Real Estate Hankerings.

I'm a sucker for old houses. I want to save every last one of them. Look at this beauty: a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2,461 square foot relic built in 1890. They want $28,900 for it, and it would make an amazing house. It looks like there used to be a porch on the front, and I think there should be one on there again.

Craigslist Cravings.

image via craiglist

The picture aren't very clear but they are of a book of river maps. I think they'd make a neat batch of framed prints for the walls of this house (once we have walls of course). Here is the listing if it's still available.

Chow Down.

I've got some wheat germ in the fridge and I got to wondering if I could use it to make a healthier bread. Sure enough cooks.com has a recipe for it. Here it is.

Wheat Germ Bread:

4 c. warm water
3 pkgs. yeast
8 c. flour
1 c. wheat germ
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. oil
4 tsp. salt

Combine yeast, water, and honey and let sit for five minutes. Add flour, salt, wheat germ and knead. Pour on oil and knead. Let rise until double; punch down. Cut into three equal parts. Roll out with a rolling pin, then roll like a jelly roll and put into three loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove and brush with butter.

Sounds easy enough, I'll let you know how it tastes when I bake some in a few days.

Real Estate Hankerings.

This cute bungalow is at 842 Bellemeade Avenue in Evansville. It has 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, and 1,269 square feet. It was built in 1919, and I think it would be an adorable first house. I love the architecture.

Artistic Moment of the Week.

Image via GoldenGreyBlue on Flickr.

I am in love with this photo. One reason is I used to sit on my old truck, Brute's, cab like this. Another reason is just the composition of the photograph. And lastly, because I really want to know the story behind it. I come up with pretty good ones in my head. I've got an awful head cold, and it is frigid outside. I'm longing of spring about now.

Craigslist Cravings.

This is a supposed plott hound mutt they had listed in Terre Haute. I want a pup so bad (I'm not too picky on the breed) for Christmas, but I'd take a piglet or bottle lamb just the same if somebody wants to give me one or all three I'd be perfectly okay with that...hint, hint.

Chow Down.

Image via Martha Stewart

Image via All Recipes.

This evening I made Shepherd Pie (with ground beef instead of lamb, and I added mushrooms and garlic), and homemade French Bread. Very tasty, and surprisingly easy. The links to the recipes are above, and as always I just use them as a rough guide. I'm not very good at keeping to the original recipe, but so far things have always worked out pretty well. My family said supper was delicious.

Proposed Projects.

Image via here.

I've got to make a few new grazing pens for my rabbits next year. I'm going to buy about five does and when they kindle I keep them in smaller pens, but as soon as they kits eyes open I move them out onto the grass to let them get most of their diet from the grass and whatnot. This past year since I just had the single doe and buck I just used my two grazing pens I used for my chicks before they were old enough to be turned out with the flock. These pens aren't very good for rabbits (the one doesn't have an indoor area, and neither of them have a bottom in them). Rabbits tend to dig, and their predators do too, so I'm thinking something similar to the set up above is what I'm going to go with. I've just got to get out to the shop and start putting something together.

Compelling Compositions

Image via IMDB.

I watched the movie WALL-E again last night. I'd forgotten how terrifyingly, potentially real the movie's plot line really is. Corpulent, lazy people who let convenience take over their lives. I know I harp on it, but it's scary what is in other peoples' shopping carts at the grocery every week. Absolute JUNK (soda, chips, cookies, tv dinners, and not a fruit of vegetable to be seen). In WALL-E everything the people ate was 'in a cup,' and any more you can get anything "pre-made" from individually packaged frozen pb&j-s to 'baby carrots' (really, we can't whittle down a regular carrot ourselves anymore). I move for people to just try making a habit of making their meals from scratch. It isn't as time consuming as you'd think, and you know exactly what your family is eating. I still feel guilty that I go to the grocery store at all. I'm hoping within five years I'll be raising all our food right here on the farm.

The other factor in WALL-E is essentially they covered the Earth with trash until it wasn't conducive to supporting life. It would be ideal if the grassroots effort of 'back to the land' and just a waking up of the average person to realize that progress and convenience aren't always for the better would become popular culture. Just a re-invention of a 'do for yourself' mentality. Personally I'll clutch to the past. I read ag books from the early 1900s for my advice on livestock raising and gardening and I'm getting along just fine. People, me included, need to take a hard look at their choices and the consequences they have on ourselves and the big picture as well. I get into this sort of bad mood thinking about where the world is heading. I wish I could shout from my rooftop and get others to see things my way. I've got some world changing ideas, but they are pretty radical and it would require everybody to have to work really hard to make the changes happen. So, it's probably a slim chance that anybody would listen. I'll do my best to push them forward, and we'll see if they get off the ground around my town, and potentially on a grander scale (ha).

At any rate, WALL-E makes you think. It really makes me want to get up and do a few jumping jacks to keep me from looking like the people aboard the Axiom. The ending is nice though, and it is a very good movie, although not one I'd consider a kids' film. I think it's dark undertones are lost on many kids and adults alike. It should definitely not be taken lightly.

Blog of Note.

I recently found this blog, and it is my new favorite. The architecture and interiors featured make me swoon. Definitely worth a look, but be warned, you'll be there the rest of the day.

this is my absolute favorite image from this blog so far. Amazing building isn't it. What a beauty.

Real Estate Hankerings.

This house is located at 1114 N Third Ave. in Evansville. It has five bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and 2,322 square feet. It was supposedly built in 1899, and it has very unique architecture. I especially like the little building behind the house. It would make a neat bed and breakfast.

Artistic Moment of the Week.

Image via evencleveland.blogspot.com, but was originally from a 1906 National Geographic. It amazes me that even in 1906 an image like this was possible. I'm thinking I need to go back to shooting in Black and White for a bit.

Craigslist Cravings.

Very pretty handpainted trunk on the Bloomington Craigslist this morning. They are wanting $100 or best offer. I think it's pretty neat, but I have lots of other things at the moment I need to spend money on more. Someday...

Winter isn't much fun on the farm.

Everything is a bit more complicated when it gets below freezing. The water has to be kept broken and thawed for the livestock, and you have to provide as much shelter for them as possible. Yesterday's winter storm had all the animals confused. I went down to the barn to get a tarp to cover up the rabbit hutch and protect them from the north wind. I found three hens that decided to bed down in the aisle of the barn instead of in the safety of the coop. I fed the horses and proceeded to try and catch the wayward birds. One red hen let me nab her fairly effortlessly so I stuffed her in my coat so that I'd have two hands to hopefully catch the other two. After another five minutes I grabbed the White Brahma hen and carried her by her back legs while attempting to catch the last hen (my mare didn't like it too much when we walked into her lot to get back in the barn via her gate). I gave up after a few more minutes and decided to take the hens I did have and the tarp back up toward the coop and rabbit hutch (again the mare thought I was after her for sure when I started dragging the tarp past her to the door of the barn). She went out of the barn snorting and wide eyed and prancing like an idiot.

I met my husband halfway to the house and I can only imagine what I looked like: a bundled up wife with a white chicken hanging upside down in one hand, a giant blue tarp in my other hand whipping in the wind and a bulge in my coat quietly cooing and snuggling (she was quite content to be warmed up by my body heat). I told him there was still another hen at the barn, so he went down to see if he could find her.

I placed the girls back in the coop and set down the tarp next to the hutch because I saw Mike coming back empty handed. I went back down and chased the last hen around (trying to catch her before the barn cats did), and I finally cornered her and stuffed her in my coat too because she was squawking like I was ringing her neck. It just muffled her, but she never quieted until I put her with the others in the coop. We got the rabbits sheltered the best we could and went inside ourselves to get some feeling back in our limbs. I hadn't planned on playing a round of tag with the hens, so I wasn't dressed nearly warm enough.

I've never had the chickens not go back to the coop at night, and this morning there was four more chickens huddled outside the coop gate, so they must've hunkered down someplace last night in the storm and tried to get back in the coop this morning. It was easy enough to get the three hens in, but one of my roosters ran for the barn instead. I was going to just keep the chickens locked up today because it was so drifty out, so eventually he got herded back into the coop as well.

Chow Down.

Gourmet Traveller is an Australian magazine that has lots of yummy potential meals. This one is for Whole-wheat pasta with almonds, parsley, and ricotta. I like the recipe mostly because it has you making everything from scratch from the ricotta to the pasta. It looks so tasty I can't wait to try it out. Image via Gourmet Traveller.

Real Estate Hankerings.

This property has really nice big windows that let in lots of light, and with some work I think would make a lovely house. I could think of lots of things I'd like to do with it. It could be a real beauty. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1,390 square feet for $17,000.

Real Estate Hankerings.

This week finds a big diamond in the rough. It's at 215 Adams Ave. in Evansville. It's listed as a 2 bed, 1 bath home with 1,284 square feet of living space. I like it for the concrete block outbuilding (I'm thinking it would make a good studio), and the beautiful windows in the second story. It could be a real looker with a bit of love and work.

Artistic Moment of the Week.

This is a photograph by John Drysdale. If you've never heard of him be sure to look him up. My mom gave me a book of his photographs entitled, "Our Peaceable Kingdom," and I was so jealous of his children getting to grow up with all of the wild animals (elephants, hippos, kangaroos, etc.). This picture, though, could've came from my house. I trained my first calf to ride when I was only 5, so riding a sheep would've been a piece of cake for me. It looks like they are having a blast, and I hope Joe gets to have that kind of childhood. I'm trying my best to ensure it. She gets to go out and feed the livestock every morning. So far her favorites are the goats, the rabbits, and one particular barn cat, but I'm sure the list will grow as she gets older.

Craigslist Cravings.

They wanted $30 bucks for this hammock. I've never seen one like this, but it looks nifty. Of course this isn't quite hammock weather (it was snowing this morning), but a girl can dream of warmer days.

Chow Down.

This is a few days late of course, but I made this as a side dish last night and my anti-anything-green husband said it was very good and I should make it again. I started with this Spinach and Rice Casserole Recipe from Taste of Home, but tweaked it as always.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Rice Casserole
Makes Enough for 6

1/2 a Yellow Onion Chopped
6-8 Button Mushrooms Sliced
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Jasmine Rice
Two handfuls of Orzo Pasta (I added them on a whim)
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1/2 Packet Frozen Chopped Spinach
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. I sauteed the onion in the butter while I sliced the mushrooms. Then I added the mushrooms and let them cook with the onions while I squeezed the water from the spinach and measured out the rice. I added the rice to the skillet and stirred until they were lightly toasted then added the spinach, orzo, and broth. I let it come to a boil and simmered it for at least ten minutes. I added the salt and pepper right before putting it in a 2qt. casserole dish. Top with Parmesan Cheese and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Extremely tasty, and very easy.