Tuesday, January 11, 2011

When we got up, it wasn't so bad but the temperature has now dropped to 9°! We just got about 2 inches of snow but there is a little ice under that. We won't be getting out on the roads today.

I knew the birds would flock to the feeders with snow on.

This picture is for Kris....can you count them?
I bought a bag of hen scratch for the birds yesterday when we went to the feed store...forgot the crushed oyster shells which was the real purpose of the trip. They had Muck boots on sale and that took all my attention; not the ones I want though and the others weren't in my size. We did pick up extra feed for the chickens.

We came home and I used some leftover chili and white beans as a base for a large pot of new chili. I also made Ilene's hot milk sponge cake with chocolate butter cream icing. DH wanted a small piece at 4AM this morning when we got up.

Today's plan for the noon day meal (I call it lunch) is going to be a package of my frozen green-stage pink eye purple hull peas, fried potatoes with onion and a recipe of cornbread from my new "The Cornbread Gospels" cookbook (thank you for posting about this Joycee). I am enjoying reading this like a novel. I have decided I make northern/African type cornbread which means about half flour and meal and pretty sweet. I think I will try a southern type today. I will have to use yellow cornmeal since I never buy white.

The other book on soups is supposed to come today.

Well I brought all the gardening seeds down from the milk parlor yesterday and they are going to stay on the end of the dining room table until I figure out what I can get rid of and what, if anything, I need to order. I know I should have a packet of Long Island Cheese squash left, but it is not to be found! You would think after all these years gardening I would be so organized that I would never loose anything.....well the coffee can of tomato seeds wasn't with the other seeds....it took two more trips to the milk parlor where I found those in another room! Still no squash seeds. Then I remembered my sis had brought me some Kwintus bean seeds down (I originally have given her some of mine but I didn't save enough seeds last season for this season)and I didn't know where they were! Found those blasted things....still no squash seeds. The other thing is why didn't I save seeds from those beauties when I raised them two years ago......I saved a bunch of various things this year by just clipping some plants and laying on the back porch.....no labels. Do I know what they are now? I do not! So that is my goal this year:

organization

When I was outside yesterday morning spreading straw, I had company:
Marlene:
and her daughter, Bette.

5 comments:

  1. I love the photo of all of the Cardinals. They are so striking.
    If you ever get time, post your hot milk sponge cake recipe. That sounds yummy.
    Take care, Glenda have a great week

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  2. I counted 32, that must be some good hen scatch! Funny, hubby had cake before bk'fast... farmers burn off the calories though! It was 10 when we got up this morning, hubby went to work slipping and sliding all the way...

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  3. That is an amazing picture. I hope you don't mind that I've saved it for my desktop.

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  4. Oh, I loved that tree! Better than a Christmas tree! I put out the last of the suet cakes I made last year and kept them in the freezer all this time, for just such a day.... and then I looked out and saw the neighbor's dog, Carl, sitting politely on top of the cellar, waiting for more! Dag nab it!

    That's one thing I'm not crazy about out here, the way so many people allow their dogs to run. Jay has three, Frank, Carl and Rosie, and they are always over here. If I leave the gate open, they run right into the yard and that really freaks the cat out.

    I guess I'll just have to stick to putting out seed, until I can get a feeder set up that hangs from something.

    I have a couple little envelopes of seed that I don't know what they are, but that's all. I've been through that maddening thing of having seed and not remembering what it is. Now I use coffee filters, I write on the filter what the variety is and then lay the item on top of the filter. If I have to soak the seed, the glass the seed is in sits on that same coffee filter. Then when the seed is ready to spread out, it goes right on that same coffee filter unless I need a bigger area, and if that happens, I use newspaper and make sure the coffee filter is on the newspaper somewhere, under some of the seed. Sometimes I'll even wrap the dried seed in that coffee filter, turned upside down so the name will show when it's all folded up.

    I am sooooo ready for spring!

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  5. Glenda that picture just tickles me. I see that it's about half white crowned sparrows and the rest cardinals. I thought the first pic your posted was awesome...but not after seeing this one! Wow.

    Good to see the llamas. We haven't heard about them in a while. I assume they are happy gals out there?

    I like cornbread with my bean soup or chili, but admit I make it from a Jiffy mix...my bad.

    Snowing like crazy here right now with more tonight and tomorrow. Then a break Friday and more every day next week. I'll be doodling in the driveway in no time! Stay snug. Looking forward to what you make from your new soup book... Great weather for it.

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