Weather Report:
We are so very happy to report that since last week, we have registered 1 3/4" of rain!!! Rarely do we end up being in the center of a rain cell. Apparently, it has a lot to do with our location. As the crow flies, we are due west of the northern point of Gull Lake. And if I am to understand it correctly, weather systems split, right there. So, often it is pouring literally a mile to the north of us or a mile to the south. The closest town is 8 miles away, about 10 km, and they can be getting the rain of the decade, and, we'll get nothing. Same thing for the opposite direction. They are getting hammered. And, we get nothing. So when it does rain, we dance the happy dance and relish in each beautiful drop. And our beautiful water catchment barrels fill to capacity. I do love a good storm!
Jupiter Rising:
Did you get a chance to see Jupiter this week? Now that Papa has a smart phone, he does what every other old guy does, check the weather. A lot. I don't know what it is about old guys and the need to check the weather, but they sure do like to check it. A lot! Anyways, on the Weather Network, they have lots of trivia and current events. A recent post shared that Jupiter and its 4 moons were going to be visible for several days this past week. We looked one evening, and saw a very bright spot in the SE sky. We checked it out with the binoculars and sure enough, it was much brighter than the average star. So, we put the telescope out on the upper deck and dialed into the bright spot. Wow! Totally Cool! We got to see the planet And all 4 moons! We checked it again the next night and got a better view of the planet, but only 3 of the moons. Wednesday night was supposed to be the brightest, but we had cloud cover and couldn't see anything. I am truly impressed.
Antique Mall Creations:
We have busy finishing up items that we are going to bring to our booth at The Tin Chicken Antique Mall and Mercantile. We are having lots of fun just creating. Recently Papa got an order for "ready to paint" wooden stakes for a Mother's Day craft with a local day home group. These were so well received that he thought he would make up more to take to the mall. Our grand kids, among other visitors, simply LOVE to paint bird houses and these stakes when they come over. It is a lovely way to pass time while you get a good visit in. Even those who swear they can't paint a thing, will often paint more than one, for the sheer joy of it when they discover that they actually Can Paint! With that, he thought others would enjoy painting them as well. OMGosh! Is his display box absolutely adorable! It will be stocked with ready to paint stakes in various shapes and styles that we will change with the seasons. Too Cute!
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| Paint a Stake display box, ready to be stocked with ready to paint stakes |
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| Samples with the first coat of color |
Besides painting, I have been making a few more sewn items for the mall. I wanted to do some vintage style half aprons but couldn't find a pattern anywhere. I came across a similar design to what I wanted in a vintage advertisement. I really liked the concept and decided to attempt recreating it. The apron in the ad had a bow on the front. I took it that it must have had extra long ties, so I thought I would give it a try. I absolutely Loved the first one - made with Betty Boop fabric and I was off to the races. It was sew cute that I needed to make another, and another and another! I have a feeling that I will be making more of these as I discover more fabric that they would look good in. These too will be available at the Tin Chicken.
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| One of several Vintage Style half Aprons |
Garden Update:
The asparagus is pretty much done, but we are still managing a few spears every few days. It has been a great season for it! We just munched away and enjoyed it as it came. I was considering preserving some of it, but we simply couldn't stop eating it! That's okay, too!
Currently the rhubarb is doing well after that amazing rain. Up until that point, it wasn't looking like we were going to get anything this year. It had already started to bolt, but since the rain, it plumped right up and we were able to get a great first cutting off it. We use it mostly in baking - crumbles, pies, muffins and cakes, but if I get what I want into the freezer, I will certainly do some preserving with anything extra. I saw a recipe for a syrup that you mix with 7-Up for a tasty and refreshing drink. Might have to give it a try!
Bee Activities:
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| First picking of Rhubarb . . . |
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| . . . Netted 3 large Ziploc bags full |
Bee Activities:
The bees have been doing their job. Alex was out to give them their 2 week check up. They all appear to be thriving and busily working away. He even harvested some honey for us to try. I am the first to admit that I am NOT a honey fan. I have tried it many times in my lifetime and have always had an experience where the aftertaste really puts me off. It catches at the back of my throat and just doesn't appeal to me. I fully understand the health benefits of honey, but when you can't stand the taste of it, it is hard to get past that. Well. That was then. I cannot believe that I am actually saying this, but I LOVE this honey! When I questioned as to Why it doesn't have that overpowering "honey" taste, he thinks it may have lots to do with where they are collecting their pollen from. Since none of our land is sprayed for pests or weeds, this may also play a factor in it. Who Knew?
Hummer Sightings:
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| The Littlest Bee Keeper |
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| Checking the frames |
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| Harvesting some honey after only 2 weeks! |
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| Sharing the harvest between 2 jars |
We have had so many hummingbirds at our property this year so far. I have 4 feeders out. Three are in the front of the house and one at the back. I am shocked at how much nectar they are going thru! I guess it only makes sense since the blooms have been so late this year. The feeders might be their main source of sustenance at this time. Hopefully they stick around. We just love watching them!
Pea Soup Perils:
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| Bellying up for a good feed |
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| This little one enjoying a snack |
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| Perched on top for a few seconds rest before flitting off again! |
I did some pressure canning this past week as well. We had a ham for supper one night and there was a lovely, big bone to simmer for broth. I love French Canadian Pea Soup and figured that if I just put the raw ingredients into quart sealers, then pressure can them, I should have a similar product to Habitant Pea Soup. Yum! Experiment to proceed.
Apparently, 1 cup of dried split peas is a bit too much to add to a quart sealer. I layered in my peas, diced carrots, diced onions, some ham, an 1/8th tsp of ground thyme and topped up the jar with the ham stock. Proceeded to process it for 90 minutes at 12 lbs pressure. It smelled divine! And then I opened the pressure canner. Most of my liquid had evacuated and I was left with a hard packed pea blob in the bottom 2/3 of the jar. Sigh. They did all seal, so I figured they would be safe to consume. They would just need to be seriously re-hydrated.
So, for lunch the next day, I popped open a jar - and it did pop, so it was safe to proceed. I added about a pint of water and some salt and pepper to the pea blob in the pot. I then heated it through and had a taste. Wow! It tasted like it had been simmered for hours and hours! Amazing Flavor!
After lunch, I consulted a few resources to see what may have happened. Apparently, everything was fine until I added the full cup of the peas. That amount if perfect for dried beans. Not so much for dried peas. For a quart jar, I needed to add only 2/3 cup of the dried peas. Apparently adding more can cause a bit of an explosion as the peas need room to grow. We will be consuming this batch rather quickly though and I do have the remaining jars in the fridge, for safe keeping. Lesson learned, but I can't wait to try it again with the correct amount of peas this time1
Water Woes:
We also had our water treatment system upgraded this past week. We are on well water, so it is recommended to have it tested periodically. It had been several years since we last had it done. I figured we were probably due for a check. Our report came back a little high in one heavy metal, other than the high Iron we are currently treating. Nothing to really be concerned about, but we figured better to be safe than sorry. On Wednesday we had our iron system upgraded to one that uses compressed air instead of a chemical as well as had a Reverse Osmosis system put in. It will take a while to get used to the RO water since our well water tasted so fabulous, but now we know our water is completely safe to consume without worry. And it will be wonderful to not have to purchase any more chemical iron treatment, as this new system doesn't require anything added to it. Win, win.
I guess that is about all I know for this week. We have a busy weekend coming up with friends and family.
Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dad's, Daddy's, Pop's, Papa's, Father's, Uncles and so on out there. Thank you all for doing what you do.
Regards,
Gremlynn
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