Quality Bunny Time

Shouldn't every day end with sunshine and furry snuggles?

The B word....

....or should I say a pair of B words.  The last few weeks on the homestead have been all about baby bunnies and bees.  Charles' blue ribbon winner Dot, had kits in the wee morning hours of March 8th.  This is our first experience with baby bunnies and it has been so much fun!  It is simply amazing how quickly they grow.  They have gone from little pink things to sweet bundles of fur, each developing their own little personalities.  We can't wait to see how they continue to develop.



We ordered two new colonies of bees the beginning of the month, and this weekend we picked up another hive from the beekeeper that we bought our hives from last year.  Of the two hives we went into the winter with, we lost one of them.  They were queen-less going into winter and already starting to thin out late last Fall.  The hive from the wild swarm that B captured last summer seems to be humming right along.  If all continues to go well we should be able to split that hive mid-spring, which will give us four hives total going into summer.  As a result of the lost hive, we had an unexpected honey harvest this weekend.  It is all draining now, but it looks to be more successful than the single boxes that we pulled off of the two hives last fall. To top it off, this honey has a completely different flavor...simply fantastic!

Though we were sad to lose the one hive, we know that it is a fact of life. It seems fitting that nature took something from us at the same time she gave us something in return, the two B's.

Time to Shine

Today the sun is shining and it is simply gorgeous.  The kind of spring light that revitalizes the soul after the long dark months.  As a result of this glorious light, the snow pack has taken on a pearly aura as it gracefully recedes.  Let us hope that the coming storm continues to stay South of us and we only get the predicted 1-2" tomorrow evening, and not more to sock us back in,  I am so enjoying watching my yard and garden begin to reappear rested and ready for its time to shine.

#scintilla13 ~ Queen Mab and Robert Frost

Charles first grade musical 2010

Memory is an amazing thing.  I have memorized songs, lines from plays, dance steps, really any number of things.  But when it comes to long-ish memorization's  two specifically come to mind.  They are two very different yet equally powerful stanzas, coming from two formative times in my education.

When I was a sophomore(at the time a theater major) in college, I had an amazing diction coach named Jan Gist.  I have always, had a love for Shakespeare.  It was Jan who taught me to truly appreciate the nuances of interpretation.  I remember clearly the practice sessions while preparing Mercutio's Queen Mab monologue.  Jan made sure that I thought about my breath control, tone and 'chewing' my words. She also taught me the importance of  varying my voice as such to bring forth the sarcasm and pageantry in a unique way.   I still remember the words and while thinking about it this morning, realized that here, some 21 years later, I would present this speech in a completely different way, yet using all of the tools that she instilled in me.  Such is Shakespeare, the words so rich, that individual interpretation can be varied and oh so powerful.

Four years earlier, before I became involved in high school theater and was still trying to find my voice through a very shy veil,  I had to memorize and present a poem for a class.  It was here that I found Robert Frost and fell in love with words that would soon be an anthem of sorts following me through my life.  Something that I recite for comfort and inspiration.  The Road Not Taken taught me to take my own path and enjoy the ride.  A play on it is the byline for this blog.

It is funny those things that you remember and that leave lasting impressions.  Of these two distinct memories, one is composed of words I learned by, the other, words I live by.

This post is part of the #scintilla13 project.  Today's prompt: What is the longest thing you know by heart (poem, speech, prayer, commercial jingle)? Why did you learn it?

#Scintilla13 ~ Developing Palates

 this picture was taken 3/24/12, with six inches of snow still on the ground here right now, what a difference a year makes!

When moving to the farm almost six years ago, aside from offering our kids the space to spread their wings, we wanted to produce as much of our own food as possible. The first year of our garden I purchased no produce from the grocery store except for onions and fruit. As our garden grew to include those things, we purchased less and less, I tried to keep our fresh foods solely those we produced.

I struggled with all of the components of our food culture, wanting to provide the healthiest alternatives to the kids while showing them first hand where their food came from. As the years have passed, I have eased up on myself some; now including locally produced items to full in the gaps. We also have taught the kids about eating seasonally. This was a little tougher to describe with the year round varieties at the grocery store, but they get it.

Dovetailing with our relationship growing food, we also love to cook. I have always been a baker, but once I struck out on my own, I learned to also enjoy cooking. I'm a recipe follower. I have learned over time to add my own twist and have become more adventurous. B just cooks. No recipe, only vision, and always amazing. Three years ago we started a cooking club with a few other couples, we call ourselves the Tastebuds. We pick a monthly theme, map out a 4-6 course meal, each couple brings ingredients, and we spend many hours cooking together and eating. Slow food at its best. The kids are included and mostly just hang out together, but are always on the periphery taking it in.

Recently Sidney has shown an interest in learning to cook and she's participated in a few lessons from dad, and done some experimenting on her own. Both of the kids have always done well with trying new things...sure, sure, they have their frustratingly picky moments, but they do OK. Sidney has loved oysters on the half shell since she was six, and Charles has always had a taste for spicier foods. Sidney is now taking it a step further, experimenting. She had sliced oranges the other day and decided to sprinkle feta over them..loved it!

Yesterday, as a treat, because it is spring and wind chills are in the single digits, I bought strawberries. They are seasonal in California this time of year, so not local, and our large berry patch is months from producing. This little treat lit up both of the kids eyes, not only were they incredibly excited, but strawberries had never tasted so good to them. Do you know why? Because they haven't had any since the last of our strawberries last season. Eating seasonally gives you something fresh to look forward to and really appreciate when it is around. Food is the center of our hearth and home. Conversations, dreams, laughter are things that all happen during the preparation or eating of food. Developing palates for a lifetime.

This post is part of the #scintilla13 project.  Many of our fondest memories are associated with food. Describe a memorable experience that took place while preparing or eating food.