Home Care

Hello, friends.  We've begun having fires in the woodstove again.  The pups have beds on either side of the hearth, and love to lay close.  A batch of bird suet was made, which included dried tomato skins and bits, and grape skins from canning.  Yeast-free vegan cashew parmesan was made with homegrown herbs.  So good!  I tried a new orzo recipe that used our eggplant, tomatoes, garlic and basil.  It was pretty good, but probably not worth the amount of work.  Another night, I used our tromboncino, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs in a pasta sauce.  Thursday was a beautiful day, which I got to spend with my sister, thrifting in a town we'd not been to before which is full of thrift stores.  We had a grand time.  Lunch didn't pan out as hoped, but I managed.  I eat a lot of fries when out, one of the few vegan, GF things I can find on most menus.  Not exactly the healthiest thing I could be eating, but at least it allows me to enjoy a meal out with someone.  Sadly, when I got home, I found that something, we believe a hawk, got one of our young hens.  Sigh.  Ever since we set up the teepee shelter in their yard a couple of years ago, we've not had any further losses, but the four Blue Australorps generally stay separate from the others, which may have made a difference in their vulnerability.  

J needed my help on a job this week, while his partner worked on another job, so I spent a day working with him a few towns over, on an Event Center that's being set up.  Friday was another gorgeous day, and I washed windows, happily getting that crossed off my list before bringing the rest of the house plants indoors.  The hog wire and row cover over the lettuce seems to be keeping it safe, though I do see signs of the deer in the garden.  They took bites out of an eggplant and a cucuzza squash, but then left them, so I assume they weren't to their liking.  We found a place an hour away that sells discounted Pella windows, and went to get two for the sewing room.  After we got back home, I brought all the house plants in, along with their dishes and stands, as a low in the upper 30's was forecast.  That evening, I also changed out the sheets to flannel ones.  The cold weather clothes were swapped out in placed of the summer ones.  The weather has been gorgeous, and I hung several loads of laundry on the line.  I'm very much looking forward to more of a homebody week.  Our home could really use a bit of love and attention.  Have a good one, friends!