First Week of November

Mustard green salad

 We picked new three-inch high mustard greens, roots and all, and incorporated new cilantro, fresh basil, cheese, tomatoes, and a dressing made of Italian dressing mixed with equal part mayonnaise.  And sprinkled with almond slices.  Maybe the best green salad I've ever eaten.

Frost defense

Temperatures dropped to twenty-nine degrees, burning most of the tender leaves that weren't covered.  We managed to save the green beans, which were a high priority.  The old electric blanket on the right appeared to work better than cloth or plastic tarps. (Yes, those are sleeping bag pads there in the middle.)

Rooster

 The idea is to loose the red rooster when the hens are mature enough to form a harem, wait for fertilized eggs to pile up in the hay, and encourage some patient hen to keep them warm for a month till chicks emerge.

Sparrow-flavored water

Yum.

Next spring's deck

 I worked a deal with the local lumber yard to get these pressure treated culls for one fifth their regular cost.  They should be just fine for a deck around the remodeled shop house.

Autumn afternoon

1431 and to-do list

Preparing soup (and sipping mead)

Celtic Festival

Thank you, Amy, for inviting us for such a fun time.  (Fiesta Gardens on Lady Bird Lake in east Austin)

Celtic violence

An actual image depicting how fast time flies