Wild Foods

You  may notice the new addition, "Aunt Jan's Wild Corner". I hope to keep up with this every few days and seasonally. Jan emails me with stuff often and I told her she should have a blog, but she really has no time. It would be so interesting. She gave me permission to type out some of her ideas as I see fit. Of course, any suggestions given therein must only be utilized at your own risk. I realize that we can only get foods from the woods at certain times during the year but she eats some really interesting things! you'll see!

We're saying goodbye to Velora today. It's been fun having her but she must return to school.
"Bye, Vello!"  Here she is just before packing up.

Ruger says, "see you next time"

I am keeping it short this morning, but I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for popping in at Darling Hill!

Nieces and Granddaughters

Syd and I enjoyed a special time with two of our nieces (Anna and Velora) on Friday night, and Velora stayed over with us this weekend and early week. She and I enjoyed a lot of catching up over a long breakfast yesterday. In our younger years there were multitudes of times for Syd and I to spend with nieces and nephews, some of whom were living close enough in their youngest years that we were with them several times a week. But as they (and we) get older, schedules and miles take us farther apart, so we were thankful for these few days with Velora because, as you know, the years slip away too quickly.

The beautiful weather of late morning lent itself to a nice outdoor time with Mom. After a quick phone call, she met us "halfway" and we all enjoyed strolling over the hill and up the old road. Here are just a few pictures from the morning.

Happy Grammy and granddaughter

the trees are beginning to bud

new leaves on a sprawling young tree

on Dennis' porch

Velora and Gram by the pond

Vello's brother (our nephew Nathan) set these rocks in place several years ago.  Even the snows of many winters have not knocked them over!

...even cleaned up a little brush near the asparagus patch

a great vantage point for Sturm

"What's in here?"

keeper of the wall

The rain is coming down through a gray mist. Everyone is asleep (except Syd who is at work now), and though I have been up for almost two hours, the pitter-patter of drops on the tin porch roof makes me sleepy. Are rainy mornings ever like that for you?

I hope that your day is a blessing. Thanks for stopping by our rainy hill. We are praising the Lord for the rain this day. "...for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matt. 5:45

God is the Sustainer of life, though "the world"-at large may not accept it. 

Early Morning Ponderings

We're having a specially quiet morning; having sent Syd off to work, thankfully his lunch was pretty well put together last night. I woke fifteen minutes late (one great thing about having dogs, they let you know if you're clock is off). Being that our niece, Velora, is visiting we have been trying to keep our mornings low-key while she slumbers on the couch. Syd's lunch together, coffee made, and he off to work; the dogs and I retreated to the upstairs. I snuggled onto the bed (no, the dogs stayed in their own) and had that special quiet time with God in His Word.

What a blessing the messages were on the Lord's Day. A wonderful reminder to my heart was that of the branch-life from John 15. All these several months God has been bringing me to verses such as, "come unto me", "learn of me", "follow me", "abide in me".  I just want to quote a short paragraph from S. D. Gordon (On Following the Christ) that blessed my heart today: "And please understand me here. Following does not mean that we are trying to imitate these characteristics. No, it is something both simpler and easier, and deeper and better than that. It means that as we companion with Him daily, these same traits will appear in us. It is not to be imitation simply, good as that might seem, yet always bringing the sense of failure, and that sense the thing that you remember most. It is to be some One living His life in you, coming in through the open door of your will. Your part is opening up and keeping open, listening and loving and obeying. The touchstone of the "follow me" life is not imitation but following; not copying but obeying; not struggle -though there will be struggle- but companionship; a companionship which nothing is allowed to take the fine edge off of."

All around us during this Spring season, things are coming into bloom. This bloom is the fruit of the roots that are buried deep in the earth. The branch or stem has nothing to do with the fruit, it simply is a means by which the life-flow feeds it. Again, the Lord brought me up against this. I am only a branch. He bears the fruit. This branch has no beauty in itself, only the reproduction of Jesus- -this beautiful fruit of the abiding life.

I shared that Velora is visiting with us. This picture from Saturday morning shows how much the dogs enjoy having a special guest!

The sun peeks over the treetops now. There is a certain beauty in living on the North side of a hill. One does not experience the very first glimpse of this ball of fire; it creeps up on you. The light is seen in the sky for an hour or more, then the sun suddenly appears over the tops of the trees, lighting the tiny, unfurling leaves outside my window. It is a new morning and things are still quiet in the house. All too soon the daytime noises will begin but for now there is still time to ponder these things in my heart; as it was quoted of Mary, "she kept all these sayings". I often pray, "Lord, help me to ponder these things in my heart and to keep them close, that I will not forget." It is so easy for truths to filter out through the cracks and be lost.

I hope that you are having a great day and that, if you are one who spends time with the Lord, that He  is giving you special truths from His Word, to ponder.  Thank you SO much for coming to Darling Hill. Perhaps later I'll have more pictures to share, as Velora and I go on a walk with "Grammy" and spend some special time with her today.

"Gentle Chickens"

Today was the morning the 3 new roosters were allowed to begin their "free range". As you can see, they don't feel exactly "free" and under the building seems to be the place they feel safest. That is, until Ruger decided to check them out a bit closer. Since Ruger was young he was taught the word "gentle" (he had a stuffed "gentle bunny" that he was not allowed to tear up, just lapped it and got it all soaking wet). We hope that it will pertain to the chickens as well. At lunchtime Mom and I both gave him a good talking to about the "chickens", while his tail wagged. We told him that he needs to be "gentle" with "our chickens" and not eat them. He cocked his head back and forth at each of us. All I know is, while I held him by the collar this morning, talking to him, his whole body quivered. Yet, I have known farms with labs AND free range chickens.

Having already pulled a tick off each dog, we would really desire these guys to keep the ticks and other bugs cleaned up out in the dooryard. I do believe it will be a challenge with the garden and am already figuring ways to keep them out of my raised beds, at least until everything has come up out of the ground. They may become dinner sooner than we think, if my finished plans don't prove efficient enough.

In the early eighties, Syd and I had chickens and a husky named, Shimrith (Hebrew word meaning "watchful", which she WAS). Ocassionally one of the chickens would forget herself and step just inside Shimrith's circle. She would shoot out of her doghouse and come almost to the end of her chain. The chicken would be history. We tried hanging a dead hen around her neck for several days. She didn't seem to mind as much as we did. She never really did get over killing them. They just had to smarten up, which most of them did.

Coco did really well alone and loose in our house this morning. Sturm was in his kennel. Ruger was at work with me, still pining for his chickens, but content to run around and bark at the ducks in the pond. The little shop I work in is out in the country and dogs often come to work. It's a relaxed, happy atmosphere. My boss was here last week and surprised me with a new computer. I no longer have to go upstairs to get on the internet, which is necessary for communication while he's in SC for winters. This was a nice addition to my office! I have felt like I'm on vacation the last couple days, as I've skipped out on work and stayed home. It's been nice, but payroll necessitated my going in yesterday - people like to get paid, including me! so I worked until noon and then worked at a nearby post office from 2-5:00. These are dream jobs, and each are less than 7 miles from home! I am so thankful that the Lord opened them up for me.

 Here are the dogs at work, enjoying the pond

Here's Sturm at work; obviously it's a machine shop. He has to stay hooked in there so he doesn't get metal chips in his feet!

God is so good to us, isn't He!? Today we have had black, cloudy skies with showers; then sun and blue sky; more rain, with a little ice and snow mixed in. That is the way with the Christian life. God knows when to send us sunshine and warmth and He also knows when to send a storm our way to cause us to lean hard on Him and to strengthen our faith. There is always the possibility and sometimes a tendency for complaining, but we ought not to. The surprise hailstorms in Spring are sent for a reason. We can trust, smile and go on with Him.

Don't I look proud of myself!?

I wonder how many times I have had to fix Sturm's halter, shown here. I just hate to spend another $18.00 for a new one. I keep cutting a black, nylon leash and sew it together again! If we forget to take it off when we leave, he gets bored and chews through it.

Later today Mom and Evelyn came up for coffee & cookies. As you can see, Sturm especially has taken to Evelyn!

...and fell asleep on her. He and Coco were both enjoying a snooze while we chatted and watched a slideshow of photos.

Well, it's time to think about what we'll have for supper.  I will say goodbye for now. Thanks for stopping by Darling Hill to see what's going on up here.

Simplicity

"For we are laborers together with God; ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." I Cor. 3:9

What a privilege, to be a co worker with God! In my Sunday School class I have been teaching the children from Matthew 11:28-30 where we are called to come, yoke up with, and learn of the Lord Jesus. He wants us to take His yoke upon us. This morning I was reading from the book of Acts, the account of Peter who was put in prison and was to be executed after the Passover. He was there in the prison, yoked up with his Lord Jesus Christ, knowing only that he was serving God. In Acts 12:6 it said that Peter was "sleeping between two soldiers" (what a picture of the peace of God) when the angel shined into the prison and smote him on the side. His chains fell off and he followed the angel out of that place!

I read a quote, "Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him". Peter didn't let "trial" take his eyes off his goal. His goal was God Himself. This quote, though, eludes to the fact that even a good work can take our affections off our Lord Jesus if our eyes are focused only upon ourself, our homemaking, our charities, jobs, volunteering, and even knowledge of the Scriptures, and witnessing (ouch!). This was a good reminder for me not to worship my work. The work does not depend upon me, but only upon He Who is my Co-laborer. I have to be absolutely devoted to coming to Him daily and letting Him be the lead Yoke-fellow. He already has the yoke, we need to "take" His yoke upon us.

As a newly married girl, God showed me a verse, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." Ps 62:5. How often my eyes and heart have begun to stray from this. When we have asked God for some specific thing, and He has not provided it, or it has not come in our time-frame...how long are we to wait? I heard in a sermon once, ..."until". That is all. Just wait, and let Him be our expectation. Nothing that is withheld from us in this earthly life will be of any consequence when it comes to eternity.

Today I am reminded that this is the picture of a beautiful, simple life. I don't want Satan (that old serpent) to beguile me so that my mind would be "corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ". II Cor.11:3

It is April 23 and the snow is coming down hard; gathering in the low places and causing us on the hill to smile at the reminder of a winter that is passed. It is a Spring snow and will soon be gone again. I hope that you have a wonderful day between the raindrops and snowdrops, wherever you are. Thank you for stopping by.

Painted Trillium

Dogs and Roosters All Around

We seem to be in between rains this morning. The air is chilly, with 37 degree temperatures.  Coco stayed with me up at Mom's last night so that Syd's morning routine would be normal and he could get off to work by 5:30, as usual. This morning Coco played with Sturm & Ruger for a while then retreated back to her little place under the chair. She does this at times. I guess it's a good place to be alone.

As you can see, last night she'd been out, running with the dogs and laying on the couch. Oh well, the life of a dog...

An odd mix

All we have to say is, "It's five o'clock" and our dogs take their places. Coco caught on when I told her, "it's time to eat", though she doesn't look like she wanted her picture taken here. 

And, yes, the chickens did come. I found out that they're all roosters. Syd chose to leave them in the pen for now. The one that had to be slaughtered had a pouch in his neck where the gravel had gathered. He was having trouble getting anything to go down. Any of you chicken owners out there; is it a good idea to buy those granite blocks and add to the chicken feed? I thought all they really needed was access to sandy/gravel soil? We've had chickens before but had never heard of buying granite block to break up and add to the feed.

As you can see, they have a lot of growing to do. Syd's co worker just got them last month. He was having trouble with these four, as they were attacking the other chickens. We may be able to break them of that. Sturm and Ruger may not appreciate being "attacked" by these little guys.

Mom came down last night. A quiet evening.

Well there is not a lot of news on the hill so far this morning. Sorry if this was a boring post. I can see that the clouds are breaking up and much of the sky is showing blue.  I loved the rain but won't mind if it dries up a little today.

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Granola Bars and Coffee

Today's recipe for Granola Bars turned out really well. In the past I have made "bars" that turned into Granola instead. These held together quite nicely and look like they'll travel to work well.

As you can see I did end up with a bowl of Granola, but it was just the stray edges that browned a bit more and the crumbs that were left from the cutting.  I modified the recipe a little because I did not have enough raisins. The first ingredient it called for was 1 c. granola (I thought that was funny. I did not have a cup of granola (I do NOW), so substituted more oats).

Here's "my" recipe if you care to try:    

This only makes about fourteen  1 1/2" X 4" bars, approx 3/4"thick

2 C rolled oats 

1 C chopped almonds (any nuts)

1/2 C flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 raisins (or a combination of dried fruit, I like cranberries, but ended up using frozen raspberries)

1 beaten egg

1/3 C honey

1/4 C packed brown sugar

1/3 C cooking oil (here I used mostly coconut oil because we're trying to introduce it into our regular diet, just soften it in the measuring cup -set into a pan of hot water)

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Line an 8 X 11 baking pan with foil (though next time I may use parchment so no stray, tiny pieces of foil get stuck to a piece of fruit) then grease the foil. Combine oats, nuts, flour, and raisins. Stir in egg, honey, brown sugar & cinnamon. Mix well and press hard into the greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or so, till lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely. Use foil to lift from pan and put on flat surface. Use a large knife to cut into bars.

Enjoy some granola with a fresh cup of coffee!

Now it's time to make a meatloaf. I have been craving it all day. I hope you're having a great afternoon. I am awaiting our "cousin dog", Coco. She is going to stay with us for the next few days. I'm praying for the rain to stop (sorry!) so that there will not be three sets of muddy footprints all over the floor. 

More news: My hubby just called from work. He's bringing home a few more visitors tonight; four free-range chickens. A fellow at work is giving them away because they're aggressive toward the other chickens. One must be slaughtered tonight, as he is having trouble swallowing (oh, dear).  I will post pictures. This could get interesting. Three chickens and three dogs. Perhaps a video will be better!