Cock of the roost

 

All of us get such a kick out of the chicken flock, always doing something funny or amusing. They have the run of the orchard, happily eating bugs and "helping" with the pruning. Tom is constructing a new large enclosure. Soon more chicks and ducklings arrive from the feed store. 

 

Not so amusing is this secret egg nest discovered in the undergrowth. 

 

Maybe they are reverting back to their jungle fowl ways. Amanda was wondering why the egg production was down lately...

In other farm news, Nica had a close encounter with a skunk behind one of the outbuildings. Fortunately, not a direct hit, and nothing an early morning Dawn bath can't handle. Tom got the honor of the job.
 

 

The weather has been grey and cold the last few days, but today a beautiful sunny morning. We might go up to Pearrygin Lake for a walk this afternoon, then dinner with our neighbors.

Last night, a lovely early Easter and birthday celebration at the farmhouse. We are truly blessed. 

 

 

Changes

 

 

We've been coming to Twisp for about 18 years, and it seemed like nothing much changed for the first 10 years or so. The TwispWorks Campus was acquired in 2008, and it eventually became a big catalyst for change in town. The once unsightly former forest service site is now an inviting local hub for arts, education and business. 

Did you know, Twisp is also a member of the Washington State Creative Arts District program, making it eligible for grants and other arts support. 

In fact, Twisp is generally successful in acquiring funding for various public works projects, and recently won the largest ever Complete Streets Grant from the state. 

Glover Street is about to get started on a 3 million dollar makeover, with new sidewalks, awnings, pavement and underground utility lines. That will make for a chaotic and noisy summer that no one is looking forward to, especially the businesses on Glover Street.

Small business come and go, especially restaurants. Failure is assured if the locals don't embrace your business, and the locals here can be fickle. The restaurants that survive are the ones that keep consistent hours and give good value. The nearest fast food outlet is still 40 miles away, but a gourmet hamburger place just opened that seems to be immensely popular, judging by the cars in front.

New houses are popping up all over town, and a large apartment complex is going up behind the grocery store, in what was once an old orchard. Down by the city park, a retirement/nursing home facility called Jamie's Place is under construction, along with a co-housing project. 

Down here in our little backwater neighborhood, I'm happy for the lack of "revitalization." The sun still comes up behind Mill Hill, and we look across the the river at a view so far devoid of construction. 

You would never know there is a town outside the back door. All we can do is enjoy what we have, while we have it. 

  

Look up

 

 

Oncoming Storm, by Eric Sloane

Eric Sloane (1905-1985) was an American painter known for his landscapes and beautiful depictions of sky and clouds. Art for the window seat lovers. 

 Bright as Day at 10,000 Feet

He was fascinated by weather and aviation, and during WWII concentrated on illustrating military aircraft. 

 Clipper Ship at 7,500

The United States Army took notice, and Sloane contributed to aviation training manuals.

 

 

His teaching style tended toward the comic and graphic, perfect for the new pilot recruits, many just out of high school.

Speaking of young fliers. Oh, what a heartbreaking accident that took the lives of two Canadian pilots. And the list of airport nightmare stories this week! It is a terrible time to fly. 

It's also a terrible time to fill your tank (gas over $5 around here.) Never mind that, I'm heading over to Twisp tomorrow for a short reset. 

Recipes

 

 

I get the NYT cooking newsletter delivered to my inbox every morning, mostly for inspiration. Unless the recipe says "quick and easy" or "simple ingredients" I rarely try them. 

Those NYT food editors like to turn ordinary dishes into complicated projects with unusual ingredients no one keeps on hand, like curry powder made from scratch. 

Having said that, I've run across some keepers in the NYT cooking section, like a pizza dough I make over and over, and that honey garlic shrimp (above.) 

 

It's impressive, for being so quick and easy. The raw shrimp is marinated in soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger, then patted dry and seared in a hot skillet.

The remaining marinade gets thickened slightly with corn starch, making a quick sauce.

And it's not often you can say this, but mine looked as good as the dolled-up photo on the Times. Except I pulled the tail shells off because we don't like wrestling with them. 

 

Pruning time

 

 

Spring pruning time arrives at the Carlton pear orchard.

 

Tom is an excellent pruner, but this isn't some little weekend project for folks who also hold down full time jobs.

Fortunately, they found someone (above) experienced with the their orchard to help out, especially with the older, larger trees. Amanda said Fernando is a nice guy and a super hard worker. He showed up on Saturday morning before the sun was even up. 

 

But...it still leaves behind a massive clean up job. The clippings need to be gathered and burned at a safe time. 

Are we having fun yet?

 

Maya, with an old granddaddy of Russian Thistle, a noxious weed for the burn pile. No chemical herbicides and pesticides were used on this organic farm for decades. 

 

Over here in the tropics, we've been busy too. The recycle, trash and yard waste bins are all stuffed, so that tells you something. 

I worked in the garden, cleaned the inside windows and de-cluttered the house. Well, one closet to be exact, but it feels good to consolidate two boxes of life mementos and souvenirs down into one. That was a trip down memory lane. My goodness, the things we keep "forever." 

 

John also did the first mow of the season-- one of my favorite outdoor days because it suddenly looks so nice after winter, even though the "lawn" is mostly moss and weeds. 

Correction: John says $300,000 of car parked on the street, not a half million. Still a bunch of money.

Our new cars

 

Psyche! As Amanda used to say in middle school...

Some brave (hopefully well insured) guy has been parking his yellow Porche on our street for the last few weeks. 

It's hard to believe a person who owns a car like that doesn't have a garage, but car garages are few and far between in this neighborhood. Most are too small and/or crammed with other stuff. The new apartment buildings only have a few tiny parking spots for rent. This is to encourage people to "take transit." It doesn't work. Everyone around here has at least one car, so they get parked on the residential streets at night.

Anyway, if I was still young and cute, I'd ask him to take me for a ride. It makes a wonderful sound when he starts it up-- not so much noise, but power vibrations you feel in your bones. I admit it-- I like nice cars.

As for the Rivian, that guy lives nearby also. John figured about a half million dollars of vehicle sitting out there. I remember when you could buy every house on the street for that.