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!