Late Spring Days

Hello, friends.  After a soap delivery, I got some pretty good deals at Dollar Tree, including lentils, northern beans, tissues, sponges, parchment paper and seeds.  The seeds were mostly for my Back To The Garden sets, but if I don't sell that many, we can use them ourselves.  I got a cantaloupe for $2 at Food Lion, and used a $3 reward toward my purchase.  The cooler night time temps mean we have not had to turn on the A/C yet this year.  Though we are mostly on solar, there is a "background" 10KW a day we are using from the grid, even when we're away, which J hasn't had time to figure out yet.  It's a bit complicated here, with our home, J's business and my shop all on separate meters.  Here's hoping he'll figure it out soon.

My closet was switched around, making the summer clothes more accessible.  A few items were pulled, and added to the thrift store pile.  A wool hat and gloves were handwashed.  For a dinner, I made colcannon with our cabbage.  I harvested mulberries, gathered eggs, and picked dandelion greens for the pups.  Knowing we were going to have a cool night and following morning, I soaked garbanzo beans and pulled bags of veggie scraps from the freezer, and simmered them, and canned both the next day. Batches of bird suet and hummingbird food were made.  I sewed a button on a shirt.   Lambs quarter, peas, and the first blackberries were gathered.  Peas were blanched and frozen.  We attended a jazz concert in our little community, then met with friends at the local wine bar, which was a fun evening.  

Our little game hen showed up a few days ago, on the outside of the fence, and proceeded to eat, drink, and take dust baths, before heading back to the woods.  The second time she showed up, I waited, to watch where she went, and found she has a nest just a foot or two beyond the fence, between the roots of a cedar tree.  I'm happy I can keep an eye on her whenever I'm in the chicken yard now, and the next time she's off the nest, I'll see if I can count her eggs without upsetting her.  If I get too close, she may rush to them.  We're hoping the homestead snakes will leave her and the eggs alone, until she's able to hatch them.  Then we'll intervene, and bring the chicks to a safer place.  Hopefully, she'll follow.  That's our plan, anyway.  Wish us luck.  Have a lovely week!