What God Must Be Thinking...

Thanks to one of my followers, GiGi, I was able to finally feel OK we my attitude toward lawn care. I viewed cutting the lawn as a chore and I only did it because we had neighbours and for the sake of our family name I cut the lawn. I understand God's plan and love it. We have a much more balanced system here on the farm. We have a yard, but not a lawn. We are using natural methods in our yard and garden maintenance. Look for the garden update and see what the farmer did with the seaweed. In the meantime enjoy and feel free to copy.

I will be posting a few requests from my followers this week. Tomorrow's request comes from Mr. Mikey, our nephew in Ontario.



What must God be thinking...
Imagine the conversation The Creator might have with
St. Francis about this:
" Frank you know all about gardens and nature. What in the
world is going on down there in North-America? What hap-
pened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started
eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those
plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply
with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms
attracted butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds.
I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see
are these green rectangles.
– It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites.
They started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great
extent to kill them and replace them with grass.
– Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colourful. It doesn’t attract
butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s tem-
peramental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really
want all that grass growing there?
– Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and
keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and
poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
– The spring rains and cool weather probably make grass grow
really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
– Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it
sometimes twice a week.
– They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?
– Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
– They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
– No, sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
– Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will
grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw
it away?
– Yes, sir.
– These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when
we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows
the growth and saves them a lot of work.
– You aren’t going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops
growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to
water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
– What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That
was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees
grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the
summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a nat-
ural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees
and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to
enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.
– You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a
new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great
piles and have them hauled away.
– No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in
the winter and keep the soil moist and loose?
– After throwing away your leaves, they go out and buy some-
thing they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around
in place of the leaves.
– And where do they get this mulch?
– They cut down trees and grind them up.
– Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore. Saint
Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you
scheduled for us tonight?
– Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a real funny movie about...
– Never mind I think I just heard the whole story. "
anonymous
Feel free to copy

Lemonade 5 cents

Summer is not quite here but the signs are here and the anticipation of the summer delights have begun. One of the delights of summer is cooling off with a refreshing drink. I was asked to post some of our favorite summer refreshments. I can remember the joy of having a lemonade stand as a little girl. It was a fun way to pass the day. As a mom; a jug of lemonade and a few cups were a great way to occupy the little ones. I recently heard of sun tea and immediately thought of waiting for a batch of sun tea to brew while the children play in the pool. Blooming tea would be awesome for sun tea. A glass of Sangria sitting outside on a starry summer night can't be beat. We have lots of mint and just so happen to love a Mojito. Here are some of our old favorites and few new to choose from.

Lemonade

6 lemons

1 cup white sugar

6 cups cold water

Directions

Juice the lemons to make 1 cup of juice. To make your labor easier, FIRMLY roll the lemons between your hand and counter top before cutting in half and juicing.

In a gallon pitcher combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir. Adjust water to taste. Chill and serve over ice.

Lemon Mint Iced Tea

Mix 3 tea bags, fresh mint leaves, sugar or honey and let this mixture steep for 20 minutes. (It needs time to transform and believe me, it is worth the wait.)

After steeping for 20 minutes, strain out the tea bags and mint leaves.

Squeeze the lemon wedges into the tea mixture and add the squeezed slices to the mixture. Stir well.

Chill, serve over ice, garnish with a lemon wedge, (optional) and enjoy!

Serves Four to Five

Sun Tea

Fun to make with kids. It would seem like a fun thing to brew while splashing around the pool. Use the fruit teas or the blooming teas would be fun.

Wash a clear container thoroughly with hot water and antibacterial soap.

Sun tea steeps at an ideal temperature for bacterial growth, so it's important to sanitize the container before you start.

Fill the container with cups of cold water. Use the most purified water you can get your hands on

Add 5 teabags or 5 teaspoons of tea leaves and cover the container securely.

Place the container in direct sunlight for at least two hours. Taste the tea periodically to see if it's ready.

Remove the tea bags or strain out the tea leaves.

Pour into glasses, mix with sugar or honey (optional) and serve iced.

Drink all the tea within a few hours

Sangria

The beauty of the basic Sangria recipe is that it is as delicious as it is easy, and it only gets better as you spice it up with your own additions! Really, it is hard to add the "wrong" ingredient here, think favorite fruits, spice and liquors. Chill and enjoy!

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)

1 Lemon cut into wedges

1 Orange cut into wedges

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Shot brandy

2 Cups ginger ale or club soda

Preparation:

Slice the fruit, then mash at the bottom with the sugar(muddle*). Add the wine, orange juice, triple sec, and brandy, and chill. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

Addition ideas: sliced strawberries, peaches, handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, a shot or two of gin, brandy or rum, a cup of ginger ale, citrus soda pop or lime juice.

Mojito

1.25 oz Captain Morgan Original spiced rum

12 mint leaves

1 tbsp sugar

0.5 oz lime juice

2 oz soda

Place mint leaves in bottom of glass. Add crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, sugar, and lime juice, and muddle*. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

*When mixing cocktails, herbs and/or fruit are often mashed or ground -- muddled -- with sugar in the bottom of a glass before adding the liquid ingredients to intensify their flavors. You can muddle with a spoon or a pestle-like tool called a muddler.

Wacky Woods

Have you heard of Wacky Woods? You won’t find the Wacky Woods on any tourist maps...It’s here in Fanny Bay though. How to describe it. Well, it’s a woods and it’s wacky – a series of winding trails dotted with fascinating sculptures, most of which literally blend in with the trees. It is a wonderful display in the woods by local artist George Sawchuk. The sculptures use all kinds of common household, industrial, and farm objects and range in size from the miniature to the gigantic. Among my favourites are the numerous wooden books that are tucked into holes in trees. Most of the pieces have strong messages and get you thinking. Here are some pictures my walk in the the Wacky Woods with the girls.

Drapery in the Forest...?

Book in a tree





I'd better be quick ... The girls are on the move.

ABC s OF LIFE

GiGi Says...

GiGi is short for Gardening Guru(every one should have one). GiGi helps us make organically responsible choices for our gardens. So you see when GiGi said "seaweed" we listened. We met GiGi at oceanside in Deep Bay at low tide to collect seaweed to put on our garden beds as an organic fertilizer. I love looking for that perfect smooth rock and interesting driftwood and was easily distracted. Fun afternoon and I got to bring home some treasures of inspiration.

Rocks

Seaweed...
The Farmer's Wife...collecting seaweed
GiGi didn't have to collect her own seaweed...I think she had important Gardening Guru Research out there.
The Farmer... collecting seaweed
Driftwood that I wasn't able to bring home.

Dinner For Two

The farmer loves to cook for special occasions and sometimes just for his sweetie. He likes the cooking style of Jamie Oliver and goes to the Naked Chef for his inspirations. I came home to two wonderful dinners this past week. I soaked in a hot bubble bath and dressed for dinner while the farmer cooked for us. Now these two recipes were keepers! I love kid free late dinners with my farmer. Thanks :)

linguine with pancetta, olive oil, chilli, clams and white wine

1 pound dried good quality linguine pasta

olive oil

4 rashers pancetta, sliced, thinly

or dry-curled smoked bacon

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 dried red chili, crumbled

1 1/2 pounds clam

2x5 ounce white wine

handful chopped parsley, leaves

salt, and, freshly ground black pepper

Cook your linguine in salted boiling water until al dente.

Meanwhile, get a pan hot and add a couple of good lugs (tablespoons) of olive oil and the pancetta.

Fry until golden, then add the garlic and chilies.

Soften them slightly and add the clams.

Stir, then add the white wine.

Put a lid on the pan and cook for a further couple of minutes until all the clams have opened–discard any that remain closed.

Remove from the heat and add the drained linguine.

Stir in the parsley, correct the seasoning and serve with all the cooking juices.

tagliatelle with saffron, seafood and cream

A good pinch saffron

1 glass white wine

Olive oil

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 pound dried tagliatelle ( fettuccine works too)

1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) mixed seafood (prawns and mussels)

1/2 pint double cream (heavy cream)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A bunch flat parsley, chopped

Soak the saffron in the white wine. Add a little oil and the garlic to a frying pan, and cook until softened. Add the clams and mussels, shake the pan around, and add the white wine and saffron mixture. Bring to a boil and cook until the shellfish opens, discard any shellfish that remain closed.

Then, lay the rest of the seafood, parsley, and the cream on top. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and season to taste. Cook the tagliatelle in salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and add to the fish, serve scattered with some of the leftover parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Pass the Butter Please!!

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it

killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the

research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure

out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the

yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter.

How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new

flavourings....

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared

to 5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over

eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard

Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in

other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and

only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the

flavours of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around

for less than 100 years .

And now, for Margarine..

Very High in Trans fatty acids.

Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol)

and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS

VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares

27 ingredients withPAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life

and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is

added, changing the molecular structure of the substance)..

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or

shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of

things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that

should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has

nonutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny

microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is

nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on

your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to butter them up')!

Chinese Proverb:

When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from

it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

Pass the BUTTER PLEASE

This is from one of the blogs I follow Memoirs of a Farm Wife

A Farm Wife Original Meme

A Housework Meme Just for You.

Do you have a daily cleaning routine?

Routine...I would love to have a cleaning routine...I do have a morning routine. At dawn, run outside and let Millie, my turkey back into the pen. Get back in the house and spend a few minutes to put my self together, Let the little dogs out, 6:40 wake up kids for school. Go to the kitchen and find the the kitchen fairies have not done their job again...put on coffee, start breakfast, put together lunch for Miss J and wake up the kids for school second time comes with a warning...finish up breakfast and call kids to eat 7:20 leave to drive to the bus stop. 7:30 I return to start my day...look for the future cleaning routine.

Do you cook on a regular basis?

We live in a small town on a farm, we have no take out or delivery. We cook everyday and every meal. When the farmer and I lived in the city we would fall prey to take out on occasion but temptation is gone. We love fresh food and it is a pleasure to cook.I just wish the kitchen faires would do their job and clean up after the meals.

Do you wear aprons?

Only on special occassions. Although I adore apons and have made serveral. Check out this one from a men's shirt, apron, Tomorrow I will start wearing an apron.

Do you make beds on a regular basis?

Yes I need need to make my bed everyday or before I get in if it was a real out of the ordinary day.

What do you call the three meals you eat a day?

Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

How many loads of laundry do you wash in a week?

3 per day...does that mean 15???

What is your least favorite chore?

Dishes Dishes Dishes....I just don't do dishes. Growing up I never had to wash dishes and the farmer alway made sure I had a dish washer...we do not have a dishwasher on the farm. For almost a year I have had to wash dishes. I am never on top of them and there always seems to be a dishes in the sink. The kitchen fairies never do their job!

Do you keep a company ready house (or attempt to) or go for that comfortably lived in look or could you be on your own Hoaring: Buried Alive episode on TLC?

I attempt to and this really is connected to the next question. I grew up with the notion that there is a certain section of the house that is ALWAYS company ready. The farmer could never get me into a house where the kitchen is the first thing or even visible from the front door, that is where all the work goes on and could never be company ready all the time.

I once heard on the radio that 90% of women clean house like their mothers. Do you?

I clean like my mother in everyway but in the way of dishes. My mother loves to wash dishes and uses the hottest water possible. Glass is first, plates and serving platters next, cutlery and on to pots. You must alway wipe down the tray and wipe dry the sink and neatly lie the dish cloth on the side of the sink. I hate dishes and the kitchen fairies never do their job.

Do you expect your children to help out around the house? To what extent?

Miss J and Mr. D(10 and 14) are very helpful...although no one has chores. Another thing we are thinking about ... I could use a couple kitchen fairies!!

So? How about you?

New Chicks On The Block(Farm)

Thought I would do a bunch of updates on the farm animals today. Here are a few pictures of the new chicks. We have a Blue Bantam, Bonnie, newest mama on the farm. A Bantam is a miniature chicken so these little puff balls are adorable. One of our turkeys, Phyllis is setting on a nest of 9 eggs. We have three ducks; Cocoa, Mable, and Buffy all setting on nests. I have another bantam, collecting her eggs this week. All the hatchings are exciting. The chickens and the duck mother on their own without much interference from us. The farmer is building me a brooding area so I can mother some day old hatchings I am getting to add to our flock. Right now I have 3 week old Welsummer chicks a gift to the farm from Gramma B in Ontario. They are in the temporary brooding area. I will add the hens to my laying flock. The Welsummer chicken lays a deep chocolate brown egg. The Monster Meat Birds look like chickens now... fat lazy chickens. We have orders for 35 of the 48, the rest will go into the freezer. We were not happy with the commercial meat bird so we have decided to try another type of meat bird called a "Red Bro". This is a 12 week chicken and will range, unlike the Monster Meat Birds. We are learning with every experience here on the farm. Life is Sweet!

Here is a Meat Bird 4 weeks old

The Farmer is fencing in my laying hens and ducks. No more visiting us on the front porch.

Mama Tanya out with the babies
Miss S and a Bantam Chick
Miss J and a Bantam Chick(making a wish?)
Welsummer Chicks
Bonnie on the nest
Turkey Nest

Ducklings

We are a farm so we practiced selling the cute ducklings. We took them to the poultry swap with us this past weekend. Although it was just practice...we brought them back. I think we will keep this first hatch here on the farm with us.

The art work we used for the sign was an original post card made by our great niece, Miss M, she so wants to visit the farm. The farmer and I just adored the post card when we got it!

Practice makes perfect?

We brought the ducklings home...
Mama was glad too :)