Puffer Bird

Michael took this great photo of one of the toms today. They were all puffing up and putting on a show for us.

Last Two Weeks of Summer Vacation 2012

Why it seems a distant dream that Michael and I were walking hand in hand through the Paris Louvre and Pantheon. But it actually happened just 2 months ago! I have to remind myself every now and again.

Alas, it's been a pretty action packed summer! We've gotten in loads of camping. Our last trip to Whiskey Town afforded a trip to the crisp and clear and refreshingly chilly waterfall. I think of that with great relief today as it is up over 100*F again here in Chico.

There were the good times with Bailey. "Hey! Bailey!! Want to come over today for some fun? We're patching up pot holes today. Nothing like hot asphalt on a hot day."

Now, that's a friend!

And our "last Hurrah" together was a quick trip to the cabin in Truckee Last weekend. Here's a photo glimpse of some lovely hiking/rock climbing where it was a comfortable 85*F.

It was really a fantastic trip. There was hiking in the morning, swimming and ping pong on the beach in the afternoon followed by drinks and snacks on the deck evening. We rounded out the night by playing dominoes and Scrabble until we all fell asleep. Now we're back at home ... on the farm. It's chore-ville for the kids. Valerie will always remember me as the mom who never said anything but, "Is your room clean yet?"

And Rex has resumed his impressive baking. Pictured below is his Gluten Free Chocolate Castle Bundt Cake with drizzled milk chocolate over the top. It was a little slice, er, several slices of heaven!

Now, that's a summer vacation!

More Life & Death on the Farm

Well, our turkeys have been getting bigger each day. And they are so entertaining with all their little barks and twitters and purs and chirps. They are so curious and pretty friendly. We have 3 toms that regularly fluff up their feathers and give each other a quick challenge.

And we have one hen. She is truly the favorite of the family. The kids had nicknamed her "Little Lou".

But Little Lou has a lame leg that has been getting worse. It was breaking my heart to watch her try to get up and down from perches or to keep up with her boys. Her left leg was completely turned out.

Michael and I decided the humane thing to do would be to kill her now before she got any bigger. It was a sad and dreaded day today. I cried when we killed her. Michael is still upset. Amira hates to even think about it. But she does. Often. Thank goodness for grandmas who come take little girls out for breakfast, shoe shopping and lunch. It took her mind off of it for a while. Then she came home and had some time to get goofy with daddy.

Okay, so we move on to the lighter side of our stories. Last week we got a call from our neighbor two doors down who said, "Congratulations! You're a grandma!" I felt a little drop in my stomach as I quickly searched my mind, "What of mine had babies?" I mean, the cat and rabbit are fixed. The poultry is fenced in. Well, this all started a couple of months ago when we were getting reports from other neighbors and kids that our chickens were getting out. "Saw one of your chickens over on Kittyhawk." "Saw one of your chickens in Dean & Rita's back yard ..." I kept checking the fences and counting chickens. I didn't see how it was happening. Then one morning I saw one of the chickens out near the garden. Total security breach! Well, upon closer inspection, this wasn't OUR chicken. This chicken belonged to the neighbor down the street. They have one lonely chicken, "Crazy Chicken" is what they call her. I guess she misses having a flock and either cuts through Dean & Rita's property or goes around the back way on Kittyhawk to get into our yard. So, one day about a month ago Crazy Chicken goes missing. We all speculate it was a racoon or opossum that got her. But nobody sees any evidence of a crime scene. She is just gone. Flash forward to the neighbor coming home last week to find crazy chicken with five baby chicks trotting across her back yard. Well, as the cat had already taken notice and they didn't want anymore chickens or tragedy, guess who has custody of the grandchicks?

They are right at home in Valerie's pet shop for now. One of them even has the extra toes that his father, Captain Fluffball, is known for. Chip off the old cock!

Feeling Farmy

I guess I should start out the post with some kid pix. As we continue to pass the last couple weeks of summer vacation I can honestly say it has been a great summer. The kids were not overscheduled with too many activities, I think. In fact, the only "summer camp" in which they were enrolled was a one week strings session for "Spy Music". The week culmintated with a performance of the theme from The Pink Panther and Mission Impossible. The kids put on their "spy shades" while they played Mission Impossible.

We've enjoyed watching the garden grow taller and taller. I know I should have pix of the kids amongst the 12 to 15 foot tall corn and sunflowers so that you have some perspective, but they were not readily available to stand still like the garden obliged. May I brag? Check this out!

The combination of weeping amaranth and sunflowers really dresses up the place. Also, last spring I was cleaning out the winter squash I had been storing in the dining room fireplace ... they were looking lovely and then one day turned to a pile of mush. So, I got a shovel and bucket and took the slop out to the compost. Now we have some interesting volunteers springing forth from the compost. I think this is a cross between a hubbard squash and a pumpkin.

The bees have been stoked about all the squash blossoms and even the corn. I can hear them humming! They love the sunflowers as seen here:

And they are like clown fish on an anemone in these artichokes:

The crazy girls are making honey now. I've put some supers on top of their brood boxes. Here are some of Margaret's girls on the inner cover of the hive:

And speaking of sweet things, I've been harvesting those garden huckelberries. So, here is the gig: If I proudly gave you a start for one of these and you have been frustrated because they taste awful, then I have an answer for you! (That is, if you haven't ripped the plant out of your yard out of sheer frustration!!!) St. Clare Heirloom Seeds has the recipe on their blog (because they sell the seeds!) Now, I purchased my seeds from Baker Creek Seeds. You'd think they would also give a recipe. But, no. They give a simple warning that these things should not be eaten raw. No problem there. They are disgusting raw. Okay, that said, here is the best recipe that transforms these nasty little buggers into a delicious pie or jam or something. (I've made both successfully this summer). And, included below are my pix with their recipe. For the filling you will need: 8 cups garden huckleberries 1/3 cup baking soda 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 T lemon zest Pinch allspice 1/2 t salt 1/2 cup tapioca flour Place 8 cups berries in pot with enough water to cover fruit.

As they begin to boil, slowly add 1/3 cup baking soda, stirring constantly.

Green foam will appear. You'll want to cook this 10 minutes at a low boil.

That picture did not cover the greenness of the water. So, I've put some in a bowl here for you. Now, I've seen this color range from a yellow green to a very vibrant blue green that is just plain unnatural! Way fun.

After 10 minutes are up, you'll need to drain and rinse those rascals. Don't taste them yet! Return the somewhat hard barries to the stove and add 1/3 cup of water and 1/2 cup lemon juice.

So, there went the water with no big change. Here comes the lemon juice:

Oooh la la!! Take a close look at that crazy purple:

Like magic! From green to purple. That is a total science experiment right there. My kids love to be in the kitchen to watch that happen. You'll need to cook this down for another 35 minutes until the berries become soft and it looks like a jam or pie filling. At the end, when tender, add sugar, lemon zest, salt & tapioca. Pour hot mixture into your homemade pie shell or into hot sterlized jars. If making a pie, bake at 350* for about 50 mins. If making jam, process in water bath for 15 mins. Enjoy, you Huckleberry Hound!