A rooster and his farmgirl

I was out weeding the very early but persistent weeds , being followed around by Rexie until it started to hail on me...I admit, I'm not for being bonked on the head while I'm gardening. Rex dashed under the plum tree and continued to forage while I went and got a hat.

I Hope, hope, hope that I can get taters and peas in soon. It's still getting down in the 20s at night, so I am thinking I should wait. Still a novice gardener here. But I'm determined to fight the weeds, and get a good garden out of the year.

Even with the unpredictable weather I enjoy starting to plan out the garden, with Rexes help of course! I'm doing mound beds and going to mulch heavily between the mounds to keep the weeds down ( HAH!)

We are planting about 50% heirloom seeds this year!
If this posts seems a bit disjointed, I'm typing around a cat who insists that she needs to be in my lap =)

Annika

My rescue grape vine survived!!!!

I rescue everything. I am the softest hearted little crazy Irish woman in north Idaho...sometimes its cats, dogs and other critters. In this case it was an unwanted pair of grape vines. They came out of the ground so mangled last year that I was sure we were rescuing in vain.

But lookie here!!!! it's impossible to get a great photo because of the wind, but the danged thing survived and is putting out leaves. I couldn't be more pleased!

When in doubt, cook!

I've been aimless all day, I don't like being aimless and restless, so I made up this recipe and yum! It turned out real well!
I love to cook, but am still learning to write up recipes =)
Someday I'm going to write a cook book!



Chicken-Eggplant Parmesan

1 good sized egg plant
2 large chicken breasts, diced
1 onion diced
1 large garlic crushed
Butter enough to saute with
A generous handfull of sliced mushrooms
1/2 a sweet pepper, diced
I can of diced Italian style tomatos
1'4cup olive oil
Seasoning to taste
1 cup shreaded parmesan cheese

Place chicken breasts, diced onion, and garlic in a skillet with enough butter to saute with. Saute on medium heat until tender.
Wash and dry eggplant , slice in half length wise, scoop out the  eggplant and dice the filling. place in large bowl, dice the pepper and add to eggplant filling. Add the can of tomatos and  olive oil andstir. season as plaease you. mix in the chicken mixture with 2/3 of  the cheese. Preheat oven to 350. Fill eggplant shells with the mixture. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy

Willows. Early Spring. Idaho. My Back yard

This is my yard and beyond is my landlord's farm. I just rent my tiny piece of farm and dream of one day owning my own. Anyway...THIS year, I'm tilling up the weedy meadow grass and planting what will hopefully be a very productive garden. My seeds have been ordered and plants will be picked up from the farmers market this spring...Now I just need to buy enough cattle fencing to keep the neighbour's goats and sheep out when they inevitably get loose 0-O
They thrashed through the fence last year and ate all of my rugosa roses! wicked beasties! The farm has year round springs, so even if the well runs low, I can still haul water to my plants.  I'm starting on the Palouse Prairie Girls Garden journal project and will post updates as we go =)

 Still having frost and even a tiny bit of wet snow...looking forward to the scent of newly tilled earth and the rich scents of spring! It's almost garden time!


Tell me about your garden and where you live =)

Annika

Plans and projects, Oh my!

Do you ever have that burst of crazy energy , when you find a cachet of new project and links to even MORE projects that you are suddenly into? The I've-never-tried-this-before kind of excitement? I'm there! Not only am I having to adapt to the often too dry inner northwest way of waterwise gardening (This coming from a former Seattle girl!) I'm trying to get into crochet, tatting, sewing and quilting, backyard farming, candle making, and soooooo much more! I want to try EVERYTHING...
Perhaps its because I'm on the cusp on a half century of living and I realise how much there still is to learn...late mid-life crisis? Maybe I'm just going dotty =)

Hee-hee, I've started a farmgirl chapter, I'm craft mad and want to totally redecorate the house and have a world class garden.

...And I want chickens, turkeys and a horse too =)

So to all of you who are wondering where to go in life...live your dream! Live out loud, be true to yourself and regret nothing.

Love and light
Annika

Some times I need focus

I have a farmgirls chapter meeting coming up and I'm trying to focus on that, and all I want to do is stitch and work in the yard! sometimes I'm just not in focus  *sigh* , How do you all keep on track? I'm dazzled and
 amazed at the talent that you all share. KEEP IT UP GIRLS!
De-dazzled-ly
Annika

My Roo Rex

Yes I have a pet yard rooster...he eats the cat food and follows me around like a dog! I rescued him from being chicken and dumplins'

And yes those are my dandelions LOL! I had a busted ankle and couldn't mow and pull the darned things I wonder if anyone else has a pet rooster?

Wanted to share...I think he is real purty!

Dreaming garden dreams

As the days grow longer and the birds herald springs arrival, my mind turns to the earth and garden. We are often having heavy frosts still, but my seed orders are in and I'm going through my seeds from the previous year and mentally turning the soil, smelling the good earthy smell of it and seeing my garden in full bloom.

This year I'll be buying plants from the farmer's market because I don't have a great way to grow seedlings in the house.
The meddlesome cats are into everything and chomp up my seedlings, lay in the sun on top of the poor seedlings and generally wreak havoc with my attempts at growing anything in the house GGGGRRRRRR!

MUST HAVE A GREEN HOUSE!!!!!!!

Anyway for all of you that love the earth and enjoy the art of the garden, spring is almost here! Soon we will be tilling and planting and weeding and watering!

Is it too obvious that I love gardening? lol!

Love and light to all of you
Annika

Protecting the beautiful hills of the Palouse

support for our beautiful Prairie

While I support small farms and love to buy local produce, I am also concerned about our beautiful native prairie and am a native plant lover at heart. So I'm thinking of joining the Palouse Prairie Foundation. they seem to be one of the good guys and are concerned and knowledgeable about what the Palouse needs.  I hope to plant a lot of native plants in my gardens. Becoming more aware myself of what grows here makes me both environmentally and and hopefully, a better gardener.

After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I am more and more convinced to protect our local land..keeping a balance between cultivation and native wild lands. People are becoming more and more aware of the need to live a simpler life, to eat locally and support local farmers and CSA's. there is the now famous slow food movement and a lot of people trying to keep alive and working, the family owned farms vs the big Agro Corp farms and that makes me happy...Know your food. Support your local farms. Love your land

Ok...maybe I'm a granola, but it works for me to take both better care of my local environment and my body.....AGGG but I still love McDonalds french fries. lol! I'm learning...Step by step to do the right thing for me.

Chat with ya'll later =)
Annika

At first...I was homesick

My name is Annika, and I'm a country girl that didn't know it =)
Coming from Seattle to Moscow Idaho, was a big change! I was lonely and homesick for all of the trees. It took me a while to appreciate the beauty of the Palouse. Now, though I miss my Seattle green, I love the open rolling hills of my home. The beauty that each season brings. I live on a friends farm and have about an acre to play around with to myself, There are three wild plum trees and I've planted catmint, rugosa roses and several hawthornes...it has taken me a while to understand the micro climate. Last year we even had a brief snow in June! But, I'm confident that once I get the hang of low water gardening, I will have a fantastic garden!
I had some lovely chickens until the raccoons found them and figured out how to get to them. THIS year, I'm building a new coop and making it 'coon proof! Then I'll be getting some more laying hens. I loved my wyandottes and will be getting more of them. I have a rooster that I rescued, don't know which breed he is, but his name is T-rex, or Rexie roo, and he is something of a character and more of a pet than a farm animal. I take in rescue cats and right now need to find homes for the tamer ones.
Now, I'm embarking on a learn-to-craft-you-dummy! movement and want to learn crochet,sewing, candle making, hand spinning, tatting, quilting, more on self-sufficiency and living a simpler life.

Welcome to my Blog!