Just day two with Bonnie & Clyde and I'm already a goose nut! I'm really intrigued with their imprinting process and they run as fast as they can to keep up with my feet everywhere I walk in the yard with them. I look forward to sharing our experiences with these precious birds.
hkj
Just 2 days old, here are Bonnie & Clyde, our Toulouse geese. They are really sweet and we are so excited to have them as our newest addition to the Farm. They love going outside in the front yard and chewing on grass and they already follow me. Guess that already makes me Mother Goose!
April's scripture passage for our 12 Months of Peace:
"Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments."
Psalm 119:165-166
A while back, my friend Mel forwarded a site link to me that had the most precious little ruffled skirts! Better yet, they sell the pattern! Thank goodness we have little nieces who just happened to have upcoming birthdays.........
SO ~ here's my first one:
Here you can see the flower buttons I added as well as the ribbon trim that I used to create a "tag" to indicate the back of the skirt.
The band underneath each ruffle matches the yoke.
Naaaaah.
Well, yes - maybe. I guess I have been.
You won't find me on a milk carton by any means; I've either been at the ballfield (or in transit to...and from....) OR after the few minutes I take to check email, I've been visiting on Facebook. LOTS of old friends from high school days have joined on and it's been an online reunion now for weeks.
Meanwhile, we are enjoying the extended rains for the last couple of days and what looks to be a weekend of it. Given the yellow coating of pollen on everything, we need it.
Our peach trees have been in full bloom and already have evidence of fruit setting! Our new blueberries bushes we put out last month are blooming. I'm itching to get my hands deep in the soil in the big garden - but just have not have the time w/our schedule.
The hens are laying at full speed and are happy with these warm spring days. However, we've had recent tragedy and lost one of our older girls from our very first flock - Miss Lilly, a Black Giant. She had developed a bad habit of roosting underneath the chicken house rather than going inside with the flock. Needless to say, she became an easy target for a possum that was preying about the other night. I have our big trap set every night - but so far, he has not returned. Don't worry, I'll get him.
Know any good recipes for possum?
Kidding.
Speaking of recipes, we had our first rattlesnake sighting a few days back. Our farm neighbor called for us to come quick with a gun; but when the J-men arrived, they could hear the rattles rattling but could not see the snake........ Too bad, rattlesnake meat is excellent!
My last post was all about the movie scene for "Get Low" being shot here locally. Unfortunately, the film crew and local sheriff's possey had the roads in and out totally blocked for safety reasons, so no one except those associated with the film could get anywhere within sight of the house burning scene to watch. Oh well. The local newspaper had a great article and photos of the whole thing. The stunt man burst through the second floor window on fire, hit the porch roof and rolled off onto the ground. I think the house burned to the ground in less than 20 minutes.
Turkey season has opened as of last weekend and the turkeys are a rare sight - of course. We have been watching a flock of about 50 throughout winter; now they are nowhere to be seen. Lots of birds are migrating through - we've even had a White-tailed Kite recently on the upper 26 and our resident Marsh Hawk looks to be in love. The Barred Owls have begun their evening chorus of howler-monkey singing and the coyotes are now officially active for their spring rounds as well.
Thankful for the rains that have set in for this weekend - I have plenty to do indoors.
Have a great weekend ~
hkj
Remember the first "Hollywood" tidbit I dropped not long ago? You know, about the movie "Get Low" that will star Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek?
Guess what?
They'll be filming a house burning scene just a couple miles over from our farm here on the Dirt Road.
Yep, yep, yep!
Look here:
This old house sits along the bypass and has been vacant f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Seems someone thought it would work well for a house burning scene in the movie. SO.........these guys have been working on it for about a week now getting it all wired and ready.
You can see all the set crew working on the place; they've built a split rail fence out front and were also working inside as well. A great amount of work just to torch the place. I imagine it's a one shot, get it right the first time filming moment, huh?
Our oldest son works at the local hardware store here in town and hear's all the locals discussing the weather and solving all the problems of the world. They've been all abuzz about this movie business finding its way to our little wide spot in the road. Local word has it, that the fire scene will be filmed this weekend - likely Sunday night. Though I'm headed out of town for the weekend, you can best better bet that I'll be back early on Sunday to get my spot to watch (pssst.....I'll be the one with night vision goggles looking for Robert Duvall to run out of his burning house..........er, make that his body double.....).
Stay tuned.....I'm sure there'll be a story to tell here.
;)
Here is the 12 Months of Peace scripture for March:
It's been great fun being touch with friends from high school again. Albeit, it's very hard to believe that it's nearing the thirty (30) year mark for our launch from our carefree lives into the eyes wide shut world of adulthood.......'specially since I still act juvenile most days of my life.
Just ask my family.
Reminiscing over those fun days takes me back even further.............to some memories of elementary school days.............especially one in particular in the first grade:
I went to Leslie Steele Elementary school in Decatur for the first few years of elementary school back when first grade was the beginning grade and not kindergarten. I loved the first grade - or so I thought. Everything was new about school - including the very vivid smell of new crayons and old vomit up and down every hallway.
I sat in the very first desk of the very middle row. And right behind me sat the very cutest boy in the whole first grade. His name was Scott and I had the most gushing crush on him. He had a golden tan all year long and the biggest brownest eyes. He didn't talk very much but that was okay - his cuteness spoke volumes! One particular day, I had a brand new navy blue wool jumper and white blouse to wear to school. My grandmother had bought the outfit for me at Rich's and I couldn't wait to wear it to school. What I wouldn't know until after lunch - was it would be the first and last time I would wear that jumper to school.
The morning work had gone by quickly and it was time for lunch and a quick outside for recess. We returned to our classroom for our afternoon work; Scott had not seemed himself all day despite my best efforts to be chatty since I was wearing my new jumper and all. Our teacher began the afternoon lesson on the chalkboard when I began to feel a warm sensation across my shoulders and at the base of my neck and then the *smell* hit me.
My precious crush - Scott - had thrown up his lunch all over the back of me.
Both of us were sent to the office: Scott to the first aid clinic and me to the, err, well they didn't have a vomit victim room - so they put me in the bathroom while one of the school secretaries gagged while trying to clean me up. Meanwhile, a phone call had been made and my Dad was on his way to pick me up from school.
Now my Dad despite being all that he could be in the Marines and all - had not the strongest of stomachs nor did he have the grandest of tact. He began gagging as soon as he laid eyes on me and I had to ride in the back of his old Chevie pick up truck in the camper area the whole way home so he didn't have to smell me and throw up himself.
Needless to say, Scott was no longer precious and crush-worthy in my eyes. And looking back, I can only wonder if when a child's first grade teacher's name is "Mrs. Gross", should that be considered a head's up?
General Lee is calling for an early Spring, Y'all!! Best news I've heard all day!
Woo Hoo!
February's scripture quote for 12 Month's of Peace:
"When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be a peace with him."~ Proverbs 16:7
From Adventures of an Orthodox Mom - this is awesome!!
We're playing water follies today and just as Murphy's Law predicts - when the temp's drop below freezin', there shall be water pipe havoc.
The Gladiator, Samson and Alexander the Great have all had their heads twirling over the leak - turned gushing geyser - and have dug, taken apart and group conferred over the matter. After making two trips to the hardware store for repair parts and supplies, a man in the parking lot shared these words of wisdom with the Y-chromosome troops:
"You know," he said, "it never fails at our house, that a water pipe breaks just when everyone in our family has the diarrhea........"
Oh my.
The 2009 catalog from McMurray Hatchery........so many little chickies to consider.
OR....
You can peruse it online now ~
Here along the Dirt Road, we are designating the New Year, 2009, as the Year of Peace. Each month, I'll be posting scripture that focuses on Peace. Join us on this journey seeking simplicity, peace and God's will for our lives. Imagine the power of 365 days of praying for Peace!
We begin our Twelve Months of Peace with a passage from the Psalms:
"Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
~ Psalm 34:13-14
to SOAK THE PEAS!!
You know - those black-eyed peas!!
I don’t know about you, but here in the South, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a religion! I believe if I didn’t eat my peas, I’d turn into a pillar of salt! So much so, I bought my peas when I was shopping for my Christmas groceries a couple of week’s ago out of fear they might all be sold out this week!
Seriously! The tradition is that sacred ~ south of the Mason Dixon!
Let me give you the inside scoop on the South’s traditional New Year’s Day meal:
The Menu:
Black-Eyed Peas ~ BIG pot full ~ in fact, largest pot that you own and that will fit on the stove top!
Collard Greens ~ they stink up the whole house and make you appreciate it days later when the air finally clears…ahem……I cook them and will eat “a leaf” of them, I also cook boiled cabbage (for me and our youngest son). My husband and oldest son will eat the whole pot of collards and then complain because they are gone. I bought fresh collards one time………..it took me two days to wash, clean and cut them and then a week to get the dirt and grit out of my sink. You can have all the fresh collards you want – I buy the frozen chopped [and already cleaned ones] to cook ever since!
Ham ~ the Gladiator always smokes a fresh one.
Cornbread ~ It’s the South. Period. The End.
The Interpretation:
The Peas are for Good Luck: Black-eyed peas are also known as “cow peas” and are believed to have arrived in this country with native Africans when they were brought to this country enslaved in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s. These peas were literally feed for cows. If you’re a gardener – you’ll love growing them – they are the easiest of veggies to grow!
It is told in Southern folklore that one winter during the Civil War and about the time for the New Year, there were horrific raids made on homes, farms and plantations confiscating all food (among other things) by enemy troops. All that remained behind were these humbling peas. Survivors of these raids felt “lucky to be alive and lucky to have anything to eat” – thus – the tradition was born to eat black-eyed peas. It is believed that by doing so, it will bring good luck throughout the New Year. Even the poorest of families, decades to centuries ago, almost always had dried black-eyed peas stored and leftover from the fall harvest. I have always teased our sons and said that they must eat the same number of peas to match the year that it is…so y’all must each eat 2009 peas on New Year’s Day!
The Greens are for Wealth and Fortune: Eating greens is believed to ensure good fortune in the New Year. It is believed that by eating a wealth of well cooked greens on New Year’s Day, such a feat will yield profitable finances over the course of the next 365 days. Collard greens have always been the “green” of first choice along with the same reasons as the black-eyed peas because it is an extremely easy crop to grow and most any family could come by them. Other greens considered suitable substitutions: turnip greens, mustard greens and boiled cabbage.
{Make no mistake; there are NO substitutions for the black-eyed peas.}
The Ham is for Good Health: Ham is pork. Pork is pig. The pig represents one of the healthiest of all the farm animals. By eating ham or other pork meats with the traditional New Year’s meal, it is believed to bring good health in the New Year.
The Cornbread is the Bread of the South: It is the Southern bread of choice. In fact, cornbread may have been here before the South.
This year for our New Year’s Day meal, we will be having a giganotosaurus pot of black-eyed peas (in fact, I’ll put them on to cook some time New Year’s eve and they’ll be ready by midnight, if not before…), a pot of collard greens, smoked ham, stuffed cabbage rolls (the stuffing is a ground meat and rice mixture) and a number 8 size iron skillet full of hot buttermilk corn bread.
Happy New Year!!
New Year's Day Meal, Black-eyed Peas, Southern New Year's, Recipes
for Pimento Cheese?
This continues to be one of the greater search topics that brings visitors through South of the Gnat Line - actually at my old, original spot that I am still trying to archive over here. Nevertheless, since the Christmas season lends to the season of hospitality - I'm posting it again here:
Homemade Pimento CheeseI must apologize - but I can only eat homemade pimento cheese. Blame my grandmother, Sara, she made the best and I can only eat this yummy sandwich
spread the way she made it.
And every time I make pimento cheese, I can see her making it and then making me a sandwich (on Colonial bread) in her kitchen ~ just as if it were yesterday.
Sara's Pimento Cheese
1 large jar of Dromendary's sliced pimentos (drained)
1 8 oz. package of EXTRA SHARP cheddar cheese
Mayonaise (my grandmother's homemade mayonaise would be best, then Helman's is next choice)
Seasonings of choice: salt, pepper, garlic salt or even spicy red pepper (these are optional!)
In a large mixing bowl, hand grate [on the largest grating hole] the entire block of cheese. Add the drained pimentos. Add mayonaise, a tablespoon at a time (not the
measuring spoon 'tablespoon' ~ the larger spoon in your silverware drawer) and
mix the cheese, pimentos and mayonaise until you have the mixture balanced with
the amount of mayo you like best.
Done.
Excellent for a stand alone sandwich, used as a garnish for stuffed celery or as an
additional dip.
Enjoy ~
'Tis the season ~
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