First Day in the Garden

It doesn't look like much, but we got started on the garden today.

There's nothing like seeing the first shoots of flowers come up.  These fuzzy little poppies were such a cheery sight.

No matter how many hours you have to spend working, when you get one of those quiet moments at dusk when you begin to contemplate the bigger picture, it's so worth it.  I love the quiet, the sun settling quietly over our little valley, lighting the tops of the trees in the distance with a thin gold thread.

This time of the year is so full of possibility.  I'm dreaming of all the veggies I'll plant, and how this year, that I'll actually master companion planting so my garden will finally grow more veggies than weeds.    Corn, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, sweet peas, the flowers and the veggies, hops, blueberries, strawberries, apples.

Jason got all the weeds cleared out around the blueberry bushes. It looks great now!  Oh well, we still have plenty of time.  Hopefully we'll get more done this year.  So many possibilities...

Life's Rythm

It's just been life as usual on the farm lately.  Except for saying goodbye to the cows.  I know when I buy them, I know as I'm feeding them, I know even as I'm trying to ignore them bellowing at me to bring their hay.  I know what their fate will be, a fate that I actually call and schedule.  But it's still hard, each year.  I think maybe we should raise calves to sell to someone else to raise for beef.  But, there is something to be said for raising pasture raised beef, who are treated well and cared for.  That's the only thing that makes this bearable.

Happy New Year!

We welcomed the new year with a couple of new traditions...  We joined friends, Travis and Sarah at their home with their boys Ben and Ry and Jason's co-worker Kate for a nice quiet New Year Celebration.  Ben introduced us to a Spanish tradition; you eat 1 grape for the last 8 seconds of the year.  It was totally fun as we all sat there popping grapes into our mouths, smiling and laughing at each other and trying not to choke!  It turns out, (as Travis looked it up online) that the tradition is actually 12 grapes.  It's thought to secure happiness for the 12 months of the coming year.  I LOVE traditions.  Ben was so cute; smiling, trying to keep his mouth closed around those 8 grapes.  I'm guessing his teacher taught him 8 because he didn't want them to choke on the full 12 grapes!  :)

My next New Year's experience is that I tried my hand at making a German pancake this morning.  I sold some eggs to my friend Ginger England yesterday and she said she was going to use them for German pancakes.  I was really intrigued, so she sent me the recipe.  It turned out great!  I would like to try next time with cake flour (that rises better).  Still, it turned out beautiful! :)

Happy New Year to you and yours.  I hope your New Year's traditions are wonderful!  Share them with me if you think of it!

Snowy Surprise!

We had a wonderful surprise this afternoon, 3 inches of snow.  I love the crunch of fresh snow under my boots and the glow of Christmas lights over the snow.  What a nice change of pace!  It took me a little less than two hours to get home, but that provided time to talk to my hubby, catch up with a friend and talk to mom.  There are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

The chickens don't seem to be affected by the weather though.  My little overachievers are at it again.  Check out this egg...

I can't help but feel a little sympathy for my poor little chicken.    The crazy thing is, I got two of these this week!  I'm not really sure what's going on, but they're all still walking, so I guess there's no harm done.

That's all for now.  Hope you have a wonderful week, no matter what the weather brings!

Time Well Wasted

Today was one of those days I dream about....  going to my favorite antique stores, hanging out with my mother-in-law

(yes, I got VERY lucky in the in-law department), finding the perfect new "old world" Santa to add to my collection, having a nice dinner with my in-laws, decorating our Christmas tree

 and enjoying a good movie.  Oh and BONUS!!!  I even got to make popcorn, well it was supposed to be popcorn balls, but it turned out to be cararmel corn, you know, the kind that makes you afraid it's going to pull out your fillings.

 Jason's mom had been talking about how Chuck's mom used to make the best popcorn balls.  And I thought, this is perfect, I love traditions!  So we tried our hand at it.  We both decided we'll try the marshmallow popcorn ball recipe next time.  Still, it was nice to do a little "baking" with her.

Meanwhile the boys went to Costco, watched movies and played video games.  So we each enjoyed the day in our own way.   :)

In the midst of all of that, we actually made it in and out of the mall (the last weekend before Christmas) in one piece (an hour and 15 mins to get less than a quarter of a mile, but in one piece nevertheless)  AND, I actually managed to get my oil changed and get out of Jiffy Lube for only $19.99.  That, I consider a true accomplishment.  :)

If I don't have time to blog before Christmas, I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday, filled with laughter, the sights, smells and sounds of Christmas, oh yes, and lots of "time well wasted".

Brrrr....

So, I learned tonight that eggs split when they freeze.  Check it out...

So, this morning I woke up to "honey, we're going to have to put a space heater in the pump house.  It's frozen; so there's no water."  So Jason barely got through his shower and the water ran out.  We must have had water in the holding tank, so there was enough for his shower.  Luckily I have showers at work, so I had somewhere to go.

That wasn't the only setback though, when I went out to the barn, we lost a blue andalusian hen.  Such a bummer, poor thing.  I don't think it was because of the temperature though, there must have been something else going on.  I'm just sad to lose one.

Then there was water for the cows... That was frozen too of course, so I had to break the ice and then poured a bottle of Sierra Springs water in for them.  I know that's crazy, but I felt like it had to have some warmer water or it would freeze again right away.  So, we have some very spoiled cows.  I feel so bad for them when it's so cold outside.
Hope you're keeping warm.  :)

Good Egg, Bad Egg

So, the overtime at work lately hasn't allowed for much blogging, but I do have one little tidbit for anyone who's interested.

If you've ever wondered how to tell if an egg is good or bad, here's the tip.  If an egg floats, you know it's no good, don't take any chances.  If it sinks, you're safe.

 See, bad egg...



 


                                                  Good Egg...

Now you know. :)

That's all I have for now.  Have a great week!