March is really and truly here, and it announced itself in full gusts back on the first of the month. It's been banging against my house and crinkling the plastic we have over the windows to help keep us toasty and insulated. There have been teasingly beautiful warm days and gray, wet cold days. This morning, I woke ...
Last night, Eric called me to rise from the couch and heating pad where I had nested to come outside. It was hard, but I went forth and out to the back porch, where a chorus of peeping frogs sang their joyous rhythm! It's the first time we've heard them this year, and it made my heart leap in my chest! Peeking between ...
It's the full moon, the beginning of February, and the ewes are swelling with life! So am I, for that matter. It's lovely to see the fresh bright green of chickweed and dandelion already popping up in the soil. Bulbs are beginning to poke up greens to taste the air. More and more birds are returning to the backyard - ...
Birds are awesome wild creatures to have around. I've been working hard to encourage a healthy habitat for birds in our yard because they sing delightful songs, they eat mosquitoes and other nasty bugs, and they leave a trail of seeds and plants wherever they go! Caring for our feathery friends is important, ...
Happy Winter Solstice, everyone! This year has been a trial for many people I know. There's been a buzz of stress, a sense of despair, and a pervasive gloom that has seeped into the cracks left by doubt and fear. This feeling seems to be affecting just about everyone, regardless of their health or their political ...
November is behind us, and it’s time to start thinking about winter — and more specifically, how to keep your plants alive during the cold winter months. What can you do to help prepare your outdoor plants for winter? Is there anything you can do if the temperatures have already started to drop? Vegetable Gardens We ...
A bee was out on a warm evening, and found her way into my beer. Poor thing! We gave her water and a drop of honey to help her sober up (hopefully) and find her way home. Look how hard she's breathing (her flexing rear-end) - poor little bee. #bees #bees #ilovebees #drunk #pixiespocket A post shared by Amber ...
Hello, oh beloved readers. I'm finally starting to peek out of the fog that's been wreathing my head for the past month...two months? Three? It's hard to tell sometimes. My depression and anxiety have had the upper hand on me of late. But a few warmish days have encouraged a bit of momentum. I've been doing ...
It was a tough year, and I think that most people that I talk to in person and online would agree with me. There were many celebrity deaths that left their fans reeling - iconic performers like my ain true love David Bowie, Prince, and many many more. It's been a year of war, of angry people; a year of violence and ...
I have had the hardest time getting ready for the HollyDaze this year. It felt wrong to haul out the boxes of holiday decor, strange to hang icicle ornaments. Lately, it has been unseasonably warm, up to 70 degrees! My bulbs are coming up, my saffron is blooming, and the birds are terribly confused. What kind of a ...
Aloe & Kalanchoe love my sunny afternoon window. Why do I enjoy Container Gardening? We are fans of container gardening around the Pixie's Pocket homestead. Saffron, lettuces, herbs, tomatoes - they all live nestled into pots, tins, and buckets. They clutter up the porch and fill my windowsills in all seasons ...
Sometimes you just need a bit of warm, sweet comfort food. This happens to me when the wind outside is cold and howling and you just can't bring yourself to go outside. Outside has no hot tea, nor cookies...and these oatmeal applesauce cookies are cakey and poofy, and they stay soft for days! When I first made ...
Things here in the mountains of Carolina are white and serene. The blowing, quiet snow is giving way to the sun, and the wind is changing the frigid rivulets into grandiose icicles. The moon is waxing from a tiny crescent and everyone seems to secretly enjoy their snow days while complaining about the weather out of ...
*shiver* It's cold, outside. I can feel it leeching through both of the double-paned windows and clinging to my joints...pooling like a fog on the floor and setting my feet to ache. Just a couple of days ago, I remember quite distinctly, there was a blissful, sweet, early spring warmth! It's such a tease to get ...
The moon gave me a gift last night. We'd gotten home last night just before dark, the snow blowing and wind howling. We just barely got the truck up the hill that leads to the sharp turn onto our road. It took a bit of time to trudge through the yard and up the slope winding up to the warm little house, and large ...
I'm not the biggest fan of winter, but I manage to get through the cold months with some treats and a bit of decadence. In my humble opinion, the best part of winter is the license that I give myself to eat massive amounts of food with no shame! All's fair in the quest to keep warm, right? Breads and carb-laden ...