A Sunny Weekend on the Funny Farm

Anni's prayers for a sunny weekend were finally answered!

Giant rhubarb leaves.

Our rhubarb is a new plant and can't be harvested yet, so

many thank to our neighbor for sharing rhubarb stalks this weekend.

The zucchini plant blossoms.

A Russian kale, marigold, and potato plants,

companion planting at its best.

The strawberry and pea patches.
Yesterday's garden harvest

Peas, spinach, chard, bokchoy, Russian kale,

Radishes, Collards, Edible flowers, lettuce, & cilantro.

And Saturday was farmer's market day too!

Potatoes, Tomatoes, local tuna, corn starts,

and hazelnut butter made it into the market basket!

And more garden green stuff today!
Lettuce, spinach, collards, curly kale, bok choy, radishes,

Russian kale, lemon balm, edible flowers, peas, chard,

lettuce, Italian parsley, and basil.

Alex went kayaking with David today.

They took a paddle around Lake Union.

We finally laid out frame for the chicken coop today!

Many thanks to the crew at the hardware store for helping me

cut and load the wood and very heavy concrete blocks!

Spring has sprung!

Today's garden harvest:

a big pile of lettuce and Russian kale,

handfuls of spinach, collard greens, bok choy, and peas,

along with 2 radishes and edible flowers.

We also harvested herbs today:

cilantro, chives, 4 types of sage, basil, summer savory,

rosemary, 3 types of thyme, and 2 types of mint.And here's the salad I made for lunch

using lots of those wonderful veggies,

along with some organic strawberries from the CSA box,

hazelnuts from the farmer's market,

and a homemade vinegrette - delicious!

Spring has finally sprung in the Northwest!

We actually hit 80 degrees today.

And the future cast is promising more sunshine.

My tomatoes are smiling!

Fruits, Veggies, and Chicks!

The lettuce havest from the garden today!


This week's CSA box:
Mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, onions, apples, avocados, strawberries,
nectarines, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and canteloupe.
This week's photo from Chick Cam.
That's Waltzing Matilda in the back of the feeder,
Claudette in front displaying her new feathers,
and Henrietta 2 showing off her beak.
The chicks are a lively bunch now and very tame!

Beach fun and good eats!

We had a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. We so needed the sun around here.

The tomatoes are finally smiling!

The cliffs at Roosevelt Beach.

Who put that sand dollar in my pocket?
It's a big sand dollar!
Alex and Ari on the beach.

On Sunday, we went to the beach! It was not as warm there!
Glad we brought our jackets, but we had a great time searching for sand dollars and shells, chasing seagulls, and gawking at all the kites. After a big bowl of clam chowder, we headed back full of our share of sand, sea water, and fresh air!


On Monday, we puttered about the garden transplanting veggies and weedwacking the weeds. We also laid the footprint for the chicken coop. Once the sun went down, Ari and I went to the movies. She saw Terminator. I saw the Soloist. It was terrific!


This morning's harvest: a pile of greens,
a salad bowl's worth of 3 lettuce types, a handful of baby spinach,
2 radishes, mint, peas, chives, basil, and Italien parsley.

Today, we were busy with the daily schedule. The sun was hiding behing clouds, so it was a great day for seeding. We made homemade pizza and a great salad for dinner, and then for dessert we had freshly baked rhubarb, strawberry, and apple pies, made this afternoon.
The kitchen smelled heavenly!

Tonight's dinner: a very veggie pizza,

using lots of those garden veggies and herbs.

A fun day in the sun!

This has been a very hectic week. In addition to the normal schedule, we had additional meetings, medical issues, and evening events.


Today was a bit more relaxed day. The sun was shining, and we went to the Saturday market in Redmond this morning. We found great tomatoes, cheese with chives, sheep cheese with garlic and herbs, rhubarb, handmade soap, pork ribs, spinach, onions, radishes, baby turnips, honey straws, and even locally caught tuna.


Later Alex and I took a field trip to Burien with Lisa. We thought we were going to pick up folding chairs, but we ended up having coffee and a sweet treat. I also found a terrific Aussie pie shop that makes awesome sausage rolls and meaty pies. And Lisa discovered a wonderful pet shop with unbeatable prices on aquariums. We all loved the chameleon!


We spent the afternoon in the garden transplanting veggies. I moved mint out of the garden to its holding area. Later, we'll plant it around the chicken coop to help deter pests. We planted 3 types of tomatoes, tomatillos, 4 types of peppers, and basil. We also transplanted a potato and several squashes of unknown type. Then, it was time to weed!

Here a some of the spuds I planted.


Alex eagerly awaiting dinner!

For dinner we had a BBQ with those spare ribs from the market, a fresh garden salad with garden patch lettuces, peas, onion, and edible flowers, and a big pot of spicy molasses beans. Yum!

Dinner!

Then it was time to water. Barkley kept jumping in front of the hose and had to have a bath. Then I needed a towel!

Veggies, Fish, and Farmers

This was the CSA box for last week: zucchini, leeks, avocados,

tomatoes, strawberries, mushrooms, kiwi, carrots, lemons,

apples, oranges, green onions, rhubarb, and a mango.

We had the strawberries for dessert tonight!

This is our newest family addition:

Siam, the Beta fish.

He has a very cute cube and is active as can be.

Here's the base for the salad I took to Lisa's Potluck,

all from our garden patch!

Then we added tomatoes and radishes from the farmer's market

and viola flowers from our garden to finish it off. Yum!

Alex checking out the Sound Garden.

(He's 'too old' to play)
Anni playing the drums at the sound garden.
The girls got rhythm!

Visits and Chicks!

On Thursday, Nana and Auntie Sharon stopped in Seattle as part of their northward cruise. We (Anni, Alex, and me) met up with them at the Seattle Center and journeyed on to Pike Place Market for crumpets & tea and a good browse around the market. We stopped in the Market Spice shop, the wind-up emporium (Anni's fav), the good cook kitchen shop (one of my favs), the trivia shop (Alex's fav). We brought back Asian sweet rice bundles for Ari who was in her college classes all day. Sharon and Nana both found great market bags and lots of gifts. (Thanks sis for the apron.) We had a lovely visit.
Here's a photo of the squid hanging near the wind-up emporium, where Anni got a wind-up chick. Photo by shutter-bug Alex.

While at the market, I shopped for dinner: locally made roasted garlic fettuccine, baby steamer clams, and french bread rolls. I wore my new apron while cooking, and the food was delish!
After dinner we finished building the brooder box for the chicks. The finished product (thanks largely to David and Alex) is terrific.

And today, we chose the three chicks. The are x-linked goldens, guaranteed to be females. We had some interested naming suggestions:

David: Larry, Mo, and Curly
Ari: Dad, they're girls

David: Laurie, Mona, and Curlie

Alex: McNugget, Finger-Lickin', and Pot Pie

Ari: You're gross!

Anni: Abigail, Abigail, Abigail

Mom: Anni, would you like to name your chick Abigail?

Anni: No!

Mom: How about Henny Penny, Cluck-Cluck, and Minerva?

All: No!

Mom: Okay, but we need chickeny names!

And the final verdict was: Anni's Henrietta (shy with dark markings on her head)

Ari's Claudette (the fiesty oldest with white feathering)

Alex's Matilda (the group clown!)

And they suit them to a tee!

So far these few day old chicks have figured out: that Running under the heat lamp = warm. Water is good to drink. It's better to eat the food than the bedding. The toy is really fun to ding. And the big giant people who keep sneaking peeks at them are scary but basically okay.

News Blurt

Time to play catch up on the news for the last few days:

On Mother's day, I went to see Star Trek with my friend Lisa. It was a blast. I loved the action scenes and the casting of the characters was spot on. The new Dr. McCoy was especially awesome!

With the help of Lisa and her truck, we brought home my new red love seat for the downstairs family room. Now we can all sit down at the same time! Yea! Before, it was a constant game of musical chairs.

Then Ari and I had lunch at the British Pantry restaurant; fish and chips of course! I even had a pickled onion! Delish!

My brush with the stinging nettles is finally starting to subside. Motto of this adventure: Never let your dog run through the nettles and then give you luvies.

Yesterday, we purchased all the supplies for our chick brooding box. We're building it tomorrow, and the chicks arrive on Friday!

Today, we tested out some of Anni's new computer software. She also played a fun game of where is the kitchen gear with her OT.

The weather has decided to turn back to cold and stormy again. Are we ever going to get a string of spring? My tomatoes are not happy! The lettuces are abundantly happy!

The Sun Shineth!!!

Today the sun deemed to shine for us in the Pacific Northwest!

David went out for an early walk and shot these photos.

He saw a racoon stalking some baby ducks.

The mama and papa duck took evasive action.

Here's the walkway through our local park.
Can you see the beaver dam?

Here's our veggie Indian dinner of last night:

a vindaloo curry and flat bread,

very spicy! hence the beer.

The curry used a combination of 13 veggies and herbs

from our garden, the CSA, and the farmer's market.

Also today, I got my hair cut, very Meg Ryan.

Ari finally found sandals she likes (animal-free).

We also visited the farmer's market for

tomatoes, Italian sausages, and jam.

Then it was out to the garden for some sunny planting.

Today, we added 4 tomato plants, a pineapple sage, 10 bean plants,

13 pea plants, summer savory, 3 curly parsley, 4 lemon cucumbers,

6 celery starts, a pumpkin upstart, a green onion,

and 10 plants of 3 different varieties of winter squash.

Some of the potato plants are even poking up through the soil.

Ole'

On Tuesday, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo. We had a family fiesta with chili colorado, homemade gaucamole and salsa, tortilla, chips, corn, and flan. It was muy yummy! Then the kids had turns attacking the pinata. Anni really got into it. That poor paper burro didn't stand a chance!

Our weather is looking more like fall/winter than spring lately. Lot and lots of cool rain! Along with conditions Pooh would describe as blustery! My poor veggies could use some some sunshine!

Today was a busy day of getting folks where they needed to be. Anni had an early morning eye exam. Ari had to go to her college classes. Anni had a speech appointment. We had a lunch date. We waited for a package. Alex had a fitness class. Julie Ann worked out too. Ari needed a ride home. Anni had her yoga class. Ari and Julie Ann went to their writing group. Phew! I think I'll sit on the sofa now and veg!

Eats and Feets

This is the rhubarb apple crumble we had for dessert,

We also made custard.

Here's the potato leek soup that was our main course.
And finally the pumpkin raisin soda bread.

David and the kids took a trip to Eastern WA this weekend.

Alex in front of Soda Lake.

Anni climbing up a rock.

Another Lake shot.

Anni and Alex sharing a soda.

Plants and Wigglers

The peas are climbing.
The dogwood is finally blooming.

This morning we went to the first farmer's market of the season.

We found garlic, fresh bread, two kinds of specialty cheese, hazelnuts,

asparagus, apples, and even a artsy switchplate cover for the downstairs

family room. We had a chance to chat with our favorite farmers

and then grab coffee at our favorite organic coffee shop.

After putting the goodies away, we traveled into soggy Seattle

to visit the Tilth's annual edible plant sale where avid home gardeners

can find unusual and heirloom varieties of herbs and veggies.

We found zebra-striped green tomotoes, grape tomatoes,

three kinds of squash, pineapple sage, sweet basil, summer savory,

curly parsley, chocolate peppers, sweet-hot peppers, and spearmint.

Our final journey of the day took us to Seattle for worm bin and chick supplies.

I'm drilling.
David is cutting.
And the worms are wiggling in their new permanent worm bin,

complete with drainage spigot and louvered air vents.

The chicken coop, unfortunately, did not get built

as David and I are having (ahem) creative differences as to the design.

Apparently, I favor a penthouse model,

and I think he favors the tarp-wide-open-to-predation model.

I'm guessing the final design will lie somewhere between the two.

We'll have to decide soon as the chicks are arriving next week!

(Uncle Mel, what does your design look like?)

Good news! Mom and Sharon are making a brief cruise ship stop in Seattle in a

couple of weeks. We're going to meet up at Pike Place Market for lunch and browsing.