Soup To The Rescue

Hello, friends.  Before recent nights, we've had some pretty warm temps, and some of the plants are thinking of spring.  Last week, I harvested broccoli, lettuce, parsley, collards, and shared some collards and a small amount of broccoli with a friend.  I checked the books on my amazon wish list with the library, and found three are now there.  I always check the library before I add books to my list, but these had all been added since then, which was a nice surprise.  With enjoying stitching on the Christmas gift, I decided to buy a simple Christmas kit to work on.  Unfortunately, I realized I couldn't see the fabric well enough to stitch it, with 28 count linen, so I purchased some inexpensive magnifying glasses, which arrived Saturday.  They make all the difference in being able to see, but I realized I may not be cut out to work that fine of a fabric, as it was still a bit of a struggle, and not terribly enjoyable dealing with such teeny tiny squares.  Any suggestions?

The soup I had frozen not long ago, to have on hand for sickness, came in handy last week, as I was under the weather for several days.  I was so thankful to be able to just defrost one of the soups made for just this purpose, which fed me two meals.  Switching from soup to soap... I made one batch on Monday, and felt well enough again to make another batch on Thursday, which has me caught up for the moment.  The oils for both were melted on the woodstove.  I've been noticing a flock of little birds in the chicken yard, eating up the scratch when they can get to it, and found out they're white throated sparrows.  Before a night in the teens, J & I harvested the last of the lettuce, all the broccoli side shoots, chard, and cabbage.  There were just enough side shoots to make broccoli Thai noodles for a dinner.

battery room with inverter

Our solar project is moving right along, thanks to J's hard work.  Our inverter and charge controller arrived last week, and they're already installed.  Now that the concrete footers are dry, he's begun setting up the solar panel framework.  Christmas was taken down and put away over the weekend.  I finally got around to washing the dog's nose art off the storm doors, which has needed doing for some time, and cleaned several areas well in the kitchen.  I enjoyed watching the series North & South, which takes place in England, and have also enjoyed reading Carnegie's Maid on Kindle.  We continue to eat our dinners by candlelight, a winter tradition I very much enjoy.  I hope you're enjoying some cozy traditions at your home too.