Pioneer Woman at Heart

Dandelions are up.  Sorry the photos are the best.  I was outside with my phone the other day. Daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and I have more white daffodils that are just now blooming.  I only have a few tulips and they are just now starting to bloom.  I have an idea to put tulips back in my front flower bed, but it may be fall now before I can plant the bulbs.  It's a bit late this year to do it.  Moles ate my bulbs in the previous years. I'll just start with a dozen and see if they grow, but keep the moles out.

It's a small start, but the potatoes are planted.  We may plant more if we can locate more seed potatoes. I also hope to get sweet potato slips from my supplier.  I failed to wrap my own up in newspaper last fall. I actually plain forgot. It rained almost immediately after covering up the last potato too.  Now it's the waiting game again, for the soil to dry up, so planting can resume. Although a rainy, wet and somewhat gloomy day, I was rather productive. 

I'll be back soon with a more interesting blog post.  First, we had a very nice weekend - lots of motorcycle rides too.  Rain is about to arrive, so we are busy in the garden (thankfully). I may even get time to get some other work done outside. I'll be back to read blogs soon too.  We are still recovering from the no-sleep two weeks.

Short post today. The news today, and coming to you late, is that we are on our way back to normalcy around this homestead.  Yes we are. Hubby is back to 1st shift today, and the weekend off!!! The weather is finally giving us a break too, so there is hope for getting the garden started now.  Lettuce and romaine seeds have been started too (although late).

The snow is back this morning.  Too tired to go take a photo for you all, but you can imagine how we feel. It's been a rough few weeks.  My husband had to work 3rd shift again last night, and he was told Tuesday would be the last night.  We, at this point, have no idea when he'll be back to 1st again.  I've added a can of WD-40 to my shopping list. One thing I've realized, while trying to be quiet during the day, is that all my doors squeak. On a good note, the boys showed up Wednesday, and one rode the Harley up to the shop.    It's getting new tires, etc. to get it ready for riding season. I couldn't even remember what day it was this morning.  Literally.  With no days off, and the backwards routine, no wonder Hubby's stomach is bothering him.  He loved dinner last night - chicken with hot pepper mustard sauce, wild rice and " Full Throttle " sweet potatoes. New recipe tried - Gochujang glazed meatloaf with green beans, and steam...

I'm so tired, I forgot my blogger password this morning.  In my sleep deprived state, I also forgot to share how I made the black bean hummus.   First, I soaked a lb of dry organic black beans in water overnight.  I rinsed and drained, and cooked them. I used 2 cups of the cooked beans for the following recipe, and put the remaining beans in the refrigerator for breakfast burritos, and other meals.  You can freeze the extra beans for another meal as well.

Warning....not good news just yet. First, Hubby isn't off night shift after all.  A call came, and he's on 3rd for a few more nights (maybe).   Second,

I can't really say I felt like we had a weekend here.  Hubby worked all through the weekend, and with the continued 3rd shift, I am totally off sync.   We had a family baby shower yesterday, and that was interesting.  Hubby got home at 8:30am-ish, and went to bed.  He got up at 2:15pm, and we went to the baby shower late, then left early to come back so he could nap for one hour before leaving for work again.  He insisted we be with his family at this time, and I truly felt they needed it too.  Us too. However, we hit a big snaf-foo!  On the way home in his truck, because my car still has a falt tire since last Wednesday (he hit something on the way home, and with the funeral and 2 days of 100% rain, it was put on the back burner), his brakes started going out on us.  Thankfully our daughter wasn't driving.  He got us home by downshifting, but he needed a vehicle to get to work.

Although I am mentally exhausted, and the weather today here is cold, and 100% chance of rain (did I mention cloudy), I woke up to a smile and a refreshed soul.  I have biker's sunburn.  Hubby does too. The first bike is Hubby and I (Harley coat with back and white helmet is me).

I'm sitting in my kitchen, sipping some herbal tea, trying to be very quiet.  Hubby will need his sleep today more than ever.  Especially these next couple of days.  He's trying to be strong, but having been a "brother" to his nephew from age 4-5, he had a very tight relationship. I can't recall when his nephew wasn't there to help us in any predicament.  He never judged anyone that I know of, and was a very giving man and good father.  He held up the family for so many years, hosting get togethers at his house. I'm hoping the aroma of two large pans of stuffed chick pea shells cooling, doesn't wake Hubby up.  Thankfully, I had some help from a daughter with these.  The macaroni salad is already in the refrigerator, iced tea and water are in the car, and a bag of more food is waiting to be delivered tomorrow morning.  It's to help with the meal after the funeral.

It's been a trial week and it's only Tuesday.  It will be a longer week too.  I pray that God gives our nephew's family protection, love, support, and all the mental healing they need It's not only the night shift change anxiety/strain/tension right now, but another death in our family.  We got the call last night (Monday) just about 15 minutes prior to Hubby leaving for work.  Their family, and ours, could use prayers, uplifting thoughts, and good mojo.  We lost our great nephew's father.  We just lost our great nephew in late January, and now his father (my husband's nephew).  The great nephew was only 21 years old.  I am not certain, but I think our nephew was in his early 40's.  Last year we buried my husband's sister, mother to this nephew. Flustered and in no shape to crochet, I had a baby yarn disaster last night too.  I messed up, pulled out two rows, but in the process of putting the rows back in, created the worst mess of ...

Today I'm am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. We have a pretty nice weekend, yet cold.  We had a family wedding to attend, which was held outdoors (yes we froze our bums off, but the sun was out too), cut up more barn wood,  and Hubby got up Sunday morning and cooked me breakfast (even though he had to work nights starting last night).   We actually have started putting wood up (cut and ready) for this next winter.  It's a small start, but a start, and it makes me feel so relieved.  Say a prayer Hubby sticks with it this spring, summer and fall.  He's notorious for putting it off.  We finally picked up our seed potatoes, although it was "slim pickin's."  No red potatoes this year, just white.  Red hasn't been that great with lasting long without a root cellar or basement, and white does better in my kitchen bin.  We'll see how it goes this year. My routine will be discombobulated this week. I need to do things ...

Wednesday is snowed here.  Sigh....Mother Nature has to be drunk.  It literally snowed all day and into the night.  Thankfully, there was no snow on the ground Thursday morning, we had less wind, but lots of sun.  It was still cold though.   I'm getting a bit concerned about this gardening season.  It won't warm up for another week, and then we get an onslaught of rain for days and days.  At this point in April, I should be dehydrating tons of stinging nettle, I should have my peas, potatoes, beets and carrots planted outside.  None of that is happening right now.

A tisane is basically an herbal tea (used medicinally or for enjoyment), created the same way you make an infusion or decoction.  They can be enjoyed hot or cold and may be for simply enjoyment or medicinal purposes.  The only difference I have found with a traditional tisane, is that it is made with barley.   I made my first "tisane" using two simple ingredients - cardomom pods and anise star.  I cracked open 6 organic cardamom pods (green), and used 2 anise stars.  Basically a "seed" tisane. Anise star is good for aiding digestion (bloating, constipation, gas).  It's also beneficial in treating colds and flu.  I use anise star to flavor canned pear jam , and I use cardamom in my homemade ginger ale . There is a lot of sickness going around again, most likely due to the change of weather from warm to cold, to warm to cold rotation.  The long winter hasn't helped.  I am hearing of people with the flu, sinus infect...

One refrigerator has been successfully disinfected, cleaned out and reorganized.  Whew.   One more step ahead of garden season.  I got a few other chores marked off my list too.  It's been cold and raining.  The weatherman was wrong about a 62°F day.  Brr.  Today however, it's already 36°F, but that's our high too.  I believe we'll need to cut wood tonight.   I haven't had enough good weather days to get back to the barn debris, but one day while taking old man Jesse out, I found a gem in this pile.  I took it to the house.  I hope to have an update on what I did with the "gem."  It may not happen for a few months, as Hubby goes to nights pretty soon (he is working a temporary supervisor night shift for a while).  I'll need a bit of help from him.  There are many gems in that pile, so I'll be writing down some more ideas as we pick through it.

On a recent trip to the library, one librarian shared that she had been buying (Mediterranean) pickled turnips at a market, and wondered what the "pink" color was from (and if it was healthy).  She raved about the taste, so I came home and made some. By the way, I was right on my first guess - the pink is from beets.   I sliced my turnips in stick form.  The beet and hot pepper are at the bottom of the jar.  By the way, I will be making these again using the garlic vs. the chili pepper next.  I found a few ways to make them now. 

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today.  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.  Oddly, my kids did not try to prank me one time. Over the weekend, we got a motorcycle ride, joined Hubby's family for Easter dinner, took my Dad plate of food, and split more wood.  I think not being prepared with a few years of split wood has finally weighed on my husband's mind.  He keeps saying, "I'm so tired of this, I will have all our wood split before next winter." Update on my fall:  I had placed a comfrey poultice under my arm where I slammed onto the chair, but not anywhere else.  The bruise was gone in a few days, but last Saturday, I had shoulder pain and two nasty bruises show up on my knee.   On the breakfast plate. . .