April Begins

 We ended March with a high 77°F with an evening of thunderstorms.  We started April with temperatures in the low 30's, with a lot more rain.

I've started my infused oil with horsetail.  I'm reading through my herbal books, watching Youtube videos and the like.  It's an herb/weed new to use.   I did not buy my horsetail online.  I purchased at an herbal health store.  However, the one store nearest us, does not carry it, and another apothecary does not grow it or carry it (40 minute drive). 

We are very limited to access to stores or apothecaries with medicinal herbs, tea herbs, and the like.  It's frustrating, but in some cases, forces me to simply grow some of them myself.  It is depressing to not have any like-minded folks in our lives.  Most people we talk to about it, just laugh and act like it's all a waste of time or a joke.

Speaking of Youtube, I'm watching several videos on spring wild violets right now (tinctures, teas, lemonades, and so forth).  I'm watching them in between moments of sit time or coffee time.  I did learn something about which type of alcohol to make a tincture with one specific wild plant.

By the way, I used my homemade goldenrod tincture 3 days in a row recently, due to bad sinus pressure.  It worked great to drain the sinuses and the pressure.  I also used my mullein tincture once).  My research, by reading books borrowed from the library, and books I own, state that goldenrod is great for treating sinus infections (or sinus issues).  

Ended March with harvesting more green onions in the herb garden.   It feels so good to get outside and do this again, especially after a very, very long winter.

  

Baking and cooking from scratch, as well as the dish washing, drying and putting away take a good chunk of my daily time.  I am still using up the blueberries we froze last summer (Einkorn flour pancakes - upper photo), and I mixed another batch of black bean and corn "salsa" for any meal or in between meals.  I like to have a healthy go-to light meal on hand each week.  Or for those moments of needed a quick snack to eat before a hike/walk or when needed..

Our daffodils are mostly up now, and the hyacinths are right behind.  Not the best photo, but it was raining out and dark.  It's so nice to see the flowers in bloom again.

Speaking of spring colors, I have one more lap afghan on the hooks in the colorway of purples and white.  I'll try and get a photo for you.  It will be the last blanket of the season, of this size.  It's been a very slow going crochet project, with spring weather here now (spending much more time out of the house).

Before the rain, we hiked a new-to-us trail, and we loved it. A little background info on these hikes/walks.  It's all part of my physical therapy, and also for my husband's.  We don't have the liberty to walk on the road where we live, so as a bonus, we get to travel for our walks, and locate new and more interesting places. 

One of our area libraries started a seed library.  It's not the first one to come across, but it is nice to see more libraries offering this to patrons.  I have not visited this one yet, so I do not know if they are organic/heirloom varieties of seeds.

April Begins  ©  April 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

March days well spent

 March was, not what I call "busy" for us, but adventurous, and filled with more of "living life" than doing all the "doing" stuff we do all day every day.  Warning:  Post is long today (gulp!).  Grab a cup of java or tea.

"Busy" is sort of synonymous with negative vibes.  I mean, we still had medical appointments (some regular, some needed), hair appointments, husband's full time job, but only a few commitments.  However, we spent much of the month "enjoying" life  (maintaining balance). 

I have not harvested much other than fresh grown green onions.  I do have some oil on order to restock homemade hand/body lotion. Not sure if I will re-stock our homemade lip balm just yet.  We have a plan to build one more item for the chicken castle (more on that later), and we plan to better landscape one flower bed.

Planted:  Feverfew, Mullein, Radishes (two types), Beets

Harvested: Green onions

Purchased:  Seed potatoes

On the "to-buy" list:  Sweet potato slips 

Oil infusion started:  Horsetail

There was a birth and a death in our families this month.  Home repairs continue, but slow going.  We are slowly chipping away it the list, but checking it off (vs. letting it roll over into next year).  

The weather has been crazy.  At one point, very high winds that took out power all over the state.  It ripped roofs off, knocked trees down, power lines down and the like.  The temperatures are going up and down, and the spring flower bulbs are confused.  We've had rain, thunderstorms, high's in the 70's and sunny, and even snow and cold this month.  We actually woke up to 9°F one morning about mid-month (with rain the very next day, our weather has been that crazy).

I've upped my culinary experience with new breakfast meals for us.  I, personally, felt like we were in a rut.

I've made breakfast stuffed peppers before, but these contained homemade chicken sausage, and were delicious. Yes, that's green onion on top, from the herb garden.

Sheet pan breakfast - mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion, sausage, seasonings, and eggs.  Super easy way to prepare it, and have no idea why I never thought to do it this way.  I used fresh mushrooms.  However, this produced liquid at the bottom of the container after being in the refrigerator overnight.  I'm guessing from the fresh bell peppers.

(both recipes are online with Clean Food Crush).

We are also trying, or should I say inventing new dinners.  It is a fajita type "bowl" with out the tortilla bowl.  I made our rice in the crock pot and loved it (new recipe and it's a keeper), then I sautéed bell peppers and onions (later added more cilantro to this too), and added black beans and corn , then on top of that we blackened chicken tenders (very easy to do), and then topped with salsa and homemade sauce (sour cream, fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, salt).  The blackened chicken gave it much more spice, and we loved it.  We went light on the bottom layer of rice, but it's definitely a keeper recipe meal.

We have many more new recipes to try, including a few with sweet potatoes in them.

Side note:  Did you know that the Anchor 2 cup measuring cup does not have a 1/4 cup measure mark?  I probably knew that, but my Pyrex markings rub off so often, I replace them way too often, so I bought Anchor.  Sigh.  I am told the 1 cup measuring cups have the 1/4th on them. 

We hiked a new waterfall trail (loved it!), and lots of other adventures we crossed off my new spring list of our "we are doing this" list.   

We are rediscovering areas we already walked, but taking other new-to-us trails and loving it.

I already (sigh) broke my personal vow to not buy new books this year.  Actually, it was my husband's idea to go inside the bookstore, and he made the picks and purchases (including a shirt and sticky notes {very cute sticky notes}) other than one book I picked put.  I better get busy reading now.

We accomplished more organizing, purging, etc.  This type of "busy" was good, refreshing and fun.  The kitchen drywall repair (where we removed an old light fixture) job was completed, and ceiling painted.  Drywall repair has been started in the stair way as well.  Over the years, the kids cut gouges into the walls moving stuff up and down, and holes created where they kept the dog gates.  

We have much more work to do on the stairs, stairway and upstairs.  You would not believe how much scotch tape (and other tape), poster putty and other sticky residue the kids left on the walls up there. Think big bucket of drywall mud vs. spackle to fix all of the holes and gouges.

I finished one entire photo/photo album project, with leaves us with only one lengthier "album" project (both side projects from a closet clean out). I spruced up the kitchen with spring colored dish towels (old ones get recycled or repurposed), and a spring (found on clearance) rug for one bathroom.  It's amazing how a few splashes of color or moving things around can change your overall daily views.

Lastly, my current books:

A gift.

We end this month with our weather in the 70's, and a lot of rain arriving later today.  The rain will stay with us for a few days.

March days well spent  ©  March 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart