Springtime

Springtime is in full swing at Livin’ The 10. The other day, Melissa and the kids took some cattle panels that we were no longer using and built a mobile paddock for the ducklings. They absolutely loved being outside chomping down on the mallows.

To get the new flocks accustomed to each other, we put the chicks in tractors near the ducks, with some shielding from the rain.

In addition to new chicks and ducks, our female rabbit had her first litter. Unfortunately, one died after a few hours. Two of the remaining three died later that day. The fourth lasted a couple of days, but also died. Such is life on the farm. But we’ve learned some valuable lessons about caring for rabbits, and we should have another litter in a couple of months.

 

Kitchen Armoirbinets

In another Craigslist find, we found this armoire at a dentist’s office and decided that it would make a great addition to our kitchen.

It’s loaded with all kinds of storage…and it even has a fold-down desk area that’s perfect for the kids as a work surface.

Melissa and the kids maneuvered and loaded the unit all by themselves…and, man, was it heavy. The kids were rightfully proud of themselves, and decided to enjoy an afternoon snack on the desk.

Landing Lights

Continuing work on the outdoor kitchen. Today, Melissa and I built the landing transition step between the front porch and the outdoor kitchen. All things considered, it was a fairly straightforward 4-foot-by-8-foot platform placed on 10-inch-by-10-inch concrete pier footings. Altogether, it was a little over $100 in materials, and was actually a fun project to do together.

After we had the landing finished, we hung some old ceiling fans in the outdoor kitchen. These are fans that we replaced with remote control fans in the inside kitchen and dining room. Haven’t hooked up electricity yet, but they look good nonetheless.

Spring Chickens

Pop Pop took the kids to Moore’s a couple of weeks in a row…and now we have some spring chickens! The first batch is in the foreground, the second – which are a little smaller – is under the awning. They’re a mixed batch, but I’m pretty sure there’s a Barred Rock in there.

In addition to Pop Pop’s chickens, Melissa and the kids found the cuties below at Tractor Supply. They’re Sexlinks – Red and Black – and they’re just a few days old. In about six months, we’ll be getting some nice, large dark-brown eggs from these girls.

 

This Ain’t No Spring Chicken

Yep, those aren’t chickens…they’re ducks! The Coats’ had more than they could handle, so we’ve acquired 11 ducklings to add to our current flock of nine. We’ve doubled our duck population overnight (well, over an afternoon). And, while our current flock is all Muscovy’s, this batch may have some other breeds or crosses – we’ll have to wait and see.

 

The View

Every now and then it’s good to relax and ponder a bit. Out here at Livin’ The 10, we have lots of opportunity to enjoy masterful works of art, crafted by God Himself. Below, another beautiful sunrise.

Don’t know what these flowers out by the road are. Their green pointy leaves remind me of holly, but the flowers are a gorgeous, bright, tangy yellow.

As Melissa and I were out walking in the back pasture the other day, we came across this little guy, right there on the “interactive edge” between the pasture and the woods. Looks like he’s a variety of pencil cactus.

And to close out our brief day of pictures, the view of the sunset from where we’re starting the pond.

Caldo de Pollo de Pot-o de Instant-o

View the recipe on PepperPlate.com

It’s soup weather in South Texas, and what better soup to have in South Texas than Caldo de Pollo. Every Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant worth their salt has Caldo de “Something” on the menu, and this is my take on how to make it without having to stand over a pot for several hours. Enter the Instant Pot, or, in a nod to George Sr. on Arrested Development, the “Pot-o Instant-o.” So here’s my recipe for Instant Pot Caldo de Pollo, also known as Caldo de Pollo de Pot-o de Instant-o, but probably more correctly known as Caldo De Pollo De Pote Instantáneo.

ACTIVE TIME 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hour
CATEGORIES soup

INGREDIENTS

Broth
4 chicken leg quarters, skin on
water to cover
1 T salt
1 t pepper
1 t oregano
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 T onion powder
1/2 T paprika

Vegetables
2 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, quartered
2 onions, quartered
2 ears corn, cut into 1/2 inch sections (or 1 c frozen corn)
2 c cut fresh green beans
4 cloves garlic

Garnish – All are optional
avocado
sour cream or Greek yogurt
Oaxaca cheese, grated or crumbled
corn tortilla chips
fresh cilantro leaves
fresh diced white onion
lime or lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Broth

  1. Add chicken, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika to Instant Pot
  2. Cover with water
  3. Close lid and set the Instant Pot to Poultry
  4. When the Instant Pot is done, remove the chicken pieces to a larger holding pot
  5. Cover the chicken to keep it warm while the vegetables are cooking

Vegetables

  1. Adjust the broth’s seasoning as you see fit
  2. Add all the vegetables to the broth
  3. Close lid and set the Instant Pot to Soup
  4. When the Instant Pot is done, transfer everything to the holding pot
  5. Serve with any or all of the optional garnishes

NOTES

Traditionally, caldo is served bones and all. However, if you prefer, you can de-bone (and/or de-skin) the chicken while the vegetables are cooking.

 

Mercy the Mountain Sheep

This is Mercy. She is a Mountain Sheep (also known as Bighorn Sheep), although her horns are just buds at this point. Mercy came from the same folks that sold us Mocha, Chip and Beau. They rescued her after her mother rejected her, bottle feeding her until she weened. Mercy is so docile that she followed her “mama” around the property like a little puppy.

She’s still a little skittish around us. You’ll probably notice that the picture is a bit grainy. I couldn’t get up close to her to get a really good shot. But that’s OK – she’s enjoying herself and her new home here at Livin’ The 10. Lots of grass and hay to eat…and lots of rocks to climb and play on.

As I’m writing this, she’s “baa-ing” outside. Think I’ll go check on her and see what she’s gotten herself info….

Riding Lessons

My dad (Pop Pop to the kids) used to ride horses in college. So when he were looking into getting a horse, the kids were excited to get some riding lessons from Pop Pop. Today, dad brought a bunch of carrots for Beau and the donkeys, to keep their attention (or perhaps distract them) while we were saddling Beau.

Here’s Iain getting his first riding lesson.

After Iain’s lesson, Macy got her first lesson. It was both exciting…and a bit scary.

Eryk hopped on next. He reminds me of me at his age. I remember my first riding experience – probably at about his age. The horse went trotting along…and I went bouncing along, and couldn’t help but giggle the whole time.