New Years Day.....

Well, we had our first gathering @ The Brown Barn. A New Years Day extravaganza with way too much food and way too many drinks. We had about thirty friends over to help us celebrate the new year. I decided that I wanted to stay the night, and was rewarded the next morning with the most significant snowfall of the year. It was all of one to two inches, but it made the pace light up.

This is the house. There is ample room on the deck for the upcoming summer party.

This is the pond. I wanted to have it shoveled for skating, but after I got about twenty feet out the ice creaked, groaned, and cracked like an old carnival ride. 

Cardinal from the 31st.

The eaves from the kitchen window over the sink.

This tree is so tangled in vines, I do not know how it survives. However, in the fall beautiful yellow/orange berries appear on the top of the tree. You can see them here. If you look hard enough.

I enjoyed the quiet and the snow. Of course it has been well over 40° F the last two days, and most of the snow is but a memory. I'm sure we will eventually get our winter, but it just won't feel right to me.

Some Things Should Never Change....

We are getting ready for our first event at The Brown Barn! We have having a New Years Eve Day party. We have been working on moving our stuff out of the main areas, setting up a gameroom for the kids, and shopping  for some new holiday decorations. One of the decorations we found today was this....

Now the reason we thought this was so special is that Randie had this....

Some things should never change. Traditions are a good thing. We hope to keep a the traditions alive when we make The Brown Barn our own. Caring for injured wildlife, giving as much hospitality as possible, and of course the garden party will still be held every year!!

Dividing Rooms

It has been quite a while since I posted. I have been busy getting the new house ready for a move this spring. I went to The Brown Barn today and was greeted by a small doe...

The reason I came out today was to finish the downstairs bedroom. I am splitting it into two, one side for Fernando and the other for our domestic birds. (Sorry about the bedroom Gabe!).

The view from the stairs...

New pine door....

New closet....

With shelving and new green handles....

Birds room.....

Back of the new closet.. 

Finally, a Tom....

I had been seeing a lot of groups of hens lately, but finally found a tom and some jakes.

All puffed up... sucked in gut....

Turkey Butt!!

And finally another random barn picture that I want to use for a blog or twitter background.....

Maybe I'll make my own Barn Charm Badge.

I am also sharing this post with This or that Thursday.

Using the fruits...

It is a good feeling to work hard and see the results at the end of your toil. Today, I used some of the fruits of our labor in the garden to put together a quick and simple dinner. The first item I cooked, was a beautiful acorn squash we grew at our community garden plot. To this I added butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and three marshmallows per half. I wrapped this in foil and threw it on the grill for about an hour. After that was going, I put together a chicken in foil for the grill. This is what it looked like before cooking.

Now a little closer....

Now this was quite easy to throw together:

2 Medium chicken breasts

2 Tbs. Olive oil

2 Tbs. Salsa starter blend (from a packet)

2 Tbs. Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Blend (another packet)

3 Medium Red tomatoes

3 Medium Green tomatoes

1. Combine the olive oil and seasonings in a ziploc bag.

2. Add chicken and shake well to coat.

3. Put chicken on aluminum foil.

4. Quarter the red a green tomatoes and place on top of the chicken.

5. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add three sprigs parsley.

7. Wrap tightly in the foil and grill until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160° F as measured with a  tip sensitive digital thermometer. (Sorry, I am a food safety microbiologist!)

8. Serve and enjoy!

It was very fun to put this together as the tomatoes and parsley were fresh from my garden. Hope you all get a chance to try this out!!

I am sharing this post with Ruby Tuesday.

Back to the pumpkin patch...

Just a couple of random shots I took out at Cuff Farms tonight.....

Short post...

I have been concentrating on my other two photo journals and have neglected this one for a week. Just a few quick shares.....

Red-Tail Hawk Takeoff. I was happy to see the "fingers" after I got this one on the computer.

I love old rusted farm implements! I hope to have a few @thebrownbarn when we move out there!

Dear Turkey,

Actually deer / turkey. We went out @thebrownbarn today so the ladies could tie up some IWRC details. I spent the day cleaning and arranging the shed in between rain showers. I did get a lot of stuff cleaned up! It was getting late and I needed to get my barn, so I headed out for a little ride. What I actually found was a nice doe.

While I was shooting this out the drivers window, I saw this down the road. 

@Windshieldphoto

Bunch of hens. I did get a little closer and took this, not the best, but not bad considering the light. I had to throw on the 50mm and crank it down to 1.8 (makes focusing in the brush really fun!).

More Tomatoes!!

Today was a busy day. First, down the street to get some paver base to finish the patio. Patio done, check... (pictures to come shortly!)

 Next, pick some tomatoes.

I can't believe all of the tomatoes we have harvested this year!!

Then off to thebrownbarn to dump off the rest of the paver base and pick up some wood pellets, check, done. Take some random pictures, and a barn,, check done!

Milkweed pod I.

Milkweed pod II. 

Lydia is staying the night and we will go pick her up Sunday. She loves staying out there with Randie!!

Eggplant...

Well, time to get in another fall harvest. Eggplant this time. Twenty-six eggplants to be exact.

So, if anyone in the area needs any, let me know. I have already given away four, grilled two, and have plans for the rest. Good eating this week. Here is what I do to grill some eggplant...

1. Rinse eggplant.

2. Peel eggplant.

3. Slice into thin slices (1/4" to 3/8")

4. Cover with olive oil. If it seems that the olive oil disappears, put some more on.

5. Season with sea or garlic salt.

6. Grill with medium heat on a non-stick grilling pan.

7. Flip when oil starts to sizzle.

8. Cook until brown and reaches at least 145°F.

9. sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

10 Enjoy!!

We also enjoy eggplant parmesan, and are going to try to cook and freeze a few batches to see if it will re-constitute well.