Flower warmth

I've been shivering all day. It isn't even that cold outside. According to our handy indoor/outdoor thermometer the indoor temp is 70 degrees F and the outdoor temp is 20 degrees F. Terry keeps trying to drag me outside in the cold to cut firewood. I tell him I can't go outside because I am too cold. I'd rather sit by my nice warm stove and freeze. The thermometer on the soapstone wood stove is reading 500 degrees. I'm about 3 feet away from the stove, under a comforter. I don't understand why I am so cold!
Maybe I need to look at more cheerful yellow/orange flowers from last summer...


If I could just curl up in the middle of this golden orange throated daylily that is just singing of sunshine I'm sure I would be warm.



Or if I could just warm my hands over this glowing ember like Calendula flower.

I think this moth has the right idea. If only I could make a bed in the center of a strawflower. That looks so warm right now. Maybe my problem is that it is a grey, windy day with snow blowing all across the window panes. Maybe if the sun where to come out for a minute it would help.

Burst of Sunshine

Daddy long legs on a black eyed Susan.

Poppy Splendor...

A snap shot from my June 08 vegetable garden....The black walnut tree on the side of the garden near the house gives me an excuse to grow flowers (not that I am looking for an excuse!). There are not too many vegetables that get along with black walnut trees, but many flowers do beautifully, like these Falling In Love poppies.

Baby chicks

One of the things I enjoyed most last spring was watching my little chicks run around in my garden. I actually had two batches of them....I did a bunch of research on chickens to determine what kind of chicken would do best in our cold Michigan winters and not be completely miserable cooped up a good deal of the time. Black Australorps seemed to fit the bill. They are quiet, gentle, and hardy and are okay with confinement, all characteristics that make them good city chickens. I was delighted when there was a listing for these chicks on Craig's List last spring.Drinking dew drops off of spinach...

Sadly, they did not last long. Even though I had them in a wire cage in the garage at night, something managed to eat them. One morning I went out to feed them and their little feet and beaks where scattered all over the garage floor. I suspect a raccoon had managed to stick it's dirty little hands through the wires, dismember the babies and pull them out of cage. It still makes me sick to think of it!

I thought we had missed out on our chance for chicks that spring. It was the middle of June and chicks aren't always readily available that late in the season. However, Craig's List came through again. Someone had ordered the standard box of 24 baby chicks (you usually have to order 2 dozen when buying through the mail) and they only needed 13. They were practically giving the rest away for $1 each. I didn't waste any time getting a phone call in and driving the 40 miles to go pick them up.

California whites are a far cry from black australorps, but I love them none the less and have been very happy with them. They are a cross between a California Grey rooster and a white leghorn hen.They are specifically bred for egg laying. Like their mother, the white leghorn, are flighty, nervous and not very friendly. But they are elegant and hardy, and great egg layers and they have one characteristic that makes them perfect for me. Like all chickens they love to scratch and dustbathe, but unlike most chickens, they don't dig deep holes while they are scratching. That means that I was able to continue to let them run around my garden all summer. They spent the summer eating bugs and did very minimal damage to plants.Dust bathing among the basil and rosemary...

I didn't take any chances with my little California whites, they stayed in my kitchen untill we built a chicken coop completely surrounded with hardware cloth...no gaps or holes for some dirty little animal to slither or sneak through!
Hanging out in the kitchen...

I really want to get more baby chicks next spring. It was so much fun to have baby chicks in the garden. Plus they ate all the flea beetles that normal demolish my early crops of kale, arugla and mustard. They would walk delicately through the little plants and carefully pick off every last flea beetle. So, you see, I really do need baby chicks next spring. The only problem is I need to either get a bigger piece of land or...maybe I should raise chicks and sell them once they get to be pullet size...hmmm....I'm sure that is totally illegal....but....

Hanging out under the RV

It was 15 degrees out this afternoon with about 12 inches of snow in the backyard. That didn't seem to faze the chickens a bit when I let them out so I could clean the the coop. After running around a bit in the snow, they headed for the RV, where there is dry grass and dirt and spent a couple of hours lavishing in dust baths--something they don't get when they are cooped up.

We have had some pretty nippy weather with temps dipping below zero F at night. My California Whites are continuing to lay 4 to 5 eggs a day. I'm quite impressed! I'm giving away a couple of dozen eggs a week and still have too many.

Snow and Sky and Swan

Photos from today's walk....

Swan on the Huron River. Wild swans are one of the delights of living in Michigan. I had never seen one before coming here.

I stood at the bottom of the hill and was in awe of how the sky and land almost blended into one, in perfect pastels.

A Very Serious Gardener

Finn (Terry's grandson) is a born gardener.


Just grab a shovel and dig right in...


This is what I wish I was doing right now. Instead it is zero degrees and a foot of snow....Hard to believe that there is a garden under all that snow.

Snow Arches

I almost didn't go for a walk today. Yesterday we got 8 inches of snow and the thought of trudging through the woods in all that snow didn't seem very appealing. I'm glad I got out though. As it turned out, the trails in Bird Hills were already well packed down by people with snow shoes and cross country skis, making the hike much easier and enjoyable.

The effects of snow on vines and bent trees was particularly striking.
Here we have grapevine arches outlined with snow.


A bent willow tree frames the Huron River.
This little ribbon of snow was kind of just hanging on by both ends with no support.

The Care and Feeding of Woolly Bears

Last night Terry brought me two fuzzy woolly bears he found in the woodpile. His concern was that if he just put them back out in the snow they would freeze to death. I put them in flower pot with the rosemary bush and thought I would read up on them in the morning. In the morning we searched the house high and low for the caterpillars. They were no where to be found.

Mistake number one--if you are going to keep a woolly bear for a pet, you have to keep them locked up! I've been keeping an eye out for them all day, and still haven't come across them. If they weren't inside where there are no predators, I'd be convinced something ate them.

I did some reading and discovered mistake number two--the woolly bears should have been left outside in the cold. When cold weather comes they curl up and hibernate. They don't mind being frozen solid. One source said that they have been know to survive being frozen in an ice cube. The real problem is that when they thaw out and warm up they get hungry and need food. They will starve to death without food. That poses a real problem for my two lost woolly bears. If I don't find them soon and give them some dandelions or lettuce to eat, they are going to die of hunger in my warm house. I feel really guilty now!

On the plus side, this morning I learned more about woolly bears than I've learned before. Did you know they love dandelions? And plantain. One more reason not to dump chemicals all over your lawn! And they turn into an Isabel tiger moth. The moths only live about a week and don't have mouths. They can't eat or drink. Instead they live off of nutrients that they stored when they are were larva. Believe it or not, I have never seen an Isabel tiger moth. We have wooley bears all over the place (must be all our dandelions!). I will have to keep an eye out for the moths this spring now that I know what I am looking for.

It sounds like woolly bears are easy to care for. Here is an excellent article on overwintering woolly bear caterpillars.

I hope I find my caterpillars and get them back into hibernation before they starve to death!

Dandelions

The beauty of dandelions is that they bloom twice.

First as golden stars ....

then as silver stars.

It is cold and wintery outside and I am dreaming of spring.

A walk in the winter woods

Today was one of those days that I have been having a lot of lately--I felt fatigued and achy and vaguely ill in general. Knowing that laying on the couch all day sleeping usually makes me feel worse, I finally got up and went for a long leisurely walk. A walk in the woods is one one of the best cures for the depression that comes with fatigue.....



White birch and hemlocks.



Fugi covered tree trunk.

Reflection in the Huron River.

Vines...

Snow sparkles on leaf.

Self portrait on a snowy day in the woods.

Barton dam.

It was quiet and peaceful in the woods and by the river today.

Another set of Pflatzgraff...

So yesterday I was looking through Craig's List and lo and behold, there was another set of Folk Art Pflatzgraff dishes....this time some different pieces (including the bigger bowls Terry said he needed for his ice cream). Of course I instantly e-mailed the seller and told her I had to have them.

This was a set of nine place settings and it did cost a bit more than the first set ($100 instead of $80), but I'm thrilled because now it won't matter so much if we break some. I'll store the extras in the basement and bring up replacements as needed.

I wonder, just how often does the same set of dishes come up on Craig's list twice in the same week?

The perfect everyday dishes

Yay! I finally found a set of every day dishes that I really love. These are pfaltzgraff dishes "Folk art" pattern. I bought the set on Craigs list for only $80. There are some cracks and chips, but not counting those, there are 11 complete place settings. It is so warm and cozy and antique looking. The best part is, even though they are a retired pattern, replacements aren't expensive as you might think they would be, so I will actually be able to afford to replace some pieces. Plus, Terry has informed me we need to get some bigger bowls. I love the cute little soup bowls, but Terry took one look at them and said, "You can't even get a full serving of ice cream in those." (I guess his definition of a serving of ice cream is somewhat different than my definition...), anyway, it will give me an excuse to find some larger soup bowls on ebay. And I need to find a serving bowl...

Cream cheese stars

I'm not a sugar cookie fan. So a few years ago when I was looking for the perfect cut out cookie to make to hang on our christmas tree, I was delighted to find this. Acutally, the original recipe, called White Velvet Cutouts, called for twice the butter and half the cream cheese. More cream cheese than butter sounded good to me, so the very first time I made them, I doubled the cheese and halved the butter. They were so good I never bothered to try the original recipe. The recipe below is my version.

They are creamy and luscious, but are sturdy enough to hang on a tree or ship to Iraq.

I made a big batch of them this year, but they never did make it onto the tree (I did get a tree up, but the decorating never got beyond lights and candy canes--oh, well, there is always next year!). But the cookies did quickly get put away into peoples stomachs. I think after the pecan toffee bars, this is my most requested cookie recipe.

And of course they don't have to be cut into stars. When I worked in the hospital and had coworkers I actually worked with, I made these for several holidays..stars with yellow icing for christmas, shamrocks with green icing for St. Patricks day, and hearts with pink icing for Valentines day.

Cream cheese stars

2 sticks butter
2 pkg (8-0z) cream cheese
2 cups sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and cream cheese with mixer.
Add sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla; beat until well-mized. Gradually add flour while continuing to mix well. Chill at least 4 hours, covered.
Roll out, a small portion at a time, between wax paper. Roll them sort of thin. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
Bake in 350 F oven on ungreased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. They should be only lightly browned around the edges. Let sit on pans for 2 minutes so they do not bend. Remove to wire cooling racks.
Frost with your favorite icing.

Rosemary Flat bread

Every time I go to Plum Market, I look longingly at their rustic rosemary crackers. They are right next to the artisian cheeses, which I always look longing at as well. I've never bought the crackers, because I can't justify spending $6 or so on half a pound of flour with a little salt and rosemary added, no matter how good they might look. (The cheese, though, is a totally different matter.) Yesterday, after looking at the rosemary crackers for maybe the tenth time, I bought some brie and came home and did a little internet recipe search to find a recipe for rosemary crackers to make to go with it. This rosemary flat bread seemed to fit the bill.

Rosemary Flat bread

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
sea salt

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.

Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll each piece out on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).

Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool. Break into pieces.

This literally took less than 2o minutes to make and is so good. I used white whole wheat flour. The only thing I am going to do next time, is try it with half the olive oil.

Eggs are pretty amazing...

...at least it seems so when your very own chickens lay them. This bowl of fresh eggs (collected over the last 3 days) was turned into seven delicious omelets this morning.