Oof.

Super busy week with three nights of kid sitting, tons of planting, dinners, etc.

Last weekend I *finally* made a bunch of pasta. Six eggs worth on Sunday morning and we had fresh noodles all week. I let them dry to the point where they weren't likely to clump and then put them in plastic bags in the fridge. I kept it pretty simple. Some angel hair and some linguni.

Today I have been cooking. And cleaning the fridge. The crafty girls are getting together chez SHG for an evening of braided rugs and a bean swap. And of course, dinner. We are all bringing fabric and some kind of bean. We will braid the fabric and all take portions of different kinds of beans home for the freezer. It will be nice to have the variety. I made quiche to contribute to the dinner. And while I was at it, made one for here too. Though the SB is not a huge fan, when you have eggs...... I am also making sandwich bread. A loaf for the chicken salad I made and some for the freezer.

Really, I have been trying to empty out my freezer for months in prep for the upcoming vegetable season, but it isn't going very quickly. It seems to be two step forwards and 1.75 steps back. On a good week.

Yesterday I harvested the parsnips. What there was of them. Talk about a fail! Sheesh. I am lucky if they were as big as a pencil after being in all winter. I did learn that you are supposed to start them in early spring and then harvest them over winter or early spring the next year. No wonder no one grows them. Way too much space taken up... maybe one day. Right now, they are lined up for adding to stock or perhaps some potato soup. We'll see. The only good thing is now I have more room for the potatoes that still need to go into the garden. I am running a little late this year. We went to Southern States and got some organic fertilizers. I think I don't fertilize enough... We have this lovely loamy soil and add tons of organic stuff to it, but with the rain and the porousness, I think all the nutrients just leach out faster than I think they will. Crikey. This gardening thing is complicated....

The gimpy duck is back to gimpy. She actually put herself up today and decided not to participate in flock activities. Which makes me worry some. But I put her in the duck house so that she isn't tempted to run out after everyone and I will check on her a bit later and see if she is resting.