Scattered Sundays

Full disclosure: this post was written and scheduled by Friday morning so that I could fully enjoy our trip to Canada to hang out with Katie.

It is likely that the world (we all know I mean the US) has gone to hell in just a few days. So if any giant news has come out between Friday and Sunday morning, my reaction (it will probably be a mixture of being livid and sad) will not be included in this post. Let’s continue.

We got a delivery of firewood this week, which is my favorite delivery day of the year. Stacking firewood is instant gratification and it’s like Tetris for Type A adults. You’ll never find me happier than when I am making all the pieces fit.

In April 2021 we replaced the main windows in our living room. They are giant and were very old, and it wasn’t until fall 2021/winter 2022 that we realized how freaking inefficient they truly were.

We don’t burn in our woodstove all day and we do supplement with our furnace during the day, but there is nothing like a cozy fire in the evening from November 1st through early April. Between a fairly mild winter and the new windows, I estimate that we burned about 20-30% less firewood than in a normal year.

We hadn’t refilled our woodshed (you can see how Troy and my FIL built it from leftover pallets in this post) since February or March 2021. We likely had enough firewood for one more season, but it’s so nice to have the shed fully stocked for peace of mind.

The person we buy from is an older man who just likes to chop firewood and delivers it for no additional cost. It’s always perfectly seasoned (for the woodstove newbies, you cannot just chop wood and then burn it. It has to be seasoned, AKA dried for 6-24 months). The stuff he delivered on Wednesday was cut in summer 2020.

Last week I mentioned that we went to see Troy’s grandma to celebrate her 96th birthday. We had cake out in the lovely shaded courtyard, and while out there I noticed an empty chicken coop.

It was one of those tiny prefab coops that are meant for a handful of chickens but people insist on shoving 10-12 in there. The coop was in great shape but clearly hadn’t been used in a long time.

I jokingly told Troy’s parents that the coop and the setting would be perfect for our geriatric chicken, PooPoo Sandwiches (PPS). At nine years old she is too old to live with the rest of our flock because they are intent on attacking her. The pecking order is a real-life thing, my friends.

In jest, I said PooPoo Sandwiches was like the other residents – old, hard of hearing, slow, sleeps a lot, doesn’t eat much, is lonely, and needs a little help in the morning and at night. We had a giggle about it, but the thought stuck in my brain all week.

I ended up calling the facility mid-week and they said they would LOVE to have PooPoo Sandwiches join their residents! Apparently, they have some other chickens who live there but they roam and roost at night and don’t use the coop.

On Friday, we dropped off PPS at assisted living with some food and a bag of kale for her and her new buddies. You know those stories that parents tell their kids about “taking their pets away to live on a farm”? Well, PPS is basically doing that. But for realsies.

We’re excited that she’ll be around new friends but that everyone has enough space to roam and be kind to each other. She’s also going to be sticking close to the coop which means she’ll bring joy to the residents who gather in the courtyard. PPS is basically living out the Golden Girls for chickens fantasy.

This has nothing to do with anything, but I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying NOT taking photographs of food this summer. Summer me is really appreciative of Spring me for hustling for six weeks straight to photograph 45 summer and early fall recipes. What a freaking gift.

Next week I’ll recap our trip to Canada. I’m sure it was great and that ice cream was involved, but I’ll share more next week. Also, I’m going to have a whoooooole segment next week introducing you to our new family member, Lando.

And no, Lando is not a chicken or a farm animal. Troy has absolutely put his foot down on me getting baby fainting goats. Rude.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Kerry left this lovely five-star review on our tutorial on How to Can Cranberry Sauce {Pin this tutorial}:

I love your cranberry sauce recipe! I know it’s a funny time of year to be making cranberry sauce, but I use it in a crock pot recipe with beef brisket and veggies and small potatoes. Total yum!  I made sure to buy a ton of fresh cranberries last fall and shoved them in my freezer so I would have a supply all year. Sometimes I can it. Sometimes I use the whole batch at once. 

Every time I make it I learn something new. This time it was not to cook cranberry sauce with a white cotton jacket on! Oh well! That’s what bleach is for. Happy 4th!

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

Air Fryer Omelet – Light and fluffy Air Fryer Omelets are about to be your new favorite breakfast! Ready in a flash with whatever toppings you’d like, these omelettes in the air fryer are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. {Pin this recipe}

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins – Delicious and fluffy, these double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the perfect tasty treat. Made with an impressive three cups of shredded zucchini, they’re so good and packed with amazing flavor and chocolate chips. {Pin this recipe}

Pesto Without Pine Nuts – This easy homemade pesto without pine nuts recipe comes together with only 6 simple ingredients. Homemade pesto is delicious and affordable. {Pin this recipe}