Spring is definitely in the air. The chickadees are making their spring time peeps, the squirrels are chasing each other in the backyard, the sun is lovely and warm, the bulbs are starting to come up and we are expecting the biggest storm of the season to arrive sometime this week. Ah, spring in New England!!!!
The Sun Has Changed
Walking home from a meeting at 5:15pm this week I noticed how the sun was still up quite high in the sky. Back in January when I came out of that meeting the sun was really setting. The change of the seasons and the big time change certainly make a difference. I have even noticed that the trees are beginning to have a little redness about them so can spring be that far off?
Walking This Week
I decided that since the weather was so beautiful that it was time to get out on the rail trail once again. It had been a number of months since I had been out there and goodness it felt good to be out there again. The walking was a bit of a challenge but not any more than walking on a sandy beach. The snow was soft and squishy in some spots but it didn’t slow us down. The dogs were in heaven, and frankly, so was I. The weather was perfect and the snowmobiles were incredibly polite. A number of them stopped and got off their machines to talk to us and to the dogs, of course. Wyke and Bean are so good when the snowmobiles are coming, they can hear them before I can, and they come right back to me and sit next to the side of the trail and wait for them to pass by. The drivers always slow down and wave. It never ceases to amaze me how nice people can be. I also had five straight days where I worked out on the treadmill. It was a good week.
Spring Sunshine
We have a lot of snow in the driveway but that didn’t stop us from getting some chairs and a bench and sitting out there in the sun to soak up some rays. First time in forever. I cannot imagine what it is going to look like if the storm that is being forecast actually materializes. We have nowhere to put the snow. I love how warm the sun is now.
Onward at Jenny Lane
We are working on the last big indoor piece of the Jenny Lane puzzle. Katie’s bathroom. We spent most of the week going back and forth with the designer and the builder to come up with something that will work in the space. We want to maximize storage while still coming up with a space that works well. I think Katie and Teri have come up with a great plan. John is getting his sledge hammer ready and we are hoping to get a dumpster here in the next week or so. Katie is traveling for two weeks at the end of the month so hoping to get the demo done while she is gone. It has been awhile since we have done anything so we are all pretty excited to get going on this last piece of Jenny Lane. Stay tuned to see if we actually get it to look like the design.
Turkeys in the Yard
We have some very loyal turkeys who show up every day some time mid-morning. Sometimes Bean and Wyke don’t pay them very much attention, other times they bark at them. I had never seen a turkey fly up into a tree before but this one did. He wasn’t that worried about Bean but he wasn’t going to chance it by staying down on the ground. We try not to let the dogs out if the turkeys are in the yard but sometimes we don’t know the turkeys are there and the dogs find out first. We do feed them with sunflower seeds and cracked corn. It always amazes me how huge they are. Bean wouldn’t stand a chance.
John’s Chicken Pot Pie
John has some specialties and one of them is a chicken pot pie. He has graciously given me permission to share his recipe here. It is delicious. He made it for us this week and it was gone in no time. I hope you enjoy it.
Chicken Pot Pie IX from Allrecipes
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 Potato diced
1/2 frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon seasoned black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 TBsp. Parsley
1 quart chicken broth
1-1/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
Step 2
In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, potato, and celery. Add chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, thyme, parsley, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Add peas, remove from heat and set aside.
Step 4
Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Step 5
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Step 6
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
