An Oddity of Creation

There are many oddities found among the flora and fauna on Providence Prairie. Recently brought to our attention was this unusual mud dauber nest. No ordinary mud creation, this appeared to be a hieroglyphic casting. The "lady" that built this particular formation attached it to some sort of tag or label. When removed, the underside revealed the interesting hieroglyphics! It appeared to be some ancient form of writing. :) With our wits intact, we scurried to the mirror to unravel the mysterious inscription.
On close perusal, we recognized the reflection in the mirror to be Spanish. Time and pressure, catastrophic events, etc., could have petrified our little formation into a oddity for future generations to puzzle over!

Alas, the rain melted away the mud and the nest was cast aside to add to Providence Prairie's topsoil. Thus this oddity of creation passed into oblivion.

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

We took the opportunity to experiment with our sourdough starter and found a recipe for Chocolate Cake that was brought west by the pioneers. It is a very old recipe and was one of their favorites and we found it delightful as well. If you have a sourdough starter, you can enjoy this recipe too!

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

2/3 C. shortening

1 2/3 C. sugar

3 eggs

1 C. starter

2 C. flour

2/3 C. cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 C. water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time beating after each addition. Stir in starter and dry ingredients. Mix alternately with water and vanilla. Stir. Stir in walnuts. Pour into greased cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes or until done. Cool and frost.

V13#1 is Here!

Our dedicated readers have just received the most recent issue of the Prairie Proclamation~ a compilation of tittle-tattle for those who may be interested! If you would like to become a part of our family of subscribers, we welcome you to do that here, where you will find all the needed information!

Praise the name of the Lord!

Let the name of the Lord be praised,

both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The name of the Lord is exalted over all the nations,

His glory above the heavens.

~Psalm 113:2-4

Oh! The Purity of Snow

What a wonderland we awoke to! Everything including the ice from the day before was covered in white from top to bottom. There is something charming and breathtaking upon waking to a snow covered ground. It is as if a new world has appeared- one that is fresh and pure, waiting to be explored. We received about ten inches of snow and ice on January 27 and 28. We all were excited for the precipitation to arrive and enjoyed most of our week out-of-doors. We took several walks through our woods and the scenery there was beyond description!Oh! The Purity of Snow!

Frozen Bubbles

Have you ever tried to blow bubbles outdoors in near zero weather? It is so much fun- an exciting adventure waiting to happen. As the temperature recently was right at zero degrees Fahrenheit, we decided to see the marvelous wonder once again. We mixed up some dish washing liquid and water, formed a wire loop from a floral wire and bundled up to head outdoors.

Right before our eyes, the bubbles began to crystallize! The surface clouded over, but the rainbow colored swirls remained. They still looked like a bubble, drifted like a bubble, but were frozen!

You could actually wonder if they were indeed frozen until you saw one burst. It was obvious at that point that something unique had taken place when the confetti-like material from the shattered bubble fluttered to the ground.

Other times, you could watch as one slowly ruptured and collapsed.

Has it been a long time since you have played with bubbles? Near zero temperatures can give you a reason to feel like a kid again!

The Arrival of New Goats + 1 pig

We recently purchased a small flock of goats and one pig to add to the entourage of animals here on Providence Prairie. One of the kids was full of energy as we rounded them up to load. He was doing acrobatics by balancing on the pig's back. One goat is a full blooded Alpine nanny, which happen to be very good milk goats. Mixed in the lot was one Pygmy nanny, small, shaggy, and cute. The rest are Alpine/Nubian crosses, so they should produce milk well and have a little higher butterfat content in their milk than the Alpine, as Nubians are prized for their high butterfat. Three of them came with babies, and three are yet to deliver. Baby goats are a joy to be around! Watching them run and frolic together puts a smile upon anyone's face. All of the equine were very curious as to what was playing in the pen beside them- especially Spanky Hank. He didn't know quite what to do when we introduced him to one of the pygmy kids!



The goats are all settled in and cozy warm, having become comfortable in their new home. We welcome them all to Providence Prairie!