4th of July

This is what I spend the 4th of July doing, staring up into the sky at these beautiful creations! I'm usually playing bagpipes in a parade too.  For my lack of practicing lately, I'm skipping the parades.  I would most likely pass out along the route somewhere and I have already learned what happens when I piper goes down on concrete.....and it's not pretty.

Happy 4th everyone!!

The Inevitable Egg

For a week we observed the white chicken, Colonel, as it became aggressive, a loner, a coop pacer, and an escapee.  I was beginning to think it was crazy, like me.  Being chased by a chicken, is honestly not something I ever thought I would experience in my life. Tall Man told me to remind it who the Big Bird is.  So, I tried to channel my inner Big Bird and let the white chicken know that I was boss.  Hasn't worked yet.

The said escapee bird has been guided back home on numerous occasions by our neighbors.  I apologize.  Each time they bring it back I think..."Why yes, thank you! So happy to have this bird back." Said in a self convincing voice. Honestly, the neighbors have been very nice to help us out.

However, the oddest behavior by far:  Why does this chicken knock on the front door?  This afternoon we were sitting in the front room and I heard a weird noise at the front door.  Looked over at Tall Man and said, "That's a weird sound. Probably the escapee chicken knocking at the door.  (insert hilarious, no way, type of laughter)"  After a minute my curiosity got the best of me and I opened the door.  Do you know how odd it is to open the door to find a chicken standing on your front porch?  It's slightly twilight zone-ish.  I look at it and think...."Yes, Do you have something to tell me?"  I'm seriously waiting for it to talk one day and tell me he can get me a better deal on my cable.

So, finally an egg shows up and she stops pacing the coop, running away, and chasing us.....that is until she's ready to lay another egg.  Seriously?  Is this going to happen every time this bird lays an egg? 

Help me!

The white one is the one from our chicken.  You can't tell, but it's about 1/2 the size of the brown one from the store.  

Can you stand one more chicken post?

I'm sorry...one more.  I promise, well, no I don't promise that it will be the last because this is honestly one of the weirdest things I have done....stick chickens in my back yard.  All for the lure of organic, free range eggs.

Things I have learned.....

1.  If you don't put the ladder down on the coop so they can go up to roost at night before it's dark....well, chickens are blind.  They will find the highest place possible to roost and that includes the top of our coop. Found them this way a couple of times before I clued in to get the ladder down. I don't like touching them! And I hate chicken feet!!  So what happens? I grab a chicken and it wraps its feet around my finger.  I proceeded to run around the yard screaming, well, like a chicken.

2. Chickens are basically stupid.  Case in point...the white one just flew into the glass door.

3. Chickens know how to knock, or scratch.  After listening to an odd scratching at the front door, and the cat beginning to pace inside, Zoo boy opened the door to find the white chicken, who was apparently letting us know that she was in the wrong part of the yard and needed help getting back.  I know this may appear to contradict number two, but I still think they're stupid.

4. I think we have an OCD chicken. The white one.  She is WEIRD!! Since getting rid of the rooster our little flock of chickens seem confused and weirded out; displaying bizarre behavior, like constantly trying to escape.  Either that, or they have decided they don't like us and want a new home.

5.  They love sprouted wheat and I feel good about feeding it to them.  Makes me feel like a good urban farmer.  Good advice from my sister-in-law.

6.  I'm starting to panic about our portable coop.  What is my yard going to look like in the winter when it's covered with snow, and chicken poop? I don't want to know, I don't want to know.  Denial works for me.

7.  Chickens are very clicky and critical of newcomers.  They still don't like the new chicken and it's been two weeks.  I would so totally be looking for new friends if I were her.  Notice, she wasn't welcome on the top of the roost.  Such rude girls.

Wish they would lay some eggs.  I guess fact number 7, egg laying maturity seems to take FORRR-EVERRRRR!

This....is NOT a Rooster!

However, I have discovered something about the fowl world.  Pecking order is a very real thing and so far we are failing miserably at introducing this little lady to the flock of three ninja's we have left.  Holy cow they are mean! I guess that should actually be "Holy Chicken they are mean!"  It stirs up all sorts of teenage angst in me as I watch them reject our new little chicken.  She just wants to be friends? Come on ladies!!  How could you be so cruel? Bullying is just not tolerated and can lead to all sorts of behavior issues.  I don't think I can even call them ladies anymore.  More like MMA chickens ready to bully anyone out of the ring, or coop in our case.  New chicken, or as the kids named her Henrietta, (Seriously??)  spends most of her day alone, and I feel sad for her.  I am a horrible urban farmer.  Human emotions and poultry shouldn't mix!

Hopefully Henrietta doesn't decide to go after the MMA girls with Pumped Up Kicks! (Side note plug...if you haven't checked out the band Foster the People, do it.  Love them!)  Actually, I would like her to just go after them, just once or even twice.  Come on girlfriend....GET YOUR GAME ON!!

BTW....
Rooster boy is gone and happy.  He spent a large portion of the day traveling with Tall Man in this box to his final destination.  Honestly, I don't know which is worse; bullied chicken, or rooster boy in my yard??  Someone remind me why I did this?

Houston...We have a ROOSTER!

In keeping with the urban farming theme I have had going on this blog, my post today is a lesson in what a rooster looks like.  This.....is a rooster.

The debate has been going on in the family for the past two months.  Tall Man is waiting for it to jump on the fence post and start crowing before he believes it's a rooster.  I'm not waiting for that morning wake up alarm.  Here's why...

1.  He's about twice as big as the other birds.

2.  He's mean to the other birds.

3.  He chest bumps and chases the other birds around the yard.

4.  He chases the cat.

5.  He has long lovely tail feathers, which are there for a reason....to impress the ladies.

6.  He's mean.

7.  His neck feathers fan out in the most funky way, that I honestly feel like I am watching Jurassic Park. You know the part in the movie where the nice cute little dinosaur suddenly spreads this web of frill like thing around and behind it's head and then proceeds to eat the guy.  I don't want to be eaten.

8.  He's mean.

9.  He's got spurs the jingle jangle jingle.

10.  He's mean.

I am way done with this chicken.  Oh, and for the record, it was named "petite oiseau", french for little bird.  I guess he had bigger ideas about his pure potential than the name I gave him.  

Goodbye Petite Oiseau.  Good luck on the farm!  I hear there are over 100 lucky ladies waiting for you!

Portable Chicken Coop

It was very fun to build this chicken coop.  So fun we tried to sell this one so we could build another one!  We love this coop!  Tall man did a great job finishing it with very wonderful and easy to follow directions that we purchased online.  Best part is that we move it around our yard and the chickens are kind enough to fertilize and eat ants in that area.  We hose down the lawn with a little water each time we move it, and presto....instant fertilizer.  It did take the chickens about a week to figure out how to use the ramp to the roost area. 

Much of the afternoon they spend free ranging in our yard. Very fun to watch the gang of chickens wander the yard, but I don't think the cat enjoys it much. I think my favorite part is herding them in at night.  I feel like a pied piper of chickens.  Wonder what they would think if I came out with my bagpipes next time I put them in at night?  Might have to video that one.

Finished with nice pine shavings

FInished but without chickens inside

Doors on the sides with chickens inside

We have chickens????

We have chickens.  One night I was visiting with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and next thing I know....I  have chickens.  When opportunity knocks, you run with it.  Being the spur of the moment kind of people; who honestly do better when we don't think things thru, we ordered chickens with my sister-in-law.  I wanted 2 brown egg laying chickens and two green egg laying chickens.  I'm not sure why, but I have always loved green eggs.  They are so beautiful.  Mother natures' Easter eggs.

February 14th rolls around and we get the news..."chickens are here".  Now what?  Um....what are we doing??  Moment of realization we don't have a clue what we are doing.  Thankfully, we know people who do.  Learn as you go, I say.  There's nothing more motivating in learning than the NEED to know.  So, we now have four lovely chickens who are growing from one box to the next and living in my house.   Yes, I have chickens living in my house.  I'm sorry, but I really think this is weird!  I remember when my dad would pick up fertilizer for the garden and it stunk.  And that fertilizer came from the back end of a chicken.  I have invited that into my home.  Someone check and see if I have a pulse.

Four people in the house, four chickens in the house.  So, we all named one.  One brown one is named Kip (chicken in dutch).  The other brown one is Pollo (chicken in spanish).  The black one is Petit Oiseau (little bird in french) and the white one is Colonel (No translation necessary unless you've never eaten at KFC).  We have some very creative people in our house. 

Funniest moment so far....

My daughter, after hearing the chickens cheeping like crazy, went quickly in to check on them.  It became obvious what their terror was all about.  She found our 18 pound cat sitting by the box, peering over the edge.  I would be scared.  That cat is a beast with VERY long teeth.  That had to have been a King Kong movie moment for chickens.

I have one complaint, other than the smell......chicken feet.  They honestly, totally creep me out.  I don't know why.  But when I go in to check on them, I have to consciously tell myself, 'Don't look at their feet!  DON'T LOOK AT THEIR FEET!'  And then, I do because ......I don't know why I do!  But my stomach rolls I get nauseated and have to leave. It's like being told as a kid not to look into the sun because it will burn your eyes and so you do, because burning eyes sounds irrational.  Creeped out by chicken feet sounds irrational.  Call me irrational.

Bursitis....it hurts!

Iliopsoas Bursitis, believe me when I say, you don't ever want to suffer from this ailment.  I have learned over the past week that bursitis hurts and even read in one article that it is more common when you get older.  Thanks....really needed that info.  Very helpful.

I tend to workout like a crazy lady.  2 hours in the gym is not uncommon for me.  It is my escape, my stress reliever and where I go to regain my sanity.  Last Tuesday, I finally had a day where I could spend as much time in the gym as I wanted.  No deadline to run out to, just finish to exhaustion and then go home. Yes Karen, forget about the fall you took last week and how your hip hurt after. By all means, just pump it out at the gym.  Really, don't congratulate me here, it was actually really stupid.

I haven't been able to be as consistent with my workouts.  But, that didn't stop me from believing, "Hey, no problem.  I've got this workout in the bag!"  Well, the next day, I realized that bag I thought I had was way overloaded and my body was about to let me know that I big time over did it.  I took a step in the afternoon, "Ouch!"  What was that?"  A little later, another step...."Ouch!  Okay, what is going on here?"  Stepped out of the car later in the afternoon..."OUCH!  I can hardly put weight on my leg!"  Then, I proceeded to ice, stretch and try and convince, pop, stretch or destroy my body into believing that it was fine.  I really should know better, but I am totally incapable of being objective when diagnosing my own body.  I tell myself...."You HAVE to get to band practice, the concert is next Saturday and if you miss it, that would be BAAAD!!"  Let's just say, when I got into the parking lot and tried to get out of the car, I nearly fell on the pavement.  "OUCH!!! OUCH!! OUCH!!....."  It went on like that for about five minutes until I finally gathered enough courage to step on my foot and get into the auditorium.  I lasted about an hour standing, before I ended up laying on the floor.  My concert participation is now toast!

So, visit to the PT confirmed....iliopsoas bursitis. Old people ailment.  Icing all week, on crutches, not fun. Please take my advice....don't overdo it in the gym if you haven't been going consistently.  Ease back into it (insert weekend warrior joke here), stretch lightly after your workout, and if your hip kind of hurts because you fell and strained it the week before, don't power through it.  You might actually need some rest, ice and ibuprofen.  (Karen?  Are you listening?  Yes, you! I'm talking to you!) Or, you might end up like me, watching your band perform instead of being in it....(insert sad violin music here).  Anyone know where the balloons are?  It's time for a Karen pity party, and I'm going all out this time!!  Chocolate will be consumed.

Here's a little diagram in case you are curious what this little "bursa" thing is that can cause an idiot like me so much pain!  Be scared, be very very very scared of annoying the bursa.

http://www.aidmybursa.com/illiopsoas-bursitis-anatomy.php

Most disgusting dessert I have ever made!!

Just wanted to share this important tip about Mango's.  They are really stringy.  When you cook them, they are even more stringy.  Which in your mouth, tastes a bit like you have eaten a large hair ball.  Cat's must feel about the same coughing up a hair ball as I did trying to eat this.  I like cats, but that is taking it a bit far.  So, warning...when you cook with Mango's get the kind that aren't stringy.  Asian brand.  The experience of trying to eat this dessert ruined me from trying another mango dessert...maybe someday!

Is it Spring yet?

What I've been up to....

Wow....six months, just like that!!!  A bit like the precooked, sugary, waffle that I just threw down my throat just now and then it was gone, just like that!!

Last week was soup week at my house, because everyone, and I do mean everyone, got sick.  Except me, but I don't count because I'm the mom and I don't get sick.  Even if I do get sick, being mom sick means I show no signs of illness.

Would love to share the pics of the soups with you, but I didn't take any.  But, I will share the recipes, this week, but not right now.  This is just a teaser post to see if anyone in blogosphere is listening, watching or wondering....."why don't she write?"  (Wow....did you know blogosphere is actually a word?  It didn't pop up with those red dashes underneath it.  Amazing.)

This is what my cat does all winter, tries to hide behind the door and spy on the birds outside.  Or, he might be doing what I'm doing....looking for signs of spring.  No....I am pretty sure it is the birds he's obsessed with, because zoo boy always dumps a pile of birdseed on the back door step, just so he "can see the birds up close".  The bird feeder is apparently, too far away.  All those birds so up close and personal torments the poor cat, but the birds are fun to watch.  Their beaks are amazingly effective; how quickly they crack open seeds.  Very clever and useful tool that beak, but I think I will stick with my opposable thumbs.  They are pretty cool too.

Accepting the fact, he's never going to get through the glass

I love the ears in this one.  

Hiking....

Hiking is working out and meditating at the same time.  We've set a goal to hike more as a family.  Zoo boy has been hiking like a crazy man, getting ready for his 50 miler.  He did 20 miles the other day.  I anxiously awaited his arrival home.  After nearly 12 hours, he bounded in the house and said..."that was fun!".  20 miles, up and down a large hill, fun?  Yes...I was thrilled.  All those years of hiking him around Madeira apparently have paid off.  The boy practically grew up on various trails, sidewalks, and hills either in a backpack, a stroller, or hand in hand with a parent.  I'm thrilled he loves to hike, and why?  I love to hike too!  It is bliss for me and I'm really excited about our family goal of going hiking once a week.  We started off yesterday on a beautiful hike called Tibble Fork loop.  A bit muddy because of all the spring rain, but so green, lush and as zoo boy observed..."it just smells different up here".  He later asked me for a year pass to the National Parks for his birthday.  Mtn goat, as we like to call her, has it in her, she just doesn't know it yet! ;)

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spicy Hearty Stew

I wanted to share the recipe for this soup, but the picture will have to come later.  We've been eating a  great deal of soup this year.  Cheap to make, goes a long way and I just feel like soup is good for the body during the winter.  This soup has a spicy kick and hearty texture. The original recipe came from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog, but I changed it to fit the ingredients I had in the house.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Spicy Italian Sausage
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 2 slices Turkey Bacon, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 whole Medium Potatoes
• 1 quart Water
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
• 1/2 bunch Swiss Chard, Roughly Chopped
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Crumble sausage into a dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Chop onions and dice bacon; add to the dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices. Add warm water, bouillon and potatoes and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done.

Add remaining ingredients and return sausage to pot and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Serve with a wonderful crusty bread.


Note:  You could replace water with chicken broth and omit the bouillon or use beef bouillon instead.  There is so much flavor in the sausage, a great deal of bouillon for flavor isn't really necessary.

Green....

No, this isn't a post about green global awareness, it's about juice.  Green juice.  You know, it really doesn't taste very good.  This one is cabbage, ginger, cucumber, celery, and a bit of green apple and ...the mother of all de-toxers, kale. I decided at the last minute to forgo the piece of garlic.  It's a hold your nose and go for it kind of drink with the garlic.  Without the garlic...well, I almost drank it all.

It's resolution time so let's reminisce about the good ole days.

So...my holidays went something like this...eat with reckless abandon for two weeks and forget the rest.  Especially really fatty food and foods full of sugar and chocolate.  (Wait...I think that "forget the rest" slogan is actually part of the grueling P90X program...oh well.)  When I offered my son a chunk of fudge and then said..."here, want another?"  He asked..."Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"  Of course, this was the day after making Pioneer Women's Fancy Macaroni and cheese, which is basically a Carbonara pasta dish cooked like mac and cheese.  Clever, and very tasty!!  Seriously...try this one, as a side dish, or main dish.  We had it as a side dish with some very tasty turkey, cranberry, cream cheese, avocado and provolone panini's and a mixed green salad with pear, toasted walnuts, pomegranate and balsamic vinaigrette.  It was a delicious meal, and ridiculously satisfying!  Here's the mac and cheese recipe, courtesy of the pioneer woman.  If you haven't checked out her blog...I highly recommend it!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/


Fancy Macaroni

As the pioneer woman says... "Dish it up and dig in! It’ll make you smile, moan, groan, cry, gasp, faint, and sayahhhh…all at the same time."

Ingredients

• 4 cups Macaroni
• 8 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
• 10 slices Regular Bacon
• 1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
• ½ cups Half & Half
• 2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• ½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
• ½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese
• ½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
• 4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.

Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot. Serve with red meat or a green salad.

I actually followed the recipe completely, except I didn't have macaroni, I used a different kind of noodle.  Use your noodle and enjoy this delicious recipe in about 3 weeks, when the resolutions fly out the window..or hey..Valentine's day.  Isn't the way to a man's heart through his stomach?  Try this one...it will be a winner! :)

Sniff

My cat loves to sit on the patio and sniff the morning air, especially when the sun is out.

He turns his beautiful head toward the sun and looks so one with the world, it makes me happy.

All I want for Christmas....

You've heard the often quoted phrase..."A boy and his dog".

No....not my son.

My son, although the "boy and his dog phrase" would be great for him.  What he really wants?

What he talks about all the time.  What he just wishes and wishes for and honestly dreams about 24/7?

"A Boy and his Camel"

What's a mother to do..???

Serenity

One of the places and moments where heaven and earth seem to be closer together. When the only sound you hear is the wind. Thunder of a distant storm and your own breath. Serenity....I really need it. That need is why I take pictures. So I can enjoy moments like this.


Or moments like this one....when in one big combustion beauty, time and place combine to create a scene before you and in awe...it sinks into your soul not just your eyes. And the realization.....I'm exactly where I want to be right now.

Box O' Chard

Yes..the super plant continues to live, grow and flourish. But, with the threat of on oncoming freeze and storm we decided to build a makeshift box to encourage the growth of this wonderful plant. Did I mention makeshift, or should I have said, "what is there in the garage we could throw up around one of the garden boxes with something that is still growing in it?". Seriously, it's sturdy, other than the plastic, which isn't very sturdy. A bit of plywood, plastic and voila...a nice place for swiss chard to keep growing. Was this a honey do kind of thing? Not really. It was more of a hey...spur of the moment....let's build a box....okay...have anything in the garage....plywood.....look plastic......go for it. If there's one thing we are good at as a couple....we don't plan...we just do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it keeps it interesting.

This is my happy swiss chard in the box.

I admit...the chard in other unprotected boxes in our garden is still growing. Which means, this plant is still very much in season. So, eat it!! It's good for you! Don't you know you need your greens!? Steam it, bit of Braggs vinegar and really..honestly, I'm not kidding, it's good! Seriously! Come on...try it. I have some if you need it! Really, I still have lots. Anyone want some swiss chard? Please? Really...you need swiss chard. It's good for you. Come get some!

Tip of the Day

No recipes today....just snow. Snow on Monday and Tuesday, snow today and it's cold. Yes, that weather change I was so hoping for is here and I'm sitting here with a bag of frozen peas on my back. That's right, frozen peas..... on my back. No, I don't plan to eat them anytime soon. If you ever have an owie and it needs a bit of ice, may I suggest the frozen bag of peas. Very user friendly. Just pop it in and out of the freezer as you need it. The peas are better than big chunks of ice. No ice to mess with, no water that leaks all over your clothes and it comes with its very own leak proof bag. Very effective. Cheap too because designer peas don't freeze your back, knee, elbow or whatever any better than the cheapest bag you can buy! I did Kenpo the other day from my P90x workout. Let's just say...I've needed some ice (or should I say peas) every now and then since. Next time you feel a bit of soreness, reach for a bag of peas. Maybe you'll even soak in some of the vitamins and nutrients of the peas by osmosis!