Vigil, Tomatoes, and Beets

 He is Risen!! 

Here's some highlights from the last week or so. 

1.) Our home altar 

All dressed up in white for Easter. 

We made a paschal candle again this year, but rather than having a pseudo Easter vigil ceremony at home we went to mass. At 8pm. 

And, wonder of wonders, the kids behaved. Bitty Baby had to be taken out once or twice and threw a lit candle at one point (it went out immediately) but the older two were just as good as they are at a normal mass. 

We lit our homemade candle from the real one...and it went out halfway through mass. We had to re-light it afterwards, and then I rode home trying to keep it lit. 

Not sure we'll do that again. 

2.) The Birds

They keep right on getting bigger. 

Our newer dog, Simon, is absolutely fascinated with them and keeps trying to break through the bottom of the coop to get to them. 

We've tried a shock collar. Didn't work. 

We tried spraying him with the hose. Didn't work. 

We even tried getting one of the chicks out and placing it on top of his head in a show of doggy psychological dominance. Didn't work. 

So we're looking at shipping him to the pound tomorrow. It's either that or shell out nearly $1,000 for dog training, which is not money I'm willing to spend on a dog. 

I have some pretty conflicted feelings about it. Our philosophy with animals is that they need to meet some sort of purpose to stick around. This dog doesn't do anything useful, has already destroyed a fair amount of property, and is now actively a threat to some of our other animals. On the other hand, he's not scary or dangerous, just dumb. I hate having to get rid of him, but I'd rather have chickens than a dog that tears stuff up, gets regularly beat up doing stupid stuff, and eats chickens.

 

3.) Texas Cookie cutters 

Very exciting $1 thrift store find. The star with the softer points is actually meant to be a leaf for the bluebonnet (the blue shape to the right of Texas. The green thing is a cactus). 

We are in fact obsessed with ourselves, and we admit it. 

4.) Beets 

I made beet pickles with this year's harvest. We got three quarts and a pint jar. 

Not a ton, but not a tiny amount either. 

I used a recipe book from the 1970s, which I think is frowned upon by the powers that be ("always make sure you use the latest, greatest up to date recommendations!"), but it's what I have. I've compared the acid ingredient amounts and the boiling times to more recent recipes, and they seem to line up. 

5.) Baby Tomato

I'm trying not to count my tomatoes before they turn red, but I'm getting more and more hopeful we'll actually get a crop this year. 

And that's what's fit to print.