Pysanky Season

Since Easter is late in April this year and I have only one class to teach so far, I have only just gotten out my Pysanky and supplies.  I took advantage of the fruit tree pruning I've been doing and brought in three budded branches that I secured together and placed in a vase along with water and some beach glass-looking stones for weight.  I had to learn to do this the hard way; last year I broke one of Shelby's first eggs when the top heavy "tree" fell over.  Then I covered all the branches with eggs the girls and I have made over the years and several eggs I have collected as well.  In a week or so all the buds on my branches will bloom a pretty peach-pink; since I used peach tree prunings!

 These are more of the eggs we've made over the years with the exception of the eggs in the left carton which are from Romania and made by monks.  I bought a whole dozen on my last visit to Romania.

I heard about the Relay for Life that my local Curves chapter is supporting.  They are accepting donations for a silent auction.  I decided to put together a little Pysanky kit which includes: one of the Romanian eggs, a porcelain egg holder, one medium kistka, a block of beeswax, 9 different colors of dyes, 2 egg lifters, a box of Polish matches, a sheet of instructions and design ideas, and a basket.  Here it is...

Here is a little note of interest; in all the different countries that create these beautiful Easter eggs, like Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Hungary, and the Czek Republic, each of the design elements and each color have special meanings.  So although an egg might be pretty to look at, there may be great significance attached to the egg by it's maker!

Miracles Still Happen

Ten days ago I published a post on my new little tomato seedlings.  Look what has happened in 10 days!  Who says miracles don't happen anymore! :)

Saturday I spent several hours in the still cool and cloudy weather cleaning out flower beds.  It was like an Easter hunt for all the lovely little seedlings and bulbs peeping out of the newly warmed soil.

 Yesterday, it had jumped to 81 degrees and I had to rush home from church to unplug the heat lamp so my little chicks didn't become chicken nuggets in the heat!  They are fine. See...

 I certainly hope we aren't going to skip the spring season and dive directly into summer!

Reaching For Spring

I have begun the small duties of spring that seem to bridge the gap between the weariness of the cold and the outside chores in the warm sunshine.  A few days ago I started my tomato seeds.  I have been saving my seeds for several years; ever since my neighbor gave me the largest Roma tomato I have ever seen!  I would like to start seeds for other garden vegetables and flowers, but I have not the space for it currently.

I now save seeds for that same Roma and a variety of Beefsteak that are huge and rarely crack.  The flavor of both are amazing.  I am very relaxed about the purity of the next year's prodigy.  In fact, last year I grew Roma's that had apparently crossed with some Green Zebra Tomatoes.

They were beautiful, but had little flavor.  Needless to say, I did not save their seeds.

I was startled to note that my tomato seeds have already sprouted!  With the cilantro, rosemary, and basil that I started from an herb kit my husband gave me at Christmas, it is looking very spring-like in my kitchen and laundry room.

I've also taken the opportunity to divide an African violet that was obviously already dividing itself in the container it was housed.  After that, my cactus looked so pathetic and unhappy, he too received a new pot and nutrient rich soil; suitable for a cactus of course!

Sold!

I am so excited!  I sold my first piece of artwork!  In fact, it was my first collage called "Proverbs".  One of the gals at the bank where some of my work is currently displayed fell in love with it and bought it.  (Basha, if you are reading this, take heart.  I have not forsaken your request!) 

I still have not made that giant leap into Etsy yet.  I need to be able to nail down how to figure postage costs.  I will have to commit to get this completed this week.  If the weather turns, I KNOW where my priorities will be...outside!

Finished and framed

Before framing and a bit of a yellow hue.  My lighting must have been off.

Right detail of "Proverbs"

Left detail of "Proverbs"

Homemade Applesauce

We tried a new variety of apples last week that went over like a lead Frisbee.  What to do with a bowl of beautiful, crispy but bland apples?  Add lemon juice and make applesauce!  I figure if the lemon doesn't add enough tang to liven up the taste, I can at least use it in my baking as a substitute for oil!

The applesauce turned out quite tasty.  It's so easy to make, I regret not getting a bushel or two of apples last fall. It seems by October and November I am burnt out from all the previous canning.

To make the applesauce, I just peeled and cored the apples I had on hand and put them in a thick bottomed stock pot to simmer with about a half cup of water (just to prevent scorching).  I also added the juice from one lemon.  Then I just let it simmer for a couple of hours.  Since our family loves chunky applesauce, I only mashed about half of the soft apples down to sauce consistency.  You can stop there, but sometimes I add apple pie spice or cinnamon candy red hots.  This time I added a few packets of Stevia as I prefer not to add sugar and called it good.  And it is!

Garden Journal

I generally keep a garden journal that I start each spring and continue through the seasons. It always seems to evolve, however, into a wildlife sighting pad, diet and exercise register, and prayer journal as well! It doesn't matter, I use it frequently to document successes in the garden, and the dates different birds return home for the spring. I can't seem to throw these little buggers out when they are full! Some of my favorite Bible verses and bird sketches are within the bent and well worn pages. In a way, they are like scrapbooks that were quietly finished and sit unnoticed in a drawer. Here is one of my favorites from 2006...                                                                                                                          

Can it ever truly be spring without chicks?

This morning was an unusual morning to say the least.  I woke and remained awake at 3:30 a.m.  Finally at 5:00 a.m., I shoved the covers away determined to make the most of my extra long day.  After working out on the treadmill and at Curves, I came home and was determined to clean out the hen house.  Mike got right on board.  As I shoveled, swept, bleached, and refilled fresh pine bedding, he replaced a pane of glass that had been broken over the winter.  My heart sang as we removed the wadded up towel that had been a makeshift draft preventer.  A few well placed staples from the trusty staple gun and the loose chicken wire reinforcing the door was back in place.  I love spring!  Even the cleanup is inspiring.  I think my hens really appreciated all the sprucing up as well.

We were so inspired by our industriousness, that we decided to clean out all the bluebird houses on our 18 acres of conservation land.  I have been watching pairs of bluebirds check out potential nest boxes for the last two weeks.  Now they are ready for occupancy.

Since by now it was lunch time and we were starving, we headed into Dundee for lunch and a quick trip to our favorite Tractor Supply Store.  I was sooo good.  Really, I was.  I walked past the adorable little chicks not even attempting to talk my husband into another clutch of fuzzy black cuteness.  However, the sales person must have tuned into some kind of hidden desire of mine.  She walked up to Mike and I and said, these are the last ones and they're half off!  I looked at the sign and ohhhhh!  they were Auracaunas!  Those wonderful, stern looking hens that lay beautiful blue and green eggs!

Half off!  Really?  They were...but they were not Auracaunas.  Turns out they were a breed (can't recall which exactly) that were excellent egg layers AND meat chickens.  Well, that got Mike's attention.  Meat?  Yup.  Box them up.

So we came home, and I spent the next hour shoveling, sweeping, bleaching, refilling bedding in the old goose house!  After adding the necessary heat lamp and draft blocks, the chicks were nestled into their new home.  You'd think this was the end of the story but when we got into the house there was a message on the answering machine from a woman whom I spoke with over a year ago.  She was wondering if I still wanted a pair of Sebastapol geese.

I think I'll clean out the old duck house tomorrow!