Spring and Earth Hour

It looks like Spring out there, smells like Spring but sure doesn't feel like Spring these days. We've been in some sort of cold spell since late last week. The forecast for the next few days is for higher temps; yes please. Nope, this is not a beaver's den. It's the pile of twigs getting bigger and bigger by the day. I've mentioned here before that I love ''pick-up stix'' after the snow has melted and we sure have been picking many, many, twigs lately. If ever this wind can calm down we'll make a fire in the pit.

When we got home from work, Dave and I changed in our yard-working clothes and headed outside to keep an eye on the chickens. We've been letting them free-range but we stay outside with them.

Saturday evening at 8:30 pm it was lights out in this household to celebrate Earth Hour 2011. I was home alone so I sat on my Zafu pillow and meditated for the hour.

Snow storm in the forecast for Saturday !

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Cookies

Tonight's baking...

Happy Spring

What a gorgeous sunny weekend we had; still on the cool side but beautiful. To celebrate the first day of Spring we let the chickens roam around outside their run... for the first time ever !!! they had fun and did'nt want to come back in. I had to run around and catch them one by one.

Frenchy's, herb rack and the Market

About a month ago I mentioned to Dave that a cool gift to have for Christmas next year would be a label maker so he took note of that. With only a few minutes to spare on my lunch break one day this week, I stopped in at Frenchy's and guess what I found...

... well, a labeller of course ! for $2.95 and it works. We bought a new printing ribbon and just like the ink cartridges for a printer, it costs half of what a brand new label machine would cost. I am so happy to have labels on my herb, spice, cosmetic bottles.

Speaking of herbs, here is my new herb drying rack in our newly painted kitchen. It's an antique wooden leaf-rake we found years ago at an antique store. The handle rotted off seeing that it's been laying in a wood pile outside for all these years. Voilà, an instant herb drying rack.

Dave and I went to a special edition of the Yarmouth Farmers Market this morning. I needed to stock up on soap so seeing one of my favorite blogger, that just happens to make fabulous soaps was going to be there I knew I would come home with yummy smelling soap. Dave bought me this cute little frog on a lilypad painted rock.

Suppose to be another sunny day tomorrow. How is the super supreme full moon treating you tonight !!! Time for grounding and renewal.

Life is good

Hard to believe the two day old baby chick in the first picture is now one of these. The six girls are all well and healthy after surviving their first winter. They sure are happy to be outside after four cold months spent mostly inside the coop. Later I will spring-clean their coop - dust cobwebs, paint floor and walls, remove four of the six nesting boxes (because all six lay their eggs in the same box anyways) making more room to roam around, cleans windows. I've ordered a 22 pound capacity feeder and an electric waterer (the heated part to be used next winter only). Our favorite electrician :-) will properly wire the coop with outlets and switches. This winter we were operating with an extension cord but we knew it would only be temporary.

Yes, they had snow

Dave and I got back tonight from a nice weekend visit with Ginette and André in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Three months since I had last seen her in person was a bit of a stretch for me so off we went to visit.

I finally got to taste raspberry cordial and I did'nt even have to travel to PEI to get it. And it taste as good as Anne of Green Gables says it does... delicious.

Fine organic teas were bought and consumed, delicious desserts eaten (thanks Gi), Mr. Puss cuddles, movies, shopping, farmers markets, conversations... all good !

Yes, they got A LOT of snow this winter. I did'nt take any pictures with my camera but we have some on Dave's phone that we need to download. It's unbelievable and they said half of it melted last week, so that was only half of what they had. Now that it's starting to melt... another problem, floading.

OK, I'm off to brew a nice cup of organic forever nuts.

That day last week...

... when it was so beautiful outside, I took these pictures while on my walk at noon.

We are seeing more and more of the ''warmer'' sun, less wind and the snow has been replaced with mud.

The chickens get to go outside in their fenced-in run on these nice days.

Knitting the winter blues away

I sure have been knitting away this winter. When I get going I can knit for two hours straight and it doesn't even feel like that long. Most of the projects I've knitted since Christmas are for next year's gifts so I can't post them here.

Dave took the picture above yesterday while practicing taking pictures with his phone.

That nice plum colored yarn is an alpaca blend and I'm knitting a winter hat with it. The grey is 100% wool for a pair of man's winter socks.

The carpenter is done with the few minor renovations in the kitchen. Now we are painting the kitchen - a nice fresh white by Benjamin Moore ''Chantilly Lace'' and the walls are going to be, also by Ben Moore, ''Avoine'' (Oat). Our first big furniture purchase as a married couple was our kitchen table and chairs, 32 years ago. The table top needs to be sanded and re-stained... that's on our list too.

Wishing everyone a good start of the week tomorrow. I think my next post will be entirely on food preps and recipes.