Thanks for stopping by! My life has changed 180 degrees, so I plan to document where it's going now.
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I moved around a lot as a child. I didn't mind it all that much, because I became easily bored if we stayed in one place for too long. I found myself looking forward to the novelty of all the new places and people I would meet after our next move. I adapted easily and made friends, and before too long, it would be time to pack up and move again. Even if we stayed near the same community, we did not seem to stay in the same house for long. Soon, however, moving around became a compulsion for me. As I began my adult life, I found the idea of settling down in one place to be boring. I always told people I had itchy feet, and pretty soon my friends and family took it for granted that I would never stay in one place for too long. Even after I married and we started our family, the idea of settling in did not seem right somehow.
When we bought our first house, I thought maybe I'd come to the point in my life where I was ready to settle down. But my husband decided as the kids grew, and his commute got longer, that we needed to make one final move. We had just renovated our beloved little house from top to bottom, and I had just had our youngest daughter, so I was not excited at the prospect of another move. But we found the perfect house, the big lot , and a studio for me to practice all of my different textile arts and continue homeschooling the kids. We have been here 15 years now, and made a lot of changes, repairs, and upgrades to the property. I built raised garden beds for my veggies, which my husband later surrounded with brick pavers during one of the hottest summers on record. We poured a huge concrete patio, so the kids could skate and ride their bikes, but also to allow us to enjoy the pleasant shade cast by our oak trees and our neighbor's barn in the sultry summer afternoons. Now that all the kids are almost ready to move out, my husband and I had started to consider what we would like to do: should we stay or should we go? We now have three small dogs in place of our large dog, eight hens who provide excellent pest control and keep us in eggs, and two bee hives to help pollinate the garden and trees and make the most wonderful honey. With the poor economy and lack of jobs, we're not sure where we would go, or if we even really want to leave. This is the longest time I have lived anywhere in my life. We are entering a new era in our lives, one that will settle back on to the two of us, and less on our kids. This realization has not been lost on either of us, so we have decided to take steps toward revitalizing our relationship and talk about our future AFTER the kids move out. My husband found a new job closer to home, and gave up his 4-6 hour commute to Silicon Valley. I have started work on ‘decrapifying’ our home, and making it more peaceful and organized. We plan to do as much as possible to streamline and remove the stressors from our lives, and share our blessings with others. Lent seems like a good time to start. #40BagsIn40Days Last week, I had a dream. That's not unusual, I know I dream every night. What stood out about this dream is that I remembered it. I can't recall my dreams most of the time. We have been beekeeping for over a year now. In my dream, I looked out into the yard by my hive, and there was a swarm of bees hanging from a branch of the tree above it. I said to myself, "I need to catch that swarm." As I approached to the swarm, the bees took no notice of me, and I was able to capture them, and their queen, and transfer the swarm to an empty hive that I have. That was it. This morning, I was running around trying to get stuff done before the busy week ahead. I suddenly remembered that I needed to check the nest boxes, and take my morning walk around the yard. One of our hens, named Specks, was following after me and sharing her gossip. I don't know why, but we both looked up when we passed under a tree branch. And hanging there, in all its glory, was a large swarm of bees! Now, I lived in dread of a swarm all last summer. As a novice bee keeper, I couldn't imagine ANYTHING more daunting than the prospect of capturing a swarm of bees. So many myths surround bee swarms, the only way I could put my anxiety to rest was to study about them. So after reading through the many volumes of apiculture (the science- or really ART- of beekeeping), I also found a local mentor through a family friend. What a blessing! Fast forward a year later, and Juanito and I were planning our first capture. I called our mentor, who instructed me on the best way to address the situation, how to prepare, and the best time to put our plan into action. Just before sundown, we had everything ready and waiting for the big adventure. Quick side note: As I was typing that last sentence, one of the little ankle biters crawled up my pant leg and stung me just below the knee! I used an old home remedy for bee stings: ONION. So now, my leg feels great, with no swelling, burning or pain, and my keyboard smells like onions... Unfortunately, I did not have enough hands to do the capture AND get it on video. But I did find a video on YouTube showing a capture very similar to ours. Disclaimer: Bee swarms can be very dangerous! Do not attempt to remove a bee swarm yourself without proper training and protective clothing for beekeeping . Swarming bees are not usually aggressive, but do not disturb or provoke them to see what they will do or to try to be funny. Bees don't have a sense of humor.Our swarm was fairly large, and hanging about 14 feet above the patio. We used a platform Juanito built for 4th of July fireworks displays to get a steady footing at the proper height, just a couple feet below the branch the swarm was suspended from. He tied a sturdy rope to the branch, then centered a 5 gallon bucket under the swarm. Pulling the rope, he was able to pull the swarm down into the bucket and drop them in with a sharp tug on the rope.
We didn't quite get them all, and had to cut the end of the branch off and shake the remaining bees into the bucket. They weren't happy, but they also weren't in a frenzy. We calmly carried the bucket over to our waiting empty hive and dumped the bees in en masse. I had placed two frames with some old honey comb on them to let the bees know this was their new home. They seemed ok with that. So for now, they are settling in and should be ok. I'll keep you posted. Their new hive home is called a Top Bar Hive. It is said to have originated in Kenya, but ancient top bar hives have been discovered in Greece and Italy, too. So what about the dream? Since I don't usually remember my dreams, when I do remember them, they tend to be important. Not because they tell the future (ok, this dream kind of did that!), but because my subconscious is trying to tell me something. So I look up the symbols from my dream to figure out the message. I've had many important dreams in my life: one for each of my children while I was pregnant and thinking of names, about friends and family who have passed away and came to say goodbye, about the healing of my shattered confidence after a traumatic incident, and many other things. This dream was no different. Dream interpretations can get very involved, but I usually go for the obvious, literal meanings, since I my dream messages tend to be literal- like this dream- and obviously symbolic. So, here's what I discovered: To see bees in a dream is thought to be a good omen. It signifies profit, honor, dignity, success in business or in love, and a good harvest. According to the ancient lore, the mystical importance of the bees is associated with happiness, success and rewards for hard work. To see bees in a dream symbolizes wealth, good luck, harmony, bliss, and creativity. Bees are also symbolic of hard work and industry. Hard work pays off in the end with sweet results. It can also mean that lots of things are happening in life, that it's buzzing with activity. A calm bee swarm in a dream means the dreamer will enjoy many small pleasures in life. As I've shared in previous posts, I am VERY busy with a lot of different projects. So while the messages are kind of generalized, they are relevant to my situation, and I need all the encouragement I can get! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our next adventure, whatever it is! Sorry for the REALLY big gap between posts. Life has gotten on top of me lately. Not that it's a bad thing. There are actually some amazing things coming my way, and it's RAWTHER exciting. I was able to land an ongoing gig with a tech start up in November, after sending out my résumé to 30+ companies whose style and work terms I liked. Got a few polite 'no, thank you's", but finally, a reply asking for an interview. So here I am, three months later, with my dream at home writing gig. Great company, nice people, WORLD CHANGING product. I will share more about this another time, but suffice it to say, history will be made. Animals! OY! Everyone has issues with itchy ears, colds, infections, and so on. I can add avian vet to my list of animal accomplishments now. I am well versed in egg bound hen treatments, giving birds injections, bird psychology, bathing, drying and re-fluffing, poking, prodding and inspecting the little fluff balls now. GEEZ! I need a break. Thankfully, everyone is fat, happy and healthy now. So now we have to plan and execute the clean up and planting of our 2014 garden. To add to the fun, we have to figure out how to do it in severe drought conditions. Our rainfall has been very small this season, and the federal government informs us they will not be helping us with our water needs. Back to the gardening books! Cooking and other pursuits have taken a back seat recently, but we did have a meeting of the Northern California Bond Club for the first time in many years. I continue to write on Squidoo, and have even become the official Yarnaholic Contributor. Check it out, we have a page on Facebook, too. I have plans to document the finishing of our bathroom remodels, as well as the other sundry projects I have planned for the spring and summer. Until next time... This is Chez Poulet (French for House of Chicken), a project that lived in my head for three years before it became manifest in the Summer of 2013. Many hours of research and study went into its design, all for the sake of comfort, safety and convenience of our flock. One of the features that I wanted to incorporate into the coop was solar lighting. Chickens need up to 14 hours of light a day in order to continue laying eggs, so many people install lights inside the coop to insure the chickens get enough light during the short days of winter. The problem is, many people use electric lighting, which is the cause of many coop fires and loss of livestock. Our coop is meant to be mobile, so we wanted the lighting to work without having to run an electrical cord out to the coop, especially in rainy weather like we have in our area. Now that Fall is nearly over, we decided to install lighting inside Chez Poulet. Our first attempt was not successful. I bought a pair of outdoor solar spot lights, which we tried to mount in various ways inside the coop. The lights were not good quality, and did not hold a charge for long, even though they were set all day in the bright Central Valley sun. I began to think about other solar options, and hit upon the idea of rope lights. I have been considering this option for other projects around the house, too. I found a 24 foot solar rope light for about $25.00, and it was a perfect fit for the coop. We installed eye hooks across the central beam in the roof, and ran the tubing through it. We attached the solar panel to the roof, and let it charge for the day. The lights have a sensor that turns on at dusk. The ladies seemed to enjoy being able to see after dark, too. Not too bright and evenly lit, this really was the best solution for us, and our peeps. We will continue observing the lights to make sure they will remain working in the best way possible. That way we will still have time to make any necessary adjustments before the weather turns. I’ll post here with any further news or modifications.
For thirty years now, I’ve abstained from eating one type of food or another. I was first diagnosed with hypoglycemia when I was 18, and was told no sugar or carbs. I started using a new sweetener called Equal. I followed all the rules, but I wasn’t getting better. The more I read and studied about nutrition, the more confused I became. No one could agree on what could be defined as ‘good food’. You weren’t going to find it in the stores, and Farmer’s Markets did not exist in my corner of the world.
When I moved to a college town, I lived in a house with a bunch of old hippies, or ‘granola people’, as I called them. I started learning about the vegetarian diet, which I adopted more out of economy than personal conviction. There was a great co-op near my house, where I could buy in bulk on the cheap. I slowly dipped my toe into herbalism, and it was then things began to change for me. Not right away, but I knew I was on the right path. When I married and became a mother, a whole new world of contradictions opened up for me. Then my second oldest began displaying symptoms of lactose intolerance and asthma, I knew I had to do something. I found a wonderful herbalist who gave me a course of treatment to follow, we changed his diet, and soon we had everything under control. Now my son has completely outgrown those conditions, but we still monitor him, just in case. A couple of years later, my two youngest children were diagnosed with high functioning autism. We started a gluten free/casein free (GFCF) diet and had amazing results. I have learned to bake, process and cook just about anything, and find sources for exotic ingredients online. I know what does and doesn’t work. I’m a field expert and a battle sharpened soldier in the war on junk food. Then things circled back to me and I started having issues with ovarian cysts and lowered immune function. It was then I had to remove corn, beans and lentils, peppers and most processed foods from my diet. I do not eat fast food or drink soft drinks. Things improved for a while, then my thyroid slowed down, my other hormones have gone wild, so my new mandate is getting them under control. Thus begins my plunge into urban farming, including poultry and bee keeping. Going well so far, so much to learn and do every day. Now the battle is corporate, with biotech and chemical companies trying to gain control of the world’s food and seed supplies. GMO food is everywhere, with bad science and worse politics behind it. I will probably have grandbabies in the next decade, so I intend to keep up the food fight for them, too. Things just got REAL. The whole thing is, I would love to just be able to eat, without having to think about it. I would love to blithely sail through the store and put anything I wanted into my cart, safe in the knowledge that it was all safe, wholesome food for me and my family. Food free from preservatives, toxins and chemicals. I just want to have what our ancestors had, and maybe, took for granted. But the upside of all this has been that now I take nothing for granted, especially my food. I understand the amount of work that goes into growing crops, raising livestock and processing all the results into a meal, three times a day, 365/24/7. I take care not to waste it, not even the scraps. I see the wisdom in sustainable living, and it has become my goal, and one of my personal missions in life. Today, I shampooed and blow dried a chicken. Yes, that is a bizarre statement, but it’s 100% correct. For years, I have maintained the theory that my life is a really long, bad TV sitcom. Perhaps because I tend to see humor everywhere, or maybe it’s because I’m doing things like giving spa treatments to chickens. It’s hard to tell right now; I’m still in shock. Shampoo…chickens…blow dryers…something does not compute. Things often take a turn for the surreal these days. I’m seeing all kinds of otherworldly, parallel universe-y, alternate reality happenings every day. I’ve actually laughed at Bill Maher a couple of times. One of my liberal chums from Berkeley posted a meme that waxes poetic about Ronald Reagan on Facebook. I heard a mainstream news report that said something nice about Sarah Palin. It’s a world gone mad, I tell you! Absolutely MAD! I wonder though, what has brought about these seemingly unimaginable changes of heart? Is it that we are finally becoming unified? Is everyone yelling so loudly that we now listen to each other, long enough to realize that we may actually agree on some things? I mean the REALLY important stuff: that we are, as a nation, heading in a dangerous direction, and that we are ALL hurting, but most of all, that we need each other to get through it and move on in a positive direction. Or am I imagining it? I am praying that the real madness ends soon, but not as long as the lunatics are still running the asylum. When I discovered a quote from one of my favorite lady poets...the idea of The Poet’s Bench was born. Now that Fall 2013 is upon us, I am finally winding down from the summer’s frantic pace. Now begins preparation for winter, bringing in the last of the garden’s bounty, planning for next spring , and appreciating all we accomplished this year. Despite the heat and a few other curve balls Life decided to throw at us, we managed to get many projects done. I won’t share all the mundane, nagging projects that we finished, but I wanted to share a few of the flashy ones. So, as promised, here is the step by step creation of the first of many literary themed garden projects. I call it “The Poet’s Bench”. Now, let me state now that I did not come up with the basic idea for this bench on my own. It has been floating around on the Internet since last spring. I liked the idea, but wasn’t actively looking to make one- I have enough to do! While shopping, I found the perfect twin bed at one of our amazing thrift stores in town, and later came across wall decals at the dollar store. Several of the decals had clichéd sayings, but a few of them had some profound quotes from famous people. When I discovered a quote from one of my favorite lady poets, Miss Emily Dickinson, the idea of The Poet’s Bench was born. This project turned out to be a hard sell to my husband. He thinks in complicated ways, and it took some time for him to get used to the idea of a very simple, yet sturdy, bench made from a bed frame. Sometimes he reminds me of Tim Allen’s character in Home Improvement. My husband is always looking to make things bigger, better, more POWER. I prefer basic elegance, and simplicity of form and function. It makes for some lively debate over how things get done!
When we finally worked it out, things moved along quickly. We both had some “Oh yeah” moments, and we were pleased with the final results. The plan is to create garden hardscape pieces for our yard that are functional and beautiful. It is going to take a while for the vision to take shape in reality, but I like works-in-progress. It will allow the idea to grow and evolve. Perhaps it will be even better than we imagined. Priorities are different for everyone. Even if you don't realize it, what you choose to do (or not), reveals more about your inner agenda and your emotional status than any personality profile. Some people complain about the time crunch in their lives, but ultimately, they will make time for what is important to them. I freely admit, I do value family time over having an immaculately clean house and yard. I don't always wear makeup. Having the basic chores done and being able to spend time with my family and friends is my priority. Commitment to family has led me down some paths I could have never foreseen, but they were still where I needed to go. I am grateful for the freedom to choose and follow those paths. Home schooling has given my children the freedom to pursue their many interests, without the constraints of an arbitrary curriculum not suited to their unique abilities. They can explore the width and depth of education at their own pace, without labels or limits. They have their own wings and set their own flight plan. Most of all, it allows them to keep their imagination and natural curiosity intact, by encouraging them to seek out and question things on their own, and form opinions and understanding for themselves. No better way to learn! I chose to freelance so that I can earn an income and still be free to take care of things at home or pick up and leave at the last minute to drive my son to a rock concert. I will always have time for road trips! Making memories is more important to me than trying to impress people with an overstuffed portfolio. The work will always be there, but spontaneous fun is fleeting. I grab it with both hands! I don't think anyone gets to the end of their life wishing they had worked more overtime, had a longer commute or washed one more load of laundry. The world tries to sell us an empty ideal of fame, power and wealth without acknowledging our need for others, and the importance of strong, healthy connections to them. Those are the things that sustain us when things get weird. Those are the things that keep us sane and give us hope when all the world's ideals inevitably fall short. I love a nice loaf of sourdough bread every now and then. I had been thinking of mixing up a new batch of starter, so I found a nice ceramic crock at the thrift shop. I never got around to it with all the activity going on around the house this summer, but it was in the back of my mind. Sourdough is one of those foodstuffs that isn't complicated, per se, just really time consuming. You can't just whip up a proper loaf of sourdough. The starter itself, or mother sponge, takes a week to ferment to the proper bubbly consistency. The first rising of the dough can take up to 18 hours. It has to be in a fairly warm place, too, or it won't rise at all, the starter dies, or any number of other mishaps can ruin it. It's a fussy, drawn out business. Now bear in mind that REAL sourdough bread is made without yeast. You can make it with yeast like a regular bread, but then the starter is really only used for flavor, not leavening the bread.
Anyway, as I was clearing out my pot drawer last week, I came across an accessory I bought for my crockpot when I was married in 1986. I'm big on gadgets, so when I saw this thing that allowed me to bake in the crockpot, I snapped it up. I used it a couple times for cakes, then it was relegated to the back of the cupboard. When I saw the shiny gold pan again last week, I thought, I really should try using that again. Off I went to Google a copy of the user manual online, when I saw a lot of results for baking sourdough bread in the crockpot with a pan exactly like mine! OOOOOOOOOOOOO... I researched some of the better recipes, found the manual online and set to work mixing up the starter. Took just a few minutes a day to feed it with water and flour and return it to the fridge. Like I said, no big deal, just a waiting game. Yesterday, I mixed the first dough, let it rise until this morning, kneaded in a little more flour, let rise again and baked for 2.5 hours in the crockpot. Check the first attempt above. I need to do more revision on the formula. This one is not quite the ticket...stay tuned! |
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