Traditions

 We've had a tradition every Memorial Day weekend since we've lived here.  Nathaniel's friend Eric and his family come down and spend the weekend with us.  Normally, others join in for a kayak trip, but some years that doesn't pan out.  This year, there was no kayak trip, but there was a great weekend.  And, as our yearly tradition, we didn't forget the stairway picture:

And we even had a bit of photo bombing from the adults not taking the pictures!

Garden Updates

 

Although about 2 dozen nectarines fell off the tree in the last downpour, many are still there.  I am hoping that we get some tasty fruit this year.  Also, Lydia is looking forward to these:

This is a gooseberry plant.  I've never actually had a gooseberry, but Lydia and my nieces have enjoyed the neighbor's berries before, and Lydia begged for gooseberry plants.  I planted 5.  Three survived, but only one has fruit (the other two are tiny and not likely to bear this year).  I hope to sample one before Lydia eats them all.

The thyme is blooming!

We harvested all of the meat birds, and I gave two pullets to a friend, so we are down to 12 young birds, 8 of which are roosters.  I opened the door to the coop, so they are interacting with the big hens now.  They are all getting used to each other.

The pea pods are liking this cooler weather.  They are really quite pretty:

I've had a few pods, but most are not ready yet.  I love pea pods, so they don't last long around here.

Baby

 I never posted my newest niece, baby Eleanor:

Isn't she a doll?  I finally got to hold her (and totally hogged her) at my cousin's bridal shower.

New Trellis

I had to take down the old wooden arbor that was in the front yard.  Now that the big tree in the background is dead, a lot more sun is reaching this bed, so I put up a new trellis for cucumbers.  I think they will do quite well here.  I've also planted radishes and carrots underneath the trellis, so hopefully, we will get quite a few veggies from this little spot.

We've also started culling the meat birds.  We harvested 5 of the biggest roosters on Friday, so we have had chicken for dinner the last couple of nights.  Each of the chickens weighed a bit over 5 lbs when ready for the freezer, so they are a great size, and we still have 14 more to go.  Malachi, Gyunay, and Emry were especially excited to get some fried chicken hearts, too.
 

Book Review - Never Miss by Melissa Koslin

 

Never Miss by Melissa Koslin features unusual characters and a fast-paced adventure.  I really loved the main male character.  He was so different from most protagonists in this genre, and I enjoyed that.  I've dealt with various people whose minds work in very interesting ways, and although I've never met someone quite as brilliant as Lyndon, I think he was a realistic - albeit extremely rare - character. Kadance, the main female character, was also highly unusual, but I felt that her character was more of a stretch, especially her family story.  Still, I enjoyed the book very much.  It's a lot like a Mission:Impossible movie, where you know this stuff just couldn't be solved so fast or easily, but you're still enjoying the ride.  I also liked the cat as a fun addition to the story.  I think the book could have benefited from tighter editing, and there was some repetition.  Overall, though, it kept me interested, and I'd try another book from this author.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.

Paper Marbling

 

A long time ago, I tried paper marbling, and I really enjoyed it.  I made a lot of pages, and I used them in scrapbooking and for stationary.  After a while, though, I put aside that craft.  

A few weeks ago, we were able to watch an historic paper marbler on zoom.  Historic New Harmony couldn't have their regular heritage artisan days, so they offered zoom lessons to schools and homeschools.  Naturally, I signed up, and Lydia and Gyunay and I enjoyed watching the paper marbler, potter, and blacksmith.  All three gave very thorough explanations of their crafts, and it inspired me to go down the rabbit hole of historic paper marbling.

Naturally, I went online and spent hours.  I bought books and supplies.  I do intend on paper marbling the same way they did in the 1800s (and earlier), and I have most of the supplies for that now, including things like ox gall and carageenan.  (Or in other words, bile from a cow's liver, and moss from Ireland.)  But for starters, I bought a kids' modern marbling kit, and I let the kids have a fun art class.

Lydia really enjoyed it, and she patiently cleaned the size after each use.  She tried out some of the traditional marbling techniques, too.

We had a good time.  We saved a couple of sheets for Emry to try when he got off the bus, too.

Overall, it was a huge success, and I am itching to try the historic methods.  That will take quite a bit more trial and error, but I think it will be most rewarding.

April Harvest Totals and Around the Yard

 April Harvest Totals - Eggs - 225

We did a lot of yard work yesterday.  I have been planting out some of the seedlings I've grown in the sunroom.  More of the bulbs are blooming now, including the Dr. Seuss flowers:

Ok, they are really called aliums, but I just call them Dr. Seuss flowers.  

And look at the nectarine tree:

I am hoping we get to eat tasty nectarines this year!