Frost

We woke up to our first frost of the season this morning.

At the moment, the sky is pouring giant flakes of wet slushy snow all over our little corner of the world--a unique brand of precipitation my husband describes as "gross." It is weather we just don't want to be out in, unless we're feeling the need for some character-building or penitence. So, a good time for warm and cozy indoor activities--knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, building forts and reading books. Lucky me, today was declared a good day for some daddy-daughter time, so my husband and daughter took care of the forts and books while I got to do a little kitchen and craft work.  Dinner tonight includes two dishes from my favorite cook book, Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. Every recipe we try from this book is simple, delicious, nutritious, and makes great left-overs. Tonight we're having Cynthia's split pea soup and massaged kale salad. The kale is just divine--and feels so hearty and nutritious without being bitter or heavy like cooked kale can sometimes be.

My husband made a delicious scramble for brunch today with our happy hen eggs and leeks and peppers we picked up at Zenger Farm yesterday at their harvest market. We've been wanting to do a self-guided tour there, and I'm so glad we finally made it out for a visit.We were so inspired by the healthy, spacious fields and free-range chickens at this "working urban farm that models, promotes and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all." I highly recommend a field trip here for any Portland-area folks.
Wishing warm and cozy times to you all as the cold weather settles in!

The Lost Art of Patching

I remember my mom patching the knees of my grass-stained, worn out jeans when I was a kid. At the time, I didn't appreciate her resourcefulness like I do now. It was just something she did. I remember a vague feeling that maybe it wasn't "cool" to wear jeans with patches over the knees, but they worked just fine for tromping through the woods and building forts in the pine trees and sagebrush. I remember my mom showing me how to sew patches onto my Brownie Girl Scout sash, but I'm not sure that I have ever successfully patched a pair of pants--until this year. Over the last two years we've done a lot of scrimping and saving in order for one of us to be home with our daughter. That means it's been a while since we bought new clothes. And that means we've developed some holey pants! So out of necessity, I did a little research and patched up these jeans: 

May not look like much, but it does it's job! And you wouldn't believe the satisfaction I feel when I wear these hand-patched pants. Feels very good and wholesome.  One nice thing about living the majority of life outside of the professional world right now is that no one really cares if my wardrobe consists mostly of patched and threadbare clothing. And I'm lucky enough to have a husband who actually likes the worn and tattered look. He was even excited about his birthday present this year--his very own pair of patched work pants! These have been sitting in the back of a closet for years, literally. I just rediscovered them while on a cleaning frenzy and decided it was finally time to bring them back to life.

It's amazing what you can learn how to do on the internet these days. I used this online tutorial to learn the basics of patching by hand. 

Simply put, here are the steps:
1. Measure the hole and cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover it, with an extra 1/4-1/2 inch on all sides.
2. Fold over the 1/4-1/2 inch to the wrong side of the fabric all the way around your patch. Iron down. This gives you neat, non-fraying edges.
3. Pin your patch to the clothing to cover the hole.
4. Sew around the patch (being careful not to sew the pant leg together) using a blind or whip stitch.
There are a lot of video tutorials for basic sewing and mending techniques online if you need to refresh your memory about how to tie a knot or sew a blind stitch like I did.

Here's to patching, saving money, and rescuing one more piece of clothing from the landfill!

Birthday Carrot Cake

We have a birthday in the house today, so it's time for cake! One of my favorite desserts is a "healthy" carrot cake my mom used to make. It's delicious, in spite of having a little less sugar and fat than some other treats (and the cream cheese frosting makes up for that). Plus, it's a great use for carrots from the backyard garden and eggs from the hen house. Here's the recipe:

"Healthy" Carrot Cake

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Sift together above ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix together the following:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry;
then add:
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Mix briefly, pour into greased/floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes or till set.

You can eat it plain if you're feeling virtuous, but I like to frost with cream cheese frosting--mix 3 oz softened cream cheese with 3 cups powdered sugar and a dash of salt. Add 2 TBLS milk or more till you reach desired consistency. If you have some good honey on hand, you can also just mix honey and cream cheese to make a yummy glaze.

Setting up a subject for photographing is quite a challenge with a toddler in the same room, especially when the subject is as irresistible as these bright, plump garden carrots!

She determined some chopstick carrot surgery was in order.

Mixing it all up.

It tastes better than it looks in this photo, really--it even gets husband and toddler cheers!

A little hat

I've been wanting to knit an earflap hat for my little one and finally found this great free pattern. It's straightforward, fun and quick. I used leftover Cascade Yarns wool along with some luxuriously soft angora my mom spun from the rabbits we kept when I was growing up. The angora is fuzzy and warm and repels rain and snow quite well. It hasn't been cold enough to wear it yet, but it's fun to play with and practice putting on and pulling off. More notes on the knitting specifics are on my Ravelry page.

Autumn Glory

Today was one of those clear, blue, sunny, dry days that feel so luxurious in our wet fall climate. We were lucky enough to get to spend some time outside and wanted to share these chestnut and maple gems with you. I have always loved golden leaves against blue sky with bright autumn sun lighting up the whole scene. So delicious.

Starting this blog has been a wonderful exercise in remembering how to see the world around me. I really learned to do this while taking art classes in high school. I was blessed with a wonderfully perceptive and compassionate art teacher who taught us to look at objects, creatures, light, and shadow, without labeling. Just see the forms with a naked eye. A toddler is a good teacher in this regard, too, observing the world with such a fresh mind.  I'm blessed to have one of those, as well. So maybe this is a little renaissance for me. Re-learning to see. I hope that in sharing what I see on this blog, you will also be inspired to look at your world with fresh eyes.

A few introductions:

This is Rhoda, the Rhode Island Red--one of the four (hopefully) happy hens for which this blog is named. She is our most friendly and uninhibited hen, and likes to come on in the people house whenever the door is left open for a moment.

This is Cleo(patra) the Ameraucana, who lays green eggs. You can find her, wings spread wide, sunning herself whenever the sun makes an appearance.

We'll have to wait to introduce the other two our our four happy hens till I can get a good photo of them. Chickens are even harder than toddlers to photograph! Speaking of toddlers, here's mine:

We were picking and smelling and tearing apart some chamomile flowers in the garden this afternoon. Such delicate little petals and scent.
Blessings on your world and on your vision of it!

Election Day

This was the view out my kitchen window today. I love this giant maple in all of her golden splendor.  She inspired me to turn off the radio, forget about election updates and political commentary for a bit, and go outside for a little treasure hunt.

I found these radiant blueberry leaves...

....and some happy little cover crop sprouts--crimson clover and fava beans.

I picked some greens for our sandwiches this week.

I said hello to the ladies,

and greeted the last zinnia...

and the last calendula.

Lovely treasures indeed!