Chicken Enrichment, A Pretty Puzzle & Solar Progress

Hello, friends.  Last week, I really enjoyed reading The Midnight Library.  I also finished Good Husbandry.  These came from the library, along with The Girl From Venice, which I've just started.  I pulled pawpaw from the freezer for oatmeal, and made MM spice cookies.  I attempted a try at chicken enrichment, which was rather a bust.  I left all the outer cabbage leaves intact with some I was cooking for our dinner, ran a string around it, and hung it from a branch in their yard.  I'm not sure if they were afraid of it, or if it was just too much work, as I usually throw their greens on the ground.  It's interesting to me how different batches of chickens behave.  I took advantage of a sale of essential oils for soap making at 8% off.  A coupon code was used for 20% back on ink at Staples.

Broccoli Pad Thai was made, using our garlic and broccoli.  When your fruit tastes like onion, you know it's time to scrub your cutting board :o).  I used thieves vinegar and baking soda, which worked very well.  A pair of socks and sweat pants were added to the donation box.  Foraged lambs quarter and maitake mushroom were pulled from the freezer for a breakfast scramble.  I'm so glad to have found this scramble.  I was really missing using various bits of veggies in my breakfast, as I had been doing with eggs.  I make 1/4 recipe, which is plenty for me.  This is one of the pottery plates I thrifted with my sister.  I'd also been enjoying making fritters from various bits of leftovers, and thought no eggs put a stop to that too, but I recently found an eggless recipe, which I plan to try soon.

J & I got the remaining 20 solar panels in place last week.  He moved them from his end, and I pulled on them with a rope from my end, and together, we got it done.  They weigh 60# a piece.  It was a long day, though wonderfully warm in the 60's, and we had a headlamp and flashlight before we finished it after dark, but we're so glad that piece is done.  There were steps in between, when he didn't need me, so I spent much of that time picking up the remaining junk from the fire.  By the time I was done, there was another overflowing 5 gal. bucket of metal scrap.  The true trash was put into a feed bag, of which there were many dozens of shards of glass, among other detritus.  I expect now that it's rained overnight, I'll find more, but that should be the vast majority of it.  The next step will be wiring all the panels to the combiner unit, which was a piece I'd not heard of.   I got my first hair cut since before Covid, just a simple trim which she only charged $7 for.  In addition to a nice tip, I brought her a bar of my Rose soap as a little Valentine's thank you.

J and I worked on the jigsaw puzzle another night, then I finished it up.  It was inspired by The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, and the other seasons are available, so I may purchase one to work on next winter.  When I baked sweet potatoes last week, I made sure to bake a few extra, as I wanted to make a sweet potato pie.  They're one of J's favorites.  I tried this new recipe for a vegan version, and we both loved it.  J saw GF graham cracker crusts and brought one home some weeks back, and that's what I used for this pie.  I mentioned last week that I started a GF sourdough starter.  It has been disappointing so far, making few bubbles.  It looked a bit more bubbly Sunday, so I'll give it a little bit longer.  A lentil loaf was made, and after enjoying it a second night, I froze the rest for another meal.  Our cabbage was sauteed to go with it.  I tried a MM recipe for flatbread (made with potatoes), which used our rosemary, potatoes and thyme, but I had to sub the potato starch with arrowroot.  It never set up properly, though tasted good.  I'll try it again once I get some potato starch.  I enjoyed watching the Cranford series through Netflix.  J tilled and prepped an area for me to plant peas this week.  I also hope to begin winter sowing soon.  Have you begun working on any garden plans yet?