Our Lady holds the Moon

Last night, the sky was a clear and beautiful blue when the sun was setting , and the moon was rising, almost full.

While standing in my garden, it appeared as if our lady was holding the Rising Moon in her cup. Right now the Moon is Waxing Gibbous, 98% of the Moon is illuminated.. It will be full on Dec. 31st, New Year's Eve!

This reminds me of an Italian rhyme I heard from a lovely Venetian gentleman who studied the waves and rising tides- which I have tried to remember phoenetically.... I'm sure it need correction...

"La luna incinta
La luna ascenda
La luna cresenda
La luna decenda"?

The moon is pregant.
she is rising,
the moon is a cresent
she is decending.??
Anyone know this little rhyme and can help me with it??
I would appreciate it.
Thanks!

Jackie O. Sparrow

When we first got our new chicks, there waas one that was the most lovely and demure, and as she has grown, she has also shown grace, eccentricity, and most of all courage and leadership. So, we have decided to name her after two people. One that we think shows tremendous quiet grace, courage and leadership, esp. of women; Jackie Onassis. Also, since she is colored like a little sparrow, and she is eccentric and sometimes awkward and furtive, and a decendent of chickens imported by Pirates,who often sport mustaches, even though they are hens, we named her Sparrow, after Jack Sparrow.
Hence her name "Jackie O. Sparrow"!

Here is her photo coming home as a baby chick for the first time. That is her on the left with the dark lovely head of fine baby feathers. I will try to capture her current visage soon and post it also. If you have any other names that you would like to suggest for the remaining hens, drop us a comment below. Please check back soon!

Six Geese a-laying?

On the sixth day of Christmas, 6 Geese.. well, they are not laying yet, too cold.. but maybe this Spring with a little luck, we'll have some eggs from them too.

Christmas Chicken Claus

The nicest thing about having chickens, is that they give us beautiful fresh eggs most every day. Who needs five golden rings when you can have 5 beautiful yolks??

Our tree and the 12 days of Christmas

I grew up celebrating the full 12 days of Christmas, until Jan 6th, which is also when I was born, and the official start of Carnival, or Mardi Gras Season, until Ash Wednesday kicks us into Lent.
So- we leave everything up for Christmas, Tree, cards, lights.. until January 6th, then the new "season" begins and Mardi Gras decor is appropriate and applied.
We also do not buy cut trees. Usually we buy a live tree, mostly citrus and decorate it and then plant it or place it in a raised container when the time comes. This year, we bought a Camellia to replace one of the ones that we lost last year. It's like the seafoams, only soft pink on each petals edge, and it name is "October Affair" (VERY DRAMATIC NAME for a sweet little bloom! )

How to "Dress-up" Holiday Leftovers

I took the leftover duck and chopped it fine, sauteed it with mushrooms, green onions, and peas, added a little crumbled freshly made farmers cheese, duck stock made with the bones and some vegetables, and cream. I served it in the convenient Pepperidge Farm puff pastry shells topped with a dollop of sour cream and a side of freshly sauteed string beans with lemon juice. I finished the leftover almond ice cream by serving it on a bed of shredded coconut and slivered almonds sauteed until golden and deglazed with lemon juice and a dash of Grand Marnier. My dinner guests licked their plates!

Christmas Dinner

This Christmas we stayed home and cooked; Homemade duck liver pate with green lentils dijon and cilantro- followed by herb salad with our own lentil sprouts, served with crumbled homemade farmers cheese that I made today and sliced avocado.
Then roasted red pepper duck with steamed spinach, blue, red and yellow roast potatoes with poppyseed and peppercorns- served with home made jezabelle sauce that was a delicious Christmas gift and semolina roux duck gravy made with fresh Louisiana Sweet navel oranges. We topped it off with a home made apple pear tart with fresh chantilly cream and a dollop ( small ) of almond ice cream.
and of course , some sweet tea.
Merry Christmas Everyone.

Goats and Christmas

Here's Lookin'at you Kid!



The Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian Christmas symbols.
They even build giant wooden ones and set fire to them.
Santa has been depicted riding goats instead of reindeer.
Tomte, or Nisse, also rode Goats and wore red and came into and around the house at night, protecting the farmers families and their children and flocks.. kinda like elves... or Gnomes!! and don't forget that
Thor- the God of Thunder actually drives a chariot driven by goats named goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Evidently Thor was red headed and he wore red too.
So this Christmas, don't let anyone "get your goat"!

A Message from the Christmas Pigs

This time of year, it is easy to over indulge, so here are a few experts to talk to you about the dangers of overeating during the holidays. Enjoy!
A Message from the Christmas Pigs

Spanish Moss - Tillandsia usneoides

Festive Falaya

The Sitting Squares Submerged

Magic Myst on the Bogue Falaya

Ants and High Water

I always watch the ants and their behavior before and after the rains. Here they seek shelter in the cracks on the wooden railings on the deck next to the Bogue Falaya...

Water Lines

One of the ways to tell high high the rain water got after the recent deluge is to look for the lines that the leaves and debris make on the lawns. Most were over the sidewalk that I saw. The direction of the water flow is seen on these parking guides and the pine straw accumulated on the side where the water was flowing from.
The last image is a picture of steps that lead up the levee to the top of the canal.

Hunting Egret

Saw this egret catch a lizard in Old Metairie...
Beautiful!

Clever Blog

Found a great blog today- check it out
http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/
I particularly like the scientist gingerbread men..
Very Clever!

Life on the Lake

Life on the lake is ever changing. This past week we have seen small groups of water fowl on the west side of the causeway , very, very early in the morning. They did not stay and we haven't seen any since. I thought that they were Poul d'eau, but was corrected and was told that they were coots, or lesser scaups.. There were several types over the week, regardless of what they were, it was nice to see some variation in the waters, under the squadrons of brown Pelicans that usually fly past as we drive along.

Who Dat Cat!

" Lakeview"- our post-Katrina adopted rescue kitty.. is a permanent Saints Fan with her black and gold brindle colors. This photo was taken of her at night as she peered over the roof into the car window to welcome us home... Who Dat? Lakeview! Dat's who!

SNOW!!!!!

It started sleeting on our way home; sleet built up heavy when we arrived. By the second time that we walked the dogs, the snow was falling in large chunks, much to the protesting honks of the geese. I wonder how much will fall?

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for-
that it would take forever to list...
We are thankful for the farmers and dairymen and women who grow the foods that we eat everyday. We are thankful for the men and women who are in uniform, we are thankful to our veterans also-served or serving our country here and abroad, allowing us to sit down to this meal today. We are thankful for our readers, who read about our adventures and misadventures in our little life in the blue house on the hill. We are thankful for the adventurers, like the first Pilgrims, and the tolerent and generous like the Native Americans who shared with them, without whom, we would not be sharing this feast and this day.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone...

Roast Butternut Squash

Roast Butternut Squash for the soup to start and roasted sweet potatoes for the pie to finish.

Fresh eggs for Thanksgiving Pie

Thankful that the chicken's layed fresh eggs this morning so that I can make a sweet potato pie!

Mauthe's Creole Cream Cheese

I am very thankful to Mr. Henry Mauthe,
the creator and producer of the original and most delicious
Mauthe's Creole Cream Cheese,
It makes our dinner table complete and special,
for Thanksgiving, and everyday!

Fluffy Puffy Clouds

Carousel in Winter

There is something so magical about a
the Carousel in Winter...
All lit up against a dark grey sky..
Horses and other beasts ready to fly against the wind
inside a warm wooden shelter,
while the wind and rain blows cold outside
the candy colored window panes and
lights glisten behind the
grey spanish moss in the oaks.