A little bit of this and that
May 03, 2025
We are all settling into a fine spring, the pups and us, and we took advantage of last week's fine weather. The pups are definitely more comfortable here and love being outside with us, so garden chores are very sweet this year. We picked and juiced all the oranges in one day, washed the windows (back yard only) and scrubbed all the outdoor cushions and furniture. I've still got masses to do before I can call the backyard summer ready, but still decided to take a break and make two flower arrangements, one for the kitchen and one for the patio. Come on in for a little bit of this and that.
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| The best way to dry sopping wet seat cushions. :) |
I finally got the back story of these little guys. A litter of 8 were abandoned and rescued at FOUR weeks in the Central Valley and taken to the local ASPCA who in turn asked my local Pets In Need to take them. They were fostered out in four sets of two and all of them are healthy and doing well thank heaven. I hope there is an exceptionally hot place in hell waiting for the cretin who abandoned 8 pups in a box by the side of a road. I can see not being able to take care of an animal, but at least take it to a shelter. Honestly.
I ran this picture though AI and it came back with Schoodle, a Schnauzer and Poodle mix and I think that's probably pretty close. Aren't they so cute? We named the little girl Bootsie, but she has lost one boot, and the boy is called midnight. He's as black as night with a little night star on his forehead. They are both so sweet, bright, cuddly and inquisitive. They will make fine family pets and I hope they find their forever home soon. We never planned to keep them as they live for up to 15 years which would bring us to be in our late 80s and late 90s and that is not practical. I'm just glad we can be here for them when they need us. They've been to one adoption fair and go to another next week and we are planning to have them until they get spayed and neutered in a few weeks because they won't place them in homes until they are.
My friends are curious to know how it's going and all four of us say, great! They've been here a week and are now 7 weeks old and have developed a little routine of sorts. They love their kennel which we keep in the family room, and will go in and out on their own to take naps. They are napping now, that's why I get to write this post! When not napping, they love to be outside and just this morning I let them roam the garden on their own. I make sure I can see them from the window but so far it seemed safe and I think we are good to continue with unsupervised garden play as long as I can see them from the window. Mostly I'm out with them, either doing garden chores or knitting, but today it is cold and I'd rather not be outside. When they are inside we put up a gate so they can only be in the kitchen and family room and laundry where they zip around, play chase, fight over toys, and hide in impossibly small spots.They sleep in the laundry room at night, with the kennel open, pee pads and food and water, and when I get them up at 6:30 they are sitting inside on the edge of the kennel waiting for me. It's so dang cute. We have to cuddle for a long time then we go outside, me with coffee and them to tumble and play. I would say that if fostering pups piques your interest, try it! It's short term and so rewarding. It's of course a lot of work but we love knowing that we are giving these little guys a safe place to land before becoming a family pet and it's been a great reason for us to totally step off the grid and chill. Pups require attention and when they need you, nothing else is important. I've loved it.
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| I found this behind the greenhouse. I remember my grandson saying he was making a fort outside and not to knock it down. I would never! |
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| Ours roses are so close to being at their peak. Thousands of buds! |
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| Azalea |
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| The flowers for next year's oranges. |
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| We picked all the remaining limes and oranges in one day and made 24 quarts of OJ and 10 little half cups of lime juice, |
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| The Jimmy Durante orange. |
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| If you freeze fresh juice, after defrosting, you MUST whirl with an immersion blender for a full minute before drinking. Once you've done that, you only need to shake it before serving. I also strain out about half the pulp. But the immersion blender is a must. |
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| I had to restart my Edinburgh Sweater as the yarn I was using was too itchy for me. To bad because I had the entire yoke done, then tried it on and said, no way. This new yarn is a very soft merino from Onling, and the black is Rowan Felted Tweed. The tweed is slightly itchy to me too but I will be fine as it's just for the yoke colorwork. |
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| I'm starting another Christmas gnome with some new-to-me yarn, Knit Picks Palette and I love it. So many colors, 100% Peruvian Highland wool, and a great price. I've used and loved Knit Picks needles for years and I recently purchased some US#1 dpns for socks and actually like using them! Knitting in the round with skinny dpns? What's gotten into me? |
- LINKS
- Knit Picks Palette, fingering weight wool in a jillion colors
- Knit Picks needles, my favorite needle brand. I use Knit Picks for my interchangeable and fixed circulars, my straights, and now dpns. They are the perfect needle.
Looking for a quick dinner or lunch and want to use up the extra bits of leftovers in your fridge? Frittata is my go to!
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| In a cast iron pan on top of the stove on low heat, melt a pat of butter then add leftover cooked rice, a chopped potato half and a few asparagus and tomatoes chopped, plus two slices leftover bacon, chives and cheese, OR whatever you find in your refrigerator. |
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| Cover the whole shebang with eggs beaten with milk, salt and pepper. |
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| Halfway through remember you have chard in the garden and add that too. Cover and cook on low flame for about 10 minutes or so until done. |
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