And the rain came down

A steady drizzle, to be more accurate.  I am NOT complaining as any rise in the ground water level is a good thing.  No torrential rains, just steady, easily-soaks-into-the-ground rain; a patience generator.  In the meantime, K15 is off to Atlanta this weekend to play Volleyball, A17 has a SAT prep course, and tomorrow (hopefully) Ronnie and I will take the chicken coop to Daddy's house.

I have not taken more pictures of the coop and will include some from Daddy's house once we have it 'installed'.   His chicks are in and hanging out at a friends house until they are old enough to move to the coop.  Which reminds me, one of our hens, this morning, laid an egg that was an inch in diameter.  Guess the increasing daylight hours are helping to activate their egg laying mechanism and someone's is a little dusty.  I'll post a picture this evening.

Silly girls.  

Grounding

Yes, I have been quiet as of late.  The reflexology class I took this past Sunday was simply AMAZING and uncomplicated. So we were gone most of the weekend and in our absence, it snowed.  No accumulation, maybe an inch, and it was gone by the time we arrived home.

My insurance job has been taxing at best so when arriving home, I just 'collapse'.  The mental fatigue gets to be overwhelming and when it is still so cold outside, detoxing in the dirt is not an option.  I have taken to holding some of my stones and have carried one that is not in use to have at my desk; a grounding stone.

On the happy end of the spectrum, Phelan's prik-e-gnu seeds arrived (yeah!) and I won the For Him notecards offered by Annalea's birthday's celebration. Yea me.  =)  And today... it is snowing and sleeting outside.

Continuing education and a Coop

The bureaucracy involved with State licencing is mind boggling.  I completed the Massage Therapy program through Dabney back in December and am still 'fighting' with the school for my transcripts to show the completion so the State will issue my license.  Completed is the key here.  Not graduated, just completed.  *heavy sigh*

Photo from Barnes & Noble site

So in the meantime, I have started continuing ed as 24 hours are required for each year.  This Sunday we travel to Edinburg VA for my class in Hot Stones and reflexology.  Of the 24 hours, two need to be in ethics; who could turn down such an 'easy' read?  Ethics for the New Millinium by the Dalai Lama.  This is not a book review, nor am I being paid to write about this.  An incredible book so far and I am only in the second chapter.  Aside from his comparison of religion vs spirituality, this statement (so far) has been most profound:

religious belief is no guarantee of moral integrity.

Wow.  Glad this book was an option for continuing ed - cannot wait to see what other ah-ha!'s are waiting.  Just had to share my moment.  

Speaking of sharing, the coop has progressed nicely.  We filmed this video to make it easy for my Dad to get a feel for the construction.Daddy's hens will be laying in style.

 

Winning is good

Photo belongs to A Homesteading Neophyte

On Monday, my friend Phelan of A Homesteading Neophyte, held a spring giveaway.  And what was she giving away?  Why prik-E-gnu seeds, of course.  I know you are wondering what this is and promise that you will not find much about it online; it is a small HOT pepper.  Ronnie and several of our friends, enjoy hot peppers so let's see how many men we can get to tear up.  *wink*  As Phelan does, I plan to dry and grind to use in various recipes.

So exciting!  I'll let you know when these arrive and, of course, when they are sampled!

Spring has been fickle here, with temps spanning in the 40's through the 60's; depends on the day.  What has been nice is the rain is happening in the evenings and at night so I can get yard work done through the daylight hours and then go to sleep to the sound of rain.

Saturday past, we stopped at Delberts (the produce guy) and snagged some baby vidalia onions.  These onions came with a recipe:

           1 cup diced baby Vidalia Onions
           1 pkg kernel corn (we used canned corn from 2009)
           3/4 cup fresh diced tomatoes

           3/4 cup fresh diced green bell pepper
          Mayonnaise or dressing of your choice

           Use enough mayonnaise or dressing to toss well.  Salt and pepper to
           taste.  Chill in refrigerator.  Makes 6 servings.

I didn't really follow the cup measurements, just cut up what looked good, chilled in the fridge then enjoyed.  The first night, we used a balsamic vinaigrette as the dressing and the second night just lemon juice; the lemons were my fav.    And for a sweet finish...some Limoncello cookies.

Last night we made some split pea soup - so wonderful!  I'll share that recipe with you tomorrow.

Three cheers for Sedgwick, Maine!

And a thank you to Homesteading Neophyte for bringing this article to my attention: Maine town declares food sovereignty.  Nice to see a whole town of people with cahoonas willing to take a stand.  Our county will get there; more people need to grow some cahoonas though.  It may take awhile.

I'll knit while I wait.

Let me eat cake

Sheet Cake

For A17's birthday, K15 made the cake and icing.  We do not buy commercial mixes so the cake was entirely from scratch.  Interesting how K15 will forego the easier task (washing some left over dishes) to tackle the more difficult of baking a cake from scratch.

The cake turned really well.  We've used a similar recipe in the past, one that I thought was posted; apparently not.  So here it is, from Mel's Kitchen:

*Makes enough for two 9-inch layer cakes (bake according to recipe), or one 9X13-inch cake (bake for 30 to 35 minutes), or one 12-cup bundt pan (bake for 40 to 45 minutes), or 24 cupcakes (bake for 18 to 20 minutes)

*Note: the recipe calls for cake flour, which I never have on hand so I substituted 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons cornstarch for the three cups of flour called for in the recipe. It worked beautifully.

2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Process sugar, flours (or flour and cornstarch if making the substitution for the cake flour), milk powder, baking powder, and salt in a food processor for 15 seconds to combine. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal (you want this much finer than, say, a pie crust). Freeze the dry mixture in a zipper-lock bag for up to 2 months or use immediately.

To make the cake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your pan of choice (see the note above the recipe).

With an electric mixer, beat the prepared cake mix, 1 1/4 cups warm water and 2 large room-temperature eggs until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-27 minutes for two 9-inch layer cakes. See the note above the recipe for alternate cooking times with other baking pans. Cool the cake(s) in pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

We did not have cake flour so used the substitution indicated and  perfect!  Not overly sweet, and a firm not-heavy consistency.  Mmmm.  K15 had to take some with her to school to share with friends.  The icing is another story.  K15 originally made the icing with granulated sugar so the icing was... interesting.   She remade the icing using confectioners sugar, as per the directions, and added a bit too much milk so we had more of a glaze than icing.  That's ok.  It was tastey.

And we will continue to use the number three candle for all birthday's until it is all burned up.  This started out as a saving  money kind of thing and now it is a joke.  Everyone is three.

On the shirt tail of disaster

I've been watching...and reading... and watching events unfold in Japan and the U.S.  This has brought back memories of my Daddy saying "you'll see this in your lifetime".  Funny how one does not realize how smart their parents are until one is themselves a parent.  There is a slew of information out there about whether or not radiation will hit the U.S. from the Japanese reactors and which is better to have, Potassium iodide or idodate.  While I do believe that fall out is global, I am unsure of which news broadcast is most accurate; the media will tell you what they want you to hear.

Coop view from the back (access panels)

At the house Ronnie is finishing Daddy's chicken coop and I have been creating steps through the bank to the new back door... planning for lettuces and the such.  According to the Farmer's Almanac, now is a good time to plant peas - our neighbor has already planted 9 rows!  

A Time of Celebration! 17 years ago yesterday, A16 was born.  Yup, she is now A17.  So hard to believe. I remember, shortly after delivery, holding her in my arms and wondering what to do next.  Thinking, "Wow, in 10 years, who will she be?".  Seventeen years later, she is an amazing young woman, full of grace, beauty, and an understanding beyond her years - thought sometimes this 'understanding' is questionable.  *grins* 

A17 (froefront) & K15 (funny face)

We love you A17 - Happy Birthday!!

Homemade cosmetics, liner

I do not wear makeup, as a rule, yet there are times when I'd like to wear mascara or some eye liner.  The question becomes do I want to put chemical schtuff onto my skin.  Rather not.  

Online there are several makeup tutorials that involve activated charcoal, one for mascara and the other is eye liner.  In the past I have bought creme kohl sticks from Queen Kohl (no longer in business) and there was much discussion about the metals that were naturally occuring in kohl. To apply, one would take the stick, place just the tip in the outside corner of your eye lid, close lids and then 'drag' the tip to the inside corner thus lining both the upper and lower inner lid.  Sounds scary, I know.  It is not; you can use the same method with commercial eyeliners.  

Still, we are back to the chemical thing.  So why not use powdered activated charcoal as an eye liner; not on the inner lid, just along the lash line.  Simple enough; activated charcoal is often used in pads and applied to the eye to combat pink eye. There are several articles online that advise to add a few drops of water to the powder and then apply with an angled cosmetics brush or forgo the water and apply dry for a more smoldering look.  

Opting for the smoldering look, I used the brush and powder, no water; it worked!  Not sure why that suprised me.  Now I need to learn how to artfully apply eyeliner.  The most difficult part was pulling the capsule apart without making a mess.  Not too bad for the first try, eh?  

Mascara is next, as soon as I pick up some Aloe Vera that does not have menthal in it.  And they put menthal in aloe gel, why?

Please share if you have made your own liner before or have another makeup recipe.  

Lazy flakes

These big fluffy flakes are just gliding past my window.  Floating denotes a lazy, meandering style that is not the case for these flakes.  Earlier, yes.  Now they are moving faster than a mosey but not fast enough to be a fall or plummet.  Can snow flakes really plummet?  Does that not require a bit of weight?

outside my window

I have not taken the time to truly understand the physics of snow flake dispersion and, while fun to word out, not something I really need to understand.  I do need to be mindful how this snow flake distribution affects the roads.  A16 and K15 were headed to Roanoke this afternoon for volleyball practice...that is assuming their coach hasn't decided to cancel due to road conditions.  I know some of you still have snow piles; we have been pile free for about a month now.  Historically, though, it has snowed several feet in March (several decades ago) and I was here to witness a killing freeze in June.  Glad the days of wonderfully warm temps did not lure me into putting seeds into the ground.  Looks like that'll still be an indoor activity for now.

Stay warm!

Boric acid = Borax

I've been using Borax in my laundry soap for over a year now only to read that borax is boric acid; this is used as a pesticide/insecticide and is, well, really bad for you.  All this time I thought Ronnie was kidding me when he said it was the borax in the laundry soap that was causing the occasional skin irritations.  Yes, Ronnie was right... AGAIN!  Mother Earth and Enviroblog have both published findings.  I am now reevaluating the laundry soap recipe; borax is added as a booster so I am leaving that out of the next batch.

Last week I wrote about planting a living fence citing Osage Orange as a candidate for this fence.  Well, after reading Root Simple's post I think I'll have to pass.  Do not want to plant a headache.

Ronnie still wants an actual fence fence and Chiot's Run must have been reading his mind, 'cause she posted about fences; ok, I agree.  There is something about the look of an actual fence that just adds a little something.  Chiot's Run included this picture from Eliot Coleman's Four Season Farm.  A simple fence that has a beauty all its own.

I also have another bit of good news and was going to wait to share... just cannot.  Ronnie and I are looking to add to our .5 acre of heaven by purchasing an adjoining .19 acre lot; this .19 acre was part of the original lot that was later divided into our lot, the neighbors, and then this .19 acre that the original family kept.  It is wooded and brushy, much like the back of our lot and that's ok.  We'll keep the fruit trees, that are currently hiding, and clean the rest up.

So exciting!

Hot water heater experiment

Saturday, while in town, we picked up a 38 gal hot water heater.  Our current 50 gal tank seems to be doing ok, though I believe it to be at the end of it's energy efficient life.  Did you know these tanks have anode bars that are self sacrificing and will corrode to protect the tank from mineral wear?  However, if one does not check and change these two bars, chunks can break off the bar, fall to the bottom of the tank to be churned around each time water moves within and can crack the tank .  I was unaware.

Where the experiment comes in is this, hot water comes in from the outside furnace and flows through the tank until used.  Prior to the new tank, the old tank was hooked up to electricity and the tank would keep the water warm until it was called for.  Well, this new tank we did not hook up to electricity, to see what would happen.  Our thought was that the furnace circulator would continue to move water through the tank and it would be available when needed.  Yes, our furnace is hooked up to the water supply so as the hot water is used, it is replaced with fresh water.  Cold water which it then heats to about 170 (roughly).  So far, we appear to have enough hot water.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, I am not using electricity for the hot water heater.  Yippee!

This move was prompted by another electric bill: 990 kwh for the month and a $135 bill.  This is proally low for some people but is high for us.  We do not heat or cook with electric and light use is monitored - actually, the girls have become good (most of the time) at cutting off lights.  That just leaves the hot water heater.

Our question now is this summer, when we do not use heat in the house, how do we get the furnace blower (not the one in the house) to come on to stoke the fire and heat the water?  Still working on that. If you have experience with these things, please share.

Fridge follies

It rained most of yesterday and continues to pour into today.  Since outdoor activities are out, why not tackle the fridge, right?  When was the last time you really looked at what was in your fridge.  When did you last clean your fridge?

I am sad to report that my fridge has been neglected.  Baaad mommy.  *sighs*  I did not get a picture of before, but here is a picture of after. Sad to say there were a few, not alot, but a few biological experiments growing.  And bottles of condiments that I bought awhile ago, kept, and not used... why?  Is it for the "just in case"?

I've stated before, how can a condiment that does not go bad after spending months in the fridge, be good for you?  These had to go.  Except for the Hershey's syrup, in the back of the top shelf.  When M15 comes to visit, she'll sometimes have chocolate milk. 

Ah, a much better picture.  Except for the styrofoam.  I really need to remember to bring my bento box when we go out...not that this happens often.  The going out thing, I mean.  Eating out tends to upset our tummies.  Yesterday we drove to Roanoke to watch the Charger's girls basketball team play in the quarter finals and while there, we picked up a few things for the house and got a bite to eat out. Yuppers.  As soon as we arrived home, Ronnie and I were both reaching for the Rolaids.  *shakes head*  You'd think we would have learned.

Oh, you want to know what I used to clean the fridge?  That would be soapy dish water and baking soda.  Yup, a girls best friend.

So today is a cleaning, puttering around the house, finishing odd jobs, day.  I hope you have an equally restful yet satisfying day.

A living fence

Yup, still looking at fencing though the cost of a man made fence is looking to be cost prohibitive.  What about something green, that gives something back?  Yes, I will need to trim both sides of a hedge making a living hedge more maintenance.  It does not leach into the ground and can provide food for the critters, mine and 'wild'.

Mother Earth News has a great article on the subject, including history and plant options.  Those I am considering are:

• Honey Locust (George Washington's shrub of choice)
• Tagasaste (leaves are good for hens, 20-27% protein)
• Osage Orange (found here)

Does anyone have experience with any of these?  Or have suggestions?

Hungry, hungry....

you thought I was going to say Hippo, didn't you.  Ha!  I remember that game; never owned or played it, just saw it advertised on t.v.

Back to garden planning.  I'd like to grow some supplemental feed for the ladies, with thoughts of enough to carry through the winter.  Idea so far include corn (heavy feeder), field peas, and millet.  The thing with millet is that I can also feed it to the rabbits.  Any of you plant grains for animals?  On a small lot?

Photo Credit

Oh, and Rebecca, over at First Ways, posted about purple dead nettle - an herb that grows happily at the Wardhouse and with which I have no idea how to use.  Apparently this goodie is in the mint family and has a square stem; it can be harvested with abandon as it is an invasive 'weed' from Europe.

The best part is that the entire plant, above ground, is edible - leaves, stems, and flowers.  This powerhouse is high in antioxidants and iron (amoungst a list of additional WOWs).  The leaves can be bruised and applied to cuts  to stop bleeding and aid in healing.

Time to check the yard. . .