Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Dear HomesteadBlogger,
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Please be so kind to make it so I can post to my blog using the Mozilla Firefox browser. Please? I know this is a free service and don't get me wrong, I love HB'er, preferring the homey feel and appearance, but I love my Firefox more and if I can't post links or pictures using it, well then I don't know what to do....oh come on, I can't possibly be the user on the whole site that uses Firefox and finds IE to be an inferior browser. Can I? Please...pretty please? *hugs HB & bats eyes* |
Sunday, November 30, 2008
An Interesting Article
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From Organic Consumers dot Org "What Michael Pollan Hasn't Told You About Food" By Onnesha Roychoudhuri an interview with author Raj Patel's regarding his book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System a quote: "OR: Can you point out some more of the ways in which the supermarket experience is such a constrained environment? RP: The resemblance to rats in cages in laboratories is more than cosmetic. The way that we shop today in supermarkets is profoundly manipulated. Everything about it is the result of millions of dollars in investments and experiments. Everything about it: the lighting, the positioning of things, the reason that the milk is always at the back, all of these are ways in which we're manipulated. The profound irony is that we go into supermarkets and we are made to believe that we choose freely but the moment we step through the doors of the supermarket, we have been made for our food. We are being crafted in that environment into people who will impulse purchase, will accept a range of fruits and vegetables that is very narrow, will think that when we pick between Coke and Pepsi, that that's real choice." When are YOU going to take back control of where your food comes from and no longer be manipulated by big corps, agribiz and media advertisements? |
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Pacific Northwest Update
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What a month! We're still kicking of course, things have just been a bit topsy turvy is all. But here I am ready to run off at the keyboard again. The flocks are doing fine and for awhile there I was contemplating dispatching my blue slate tom for Thanksgiving since I never got around to buying him a few girl friends. But alas, not only can I not do the deed, I don't think the lad is going to be fat enough to feed six. SO, I found a local organic heritage turkey breeder and reserved 2 for the holiday. One is for family and the following Saturday Tim and I will have our own Thanksgiving. Their only $40 a piece and considering I wasn't finding anything under $75 online I felt truly blessed to run across her ad on Craigslist. My new sister-in-law and myself are going to get the TG meal together for the family, it will be organic, low carb friendly, plenty of dishes for the vegetarians and diabetes friendly for my father. Should be a hoot! I'm getting out keeping call ducks, so the four I have will go early next year and since I got the go ahead from the former owner, the cochins will be given away as well. I hemmed and hawed all this season, yaked about getting rid of them but never really commited. They're going to be gone no later than the end of March though. *pounds desk* doggone...I will DO IT. hehe I'm desparate for Dominiques and determined to get the flock going. I also found a source for Cottonpatch geese and I'm on her list of people to call when she gets goslings. YAY! I wanted to share this article I recently read on Mother Earth News. Now if you haven't read "The Omnivores Dilemma" or "In Defense of Food" ....do it. I need to get the second on yet, but I've read so many reveiws and snippets from the book that I feel like I already have. But I haven't...in fact...I think I'll order it tonight. Michael Pollan is amazing! Please go read "The Michael Pollan Prescription: How to Eat Better and Avoid the Industrial Diet" Oh yea...been eating very well these last few months and since August have shed 40#. Phew! I can't believe how good I feel. Shucks...only about 80 to go! LOL Keep it real food, natural and organic. Trust me, you'll feel the difference when you cut that devil known as prepared processed food. Shop the outer edges of your store, keep it fresh! |
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Is it cold or what??
I'm amazed at how chilly it got in what seems like a relatively short period of time. We're still having sunny days, but YIKES it's c-c-c-cold! I made some pumpkin bread today, nothing special and not from scratch, but it sure filled the house with a scrumptious odor. I'm sure it will be tasty. If I like it, then I'll venture on to make some scratch. I tend to try thing out pre-made once and if I like it, I make it myself. I have 3 jars of jalapeno mint jelly in the BWB and it'll be done boilin' away in about 4 minutes. I had a taste and oooohhhh mmmmyyyy goooodnesssss. *slurp* Good stuff! I definitely need some serious practice in canning though. I ...well...I suck. LOL It's just lack of experience as I have only tried to make any kind of jam or jelly all of 2 times in the last 20 odd years. I'm going to look for some local fruits to make up some other flavors of jams, jellies and I would also like to make some marmalade. Fig jam is high on my list but I'm not sure if I can find any locally this late in the season.  Jalepeno Mint Jelly Cooling I finished one sock of the pair I started earlier this year (or was it around Christmas of last year? I don't remember for sure). Kim spun up some beee-U-tee-FULL yarn for me to make the "Ice Queen". I am so excited, however I discovered I'm lacking the proper needles, so they're on my ebay watch list now. She did a fantastic job and though she thought it wasn't as soft as she expected, I think and my fingers agree, IT's POSITIVELY DIVINE! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!! I can't wait to work with it.  Doesn't it look fantastic??? mmmmm  |
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Stuff & Things
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EEP!! A little before 7am brought a ruckus from the turkeys outside and the dogs inside. The dogs were looking out the window barking quite aggressively. At first I didn't see anything and crawled back into bed. 3 minutes later they started up again and more aggressive. I finally saw what they were barking. Not 2 feet from the back of my pens was a coyote. Great. Just freakin' great. I can't shoot it there since if I miss it'll probably kill my neighbor instead. Not that I would miss them mind you (think Cletus and Brandine of The Simpsons), but I wouldn't want to serve time in the state pen, thanks. So now to fix that little problem. Made some KILLER YUMMY pizza dough Friday night. O my goodness. I used Jamie Oliver's recipe from his show and book "Jamie At Home". Dang it was good.  JAMIE OLIVER I made a stupid mistake the other day when I was at the local fruit/veg stand. I bought about 2 pounds of jalapeno peppers for the jalapeno mint jelly I was going to make. Then I got home and reread the recipe. I only need TWO jalapenos! *DOH* So I'll be making either a lot of salsa (not likely) or some pickled jalapenos. Oh and I made one other error. I bought Sure-Jel thinking that would be just fine, but I guess I need to have liquid pectin instead. *big sigh* Went to Bellevue yesterday and bought the pet birds some new toys, perches and boings. I also met a friend there I was buying Indy's new cage from...yea baby, Indy LOVES his new digs. However, one thing I didn't notice was there were no perches. Did I get him a perch at the Aussie Toy sale? noooo So the perch I bought Skittles went to Indy and today I made some madrona perches for the both of them. I had some madrona that had been drying for almost 2 years (okay, over doing it, but what the heck) and gained some confidence regarding the bird stand I have yet to build. Onward!! This winter should bring some finished projects into the spring. |
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Fall Preparations & stuff...
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As the season ends I wrap myself up in the comforter of there only being a few months before new seed catalogs start arriving. Oh yes, as the rain, or snow, pelts the windows I'll be sitting with the promises of Spring 2009 dancing in my head as the highlighter pen dances across the pages of what dreams are made. Until then.... With the recommendations from a friend I've trimmed back the tomato plants so that all the little green globes get what little rays of sunshine are slashing their way through the cloudy days. I've managed to get about 2 dozen grape tomatoes so far, their sweetness burst with freshness in each salad they graced, with many more turning their faces to the dying sun gasping for warmth and brightness. Until the first frost I'll hang on before retiring them to the compost. In the areas cleared of wandering tomato branches and weeds I'll be planting the last hope of fresh greens and radishes. With luck I'll have some freshness into November. We'll see. September is giving way to the new month of October and the garlic is begging to be nestled into the cooling soil where they can bring forth fresh cloves of goodness next summer. The herbs are hanging tight and though the savory & tarragon has already taken their leave the rosemary, sage & oregano wave on as the parsley clings to life. Thyme, it's little baby leaves make me wonder if it will weather the winter. I've not grown it before and as it's close to the house it might. I bought a pound of jalapenos and will gather some of my mint, before cutting some new starts, to make some Jalapeno Mint Jelly. At least 20 years ago my mother shared some that a friend of hers had made and I never got over how absolutely, mind-blowingly delicious it was on a cracker with cream cheese. I pondered a few different recipes and finally found one that think is THE ONE. I'll let ya'all know. :-) I have to travel to Bellevue this coming Saturday and pick up a cage for Indy that I'm buying from Indy's breeder. He's going TO LOVE IT, big and roomy. The cage he has is fine, but I don't think he's ever gotten over the fact that he lost his GIANT cage to Baggins last year. I'm excited for him, he's going to go nuts! At the same there will be a "Bird Toy Party" where I'm meeting her and can pick up some toys, boings and a few treat dishes for everyone.  On a final note: With September goes another 9 pounds. Doesn't sound like a lot? Trust me, it's a lot. Besides, the goal is to lose the weight wisely and without compromising my health. That's almost 30 pounds sine August! YES! Progress is GOOD. |
Sunday, September 14, 2008
It is with great sadness...
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...that I report the demise of the one and only dominique chick hatched out of 36 eggs. The simple truth of it is that I had to euthanize her due to the bone deformity worsening and she was unable to move about. It was one of the most difficult things I've had to do. Last week I even asked one of my friends to please tell me that I was being cruel, inhumane and selfish keeping her alive. After listening to my plight, she agreed and complied with my request. Today was the day. I am so sad and frustrated right now. |
Saturday, September 6, 2008
More changes!
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Eek! I have to wonder what is going as my life seems to be going through these changes. I almost need a moment to catch my breath. Do you ever just stop and wonder why you're here? I mean on this planet, not here reading my blog. I keep wondering as I flounder around through one hobby, career, etc., or another. I look in my "hobby room" and what do I see of the various things I've been interested in at one time or another, not that I don't enjoy those things anymore, it's just that it always seems something else takes my attention away. I always tend to amass a whole lot of books, magazines and supplies for everything, too. As I embark on yet another interest I have to seriously ask myself, HOW SERIOUS AM I? I'm working on it. I have a lot to learn yet and evaluate. I don't really want to say what it is right now until I know more. I will say this much, I have looked at the commonality of all the things I have been interested in and though some things have fallen by the wayside or that I had to abandon due to there only being so many hours in a day. A single common thread prevails, it touches darn near every aspect of my life, aviculture. From learning the peyote stitch so that I could make feather fans out of the molted tail feathers of a peacock to the parrots sitting on their perches in my house to my chosen career aviculture is a strong part of everything I do. One dream I've had *may* become a reality. I'll let you know as I get closer to it's realization. I have another reason for working to become healthy & strong again...and yep, it involves aviculture. It's not an easy road, I hope by this time next year the dream will be a reality. |
Monday, September 1, 2008
I'd rather eat meat than vegetables...
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so what does that mean for my garden. Well...due to the fact that I've changed my whole diet lifestyle I have to rethink my garden. Okay...wait...before you get all freaked out by what I just said, let me explain. I am an obese person. Grossly. Or is that grotesque? LOL Seriously though, it's a very real health threat and I have been making changes in my life to change that fact. About 6 years ago I (and my husband) followed the "Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program" (CALP) by Drs. Richard & Rachael Heller. I felt GREAT! I lost a little more than 100# and my husband lost about #70. But I slipped back into my old habits and put it all back on. I know...bad me. But you know, when you're a carb addict, and I am, that's what happens when we fall off the wagon. For the past month we've been "back on plan" (BOP) and I've lost about 20# now and he's lost around #10. I feel MUCH better, I sleep better, I breath better, and I have much more energy. Just imagine how it will be when I'm down to a more human weight again! The truth of it is, I have to limit my carb intake. If I don't things spiral out of control and I gain weight ...FAST. Seriously, I can put on 5 pounds in 24 hours eating carbs. Now, because I want to stay on plan for the rest of my life, I need to alter my gardening plans. That's not a bad thing folks, it's just the way it is for me. No more potatoes, carrots, corn, parsnips, winter squashes, and other high carb, starchy or sugary veggies (I won't miss the squashes, trust me). BUT...I can enjoy all the leafy greens I want (spinach, kale, collards), herbs, radishes, mushrooms (not a vegetables, but I'm listing it anyway), but easy on the onions & tomatoes. What else?..let's see....aspargus mmmmmmmm, eggplant (I need a tasty recipe, I'm actually afraid to try eggplant still), sprouts, green beans, snap beans, wax beans, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, kohlrabi, kale, endive, scallions, celery and *shudder* okra...is there really a way to make okra tasty (no batter recipes)? It just looks slimey and gross to me. Oh and peppers are okay, too. There's only one problem with peppers...I HATE HATE HATE green peppers and so does my husband. I'll eat red, yellow, purple, orange and any of the HOT peppers, but keep green ones AWAY!!! To us there is only one non-negotiable, we will never eat, vegetable and that's green peppers.  Once a day I have what is called a "reward meal" (RM) It consists of a large green salad w/ a few other vegetables, shredded cheese, and organic (MSG FREE & sugar needs to be low on the list of ingredients at least not in the first 4 listed) dressing. I usually make my own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard. Some protien (chicken, turkey, fish or grassfed beef). Cooked vegetables. And...here's the best part...a REWARD! Yup, one goodie, that is porportionate to the servings of cooked vegetables and the protien. All other meals are "carb reducing meals" (CM) and are balanced proportions of vegetables and protien. I often have cooked chicken thighs on a bed of leafy greens. OH...must not forget lots and lots of WATER to drink....I drink Lipton's Tea to Go for now...it's one of the few that is aspartame free (EVIL STUFF!!!!) and I don't have any problems with Splenda (not everyone reacts the same way to sugar substitutes, I'm fine with Splenda though I prefer Stevia ..which is a bit spendy for me right now.) STOP! Now before you go off willy-nilly about how bad this dietary lifestyle is, please do some research, if you're just parroting what you've heard from the heart association or whomever, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Funny thing about that....I read an article this morning that I think is worthy to post here...then we'll get on with my gardening plans..hehe. Excerpts from: "Good Calories, Bad Calories: What Really Makes us Fat" by Gary Taubes “Three facts were neglected during this national push for a low-fat diet. One was the upturn in obesity and diabetes rates that emerged as this new nutritional advice displaced the knowledge that carbs were fattening.” “The second was that when researchers actually did clinical trials to test the hypothesis that eating less fat or less saturated fat prevented heart disease, the evidence failed to support the hypothesis. ” “The third fact that was regrettably neglected during the years that we came to believe in the evils of saturated fat was that back in the 1950s and early 1960s, biochemists and physiologists had already figured out what it is that regulates the accumulation of fat in our fat tissue. In other words, scientists have known what makes us fat for almost half a century.” “What’s even more remarkable — and completely ignored in all discussions of obesity and weight since the 1970s — is that we must eat carbohydrates to accumulate excess fat in our fat tissue. It’s only by eating carbohydrates that we can obtain alpha glycerol phosphate, an enzyme that is an absolute requirement for storing fat. This enzyme fixes the fat in the fat tissue in a way that it can’t slip back out through the fat cell membranes and escape into the blood stream. This is why the more carbohydrates we consume, the more fat we will store. The less carbohydrates, the less fat.” “The reason this science was left behind was a simple one. Diet doctors in the 1960s read the same medical literature that I did decades later, and they then began prescribing carbohydrate-restricted, mostly meat diets to their patients. But a low-carbohydrate diet is high in fat, and fat was thought to be a killer. Indeed, in 1965, the same year that the American Physiology Society published an 800-page Handbook of Physiology describing the recent research in the regulation of fat tissue, the research that implicated carbohydrates and insulin in fat storage, the Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer was quoted in The New York Times saying it would be the equivalent of “mass murder” to prescribe low-carbohydrate diets to treat obesity. Mayer’s reasoning was that these diets were high in fat and the fat would cause heart disease. That’s how the medical establishment has treated it ever since, even after researchers revealed that high fat diets actually improve cholesterol profiles, rather than worsen them.”
Here's the Heller's carb addicts FAQ site. So my 2009 garden. It will be primarily leafy greens, spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula. I'll grow some green beans, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, and peppers. I'll continue to add more herbs. Oh and I probably should get some onions in. Asparagus is still up in the air whether I'll grow it or not. Yea...that sounds like something to dream about and I have 6 months to get the raised beds in between now and February so they'll be ready.
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Sunday, August 17, 2008
A little of this; a little of that.
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Wow, is it hot or what? It's been pretty hot these last few days or maybe it's been a week, I'm not sure. It's been miserable though. Too hot to do anything, to hot to not do what needs to be done. I got some weeding done around the tomatoes, it was desperately needing a good grooming. Pinned up the tomato plants that were getting too heavy to stay up on their own and had managed to wiggle their vines out of the cages. It looks much better. There's some green tomatoes and lots of blooms. Whatcha think? Think I'll have some ripe 'maters before it starts getting chilly? Tim helped me stake out where the rock wall and koi pond are going to be going. We have it figured out that once things start dying out this fall we'll clear the heck out of the area. I've almost got the plans formed in my head. We've figured out about how much we'll need for the rock wall, but I'm having a little trouble picturing the koi pond area....getting there though. The real work will start in Mar. '09 when we dig out the hill. I'm sure wishing we had a mini-bobcat it would make things SO much easier, but it will all have to be done by hand for now. I've been blessed with a contact here in WA for Cotton Patch geese! Next season I should either have some eggs or at least a trio. I'm hoping for a trio, but will settle for eggs. I have another dozen Dominique eggs in the incubator. I'm sure hoping for the best. This is the last chance for this season. That's it for now. |
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Saffron Crocus are in teh HOUSE!
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Friday I got a nice surprise in the mail! A box full of Saffron Crocus corms! WHOO-hoo! They were sent to me by an online friend where we're both members of a yahoo group. She offered them up earlier this summer for generously low cost. I did a little research and it appears they will grow here in the Pacific Northwest, they just need to be planted a bit deeper than where she lives...almost twice as deep. They need to not get as wet as they would tend to get here, but I'm going to make sure I get to the farmer's market where a fella sells nice cedar planter boxes and I'll plunk them in one, keeping it closer to the house, too. I can hardly imagine having enough saffron to dye any wool with, but hey, it'll be fun to grow at least. Maybe I'll use a few threads in an ethnic dish of some sort, not much into Indian food, but I'll give it a go just the same. Oooh yea, I was able to pick up a REALLY nice old wooden dining table (I'm guessing 40-50 years old) with 5 of the original 6 chairs. One of them is a captains chair at least. I'm guessing the other one was somehow broken and discarded. They're all in pretty good condition, but need a good stripping and refinishing. I took it apart to get it home, but I'll have it together this weekend. I'll take a pic and post it. Then next summer when I refinish it, I'll post an "after" pic. hehe. The chairs will need refinishing and reupholstered, as well. I love shopping for upholstery cloth so I'm looking forward to that part. Should be fun....but I do remember how the stripping stuff STUNG like a million bees...*add to shopping list, RUBBER GLOVES*. hehehe For now it's going to be the craft table in the great room, I'll just throw a cloth over it and then I can start working on the bird toys and their manzanita stand. I have all the parts and finally figured how to put it together. :-) Hope everyone is having a great Summer! Oh yea, Piper is doing great and I have another dozen dominique eggs on the way. I'm going to clean the heck out of the incubator and buy a new thermometer and a humidity guage. |
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Maybe first. Maybe only.
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I've had bad luck hatching out some Dominiques. But yesterday one of 5 eggs started pipping and this morning I had a beautiful chick. I'm very proud of this baby as it's obviously beaten the odds. The next few days are going to scary though, I usually lose chicks in the first 5 days so I'll be holding my breath until Thursday morning. Here's a pic in all his/her glory...now what shall I name the little fluff ball...how about "Piper"? Why? Because I'm starting to feel like having a flock of Dominiques is nothing more than a pipe dream!  |
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Some Pics
Wandered outside with the camera: OZZY: Narragansett tom. He's really struttin' his stuff lately. He's also starting to get his tail feather back that were ruined being in a too small house. I've been picking up some wood lately to build a larger more appropriate house for the 4 turks so hopefully by winter they'll have a place to warm and cozy. Right now they're left out over night in an 8ft high fenced enclosure.  Ozzy again, with the 2 narragansett hens and the blue slate tom behind him. Someday I'll get the blue some girls, for now Ozzy has to share. :-)  Mr. Fluffy Bottoms, a cochin roo. He and his 5 ladies are up for adoption. I need the space for Dominiques and eventually some more Black Javas....and the hens keep destroying eggs. They get plenty of calcium, and anyone with chicken experience knows that more often than not once they start eating eggs, it's hard to get them to stop. I'd cull them, but I made the foolish promise to the person I got them from to not do so...so ... hopefully I can find them a home.  Black Beauty Elderberry: Picked this up last year and it's growing like crazy. I know I need to weed around it, I will. :-) |
Friday, July 4, 2008
By the way, I love my job.
At my job I get the honor of caring not only for dogs & cats like my previous job, but also for birds, rabbits, rodents, reptiles/amphibians, farm animals (except horses, full grown cows & llamas) and wildlife. Here's a little guy whose parents were killed by some dogs. I never did hear if he made it as he did have some wounds and a pneumothorax, I hope so. He's a River Otter pup....and yea, that's my ugly mug holding him.  |
Friday, July 4, 2008
Smear Campaign
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Poop smears that is. You've read my rants before on the state of food supplies in the United States and unless you live in a cave somewhere in Siberia you know that there has been plenty of fodder in the news regarding my favorite hated subject. What thrills me though, are the blogs posts that my Bloglines pick up ranting about the same and various websites. Here's a sampling. The Complete Patient: The Tomato Illnesses May Be Teaching Some Important New Lessons About the Best Food "The media also report that consumers are acting much more rationally than the regulators. Consumers are heading to farmers markets to buy tomatoes because they know locally grown foods are much likelier to be safe." The PetConnection Poop in food: What’s up with that? by Christie Keith "Now, my little weekend adventure has served to confirm for me that food safety in this country is a huge issue. I already knew that, of course, given the pet food recall and the stellar work being done by the FDA and USDA on the recent salmonella outbreak. But given my track record feeding dozens of dogs and cats of all ages and states of health (carefully chosen and handled) raw diets, I have to guess that the risks of doing so are grossly exaggerated. Not only have they not become sick from eating these foods, neither have I become sick from preparing them (which is more than I can say about eating in restaurants)." OrganicAuthority.com Organic Food and Safety Written by Laura Klein, Publisher "Looking at the number of people who have fallen ill and wound up in the hospital from this salmonella outbreak, I would rather spend a little extra on certified organic produce and know my food is safe rather then risk my life and an expensive hospital bill." Listen folks, it's pretty simple, the food that you buy in the grocery store simply isn't safe. It's produced on such a huge scale that it's nearly impossible to regulate no matter what the USDA or FDA tells us. We've given the responsibility of feeding ourselves and our families over to corporate America, it's a business, period. Their bottom line will *always* be more important to them than our safety. But we deserve that attitude, it's the world we have built around ourselves, over the last 75 years we've given away our power of self to the government that is supposed to PROTECT and SERVE us. Aren't WE supposed to be the government, NOT corporations? Haven't we had our hands held long enough? Are we going to allow the Agribusiness to lead us over the 1000ft cliff blindly? Or are we going to take the responsibility upon ourselves and STOP relying so much on faceless strangers with dollar signs in their eyes to keep us safe? If you can't raise your own food, then shop locally, find those roadside stands, the farmers markets. They ARE out there and I'm here to help you find something close to you. Try these links:    That'll help you get started. But hey, if you still don't think there's anything out there or you're having trouble finding local foods, drop me a line, I'll see what I can dig up for you. |
Monday, May 26, 2008
Late Start, but a start.
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Wandered down to the local hardware & gardening store "McLendon's" , they actually have a pretty nice greenhouse/nursery and selection of gardening supplies. I picked up some Oregon Star slicing tomatoes, a Brandywine tomato and some Navidad grape tomotoes. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get started on some Stupice that Kim gave me, but I have a plan for next year! I also picked up a fennel plant and 4 banana pepper plants. I got all of them planted yesterday! YAY!!!!! I just hope they do better than last year. I think I got things in earlier this year. Tim cleared my little raised bed where the garlic & asparagus were going to go but I'm seriously rethinking it. Not sure about the asparagus, the seeds I planted & grew last year in the pot are actually growing again this year, so they'll be 2 years old. I just can't decide if I want to grow it. I get mixed messages the pros say you can't grow asparagus here and yet I know a few gardeners that have no problem. Anyway, I think I'll plant the garlic as planned (I know, I'm late or early, what can I say.) and a few rows each of carrots and radishes. Oh yea, I also got a cilantro plant to put in with the rest of the herbs. It looks real nice now. Hmm..except I don't the basil is going to do very well. The sage, thyme, and parsley I put in the cedar box are doing great at least. I have a few other things planned for planting. I'll post when I get them done. :-) I'm going to get what I need to make a huge 18x25 garden space for next year. So I need to buy 12 inch wide board and as long as I can get. Then I'll start filling it up with dirt and maybe plant some winter grains, fava or something. It'll be great! |
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I wonder if I'll finish...
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this post. I've started several posts over the last month and none ever saw the "add new entry" button. I've had a lot on my mind, but it all seemed so trivial. I know that I post more for myself and anyone else, just to get out my own flusters and blusters...and yet...I know that a few people read my ramblings. So in that light...I'm giving it another go. I haven't planted a darned thing. Yep, that's right. We're in the middle of an economical meltdown and food shortages are on the horizon...yet I've planted... NOTHING. I'm using the bizarre weather we've had as an excuse. We hardly ever see snow past January and even less past February. It snowed just a few days shy of April and again on April 19th. Freezing nights. Uhm...someone obviously forgot that our last frost date has long since passed. So knock it off already! ok? I know I have to get off my duff and get some thing done soon, before it's too late. I will. *cough*cough*. I think I'm coming down with something. Yea. That's it. Okay, so my husband did find a job finally. A good one at that. He's working through a contractor with the possibility of permanent status with the company he's working with now. *fingers crossed*. That was a big relief. We would have never made it through this month. No way, no how. It would have been the beginning of the end for sure. But we made it. We're getting caught up, slow but sure, with the credit card companies and we'll have them paid off as soon as we can. Never to play with that deck of cards again. Sure, we'll keep a few *FOR EMERGENCIES* but we're canceling the ones that caused us the most pain and financial damage during our crisis. Word to the wise my friends...never do business with Capitol One. In other news, after two years of asking, I was finally offered full time at my job. Which I snapped up without hesitation. I think they were surprised, too. My fibromyalgia can be quite devastating at times and they know it, but I love my job and my career, so I deal with it. I suspect they thought I would decline. I know they wish I worked evening hours and was more available for extra days, but the truth is, if I don't get to bed by a certain time and I don't have at the very least two days off in a row, I'm not going to be able to work at all. Plain and simple. Fibro sucks. I lost my last pet rat. No more rat boys. No more rats for me. I'm done with them and ferrets. These two ferrets are my last. Their lives are simply too short. They break my heart. I'm sticking with the birds and the dogs. Yea, I know dogs don't live long enough either, but that's ok. I have so much I need to get done before winter and I don't just mean the gardening. I need to work on the rest of the hides I have in my freezer so that I can get it cleared out for my next project, which is going to be filling it with various poultry/fowl that I raise. I want the freezer full of birds. At least 2 dozen quail, 3 turkeys, a couple of pheasants, guinea hens and if I'm lucky some grouse. I'm probably going to pick up a dozen cornish crosses (meat chickens) to fatten up for the freezer as well. That should get us through the winter ok. I'd also like to get started on some knitting projects for holiday gifting, but we'll see. Oh yea, the fiber thing is real. True love. I enjoy knitting socks. I love spinning. I still suck at the spinning, but I think I'm getting pretty good at the knitting part. My next project is going to be the Ice Queen, I have to have the perfect skien of handspun though and I know the perfect person to do the spinning...cuz it sure ain't gonna be me! LOL I've already talked to her about it, I just need to make a decision on the color I think is where we left off. There's still one artsy crafty thing I've been longing to try...and I just have a gut feeling about it being something I'll actually excel at with practice. I so want to throw pottery. It's been in my bones...kind of an aching in my soul. I loved working with clay when I was a child and even as a teen. My parents often bought me clay for during the holidays to work with, up until I was an adult. They have pictures of my projects even 40 years later. I love clay and this coming from someone who hates getting her hands dirty. Yes..it's a bizarre thing I have, I don't like dirt on my hands. I wear gloves when I garden. If I get goo or anything on my hands I have to G-E-T I-T O-F-F. I'm not a compulsive hand washer, I just don't do well with yuck on my hands. Anyway...sometimes I dream about pottery throwing. I'm hoping it will be like when I finally started painting with oils...it was like a releasing something inside, it was wonderful...and I was good at it. Someday...but pottery classes right now are too expensive. There's even a place local to me that teaches it. See what happens, I start typing like a monkey chattering in a tree. I need to stop now. Thank you to each and every individual that was so supportive of my husband and I during our financial crisis. I wouldn't have made it to today without your support. |
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Wedding
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Well, the internet access to the wedding didn't work for me but my new sister-in-law Kristie sent me some wonderful pictures from their Vegas wedding. I'm so proud of my brother and I adore his new wife, so I want to share a few pics.  JAMES & KRISTIE  |
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Making Bagels
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A co-worker came in one day, sat down, pulled out a bagel, toasted it, slathered it with some cream cheese and proceeded to make some almost obscene sounds with each bite. I noticed that the bagels looked a little "different" than what I was accustom to seeing. I asked her where she got her bagels. "My husband makes them for me sometimes," she said. Makes them for her? Makes them? But I thought bagels were one of those secret, secret recipes and the method was only known to those special folks in New York that had been inducted into the secret society of bagel bakers?? The last really good bagel I had was in 1979 when I was still in high school and slept over at a friends house one weekend. I had forgotten until recently that she had said that having bagels for breakfast was a rare treat because her father would bring them back from a business trip in New York. These bagels were dangerous! Getting a knife through them to start cutting was taking life and limb into your own hands. The knife would invariably slip at each attempt to start a cut. I remember those toasted bagels being absolutely delicious!! I had never considered even looking for a recipe, much less believed that I could find one that was genuine. Boy, did I learn how wrong I was! Ever reliable Google provided me with a plethora of links in response to my query of "how to make bagels". My first link clicked was my last. I just liked the authors writing and I felt immediately confident that the method was genuine. However, I recently clicked on another link and will be trying a slightly different recipe and one that claims to be "Real Honest Jewish Purist Bagels" I'll provide both links at the bottom of this post. :-) Today I want to share my morning of making bagels. Last night I mixed the dough, let it rise for the 2 hours, shaped the bagels and put them in the fridge. All according to the recipe I was using. When I got up this morning I turned the oven on to 450F to preheat. Took out my water bath canner and filled it with water and the baking soda. The longest part seems to be waiting for the water to boil!! Once it finally started boiling. I took out my tray of bagels.  I put 5 of them into my pot of boiling water.  Boiled them for 2 minutes on one side and then turned them over to boil for 1 1/2 minutes more. Watching them boil you see them turn with just a bare blush of golden color and puff up a bit. Not a lot, just enough to give you a glimpse of what is to come. After they're done boiling I put them on a rack to drain for one minute.  They're lumpy and bumpy and full of personality. After their minute of draining, they're ready to go into the oven. You want that boil and blast of heat to create the crunchy & chewy outside and soft delectable inside. The baking sheet is dusted with a corn meal and flour mixture. Let me tell ya, if you don't have a good layer of it the little buggers stick like glue to the sheet!  Into the oven they go! I have a terrible oven so I had to make time adjustments so that I didn't end up with over baked bagels. After a while I have a nice pile of bagels with a husband circling like a shark waiting for the half hour to pass before he can pile on his cream cheese and take a bite...making almost obscene sounds with every bite. Ahhhh....success. :-)  How to Make Bagels: By: Jim Berman Real Honest Jewish Purist's Bagels: by Johanne Blank Eat up!! No reason to toast these either!! |
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
First Socks!
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Okay, I already posted these on my Ravelry but thought I'd toss them up here as well. I knitted my first pair of socks! They're for my darling husband, whose fave color is orange, and he loves them! They match, too! hehe I used Lamb's Pride Worsted and size 5 bamboo needles.  I've already started my second pair of socks. These are for me, using ShoeFly Sock yarn in Ruby Redmond. It's 80% merino and 20% nylon. I'm not sure how I feel about the nylon but the lady at Allyn Knit Shop recommended that I use it when knitting socks. We'll see! |