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Barn Wood

While we were at The Farm for the weekend, I made Captain Cavedweller wander around with me while I took a boatload of photos.

I will freely admit I was more than a little fascinated by all the weathered old wood around the place.

It started with wanting some barn wood photos.

This used to be an old granary. If you look close, you’ll see even the nail heads have turned red from age and weather.

These boards were part of the old chicken coop. This would be the place where I learned to despise chickens because I just knew they were determined to peck me to pieces whenever I got sent in to collect the eggs. The chickens flew the coop about 35 years ago and the building has since been used for irrigation tube storage.

This cool shot was taken in what used to be the original shop built goodness only knows when. The back wall had this great knot hole that peeps out on one of the pastures. When I was growing up I hated walking past here because a flock of terrorist birds would dive bomb me almost every time. So you learned to run fast and hope for the best.

This door used to let the cows out of the milk barn and it seemed like it weighed half a ton when I got stuck opening it. Maybe I need to resume a fitness routine that involves pulling way too heavy doors open. It was great for keeping the arms in shape. This would also be the door that didn’t get opened soon enough on one particular occasion which resulted in the cow going down the steps, into the milkroom and chasing my mom around the tank until my dad and brother came to the rescue.

This is one of the old barn windows. Surprisingly, all the panes were intact. If you look really closely in the right-hand side, you can almost see Captain Cavedweller. He’d be thrilled to know I caught him in the reflection. Or not.

She Who Likes Old Wood

When we went to The Farm for the weekend, I took along my new camera. (That would be the one that makes me smile deliriously every time I get to use it.)

Anyway, I took a few hundred photos of all sorts of farm-related things like barnwood, animals, tractors and even some little people who like devouring candy like it was, well, candy.

And they all looked at me like I needed watching. I kid you not.

It started with this big burly fellow. He kept giving me the eye and I decided to let him be. I’m pretty sure he ate the plywood that is missing and the iron bars were next on his menu.

I wandered over to the pasture where the baby calves were frolicking and enjoying the sunshine. These two stopped jumping around long enough for me to grab a quick shot. They weren’t too keen on the camera or me.

My time spent admiring the bovine babies came to an abrupt halt when this Mama decided I was trouble with a capital T. You go ahead and convince her I came in peace and meant no harm. As for me, I’ll be on the other side of the fence quietly moseying on.

Even the horses weren’t convinced I was not intent on disrupting their blissful rural existence. It took two tries and a flake of hay along with coaxing by my nephew to get them to stand still long enough to snap this photo.

My buddy Pete knows I can be trusted. He has to keep his eye on some of the other characters, but not me. I scratch his ears, rub his back and tell him he is a good boy. He, in turn, rubs against my legs until he nearly knocks me down.

And this kiddo – she keeps her eye on me to make sure I’m watching her antics, not hiding any presents or pilfering her chocolate. Like her auntie, she has a thing for candy. I kind of like her… whole heaps and bunches.

She Who Has Been Watched

Egg Chicks

Easter Egg Chick - Simple and So Cute!

I came across this recipe the other day and said “I can make that!” Not only was it super cute and simple, it fit into my very limited time schedule. Hooray.

So if I can make these, you can too. Or have your kids jump in and join in the fun!

Ingredients

Cut a zig zag pattern about a third of the way down. Blame the fuzzy photo on Captain Cavedweller, please.

Separate the top from the bottom.

Carefully remove the yolk. If you aren't careful, you'll end up with a mangled egg that looks like a fox has been in the henhouse. And you really don't want that. Nope. Not at all.

Mix up your filling.

Fill the bottom of the egg.

Ready for the top and the finishing touches.

Cute Little Egg Chick

Egg Chicks

12 hard-cooked eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise (do not use salad dressing, repeat – do not use salad dressing)

1/4 cup Ranch dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 stuffed olives

Peel eggs then cut a thin slice from the bottom of each one so it will stand upright. Cut a zigzag pattern about a third of the way down from the top of each egg. Carefully remove yolks. If you do not carefully remove yolks, your egg will appear mangled like mine. Please, don’t be like me.

Mash yolks in a bowl and add mayo, Ranch dressing and salt. Spoon into bottoms of egg, replace tops.

Cut olives into thin slices for eyes and use pimento pieces for beaks. Gently press into filling. Chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Easter Entertaining!

Planning an Easter Egg Hunt Party can be a fun excuse to gather family and friends together for a casual get-together. Here are some unique ideas to make your party memorable.

•Make it an evening affair with adults. Try Easter Egg hunting in the dark and gather some fun prizes for unique awards like the most broken eggs, least number collected, etc.

•Ask everyone to bring their own basket so you won’t have to go to the expense of purchasing one for all attendees. Tell them to dress them up and have a best basket contest with  a prize.

•Keep the event casual by serving a buffet-style meal. If you do it in the morning offer a brunch, afternoon and evening offer easy finger foods like deviled eggs, pitas, fruit kabobs.

•Keep decorations simple with a vase full of tulips and glass bowls filled with jelly beans. Try making jelly bean centerpieces for a fun touch.

•Use plastic eggs if you are hunting so you don’t have to worry about food safety. This also gives you the opportunity to hide goodies in the eggs like candy, notes, dollar bills or other prizes. If you are filling the eggs for kids, go to the dollar store and get some stickers, jacks or other little toys.

Enjoy and celebrate safely!