I’m not one for breakfast in bed or grand declarations of love. I don’t need “Queen For A Day Treatment.” But that’s not to say that I don’t appreciate gifts, and expressions of appreciation and love. Like this:

I wonder if my Mother’s Day present is goat tip-proof. Excuse me while I go find out.

I let the lawn go weedy and mossy near the woods that circle my property. It’s messy and untidy. It’s also work. I have to pull White Pine seedlings to keep the trees from encroaching. There are ungainly weeds to keep in check. But, those shady, semi-wild verges are where these plants live:

Pink Lady’s Slippers. They’re an orchid, and propagate with the help of fungus in the soil and bees in the air. The pink ones grace my property in May. They’re pretty, but soon wilt into the weedy edge. An untidy lawn is worth having for these moments of ephemeral beauty. Isn’t that true of one’s life, as well?

I have a houseguest from England. We’ve been very busy. So far, we’ve seen the Paper Zoo Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts (Picasso drew a huge, crazy, frog!) the delicate, moving Ganson sculptures at the MIT Museum, eaten dumplings, gone shopping for wool, perused a bookstore and a paper store, spent a day at a vintage textile show, drank sangria, and watched me vote in town elections. I’ve baked cookies, given her a tour of the property, and watched television. Wendy pet Candy (briefly, until Candy made it clear that that was enough!) and took the goats out on their leashes for a graze. We did all of that in the first two days of her visit, as Wendy arrived on Sunday night. Today, we are off to Brimfield, a huge flea market. Later in the week, there’s the circus to go to, a friend’s 80th birthday to celebrate, and some crocheting to learn (me – Wendy is teaching.)

Somehow, I can’t fit blogging in! So, I’m going to take a short break and enjoy Wendy’s visit. I’ll try to post some photos on my FaceBook page – although I haven’t taken any yet. I’ve been too busy!

It was drizzly and rainy all of the last week. The grass greened up. The goats ate. And ate. Look at Caper’s bulging belly.

The boys would have eaten these,

but these greens were safe from hungry goats in the fenced vegetable garden. These beautiful leaves are a braising mix, designed to be eaten young or mature, but always cooked. The other night I clipped enough leaves for myself. I always wash greens in a couple of immersions and swirls in clean water, and then spin off the excess water.

There are two ways to cook greens. Either sauté them quickly and eat at the just wilted stage, or cook at length in a cook broth with a flavor booster, like a ham hock. Young greens like these are best sautéed; tougher greens are best done in the long simmer. For both methods, the leaves shrink to a fraction of their raw volume, so always pick more than you think you can eat. To prepare the first greens from my garden, I heated a large sauté pan, tipped in a touch of fragrant olive oil, and tossed in the greens. (They were so young and tender that I left the stalks on, older greens would have had the ribs stripped off.) I stirred and turned, and within two minutes the greens wilted.

Next, I sprinkled on about a quarter of a teaspoon of exceptionally good balsamic vinegar (the type that is aged until it  has the consistency of molasses and is so sweet that you’re tempted to drink it), gave them one more quick toss in the heat, and then brought them right to the table, where I used a quick turn of the salt and pepper mills.

Dinner was pan-fried sole, a baked potato and greens.

Unlike Caper, I don’t eat until bursting. In fact, after this light and healthy meal, there was still room for homemade chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

I’ve added another date to my Chicken Keeping Workshop calendar – Sunday, June 10. From 1 to 3 pm you are invited here at Little Pond Farm, in Carlisle, MA, to learn what you need to know to have a happy, healthy flock of your own.

You will get to tour the property and go into the barns.

We’ll look at chicken bottoms.

You’ll get to pet the chickens, and hold one if you’d like!

We’ll sit on the porch while I talk about everything from chicken behavior to coop design.

And there will be iced tea and cookies (homemade, of course.)

While here you can wave hello to Queen Candy, and you can pet the goats. The boys are eager to have visitors.

The cost is $25 per person. Email me to reserve a spot. Classes fill quickly, so don’t wait.

Also on the calendar – on May 16 I will be at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, NY, with a Chicken Keeping talk and slide show. I am so excited about this opportunity to see a beautiful part of the country that I’ve never been to, and to tour a great living history museum! Do any of you live out that way? Please come!