Pearl is fully feathered and I’m still thinking she’s a duck. But drakes can develop their drake feather (a little curled feather on their tail) anywhere from 12 weeks to 6 months. So we are still in the drake and see mode if she is a he. Continue reading
Walking the levee with the crew. Bixby is doing great, though he still tires easily.
Why does every dirt road in Nebraska look like it belongs in a Stephen King novel? #serialkillerforsure
I am heading out of town and won’t be around much to post until I return, so this Pearl update will have to hold you.
She has finally figured out she’s a duck and no longer follows me everywhere (yes, I am both relieved and sad). And after a few hours behind the pet yard she easily integrated with the other ducks.
Mabel would chase her. Mabel is the brown one and until she started chasing her, I thought she was mild-mannered. Who knew she was the strong silent type. Pearl does not back down, just goes back to try and make friends. And for some reason, she follows Maddie (my grey one) all around, much to Maddie’s annoyance.
She still sleeps inside at night, but once I return I’ll see about moving her to the coop. I assume if there is trouble they will make such ruckus I’ll be able to go out and stop it.
I haven’t posted a Bixby update in a while. It’s mostly because things are pretty much back to normal. He gets stronger every day. His gait is almost normal, most of the sway is gone and he’s stable on all four legs. I pinch myself at how lucky we are and the nightmare of a month ago is fading.
And here is my little sweetness. Adorable as always. Seems she had her nose in the duck straw. Cute and trouble. Fits right in.
BBQ chicken and generic Kroger brand tater tots with beans and slaw. We roasted the whole chicken but only slathered sauce on half of it.
The other half was boned and made into this delicious noodle dish with the gravy made with the drippings and cream. The peas lend a bit of color but I didn’t want to make it into a pot pie filling looking thing – not that that would be bad!
I dug out another portion of the corned beef we made a while back. Still using the Kroger sauerkraut. Our own ‘kraut is still aging on the counter with about a week or so to go. I let it sit at room temp for a month but there isn’t a hard and fast rule on that. It would probably be fine now, longer than the month would make it a bit more sour.
These chives are as pretty as they will get. I could say the same thing for myself but I’m sure others would object to my framing.
I think this is the first batch of buns from the new oven. It seems to be working well – the convection baking is good enough that the tray didn’t need rotating although I did it anyway. Old habits and all that.
This is one of those buns with the sous vide tenderloin that has been broken up a bit and warmed in brown butter and garlic. Maybe too much garlic if you can fathom that. I steam the veggies to just the crisp side of done and then cool them in an ice bath. All they need then is a quick saute in lemon butter just prior to serving.
Another reuben with a side of slaw and, peeking over the top, a wee bit of potato salad.
This is another view of a sammich I made and posted last week, It is an “as eaten” picture with the toppings applied – pickled jalapenos and hot giardiniera.
I’ll wrap this up with a “dammit, Homer, get down offa there” picture from a critter cam.
This photo quacks me up. Like, “why am I in a box?” Pearl gets more and more feathers every day. Which means my house is now covered in the downy layer she is losing. Like someone broke open a down pillow. Continue reading
Lilacs are starting to bloom heavily…just in time for a forecasted snow storm. I’ll be bringing in a bunch more bouquets of tulips and lilacs.
We survived our first night, once Pearl settled down. She cannot be left alone and makes a loud ruckus to make that clear. So she hangs out in the living room with us. And yes, I’m leaning toward female based on her non-stop quacking. Males are generally quieter. We will adjust if I’m proven incorrect.
If you remember, Maddie and Mabel were abandoned in the wild and were close to not surviving when we rescued them.
It has happened again… Continue reading
