Hrafinstaad

Walk with me.

2012-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend I have found myself reflecting back on a hard time in my life that became such a huge part of who I am as a person.It was the spring I turned 20,I spent 2 months in the hospital very sick with my Crohn's disease.I was so sick I nearly died and gave my self the nickname " Auschwitz Annie" because that was how thin I had become.
But that's not what has been on my mind.I've been thinking about a woman who used to come and sit on the couch in the hallway outside my room.This lady came every day and sat there quietly.It seemed odd at first.I always thought she was looking at me in all of my misery.I knew I looked like death,was she staring at me? You see, I always liked to leave my door and curtain open so I could hear that the world was still going on out side of my room.It made feel like I was still part of the world.If I closed the curtain and door she wouldn't be looking at me but I would lose my link to world as it were.
After weeks of laying in bed I was finally able to get up and prepare to try to take a walk in the hallway.Outside my door sat the woman,she greeted me with a smile."I am so glad to see you up.You are so young and I wanted you to be ok again.I have been praying for you with my Dad who is down the hall." A total stranger praying for me,that was awesome.It was then I set the goal to walk to her Dad's room.I was at the farthest end of the hall and he was at the half way point but I wanted to say hello to him and say thank you for the prayers.
It took me a few days to make it there but I did it! I got to thank both the woman and her Father.But this weekend as I think back about what a motivation they were to me,it gave me a big goal to inch my way down that long hall.That walk changed my outlook so much.
Once I had reached the man's room I learned that the maternity unit was at the end of the hall and out a door.There were little new babies down there,life at its start and lots of joy.That was my next goal to reach the window of the nursery to see if there were any babies there to see.I made it several times and only saw babies twice but they sure made it worth the walk.
Finally one day I went out into the hall to sit on the couch out my door.There was a big picture window there with a view of a school yard across the way.There was a huge Willow tree starting to leaf out,green grass and children playing in the school yard.
By this time the man had gone home so I longer walked to his room to say or wave hello but I had a new motivation to get up,the kids playing,running,swinging,just being kids full of LIFE were outside that window.Play time on the playground became a huge deal to me.I watched them every day.It gave me hope of returning to my life and that things were still out there.
So it all started with this woman making me squirm and wanting to roll over the other way so I could avoid her looking at me.But there she was greeting me with a smile and deep wishes for me.She started a chain reaction that was more important than she could have known.Maybe her prayers were answered but in a way no one knew.I did get better so yes prayers were answered but did anyone know that she would start this chain reaction that is still with me today? Still to this day I can set goals that seem rough,make me want to squirm and roll away but need to be done.I can do it,in my own way,in my own time and with my own rewards. I can do it,whatever it may be.

It would be great to tell the woman thank you again.Thank you lady sitting on the couch for making me squirm,for motivating me to get up and get going.

Rois

P.S I would also like to thank my every present companion during this hospital stay "Walter" the I.V pole.Thanks for all of the waltzing we did,the walks and no tears when I left you all alone.

L is for Links

2012-01-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

Just a few links to share for now.

Potato Project .......Now why do I grown my own food and buy organic?

Remember the number 8 when shopping for groceries.Why? Read this super easy tip.
( I have yet to explore the website this link is from,don't blame me if it is odd stuff.I just wanted the tip I posted.)

Glad to know I am not the only one worried about there being fewer bugs. I think adding some bug habitat into our garden projects would be great.

My local readers most likely know this Portlander's work already.Awesome Urban Farming themes over here.

And you really should follow this French Gardeners blog.It's total eye candy.Don't worry the posts start in French but then at the bottom it's in English.

I had the flu last weekend so I was able to stock pile these for sharing. Issac is the last one of us getting over this yuck of a bug so by the weeks end we should all be rolling along once more.

Other than that we have had interesting weather here that made me late for work twice this week.Snow,No Snow,Heavy Rains,Winds.My Dad is now on flood watch and has no power.I can't reach him by phone and they won't let us get close enough to go get him.Hopefully he is safe and got his horses moved.Wish him luck.
I am going to close because this is starting to sound like a country western song,all I need to add is the story of the dog my Dad gave away coming back to his house after 6 weeks. (Really,that happened just a week or so ago.)

Rois

DIY Instant Oatmeal

2012-01-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

Today had the feeling of the start of our starting over around here.It's good to be back and feeling more at home.Happily working hard and for ourselves.

Last night Chance and I went to the book store to look through the books that pertain to our vibe of homesteading,gardens,food,building and nature.We have been gifted a gift card to Powell's Books and thought we might find something to add to our library.Nope,no books for us last night.

Instead we had a great planning session sitting on the floor of the book store.We mapped out what we wanted to do and how to go about it.Once home we wrote it all down and added in some pricing we could do via the internet.Now we have a check list to work from over the next many months.
Today Chance started in on the first phase of some of the outdoor work needing to be done.He started to clear out the random bits and piles of things we no longer need.Once we are done with this we will have a blank-ish slate we can work from.

There's a couple of areas we would like to re purpose and put to better use.Which includes moving the compost bins.Why we put them near where we sit to eat is a mystery to us.The bins don't stink but seeing them makes some dinner guests squirm.

As for me I was indoors today getting things ready for the work week.Most of that was mundane chores but I did do one project I saw a while back.I made our own instant oatmeal.Issac loves instant oatmeal (gag me) but I won't buy it for several reasons.A.It is over packaged.B over priced C.full of crap if you don't pay the extra for organic (organic processed foods are foolish at our house.) so he has been out of luck for a looong time.

Here is the link for the article I read for DIY Instant Oatmeal. I did not follow all of it.I never add salt to oatmeal so that was left out.And I wanted a more grainy oatmeal instead of the pastie stuff instant can be so I left out the powered oatmeal.Finally I left out the dry milk since we will be eating this at home and can add real milk if we want it.Once I know we like it I will experiment with adding other grains and dried fruit or nuts.

There is a second link on the recipe links page that breaks down the costs of making your own that I did not agree with. I paid $1.57 for the organic quick oats,almost a pounds worth The amount of brown sugar and cinnamon I used was small and very little cost.I figure I filled our 2 quart jar for around $2.50.Much cheaper than a box of organic instant oatmeal,no crap in it and the only "garbage" it created was the paper bag I brought the oatmeal home in.(The paper bag will either be reused to death or composted.So no waste there.) By adding in other add ins the cost will go up but I buy them anyway so in evens out in my book.

Issac is one happy kid and swears he will eat oatmeal every morning because he loves it if it's instant.Ok,kid just eat your breakfast and go to school already.

Can you believe this? I have yet to even open the seed catalog that came the other day.?!?! Really,I have not but it is Sunday evening and the days work is done.I can settle on to the couch with the catalog and enjoy the rest of the evening picking out more seeds than we have growing room for.
Oh dear..the first episode of season 2 for Downton Abbey a PBS series I LOVE starts tonight.The seed catalog will have to wait.

Rois

Sweater,Yarn & Samsara.

2012-01-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

The last time I was here was July 21st,that was a bit a go wasn't it? At the time I thought I wanted to move my blog to Wordpress but you know what? Blogger feels like home so I am coming back here.

The last several months have been rough for us as a family.We found ourselves needing to just close the doors to the world so we could work through it all,to feel all of the roughness of what was going on,to sort through it all and figure out what to do.
The last four years have been like being tangled up in an itchy,too tight sweater.You know you put on a sweater and think "oh,this is fine.It's a bit snug and itchy but it will work out." but then you try living your life wearing it.There are spots the rub you raw,and places that ITCH in that maddening way. You try to reach out and you find your sleeves are pulling above your elbows they are just that short.Then you wonder if you will get a rash from the sweater,well,if not at least it may lead you to a nervous break down in the classic Chinese water torture kind of break down.
You wiggle,squirm,pull and tug to get it to stop.Did I just say stop? Stop...and stop is what we did. We stopped and looked at this itchy too tight sweater called life.We needed to sit with the sweater and feel it.Breath it in and work on moving it along.Sit and sort through the different parts and put them in place.While sitting there feeling all itchy and strangled we found a lose thread and pulled.Slowly we pulled,life twisted,turned, spun and things started to ease up.
Now we find ourselves with this ball of yarn that represents the past four years.It's a rainbow of a ball,it's not all itchy.There are the soft silken spots that are the good things,family,friends,health and growing.Silken spots that carried us through the rough parts.There are strong parts.Well, because the past four years didn't kill us,what does not kill you makes you stronger after all. The tender quiet spots from deep within our hearts,that have changed how we see the world,given us sharp eyed vision for what is important.
Winter days are upon us.Days spent indoors waiting for the light to slowly return to us.Days we are spending drafting a new pattern to weave and knit our ball of yarn into a new beginning.Seed catalogs will arrive soon.The garden will call and out the door we will go.
Thank you to all of you who are still here.Welcome to the 3 new followers I managed to acquire while I neglected this part of my life.It's a quiet time of year for big projects and news may not be too exciting for a few more weeks.But I am here again and happy to be back.

Rois
*****Samsara here is a link just in case.

We are moving.......

2011-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

We are moving this blog that is.After some thought we are moving over to Wordpress.Chance and I are trying to get the classes we will be teaching promoted in a better way and with the new site we can do that.We can also better organize all of the other things we share with you.
It's been great being here but it's time to change.We hope all of our followers will follow us on over.

Here's the link to the new page

Rois

7 jars of jam and our new stove.

2011-07-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Chance and I made 7 jars of Strawberry Rhubarb Jam using the the recipe in the link from yesterdays posting. As you can see in the photo below we ended up using the Canning Kettle because we doubled the batch and could fill the canning kettle.

Round one of canning on our new stove.

Somehow I forgot to blog about us getting a new stove.Well,it's not New but something even better to us,it's Vintage. Our old stove sucked overall and we never knew if what we were baking would burn or not.It was still working so we could not justify buying a new one any time soon.But my Mom was gifted this stove and didn't need it. Knowing we were disgusted with our stove Mom re-gifted the stove to us.For once re-gifting was the perfect thing to do.We have a love of the vintage stoves since they tend to be work horses and easy enough for Chance to repair.Just the fact that its repairable makes this stove a treasure to us.So many appliances these days can't be fixed easily or at all,what a waste of a lot of money.

Now back to the jam.Chance is home way before me on my work days so before I got home he prepped as much of the jam ingredients as he could.This made for a quick session of canning once I was home.I think all together it took about an hour to put the jam up.The division of the work and the ease of a smaller batch has insipred us to think about more small batches.Like my Mom said to me we might be able to put up more from our own garden this way.Chance also pointed out we could end up with a bigger variety of things,that sure would be the spice of life wouldn't it?

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

This morning before work I was cruising around online and came across this recipe for Bacon Jam Hand Pies.In my pre-coffee haze I thought the recipe was for Bacon and Jam Hand Pies but as I read through it's for Bacon Jam. Oh My Goodness,Jam made from Bacon. And what is sitting in our fridge curing waiting to be smoked next week? Bacon,made by that handsome man of mine.I had Chance look over the recipe and of course he said "Let's do it" I am not overly interested in the Hand Pie part but once we make the Bacon Jam and have tasted it I may make it into the pies.Unless we figure out another way to use it.It is Jam,couldn't we just smear it on toast?

Finally, I am announcing this here for all of my readers first so if you want to snag a spot you can.Chance and I will be teaching a Chicken Butchering class here at Hrafinstaad Friday Aug 19th at 6 PM.The cost of the class is $30 , you bring your own chicken to butcher then take home and one sharp kitchen knife.We limit the number to 10 so there is plenty of time to give help as needed.The closing date for sign up is Monday Aug 15th. Email us if you are interested- hrafinstaad at aol dot com.Please feel free to spread the word.

I am feeling so much better about how things are going around here.Seeing the back garden growing rapidly has given me much hope that we will carry on.Also reminding myself that there is actually a nice list of veggies that we can plant in the coming weeks for winter gardening has put some get up and plant in my feet.Speaking of winter gardening.Chance picked up some free window glass so we can build a couple of cold frames for a winter garden.I'll post more when we start the building.

Rois

Canning Kettle or just a pot.

2011-07-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I realized we do have enough Strawberries and Ruhbarb to do a small batch of jam. I went and checked out a recipe I had seen over at Food in Jars website. As I clicked my way on to the site I found she is doing a give away for a Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit.The kit has 3 pint jars, a canning basket that holds only 3 jars and a recipe booklet.I signed up for the give away because I was excited about the smallness of the canning basket.This nifty basket can be used in whatever kettle or pot you have it will fit in with enough room to cover the jars as you process them,awesomeness! If I had that basket I wouldn't always have to heat up my giant canning kettle for small batches of jars.If I won the give away it wouldn't be here for the jam I am wanting to make but the next time, if I was the lucky winner , I wouldn't have lug out the big kettle,wait forever for it too heat or use more water and power than a few jars are worthy of.

After I had clicked on the comment send button I thought to myself.."Wait a minute! I need to call Mom" Somewhere in the back of my mind was a thought I couldn't pin down about my Mom and canning kettles.I think I had even blogged about this vauge idea.Had I? Never mind,I'll just call and maybe I'll end up repeating myself in a posting but oh well.

So I ring Mom and fill her in on the small batch of jam,the small basket Ball now makes and my missing thought finally arrives in my head.The question I posed to my Mom was "I don't have to have a canning basket to can right? Didn't you tell me you can just put a kitchen towel in the bottom a pot so the jars don't rattle around?" Mom's answer was,you don't have to have a canning kettle or basket.She then reminded me that she had told me once upon a time about how she never had an actual canning kettle and just used a big pot for her canning.As long as the pot has enough room for an inch or more of water to be over the tops of the jars you are good.

I can't tell you how nice this thought is to me.Sometimes getting the big kettle out for smaller jobs is just a big pain in the butt.And I think about the water used and the power too and cringe.Too much waste! Now that Mom has reminded me/filled me in on this I feel much more inspired to do smaller batches of things.

My Mom was impressed with Food in Jars promoting smaller batches of canning.Mom said that it made sense,a person could put things up as they came into season in your own garden.I guess no one had thought of this back when Mom was canning.It was always these big canning days filled with rows and rows of jars.

Maybe I have repeated myself about not needing a canning kettle to can or maybe all of you already knew this gem but for some reason it excites me.Probly because now my small job can stay a small job all beacuse I can just use my soup pot.

So this evening sandwhiched between dinner,Scout drop off and pick up Chance and I will be making jam.And even if our weather isn't looking like summer the house will smell like it.I'll let you know how it all goes.

Rois

Just found this..

2011-07-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

This morning I found this blog through an ad she has on the local Craigslist webpage. I am impressed with her knowledge of chickens and natural ways to care for them.I wish I wasn't working on the days she will be selling her chickens here in town.I am not looking to buy but would love to see the birds anyway.
In one of her postings she writes about using herbs from your garden as a way to keep pests like lices from your chickens. All you have to do is add the herbs to their bedding in the coop. We currently have tons of sage and mint growing as soon as it dries out here I am going to add some to the coop bedding.I don't want to do it now since wet bedding is never a good idea for any animal.

Well this is just a short quick post before I leave for work.

Rois

2011-07-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Although they are growing up,they still wonder at the beauty of the deep green woods.

   Yesterday, our escaping rooster left.It was time for him to go else where,yet again he escaped but this time Chance caught him before he could become "The Destroyer of Gardens". There is no way we were going to risk loosing our plants again.We took him to the feed store to be re-homed,he's a handsome devil so I am sure someone will want him.His handsomeness is what has saved him from the stew pot.

This morning as I was waking up I was wondering what was wrong in the world...kind of extra quiet out there...oh yeah,the rooster is gone.The rooster crowing hasn't been a huge bother to us and none of the neighbors have said anything to us but I think the quiet morning will be nice.When I went out to check on the hens this morning they seemed fairly happy and mellow.Maybe they like having the Roo gone too.

The re-planted garden beds are looking hopeful.The Green Beans we planted have popped up.Even though we re-planted late I am pretty hopeful we will still get some beans.I was reading through a copy of a Sunset magazines gardening book, which is dated from the '70's but still is useful, about how you can plant beans successively until mid-summer.I've never bothered to do this since we always get enough for fresh eating from one planting.My fingers are crossed it works,our last few summers have come late and stayed late,if this stays true we may be in luck.The weather here still seems to me to be a month behind so we shall see.

Another idea I found in the Sunset book was a shade idea for lettuces.You build out of wood a frame that is basically a rectangle on legs,the legs being about belly high.You then place this frame around your bed of lettuces and cover the frame with a sheet to create shade.This is not a new idea to me,I've seen variations around but re- reading about it reminded me that I've had this on my list of possible solutions.

We are still picking strawberries,none of which have made to the freezer,the boys keep gobbling them up too fast.Our raspberries are also ready for picking.We don't have enough canes to really grow enough berries to make much.We just eat them fresh while they last.The same goes for the 4 blueberry's we have.They are still just young enough to only give us a handful at a time for snacking.

July is a crunch month for Chance at work so I am not too sure how many projects we will get done other than just keeping things going.The turkeys have yet to arrive,pinning down a time when this can happen is proving tricky for all of us.

We did find time last week for the four of us to pack a picnic and head out into the woods for a hike.It was lovely walking through the dappled sunlight.We saw so many wondrous things I should do a whole posting about our day.The photo at the top is of the boys pausing to listen and wonder .We had many stops like that along our way. Seeing the boys exploring and still taking the time to stop to investigate something that caught their eyes was a joyful thing.I can only hope that even as grown men they will still carry their love of the woods in their hearts.And someday maybe they will stop with their own children to listen to the woods.

I had a few links I wanted to share before the old computer crashed.I was only able to find one of them.I'd like to try making these sugar cubes soon simply because I think they would be so fun to have around. Finding this has also inspired me to look into making Maple Sugar Candy***.My Dad and I love Maple Sugar Candy but I can only find it around Christmas time and it is a bit pricey. After seeing the the sugar cube idea I thought that maybe the Maple Sugar wouldn't be much different.

That's about it folks,just some everyday news. I really feel like Hrafinstaad has come to a point where we are done with large projects for awhile. We still have some areas here where we would like to tinker it into a more useful spot but have yet to come up with plans.It will happen I am sure.

Today I am calling around about picking raspberries for jam making.I missed the strawberries because I thought I would use ours but those pesky always hungry teen-aged boys had other thoughts.I am also looking into when the blueberries will be ready,soon I would think since ours are almost there.I'd like to put some in the freezer for winter.

   My final photo today is of the handful of tiny treasures I found on our hike.

           From the bottom up: Birch cones, the curl of white is a piece of paper wasps nest, there are 3 tiny snail shells, a bit of robins egg and at the top is a fluffy blue feather from an unknown bird.

Rois

*** I looked up making Maple Suagr Candy,looks easy enough only a little bit of cooking.Here's the link.

Crash!

2011-07-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

Our computer crashed,went belly up,gave up the ghost and it was so annoying. We now have a new computer but until Chance finishes installing all the gizmo's I don't have the posting I am wanting to share with you.I'll be back in a day or so.Before I do go I'll say this,having a computer that actually works the way it should sure is nice.It's kind of like when you get your car tuned up,you just didn't realize how badly things were running.

Rois

Just so you know...

2011-07-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

When the going gets tough these Homesteaders get working! The last few weeks have given us some set backs but Chance and I are pushing back.
The Pigweed is coming under control by us pulling it.So far it has only popped up in the walk areas around the garden. We purchased plants for the back garden to make up for the Rooster eating the seeds.And in a couple more weeks it will be early enough to plant some of the fall things.So growing food is happening!
We opted out of the geese coming and instead we will soon have two Spanish Turkeys.Our friend needs to move the Turkeys out from her coop since her Ducks are beating them up.The deal we worked is one will be our friends and one will be ours.Both birds will be dinners when the time comes.
Also, the rumor around town is folks are looking to learn to butcher their own chicken more than ever and no one is doing it.Chance and I have decided to pick up the slack and start teaching again.Soon we will have dates for group classes and more information on private lessons. So far we have worked out that the group classes will be $30 a person with the individual providing their own chicken to be butchered.For the private lessons it will be $50 base rate with variables depending on what the person is needing.I.E - they want us to stay and walk them through a whole flock of birds.Chance will also have Culling/Killing Cones for sale at the classes. Please help us get the word out.People can email us through the blog.
Yesterday morning Chance and I found our last remaining hen from our first flock had passed.We had been watching her and thinking this day was coming for a few weeks.We had noticed that she had slowed down,would get lost and was found soundly sleeping in the yard at times.She had gotten kind of low but perked up for a couple more weeks but finally she was done.
This has happened over the years as the hens have aged so we knew what we were seeing.The hardest part about watching this for me is I struggle with just letting them linger and go on their own or putting them down to put them out of their misery. So far we have just let them go on their own since none of them have had any signs they had something the other birds could catch.
I have the mind set that the hens are live stock and not to be mourned over.I love and care for them but I know they go away one way or another.I broke that yesterday and found myself teary eyed over her going.Cleo was a great girl who had laid beautiful green eggs every day until she was 4.She was also just a sweet hen in general.She had a good chicken life and we thank her for it.I suppose I was teary because it was kind of sentimental,the last chicken from the first flock.The flock we started waaay before chickens became the thing to have in your backyard.
Chance and I have also come to realize that we both miss the way things were before I went to work.There are many things we have let go of over the past months and they are sorely missed.So we are working out how we can get back to where we were and how to maintain it all for the long run. We had created a homestead that ran as well as it did because I was home full time and could manage most of it on my own.We need to re-group and find our balance point again.

Rois

Strawberries and planning for the future.

2011-06-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

This evening I went out and picked our second round of strawberries.That's our big colander over flowing with yummy goodness. I am starting to think we won't need to go to the fields to pick berries for jam,we have plenty more berries coming in the next few days.If I stick these in the freezer and add what is still ripening I should have enough.
Although tomorrow I could make up a batch of this Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. We still have plenty of Rhubarb growing and it is a flavor combo we like.

Chance and I have been talking about what we want to do about the pig weed in the back yard and the back yard in general.After some thinking and hanging out in the back yard we have decided on a couple of things.
The first being we are thinking about borrowing our friends two young geese to eat the pig weed for us,which I am predicting will be comical to say the least. We will have to figure out their housing and wither or not they have to have a pool of water for the short time they will be with us.If housing can be easily done we will most likely go for it.
As for the rest of the back yard we may stick with a big clean up so we have a blank slate to work from over the summer into fall.We just don't want to rush in and end up with things looking willy nilly or become more than we want to have to fuss over.We are hoping we end up with the back yard being about relaxing and for entertaining.We already have a nice fire pit area we enjoy often,now we want the rest of the yard to go with that space.

Yesterday I stared some Biga, a type of bread starter that is used in rustic bread recipes. I used to use this recipe all of the time but fell off of it when I got my stand mixer because the dough does not work well with the mixer.But I am craving some crusty chewy bread that I can only get with some good kneading by hand.Tomorrow I plan on baking the bread and will be sure to post about it.This bread takes much longer to rise so if I decide to make jam I can easily fit them both in.Oh my....think of it...fresh baked rustic bread slathered with still warm strawberry rhubarb jam..Looks like I am going to be a busy girl tomorrow.

Rois

Frustration in the garden

2011-06-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today I am ready to throw in the towel and say "Forget it,I am done battling with this" I am also thinking this may be a year without a garden growing.
Two things have happened here this week concerning the big back garden that have fueled my discouragement, a Rooster who flew the coop and that beep beep beeping Pigweed.
I had finally gotten the beds planted,a bit late but the things I was planting would have been fine coming up later than normal,a few days later the Rooster decided he had had enough of being cooped up,literally. He spent his day of freedom digging up the garden beds and munching down the sprouting seeds.Thanks a bunch,really thanks,I am saying that sarcastically of course.
That same day I noticed growing all along the edge of the garden beds that evil weed,pigweed.The weed we have been battling with for about 4 years now.
The pigweed was the reason we attempted to Hay Bale Garden,we had hoped by not turning the soil and placing the bales on top of where the weed was growing we could choke it out.The year of the Hay Bale Garden was a year with a very slim garden.
We have spent the past 3 years not really using the big back garden.We were hoping if we focused all of our energy on rebuilding the soil and trying to pull the pigweed as fast as we could we would win the battle.We have layered and piled on heaps of compost and mulch.We put the coop sweepings right on to the garden area as well.So here we are 3 years into the battle and have this gorgeous black soil, full of fat worms and a deep earthy scent.Perfect soil but invaded by pigweed.
This afternoon I decided to take a good look online for information on how to get rid of pigweed,god that was depressing,really, really depressing.The only high point,we are not alone in our battle.Even farmers are being over run by this evil weed.
I found that pigweed is now resistant to Round Up along with several other weeds.Now we don't want to use Round Up in our yard so the spray isn't even part of this conversation but how depressing that people are using so much of this crap to kill everything in site that Mother Nature is fighting back in her own way.Scientific America calls this group of weeds "Super Weeds"
Every other article I read said the same thing,weed killers won't work,not even the organic ones.The only thing we can do about pigweed is to keep hacking at when it is very young and we are not to let it go to seed.Once pigweed goes to seed it is estimated that the plant releases 7 years worth of seeds.One page said 100 years worth,maybe not but if you are in this battle it probably feels like 100 years.
   I did find lots of postings on horse related forums,it's a big problem in horse pastures.Which we knew sort of. The year before we started to have this problem my Dad gave us a load of horse manure from his horses.He said it was "cooked" enough and to go ahead and use it.Well it must of been half baked cause here we are.So my advice to you "Don't take any half baked horse manure,no matter how cheap it is." Thanks Dad,love you too.
What to do? I figure we have a few options but they each have a few holes in them so the ship may end up sinking no matter what.
We could go buy some plants to jump start the garden and have Rooster pot pie for dinner.The hole in that is we would have to go out every single day to battle the pigweed.This is no easy thing,we have jobs and lives.And we hope to do some away from home things this summer.It's what we did last summer and the weed is still here.
   We could turn the garden into a big Lab test.Section it off into squares and try different things in each area.One website suggested pouring boiling water over the young plants.Another said it may be worth while to just try an organic weed killer,we could get lucky. Oh and then we could borrow a Goose from someone,one forum said Geese love to eat pigweed*.Any of these may be better than when we tried pouring vinegar over the plants on a hot day.It was suppose to "pickle" the plants and kill them.We just ended up having a yard that smelled like a giant Pickle.
We could get a big bomb of Agent Orange and blast the area.No not really, can you see this is my frustration barking? We just watched a 1950's movie where they killed a giant spider with Agent Orange as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.Creepy.
No matter what we can't do nothing,that would just make a bigger problem. If someone said,"Plant grass there,it will choke out the pig weed" I would,even though we are trying to get rid of the small amount of grass we have left. We have other areas we can garden in but letting it go fallow is not going to work.

Suggestions? Anyone? Someone? Right along one side of the garden is the chicken run and coop so nothing to crazy, please. I am begging here folks! Even just a kind word of encouragement would go pretty far today.


   Rois

* The chickens won't touch the stuff,if they did I would not be here writing this.And it never ends up in the compost,we actually put it in our garbage can for the dump to deal with.Oh,that's kind of evil too,spreading this weed through our garbage.

Ginger Ale,thumbs up or down?

2011-06-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

The votes are in regarding the Ginger Ale, 2 yes and 1 no. Issac did not vote because he does not like it in the first place.

Chance and I liked it.
Chance said it was refreshing and tasty.But would be even better with Vodka or Gin
I liked it too even though I am not a huge Ginger Ale fan.It had a nice lemony under tone to it,leading me to wonder about using lime next time.Actually in hind-site, I think I like this type of Ginger Ale verse the store stuff.
We both realized that today there was more fizz to it as well.
Sol,did not like it.To him it was overly ginger-y. Which is totally tinker-able,we used the maximum amount of 2 tablespoons,so next time we can try reducing the ginger by a bit and see if it suits him better.

Our next recipe will be the Ginger Syrup route.We will let you know how it goes.

Rois

One path,one blanket,one life.

2011-06-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

19 years ago I married my best friend. We gathered family and friends on a very rainy Saturday,our wedding feast was a potluck,my Mom's friend made us a beautiful cake and my Sister-n-Law put the flowers together.It was a simple homey feeling wedding,just like we wanted it to be.
When we wrote our wedding vows we took words from Native American tradition,one path,one blanket,one life together. The path has sometimes been rough and bumpy but together we have always found our way. I tend to hog the blankets but Chance is sweet to me, lets it be and snuggles up close to share the warmth of our one life together.

Saturday evening Chance and I went for a scooter ride out to Sauvie Island to celebrate just the two of us and the past 19 years.When I first met Chance he zipped around on a Vespa so taking a ride seemed full circle for us.

Sunset on the Island.

Wild Lupines,blue was one of our wedding colors.

Two Herons fishing for dinner.


One road,two people and one great life.

Thanks Sugar La Rue for every ,moment,smile,tear and all of the love.Now I want another ride with an ice cream cone at the end,the helmet ransom payment is still after 20 years,not paid in full.

For a Thousand Years,
Rois

Ginger Ale

2011-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

This morning Sol and I made Ginger Ale from this recipe I found the other day. We used the first recipe and at some point we would like to try the other.

Sol has been asking to try and make some home brew sodas and since he likes Ginger Ale so much we started with it.I also chose this recipe because we had everything we needed already on hand, a plastic bottle,fresh ginger,sugar,yeast,lemon juice and water.

I'm ready,lets try this out!

We did not have the funnel the blogger suggested for pouring everything into the bottle so we used my 4 quart Pyrex measuring bowl.The pour spout on it helped but a funnel might have been easier.As I poured the ginger water mix into the bottle I had Sol stir the grated ginger to keep it mixed and flowing,it worked just fine to do it that way.

Shake it up baby,shake it up now.

Once we had the bottle filled and Sol gave it a good shaking we left it to brew on the kitchen counter.We wait for 2 days and then put it in the fridge over night.The final step before drinking it is to strain the ginger out of the now Ginger Ale.

This is the bottle already to set.You can see the bits of grated ginger floating around.About an hour after this photo the ginger had all floated to the top.I read else where that when making your own brew of Ginger Ale to be very,very careful when you go to open it the first time,no one wants an explosion of sticky soda flying all over the place.

And do you see behind the bottle to the right? That's the awesome toaster cover I thrifted not to long ago. As much as I love Chickens I am not a Chicken decor kind of girl.I am also not overly fond of having my counter cluttered by stuff.But when I found the cover it cracked me up and will live with the toaster on the counter only because the cover makes me smile a bit.

Rois

Just a photo today.

2011-06-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

The rain barrel running over.

The other evening we had a big rain storm here,complete with Thunder and Lighting, the streets were running like rivers. I looked out the front window and noticed that our rain barrel had filled once again, within 10 minutes.When Chance and I were planting a couple of days before the storm we had filled the watering can from the barrel, bringing the water down about 2 feet. As you can see the rain provided a quick refill.

Rois

P.S Here's a link about rain barrels.It includes the math formula for how many gallons your roof will catch. Don't worry, the math part is super easy to do.

What about the compost? Asked a follower.

2011-06-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

In my posting about headlines a comment was left asking "What about the compost", I /we are not the worlds greatest composters but here I go sharing my lazy way of composting.

We compost here,we put everything that we can into the compost bins,which is part of why it takes us 6 weeks to fill our garbage can.But we have a few flaws in our system,neglect,weather and 7 chickens who think the bigger back yard compost bins are their place to snack and dust bathe.

   We have in the back 3 bins Chance built out of pallets,why use pretty new wood for something that is just grubby. They look very much like these but with a half sheet of plywood over the top that is supposed to help keep the rain out.

   The first bin is for fresh compost.We put in most of our kitchen veg and fruit scraps but during the warm months when the garden is growing some scraps are fed to the chickens who are left in their coop/run more.We also compost coffee filters and grounds,bits of paper,dryer lint (there is some debate over dryer lint not being a good idea but so far we have not had any problems doing so.) tea bags,the gunk out of the kitchen sink (you know food bits ect from washing up.) and egg shells.When the chicken coop is cleaned out the poop filled bedding goes in here as well.We don't compost meat or dairy because it will stink and attract rodents. Sometimes the chickens will get the dairy and the meat goes to our two dogs.We also put in yard debris that is not too woody. We have a whole other system for wood and woody things I'll get to another time.This bin is the one the chickens think is their snack bin.

   The second bin is for the half finished compost.This bin looks still a bit chunky and you can still tell what some of it was.

   The last bin is for finished compost that has been sifted,it looks like nice dark soil and smells good and earthy. This is the bins the hens like to have their dust bath in.

   So like I said we have short comings when it comes to composting.The first bin should be a mix of soil/manure layered with a green/fresh layer and a layer of dry/brown stuff.You then toss it like a salad and try to remember to turn it often and water it when it is looking dry. We have most of that,at least the tossed salad part.The watering never happens,we live in wet Oregon,the rain does that.We should turn it more often than we do.

   Every now and again we remember to move the compost around.You kind of go about this is a backwards way. First you need to sift what was the half finished stuff into the finished bin.With the finished bin you can keep adding to it and use it as you need it.Now you need to move the new half finished out of the first bin and into the second one.Leaving the first bin more empty for new green stuff.

   There are two schools of thought when it comes to composting,hot and quick or cold and slow. We are more of the cold and slow composters.Having the quick hot compost takes more effort,turning more often and watering.We have read that hot composting in our cool wet environment takes work.The coolness keeps things from heating up and the wet leaches out nutrients in the soil and washes away what you are trying to make.It can be done,we just choose not to.

   We are also fighting a loosing battle with the hens over the compost bins.Chickens are smart and they have found their way into the bins no matter what we try to do to block them.I can't blame the hens from loving the compost bins,there is some good food in there and a nice dry spot to bathe.They poop in the bins which adds to the whole composting system.They dig around which means we don't turn things as often.It makes them fat,happy,healthy,egg producing lovelies.They have become part of our composting and in their own way a key part to the eco-system here.The chickens are why I don't have a photo of our own compost bins,they scratch and fling all kinds of things out of the bins,leaving the area looking messy. We tend to just put it all back into the compost bins when we need to.Most of the time the area looks like a teenagers room,not a pretty photo at all.

At one point in time we used one of the black plastic beehive shaped recycling bins you can buy or sometimes get for free.Here's a link with an image. We found that for the scale of what we do here it was not big enough and did not break things down as fast as we thought it would. We moved the bin to our front yard on the far side of the yard.We use this bin for garden waste from that side of the yard.Since this area is at the opposite end of the yard from the big bins we figured why haul things all the way around when we could just do the composting right there. As we say here,why make work out of a job. These bins are neat and tidy to look at and if you are composting on a smaller scale than we are that work just fine.

We do use the finished compost around the garden.Before we plant we add a thick layer of the compost to be worked into the garden soil. Over the growing season we will add a top dressing of the compost every now and again.

   I should add here there is another way I compost,growing up my Mom called it green composting.This is where you dig a hole or trench in an unused garden spot and add in some chopped up green stuff.Then you fill in with soil.The green stuff will compost right there where it is most needed without the loss of nutrients.Be sure to chop what you are composting into small bits,it speeds things up.

   Composting happens here in a slow paced,neglected and mildly battled for way. Although not a ton of effort is put into it we feel it is important for environmental and economic reasons. I don't think we are truly lazy about it,we just go about it in a slow way that eventually gives us nice soil and big fat eggs.I guess you could say it is one of the areas of Hrafinstaad that just happens without much thought.

Things are moving along here garden wise,planting has been happening and planning as well.I am worried that we are going to have another growing season like last years but only time will tell. It is still wet and cold here,hopefully the seeds in the ground don't just rot.
We have discovered that we have an Owl who hangs out in our apple tree.The first evening I heard the Owl I was locking the hens into the coop for the night.They were in the coop early and extra quiet so they must have heard the Owl before I came out.I heard the Owl last night too,making me extra diligent in locking the coop earlier than normal.It is awesome to think there is an Owl here in our neighborhood but chicken safety is important too.The hens have been roosting way up high on the top roost bar and as far away from the door as they can get.The coop is secure even with the door open,the Owl wouldn't be able to get to them when they are up in the rafters of the coop.

The photo at the top of the page is my favorite view right now,it is looking out the window by our front door towards the front walkway.

Rois

What about those headlines?

2011-05-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

I am here,finally after a very busy week ready to fill you in on all of the headlines I wrote about last posting.I am going to jump to the headline about Sol since someone was so sweet to leave a comment about it.

Sol belongs to an after school program called MESA that is funded by one of the local BIG computer companies. What MESA stands for is still a mystery to me but it is geared to get kids interested in careers in science and technology.Sol is part of a team and this school year they have spent their time building a windmill that would, if built at a larger scale, create power.Sol's team took their windmill to a statewide science fair and can home with 3 medals for the team.They placed 1st over all for presentation,which means the judges did not have to ask the team any prompt type questions about the windmill,they knew their stuff.They also placed 1st over all for weight lift,I am still not to clear about this one.Something to do with the amount of lift the windmill created when running.Both of those earned the team 2 nd place over all.They only lost to the other team by .004 seconds, that's how serious this was. Sol loves to tinker so the club has been a great match for him and has given him a group of like minded kids to hang out with.

Now for the new guest/hang out room for only $20.We have an extra room off the garage that used to be my studio space and the "big" pantry.We had a bunch of junk and the large freezer in there too.We have friends coming for a week in July.One of which is a Mama to be,asking her to sleep on the living room floor seemed awful so we cleaned out.We have had this project on our list of "to be done someday" projects so it was all good.We compacted my art things into the tidy shelves I have been wanting them to be, got a free futon and frame from friends and took a load to Goodwill. And,gulp, ummm got rid of our big freezer.We were not using it,it was too big and sucked a ton of power.it was a waste over all.We are going to look for a smaller freezer in the coming weeks that will go into the garage.I have yet to spend my whole $20 budget,so far by moving some things around we have furnished the space nicely.I did buy a set of sheets from Goodwill for the bed.The rest of the money will go for new paint rollers so we can paint the room with some left over paint.It took us three days to clean it out but it is looking welcoming and like a nice spot to house a soon to be Mama for a week.

It was Issac's birthday weekend this weekend.He had a BBQ on Friday night with a bonfire.The rain rolled in and all 12 kids shoe horned themselves into the new room.They had a great time just hanging out and being social.It was a very low key party just what Issac wanted. Saturday Issac went to a BMX thing called a "Jam".Chance and I went to check it out,I forgot the camera so no pics,sorry.There were about 150 kids and adults on BMX bikes at one of the local parks,riding and hanging out.It was niffty to see Issac doing his thing and to say hello to some of his buddies.The event is a yearly event and this year the organizer hosted a raffle for one of the local riders who has cancer and no insurance.They manged to raise almost $500 for the rider and we personally know when it comes to medical bills every little bit helps.This is not the first time this community has raised money for one of its own who was in need.Just shows you,not everyone hanging out at a skate park is up to no good.

We have planted about half of the garden beds.The rest is waiting until this coming weekend to do.We need to pick up a couple of bags of compost type something to add to the soil in the back big garden,we have run out of our own compost here,bummer. The back garden has been a problem child the last few years.it has this nasty weed called pig weed that just won't go away.We keep adding to the soil hoping it will finally be replenished enough the weeds won't be able to come back.Every year we think it may be gone,plant and then once the plants are 3 inches high the weed grows twice as fast as the veggies,choking things out.If anyone knows how to get rid of pig weed without chemicals or renting a pig let me know.

I have a couple of projects in mind that I am hoping to find time to do soon.One is to smoke some hard boiled eggs.We have plenty of eggs right now so it would be fun to try a different way of eating them.I am also looking at making some fermented black beans which are used in many Asian dishes we love.They take a year and a half or up to two years to ferment but it's about the learning to do it verse time with this project.The beans could end up on my "not worth it" list but hey,you never know.

This has all been newsie bits and not much about homesteading but that's what has been going on here.It seems like so much of what we do here I have already written about and finding something new has just not come along.And honestly some of it seems mundane and very routine to me that I can't imagine all of you being interested.I mean really do you want to know that it has taken us 6 weeks to fill our very small garbage can? I could do a whole posting about how we are able to do that if someone is interested.

Rois

Todays Headlines

2011-05-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have all of these things to do and wish I had the time to write in depth about them right at this moment but the clock is ticking and the sun is only here for a couple more days.So here it all is as headlines with the full stories behind them coming to you at a later time. (Hopefully sooner than way later.)

How to turn your Studio,Storage room into a guest room with only spending $20.

Compost: It's what those garden beds need.

It's Birthday season here,what to do.

Sol places 2nd in State wide Science Fair.

What in the heck is BMX Jam?

See you later,got to run run run.....

Rois

Today is a good day with a chance of a sliver lining.

2011-05-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

The past four years have been one loooong row of some hard hoeing for us,leaving us tired, worn out and wondering how we are going to make it.We've been living upon a choppy sea of medical ups and downs with Issac, trying to make sure we all stay afloat,trying to avoid sinking and making sure that Sol isn't lost in the chaos that can be life.Recently Chance and I fell overboard and gave into the sea of tears that needed to be cried.Tears of frustration,guilt,worry,a few angry ones and many that just felt good to let come rolling down.

    Crying did not change anything but it did recenter us. It helped me let go of some habits I have become a bit O.C.D with over the winter,habits that made me wonder if I was going mad.Not mad,just trying desperately to feel like some part of my life was under control.I had become a bit like those funny cards you see with the 1950's clip art but with some smart mouthed line dubbed over.The smiling housewife dreaming of cocktails or telling her family to make their own damn dinner.Realizing my life was becoming one of those cards was eye opening especially when I remembered the one that hangs on my friends fridge that reads "A clean house is a sign of a wasted life" See, I had been manic when it came to cleaning the house,so not me,but there I was looking for control.I kept thinking if the house is perfect no one will know things are really falling apart.

   I then realized I needed to stop and think.It was one of those moments of calm and it was as if the universe was tapping me on the shoulder saying "Wake up,Sleepy head." I found the universe tapping me again when I read Margaret's postings here and here . The first post left me wondering "Hum? Where did my dreams go? Do I have dreams anymore?" The second left me thinking about the past four years.About the choices we have had to make as a family to do what was right for us.Hard choices, that hid my dreams beneath a mountain of doctor bills.

I have decided to take Margaret's advice and not let go of my dreams,they are a gift to be kept.And the later part of paragraph three of the second posting gave me lots of food for thought.The past four years have been about home,family and getting through but, it dose not have to stay those three things only. I don't have to feel torn (the word Torn is in the title of the book in the second posting and is so perfect to me) and guilty. My conflicting feelings of wanting to be home to care for my family but needing to work so my family can keep going can make peace with each other.

   I did remember what I was dreaming of and working on fulfilling when all things went to hell.I was working towards a degree in Art Therapy and have probably a year and a half maybe two of schooling to go.I remembered how excited I was to be at school working towards my goal.Excited to be working towards something I am passionate about.Today I start the process of returning to school to make it to my dream.

I know I can do it. I have learned so much about myself in the past four years.There is my courage to just keep pushing through it, the other side will come at some point.Through building up our homestead I have learned there are many ways to take charge of your life that enable us to care for ourselves.I have learned that some days you can only do what you can do,as long as I gave it my best its all good. I have learned the mantra "Today is a good day" taken from an ad for the hospital Issac was at.I now know that when my house is spit shine clean I need to stop and look inward,some thing is a miss.

Have you ever had one of those times when you don't really know why now is the right time but it just is?That's where I am,it is just time to get back to school. I guess letting four years worth of tears roll helped me let go and be ok with all of it. Issac's health will be what it will be and the doctor bills will someday be paid off. Today is a good day and remembering my dreams is the silver lining.

2011-04-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today while I was at work, Chance was home working in the garden beds, we finally had a sunny day here.I tell you seeing the sunshine this morning made it hard to want to go to work but I went,other sunny days will come and my day working in the garden will come too.

While Chance was working a woman from the big church on the street above us stopped by to say hello.She was very impressed with what we have done here with our gardening.Well actually, being a "churchie" kind of person she called it "a garden of Eden" a compliment that kind of makes me giggle**. The woman told Chance that the church is starting a community garden on the churches property but no one really knows where to start.The lady inquired if we would be willing to come help them get things organized.Chance said we would be willing since food security is a big concern of ours.The woman said she would stop back by when they are ready to get things going.
I am hoping this really dose come to be and will be open to the surrounding community not just church members.Within a few blocks of the church are several large apartment complexes and I know many of the families would benefit from having a place to garden close by.
Last spring Chance , a neighbor and I tried to get a community garden started at the end of our street.The land owner also owns several rentals in our neighborhood.The lot is large with full sun all day but sits empty and unused.Sadly the landowner said no.And since he has money and is well known in the city, gorilla gardening, even on a small scale did not seem wise.
So hopefully the church fills the need.They have lots of open ground that could feed many families.What is the quote from the Bible? The one about feed a man a fish,he eats for a day.But teach a man to fish he will eat for a life time.Maybe filling ones belly is not the intended meaning of those lines but none the less if we can share what we know so others may thrive it will be time well spent.

There's some clearer looking weather coming this week,whew! If all goes to plan some serious work will happen this week in the garden beds.Chance got a huge start on turning the beds and fed the chickens 3 wheel barrows full of weedy bits........ Three wheel barrows full is what happens when the weather is so wet this time of year.Things grow fast this time of year no matter what but when it has been too wet to get out there to keep it at bay,the chickens end up with a feast day......It will be cheering and grounding to be outdoors again,digging in the soil and planting.Dreaming of the goodness of a homegrown basket full of just picked veggies and fruit.Summer homegrown tomatoes,I have missed you.

Rois

** I lean towards giggling only because we are not church going people but consider ourselves amongst other things to be stewards of the Earth. Tending to our garden here at Hrafinstaad is like going to church for us.

New things or why you can't define Homesteading.

2011-04-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Wow the past week has been filled with new surprises around here,all of them unexpected.

We have a space in between the house and the garage we call the Breeze Way.During the warm months I set up a sitting area since it's nice and shady there. We also use this space for working on large projects so there are at times a jumble of parts waiting there.This is also where Chance sets up the smoker for smoking various things.

Now keeping in mind that there is this interesting mix of things in the Breeze Way and an eclectic-ness to our hobbies new and old,I am going to tell you this tale.

Chance has a replica of a Viking Helmet he built years ago,the helmet has been living on top of the smoker, left there while he was cleaning out the garage.

Every Spring we have a tiny couple that comes to Hrafinstaad for the Summer months, the House Wrens.I look forward to these two visitors each year,for tiny birds they have big singing voices.Although I am not certain it's the same two each year,it seems like it is due to their bold friendly personalities.The Wrens are the second piece to my story,now back to the helmet.

If you look closely the helmet upon the smoker sits right by the garage door,a very high traffic spot.The face of the helmet is turned southwest,getting some sun but shaded by our fir tree at noontime.Kind of a cozy spot for someone tiny.
Alright you have all of the parts to the story. The other morning I went out to feed the chickens and what did I spy? The House Wrens flying in and out of Chance's helmet with twigs.When I looked closer I found......

A beard like nest for two built in the helmet. I can see why the Wrens like the helmet,water tight,foam lined,sun and in a yard where they are always welcome.The boldness of these two can be witnessed by their willingness to build in such a high traffic spot.But it has left us with a problem or two. We don't want to take the nest completely away because then we may lose our summer visitors for the year.If we move the nest still inside the helmet would the birds mind or find it? It's not practical to leave it alone, at some point we will need the smoker. I thinking of asking Chance if we could build a shelf on the garage wall just to the right of where the helmet now sits.

The next new thing around here was tried with a mind set of "I don't know about this,but I will go" Chance took me to my very first scooter rally.One of the local scooter clubs puts the rally on every spring.I was not sure I would have a great time since most of the time scooter events have been filled with guys talking Scooter Speak- parts,makes, models and other fish tales. I ended up having a blast! Riding around the city in a pack of over 150 scooters is thrilling.Yes, friends I have Scooter Fever and it looks like I may have to learn Scooter Speak.

3rd one in with the raccoon tail is Chance's


Leaving for the run,organized chaos?

The final new thing around home is the vintage stereo console we finally found. We have been looking for one of these for several months and finally found it at the Goodwill Bins for $15, nice price! What we had for the stereo equipment before was not great and looked cluttered but with the new piece it is all neat and tidy.All of the equipment fit inside but Chance did place two small speakers under it,you can't see them in the photo.

We also found time to start getting the garden beds ready for some planting while we had a break in the rain.The soil was soaking wet so we did not do any digging. So far no planting has happened here and after yesterdays insane weather it's probably a good thing because the seeds would have just rotted.Here in the Portland area yesterday there was, a funnel cloud,snow,thick layers of pea sized hail,rain and bits of sun.I wonder what the weather gods were up to way up there in the sky.Hopefully working things out so we can have some spring after all.
Oh, and the other night I made gluten free chocolate muffins.They were good but the garbanzo bean flour in them made Issac and I pretty darn sick.Now to work on a replacement for the garbanzo flour that is not a bean. **** Garbanzo beans make many people with Crohn's sick even if they tolerate other beans well.***

In my header I wrote "why you can't define Homesteading".I really feel like this posting shows that very clearly and I did not even need to rant.I shared a snap shot of my week with you,simply things that happened while waiting for the weather to improve.This is what Homesteading looks like to us,birds nests, scooter rallies, vintage finds and baking flops.It's not the whole sum of us, only one week out of many. I love our eclectic homestead life,it suits us just fine.

Rois

Like a Rooster on the stove.....

2011-03-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

This morning Chance and I's day started out slow and mellow,just the two of us home drinking coffee,waiting to go roller skating with the Cousins and talking about how to fill the time until we met up with said Cousins.
   We both remembered that we needed to go to the feed store for feed and bedding for the chickens.Ok, simple enough,let's go.

   "Wait." said I "Let me call Mason at the feed store and see if he will take those Roosters we still have"

   You see we still had those three Roosters our hen hatched last summer.We kept talking about butchering them.We kept talking about re-homing them but had yet to move in either direction.They were becoming naughty young Roos,never wanting to give the girls a break,they just had to go. And let me add here that 4 Roosters crowing in the morning was not restful.No one had complained but we were complaining. As much as I would have liked a nice chicken dinner,the need for them to be gone was feeling a bit pressing.

Well mason is such a nice guy and said "Yeah, bring them on in."

       SCORE!

We found a box for the rooster,easy part that was. Chance decided that since our little Doxie Sparrow may think a rooster in a box was her box lunch we should leave the box on the kitchen counter for safe keeping.
Only at our house would it be considered "normal" to have a box on the kitchen counter waiting to transport roosters to the feed store in.
Chance and I went out into the yard to catch at least 2 out of 3 of the roosters. We thought we should not impose on Mason to much at once by bringing all 3 of the rooster who were going. (We are re-homing the Daddy Rooster to friends who are in the process of buying a farm.)
   We caught the first one with little trouble and into the box, on the counter,he went.The next bird was a bit of work but in the end he ran himself into the compost bin were he was definitely cornered.
   Now this is where mayhem started, one of those times you wished there was a video camera already rolling. Chance brings the second rooster into the kitchen with me following right behind.Chance opens the box to put the roo in but before the lid is shut tight,out pops roo number 2 like a Jack in the Box ,POP, Surprise!
   Rooster runs the counter, hot foots it across the stove top, luckily it's not on and hops down to the floor.

By now the little Doxie knows something is up and is trying to get in on it.She so wants to help us out like the big dog Thora knows how to do. Thora knows how to heard the chickens very nicely you see.

The rooster runs into the living room, all I can think of is big rooster poo on my vintage wool rug but we have yet to scare that out of him. Now he's running around the sofa , around the dinning room table (we have one of those front rooms that is everything in one space.)and down the hallway,our house is small. The only door open in the hall is Sol's bedroom so in goes the roo with a crazy crowd following after, Chance, Little Sparrow, me and then Thora.
The rooster has nowhere to go but under the bed.Chance pulls him out but loses his grip.Chicken, being bird brained, tries to hide on the book shelf but is finally caught.When I relayed this story to the boys Sol asked "He didn't poop under my bed did he?" I answered no and I am hoping I am right. Ew,let's really hope so.

Maybe the telling of the story is not as funny as when it happened but really people it was very Keystone Cop-ish. I especially love the humor of the rooster running across the stove top.
   We left the roosters at the feed store and as we were leaving there was already a lady asking about them,so it looked like they did not stay for long.
   While at the feed store I of course spied the chicks,a dangerous thing since I had my pocket money in my pocket.They had two breeds I have considered adding to our flock Buff Orpingtons and Black Australorps, both of which are said to be excellent layers. I would really like to cull out our other layers since they have not been dependable in their laying.I would have to raise chicks until the reach laying age and then cull the older birds.But it would mean a few too many chickens than we want for awhile. The feed store dose have Ameraucana's coming soon which are actually the breed I want first and fore most. I was good and sat on my hands so no chicks. I am thinking about the Ameraucana's.....oh the temptation of little chicks.At least if I do give in they will be useful even once they are no longer darling puffs. I need to think through where the chicks will be now that Little Sparrow is here, again I think she would see them as a boxed lunch.We usually have the chicks in the kitchen but a new place will have to found if chicks come home.

   This evening when Chance went to lock the coop up for the night he found 4 eggs waiting,the first in a long while. I don't know if they were a thank you for the fresh bedding or for getting rid of those crazy roos. We don't light our coop in the winter months to encourage the birds to lay unless it gets frigid cold or snows. I just feel that it gives the hens a break and they can use their fat for making it through the winter not making eggs for a bit.We miss the eggs of course but my Grandparents did without so we mostly do as well. I do buy some eggs just not that many though.To me those first eggs are the sure fire sign that Spring is coming.

   We also went roller skating with the Cousins today. We had a grand time and plan to go again. I am a little bit sore from using my muscles differently but not too bad. I had forgotten how much I love to skate.Feeling the air rushing along with me reminded me of being a kid,minus those awful metal wheels.

I will be back soon, we picked up some seeds and Walla Walla onion sets today so there will be more to report.

Rois

Giggles

2011-03-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have THE funniest story to share with all of you about a Rooster running across our stove and hiding under a bed.But I will have to come back later, we are off to roller skate with the young cousins. Hhave I ever said? Have I ever told you? I love roller skating.

Rois

R.I.P Joan of Arc

2011-03-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

    We lost one of our older hens yesterday, she was from our second flock and was 4.She had lived a good chicken life and had been a good layer so going was ok. We had noticed she was slowing down and getting lost from the other hens on a regular bases.The other day she could not find her way out of the coop. She had been blind (we think) in one eye for about a year so maybe the other eye was going too. It's not always possible to know why a chicken goes.And being of the mind set that chickens do not go the Vets we let them live out their days and when they are gone they are gone.

   We had named the hens from our second flock after famous women and up until yesterday we still had Abigail (Scott- Dunaway.) and Joan ( of Arc) We named Joan after that famous brave yet "crazy" woman because I swear that bird heard voices in her head. Kind of like the "crazy" Irish fellow in the movie "Braveheart" , you know the one with Mel Gibbson? The Irish fellow who talked to God and said he (the Irish guy) would be alright but you (Gibbson) you are F*#ked. Anyway, Joan would all of a sudden stop,cock her head and seem to have a whole conversation with someone and then snap out of it and carry on. Hopefully now that she is on the other side she can carry on her conversation with whom ever it was she communed with, without the interruptions of the chicken yard getting in the way.I looked for a photo of her to post but they were all a blurry mess,maybe it was her companion keeping us from seeing her to closely , she was a plump Barred Rock, the usual black and white mottled bird seen in many coops.

Besides letting go of Joan I have let go of the idea of having Bees. When I last posted about them I was so full of enthusiasm and had a head full of honey that I did not care, I just wanted Bees. I did a bit more reading and talking with a friend (Thanks Lacy.) and realized that although my neighbors would most likely be fine with us having Bees our yard was maybe not set up quiet right. We had several perfect places for the Bee's to live and get the kind of sunlight they need.The problem of foot traffic kept coming up with each one though. We would have had to re-arrange our whole yard in order to make it work. Not a task we want to set upon ourselves and it would mean we would lose our favorite summer hang out spots in the back yard. No more naps in the hammock, no more bonfires for marshmallow roasting and no more table for summer meals. Nope , no can do, we love all three of those more than we want Bee's.

Since I have returned to the work force Chance has been doing the bulk of the household work here, his work schedule allows him more open time than mine.And the Boys have gotten pretty good at pitching in as well. Which simply follows our standard around here, it dose not matter who gets the work done as long as it gets done. But I must admit I feel at times a bit miss placed.It will be my days off and in the back of my head I am thinking " Oh, I need to do this...." and I when I go to do it , it is already done.

Sounds good I know, not having to do so many of those dull household chores,like laundry and toilet scrubbing. Yes, it is good because we are rolling along nicely but I am now trying to figure out what to do with myself when I am home. I have a couple of projects in mind to keep me busy while we are waiting for the planting season, which can't happen until the rain lets up so the yard can dry out a bit.

So I can fill my time up but I have new thoughts to sort out still. They are motherly thoughts that have been poking me like a cockle bur in my sock, the boys are growing up and are becoming the independent young men we have always wanted them to be. They are able and on the road heading towards being (gasp) adults.I knew the day would come and have seen the two of them stepping closer and closer to this moment. I am working on letting go of being the mother of young boys and working on being the mother of two fine young men. That sure pulls at my heart strings....

The final thing we have let go of here is the baking of our weekly bread.Three out of four of us are no longer or minimally eating bread so it makes no sense to be using our time for baking bread. Every once in awhile we still do just to feel the dough under our hands and to keep the memory of the doing of it going. Not baking the bread is all part of us finding ways to make time for the things and projects we want to do here at Hrafinstaad.

Last of all I wanted to update my long time readers about Issac and his migraines. First, they became a big battle with Issac missing school for a couple of days most weeks,not good. We finally pinned down the Peds Doctor about it and have some hopeful news. Issac reported to us that his eyes did not always focus quickly and that they were like focusing a camera lens. The Peds doctor did her little eye exam in the office with no luck but due to Issac having Crohns which can cause some serious eye problems, she sent him on for a full blown eye exam. Issac needed glasses, his prescription is so mild that the insurance almost did not cover it. But the eye doctor feels that Issac's migraines should go away.The problem was so mild that it's no wonder it was being over looked and yet causing him problems. So everyone, cross your fingers this is finally the solution and that Issac can get back to just being that awesome young man he is. I have yet to see him in his glasses because Chance took him to the appointment but I will post a photo when I can. ( Oh! Issac went into the exam room without Chance and did the whole visit on his own and did a great job the doctor said.Another sign he isn't a little boy any more. Sigh.)

Until next time, when I hope to report on some fun project instead of all of this letting go stuff.

Rois

2011-03-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening I came home from work to no power in our little neighborhood and this is what it looked like.

.
Reading and music


Dusky light and a cat for company.


Do you see the light reflecting on Sol's slide and resonator?


Chance followed along with his bass.

As for me I sat and watched and listened.The quiet calm left me thinking of the people in Japan.Filling me with gratitude that soon the power would be back on. The candles light and warmth were like little prayers for those without .

Rois

Thinking of spring

2011-03-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

   Has anyone else noticed? Have you heard? I have, the signs of spring are all around.

Chance and I noticed that the Starlings beaks have turned yellow, a sure sign of spring because when it is winter their beaks are black.Thank you Rachel Carson for that interesting fact.Have you ever read "Silent Spring" ? It's a good book,read it soon.

   I noticed the crocuses blooming along our front walk,sunshine yellow pretties greeting us as we come in.The neighbors tree is turning pink with little buds along with our fruit trees and all of the other green growing things.

Are the birds singing in the mornings at your house? The past few morning I have been awoken by the returning Robins singing the sun up.They were so loud the other morning I thought we had seriously overslept but we were fine,the birds were just being the proverbial early birds. And the neighborhood Crows know something is in the air,they have been a loud rowdy bunch too.I think the birds are happy to see spring coming and I could not agree more.

Have you been thinking and planning? Dreaming up the spring time work to be done?

I have been thinking ,wondering ,planning and a bit of dreaming as well. There are plenty of projects still to do here. Here is my list so far.

Spring '11 to do:
   Plant only flowers in the bed bed we built last year,the neighbors cats think it is a big litter box so we shouldn't be eating anything grown there.(And since I am moving things due to the cats, they will,being cats,move on to a different spot. Sigh.)

Turn our tree stump cluster into planters. A great friend of mine planted that idea in my head.I was telling her how I did not think the stumps would ever rot or would take many years to do so.She suggested cutting out each stump so it was like a planter or pot.Then filling with soil and planting in them.The idea is the plantings will make the stump rot faster.This makes a ton of sense to me.And besides it will look nicer than the ugly stumps.The idea works along the lines of what is called a "nurse log" ,you see these out in the woods,an old log partly rotten with plants growing out of them A thing that has been part of my entire life but I just never thought about creating one here at home.

   Return the bulk of the vegetable garden to the back original garden. I want to give some of the beds in the front a rest from the veggies that suck so much out of the soil. We will have to fence off the garden with bird netting to keep the chickens out.

Figure out what in the heck to do with the odd space in front of the clothes line.This space is almost a half circle kind of pie shaped area where grass never lives for long.It needs some spiffing up.

Build a trellis in front of our big living room window to match the ones on the other side of the house, to give us some shade in the summer. Planning to plant some vines of some sort to grow up the trellis.

Make a trip to Sister's to visit our friends and bring home a bee hive they are saving for us.Then sign up for a wild swarm of bees.This is a huge dream of ours, to have our own bees. They will just add to our ecosystem here so much that it makes me giddy to think about it. The craziest part , I am allergic to bee stings. I have not needed an Epi-pen but one more sting and I will. I have great respect for the bees and I am hoping they will understand that. The bees that come to our garden and I have been able to learn to work side by side peacefully so couldn't that happen with our own hive? I think so. It's all about being fearless and respectful.

The list looks like a lot of work but when I look over it, its not any bigger than the lists from the past couple of springs. It's all things that can be done within chunks of time over the next few months.Before I sat down and laid out my list I was thinking I was running out of things to write about but after looking things over it looks like there are many more postings ahead of me.

This afternoon we have had a break from the rain.We opened up the windows and doors to the house to let the air in.As I have been writing a cool breeze has been waltzing around filling the house the scent of spring.A nice break but it leaves me thinking of the people across the seas affected by the quake in Japan and the tsunami's that have hit many shore lines. Our thoughts and prayers are with one and all. Be safe and well.

Rois

Can't fit it into a box, Can't label it, Can't trademark it.

2011-02-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

I don't like labels or the labeling of people,life never fits into one box. I don't believe in living inside of a box either,how dull and constricting. And after 321 blog postings about my life it looks like summing up what we do into a neat paragraph is just not possible.
   When I started writing my blog I gave it and us the label of Urban/ Suburban Homesteading/Homesteaders,it did not feel quiet right putting a label on our way of life but I did it.Why did I do it then? I did it so other like minded people out there in the world could find us, like a little beacon softly shinning, calling quietly "We are over here. Come visit us for a while.Let's share what we know.Let's learn how to do this together." So I could say "Oh dang,don't do this" like I wrote about waaay back in early blogging days about the failing of our Hay Bale Garden Beds.
   I can actually remember realizing that there are other people out there in the world doing what we do and that this movement was called "Urban Homesteading" Wow,I thought that was kind of cool.No one was doing it exactly the same way but we were all doing it under our own terms,just like my forefathers did.
   But underneath the sticky glue label of my life style lives the heart of things, I am simply living the standard my Grandparents and Parents set for me a long while ago. Be self sufficient, make,build, create,feed the hungry,be a steward of our home The Earth and think for yourself. You can't trademark my family culture or my moral beliefs,they are to complex to sum up in a paragraph written upon a legal document.As everyone knows each family is unique just like the DNA that courses through our blood lines.
I have written in the past that we are not living this life to be part of a movement or trend,that it is simply how we live and I still stand tall next to that.I don't have to live with a label stuck to my lapel.I can support the need to end this trademark issue because well...it is ridiculous.Ridiculous like a temper tantrum, loud,offensive and short lived.But as parents know playing into a temper tantrum only makes it worse,one needs to wait and look for a really clear shot so you can be swift and just.
Here at Hrafinstaad we have and use a saying "Don't choose a side,Be a side." What dose that mean? It means we are over here doing our thing,join in if you want,add something to what is going on but leave your hang ups,baggage and B.S at the door.So that is where you find us, at Hrafinstaad doing what ever we are currently doing,living by a long standing moral code and waiting to see the clear shot at swift justice.

   I started this post with the hopes to get it out by last Mondays call to Urban Homesteaders to blog about their lives and since being late is my current trend I got it out late.But I did do it. And until there is something really pressing this is my last posting about the trademark issue.
Today is a Snow Day,no work or school. I have lived in the Portland area all of my life and have never seen it snow this late into the winter,so glad I have not planted any of my earliest seeds yet. I am baking today,partly because I was already planning on it and it will make the house nice and cozy. I am baking a carrot cake that I have been craving for the last week and since we are out of bread that will be baked as well.

Rois

FYI URBAN HOMESTEAD TRADEMARK MATTER | Little Homestead in the City

2011-02-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

FYI URBAN HOMESTEAD TRADEMARK MATTER | Little Homestead in the City: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Since the letter requests that one not miss use these peoples information here is the link so I don't somehow get this screwed up.

It is a shameful day in my world.
Rois

Urban Homestead® — The Phrase Is Now Trademarked? | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest

2011-02-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

Urban Homestead® — The Phrase Is Now Trademarked? | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

All I can say about this bit of news is WTF? Excuse my language but it is the most appropriate phrase to fit my stunned mind. This goes so against one of the major roots of Homesteading that I can't begin to wrap my mind around it. It goes against the very ideas and morals of homesteaders, we need to share our information freely,most of us were not raised in households that taught these skills.It's about building and supporting community people! Not tearing down what we are trying to build by trademarking a long used phrase.
Do I now as a blogger have to go back through my blog and mark each and every time I have used the words "homestead" or "homesteading"?
Please read this and be sure to read what other bloggers are saying. And like you can read in the article what is next? Trademarking the word "garden" or how about "human being" ?

Rois

Patrick Conlin Metalsmith

2011-02-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

I would like to invite all of you to visit our good friend Patrick Conlin's Blog. I have always loved his work but every once in awhile his work stuns me like a deer in the headlights.
Go check him out and let me know what you think...
Rois

Patrick Conlin Metalsmith: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Great Clean Out - loving what you have.

2011-02-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here starts part of the posting Blogger ate,I have added in updates and a new ending - A new ending partly because I could not exactly remember the ending and partly because I found a better ending.

The Great Clean Out here is going better than expected.Lots of things have been shuffled off to be donated and more waiting to go to different places.
This afternoon I am planning a trip to a local resale shop that buys from people.I have two boxes and a big basket full of little treasures I am hoping they will buy.All of the things I am taking are still very useful and charming, to good to just donate.Hopefully I will get a nice fist full of cash that I will turn around and buy something we actually need.
I was able to sell about half of my things to the first resale shop I went to,I have saved the rest to take else where to sell. I took the money and a bit from some baby sitting I did last week and bought a beautiful wool rug from Tibet for in our inner hallway.* see below for more about this.
I also have a smaller pile of things to take to S.C.R.A.P which is our local recycled art,craft,project very addicting shop. I love donating to S.C.R.A.P ,it is a place I can really support and knowing that my unwanted stuff will be re-purposed and sold for super cheap feels good.
* Still have yet to do this trip.
None of the things we have moved out will be missed.As we cleaned things out we were sure to get rid of only the things we were willing to let go of .I did not want anyone feeling like they had to get rid of anything. I simply wanted us to slim down a bit.
I must say that getting rid of the clutter really is making it easier to get other things done and the day to day work is much easier without other things laying around in the way. I think we are finally back on track here and not feeling so over worked.
I found this article online the other day, don't let the title get your feathers ruffled,living a "green" and "sustainable" life is important but like the author writes it is time to re-address the words and reasons.
The reasoning in the article rings true for us and fits the back story to our cleaning out. Less is more,love the things you do have and buy it once and buy things that will last*. The whole line of the piece just fits what we are trying to do here,it brings to mind the Repair Manifesto that I posted here a long while ago.We want a beautiful,welcoming home that we love and we hope by using the ideas in the linked article and the Repair Manifesto we can set the example for others.You can have lovely nice things and still be living a "green" and "sustainable" life.
* This is where my buying a rug fits in to this posting really well.The rug I bought was purchased with funds earned mostly by re- purposing our unwanted things.The rug its self was bought used,it is a vintage piece from a small local shop.The rug is well crafted and made from wool that will last which an acrylic one for the same price would fall apart years before.We love it,it suits our house so perfectly and is of a style we will never tire of. I recycled, supported a local small business and the rug has lasting value; a smart purchase considering how it's not all that big but has a big impact on how we view things.
Our homes totem is the Raven,that smart and crafty fellow who loves pretty things.Raven is picky though,not everything is deemed worthy enough to risk Raven's neck to get.Appropriate eh? We want to be like Raven using our smarts to line our nest with the things we love.
I am still working on making the time to write here more often but I think I have figured it out and everyone should start seeing me here on a regular bases.Spring is around the corner so there will lots going on here again so that should inspire me to click away here.I hope all of you are well and looking forward to Spring like we are.It will soon be time for seeds,digging and maybe chicks for some of you.

Rois

2011-02-04T14:55:00.001-08:00

Damn you Blogger! For eating my post! I'll be back folks as soon as I re write.
Grrrrrr!
Rois

Bliss

2011-01-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

Today is a gorgeous sunny day! Yes! I said sunny! So I am happy to announce I am about to put on my jeans and boots so I can walk out the door to work in the garden!

Rois

Homemade Bouillon Recipe - 101 Cookbooks

2011-01-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

Homemade Bouillon Recipe - 101 Cookbooks: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hey,I just found this online and want to share it with all of you.I had never thought about making my own bouillon before.And like the author of the posting says it would be interesting to tweak the flavora around based on what I have on hand.
Rois

The Great Clean Out.

2011-01-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

Over my days off I started on my plan to get Hrafinstaad back on track- The Great Clean Out. After looking around home I could see there was a big pile of stuff that maybe we did not need,want ,use or even know what in the heck it was.I am hoping with all of the clutter gone we can better see what needs to be done and with less junk around the day to day care of hearth and home will be more stream lined giving us more time for the things that are important to us.
The first phase of the Great Plan was to get the boys on board,as I said in my last posting they have become slobs around the house. Chance and I reverted to the old trick of bribing the kids into doing what needs to be done. Both boys have been asking to go to Seattle for a weekend of site seeing so our deal with them is if they can manage with minimal reminding to keep their messes picked up we will go to Seattle at the end of February.The guide line we have given the boys is " Is this the way Dad and Mom would want this space to look?" So far we are a week into the deal and all is going well. I am hoping by giving them until the end of February it will be a long enough time frame to break them of their bad habits.And what the boys don't know is we were planning a trip to Seattle any way but if Chance and I can get them into being better around the house and get a trip to Seattle out of this little white lie, I am A.O.K with it, a Mom's gotta do what a Mom's gotta do.
The next phase was to clean out every drawer,closet,nook,landing spot and stash spot in the house.So far we have made a mountain of recycling, a couple of trips to Goodwill and 3 boxes to be taken to the resale shop. We have made sure to ask ourselves why we have certain things,do I need this,could someone else use this and of course there were somethings that you just had to ask yourself- what? why? and then good-bye to it!
The only room in the house left is the kitchen which will be this weeks phase to tackle.Once the house is done Chance and I will move out to my Studio/The Big Pantry,personally I think that room may need a stick of dynamite but that may be deemed an act of homeland terrorism, leading us down an even bigger path of doom than it warrants so,I'll just roll up my sleeves and tackle it in a more peaceful manor.
As we have gone through each room I have taken the time to do some deep down scrubbing,even going so far as to take down the blinds and washing them instead of just quickly dusting them.The rooms are sparklingly clean and very pleasing to the eye again.The clutter is gone and the things we love and cherish can once again be seen and enjoyed.
This whole project is proving to be good on a deeper level than just cleaning.I really feel as if Hrafinstaad feels like its old self again,warm and inviting,the way we like it to be.Having things the way you like them is also so much more inspiring to be there, to keep it up and do more. I think the boys are also benefiting from seeing Chance and I working hard to get this project going.It sets the example and shows them the way. It shows them that we are walking our talk and want to go to Seattle as much as they do.
I am going to have a gushing of motherly pride for just one paragraph before I close,bear with me I don't do this often but I am so proud I have to share this. Over the weekend Issac went to spend the night with a long time friend which has always been a good thing.The two boys went to a party where the kids were drinking and I don't know what else,Issac's friend was included in the drinkers.Issac told his friend from the get go "I am not drinking or doing anything else." Well,of course being under aged drinkers every one was to quote Issac "stupid drunk".Now comes my moment of great pride,Issac did not want to be there and called for a ride home. Issac is 16 and both Chance and I are smart enough to know kids are going to try things we would rather they did not but we have always been open and honest with both of our boys.We have always said to them "We would rather you did not do these things but if you ever find your self in a bad spot or even too screwed up to get yourself home,please call us we will get you no matter what." I am so proud that Issac made the right choice,he knows he is A.under aged.B.If he did try to drink the medication he is on would cause him to land in the ER because the two don't mix.C.Being under the influence is not for him.Good job Issac!

Rois

2011-01-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

Home,is where my heart lives.

   I really am still here. Christmas was a crazy whirlwind that left me in a daze and when I awoke from the daze I realized Chance and I had been blown off our course when it comes to homesteading.Winter is usually a quiet time for homesteading since a bulk of what we do was finished months ago but many of our daily things have gone astray. But over the past week we have slowly moved ourselves back and are finding our footing.
   I have come to realize that with me working things need a bit of reworking and I am asking myself some questions.The questions came after reading an article in a local magazine called "Portland Woman" (we get free copies at work and since I can't not read something I flipped through it.) there's a great interview with a local woman,Harriet Fasenfest who has written a book titled " A Householders Guide to the Universe."
Personally I am over the whole homesteading book mania but I may look through her book next time I am at a book store only because I liked her attitude of "don't beat yourself up over this,you can only do what you can do." An attitude I try and voice here as well.
But back to the questions I am asking myself.In her interview Ms Fasenfest mentions that she estimates it takes her about 20 hours a week to do what she dose,seems like a reasonable number to me.So how can I work in those hours around working? I am working the answer out still.
I am also asking myself out of what I am doing what are the most important points.What have I been missing the most over the past several weeks that I have neglected? Singling out the most important parts is proving tricky since it all so interconnected,life here has its own little micro-environment, disturb one part and the whole thing can fall apart. I miss all of it, even though this time of year most of it has been put to bed for the winter.I can't address the gardening since that's on hold for now but what about the rest of it? Can I let go of any of it or reassign the task to another family member? Chance is always willing to do what ever needs doing so he's on board. The boys? Depending on the task and their skill sets,their helping in new ways may work as well.

   I am still working it all out and will share my thoughts here as often as I can.

   Other than a bit of life tinkering life has been mellow and steady.Although the holiday season was not the way we really wanted, it was good. I am going to give all of you a great bit of holiday advice: Don't get a zombie mode inducing cold that comes with a hacking,voice stealing cough the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas-it kind of sucks and throws everything off.Which is why the holiday was not as we had hoped,both Chance and I were running so late due to the colds we had that the whole holiday snowballed on us.
We are preparing to do some remodeling here,some new drywall,painting and general spiffing up. I am looking forward to the final spiffed up part but the invasive drywall dust part, not so much.
I have a new schedule at work the gives me my 3 days off all in a row,which I love the idea of,so life here at Hrafinstaad should be returning to its "normal" self soon.Being thrown off course is looking like it is/was a good thing.Causing us to pause and step back to take a good look at where we were/are headed.Forward! Ever forward but never straight only because that would be dull.

Rois

P.S - Seed catalogs should start arriving soon,said in a mildly giddy voice.

Pssst,

2010-11-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

Psst, I have a big secret, something I have never ever shared before. Something few have ever seen. Guess what ...I like to draw but never let anyone see my drawings. So today I am taking a HUGE step forward and sharing with all of you the drawing I have been working on.

Of course I can see a million things wrong with it and a few changes I may make but there it is my latest drawing.

Rois

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

Just a quick hello to say Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Today I am grateful for a house full of people I love,crowing roosters who remind me to "GET UP,YOU HAVE THINGS TO DO! " , 4 pies baked before midnight, and chilly weather because it makes the house seem even cozier.
I am even grateful for one sleeping teen aged boy (not one of ours) asleep on the sofa in the living room.Why? Because it tells me we have a great home,where it is ok to fall asleep on the sofa while pies are baking ,I am squeaking away on my fiddle ( to fill the baking time nicely) ,the cat is cuddling into said sleeping boy looking for a warm place for the night and the wood stove is crackling.
Just now said teen aged boy woke up and said in the most pleasant voice "Happy Thanksgiving". Yes! In deed Dear Boy Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Rois

Snow day.

2010-11-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

Today is a Snow Day for the boys, the first one this school year.Today I will have a house full of frisky puppies, wait I mean boys.Somehow I will need to work on getting our house ready for Thanksgiving around their playfulness,winter layers of clothing strewn around and their requests for gallons of hot cocoa and tea.There's only a dusting of snow with patches of ice,not enough to really play any snow games but I think the boys will be giddy none the less. Really I can not blame them.I mean it is Snow after all, a rare treat here. ( Or used to be a rare treat here on our valley floor but as some folks say there is no global warming.Yeah right, no global warming my A*#.)
Last night while we were waiting for the snow to start I made some of these 3 D Paper Snowflakes. They were very simple to make but I did change a couple of steps. The first step I changed was step # 3. The directions did not show to do this but I ended up folding the triangle in half to make the cuts in the paper so they would be evenly spaced. I also used a glue stick for making the curls.I read that one in the tips section so it was not my own idea but seemed easier than fumbling around with tape I did not have to begin with. I really do think younger kids who have nimble fingers ( That's a hint to you Natalie, I am thinking of your Little Miss M.) could do this project.Both of our boys learned to make them in Middle School.I used paper from the printer to make the first two.I ended up with these large sized snowflakes that are about 13-14 inches across.I love them, I think I will make a whole blizzard of them in different sizes.Maybe by the time I make them all I will know where the camera has gone and retrieved from and I can share some photos.
So no one spoke up about doing some holiday cookie recipe swapping. (Excuse me while I wipe my tears and have a very tiny pitiful moment. Ok,I am done.) But greendeva3 did leave me her Grandmothers Norwegian Butter Cookie recipe in the comments which was so sweet of her.I noticed in her comment that our Grandmothers shared the same first name ,well actually it was my Great Grandmother but - Ellen. I love stuff like that,little connections with people.There is still time to do some recipe trading folks.I have not even started to bake for Christmas yet so there is time. I personally have 31 more days until Christmas baking must be finished.Anyone?
This Thanksgiving it is up to me to do all of the pie baking,gulp. My Aunt who usually bakes the Pumpkin Pies is not feeling up to it,her Pumpkin Pie is the pie the whole family has set their standard to and there is no recipe,gulp. My Aunt says it is all about color and smell,gulp. I am going to give it a go and pray for the best. Sol has requested a Pecan Pie,another pie that will be new to me this year.Sol loves making pies and when we were talking pie flavors at dinner one night he made his request which includes him helping me. Sol is so sweet,here he is a big lug of a guy and he still likes to help Mama with the baking.
Two of our chickens have become the "Wild Ones", they are one of the hens and the roo we hatched this summer.They will not stay in the coop or the chicken yard.Even though Chance raised the fence around the coop somehow they are still getting out,even with clipped wings.The two of them have been roosting in a tree at night.I am mostly ok with this, it is a the natural way for them to be. If they are too dumb to stay out of the weather or high enough in the trees to keep safe than maybe they should remove themselves from the gene pool.But....but...but...those two are our Homegrown Chickens,the very first chickens I know I will cry over if something happens.Currently their names are Loowitt (the hen) and Ransome (the roo) but I have been thinking of changing their names to Hansel and Gretel. Think about it.....they are "lost", the other chickens ate their trail of crumbs so they can't find their way home again, the witch (aka the Raccoons.) wants to eat them.The only problem with their story, I don't think they want to find home.I am hoping today's snow will motivate them to go into the coop tonight to be safe and snug with the rest of the chickens.

Rois

P.S - I just happen to be be the BIGGEST DORK EVER! After writing this post this morning I went out to feed the chickens and standing there in the yard were "The Wild Ones" safe and sound, all fluffed up on this 23 degree morning. And as I fed the chickens I hear a cock a doodle do not from Ransome but coming from Loowitt. What the?! How did I screw that one up?! I guess looking at the chickens with my glasses on really is the best thing to do.Once I looked at Loowitt I really felt dumb,there is the feathers shaped into a saddle on his back and the long tail.Oh yeah, and the cock a doodle doo thing as well. I was thinking Ransome's long tail was a sure sign of being a roo and since we had yet to witness the young one crowing it had to be Ransome but nooooo, it was Loowitt crowing..Lesson learned today: Always wear my glasses when trying to sex a chicken.And just to rub salt in my Homesteading wound Loowitt is now standing at the backdoor crowing at the top of his young lungs most likely laughing his head off at me.

Snow!

2010-11-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

It is snowing here,the boys are praying for many many inches,our dog is frisky,the wood stove is cozy and it all makes me smile!

2010-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

The last few days here have been relaxing and calm ; a much needed break from last weeks turmoil.Sometimes just being at home is the best cure.
I spent Monday cleaning the house.I am trying to get some things done now before the holidays come whizzing along.In between cleaning projects I made Apple Butter.I made it in the oven so while it was cooking I could do other things. I made a total of 6 pints and that will be the whole stock of Apple Butter for this coming year. I realized that Chance and I are the ones who really like it so I am saving the rest of the apples for Apple Sauce.I will be making Marmalade this winter and I still have my strawberries in the freezer to make into jam as well,so we will be set for jams soon enough.
I took a break from being indoors Monday afternoon.It was fairly late into the day by the time I got there but the duskiness of the light was just right for putting the garden to bed for the winter.I cut everything back and pulled the weeds and considered which beds should not be used next spring. I cut a large bouquet of the last of the Dahlias.I left their stems long and rangy,I wanted them just as they were once I put them in a vase. I smile when ever I walk by the flowers with their nodding heads.I know these are the last blooms until next summer when once again the garden will be lush and beckoning. I did miss my gardening companions- the busy Bees but they have gone to bed for the winter.Sleep tight little brothers and sweet dreams to all of you.
Yesterday I spent the morning finishing my house work all the while thinking of my holiday things to do list.We don't go crazy with holiday shopping and like to keep things simple and homey but there are some crafty things I'd like to find time for.This year I would like to make some of these little pods to give away as little Christmas favors. I am thinking I will fill them with candies,toy prizes and maybe some fortunes as well. One of my favorite blogs has recently given me the Christmas craft bug, Natalie over at Chicken Blog made some of the little paper house I love so much and she made paper chains. I think Hrafinstaad will be decked out soon with as many miles of paper chain as I can find paper for.

I found the time yesterday to finally try out making my own muffin pan wrappers/liners using parchment paper. I found this tutorial but really it is so simple you may not need it. All you need are enough 5 inch squares of parchment paper to fill your muffin pan.The tutorial said to use cooking spray to make the papers stick to the insides of the muffin pan but I did not find this step to be helpful at all. I also did not line the pan with the papers first because once I let go of the papers they just popped out.So I modified things and put the papers in as I went along filling.This project is now on my list of "Fussy but kind of worth it" projects. I can't see where there is any money saved since parchment paper can be spendy and store bought liners are so cheap. But I must say once my muffins came out of the oven they were pretty to see. Issac did comment that he liked the parchment liners because none of the muffin stuck to the liner like it will with the store bought liners. Chance had our camera at work so I was not able to show all of you a picture,sorry.
Waaaaay back last spring or so I blogged about Issac having migraine troubles and how I was trying to figure out why and if there was something we needed to eliminate so they would go away.We tried not baking bread which did not work.And once school was out the migraines went away so we worried it was something at school.Since returning to school Issac's migraines have returned, coming about every other week causing him to miss school for a day or two.Well recently when Issac had blood work done the test showed Issac is very low in vitamin D. I did some reading about the side effects of low vitamin D, what do you know, migraine like headaches,muscle aches and fatigue are three of the symptoms that Issac routinely has.The muscles and the fatigue are a point since he is a 16 year old serious athlete. Athletes need vitamin D to make their muscles work and when you are an athlete whose body dose not absorb things right you really got to pay attention.I think that maybe the school/summer connection could be the fact that during the summer Issac is outside in the sun from at least noon until dark,he's getting vitamin D from Dr Sun. I spoke with Issac's doctor about all of this and she agreed it could be the root of Issac's headaches.We have started Issac on some Vitamin D just like the doctor wanted and we are hopeful it works.If it dose not it means a whole different round of doctors and facing yet another yucky drug Issac ,Chance and I don't really want to see Issac have to take.
What is the news from all of you? Has anyone else put their garden to bed for the winter? Any holiday projects going on out there?
I am also wondering if anyone would like to do a holiday cookie recipe swap? If enough people pipe up I can get this started by the weeks end.
Rois

May I find your smile living amongst the stars.

2010-11-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

The past week has been overwhelming,heart aching and the longest week in the longest time.
   It all began last Saturday, a day that was to be filled with homey type things,laundry,shopping and a bit of canning but an email came , "Please call,there's news.Nothing that effects you or me directly but family news none the less" I called and on the other end of the line I heard of my Aunts passing. I was effected and tears rolled. And my heart strings were pulled away from home,down the green valley,past farms and hills I know well.I needed to visit with my Grandparents to stand in the old country graveyard sheltered by giant sized oak trees.To turn and face the rolling farm land with the knowing that this is the perfect place for the two of them to lie.I wanted to make sure they were still there even if it is just a marker upon the earth.To make sure they knew their child was coming soon.
As the car rolled along I thought of my Aunt the Master Quilter and wondered if she left anything undone.I knew it would worry her if she had.I thought of her sewing room with it's neatly folded shelves of rainbows of fabric and spool after spool of threads.
   I thought of my Uncle and cousins with deep quiet.
   Then Sunday came with a heart stopping call,my Dad was on his way to the ER. As I drove to the ER trying my best not to crumble apart I found my inner calm like a voice form far away. "Dad is not in an ambulance,he's being driven into Portland.That's a good thing he will make it through whatever it was." Whew,sigh and a great big Om. Dad spent three days in the hospital for an old mans aliment which would cause him some embarrassment if I shared it here.
During Dad's stay in hospital we talked of his sister,the middle child and only girl child out of the five of them.My Dad's biggest sorrow- he is the eldest, he has been through hell with his body,he should have gone first.To be the big brother and lead the way over.
Tomorrow are the services for my Aunt.There will be other Aunts, a few Uncles and a gathering of cousins.It should be an interesting day spent with this family of mine.You see,we tend to laugh when things are awkward and no one really knows what to do with themselves.When Grandam made a bunch of us go and help her pick out Grandpa's casket it was one joke after another.I picked one with Mt Hood,some trees and a big Buck Deer on the inside of the lid by the deceased persons face."Hey Grams,Gramps would have loved this one,look- all of his favorite things right there on the lid for him to see." Grandma bought it hook ,line and sinker.She missed my humor because well...who ever heard of such a thing the whole family shopping for a casket.
I have manged to hold myself together this week until today when I stopped to buy some cards for my Uncle and two cousins.Standing in a line at a crowded shop I felt the tears there ready to spill again. But there is another family trait that came into play there in that moment. We Linn's are stoic, a skill taught to us from an early age.Suck it up and keep on going.Well...until some moment is so awkward it is followed by silence.The silence is then relived by some corny crack.Then laughter.
The card I bought for my Uncle is partly a quote from "The Little Prince." and here it is-
    "In one of the stars    I shall be living   In one of them   I shall be laughing And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night. ....and there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars....and in the memories of those you love."
    Rois

Nat made me do it.

2010-11-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

What was I thinking?! 140 pounds of Apples,140 pounds! I caved into peer pressure from Nat who kept saying "Take some more, there's plenty.We can settle things later." ("settle later", means we are working out some trading for the apples.) He was so charming about it,like a snake tamer, smooth and casual . All the while Nat was talking I could hear the boys in the back of my head moaning because they had slurped up all of the sauce last year so quickly.And I had Chance there to help me lug 3 recycling bins full of Apples into the house so I caved. I went apple crazy,insanely bonkers,out of my screw noggin'- Must make more !
Ever wonder what 140 pounds of apples looks like? It sounds like this huge amount and it is sort of. Nat has it all figured out,1- 5 gallon bucket weighs 20 pounds.That means Chance and I brought home 7 - 5 gallon buckets of apples home We filled 3 of our curbside recycling bins the city hands out to everyone.
The apples are lovely to see and I don't really think Nat is a snake charmer but I am wondering about getting all of those apples cut,cooked and canned before New Years. I just had not thought through the logistics of the doing part. Duh Rois you have a job now remember? Which means this year I will be making up small batches of Apple Sauce as I can ( Can...ha ha, get it? Can,what a bad pun.) We have worked out many of the homesteading kinks that we have come up with since I am working but canning is going to need more planning in the future.
Issac had a check up today with his gastro doctor,she was a bit mystified that Issac has had no flare ups since his surgery two years ago.Zero,zip and boy are we happy about that. I really do feel that eating the way we do without all of the crap foods or additives is making the difference.I have tried explaining my thoughts about food and Crohns to Issac's doctor but I am not too sure she gets my point.My point being, if a person with Crohn's has this autoimmune system that is always in over drive fighting against the persons own body why add to that fight by eating foods and additives that our bodies* don't know what to do with in the first place.It's kind of like taking the bullets out of a loaded gun, no ammo means no fighting or least not as much fighting.
* Our bodies,that's everyone's bodies.When we eat certain things our bodies don't know what to do with them so it has to work extra hard to process it or stores it because it dose not know what else to do.
I know I have noticed a difference in my own body and with my Crohns as well since we changed our diet.I am now 3 years with out medications and no flare ups.Flares up happen no matter what is what I have been told but I don't know,my own body feels different in a good way and I think is from eating well.
So other than feeling overwhelmed by apples and Issac stumping his doctor things are good.Lots of wintering in things are starting to happen.We are working on putting most of the garden to bed for the winter once done we will bring our energies indoors focusing on wintry inside things.Chance has a list of meats he is wanting to try out.I am going to learn to knit-finally and have a list of small things I'd like to make.And since things have shifted around here somehow I will be figuring out how to make my "mitten"sized house seem bigger than it is.Suddenly the boys and their friends are much larger in size and quantity causing me to think I hear the walls and floor creaking from the house being so full of great big awesome boys and one really swell girl thrown in there somewhere.(that would be Issac's girl,whom I am doing my best not to get to attached to because they are only 16.But she sure is great.)

Rois

PS- Nat still has apples for 25 cents per pound with a 20 pound minimum.If you are interested and live local send me an email and I will get you his info.
Also- Todd,Chance would like to know if you have a blog and about the meat curing get together's you mentioned.

2010-10-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today we brought home my body weight in Apples,I upped the amount once we got to the pick up.

My kitchen is full of trays of drying mushrooms.

My house is full of kids,awesome! No really it is awesome.

We have out of town company and their dog here for the weekend,that's good too.

My house is bursting full like the story of the Mitten,where all of the woodland animals all try to snuggle into one mitten. So the cool wet months begin.

Rois

2010-10-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness I have not been here have I? We have been so busy doing I don't know what; something cause I am one tired lady when I hit the pillows at night.
A few days ago Chance and I slipped away again to pick mushrooms.This time we took our good friend Ms A with us,she had never been and was up for exploring a new adventure.The day was wet and even though we had all worn good clothing we came home so wet that we could wring our clothes out.The wet did not put a damper on us though I think the thrill of the hunt was over riding swampy feet and and dripping hats.While out Ms A was worried she was slowing down Chance and I since she felt she was not as athletic as we two.Me athletic? That's something I have not heard since I was a teen running around the soccer fields,it made me chuckle.In hindsight I see now that I do have a certain amount of agility when walking in the woods, a certain boldness, a sureness I don't think I walk with in the city. I trust my feet to be where they need to be so I can pay attention to everything else that is around me.
Ms A quickly caught on that there are some skills one needs for mushroom hunting that take time,knowing where the mushrooms may be the biggest one and then there is this little waft on the air that is the smell of mushrooms.So faint it is hard to sort it out from the general scent of "The Woods" .So mushroom hunting is not about speed or being athletic, it is about carefully looking as you go for those tender morsels popping their heads out from under the duff. You gotta slow down and trust your other sense and yourself.
This round of picking was not as bountiful but we did bring home 4 pounds which we divided evenly so Ms A would have some mushrooms to squirrel away for winter.
Today Chance and The Cousin are going bird hunting and mushroom picking.Today the boys will look for my single most favorite mushroom the Hedgehogs. Chance and I don't always get around to finding Hedgehogs,they grow on the other side of the Willamette Valley from us so if Chance brings some home it will be a grand thing.Hedgehogs are a darling little story book like mushroom,the color of a toasted marshmallow and they have little quills on their under sides that give them their names.Besides having the typical musky mushroom flavor ,Hedgehogs also have a mild black pepper flavor which is what makes them my all time favorite.Good luck boys, I know I gave you a ton of ribbing about going with out me,only because I think the day is bitter sweet.Bitter because I am not going,sweet because you two are.But I love you both any way.
I said this last year when I wrote about mushroom picking but it is so important I am going to say it again.( and I will most likely say it again next year.) Only go mushroom picking for the first few times with someone who really knows what they are doing.Someone whom you trust literally with your life.It is so easy to pick the wrong thing which can cost you your life. And remember this golden rule of my Dad's " When in doubt go without." This goes for any wild edible,period,end of story.

Other than spending stolen days in the woods life has been busy.I think Chance and I have finally found our new homesteading groove.Things are getting done in a different way, but they are done.I now have an even firmer grip on the thought that baking can be done just before bedtime if it means there's good things to eat.See that goes back to my really old idea that if I did not get the bread dough going and baking by noon I was a failure.What was I thinking? Really? That is so lame. Why did I think that? I threw that one out awhile ago but now it is even more important to remember.
The rains have returned.I could boo who in my tea cup but that would be a waste of time.There's no avoiding the rain so pull on some good boots and get marching along. Even thought the garden is now a soggy mess I still have not pulled it.Not because of the rain but because Chance has incorporated so much of the jungle-ly mass into his Halloween Spook-ville that pulling it all up will have to wait another week.
My apples will be here in the next couple of days. I am glad this year that apples will keep for a bit.It may end up I pick up the apples on one of my days off and then stashing them until I have another day.Apple butter is a longer process so I will need a whole day for it.
Well not much news and it is time for me to get moving.It's time to raise the boys from the dead and get them off to school.We have company coming this evening and I also have a few last minute things to do before I leave for my day at work.
Rois

October Can Jam | Homemade Sriracha «

2010-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! This has just hit my Must Make list. I don't know if any of you love Sriracha but we do.I don't mind buying it but nay time we can do for ourselves it is even better.

October Can Jam | Homemade Sriracha «: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Home

2010-10-18T17:44:00.000-07:00


Chance's 1st batch of Chicken sausages.

I came home yesterday from a very busy day at work to the yummy smell of sausages cooking.Chance had spent his day at home cooking ,baking and making up a whole storm of food. Chance made us this lovely pile of chicken,sun dried tomato and basil sausages,it was his first try at sausages and all I can say is,he had better make some more because they were a huge hit.

Besides making the sausages he made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for lunch boxes and a pot of squash soup.The cookies of course were half gone by this morning when I packed the lunches and the soup was slurped up at dinner.

Although our summer garden did not produce as much as last years our fall/winter garden is looking hopeful.All 10 of our Broccoli plants now have blooms on them,the Kale and Pac Choi are both coming along as well.The fall beets are slowly growing but I think we have lost the carrots.The Swiss Chard from the spring planting is still putting out and will last at least until a hard frost comes.
The hens are slowing down on their laying, way to early if you ask me. The slowing of the egg laying is making me think it is time to thin out our flock a bit.We have 3 older birds who I know are no longer laying which means they have become extra mouths to feed with no benefit to feeding them.There are 2 other hens who I am not sure about as well and since they are only 1 1/2 years old I may wait a bit to decide what we will do with them.
The 100 pounds of Apples we ordered will be here in the next couple of weeks.After looking back through my homestead journal* I think this year I will can more apple sauce and less apple butter only because the boys inhale the sauce so fast and I'd like to have it around longer this winter/spring.
* Do any of you keep a journal of gardening and canning? I started ours last year to help me keep track of what I planted,where I purchased or how much I purchased and how much it yielded. I also have a section for the chickens,their "birth-dates" ,breed,temperament and their laying habits. And I have a list in my journal of the u-pick places I went to with, what and when I bought from them and the price per pound.Some households have their coupon files I have my homestead journal.(speaking of coupons,have you ever noticed how useless most of them are when you cook from scratch?)
I feel as if I have not had any great things to share here in a long time.With the growing year so slim and me returning to work it's all so different this year.We have settled into my work routine but are still figuring out how to fit in the homesteading projects.Months ago one of the readers here asked me how I do it all.My answer was I am home full time.I am now seeing why she was asking her question.How I will mange it all is yet to be seen.I am lucky that Chance and the boys are great help with work around home.But it has always taken the whole family to keep a homestead running smoothly so I suppose we are just returning to the roots of homesteading in yet another way.
Long ago my Grandfather said to me "When you see something beautiful or something that makes you stop and smile,that is God reminding you He see's you and is watching over you.Never feel alone in the world." I have been thinking of that lately, often and with pleasure.The weather here has been story book perfect,cool and crisp in the mornings followed by crispy sunshine by afternoon.The leaves are starting to turn a rainbow of colors and I can smell the wood smoke drifting in the neighborhood.Apple weather. I am not a church kind of person but have a deeply seated belief in a higher power that has many names.These days I find myself feeling greatly loved and blessed by the world around me,even if the garden was slim and there are no eggs.

Rois

YouTube - The Ten Commandments of the Native American Indians

2010-10-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today I honor my Great- Great Grandparents who walked the Trail of Tears. I am fortunate to be able to say that ancestors on both sides of my family made this horrible journey and lived to carry on.
Rois

YouTube - The Ten Commandments of the Native American Indians: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Mushrooms and A Chantrell-moblie in the kitchen

2010-10-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful sunny fall day and Chance and I spent it in the woods mushroom hunting.It is not often we go on this kind of trip just the two of us and Sol left for school this morning with a very disappointed face.
We spent around 3 hours poking through the woods and we saw lots of interesting mushrooms along our way. I am hoping Farmer Deville will stop here and name some of them from the photos.

I think someone once told me this is a Cauliflower Mushroom.

This is the same mushroom as above just poking out of the soil.

I have never seen this one before.It was amazing.

Check out that funky green that did not show up until I shot the photo.

What we were hunting for today were Chantrells,our favorite wild mushroom to eat.Last year we found a bumper crop all in one area.Today's journey took us three stops in different areas.We did not bring home as many as we had hoped for but a day spent in the woods is never a waste no matter what.
. Driving up the road to our final stop we came head to head with a logging truck,ack! Chance had stopped our truck to look at something along the side of the road when I looked up and out the front window I shouted "Logging Truck!" Chance had to back the truck down the road about 3/4's of a block before there was a spot we could pull over.Back road/ logging road tip: Logging trucks stop for nothing,it is up to you to look out for them and you have to figure out how to get out of their way.Loggers are paid by the load,time is money they have no time to stop.
Last year when we brought our Chantrells home we put them in the freezer.This worked fine but the mushrooms were much more soggy than we really wanted them. This year we are drying the Chantrells.Two of our preserving books say that this is the preferred method of preserving Chantrells.Chance strung the mushrooms on some heavy string.He then took this funky laundry drying rack we have and hung it from the kitchen ceiling.The drying rack has clips that Chance attached the strings of mushrooms to.Both preserving books say to hang the mushrooms above the Aga/ stove where it warm and dry but we don't have the right kind of space there.The books also say that the drying should only take 3-4 days,the books say the mushrooms will look wizened.

Some of the Chantrells before they were strung up.

Our Chantrell mobile,right in the middle of the kitchen.

It was hard to pull ourselves away from the woods today.The weather was perfect ,warm fall sunshine that will leave us soon,the wind whispering in the trees,the knocking of a woodpecker near by and just each other for company.

Rois

Priceless!

2010-10-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Having a man who can fix just about anything- Priceless!

Having a washing machine running again- also Priceless !

Finding enough lose change in the washers filter to buy a large Latte- Puzzling!

I really am endlessly grateful for Chance's abilities to fix just about anything. There really was enough change in the washers filter to buy a Latte,a grande one at that.The whole filter was full of slime coated coins,ew.No wonder the thing would not run today.

I am off to do the laundry,
Rois

P.S I later counted the change from the washers filter and it came to $7.23,enough for 2 Grande Lattes.

Overcoming Pie Crust fear and my twist on Mincemeat.

2010-10-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

I started this posting last week and never got around to finishing it until now,better late than never I hope.

    Once upon a time I blogged that I have a fear of making pie crust because I come from a looooong line of amazing bakers,who made these light flaky crusts you can only get with lard.In the past I have left the making of pie crust up to Chance who dose not share this family history with me,who will willingly use butter and just get the job done.
Even farther back in blog history I wrote about the boys buying me Grand Central Bakery's baking book,smart move boys. I have finally overcome my fear of pie crusts thanks to that book.One day I needed pie crust and Chance was not around so I bit the bullet and made one.Easy as pie,yup now I get the meaning of that phrase.
   The pie crust is made with butter not lard so you don't get the flakes but it is a good crust.The trick is to keep everything cold and you are good to go.The book even suggest to put the flour you will be using in the fridge.Now I figure if I can get over my fear maybe someone else will too having now heard of my brave deed.
When I was home on Tuesday I went to the store for a few things and right in the middle of the produce section I had a brain storm,"why just make apple pie,I could try and make a meatless mincemeat filling" I knew I had at least most of what I would need.Minus the meat some people put in their mincemeat and minus the suet or lard.(there's that lard thing again,makes me feel fat just thinking of it.)
Once home I slipped into my favorite apron,I was once again wearing black on a baking day,and pulled out the cook books that would most likely have mincemeat filling recipes.I mumbled over four different recipes and finally came up with my own twist based on what I had at home,how much time I wanted to spend and what I thought made sense.Here's what I did.There is no recipe to it just what I did,lots of handfuls and pinches but hopefully you will get the idea.

Hrafinstaad's Mincemeat:
6 medium sized tart apples
A handful each of dried apricots,apples and some raisins (your choice of color)
About 1 cup of Orange juice.
Some cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon.How much depends on how spicy you want your pie.I most likely used 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and cardamon and 1/4 of a teaspoon of the nutmeg.
I cored the apples but did not peel them.Next I cut the apples in to walnut sized chunks.Chopped the apricots into slivers.I then put all of the first list of things into an oven proof pot and baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes.I wanted the apple chunks to be still a bit firm.I gave the pot a stir a couple of times while it was baking.
Once I had the pot out of the oven I added in about 1/3 of a cup of marmalade. I added marmalade because all of the mincemeat recipes I have called for candied orange peel and I did not have any but wanted the orange flavor. Then I added in 1/2 a cup of apple butter.I added the apple butter to bulk up the filling and to add more spiced apple flavor.I stirred it all together and chopped at the apple chunks with the spoon.I left most of the apple chunks whole.Fill a pie shell and I baked the pie until the top was golden brown,maybe 30-45 minutes.
   The pie was good.Nice chunks of still firm apple, I had worried by pre-cooking and then baking the apples would turn soft but they did not.I loved the spicy orange undertones as well.One thing you might have noticed is I did not add any extra sugar to the filling,the marmalade and apple butter took care of that for me.By not adding any extra sugar the pie was slightly tart but the orange and spices made it rich which balanced out in the end.The raisins were nice little pops of sweetness too.I am going to keep this recipe in my files,it may be a tasty new addition to the holiday season.Next time I would also like to add some walnuts just to see how that would be.
   On page two of the Hrafinstaad News you will find that,Chance has decided to make one of our wine barrels into a smoker for meat.In one of our books there is a how to so he is going to give it a try.Once he has built it I will be sure to post more and the exact reason why use a wine barrel for a smoker.I am sure it has to do with flavor.
Page three is all about how one of our young poulets is a rooster. I have been watching this fellow for awhile now.What stated me watching was as his feathers grew in I noticed his feathers on his back, right by his tail were laying like a saddle a sure sign you have a rooster.Then I noticed he has longer tail feathers as well and Chance spied spurs growing.I am sure there will be an ad in the Hrafinstaad News Classified section soon looking for a new home for our Roo.
The final section of news,the Parenting section.Today's advice,always remember what it was like to be your child's current age when issues come up.A wise man once said that to us and it has been the best nugget of information when it comes to raising kids.Even when you are talking about being 16.

Ever notice?

2010-09-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that little box on the right hand side of my blog, the Lijit one.One of the options is to look through the recent readers,I have a habit of when I check in here I check the recent readers list.It can be interesting to see who has stopped by and where they live.It even shows if the person was searching for something.Mostly I see chicken butchering,killing cones-how to make and the other big one is the search for the differences in types of chickens used for cooking.
Just now I checked that little gizmo and whoa horse what did I read? Paris, France searching for "butchered girls". Oh lord that is grim sounding and kind of freaked me out.Lets all just hope that some how something did not translate the way it should have.

Today I have been tinkering with my own version of mincemeat for pie.We will be having said pie for dessert and I'll fill everyone in once the votes are in.

Rois

No steam for a battle

2010-09-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Today Chance and I made what we thought would be just a couple of phone calls. Easy right? Just punch in the numbers,wait for someone to pick up and quickly get the business at hand done.But no that was not how the cards were stacked and laid out for us today.
All we wanted was to find out the final sum owed on Issac's hospital bill,we have been waiting 6 months for this answer and to make a doctors appointment.Did we find the answer to our questions? Not really.
The hospital and the insurance company are still arguing over minuet points concerning why did a 16 year old boy have his gallbladder removed.Geez mister insurance man, I don't know, maybe because the dang thing was impacted with stones and causing great pain.
I think the insurance company is irked that they keep having to pay out for Issac.The staff knows him by name after all. We can't possibly be the only family with a sick kid on the face of this planet.I know we are not. The last time we were at the hospital right down the hall from Issac they held a Going Home Party for some child.Those parties are extra special,it means the kid going home has been there longer than 60 days.My kids longest stay of 2 weeks is a drop in the bucket compared to 60+ days so pay up mister insurance man!
Then there's the doctor's office.I know my kid is not the only kid in the world and is just another patient.I know that his Gastro doctors office is one of two pediatric offices in the city.But really I call you telling you my kid is having some issues and not well at all and you tell me 3 weeks until he can be seen? Our regular Pediatrician will bump someone who is just coming in for a well child check if there is a child with a greater need.The last time we had to wait so long Issac ended up in the ER waiting to go to surgery at midnight.
I have no steam for this battle today. Chance was home this morning helping with the calls so I was not totally alone, a fact I am truly grateful for but none the less I am at a stand still.
In the past I have kept my chin up and my feet moving forward.This time I just want to sit in a dark corner and do nothing.In my last posting I wrote about Issac giving me so much courage and it is true he does but today there are things I don't want him to worry about or maybe not even notice.I don't want him to think about the money to pay the bills because I don't want him to feel the guilt I do over my own bills.I don't want him to worry about getting to the doctors in time.I want him to believe he can make it through the next three weeks.
Today there is no way to kiss it and make things better . I just need to find my inner calm so I can build up my steam again,put my chin up and take a step forward.The meaning of Issac's name is laughter, today I will focus on that along with all of the other good things in our lives.

Rois

Beautiful Blogger Award,aw shucks!

2010-09-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow blogger Alison sent me a Beautiful Blogger Award here is why-

I am sending you this "beautiful blogger award" because you are a beautiful person, and I learn a lot from your blog. You are one of my inspirations and I though that you might enjoy doing this activity - Alison

Well,aw shucks Miss Alison,thanks for the kind words.The Beautiful Blogger Award is part chain letter and partly a way to say "gee,I think your blog is great" .There are two "rules" to the award,I have to write about 10 things you may not know about me (gulp) and pass the award on to someone else.

My Ten things about me:

1. A few years ago I had major surgery and after wards the epidural for my pain meds came out so I had no pain meds for 5 hours after surgery because my nurse thought I was some sort of freak or something.Ever since then I can not watch any kind of medicine based T.V show. I get a full blown panic attack,even writing this makes me a bit off.
2. I have studied three languages - French,Russian and Hmong. I understand all three when spoken to but will have to answer mostly in English.
3. I love shoes.If I had the money I would have a huge collection of them.Not high heels though just nifty shoes and boots.
4.When I was 5 I had a pet Turkey who laid me an egg everyday.At the end of my year in Kindergarten my teacher was moving on to a farm.I gave her my Turkey as a house warming gift and to show her how much I loved her.
5. If I could, I would eat Mango and Sticky Rice every single day and never tire of it.
6. Our son Issac gives me so much courage when it comes to having Crohn's Disease.He has taught me to be strong and keep going because what other choice do you have? He is my Crohnie (ha ha bad pun)
7. Out of all the things I do and make I can not knit.Learning to knit is on my winter to do list.
8. As a kid I thought Earwigs (the bug) would crawl up your neck and bite you on the ear, which would cause a little curly wig like the old lady down the street wore to grow on your ear.
9. I think ever kid should go to camp at least once in their lives.Even as an introverted child camp helped me to blossom and grow up.
10. I feel at home the most in the woods.

Rois

Making your own brown sugar and joyful noise came to visit.

2010-09-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

This morning as we were prepping for a visit from The Cousins, Chance made Brown Sugar.Last week I had found a posting somewhere that I have lost, I found the how to and the why make it yourself,Chance just beat me to the doing of it.It really is so simple that I am not to sure I will bother buying bagged brown sugar anymore unless I am doing some sort of maga baking project.
The reasoning behind making your own as I read it on the forgotten website is it is actually cheaper.Which is a good enough reason to make it but not my true reason for making it.At one of our local co-op markets they sell my favorite brown sugar which is as dark as black strap molasses but it is spend-y and rare treat.So now I can try to recreate that brown sugar and have it all the time.

Chance's Brown Sugar

All you have to do to make your own brown sugar is take some white sugar (how ever much you think you will be wanting) put it in a bowl (Chance used our Kitchen Aid mixer to do this part) and start stirring in some molasses until you have the color and flavor you want it to be.Since you have now altered the moisture in the sugar you will need to store it in an air tight container. Chance did not measure any of this he just kept adding the molasses until he got the color he wanted.Next time I am going to try and add more of the molasses to see how close to the co-op's I can get.
Maybe not everyone keeps molasses in their cupboards like we do so if you are making this for the first time and have to buy molasses this won't seem like a money saver.But I bake with it often so already have the molasses on hand so it seems kind of like a freebie to me.

A band of cousins,let the wild rumpus begin!

Today my Cousin and his three kids came for lunch and a visit.As you can see from the photos after lunch the kids pulled out most of the musical instruments and had their own jam session,it was a rumpus in some ways but mostly a very joyful noise. And can you believe your eyes? Do you see that rare thing in the back ground? It's called a girl child! Oh my we need those around more often what a great change of energy.

Miss Z playing the didgeridoo.

Wild Mushroom Pirogi

We had a pot luck lunch of Lasagna, Swiss Chard and Chick Pea wilted Salad and Wild Mushroom Pirogi.The menu was an attempt to feed all tastes. The Wild Mushroom Pirogi was my attempt to keep reminding Cousin and us that we are going mushroom picking soon,it's written in stone now.I tried to be a little creative with the dough scraps,those are suppose to be mushrooms on the top.

Hrafinstaads soon to be rain barrels.

Shortly after the Cousins left our neighbor stopped by he had something for us if we could drive across the neighborhood to get them,two wine barrels for free. We had asked the neighbor a while ago about his wine barrels he turned into rain barrels,he said he would let us know if he could get some more.Well these two were suppose to be for his parents who decided they did not want them after all.The barrels were going to be just put out to the curb for free but then they remembered us and so now they are here.One of them will live in the flower bed along our front walk way near our front door.I think it's going to look nice.First we will need to find plugs for their bung holes and Chance will build a platform for them to sit on.I am still not too sure it make sense in wet Oregon to keep the rain barrels but the idea behind them is a good one so we shall see if they are worth it or not.
Other than all of that life is good.Yeah sure our garden sucks this year but I don't feel so bad about that anymore.After talking with several friends around town who are either professional gardeners or have gone through the Master Gardener program I now know that even our "better educated" gardening and homesteading friends are having a bad garden year.Whats the saying? Misery loves company?

Rois

senfgurken: vengeance will be mine! « Culinaria Eugenius

2010-09-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

senfgurken: vengeance will be mine! « Culinaria Eugenius: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The other day I found an almost too big cucumber in the garden that was a bit yellow,oops.I brought it in and Issac asked me if it was any good? Maybe,maybe not was my answer.Issac suggested pickling it.No,it's too late for that,pickles are done.
I wish I had seen the linked recipe above maybe I could have saved the cuc from the compost bin/chicken snack bar. Now I know and have book marked the page. After taking time to grow our own food I really don't like wasting the investment,this recipe is inspiring me to find more ways or recipes that use up those "oops I over looked that ___" things we grow.

Rois

Homesteading bliss.

2010-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

   Today was a good homesteading day filled with wintering in tasks and getting things in order for the coming week.The sun was out with it's slanted fall sparkle to it making weeding a not so bad job.
My shrine to St.Elizabeth is working and all of my baking came out perfect.My only baking related question currently is: How is that whenever I decide to bake I am wearing black? Thank goodness for my lovely collection of vintage aprons.
    The changing weather means that soon it will be time to hunt for mushrooms again.The word on the grapevines is the Chantrells are just starting to peek out.

Chantrell Mushrooms

Until next time,
Rois

Pickles and Chickens

2010-09-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

After spending the past few days in bed with the flu which is the biggest waste of time to me and a pain in the backside all around, I am up and feeling mostly myself and ready to check in with all of you.

I asked Chance for his input,thoughts, ideas or his maybe next time I would___ about pickles and here is his answer.
It was easy.And I really should get in touch with Portland Charcuterie about curing meat and making pickles.( Ah yeah?! Stop talking and do it already! )

Chance's Pickles.

   Ok then,I guess that's it.I will add though he canned up 19 Quart jars from 20 pounds of cucs, that are now sitting in the pantry letting their magic work.We use my Grandmother's recipe that dose not tell you how long to process or how long to let them sit before you pop a jar open so we use the Ball Canning Book's guide lines.15 minutes processing and about 6 weeks of fermenting time.But really with Pickles the longer you can resist the urge to open a jar the better.Last falls Pickles hit their prime late Spring.I really do love Grandma's recipe especially the one scant cup of salt part with no naming of which kind of salt or what is a scant cup by the way Grandma?

As some of you may know we have a handsome Rooster named Zephaniah who is the father of our 3 homegrown pullets that hatched this summer.When we brought Zeph home we told the neighbors if his crowing is bugging you please let us know and we would re-home him. The time has come, Zeph needs a new home,a neighbor whom we respect greatly commented on how vocal he has become.We are hopeful he can live at our friends farm out in the country where Zeph can go and be his loud and handsome self. I will miss that guy,he's been a great Rooster who took good care of his flock of girls.
There's more news from the chicken yard as well.The Mama Hen has gone Broody again.It is totally the wrong time of year for this since the warm weather will be gone before chicks could become steady on their feet.This time around we are not letting her sit on any eggs.That dose not mean she is not trying really hard to sit.Her story is a funny yet sad one here it is.
Mama has no eggs in her nest and when one dose get laid there we take it hoping she will just get the idea, nope.Chance put a block of wood in her nest to keep her from sitting and so the other hens wouldn't lay in Mama's nest.Mama still tried to sit, on the block of wood! Ok, so now what? We are now letting the hens out every day to roam the yard and picking Mama up and forcing her to get off the nest.We then shut the coop door until evening.Mama now struts around with her tail fluffed up looking like a turkey's tail growling at everyone and thing.Poor Mama,poor, poor Mama.All of those hormones going to waste and a bad case of Chicken PMS.Watching her go through all of this has put a thought in my head or maybe I should say phrase- "bird brain". Only a bird brain would try and hatch a block of wood.
This is kind of a lazy way to keep a hen from being broody,kind of. The other way to discourage a hen from going broody is to put her in a small cage that is only big enough for her to take a couple of steps.A kind of solitary confinement to get her to snap out of it.When we had an old cage we did this but sometimes it just seemed to not really work and even though we go about things with a certain amount of farmer's sensibilities it just gave me flash backs to all of the film footage out there of those God awful commercial chicken "farms".
   Make your own choice either way it takes a week or so for the Hen to get it over with.

   The last bit of chicken news.Our three Pullets now have a nickname,"The Bearded Ladies". All three have been graced with the Americanas beard from Zeph. Every time I look at them their markings change just a little bit.The two with the Gold Lace Wyandotte coloring are losing the light colored hoods they had but are still lovely.And the other black and white has the best coloring in her beard, a salt and pepper effect.I wish the trio would hold still long enough to get a good photo to share here.
( I stopped here due to Sol begging me to see if the Peach Crisp I made this evening was just right for eating.It was and bowls full topped with vanilla ice cream were enjoyed.)

Other than pickles and chicken news what has been going on?.... I have been collecting seed heads from various things in the garden for next years garden,our cool weather crops are looking more hopeful than the ones we planted in the Spring.We shall see how long that lasts since we are due for La Nina weather this fall/winter bringing us even more rain than we had last spring (of course,go figure we live in Oregon after all.) and sometimes colder temps.
    I can't remember if I mentioned this but if you have fruit trees you may come to realize that every other year there seems to be no or little fruit.This year we are having a no fruit year. I have also noticed that it is also a no spider year here at Hrafinstaad.Usually by now I am walking through the yard waving my hand in front of me to knock the webs down before I walk through them.There have always been spiders despite us having the chickens so why there's no spiders this year is a mystery to me.I understand the fruit tree cycle but no spiders has never happened here before.I have also noticed tons more wild bees,3-4 different kinds in fact.This is good,those poor little things are dieing out all over and we need to them to keep the world fed.I don't know if we are seeing a rise in them because we now have several plantings they really like or if they fared better this past winter.Having this kind of relationship with the world around me is important to me,it keeps me from forgetting that I owe the Earth stewardship in exchange for all the Earth gives us.
Right after taking note of the fruit trees,the spiders and bees I read a book by Barbara Kingsolver called "Prodigal Summer".Ms Kingsolver's name may ring a bell, she also wrote "Animal, Vegetable,Miracle" Prodigal Summer is what I consider a "chick book" (not my normal genre) but I enjoyed it for it's message about how inner connected and important the circle of life is.I would recommend this book not for the romance that comes and goes but for the conversations about how dependent one life is on another and how little most know about this.
Wow,this post is a bit long so I am closing for now before anyone's eye cross.
Rois

unclutter your life – give your stuff away

2010-09-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

unclutter your life – give your stuff away: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hey everyone I just found this and wanted to encourage people to think it over and maybe try it in their neighborhoods. Early in the summer Chance and I went to a near by neighborhoods "Take it or Leave it Day" event it was very much like this and a huge success.
Events like these have so many good points to them and all of them are listed on the website,go check it out.

I will have Chance's Pickle Report in the morning.

Rois

Today

2010-09-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today Chance will be canning our Pickles by himself.This is part of the new era we are living in, dividing up the homestead work we once did together so things keep going.I'll post later with his thoughts on his first solo canning project.

Rois

A mile long to do list.

2010-08-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

I was awoken this morning at 6:15 by the rumbling of a roofing company's truck making a delivery,not my idea of a pleasant way to wake up on a day "off" but it means I am now able to be here writing.

I have a to do list that is right around a mile long or only seems a mile long because some of it is time sensitive.Here is my list:

Make Pickles before the pickling cukes are gone for the year. ( My family will revolt if I don't make this deadline happen.) The lids from last years jars are marked 9/10/09 so maybe I have a few more days to get my cuckes.

Make Strawberry Jam- this one has wiggle room,the berries are still in the freezer so time wise I am covered,whew, maybe this can go farther down the list.

Pick some late Peaches for the freezer,if it dose not happen today or tomorrow it won't happen.(Winter Sunday breakfasts just won't be the same without them, better make it happen.)

Call Senior Services to ask for help with/for my Dad,if I am lucky this will only take one call from which I will not be dropped. It's time for extra help in the home for Dad,he as fallen twice within two weeks and is losing things. The sooner he has more help the better, so this is top of the list.

Call Dad's Doctor-see above as to why.

Remember at dark to move the now not so little chicks and their Mama to the big coop. The now Poultes are out growing the Broody House so into the Big Coop they need to go.Mama still won't willingly roost with the other chickens so I think it is time to force it.

I already ordered 100 pounds of Apples for Apple Sauce and Butter so making those can wait until October when the Apples arrive.Yes, I did write 100 pounds last years 82 pounds was not enough to keep us in Apple Sauce, we ran out by March.When you have two boys who can sit down and lick clean a quart jar of Apple Sauce before you have realized they opened the jar, 100 pounds of Apples is necessary.

Get the boys ready for school to start. Sol needs shoes,can't send the baby to school without them and both boys still need a handful of supplies.School supplies that sounds easy and so do the shoes right? Not when it has to be this certain Binder that zips and is so many inches thick and the right color. That's the boys demands not the schools but they are kind of right since the other Binders just fall apart after week one and I am back at the store shopping Again. Finding the right shoes is a mystery and when I figure it out I'll let you know. I have until Monday evening to get this one done, somehow I must capture the boys and force them to be home long enough for me to stick them in the car and zoom away with them.

Maybe that dose not seem to bad to some of you but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it. Somewhere amongst all of the things to do I have gone back to work so my time has been shortened here at home.I am happy to be working again but it hind sight maybe if the universe had sent me my job mid-September things could have been better organized. I feel like I am re-learning how my life works or how to juggle this new era. I read some place that Chance and I are called the Sandwich Generation- still caring for our own kids and taking care of aging parents.Wow, how dose that work? I mean, I know people get there because of timing and all, but how do they do it? I have all of these balls I am juggling around , teen boys, my Mom, my Dad (geez it would have been swell if they were still together,one stop helping.) a job, Chance,the house and oh yeah Homesteading.
Someplace in that pile of balls is the tricky one,the wild card out of them-the emotional side.That ball has a mind of its own and rares its ugly head as it sees fit.Watching your parent slip into Alzheimer's is scary unknown territory with out a map or a how to guide.Then there are the boys who's needs from us are changing,we are now the parents of young men, not little boys, a thing that pulls at our heart strings.

This summer has been like Dorthy and Toto swirling in the tornado with all of that stuff whipping by.Chance and I sit in the eye of it looking around thinking "I don't think we are at Hrafinstaad anymore" But it will all clam down and we will land safely back at Hrafinstaad.School will start for which I am more grateful this year than any other-life with the boys will be forced into a slower pace.Senior Services will be called and the Doctor as well.Appointments made, Jars filled and neatly placed in the pantry,Peaches will be frozen,Work days will come and go.It's just getting the hang of it and putting everything down on my mile long to do list.

Rois

poppytalk: Back to School: How to Make a Snack Bag

2010-08-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

While I am busy training at work,hosting out of town guests and getting the boys ready for school I wanted to share this video with you.
I am always looking for ideas for things that can replace throw away items.Even though somethings are recyclable I still feel like by making more reusable/washable things I am cutting down on waste and pollution,it still takes power and resources to recycle that are on a larger scale than throwing my homemade things into a load of wash.
The fold down top is an extra nice touch to these bags,ever have sticky lunch goo stuck in Velcro?Not so nice.I am going to have find some cloth that will fit into our household style, not too girlie, not to little kid something just right.
poppytalk: Back to School: How to Make a Snack Bag: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Sorry I have not been here much.This summer has become a beast of its own and has me realizing that Chance and I have entered into a new phase in our lives. It is giving me much to think through and the need for a new game plan that has yet to manifest its self.

Rois

That's a lot of chips

2010-08-13T08:32:00.000-07:00


That's Prime Metal Man hanging on the garage,even he is saying -Oh my that's a lot of chips!

Many months ago Chance and I called to be put on a waiting list for a load of free wood chips from the local power company.When I talked with the lady in the office she asked me "Are you sure? It can be like 5 pickup truck beds full." Yes, we wanted them even if it did seem like a lot of chips. This week the trucks have been in our neighborhood trimming the trees away from the power lines and finally yesterday they dumped our load of chips in the driveway. Not 5 pickup truck beds full but it is still a big pile.


Half way across the yard.

Chance and I started by filling the path in the backyard.We filled the path to the top of the stones knowing the chips would compress down after a while. We also put some around the back garden near the chicken coop, around our old apple tree and under the big fir tree in our breeze way.


Hmmmm,there's still a lot of chips left.

We still have a big pile of chips to figure out where to put.We can put some in the compost and around our climbing rose but after that I am at a loss as to where to put this big pile. I am wondering about along our driveway since that's a spot come winter gets pretty wet and muddy. It seems like a useful place and somehow we can make it look nice as well.

Other than that.... Well, Chance put the Mama hen back into the big coop with the rest of the chickens.It was time,she was starting to pick on the chicks and they have not spent time together in over a week now.Two signs it was time for the next stage. We are leaving the chicks in the Broody house until they are a bit bigger.We have been making sure to let all of the chickens loose so they could socialize and get used to each other.That has been going fine with only a few moments where the chicks have been chased off.

And my other news is I am returning to work today. I used to work for a local shoe store called Clogs-n-More, my local readers are probably familiar with this Mecca of Dansko's. When Issac got SO sick with his Crohn's a couple of years ago I left Clogs-n-More to take care of Issac. I was sad to leave because I liked my job,co-workers and you couldn't ask for a better company to work for.Well, not only do they sell adult shoes but they also have a kids store,there was an opening there and I applied and start work today.I am excited, I am returning to work for a company I like and I can put my preschool teaching skills to work as well. And honestly I need to be working outside of home.My brain needs the fuel,I need more interaction with people and extra money is always a good thing. I am only working part time which will be perfect for us as a family.I can still be home in time for dinner and homework and have time for homesteading projects.
Oh and the other bit of family news that is just as exciting as my job,Sol has a new guitar teacher.This is huge for Sol and since he has been at Camp all week he dose not know yet.We had been working on the lessons deal before Sol left but it had not been finalized. Sol is really in to learning to play Delta Blues slide guitar,had started lessons until his teacher had a big ball of life happening and Sol has missed the lessons.Even without lessons Sol has been practicing what he had learned,that is how passionate he is about his music.This Monday will be Sol's first lesson with a local musician who plays this same type of guitar. Also check out this link,it's my favorite video of him.
I must go now,it's my first day of training and I really should not be late.I hope you get to take a walk on the sunny side of the street today, I know I will be!

Rois

Recycled Kitchen Island

2010-08-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Since the garden,yard and chickens are all just doing their own thing Chance and I have been focusing on some indoor projects.About a week or so ago I had seen a posting elsewhere about using creative items for kitchen storage.The posting reminded me that I was wanting to reorganize our kitchen,then my gears got rolling and then I remembered Chance and I have been tossing the idea around about having a Kitchen Island for extra work space.We remodeled our kitchen about 3 years ago and have yet to come up with an idea that was affordable and one we both liked.

Our little black dresser turned upside down.

When we remodeled the kitchen we had picked for about $10 at a yard sale a small dresser that needed paint and new knobs.The dresser was the perfect size for a niche in the kitchen and the drawers are nice and deep for linens. We painted it black and added extra knobs we had for our cabinets. I started our Island project by moving the dresser where an island would be in our kitchen just to get a feel for wither the island would work for us.It did, then Chance remembered he had a sheet of stainless steel in the shop,could it work as a top? And he had some casters to help raise it up and make the island movable.

Casters taken off an old chair.

The Stainless Steel fit almost perfect (YES!) the only issue was when we set the piece on it hung over and we could not open the top drawer.To solve this Chance built out of some 1x2's a frame that fits the inside of the steel.This frame allowed the top to be raised just enough to still look right and make it so we could open the drawer.Chance attached the wood frame to the dresser with wood screws.He then had to chisel the screw tips off so the drawers would slide in and out smoothly.

All together the project took about an hour to do.The cost was zero dollars since we reused a dresser and everything else was salvaged from various places.


The finished Island.

I am getting used to the island being there so far I have only bumped into a couple of times.I am still used to the old lay out of the kitchen.Besides the island I have been moving things around in the house and reorganizing.With the house being small (1200 sq ft) keeping unused stuff out is important.I am also always looking for ways to store things away.

Little Horse Vase.

Before I go I also wanted to show all of you the little horse shaped vase I found at the Goodwill for under a dollar.The top of the horses mane is where you stick the flowers in.I fell in love with its chunky body,it reminded me of the Fjyord Horses I love so much.Even the shape of the mane is like the way Fjyord's are cut.

It is Scout Camp week! We love the boys to death but dang it is nice to have a long break that has no Mother's guilt attached to it.I don't have to feel bad about having a good time because the boys are having one as well.No playing Mom Taxi, WAY less cooking since Chance and I will just eat left overs and whatever else is easy, and quiet. I am sure later in the week I will start to miss them but until then Ahhhhh.
I am hoping Chance and I can go this afternoon to pick either Blueberries ( I know, it's getting late and I had better do it.) and/or Peaches for the freezer.If not today then maybe tomorrow will work.

Take Care, Rois

DIY Mason Jar Chandelier Kara Pasley Designs | Apartment Therapy San Francisco

2010-08-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

I found this DIY this morning and thought the comment in the article saying "do you have a collection of jars with hopes you'll find something cool to do with them someday" was funny.
Although the chandelier is clever I think I'll use my jars for canning and as drink glasses. What are some ways you use canning jars other than canning?

DIY Mason Jar Chandelier Kara Pasley Designs | Apartment Therapy San Francisco: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Rois

Sigh.... Cafe Da

2010-08-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Cafe Da,served in the finest of glasses a Mason Jar.

       Remember in my last posting how I said I have had Cafe Da on my mind,that yummy coffee float drink from Vietnam? This evening my husband proved to me once again that I made the best choice in life partner,he made me Cafe Da.

To make this yummy drink is super easy all you have to do is:
    Make a pot of coffee
    In a glass put a couple of good sized scoops of ice cream.We used vanilla but any flavor that you like with coffee will work.( Chocolate? Mmmmm Mocha sounds good.Caramel, oh dreamy.)
   Now pour the hot coffee over the ice cream just like when you make a float with soda.Be sure you choose a glass that can take the quick change in temperature. No need to add milk/cream or any kind of sweetener,that's the ice creams job.
   I have never tried this with any of the no dairy ice cream choices out. I think it should work only because it just seems like it should.If anyone tries this with something else that is ice cream-ish let me know 'cause I am curious.
Ok I must say that the combination of coffee and ice cream makes this a favorite treat of mine,two loves in one glass.But what I also enjoy about it is the different temperatures inside the drink,cold,cool and warm all in different bites.
As you can see in the back of the photo I baked today and my newly erected shrine to St Elizabeth seems to be working. I baked Short Cakes for Peach Short Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream. As you may be able to see the pan is still full of cakes,my family chose the Cafe Da's over the Cakes.I find that an ironic point. I baked and it went the way it should but did my family eat any of it? No. Go figure. They will keep and actually the cakes are scone like so breakfast may be Peaches and Cakes minus the ice cream.
If anyone wants the recipe for the Short Cakes let me know,they are easy peasy and more versatile than people think.
Rois

Homesteading?

2010-08-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the past few posting I realize that I have not had any homesteading projects to share.Are we still homesteading? Well, yes we are it's just it seems like I have posted about the daily stuff many times,the garden (which is currently not doing much.) baking (see last post on how that is going.) DIY projects(none in the works right now.) and canning (have not had time but need to get my butt in gear.).
I could tell you that a few weeks ago we bought an ice cream maker at a yard sale for $5,a score! And I now find myself obsessed with the idea of making homemade ice cream and dream of making ice cream sandwiches.Oh but the ice cream treat I am really dreaming and drooling over is Cafe Da, a Vietnamese drink kind of like a Coffee or Espresso Float. The problem with my obsession? Well ah,um, you see I am not suppose to eat ice cream because of my gut issues.I know there are lots of other alternatives out there but nothing replaces good old milk based ice cream.So, I am waiting to make ice cream until I have been super good about what I have been eating (or not eating) and maybe there are extra people around to help eat the whole batch up,that way I won't kill myself or at least not land in the ER by eating ice cream until the tub is empty.
I could tell you that it's X Games week, a once a year Skate Boarding, BMX, Rally Car and Motor Bike competition that is on TV for 4 days running (the boys have recorded all 4 days of it which means I will be one lucky girl and get to watch the prime parts over and over .) What does that mean to me? It means my house will be full of teenagers hooting and cheering for guys like Travis Pastrana, doing flips on his motorbike or Najda whom we have been watching for several years now zipping around on his skateboard with waist length dreadlocks flying.My cupboards will be bare by the end of the games but my sofa will be full of crumbs and that is alright by me,it is once a year and I think it's the most TV my boys ever watch all year.
I can tell you Chance and I are busy getting house and yards ready for a family reunion for my Dad's side of the family,a wish I have had for my Dad for a while now. Dad misses his siblings and I have wanted to do this for him before his memory is too far gone.It's going to be a bitter sweet day in September,good to see everyone but sad due because of why I was motivated to do it.
By the end of today I will have some photos to share of the sitting area I created here out of things we had stored away. I have been wanting to do this project for some time now because the house gets hot, we don't have a family room and some times escaping what the boys are up to is not always easy. I.E see the paragraph above about X Games.Now Chance and I have a place to sit with a drink,a project or book where we can relax in the cool shade.
It has pleasantly cool here making it easy to get work done.My screw noggin' is not getting fried as I weed the gardens and when I sent Chance up to the attic for something I did not have to feel like I was sending him to the burning bowels of Hell.
I will confess that I am a basket case of nerves over having my Dad's side of the family here,I am overly house proud.I had this short list of projects/honey do things for Chance to do and now as I look around my crazed pride is finding things all over the place.Sorry Dearest,your list may be growing but like always I will be there right by your side working our way forwards.

Rois

St Elizabeth

2010-07-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Dear St Elizabeth,

   Since you are the patron Saint of Bakers,The Poor and Sickly Children I am writing to you today to ask you to grace and bless my kitchen.Although I am not a Catholic I do feel you are the one to send my prayers to.You see I am the household baker here,there is a sickly child in the house and somehow I the non-Catholic received at birth the sainted middle name of Elizabeth passed down to me through many generations some of whom the I know were devoted Catholics.
     I need your help you see,real bad.Lately every time I try and bake something goes crazy in the oven.That's terribly wounding to ones ego you know. The oven arched,the cake burned,the cookies were charcoal and now the cake pans over followed into the oven that was just cleaned.Some how there is a curse going on in the kitchen and my family is starting to curse me for one more batch of some sort of burnt sugar.
  Maybe I called the curse upon myself.I had tried to have a conversation with that fellow from China,The Kitchen God,maybe he did not hear my cries of woe due to a language barrier or maybe he's just not taking any calls right now,I don't know.All I know is I need some divine intervention here.Maybe the cursing of my kitchen came about because I turned my back on my own ancestors God and Saints but I have a really good reason for calling on The Kitchen God.I was raised Unitarian and just thought well all roads lead us to God after all what could it hurt to call upon another faiths God.I am guessing this is not so when it comes to the blessings in a kitchen.
  So dearest St.Elizabeth if I build you a shrine in my kitchen,lay roses upon it and light some candles would you, could you, please come and bless my kitchen? I am worried that soon after eating too many batches of charcoaled treats I won't have just one Sickly Child but two and a man and wife as well all with belly aches.

(Ok I know all of you natural medicine people are thinking "But Charcoal is a belly ache cure." I don't think they use burnt cookies for this remedy.)

An evening out

2010-07-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

In a house,someplace down the way a phone is ringing and ringing and ringing some more.Click, whir you hear the answering machine pick up the voice says-

Hello, You have reached The Broody House, so sorry we missed your call.You see this evening is the first evening out for us in a long while if not ever.We have popped down the way to dine out,maybe you have heard of the place? You know The Meadow at Hrafinstaad? Please leave your message after the beep and we will return your call.Beep and then nothing but a dial tone.


Mama Trixie and chicks dine out for the first time.

Mama and the chicks were let out of the Broody house for the first time this evening.it was sweet to see Mama plucking bites of this and that,showing the chicks and then the chicks grabbing it right from Mama's mouth.Pretty soon the chicks had caught on to what Mama had been teaching them and were hunting for their own dinners.

Having our own home grown brood of chicks is still the best thing ever.
Rois

Butchering Chickens or...A Chapter from Lord of the Flies?

2010-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Three Sister's

This past weekend we traveled over the mountains to Eastern Oregon to the hometown of our good friends to butcher half of the 50 chickens we had purchased together.
Way back in March our friends offered to raise meat chickens at their house,living on 97 acres it seemed like 50 chickens would be no problem.The chickens could free range with no problems. But no one thought about what it would really be like to raise 50 roosters and the chaos that would rein over the chicken yard.The mini gangs forming,each with its own corner of the acres that surround the house,the fights over who would sit on top of the feed bins or the tractor.The thumps and bangs as the crazy boys chased each other over, under and through the out buildings.
When we first arrived on that beautiful sun filled day the whole rooster craziness was kind of funny but after a couple of hours it hit us like a truck,this is insanity,it was like a chapter straight out of "Lord of the Flies." but there was no one coming to save us,we had to save ourselves and our friends and quick.


The Smith Ladies and I decked out in our aprons ready to pluck some chickens.

We decided that some of the most aggressive birds HAD to go first maybe then things would calm down a bit.We butchered the 25 birds over two evenings.We chose to butcher in the cooler evening hours so the meat would not spoil and so our friends two little ones would be fast asleep. The morning after the first round of butchering the roosters who were left were much quieter.Was it because they were trying not to draw attention to themselves? Was it because the worst of the group were gone? Not the second because by afternoon we realized we had a few more bullies to take care of.Once the butchering was done life was slowing down and the birds who were left were a much more manageable number.
While visiting we had several conversations about was this really worth it? Yes,maybe,kind of. We all felt like we did not really like buying meat in the stores and if we were going to continue to eat meat we had better be willing to butcher at least part of our own meat.Was it a better value? Kind of,the birds at the half way mark came out to be $6 each,not bad for Free Range chicken meat.The cost ends up evening out in the end.But we are all still pondering the "How to " part.Meaning, how to raise our own meat in a quantity we need without making ourselves CRAZY.
Here at our house raising more than 12 chickens for meat is not an option.And even with that smaller amount of birds our layer hens get pretty ticked off at the company we are forcing upon them.
Our friend brought up that in the past they have had dual purpose birds on hand.These birds were layers whom they considered to be available for butchering.This allowed them to butcher as they needed. But this has never involved 50 roosters just a few hens.
So Chance and I have found that we have come full circle when it comes to the point of how to raise enough of our own meat to feel like we are doing well at it.With living in the city it may just not be possible to raise the amount of meat we would like to be able.Maybe there is a rotation we just have not found yet only time will tell on that point.Even if we lived on many acres would we do it? I think if we lived on a full blown farm we would have other meat we were raising as well so the pressure on the chicken production would be eased a bit.

We still have 25 more chickens to butcher in the fall.We decided with our friends that letting some of them go longer was a good idea since some of the birds were still a bit small.Hopefully things will be quieter at our friends with the craziest birds gone.
The trip was not all work.We did take some time out to visit near by Bend.Issac and Sol made a goal a few years back to go to every skate park in Oregon so of course we stopped at the local skate park so the boys could ride for a bit.One more park checked off their list and a review of "Not so Great" given.

John Boy,Issac's new room mate.

We also strolled through Sister's,just for old times sake.We did spend some time dabbling in the creek on our friends place,it's not deep enough to swim in but wadding around knee deep can be just as nice on a hot dry day.
Issac and Sol found a new friend in the wood shed,John Boy and after dragging him around all weekend for all sorts of adventures Issac was gifted John Boy with the stipulation that he is always present for house parties. At least he is quiet to the point of spookiness, unlike some room mates I have known and I don't have to share my room with him.
Now that we are back I have started my "No,I can't " campaign.I am behind on my own projects,I have canning to do now that the things we are wanting are coming in,I have this blog to write and reading a book while laying in the hammock is a valuable past time that's just like all of the summer fruit,better enjoy it now before the days are gone and we are stuck back indoors for the winter.
Rois

Missing.....

2010-07-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

I miss being here writing some odd rambling tale of homesteading and life but right now my life is just not my own.
I miss sleeping in,my body is so tuned into the 7AM alarm that even if I don't set it my eyes pop open.And even if I don't wake up by 6:45 the baby crow in the trees behind us wakes at exactly 6:55 every single morning DEMANDING its breakfast,NOW.Have you ever tried sleeping through a baby crows yelling, squawking voice? Not easy.
I miss dirt under my finger nails from digging in the garden.I miss having to check the cleanliness of my nails before I shoot a photo for here,I don't want anyone to think "Ewwww,that Rois and her nails."
I miss having time,plenty of time, to do,finish,complete and accomplish without stopping in the middle to run or just never having time to get to It.
I miss Chicken T.V. The best "show" in the world funny,charming,relaxing and yet leaves you wondering if you are becoming some sort of weirdo.
I miss coffee on the porch.Porch dwelling is a big part of our personal culture that is like a ritual.It's a SIN not having coffee on the porch and there is no way to repent.
I miss having my own life.Someone sent out a memo to the world and I think it said this:
Memo To: The world
About: Rois
Message: Guess what? Rois is home full time ask her to fill her days doing what you need done.She's not busy she's home full time after all.
P.S Be sure to need everything at once,on the same day and at opposite ends of town.

What really needs to happen is I need to say NO. After this weekend I can do that and I can have my life back.Not too sure about the sleeping in part,how does one break that kind of habit anyway or get a baby crow to use an indoor voice when it lives outdoors? After this weekend you will find me sitting on the porch with dirt under my nails, gripping my coffee cup doing my best to make up for my sins,wondering what's on Chicken T.V tonight.

Rois

Todays snapshots

2010-07-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

TA DA! Here is my favorite chick.I have named her Loowit which is one of the traditional Native American names for Mt St Helen's in Washington state.We can see Mt St Helen's when we are downtown and the chick's markings reminded me of the mountain in the early winter when the snow has fallen on the mountain.By Loowit's markings I am guessing that our Barred Rock was her egg Mama.(the hen that laid the egg that hatched into Loowit.) either that or she is taking after her Daddy who is mostly white.

The poppies I planted this spring have opened.And although they all came from the same seed packet I seem to have a mix if different types and colors.I don't know a whole lot about Poppies other than I love them when I see them.The packet said these poppies are Flemish Poppies.

The poppy above and below are both on the same plant which I find interesting.If anyone knows more about poppies than I, do you know what the deal is?

This little poppy is on a different much smaller plant who's buds are also smaller than the other plant.
Today when I went out to shot the poppy photos I was thinking of Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz falling asleep in the field of poppies.Growing up I had the whole many book collection of the Oz books with the original drawings in them,I liked the pictures of Dorthy because she was chubby like I was as a young one.

I am still looking for names for the other two chicks.The other two are harder to catch to hold for a photo but both are marked like the Gold Lace Wyandottes,black and golden.One is more black than the other and is I think going to make a beautiful contrast to Loowit with her white and gray plumage.
Well I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend so far and tomorrow morning greets you with a smile.

Rois

Summer Days

2010-07-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am finding myself feeling turned upside down and at loose ends.Chance and I have entered a new era in our lives as parents, our boys are never home. Or we are taking them to work or off to play.We find ourselves catching up with the boys in the car or just before bed.
The house seems empty with Issac gone from morning til night,he's going to summer school and working for the month.It's bitter sweet to see him dressed for work with his lunch bag in hand heading out the door on his road to adulthood.We are proud of him but we miss him as well.
And young Sol is growing up too.He is finally at an age where he can go off with his friends without needing us to escort them.
It's the way things are suppose to work out and I suppose it is preparing us for the day when they both leave home but I miss them.

Last Sunday Chance and I joined my cousin for a challenging hike.Both C and I had hiked this rugged trail as kids when we were spry enough to hop and skip along the way.We went to Table Rock which is about an hour and a half south-east of us.Table Rock is one of those places in Oregon you hear people talking about but when you ask "Have you been there?" everyone answers "No,have you?" It's not all that far from home so I am not to sure why no one goes.Maybe it's the hike its self,our hiking book said it's a "moderate" hike but once you have been there you may find yourself upgrading it to something a bit more than moderate.

We hiked through some old growth forest,across a rocky section along the base of Table Rock and then slowly went up,up and up for a total of a 4000 foot elevation gain and just over 7 miles round trip.When we were about a 1000 feet from the top I could spy through the tree line the clear blue sky ,at this point my knee was feeling like half set jello but I was stubborn and wanted to see the top.And besides that I was not going to let a couple of "boys" beat me.We picnicked at the top with a view of 7 mountain tops and far away in the hazy distance you could see home,the Willamette Valley.None of the photos really do any justice to the splendor before our eyes. The boys did not join us on this trip, another sign of our times,Issac was working but would have loved the hike and Sol said it was not his cup of tea so he stayed in town with Nana.

Life around home is quiet on all fronts.The meager garden we have this year is looking like it will take off after all,not the bounty we had last year but there's enough. The Mama hen still has all 3 of her chicks,whom we need to name (any suggestions?).The other hen's and our Roo are fine like always,it would take something major to disturb their quiet world. This afternoon I making homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches.Sol was curious about how they are made and since he has a friend over for the night I thought today would be a good day to make them

Take Care

Rois.

Ice Cream by Coco Cake

2010-07-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream by Coco Cake: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I just came across this blog and I think I am in love...

Knowing how to cook part 3

2010-07-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

I received some great responses to my last posting in this series and they gave me some food for thought.So why do I say there is a difference in food and Food?
In my opinion food is just the ready made,one meal and lifeless food you can find in any store.This type of eating is also expensive, someone has already done the work for you and you are paying for that work.Someone else has also chosen for you how the food should taste,look and how much you are getting for your dollar.Well I should add here they have also chosen what is in your food,those hidden things packages print in micro fonts with the hope that you either can't read the tiny print or will never take the time to ask "What is some of this stuff? "
Now Food is a different dish that involves a whole range of things. Food is all about taking mix and match ingredients that you yourself put together to create meals that carry you through more than one meal,tastes just the way you want and much more affordable because you are not paying someone else to do your own work.And um,you know what's bubbling in your pot,it is dinner not a witches brew of who knows what.
It's also custom made to fit your own budget.Say for example you know the dish you are making is mostly inexpensive ingredients or can be cobbled together from left over things in the fridge but calls for cheese.When I find myself in that spot I can say to myself (I talk to myself a lot.) " Well I have spent nothing or little on this meal so maybe I could buy a bit of super good cheese to make my cheap dinner taste like it's not so cheap."
*** Our boys have yet to figure out that when I make Potato Soup it means the cupboard is bare,really, really bare, Old Mother Hubbard would feel right at home bare. They have not figured this out because I use a bit of good bacon and simmer long and slow to pull out every last bit of flavor.Pat out a loaf of Soda Bread and there is dinner.On Potato Soup nights and the boys ask "What's for dinner?" and I reply "Potato Soup" I get big smiles and a big whoop of a "Yes!" A full pot made from a bare cupboard made not so spare seeming because I can cook.
I am not going to go into the health benefits of knowing how to cook. I cook the way I do partly for health reasons but they are not for everyone. We are not rigid in our food.Sometimes I feel like we stand in the middle of the road when it comes to what we eat and buy.The Food you make needs to suit you and what you need from it.But I will pass this on from the boy's first pediatrician who told me this when Issac was first starting out on solids, "If you only buy and present healthy foods then no matter what you will eat healthy." Simple!
.Budget trumps everything in our house,I may not buy everything organic but we eat a well rounded filling diet. I let go of the guilt over buying organic or not organic simply because we were faced with a choice,buy all organic and not have enough to eat or shop smartly to free up money to buy the things we felt were important to buy organic and have plenty to eat. (Plenty and then some more is key when you feed to teen boys.Hungry teens are Crankier than all heck.)
If you are feeling an urge to leave me a comment about your politics concerning an all organic diet,don't.I can't be bothered, I do what is right for my family living on a single income.Good for you if you are able to buy an all organic diet,very good.But really there is no difference between an organic potato chip and a non-organic, they are both BAD for you.Oh and what is so environmentally sound about an organic veggie from thousands of miles away? Gas emissions? Pollution? Oh yeah,those not so kind things.

I would like to wrap up this posting by asking everyone what are the items you buy that you feel help you stretch your food budget? We buy every other month a 25 pound bag of All purpose flour for around $10.With that bag of flour I bake breads and goodies,make pasta,tortillas and anything else I can come up with. I figure to buy the same quality of bread that I bake would cost me from $3- $5 for a single loaf. I can bake a batch of 4 loaves of bread and feel like I have already "paid " for my bag of flour.And I still have 22 pounds of flour to use for the next few weeks.I also always buy whole chickens because I can get 3 meals out of them for my family of four,chicken dinner,sandwiches for lunch and then soup stock for now or frozen for later.That averages out to about $3 for protein per meal.
The next posting will bring up shopping.

Rois

P.S I found these two posts else where that I wanted to share with you.
The first is from Slate magazine, an article on how to waste less of the food you buy.
The second is from a blog Chance and I love, One Hungry Chef.The posting is about finding the time to cook.

I love my neighbors.

2010-07-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

This morning a knock was heard at the front door.When I opened the door there stood my Colombian neighbor Gloria with what looked like 5 squash starts carefully cradled in her hand. Now let me tell you Gloria's English is much like my Spanish,limited, but some how we always get our points across to each other.She tells me in English "Colombian Pumpkin."
I know the story behind these little plants from her daughter who's English is just fine.The seeds had come back with them from Colombia hidden away in a suitcase with the hopes they would be over looked.I have been told these squash are absolutely delicious.There are no American squashes that compare to them. So a treasure was shared and I am honored. I will be sure to save the seeds.
Gloria and I continued our conversation with her speaking to me in Spanish and me trying to guess what she was looking for.First a trowel,then a spot to plant them,dig a hole just so and finally said in a motherly way water the plants right away. We wrapped things up by Gloria telling me basically "I have five more growing,over there in the front yard at our house." At least I think that is what was said,I caught enough words I know so I am probably on target. I thanked her in my crappy Spanish and we said good bye.

I don't know a lot about Gloria only that she hates the cold here,she has a great sense of humor,she is interested in what we grow ,she likes that we butcher our own chickens since she does too and someday she will show us how she butchers her chickens which is different than our method. All of this I have learned from our funny little conversations half English half in Spanish and some interpreting from her family. I like her though she's a good lady.I am expecting some scolding though if some how I am not taking care of the squashes the way she would and I can't wait for it because I'll learn something new.

Rois

Fowl Fans See Golden Eggs in Catering to Pet-Chicken Market - WSJ.com

2010-07-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

Fowl Fans See Golden Eggs in Catering to Pet-Chicken Market - WSJ.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

This is the saddest thing I have ever heard before.Poor Chickens.

Homestead style awning.

2010-07-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine called to see if we are keeping cool during the heat and I mentioned to her that Chance had built us an awning over our front window,my friend requested a posting about it so here we are.

As some of you already know Chance and have been trying to figure out how to replace the shade that was once given to us by the plumb tree we had to cut down.By mid afternoon we get full blasting sun which causes the temperature in the house to jump by 10 degrees,not pleasant when it is already 90 plus outside.

Our long term goal is to plant some foundation plantings and build a trellis for some vines for shade but this spring we ran out of good soil and cash to do this. Chance had brought home some canvas triangles from work.Using these pieces and some lumber we had on hand he was able to make a us a functional and a bit funky (funky in a good way,I think.) awning.
To build the awning Chance put together some 2x2's so that they made a rectangle that was the size of the front window.Next we laid out the triangles until they had a shape we liked.Chance attached the canvas to the wood frame with heavy staples.He then put heavy hooks into the top part of the window frame and then loops on the frame that would line up with the hooks.We raised up the frame and hooked it into place.Finally Chance placed another 2x2 as a center support.By not permanently attaching the awning we can take it down for the winter when we want the added sunlight.

The awning is really helping and I don't feel so shut into the house.Last summer we bought a cheap roller shade for the exterior of the house,it worked but I felt claustrophobic not being able to see out. I am one of those people whom   lived out on many acres of land with no one close by, I would have no window coverings,just so I could always see the outside world.

Soon after Chance built the awning I found this picture (the very first one.) of some awning that have really caught my eye.I love the way they used bamboo poles for the supports.it has me wondering if we could later add some bamboo poles to our awning.

Rois

How To Truss a Chicken | Michael Ruhlman

2010-07-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

How To Truss a Chicken | Michael Ruhlman: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I am sharing this video with all of you because last summer when Chance and I taught our Chicken Butchering class 1/2 to 3/4 of the class had no idea how to cook a chicken. I don't truss my birds but never the less here is some good advice.

Rois

Heat Wave & Chicken care

2010-07-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

Finally we have some heat here and just like the rest of the country we are all searching for ways to keep cool. I want to remind everyone to keep a close eye on their hens while it is so hot.

Heat Wave Chicken Check list:

1. Chickens are thirsty birds always, during hot spells check their water more often.Some folks add ice to their hens water when the temps are high.

2. Consider hosing down the coop and run area to help things cool down.

3. If your Chickens have little or no shade think about creating some.

Pretty simple when you look at it,all the things you think of for yourself when it is hot. Stay cool everyone.

Rois

Around home.

2010-07-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy that I had to go through our photos to figure out what I have not had time to blog about. I have been sure to grab snap shots here and there just so I could keep up and remember what we had done.It has been a crazy mix of life and homesteading around here.

Issac is going to summer school and working this month which means he is gone form 7:30 in the morning,comes home to change and then leaves for work until 10 at night.It is a good thing his health is great right now and has the stamina that only a teen has.

Sol has become a social butterfly and is out daily with friends but I did nab him one morning for strawberry picking.
This year we picked 25 pounds of berries which is up from last years 16 pounds.We had plenty of jam with the 16 pounds but this year I would like some extra jars for gift giving. I ended up freezing the berries until I had an open day for jam making.

Chance harvested and braided our garlic into 3 thick ropes of garlic heads. He found a couple of videos on Youtube that he gleaned the how to part from.I watched him do it and it was easier looking than I ever thought it would be.Garlic braiding is one of those skills that has always been a mystery to me.We now have around 45 heads of garlic for winter,maybe not enough for a whole year but it is a start.Each year we just keep adding onto the quantities we grow and will do so until we think we have hit our mark.

We took a Sunday off and took my Mom and the boys to the beach for a day of sandy bliss.The weather was PERFECT. That is Sol in the photo enjoying the quiet of the beach.I love living in Oregon and will most likely never move form here.As you can see from the photo our beaches are clean,beauty filled and empty.I always say if someone is on the beach while you are and they are closer than a city block it is a busy day on the Oregon coast.Our nearest neighbor that day was about 3 city blocks away.

We harvested our first bunch of carrots,yummy sweetness.

And the Pancette Chance made is now ready to eat. Chance cooked some up for us and it was good, a nice mild herb flavor to it and not smokey like bacon.

We are starting to eat small amounts from the garden, swiss chard,strawberries,raspberries,salad greens and carrots.Our beets are ready to pull and the potatoes have bloomed ,a sure sign we could dig them now and have baby potatoes but we are waiting until the plants wilt down so we can have bigger potatoes.The rest of the veggies are making a come back after the horrid weather and all was not lost like we feared.We may not have the large quantities like we did last year but there will be plenty.
Even with all of these things done and made I am the most proud of Mama Trixie and her Chicks.Now I really feel like we are firmly standing on the path way to being more self sufficient.The whole process of having our own homegrown chicks was pretty darn amazing.We started out with big hopes that one of the hens would go broodie and we lucked out one did.As Mama Trixie sat we hoped and prayed we would get even just one chick.During this time my Dad said to me ," Well the hen is doing her job,if it does not work it is the Rooster's fault." I had to laugh at that.In the end both Mama and Rooster had done their jobs and we were gifted with 3 darlings.We have had chicks before but watching the chicks with their Mama is just so, nifty,natural,wondrous and endearing.None of the batches of chicks we have had in the past beats these three.With the nice weather I have the kitchen widow open and through out the day I can hear Mama Trixie clucking to her chicks,talking and teaching them what ever it is a mama chicken teaches her little ones.Her voice is so different than a non-mama chickens,deeper and mellow.
There have been moments through out the past year and a half where I have felt like maybe we would never really get the hang of this homesteading life.And moments when I did not want to look like someone along for the trend ride.When our spring turned into a flooding, gray and depressing hell I wondered how we were going to get on track and keep things going. We have kept our chins up and pressed forward and having that Mama and her babies right out my backdoor has silenced those fears.Now I feel like if we can have homegrown chicks there is nothing stopping us from our journey.
I'd like to say thank you to everyone who chimed in on my blog posting about learning to cook.Several of the comments have given me food for thought and I am working on answering some of the questions and incorporating some of the comments into my next posting in the series.
Rois

Mama Trixie and her Chicketts

2010-07-02T12:18:00.002-07:00

Knowing how to cook part 2

2010-06-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

When I first wrote about the importance of knowing how to cook I had these grand ideas that could be written about over many blog postings and then I realized that my thoughts were neatly summed up in the video I posted.Right there around the one minute mark of the video is the summary of my thoughts. You can feel down and worried about your food or you can realize "I can cook" and make yourself a good meal that can be stretched if need be.
A good meal can be empowering, you took control of your life and needs when maybe you were feeling a bit blue about where you are at. A good meal can lift your spirits, after all who does not get some emotional satisfaction from really good food?

I know of two people who are good examples of why knowing how to cook is so important.One friend is on food stamps and knows how to cook.The other is not on food stamps and only sort of cooks.By knowing how to cook, and I must add how to shop, my friend on food stamps eats well and the food stamps lasts the month.This friends attitude is positive, she knows in this one area of her life all is well and her knowledge of cooking is keeping things going.The other friend is always scrambling around for food and the money to pay for it.His attitude is not positive,food insecurity is stressful on any human but he is seeing the light and knows he must learn how to cook more and be a more careful shopper.

How to learn to cook is not something I can begin to teach here.I learned one step at a time,one dish at a time from a very young age.I guess you could say I have many ,many years experience.Over the years I have added and discarded many recipes or ideas.Learning to cook is all about experimenting keeping what works for you and pitching the ones that don't. Once you have been at it awhile you may find it easier and easier to simply read through a recipe and know wither you will like it or not based on what you already know.This will also help you make up your own recipes.It's kind of like that children"s game Mother May I, maybe you start with little steps ,then bigger ones and then get set back a step.Crossing the finish line is not really part of the game of cooking it's about playing because you can.

I will be continuing this series of postings but I am leaving the learning to cook part up to my readers to do for themselves. I can not tell you what works for you or what you will like.I will make suggestions and share with all of you how I go about cooking good food on a budget. I am hoping to just plant some seeds in your mind to carry with you when you shop.
I am going to leave you all some thoughts to ponder or to consider until the next posting in this series.
** The next time you are at the store really pay attention to what you are buying.Are you buying food or ingredients to make Food? Is there a difference to you?
I would love to hear your thoughts on these thoughts and where you are hoping I am going with them.By posting your ideas and thoughts you too can help others learn something new including me.

Broodie Hen Report: Mama ended up with three chicks total which is what we kind of expected a 50/50 ratio.This morning Mama and chicks came out of the broodie house for the first time.I will post pictures of the brood soon while they are still in their cute fuzzy stage.Since Mama is up and about it is safe for us to assume she is done sitting and the remaining unhatched egg is not going to hatch.

Rois

Way to busy....

2010-06-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts to living the way we do is I can slow down and not live at a rat race pace but life has gotten away from me all of a sudden.We have been so busy with homesteading projects,settling into the summer routine,getting Issac started at both summer school and his first job,helping my parents and running and running. I have had no time until now to blog and I can only stay for a moment,I had to freeze the berries I picked for jam for a week when life is more quiet,let the laundry pile up and thank goodness the Mama Hen knows what to do because chick care would not be happening.I am trying to get here to blog and catch up but this girl seems to be riding along with Mr Toad on his wild ride and as soon as I find the brake lever I will be back with much to say.

Before I go tho'- Broodie Hen Report: So far we have 3 chicks and another working it's way out of the shell.None of the things I read said this would be a many day process but all is well.The Mama seems to know what to do with the hatching eggs,she has one more to hatch after the one is finished,and our book says once all of the eggs have hatched she will bring her chicks outside,leaving the dud eggs behind for us to pick up. Mama lost one egg early on and one chick did not make it and she booted those out of the nest.

Rois

Chickie!

2010-06-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

So far we spy just one but isn't the chick so DANG CUTE!!!!!!

Just some photos

2010-06-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

I want to post these photos really quick to let all know things are fine and looking better than I thought they would after all of the rain we have had.I have had a super busy week and will be back here soon.
Those of you watching for the Broodie Hen Report here you go,we are still waiting.As of this morning we will be checking through the day for the chicks.All of this waiting brings back memories....

Garlic

Mock Orange

Apples

Strawberries

Smiling face in wood,found in the new load of wood.

The back garden followed by two of our front beds.

The Broodie House
Rois

An Hour in a Minute with Issac Dahms on Vimeo

2010-06-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

I want to share this video of Issac,filmed by his buddy D.F.G at our local skate park. I have been asked what are homesteader kids like,they are just like any other kids, this one just loves his bike and it shows.

An Hour in a Minute with Issac Dahms on Vimeo

Well hello....

2010-06-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

So my plan worked! HA! I tempted all of you out from your comfort zones and made you speak up.CA,you don't count you are always here but the rest of you thanks for chiming in.All of your thoughts were exactly what I was needing,some idea as to why people read my blog. Now let me take a moment to reply to some of the comments.

Lacy, I would never consider you a stalker until you were standing on my porch everyday wanting in. With that in mind please respond to my postings, leave me questions or what ever. I also feel your frustrations in the weather and the garden.Ours is so far behind I broke down and bought plants yesterday just so maybe just maybe we would get something growing and eventually feeding us.Remember,we are not alone, the whole city is moaning over it.I am trying to be grateful that I am not A.a Farmer or B. dependent on only having the food we grow,we would be starving soon.We also have weeds and an army of slugs,it's the rain.I am trying to pull the weeds as fast as I can and I bought some eco slug bait.Which sucks but I don't know what else to do at this point about the slugs.
And lastly how do I mange it all? I am not always on top of things, currently I am home full time,I have a great helpmate in Chance and sometimes I just shrug my shoulders and say What Ever,I'll get to it some day. I could write a whole posting about homestead management and will make a note to do so soon.But until then remember you are choosing to live this life because you want to slow down and take control of your life.
Oh and canning....Canning is not as scary as you may be thinking nor as time consuming.

Everyone else- I am glad you enjoy the blog and I have been helpful but really to keep me motivated say something once in awhile.I know lurking online is common and we all do it but the comments readers leave are part of the reward of writing.

   I am going to get back to the second part of why I think cooking is a survival skill everyone you should know.I am waiting for permission to share a couple of peoples stories before I post the piece.Talking about a persons personal life is touchy and I don't want any hurt feelings.

   Broody Hen Report:The broody house is built and so dang CUTE and will be even cuter when the chicks are in there peeping.Sadly our battery charger for the camera is lost but I will be picking up a new one this weekend and then I can post some photos.

    Drum roll please.......Chance got a promotion at work! I am so proud of him and he deserved the move up.Chance is one of the hardest working men I know so it is good to see him puffed up with pride and feeling good about himself. To quote a very young Sol "My Dad,he's a good guy."

See you soon,
Rois

Standing at the Crossroads

2010-06-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

I am finding myself standing at a crossroads with my blog with out a map,a clue or sense of direction.16 months and 200 and 40- some postings later I am at a standstill, rubbing the back of my head the way I do when I am stumped,then my hands go into my pockets like I am searching for the answer lost in the jumble of junk I carry and pace the floor.I must look like some oddball,you know the ones you see on the street talking to themselves gesturing to an unseen audience,the ones you cross the street mid block to avoid interacting with.Those lost souls of society.
As a blog writer I can actually say I can relate to that lost soul talking to that unseen audience,gesturing and posing questions to people who never respond.And as the conversation becomes one sided the gesturing becomes more and more animated,hands flapping,keys clicking and the face morphing through every emotion known to mankind.In a final moment of dismay the hands fly heavenward with a BAH! One hand drops and the other reaches to rub the back of the head with the hopes that the soothing touch will lure a thought forward.
But I do have some sanity left,some where in the back of my mind amongst the jumble of knowledge,stories and dreams,it is there.I have enough sanity left to know that I really can't go on talking to myself the way I have been,it's not healthy.I had this idea that this blog could become a dialog with what readers would come but some how I am stuck in this monologue.A self directed monologue which does not work well, just ask any actor.Without input how do you know if anyone can hear you way at the back?

One more for Todd....

2010-06-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Todd-Here are photos of our "meat mobile"hanging in the kitchen.in, 3 weeks we will have lovely, oh so fatty,Guanciale. Chance thought you may see the humor in the naming of the hanging meat.Sadly the camera battery died and the charger has gone AWOL so I can't show you pictures of the Bacon he is working or the Pancetta.
And to the rest of my local readers in 3 weeks we will have some meat open for trading,shoot us an email if you are interested and what you have for trading.

Chance and Rois

YouTube - Death Metal Rooster

2010-06-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Death Metal Rooster

This video made me laugh so hard the sun came out from behind the clouds.

Pita Bread

2010-06-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

I received a request for the Pita bread recipe I blogged about from Todd. Here you go Todd-

Pita Breads     From: Baking with Julia Written by Dorie Greenspan

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 1/2 Cups tepid water ( 80-90 F)
2 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour   ( I used Spelt)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour

Mixing and Resting: Stir the yeast and water together in a large bowl.Using a wooden spoon and stirring in one direction,stir in the wholewheat flour about a cup at a time.Stir until mixture looks smooth and silky.This sponge needs to rest,covered with plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes although best if it can rest for as long as 8 hours in a cool place,a rest gives a fuller flavor. ( I let mine rest for the 30 minutes because I was in a rush.)
Mixing and Kneading: Sprinkle salt over sponge,then stir in olive oil mix well stirring in one direction.Add the AP flour one cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to stir with the spoon.Knead on a lightly floured work surface until smooth and elastic 8-10 minutes.The dough will be moderately firm and have a sheen.
Rise: Wash the bowl and oil it.Place dough in bowl and cover.Let dough rise at room temp for 2-3 hours or until doubled in bulk.
At this point the book gives directions for keeping the dough for up to a week in the fridge.If you want this bit email me or leave me a comment and I'll reply.

To bake the breads in the oven: if you have quarry tiles or baking stones (I used our pizza stone) use them to line the bottom rack of your oven,leaving a 1-inch border free around the tiles for air circulation.Or you can use two baking sheets for a similar effect.Preheat oven to 450.F

Shaping the Dough: Knead dough briefly.Divide in half,cover the half you are not working with.Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and with lightly floured hands,form pieces into tight balls.On a well floured surface flatten each ball first with your finger tips and then with a rolling pin.They should be 8-9 inches in diameter and less than a 1/4 inch thick.( The ones that I got too thin did not puff up.) .Cover rolled out breads.
   Place as many breads as will fit onto your stones 4-6 at a time and bake 3-5 minutes,or until they resemble well blown up balloons. Some may not puff up if your stones were not hot enough.Don't worry they are still yummy.Continue to roll out breads and baking.Cover baked Pitas in with a towel.
Now here is another baking option that I think would be fun if you have small kids in the house, they could watch the magic happen right before their eyes.

To bake the breads on the stove top: Preheat a 9-inch griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium - high heat and lightly oil.Bake one rolled out circle at a time,putting the topside down ( Personally I don't think there is a top or bottom to this bread.) cooking for 15-20 seconds,then turn over gently.Cook for another minute,or until bubbles appear.Turn again until it balloons fully.The breads should bake for no more than 3 minutes.Oil the pan after every 4 or 5 breads.

We had a lovely weekend,it was perfect, absolutely so.The radiant Sun returned and the whole city was jubilant,when you have been living under clouds and rain for a month straight it is hard not to want to dance in the streets once the Sun returns. Chance and I also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary by hosting a party here.We had a nice crowd of family, friends and lots of kids running around.The party lasted late into the night no one was in a hurry to leave the company sitting around the fire but finally we all turned into pumpkins and said good night. Yesterday we spent together as a family,had lunch out and went window shopping.It was a mighty fine weekend,mighty, mighty fine.

Broody Hen Report: So that is Mama in the corner there looking awful and flat while the other hens look on from their roost.I know when I was expecting I did not always look my best ,must be true of hens as well.Mama is doing fine,just hanging out,waiting and growling every time Zeph the rooster comes near her.
Mama's to be sure can be cranky.

Rois

Is knowing how to cook important to you?

2010-06-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

I found this video and then this article a few days ago and wanted to pass them along .Both of them are a testament that the economy has yet to turn around and people are still struggling to find jobs, pay the bills and feed themselves.This gentleman is using his cooking skills and the life lessons his parents passed down to him to make it through.

Some good friends of ours have a saying at their house "We may not have a lot of money but we eat really well." The video,article and our friends motto all make me glad that both Chance and I were taught to cook by our families and later added our professional cooking skills to our stock.Although we do not live on such slim money or have food stamps like Mr Murrieta , money can be tight and with two growing boys to feed every penny and bite counts.Smart shopping, growing our own food,using every scrap and remembering some "forgotten" kitchen skills makes for good food even on a small budget.And dinner can still be good the day before payday...

   The other day was the day before payday and the cupboards were looking bare and I really had to put on my thinking cap to figure out dinner. I also did not have my car to run to the store and riding my bike in pouring rain was not looking all that great ( I know, I know I live in one of the most bike friendly cities where it rains all of the time and I wimp out on riding.) so after rummaging I did find dinner.
The most hopeful looking ingredients:
   1 Mason jar of Homemade Mayo
   Some left over grilled chicken
   1 Head of Green Cabbage
   1 bunch Lettuce from the garden
   2 Carrots
1 Apple
A handful of Raisins.
Our boys LOVE Chicken Salad Sandwiches which made my choice fairly easy.And we all like Cole Slaw so some sort of veg was there as well.My only problem was I had not baked any bread,oops.
What would a Homesteader do? ( I should make some bracelets based on that one maybe that would be my fortune.) Bake some Pita/ Pocket Bread. Pita's have been on my list of to be tried for a long time,I just have not gotten around to is all.I think that's been because my old recipe I had called for some ingredient I don't always have on hand or something.But the new recipe I found had such basic stuff I was in luck. Flour, Salt,Yeast and Water I always have those on hand even the day before payday.The Pita's can also be made with in 2 1/2 hours, much faster than if I had tried to make bread. I gave it a whirl and they came out better than any I have ever had.I think that was due to their freshness.I don't understand the science behind how the Pita's puff up but it was fun to watch them balloon up.I fond this especially puzzling since two pages back from the Pita recipe is the recipe for Naan and it is the same ingredients and close enough ratios,Naan is flat but Pita's puff up why is that? The only difference I could see was the temperatures the two bake at.

   But our menu of Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Cole Slaw is not what I really wanted to blog about today.I wanted to talk about the importance of knowing how to cook.By sharing both of Mr Murrieta's pieces with you I am hoping to ram home the importance of cooking skills, they can mean you survive or not.

Survival what does it mean? I found this definition on Wikipedia-

    Survival- noun. 1. The fact or act of surviving continued existence of life.
                       His survival in the open ocean was a miracle; he had fully expected to die.
   2. (as a modifier) Of ,relating to or aiding survival.
                       His survival kit had all the things he needed in the wilderness.

I chose this definition of Survival not only for it's definition but for the two sentences using the word. Number one sounds a bit grim because there's no help in sight where as number two is hopeful, "he" has the skills or tools to survive.That sense of hopefulness is the key to my point about the importance of learning to cook,one never knows when you may find yourself in a tight spot and to make it through you are going to need the skills to survive, like the fellow in the woods with his kit or like Mr Murritea using cooking skills to make what could be a sad situation into a livable one.But like any survival plan you have to learn it and practice it before you really need it because one day you could find yourself adrift in the sea.The ending is up to you, sink or swim?
This posting is the first in a series I am working on which is why the ending of the last paragraph is just kind of hanging there.I have more to say and a couple of stories to share so check back for the next installment.



   Broody Hen Report: Mama is still sitting on all 7 of her eggs.She is kind of flat yet fluffed up and grumpy when you open the coop to check on her,that's normal.She also just stares straight ahead like she is in deep meditation.She's like her own Buddha,sitting on a throne of straw deep in a mediation about the cycle of life.Ohm cluck Ohmmm. She leaves the nest once a day for about 15 minutes to eat and make the biggest chicken poo's I have ever seen just like our book said she would.When Chance has gone out to collect her daily egg she has not minded one bit.Chance just picks her up,sets her down next to the nest ,gets the egg and places Mama back.She never even stands up,she just sits there.I am marking off the days on the calendar and waiting.
   Rois

Good things X 4

2010-06-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Confession time folks...I have been in the worst funk of my life the last week but today things seem to be turning around.And it is a damn good thing! All of the rain and clouds sent my spirits spiraling down into the gathering ponds of mud we have been having here.Sitting around watching my garden slowly curl up to die or being eaten up by our first slug invasion made for some sad days here on the homestead. We have had record breaking rain here and the word around town - I have not been the only one feeling the blues. But like I said things turned a corner today and my smile is returning along with my determination to pull on my muck boots and try again.

   This morning I was invited by my good friend CAS to come have coffee with her and to enjoy the joyful noise of her two preschoolers. CAS and her Man are theater folks and their kids know some great show tunes and will gladly perform for you.Today over blueberry muffins the first glimmer of my smile was spied as Mr N and Miss L gleefully belted out that great tune from "Annie" "Tomorrow". At then end Mr N in true showman style says "Now every body.." and we all sang the chorus together.There is nothing more sweet and awesome than little people singing,I wanted to cry over the sweetness,resisted laughing(it wasn't funny one bit but it gave me so much pleasure.) and gave a big cheer at the end.A spoonful of sugar to ease my soul into feeling better,niceness.

Once home again I check in with my list of blogs and found a very nice surprise waiting for me.Margaret over at Finnegan Begin Again writes one of my all time favorite blogs,weekly she writes about a goddess of the week with such humor and smarts it's always a good read.And her followers leave some of the best comments too. One of the things about Margaret's blog that is so much fun is you can send in a goddess request and she does her best to fill it.I had sent in a request asking how to get the Norse goddess Sol/Sunna to return because our little homestead was sinking into the down pouring rain.This morning my was request was filled by the goddess Amaterasu the Japanese goddess of the sun.The trick to get her to return is laughter,check out Margaret's posting about it because I really can't tell the tale as well as she. One comment was a joke left for me to read,it's a good one,towards the top. For the second time today I found myself laughing and feeling better all the time.

Then that sweet man of mine came home,stuck me in the truck and took me on a couple of errands with just me in mind.We went to the feed store, a place I love to go,remember I am kind of a simple person, to buy feed, 2 straw bales, new packets of seeds so I could replant what we had lost and to have a chat with Mason who works there.

   My smile was getting brighter when we left the feed store and was only going to get brighter after the next stop,the music store for new violin strings. Over the past year and a half I have been teaching myself to play violin by ear.My violin is my sanity and the most important way I vent,I had broken a string last week and hadn't had time to get some new strings but I am now back in business and can go back to playing the same song over and over until the boys are rolling their eyes at me ,the dog is whimpering and my finger tips are to sore to go one.Oh that thought brings a smile ,I love torturing my kids and the dog can get over it.

The final good thing that is so full of hope is we have a broody hen,for sure this time.When your hen growls at you,won't get up from the nest and is all puffed up you know she is broody. We are leaving her with 7 eggs under her and Chance is working on building her a broody house which will be done tomorrow. We learned today that a broody hen will keep on laying so it is a good thing we marked the 7 eggs we want her to set on.We are pulling the new eggs out from under her,so far she's been mellow about it.The hatch date should be around the 24th of this month.I'll keep every one posted.

Now that my funk is clearing I will be back here. I have a couple of postings I am working on and now that the clouds have left my head they may just make sense.Really folks, I thought my brain was turning into a mushroom of some large size,spongy,musty and strange.

Rois

Oh Damn....

2010-06-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

I awoke to the sound of pounding rain on the roof,Oh Damn.
The back yard is flooded and we have lost most of our young garden plants,Oh Damn.
The strawberries are rotting on the vines,Oh Damn.
A spring Sunday morning should not start with the the words,Oh Damn.
And now our street is flooded.Oh Damn!
The only high point, we finally have a broodie hen.Hopefully we all make it through the next 20 days of her setting without the need for an ark.

Rois

Irish cook Darina Allen goes back to basics - JSOnline

2010-06-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

Irish cook Darina Allen goes back to basics - JSOnline

I just bought this book and as soon as I finish reading the whole thing I'll be back.Now how to sneak the book into bed with me before Chance does.
Rois

pink martini - hang on little tomato

2010-06-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

Like a broken record.

2010-06-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to fell like the weather here is like a broken record,stuck in a scratch in the vinyl,stuck in a rut of rainy cool days unable to skip ahead to sunnier days.Waiting for DJ Mother Nature to notice and to change the tune. "Singing in the Rain" is a great little tune when you are 5 and splashing in the puddles but I am no longer 5 and would rather listen to "Here Comes the Sun" then things would be alright.

I do have a bit of sunshine to share, I was gifted a beautiful gift of 3 large printing blocks.My friend had these sitting on her porch and she thought of me when she decided they needed a new home.

I started a couple of rubbings of the block on the left side of the photo using charcoal.I am not finished with them yet and they are just me monkeying around so I may not post them.I do have plans to do some ink prints with them at some point.For now I have them on display on a side table in our front room.
I am starting to worry about our garden,it looks so stunted and unhappy.I shouldn't be surprised I wouldn't be happy standing in the damp all day either.The only things that seem happy are the weeds popping up all over.The chickens are mad wet hens,they are not wet but they are mad.This would have been a good year to have ducks instead of chickens.The ducks could be swimming in the "pond" that keeps coming and going depending on the rain fall.(We have a low spot in our backyard and if it rains hard and fast it fills up with water.We call this spot "Lake Dahms") We could fatten the ducks with the slugs that are trying to invade us.
We had a Spring like this one the year I was 13 and working in the strawberry fields.It rained on us everyday until we were damp and under our clothes always felt humid.Going home was never a choice for us,it was up to the farmer,the farmer wanted his berries picked before the rain ruined them so we worked on in the rain.We did not make much money that strawberry season.
   I am wondering about the local strawberries and if there will be any.Our own strawberries here are quickly eaten by slugs before they can fully ripen.We may have to have a different kind of berry jam this year.
   I am still sewing to fill my time and soon I'll have my projects done to show all of you.With an inch of rain due today I am sure I will make much progress once my daily work is done.
   An inch of rain.......that seems like Water Torture to my brain today.Drip.... drip.... drip.................
    Rois