Playing catch-up, part 2 (subtitle: "Immersed in chicken-stuff")

Last weekend (18th), the ladies of our neighborhood had our second official brunch. I started the facebook group last fall, and we are up to 94 members! It has been such a great way to get to know others. We had probably 50 people at this most recent brunch. I only took a few photos, and they were of the folks that were there, so allow me to use these pictures of the food instead that one of the other ladies took.

And that's not even half of the food. Imagine 50 ladies all bringing a different dish (or two) - it's impossible to even try it all. So much fun, though.

Recently, an ordinance was passed in my county to allow backyard chickens (hens only). Our brunch Hostess is our first "Legal" chicken owner in our 'hood! Meet Minnie and Mary:



I was very excited when the ordinance passed, as I have been wanting chickens for quite a while. However, I thought it was something I'd have to hold off on until Josh was out of school. I didn't know if I could take it all on myself.... Until Laura mentioned she wanted to share some chickens with someone, but didn't feel her yard was a good place for them. Thus, our co-parenting plan was "hatched". Our plan is to end up with six chickens, but we should have our first two by the end of March!

Our starter coop has arrived (soon to be painted a bright turquoise) and we are immersing ourselves in all things chicken - we have a lot to learn!



I purchased this over the weekend to adorn one of our (eventual) three coops):



I'm very excited! Expect much more chicken babble in the future.

Another thing I am excited about is SPRING. Here's how my little garden plot looked last week (just a little 4x4 in my backyard):



This will be the first year we can harvest our asparagus! I'm really looking forward to that.

I planned to clean it out yesterday, but I got a nasty stomach bug and could barely drag myself off of the couch. I'm also planning to find someone to till up a row behind my garage so I can plant some vine-y things like cucumbers and pumpkins and squashes.

I usually start my garden from plants, not seeds. However, we have a community garden in my 'hood and I am hoping to get at least one plot in it (preferably two), and I will be growing from seed over there. I think the plots are 4x12, so I would have a lot more room than I have at home. As a matter of fact, Laura (my chicken co-mom)took me on a tour of the garden the afternoon of our ladies' brunch, and I was surprised how much was growing in February (though it has been a mild winter).











I've already went and bought some seeds... so far I am most looking forward to planting these babies...



Ok, I think I'm caught up! Hope all is well with everyone in blogland. Any gardening or chicken excitement happening with anyone else?

Gardening with Pablo

Yesterday, Farmer Bleat (AKA Pablo, Pablito, Bleat-Bleat) and I went out to the garden. It's past it's prime (and was pretty neglected this year, I am not going to lie), but I thought our withered peppers with their crinkled leaves still held a certain amount of beauty.



Don't you agree?

Farmer Bleat decided to test them out:



See all that feathery-ferny stuff? That's asparagus. For the first two years you let it grow up like that (only cutting it back around Feb-March) and don't eat it. It makes the root system stronger. Next year we actually get to cut it and eat it!

Pablo was overjoyed that I found one last (unripe) grape tomato hanging out. I only got to pick a few this year because he ate them all. I'm sure I'll grow them again next year just for his enjoyment! I get a kick out of seeing him picking them off the vine himself.

"Please, Ma?"



"THANK YOU!"

Oopsie!

It's been nearly a week since I read blogs or updated mine. I am not doing a very good job of chronicling my life lately!

My mom and Aunt were visiting from Thursday night through Monday morning, so I spent those days cooking, cleaning and playing tour guide. I'm still whooped from all that! Friday we shopped all day, and man, those two can shop! We had lunch at the little restaurant down the street that day. Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market in the morning,  Loveless Cafe  for lunch and then to the Hermitage... and then more shopping. Sunday I made a hearty breakfast and then we went downtown to walk around, stopped in at a Honky Tonk (Legends, my favorite), had lunch at Demos', and then spent a little time just hanging around the house. I made a huge dinner that night. Unfortunately, it was ungodly hot all weekend, and since my stove was working overtime and my husband likes to keep the thermostat at a toasty 78 degrees, it was hotter than Hades both inside and out.

I usually eat fairly light on the weekends, so I felt unusually stuffed between all the home cooking and mid-day eating out.

I was so busy playing hostess, I didn't really take any pictures aside from a few at the Hermitage. Weird that I've lived practically down the street from it most of the years I've lived in Tennessee, but I've never been. No pictures allowed inside, but I did grab a few on the grounds and in the garden.













My mom also brought me/us new vintage looking metal porch furniture for my birthday/our anniversary. We have the two chairs and table put together, we just need to finish the glider. Can't wait to take photos of it to share! I got some cute napkins from World Market that my mom made into outdoor pillows for me to go on them. Just took a little fabric glue, stuffing and scotchguard! I used two patterns, so the big pillows are reversible. Very inexpensive and I will probably make more.

My mom also hung up my new-to-me vintage kitchen curtains from my MIL.



I have valances on this kitchen window facing the backyard and on the back door window, and then panels and a valance on the side window. I need to get some ribbon to tie the panels back with, and then I will share a photo of that.

Here's one last little photo... on the left is a grape tomato from the store, on the right is a grape tomato from my garden... a little bigger than a grape, huh??



I kept noticing my tomatoes disappearing and I have figured out why. Pablo is picking them and using them as little balls to play with outside. That goober!

The fruits (or vegetables) of our labor.

Our garden has just recently started going crazy. Well, on second thought our lettuce got out of control a looooooong way back. And our asparagus (which is only in it's 2nd season so we're letting it grow and not harvesting until next year) is probably taller than me. It's just our peppers and tomatoes that are going crazy now.



In addition to these peppers pictured, there are dozens more growing that just weren't quite ready for the pickin' yet. And my tomatoes... holy cow. I bought one - just ONE - small grape tomato plant. However, the tomatoes on it are not grape sized at all - they're about the size of romas! And the plant has went crazy, spreading out everywhere and wrapping around other plants, like the asparagus. None of them are ripe yet, but it looks like many will be at the same time (I'd say there are at least 20-30 on the plant right now).

If I can get them and my peppers to be ripe at the same time, I think there may be some salsa canning in my future! If not, I found a great recipe for making hot sauce in my favorite canning book, and I may give it a try. I am itching to get canning again!

How does my garden grow? And other stuff.

Tiny little cayenne pepper:



Asparagus:



A couple of grape tomatoes:



Jalapenos:



I'm in full blown entertaining mode right now... This weekend we are having Josh's dad over for Father's day and treating him to some home cooking. I also have a couple of house projects lined up that I'm eager to get cracking on, and next weekend I am hosting a little luncheon for my work girls... more on that later, but I'm really excited about it!

I have not blogged or even logged in to read any blogs since last Friday... that's almost a week. So I am going to try to catch up now! Adios!

Life Lately...

Tiny figs on our fig tree:



Pablo still chewing everything he can fit in his mouth:



Saturday we volunteered on a Garden Tour. We got stationed at a really great house with wonderful owners. They even brought out a fan for us. Even though it was a hot day, we stayed cool and in the shade... And volunteering for 2.5 hours meant our tickets were free!

We saw some really lovely things...

















We're planning how to landscape the front of our house currently, and I think these lovely little purple things would be great along the walkway up to our house...














Life is good. Summer is here. Dreaming of perfect yards and gardens.... zzzzzzz.

Weekend!

Well, Friday we got to go back to our own house! Our electric is fixed, and the insurance adjuster is supposed to come out Wednesday to assess the rest of our damage.

Saturday, we had a big job to do - cleaning out fridge and freezer because all of our food was RUINED. And there was some priceless stuff in there, too - muscadine cider from our honeymoon, etc. Oh, and the TOP OF OUR WEDDING CAKE! We decided to take our chances on that, though... guess we'll find out on September 4th whether or not that was a bad idea.

Anyhow, cleaning out the fridge and itemizing every single thing that was in it doesn't sound too hard until you actually have to do it. Five and a half pages, y'all! I think we had at least 7 kinds of mustard. Then I went and spent $200 at the grocery store, but you'd never know it, the fridge still looks so empty.

Kroger bargains!


After fridge cleaning we got to go to the airport and see LeAnn for a little bit. As (good) luck would have it, she had a layover here in Nashville on her way to Wisconsin. We drank (very overpriced) airport Starbucks Coffee, munched on some "sammiches" and chit chatted for a couple hours. Wonderful to see her, but it's never enough time!





Blurry photo by Starbucks barista of the 3 of us:


Blurry or not, gosh, I married a total babe.




We managed to score some prime cushy airport seating as well!

I'm worrying for my garden. Lettuce likes soil that is a little bit on the drier side, and well... our garden is still pretty drenched from all the rain we had last week. We also lost 3 of 4 Jalapeno plants. I trimmed off the soggy lettuce leaves and I am just hoping all will be ok. Of course, more storms are expected today!  I just shudder to think of having to deal with anymore storm damage (I noticed yesterday that one of our garage windows is cracked from the storm - it was fine before), or a dead garden... and we're getting sattellite TV today, too (the price won my penny-pinching husband over)... I hope we don't lose our signal the first night of having it due to rain!

But anyway, here's how my garden is looking. We haven't used any asparagus, although we can use some of it this year if we want to. I think we're just going to let it go again this time so the root system can get stronger and we'll have even more next spring.



For giggles, here is Julio trying to catch a fly.


Hope you had a happy weekend!