This and That.

I forgot to tell about our power outage in the last post.  Gosh!  Last Sunday, soon after returning from church, our power went out.  It was cloudy and windy out...and we figured it would be back on in just a jiffy.  Well, the minutes turned into hours...and we were without power until close to 7am on Monday morning.

   Bryan made popcorn on our little camp stove, we read The Bird's Nest together, ate cold cereal, played board games and drove around our dark little town watching the extra bright stars.

Then we went to bed early, via candlelight.  

All of the winter rains have brought hordes of weeds to Garden Cottage.  Myra, Bryan and I weeded the edge of East Garden...

while Myles mowed West Field...

and the Littles had a royal ball on South Mulch Pile.

For our monthly girl/cousin day with my mom, my sisters and all of our kids...we went to the park for a picnic and let the cousins play their hearts out. It was a great day with yummy treats, sunburned noses and a slight mishap of Matt's drone getting tangled in Myra's hair (nothing a little screwdriver couldn't solve).

The younger crew anxiously

waiting their turn on the carousel.

Matt was the best sport and rode with Maisy, so I didn't lose my lunch...

like Myles.

The triplet cousins (all born the same year) are growing so fast.  Teenagers already.

Good grief!

Back at Garden Cottage, the honkers are all headed north.

The mini-strawberries are all turning red.

Myra harvested the last of our winter beets.

We are doing our best to harvest and use/preserve all the kale before it goes to seed.

The carrots are also going to seed, so we pulled them all up...and found this little braided beauty.

 I suppose I should do a little better with thinning the seedlings, eh?!

A lot of kale was made into chips...the carrots juiced...the beets pickled.

On Saturday, after my uncles birthday party, Bryan slapped a little paint on our brown and fading doors.  Good ol' Garden Cottage is getting mighty patriotic.

Even though I loathe the time change and having to get up an hour earlier...I enjoy the lengthening days and the extra daylight to work and play in.  The change of seasons always bring good things with it.  I planted our pepper patch yesterday along with a few more pickling cucumbers and some tomatillos.  Besides a few possible herbs and melons...our spring garden is completely planted.  Now we just watch, tend, cross our fingers and wait.

March is a busy and beautiful month here in the desert.

Life is such a glorious blessing!

Mid-February Fun.

We spent the day with our Olive cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The weather was perfect and the kids had a grand time playing in the red dirt all the live long day.

I love that my mom, sisters and grandma live close enough that we can have these little monthly get-togethers and discuss life and learn from each other.  Such a wonderful blessing!

Years ago, I told Bryan that we should go to a dance at the local Senior Center.  Since, I love old fashioned music, old people and dancing with my sweetheart...I figured this would be the perfect thing for us.  Yet, the stars have never aligned for us and the Seniors...until Friday night when we attended their annual Valentine's Dinner and Dance.  We had a tasty meal and met a bunch of amazing folks...a couple of them even taught us some old fashioned dance moves.
When interviewed by our local newspaper about our Valentine's Day traditions...we said "chocolate and roses"...but as soon as the reporter walked away, I smiled at Bryan and said, "that's not all we do on Valentine's Day."  We both laughed and then seriously contemplated tracking down the news woman so she could add to our statement...but decided it would be best for the future of our children to leave it at chocolate and roses...
and so we did.
You can read all about it here. :)

Recently, I sprouted a large amount of wheat berries, dehydrated them and then ground them into flour.  Since then, the kitchen at Garden Cottage has been hoppin' with baked goods.  Below are chocolate chip poppy seed muffins and Myles waiting for them to cool enough to eat.  Patience, my son!

Also, I've been choppin' brocco-lay!

And putting it into freezer bags to last until next winter season.  Spring broccoli gets way too many aphids for my liking.

The kids have found pomegranates still hanging from deep inside the bushes...February pomegranates are very deep red and delicious.

The bees are out in force.  Bless their busy little hearts!  Someday, I would love to get a few hives of my own.  

We have been saving our chicken egg shells for a while because I read that if you put them in the hole when planting tomato starts they feed and nourish the plants nicely.  Definitely worth a try!

Over the long weekend we planted lots of tomatoes, cabbage, strawberries, cilantro, flowers and two new fruit trees (another peach and a plum).  

We also cleaned up all of the left-overs from Bryan's big burn in our front area.  It is nearly ready to begin working on our plans out there.  I am getting so excited about it!

The weather was so fabulous that we all wore short sleeves and I even busted out my flip-flops.  Myra would rather feel the soil on her soles. 

We told the boys that they could let the chickens out to eat the bugs in our front grass...if they made sure to keep them from pecking our seedlings to death.

Myles did a mighty fine job on chicken patrol.

And McCoy found them some tasty treats that were unearthed while we planted.

Before the end of our long and lovely weekend, Bryan gave the trees a nice little trim.
He mostly just cut away the dead branches that have been attacked by those nasty little borers.
Fingers crossed that all the gophers around Garden Cottage choke on borers and die.
It could happen...

Hope your Valentine's/President's Day weekend was a winner!

If I May.

The morning sunshine radiates through the windows of Garden Cottage, illuminating everything it touches.  I love the intense spring sunshine, before it gets so hot that it hurts.

Our garden seems very happy right now.  We are watching lots of growth and production going on out there.  The mystery squash plants we purchased keep on giving.  Not only did our 6 pack o' "zucchini" turn into white scalloped squash…but we also got a pumpkin(?) plant out of it…and it is thriving.  I wish the nursery would sell mystery squash plants every year.

Out front, the bulbs have finished their spring debut, so we have decided to plant flower seeds for the summer/fall season.  Perhaps we are overly zealous in thinking that flowers will survive the heat of July.  Even so, marigolds (and such) are very heat resistant and thrive throughout the blistering summer.  That, to me, is incredibly inspiring. I want to be more like the marigolds.  Maisy has taken it upon herself to become an avid waterer,  and as a result we are seeing many flower sprouts.  

I have started harvesting the first pickling cucumbers of the season. Yesterday, while they sat on the countertop awaiting packaging for their short stint in the refrigerator, the kids kept exclaiming that they were super excited for homemade pickles.  I have total empathy for that type of emotion. 

We planted a LOT of onions this year.  Onions are a crop that are mighty easy to preserve, and they will last nearly an entire year if kept in ideal circumstances.  So, in high hopes of not having to buy another onion until Spring 2016…we are watching them reach their potential and enjoying our spicy scented backyard, all the while.

And what would early May be without homegrown tomatoes?  I busted a move when I saw those first two red tomatoes staring at me from under the labyrinth of vines.  Not even the salt shaker could make me stall in devouring their deliciousness.  After close to a year of cardboard rounds from the local produce section, tasting these makes everything right in my world.

Myra, sweet Myra.  She has had little else on her mind lately, besides a new dog.  Dog drama is a new subject at our house.  The roller coaster of emotions regarding breed and size and price and whereabouts it will live…are enough to nearly give this mother parvovirus.  Albeit, she is learning a heck of a lot, and for that I am always grateful.  Among things learned, she is practicing patience, endurance and hard work.  Our yard is getting quite the face lift, as she saves her pennies for a pup.

On Saturday, Myra convinced a friend, and her brother, to come and help her spread mulch piles.  After 5 hours of work…we all went to the reservoir for a refreshing dip in the muddy water.  It was a beautiful overcast afternoon…after a hot and muggy morning.  Bryan and I were just going to sit on the sidelines and wade with the littles, while the big kids swam.  But, once we got there…we were enticed by the waters mild temperature…and we both ended up swimming in our clothes. 

There are a lot of happy plans on our May calendar and I am looking forward to the adventures this month will surely bring.

Life is Full.

* I harvested a bunch of beets this weekend.  As I did, I pulled up some of the hugest beets that I have ever seen... so big that just one, chopped up, makes a whole batch of pickled beets.  

* Our 'zucchini' plants have been producing strangely.  What we thought were 5 zucchini plants have turned out to be white scalloped squash plants.  After reading and studying a little about this versatile and tasty squash...I am mighty excited about the serendipity.  Hooray for mis-marked plant starts!

* It appears as if we may have our first ever pistachios this year.  

*  The chicks are growing quickly and love to wander around the field scratching for bugs…and eating out of Coy's hand.

* After several years of paying to have our field mowed, we decided the money would be better spent toward a mower of our own…and teaching the kids to do it.  Our new friend, John D, gives the field a nice clean cut.

* The kids worked hard all morning helping weed and harvest and gather buckets and buckets of pinecones…but not without their fair share of whines and complaints.  Yet they were mighty grateful for the cold swim in the next door pool, afterward.

*  Our mulberries have been so good.  By the amount on the tree, I figured I would be busily making bottles and bottles of jam.  But, we have shared and eaten so many of them fresh…that I don't think I will be very busy jammin' mulberries, after all.  

*  This weekend Bryan and I attended two funerals.  The first was for my cousin Mike, who has struggled with Huntington's disease for many years.  His example of long-suffering with a positive attitude was incredibly inspiring.  It was wonderful to pay tribute to his life, which he lived to the fullest and best he was capable of.  

The second was the funeral of my dear friend Suzanne's infant son.  He was a perfectly formed, chubby 10 pound baby boy, still-born at full term.  I was in awe of the faith and strength of this wonderful friend and her husband.  After the beautiful little service, I was helping with the family luncheon with several other friends, when Suzanne came in with a huge smile on her face saying she felt so much joy and peace.  She talked with us about the blessings of the Spirit and how it truly is a Comforter during life's hardest times.  That night as I knelt by my bed I gave thanks to my Father above for allowing me to observe, to learn from and to interact with such amazingly good people.  Knowing them, helps me to want to better know Him.  For truly "each life that touches ours for good, reflects thine own great mercy Lord. Thou sendest blessings from above, thru words and deeds of those who Love. What greater gift does thou bestow, what greater goodness can we know, than Christlike friends whose gentle ways, strengthen our faith, enrich our days."

* Maisy has officially moved into Myra's room and now sleeps in her own 'big girl' bed.  Although, we have scooted the girls' beds close together so Maisy can reach and play with Myra's hair in the night.  Last night Myra came to me saying that Maisy threw-up all over her bed.  A mothers favorite midnight wake up call, indeed.  Myra was most helpful in getting the bedding to wash and grabbing extra towels.  We ended up having a 'girls night out' on the living room floor.  This morning Myra is complaining of a stomach ache….as the good times roll!  Yes, life is full.  Full of ups and downs and all arounds.  But, I wouldn't want to miss a minute of it.  I'm so grateful for this wonderful life I live.