Soup and more soup

 

 

We eat lots of soupy meals this time of year, most on the heavy side, like chili. I finally used up the last of that Christmas ham in the freezer making bean soup. 

But the days are getting lighter, and I'd like to get a bit lighter too this spring. The scale doesn't lie. Too many desserts in front of the TV at night!

I bought Swanson Ramen Broth for the first time (a new product?) and it made a decent base for Asian noodle soup, doctored up with fresh chopped ginger and vegetables. No recipe required. 

A box of frozen shrimp tempura to go with. Tasty and a break from the gloopy stuff. 

Weird and warm

I cut back the dead stuff in the big flower bed, but it still looks pretty rough. It's hard to weed with bulbs coming up just below the surface. Over the years, I've beheaded some innocent heads with my Korean weeding tool.

On Saturday it got up to almost 60 degrees, so weirdly warm for January! I threw off my fleece jacket and worked outside in a long-sleeved shirt.  

This might be one of those rare Seattle winters without even a bit of snow. Maybe we'll get a foot in February, but the sun is already stronger so whatever falls won't last. Our long Northwest spring ( a 4-5 month transitional period) has sprung. 

We often have a Symphony concert on Super Bowl afternoon, which would be a real drag next weekend. Fortunately, we went yesterday instead, on a nothing Sunday downtown. Next week the city will be hopping.  

Goundhog Day. He saw his shadow. There's still hope for building up the mountain snow pack. 

The rain returns

 

The rain returns, in more ways than one. My Home Watch company sent this photo of a snapped irrigation line at the Twisp house, probably courtesy of the snow plower. That hose runs under the ground in front of the garage, so no easy fix when spring comes around. 

In other $$$ news, I got sucked into income tax prep yesterday and blogging fell by the wayside. 

Our tax guy always sent a preparer packet, which I'd mail back with all the tax documents. Simple and neat for an old librarian. 

This year the form is online and I suspect they want us to upload the forms to their company portal. Some will have to be scanned, so it sounds like a lot of trouble "for your convenience." Always something. 

Enough complaining. We had fun yesterday playing our ukuleles and singing at the top of our voices on The Bridge patio. Fortunately, the inside door is heavy so people can sit at the bar and drink in peace. 

We're now using a app called Song Pro, instead of the chaotic airdropping of songs to a group of 40+ people. It's pretty slick. Yes, old dogs can learn new tricks. 

Have a good weekend.  

They really do that

 

A lovely and unique habit of tulips, they are the only cut flowers that keep growing in the vase. Tulips are really responsive to light, and they bend, twist, and elongate towards the nearest light source, like a window. 

Tulips have a special tissue called Xylem that allows them to take in water even without roots. The cut stems are filled with energy and hormones that cause the blooms to open and the stems to grow. Sometimes, several inches. 

And that is the botany lesson of the day. 

 

Rack and ruin

This big flower bed is a disheartening sight. You've seen many photos in full blooming glory, but what a wretched mess now. I didn't mulch and after a relatively warm winter, the weeds are sprouting along with the bulbs and perennials. 

Yes, I know, stop complaining and hire someone to help, but no yard service around will do finicky, hands-and knees weeding like that. Besides, I know pretty much where the goodies (tulips, lilies, hyacinths) are hiding just below the surface. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. Some people just like to make work for themselves.

On the bright side, spring comes early, and there will be flowers in the house soon.

 

(These came from Trader Joes.) 
 

Something to crow about

 

That's right! The Seattle Seahawks are headed to the Superbowl after a thrilling game last night. This city is going bonkers for the next two weeks. 

Some cute photos from Amanda. Her twelve hens (plus Roostie) roam around the property during the day. 

Nothing makes chickens happier than free range, scratching and pecking for yummy things. No wonder the eggs are so delicious.

The snow in the Valley is unusually light this winter, with inches on the ground instead of feet. I haven't received a single snowplow bill for our driveway, and Tom's new blower hasn't been fired up (yet.)

Nova, with one of the tamer hens, checking out the crock pot. 

The rooster is too skittish to catch and hold. He wasn't spoiled and hand-raised on kitchen scraps. Roostie was a gift from their neighbors across the road, and shows no interest in returning home now. Smart guy, because the extra roosters over there go in the soup pot. 

Amanda's hens will likely expire from old age. 

A pretty view, looking across the Valley from the farmhouse dining room window. And someone wants back inside. 

 

Speaking of birds, a rather magnificent roast chicken I made yesterday. Sorry, girls!