Frogs & other mid & end of April Happenings

Greetings

I heard the frogs crocking while taking a walk out in the trees.  Kevin saw the crocus 1st.  A couple days later, I was 1st to hear the frogs.  It was Spring!  Then it snowed & we were back in winter for a couple days.

Look at those cute little icicles.

Grandkids

I had a flashback of memories from years ago, sitting with friends in the grass at softball practice, looking for 4-leaf clovers.  I could even smell the grass.

He said he found 2.

Cooking

We had fish for several meals.  Kevin tried some different cooking variations including grilling.  I like to eat the skin & Kevin don't.  We had a friend send ramps, so we had fried tators & ramps with our grilled fish.  Thank you Steve.  Oh, what a treat!

Lake trout fillets.

Gardening

We fertilized the garden using seasoned manure.  It was more like dirt, instead of (you know, cow poop).  Perfect for the garden.  Kevin dug worms for fishing while turning the fertilize into the ground. We added more mulch & started some seeds inside.

I drove the tractor through the rows.

Kevin shoveled out the manure & put it in the rows.

Cleaning

I defrosted the freezer making room for 1/2 a hog we're planning to get & butcher.  Local farmers are selling to individuals since the market is down due to Covid-19.  Kevin wants to make sausage, so that will be a new adventure for us.  The freezer was not too iced up, though we needed to go through stuff to see what we had.  That probably needs to be done at least once a year, anyways.  We threw out some zucchini & rhubarb that looked like it could have been a little freezer burnt.  We had applesauce & some grouse meat we had forgot about.

Those baskets were froze down.

Health & Weight Maintenance

I got my bicycle out & rode around several blocks.  I had sore legs for several days & thought I should have started out with going around 1 block instead of those several.  I ate too many less-healthy snacks, during my good intentions of helping the local economy.  I need to cut out those snacks to see if that improves my energy level & anxiety/depression in the evenings, so I can get out walking more & riding that bicycle.

Talking a walk in the hills during our weekend 

4-wheeler ride, hike & picnic adventure.

Frugality, Savings & Spending

I spent approximately $180.40 on groceries & snacks this month.  There could have been more snacks not accounted for & Kevin picked up a grocery item or 2 or more.  I've been getting gas & snacks at the local family owned convenience/grocery store where I work on occasion to help their business during this pandemic time we're in.  Also, we got take-out from both the local restaurants, whereas we normally don't eat out except on special occasions. I hung laundry on the clothes line in the basement instead of using the dryer.  I walked to work the days I worked in town to save gas & also for exercise.  I took my lunch & drinks to work most days.

Crocus were pretty but not as abundant as they 

have been the past several years.

Social & Community Service Activities

No Lions Club meeting.  No bingo.  No nothing.  

Kevin's birthday cake & ice cream.  

 The 8 Easter eggs I dyed.

Other Activities

We went fishing a couple of times.  The fish were biting & we caught our limit.  I helped Kevin stack the wood he split for the firepit for roasting hotdogs.  I watched Dr Quinn Medicine Women on dvds & Cybill, Grace Under Fire & Roseanne on Vudu Free TV.  I did some blog reading but not much reading in my book since we've been doing more stuff outside.

Snow still on the hills near our fishing spot.

Proposal & other beginning of April Happenings

Greetings

She said yes.  I enjoyed sitting out on the deck a few minutes for the 1st time this year, sipping my morning coffee & soaking up some sun on my back before finishing my morning routine & heading to work.  

Daughter got engaged.  It was supposed to happen at the home opening 

game of the season, but since the season was postpone due to Covid-19,

there was scavenger hunting, decoding messages & trivia.  The proposal

caught her off guard when she was least expecting it, just as planned.

Grandkids

The penny project I sent the Grands will take a while to complete if the Grands stay interested long enough.  It's also a coin collecting project.  Four different time periods of pennies are needed to form a picture.  I thought the picture would be made using patterns of heads or tails of any penny, so now I'll be helping the Grands collect the 846 pennies that are needed for the project.  

These Grands thought it was funny that they each 
dressed in the same color top & bottom without planning it.

Cooking

I made fish cakes for supper using leftover fish.  I used a variation of Frugal Girl's recipe.  That was our last bag of fish in the freezer, so it's time to go fishing.

Kevin cooked pork chops on the grill.  There was enough meat
leftover to have with eggs for breakfast.

My fish cakes frying.  There was leftover tator that went into the cakes as well.  

I made carrot fries to go with the cakes.  We also had pork n beans, leftover 

mac & cheese & cornbread.  We got 4 meals out of 3 large fish.

Gardening

Work started in the garden.  I'm glad we got our seeds in January.  I've been hearing stories & reading that some are not able to get seeds due to being sold out or other places not selling, saying seeds are not essential items.  Our planting will start end of May & 1st of June.

Kevin opened up the rows with a rake to prepare for the manure fertilizer.

Cleaning

I did laundry, changed the sheets on the bed & the usual stuff.  I've not been in the mood for cleaning projects much, due to the extra cleaning & sanitizing I've been doing at work.  No Covid-19 cases reported in our county yet. 

I sent the Grands Easter goodies.  I wrote each one a letter & mailed

the items in a medium size priority flat rate box.  Daughter got a birthday

card with her age in $$.  Since she is trying to convince everyone that she 

is forever 29, I shouldn't have to increase her $$ each year.  

Health & Weight Maintenance

I'm still working to get my portion sizes down.  Being hungry & comfort eating is my problem right now, also eating the popcorn I got for Lions bingo since bingo is canceled for the next several months.

Kevin discovered our 1st crocus sighting of spring while we were out during 
our weekend 4-wheeler ride, hike & picnic.  My shadow is pointing at the 

flower.  It was about that same visible when we noticed them.  There was still

snow in spots.  None of the flowers we saw were open due to the cool windy 
conditions.

Frugality, Saving & Spending

We probably won't be getting any farm fresh eggs again for a while.  It was said that some are selling those for $7 & $8 a dozen.  Our egg provider sold out before getting to our drop off place.  Seems there is an egg shortage & eggs are being limited in the grocery store the same as toilet paper.  I got a chocolate cake recipe from the Prudent Homemaker that doesn't use eggs.  I'm going to try the recipe for making Kevin a birthday cake since I already have the ingredients on hand.

I saw lots of animals while driving to work; these antelope grazing, 

mule deer laying on a hillside soaking up the sun, flocks of geese 
flying north, sharp tailed grouse walking in the road.  It's calving 
season, so I saw some baby cows chasing after each other.  I know 
it's calves, baby cows sounds cuter because they are so cute.

Social & Community Service Activities

Our Lions Club meeting was canceled.  I did my part to social distance the best I could.  My work put up sneeze/cough barriers made out of clear shower curtains to help protect us employees & the customers as well. 

I facetimed with Moma also Daughter & the Grands.
This daffodil was blooming in Moma's garden, so pretty. 

Other Activities

I finished the puzzle I was working on & moved the patio table back out on the deck.  I finished reading the book I was reading & started the 6th book in the Little House series The Long Winter.

I worked 4 puzzles this winter.