April 13th (Friday!)

Another Friday the thirteenth.
Its not a mystery.
Any month that starts on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th.
And....
There is at least one every year,
but can be up to three.
While the superstition with the number 13 and Fridays,
goes back to before the middle ages,
it seems to be mostly attributed to the Knights Templar.
On a Friday, October 13, 1307 to be exact,
Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of them and most were imprisoned or killed.
Thus began the superstitions surrounding that particular date.
So......
I'll be extra careful today......

But, for me
Today is another milestone of sorts.
Its been a year since I started my Chicken Scratch blog!
Yay!    🎉

And..... a year since we got our first egg from Pepper!

 

Now, the girls are producing quite well.

Its like a chicken assembly line.

They still wait for the choice coop boxes to lay an egg.

The rest line up or pace outside clucking loudly at the hens in the "box".

I picked up 3 eggs so far today.

This is Lucy, as curious as ever.

She was the baby that fell asleep in my lap.

Now, she'll follow us around wherever we go.

She still likes to be patted.

This is Hazel.

My other curious girl.

She is always underfoot too.

 

Everybody is clucking loudly at the Mourning Doves that have crashed their party.

They tolerate some feathered friends,

and

others, not so much.

The Mallard couple is tolerated today.

Don't know if that will be the same tomorrow.

Chickens are fickle.

and bitchy.

😜

I still haven't found a nest of duck eggs.

Last year the Mama duck abandoned the nest and we had to

put her eggs in the garbage because they rotted.

They just keep coming here for the free lunch.

Obviously, they don't know economics.....

We had kinda hoped that Mama Mallard would utilize our coop,

but that's not gonna happen.

She won't even go all the way inside the coop.

They'll both drink from one of the water feeders that's just inside the entrance to the coop,

but hurry back out ASAP.

 

The CEO was just digging and found some worms.

Jackpot!

A movable feast!

Or

maybe I should say a

wiggly feast!

He hand fed them to the girls,

but Hazel prefers to steal the bounty

right out of her sisters beaks.

Sneaky!

 

Sandy is camped out in the coop.

I guess it's her turn to get "broody".

Hens tend to do that from time to time.

It's like my Mom always said

"Sit, or get off the pot!"

(well,

not exactly those words.....)

anyway,

She gets squawky when we check under her for eggs.

She puffs up her feathers

 and

tries to make herself look bigger than she is.

She's even been known to peck at us.

It doesn't hurt, but she think she's being a tough old bird!

 

These are dahlias. They're about the size of a small plate.

Not a particularly fragrant flower.

Actually,

it kinda stinks,

but the bloom is spectacular!

 

Gardenias!

Now, this is a very fragrant flower.

I love them!

more of our Louisiana Irises are blooming.

They actually bloom in our yard, twice a year.

And this is my "rescued" chrysanthemums.

They are beginning to bloom too.

They will be yellow.

Goes well with yellow blooming sedum.

 

This is a pot near the front door.

There are coleus and sweet potato vines.

And...

"Say aloe to my little friend.'

Another "rescue" plant.

(We are either given the half dead plants,

or

buy them at less than half price because they are dying.)

I should call it my Lazarus garden.

 

This is a sunflower. We have many in the yard.

It's leftovers from the chicken feed.

Can't wait to see what kind it is!

Surrounding it is spearmint.

The "Salad Garden"

Kale, butterhead lettuce, romaine, curlyleaf and bibb.

Artichoke.

We only have 3.

They didn't fare well in the frosts during the winter.

At least they didn't die.

Hoping for a good crop from them.

Our pineapple plants didn't make it,

and

The mandarin tree isn't looking so healthy since the frost either,

so,

we clipped away the dead branches and

are hoping for the best.

Yes!

Blueberries!

We have 6 bushes.

Hoping to get a decent harvest from them this year.

Kumquat tree.

Its trying to rally since the frosts, but it still looks sparce.

All the dead areas were clipped like the other fruit trees.

 

We have so much more in our garden and, quite literally,

I don't have the time nor space to elaborate on it.

As, the season progresses,

 I hope to dry more herbs,

can some veggies,

make some soap,

make bread,

and

make jelly.

As I do, I'll include pictures and recipes.

It's easy.

If it wasn't,

I could certainly never accomplish it!

 

 

 

 

And to leave you with parting advice......

truer words were never spoken......

 

 

 

 

 

Remember.......

compost and recycle

whenever you can!

 

 

April 6th

April 7th

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, drinking my coffee and watching the rain.
The hens are huddled under the cover of the patio to escape the drops.
I was going to sit outside but
the dog dislikes any form of "wet",
and she's laying at my feet.
Didn't want to disturb her.
Even the sparrows are in hiding.
I love watching rain.....

I was thinking of how I'd be, if I lived elsewhere.
Hard to say.
I feel so entrenched here.
Roots, ya know.
But,
It's not only my home and family, it's the south Louisiana vibe.
and by "vibe",
I don't mean to say that I frequent live music or attend festivals...
I don't,
although,
we certainly do have a plethora of those,
I mean, more of the slow pace and friendliness of the people.
Its an easy life,
a lazy kind of laid back life,
in the environs of
The Big Easy.

 

When I was young,

 I used to want to live in the French Quarter,

either in the Pontalba Apartments or a home on Esplanade Avenue.

The old historic Spanish and French beauty of it fascinated me.

Still does.

My mother was brought up on Royal Street,

and lived near the French Quarter for many years.

Then, there's the quiet elegance

and

beautiful architecture of St Charles Avenue,

the streetcars,

Funky Magazine Street,

Audubon and City Park,

the seawall at Lakeshore Drive,

So many places that remind me of home.

and....

Not to be forgotten, are the quirky areas in Kenner too.

But years ago it was easier to get around,

easier to walk and see the sights,

Yes, I was younger,

but

crime was never in the forefront of my mind.

There was little to no fear of wandering around to take in the living, breathing,

entropy that is this fascinating city.

You felt as though you just stepped back in time.

Sure,

Bourbon St will always be a kind of train wreck from which you can't seem to avert your eyes,

and typically, natives don't frequent that area

but...

it's the lesser traveled streets that have my heart.

The old antique and vintage clothing shops that beg you to come in and browse.

Then peeking in to look at secret courtyards that feel almost voyeuristic.

You feel as though you've been an uninvited guest to their hidden beauty.

Smelling something that literally makes your mouth water

and,

conversely,

can also make your eyes water!

But then,

there are the underlying smells of jasmine and magnolia on a warm night

that feel like they envelope your skin in their light scents.

 

Then, strolling the quiet alleys of the cemeteries,

is a history lesson in itself.

The long dead with their ornate graves

and

the newly buried with their decaying wreaths of sympathy,

make the small narrow alleys a kind of

hushed library of sorts.

The decayed beauty is usually guarded by sad, stoic angels,

perpetually keeping watch.

Or,

being in awe of an oak tree whose birth was before the beginning of this republic!

Oh,

and the smell of the Spanish Moss that drapes over the ancient limbs like

a shawl on an old aristocratic lady.

The Flying Horses in the park, intricately carved, are truly a work of art!

The low lying, lazy movement of Bayou St John,

lined with Louisiana irises in the spring,

are home to ducks and assorted birds,

as well as a few 'gators!

 

and,

If you work up an appetite,

there's so many types of food to choose from.

Although, to be fair,

in the last several years,

the city and surrounding areas have begun to infuse

other cuisines,

that's always a good thing,

but.....

I prefer my "go to" standby's.

I prefer my coffee, café au lait style,

I prefer my "sandwiches" to be a Po Boy.

Oh,

and make it dressed please!

I prefer my rivers to be wide and muddy

 

but....

there are a few things I can do without.

Like this...

Although I've read it would live through an Armageddon,

I annihilate them under my shoes whenever I see them!

That pleasing "crunch" tells me that I'm successful in eliminating

another one!

I'll kill them, gladly.

No remorse.

Nature's mistake, no redeeming qualities.

Yay!

And, when Hollywood tries to have "non-native" people do a New Orleans or Cajun accent.

Just say NO!

 

Oh, and these pesky things....

(please take note of the 4th to last hurricane name) 🌀

Surely, to God,

 we don't want them to get that far into the 2018 cycle!!!

 

There's a line in

Steel Magnolias

that says.....

"That which doesn't kill you makes you strong."

That certainly says a lot about the people who

call this little slice of the world,

home.

--------------------------

I'm starting to see the sun peeking out of a cloud.

The hens are walking around the yard to see what kind of bugs

are out since the rain.

Looks like they've found a small harvest.

As long as the little cluckers keep away from the produce!

 

----------------------------------------

I found a few funnies on Pinterest.

Thought I'd share.

(the paintings are of some royalty in Europe, long since dead)

Do these pants make me look fat?

 

Noooooo, how about my shirt?

 

Seriously, Edward!

Its fashion!

Look it up!

 

 

 

And remember.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 31st (Holy Saturday)

Today is Saturday,

Tomorrow is Easter,

Also,

April Fools Day.

I looked up the origins of Easter.

Its really an obscure holiday,

the beginnings of which are possibly pagan.

Seems there was a Saxon goddess of the east called

Eostre.

She was a symbol of fertility and her festival was the spring equinox.

But,

there isn't any real hard evidence of this except

from the writings of an 8th century monk.

He translated the name Eostre, to the Latin, Paschal

thereby making it a  

Secular holiday corresponding to

the crucifixion and resurrection.

 The bunny and eggs are from Germany.

They called him the Easter Hare.

He brought colored eggs to good children.

Nope......

I prefer Easter Bunny!

Or,

Maybe an Easter Hen should bring the brightly colored eggs?

Rabbits don't lay eggs!

C'mon.

 

Yesterday was Good Friday.

I found this beautiful picture.

It really is moving.

 

The first Louisiana Iris.

Beautiful.

 

I'm in a pun obsession now.

I love them!

 

Here's a good one.....

There was a group of Friars who were behind on loan payments for church repairs,

so they opened a small florist shop to raise the money.

Soon everyone from far and wide came to buy their flowers.

But,

a rival florist in the village wanted them shut down.

He tried to get them to close up shop to no avail.

So,

he hired a henchman called Hugh to "persuade" the monks.

Hugh beat them up and trashed the store.

The monks were so terrified that they closed down the florist shop immediately.

Proving........

 

(wait for it....)

 

that only Hugh can prevent florist friars!

 

(groan)

 

Here's another......

 

 

and in the spirit of the season....

 

and this one......

though not a pun,

is too funny.

I can some of my harvest and I was looking for a new recipe.

That's when I found this picture.

but,

it looked a lot like this to me.......

a doppelganger?

L.O.L.!

 

 

This is a beautiful Silicon Valley California sunset.

The picture is taken from one of the parking lots at Google.

Beautiful!

 

 

This is Alum Rock Park

in San José, California.

(I'm assuming that my son, who sent the pictures, knows the way)

(Hadda get that Dionne Warwick reference in)

The park is in a valley of the Diablo Mountain range.

 

 

Chicken Segue....................

 

I was going to dye eggs for Easter,

but,

I realized that our girls already lay colored eggs.

So, I think I'll just hard boil some.

We've collected quite a few eggs in the past week.

 

 

Everything is quiet in the coop.

Its 7:30

When it gets dusk, they file in and settle down for the night.

They'll grab a site on the roosting bar

 or

squish up closely together in a laying box.

Then we go out and close the coop door.

They make a few "cooing" noises at night sometimes,

but not much else.

At dawn they get vocal.

No cockadoodling,

but they make it known they want out!

We are early risers anyway,

so we let them out and we give them fresh water and feed.

Then its time for Leia's insulin shot and her arthritis meds.

Sometimes feels like that movie...

"I Bought A Zoo"

 

 

"and on the fifth day,

God created fish and birds,

(and chickens),

and then

on the sixth day

He created animals (dogs).

And then God said "Wow, I have literally

outdone myself!

Oh, wait!

I'll create someone to love them and take care of them,

and then I'll rest!"

Book of Genesis

according to me

😁

 

 

 

 

Peace out!

 

 

March 25th

Today is Palm Sunday.

It's absolutely beautiful weather too.

I didn't make it to church, but I spent most of the morning in the garden.

That's kinda the same thing.

 

Since spring began on the 20th,

the flowers are looking beautiful....

These are Amaryllis

there's many more in the back yard,

but these are the prettiest.

and the veggies are outdoing themselves....

This is the" salad garden",

its a bunch of different greens.

They are beautiful as well as tasty.

 

This is the potatoes

They won't be ready till much later in the season.

 

and the carrots.....

If you look really hard, you can see the

the baby carrots poking out of the soil.

too cute!

 

 

the strawberries are doing well...

If the hens don't eat them!

We have 3 pots of them growing.

the grape vine is coming along too.

 

 

this is variegated English Ivy.

I thought it had died in the frosts, but it too

is rallying.

 

I decorated for Easter......

Yeah, I'm lazy.

I sincerely don't like to take anything down.

Don't mind putting it up though.

So this, along with a few stuffed bunnies scattered in the den,

is the grand total of my decorations....

 

I think he may be a tad crooked.....

I'll fix it.

Later.

Maybe.....

 

I haven't felt much like cooking lately, so the CEO picked up some pizzas.

He got the NORMAL kinds of pizzas,

then he bought, what I call,

"pizza abominations".

These......

are NOT acceptable pizzas!

He likes this stuff.

The rest of us?

Nope!

Gimme a regular cheese or pepperoni.

Maybe a few other added items

(not anchovies)

and I'm in pizza heaven.

However,

I did see these pizzas on Pinterest.

I'm on board for these!

Even a taco pizza,

Or

Chicken pizza....

 

chickens?

 

 

Did someone mention chickens??

This is Ethel.

She's so nosy.

 

This is Lucy,

you can see how much more golden her neck feathers are than Ethel's

She's bigger too and she lays a bigger egg .

 

 

And these are Pepper and Nugget.

They love Kale.

We pick a few pieces and give it to them.

Its like a parade when we are outside. The girls follow us wherever we go.

 

 

This is the remainder of the load of mud.

I think maybe the CEO is trying to tell me something....?.

 

 

Oh, well,

 maybe they'll come in peace,

Like ET??

 

 

 

 

March 17th

Happy St Patrick's Day!

A little trivia about St Patrick:

He didn't drive snakes out of Ireland and he (most likely) didn't teach Christianity to the pagan Irish with the clover as a visual aid.

He did, however, return to Ireland to convert the masses after being kidnapped in 530AD Briton.

He was from a wealthy family and the captors sold him to a warlord. Inexplicably, he tended the warlord's sheep. I guess they couldn't get decent shepherds back in the day. 

Meanwhile.......

he escaped back to his family, converted his atheistic ways, enrolled in the priesthood and went back to convert the Celts.

And now,

somehow,

we celebrate by getting drunk on green beer and getting pinched if not Irish?

Ok. Seems legit.

 

We celebrate with food (as any self respecting person from New Orleans does)
This morning it'll be scrambled eggs, courtesy of the girls, with bacon and green pancakes.
I was going to make something for lunch with cabbage, but that particular veggie, isn't well received in this house.
The CEO and myself like it, but the others, not so much.

Since March 14th, so much has happened......
March 14 - Pi Day.
I was gonna expound on the number, but something far more serious happened.
Sadly, one of the greatest minds of my time has passed.
Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist and cosmologist succumbed to ALS.
He did beat the odds though. He was diagnosed at 21 and made it to 76.
He was quite the wit. I remember him on an old Star Trek playing poker on the holodeck
with Data, Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. It was a funny little skit.
Sad day for mankind.

 

 

 

March 15th - The Ideas of March. I'll bet Shakespeare would have never guessed that in the 21st century people would go to such lengths the work out silly memes for this date.

they even got Brut(us) in there!

Funny!

And sadly, for us, Tom Benson passed away.

Our savior in many ways. A man who truly loved this old town.

You will be missed. I like to think he'll be watching the games and cheering from a box seat neat to St Patrick.

(although, St Patrick has the green beer rights, but Tom brought the Dixie!)

 

 

 

March 16 - Everything You Do Is Right Day.

Its not literal.

It seems that whatever reason someone thought this would make a good day to celebrate, meant that "you can't do anything wrong".

So in the sense of "safe, legal and fun", anything is game.

One word.

'Merica.

 

 

Then, on March 19th, we celebrate St Joseph's Day. Well, it actually is an ecclesiastical holiday but mostly Italians celebrate. Then there are the altars!

 

We all know that St Joseph is the "stepfather" of Jesus, but he is also the patron saint of Italy. In this tradition, it is more aligned with Sicilians. The celebration was brought to New Orleans with the arrival of immigrants. The feast day was celebrated with altars to commemorate a thanksgiving for relief from famine.

So....

Back in the 1700's in Sicily, a long drought occurred. The people had to live off of their livestock feed (the livestock died). They typically grew and dried fava beans to feed the livestock. The were considered "lucky" because the beans survived with little water.

Anyway......

 the farmers prayed for the intercession of St Joseph to bring rain. It did, the crops grew and they vowed to give thanks with the altars and to feed the hungry.

These days people pray for St Joseph's help for a number of reasons.

FYI, it is usually a meatless bounty because of Lent.

 

There's been no more sightings of hawks or owls. Whew!

Thank goodness for that.

The girls are happily going about their daily duties.

They produce about 5 eggs a day. That's perfect for us.

 

An observation......

The word "phonetically" doesn't even start with an "f"!!!

This is the kinda crap that makes any intelligent aliens keep on flying

straight past this blue marble.

 

But that's just me.