This weekend will be a busy one for me. My sister and her family are coming over to spend the weekend with us. They're coming from Moses Lake, Washington. Am anxious and excited to see my family again as we haven’t seen each other for quite some time. The Oroville 74th May Day Festival will also be this Saturday; so, we’re all going to see the Grand  Parade which will commence at 10:00 a.m. Lots of fun activities will follow and we can take them there too if they feel like going.

We have wild turkeys in our backyard: one tom with hens. It’s nesting season; therefore, most of them are just laying eggs in their hideaway nests. Turkeys are very sneaky where they have their nests. These very big birds have never been hunted in this part of the country. They are relatively tame. Because we had a lot of crusted snow this winter, food was hard for them to find. Apparently, some of them survived the winter as they are staying around our place and feeding from the alfalfa field.

Whether you want rabbits for pets or for food, they are very easy to raise. They are a good source of cheap food. Their meat is very lean. They are inexpensive to raise as they are vegetarian. Rabbits eat alfalfa, clovers, and grass. They also like carrots, apples, lettuce, and any grain. In the summer time, you can find plenty of green feed for them just about anywhere. In the winter, you can feed them dry hay. To begin with, you need a doe and a buck. A single doe rabbit should have at least a hutch of three feet square. The buck rabbit must be kept separate from the doe at all times except only during breeding time which might only take five minutes. Rabbit’s pregnancy lasts only 30 days. You need to provide a nest box for the doe to have her young ones in. Make sure it is an enclosed box with a hole on one end. Normally, a doe rabbit will have an average of eight babies per litter. A doe can have two to three litters a year. Once the baby rabbits are big enough to eat food on their own, you can start weaning them. Put them all together in one big hutch. They are ready to butcher when they dress out three pounds.

Hello Readers! I just made a homemade pizza. It’s half Hawaiian, and half Pepperoni. Yummy! With food prizes continuing to rise, it is worth my time to make a homemade pizza than buying one at the Pizza Hut. I probably saved ¾ of the cost. It’s very easy to make. Make a dough in your bread machine of four cups flour, 2 tsp dry yeast, 1 ¾ cups water, and 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Pat dough into a large cookie sheet. Make a mixture of 1 pint catsup, ¼ cup chopped onion, 2 tablespoon fresh oregano, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground garlic ,and ¼ tsp ground pepper. Spoon and spread mixture over dough. Top with your choice of mozzarella cheese, cooked ground sausage, thinly sliced ham, sliced pepperoni, chopped mushrooms, chopped bell pepper, pineapple tidbits, bacon bits and shredded parmesan cheese. Put the topping to your own likings. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheeses have melted and edges of the crust have turned golden brown.

The hummingbirds are back. We put out the hummingbird feeder for them this morning. The nectar is a mixture of 1 cup of sugar to 1 quart of water. Once they have nested, and the young ones are hatched and flying, there will be more hummingbirds. We put out three feeders to keep them happy. Sometimes, there are fifteen to twenty of them feeding at the same time. They are very fun to watch up close.

At our closing prayer in our religious education class Wednesday night, I ask my 5^th and 6^th graders to each say a prayer before we left the room. Here’s what they prayed:

Student A--” Lord Jesus, let there be no more violence in Iraq.”

Student B--” Lord Jesus, let there be no more hunger in Africa.”

Student C--” Lord Jesus, please help us to stay away from drugs.”

Student D--” Lord Jesus, please help our soccer team to perform well.”

Student E--” Lord Jesus, please help the poor to always find food.”

Student F--” Lord Jesus, please make our pesos go up in value so our people can buy more food.”

Even the children can sense that the world they are living in has many problems. May God hear their prayers and bless us all with peace.

Okra is one of my favorite among vegetables. Even when I was still living in the Philippines, every time I went to the open market I always looked for fresh okra. It’s a nutritious vegetable. I like it so much that when I moved here in the United States, I still raise okra every year. Okra is good steamed or fried with a little soy sauce and lemon. They are also good mixed in with stir fried vegetables like pakbit. This year I have 24 potted okra plants in our little greenhouse. They are now in their 5^th leaves. I faithfully take care of them, as if the weather turns cold, I even bring the young plants inside the house to make sure they are not hurt by the cold. By May 15^th, they should be ready to be transplanted in the garden.

Hello my readers. It was another cold morning where we live: well below freezing temperatures. Orchadists who have turned their sprinklers on to protect their fruit buds have icicles on their trees. With the sun shining on them, they look like sparkling crystals hanging on the trees---very pretty. However, the sky is clear and blue so it should warm up during the day. Young plants in our little green house will do well with the sun shinning on them. I just come home from driving school bus this morning, and looking at my schedule today, looks like am going to have another busy day. I wanted to get this post for the day. I better get going. You all have a good day.

Good morning readers! Hey! thank God it's Sunday. I can rest today. Here in our household we will begin our day with a good breakfast--- Belgian Waffles with bacon and eggs. Then at 10:30 a.m., we will attend Sunday Mass here at our local Immaculate Conception Church. Our church is unique in some way that after service, we always have a social hour with homemade cookies, cakes, brownies, etc. prepared and provided by the Altar Society ladies. Later in the day, we’ll have our late lunch and a restful day. Have a wonderful Sunday.