weekend snow

 When I first arrived in Colorado via the gracious hand of Uncle Sam, it snowed every weekend. It would be nice all week and I would stand there on the tarmac wondering what fun the kids and I would conjure up on Saturday. When Saturday arrived, the snow came with it and not just a little snow. Usually enough that my little Ford Festiva was not able to be driven very far. No trips into the mountains, barely any to the grocery store across the street from the townhouses that we lived in.

Friday's whiteness

The minimal amount of snow that has fallen this winter and spring, is pitiful comparatively speaking. This lack of moisture has prompted my plan to container garden this year. So far, I have green beans sprouted and buttercrunch lettuce, a few tomato plants, two types of watermelons, pumpkin, Brussel sprouts, sweet peppers and cabbage. The broccoli is still not sprouting. The sweet peppers just began so there is hope for the others to still come up.

this tray has a variety of seedlings

the tiny pepper sprouts

buttercrunch lettuce

sweet potato starts and watermelon 

I look forward to the rhubarb coming up this year. I need some green stuff in the yard. My neighbor and I decided to paint a tumbleweed. Each time it blows into the yard one of us will add a layer of spray paint. Yes, we are bored. Later today I will try to locate the tumbleweed and add some color. If I can find it, I will take a photo and post it.

I went to the market on Saturday, did I remember a loaf of bread? No. I think secretly I resent the increase in the price. Today I have to make some or go to the store again. The bread is in the oven. I will send one loaf home with the granddaughter. Two loaves will not get eaten very fast here. Plus, I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Not solidly whole wheat as mine won't eat that, but my daughter's family won't eat white only. Can't please everyone, I guess.

in the oven

The bread is done, and the granddaughter is on her way back home with a loaf of bread. DH was disappointed to learn that one of the children liked his sourdough bread enough to have PB&J on it. My forgetting to get another loaf from the store is what prompted the baking of the honey whole wheat today. I have not learned how to make sourdough. I tried to make the starter in the past and I could not handle the smell of the starter fermenting. Maybe one day.

hopefully it is done and tastes good

When I went to Costco on Saturday, I did not think to look for the bread that DH prefers right now. I do not normally buy bread products there because they come in two packs and that is too much for us... normally. We are never normal though so there is that.

This week I planned to review the schedule each day with the girls over breakfast. I am doing this in the hope that our days go smoother. Today being Monday, it did not go as planned, but I did review it with them as they walked away groaning. I am counting that as a win. I had so many things on my mind this morning, all of which really needed to be completed today, that I did not know where to start. My neighbor usually sends me a good morning text each morning, today was no different.

Our morning was interrupted by the wrong kind of silence. My ear caught the faint distant bark of the smallest of my dogs. NOT GOOD! I scanned the house, the dog pen and then ran out the front door only to find that the big dogs had fled the yard and the little dogs had a chicken cornered and were trying to kill it. Not thinking about blood, I grabbed the chicken from where it was stuck in the fence with a dog at each end. I then lured the two dogs into the house with the bloodied, scalped chicken under my arm. The girls locked them in their kennels while I wrapped the chicken in a towel and then went out to survey the damage.

18 chickens counting the damaged one in the chicken house. I closed the fences and found a safe place for the injured chicken in the house for now. After waiting a bit, I noticed chickens coming out from their hiding places. We are up to 26 now. I opened the fences and wait hopefully, for more to return. It has been some time since the last chicken dog interaction. Not exactly the ideal homeschool morning... actually I have not seen that kind of morning for years!