You May have to kiss a lot of toads

To find your prince - at least that may be one story in tiny pond outside breakfast nook windows. Had big plans about changing up pond - adding trickling water rocks and generally spiffing it up. Somehow the costs in energy and finances of dealing with DH's recent health kick in the pants (aka stroke) has ended up with an amusement park for toads and frogs. Only the smoother skinned pointed snout one is a frog - all others are toads.

We got a real laugh from the morning line up (the toads get in water to eat whatever they find and rehydrate) to exit pond. Larger toad appears to be practicing for some serious rockclimbing.

Doesn't take much to amuse us here on Buhlaland - and that is good - with weather guessers doing a countdown on number of 10o F days in a row - we are grateful for inexpensive amusement close to the air conditioned ceiling fanned house!

Kitchen Decor Issue?

Our trusty Amana convection wall oven is currently a kitchen hazard - doesn't cook properly (or at all?) DH is working on the resolution of our problem . In the meantime - spice drawer on the floor and pan lids in drawer in dining area - even more confusing than my normal life here on Buhlaland. But it IS good my DH is so clever at repair. Even gooder (my blog my vocabulary!) - I can't bake anything - a good thing here on Buhlaland (the home of overindulgence in all food with butter and sugar)

Yes it is good on Buhlaland for our cholesterol, waisterol and fatterol I cannot make THESE right now - but nothing says YOU can't!

Mini Chip Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shortening
• ½ cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
• 
  FILLING:
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda;
• gradually add to the creamed mixture until blended. Fold in the
• chocolate chips and pecans.
• Set aside a third of the dough for topping. Press remaining dough
• into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 8
• minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla. Spoon over crust.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of reserved dough over filling. Bake at 350°
• for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cover
• and store in the refrigerator. Yield: 3 dozen.

Chicken Housing

I have done pictures about the chickens since we brought home the little fluffy chicks back in 2009 - but a couple of blog friends were asking about housing - walk in coop versus reach in - that kind of thing so I'm posting a variety of picture of what DH designed and built. The Coop Mahal has served us very well - housing 8 full grown hens and being relatively easy to clean and access the egg boxes. Egg boxes are the little extension on back - has a flap door which can be opened - get eggs or clean out boxes and closed up tight. Front is covered in some pictures to stay warmer but coop is built on fresh air principles with front section (red painted wood) being a hinged area able to open fully for cleaning. Coop Mahal also has a window on east end to maintain good air circulation during warm weather. We have an enclosed run for protection from predators - although we allow cluckers out for a while most days - they can dust bathe and scratch and eat food scraps in the run with fewer dangers.

Not a fascinating blog post but might give some folks ideas about housing. We like the raised off the ground thing - better air circulation - gives a nice shade area underneath and lessens the attacks from snakes. It is great to go out and gather your own fresh eggs - worth some effort and trouble. It is good on Buhlaland to have steady food source to share with friends!

Snippetage

A snippet is defined as a small piece of something, these photos are small pieces from the quilt of our summer here on Buhlaland.

Long shadows and easy to see where our sprinklers reach and don't reach in backyard - brown versus green is demarcation line.

Tadpoles hatching - you can see a tail on one - most are still curled up around egg sac getting their nutrition from built in feed source.

Egyptian lily is all I know to call this exotic bloom - heat and winds so strong even as buds open they are blasted brown on the edges.

Last snippet was a supperet - stopped at the farmers market intending to buy local honey (seen in background of picture) but the fragrance of fully ripened local cantaloupes got to me - impulse buy turned into most of supper! It is good - hot hot hot and dry but in the essentials very good on Buhlaland - maybe my brain will support more than snippets soon.