Making water kefir is a daily routine for me: I’m either starting a first ferment or second ferment each day. Keeping the grains happy means feeding them properly and regularly, and happy grains make wonderfully effervescent kefir!
Continue reading “Farm Ferments: Simple Strawberry (And Grapefruit) Water Kefir”Eye Candy: Sleet’s Aftermath
As the temperatures dropped yesterday, we entered the “snow zone”, with possible snow flurries in the forecast. While it doesn’t look like the snow came, freezing rain did, and it created some works of art that I had the opportunity to capture during morning chores.
Continue reading “Eye Candy: Sleet’s Aftermath”Eye Candy: Frosty Farm Morning
After a spell of strangely mild weather, it’s taken a turn for the worse. Personally, I intensely dislike temperature swings like this because it’s tough on both farmers and their animals…but it does have some redeeming qualities, like the brilliant hoarfrost.
Continue reading “Eye Candy: Frosty Farm Morning”Musings: Oboe Obsession
I don’t play the oboe…yet. But I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that I should. And this feeling isn’t new – it’s been in the wings for a long time, awaiting its curtain call, politely but resolutely refusing to be ignored. Is that strange? Maybe it is, but I think it’s worth further exploration.
Continue reading “Musings: Oboe Obsession”Haiku: Murmuration’s Mystery
It sounds like a thousand squeaky screen doors being opened and closed: metallic, raspy, and loud. The unusual noise accompanies huge flocks of acrobatic birds that darken the sky. These large groups of starlings visit our area periodically, and despite my worries that they’ll empty the bird feeders in five seconds flat, these travelers don’t even seem to notice them.
Continue reading “Haiku: Murmuration’s Mystery”For The Birds: Cold Weather Considerations
With the arrival of below-freezing weather, we’ve put the bird feeders out. On one side, a mix of wild bird seed; on the other, a seed-studded suet cake. The birds have enthusiastically visited the feeders (one out front where we can see it from the breakfast nook) and out back, visible from the dining area. With a pair of binoculars, it makes for excellent viewing.
Continue reading “For The Birds: Cold Weather Considerations”