About a year ago, I bought the cookbook “Twelve Month of Monastery Soups” secondhand in one of my homeschooling groups on facebook. It seemed like a good idea because (a) monks eat healthy food (b) monks eat inexpensive food (c) monks make food that is simple and easy and (d) we are always looking for inspiration on food that is healthy, simple and inexpensive. Naturally, it sat on a shelf for about 10 months. It probably would have been fated…
As I headed out with the older boys for barn chores on Friday morning we came across Thomas Jefferson, dead. It was clearly a case of curiosity killed the cat, as he got himself in a too small spot and strangled himself trying to get out. Not a good way to start off the day. The boys did not see him, and were quite solemn when I told them about it. Luke took in stride, but he’s been flying off…
Blueberries are finally in season! Our blueberry bushes are still too young to have a ton of fruit, but we also came across a patch of wild blueberries in the woods. There wasn’t a huge amount there either, but enough for everyone to have a few handfuls. Steve used to think that I was nuts (and I think he even was a little embarrassed) when I’d stop on walks to grab a handful of blackcaps or blueberries from bushes off…
This week I found myself suddenly caught off guard by the fact that I am officially 31 weeks along. A large part of the reason I was taken by surprise is because as of April 17th it was STILL SNOWING. We had flurries (and some accumulation!) nearly every day last week, which gave the illusion of June being much further away than it actually is. Meanwhile, we ALSO forgot that Pepper’s due date was this week. Again, it seemed like…
This cold snap we’ve been having has been brutal. It was 27 degrees this morning–a full 40 degrees warmer than it was a few days ago! By comparison to the sub zero temperatures of the past week, it’s practically balmy out there. I checked the mail today without wearing a coat! I feel like we’ve moved to the tropics! The cold temperatures were especially hard on the homestead, because while the animals handle the cold fairly well, their water freezes…