Eating black-eyed peas and collards on the first day of the new year is supposed to bring good luck, or money. The peas represent coins and the collards, dollar bills or paper money. I'm thinking that's how it goes anyhow.
I forgot all about cooking peas and collards, and didn't make even one new year's resolution. This is a first. Good gracious! Hope there is still hope for good luck in 2016?
We ate peas and collards last new year's day and to tell you the truth I don't remember any extra coins or dollar bills rolling in.
We're lucky to have Mr. B... not everybody has a Mr. B. Of course, not everybody wants a Mr. B. He's big and lovable and beautiful, but pet him and linger too long and he just might bite you.
Aren't we lucky to have a sweet old Dumperoo. WooWoo wouldn't bite a flea.
and very lucky that little Smokey found his way to us. I'll never forget that day I turned on the vacuum cleaner. Smokey was an outside kitty and was tossed away by some uncaring person. Never, had he heard such a strange noise as that old vacuum cleaner. Such a worried little face.
Hearing a noise and again looking out the kitchen window, I saw this. Our neighbor Fred is raking pine straw from their yard again this year and bringing the loads to me. Never in this world could I afford to buy this much pine straw. This is wonderful! The nosy little guineas came around to inspect.
Can't wait to get outside and go to work spreading this straw.
Better get up from here and get busy. Couldn't you just spend the days looking at blogs and comments and such? Why, I could sit right here, all day long!
Thank you for visiting.
Love,
Henny
Love all your critter photos. We been fortunate having a pair of cardinals at our feeders for the last little while. Such a bright splash of colour.
ReplyDeleteTake care and have a good weekend!
My picture of a Cardinal is mighty poor compared to your beautiful bird pictures. Last winter we had a yard full of Cardinals.
DeleteI had a cardinal visit this morning, too. Love them with the backdrop of snow. That Smokey, what a face.
ReplyDeleteCardinals are beautiful birds. I just mentioned to Robin above that last winter we had a yard full of Cardinals. I'm wondering if Mr. Smokey, being outside most of the time, has scared the birds away. He is good at that. :)
DeleteLovely photos ! Our Harley runs and hides when the vacuum cleaner comes out lol Miggs well she couldn't care , most of the time I have to move her or vacuum around her lol ! We have quite a few male and female Cardinals here feasting at my feeders and nesting in our hedges they are such pretty birds . Looks like you may have some help there with the pine straw lol ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good weekend !
ReplyDeleteOh I can just see Miggs paying no attention to the vacuum cleaner buzzing all around him. He is so cute and funny, with even trying to be.
DeleteThree cats? Have you ever counted up how many souls are on your little farm? You are surely helping a lot of little critters to live the good life here on earth. There's a spot for you in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I hope so. I might could add up in my head how many critters are here. Not sure about the chickens though. I'll have to count this morning. :)
DeleteYou certainly have a whole lot of wonderful creatures to love. I have never heard that black eyed peas and collards could bring you luck...
ReplyDeleteThank you. Don't you wonder where that good luck thing came from. :)
DeleteHi Henny! Your kitties are so cute. It's so sad that I don't have a kitty.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm surprised there is no kitty around your house with all those sweet little girls.
DeleteI have never tasted Black eyed peas and collards and I don't know as I ever will unless my southern daughter-in-law makes them for me! LOL I hate it when someone dumps cats or dogs to fend for themselves or someone else to take care of! What a sweet little Smokey! Coco is afraid of the vacuum cleaner also. I don't know why. Have a wonderful day with all your animals. How do you use the pine straw? Nancy
ReplyDeleteCollards have a strong flavor and probably a lot of folks don't like them. I hate to see animals dropped off too. We live on a dirt road in the country and it is the perfect spot for a car to pull in and throw out cats and dogs. It has happened many times. It breaks my heart. I spread the pine straw around the Azaleas but most of it will go on the area along the fence and path to the chicken lot. I've been building up that area because it washes so bad during heavy rains.
DeleteYour personality ha a lot to do with how cats respond, all very sweet, except the nipping part :)
ReplyDeleteThey are such a lucky bunch.
Yes, we did the black-eyed peas and cabbage this year, just to keep the good luck going !
Your neighbor is a kind person, sharing his pine straw, and even delivering it to the farm.
~Jo
Hey Jo. Glad you had peas and cabbage. Hope I didn't mess up this year! :) Yes, not many folks would rake, load, and deliver that much pine straw for free. I've got to do something for them.
DeleteI cooked my black-eyed peas, but no collard greens. We bought some Powerball tickets today, maybe we'll be lucky and win.
ReplyDeleteOh, we have five Powerball tickets too...for tonight! Poppy says if we win, we will buy a real farm! Good luck!!
Deleteawww Henny, all your kitties are so cute. I just love cats! Love seeing all the guineas outside checking out your new pile of pine straw too. Your pictures are great! Take good care!
ReplyDeleteThank you Diane! I love cats too. You take care too!
DeleteIf our hens got at that pine straw they'd have that pile half spread out in no time I bet! We don't have pine straw here because our pine trees don't have needles that length, but I did see it in the Okanagan when I was collecting the Ponderosa Pine cones.
ReplyDeleteMy sister has a cat like Mr. B, pet him too long and you may need a bandaid. When I was there I liked to push him to the limit....:)
Oh Karen, I think a team of chickens could plow a field. In an hour's time chickens can undo a week of hard yard work of mulching and making the yard pretty! One of Poppy's grandsons picked at Bickett (Mr. B) the entire five day they were here. Bickett seemed to enjoy it, for a while anyway.
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ReplyDeleteI am from the North, so I had no idea about black-eyed peas or collard greens. I wonder if it works for us in the Northland? LOL
ReplyDeleteI love your photos. We love cats. We also had a Mr.B, sadly he passed away this past summer.
Have a great weekend,
Carla
Oh, I'm sorry about your Mr. B. The peas and collards just might work all the way up north! :) Hope you're having a good weekend.
DeleteWell, let me tell ya, I've never eaten a collard or black eyed pea and more than that I've not even seen them. If they are a sign of luck. I'm in bad shape. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteWell, you haven't miss a whole lot! I do love collards though. You seem to make good luck happen! Thank you Red.
DeleteHad collard greens once, in New Orleans. Not a big fan.
ReplyDeleteCats do have distinct personalities, that's for sure.
I'm betting there are a bunch of folks that don't like collards. They have a strong flavor, don't they.
DeleteI missed it, too. Hog jowl is supposed to be good and sauerkraut...not sure what that brings except dirty dishes.
ReplyDeleteMy friend in Georgia has her pine needles raked and baled to sell. I know our strawberries and azaleas love them.
Have a blessed weekend.
That's so funny Gail! I think dirty dishes is about all any of these foods bring! You know, there's no tell how much money all this pine straw would bring. I appreciate it so much!
DeleteCollard greens and black eyed peas aren't common around these parts. But I know where I can buy some collard greens if I want. Black eyed peas can be found in canned goods at most supermarkets here nowadays and sometimes in dried goods :-)
ReplyDeleteI have bought both peas and collards in cans. It's not as good as fresh cooked but there is a brand of collards called "Glory" that tastes better than most. Thank you!
DeleteI sure know what you mean when you talk of all the time we can spend reading blogs and comments. That is why I do not let myself even turn on my computer until after lunch or later even. I guess that's why I'm usually one of the last to comment. Take today..... I just read your blog and it's past nine o"clock. My eyes are getting blurry. I shouldn't have watched 2 hours of TV first. Silly me.
ReplyDeleteThat's a rule I should make. It is easy to lose track of time when you're on the computer.
DeleteI made lentil soup on New Years day to represent luck, I hope your meal brings you lots of luck x
ReplyDeleteThat sounds good! Hope your meal brings lots of luck too! Thank you!
DeleteMama, the yard looks great! You always talk about it needing work but it always looks like a state park out there!!! Love you! Pen.
ReplyDeleteOh Lynn! A state park! :) I love you!
DeleteI had a beautiful male Cardinal right outside the window this morning when I was writing in my gratitude journal. He certainly made my list for today! I love your kitties. Cats are just so special and each one with its own endearing personality. I could easily become a Cat Lady with waaaay too m any cats!
ReplyDeleteI love cats too and could take in more. Poppy says he never wants another cat. He sure enjoys Dumperoo siting in his lap though.
DeleteWe had black eyed peas with our houseguests on New Years Day, and one cook added some onion and chorizo to them! Very tasty, and so I guess we can hope for the good luck! Didn't know about the collards, even tho my Mom is from Oklahoma. Everywhere you go people have kale on the menu, I will have to see if it tastes like collards. Glad you got to spend time with Lynn, I bet her shop is so much fun in person.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Kale supposed to be the new super food. I like kale but Dan does not care for it. Collards have a much stronger flavor than kale. Wish you could visit Lynn's little shop. I always enjoy a day with Lynn. Hope those peas bring you lot of good luck! :)
DeleteThat IS good luck spotting that cardinal.
ReplyDeleteNo don't cook anything special for the new year.
Nice that you got all that pine straw.
I do appreciate all that pine straw. We are supposed to have some sun this week so I can work outside. Thank you!
DeleteI love cats, and I love guineas, so I loved this post. Sadly, I forgot all about New Year's traditions. We had steak.
ReplyDeleteSteak sounds good to me. I forgot too. Thank you Leigh!
DeleteI fear I am missing something obvious -- what are you doing with the pine straw?
ReplyDeleteHey Janet. In the picture, behind the big pile of straw, our yard was washing away. The land slopes downhill there. I have totally covered the mud and tree roots and almost built the ground back up with all the pine straw our neighbor gave us last year. Our neighbor was raking the pine straw from his big yard and dumping it in the woods to rot. I was thrilled when he asked if I wanted it. A small bale of pine straw is $4.99 and is just enough to go around a few azaleas. Thanks Janet!
DeleteLove collard greens but black eyed peas----not so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that the chocolate vine is still green----it's not an evergreen is it?
As to cats that suddenly bite I think that some can only stand just so much stimulation (no matter how nice it feels) and when they get to the breaking point just bite as if to say, "Enough!".
Poppy and I like collards better than we like the black-eyed peas too. The chocolate vine does stay green all winter. Lynn used to have one in her garden that was beautiful. That's how I found out about the vines. It's perfect because it does stay green. I love Clematis, but they get so ugly in the winter. In spring the chocolate vine is covered in tine flowers that smell really sweet. I think you're right about cats! Most cats do act that way. Thank you Vic!
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