Frugal Accomplishments and a Hayride

The weather warmed up again this week, and we've been having beautiful days.  I'm happy to be joining in with Frugal Accomplishments today.  I harvested chard, parsley, & oregano.  Gathered eggs.  Trimmed my hair.  Added vegetable trimmings- chard stems, carrot ends, bean pods to broth bag in the freezer.  Gave the pups chopped chard & parsley, grated carrot, small tender bean pods & a boiled egg with their dinners.  Gave the chickens a bag of squash I found in the freezer that was from a couple of years ago.  Frugal fail, but they loved it.  I enjoyed a library book, Our Souls At Night.  I made an online purchase through Swagbucks, to get points towards a gift card.  It was from a local store, but it saves time to just pick up my order, and then I get the points too.

We redirected the path to our house last week, and along the edge, I planted two peonies, 20 mediterranean bells, and 35 snowbell bulbs.  I planted phlox I started from cuttings there Sunday evening.  The new path has more curve to it, and comes from the area where I park, rather than coming from the driveway across from J's shop.  It was his suggestion, and I like it for several reasons, one of which is my preference for curves in a landscape.  Our original plan was to use 6" cedar logs for the path.  We thought it would hold up for at least 10 years, but before we were able to finish it, some pieces began to crack and fall apart at the edges.  I'm still trying to figure out what material to use for Plan B.  It needs to be easily swept, as it comes through a wooded area.  Suggestions welcomed.

My siblings and their families came out for a hayride over the weekend.  The weather was lovely, with sunny blue skies.  If you look close, you can see a tree loaded with persimmons behind everyone.  A few learned the difference between an underripe and a perfectly ripe persimmon.  It's been something like 10 years since there has been a hayride here, and it was a most enjoyable day.  I prepared Brandy's Tuscan Tomato Bread soup, baked potatoes with fixings, warm spiced apple juice and rounded it out with cheese & crackers and olives.  I also fixed this apple cake.  It was good, but both J & I agreed it was a bit too sweet for our tastes.  I almost never make frosting, so will probably try it again without it.  I decorated with our pumpkins and gourds, and created signs using cardboard from a cereal box, attached to 2 scarecrows, directing family around our new path and current construction project,  My SIL left a bag of shredded cheddar and a container of sour cream.  I've been eyeing some fall desserts with sour cream, so that was a nice bonus. I did some overdue cleaning to get ready.  If only I could keep the house looking like this all the time.

Cooked a new chard recipe, and quiche with our eggs, pepper, garlic, & tomatoes.  Sliced tomatoes a couple of nights with dinner, enjoying them while we can.  Ate some pear sauce from my pantry.  Made yogurt, kombucha and kefir.  I have a goal to take down all the hummingbird feeders this week, and make the first batch of suet.  I dug the remaining potatoes.  Not a huge amount, but enough to enjoy a few meals.  Collected some zinnia heads for seed.  Washed plastic bags for reuse.

I did laundry with homemade soap, and hung it on the line.  Used homemade soap in the shower and at the bathroom sink.  Worked in the kale bed, removing leaves with holes and cabbage worms, and gave it all to the chickens.  Assisted J with electrical work on our project.  Walked with the pups for sunshine and exercise.  What did you do last week?