Nuts and Tulips

At 5:00 this morning, the frickin chickens, as they are now known to be (I use these words with love, of course), woke me up with a new high-pitched peeping I had not heard before. You'll have to imagine, if you haven't been inside my house, that the noise of peeping can already be heard through the night since the babies are about 5 yards from our bed in our bathroom. So, when the new panic-peeping began, it was unbearable, and I couldn't sleep. It seems that the new chick-starter-- this is what baby chicks eat until they're a couple months old-- is not good enough for them. Apparently they can not adapt to a new brand of food. So, after this mutiny occurred, and I decided to try to ignore it since I couldn't get to Andy's Agway until mid-morning anyway, I got up and came to the computer. I instantly discovered Saving the Season.com, a terrific web site dedicated to preserving food. Then, I found a recipe I just can't wait to try out with farm fresh peppers this summer. Check it out if you get the chance: Fire-Roasted Red Peppers in Red Wine Vinegar



We walked down to Auntie Carol's in the morning to say hi and get a photo of her incredible nuts. Yes, you read correctly. Aunt Carol collects hickory nuts from the woods next to her house, then dries them on a sifter so she can use them to bake with when they're ready. They are gorgeous.



Also gorgeous is Auntie's basil. Can't wait to snag some of that when it gets a little bigger.


The girls and I checked out our tulips today too. It looks like they're thinking about blooming. I love watching the looks on the girls' faces when they first walk out each day to see just how much each flower has grown. I supposed I need to start thinking about planting. I've always said that I didn't "get the farming gene," but I can't imagine it would be too difficult to have a little garden, right?