Success!

Quick Update: Scorpio has (so far) successfully reintegrated with the flock without any bloodshed. It's been over a week and I think everything is going to be ok. She still sleeps by herself, which is sad to watch, but no bodily harm and eight of my ten chickens are laying. I'm drowning in tiny pullet eggs!

Martha Stewart- Eat Your Heart Out!

Aren't these eggs just beautiful? I should develop my OWN egg shade paint line...

Blog and Run

It's a hit and run blogging! Just wanted to post a few quick pictures of the garden I took this week.


The green beans are going gangbusters and I plan to pickle them this weekend. Imagine: pickled green beans out my very own garden. Yay!

St. Helens Dye Day

I took last Friday off and carpooled with Linda Kirsch up to Mom's house for a dye day! Much fun and food was had by all! Check out what we did!
From Mary, we learned some basic Shibori dye techniques, which is very similar to tie-dying if you've ever done it.
Here is Carrie's scarf wrapped around an empty wine bottle (we had lots of those) using string. You dye the exposed parts of the scarf, then unwind it. Some people wrapped the same scarf several times in order to get different effects.

Here's Carrie's finished scarf after being unwound from the bottle:

Linda and Kirsten Peterson moving dye pots around...

Kirsten's finished scarf. She mixed colors until she ended up with beautiful shades of green and blue.

Sheila Ernst and Linda Kirsch untying their scarves after dying.

Here are the two I did. I think they turned out rather well! I've already worn the purple one twice and gotten lots of compliments. Great Christmas gift idea!


We had lots of great eats to sustain our creativity. Steve Peterson sent a yummy casserole with Linda, Jan brought raspberries from her garden, I brought homegrown lettuce along with pickled asparagus and potato chips, Linda Kirsch brought brownies, Anne brought wine, and Lindsay made this amazing chocolate cherry ganache cake. It was a wonderful day with friends!

We Need This To Work!

Poor Scorpio...still a pariah. Since her little head has gotten pecked so much, it's not growing any new feathers. Which means that she's got a permanent little bald spot on the back of her head witch is a huge bulls eye to the other chickens. She's been separated for so long that she's now the "new guy" ripe for picking on. So, after thinking long and hard, Matt and I came up with this new living situation for her. The other chickens can see her through the chicken wire, but they can't pick on her. It's our fervent hope that with slow reintroduction, Scorpio will find a place within the flock.
As of this morning, things were promising...


Blondie's been permanently banished to the planter, which she now has all to herself. She's not laying anymore and picks on the other chickens. I'm afraid a trip to the Woodburn Livestock Auction is in her future.

Vancouver B.C.

Whew! Back from a whirlwind vacation in Vancouver B.C. (ironically, over the American Independence Holiday)! We drove up on Saturday and were off and running early the next morning for whale watching. We were surprised to learn that we were required to wear heavy-duty rain gear before loading the boat. The getup included wading pants with suspenders, a big yellow rain jacket, mittens, and stocking caps. We all looked like extras from The Deadliest Catch!

On our way out to the San Juan islands, we saw lots of seals soaking up the rare Canadian sunshine.

Whales! We found the resident group of Orcas called J-pod. They were herding salmon and feeding all morning, swimming back and forth along the shoreline. By law, we weren't allowed to get too close, so the pictures are a little vague unless you enlarge them....

We even saw a few spy hopping!


After our morning on the boat, we drove to Granville Island and toured the market. It was really crowded since the weather was so nice, but Mom and I lucked out and found a parking spot near the shops.
Even hundreds of miles away, I'm reminded of home via Kettle Chips! These are our Bakes translated into French!

The stall that sold them also had bulk flours and grains for sale.


My favorite: cured meats! I bought two different types of speck ham to bring home.


A sweet shop...we got the most delicious chocolates at another stand...

Beautiful produce...

Outside the market, there was a totem pole workshop. They make designs into stencils, then transfer the design onto a pole.

They then start carving according to the original drawing.


The next day, we were off to the Vancouver Aquarium and met up with some family before starting our tour.

At the aquarium, there was a fantastic Amazon exhibit, complete with exotic birds and butterflies. As you walked through the exhibit, butterflies flitted around your head and sometimes landed on you. It was amazing!











At noon, we headed toward a different area of Stanely Park and had lunch at the Teahouse.

I had clam vongole...

and Mom had a seared tuna salad; both were amazing!

We sat outside during lunch since the weather was superb and enjoyed the gorgeous view.


After lunch, Mom wanted to take the Horse and Carriage tour through the park. This is a great way to see the park if you don't have a lot of time for wandering. Here we are stopped at the Totem Pole park. One of these poles is a funeral pole and has the ashes of a chief inside!




Pepper and Mattie, our couriers...

After Stanley Park, we were off again towards downtown Vancouver! We ended up in Gastown while waiting for some dinner reservations. We did some shopping and got some really wonderful souviniers. This shop was full of native artwork. The statues and masks were amazing, but eh, a little out of my budget. I got some silver Orca earrings and a dream catcher for Matt instead...




We then went to a Charcuterie and Cheese tasting room called Salt in Blood Alley. They write their daily menu on a large chalkboard in the dining room. You can choose your own combination of cured meats, cheeses, and condiments. We had a great time listening to all the product descriptions and found some new favorites to start buying.


We arrived back at Rosemary's house around 7 and had a few hours of down time by the pool before we were off again to White Rock. Apparently, it's a local tradition to view American Independence Day fireworks from the Canadian side! The pebble beach was filled with onlookers and the fireworks display in Washington was spectacular!



We had a great time and are hoping to go back soon!