obsession (n.) Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion.
Someone recently said to me, "are you obsessed with with chickens or what?" Webster indicates that an obsession is an unhealthy preoccupation and something that is unreasonable and riddled with anxiety. Far from my truth. I would call myself a "chicken enthusiast" definitely. With such lovely and interesting creatures, how could I not be?
However; to appease my dear Lynn, I will write about something else today. The front page of my blog indicates that it is an online journal of my adventures in raising a small flock, gardening, entertaining, decorating, fishing, and creating. Since I consider myself a somewhat well-rounded person with many interests, I'll put away the chicks and write about something else today.
This past Friday my best friend Beth came for supper. Beth is an absolutely wonderful cook and I always enjoy dinner at her house. (See pic of Beth enjoying drinks and h'oderves on the porch). So I attempted to make my dinner special as well. I served fresh fish (yes, caught by yours truly in the Chesapeake Bay), steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, homemade coleslaw, homemade banana fritters, and my grandmother's cobbler (cherry) with vanilla ice cream. I will include the recipe here for anyone that might be interested. It's very simple and I've been making it for many years (see pic - yum!) You can use any fruit you like. I'm sure many people probably have this recipe and that my grandmother didn't create it.
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Ten Dollar Fruit Pie (Lillian Parker)
1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour, 1 stick of butter
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in baking dish in the oven. Heat your choice of fruit separately in a saucepan on low. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, and milk and mix. Pour batter over melted butter, and spoon warm fruit over batter. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
*I also add a beaten egg to the batter and sprinkle the top with sugar after baking although this is not in the original recipe.
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Last weekend, Kelly and I went to Maryland for some fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. We stayed at Scheible's Fishing Center. I just love that little place! The little motel has only 8 rooms with 3 twin beds each. (http://scheibles.homestead.com/Scheibles.html) I had never seen a motel with twin beds until we stayed there last October. There also is a restaurant called Scheible's Crab Pot, and Courtney's Restaurant is right around the bend. We spent about 12 hours out on Kelly's boat in the bay. I stupidly did not wear sunscreen and my lips have been paying for it all week! We caught Croaker, Blues, and Flounder. (see pic of me and a fat little Croaker). We went crabbing also but couldn't keep any as they weren't regulation size (see pic of those beauties!) We also visited Point Lookout State Park and St. Clements Island Museum. It was a fun trip and I got a nice little tan, some good fish, and a new knowledge about the first settler's in Maryland.
Okay, I have to sneak in a bit about the chicks. I can't help it. The nesting boxes have been installed (thanks Kel) and filled with straw. I await with the excitement, the arrival of the first egg. You know there WILL BE pictures! (See pics of nesting boxes and my friend Kelly Marie with Bok Choy). I had my first "chicken scare" this past Sunday. My windows were open and I heard a clatter (more like screaming and honking) from the hen yard. I looked out to see some kind of body right outside the hen pen and couldn't tell what was going on. I wanted to run out to find why Lilliput was making that god awful sound like nothing I ever heard before. I finally summoned the courage to go out and found the "body" was a stray cat crouched down up against the fence eyeing my girls. I ran him away and finally coaxed the chicks back outside. It is safe to safe that Lilliput is the official "rooster" of the flock as she is the protector, defender, and all around talker of the group. Way to go Lilli!
August 14, 2008
