False sense of security

2009-07-01T16:10:00.005-05:00

Garden Ups and Downs

KIA at the garden

Gardening here in North Idaho has been a bit frustrating. I really thought I had a grasp on things this year. I started my seeds at the right times indoors, planted my squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers in peat pots so no to disturb their roots, and started my carrots early, but not too early. Of course the weather isn't cooperative. It turned out the last week or so of may was way unseasonably hot. We didn't keep our carrot seeds watered enough and they came up very sporadically. The long wave of warm weather seemed to bring overconfidence so I planted my tomatoes, eggplants, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, and some of my peppers and tomatillas the first week in June. But then, we got two frosts in a row the second week in June. All my cucumbers, several tomatoes, half of my pumpkins, squash, and eggplants were killed. I had a couple starts still at home, but was forced to start the cucumbers by seed and pick-up a few tomatoes at farmers market. We'll see if the short growing season will be long enough. The next problem to hit were voles. Those little buggers ate the roots of 7 of my brassicas which ended up shriveling and dying.

Now it seems as though things are mellowing out. We have mulched about half of the garden and have planted more carrots (and have been keeping them watered). The weeds aren't too out of control yet. Anyhow, heres to hoping for a good season. How is everyone's garden doing?

KIA's garden teepee-Moh made this with scrap canvas

I'm glad KIA isn't afraid to get dirty

2009-06-08T12:08:00.009-05:00

Poultry Update

It's amazing how days turn into weeks during spring. Yard work, gardening, job-work, and the desire to "play" outside all mesh together to create a busy schedule. I've also been busy getting the chicken coop and duck house finalized.

KIA hanging with the ducks

A couple weeks ago, one of the ducks, became injured. We assumed that Emma our border collie herded it onto the steep hillside where she over exerted her leg. She wasn't instantly lame, but started walking less and less. The other ducks didn't want to leave her when they went out foraging. We actually got to a point where we were going to put her down, but decided she still seemed healthy and had an appetite. Instead, we decided to pamper her by bringing her feed and placing her in a tub a couple times a day for water therapy. Well, now she seems better. She can walk, albeit more of a hobble. We also moved them up to the flat area of our yard where it's easier for them to walk around.
The new duck house
I converted our cold frame into a "duck tractor". They forage in the day and we lock them in the tractor at night.

The chicken coop now has chickens in it. The chicken coop made from all used or salvaged materials (except nails and screws)

We had some friends give us two bantam hens and a bantam rooster. The bantams in their new home
The white hen is currently brooding. She has a couple fake eggs that she is keeping warm. This Wednesday we have a few chicks coming in that we'll place under the hen in the evening. We're hoping she will keep them warm so we can avoid carrying down the heat lamp. Maybe that will be the next update........

2009-05-07T09:28:00.005-05:00

Not the Best Items to Impulse Buy

The other day I was at our local Coop Country store to buy some peat pots for my squash starts when the saleslady came up to me and asked if I wanted any ducklings. They had recently gotten their shipment in and I guess were eager to unload them-perhaps so they would no longer have to take care of them. I had to go look at them.
The ducklings early on

Earlier that day Moh had called and told me KIA was grumpy from teething and a cold. She told me to pick up a little treat, probably with something like ice cream in mind. I decided the ducklings were a better choice. We had been considering getting some chickens, but I wanted to build a coop first. I hoped the ducks may kick me into gear to start building.

So I picked out three. Nobody there knew the sexes or the varieties so I hoped for the best. I wanted a couple females so we could get some eggs and hopefully a variety that was a good layer. I don't care for duck meat, and after naming them I'm sure butchering would not be an option.
Their first home

At home we set them up in a big plastic tub. I figured that would buy some time to finish the outside shed. Not the case. They grew much faster than I anticipated. Next thing I knew we were moving them into the cold frame I just built. The broccoli and brussel sprouts would have to wait.
The cold frame home - Cheap entertainment

2009-04-22T09:24:00.007-05:00

Local Flavour: Common Knowledge Coffee and Tea

I have decided to follow in The Fool's footsteps and attempt some posts on the local flavour of North Idaho, especially around Sandpoint proper. I was inspired by reading many of his posts on Homer a couple months ago.
The side of Common Knowledge with mural by local artist and friend Dianna Schuppel

Sandpoint is largely a tourist town, boasting a ski hill (Schweitzer Mountain) nine miles from town for the winter months and the summer months containing endless outdoor activities involving Lake Pend Oreilles and the two mountain ranges it's wedged between. Still, Sandpoint contains enough locals to keep Sandpoint from being a sterile tourist town. One such asset is Common Knowledge Coffee and Tea House, which is also a used bookstore. Not only do they have the best espresso and loose leaf tea in town and great organic food, it is also a hub for progressive activism. Shelby, the owner, is on the Sandpoint Comprehensive planning board and groups such as Sandpoint Transition and the community garden often meet there. Additionally, it even attracts progressive speakers and authors such as Jim Hightower and as in yesterday"s case, Amy Goodman, whom I was fortunate enough to catch (even though I was over an hour late to work.)
Amy Goodman speaking at Common Knowledge

It was great to see Amy Goodman in such a familiar and casual environment. A lot of people were packed into the small area to hear her speak and get a book signed. She was running late, so it gave many the opportunity to sit around and discuss politics and current community projects. I sat right across from the Sandpoint mayor who seemed very excited to hear Amy Goodman speak. One thing that I did notice was the lack of youth in the audience. There were a few of us in our thirties and I saw one friend in his twenties, but the majority were 50 and 60 year olds. Sandpoint is not a college town, so many of the 20 year olds have skipped town for something better.
Bookstore
Coffee Bar

Still, a tip of the hat to Common Knowledge. A place that definitely makes Sandpoint a better community.

2009-04-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

More Earthday Mockery

Well if the anti-environment crowd can beat a dead horse, so can I. Glenn Beck was back to being an ignorant smart-ass mocking Earthday on his show again. Check it out, please. He then goes into a tirade and spouts this nonsense;

"You can't make wind energy work without nuclear energy as well. Wind stops"

I'm sorry, I really don't see his appeal. I have several friends that like this guy, but I just don't get it.

2009-03-29T13:45:00.004-05:00

Will Stupidity Ever Cease?

I'm not sure how many people have heard of Earth hour. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it was a symbolic hour that took place yesterday evening at 8:30pm in which many people shut off their lights to recognize the threat of global warming. But as we all know, there are plenty of naysayers out there that fail to see the writing on the wall. I do agree that no one is really certain of what will happen, but hey, we should still look for alternative energy options and practice conservation methods at all cost.

However, today I was wasting some time browsing through the Crooks and Liars Blog and came upon an entry about some creative dissidents like this moron who believes himself to be so hilarious. He even wrote up his own pledge
"I do solemnly swear that I will honor Earth Hour by turning on every light in my residence at 8:30 p.m. on March 28, 2009, for one hour. God said, “Let there be light.” Who are we to argue?"
He also reassures those who chose not to turn on all of our lights that there is hope for killing the planet by posting;
"BTW, if you can’t turn on all your lights tomorrow night, you should at least take a leisurely drive to spew fossil fuels into the atmosphere or eat a nicely grilled (on charcoal) animal of some kind."

Another moron

that apparently worships Rush Limbaugh provides a great list of ways to cancel out Earth Hour with ideas such as burning tires and styrofoam.

The sad thing is I think these guys are serious. Even sadder is it's not just a few right-wing bloggers, but even Fox News manages to mock global warming and promote waste (I guess that really isn't surprising). Beck shows this stunt which helps prove my point of the douchebag he really is.

I mean come on people, even if one doesn't believe in global warming, why promote waste.

2009-03-27T17:04:00.002-05:00

Seed Starting (I hope it's not too early)

Earlier this week we finished planting most of our indoor seed starts. I still plan on starting some leeks, squash, pumpkins, and melons-the last three planned for mid April. This year we started them according to the moon. From what I have read, most plants (not bulbs or tubers) do best when started when the moon is in a water sign and in the first quarter. We started ours in Pisces just before the new moon. We did some moon planting last year which seemed to have decent results (perhaps it was just luck). Still, to me, it is interesting to keep track of the moon cycles and feel with the rhythm of the earth. My only hope is we didn't start the plants too early. Afterall, there still is over a foot of snow on the ground and although the days are noticeably longer, I look at the newly sprouted tomatoes and think "wow, am I really going to be able to plant these this year?" It really has been a long winter.

2009-02-22T12:29:00.004-06:00

What Will Happen To All Of The Empty Buildings?

I read a post over at The Crallspace the other day about many of the businesses that have closed in Corvallis, a small city in Oregon where I used to live. Compared with many of the cities I was familiar with back in the Midwest, Corvallis seemed to thriving when I lived there. I don't recall too many empty buildings, even downtown. But we all know that downtowns have been struggling since big box stores, malls, and crappy chain restaurants like Applebees and Outback Steakhouses have invaded the once farmland of city edges. The urban sprawl was the land of opportunity for bigger and better stores. Well, yesterday I took a trip down to Spokane, Washington. As I came in from the north through the miles of urban sprawl, I couldn't help but notice many newer buildings that were vacant. Restaurants, chain retailers like Linen N Things, Circuit City (well almost, they were having a going out of business sale), a party supply store, and many others. At first I was like, well this is depressing, but then I came to realize that I had despised the existences of most of these places. They were big, corporate, dependent on free trade with countries with awful human rights, and above all pointless. They sold bad food from factory farms to feed the fat, unhealthy consumer driving their SUV's from corporate chain-store to corporate chain-store like college barhoppers. They may have provided some jobs, but a more legitimate business would have as well. I feel some sympathy for the workers that were handed the pink slips, but not for the fact the businesses themselves are gone.

So what will become of the former buildings Linen N Things, Circuit Cities, and the many others that have come to pass amidst our recession? Will they remain vacant only to be demolished seven years from now?

2009-02-12T14:56:00.004-06:00

Cheap Seeds

It's that time of year when it still looks and feels like winter here in North Idaho, yet the thought of gardening needs to take place. Moh and I plan on having our own garden about equal to last year, but we also plan on having a greater involvement on the community garden project here in Sandpoint. Moh attended a meeting the other day with the Sandpoint Mayor, the Park Director, and the City Planner. The goal is to create a community garden in one of the city parks. Moh attended as the garden designer although the intention is to have several people involved collectively on the project. So far the plan has the go-ahead as long as the the plans are accepted and a non-profit group sponsors the project (for insurance reasons or something). Water will also be an issue because the city will not pay for the water. Anyhow we are hopeful that it will work out.

Getting to the cheap seed part, I recently found a seed company called Rougeland Seeds out of Oregon. They offer a bundle of 100 seed packets for only $40.00. The variety is great and are all heirloom open pollinated varieties. I figure it will an ideal purchase for ourselves and to be able to donate the extra seeds to the community garden. We also have friends that want just a few seeds for a very small garden or a container garden so we should have enough to simply give to them. I was a bit hesitant to buy that many seeds because I had already placed an order with Uprising Seeds which is a small Pacific Northwest seed company that sells only locally grown organic seeds. Still I feel with all of the extra seeds I will be able to provide a service to others by giving out seeds. So anyhow, heres to the upcoming garden season. I can't wait to get all of my seeds and start doing some indoor starts. Hopefully we'll be able to preserve even more food than last year.
Gorgeous Chard From Last Season

2009-02-08T12:32:00.003-06:00

Local Meat

Lately I have really been slacking on my responsibility of purchasing local products and preparing my own food. While we still have a decent supply of potatoes and shallots and our applesauce and other preserved food are abundant, I have not felt like baking bread, making my own granola, baking muffins or other tasks I am used to doing with pride and enjoyment. This does not mean, however, that I am filling myself with tv dinners and mac and cheese. It means we have been eating a lot of beans and rice, burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and simple stir-fry's (foods that are quick and easy to prepare). My biggest concern has been the protein. We buy local eggs along with some cage-free eggs from over in Washington, fish from wherever (the local fish has too much mercury), and my newest find Brown's Buffalo. This is a real score. The farm is a little north of Priest River, Idaho. His prices can't be beat-$3.99 for burger or stew meat. He mostly sells out of his home or to a couple local restaurants, which I will occasionally hit when I fail to pack a lunch and I'm stuck in Priest River for my lunch break. Now if I can find a good local chicken producer.

2009-02-05T08:55:00.004-06:00

Another Troubled Bridge Over Water, But Without Water

Awhile back I posted about the horrific bridge leading to my home. Since then it has been fixed with a more stable, but still scary bridge with no guard rails. Well another bridge I drive over nearly everyday has drawn national attention.

The Dover bridge which crosses over a railroad on US Highway 2 heading from Sandpoint to Washington was built in 1937. Popular Mechanics listed it as one of "The 10 Pieces of U.S. Infrastructure We Must Fix Now" along with such powerhouses as the Brooklyn Bridge, Atlanta's Water System, O'Hare Airport, and Chicago's Interchange. Wow, lucky us.

More recently the bridge is to be highlighted on a History Channel show about the deteriorating infrastructure in the US. The show may be named "Crumble". That would be great.

What has been interesting is IDT's decision to fund projects based on reducing congestion and traffic rather than the unsafe bridge. In early January the Dover Bridge was taken off of the priority list because a lot of money was already being spent in the Sandpoint area for the new bypass. But then, perhaps due to the History Channel showing up, or because Idaho anticipates more money flowing in from the stimulus, the Idaho Transportation Board reversed it's decision and the bridge is back on the priority list. Who knows. Still, they have no plans for the bridge. It is estimated to cost around $40 million however. Until then, I'll just make sure I don't cross it while any log trucks are coming. Dying on a bridge is not how I want to go.

The Dover Bridge from the Bike Path

2009-01-30T09:20:00.004-06:00

Just a Couple Winter Scenes

The crazy amounts of snow that we were receiving here in North Idaho has taken a break, at least for the time. The sun has been shining frequently providing some picturesque scenes. At least a couple times a week I drive a stretch of US HWY 2 from Sandpoint, ID to the Washington border for my job. It's about a 30 mile trek, but with the Pend Oreille River on the south side and the southern edge of the Selkirk Mtns to the north, I can't complain about the scenery. Wednesday was a gorgeous sunny day in the upper twenties. I couldn't resist pulling over at mm 11 and having a gander.

The Pend Oreille River looking East

Ice Formations on the HWY Outcropping

Looking up at the Outcropping

2008-12-30T16:21:00.003-06:00

Does the Safeway Corp. Know Their Carts Are Being Used For Non-Shopping Purposes?

I don't know. Just seemed a bit odd. They do have cones or orange barrels for such tasks. Taken at the Newport, WA Safeway if anyone wants to nark 'em out.

2008-12-29T14:30:00.007-06:00

Another Crazy Winter

My absence in the blogging world has been the result of another heavy winter here in the Inland Northwest. Every morning I have to spend some amount of time doing car, driveway, or woodstove activities. This has caused me to have little time for cafe going where I do my blogging (still no internet at the old homestead). Last week we had an ice dam on the roof which caused some some leaking. I finally got the ice dam removed yesterday then ended up shoveling the entire roof. Which is a little sketchy because of the 30' height of it. Anyhow, today we're supposed to get another foot of snow so I'm about to give-up on keeping the driveway clear and start hitching a ride with a co-worker. I love snow, but sometimes it's a real pain. Well here are some recent pics anyhow;

View from the mostly shoveled roof

The driveway when it wasn't too bad

KIA in the driveway

Me playing peek-a-boo on the roof

At least it's toasty inside for a good book

2008-11-10T11:58:00.005-06:00

Stump Crabs

It's that time of year again when Albeni Dam spills a little more water over its gates and Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille river see their shores get a bit broader. Waterfronters boat docks become worthless. The somewhat picturesque Sand Creek looks more like a mud bog. And best of all, the stump crabs make their presence.

These beauties were spotted along the Southside of the Pend Oreille river between Sandpoint and Priest River.

From a distance amongst the haze stump crabs may seem a bit intimidating.

But a closer view reveals a very slow, gentle being.

2008-11-05T13:54:00.002-06:00

Idaho Politics

Well Idaho lived up to it's anti-progressive nature, coming in number 4 behind Utah, Oklahoma, and Wyoming for the highest McCain percentage won by a state. My county, Bonner, went 57% McCain to 40% Obama. I guess that's better than Cassia county in southern Idaho that went 81% McCain 17% Obama. Yikes. How would you like to hang out in that area.

Our local elections were also a disaster. Our County Commissioner seat was won by a gun nut that owns an Army Surplus store. In fact all of our elected officials went GOP except one surprise-our US Representative for Idaho's first district. Somehow the former Republican turned Democrat Walt Minnick was able to barely upset Right Wing Wacko Bill Sali. Lucky us.

Caught up in the election hype I checked out CNN's cool election maps where it breaks down each sate by county and how it voted in the presidential election. The counties that I have lived in here in Idaho were the only ones that went for McCain. That includes counties in Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon, and Latah county in central Idaho. Well, I sure don't feel sorry for all my neighbors who will no doubt sulk under an Obama Administration while constantly listening to Rush Limbaugh.

2008-10-18T11:31:00.002-05:00

$470 Dollar Grapes

Can you believe I paid almost $500 for these grapes? No, actually they were free, but when I drove down the alley where they were growing I hit a huge rock or something and busted the oilpan in my VW Golf. I plan on making some jelly, but I gotta say I have some resentment against these grapes. But I will get over it and put love into the jelly. Otherwise what's the point?

2008-10-14T14:23:00.004-05:00

This is just wierd

I know I live in North Idaho, but this is wierd.

This trailer is parked in some random spot along the backroads south of Sandpoint. Is this thing;

A) a mock election booth for confused voters then killing them and dumping the bodies in the lake.
B) serving free breakfast for McCaine/Palin voters on election day
C) stolen from the recent Idaho GOP convention here in Sandpoint and ditched by Obama supporters
D)Food booth for hunters, because lord knows all hunters are Republican
E) Actually one of McCaine's many vehicles.

2008-10-07T09:31:00.004-05:00

Preservation....Still Going

We've done a fairly good job of preserving this year, but we still have plenty more to do. Our tomato harvest was a bit lower than I was hoping for, but I managed to get some sauce done and we've been enjoying a lot of salsa. To make my sauce I have an old Squeezo. It's amazing for getting the skins and sauce while maintaining the juices and pulp. It also works well for berries and grapes. In fact I'm hoping to get some grapes to make a few pints of jelly.
The Infamous "Squeezo"

Apples have also been a the project of the weekend. We didn't find any really good wild trees this year, so we bought a 40lb box of second organic MacIntosh and Ellstars for $25. We got quite a bit of sauce and several half-pints of apple butter made. I think we'll buy another box this weekend.
It was hard to keep KIA from the Apples

2008-10-02T09:14:00.003-05:00

Morning Reflection

With autumn in full swing and winter right around the corner, many people enter into a nesting mindset. I was struck with the feeling of moving-leaving the state. Then it struck me. This will be the first time since highschool (and I'm 31) that I will have lived in the same house for 2 winters in a row. Even the same town for that matter. It's kind of depressing really. I have a decent job and nice rental and I still want to move on. I guess I don't know the meaning of stability.

2008-09-26T19:15:00.004-05:00

I love Board Games

It's getting to be that time of year here in North Idaho where the days grow shorter, the nights get colder, and the sky becomes cloudier. I begin drinking more espresso, making more soups, and baking more breads and muffins. My reading list gets some more attention and the board games come out of the storage room. Ever since I was a child I loved board games. I have fond memories of staying home from school sick and playing Careers, Scrabble, yahtzee, and Monopoly. In Junior High and Highschool I began playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends often to the angst of teachers (which I don't understand, because unlike video games we were reading and using our imagination). Now in my adult life, I've gained a few new favourites; Carcassone, Scotland Yard, Up the River, and The Garden Game from Ampersand Press which has some other great Nature games. I'm usually not one for advertising, but it's a great company worth checking out and supporting.

As for the game, here's how the Object on the Rules of Play sheet reads;

Players plant their garden with "Garden Cards", trying to get and keep as many cards as they can. In addition, players try to make "pollinating sets"; 2 of the same kinds of Plant cards with a Pollinator card. The Pollinator must be one named on the Plant cards. The Garden Cards symbolize success with plants in the garden; the pollinating sets symbolize successful seed production for next year's garden.

The playing pieces are stones, the spinner is called the "weather Station", and the cards drawn are Gardener's Almanac Cards. One example reads;

Frost Bite. A Few warm, sunny days fooled you into thinking it was safe to move plants outside. A late cold snap came and froze them. Lose a garden card

Anyhow, it's a fun game and great for kids 8 and up. It gets kids interested in the garden and is very educational. The Rules book even contains a detailed "gardener's glossary and a background to "The Life Cycle of Plants".

I'm definitely playing it this weekend. It's been awhile.

2008-09-25T13:28:00.001-05:00

You Know You Bought a Lemon When..........

It breaks down long before the temporary license plate sticker expires.

2008-09-22T09:00:00.009-05:00

Slow Food Sunday

Since I am now a 8-5 Monday through Friday worker, weekends become very important. As Les Claypool of Primus said, "Funny thing about weekends when you're unemployed. They don't mean quite so much, except you get to hang out with all of your working friends."

Anyhow, Sunday to me has become the wind-down day. More often than not cooking a good meal or doing plenty of baking seems just the way to end a week and prepare for the start of the new one. Having a whole day also allows for food that requires longer preparation. I know probably anyone reading my blog is familiar with the slow food movement, in fact I did a post on slow food awhile ago. Well yesterday a simple pizza was on the menu. With it came the benefit of using some excess vegetables we had sitting around. Coming up with summer squash recipes is always a bonus.
Baby Summer Squash

Here is a quick rundown of my dough and sauce recipes;

Zucchini Pizza Dough
1 C warm water
2.5 t yeast
App 2 C grated zucchini / summer squash
salt
2 T Olive Oil
App 3 C Flour (I use a combo of white wheat, barley, and whole wheat)

*Liberally salt grated squash and place in colander for 15 or so minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture with a towel. Set aside.
*Add yeast to warm water and dissolve. Let sit about 10 minutes then add the salted, hopefully fairly dry, squash and olive oil. Gradually add Flour until it can be placed on a work surface and kneaded. Don't be surprised if you end up adding about 3.5 C of flour, but try not too add that much. The dough will be a bit stickier than typical pizza dough. Knead for several minutes then place in an oiled bowl covered with a moist cloth to rise for 1-2 hours.
*Divide in half and shape into round crusts either in a pan or a pizza peel.
Ahhh Pizza Dough

Basic Sauce

Okay I basically make-up my sauce recipe each time. Since I started with raw tomatoesyeah, these beauties, that I blanched, peeled, and cooked down, I guess I had about;

2C Chunky tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic
1-2 T chopped basil
1 T chopped oregano
2 T olive oil
salt
dash of pepper

* I generally cook the garlic,oil, salt, and pepper for about ten minutes then throw in the herbs at the end
I do love the smell of Italian herbs and garlic.

After the sauce and dough is done it's a matter of building the pizza and popping it into a hot oven (I bake mine on a preheated stone at 475 F for about 15 minutes.

The building is complete.

*note-the picture of the baked pizza had an off-colour so I decided not to post it. It really was lovely and tasty though.

2008-09-21T11:37:00.002-05:00

Depressing Song #2

What a great time to listen to gloomy tunes. It's cold and rainy and the whole family is recovering from a nasty virus complete with repeated vomiting. So I'll let Chan Marshall of Cat Power present you with Names;

His name was Perry
He had a learning difficulty
His father was a very mean man
His father burned his skin
His father sent him to his death
He was ten years old
He was ten years old
He was ten years old

Her name was Naomi
Beautiful round face, so ashamed
Told me how to please a man
After school in the back of a bus
She was doing it every day
She was eleven years old
She was eleven years old
She was eleven years old

Her name was Sheryl
Black hair, like an electric space
She would pretty paint my face
She was a very good friend
Her father would come to her in the night
She was twelve years old
She was twelve years old
She was twelve years old

His name was Donovan
He was a very good friend
The cards were stacked against him
He was selling cocaine
The last time I saw him
He was thirteen years old
He was thirteen years old
He was thirteen years old

His name was Charles
He said he was in love with me
We were both fourteen
Then I had to move away
Then he began to smoke crack
Then he had to sell ass
I don't know where he is
I don't know where they are

2008-09-17T18:01:00.005-05:00

Several Days of Depressing Lyrics

Even though we're having an extended summer here in North Idaho, I thought it would be fitting to start off the cold and/or rainy season with some songs to put some perspective on life. We have all heard the traditional sad break-up songs, the bluesy spend all my money on gamblin' songs, and the country beer drinkin' songs, but here are some real songs that are sad, depressing, disturbing, macabre-whatever.

Bob Dylan starts us off;

Ballad of Hollis Brown

Hollis brown
He lived on the outside of town
Hollis brown
He lived on the outside of town
With his wife and five children
And his cabin fallin’ down

You looked for work and money
And you walked a rugged mile
You looked for work and money
And you walked a rugged mile
Your children are so hungry
That they don’t know how to smile

Your baby’s eyes look crazy
They’re a-tuggin’ at your sleeve
Your baby’s eyes look crazy
They’re a-tuggin’ at your sleeve
You walk the floor and wonder why
With every breath you breathe

The rats have got your flour
Bad blood it got your mare
The rats have got your flour
Bad blood it got your mare
If there’s anyone that knows
Is there anyone that cares?

You prayed to the lord above
Oh please send you a friend
You prayed to the lord above
Oh please send you a friend
Your empty pockets tell yuh
That you ain’t a-got no friend

Your babies are crying louder
It’s pounding on your brain
Your babies are crying louder now
It’s pounding on your brain
Your wife’s screams are stabbin’ you
T.ike the dirty drivin’ rain

Your grass it is turning black
There’s no water in your well
Your grass is turning black
There’s no water in your well
You spent your last lone dollar
On seven shotgun shells

Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Your eyes fix on the shotgun
That’s hangin’ on the wall

Your brain is a-bleedin’
And your legs can’t seem to stand
Your brain is a-bleedin’
And your legs can’t seem to stand
Your eyes fix on the shotgun
That you’re holdin’ in your hand

There’s seven breezes a-blowin’
All around the cabin door
There’s seven breezes a-blowin’
All around the cabin door
Seven shots ring out
Like the ocean’s pounding roar

There’s seven people dead
On a south dakota farm
There’s seven people dead
On a south dakota farm
Somewhere in the distance
There’s seven new people born

Please feel free to to comment about the depressing songs you've come to love or hate.

2008-09-11T08:42:00.003-05:00

Stressed Out - Glad It's Vacation Time

I usually try not to vent many of my personal problems on this blog, but I gotta say that lately I have been stressed out. Much of it has to do with my job which has caused me more personal turmoil than I envisioned. My work as a environmental health specialist has gotten me into more conflicts with developers and homeowners than I'd like. People don't like to hear that they can't put a house on their land. It pisses them off. I also don't care for writing violation letters to people that in return gets lawyers involved. Lately I have been second guessing some of my work which has made my nerves even more of a wreck. So add the stresses of work to all of the chores that need to be done before winter (wood cutting, harvesting, and preserving), to my lack of free enjoyable time, and financial stress and you get a person that needs a vacation. Luckily we're heading to Oregon tomorrow. Maybe I can replenish. Take care everyone.

2008-09-05T16:43:00.015-05:00

Idea for a North Idaho Brochure

Did you ever notice how rose coloured the tourism office propaganda is? They can make any hellhole look attractive. Well I've created a totally unbiased tourism brochure for North Idaho (of course it's still in the works).

Come visit beautiful North Idaho and Discover Its;

Commitment to preserving its fragile ecosystems and natural resources.

Great Diverse, Creative Arts Culture

Opportunity to See the Stars of Hollywood

Fabulous Homes and Real Estate Opportunities

Great Pride in its Heritage and Culture

Beautiful Well-Funded Schools

Progressive Political Culture

Openess For Religious Diversity

So come join us here in North Idaho-Where White Trash clash with California Transplants for a great time.

2008-09-04T09:35:00.007-05:00

End Of Summer Update

It seems that many of my posts lately are updates because of my lack of entries. This is no exception. What can I say, it's been a busy summer filled with gardening, festivals, and long work weeks. What has been missing, is my usual camping and travel trips.

As far as gardening goes, it has been a decent year. The cooler weather in north Idaho this summer has given us an abundance of cool weather crops (chard, kale, broccoli, peas, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and shallots). Our tomatoes are just starting to come on, but with already one frost I'm worried the green ones won't have the time to ripen. Our summer squash has been fairly plentiful, but not overwhelming. Our cucumbers have been few, but I'm really hoping more will be coming this weekend so I can at least make a canner's worth of pickles.

I'll let the pictures do the describing of the gardens themselves.

Our garden in Late August

Community Garden Sept 1

Big Sweet Onions

Late Brassicas

KIA enjoying the soil

2008-06-09T18:46:00.005-05:00

Garden for the Community

It's hard to listen to NPR or pick up the newspaper anymore without hearing about the economic woes we are supposedly facing. I recently landed a secure state job (the best I've ever had), but I can't but help feeling vulnerable to the increasing prices of food and fuel. I can't imagine to trying to live off of the wages that I earned not too long ago. The dollar or food stamp dollar doesn't go as far as it used to. With that said, it's no wonder that the food banks and soup kitchens are getting slammed harder than ever. Many food banks are urging local farmers and gardeners to donate fresh veggies to add variety to the canned veggies, old bread, and cheap peanut butter they hand out. I just came across this article that speaks more on the issue.

Well here in Sandpoint, a group of locals are attempting to give back to the community. We were given the opportunity to garden on an empty lot in town. At our first meeting, because of the number of individuals seemed larger than the plot would allow, we decided that the food grown would be donated to the local food bank. Of course we're all free to snag a few fresh veggies, but since the garden isn't large enough for us all to do much preserving it would be best to donate what is harvested.

Our nominated "leader" has done a terrific job of collecting donations of plant starts, compost, funds, and even wood for a fence. I've been so busy with my job and our other garden I haven't had as much time to offer as I would like, but I plan on helping more with the fall crop (I will be starting tons of brassicas for late summer planting). Hopefully this trend will catch on with more lots in the community. It would be wonderful if more of us have the chance to eat fresh local food without the high price tag.

Breaking Ground Mid May (KIA and I are off to the left)

2008-05-30T09:13:00.004-05:00

Garden Away From Home

After a couple years of not gardening, I couldn't imagine how great it has felt returning to one. It really gives me a sense of grounding. I don't feel as idle on the weekends. Many times the idleness lead to a small road trip to hike or sightsee-which cost money and consumed gas. My garden this year is a couple miles from my home, but it is still worth it (although I'm still getting used to having to remember everything that I want to do that day).

Anyhow things are wrapping up here at our garden. I just planted some squash and pumpkins (hopefully not too premature the weather has been in the sixties- about ten degrees below normal). I just got some straw so hopefully the garden will look less naked soon.

The Garden about a week ago

My little Helper

2008-05-22T11:20:00.006-05:00

Troubled Bridge Over Water

About a week ago I had an interesting meeting with my neighbors. It wasn't about an obnoxious neighbor, helping a neighbor in trouble, or a barn raising event-it was something I have never encountered. It was about a failing bridge. There are about ten families that live down the same road I do and are forced to cross a sketchy bridge over Sand Creek. Currently it's our only way out. It's not a county or state road so the homeowners are on their own. I guess since we rent we don't have a fiscal responsibility, but we will be the ones impacted if nothing gets done.

Well after about a half an hour of going over costs and ideas, the consensus was to try and find out about getting a flat railroad car to place over the bridge. That way no engineers will need to be involved in the building process (like a giant covert would require) and it may be the most economic. I haven't heard of the progress, but I really don't like crossing it anymore. Plus I doubt that our energy company would drive across it to deliver propane.

Looking West to the Homesites

A Close-up to the sketchyness

2008-05-14T18:39:00.007-05:00

Country Life (Pros and Cons)

Lately I have been having some regrets about leaving Oregon, or not moving to a larger city. I miss the bicycling, mass transit, wonderful local produce, food co-ops, and the progressive talks and events always happening. But then, I have an evening like last night. After a non-motile day at work, I came home, had dinner, played with KIA for a bit, and then had the ambitions for a walk. We went as a family and had a great time. It's really nice having an undeveloped mountain literally out ones back door. Here are some of the sights.
Peekaboo with a moose
Perhaps this was his antler from last year
KIA enjoying Getting Wet
A Little Waterfall Action (this falls is actually huge)
And Finally Back Home

2008-05-12T09:04:00.003-05:00

This Seems Odd To Me

I don't know about you all, but the term "Go Postal" seems like something the post office might want to avoid. Or are they trying to take it back (yes I saw Clerks 2)

I found this on Wikipedia about the origin of the term. Nothing about food drives.

2008-05-07T09:56:00.003-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

Following the trend:

Rainy Days make coffee shops and going to work more inviting. (Okay I added some words, big deal.)

2008-05-05T09:31:00.003-05:00

Garden In the Works

I know all of you warmer zone folks will laugh at our gardening progress, but hey, this is North Idaho where the last frost is mid June. Plus moving around so much lately has put the brakes on our gardening endeavors. Nevertheless, this year we have a plot to garden at a friends place (our house is on a cliff with rock and gravel). This weekend we were able to get in some stuff that probably should have been planted a couple weeks ago. Still with the lingering winter, it was nice to have the opportunity. So we planted potatoes (norland and russett), snap peas, shelling peas, Walla Walla onions, red onions, yellow onions, shallots, garlic, and spinach. I also planted some rhubarb chard and greens at our house where I made a small raised bed. Anyhow, it feels good to get in the dirt. What a way to celebrate the Taurus moon.

Our Garden Plot For 2008 (A Nice Place To Hang)

2008-04-30T10:00:00.005-05:00

Jim Hightower Here in Sandpoint

On Sunday I got the chance to see Jim Hightower , the progressive humorist from Texas, here in Sandpoint at our lovely Panida Theatre. It was a fundraiser for Sandpoint Community Radio which is trying to get off the ground. I used to catch his short little blurb the Hightower report when I used to live back in Wisco and I always found it funny. What I didn't realize was that he is a great public speaker (he delivered a humorous, upbeat lecture) and a really down to earth person. Various people told me that he spent time here in Sandpoint visiting the local pub and even stopping in at my favourite tea and coffee house, Common Knowledge. It seemed as though he really wanted to get a feel for the community. I have a feeling that he probably does that wherever he visits. I may just have to buy his book.

2008-04-30T09:27:00.004-05:00

What A Freakin' Winter

Well I feel like I can finally come out of hibernation because there is only a little snow scattered around the yard (I guess it's a yard). Living up an old logging road driving a small VW golf during a heavy winter was sort of awful. I often had to use chains just to get home and I lost track of how many times I got stuck. But now those days are gone. I started making a garden bed the other day, I have some herbs sitting outside getting hardened off, and yes, I saw some buds on the deciduous trees. A larger variety of birds have also been showing up at the birdfeeder as well.

So just for closure, I'll share a couple wintry photos-because I know it's over.

2008-04-25T09:59:00.003-05:00

My First Attempt at Returning, AKA as Reflections

Here is my first attempt at returning to the web. Why come back now, one may ask?

Well a couple reasons;

1. I just got hired on for a new job in my area of study.
2. I feel revitalized after a recent trip to Oregon.
3. I have a new notebook computer to take advantage of the wi-fi around town.
4. I miss friends I have met in blogger land (what's new with all of you?).
5. I miss learning new things and ideas from many of you out there (and ranting on with my own)

Photo taken at the Japanese Garden in Portland

2007-12-26T16:59:00.000-06:00

(Un)Wired

Hello All. Well, it unfortunately looks as though my absence will be extended. Our new house has no phone or internet. The occasional library visit will be my only fix. I'll try to catch up on others blogs, but my own page will be as patchy as it has been. Please feel free to email me if anyone wants to say a quick hello. I miss you all. I'll leave a couple pics (our new house and sweet little KIA).

2007-12-10T07:37:00.000-06:00

Chaos

I really feel as though there is some force keeping me away from blogging. "Being busy" no longer defines my life. Chaotic is a better word.

First off, what can I say, but we're moving....again. The house in town that was close to everything turns out to be extremely inefficient and has poor indoor air quality. With the cold hitting we discovered the gas furnace sucks, there is very little insulation in the house, and the only southern windows are to the mudroom that we keep blocked off with a wool blanket because it's not insulated. The bathroom also is not insulated and seems to hold a steady temperature between 45-51 degrees F. We've neem running space heaters, but that has been drying up the air so bad we've all had respiratory problems. Not to mention a high electric bill.

As for the air quality, we were always a bit concerned with it here. The air has always seemed heavy. There seemed to be a small mold problem in the bathroom, but the straw that broke the camels back was when we discovered there are 5 layers of carpet laid down. I guess the installers were too lazy to rip out the old. Anyhow one can view the progression of styles from pink shag down to pre WW2 geometric.

So, the better news is we've landed another rental 5 miles north of town. It has wood heat, hardwood floors, and it's brand new (awesome insulation). The bad, it's probably another temp home. The owner is putting it back on the market to sell in June. Oh well. I think I'm getting used to being unsettled.

Until next time.

2007-11-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

Back Again

I must admit that I feel a bit guilty by my absence, but I feel more isolated from all of the friends I have made online-I miss you all. Our Internet, DSL thank goodness, is up and running so hopefully.....

Well, for the quick update, I'm still working in the micro lab testing for nasty little critters. The job is going well and I should be getting a pay increase and my benefits December first. I also switched my hours from 6:30 to 3:00, which is why my blogging has been on hold. KIA doesn't go to sleep until 9:30-10:00 and by then I'm ready for bed. I haven't even had time to read much lately (I've been stuck on the same book for almost a month). Weekends are of course filled with yard and housework. The busy life isn't what it's cracked up to be.

The other news is we found a hose in town to rent. It's an older 2 bedroom with a fenced in yard for the dogs and a wonderful garage. It's fairly close to everything in town so biking and walking has become a daily event. It's a good thing too, because our Subaru's transmission went out, so we're just down to the VW with no intention of getting a second car. I have even been biking to work most of the time. It's almost 3 miles one way, but there is a great bike path that starts 2 blocks from my house and goes all the way to where I work. I have a nice commuter bike with a built in headlight that runs on a generator from my wheel for those dark mornings. I miss listening to NPR, but the crisp morning air has been nice.

The family has been all been doing well. KIA is growing up every day. She's crawling everywhere including up the stairs, but hasn't taken that first step yet (although she does stand by her self for several seconds). She's been eating a bigger variety of food, but with no teeth, we haven't given her too much finger foods.

Well I guess this has been a quick update, I'm eager to visit some other sites. Bye for now.
KIA and our Carved Pumpkins

2007-09-06T18:53:00.000-05:00

Cha Cha Cha Changes

Well another couple of monkeywrenches have been thrown into my blogging hobby, a full time job and a temp move to a cabin on the lake with no phone or Internet.

Yep, that's right I'm working the 40 hour work week after a year of slacking on misc jobs and helping out with baby and spouse. Actually that is a lot of work. Anyhow I'm working in a microbiology lab for a company that makes herbal and dietary supplements. It's a good company and we even get lunch Mon - Thur. from the companies own chef. Great food too, we're not talking PB&J. Yesterday was a beef stir fry with ginger, shitake mushrooms over a very tasty rice. Tuesday was a grilled salmon over a mixed greens salad.

As for our living condition, the one room condo seemed to be shrinking on us. After we got a crib for KIA, there was very little room to even stand. We had no yard to provide relief either. So until we can find something else we're in a very nice beach house that is just used in the summer by a friend's family. It's really nice, but too bad it;s only temporary. Anyhow, I must keep this short, I need to get home and check on the family. I hope you are all well in Blogger Land. Be back soon with pics and to check out everyone else's lives.

2007-08-28T02:05:00.000-05:00

Finally, A Bit Of Preserving

Since we are still getting situated here in North Idaho, I have had a tough time doing my usual harvesting and preserving activities. I guess we did pick some blueberries earlier this month that we froze. However, I didn't get around to making the blueberry jam that I was hoping can for holiday gifts. I also still want to make a bunch of dill pickles-which reminds me, I need to call someone about cukes tomorrow (jotting down note on paper).

Well, the other day at the Wednesday Sandpoint Farmers market we came across a pleasant surprise. There was a vendor selling local no spray peaches. A 25lb box only cost $15. That's pretty good up in these parts. We bought one box with the intention of canning some for winter. Tonight we finally got around to it. Still, it was no picnic. The hardest part was finding the pressure cooker in storage (the water bath pot was no where to be seen-as were our extra jars), figuring out the extra cooking time for higher elevation, and battling the limits of our tiny one room apartment. But with a little work, we came out successful. Below are some highlights.

The peaches cooking. I used a water-slight sugar solution. Next time I want to use some local apple juice (or my own) for the syrup solution.

KIA getting in on the fun, She actually got a hold of one and mashed it up right well.

The Pits. I don't know what to do with these things. I've tried composting them, but the take forever to biodegrade. I may change my name to Peter Peachpit and go around planting them.

I did have one casualty. When I removed the lid of the pressure canner, the peach floating around reminded me of an orange carp in A Japanese pond-well maybe with all of the metal more like a goldfish that was surviving in the sewer after being flushed.

And finally, the finished products-with a few fresh peaches to spare.

2007-08-22T12:49:00.000-05:00

Quick Update

Thank you all for your well-wishings with KIA. She seemed to come through fine. I'm sure with the rest and the "super" nutrients she received in the breast milk pulled her through. However, Monday night I came down with perhaps the same nasty virus. 6 hours of throwing-up is not fun. I'm fairly weak right now (I haven't eaten anything but a couple crackers) so my mental ability is bad. Be back soon.

2007-08-19T23:56:00.000-05:00

Baby Vibrations?

Friday night one of those things happened. You know an act of coincidence, that perhaps was not as adventitious as it seemed.

It all started when we decided to go see Michael Moore's Sicko at the Panida, a wonderful community theatre here in town. We have a friend that works in the projection room that said we could be his guest for the evening. The offer was too good to decline. We figured, or at least hoped, that KIA would be okay with the darkness. Our attempt to take her to a children's play of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a couple months ago went horribly wrong. The minute all of the lights went out she freaked out. She just sucked in her lips and looked terrified, her big blue eyes like saucers. The breast wouldn't even calm her. I wasn't able to see Charlie inherit the factory nor stay for the refreshments afterwards, which I'm sure included chocolate. Babies spoil a lot of endings.

Anyhow, as for Sicko, the darkness didn't bother her. She looked at the screen for a bit and then fell asleep nursing. I thought all was well, but Moh claimed KIA wasn't feeling well. Her illness seemed to peak when a segment came on about a mother being told she needed to take her child, that was running a 104 fever, to another hospital where her insurance would be accepted. The mother became angry when the hospital did not treat her daughter and was removed. By the time she arrived at the other hospital her child was having seizures, and well, didn't make it. This was the time that Moh took KIA into the lobby. I quickly followed. That was when KIA started vomiting. Not the spit-up kind, but projectile. Her temperature seemed high as well.

Shit. We were in the middle of watching a movie about medical horror stories and here our child is throwing-up. I wasn't going to take her to the hospital, that was for certain. None of us currently have any insurance, the last couple of trips to the doctor have been out of pocket. We ended up driving to Safeway to buy a thermometer to take KIA's temp. The result was 101, which is high but not dangerous. I went back in and picked up a bottle of infant acetaminophen. I'm not extremely hip on the product, but I do use it when a fever gets above 101. Removing her shirt didn't seem to be doing the trick.

We ended up heading home with a very unhappy baby. She remained fussy the entire night, waking frequently to be held or nursed. Saturday night was even worse. She barely could keep anything down and then the diarrhea kicked in. Today has been a little better, but she still won't eat solids and the diarrhea is continuing. Hopefully tomorrow she will be on the upswing.

Still the whole experience was a bit surreal. It was almost as though KIA was picking up on the movie. Perhaps she's more sensitive than she seems.

2007-08-17T00:07:00.000-05:00

Food For The Soul

The whole reason for this post occurred about a week ago. Moh, KIA, and I all took a walk down to the ski village the other evening. I had eaten a few hours before so I thought that perhaps a cup of coffee and a piece of pie would be a wonderful way to top off the evening. To our surprise, we found that the workers were setting up an outdoor, blow-up movie screen. Wow, a free movie in the village. There aren't a whole lot of free things up here. The movie they were showing was Cars. I hadn't seen the movie, nor had much interest to, but it seemed like fun. One of the restaurants had some tables off to the side where one could sit and order dinner. Great, I could get my coffee and pie after all. We sat down and several minutes later our waitress arrived and I ordered my coffee. However they had no pie, but a triple berry (raspberries, blueberries, and huckleberries) shortcake sounded excellent. However after a couple more minutes the cold wind coming over the mountain gave us the chills. KIA was especially cold. We decided to duck into the building and enjoy the food inside. When the food arrived I must say I was impressed. The shortcake was amazing-complete with a hearty serving of real whip cream. The bill, on the other hand, was a bit much (almost $7.00 for the shortcake). We didn't stay for the movie either. Maybe next time. I think it's Monty Python's Holy Grail this week.

A couple days later, after feeling a bit depressed for a variety of reasons, I decided an attempt to recreate the shortcake. After all, for me sweet treats made with butter, cream, and fresh fruit really helps ones soul. We had just been blueberry picking so we had over 8 liters to spare. I also had a few huckleberries that I picked just above our apartment. The result? Perhaps not as gourmet as Chimney Rock's shortcake, but still pretty damn good. They all got eaten at any rate. Here's the lowdown:

For the Shortcake
3 C flour (I used WW pastry)
3 T sugar
1.5 T Baking Powder
.75 t salt
12 T butter
1.5 C cream-milk mixture depending on the richness desired
1.5 t vanilla

*Mix dry ingredients together. Mix in butter with a fork or pastry cutter.
*Mix together wet ingredients. Add to dry and stir with a fork until just combined.
*Spoon the batter onto a baking stone and place in a preheated 425F oven. It should make 9-10 shortcakes.
*Bake for about 20 minutes

For the Berries
5 C mixed berries
4 T sugar

*Add berries to a pan with perhaps a bit of water and the sugar. Cook until the berries are a desired softness (You be the judge).
* Chill

For the Whipped Cream
1.5 cream
2 T sugar
.75 t vanilla

*You know, whip the cream.

Yum. I really like these. I add a little bit of goat milk when I eat these because I like my shortcakes a bit moist. I'm ready for strawberry shortcake now. There is someone at farmers market that still has strawberries. What a wacky growing season.

Me in the blueberry patch

2007-08-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

Should I be Paranoid?

Well the past couple weeks I have been searching Craigslist for a new crib (and hopefully one that will convert to a toddler bed). KIA finally outgrew her Amby Baby because she was too limited on movement in it. The last few nights she has been co-sleeping with us, but I am not very hip on the idea. I feel that I constantly waking up to make sure that I am not rolling over on her. She also moves around a lot. She does this thing where she will be half-awake crying or sobbing and crawl around in circles until she gets comfortable or whatever and then goes back to sleep.

So anyhow, a crib is on the shopping list. We want one that doesn't have paint or large amounts of stain and coatings, nor do I want to spend like $300 on a crib like some people feel they deserve for their used crib. There is also the used mattress theory. Of course a new mattress contains a barrage of chemicals like flame retardants and roach killers.

So what is a parent to do? There are all natural organic mattresses that cost close to $300, but that seems excessive. We sleep on an all natural (not organic) futon mattress. I thought if I could get one made that is crib size that would be an answer. And if I don't end up finding a crib on Craigslist or the Nickel Nik classified papers, we'll just buy this crib from IKEA. I think I was on the Canadian IKEA site this time, I believe it costs $159 here in the states. Anyhow, I had no idea I would be this concerned over KIA's sleeping area. I guess becoming a parent makes one more concerned or paranoid-however you look at it.

2007-08-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

Busy, Busy

And I vowed to not let another absence occur. Honestly things have been a bit chaotic up here. The good news is I finally found the VW TDI that I wanted. I purchased a Golf a couple weeks ago and am very eager to run it on biodiesel. Because it was in an accident several years ago I got it under blue book value, which is hard with these TDI's. Also the sellers were moving back to Poland so they were motivated sellers. Since it is a newer VW I don't need to do any converting, just change the fuel filter frequently at first. It may need some new fuel lines because I guess over time biodiesel degrades rubber hoses and tubing. The guys at Grease works in Corvallis have a wealth of info. I only wish that I had a diesel when I lived in Corvallis so I could have had them do the kit installations (I don't know crap about cars).
The New Set of Wheels

I did run the Golf on B20 from Missoula, but starting next week I'll be running it on B99. The best things about these new TDI's is the low emissions and high gas mileage. It's an automatic, but I'll still get well over 40mpg.
I guess KIA digs the new wheels as well

Another thing that kept me from posting was a virus I caught. At first I thought that it was food poisoning because it came on so fast, but then all of my muscles started hurting and I came down with a high fever. I ended up sweating so much that I became dehydrated. I fainted once coming back from the bathroom and when I went to the doctor (somewhat reluctantly because I have no insurance), my blood pressure was so low they wanted to hospitalize me and hook me up to an IV. Yikes. I opted for drinking a ton of water and electrolytes and staying in bed two days reading the new Harry Potter. I guess it worked because I seem better.

Some more of my time has been spent job hunting. I've applied for a few jobs (a couple even with benefits), but we'll have to see. I'm also debating on whether to apply for a job in Coeur D'Alene which is a little drive (45 minutes), but decent work is definitely limited.

The rest of my time has been spent running after KIA. She has started dragging herself around the house. She also seems to take a keen interest in the things she shouldn't have. Funny how they do that.

I guess I'll keep this post as brief as possible. And yes I really am going to try and keep up with this Blog. I really miss it.

2007-07-15T15:14:00.000-05:00

This Is What Happens When Sunday Morning Is Spent With Papa

You get Goat Yoghurt and Green Peas.

And Time is wasted at the village cafe dinking iced coffee.

2007-07-13T00:22:00.001-05:00

Modern Day Ghost Town

Have you ever driven through or visited somewhere that seemed eerie yet warmly fascinating? Well, last month on my cross-country journey I stumbled upon such a place. The town was Jeffrey City, Wyoming. It was just a small dot on the road atlas, but as I drove through and past the town, I found myself pulling a u-turn to get a closer look.

Looks like a deserted suburbia

Jeffrey City was a ghost town. It was not your typical "old" ghost town or the "slowly everyone moves away" town. Jeffrey City had modern townhouses, a large school, typical service stations, library, a bowling alley-all closed. I saw one skinny older gentleman wearing an army green jumpsuit smoking outside of one of the boarded-up townhouses, but when I circled around a minute later he was gone.

One of the several townhouses

I pulled over on the edge of town just past the large empty school to snap some pictures and take a quick walk down one of the desolate city streets. I noticed an antelope was keeping a close eye on me. I wondered if the guy in green was as well.

The antelope keeping an eye on me

The whole time I was thinking "what happened to this place?" I mean it was out in the middle of nowhere-at least 60 miles from a decent sized town. Which made me think "why was anyone out here in the first place?". I figured maybe some type of mining, but it seemed so much different than the mining towns of Minnesota, the UP of Michigan, and Northern Idaho that I was familiar with.

The remaining foundation of a one time resident of Jeffrey City

I hopped back in my car, drove back through the downtown snapping a couple more pictures, and then headed off down the highway to try and find a place to pitch my tent before darkness settled in.

I'm glad my car needed no services

I gave the place little thought until I loaded my pictures onto my computer. Even then I just showed Moh the photos and told her about the "weird, creepy place" I visited. It wasn't until today that I had a vision of the town and the guy in green that I decided to Google Jeffrey City to find out once and for all it's history. Here's the story if anyone is interested.

The House of Worship.....Still in use?

2007-07-08T00:29:00.000-05:00

I'm Back........A Nutshell Posting

Okay, I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but honestly I have been busy. The move took longer than I expected, I had to take the train back to pick up our car in Wisconsin, I started working right away, and it took what seems like forever to get internet up here.

So with all of that in mind, I'll try to continue.

We ended up moving into a condo on the Schweitzer Mountain ski resort. We can only stay through mid November so we'll miss the ski season. It's not ideal, but the rent is reasonable, the landlord is chill with dogs, and we were able to line things up from Wisconsin. Plus the views are great from the bay window.

Driving over 2000 ft into town isn't the most fun. In addition I pretty much killed my car driving it through Wyoming completely loaded down.

It's starting to smoke on occasion so the engine doesn't have much longer. I'm trying to find a reasonable VW TDI that I can run on biodiesel. I found one I want, but it's in Dallas and I'm not sure if I'm up for a road trip yet.

As for work, right now I'm doing odd jobs for someone. It pays much better than most work around here. There was a state park job I was interested in, but it only paid $7.00 an hour. Hopefully something will come up soon.

As for the weather...it sucks. Too hot for me, even up on the mountain. Over the 4th we took a trip up to Kootenay Lake in BC. We went up north of Kaslo where the temps cooled down a bit. Plus the lake was colder than all heck. It was a nice getaway. Really it was our first leisurely trip since KIA was born.

Speaking of which, she is doing wonderful. She's staring to roll around, able to stay sitting up, eating more solid foods, and charming the pants off of strangers it's almost annoying. I mean I can't take her into a store without people coming up and commenting on how cute she is.

Her sleeping has been up and down. She has been sleeping through the night, but still doesn't want to go to bed until 10:00 or 11:00. It's like she's on our schedule. That doesn't give us a whole lot of free time though.

Naps have been a bit more frequent lately

Well, there is a bit of what is happening. I apologize for the incoherence of this post, but at least I'm posting. Now to update my info and see what's going on out there. Ta Ta.

2007-06-13T16:25:00.001-05:00

Just a Quick Update

Sorry I am not quite up and running yet. We are working on getting internet at our apartment, but it hasn't happened yet.

The move was quite stressful, but it all worked out in the end. Thank you all for stopping by. I will be back I promise.

2007-05-26T18:07:00.000-05:00

Why didn't anyone tell me that moving with an infant is twice as hard?

I'm still alive, but my stress is at an all time high-it's really hard to eat. We are supposed to be on the road by now, but the setbacks keep arriving. We plan on heading out tomorrow evening (Sunday). Full report later. Hope everyone is doing well.

2007-05-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

A Seasonal Meal

Since I am in the process of moving, once again a garden is not a possibility. I look forward to the day that I stay at a property (or better yet my own), where I can orchestrate a proper garden long-term. Growing up with a large garden as a child, I have many visions to which I would like to create.

In the meantime, I keep shopping for local produce and products and prepare seasonal meals. The one we enjoyed the other night was a mushroom polenta (Wisco mushrooms and cheese), with a side of asparagus (from my mother's garden), a side of local greens (with local radishes and some leftover sheep feta from NY), and rhubarb crunch with a dollop of local ice cream. I actually found a bit of rhubarb growing in our back yard. I wish I would have had wild leeks and morels for the polenta. I just picked some wild leeks yesterday, but no morels were to be found.

Anyhow here are the recipes to the dishes for anyone interested.

Broiled Polenta (from Moosewood Cooks at Home-I changed a little)

3 C water
1/2 t salt
1 C polenta or coarse cornmeal

3 T olive oil
2 C chopped mushrooms
1-2 garlic cloves
1 C sliced leeks or onions
1 T white wine or sherry

1 C cheese (mix and match) I prefer a little Romano, cheddar, and mozzarella
-black pepper and tarragon

*Bring water to a boil and add the cornmeal whisking constantly. Cook at low heat for about 10 minutes or until thickened

*Heat oil in a skillet and saute the mushrooms, garlic, and leeks. Add wine and cook a bit longer.

*Spread thickened polenta in a oiled or buttered casserole dish or pie plate. Spoon on the sauted veggies and top with cheese, pepper, and tarragon.

*Place in broiler for around 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Rhubarb Crunch (from the Mennonite Cookbook)

4 C diced rhubarb

Mix until crumbly:
1 C flour (I use part ww pastry part barley)
3/4 C uncooked oats
1 C browns sugar
1/2 C butter
1 t cinnamon

Combine the following:
1 C sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 C water
1 t vanilla

*Press half of crumbs in a greased 9 inch baking pan

*Add diced rhubarb

*Combine second mixture and cook until thick and clear, then pour over the rhubarb

*Top with remaining crumbs

*Bake at 350F (175 C) for one hour

This recipe has a lot of sugar in it, but it's a seasonal favourite of mine.

2007-05-15T01:25:00.000-05:00

The Seven Meme Returns

I noticed a resurgence of the "tell us something we don't know" Meme. I did a a meme that I believe had 5 things awhile back, but if I remember correctly my answers were lame, well maybe not, but I'd like another shot at it. Let's see what pops into my head.

1) I've gone to 3 colleges in 3 states, but only have a Bachelor's of Science to show for it. My second school was the University of Idaho in Moscow. I knew nothing about the area or the school. I wanted to major in forestry, they had a reputable forestry program, so I figured there must a lot of forests. I got accepted, picked out my classes, and took a 50+ hour Greyhound to the school from Illinois. I had a layover in Spokane and then traveled down through Eastern Washington. By the time I got to Pullman I was scared shitless. Where were the forests? What was with all of the wheat fields? Everything was brown and golden. Moscow was a bit greener. At least there were some trees in the distance. Still, after being disgusted with their forestry program I switched majors and schools once again and ended up in Northern Wisconsin and 25 grand in student loan debt.

2) In highschool most people thought I was on drugs because I dressed weird, missed a lot of school, and went from accelerated classes to almost flunking out really fast. Truth was I just lost interest. Actually I hated drugs and alcohol, I had seen their effects on others, but admittedly the first thing I ever tried was LSD-even before alcohol. I read a lot about the drug and started to get a bit fascinated with it, Kesey, the bicycle ride, R Crumb, the Fillmore bands, the usual stuff, so I had to try it. In retrospect, never being under the influence of anything stronger than coffee, it was probably a bad choice.

3) I have no clue what American Idol is. Just that it's some type of talent/popularity contest. Okay, that really isn't about me, but I wanted to show my media ignorance. The lack of TV does that.

4) I get a craving for Coca Cola every now and then....and buy one. I know they are loaded with HFCS, GE crap, and the company is a multi-national crooked corporation and I'm aware of who they donate to and what they have done in other countries, but the bastards must have gotten me hooked. Still, I either buy a can or those little bottles. The 20oz plastic is too much. And fair trade coffee is my drink of choice (or water).

5) I can't drive a manual transmission. I've tried a couple times, but it just frustrates me too much. I'm not wasting my time with trying to learn anymore. For real this time.

6) I wish I wasn't white/Caucasian or whatever one calls it. There is too much shame in being a white male. Most of the worldly problems we face-traced back to white males. In school I used to fill in other circles for race just for the heck of it. My favourite was the Hawaiian/Pacific Islander choice. I thought they were asking what you would like to be.

7) I go through bouts of depression. Who doesn't I guess? But I have actually been pretty screwed up. A lot of random crying, hints of suicidal thoughts (although I never admit that), and basic activities tough to manage. But alas, I'm all better :)

Ha. You knew that I would end on a serious one.

Anyone wishing to play along feel free, but let me know so I can read your 7 factoids. It's fun and therapeutic. Honest engine. It's past 1 in the morning here. I need sleep.

2007-05-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

It's Good To Be Back

Yes, I am finally back from our extended journey. I must say, having very limited access to the Internet was both daunting and a relief. I felt that I was unplugged. But, what can I say, I'm glad to be back in front of my Mac.

It was a very successful trip because Moh got to see a lot of her family both in New York and Illinois. KIA was privileged to meet her only Great Grandparent and he was taken by her. I did get to see my Mother, but I also had a wonderful time on the road. Oh, and Ithaca was cool.

As I mentioned before Ithaca is home to the original Moosewood restaurant. It's still in its original location-an old school.

Other shops behind Moosewood

They don't take reservations, so we showed up a few minutes before they opened. Good thing, because it really filled up fast. There is a small bar and giftshop in the front and the main dining is in the back. We were suckers for a small moose finger puppet. I also couldn't help but notice the help wanted sign taped to the window.

My overall experience there was good. They have a menu of several entrees one can order and a couple daily soups. I ended up choosing a vegetable stew that was very satisfying, accompanied by a small salad, and a double Americano. We passed on the dessert. Perhaps that was a mistake.

KIA enjoying her dining experience-She like noisy restaurants

Ithaca also has a wonderful downtown that consists of a roadless shopping area called "the Commons". There is a wooden playground, plenty of benches, and this lovely sculpture.

It was a bit chilly after leaving Moosewood.

We also found time to venture out to Buttermilk Falls State Park just south of town. The Upper Falls had the most impressive waterfall, but the lower falls had a more peaceful setting and nice trails. We hiked around for awhile soaking up the sun of a beautiful spring day.

A water crossing in the lower falls area

Moosewood isn't the only good restaurant in Ithaca. We also discovered Olivia. Olivia is a great little bistro that focuses on local and organic foods. I ordered a local goat cheese pita.
Oh, and the herbed fries with aioli and tomato jelly were amazing.

After our bit of extravagent dining we restricted ourselves to Ithaca's Co-op for our home prepared meals. I took advantage of their local dairy products-especially the goat milk for $.99 and the bulk sheep feta.

Well, enough about Ithaca, but that will have to wait......

2007-04-30T09:53:00.000-05:00

Posting From The Ithaca, New York Library

Well we made it to New York safe and sound. We burnerd through over $20 in tolls along the way (I think they doubled since I was on the Illinois Tollway last). Ohio has these crazy Travel Plazas on the tolls now. They feel more like a mall complete with a food court (including 24 hour Starbucks, which helped once). Dinner at the Moosewood was great, I'll post on that later. We took a trip down to Moh's Grandfathers' house on the Pennsylvania-NY border. They really have gorgeous rolling hills out this way. Today I'm in Ithaca again picking up some groceries at their co-op. Tomorrow I'm off to the city ( Long Island) for a wild adventure. More later.

2007-04-27T12:33:00.000-05:00

Posting from the Rock Falls, Illinois Library

Yeah, I know, I'm on the road again and with so much to do back home. We decided to give my mother in law our old Buick so we're driving it out to New York. It also gives us an excuse to see her family before we head out west at the end of May. Chances are we won't be getting back east again for some time. Hopefully we'll have a bit of fun in New York. We'll be in Ithaca so the original Moosewood is on the agenda. I'll be in "the city" for one day, but I don't have any plans there except getting out asap.

Hope to be back up and blogging soon. I feel as though I am missing out on all of my friends lives. Be well.

2007-04-20T23:15:00.000-05:00

The Empty Bowl

Well my absence from the blogging world can only mean one thing-I've been busy. Everyone knows that feeling right?

Spring has finally sprung here in the Northwoods so I've been trying to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. Also the dreaded cleaning and de-cluttering has been an ongoing battle.

However last weekend we were able to make it to our local Empty Bowl event. For those who have never heard of or participated in an empty bowl event, I strongly recommend seeking them out-or better yet try to organise one yourself if you are the motivated type. In a nutshell, they are a fundraising event usually for food shelves or soup kitchens. Local artists, students from schools and colleges make and donate handmade pottery bowls for the event. Then the public that attend get to pick out a bowl, load up with some hot soup, and enjoy socializing and listening to some live music. The one here in Ashland cost $10 a bowl-and there were some beauties. We accidentally arrived 45 minutes early because we had the starting time wrong. The nice college kids in charge of the event didn't even tell us to comeback later or inform us that we were too early. We thought people were just late arriving. A little embarrassing looking back, but hey, we got first pick at the bowls.

Here are the two bowls we chose

Also, I'd like to give the Northland students and artists that made this year's Empty Bowl a success a big thumbs up. You guys really are an asset to the community.

2007-04-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

We Are What We Drive (part 3) or Another Teenager Post

In my opinion, when we're young we should be excused for doing dumb things. Often times we learn an important lesson, while other times we simply receive a great embarrassment. I had many of the embarrassing moments, like when I tried to pose as my father and phone myself off of school. The problem was I tried calling from outside of the school cafeteria and in the middle of my pleading or imitating, the bell rang. I just hung up and went back to class. There was also the time I tried to take a bag of chips out of the front of a Frito Lay truck. Unfortunately the driver was in the back. I tossed them back in the truck and hopped in the car, my friends laughing the whole time. But sometimes the embarrassment goes hand in hand with a life lesson. Which leads me to another car story.

It was 1995, I was eighteen years old, had just left my home in Illinois to live in Portland, Oregon, and was living out of my friend Aaron's car or at his girlfriend's apartment. I had a part-time job and was on food stamps, but I just received $500 as a graduation present from my Grandmother, even though I hadn't technically graduated. The decision of going to Oregon was a little more interesting than finishing my senior year. Anyhow, the wealth of cash meant that it was time to stop relying on my friend's ancient Bonneville and get a set of wheels of my own. And this time the decision would be mine. In the past my Father always chose a car from one of his friends, because he claimed it was cheap and reliable. So in high school I drove a 1977 Impala and a 1979 Malibu. Both rusty as hell and a nasty color green. But this time I was free to pick out something old, but cool. Not cool as in muscle, I was more into dorky cool. I thumbed through the Oregonian and was amazed. I was used to the dozen or so car classifieds in my hometown paper back in Illinois, but the Oregonian was filled with cars. And not just old Fords and Oldsmobiles, but classic volvos, VW's, Audis, and other imports-all rust free. I wanted something classic, but I only had a little over $600. I ended up test driving an old Volvo, a classic Mercury hardtop, and even a VW bug, but nothing seemed quite right. Then I saw an add for a 1964 Corvair for $550. I once saw a Corvair back in Illinois in front of the oil change place and thought it was "so cool". I had never heard of Ralph Nader or his consumer advocate nonsense, so I knew nothing about Corvairs. Only that I thought they were cool, in a dorky sort of way.

This is exactly what it looked like-I found this one on the net. See it's dorky cool.

To see the car, I had to have my friend Aaron take me all the way out to Hillsboro. At first sight I was taken by the car. It was in perfect shape, bright orange, rust and dent free, and kinda funny looking. The car didn't even have that many miles on it and had been stored. I guess that should have been a red flag. The guy didn't let me drive it very far because it didn't have insurance and the plates were expired, another red flag. But all I could think about was imagining me driving it around. Taking a trip back to Illinois and showing it off.

I think it was one or two days later that I phoned the seller to tell him I wanted the car. I picked up a temporary sticker at the DMV, got my insurance squared away, and returned with Aaron to Hillsboro to claim my prize. I paid the man, asked Aaron to follow me abck to his girlfriend's apartment, and hit the road. The car was making some coughing sounds because of the old gas, so I sputtered into a gas station for some fuel cleaner and some new gas. I remember some people yelling stuff in spanish, probably cacho mierda or something, as my car sputtered into the station, but I tried to ignore them. I knew the car was a little rough, but a tune up and some new gas would do wonders.

After paying, we left the station and headed out on the Sunset Highway. I'm not sure how far we made it, but suddenly I noticed Aaron frantically flashing his headlights behind me. I pulled over to the side of the road. Aaron got out of his car and yelled to me that he saw smoke and even some flames coming from somewhere beneath the bumper. Shit, was the car overheating. Corvairs have their engines in the back like the old VW's so I was a bit worried. We opened up the trunk, but didn't really see much of a problem. Then suddenly the back seat of the car started smoking then quickly changing to flames. I was yelling Shit over and over. A semi driver came squealing over to the side of the road, jumped out with a fire extinguisher, and bolted towards my car. He began hosing down the back seat. Then another semi driver pulled over. A few minutes later even a fire truck arrived, this time hosing the inside of my car with water. Some people stopped to gaze, others even took pictures. Eventually the firemen ripped out my smoldering backseat and chucked it into the ditch. I was left with about 3 inches of foamy gray water, a blackened back window, a burnt temporary sticker glued to the window, and a lecture about air-cooled engines overheating. One of the firemen told me the air ducts that traveled beneath the seat were probably clogged with leaves. The heat of the engine must have ignited them. After some best wishes and sincere goodbyes, Aaron and I were left standing by ourselves. The Corvair wouldn't start and I was too embarrassed to return to the guy who sold me the car. Dusk was settling in so I decided to return in the morning. I really hoped the car wouldn't be stripped and vandalized overnight-abandoned vehicles around Portland seemed to be targets for vandals.

The next day we returned to a car free of vandalism, much to my relief. Another shock was the car started right up, saving me from figuring out towing. I also had to return to the DMV for another sticker. The wiseguy at the counter advised me to spray flame retardant on the sticker, but somehow I didn't see the humor. Eventually the car made it to the apartment complex and the restoring began.

Over the next couple of weeks the car caused a few more problems that were non-mechanical. The manager lady from the apartment complex called the cops on me because she claimed I had illegal plates on the car, which I did not. I transferred my Illinois plates onto the Corvair. Then the manager from Albertsons had my car towed because he insisted that it was parked on the lot for over 48 hours, when in truth I had left it there overnight.

As for the final fate of the car? I was driving back to Illinois when I pulled over for gas in Eastern Oregon. After the tank was filled, I went to start it, but to no avail. I figured once it cooled down it would probably be okay. After about a half an hour the workers helped me push it away from the pumps. Finally after it till wouldn't start an old mechanic and station owner came out and tried to get it running. After hearing how it sounded, he said the engine was pretty much shot-a bad rod or something. He claimed there was no way I'd make it to Illinois. I managed to get $100 out of him for the car, plus a ride to the Greyhound station. $69 got me a ticket back to Illinois and the Corvair from hell out of my life.

Recently I stopped for gas at the same station and looked around for the car. The old fellow wasn't working and I didn't feel like asking the guy filling up my car anything. Still, I wonder if it's still out there, perhaps haunting someone else. Or maybe it was just me that it haunted.

2007-04-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

Family: Love It Or Leave It?

The picture above is of my cousin and myself around the ages of 5 or 6. She is my only 1st cousin, I know freaky unless we live in Russia or something. Anyhow, she just had her second child a month ago. The sad thing I have never even seen her first child who must be like 4. I just don't keep in contact with my family. It's too difficult. I talk to my mother every couple weeks, but that even stresses me out sometimes.

I didn't used to be like that. Actually my cousin and I were like best friends. I never had a babysitter, my mom and her sister would take turns watching us. Our sleep-overs were often consecutive. My house meant plenty of time outside, playing with the dogs and cats, collecting caterpillars and building mazes for them with tinker toys and Lincoln Logs. My cousins house meant TV (they had a colour one with cable), riding bikes on cement instead of gravel, and playing with our extensive bouncy ball collection in her large kitchen. We rarely fought and it seemed we had a lot in common. We dreamed of having our own pet shop together.

I guess the times have changed. I haven't seen her since our Grandmother's funeral 5 years ago. Actually, she may have come to my Father's funeral too, but nevertheless it's been awhile.

The rest of my family seems just as removed. All of my grandparents are dead. I have a brother, well half-brother, that I speak to occasionally, but every time we seem more distant. I actually wouldn't mind spending some more time with his kids, my nieces and nephew, but they live in Illinois and I'm heading to Idaho again. The rest of my family seems to stay put where they grew up. I'm lucky if I can stay in the same spot a year.

So why am I going on about all of this personal stuff? I have no clue. I guess I just need to vent. Sometimes I feel as though I am on my own, besides Moh and now Kalea. Perhaps I am thinking about my family because I feel the need to keep in better contact? There's something special about relating to people that knew me as a child. Whatever the case, this has been a very insightful post for myself. Sorry readers. I guess this was more of a personal journey.

2007-04-10T23:44:00.000-05:00

No Title

Death is pissing me off. I have no words today, others will speak for me.

3292 Dead, 24,476 wounded

Oh my broken lamb
I worry when you cry
Baby's gonna fetch ya
Horses in the sky

Though dead hands ring the garden
And these are violent times
And violence brings more violence
And liars bring more lies

Though we was born defeated
Worried, tired and scared
And monsters build mean robots
Launching rockets into the air

And the wealth of our nations
Fed on angel blood
And our cities shot with moneyed schemes
Built on twigs and mud

And our schools look like prisons
And our prisons look like malls
And downtown's just a sick parade
Where no-one cares at all

And our hero's all died crazy
Broken, poor or shot
Let's celebrate their tragedy
And sanctify the loss

And manifest the daydream
Like those who fell before
And glorify our small attempts
And hate ourselves no more

Blow words between these sucker's teeth
And bind these panicked hands
Lose your heart like a clumsy bell
Please be well

And all i true love
Is the light
In my sister's darling eyes

Horses in the Sky by A Silver Mt. Zion

2007-04-08T23:49:00.000-05:00

That Memorable Spot

All right, all of you out there that view me only as a devoted father that tries his best to make wise choices ethically, environmentally, and well maybe even logically please read no further. Perhaps I'd like you to keep thinking of me that way...

Okay, everyone gone? Good. Now for my private writing.

I've been thinking a lot about my teenage years lately. I guess growing older does that. Teenagers need to feel the sense of rebellion. They thrive on the rush of doing things that are taboo or dangerous. I was no exception.

Most tweens and teens also have that special someplace that they go to "cause mischief", I love that term. For my friends and I it was the Pilgrim Road rock quarry near my friend Aaron's house. For several years it was our playground. We explored the caves around it, climbed down the cliffs, skated on the ice in the winter, picked berries along the creek, rolled boulders down the hill, and even built a rope swing near the quarry. But it wasn't all innocence. Since the quarry was still in operation, there also came a bit of *ahem* vandalism.

We started out spying on the workers. We had binoculars and would watch them from above. We really wanted t see where they kept the dynamite, but we never found out. One time one of the workers spotted us. We saw him pointing at us to another worker. Since they were down in the quarry, we could watch their every move. Finally one of them looked as though he was going to come after us. We knew the surroundings so well, we had no fear of getting caught. A couple times we even threw rotten apples into the backs of the trucks from our hidden cliff as the trucks drove beneath us.

After the spying came breaking and entering. We managed to get into one of the cabins at night. We ended up taking some Field and Stream magazines for the novelty of it, but that was about it.

Look at me, what a punk* Taken some time high school

The worst came one evening we were in a particularly foul mood. I guess the heavy equipment just pissed us off. And we wondered if a boulder really could break the windows of those big trucks. The answer? If the rock or boulder is big enough. I believe that was the same evening that my friend Jason also took a crap in the cab of one of the trucks.

Did we ever get caught? Well, one winter day we were shooting fireworks off on the icy pond, when a pick-up came driving down the road into the quarry. We had a dufflebag of fireworks, the good kind, but had no where to run. The guy turned out to be one of the head honchos of the quarry. He started rattling off about the vandalism that had occurred, like smashed windows, picked locks, and then he said "slashed tires". We both looked at each other in this shocked way because we had never done any tire slashing. There were other vandals on our turf. He threatened to call our parents and turn us in, but knew there was no way to link us to anything, but trespassing. He also may not have even thought we had done anything because we were just a couple of young country kids who acted as though the acts of vandalism were awful. He took down our names and told us that if he caught us again he would call the cops. Yeah, yeah.

Oh, but we did return.

2007-04-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

Spring? Cleaning

My blogging has taken a bit of a vacation while I do some cleaning and decluttering. I've even decided to get rid of books and cd's (which has always been tough for me.) We plan on moving in to a studio apartment/condo next (more later), so downsizing is a must. I've even decided to become a capitalist and sell some used stuff on Amazon. Here's my page if anyone wants to checkout my junk-I'll be adding more. I already sold a couple things. I may even get rid of things I regret (If the Cure imports come out, I've probably gone too far).

Hopefully I'll be out reading other blogger sites soon. Until then, ta ta.

2007-04-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

April: In Like A Lion

Ain't No Picinic Yet

2007-04-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

Has It Really Been Three Months?

Yesterday was 3 moons, today is 3 months for KIA's existence out of the womb. Wow. That's a quarter of a year.

Things with her have been getting a lot smoother. The colic has pretty much subsided, she has been pretty much been sleeping through the night, and the wonderful enjoyment of toys and observations has begun. What a trip.

To celebrate I conjured up a good ol' Great Lakes Snowstorm. Yeah it's like a blizzard out there, but the fire is so delightful. We really have no place to go so....

Lake Superior at it's Finest

What a difference a day makes

2007-04-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

.........Meanwhile, Back In The Northwoods....

Okay, enough about the future and traveling. One thing I have a real problem with is living in the moment. Maybe not just the moment, but the present. Today, however, was a nice Sunday. I finished off my book, made a couple good meals, kept a warm fire going, spent plenty of time lounging around with KIA, and took a walk with the dogs around the property and down to he creek to see if the signs of spring were creeping along. I must say, with all of the snow melt and rain we have been having, Fish Creek was a reddish-brown roaring river. To cross it this time of year I have to use a trolley. Great fun.

But besides the sightings of some new birds, plenty of mud, a few chives popping up (mmmm baked potatoes for dinner), the vibrant part of spring has yet to arrive. Plus there is snow in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. Until then, if it does happen, I guess we will watch this last snow pile melt away.

Watching the pile dwindle reminds me of living in Illinois as a child. There was a parking lot near a Krogers that would pile up crazy amounts of snow. Then people would guess when the car would touch the ground. In Neil Gaiman's American Gods a fictitious town in Northern Wisconsin did the same thing, but only the car was on a frozen lake. Oh and there were.....oh wait, I'm not going to spoil anything. It's a good read.

2007-03-29T11:13:00.000-05:00

Sandpoint, Idaho: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Well, it's really beginning to look as though we will be moving back to Idaho this summer. I have mixed feelings on the subject, but it's probably for the best. In addition, I'm considering grad school and Gonzaga down in Spokane may be an option. Who knows.

What I do know is that we just got back from visiting Sandpoint, Idaho (the town we plan on moving back to). Like anywhere, the town has it's advantages and disadvantages. For starters the scenery is great.

East of Sandpoint on Sunnyside Road

The Former Coldwater Creek store/bridge over Sand Creek

The Pack River just north of Sandpoint

Even the apartment complexes have decent views

But sometimes the views are, well, let's just say inhibited by the rapid sprawl taking place.

Sandpoint is also interesting for it's great number of espresso huts/cafes. I believe they out number bars, which seems strange since I live in Wisconsin. Of course churches out number espresso stands, so I'm not sure what that says about the area.

Then there is the tension between all of the "newbies" and the "locals". The newbies are acused of being rich elitist yuppies from California who walk over the locals driving them out of their homes, while building mansions on the sides of mountains and on the lake front. Then, the locals are accused of being rude, backwards rednecks that are greedily eager to take advantage of the newbies. It's pretty intense. Go figure.

So the cynical Sandpoint: millionaires, yuppies, ski bums, rednecks, bible thumpin' evangelicals, urban sprawl lovin' espresso drinkin' hunters with NRA stickers on their rigs. Hey maybe it's not so bad. There really are some great things happening there from local foods, great restaurants, wonderful library, and a decent art scene. Plus it's close to BC. So perhaps I shouldn't complain. After all, what's in your neck of the woods?

2007-03-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

The Meme from Hell Continues

Okay, here was a crazy meme I caught from The Fool who mutated the original from Her Royal Holiness. I decided not to do the heavily Oprahized meme from Her Royal Holiness and just use the mutated one.

It's simple, I listed 100 books that I have read and have connected with (no particular order). Some of them were meaningful with my childhood, some changed my view on things, and some were just good reads in which the plots pop in my head frequently. I'm sure when I publish this post I will immediately want some deleted and others added, but the hell with it. Here they are. Oh yeah, and if you are inclined, feel free to pick up the virus-I won't be offended if you can fight off this Meme-it's a pain.

1) Secret History-Donna Tartt
2) American Psycho- Brett Easton Ellis
3) Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky
4) You Shall Know Our Velocity- Dave Eggers
5) What is The What- Dave Eggers
6) The Edible Woman- Margaret Atwood
7) The Handmaids Tale- Margaret Atwood
8) Wobegon Boy- Garrison Keillor
9) American Gods- Neil Gaiman
10) Catcher in The Rye- JD Salinger
11) On the Road- Jack Keroac
12) Naked Lunch- William S Burroughs
13) A Clockwork Orange- Anthony Burgess
14) The Fountainhead- Ayn Rand
15) Monkey Wrench Gang- Edward Abbey
16) A Man For All Seasons- Robert Bolt
17) One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest- Ken Kesey
18) Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit- Jeanette Winterson
19) Tom Sawyer- Mark Twain
20) The Mission of Art- Alex Grey
21) Sand County Almanac- Aldo Leopold
22) Treasury for Children- James Herriot
23) Norse Gods and Giants- The D'Aulaires
24) Coraline- Neil Gaiman
25) The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath
26) Peace Like A River- Leif Enger
27) Walden- Thoreau
28) Amphigorey- Edward Gorey
29) By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept- Paulo Coelho
30) The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho
31) Selected Poems 1956-1968- Leonard Cohen
32) 1984- George Orwell
33) Siddhartha- Herman Hesse
34) Steppenwolf- Herman Hesse
35) Slaughterhouse-Five- Kurt Vonnegut
36) Ishmael- Daniel Quinn
37) The Stranger- Albert Camus
38) Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde
39) The Harry Potter series- You Know Who
40) Call of the Wild- Jack London
41) Omnivores Dilemma- Michael Pollan
42) Ecology of Commerce- Paul Hawken
43) Earth in Mind- David Orr
44) A Wrinkle in Time- Madeline L'Engle
45) Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson
46) The Collected Poems of Wendell Berry 1957-1982
47) Desert Solitaire- Edward Abbey
48) Ecotopia- Ernest Callenbach
49) The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle
50) The Unbearable Lightness of Being- Milan Kundera
51) Animal Farm- George Orwell
52) Wisconsin Death Trip- Michael Lesy
53) The Collected Shorter Poems of Kenneth Rexroth
54) Children of the Forest- Elsa Beskow
55) The Flowers Festival- Elsa Beskow
56) Dr Abravanels Body Type and Lifetime Nutrition Plan- Elliot Abravanel
57) Way of the Peaceful Warrior- Dan Millman
58) Choke- Chuck Palahniuk
59) Anne of Green Gables- LM Montgomery
60) The Hobbitt- JRR Tolkien
61) My Side of the Mountain- Jean Craighead George
62) Fastfood Nation- Eric Schlosser
63) Phantom Tollbooth- Norton Juster
64) When Corporations Rule the World- David Corten
65) Mandala- Judith Cornell
66) The Roominghouse Madrigals- Charles Bukowski
67) Naked- David Sedaris
68) Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim- David Sedaris
69) Mamma Do You Love Me?- Barbara Joose
70) Lord of the Flies- William Golding
71) The Good Earth- Pearl S Buck
72) Those little Noam Chomsky books
73) Virgin Suicides- Jeffrey Eugenides
74) House of Sand and Fog- Andre Dubus
75) Invisible Monsters- Chuck Palahniuk
76) Tuck Everlasting- Natalie Babbitt
77) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl
78) Charlotte's Web- EB White
79) Earth Wisdom- Gennie Kindred
80) The Foxfire Books
81) Foxfire- Carol Ann Erhardt
82) Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry- Mildred D Taylor
83) The Color Purple- Alice Walker
84) Delta of Venus- Anais Nin
85) Amerika- Franz Kafka
86) Collected Poems- Sylvia Plath
87) Into The Wild- Jon Krakauer
88) A People's History of the United States- Howard Zinn
89) Sign of the Beaver- Elizabeth George Speare
90) Man and Nature- George Perkins Marsh
91) Our Stolen Future- Theo Colborn
92) Faust- Goethe
93) East of Eden- John Steinbeck
94) Of Mice and men- John Steinbeck
95) Downsize This- Michael Moore
96) The Last Temptation of Christ- Nikos Kazantzakis
97) Blindness- Jose Saramago
98) The Society of Others- William Nicholson
99) The Dream Hunters- Neil Gaiman/Yoshitaka Amano
100) When Things Fall Apart- Pema Chodron

2007-03-27T00:11:00.000-05:00

I Can't Believe It's Been Over Two Weeks

Wow, where has the time gone. Travelling can really eat away a couple of weeks. Blogging seems so foreign to me. I feel so out of touch. Ahhhh.

Okay. All better. I hope everyone has been well. I am anxious to do some catching up on other sites.

Our trip went really well. It was nice seeing the mountains, friends, and feeling the travelling sensation again. We got back home a couple days ago after a continuous 30 hour trip (with me driving the whole time). I must say that being awake almost 40 hours straight starts to affect ones reasoning.

I also made a few other observations while travelling:

1) I have a new found appreciation for Starbucks. I usually try not to be a customer of the coffee giant, preferring to support small independent coffee shops, but I gotta give them credit for good hours. When pulling an all-nighter it's nice to be able to get an americano at 11:00 at night.

2) Montana is freakin' huge. Actually I already knew this, but my memory is always refreshed.

3) Eastern Montana is desolate. Once again, nothing new, but when I'm able to stop on the interstate, get out and pee, gaze at the stars, and get something to drink out of the cooler, all while not seeing another vehicle, really says something.

4) Too many semis. Don't believe that our economy is too reliant on oil and shipping? Just drive on the interstate at 1:00 am.

5) Oldies stations are awesome. Why did I pack only indie, lo-fi, folk, jazz, and live Dead cd's? When it's just before dawn a 20 minute version of Dark Star doesn't work. The BBC on public radio wasn't cutting it. I switched the radio and welcomed doo-wop and the British Invasion.

6) A Mini French Press is a must (see pic below). When there are no coffee shops and only bad gas station coffee available a mini french press can prevent heartburn. I picked up some good coffee at the Bozeman Co-op and was good until the coffee shops of Fargo the next morning.

Just a few of the epiphanies I concluded during moments of sleep deprivation-the rest have slipped my mind.

Oh yeah, and a few pictures from the car ride...........

Stopping for buffalo burgers and huckleberry lemonade in Paradise, Montana

Some sheep just outside Plains, Montana

The "Psychedelic elephant" and the open road near the Great Divide, Montana

Lake? North Dakota?

The mini french press....oh how I love thee.

Got Billboards? Fargo does.

Next up, Photos from Sandpoint, Idaho. Stay tuned....

2007-03-11T23:20:00.000-05:00

Roadtrip

We're taking a bit of a break and heading out to muddy north Idaho. I would have preferred Moab, but we really need to visit some friends and family. I'll try to do a post or two and check in on my fellow blogging peers. I sure hope I'm back in time for maple syruping.

Have a lovely pre-spring week everyone.

BTW does anyone want any cheap souvenirs from Wall Drug? One can never have too many shot glasses.

This picture was taken in the summer of '04 on the road to Porcupine Lake outside Clark Fork, Idaho.

2007-03-10T21:40:00.000-06:00

Why I Hesitate Calling Myself an Environmentalist

We all can associate ourselves to many groups; our job, religion, political affiliation, family role, country, race, sex, etc. However, often times due to stereotypes and the negative connotations some groups receive, we may hesitate to call ourselves by that title. "Environmentalist" is one I have had trouble with recently.

The environmentalist movement that took off in the 1960's can be linked to amazing accomplishments in many areas, especially air and water. But as the environmentalist movement edged into the 80's and 90's it became more polarized among the general public. Phelan had a great post on her blog Homesteading Neophyte about an individual reacting to Al Gore winning an Oscar. Why are people so disgusted with people trying to work for the Earth? I believe that it has a lot to do with blame, negativity, and fear.

Using fear to help ones cause is a slippery slope. We see fear used in the war on drugs, the war on terror, justifying our current war, sects of Christianity that overlook the positive aspects of love and forgiveness for damnation and hellfire, and even in our schools. I have many peers that blast our current administration for creating a fear-based society only to turn around and use fear for environmental issues. Sure we may feel that our beliefs are fact-based and justified, but so do other groups.

I guess I am just getting burned-out on the negative. Of course I want a better world for KIA to grow up in. Of course I will keep pursuing and working for environmental efforts that I feel are important. But I want to stop putting blame on individuals, even if I feel they are causing great harm (I may have trouble with large corporations). We are all part of the problem, but we must also all be part of the solution. I would like to allow for more communication and cooperation instead of building greater barriers.

Thank you for listening to my thoughts for the evening. Be well.

Painting by James Marsh. Title: The Environmentalist

2007-03-07T21:11:00.000-06:00

Our Friend The Vaccine?

I know this is a subject many feel passionate about on both sides. Strong advocates of childhood vaccines seem to think anyone choosing not to immunize his or her child is practically committing child abuse, while strong opponents of shots feel it is child abuse to subject a child to the risks that the immunizations may or may not create.

Personally, I seem to fall in the middle. While I see the benefits that vaccines have caused in the past, nearly eliminating some diseases, I see little reason to vaccinate a child growing up in an industrialised nation. Shots for chicken pox and hepatitis B seem ridiculous. I am not a big fan of western medicine, I believe it to be over-used on the border of abuse. At birth, we chose to decline both the vitamin K shot and the antibiotic eye drops. Both seemed unnecessary given the health of Moh and the fact she did not have, or ever have, gonorrhea. Why are they so routine?

On the other hand, I don't feel that the paranoia that the opponents of vaccines are valid either. I have heard vaccines blamed for illnesses such as autism and asthma. I'm sorry, but it seems to me that that the parents making these claims are looking for an excuse to why his or her child has the illness.

So, as it stands now we are choosing to be vaccine free. However, if we decide to take an overseas trip when KIA is a bit older, we may choose, or forced, to get her vaccinated. I feel okay with our decision.

I know there are a lot of parents out there in bloggerland, if you choose to share I would be interested to hear your views on vaccines. Thank you.

2007-03-05T11:00:00.000-06:00

Ecopsychology and the Ecological Unconsciousness

I'm certain most everyone has used nature as a form of healing. A quiet walk in the park to clear ones head. A camping trip to relieve the stress of work. A day at the beach to unite the family. However, how many people actually believe that being disconnected from our natural world may negatively impact our well-being?

As I briefly noted in my Odham Tree Card Post, I feel that many children today are losing their bond with nature. For that matter so are many adults. Not only does this create a population of ecologically illiterate citizens, but according to the ecospychology movement, it affects us psychologically .

According to Theodore Roszak, the historian and philosopher that coined the term "ecopsycology", all humans have a bond with the earth. He refers to this bond as an "ecological unconscious". The assumption that we are bonded to the planet is similar to the bond we share with our family. Psychotherapists often try to include family during a healing process, but Roszak believes nature should also be used for healing.

Do we exchange the sofa for wildlife refuge? Do environmentalists take over the psychotherapists duties? Hardly. But for many the notion of a greater bond and understanding of nature could be beneficial. My own experiences have taught me the power Mother Nature holds. During a very tough time in my life I considered pursuing counseling and drugs. Instead I went for daily walks, kept a journal for thoughts and wildlife sketches, and was lucky enough to take an extensive camping trip. The time alone did wonders for me. I became more observant, grounded, and I felt my connection to the planet strengthen. Would such an approach be universal? Of course not, but it is definitely one aspect to our complex spiritual being.
Taken at Bridges NTL. Monument, Utah April 05

2007-03-04T21:16:00.000-06:00

Guess What I was Doing Four Years Ago?

Well, give or take a few days.

Shortly after the war on Iraq broke out four years ago it seemed as though anti-war demonstrations were taking place on a weekly basis. Many were simply standing in front of the post office with signs, others were candlelight vigils, and some got a bit more creative, like the Naked peace protests.

Up here on the South Shore of Lake Superior, we weren't quite brave enough to bare it all. Instead, fully clothed, we formed a Peace Dove on frozen Lake Superior. With temps at -4F (-20C) laying naked on the ice may have resulted in frost bite on some unusual areas of the body.

Choosing a very secluded area for the photo opt was still not enough to deter two counter protesters on snowmobilers. We all remained as calm as possible as the plane flew over us to take the photo, while the two snowmobilers zoomed around us waving flags and we choked on their gas fumes. Afterwards the two snowmobilers raced off, never disclosing their identities. Cowards. A couple people yelled at them to join us for chili, but I guess they weren't interested.

Four years later I wonder if we would have been met by such counter protesters. With fewer and fewer people in favour of the lingering war, it seems as though there are less anti-war demonstrations and pro-war rallies (AKA support the troops). I myself am guilty. Just before and shortly after the war broke out, I participated in many rallies, wrote numerous letters to lawmakers, wore anti-war buttons and shirts, and followed the news closely. Now, it's almost as though I am trying to tune the whole fiasco out. The US soldier death toll is over 3000 and the number of Iraqis killed is near 100,000, but that's about all I know. I guess I feel a sense of hopelessness. To me, it seems that my early efforts of protesting the war were a complete waste of time. Why did I go to Washington DC to protest? What good did it do?

Still, I am not going to allow myself to give up. I'm going to use this memory of the peace dove to refresh my passion of opposing this mistake-of-a-war we are participating in. Once again I will start writing letters to lawmakers to bring the troops home. The shift is on our side. Let's end this mess.

2007-03-04T00:16:00.000-06:00

Okay One More Snow Post

I had to do one more posting of photos from the snowfall we just received. I do have some interesting things I would like to post about in the future. So, I leave you another slide show. Including my death defying jump (if I were a 90 year old perhaps).

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2007-03-02T12:42:00.000-06:00

It's Still Snowing

Now Where Did I Leave My Woodpile?

I So Want To Jump Off Of The Roof Onto Those Drifts

Any Takers For Shoveling Out My Driveway

2007-03-01T23:19:00.000-06:00

You Gotta Love a Good Blizzard

Good News! The weather service reduced the total snowfall prediction under 2 feet. However, those damn 50mph wind gusts are a bit of a problem. Needless to say, I know I'm not going anwhere anytime soon.

So I thought, "why not get happy." Afterall, winter storms bring out plenty of excitement. So I've concocted a small list of ingredients for happiness during the snowy months-Burdock style.

1) Happiness is woodstove full of glowing coals when I return from a long period of snow shoveling.

2) Happiness is sitting down to the New York Times with a poppy seed bagel w/cream cheese and a good strong americano.

3) Happiness is witnessing the genuine smile of my daughter when she is pleased to hear my voice.

4) Happiness is watching the birds out of my window braving the snow for a bite to eat.

5) Happiness is stretching out on the sofa with a good book while the rest of the house is sound asleep.

6) Happiness is discovering another jar of homemade dill pickles hidden behind the tomato sauce.

7) Happiness is a state of mind.

8) Happiness is temporary.

2007-02-28T21:59:00.000-06:00

The Tree Ogham

As I briefly noted in my last post, I have started a project of creating Ogham Tree cards for KIA to use as a visualisation development tool. The Ogham (the "g" is silent) was an early alphabet used by the druids. Each of the symbols, or fedha, represents one of the sacred trees or shrubs recognised by the druids. There are 20 in all. A chart of the fedha and corresponding trees can be found here. The druids believed that each of the trees contained special healing properties and individual wisdom. The spirit of a given tree was called upon for a variety reasons, everything from fertility to inspiration to clarity.

I have decided to respect this ancient wisdom and pass it along to KIA. Our goal is to introduce KIA to a very earth-centered style of learning. In addition to the silhouette Ogham cards, I also plan to carve the symbols into the corresponding wood for each of the trees (although not all of the trees grow around here so I'm still trying to figure out all of the details). This will be useful to KIA for touch and becoming familiar with each of the trees.

Some may ask why I feel the need to dwell in such ancient "mythology" or teach impractical skills. However, I believe that creating a closer bond with the Earth is exactly what many children lack these days. With the explosion of video game, music devices, cable/satellite TV, and the constant barrage of extracurricular sports and activities, children are drifting away from the magic of our natural world. As a parent, I feel it is my responsibility to teach environmental ethics, species identification, conservation, and an all around love and appreciation for nature. It's definitely a journey that I am willing to take.

2007-02-26T22:45:00.000-06:00

A Day in the Life of Burdock

A few days ago while viewing Stephanie's blog Adventure in the 100 Acre Wood, I noticed an interesting blogging challenge started at Owlhaven. The concept is pretty basic, just share some photos from a typical day you have. Well, me being the challenger that I am, I decided to play along. The day I chose was Sunday, Feb 25th. Below are some of the highlights, if one can call them that. Afterall, my life isn't that exciting, but it's good enough for me.

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A typical Sunday, hardly. I woke up at 4:00 am to do my Sunday rural paper delivery (this job sucks, but it pays a little and I can still collect unemployment until I find something better) and discovered that a snowstorm was in the process. I managed to make it into town, no thanks to the zero visibility on a stretch of HWY 2 by Lake Superior-which they closed soon after. Then I dropped off some movies we rented, and picked up my papers. Then the fun began. The next four hours consisted of cruising the backroads of Northern Wisco on unplowed roads. Luckily the snow was pretty fluffy so driving through it was possible. I can't imagine trying to drive through 8 inches of wet soggy snow. Still, delivery took me about an hour longer than usual. For a reward of a job well done I treated myself at the Black Cat Coffee house for an americano and cinnamon roll.

When I got home I relaxed for a bit, helped out with KIA and took a cat nap around 11:00-1:00. When I awoke I had some cereal for lunch and took the dogs out for a walk around the property. It was lovely out. The snow was still falling, but not at the rate it was earlier. Back at home, the rest of the day consisted of helping out with KIA, birdwatching ( a new bird showed up that I am not quite sure of), keeping the fire stoked, working on my tree vision cards for KIA (more on these in another post), getting dinner ready, and couple minutes of reading.

After a dinner of tuna casserole blueberry muffins, and squash, Moh and I played a game of Carcassonne-my favourite board game, and fed the dogs. Then I spent some time on the computer while KIA was in the swing. After awhile I took KIA in the bedroom for a feeding and fell asleep. What a day.

2007-02-24T22:44:00.000-06:00

Warning, Personal Post of Despair

It's been one of those days. No, maybe one of those weeks.

The kind of day where I can't decide whether lounging on the couch reading and daydreaming takes too little or too much effort.

The kind of day where thoughts of motivation from the morning shots of espresso are easily burned-away by visions of discouragement.

The kind of day absent of Grateful Dead, but filled with Leonard Cohen.

Yes, it's late February and everything is desolate. Maybe I can blame my mood on the weather. Or the light. Or the lack of sleep. Or the job market. Or the endless war. But I can't and I won't.

I'm ready to move.

2007-02-22T23:10:00.000-06:00

A Place To Dwell

Last year I took a Deep Ecology course through the Northwest Earth Institute. At the beginning of the first class the mediator had us describe a place that our spirit would haunt or dwell when we die. It was a great way to introduce ourselves and bring nature into the conversation.

At the time, living in Oregon through the rainy winter, I really missed the snow, ice, and cold of Lake Superior. I decided to select a little-known sandy beach amongst the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior. However, reflecting on the question now, I would pick a new location.

Oswald West State Park on the Oregon coast is where I would like my spirit to roam. Why? A few reasons;

*The scenery is breathtaking. Old growth, lovely ocean cove, waterfall, an impressive cape, wooden hiking bridges, tidepools, a small coastal mountain, rocky cliffs...I could go on.

Sorry these pics aren't mine, I found them online. I couldn't dig up any that I took of Oswald West.

*The location has special meaning for Moh and I.

*It's a protected park. No fear of a Condo being placed on my turf.

*There are places to seek solitude, but also places to observe families, surfers, and people enjoying nature (In case I got a bit lonely). I could also use my haunting powers to those inclined to litter or vandalise. Put a little fear of God into 'em.

*Awesome sunsets.

*The rain wouldn't bother me as a spirit.

*I'm sure the other spirits that chose this location would have similar values-kindred spirits.

*Dogs are allowed (not like National Parks).

*Beach fires. What's more comforting than a driftwood fire on the ocean?

*I'm sure there are more reasons, but these are convincing enough.

So, just out of curiosity, if you were posed with the question of Where would our spirit dwell after your death, where would you choose?

2007-02-22T00:31:00.000-06:00

Horror Movie Night

Since the "Nasty Cold" has still been lingering, I have taken up watching movies the past couple of days. One I rented last night was the horror film, no wait, documentary film Jesus Camp.

I saw the trailer online a couple months ago, but the film never made it to our pathetic excuse for a theatre. I was excited to see it already out on DVD. I won't give a movie review or plot summary, just a few of my observations.

First off, holy Crap. I knew there were sects of Evangelism that were very politically active and extremely right-wing, but I had no idea of how their children also played a role in their agenda. There was a scene where they had a pro-life speaker talking to children (as young as six) about abortion. By the end of his visit, he had them praying for GW Bush to appoint righteous judges. They were even chanting "Righteous Judges, Righteous Judges" over and over.

In another scene, on topic with my last post, the leader of the camp, Becky Fischer, mentioned Harry Potter. She went on to say, or shout rather, that "Warlocks are the enemy of God." All of the kids looked pretty freaked out. Of course none of the kids were allowed to read or watch Harry Potter, although one boy happily admitted to watching the movies at his Dad's. It's a good thing Becky didn't hear him. She would have thrown holy water on him or made him repent or something. I guess these are the types of parents we can thank for all of the book banning going on.

There were two ironic things I noticed in the movie. Most obvious was Ted Haggard's appearance in it. He briefly mentioned something against gays. I was also looking for a sort of meth gleam in his eye, but I'm not really trained in that. Of course, shortly after this movie came out, we all know of his fate.

The other irony was less clear. It involved global warming. In the film, there was a scene where a mother was homeschooling her child on creation as fact and evolution as "stupid". She also was saying that global warming is a political issue, similar to evolution I guess. However, not long after filming the movie, many evangelicals came out demanding more be done to fight global warming. I guess the scientists are okay to listen to sometimes.

So, if the Grudge 2 isn't scary enough, check out Jesus Camp. It's good to know there are such level-headed people out there teaching their kids The Truth.

2007-02-18T22:25:00.000-06:00

Scrotum.......That is All

It's funny how such a funny sounding word can reassure my distrust of both public schools and uptight conservatives. But once again, the book burners are out in force to eliminate the newest Newberry Award Winning book by Susan Patron called The Higher Power of Lucky. All because of the word "scrotum."

Apparently, I haven't read the book yet, the main character Lucky, overheard another character talking about his dog being bitten on the scrotum by a rattlesnake. Then, rather humorously, the author adds “Scrotum sounded to Lucky like something green that comes up when you have the flu and cough too much." It kind of does. I have a lot of scrotum right now with this awful cold.

I don't know about you, but referring to a dog's body part using correct anatomical language seems fine to me (she could have used more vulgar slang terms). I mean, I feel so sad when I hear a nine year old refer to her vagina as a pee pee. I also thought it was very fitting for the child character to here such a foreign word and go on to speculate it's meaning. I remember hearing some sexual related words by older kids in school and trying to decipher their meanings in my mind.

I guess these banned books debates are somewhat close to my heart because I've worked at a couple of libraries. The last library I worked at in Oregon was such an important place for children to gather. They felt comfort and a sense of excitement (especially since the town consisted of little else but a Dairy Mart.) Many kids started out with graphic novels and dvd's, but eventually would pick out books, especially if they had a paper due or if a book got a lot of hype from peers or the media. I believe children should be able to make their own decisions on what they read, but the parents should be mindful. It's not a Librarian's place, or especially another child's parent's place, to insist on what my child is able to pick out at the library.

It will be interesting to see how this story plays out. I'll be sure to check out copy from my local library. I guess Banned Book Week will also have a new title to add to it's already impressive list.

This topic really bugged me today. Fighting off a cold and going through caffeine withdrawal does not suit me.

2007-02-17T23:04:00.000-06:00

Bad Cold + No Ski = (Chili)

Well I came down with a nasty chest cold and low grade fever just in time to not be able to ski Book Across the Bay. I've been looking forward to skiing it ever since I realised I was moving back to Northern Wisconsin. It's such a unique skiing event. But venturing out in single digit temperatures to ski 10K across a frozen bay at night probably wouldn't help my cold much.

They used to always serve chili after the race, free for anyone that skied it. To keep with that tradition I made a big batch of my homemade chili accompanied by corn scones. I've been fooling with the recipe for some time, but lately I have been happy with the results. I love the sweetness and bite the beer adds. It's much more satisfying than water or broth.

Chili

1/2 lb ground meat (I usually use buffalo, venison, or elk)
12oz Beer (I prefer a dark ale)
24oz chunky tomato sauce
2 green, red, or yellow peppers (diced)
1 small chili pepper (finely chopped)
1 Large carrot (diced)
1 onion (diced)
2-3 stalks of celery (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 C beans cooked or canned
1T ground cumin
1t chili powder or even cayenne powder
salt to taste
water or broth to use if a thinner consistency is desired

*Brown the meat in a large pan. For a little extra flavour sprinkle some cumin, salt, and even garlic powder in the meat while cooking it. If using a very low-fat meat a little olive oil helps it to cook nicely. Remove the meat and set aside (refrigerator)

*Add all the vegetables and spices (not the beans) to the pot. Add the beer. Simmer until the vegetables begin to soften, 30 minutes or so. Then add the tomato sauce and simmer awhile longer. If needed add some water or broth.
Adding the beer to the veggies

*When the flavour and texture are near the desired result add the beans and meat. Perfect hearty chili for cold winter nights.

Corn Scones (This recipe is from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home cookbook)

1/2 C butter or margarine
1/2 C milk
2 T brown sugar (I have used maple syrup-just add 2 T less milk)
1/2 C cornmeal
1 1/2 C flour (I mix it up, I found ww pastry with a bit of oat works well)
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder (heaping seems to work best)
1/4 C currants (I sometimes omit these)

*Preheat oven to 375 F

*Melt butter and add to the milk and brown sugar.

*Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and stir just until combined.

*On a floured board or countertop, press the dough into an 8" circle about 1/2" thick. Slice the circle into eighths. Separate the wedges and place on an oiled baking sheet or heated baking stone. Bake 15 minutes, until puffed and golden

Served with a green vegetable, a favourite beverage, corn scones and chili will help me get over my cold in no time. I just wish I could reverse the time so I could make the ski race. Oh well.

2007-02-15T22:21:00.000-06:00

Not Much To Say

Today was the member appreciation day at our local food co-op. To celebrate, members get 10% off all purchases. However, because we volunteer 8 hours a month, we received 25% off, instead of our usual 20% discount. We still managed to spend $124 after the discount. Yikes! There are a couple things I shouldn't have bought.

Can you spot the culprits to driving up the bill? Which item cost $30, $20, $10, and $7.

Give up?

The coffee on the far right cost $30. I usually buy the sale coffee, but I sprung for the local expensive roast and bought 3 pounds. Whoops.

The maple syrup on the far left cost $20. I bought it in bulk and it still cost a fortune. It was cheaper in Oregon. This spring I'm making my own so I will no longer be a slave to the maple syrup price fluctuations.

The raw organic almonds in the center cost $10. Next time I'll buy the non-organic. They are a third the cost right now for some reason. In fact, the sliced ones pictured to the right of the whole almonds in the glass jar with the red lid, only cost $5.

The Cedar Grove organic mozzerella cost $7. This one I don't regret. It's the best moz I've ever had-and from Wisco.

So my lesson learned? I really have to set up a grocery budget and keep track of our monthly grocery spending. But I won't give up coffee.

2007-02-14T15:30:00.000-06:00

Early Thoughts on the Gospel of Food

I picked up a copy of Barry Glassner's new book The Gospel of Food the other day. With the recent trend of books on food, nutrition, and cooking getting so much attention I was excited that Glassner was tackling the subject. However, being about halfway through the book I am not that impressed. I guess after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, any book written on the subject of food would seem inferior.

But my problem with The Gospel of Food isn't just in the writing style, it's in many of Glassner's implications and conclusions. He also seems to frequently contradict himself.

Glassner starts the book off by accusing Americans, especially scientists, like the American Heart Association, and nutritionists, of succumbing to the "Gospel of Naught-the view that the worth of a meal lies principally in what it lacks." This, he argues, is why we have so many foods that are low in fat, sugar, cholesterol, carbs, additives, etc. I can accept that people often go overboard in declaring things unhealthy because they have too much fat or sugar. Too often foods are deemed unhealthy, like eggs, only to be discovered later that the dangers were over-hyped. I also agree with him that eating a variety of foods is fine. The joy we receive from eating certain foods can be a form of healing. Still, the key is moderation.

But Glassner goes too far when he sticks up for pre-packaged food, Big Food companies, irradiation, and McDonalds while he attacks the "false profits of nutrition". Glassner implies that Big Food is able to serve the public best because it gives the consumers what they want. He fails to mention the social, ethical, and environmental harms the corporations create. He does not research or question the different agricultural processes are more sustainable. He even declares the local/organic movement of not being realistic.

I also got rather bored in his section about restaurants. He writes a lot about the inside job of restaurant critics. He explains how wonderful eating meals prepared by world renown chefs can be, but admits that only the rich and powerful are able to do so. Still he goes on to describe about meals he ate and the chefs that prepared them. You know, I really don't care. I 'll never be rich or powerful and even if I were I probably wouldn't blow the years salary of waitress on such a meal.

So while there are some good things to be said in the Gospel of Food, I must also admit disappointment. My recommendation, for what it's worth, is to pick it up at the library and thumb through it. Or skip it all together and read The Omnivore's Dilemma first.

2007-02-12T22:34:00.000-06:00

Colic is Not Cool

Wednesday marks KIA's 6 week mark. So far we have been doing much reflecting on how wonderful the birth experience was. We feel KIA was lucky to be born in such a calm environment free of bright lights, frantic unfamiliar doctors, unnecessary medicines and monitors, and plastic/paper disposable sheets (we filled a bout 1/2 of a small garbage bag of garbage for the whole birth). With such a calm entry into the world, one would think KIA's temperament to also be calm. Well, I guess it doesn't work that way.

The last couple of weeks we have been dealing with some pretty intense periods of colic. She is a very healthy baby. Breastfeeding is going well. We've been avoiding the foods that sometimes make breast milk undesirable. But usually around evening, anywhere from 6pm-2am, KIA becomes a bright-eyed, stiff-limbed, arm flailing, and all around not happy baby. We can usually get her to stop screaming by swaddling her, rocking her, pacing with her, and playing some music, but sleep is not on her agenda. Even if she does doze off, it's usually only for a couple minutes. Then she wakes up with a jerk sending her arms in the air. It's weird.

Yesterday we even surrendered and bought one of those electric swings because constantly rocking her in the rocking chair was becoming too tiring. I never thought that I would buy one of those. I also thought they used to have swings that one cranked to create the power, but the only types we saw were electric or battery operated. The one we purchased even has a moving mobile of little stuffed jungle animals while it plays jungle versions of Lullaby and Goodnight, Greensleeves, and a something that reminds me of a Velvet Underground tune, all played on xylophones and rainsticks. I know it's a bit much, but when one hasn't had a decent nights sleep for weeks, a sense of desperation kicks in. This is her first evening in the swing, and while she seems fairly calm in it, she keeps waking up and crying for a little while. (This post is taking forever to write because I keep trying to comfort her when she wakes).

The other thing that seems to soothe her are car rides. I really don't want to go for a late night cruise, wasting gas and venturing out on desserted highways with below zero temps, but if it saves me my sanity, who knows.

I find it odd that no one really knows what causes colic. I mean, KIA does not seem like she's in pain at all. It almost seems like she's pissed that she's in an infants body. She moves her arms around like she's expecting to have total control of them or something. I also wonder if she's caring some heavy baggage from her past life. Maybe this crazy world just takes some getting used to. Whatever the case, colic is not cool.

2007-02-09T23:18:00.000-06:00

Another Roadside Attraction....Minus the Side

Am I demented if I admit to loving the cold? If it were not for the extended winter darkness, I would even consider moving up to Alaska.

Well, with temps reaching below zero (F) for several days now, in fact not going above zero, I guess I feel at ease. The truth is, with such a warm winter thus far, I just wanted to feel as though we were going to have a halfway "normal" season. That and I love driving on the ice.

The Lake Superior bays of Wisconsin are fairly shallow allowing for thick ice accumulation. In fact there is even an ice road, technically a state highway, that connects the small town of Bayfield to the community of La Pointe on Madeline Island. It's maintained with plows and marked by old christmas trees for those windy white-out days. When the water is open, a small ferry runs between the two communities. When the ice begins to thicken so that the ferry can't operate, but not thick enough for the ice road, a windsled carries passengers back and forth. I was just in Bayfield yesterday, and unfortunately the ice road was not open yet. However, with the temps forcasted to remain low, it should be open soon.

The Ice Road Not Yet Open As of 2/08

But the ice road isn't the only place for ice driving. In Ashland I was able to find a path made by ice fisherman venturing out on the lake. The road was made over the public beach I visited earlier this year. It was a great way to get a closer look at the lighthouse on the breakwater I always see from a distance.

I Pulled Over for A Looksee

I Let This Ice Fisherman Go Around Me. Maybe He Knew Where he Was Going.

I drove around for awhile until I came to a large group of ice huts, where the tracks became less apparent. And when I say huts, I mean small heated cabins. Some of these places would be big enough for me to live in. They even have antennaes for their TV's. Quite the fishing experience-dropping your line through the hole in your floor all while sucking down a brewskie and not missing a minute of the game.

So until the ice road opens, my next ice experience will be skiing on it at Book Across the Bay. Happy Winter!

2007-02-05T17:02:00.000-06:00

Midwest Roadside Attractions

Who says we don't have culture here in the Midwest? Below is the Leaning Silo of Coleta, built by Illinoians instead of Italians.

Wisconsin gives us an intersection composed by someone from WDOT with a sense of humor.

And finally, a rastafarian's delight- The Bong Museum up here in the Northwoods.

2007-02-04T13:50:00.000-06:00

What's In The Refrigerator?

Well the thought of taking a photo of my refrigerator seemed innocent at the time I mentioned it on Cheryl's blog Free Range Living. But then she actually followed through with the idea, so here I am showing my unorganised refrigerator (I didn't cheat and try to straighten up or remove items). Oh, and all of those yougurt and cottage cheese containers have leftovers in them-We're not surviving on a dairy diet. I use them in place of tupperware. I also use old bread bags for cheese and vegetables that have been partially used (notice them in the drawer).

I have decided to only choose 2 victims. They are GTR of Raising Frolic and El of Fast Grow The Weeds.

2007-02-01T17:46:00.000-06:00

How Do You Live Without Television?

With the Internet being readily available in so many homes these days, I thought the whole shock of no television in my home would be a thing of the past. Although I seem to meet many people that do not have a television in their home, I still get the "how do you live without television?" question. My come back is simple; "how do you live with it?"

I don't mean to be snobbish or to say that television is evil-well maybe a bit. I admit that there are programs I don't mind watching occasionally and I often stream news clips or comedy clips over the Internet. When I ask "how do you live with it?" I am referring to the hours of time television consumes. Time that is full of advertising and void of interaction. I recently came across some frightening statistics.

*The amount of television that the average American watches per day: 4
*Average time per week that the American child ages 2-17 spends watching television: 19hrs 40 minutes
*Time per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5
*Percentage of 4-6 year olds who, when asked would rather watch TV than spend time with their fathers: 54

I'm not even going to go into the advertising and over consumption statistics relating to television. That's a whole different topic to explore.

So with so much time being spent watching television, I am puzzled at how people find time to cook, do chores, exercise, work, sleep, go to school or work, shower, read, or even surf the net and blog (my screen media pitfall). People must do some serious multi-tasking.

2007-01-28T21:12:00.001-06:00

The Wolves are Under Fire Once Again

A new ad being put out by the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Wisconsin’s six Safari Club International Chapters and houndsmen from the Wisconsin Bear Hunters’ is trying to portray the wolf as a vicious killer, but not just of animals, but also people.

"Little Red Riding Hood warned us about wolf,” the ad states, “and Little Red Riding Hood was right.” The ad goes on to cite DNR statistics showing that wolf attacks on livestock have tripled over the last three years. The ad concludes with a view of kids at a playground being closely watched by a wolf. Ahh propaganda at its finest.

What I find absurd is the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' contribution to the ad. I have no respect for them. They helped Wisconsin become one of the few states that allows both the usage of dogs and baiting to hunt bear. Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura perhaps commented on this nature of hunting best when he said "Going out there and putting jelly doughnuts down, and Yogi comes up and sits there and thinks he's found the mother lode for five days in a row and then you back-shoot him from a tree?...That ain't sport that's an assassination." To make matters worse, if one of the hunters dogs are killed by a wolf, the hunters are reimbursed by the state. The extra fee on my endangered resources license plates help pay for that.

Still the ad trying to show the wolf as a serious threat to children is disturbing. The truth is, there have been no wolf attacks on people in Wisconsin, and there have been very few anywhere, unless the wolves were rabid or being fed. Ranchers and farmers lose much more livestock to weather, disease, and other predators than they do to the wolves. So why is the wolf being used as a scapegoat? Perhaps it's in our folklore.

Most of the European based stories and folklore seem to portray the wolf as the evil killer. We hear the stories of Little Red Ridinghood, the Three Little Pigs, Peter and the Wolf, and even in Norse mythology with Fenrir, the wolf offspring of Loki, who bit Odin's head off. Even the bible had Jesus protecting the sheep from the wolves implying the wolves as sinful or evil. Perhaps the worst was using wolves to signify the Nazis.

However, I have also found some cultures to view the wolf differently. The historic cultures that had more of a kinship between humans and animals seemed to respect the wolf. In Japanese folklore the wolf was often viewed as a messenger or even protector of the forest and mountains, guarding against fires and excessive cutting of trees. Native Americans had stories of the wolf as a great hunter. The eskimos admired the wolf for its survival skills. Even Romulus and Remus were kept alive by suckling on a she-wolf. Today it's the ecologists who cite the importance of the wolf for diversity and game animal control (we have too large of a deer population here in Northern Wisconsin).

For me, the wolf is a beautiful animal that has it's place in the environment. They were here before the ranchers or the hunters and cause less environmental destruction than cattle or sheep (or the hunters with their ATV's tearing through the woods). The wolf should be here to stay. I'll end my rant now.

Here are a couple links:

The Timber Wolf Alliance has a lot of info one the Wisconsin wolf packs.

Wolf Country has some interesting wolf stories and folklore. As does Wolf Song Alaska

2007-01-25T23:43:00.001-06:00

Is the US Senate Actually Attempting To Deal With Sweatshops?

When I first saw this article, please follow my train of thought here, I figured it was just another attempt to limit free trade by Senator Dorgan that would go nowhere fast. Then I read that Republican Graham from South Carolina has also sponsored the bill making it slightly bipartisan. I also remembered that the Senate and House are now controlled by the Democrats. Finally, I thought "maybe this bill will actually do something this time".

Of Course an anti-sweatshop labor bill is long overdue. United States corporations have been reaping the benefits of slave-like-labour ever since free trade has flourished and "buy American" is no longer a mantra among Americans (except perhaps a few ignorant GM/Ford buyers who actually believe the trucks they purchased are purely American). Corporations have fought battles to maintain their precious labels, logos, and trademarks, but how much priority have they put into their workers? Foreign firms that sell to US retailers are frequently exposed for child or sweatshop labour. One such exposure was the Harvest Rich Factory in Bangladesh. After an English news channel broke the story of child labour at the factory, Harvest Rich fired a number of teenagers only to rehire them later as "malnourished adults" instantly changing them from 13 year old children to 18-19 year old young adults. Next time your at Wal*Mart contemplating that sweater for $12.88, picture your 14 year old daughter or neice sitting in a hot factory for 16 hour shifts making only pennies each hour. Is frugality really worth the dark energy that garment is tainted with?

Still, how effective would the proposed Senate bill be if it were to make it through Congress? There are a couple interesting measures to it. One I find amusing would turn corporations on each other. A company could file a complaint with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) alleging that its competitor was selling products made in sweatshops. If the complaint was valid, the company would be fined $10,000 and ordered to stop purchasing from the firm conducting sweatshop labor practices. While I find $10,000 an inadequate fine for a corporation, perhaps the negative publicity would add to the effect.

Overall, this is a bill that takes a step in the right direction. I'm glad one of my Senators has supported it and I'm sure my representative will as well, due to his supporting similar measures in the past. So please if you are a conscious consumer here in the States please contact your Congress people on the matter. Even if the issue only grabs media attention, perhaps more consumers will begin to think holisticallly about their purchases. Below are some more details:

S.367

Title: A bill to amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to prohibit the import, export, and sale of goods made with sweatshop labor, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Dorgan, Byron L. [ND] (introduced 1/23/2007) Cosponsors (5)

Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] - 1/23/2007
Sen Byrd, Robert C. [WV] - 1/23/2007
Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] - 1/23/2007
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] - 1/23/2007
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 1/23/2007

2007-01-23T22:36:00.000-06:00

Movin' To North Dakota Soon Gonna Be An Industrial Hemp Tycoon

Well, maybe I could. Proposed Senate Bill 2099 would allow oilseed processors to crush industrial hemp seeds in North Dakota. The North Dakota Ag has already been licensing farmers to grow industrial hemp. In fact, one of North Dakota's Reps received the first license.

Still, there seems to be one tiny obstacle. The DEA. Because industrial hemp and marijuana are classified as the same plant by the US government (30 other industrial nations recognise the difference), the DEA would never allow industrial hemp to be grown without an obscene amount of rules. Still, North Dakota is trying to ensure the DEA that they could monitor the plant from seed to processing.

What a headache for such a harmless plant. Any high school kid from the Midwest can tell you that industrial hemp, or ditch weed as we called it (volunteer hemp plants leftover from the war effort in the 1940's), contains so little THC that one would have to chain smoke countless joints to get any sort of buzz. Even then, one would probably be experiencing a high from smoke inhalation. Scientifically speaking, industrial hemp contains between .05-1% THC while marijuana contains between 3-20% THC.

So what is the DEA really afraid of? Could there perhaps be some other parties, oh I don't know, like corporations, that are trying to suppress hemp from returning. After all most people today have begun learning the benefits of hemp. It is estimated that there are over 25,000 uses. Here are few:

*The oil produced from the seed is one of the healthiest oils on the market. It contains the highest levels of polyunsaturated fat and amino acids such as linoleic acid.

*The plant is very resistant to pests requiring no use for pesticides, insecticides, or fungicides.

*There is great potential for creating renewable fuels from hemp (both from the oil and cellulose). In addition, because growing it uses so little chemicals and absorbs so much carbon, growing hemp would reduce carbon emissions thus helping to fight global warming.

*It's the toughest fiber-allowing for countless possibilities of clothes (from linen quality to canvass), paper, and even boards. All this from a plant that grows 1 ft a week.

*For more facts on industrial hemp visit the NAIHC website. With such a wealth of information, there's no need for me to attempt regurgitation.

I feel it's long overdue for the United States to come to its senses and allow hemp to bail us out on some things. Canada legalised industrial hemp in 1988, it's high time for the US to follow-no pun intented, yeah actually there is.

2007-01-23T13:56:00.000-06:00

Virgin Mary or Something a bit Less Holy-We May Never Know

Every now and then one of these stories seem to pop up in the news. Call me a skeptic, but the presence of an icy blob that has as much of a resemblance to the Virgin Mary as much as it does a sex toy, seems unlikely to heal a womans lump from her breast.

Of course people like myself passing along this fluff does not help. I'm off to read some real news.

2007-01-22T19:56:00.000-06:00

Coincidences...Or Are They?

Is it just me, or does the gentleman on this cheap paperpack thriller look a bit like a certain former president.

And this painting at the Grandview baseball diamond, doesn't it have a striking resemblance to a breakfast cereal cartoon character.

2007-01-22T11:04:00.000-06:00

Putting a Spin on the Family Casserole

How many people grew up in a family where frugality and home cooking went together hand in hand? Where the weekly casserole contained some type of condensed soup or the meatloaf consisted of the weeks leftovers. Jell-o salads seemed to be at every potluck and the coffee brewing in the kitchen was Folgers from the big red can.

Growing up with a mother who was raised Mennonite was both a culinary dream and nightmare. I grew up with a large garden eating fresh vegetables, homemade pies, cookies, bread with current jelly, cinnamon rolls, and of course the Mennonite staple; casseroles. We never had TV dinners or any type of convenience food, except perhaps the occasional frozen pizza and lunch meat for sandwiches. My father seemed to step-up the diversity by preparing slightly more exotic dishes such as spaghetti, still with home canned tomatoes, or tacos with homemade salsa or hot sauce. However, all this home cooked goodness lacked a few things. Ethnic foods were unknown to me. Hummus, pesto, nori rolls, and curries, all foods I take for granted now, were not introduced to me until around college. I never even had a bagel until I was like 18.

Today, I try to blend the simplicity of the foods I grew up with, but still mix in a variety of cultures and other foods. I buy a variety of grains in bulk-couscous, millet, barley, rice,etc to use for the breads I bake. My morning oatmeal varies from cinnamon raisin to banana walnut to apricot with maple syrup, instead of only the honey and raisin I grew up with. There are a couple types of seaweed in my cupboard and miso in my refrigerator.

But sometimes I get a craving for one of my mothers traditional meals. One that often appeared on the dinner table was tuna and noodle casserole, homemade chunky applesauce, and garden peas. Well over the years I have slowly adopted the tuna casserole to blend with my own eating habits. It no longer contains condensed cream of mushroom soup, but instead Amy's or Imagine's soup-or my own if I'm extra ambitious. The noodles are a good quality egg noodle. The mushrooms are fresh-usually portabella or crimini. Instead of the saltine crackers mixed with butter for the crispy topping I use crushed kettle chips. And the result: A childhood comfort food to fit my new taste buds.

Tuna and Noodle Casserole

8-10 oz of Egg Noodles
2 Small cans of Tuna (not drained)
16 oz of Mushroom Soup
1 stalk of celery
1-2 C of mushrooms
1 C shredded cheese (optional) I prefer cheddar or Gouda
1 C crushed kettle chips (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

*Cook noodles, drain, and place in a casserole dish
*saute celery and mushrooms just until the mushrooms begin to release their juices
*Add celery and mushrooms, undrained tuna, soup, and cheese if using to the noodles and mix together (If it seems to dry add some more soup, milk, broth, or even water
*add salt and pepper
*Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes, remove and add chips to the top
*Bake for another 15 minutes
*Serve with chunky applesauce and peas-oh wait that's just me

Some of the new ingredients
Adding the contents

I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets a hankering for a food from his childhood. What foods do you often think about from your childhood-good or bad?

2007-01-19T21:57:00.000-06:00

Who is the Sicko that Draws this Stuff?

Yesterday I was sitting on my bathroom floor staring at my water heater, you know like any normal person, when I was struck by the graphic nature of the warning label. I mean come on, wasn't the red burn on the flesh of the hand enough? Do we really need the guy engulfed in flames?

Well it got me thinking. Sometimes the most harmless things have warning labels. Or the labels only address acute problems like "This coffee is hot, don't spill it on yourself and sue us, moron."

So let me propose labels for those things that are not as obvious. I believe cars should include warning labels with an ice chunk breaking into the ocean, trees burning, and some guy drowning. Yeah. But first, my medicated dairy cow labels. (rough draft)

Please share any warning labels you feel that are needed.

2007-01-18T16:46:00.000-06:00

Waffles: Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

I love waffles, but have been against having yet another small electric appliance in the house that only does one thing. I already got rid of my electric coffee maker and electric beater, perhaps even my food processor will one day vanish from the kitchen, so an electric waffle maker was out of the question. Then last summer I was rummaging through my mother's attic and came across an old cast iron waffle maker designed for cooking on a range top (given its age probably a wood cooking stove). I was pretty excited. At the time I was living out of my car cooking over a coleman stove so the thought of waffles instead of pancakes and french toast was a welcomed change. However, due to the poor seasoning of the waffle iron and the decades of neglect, I was very disappointed the first time I tried using it. My result was a waffle caked to the iron with only a small remnant worth salvaging. Needless to say, the rest of the batter was transformed into pancakes.

Well recently, having a strong craving for waffles, I dug out the iron from the back of my cupboard and decided to give another go. Awhile back I asked Cheryl at Free Range Living if she had any tips on seasoning cast iron because she seemed to have a knack of bringing old cookware back from the dead. Gaining some advice, I soaked the inside in sunflower oil for about two days and wiped it clean with a rag. Then I sprayed it with canola oil and slowly heated it up to a fairly high temperature before adding the batter. The result: Crispy waffles that didn't stick and a wonderful dinner. Two thumbs way up.

Here's my quick and easy waffle recipe.

3/4 C white flour (I use Gold'n white)
3/4 C whole wheat flour (or experiment with other whole grains like rye or quinoa)
1 T sugar
1 T Baking Powder (rounded)
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
2 eggs separated- whites beaten
3 T oil
1 t vanilla

* combine dry ingredients
* combine wet ingredients (yokes but not whites)
* mix dry and wet together slowly
* fold in beaten egg whites
* Bake in preheated waffle iron
* enjoy with maple syrup or vanilla ice cream and seasonal fruit
or like in Utah, honey

My resurrected waffle iron circa 1910