The "Coop-Mahal"

It will be something like this.

We begin construction of the final chicken coop today.  My son and daughter will be here all weekend.  As well as my grandson and my future daughter in law.  I am still "with cane."  So I will be providing support, funding, and cool drinks.  It's basically a small tough shed.  I'll be posting and putting up photos of the construction here.

xo, Thanks for reading!
Suz

Feast Day

Mateo Romero's painting that hangs in our home, Kiva baked bread, and an evergreen bough from the dancers.

I was honored to be invited to the Santa Domingo Feast Day. My friend and I drove there and we were welcomed into a woman's home who lives on the plaza of the Santa Domingo Pueblo.  I have been to many pueblos in New Mexico.  But never on a feast day.  If you have never been to a pueblo, go.
My first was the Taos Pueblo before they built their casino. Recently I went to Acoma Pueblo which has an incredible tour, and one is taken up to the top of a mesa where you can see half the state.  I included a link below that explains Pueblo culture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puebloan_peoples

Cameras are not allowed, so I pulled these from google images.

When we were parking our car we saw two men carrying a large bucket of water out to horses and cows. The streets were lined with aspen tree branches stuck into the red, dusty clay ground.  The smell of chili cooking and bread baking was everywhere.  I could hear the beating of a drum as we walked into an adobe house past two stoves with big pots of chili cooking.  Food was everywhere, the table was set for 12.  Many women greeted us from the kitchen.  Through a very small window I could see color moving outside.

A Kiva oven.

Frankly, I came to see the dancers.   We were told to eat, so we sat down.  Homemade bread baked in a kiva wood fired oven was right in front of me.  I ate chili made with red chilis and beef, mopping it up with this delicious bread. We chatted with two women who had come up from Acoma pueblo.  Elders and children came and went.  The smell of every house cooking with windows and doors open is incredible.

I have included this NYTimes article, they say it better than I:
http://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/22/travel/a-timeless-pueblo-ritual.html?pagewanted=all

Finally we were able to sit our on the porch and watch the dancers.  You know I am former costumer. So what the dancers were wearing was so important for me to see.  We have a painting in our entry hall by Mateo Romero of a "Deer Dancer."  I walk by it 20 times a day.  In front of me in the street on the plaza were 100's of dancers.  The painting had come to life.  I was so moved for numerous reasons that I cried.  The women were wearing black dresses with turquoise "mantias" on their heads. Embroidered underskirts, belts, moccasins, and feathers by the hundreds moved to the beat of a single drum.  Young and old all danced together.  Time didn't matter.  I was watching a ceremonial dance that was hundreds of years old.  Tradition persevered.  I tried to ask questions, but was shushed as those things were not for me to know.  I respected that, and sat in silence... mesmerized.

A 3rd type of dancers were the "Koshas", which I had only seen in art form.  They are dressed in black and white, and these had black polkadots on white body paint.  They had corn husks that seemed to grow out of the tops of their heads.  They danced at the same time as the others. Weaving in an out fixing hair, belts, and various parts of dress that came undone or moved during the dance.  They did what I did for years: "Wardrobe, coming in!"  They are considered clowns who are able to go back and forth between the living and the dead.  I saw a show of them by Roxanne Swentzell, and now they too had gone from art to life.

Roxanne Swentzell's sculpture.

Ireland's "Corn Dancer"

A turkey wing, spirit doll from Taos Pueblo made of sage, bread that is all gone.

No cameras are allowed I cannot show you anything but Google images.  You will just have to come and see for yourself.  I promise you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for reading.  Each day is a gift. Open now.
xo, Suz

A Farm Morning

New typewriter, Bob's latest mug, and architectural salvage.

Here are some photos I took early this morning out with the chickens and at the gardens.  Of course my furry shadow Buddy follows me everywhere.  He sits outside the chicken coop and licks his lips as he watches the chickens move around.

"Loving Frank" a still life including our bowl from ceramics

Little Missy, Irma, and Goldie

"Biggie Small" and "Talullah"

Full petticoat

I am finally taking photos of the wood printing blocks  and architectural salvage I will sell in my Etsy shop The Polkadot Magpie.  I am really enjoying shooting them.  You get a bit of an idea of the items around my house.

Corn, cukes, strawberries

Lettuce row

I bought a vintage typewriter on Etsy.  A 1940's black, heavy, and needing a bit of work...but soon to be typing brilliant :-) quips for my artwork and cards. 

Buddy guarding the tomatoes

Summer is 2/3 over...I can't believe it.  The garden is starting to produce much more than we can eat. So canning and freezing are on the horizon. 

Vintage salvage propped with Ethan's latest bowls from ceramics

Thanks for reading.  Each day is a gift. Open now!
xo,
Suz

Talullah and Little Missy

Talullah talking to me on my lap.

Today we are rehoming one of the Silkie roosters. A woman who has chickens said she wanted another rooster.  So...the better of the two is leaving in a cat carrier. :-)  He never got a name, and when I put him in the cat carrier he did typical rooster behavior and force his way out.  I have seen roosters at chicken shows kill themselves trying to get out of the cage.  He calmed down and is sitting in our air conditioned shop waiting for his ride in a cat carrier.  I put in some water and food, but he's not touching it.  I hope he's okay.

Little Missy a bantam buff Cochin sitting on me.

Talullah and Little Missy continue to show me more love and affection than our cat.  I sit in my folding chair in their run, and one sits on one leg, one sits on the other.  Occasionally while sitting on my thighs great jealousy erupts and one starts pecking the other, until they hop down.  They are very vocal, and I do the baby thing and say: "Oh really, you don't say"...as they are really talking to me.  You can see how red their combs and waddles are getting.  Their backs are also broadening as they get ready to lay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6UYmM3YecI

Click on the link above to see a 19 second video of Little Miss and Talullah on my lap.

Thanks for reading.  Each day is a gift. Open now!
xo,
Suz

Chicken Clucks

My friend sent me this photo from a chicken keeper in Slovenia!

Two days ago I posted an add on Craig'slist to sell our two Silkie roosters that were supposed to be hens.  I saw their combs growing about a month ago.  They started stalking the smaller hens.  About a week ago I heard their pitiful attempts at crowing.  Silkies have funny crows to start with. One rooster is the non neurotypical guy, "Bobbles" who has Tourettes ticks, and petit mal seizures.  I have a soft spot in my heart for him.  He beat all the odds of being pecked by the bigger and stronger birds.  I would keep him if I can just sell the other.  Our dog Buddy howls now when he hears them crow. What a symphony!

"Little Missy" a buff cochin banty hops on my lap and coos when I pet her.

Puberty has hit my flock with a vengeance.  The one normal Silkie rooster is trying to hop on the big hens.  They are so much larger, that they just turn their heads backward and pick him off like a bug. :-)
The smaller hens and babies run every time they see him coming.  The combs and waddles are turning from pale pink to red.  Their under belly where the eggs come from are beginning to soften on some.  That means it's time to get those nesting boxes ready, and the final coop made. The other tell tale sound is a "bagawk" call hens make letting the world know they are laying an egg.  There are lots of those...but no eggs yet. Keep your fingers crossed I get an email from someone who wants to broaden their flock...

Morning "mash" of leftover veggies, crackers, and milk.

They looooove my set chair!

Thanks for reading. Each day is a gift. Open now.
xo,
Suz

Granny Smith apples on our tree.

Chickens in the Pool and Buttermilk Dressing

Yes, those are chickens in a pool.  I want to get a hard shell pool for ours.

Just a few random notes today.  I am happy to say I returned my wheel chair.  4 more weeks to foot freedom, I believe.

Alien craft flying to an oven near you!

We continue to eat out of our garden.  7 different greens for nightly salads.  I made homemade buttermilk dressing, of which I will share my recipe.

Buttermilk Dressing

Dinner

7 green salad with home grown tomatoes

Suzi's Buttermilk Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp.paprika
1/4 tsp.dry mustard
1/2 tsp. fresh dill (1/4 dry)
1 tsp. chopped chives
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Whisk together, put in fridge, keeps for over a week, makes 1 1/2 cups


Bob and I are still working in the ceramics studio together.  I picked up Ethan's pots from his last visit.  Bob's latest humungous covered casserole looks a bit like an alien craft.  Of course he made a tool to make the handles EXACTLY the same.  I have included a photo before firing.

Ethan's latest pots with Elephants...naturally!

And the chickens delight me daily.  Today I spent extra quality time with them...as I was locked in the coop for over an hour!!! Buddy the dog pushed on the gate and I heard the lock slide.  I didn't have my phone, and waited for Bob to come out to the shop to start calling.  This is my second time.  I must remember to bring my phone!  Chicken lovers and keepers keep appearing in my life.  I was sent a photo of chickens swimming in someone's pool.  Also a coop idea made out of a little trailer.

Life is so busy, but so good.
Thanks for reading. Each day is a gift. Open now!
xo,
Suz

News From The Back 40

The Crows watch over the plums

Inspite of one brief rain, I/ we  (with our dear neighbor and friends help) continue to produce food.  Daily tomatoes ripen of the smaller varieties.  My climbing cherry on the patio gives us enough tomatoes for the two of us for salad daily.  All sorts of greens and lettuces fill our bowls and stomachs. Onions are braided in the pantry (I must get a photo), and garlic braid hangs next to the stove. I keep flat leaf parsley and chives on the patio too. Asian eggplant and strawberries were picked yesterday.

Cherry tomato on patio

Daily, we get 8-10 ripe cherry tomatoes

This year we added much more shade to the garden.  With great results, if I must say so myself.  Last year seedlings fried.  This year, few did, and many actually turned into cucumber vines, pepper plants, chard, mustard greens, rapini, basil, and the latest turnips and carrots.  3.5 sides of the garden have 6' high 50% shade cloth, which doubles as a wind break.  Lloyd and Karen have added their own pieces by using one raised bed to bury foodscraps, and worms.  For me, this worm/compost bed is a fun science experiment. 

Asian long beans

Mesculin mix that is no mix...but tasty

We are actually getting a 3rd bed behind the guest house ready to fill.  My original plan was to have 3 back there, but the overgrown vegetation had to be removed. Karen and Lloyd took care of that.  They are pulling up all the grass. Flag stones and mostly edible ornamentals will be planted between the stones.  The strawberry bed is out of control, so Karen will transplant the babies all along one side of the wall.  This will be perfect for them as it's much cooler.  I look forward to having more fruit growing. Bob actually put netting on our new peach tree today.  So we should have about a dozen peaches, bird free.  They already got a dozen with the "one bite and we're done" method.

We left one onion so we could see the pretty bloom.

more lettuce...salads abound!

Manzano plum tomatoes...I think that's their name.

Tonight we are having green chili stew that is made from tomatoes, green chili, onion, and carrots from our garden last year.  There are a few bags of chili and whole tomatoes left in the freezer.  Just in time to fill it up again. :-)   Uh, don't tell Bob...we are getting a freezer this year.  The 3 beds in the back of the guest house will be extended season growing beds.  So we will have spinach, chard, lettuce, root veggies, into late fall.  And in spring they can even be used like a cold frame if the covering is the heavy kind.  I must say that much credit this year is due to Karen and Lloyd.  I am pleased as punch to have "Co-Farmers" working our land. 

After freezing tomatoes slip out of their skins...easy.

Green chili stew...mmmmm

Green Chili Stew
4 chicken thighs, boned, skinned and cut in small pieces.
1 cup green chili (hot or mild, depending on your taste)
1cup fresh tomatoes peeled and seeds removed (mine are frozen and slip out of their skins when    thawed)
1 chopped white onion
1 cup chicken/vegetable broth
1 clove garlic smashed
bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
any other veggies you have left over to throw in.
Saute onion in oil until clear. Add chicken, and garlic and cook until meat is 50% cooked.
Add rest of ingredients and simmer one hour. Remove bay leaf.
Tonight I am serving this over pasta. 

Thanks for reading.
Each day is a gift, open now.
xo,
Suz