Pioneer Woman at Heart

  Dandelion greens have so many health benefits, and we add them to many dishes I prepare.  In the winter, however, I rely on buying them organic (if our freezer stash runs low). We are now down to only one store that sells them.  It is very important to not skip washing them either.  As you can see they contain a lot of dirt.  I simply blanch them, ice bath them, drain them, and freeze them for future meals. Blanching Dandelion Greens   © January 2025 by  Kristina  at  Pioneer  Woman at Heart

  Coyote maybe. Dog vs. Coyote (photo from Google) Cat on the left, and possible coyote on the right. Cat. Birds.                                              Raccoon again . Although the snow is melting today (the thaw before the freeze), yesterday I was able to get some photos of more animal tracks in the snow.  I was most curious if my thoughts were correct, and that the coyote has made it's way to our property.  I have not seen it on our property yet, but I have seen a very fat raccoon.  To note about that, we have not seen a raccoon here in several years.  I'm guessing they are sensing that there is an extreme cold front coming, and the wild animals are all trying to fatten up. There is a stray cat we have tried to feed, and have seen it many times since the day after Christmas.  The tracks lead all over the place.  I have a food shel...

  I'm not sure how these survived in a tote this long, but these goat coats were taken to an area animal sanctuary yesterday.  I actually found one more after I took the photo to send to them.  Anyway, the zebra coats were made and sewn by myself.  I know, I am shocked myself.  I can still see the baby goats (kids) running around looking like baby zebras, ha ha! I dug out my Mom's sewing machine and got to it one day.  The pink one (store bought) was for our very first female Lamancha goat.  The zebra ones were cut from old pajamas from the kids (recycled I should say).  I sewed velcro straps on,  and wah-la, goat coats for the kid goats when it was cold out. The temperatures here are to dip into a brutal cold spell starting Monday, and the sanctuary has many goats, and kid goats.  They asked the public for help, and we decided to give them all 4 goat coats.  We have no plans to raise dairy goats again, but we do have the means...

I purposely get up early enough to recharge with coffee, and watch the sunrise.  I also go outside to take in a breath of fresh winter air.  Even if it's just a minute.  Some days, I catch a beautiful sunrise, some days I see animal tracks, some days I see the beauty of mother nature in wild animals. I took these photos, not realizing I what I would see.  It was quite a sight to watch, as it appeared the largest buck was standing guard, while the rest of the herd got into the woods nearby. What I didn't expect to see in the photos.  A stalking coyote. Keeping an eye on the coyote. I hope you enjoyed the photos. They are not the best, as I am using an older camera, but still pretty good.  My husband gifted me a new camera for Christmas, but due to a problem with it, it had to be returned.  A new camera (we are going with something else this time) is being sought out, and hopefully soon. We are getting more snow, and they are still predicting a big dip i...

It's been cold here lately. Tuesday (1-14-25) we woke up to -3°F.   It snowed the entire day, making all of the roadways slick. Accidents, multiple car pile up's, and my husband stuck in traffic on his way home (due to another pile up).  I'm not kidding, it was that bad on the roads. I was out on them.  The doctor found no fractures, but I have an injured hamstring.  No wonder I have been in pain.  My husband missed his own doctor appt due to the accidents delaying him. Today we woke up to a brisk -7°F, and we are in for a really cold snap next week.  Like below -20 or something.  I had the delight to watch a herd of deer this morning, and will post those photos in another post.  We had a front porch visitor.  A raccoon.   It's been fun with the snow on the ground lately. I can track the animals so easily.  There are rabbit prints and deer prints all around the chicken coop, and all over the property.  I see the fat s...

There a many possibilities for January yet. It keeps me focused, and joyful.  I'm a bit behind on home repairs/projects, but moving forward. Winter gives me more time to browse our local library, and read up on new teas, recipes, tinctures, garden plants and more. Has anyone had experience with bay leaf tea?  I'm just now learning about it, but have not made the tea.  I'm wondering if all bay leaves are the same or different?  I buy mine bulk, so I'll have to check the package label. Another question.  Ha.  Sigh.  When we emptied our moveable cupboard that holds extra canned garden goods, we discovered cowboy candy from 2020.  Toss?  I mean it's now 2025 .  My husband is insisting anything canned is good (not the same for tomato based goods), but I'm against him on this one.  Garden season is around the corner, so I can toss and be safe.  What would my fellow canning blog friends do? Gardening folks - do you plan on planting an...