Saturday, January 21, 2023

And The Sky Finally Cries Sweet Tears


That's the window in what used to be my laundry room area but is now the pantry area. It looks out on the backyard. I found all of those little toys in the yard of the house at one time or another. Silly to keep them, but they aren't doing any harm, perched there on the window sill. 

Little altars everywhere, I guess. 

God but it's been a dreary day. We're finally getting a light patter of rain which somehow feels more comforting than just a sky that looks like it should be raining and yet, isn't. The little arugulas will get enough damping for their hairlike roots. 
And while we're discussing arugula, this is what I plan on cooking for supper. 



I have no idea if it will be any good. It'll probably be okay. I roasted a chicken last night and we can have some of that with the pasta. I picked mustard greens and a little kale to use along with the arugula. If you have the greens- use them! And I do and I shall. 


Even if I barely cook those greens they'll shrink like Daddy's wallet at Disney World. If the spirit moves me, I may even throw in some of last night's leftover broccoli. 

In even more cooking news, when I re-organized the freezer last week I discovered half a Costco-sized bag of frozen cherries that were not getting any younger and I decided to make a pie of them today. 


You know what? I'm not sure the dang thing's even fit to eat. It would probably be okay with a ton of vanilla ice cream on it but we have no ice cream so there you go. 

Yeah. It's been a pretty unproductive day. I did a little more embroidery/mending on Mr. Moon's jeans while watching my newest secret shame, "My Unorthodox Life." Billy recommended it. He and I rarely agree on anything (except for you know- the really important things) and I think we are delighted to find that we both love these trashy, trashy "reality" shows. This one seems to sink to new depths, however, in terms of believability. It does, however, involve people moving away from a high demand religion as the host of Mormon Stories so kindly calls what I am certain he feels is a cult. I'm all about that stuff. So there is that. 

I closely checked out the camellias today and almost all of the buds appear to have been nipped in the...bud. However, I did find this one stunted, not quite perfect Pink Perfection. 


Close enough. 

It's really raining now, a good solid rhythm of liquid percussion coming down and I am glad of it. 

Off I go to chop greens, melt butter, and zest a lemon. 

Oh! I almost forgot! 

Moana laid us another egg today. And if you thought the one she laid two days ago was big, check this one out. 


Bless her heart and also her egg-making abilities. 

Love...Ms. Moon



40 comments:

  1. I made that pasta the other day; it was delicious and we’ll definitely have it again.

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    1. It was pretty good. I used half the butter and it still was very rich.

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  2. I made cheesy broccoli soup and a loaf of homemade bread (William made that). It was cold here, and it felt nice to have the oven going. Moana needs a friend, don't you think?

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    1. I am so glad that William is learning to make bread! He will forever thank you for that skill.
      We are discussing the Moana friend situation.

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  3. Will your little layer make baby chicks? Has she ever been with a man chicken? Your pie looks blue ribbon perfect, I would eat all of it, no problem. Anyway, those eggs are quite remarkable!! She must love being in her new digs.

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    1. Moana has known a man in the Biblical sense before but she won't be making any bebes unless she gets with another one in a timely fashion.
      The pie was good.

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  4. Your cherry pie looks good enough to eat! 🍒
    I see the size of those eggs and think it's a good thing they come out with a soft shell! Poor Moana's egg hole!

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    1. Chickens seem to lay eggs appropriate to their sizes. I've never had a hen get a stuck egg. It can happen though.
      The cherry pie was fit to eat.

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  5. whipped cream or not....that pie looks divine! And your pasta.....sounds like it will be SO good. Pasta with (horrors) jarred spaghetti sauce here for din tonite......with additions of course....just not feeling up to more than that. But.... a loaf of warmed sourdough and pasta will be OK. Tomorrow is bison (gleaned from a neighbor) and root veggie soup and hope I'll feel *up* to that......but hoping so. Still recovering / dealing with my *bug*......... ugh. Happy Sat. night
    Susan M

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    1. yet another PS. That ant on your window sill is gorgeous! I believe it IS an ant, not a spider. And that Pink Perfection...poor girl has a few frost *spots*....but she's still lovely
      Susan M

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    2. I use jarred pasta sauce all the time! Why not? I used to make it with canned tomato paste and canned tomato sauce so what's the difference? I, too, add stuff to it but still, that is the base of it.
      I hope you're feeling better today. What all sorts of roots do you put in your soup? I would like to know.
      Yes. That is indeed an ant. And I love that little flower. She has done her best and bloomed her heart out.

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  6. Moana is definitely heroic, laying those huge eggs. And let us know how the pasta comes out. It sounds very good. Our day was gray, too, cold, no real weather happening.

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    1. The pasta was not bad. I was afraid it would be too plain- no shallots or onions or garlic or capers but it was fine. I think adding a few things would not hurt it next time. The greens were delicious in it. Another good way to get our greens in!

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    2. Here’s a good one: Drain 8 oz pappardelle, drizzle with 3 Tbs olive oil and squeeze half a lemon over it, tossing with each. Add 2 cups arugula, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Crisp 2-4 slices of prosciutto (375, 8 minutes), crumble and add. I used to make this with Trader Joe’s lemon pepper pappardelle, no longer available, compensate with lots of pepper and about i/2 of a lemon’s zest.

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  7. I'm confusled. Virgin hens can lay eggs. Y N It's not harmful to them to lay eggs. Y N

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    1. Oh yes. Hens do not need roosters in the least unless they need protection or want chicks!

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  8. Yes just as women ovulate regardless of whether they have a partner. The time egg laying can be harmful is if the bird is low in calcium. Free scratching hens who get food too and often supplements, can safely ovulate ie lay eggs. I'm rudely answering from my personal knowledge and handling of parakeets and cockatiels, excuse me for jumping in, Mary.

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    1. No, no- you are exactly correct, Ms. Boud. And even hens who do not get a perfect diet will lay eggs for sure. They have been the salvation of many human families for eons with their eggs. And, well- meat too.

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  9. That poor chicken, I wonder if the big eggs hurt on the way out. That recipe looks tasty, I think I'm going to look for it online.

    My husband was sick last night and today so it was me and Jack all day and I am so damned tired. Jack also pulled my hair hard enough to hurt. Sigh.

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    1. I've never heard a hen making complaints about egg-laying. They are constructed for it.
      I'm sorry your husband was sick. I hope that you don't get it too.
      Jack is definitely in a testing-you mode. I understand that but god, it has to be hard for you.

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  10. I'll be surprised if those eggs don't hold double yolks. The pasta dish sounds delicious. But I'll skip the chilli flakes.

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    1. Nope. One yolk apiece. I think that double yolks are more of a genetic thing than a size thing.

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  11. Thank you for the recipe idea! That'll betoday's lunch!
    "like Daddy's wallet at Disney World..." Lololol
    Omg, funny...and too true! Thanks for the laugh friend!
    hugs
    Donna

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  12. That pasta looks lovely - you'll have to let us know how it turns out. And like Donna, I loved the "daddy's wallet at Disney World" expression too!

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    1. That one just popped out of the universe and came out through my fingers as I typed.

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  13. Are you sure Moana's not a duck?

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    1. Well, she doesn't quack like a duck, walk like a duck, or sound like a duck so I'm thinking that she's a chicken.

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  14. That pasta dish does look good. Don't know if I can get arugula though. And the cherry pie looks very edible. And we do have ice cream.

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    1. The cherry pie was pretty darn good.
      You could definitely use spinach or kale as a substitute for the arugula. Mustard greens too.

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  15. That pasta sounds yummy. I am trying to add some meat-free meals to our weekly menus and that sounds like a good one! Thanks, Mary.

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  16. A "high-demand religion." That's a good phrase. I was raised Presbyterian (USA), which is not a particularly high-demand religion, but I didn't stick with it either.

    I really think Moana just needed a new environment!

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    1. It is a good phrase and sounds far less evil than "cult" although same-same in many ways. I was raised Presbyterian too and no, it's not very high demand in any way. Take it or leave it. Let's all sing the Doxology.
      Moana seems to be doing very well here, doesn't she?

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  17. You are fortunate to have healthy Chickens laying Eggs right now, the Avian Flu plus Supply Chain Issues has apparently caused a shortage like TP days during Pandemic. The cost of a Dozen around here is now up to about Ten Bucks and I'm glad some of our Neighbors raise Chickens and sell their Eggs. The little Altars are sweet, I like making them myself.

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    1. Well, when you keep chickens, you end up paying at least as much as what they cost in stores, probably. Unless you have a very large and productive flock who can free-range for part of their diet. And there's always the cost of building and maintaining a coop too. But it's so fun and the eggs are a good bonus!

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  18. Fresca here.
    Is it "silly" to keep little toys? I guess I like silliness--it's a delightful childlike quality to have. I seem to have lots of it!

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    1. P.S. Fresca again. . .. Did you see Linda Sue's post about "yoni eggs" from goop? Perhaps your hen has an amazingly healthy and spiritually advanced hen vagina! (I had to look up "reproductive tract of a female chicken " to see if they have vaginas--"The last part of the oviduct is the vagina, which is about 4 to 5 inches long." Gosh!
      https://poultry.extension.org/articles/poultry-anatomy/avian-reproductive-female

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    2. I should not have said "silly." I don't really consider keeping toys about as silly at all. I love my toys and the old toys that the children played with when they were very little. Now that the youngest grandchild is five, I am realizing that there are old favorites around here that I really should pass on. It's so weird how emotionally attached we become to certain objects.
      Yes. I'd heard of Yoni eggs. I'm good, thank you. So is my Yoni.
      Indeed- hens lay their eggs and poop and pee (they don't really pee, I think) out of the same duct. Very efficient.

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  19. You know I think that cherry pie looks pretty good. And I love cherry pie. I would say you could send it to me except that it's probably been eaten now

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.