Who Doesn't Love Bread?!

Ahh, the smell of freshly baked bread! It transforms a kitchen! Now it is much easier and less time consuming with these two great books! I highly recommend them both!
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

Now if only someone else would get up and put the bread in the oven & start the coffee......I could wake up to both aromas! Only in a dream I guess.

FLYING LITTLE JEWELS!

This is the first year we put feeders out at the farm. We had quite a few hummingbirds at our old house. I hung two feeders on our trellis. They were up about a week before we saw the first hummer.

We spotted this little guy on one of the feeder hooks outside the window.

Female at one of the two feeders

They really like to perch on the chain link fence. We have seen them sit there for almost 15 minutes at a time!

This time she let me get fairly close to the feeder!

Yesterday morning I was standing in the trellis with my cup of coffee and heard the familar buzz.....the male was at the feeder about 10 inches away from my head! Of course I did not have my camera!

They are so fun to watch! So far we have seen at least two different males and two different females.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Tourists

Welcome to Tuesday's Tourist! Every Tuesday I will post at least one "typical tourist" picture from places I have been over the last 20 years or so. If you have a neat "tourist" photo you would like posted, email me.
So sit back and become a "Tuesday Tourist" withouth every leaving your chair!

Millenium Bridge in London

Looking across Millenium Bridge towards St. Paul's Cathedral

Breakfast Smoothie/Shake

Here is a recipe for a smoothie/shake that was posted by a friend of mine. At first I was a little skeptical, but tried it anyway & it is really good and a great way to get lots of fruits & veggies!
It starts with Kale - which is loaded with vitamins especially raw! It is a powerful antioxidant, very high in beta carotene, vitamins k & c, lutein, zeaxanthin & fairly rich in calcium. And it is usually very affordable!
When I first read the recipe - which doesn't really have actual measurements, I was a little afraid to try it. I like clear measurement - 1 cup this, 1/2 cup that, etc. But I figured what the heck, I can do a handful of this instead. So I basically filled the container full of kale (after rinsing good), then added whatever fruit I could find -

a banana
two handfuls of blueberries
a peeled orange or 1 cup of orange juice,
a large spoonful of almond butter or other nuts or nut butter (for protein)
2 tbls. ground flax seed (only thing I actually measure)
frozen mango pieces
a kiwi

Basically just put in whatever fruit you have on hand. I also added in baby carrots for another vegetable - as long as they are little they get chopped up nicely. I just shove it all down in the container and put in my immersion blender and let it go to work! After a few minutes it is all nice and liquidfied! Trust me it tastes alot better than it looks and you do not taste the kale - I promise!

Wordless Wednesday

Château de Chillon and Lake Geneva, Switzerland
For more Wordless Wednesdays go to: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/2010/05/19/may-19-3/

Fuzzy Babies

When we arrived home yesterday afternoon we were greeted by 2 Canda Geese and their 5 babies! They are adorable & pretty good sized. They must have kept them hidden for a while. These two suprised me this morning when I walked out on the patio. It didn't take long for their parents to get them into the water and on the other side of the pond once they knew I was outside!

A little while later I went out into the garage and they were back on this side of the pond. The little ones were taking a nap while the adults took turns keeping watch.

Making their second lap around the pond and investigation the gate into the pasture.

Update on wildlife

We are still seeing or hearing the pair of Mallards. I accidently scared them this morning with the trash cans. They were on the side of the pond closest to the garage and I didn't seee them until I pulled the cans into the driveway and made alot of noise.
We had a pair of Canada Geese for a few days but then they decided to move on.
We do have at least 4 pairs of nesting Tree Swallows. We have 7 houses up, but I know at least one is occupied by Sparrows and one other is occupied by Blue Birds! The one the Blue Birds choose is not technically a "Blue Bird" house, but they seem to like it! The tree swallows are amazing to watch, skimming over the pond catching insects or getting a drink. They are too fast to get a photo, but I am going to try to get some video of them in the next few days - provided I can find the charging cord for the video camera!

Hummingbirds!! We have hummingbirds! We always had them at the old house, but had never seen them out here at the farm. I didn't get a chance to put up feeders last year, but I put two up this year. They were only up a little over a week before I heard that familar buzzing/humming sound!

Plus we have pheasants! I hear them every morning, just heard one as a matter of fact since I am sitting on the patio as I write this. I think they like having both pastures to themselves! We no longer rent the barn & pastures, although I am sure he still wants to mow both pastures down for hay & Doug will probably let him. I do miss watching the calves running around, but don't miss the mess & traffic!

This is a great book! A must read for anyone that has ever been owned by a dog!

 Two great products for cat owners! I have had the Scoop Free Litter Box for over a year and a half now and really love it! Especially since I found the plastic replacement tray Forever Litter Tray and Just the Crystals! The crystal litter is great, it asborbs all of the smell! Unless they see the cats, visitors never know we have them.
Although I do have to actually clean the tray instead of throwing it away, it means less trash and it is really easy to clean! I highly recommend them both! Plus since I am a member of Amazon Prime I receive them in two days with NO shipping costs!

Rain drops

You would never know the force with which these innocent looking rain drops fell. The morning after severe thunderstorms moved through our area. I like thunderstorms, especially in the Spring. They seem......well, cleansing & necessary. I enjoy standing outside and watching the storms move in - well until it starts to pour & lightening, then I prefer watching indoors. I have tried numerous times to photograph lightening. A few shots decent shots have resulted, but those were with 35mm. Digital is another story.