Morning Ritual

I have my own rituals each morning. Stretch, pee, drink water, shower, get dressed, read the paper while eating breakfast, brush teeth.

The dogs have their morning rituals, too. We start out the same: stretch, pee, drink water - and here is where the similarities end. From there, our morning paths diverge. Shasta goes back to bed, and Loki resumes her almost daily one-sided conversation with the squirrel.

It starts when Loki first steps outside. As soon as her paws hit the grass, the squirrel trills out a slew of insults before running up the tree. For nearly an hour, Loki will stand transfixed under the tree while the squirrel chatters and fusses, running up and down the bark - slowly inching towards Loki before wildly twitching his tail and scampering back up the tree.

When Loki is late in stepping outside, the squirrel will sit on the fencepost directly across from the front door and trill loudly.

Because this ritual happens nearly every single day, we have begun to think anthropologically - is it all a game? 

The Best Friends are the Ones with Chickens

It's good to have friends with chickens.
It is not so good to have neighbors with roosters - loud mouthed, pontificating, self-proclaiming roosters who crow from sun up until sun down, and then crow some more in the inbetween hours.

But friends with chickens? Those are the best kind of friends. We have a steady flow of eggs throughout the year. All different colors: greens, browns, blue, speckled, red, and creamy white. The yolks are a dark, rich, luxuriant yellow.

Just a plate of scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes, a bit of torn basil and shredded Parmesan cheese is enough to make the mouth water.

One of our favorite ways to eat eggs is by making crepes. Crepes are so easy and versatile. They can be filled with fruit or jam for a dessert or breakfast, or filled with roasted veggies for a savory dinner.  

 

Crepes

6 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Blend all ingredients in a blender and place in the refrigerator for an hour, or overnight. When mixture has chilled, place a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and lightly spray with oil. Once pan has warmed, pour a 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture into pan - tilting and swirling the pan to evenly spread the crepe mixture. Cook for at least 1 minute - the surface of the crepe will darken around the edges and towards the middle. Flip the crepe and cook for 30 seconds more on the other side.
For sweet crepes, fill with fruit or jam. For savory crepes, fill with sauteed or roasted veggies, curried chicken salad...the possibilities are endless!!

 

Willing the Chill Away

A chill in the air today.
A slight drizzle.
A bit of gray.
Filled the stove with wood,
Struck it aflame.
There Shasta stood
Willing the chill away.