Merry Trip with Piper-boo

At the spur of the moment, Piper and I popped in the car and headed down to Merry Mount for Piper's first farm visit. Pat was out of town so it was just me and Rett, Piper and Jackpot (and the cats and goats and chickens!).

Piper enjoyed herself immensely though she tried to get Jackpot to play with her (he ignored her). He did like runnin' around the yard with her.

And they both had a blast barking at those darn cats!

We reflected on our first visit together.

And toasted a beautiful late summer day amidst the golden sunlight, bright blue sky and fields of corn.

The farm animals may have been grateful that I didn't bring Piper to the barn. Including those cute barn cats.

The girl goats.

And the vocal boy goats who "mmmmaaaaaaaaa" every time they hear Rett's voice, hoping for a little more hay and grain...and maybe that molasses lick they love so much.

The "ladies" are doing a good job laying eggs these days! But for some reason, they are all taking turns laying their eggs in the same cozy box, even though there are two more boxes they could squat in. Hmmm.

After a fabulous Tex-Mex dinner of steak and chicken fajitas, served w/ homemade salsa and avocado cream (recipes below), we encountered a fabulous sunset over Merry Mount.

Off to bed, and Piper was fine on the floor at the foot of my bed. For awhile. About 6 a.m. I awoke to someone nudging me off the pillow.

I got up to go to the bathroom...and looked out the window to an incredible sunrise. Piper and I hurried downstairs to capture the colorful sky.

Until next time, Merry Mount!

The Merry Recipes:

Fajita marinade

1 orange, juiced
2 limes, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 chipolte chiles, in adobo sauce
3 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

1 T vinegar

Combine and mix w/ immersion blender or in food processor. Marinate beef (skirt steak) or chicken for at least an hour and then cook on grill or grill pan. Serve with sauteed peppers and onions, sour cream and salsa, wrapped in tortillas or over brown rice.

Restaurant style salsa

1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

½ large white onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1-3 jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped (depending on how much heat you want)

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 lime, juice and zest

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Add all ingredients to the container of a food processor or blender. Pulse until well combined and it reaches the consistency you prefer. Allow flavors to blend by letting the salsa rest about 15 minutes before serving. Store any remaining in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve with tortilla chips or fajitas (or eggs or whatever you want!)