Just Before it Rained...

I was out in my potager...
turning over the soil in a bed already harvested of beans and cabbages

Foxie girl, thought to help, or hinder


it will sit and wait for a couple of weeks while I renew it with organic compost...
and then, will be replanted with some lettuce greens

in the meanwhile...
our newest chick has been growing
she has a tail and feathered wings...
looking more like mama everyday

we are truly hoping this is a "she" and not a "he"
more eggs, please


I checked on the coffee trees...
and they are blooming
the flowers have a fragrance very close to gardenia...
heavenly


some have already transformed into coffee beans...
we didn't expect it to happen this soon...
but, that's fine
it just means...
our own organic coffee all the more sooner


and then...
there is my strawberry plant my husband surprised me with

I planted it in a unused carry bin


this little creature gave me audience for a while
funny how one can get used to such creatures over time


and then, the rain poured

until the next post...
if the Lord is willing


While the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest,
and cold and heat,
and summer and winter,
and day and night shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22

No need to worry about "global warming"

May the Lord grace your day, or night

Watching God Feed the Birds...

Watching birds don't tire me...


I caught this tiny finch busy...
at her lunch


she watched me, watching her


these tiny weed flowers are what she lunched on


see how she is picking off the petals?


until no petal is left on the tiny flower


she lunched in my rock garden
and when she had finished plucking the last tiny petal
she hopped onto a higher rock
gave me one last look
and was gone in a flash


God does not forget His little birds

May you have a good day, or night.



Old Fashion Corn Meal...


There is a lot to be said for doing some things the old fashion way...
I coarse grind corn for the chickens to mix in with their feed


It's time at the grinder to listen to classical music or the birds outside...
and meditate on the Lord


He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence:
and precious shall their blood be in His sight.

And He shall live,
and to Him shall be given the gold of Sheba:
prayer also shall be made for Him continually;
and daily shall He be praised.

There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains:
the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:
and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

His name shall endure forever:
His name shall be continued as long as the sun:
and men shall be blessed in Him:
all nations shall call Him blessed.
Psalms 72:14-17

May the Lord bless your day, or night.

A Tiny Gem...

This is one I was waiting for...
a very elusive, tiny gem of a hummingbird


Please forgive me the fuzzies...
I had to snap the photos from a respectable distance


but, I'm happy to have caught one of those effervescent winged delights...
maybe someday, I might just get a little closer...
for a better snapshot


isn't he a beauty?


can you find him?
that's how the hummingbird first caught my eye

May your day, or night be effervescent with God's grace.

Quiet on Pilgrim's Farm...

The breeze is cool...
the birds are singing...
the sky is overcast


it is a quiet morning...
I thank the Lord for the peace in my heart...
knowing He has done His saving grace in me

Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us:
for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
Isaiah 26:12

May the Lord graciously give you peace

To All With a Thankful Heart...

Happy Thanksgiving!


Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.
Psalm 95:2

Naturally Photogenic...

birds are...
they just look good on camera

Big Red was late this morning...
he didn't start crowing till after 5 am


yesterday, my good friends, L. and V. came back from the US...
and brought my new camera with them
thank you so much, sweet friends!!
I am thrilled!

it is the best camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ40)...
I've ever owned and there was no time wasted...
in using it

the bird photos today are from my new camera...
and granted...
I have a lot to learn about photographing

just an amateur...
but, having a great time snapping shots

this little female bird is very tiny...
and very wild...
it's hard to get a real close-up...
but, the camera did pretty good at bringing in the bird

I don't know what bird it is but...
the male is black and makes a most wonderful warbling sound


of course...
we have the ever present mourning doves that just love our papaya trees...
I can get a little closer to them


the top one is male...
he has a bit of blue on top of his head

the one below is a female...
I believe they are a pair as they sat close to each other

aren't they just wonderful?


oh yeah, Big Red...
you sure are pretty, too

God didn't forget you


Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,
all the earth:
make a loud noise,
and rejoice,
and sing praise.
Psalm 98:4

May your day, or night be filled with God's grace.

Good Things...


Went down below the cottage...
to check on the sugar-apples


found a tiny finch nest in one of my cherry trees


chased a butterfly...


till I "caught" it with my camera


and on my way back up to the cottage...
picked some cherries for eating fresh


Sing unto the Lord;
for He hath done excellent things:
this is known in all the earth.
Isaiah 12:5

therefore...

Truly my soul waiteth upon God:
from Him cometh my salvation.
Psalm 62:1

May it be the Lord bless your day, or night with His salvation.

Fowl Feathered Family...

in peace...
and harmony


getting along very nicely...
I am happy to say

Papa Big Red now is back in family position

May your day, or night be peacefully blessed of the Lord

Curly's Favorite Job...

...is eating


as you can see...
he won't run out of food too soon

well, hello, Curly
tut...tut...it's okay...don't bother answering
I can see your mouth is full


yep...
there is no job as hard as eating to your heart's content

you got the whole green supermarket to yourself, Curly...
don't work too hard


May the Lord bless your day, or night.

Brown Spots...

When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence...
you never know what brown spots may be lurking


We live in an imperfect world...
it is dirty, sinful, depraved

No matter where we may live...
no matter how beautiful a place may be

We may not always see them...
but, if you peer closely...
there are brown spots everywhere among the green grass

The whole world suffers from the brown spots of depravity...
causing even the most lovely places in the world to suffer the consequences...
of the deadness of man's love for mankind...
the deadness of man's love for God...
the deadness of man's love for His creation

These dead, brown spots bring crime and chaos...
suffering, shame...
unlovely spots among the green grass

And, on a world of depravity and hatred towards God...
the brown spots grow larger as the end of time looms closer

Perhaps, this is why God tells His people...

Let not thine heart envy sinners:
but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
Proverbs 23:17

 They that forsake the law praise the wicked:
but such as keep the law contend with them.

For evil men understand not judgment:
but they that seek the Lord shall understand all things.

Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness,
than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
Proverbs 28:4-6

And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgement,
that wickedness was there;
and the place of righteousness,
that iniquity was there.

I said in my heart,
God shall judge the righteous and the wicked:
for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Ecclesiastes 3:15,16

May the Lord bless you with His saving grace and bring you into a new world that
shines with the righteousness of Christ.

Stepping Outside...

for a while


for the outdoors has called to me


to see and feel the beauty in God's nature


while flowers float through the air down from their trees


and the banana trees color the world in green


the pomegranates are slowly growing in time


and the weeds bloom their delicacies


and warm weather flies take in the sun

I hope and pray the Lord bless your day, or night.




Coconut Flour...

As a gluten-free eater...
substitutions must be made when cooking or baking

coconut flour is a good sub when wheat flour is a no-no...
so, when I make coconut milk...
I don't throw out the coconut fiber after the liquid is squeezed out


It gets put on a cookie sheet...
and dried in a low temperature oven until it's completely dry to the touch...
but, not brown

I put the dried fiber in a food processor...
and pulverize it until it is soft and fine


it will feel like holding cotton in your hands

I keep my coconut flour in the freezer to keep it fresh

if you cannot come by a coconut...
you can make your own flour with store-bought coconut flakes...
just make sure it is un-sweetened

you can make coconut milk with it before pulverizing into flour...
you'll get the best of both worlds that way...
milk and flour

most people use hot water to "milk" their coconut flakes...
you can do it if you like, I don't...
I just put the flakes in a blender, add warm, not hot water till it covers the flakes...
and blend until it looks like mush
pour it into a clean dish towel over a large strainer placed over a bowl...
( you can view my coconut milk post for more detailed views )
and squeeze the towel till no more liquid comes out

then, you can use the fiber to make the flour
 a good and healthy alternative for gluten-free (and non-gluten-free) eaters


May the Lord bless your day, or night.

Our First...!!

Yesterday morning was a day of excitement...
if not for anyone else...
for me

The object of my excitement is a teeny ball of fuzz...
dark fuzz of the fowl kind...
a tender, sweet, delicate, vulnerable cotton ball...
small enough to fit inside an egg cup comfortably
the first chick hatched on Pilgrim's Farm

mama is fiercely guarding her spankin' new, tiny chick

(this photo was all I could get for now)

so much so, that when I heard a chicken commotion from the coop...
and went to investigate...
dear Milly, the new mama, came flying at me like a whirlwind

oh my...!
I expected something like that...
but, she wasn't kidding...
she left marks on my jeans that gave me a warning that this is no mama hen
to be fooled with

it's just as well...
because she took her tiny chick out of the coop and at least...
into the tall bush in the large garden

as for Big Red?
he is smart


he knows it's best to keep his distance...
he knows mama hens are no one to mess with

yeah, Big Red...
you're a good boy


May you have a blessed day, or night.