Having A Moment

I apologize for the lack of regularity in writing blog posts, however I am still in a time of life that has me going in several different directions. 

 Also, early Spring brings grey clouds and soggy days that don't lend themselves to photographing or even to much writing.  On these cold, blustery, wet days, I spend only the necessary time outside.  Soon, though... very soon... I will be spending most of my time out of doors and my camera will not leave my side!

Yesterday was a welcomed break in what has been a rather monotonous weather pattern.  Although it was very cold and windy, the sun made an appearance which.  What is it about sunshine that automatically lifts one's spirits?

I spent the morning off the farm (hair appointment and grocery haul - stocking up on the items that we use most).    In the past I did several posts on the sustainable personal and household products that we purchase... and perhaps I will delve into those again (if you are interested), as I continue to learn to leave a smaller footprint on our planet.

Upon returning home, I headed out to enjoy the sunshine and take a peek at the gardens. 

 I am so ready to plant, plant, plant - but patience pays off at this time of year.  We have temperatures expected to dip into the 20's a couple times this week.  I have learned the danger in planting too early... as we can have frost into the third week of May at our altitude.

I stopped by the barn to say hello and was met by my sweet donkey girls - who came right over to me.

While I was snuggling with them a little, Forrest was having a moment with Red.

Nose to nose... checking each other out.

Then, Forrest tries to take it to the next level - asking Red to play with (chase) him.

Not in the mood for nonsense, Red just ignored the request.

Meanwhile, in the greenhouse, you can almost see the plants grow.  Every day when I water them, I swear they look larger than they did on the previous day.  Hang on, little plants, it's not yet time to go outside.

Jack found me a piece of wire fence that I am going to use for my vertical potato garden.  I will finish fashioning this fence into a tall tube and attach it to a couple long fence stakes.  Once secure, it will be filled with levels of compost and seed potatoes.  I will use a thin layer of straw to line the outside of it to keep the compost within its walls.  Hopefully this will increase my potato yield while decreasing its garden box usage.  I'll keep you posted.

Lastly, as requested... the recipe for this delectable loaf!

I followed THIS Recipe and added 1 cup of frozen blueberries, and ½ cup of chopped pistachios to the batter.  I did have to bake it 10-15 minutes longer because of the frozen blueberries.   Then I sprinkled more chopped pistachios on the frosting.  I baked mine in a very long loaf pan, but a bundt pan would work great, I think.  It's a good recipe even without the blueberries or pistachios.  However, either one of those add-ins (if not both) kicks the flavor up a notch!

For those of you waiting to see my annual photo of the old log cabin surrounded by forsythia... I am still waiting for the forsythia to bloom.  There are single blossoms at the end of each branch, but so far, no more than that.

PS:  After much searching, I purchased the garden cloches on Amazon and staked them down with leftover garden staples that we had in the garden shed.