warm weather? can it really BE?

cause it was cold as shit yesterday, i don't CARE that stuff was dripping off the roof
i was out there
it was COLD
so today it's warmer
seriously as when i got down to stoke the stove it was pretty warm in here- even though the stove had a minimal amount of red coal
(started right up though)
i am actually pretty comfortable this morning in here

i need to start a few pots of baby greens, a few inside, a few outside.
and the rest of the seeds (peppers and eggplants are the critical ones)
i wish i could grow black barley......we had that in beef stew last night and it was AMAZING
i would love to switch to black barley (it's actually a purple color) to sub for rice more often
i need a bulk source of it

ok last nights soup/stew
we had picked up a bottom round for 1.79 a pound
so i cut that up into a bunch of chunks
i dredged it in seasoned flour  (salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, garlic, onion)
browned it in some olive oil
threw the browned drained meat into an enameled cast iron casserole
i drained off the oil from the skillet, added water and boiled off the 'fond' which is the browned on stuck stuff on the bottom of the pan
added that to the meat
added my dried and powdered celery, and some dried/powdered broccoli (i do this from stems that bernie won't eat)
more garlic, more onions
and the black barley and set it to simmer...... i simmered it about 2 hours covered on low/medium
when bernie got home i added about 4 oz of fresh mushrooms washed, and chopped into coarse chunks
then simmered it about 15 minutes more while we had a family budget meeting
ok dinner was to DIE FOR
it was amazing
totally amazing and it's going to be even BETTER today
too bad that i only made enough for supper last night and lunch today as this was definitely a 'jar-able' meal.
wow
it wasn't thick like stew but it wasn't really soup either.....
however it was so outrageous that now i want to try black barley in a LOT of stuff
i would like to use it instead of rice in my next pilaf
it's better for me anyway

it's naturally hull-less so i wonder if i can grow it?
if so maybe it's worth putting in a patch out back?

yesterday i put phoebe and malcom out
as the little girls (who are BOTH laying now btw) would try to fly down the hill so no way right now
but maybe by this weekend we'll have a cleared ice free path down the slope
they need to graze too
all of them do

i am at the turning of the triangle for that shawlette i am making
it's a wonderful happy knit now
even though i tinked back a few rows to start the turn at the suggested point instead of adding another repeat of the leaf lace..... it was fun
!
i can't wait to see this thing blocked out

bernie and i had a family meeting on our budget, work on the house etc
we need to get the siding/windows finished on the studio
and the kitchen done
we also had the yearly 'state of the retirement fund' meeting
actually we aren't doing as bad as a lot of people....
and all these years when ever i could i saved...........even if it was a dollar
some times we had to spend it all
but i still tried to save something regularly
now i am trying to push to pay the house off- we've paid extra on that all these years too, even if it was 10.00 a month
we don't have anywheres near what we should have for retirement but i am hoping to get more together there. and i am also hoping that all the bits and pieces will add up enough that we'll be ok
i think it may
at least i hope so.......
that kitchen however is a real thorn in my side
oye

well it's time to put another log on the fire
and get another cuppa coffee
the coffee is pretty good this morning
(and i just scored 16 cans of maxwell house for 1.49 a can...... i should have gotten 32 but oh well, i DO have other coffee- now i have to replenish my Tpaper cause i am down to 100 rolls....so when a good sale rolls around***no pun)