A Seed Saver's Garden

[flowerbug]

...There's also 2 huge birds, a green parrot and and African Grey. DD was clicker training the green one to touch a target and instead he tried to land a bite with that huge sharp beak. As DD pulled away he loudly squawked 'DON'T BITE!' So...I'm guessing it's wasn't his first time doing that. How lovely.

oh yes, be very careful around those large beaked birds!

many years ago and miles away i was visiting my gf who lived in Memphis and she was involved with the zoo and loved the birds. so of course she had to take me to visit them.

while there a bird in a cage she had known for a long time and had interacted with quite often decided to be territorial and it bit her and put it's beak right through her thumbnail like it wasn't even there. to my gf's credit she did not cause a problem for the bird or even cry out. but she was also a tough bird herself...

 

[flowerbug]

no bake cheesecake recipe is very easy to start with and expand as you'd like to try variations.

cream cheese, i do not warm it up at all before using because i want it kept cool, but i do beat it with the mixer to break it up and smooth it out before adding anything else.

to 8oz of whipped cream cheese i can add some sweetened condensed milk or just condensed milk (up to a full 14oz can but i rarely use half that) and whip that in until smooth and then to get it really the desired texture i like i add lemon or lime juice (up to about a quarter cup seems good for my tastes, others may like less - i really like things tart ) and then whip it at high speed making sure to get some air into it.

pour into whatever crusts or serving dishes you like (we don't much do crusts here) and it will firm up in the fridge.

easy and you can do anything with toppings or crusts you like or even do more with the filling itself.

this was originally from a cereal box recipe called Cherry Breeze and it used Corn Flakes (with powdered sugar and butter) or Frosted Flakes (butter only) for the crust underneath the filling and the topping was cherry pie filling.

 

[heirloomgal]

oh yes, be very careful around those large beaked birds!

many years ago and miles away i was visiting my gf who lived in Memphis and she was involved with the zoo and loved the birds. so of course she had to take me to visit them.

while there a bird in a cage she had known for a long time and had interacted with quite often decided to be territorial and it bit her and put it's beak right through her thumbnail like it wasn't even there. to my gf's credit she did not cause a problem for the bird or even cry out. but she was also a tough bird herself...

Wow, good to know! We have taken a bit of risk with them, opening the cage doors to handfeed them walnuts, so I know now to be seriously careful. Definitely don't want an injury like that on DD or myself. Sheesh.

It seems like one bird is more cross than the other, the African Grey has been calm and gentle - so far. When my neighbour gave me the tour of the bird room to prep me for what she wanted me to do, the green parrot was loose and she started to come over to me on her perch right away vocalizing. I was quite nervous about that! I was honest in telling her that I'm a bit nervous the bird might take a shot at me loose in the room like that, and she planned to leave that one out loose while she was gone! Very casually she answered 'oh yes, he will definitely come at you, just go like this when he does' and then made a ducking motion. The look on my face must have communicated well what I was feeling because she quickly said, okay I think I'll just leave him in the cage.

 

[heirloomgal]

no bake cheesecake recipe is very easy to start with and expand as you'd like to try variations.

cream cheese, i do not warm it up at all before using because i want it kept cool, but i do beat it with the mixer to break it up and smooth it out before adding anything else.

to 8oz of whipped cream cheese i can add some sweetened condensed milk or just condensed milk (up to a full 14oz can but i rarely use half that) and whip that in until smooth and then to get it really the desired texture i like i add lemon or lime juice (up to about a quarter cup seems good for my tastes, others may like less - i really like things tart ) and then whip it at high speed making sure to get some air into it.

pour into whatever crusts or serving dishes you like (we don't much do crusts here) and it will firm up in the fridge.

easy and you can do anything with toppings or crusts you like or even do more with the filling itself.

this was originally from a cereal box recipe called Cherry Breeze and it used Corn Flakes (with powdered sugar and butter) or Frosted Flakes (butter only) for the crust underneath the filling and the topping was cherry pie filling.

I add 1 cup fresh whip cream to 2 packages of Philly, and 2 tbsp of sour cream. Then a little vanilla and 2 tbsp icing sugar. This seems to make a filling thick enough to be cut and hold its shape in nice squares. It also places the sweetness right where we like it since most of the toppings tend to be sweet. So yummy for a fast food dessert.

 

[heirloomgal]

One of DH's presents.

I listened to the audiobook years ago, and I remember loving it and wanting my own copy. Such a great Christmas!

 

[heirloomgal]

It's true, absence does make the heart grow fonder. Enjoying these flowers more today than when they were actually growing.

 

[heirloomgal]

Well, another near fatality in my dog training orbit. So utterly shocking I still haven't full processed it. A lady who is a professional musher, has over 20 male huskies, 2 pointers with whom she does hunting and tracking work, and 2 Malinois that she competes with as well. If there was ever a person with elite level experience it's her, and she's been at this for decades. She also transports dogs back & forth across the border for various training groups.

One of the Malinois she was transporting attacked her. She's alive because she sacrificed her arm to save her life. I don't know, but my guess is that in the transporting process she stopped for the dog to go potty. And when he anticipated she would ask him back in the crate to continue transport he got proactive. I know of another situation with a Dutch shepherd where this exact thing happened in the home, when the dog anticipated being put in the crate though the attack was severe and he was hospitalized, it was less severe than this. She may lose her arm fully, and infection has set in apparently, but she will recover thankfully. I think they are still hoping for successful reattachment. She has no forearm left though. I've only been in dog training orbit for about 5 years, but there is a protocol teachers talk about in situations like this where you cannot pull back from the attack as it further stimulates drive. They have to push forward into the mouth, that's the only hope of unlocking their mind from that drive.

So, still being in the hospital in NYC and anticipating her new normal, all her Huskies have been re-homed. It's looking like her career in dogs over. I was so shaken to hear this news. That poor lady! My heart really goes out to her.

 

[flowerbug]

oh wow.

 

[heirloomgal]

Seedy *Saturday' tomorrow. Usually I'm all over the map and rattled to the hilt for these things, trying to be prepared in every possible way, but I actually feel great tonight. I'm not looking forward to when I have to pack the car tomorrow at 6 and its -28 C/-18F. I don't have much choice, I don't want there to be condensation on my seed rack getting it in now because the paper packets would get wet. But aside from that I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It's a busy event and a great chance to talk to people about electroculture and all the different beans. DD & a friend are coming to help.

I probably way over did it with the number of packets, but if I don't have the seeds there I can't sell them so I'm choosing to err on the side of too many. I got the cutest message from a lady this evening asking if there's a chance I can fill an order for her and bring it tomorrow, lol. She's travelling quite a ways to go. Hard no on that though; last year I made the mistake of saying yes to someone (and it was a huge order) then wound up regretting committing to that. She also asked for 1 seed of 2 varieties I've listed as 'out' of, which always makes me chuckle. Bean people really do love their beans. There are people who love tomatoes for sure, but bean lovers have a unique dedication.

 

[heirloomgal]

Seedy Sunday was an absolute blast, the most wonderful one I've ever done. They expanded the physical area to include a large adjoining space (the cafeteria, it was in a college) and that really helped to prevent the terrible congestion of foot traffic we had last year. Tons of people attended, and I was really delighted to see many faces that I recognized from last year, all beaming and happy to tell me about plants they grew last year from seeds they got from my table. Some people travelled a long way to come and get more beans!

It's interesting to me to observe what's popular and what isn't - and it certainly isn't predictable. I actually decided what to bring counter intuitively as an experiment - when I noticed last year that the small number of eccentric packets I brought went quickly (things I assumed would be unpopular) I decided to go with that. I don't think I fully understand the preferences of northern gardeners so I brought what I never do - pretty dry beans, gherkins, annual fruits, sesame, hot peppers, amaranth. Of course, tomatoes are predictably #1, and sweet peppers just behind. But hundreds of packets went, and many were the oddball types. One person actually asked if I had butterfly pea seeds! People are much more adventurous than I thought.

The most difficult thing for me about these events is always - what should I bring? I spoke with a couple who are market gardeners, and they talked about the rigidity of preferences in their customers, and how impossible it is to move yellow zucchini, collards. And with seeds it seems the opposite, the more unique the more alluring!