October 31st Halloween

Happy All Hallows Eve!

Can't wait to see the little ones

in their costumes tonight.

I hope they bundle up!

It's 50 degrees out.

This Halloween started out

rainy and cold.

It's been a few years since we've had

weather like this.

The recent weather has been all over the place.

Last week a tropical storm blew through.

Some downed branches...

A few destroyed veggies...

A bunch of blood oranges downed...

A tomato bush blew over...

But all in all,

we were lucky.

No real lengthy power outage,

no real damage.

**********************

The new Lavender plant made it with no ill 

effects from the storm.

My old Lavender plant died.

I haven't had much luck with them.

Hoping this time is the charm.

This is a new kind of plant for us,

Portuguese Oregano.

Tasty.

This is a rescue succulent.

The CEO brought a few leaves home

from the nursery where they had fallen

from the Mother plant.

We weren't sure if they'd grow,

but we are really pleased with these.

New plants sprout from the "nursery" leaf.

****************************

The girls are beginning to lay again after their hiatus

of molting and the scare of their

sister "leaving the nest".

Thank goodness.

We had to break down and

buy a dozen eggs!

Segue into Zombie Hens!

As I've explained before,

chickens are omnivores.

They'll eat anything.

As a matter of fact, it's good to give them

extra protein during their molt.

The feathers are protein based and 

they lose valuable nutrients during

that process.

So.....

we give them beef and pork fat.

They gobble it down like a longshot

in a competitive hot dog eating contest!

So...

for Halloween, I gave them a treat,

some cooked 

chicken fat.

Yeah, CHICKEN FAT....

Yes, they were probably

cannibals!

But,

what better day to try it?

Before I gave it to them,

I had a mini moral dilemma.

Should I feed them chicken?

Are there any "chicken ethics" on 

feeding that to them?

Then I had a "what the hell"

moment and just threw it in the grass.

They came a'runnin' to grab

a tasty morsel of some

dearly departed kin.

At least they didn't eat brains!

Bwahahahaha!!!

**********************************

Since the day of the week is Thursday,

as in "Throwback Thursday",

I thought I'd post a picture of myself 

and my sister from the '50's.

Her costume is a recycle of

a Christmas play.

No, she wasn't an angel,

she was Little Jesus.

She doesn't remember the play,

only that she hadda ride in a wagon

and tell people that she was Jesus.

We've laughed so had at this.

60 odd years after the fact

it's hysterical!

Although we can't remember 

exactly what our Mom 

had in mind for her costume on Halloween,

10 months after the play,

we just assumed that she became an angel.

Me, on the other hand...

I got the oilcloth witches costume

complete with a crepe paper hat

and a Fuller Brush broom!

Always homemade costumes for us.

(Although I don't think either of us

look particularly happy to 

get our pictures taken)

Now on to this century....

The irony of my grandson who hates 

bugs wanting to be Spider-Man

for Halloween, isn't lost

on this family.

My daughter.

This is really amazing!

Her friend, a make up artist,

did this for her.

She said it took over 4 hours!

How cool is this?

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A spooky picture of the Cabildo

and Cathedral

The part that went over the fence last!

October 22nd

UPDATE!

This little faker was found!

Thank goodness!

Seems that she took a short sabbatical

and hopped over the fence into the neighbors backyard.

She can't really fly,

but she likes to hop up on things.

Even with all of our searching

and calling to her,

 she didn't utter a squeak!

I'll say this...

she was mighty hungry and thirsty

when she got home.

so,

she chowed down and drank

a lot of water,

then got a lot of hugs!

She is my Grandson's favorite.

He kept saying that she

didn't die, she was just lost.

He was right!

The other hens kept gathering around her.

Maybe she was telling them of her night out.

Chickens....

They will surely make you crazy!

Her chicken guardian angel

was working overtime today.

Well Hazel,

the grass ain't always

greener, 

now is it?

October 22nd

And then, 

just like that...

There were 4.

Last evening around dusk,

when the hens gather inside to sleep,

the CEO went outside to lock the coop.

As is our usual, he counted heads.

He wasn't able to find Hazel.

We searched the backyard till it got too dark,

then we searched more with flashlights.

We never found our pretty girl.

Her sisters milled around inside the roost,

huddling together.

They knew.

She wasn't there.

She was gone.

When Sandy and Henny died,

the CEO found feathers everywhere.

The racoon that killed them

mutilated them.

Not this time.

No, feathers, not a sign of Hazel anywhere.

So, our conclusion is that

some prey bird took her and swooped her away.

This morning when I opened the coop,

they all remained inside.

They usually jockey for position to

see who will get out first.

Not today.

When they finally came out, they

stayed close together.

All four were making a keening sound,

almost sounded like they were crying,

or calling out to Hazel....

Lucy got on top of the coop,

to look around.

They are more than just egg producers to us.

They are our pets.

We pamper them,

hold them,

they eat out of our hands,

they come when called

and jump into our laps.

So, it's hard for this loss.

Again.

We've lost Henny, Sandy and Leia our

beloved Golden Retriever.

So, now we grieve this loss too.

Our Hazel.

She would lay the blue eggs.

And she had the most beautiful

golden and black feathers.

And she was the most cuddly of the girls.

Baby Hazel in 2016.

Hazel following me as I walked 

around the yard last year.

2019 is without a doubt,

the year for grieving

our deceased pets.

But,

At least we can say with confidence,

that our animal companions

have had the best life we 

could possibly have given them.

Our animal friends teach us

more than we could have expected 

and 

love us more than we could have hoped.....

that's why we miss them more

than we could have imagined.

So,

thanks for the memories

Hazel,

Sandy,

Henny

and most especially,

Leia

I didn't have the heart to

take any pictures of the

plants for this post.

Remember,

never take anyone or anything

for granted,

life is way too short.

October 12th

This isn't my work,

But,

it is so cute that I thought 

I'd include it again.

Just an inquisitive little hen.

Reminds me of Henny and Sandy.

***************************

How apropos.

We have a day of celebration!

Yay!

************************

 Well, the cooler weather came about this morning.

Thank goodness!

I was beginning to think

I lived in the middle of a

dead end street in

the capitol of the

seventh circle of Hell! 

Here's a conundrum...

The heat index has been in the 100's.

Heat melts things.

Then why haven't I lost weight??

??

I'm gaining so much weight

that my white cotton panties

might be enough to rig a sail

and power a yacht down to Cuba!

!!

By the 2nd law of thermodynamics,

entropy,

when matter (Me) is heated,

it changes shape, area and volume.

So, with that in mind,

if heat melts, 

wouldn't my adipose

tissue melt?

??

Humans are mostly water, so,

shouldn't I also lose weight due to water loss?

??

I have sweated in areas that

I didn't know I had sweat glands!

These are the things I think about....

So,

this morning we went to vote,

then get gas in the car 

and on to Costco.

There were people there in COATS!

C'mon,

Coats?

the temperature was 64.

It felt soooo wonderful!

It made me happy as a colony of

E.coli in a room temperature

egg salad!

I felt like breaking out into a song!

!!!

**********************  

 The garden loved the rain yesterday.

Looks like everybody perked up.

This is our Thai Basil

This is "Stevia Nicks"

The Stevia is a bit leggy, but still

hanging on.

Just a small bit in our mint green tea

and it is just sweet enough.

(yes, I name the plants)

This is "Desi"

Cuban Oregano

(yes, I know the plant names are stupid)

Just 2 of the Eggplants peeking from 

behind the leaves. 

Purple Bell peppers.

Almost ready to pick.

Cucuzza 

Between the Eggplant bush and the

Cucuzza vine,

it looks like a cave.

Pepper,

she is always following

us around.

Such a cutie!

****************************

a contribution from my friend

An Elephant Ear flower.

I looked this up...

It is actually part of the seed stalk.

The long white stalk is clusters of small flowers

that become the seeds.

The plant doesn't bloom yearly,

and sometimes may take years to bloom.

The plant doesn't rely on seeds to reproduce.

It grows by rizhomes, or tube like productions 

from the parent plant.

Amazing.

I had no idea.

Thanks,

Melissa!

********************

Just remembering

my girl,

Leia.....

***********************

and this....

2 old ladies were attending Mass.

Sitting so long on the hard wooden pews 

were starting to make them squirm.

Rose Marie leaned over to Lucille

and whispered,

"My butt is going to sleep."

"I know,"

 replied Lucille,

"I heard it snore three times."

***********************

Always Hugs!

October 1st

I found this picture on Pinterest.

I love the tranquil beauty of a 

Louisiana swamp scene.

Well, it's finally FALL!

Yay!

Not really for us down in the deep south.

The weather is still oppressively hot!

To quote Neil Diamond,

"You can almost hear yourself sweat."

The heat and humidity are especially

hard on people with asthma.

Me!

It has me breathing like the losing horse

in the last lap at the Kentucky Derby!

(I had to use a simile)

The chicken girls are starting to grow their feathers back,

but only Hazel has been laying eggs daily.

I had to get a dozen eggs from the grocery.

It is definitely not the same.

I noticed that the yolks are much lighter

and the shells are fragile.

I am really spoiled by our girls!

Thanks Hazel.

(she said "You're welcome")

Since the comb tearing incident,

Nugget's comb lays across her face at times.

It is especially pronounced now that she

has less feathers on her head.

She reminds me of the old time actress,

Veronica Lake.

Ha!

(But Nugget is way cuter, right?)

Early morning critter patrol.

Looks like they've found a few.

Lucy, Ethel and Hazel,

 checking out the compost heap.

They were spending so much time in there that,

I swear,

I thought I caught a glimpse of Jimmy Hoffa!

*******************************

There are 3 cucuzza's in this picture.

Can you find them?

Last week our harvest was in full swing.

The cucuzza's went crazy!

I froze some, gave some away and

I dehydrated some.

I dipped these in basalmic vinegar and then in

Italian flavored breadcrumbs before dehydrating.

Very tasty, healthy snacks.

The peppers are still giving us all they've got!

Isn't this a beautiful sight?

This morning I noticed this little guy,

all by his lonesome,

poking up his head.

Asparagus tastes so much better

when it is freshly picked.

*************************

Last week I noticed a misspelled sign on some candy 

at a local gas station.

It reminded me of a picture we took while on 

vacation in Tennessee.

It was a blackboard sign in front of a fruit stand.

It read "We be open",

so,

in the same vein, 

I found these gems online....

 

We might be able to understand this error.

After all, the "N" and the "M" are

next to each other on the keyboard,

but why didn't the person see it later???

Huh?

I had to read this one twice.

It's better if you read it aloud.

And this.....

My personal favorite.

I think I'll call it that from now on.

***********************

Here's another of my daughter's recipes,

Lasagna

Ingredients: 

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large white onion minced

5 cloves of crushed garlic

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

2 6oz cans tomato paste

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup chopped basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 pound lasagna noodles

30oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

1lb sliced mozzarella

1 cup grated parmesan

Assemble:

Cook sausage and meat until browned.

Add, sugar, basil, oregano, onion, garlic,

crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce

and chicken broth.

Simmer on low heat for about 4 hours.

The mixture will reduce.

When it's done, put the lasagna noodles in a pan 

and pour hot water over them.

Let them soak for about 30 minutes.

Then drain.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg and ricotta cheese

and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble 

the lasagna.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray or grease a deep, 9x13 pan.

Then begin building the lasagna.

Spread a layer of the meat sauce first.

Then layer the noodles.

On top of the noodles, add more meat sauce 

with a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture.

Then sprinkle some parmesan cheese,

and repeat layering accordingly.

Cover the top with all the rest of the parmesan and ricotta.

Cover with foil.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 25 more minutes,

to allow to cheese to brown.

Looks Yummy!

Thanks for the contribution.

Can't wait to try it!!!

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This is a little weed, but it is so cute

I can't pull it.

Another weed, but it's climbing on the 

old mirliton trellis,

so I'll pull it up when the flowers die.

So pretty!

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