Snails
14 May 2012 3 Comments
We were cleaning up an old flower patch today and found a zillion snails, sound asleep. While we all know that snails do their dirty work at night, it never ocurred to me that they hole up somewhere during the day to sleep. I collected the whole groggy mess of ‘em and fed them to the hens who gobbled them up before they knew what hit them. It was not a pretty sight.
Here’s some thrift shop animal planters with succulents:
And finally, today is the day that the Church remembers Jeremiah the Prophet who said these words:
Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein.
Amen to that!
The Samaritan Woman
13 May 2012 1 Comment
in Chickens, Orthodoxy, Saints
Ruby and Rita
Hens are triangular creatures.
Today is the day the Church remembers the Samaritan Woman, also known as the Woman at the Well. The Orthodox Church knows her name was Photini, or Svetlana in Russian. When I hear this Gospel story I am struck by how true this story rings to modern ears. Everytime the Lord says something uncomfortable to her she changes the subject, just like I would have. Happy name day to all the Svetlanas and Photinis and may God grant you many years!
The Lord and the Samaritan Woman
And HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the moms, especially my own!
Spring Garden!
11 May 2012 1 Comment
in Animals, Chickens, Garden, Lent, Simple Living
I think I can declare this year’s garden PLANTED! Now it’s just a matter of watering, fertilizing, weeding and eating. The winter was very dry at first and I was afraid we’d have water rationing this summer, but we had a rainier than usual spring so I am optimistic that I can water the garden without any worries.
The hens are doing well, although we had a foxglove incident that makes me shudder to think about. I always have foxglove in the yard, which as we all know, is quite poisonous. However, none of my animals ever ate it, not even Mrs. Rabbit, so I figured the animals were exercising their God-given common sense. But maybe chickens don’t have this feature… Anyway, I looked one morning and the foxglove showed definite signs of some serious nibbling. And Flo was acting oddly- not eating and wanting to sleep. But, thank the Lord, they all recovered and we put a fence around the foxglove to prevent future mishaps. It’s so easy to make a dumb mistake that can kill your animals. We generally get three eggs each day, sometimes four. During Lent I froze a lot of eggs by blending them and storing them in small containers but the results are not very appetizing. I’ve been feeding them to Lilly the Farm Dog.
Commemoration of the Departed
17 Feb 2012 1 Comment
Tomorrow is the day the Church commemorates the departed faithful, with an all-night vigil tonight. I will confess that I didn’t use to go to this type of service but I have made to myself what is probably a rash vow that I would try to attend every service on the schedule. I have missed so much by just attending Liturgy on Sunday morning.
Just two more “meat days” and then it’s Cheesefare Week. I’ve got to squeeze a hamburger in there somewhere.
Yay! Tomatoes!
12 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Food, Garden, Simple Living
September Tomatoes!
I’ve been whining all summer about how the lack of sunshine and temperatures that rarely exceeded 65 degrees were preventing my tomatoes from ripening. But every year, after the typically cold and foggy Seaside/ Monterey summer comes warm and sunny September, just like it always does. All the tomatoes that hung sorrowfully on their vines, shivering in the gloom, have all begun to ripen, each and every one of them. I grew these tomato vines on the patio, using those Topsy-Turvy hanging baskets. I see these things hanging off porches all over town, all of them with dead plants. I think to make them work you need to do the following things:
- Hang your planters in a sunny, NON-WINDY location.
- Use good potting soil. The roots will eventually fill the entire container and you need good dirt if you want good tomatoes.
- Water them everyday. Every month or so, add some organic fertilizer.
More Baby Lovebird Photos
10 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
They are starting to grow some green feathers!
Meanwhile, the chickens have been staying outside overnight for about a week now.
Baby Lovebird
04 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Animals
This little guy hatched August 24. He's one of three.
Granny Squares
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Knitting and Crochet, Simple Living
I’m working on a granny square bedspread for my bed. I had forgotten how to make them and if you’ve also forgotten, there’s plenty of good tutorials on YouTube, such as this one.
