and in all honesty I was quite unprotected when he jumped on my truck. Hell it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon, at a very nice loading dock. Did I let my guard down? I think so.

I have now moved my protection to the glove box where it is an easy reach for me and I can say it will never be too far away again.

Hindsight being what it is, I know what I should have done in that situation when he got onto my truck. I now know what I will do if that situation ever arrises again but looking back, I can’t help but wonder was I being too nice?

How nice is too nice?

What’s your opinion?