The New and Improved Wild Patio

is almost done. Last year we bought some left over pavers from our neighbor, and put in a patio halfway down the property. Next we added some Leland Cypress (they were on sale @ $3.50 each) and spread 5 or 6 boxes of the wild flower seeds you get at the ‘Dollar Store’. As the summer wore on i realized that i needed to make this patio bigger since the ’Dollar Store Wild Flowers’ were over taking it. I didn’t get around to it till this January on a warm day and was a little rushed and it came out terrible. SOOOOOO last week i pulled up the original pavers, added 1000 pounds of sand to build the  base up, and relayed all the pavers. Yesterday i cut the final small pieces and set them. Next i added some benches. Monday, after i build a rolling base, we will put the fireplace on it.  What would really make this patio special would be some decorative metal gates made by ‘Edifice Rex’ edificerex gates. Till then we have posted a Guard Flamingo to protect it from roaming ‘patio squatters’.

Something is Solved

Some of you may remember that around the holidays we learned that we were going to be grandparents again. But after looking for that old post I realize that it doesn’t exist.

OOPS! OK During the holidays we found out that we were going to be grandparents again. Grandson announced that he was getting a sister. Well that was back in December. Every week since then when I talk to oldest daughter I ask “did you find out yet?” And she reminds me of how many more weeks we have to wait. Last week, Beatrice decided that it was definitely going to be a granddaughter and started buying girl stuff. Of course, I have had a sneaking suspicion all along the it would be a granddaughter

At this point I should give you some family background. My aunt (the last GIRL in the family) in CT is just 11 years older than me and we grew up two houses away from each other. She has always been the ‘big sister’ I never had. To appreciate the next part you have to know that my aunt loved to sew and make cloths, especially for kids (a habit she got from my mother). My only other cousin, another boy, convinced his parents to move to Florida when we were about 5 years old. So he ended up escaping what turned out to be my fate. I still don’t talk to him. Luckily, I have survived this trauma and am reasonably normal after spending some of my younger years being dressed in home made clothing and often made to participate in ‘Fashion Shows’. 

My aunt got married they had 4 boys. Her #1 son got married and they had 2 boys. I got married and we had (hold on here, this is a biggie) 2, yes that is two girls! (No not at the same time). They were the first girls in the family since my aunt.  

To say that my daughters were spoiled as kids is an understatement. As time went on oldest daughter got married and had a boy, and my aunt's #3 son married and had a boy.

Friday morning we were really slow to get moving. In fact at 9:30 we were just starting breakfast as the phone rang. It was daughter #1 who was on her way home from the doctor's office and announced we were going to have a ….. hold on…. almost there

GRANDDAUGHTER!

The next big question is “What is her name going to be?”

Going, Going . . . UP

That’s the continuing story about gas prices, nationwide and abroad. These prices were posted this a.m. at a nearby station on the VA eastern shore .

Thanks to ALL who posted a reply on Got Gas, 2 days ago. This is a subject that gets folks talking from EVERYWHERE.

It's totally outrageous!

We are going to cut down on any casual non-necessary driving from here on out.

Just stop driving cars.

Wish we still had a 40mpg car. Anyone know of a good 1994 Sentra for sale?

Where will it end ?

What we can complain loudly about is why vehicles are not getting 50 mpg! The technology is available.

I know there is a law about prices increasing only once in 24 hours, but that does not mean they MUST increase every day.

Thought about a horse and buggy but it is $4.00 for a bale of hay

RECAP of prices and locations . . .

Ludwig (GA)- filled up at $3.45 and 9/10 down here in the South.

Larry (Iowa) - paid $3.38 (but I know it is temporary).

Daisy (Ohio) - $3.40 here the other day.

Lois (Ohio) – filled yesterday for $3.41/gal in Cincinnati.

Kjell (native of Norway) - $9.57/gal. there

Christine (Mama-Bug, FL) - $3.59 at the Wal-Mart in Panama City, Florida.

Sandra (FL) - $3.50 the signs SAYS $3.49  and 9/10's which makes no sense to me; we always round it up and say it like it is.

Possum (eastern shore, VA) -  $3.59 at my place in the Poconos (PA), but $4.79 in Hawaii.

Linda (PA) - $3.59/gallon this morning in Warren, PA.

Grammie G. (Maine) -  average is. $3.49 in Lewiston, Maine.

Connie – Far Side (MN) – $3.49 here.

Christer (Sweden) - we pay $8.03 U.S. dollars per gallon! The price is much the same all over Europe too.

Dogsmom (WI) - after that last comment, we should not complain as loudly over $3.50/gal.

AC (Canada) - paying about $1 more per gallon than you here.

OldBikeRider (Blacksburg,VA) - about $3.40-$3.50 here.

Martymom (eastern shore, VA) – we are in the same neck of the woods. 

Got Gas ?

No, not the type you get from indigestion, but what powers your car.  We filled our 2 Jeeps earlier this week when the price here on the VA eastern shore was $3.39/gallon.

Bad enough then – but yesterday here’s what a local station posted – other nearby stations posted $3.44/gallon.

And, don’t you just love hate the 9/10th that gas stations always add at the end? It’s like saying something is priced 0.99 – and we all know that’s NO bargain.

HOW are gas prices in your part of the U.S./world?
Please leave feedback/comments for a follow-up post.

Mexican Chicken Skillet

Chicken is a food group (along with hot fudge, of course) at The Frog & PenguINN and we are always looking for different – and easy – ways chicken recipes. A couple of weeks ago a fellow blogger, Kathleen, posted this recipe and it was dinner. It’s easy, cooks in one pan, and the ingredients were in the freezer or pantry.

You can easily vary this recipe by adding items like corn and beans. My changes included: olive vs. vegetable oil, frozen peppers from our garden, fresh scallions vs. garlic, and brown rice. Thanks Kathleen, for posting this recipe. I can tell how much Grenville enjoyed it too when he declared that “it’s a keeper.”

Mexican Chicken Skillet

• 1 ½ lbs chicken breast, cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
• ½ C chopped scallions
• 1 tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ C flour
• 1 large bell pepper, sliced in strips
• 1 large onion, sliced into in wedges
• 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• ½ C chicken broth

1. Mix flour and seasonings together. Sprinkle chicken with 2 tbsp of flour mixture; set aside remaining mixture.
2. Cook chicken in oil in large skillet until browned. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper, garlic, onion and scallions to skillet and sauté' until tender.
3. Stir in tomatoes, green chilies, broth, and remaining flour.  Heat to boiling, stir often. Add chicken to skillet. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve on a bed of rice (brown, white, or wild rice) and a side of red beans (optional). NOTE: Add red beans to the chicken mixture, if you prefer. (I skipped them, but may add some the next time.)

GOOD NEWS – leftovers for another dinner.

Fun on the Fen Update

Today was parking lot day. Since we are out of trees and the next shipment will not be here till next Tuesday we worked on the future parking lot. My day was spent helping to install the guard rail.  Each post is  6x6” and the rails are 2x10”. These are full size rough cuts and treated to marine grade, not the nice trimmed stuff you get at the lumber yard. The heavy treating is needed due to the closeness of the Atlantic Ocean and the near constant salt breeze. By the end of the day we had finished the left side of the road and had started setting posts on the right side. Each side will accommodate 8  cars. At the end of the lot we will be installing a set of gates to restrict vehicles any further. As the day went on we were treated to the formation flying of Snow Geese.

  Through out the day we got to watch hundreds of Snow Geese head south then north then south again. These shots are just a few of them. Usually when they come overhead the sky will be filled with them. 

 

 

Future Fruits of Our Labors

Well i hope there will be some fruits. Namely Peaches. Some of you may remember last year our posting about the peaches we (finally) got from our lone Georgia Bell Peach tree and the delicious Peach Pies. You may also remember my search for more Georgia Bells and how futile it was. WELL this year our local Rose’s (like a Wally World but cheaper) got a whole shipment of them so we bought two and a Wine Sap Apple. For the last few weeks they have been hanging out in the green house with the spinach, but yesterday it finally was warm enough to set them out. Tomorrow we are scheduled to get 1.5-2.0 inches of rain so they will be well watered in.

 

Here they are getting a ride from JD to their new home in the orchard.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the first location before and after removing the Chick Weed which covers the plot in the winter.

 

 

 

 

The hole and the tree in the hole. It may look dry here but, our ground is extremely wet this time of the year. In fact our water table (ground water) right now is is about two feet. Dig down two feet and you are in water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is one of our Peach trees all set in and staked and banded. This area is at the end of the property and is shielded from all but East winds. Of course that is what we’ve been having lately to 35 mph so they got extra banding for support.This brings the orchard up to three apples, three peaches, and one pear (which hasn’t done much in the last three years). With luck we will have another good year from Peach #1. Peach #2 & #3 will not be allowed to set fruit this year so it will direct more energy to good root development. Next is peach pie (i hope).

A House is Not a Home . . .

The lyrics written by composer Burt Bacharach kept going through my head while I was preparing this post. You may recall some lyrics to the song popularized by vocalist Dionne Warwick in the 1960s:

A chair is still a chair
Even when there's no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house
And a house is not a home . . . 

A room is still a room
Even when there's nothing there but gloom;
But a room is not a house,
And a house is not a home . . . 

For several years, Grenville and I would take long drives along the back roads of the VA eastern shore, especially when we first relocated here from NJ. It always amazed us – and still does – when we would come across homes abandoned by their former owners. Grenville would comment that “a good paint job and some windows were all that were needed.” Sadly, most of these homes would need a lot more attention and work – and love as well.

Abandoned farmhouses are a common sight along back roads.

Some would be lone sentries left standing in the fields, which years ago could have been family homesteads on productive farms.

Other homes would be well hidden by years of overgrowth, so that you really have to search for to see them.

Some come with a view – from all sides – claimed either by the passage of time or ravaged by fire and left standing to slowly disintegrate.

Many are left standing in open fields as if the former residents simply walked away.

This abandoned house provided a glimpse into the lives of former owners who left behind their belongings.

This house showed unfinished construction on the left side.

All the photographs shown in this post were taken either from the street or using a zoom lens. No private property was trespassed on and many of these houses can still be seen today – several years AFTER these photos were taken.

House Finches

In late December, there was a gathering of House Finches around the backyard feeders. The numbers thinned in January and February, but last week they were seen again at the feeders, although not yet in the numbers seen earlier. These photos were taken last December. More detailed information on House Finches can be found here.

During the winter, House Finches form medium to large flocks, often mixing with other small birds including American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and House Sparrows.
House Finches are aggressive enough to drive other birds away from the feeders.
Like all  other finches in its family, the House Finch is dichromatic by gender, which means that males and females are distinguishable by differences in color. And like many songbirds, the male house finch is the one that sports the colorful plumage.

Adult males vary in color from orange yellow to bright red. The color is derived from carotenoid pigments obtained from their diet of seeds, flowers, and fruits and added to the feathers during normal periods of feather replacement.

Studies have shown that brightly colored males are more successful at attracting mates than duller males (so what else is new?)

Brightly colored males also survive the winter better – wonder why.
During courtship, the male will touch bills with the female and may then present the female with choice bits of food and, if she imitates the posture of a hungry chick, actually feed her. The male also feeds the female during the breeding and incubation of both eggs and young,and the male is the primary feeder of the fledglings.House finches are monogamous. The female will incubate a brood of 3-6 eggs for 12-14 days, and both parents feed the altricial (birds that hatch naked and blind, lacking any feathers) young for 12-19 days. A pair may raise 1-3 broods per year, with multiple broods more common in southern populations. (Altricial birds include most songbirds, including American robins, northern cardinals and blue jays.)

Female House Finches have blurrier streaks and grayer undersides than their male counterparts.
Originally residents of Mexico and the southwestern U.S., House Finches were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s.
The eastern population is descended from cage birds released near NYC in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally and marketed as “Hollywood Finches.”  To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, vendors and owners released the birds.

They quickly started breeding and spread across almost all of the eastern U.S. and southern Canada within the next 50 years.

Rainy Day – Perfect for Reading and Soup

As Grenville said in an earlier post, today is a rainy Sunday, perfect for sitting down with a good read. Minding Frankie, is the latest and highly enjoyable book by Irish writer Maeve Binchey. She is one of my favorite authors; reading her books is like spending time with familiar friends “met” in her earlier books. In a previous post, I mentioned how much Grenville and I printed books. Curling up with an electronic reader  just isn’t something to do on a rainy day – or any other day, at least for us.

Did I mention it was raining a LOT?

Great day to try a new soup recipe to enjoy for dinner with salad and homemade wheat bread. Scratched that last item, because the South Beach recipe is NOT worth posting. This loaf is going to the feeders for unwelcome visitors – starlings and grackles.

This Bean and Chicken Soup recipe was in a free magazine, Nature’s Place, available monthly in our local supermarket and published by Taste forLife. The website has recipes and healthy eating tips.

In the freezer this week, I found a package of pre-cooked chicken, leftover from a recent dinner. I read the recipe through and opted not to use pesto, since it’s not one of Grenville’s favorites and rarely on hand. Instead, I substituted a package of frozen chopped spinach. NO need to defrost it first. Also, I used a tbsp of jarred, minced garlic, no cloves available.

White Bean, Chicken and Pesto Spinach Soup
Prep time – 40 minutes; serves 8 or fewer with leftovers

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (this gives it a kick – omit if you prefer)
• 6 C low-sodium chicken broth (stock if you have it)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 cans (14-19 oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 C shredded cooked chicken
• ¼ C store-bought pesto (optional)
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar (see Note)

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion and sauté until softened.
2. Add celery, carrot, garlic, oregano and cayenne, sauté for about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in stock, salt and black pepper and simmer until vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes.
4. Add beans, chicken, 2 TBSPS of pesto (if using) and all of the vinegar OR add in frozen spinach.
5. Heat until steaming. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.
6. Serve in bowls and garnish with remaining pesto (if using).

NOTE: seasoning with a little vinegar at the end of cooking heightens the soup’s flavor. While most cooks only season with salt and pepper, a little acid can make the soup taste “just right.”