Boys, Bunnies & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  Last week, I made spaghetti squash primavera, a new to me recipe, using our squash (both spaghetti and tromboncino), tomatoes, parsley & thyme.  I canned 7 quarts of pumpkin & winter squash, which took care of all but one huge cushaw, the butternut squash and spaghetti squash.  Pumpkin biscuits were made with some of the leftovers from canning, which were a hit.  I picked up requested books at the library.  I also picked up 3 hostas to add to our little garden by the outdoor shower.  A frugal fail was I intended to use a $5 GC there, and forgot.  Being one of the few sunny days recently, it was like a Saturday there, with long lines.  I guess all the people watching got me distracted.  Cat brier tips were gathered and used in salads.  I trimmed my hair. 

A load of laundry was hung on the line.  I went through my closet, particularly looking at my shoes, wanting to keep only the ones that are comfortable.   Ah, life at 60.  I'll donate two pairs of sneakers, and try selling several pairs of heels on ebay.  I reached my swagbucks goal several days, contacted them about points I did not receive after a purchase, and received them last week.  A friend and I attended an annual herb sale on Thursday.  As usual, I came home with many plants... herbs, flowers, a new fig, and a 2 lb jar of honey.  The show supports the NC Herb Society and several local vendors.  As I've driven each year (1 hr each way), my friend offered to buy my lunch.  J & I got all but the tender plants in the ground that evening, before rain.  On Friday, while under a tornado warning in the afternoon, one touched down just up the road from us, less than 5 miles away.  It was a small area, and appears all the involved houses are intact, thank goodness, but there are a huge amount of trees that were torn to shreds. 

Our granddaughter S visited us over the weekend. After our walk Saturday morning, we colored eggs, and harvested asparagus.  Then she and I went to meet my niece's new baby.  While we did that, J hid the eggs in our orchard and she had an Easter egg hunt when we returned.  She and I made hummus to take to the gathering.  A few spider plant babies were shared with my niece.  S loves to go to the chicken pen with a basket and check for eggs.  When we went one time, we found one of the roosters hanging upside down from the fence.  She quickly ran to get her Grandpa while I held him.  One of his spurs was tightly wound in the chicken wire about a foot off the ground, and the fence had to be cut away.  He and one of the other roosters "fight" across the fence from each other, and we figure this was a result of such silliness.  Boys!  Perhaps this will discourage fighting, at least for a little while.  This visit, we learned S is not fond of mango (it's a texture thing), and she loves cat brier tips. 

my little Easter bunny

After we took S home Saturday evening, I harvested herbs and lettuce, and prepared a salad and pasta with our tomatoes, eggplant, and summer squash.  We watched a movie on amazon prime.  On Sunday, I boiled eggs, then researched an issue J was having, and mixed up an essential oil blend for him.  He has been requesting a sweet potato pie, so on Sunday I boiled our largest sweet potato, a football sized one, and baked a sweet potato pie, using 2 of our eggs.  While it was baking, I also baked 15 spaghetti squash of various sizes.  I baked them whole, so I could fit more in the oven.  This looks to be the last cool day in the forecast, so it seemed the perfect day to do it.  Before we know it, we'll be sweating.  There are a few squash left on the shelf, but this takes care of the majority of them.   I froze enough sweet potato for another pie. 

I made homemade salad dressing.  After a quality issue with an Aldi's product, I wrote their customer service department.  I assisted J in changing the filters for our rainwater.  The water was starting to get dark and stinky, so I'm overly happy about that.  I continue to get orders in my shop, and work on those as needed.  Kale was harvested, probably the last of the season, as it's beginning to bolt.  I made a kale salad, and chopped up some for the pup's dinner.  My winter boots needed another coat of beeswax waterproofing.  With this likely being the last day of using wood heat for some time, I melted the beeswax on the wood stove and waterproofed them, so they'll be good to go next fall.  I hope your Easter involved good things to eat, relaxation and good people.  Wishing you a great week, friends.