We enjoy indulging in a relaxing, bountiful breakfast every morning here at the farm since neither of us needs to rush off to offices or business meetings at this point in our lives. For the most part, our morning schedule is of our own making and this makes the routine all the more enjoyable. Reading the New York Times while sipping really good coffee from freshly ground beans is de rigueur here.

I just looked up the correct spelling of de rigueur and realized, given the definition that accompanied the spelling, I had been using the phrase incorrectly all these years…I thought it meant ‘the standard’ or ‘the expected norm’.  Here is the definition, something that I would never subscribe to: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/de%20rigueur

So, I’ll start that sentence again…Reading the NYTs while sipping really good coffee from freshly ground beans is part of our daily, morning routine…so much so that when Dave rises from bed around 5am to take the dog out and start the coffee, I am often still prone but share my words of encouragement, “make it strong!” meaning the coffee, of course!

Although I don’t always eat sensibly all day long, breakfast is usually the same for me…fruit and yogurt with lots of coffee.   We I ate the last of the fruit from the 2014 harvest today so it was a bittersweet moment.

The ‘bitter’ part is that the last of the fruit from last year’s harvest is now consumed. The ‘sweet’ part is that the last of the fruit from last year’s harvest is now consumed…at last! Yes, it is wonderful that our fields produced over 2,310 lbs of edibles last year, much of which we consumed fresh but also gave away or stored in a frozen, canned or dried manner. Using the frozen, canned or dried produce all winter long requires diligence as we try to cook with our ingredients in mind and hope to empty our cupboards before the next year’s supplies start to tumble in!

Case in point, we are still working down the potatoes from the cellar and yet have planted the newest crop already. No pressure! But most items are long gone and we are looking forward to the return of their fresh reprisal this year. We will certainly benefit from sharing more in the future! I’m off to make chili for dinner…using tomatoes from last year’s harvest, (while they last, of course!)

In the meantime, here is a pic of a few of the dogwood/azalea/ferns as referenced in yesterday’s post. The azaleas are just beginning to bloom, with various colors coming later.Perhaps best of all, the front cornerstone with azalea blooms popping out below.

Alas, Baby Ward is not feeling any pressure for his arrival. I changed my plane tickets again today and Kate and I joked that we are now on Plan “D”. I think of this as “D” for delivery!  Crossing fingers and toes at this point…updates will be provided!