Summer fun in the making

My son Joshua and I traveled to Ellijay, GA to pick up my granddaughter Ariel.  The trip there and back were uneventful (which is how I like my driving adventures).  We had a good time visiting with my daughter Tammy (Ariel's mom) and her partner Ricky, and Pete the wonder dog.  Tammy and Josh's mom Margaret spent some time with us.  That was good, because Josh hasn't seen her in a year.  We had a nice seafood meal.  Crab and shrimp.  Yummy.

We're back home in Williford now.  We had some more bantam chicks hatch out while we were gone.  I was talking to my hubby John one night on the phone and he told me "your banty hens sprouted extra legs today.  One has 8 legs and the other 10"..  And I was totally baffled by this!  "WHAT"???  "More chicks hatched out Penny."  Duh. 

So now we have 10 bantam chicks, 2 maran/RIR, and 1 cochin/RIR.  I hope they aren't all roosters!

Here's some baby chick pictures to make you smile.

A little bird has built a nest in the dashboard of our golf cart.  Tiny little speckled eggs, 3 I believe.

Ariel, Cricket and I walked down to the spring yesterday.  It rained quite heavily a few days ago.  Now we have a large oak tree down over our lane.

Our good friend, Joe Barnett and his son Matt, also cut down a dead and leaning hickory tree for us.  It was beginning to threaten our workshop.  They also brought us 2 nice cedar logs.  I see lumber and firewood in our future.

Gardening and hatching eggs.... Two of my spring time favorites.

It's been rather rainy these past few days.

Our garden is growing!  I spent most of the day on Tuesday weeding the rows and pulling up Jerusalem artichokes.  Those guys really take over if you don't keep them under control!  We started out with 1 row about 15 feet long.  We ended up with the "row" growing about 10 feet wide.  The poor potatoes were in the shade!  Not any more.

This year we have cucumbers, zuchinni, crook neck squash, bell peppers, cayanne peppers, 5 variety of heirloom tomatoes, mixed greens, 1 candy roaster squash (this plant grows VERY large), 4 varieties of melon, rhubarb, asparagus, and garlic.

I put 37 eggs in the incubator back on May 1st.  They started hatching yesterday.  So far, we have 4 little cheepers in there.  I have the brooder set up, and will get them in it this morning.

It was really chilly when I got up this morning, 45F.  Yesterday, we broke the record lowest high daily temperature.  Our high was 60.  Geeze.  It will warm up a bit this weekend, and more rain is in the forecast.

I finished knitting a merino wool/silk lace shawl for my neice-in-law to wear when she marries my nephew next week.  I think it came out very well.

John did some brush hogging and mowing.  Josh mowed the yard.  I got the flower beds under control.  Our place is looking pretty good!

Getting back into blogging.

I haven't been inspired to write lately....  I felt like I was boring people.  Is anyone interested in what I'm cooking today?  Did they care about my flower and veggie garden?  My pets?  My knitting? 

I enjoy my lifestyle very much.  I'm blessed to be in a position to spend my days with my husband and son.  We enjoy each other's company.  We get along well.  We each work on our projects.  If we're working on something together, we communicate well.  No raised voices (except to yell NO!!!! at the dogs when the UPS truck comes). 

So anyway, here's what's been going on here.

My elbow and hand are slowly recuperating after surgery earlier this year for carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve compression.  My right arm and hand are still numb.  This makes me even more awkward than I was because of my Parkinson's.  This is frustrating!  I have cuts and scrapes on my hand & I have no idea I've hurt myself.  It takes me longer to do my crafts.  Hand sewing and beading are very slow... Fingerweaving is also very slow.  Kumihumo isn't really effected, as I can use my left hand to move the threads.  Spinning is a bit slower, but not too bad.  Knitting and crochet are slower, but I am completing projects.

The flower beds are all weeded, the veggie garden is planted.  We've been harvesting asparagus and mixed salad greens.  Tomatoes, squash, melons, cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, rhubarb and Jerusalem artichokes are up and growing.  The fruit trees have fruits growing, as do the berry bushes.  That makes me happy.

Both dogs are healthy.    Our cat, Rusty, died in January.  This made me very sad.  I miss him.

We lost a hen and a rooster this past winter.  I also gave a trio away.  So, we're down to a Rhode Island Red trio, a Black Copper Maran hen and a Brahma Cochin hen, a trio and another pair of duckwing bantam, and a pair and a trio of guinea fowl.  A grand total of 5 large chickens, 5 bantam chickens and 5 guinea.  I do have eggs in the incubator.  They should hatch on the 21st. 


Our granddaughter, Ariel, will be spending the summer with us again this year.  I really enjoy our time together.  She's growing up so fast.  She's 12 this year.  Not a little girl anymore.  The past 10 years have really flown by. 

Dealing with carpal tunnel surgery

I went to the family doctor back in December and told him my right arm & elbow were really bothering me.  Pain in my elbow, traveling up to my elbow.  He referred me to the same orthopedic surgeon I had seen 2 years ago, Dr. Varela, in Mountain View.

Two years ago my right hand and elbow were hurting.  Tennis elbow was the diagnosis.  After several cortisone shots, I had outpatient surgery to relieve the pressure on my nerve.  That surgery wasn't too bad.  A week in a surgical wrapping, a few months wearing a splint... and all was well.

But now my elbow has been hurting on the other side.  We arrived at the office on 28th.  Dr. Varela listened to my complaint... Poked my elbow and had me squeeze his fingers.  He had one of his staff come in and do a nerve conductivity test.  Just what I love... having someone shock my arm over and over until I almost jump out of my chair.... He came back in and told me I have both carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve compression of my ulnar nerve.  What did I want to do?  "I want to be able to garden and knit without pain".  And when did I want to do this?  "As soon as possible".  Can we come tomorrow?  "You bet"!

So now I have a surgical wrapping on my right arm.  And some pain pills.  I spent the first 3 days stationed in my chair, arm elevated, watch the boob tube all day.  Oh, fun, fun... I could at least move my arm around the next few days.  Not using my hand, but I could atleast move around.  We went out to lunch.  Eating in public with my "off" hand and Parkinson's disease was an adventure.  But I managed. 

Joshua has been caring for my birds.  John or Josh have been cooking.  I need help with buttons, barettes, tights, bra... I feel like a 4 year old!

I took care of the birds today.  And my fingers are now swollen and burning.  Cripes!  Back into the house and take half a pain pill... and type this rant one handed.

I go back to see Dr. Varela on Monday to get the surgical dressing off and the stapes out.  I understand I will be wearing a splint for several weeks/months to come. 

OK.  Enough gripping.

The hellebores are blooming.  Don't they look nice?

Game camera photos

My husband handed me a disc yesterday and asked me to post some of his game trail camera photos.  So, here they are!

This big buck has been hanging around our east property line since October.  He was still there a few days ago. 

Dang, it's been cold

Cold, wintry weather made a brief stop by earlier this week.  The mercury dipped down to 15F several nights in a row.  We even had snow.  That's very odd for Arkansas!

Today, it's a bit warmer.  It's 39F right now and we're supposed to have rain most of the day with a high of 45.  Cold and dreary weather.  A good day to stay in, bake some bread and make a pot of soup.  Potato soup, I think.  Yeah.  That sounds good.  I have a new bread recipe to try, Peasant bread.  It rises faster than the sourdough I've been making....

Potato Soup

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
2. Cook celery and onion in reserved bacon drippings until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Return bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
3. In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, tarragon, and cilantro. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup, and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Peasant bread

Yield: 8 servings
 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
All-purpose flour, for dusting

Directions

Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F) and mix with your hands or a spoon until the dough comes together (it will be wet and sticky).  ( If you have extra time, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours; this is not necessary but will improve the flavor of the bread).

Let the dough rise, covered, at room temperature for about 3 hours; this rise is necessary whether you refrigerate the dough first or not. The surface will be bubbly after rising.

Generously dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the flour, then sprinkle flour on top. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center, then fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball.  Generously dust with flour. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terry cloth) and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.

Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and place a 2- or 4-quart cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (without the lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. When the dough has doubled, carefully transfer the hot pot to a heatproof surface. Uncover the dough, quickly invert the dough into the pot (shake the pot to center the dough, if necessary). Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until brown and crusty, 15 to 30 more minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
 

Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/no-knead-peasant-bread-recipe.html?oc=linkback

I've started on my charity knitting for this year.  I have 20 hats done.  I'm working on a baby blanket too, but I don't like how it's coming out so I think I'll unravel it and start again.  I think I'll do a mosaic type blanket with it.  Yeah.  That will make a good blanket for the bright colors in this yarn.

The weather is turning colder

We've been having rain and wind the past few days.  It's really Autumn now.  I took Cricket for a long walk this morning, and we really needed to wear a coat.  That's a change for sure.

Our garden is done and looking rather sad.  We talked about turning it under... but with the rain and wind that's not happening now.  Too wet.

I'll have to bring my plants in for the winter soon.

Josh has been grouting the tile in his new bedroom and the mud room.  Then he and John will get the molding up.  And the freezer needs to be moved into the mudroom... set up the shelves... get it ready for winter.

We'll need to get some wood cut and stacked too.  We have our propane tanks full already and have "pre-bought" for the coming year.  That's a load off my mind.

We have our bulk food purchases all sealed in jars, stored in the "root cellar".  That feels good too.

Our friend with sheep a few ridges over gave me a few fleeces last week.  I really appreciate that!  Her fleeces are so nice.  She's so generous.  Thanks, Sue!

We're hoping to go to Parker Homestead this weekend.  We always have fun there.