April 28th

Today is bittersweet.
I'm remembering Leia
Its been a month since she passed.
Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of her,
or grieved for her.
I still find myself expecting to see that wagging tail.
But then I realize, she's not there.......
It is also fitting that I post this on this particular day.
Its National Pet Parents Day.
So, I just remember what a great dog she was and
content myself with our feathered pets.
Those girls make me smile.
You simply can't be in a down mood and watch their antics.
Sometimes just the way they cluster around us when we are outside,
or when they waddle-run after an unsuspecting bug, makes me laugh.
Just recently a Meter Reader was attempting to look over our fence
and was startled by the sudden clucking of our Guard Hens.
I went outside to ask if he needed to get into the back yard
and he politely declined.
I think he was wary of the chickens!
They did kinda look homicidal.

This pic was taken at 9:30am!

Last week we had a bit of stormy weather.
We put the hens in the coop because there was a threat of tornadoes.
All I could envision was the scene from The Wizard of Oz where
the cows and chickens are caught in the whirl wind!
It turned out to be a deluge worthy of Noah, but no tornado.
Thankfully!
So, we let the girls back out to scan the yard for bugs like
feathered metal detectors looking for gold!
It was still windy, but not on a caliber of making them airborne.
They weren't happy about the forced lock up.
They tend to exhibit a sort of Napoleon Complex.
Short and sassy!

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Cucumbers,

or as we call them,

Pickles!

Summer squash

Blueberries.

Our bushes didn't produce much and

we were worried about it.

So, I looked it up.

(yay Google!)

Turns out a blueberry bush needs to mature.

It'll be about 3 or 4 years till they really produce

Potatoes.

We've harvested 2 russets, and can't wait

till the others are ready to pick.

Bell Peppers.

If you look closely you can see the small buds.

 

Kale

We've gotta watch the hens with these plants.

They love them!

They'll even get their heads into the wire fencing

to grab a bite,

and we don't want the stuck in there.

Celery

This was grown from the end of a bunch from the grocery.

 

Hosta

It blooms!

This flower will probably be purplish.

Gardenias.

I love this bush.

The pity is, it only blooms once a year,

but, oh when it does,

it's magnificent!

 

I loved the scent so much I brought some inside.

Now the whole kitchen smells wonderful!

 

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We love veggies.

I use them any kind of way possible.

They are especially great if you grow them, but

I bought a bunch of Brussels Sprouts last week that

I was going to roast.

Ours didn't do so hot this year.

But,

I found a great recipe on Pinterest

that I wanted to try.

First, wash and cut the sprouts in half.

Then put them into a bowl and add,

olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder

parmesan cheese and a bit of breadcrumbs.

Mix all this together well and spread onto

a greased cookie sheet.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 20 minutes, then flip them over

and bake for another 20.

They are fantastic!

And as per my criteria, very easy!

I saw another recipe for Brussels Sprouts

that I'm going to try.

This one says to add olive oil, 2 tablespoons of basalmic vinegar,

2 tablespoons of honey, salt and pepper.

Put them onto a greased cookie sheet.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes and turn them over,

then finish baking for another 15.

Sounds yummy!

I've done the sprouts with balsamic vinegar, but not this way.

I'll let ya know how these turn out.

 

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Oh, well, its a beautiful day outside.

I don't want to spend it indoors.

But,

I've gotta fix something for lunch.

I'll see what I can put together.

Then off the work in the garden.

It calms my soul.

 

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Winnie the wise one........