A friend of mine makes brushcetta and I decided to try it myself.  I’ve altered mine just a bit, as usual, from the recipe I found, but it doesn’t seem to matter too much.  We like it on crackers, chips, toasted French or Italian bread.  Basically, anything we can find to put it on.

I’m slowly switching my family to whole wheat.  Not completely, just partially.  I’ve learned just to do it and not talk about it.  They’ll tolerate a slight change, so converting the biscuits was fairly easy.  They actually taste sweeter with the whole wheat flour and as long as I keep it a split flour, rather than complete change, I think we’ll do fine. I’ve done this recipe with half white, half wheat, but to be honest, it’s better the way it’s written.  I’ll keep playing with it, though.

I also wanted a recipe that called for butter instead of shortening.  We don’t keep the stuff and substituting sometimes changes the consistency too much.  This one works really well.

Whole wheat Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 C. whole wheat
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 C. butter, cut into small chunks
3/4 C. buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk, try adding about a tablespoon of vinegar to 3/4 c. of regular milk.  It’s not that different.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients.First, cut the butter into chunks, and place chunks of butter into a small bowl and return it to the fridge. Now measure out the buttermilk and set it aside. Sprinkle some flour on a work surface and have extra flour nearby for your hands and the biscuit cutter. Have the biscuit cutter and an ungreased baking sheet handy near by.
3. Add the butter and cut into flour using a pastry blender,or fork, or your hands if you choose, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the buttermilk and stir lightly until dough comes together into a ball.
4. Dump dough mixture out onto floured work surface. With floured hands, lightly knead dough a few times until it is fairly well blended. Pat out into a circle, 3/4 – 1 inch thick, or use your rolling pin. Dip cutter into flour and cut biscuits without twisting the cutter. Place cut biscuits together on the baking sheet so that the sides are touching. Brush tops with melted butter, if desired.
5. Place baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 500 degree oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until buttermilk biscuits are golden brown.

The original recipe says to let them cool a bit, but they’re better still hot from the oven with some homemade jam.

George and KaPwack Tasting the Sedum.

No, I’m not sure how to spell KaPwack, but that made sense to me at the time.  Yesterday, we gave them bathtub swim time.  Today, we took them out to the garden pond.  They’ll have their own pond when they get bigger, but for now, they have to share one with the frogs.  The frogs refused to come and make friends, but they tend to be unsocial most of the time anyway.  Unless you’re cleaning out the mess on the bottom and you catch them in your net.  Then, they stay very still and hope you don’t see them.

Swimming in the Pond

I guess the first question in somebody’s mind would be the question about how does one come up with the name KaPwack.  Well, years ago when my mom started teaching, she had a first grade class.  Every spring, they would have this Tea for the parents and the kids would get up and perform little poems and things.  There was this little boy in her class who couldn’t speak plainly and he was going to do a poem about a duck.  The best I can remember, it went, “Once I saw a downy duck with feathers on his back.  I said, “Good morning, downy duck!” and he said, “Quack, quack, quack.”  Except, because the little guy couldn’t talk plainly, it came out, “Kapwack.”  It’s been a joke around my house for years, so when we talked about getting ducks, I knew what one of them had to be.  Just don’t ask me to tell you which one is which.

Duck Watching

Anyway, it was fun letting them swim around.  Donovan thought it was just the greatest thing we’d done in a while.  Between that and having lunch outside with a chicken coming to visit and beg for pretzels, I don’t think his day could have been much better.  At least that’s what he told us.

The only problem we had with our duck watching was that Donovan was determined to sit on the big rock in the most precarious location.  One step the wrong way and  you’re in the pond.  Which didn’t seem to bother him until we reminded him how big the frogs are in the bottom pond.  Then he decided it might be better not to fall in.  Seriously, if I liked frog legs, I wouldn’t have to do anything but reach into the pond and pull out supper.

Sweet Little Fellas

The best part about the ducklings is that they seem to be rather “Follow the leader,” so if you have one, you’ve got them both.  In fact,  you can’t even get a picture with just one duckling.  At least part of the other one shows up.  Well, not all of the time.  There’s a picture or two with just one duck, but I think it’s George, who’s just a bit more sure of himself.  Or herself.  Apparently, we won’t be able to tell if these are male or female until they quack or lay eggs.  According to the resident duck expert, the males have a different sound than the females.  As if that’s a surprise to anyone.  I mean, isn’t it that way in most animals?  Except this time, the male has a more raspy voice.  Whatever that means when you’re talking about ducks.  I think I’ll just wait to see who lays eggs.

Get Your Tongue Back In Your Mouth, Little Duckling!

Scott says some people pierce their bills or do something to their feet to tell them apart.  I can’t do that.  Last thing I need is a duck running around here with a nose ring. I have trouble enough keeping the animals and kids under control without letting them express that much individuality.  Seriously.  Can you imagine what they’d want next?  They’d be wanting little red leather duck shoes (I can get them, by the way.  Isn’t that just bizarre?) and a red leather harness (You guessed it.  It’s available online.)  A punked out duck is just too much.  I mean, we’ve already got them sticking their tongues out at us.  Not sure they’re gonna be a good influence on the chickens.  That rooster already thinks he runs the place.

So the farm grows and changes.  A little at a time, but still change goes on.  I think it’s a good thing in the long run.  Just hoping no one says anything about goats again.  Not sure the dogs would understand sharing their room with a couple of goats.

We all got tired of waiting on ducklings to make their appearance, so yesterday, we went and picked up two.  Not sure what they are yet, since they were “Hatchery Choice.”  Just little yellow ducklings.  Scott’s had fun trying to figure them out.  I think they’re just little yellow ducklings and that’s good enough.

The best part has been watching Donovan.  You would have thought we brought home the entire cast of YoGabbaGabba.  He was so excited about picking out his ducklings.  When Zach called yesterday, he was determined to tell Zach about them.  And that was an interesting conversation after driving us nuts about it.  “Well, we have ducks.  Two of them.  And one’s named George.  Bye.”  Not exactly, but something like that.

The highlight of the day was letting them have a swim in the bathtub.  They really enjoyed the water time and it’s fantastic watching them follow each other.  One is definitely in charge and the other just goes right along behind.  We gave them some lettuce as a treat so they could eat while they swam.  They were happy little ducklings, playing with the lettuce and playing keep away.

My hope is that dealing with two will get us ready for the 10 who will be here in May.  I know we’re not keeping all of them, but for a while, it will be “Make Way for Ducklings” around here.  And that’s okay.  They’re very sweet and you can’t help but smile when you watch them.  My boys are happy.  That means alot.

I’m still amazed at how peaceful it all makes me feel when I deal with the chaos that is my life here at home.  I know I was born at the wrong time.  I would have been happy as a farm wife.  The more insanity that goes on around here, the more at home I feel.  And I know it seems insane, but I’ve given up worrying about it.  It’s home.  And my heart is always here.

Well, it’s been a long day and I’m exhausted and trying to convince myself to get up and exercise.  Didn’t get to last night because Donovan and Scott were in the middle of the floor playing a game.  Tonight, I’m telling myself I have no choice.  My brain’s listening, but the rest of me knows better.

And the sad news.  Ducks won’t be here until May at the earliest.  Apparently, to get ducks early, you’ve gotta order them a year in advance.  Crazy stuff!  A year ago, I didn’t even care about ducks.  So…I may have to sneak a duck into the house before then.  Seriously.  I’ve thought about ducks and thought about ducks and now I want a DUCK!

Off for spring break this coming week.  Things to do…more than I’d like to think about.  Going to break it down to simple tasks.  Tomorrow, just a normal grocery day.  And from there….well…we’ll see.  The week will go by too fast and I’ll wonder what happened before it’s over. Need to post some recipes so I don’t lose them.  But right now…exercise calls….

When the entire world is crashing and there’s no place left to turn,

When your life keeps on revolving and you’re spinning out of control,

When no one understands the torments of your heart,

When even the simplest of things becomes a dark cloud looming over head,

When nothing makes sense in the dismal fog of reality….

Dream…

Look, I’ve been very patient about the whole thing.  I mean, when I started with the Heart’s Keep, it was supposed to be on a jar, ya know?  Nice little logo I could put on my jars that we give away.  Something cute with some meaning.  And the man in my life said, “Yeah, I can do that.  Just find something roughly like you want and I’ll throw it together.”

So I did.  I found the castle I wanted.  Found just the right heart.  Saved them on the file server (Wait, doesn’t everybody’s house have a file server?) and reminded him it was there.  Then, I waited patiently.  And then I waited some more.  And then I reminded again.  More waiting.  Another reminder.  One more waiting period.  And yet a bit more reminding.  Still no logo.

So now, I’ve decided to get away from Facebook.  Nothing wrong with it, I suppose, but whatever purpose I thought it would serve in my life is past.  When I started this site, it was with the intention of keeping family things here.  Facebook took that away somehow.  It limited me to short little statements and distracted me more than it encouraged me.  Soooo…away it goes.  Account stays open.  Just have it set up so that this goes there.  And that will have to do.

Shut down a bunch of stuff there, get my pictures posted here the way I want them.  Work on my ancestry and post about it here.  I think this will work better.  At least for now.  Because I really miss writing.  And it’s been a long time.  So maybe if I step away from all of that, I’ll get that part back.  Who knows.  I may not like what I find.  But I’ll never know if I don’t try.

And how does all of that tie into my logo?  Well, if I’m going to be here instead of there…. I WANT MY LOGO!!!!  ‘Nuff said.

Well….they were Cornish X.  Which isn’t bad, I suppose.  Except they’re meat birds.  You process them before they’re 6 months old.   All they do is sit around and eat themselves fatter and fatter.  They don’t even get up and do the typical cute chick things.  And these particular ones STUNK!  First time I’ve kicked them out of the house and into the garage.  Nasty birds.

The Cornish we had were a little younger than these.

Now, if we wanted meat birds, then that would be great.  But the kids?  They won’t hear of it.  So that’s not gonna happen.  And quite honestly, at our house, the cute factor plays a role in whether or not you stick around.  Nothing cute about Cornish.  Or smart.  Or fun.  Just sleep, eat, drink, poop, and do it all again.

I should have known when I went to get them.  I was pretty sure, but still went ahead and brought them home, just in case I was wrong.  I wasn’t.  So today, the friend who found them got them back.  Which is great!  Cuz the ducks will be here and I don’t want anybody getting in the way of the quacking and the waddling.

So no more baby chicks for us this year.  Maybe…unless I see some and I just can’t stop myself.  But I’d be in trouble.  Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time.  I mean, that’s how I started with rabbits.  And I do miss baby chicks.  I’m hoping the ducklings will fill the void.  But I gotta tell ya, that peeping is awfully sweet…

What is there about chickens that fascinates me?  The girls are perfect as far as I’m concerned.  Watching them in the yard is just too entertaining.  The ducks will be different, but I have a feeling we’ll be just as attached if not more so.  I’m hoping Scott will have them tame enough to really enjoy.  I can just see Donovan now, chasing ducks around the yard…falling in the dirty duck pond…hhmmm…wonder if we can still cancel that order.

Looked at the plan from last year and decided what would stay and what would go.  Some things I’m not doing again.  Nothing new I want to try.  Others I have too much of in the freezer and am taking a year’s break.  No cushaw this year, though I hate not to grow it.  Blessing is that if I decide I want some, the kid at the Farmer’s Market has it for a reasonable price every fall.

Cutting back a bit.  Not a whole lot, but some.  Different recipes to do this time around.  The tomato catchup recipe that we did as a trial is now a must have at my house.  Hot pepper jelly is on that list now, too.  We use it instead of things that are more processed.  For instance, I’ve stopped using mayo.  Hot pepper jelly has more flavor and I know what’s in it.

Buying more cattle panel to put the tomatoes and green beans on.  Makes life a lot easier when you don’t have to deal with those tomato stakes or bending down to pick green beans.  Looking at using panel for the sugar snap peas, too.  That is if I can keep the voles out of them.

Dread dealing with the voles this year.  Tunnels everywhere, which isn’t a good sign.  We’ll see how all of that plays out.

Our ducks will look like these.

We have ducks coming in April.  Scott’s wanted some for a long time, so we’ve ordered some.  Welsh Harlequins.  There’s a picture of them to the left .  Excited to see they’re coming.  Should be an interesting experience for all of us.

And then, a friend contacted us and said he knew someone with 28 chicks they didn’t want.  Not getting all of them, but I think we’re taking part.  So 10 ducklings plus 8 chicks.  This could be an interesting spring.