Peek of the day (with 5 photos)

Fernie is still recovering as you can see in this picture and Chia has lost some of her excess weight. Both of which need their Fall season bath. The baby 'scovies are just as big as their mommy (Bonnie). She would be the white 'scovy with the red "mask" mid center of the bunch. The date has been set for November 4 (a monday) for freezer camp. Have not decided which female to keep of the babies since I may keep a khaki and a white. The khaki's are so pretty and catche my eye each time I visit them.Lots of flowers still blooming in the garden. The tomatoes still have flowers along with more nice sized green fruit. I see another batch of chutney coming up soon! This weather has been so nice, I really have no complaints. The Morning Glory wall has become so overgrown, I think next year I will make a 3 wall area with a bench by the garden. The open side will face South with a slight turn east for the perfect spray of sun. Wherever we are, I will garden, so the plans will just be tweaked some if we are moved.
Zinnia's still providing bouquets. And this last picture has me all hyped up. As I went through picking out books from the library, there was a book about decorating with candles I spotted. I began to put it back on the shelf, but then just put it in my bag. And I am SO VERY glad I did. Turning through the beautiful pages showing various rooms with candles glowing, this one stopped me.- click on it for a larger look- A rooftop Gazebo! It adds such a look of luxury, but yet its simply a gazebo on the roof top and not in the yard. What character it would give to the addition. I really like this idea. What a great place to eat meals together (of course in decent weather) and share holiday dinners with family and friends. Just bring out an outdoor space heater for chilly nights.
I see a GREAT Yoga/meditation spot! Looking out over your animals and gardens, Feeling the peace and quiet of the country and woods around you. I love it!
I'll be back soon with pictures and a review of our trip to the Country Living Fair. Have a great weekend!
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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I do believe I have become "obsessed"

I have driven by this house twice today. After dropping lil' Man off at preschool and after picking Panda up from school. Not going out of the way- well maybe the second trip- but I just cant stop thinking about it. Hope the neighbors have not noticed- or worse- think I'm some weird day stalker...
So in the spirit of my crazy ways of late, here are a few more pictures..... from today....

Here is the only visible house front shot. Not very good but you get the jest of it. One of the greatest things of this home's setting is - no neighbors are viewable!
This is the side of the house where there is a drive that goes back to the barn. I LOVE weeping willows. This property has some very beautiful weeping willows . All the thick brush on the right goes about 10 feet towards the neighbors. Can't see through it at all.
This is the other side of the house, a similar shot to the last post. This one shows it from me standing at the road edge. The property goes back into those woods a good distance. The pine trees on the right are the house side and, if you look just past, you will see one of the apple trees. The apple tree is hiding the barn. and that would be the neighbors driveway on the left of the picture. They are set far back and would not have visibility of the house.
sigh.... Monday will not be soon enough.
Sweetest dreams,
~Tammie

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(Revised)~My arm and the update on that homestead

I had a few tests for my arm problem today. Turns out I have sever carpal tunnel in my right arm with muscle damage and a case of carpal tunnel in my left. Test will take 3 days to get to my doctor and it seems the right arm will need surgery and the left will just get therapy/night brace.
Who knew. I just thought it was something minor. No biggee. But since i do have a high tolerance to pain, I have done further damage by ignoring the problem, thinking it would go away.
On another note, we have spied a home we are looking into as an investment. It is an older cape cod style with a huge horse barn (with electric and water), a pond, and sits on 7 acres. The home is surrounded by farms, & fields. It is a smaller home then here. Just under 1,000 sq ft but it is set up so an extension can be added on to the back for a master bedroom suite. The price is right and now I just need to investigate it some more to be sure it would be the deal we want.
**UPDATE***
Spoke with the listing agent and found out the daughter is living in the home and it is becoming to much for her to upkeep- which is why she is selling it. After many questions I found out some very interesting facts. The parents raised all their own meat, Fruit and veggies with this property. This is where they raised their children and lived out their days in this world. It is 230 feet frontage going back 1324 feet (giving 7 acres). In the horse barn is- get this- A WALK IN COOLER! The son is storing his motorcycle in it now since they are not raising animals for meat & farming the property. It will need a new roof on house & barn- From the drive-by the barn appeared newer but after stopping to get these pics, I got a much better view.Here is a side shot showing some of the open area where we would put some of the dexter cows and poultry housing.The left area would need cleaned up but somewhere in that tree area is the pond. (I was in a ditch since I was afraid to just wander someones property.) We would cut down about 5o feet back of the trees for firewood and fence posts. This would open up more area for the cattle and leave more flat space for the gardens/hay crop.
This is one end of the barn:Yes, I know it is covered in vines. The realtor said on the inside it is not as bad as you would think when seeing the above. It does need a little work but nothing simple carpentry and a new roof couldn't handle. (so she says). But I still like it.
And this is showing some of the house back:
There are beautiful and maintained apple trees dotted throughout and i do believe i saw grapevines! What kind, I do not know.
We have set up our walk through for next monday. It is killing me to wait a whole week. I have no patience for this stuff. It already meets most (80%) of our criteria except being a smaller home with average work to be done. BUT at that price we could not touch 7 acres in the area with a livable home of any size bigger. Besides, it is only 243 sq feet smaller then what we have now. Just take off one smaller bedroom and there you go. And the older kids already share a room with bunk beds. What's a few more years? They would get the master bedroom (21ft X 12ft) which is bigger then the room I share with The Captain now.
It may work out after all. The hopes are if we put in a bid, she would be willing to wait it out till our home sells. The hope is if we explain we want the property to use as it always has been- A homestead. No dividing it up for condos or destroying the beauty her parents worked so hard on. Updates and moderning will need to be done, but it will remain as is. We are looking at an extension to the back for a master bedroom suite later on. I plan to do more inspecting and noising around on this one. I LOVE IT!
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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middle name game

Here are the rules: You have to post these rules on your blog. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you do not have a middle name, choose one you would like to have. When tagged, write your own blog post containing your middle name facts. At the end, choose one person to tag for each letter of your middle name. Then leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged.

Of course today catches me in a rather sad mood and it comes through with my writings. It's not like you have to read it :) .

S~ for Soleil - my middle name. I changed not only my last name, but my middle name when I married my husband. I would have changed my first name but decided it may get too confusing for those who we are friends with. I did it to erase any "ownership" and memories with the people who gave birth to me. (don't get me started on those pathetic & poor examples of parents!) The sound of my old middle name made me cringe when hearing it. Once upon a time I liked it, but soon it became very "hickish" sounding. I chose Soleil for its meaning in french "sun". The sun comes up and starts a new day, giving and nurturing life. A new beginning. My husband and children gave me the Sun and moon. They gave me love as I have never had. It is also Frog's middle name and Panda's is also a sky related middle name.
So in marrying my husband, I start a new beginning, a new and better life. Does this make any sense to anyone else?
anyway...
O~this is a hard one...Ocean. I use to live by the Ocean for most of my life. In fact, I lived just 50 feet from it for 6 months in Pompano beach. Wonderful memories from the years I lived in that city. Once a storm caused a group of sea cows -aka- Manatees to come within 20 feet of the shore. I had my snorkel and fins with me so I swam out and observed them underwater. Their size is breathtaking. I reached out and touched one as it swam by with its baby. They just hung out with in 5 feet of me, not minding my presence. It was getting darker so I swam back to shore and continued to watch them from our balcony till they were gone. It is a memory I hope to still remember in my old age.

L~Luna. Panda use to watch Bear in the big blue house.
At the end, Bear would climb to his attic and sing with the moon "luna" a goodbye song . So it became a ritual with her that we say goodnight to luna, like Bear, before tucking her in for the night. That show began my search for more in the way of Pagans. I know it sounds odd to some, but something about singing to the moon awoke my "Paganistic" curiosity which was always there, but never explored. Luna woke my feelings of Nature spirituality and the Path to now was opened. All because of a child's t.v show song. Panda was the one who taught me what it is to be a mother and my life truly began when I had her.

E~ Evening. There is something about the evening in Spring, Summer and Fall that seem so magical, even as an adult. I could stay out all night watching the bats flying close, the bonfire crackling, and the lightning bugs twinkling their signals. Sitting out in the evening with my family is one of the highlights of our "comfortable weather" times.

I~ "I" feel lonely & dream alot. Moving to Ohio may have been the right path at the time, but I feel I got off track and need to catch up. I can feel this is not where I am meant to stay in life. "I" just want a medium large cottage home with chickens, muscovies, a Dexter cow, maybe a sow, too. Nothing too large. at least 5 acres with plenty of room away from the neighbors to keep the gossip down. After all, sitting under the full moon naked may not make the best impression. So "I" have a dream and it is for what most want. A peaceful, happy life with true friends.

L~ we're back here again huh... Laughter. I desire a home filled with joyful laughter. People centered around the heart of my home ~ the kitchen~ and enjoying life together. Laughter is like a song to me. Your own song of happiness. (corny ay?) It is a song of happiness and it does not matter if its out of key. It will still make you smile.

So there you go. The name game. I do not want to make anyone do it, but feel free to join in if your feeling froggy. Just leave me a comment when you have yours up so I can peer into your life too. (I'm laughing here...) So go on already. Start brainstorming what the letters in your middle name have to do with anything in your life.
Sweeter dreams,
~Tammie

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Pimped out wagon ~Unusual Farmchick style!

While I let the wagon dry from its final rinse from paint remover, I painted one of my garden/market baskets in the same color. First using a wire bristled brush, I scrubbed the surface down to rid any rust spots and debris.I taped off the wooden handles which later on were sprayed with a clear finish coating when I sprayed the basket too. I love the way it looks! Not to mention this prevents any more rust from forming and last for many more years of garden harvests.
The wagon is done!I'm not 100% happy with its outcome but I still like it. The wagon looks rather small in the picture, but I assure you it is not. The above basket fits in one end leaving plenty of room for any bags of items we pick up at the end of the month. (at the country living fair!) can you tell from my incessant talk of it, we are rather giddy and can't wait? All thats left is either a bag matching Panda's apron or a basket liner for the above. I can't decide...

And such an unusual wagon needs to leave a good impression so :
(Bye Chickee!)
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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another wagon,tractor boy,and moon flowers success!

This wagon was given to the kids from our neighbor who lives behind us. Tractor Boy's dad. (I really love that neighbor. Gonna miss them when were gone.)I have begun scrubbing rust off with a wire bristle brush and stripping paint with a citrus stripper. It is really looking good now. We are going to spray it all black then put strips of tape in lines to make a pattern and the word "BYE" in cursive on the back tail end with cut out tape. Next, spray over all of it with a pretty "spa blue" by Rust Oleum with a top coating of clear finish. This will give it a diagonal pattern like a simple plaid . We will be taking this wagon with us when we do our Mother~Daughter trip to the Country Living Fair the weekend of the 28th. We will also finish one of our wire market baskets in the same blue to sit in the wagon and hold our produce we plan to purchase. A bag in the same material as Panda's apron is also in the works.
This wagon was Tractor boy's when he was little. He is not so little anymore and is old enough to drive his dad around. He was just a little older then Panda is now when we moved in here. He has shot up taller then me and I recently noticed stubble on his chin. So of course I picked on him about it....I Love that kid. Lil Man is a regular at their house. Of course it always involves a few rides on this:

And Tractor boy never complains. He enjoys riding the kids around. I look at it as a "big brother" for Lil' Man who lives in a house full of females. At least he is learning how to drive all those tractors. Tractor boy's dad has taught my son well on the no longer used lawn tractors. Of course now they have added a bigger, bulkier, and better tractor from 1950 something. He prefers it over the one above and they even got a cultivator with it this time for digging up dirt hills around the garage. Hmmm. I may just get those garlic bulbs planted after all... (singing.....) Oh tractor boy.......
I was becoming very upset over our moon flowers. They had yet to bloom, that is till yesterday morning!I was so excited. Lil' man was the one who informed daddy "mommy has to plant these, so put them in the cart daddy". I have never seen them in the store before and have no idea how Lil Man even knew I had been searching all the local nurseries and seed supplies for them. But I finally got some seeds thanks to my baby boy. This is the only vine out of the 5 seeds planted which has flowered. The others show no sign of doing so. Of course the bloom was accidentally plucked leaving its predecessors up to the job of providing more seeds. A few more look like they will fill its shoes soon and if this weather holds out for a few more weeks, i may get my wish.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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Sneak peek at Panda's scarecrow...

Ummm. Yeah. About the white couch in a home with small kids... They ruined our expensive set so I bought this nice yet old one from the 50's or 60's era for $30 at the thrift store. Cheaper then couch covers and nicer too.
Our little Panda has been embroidering( top stitching) her Owl's face all afternoon. She is not real quick at sewing yet. Kinda fun helping her while she sits on my lap using my machine. She has a hard time with the pedal speed on my newer machine. It is more touchy then my previous one. Other then a guiding a hand and small suggestions, she has done it all. As I write, she is sitting on the couch watching "Drake and Josh" while she does the above. One of those moments that make you go wo... she is not so little anymore. Other then the occasional door slam ( which I ignore), she is such a well behaved kid. A delicate flower with her mothers temper... Bad combination. Makes for some cute tantrums though.

Her goal was to have the face done by tonight and finish up the rest next weekend. Entries have to be in by the 1st and scarecrow's dropped off at the Historical society/town hall on the 14th. They are asking residents to come in and "vote" on the scarecrows. Guess I best let everyone know she is participating and ask for them to go go and participate in the voting.
I sure hope she at least places in the top 3. It would be a great boost to her sewing ego and hopefully makes her aware of how her hard work paid off.
I'm dicing up green tomatoes for some of my yummy chutney. It got down to 39 degrees F last night, so you know what that means.. Aall the leftover veggies need picked and processed into chutney's this week.(and some fried green tomatoes southern style!)
We also harvested 11 sugar pie pumpkins from just 6 plants. 3 of which were in lil man's garden arena by the lettuce bed. He buried them in heavy clay soil, yet they gave us 3 small decent pumpkins. The rest were from the family garden.
I did notice this years tomato garden produced way less then any other year yet the foliage was beautiful and big. In fact, it is still pumping out pumpkin & tomato flowers. Too much nitrogen maybe? What can I mix in to decompose over the winter to balance it out? I thought adding that compost earlier in the year would help, but now I am thinking I may have caused an imbalance of some sort..
Those green tomatoes will ripen if I keep putting off finishing the batch. There are just so many that are small like a grape. A real pain to cut so many in half .
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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Where do I begin and how do I end it?

The day started out very peaceful. Fall crisp air set the mood for apple season. Lil man was off with his Grandpa for the day so we took the girls for an afternoon of apple picking. We picked just 1 bunch which consisted of Gala and Empire varieties.


Frog was bit by the eye which has caused the swelling you see on her face..
Panda loving on "Courtney LOve" formerly known as "Mrs. Frizzle"

After coming home to check on animals and pick the remaining tomatoes in the garden, our family has experienced another tragedy. Willow was run over less then 10 feet away from me, crushing her back end. Where do I begin and how do I end it? So many of us are experiencing animal loss at this time. It crushes you to see the misery in their eyes and the comfort they seek in your arms is heart breaking. She would not let anyone but me touch her. My whispers and arms were the comfort she seeked. To see her calling out to me and trying to get to me will forever be ingrained in my mind. I am a mother not just to my children, but to the animals in many ways. To see them in pain crushes you. Yes, we eat what we raise and it is easier to disconnect emotions for them. Kinda like when you have a favorite family milk cow and a hunter shoots her before your eyes. It is not the same as death to feed your family.Senseless and unintentional death We are unprepared for that which is what hurts.
I too just want to give up and call it quits having animals.I think of it often but refuse to give in. If we give up every time something happens, we would never be stronger or wiser. I find I am more calm these days when tragedies happen and only break down when no one is around. It was purely an accident on all parties involved. A freak accident. I will not go into it but wanted to make it clear this was not a careless driver zipping down our road, but a cautious 5 MPH one.
The Captain knew what had to be done. She will be put next to our dearly missed Dawg.
I am really missing him lately. He keeps popping in my dreams like he never left. Now Willow will be running at his side.
Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

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Panda & I roadtrip plans and a realtor who showed

Panda and I have been discussing a road trip. Just her and I. What better way to do it this year, then to attend the Country living Fair in Morrow Ohio. It's not a short drive, but too long either. We have our room booked and bags already half packed. Jeans are the big wardrobe must, but depending on weather, we are waiting to see if it is long sleeve or short sleeves to pack. Of course, panda is bringing along her apron I made. You may recognize the fabric. It is from the dress I am wearing in my site profile picture. I LOVED that dress. Apparently, I have lost even more "width" to my body and the dress became too big. So bad in fact, I was falling out of it- And not in the portion I wish I were. I have lost every pound from all 3 pregnancies and now am working on the firming it up. ( I got up to almost 200 pounds with each pregnancy and lost all but 4 pounds by their 6 month milestone, which I owe to nursing and keeping active. And - No stretch marks! But I did not escape without the loose skin.)
Anyway, The dress sat so sadly in the closet, begging for use and more then just my occasional trying it on, thinking of how to make it fit. So I made a simple apron for Panda with her intials embroidered on the lower side in pink. Of course more fabric is left which will be used to make an apron and bag for Frog this fall.
The Farm chicks will be at the country Living fair, along with many other vendors.Check out the link above for the event details. I MUST get a pink tractor bumper sticker. 3 in fact. you know. Just in case I get a new car next Spring (hint hint Captain- a new 2008 Hybrid Saturn Vue please?! ) and the other for my fridge. Oh-And a t-shirt....
Of course, a picture with the original "Farm Chicks" would be nice to sport the fridge front.
We will not get to stay the entire weekend, but 1 night is fine with us. We do not get much Mother daughter time these days. So this is our beginning to an annual tradition for the 2 of us which later on will include Frog.
We finally have papers signed and a sign out front. This is with a realtor who stopped by earlier in the summer. I liked her personality and kept her card. But of course, as with many things in a house with little ones... it was lost. Most likely chewed by Frog or torn up for confetti by Lil' man. After a very long and frustrating search for her, I kept calling and harassing them till I got a name and the company she went to.( I HATE century 21! VERY unprofessional managers and agents around here which is why I had to resort to such behavior. They are also the brokers we bought this house through.)
So happy days. Realtor found, papers signed and a sign in the yard to complete it. Now, if we could only find property to coordinate with the timing of this place selling. Now that would be nice.
I am rambling tonight.My shoulder and elbow are killing me. I had some left over pain meds from my foot vs. fencing incident Back in January. That stuff affects me in the weirdest ways. Maybe being shoved into the Barn wall at a friends or from an injury originating in my hand from Buddy (The D*** goat) caused all this.I do not know but hopefully the doctor next week will. Hopefully some testing gets done soon and it goes away even quicker.

So...Anybody else attending the country living fair? Bringing anyone special to share in the fun?
Have any vendors you are looking forward too?
I am looking forward to visiting the farm stand vendors who will be selling their heirloom veggies. Is it too late to save seeds from any I buy next weekend?
Another excuse to play on the computer in the sake of knowledge...
Sweetest dreams,
~Tammie

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Another "man in tree"

We spotted a new one. Who is this carver of trees? What inspires their art? This one is different in the use of a green stain/paint on leaves above his head. I wonder if it is the same person who has carved all the ones we have spotted in our adventures. Is it a woman or man? Do they randomly pick the tree locations or are they sought upon by the owners?A bonus to tree cutting. Maybe I will stop one day and ask who the person is. Although not knowing makes it have such a magical quality to it. Do i dare interrupt the flow of "aww-ness" they give when found? Maybe I am making more of it then I should. I just see them as a treasure. kinda like when you walk through park trails and someone has formed art with stacking rocks or sculpture with limbs and sticks. It stops you in your tracks and makes your mind stop and think. appreciating the work one has put into it.
If you are new to my Blog WELCOME! Here are a few links to the other mentioned "Man in tree's" to bring you up to speed. Man in tree #1 find
and Man in tree #2 find
I have seen Indians, bears, eagles plus many others. Pretty, but just does not "hold me" but like The Old Man in the tree stops me. I really LOVE finding them. Such treasures. Which is why I share them with you. The one above is actually in the front yard of a home the captain and I were looking at to buy 6 years ago. It did not have much yard to it, but the inside was very nice.
Anyway, obviously there was no apple picking this last weekend and another Realtor was a no show- AND it was his second chance. It's not like we own a shack. We have one of the bigger homes/properties on our street, plus have had realtors asking us to let them list our home. But the ones we call never show.SCHMUCKs! I really cannot stand sales people. Now Realtors are on my list of the most pain in the A** people I have ever dealt with. Good thing I only have road rage... sometimes.
Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

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A small town Fall contest for the kids

We do not live in the same township as my inlaws or where Panda attends school. We do open enrollment so Panda can go to an Excellent rated school and attend the same one Granpa has worked at since the 70's. Plus her daddy attended school there for his entire grade school education before attending Akron University.
We participate in alot of the township events and are/were members of the township's Jaycee's before The Captain's job made it impossible to attend meetings. During the annual town fest, I stopped by a booth to view some old pictures of the township and was handed a paper with upcoming events. The historical society is holding a fun contest for the local business/organizations/families to participate in for the fall.Best Scarecrow!
The children have a separate category split into age groups. Panda is overjoyed not just for the chance to get a savings bond, but to participate.
So we sat down last night and discussed what she would like to make. I tried to deter her from the average joe scarecrow of flannel shirt and jeans which she met with much enthusiasm. This is the sketch we came up with for her project:
It is to look like an owl's face/ears- not a cat as my drawing may lead the viewer to think. I consider my skill of drawing to be very elementary, but you get the idea. The rules are no taller then 4 feet and no wider then 3 feet. It cannot weigh more then 20 pounds.
Panda has peacock feathers from our visit at Mr. Whites last year, so one of the smaller ones will go on the side of it's "witch" hat. There will be hand torn muslin strips hanging from its brown and cream plaid wings plus a pair of old pants found in the outgrown bag will adorn it's bottom half. The face will be made with medium brown colored fabric to match the brown in its wings. Panda will embroider its eyes & beak plus doing all the sewing and other work done.
I will just be the supervisor guiding her and lending hand when 2 more are needed. This is her project and I am a firm believer in parents NOT doing work for a child's contest. Guide your child but they should be the ones doing the work. I have decided that the hat will need to be made by me since we cannot purchase one in brown. We can only find black and I am not paying $20 for one because it does not have the cheap look. Panda understands and agrees, a black hat with brown and creams being the color theme would not look right. We are using fabric that we have on hand, so it will not cost anything to make. Besides, the fabric pile needs cut down before I bring anymore in.
A visit to the library has fueled my creativity once again- which has been lacking badly this past summer. Found some very cool/easy projects I hope to accomplish before it's too cold. A wooden garden obelisk, a wood plank hammock swing, and a wren house using half of a coffee can are just a few.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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Mosquito clouds, Poultry run and ramblings

We have been hidden away in the house. Not to dare step out in the fear of more red itchy bumps will appear just from walking to the car. It has become a big problem all over the area and the township has yet to spray. They were suppose to last Thursday. We slept with windows open that night and I am a very light sleeper. Its so bad that I can hear when the kid next door tries to sneak in & out of his house. My kids will be very disappointed with my great stealth like skill. No one escapes my watch. But just in case ~we are looking for a new gun. You know. Just to clean as the boys come to visit...
We have bathed in Deep woods off just to get the animals fed and pens raked and get the mail. All in one trip of course, just to avoid opening the door in fear of those blood thirsty beasts getting in.
Last weekend we picked up some plastic garden netting to cover the inside of the poultry run. Those ducks hover on the walk way next to the back door and the Delaware hens like to eerily sit in a row on the table . Staring in the door like crows on a fence. Creeps the Captain out.
So problem solved. They have a section of the goat cabin where the only way in or out is the small hinge door inside their newly un-escapable run. Or so we thought....notice muscovy "teen" ducks on the WRONG side of the fence and it took 3 shots trying not to move despite the mosquito's on my wrist...

Just how are these guys getting out? They do not have their flight feathers yet and every corner, crevice, and back has been inspected. Tomorrow I will sit in the mud room as the sun rises, coffee clutched in hand waiting for those pesky ducks to make their move. I'll catch em in the act and then destroy their secret club! That will teach them. Or at least relieve some of my pent up aggression...
Just 1 more month before the 1st batch go to camp. Relief I so seek from all the nasty poo and teenage escapes.
It is hard to enjoy the end of summer in the house. Gas has gone up to $3.09 a gallon. Even trips to the park are not possible. So here we are. Stuck in the house while the sun is shining and teasing us through the window. Boredom, snappiness, aggression. Yep its all here in the Unusual farmchick's house. And its not just from the kids.
This is from one of the Turken eggs Bonnie hatched out last June.

Not sure if it is a He or She yet. Not sure if it is pure Turken or if it is half Captain feather sword- he is half silkie/half Japanese bantam. I am really leaning towards it being his. Notice the white grey feathers without webbing just under the wing tip? This would make this bird only 1/4 silkie 1/4 Japanese bantam and 1/2 turken. Not sure about the other one but it does not show the un webbed feathers. At least not yet. Not very smart bird by the way. But of course Mrs. Turken is not the sharpest in the shed by any means.
So until the vampires are gone and gas prices lighten up, there will not be much going on here. Well, I take that back. We are planning a trip to pick apples this weekend. Gala's are in! Love those in our apple pies. And I need to make more blueberry applesauce for panda's lunches.
I think i will try freezing slices for winter baking this year. Or should i just freeze them as ready to go pies.Just pop in the oven while we eat dinner so Dessert is ready without major effort...hmmm.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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Cannelini soup, trails and creek beds* many pics

I have a deep enjoyment for the Cannelini bean, which is also referred to as a white kidney bean. out of all soup beans, this is the ultimate favorite in my cooking. I think it stems back to when I lived in Pompano beach Florida and worked in a small Italian restaurant. I would waitress lunch hours and a benefit was free lunch. The cook was an Italian American who indulged me with lessons in Italian cooking during down time. I would stand next to him, watching as he prepared dish after dish.Inhaling the aroma's coming from the pans and pizza oven which filled the air and wafted out the door to passerby's.
After time and on occasion, he would encourage me to make the lunch dishes as he supervised. This is where most of my cooking skill roots from. A thick Italian Man in his late 50's, sporting a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard -with Patience of a Saint but a temper of a true New yorker Italian on a bad day. Each time I make foccacia I think of that little kitchen. With each Pizza that I top with thin slices of roma tomatoes, fresh broccoli, spinach and white cheeses or with each addition of Cannelini beans to the many dishes I prepare- I picture him smiling as he stood by watching his "student".
The days are cooling down and the mood for soups have taken over. Mid week recalling my lessons of earlier days, I made a pot of soup so thick with flavor and fresh vegetables, I am sure my Italian mentor would be proud. I sauteed sliced sweet Italian sausages in olive oil. adding diced mix of red and yellow onion, minced garlic, fresh celery and carrots. Stirring often and lifting the lid to smell the sweet scent coming from the stock pot. After a full half hour of letting all the ingredients mingle into each other and vegetables to soften, I added 1 can chicken broth 1 can cannelini beans drained and 2 cans cannelini beans with their juices into the pot. Stirring well as I added 1 can's worth of water. I let this simmer over medium heat for at another half hour before adding sliced fresh kale and greens. I mixed them in being sure they were covered with the soups juices and let continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes before serving. After adding the broth and beans, I am preparing and baking the foccacia bread. I drizzle olive oil first then top ours with sliced red onion, chopped rosemary, Kosher salt, and thin slices of small tomatoes before placing in the oven. It was a perfect dinner for a fall like evening.
Yesterday we ventured out to check signs of the coming Fall in the local metro parks. This adventure took us to Furnace run in Richfield Ohio. we did see maple leaves on the trails which have turned a beautiful orange and yellow but just a few. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a big buck who had 2 does and 2 fawns grazing along the trails just 30 feet from us. They did not seem bothered by the noise of an Interstate just beyond the trees behind us and seemed relaxed and calm despite frog making noises. We walked both 1 mile trails, exploring and collecting rocks for an upcoming project when we came across a wide stone creek bed. We spent 1 1/2 hours playing and searching amongst its waters while frog napped contently in her wagon. We found some of the most amazing rocks which, if you are a believer in signs, you would understand their meaning- this was a day full of them to me- which started with the most perfect smiley face formed in my morning coffee- which I add creamer to. But the pictures below may speak for themselves:
A small portion of the creek bed
A small amount of the rocks we are collecting for a future projectA lesson in geology- 2 tone rocks-1 with red center showing through heart shape and 1 with tan color showing through tear drop shape
At the end of a hike, water colors and markers come out to capture a favorite moment of the dayOf course lush grass calls for some "Ring around the Rosie"I'm off to inspect the Lazy man potato beds and the bad behaved unripe tomatoes. School starts for panda this week and preschool for Lil' Man. (Yippee!) So Frog and I will have to learn to entertain ourselves soon.
Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie

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