First pear blossoms for 2012

Wow can you believe it is that time of year here again already....I *heart* pear blossoms...Shame they smell so bad or I could have branches of them in vases all over my house.

Blessings Kelsie

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Home grown Pear Pie

I believe I have mentioned occasionally that we have a few (14) very old, very large, super productive pear trees at our place...I know...Joy, Rapture and all those fun noises...Well the trouble is everyone of them are "cooking pears"...not the kind you could just pick off the tree and nosh on...So what does one do with so many cooking pears??

This was one of 4 box we took to Miracles Happen Ranch a few weeks ago

Well many of them go to a friend for her goats and horses to enjoy....I send some home with my MIL...I actually enjoy watching the squirrels and birds devour them....and many get run over with the lawnmower and/or get composed...My chickens do try very hard to make a dent but alas, we still have hundreds of pears EVERYWHERE....

Well this afternoon I took some advice I was given to "treat them like apples" and made a Easy "pear" Pie....I simply followed the recipe here
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/easy-apple-pie-recipe/3/
but substituded pears for apples....

The perfect way to end the evening...
Delish pie from home grown fruit and a glass of milk...

Blessings Kelsie

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New visitor at Our Country Home

As someone born and raised on the only continent in the world that does not have wild squirrels (other than those that have escaped zoos) I have a special fascination with these cute little tree rodents ever since moving to the USA...In fact during my first visit to the USA almost 35% of the photographs I took home were of the squirrel playing in the front yard of the house in Charlotte NC...I was totally enchanted.

Since moving to FL 7yrs ago I have always felt a special delight each time I see the big Eastern Fox Squirrel (that is what the "locals" tell me they are called...or cat squirrels) ....These guys are huge compared to the small grey and red squirrels I had grown so fond of in NC....The first time one darted across the road in front of me I was sure it was a cat because of it's size....I slammed on my breaks and then watch it dart half way up a tree on the other side of the road, spin around to twitch it's tail and tell me "what for" as only a squirrel can...

Alas we have never been graced with one of these guys on our property...at least not that I had seen...that was until today....Me thinks he might be after some of those pears since that is what brings in the small Eastern Grays (and lots of birds) to the trees just 30ft from our backdoor.

Isn't he/she just gorgeous...and since we have more than enough pears to share...I hope our new visitor decides to stay for awhile so we can enjoy watching his/her squirrel antics.

Blessings Kelsie

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End of pear season...

Sara heading out to the clump of pear tree's in the hayfield behind our house.

The season is coming to an end and it is slim pickings now...
The birds and the squirrels have eaten well the last few weeks.

Now it is filled (almost) with the last of the pears, it's Mic's turn to carry the bucket home.

Good thing they taste better than they look lol.

Mic in the kitchen cooking up some of the pears in to a pear crumble...

I am still hoping to get some more pears from the neighbors Pineapple Pear tree before they are all gone too....Just not enough hours in the day.

Pear Picking at the Neighbors

We arrived at the neighbors house early yesterday morning while it was still misty and cold, but that did not stop Sara from enjoying a quick swing before we got to work.

The trees are fully loaded

We quickly filled the bucket just from under one tree


Then 2 plastic shopping bags...
And still did not even begin to pick any fruit directly from the trees...
Today I hope to get them all in the freezer. Time permitting tomorrow we will go get some more...The neighbors tell me they have already put up 12 quarts.

I could not resist sharing this beautiful rose from Miss Lucilles garden...
I am a sucker for a yellow rose.

After all the swinging and fruit picking Sara decided it was nap time...
Hmmm me thinks she needs a bigger bed.

Early Birds on Laundry Day

This morning I turned from filling the washing machine and glanced out the laundry room window, already there were birds at the feeder that hangs from the pear tree. So I ran and grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of photos thru the window.
(all the images were taken in 10 minutes..I love my pear tree)

As you can see in the background of this shot we are starting to see some subtle colors of autumn creep in, if it is only in the uncut hay field...It is decidedly cooler this morning and I was able to open the windows to get some fresh air thru the house...About another hour and I will have to close them and by lunch time the A/C will be kicking in again.

Mother and baby Cardinal sitting on the BBQ next to the pear tree. I was not able to get a shot of the red male as he was to busy chasing away the intruding gray bird in the previous shot.

We also have a very young blue bird that likes to come and enjoy the pears...

This is not a very good shot, as this guy is always on the move and very hard to photograph, but he stops by often to hammer on the old part of the stump and occasionally the fruit...

As you can see we have a unique way to enjoy the fruit from the pear tree...since it is to high up to pick and I do not have time to be canning right now, we leave it for the birds to enjoy, even our own chickens and ducks love to come forge under the tree for the fruit the squirrels drop.

Other birds we have seen visit our yard this week included 11 quail passing thru and stopping to take a drink from the birdbath dish that is laying on the ground below the pear tree, and a HUGE hawk, that though we were in awe to have it so close, having it on the front porch hanging from the side of my cockateil's bird cage was less than ideal...My poor babies are now confined indoors until I can figure out a safe way for them to be on the porch.

Look who came to visit

From the dining room table, we have a perfect view of the bird feeder hanging in the pear tree, just outside the french doors...Eventually we will also bring the bird bath over and place it in the middle of this small group of trees.

Daddy Cardinal brought by his babies for their first breakfast at the bird feeder this morning.

I just wish I had a better camera to take these photos...especially since I am forced to take them thru the glass doors, so as not to disturb the wild life.


Yesterday lunch time one of our "often visitors" stop by for a pear...With 20 something pear trees on the property we do not mind sharing with our fury friends.