Little Cabin in the Woods

Christmas Candle Making

2011-12-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

At the risk of telling all of my family and friends what they are getting for Christmas, I'm gonna go ahead and write this post. It was so fun making candles and documenting the process, I can't resist.

We don't have a fireplace in our house, so we like to pretend by lighting several candles and watching the flames flicker. Or we watch this video of a fireplace, but it just isn't quite the same as the live flame.

If you are making a lot of candles, it takes most of the day, so leave plenty of time for cooling.

Here are some more images from my day of candle-making.

First you start with your supplies: molds, wick with wire in it (I found this type to be easiest to work with), metal wick anchors, a stirring stick, an old pot for cooking down the wax, pliers for handling hot cans, old tin cans for melting wax in, and newspaper.

I like to recycle old candles to add color and scent to my new candles.

Cook down the first batch of wax with similar colors by putting the wax in a cleaned out tin can (paper removed) and "double boiling" it, with water around the can in the pot. You don't have to dig out the old wick or anything else that might be in the candle- it will sink to the bottom and you can pour the clean wax off the top.

While you are doing this, prepare the molds by cutting them down to just above the height you'd like your candle to be.

Cut your wick to the right length and squish it with pliers in the metal anchors and tighten them down.

When the wax is ready, carefully pour it into the mold you've selected, then pull the wick as strait as possible, and then place the wick and anchor in the very middle of the mold. I suggest using newspaper under the mold- wax is messy and hard to clean up.

If you do spill on fabric, here is a tip: put newspaper over the fabric and use a hot iron on it- the wax will melt and most of it will be pulled up into the newspaper.

Next is the hard part- waiting and watching. Don't let the wax cool too quickly or it will deform the wick to one side, or worse yet, crack the wax. It is likely to form an indentation no matter how slow it cools, so save a bit of the wax from the original batch to fill it in once it is cooled down. You will likely have to remelt it, so keep it in the same can you cooked it in the first time.

Once the candle is completely cool (I usually wait overnight) peel the paper off the outside to reveal the candle inside. This is the best part!

I usually wait to make candles until I have a bunch of old candles sitting around, and I collect molds in the meantime.

You can get fancy-

I've done layers with colors (waiting to pour the wax in until after the previous layer is completely cooled),
Put ice cubes in the mold, pour in one color, wait until it is cooled and the ice turns to water, dump out the water, then add a second color
Add cinnamon sticks or other whole spices to bring out a scent and add some texture
Add dried flowers or leaves or paper to the outside once you've pulled off the paper. Attach them by using a paint brush to apply some melted wax, place the decoration on, then paint over it with wax several more times.
Use funky molds to add shape variety. I reuse milk, juice, or ice cream containers, and sometimes even plastic sandwich containers from the deli. Just make sure to clean them out very well before you store them, or you'll get a nasty surprise when you go to craft your candles in the future.

Happy Holidays!

Steady Tank Decline

2011-11-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

Our beta, "The Dude" was one of the first to go

This morning I chopped off the head of a "Cori" catfish. It was very sad (and a little gross). Catfishes are tough and it took awhile to get the knife through him.

It was a mercy kill- he was very sick, and like many of the other fish in my tank, I performed the beheading with the best intentions.

I've spent the last few months pulling "morts" out of our tank (that's fish hatchery talk for "moralities"). It is so depressing to have to use a pair of tongs to pull a rigor mortis fish off the filter intake, or to have to dig behind the fake plastic plants for a dead body. Can you imagine how the rest of the fish must feel to see the big green net descending- yet again?

What astounds me is that a degree in marine ecology, five years of water quality monitoring experience, and a summer of working at a fish hatchery has not equipped me with the knowledge to prevent these deaths. This is the second tank in two years that has experienced this "steady tank decline", as my wise (ass) husband likes to call it. I've medicated, filtrated, cognated and advocated for these fish, and still they die off.

I wouldn't want a tank so badly if our baby SJ wasn't so into it. The sight of the bright fish swimming (or, in our case, twitching in the throes of death) and the sound of running water immediately soothes and lulls her off to sleep (the tank is next to her crib).

Good thing I'm aspiring to be an inland farmer. If anyone has any advise, I'm open!

Thelma and Louise

2011-11-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Thelma Thunder Thighs

New hens! Two new birds were delivered last weekend by a friend of a neighbor and they are beautiful.

I read in my Backyard Poultry Magazine about incorporating new birds into the flock. The article basically said "out with the old, in with the new". This is in order to avoid disease and pecking, but if you HAVE to mix it up, let them duke it out through a fence first.

I kept the new lovely (and BIG) ladies separated for two days adjacent to the main flock so that they wouldn't kick my other chickens' asses.

Prissy strutting her skinny stuff
for the new ladies

Cora, a smallish White Leghorn cross, got her comb bloodied on the first day by Louise, the obvious leader of newbies.

By the end of the second day they had all made peace and I let everyone in the bigger yard together. There was a bit of flapping and posturing, but mostly they all played it cool and pretended the other group wasn't there.

Meet and Greet

Now they are best buds- Thelma and Louise crowd onto a deck with the other younger birds at night to sleep. They don't quite fit (especially with fatty Thelma, who I think must be some sort of Buff Cochin- she is HUGE).

I think the fact that I added two chickens and they were so much bigger than the others helped them integrate a little easier. Now, to get these big meat birds to lay eggs...

Back from Baby

2011-10-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

SJ with our neighbor's pumpkin harvest

Fell off the face of the earth with this blog for awhile. After marriage comes the baby in the baby carriage. AND HOW.

We got ourselves a youngin' on our little urban farm- Sonora Jane- and she is the reason for my prolonged hiatus (and my protruding tuckus, too, but I'm working on that).

I think I haven't written on this blog for a whole year, and here are my excuses:

I was using all my creative energy to grow a baby. Or, pregnancy SUCKED, sapped my soul, and made me want to puke all the time- didn't want to risk getting vomit on the keyboard.
Once S.J. came along, sleep became my number one priority (I'm writing now in a sleep-deprived fog on Saturday afternoon- I should be taking a nap with the rest of the family).
Our little angel is ultimate farm animal- I vowed she is the last "pet" we'd get for a long while, yet we keep accumulating fish and chickens. Just. Cant. Stop.

In any case, we downsized the garden this year (in other words, we grew 7 crops instead of 25) and really worked to make things simple so we could concentrate on Babykins. I'm happy to say that I spent this morning in the garden, planting buckwheat/clover combination cover crop for the winter, mulching with hay, and generally putting it to bed.

Scott and Casper with the same look on their faces

I'm very excited for planning the garden out for next year and continuing this blog. And though we haven't yet acquired any goats, it is still the dream. As a matter of fact, since hunting earlier this month with our brother-in-law, Scott is very interested in Llamas too. Now that we have a child, this begs the question, "Is YOUR Mama a Llama?"

Stay tuned for more soon...

All Grown Up

2010-08-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Strange sensation, being proud of a chicken. Prissy, our White Leghorn pictured at left, laid her first egg on Saturday.

I feel like we need to have a coming of age ceremony for her. She made it through chick-hood without succumbing to whatever one of her cohorts did. She made it through the night earlier this summer when another youngster was abducted and eaten by a fox.

By luck, pluck, or maybe even cluck, she grew up and now prances around the yard like she owns it. Come on over for chicken bat mitzvah next weekend.

We also just acquired two new pullets from a friend of our neighbors to replace the ones we lost. So the head count is:

Stella, Silver Laced Wyandotte (pictured at left)
Edna, Araucauna
Prissy, White Leghorn
Cora, California White (cross between White Leghorn and California Grey)
Bernice (Bertie), Speckled Sussex
Bob, Black Australorp

Scott got to name this last one. He feels outnumbered by all our female pets, so he had to have one "dude" to bond with. I'm sure Bob's eggs will taste the best for Scott.

Meet the Spring Chicks: Gladys, Prissy, Bernadette (Bernie), and Cora

2010-04-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

At long last it is spring. I feel like I'm one of those pills that you put in water and it expands into a dinosaur-shaped sponge. I'm coming out of my dormant cyst form. A flower from a bud.

Part of this feeling is always generated by planting seeds. The garden is no longer frozen- it actually went from having 3 feet of snow on top to dry top soil way too fast. One day I was digging through scattered piles of slush to plant some late garlic and the next I am planting spinach seeds that I actually need to water to get germinated.

The most exciting part of this spring, however, is the arrival of chicks. A little late for Easter, these puff balls are bringing smiles and warm joy to our frozen hearts (and hot drool to our dogs' mouths). We have them set up in the basement in a horse trough with a protective wire mesh covering over them to keep out domestic predators (a.k.a. Mona the cat, Roxy and Maisy the dogs).

It is always entertaining to watch them slowly fall asleep, eyes slowly drooping like a teenager in math class, until they tumble face-first asleep into the wood shavings. Priceless.

These chicks will eventually grow to join the ranks of Edna and Stella, our laying hens, to provide eggs for goodies like quiche, cookies, flan, and more (don't worry, there will surely be enough for our neighbors and friends too).

Mawwaige, that Bwessed Event...

2010-02-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Since I was 9, I said I'd never do it. I thought my personal hang-ups (or his for that matter) would prevent any kind of long-term, commitment. I thought I never wanted to risk being part of the 50% divorce rate. I thought, "I'm an independent, do-it-yourself kind of gal". But yet, here I am picking out wedding colors, dresses, and other girlie things I never thought I'd have to do. And to tell the truth, its kind of fun.

I could even see some women getting married just to have a wedding. Another excuse to plan, plan, plan, spend money that isn't yours, and then party, complete with tears and the emotional ride.

However, I knew I found my guy in the first two weeks we were dating. No emotional hang-ups, chemistry is good, and most of all, I trust him.

So, here are my colors. Geek that I am, I used Color Picker to get just the right shades of Green (C5DE49), Periwinkle (AAB1FA), and Tangerine (FFD23D). Next I'm gonna go to the hardware store for paint samples, just to make sure I got it right.

I'm trying to do at least one thing per day to plan. Yesterday, I impulse bought a wedding dress on-line. Watch out, who knows what I'll do today. Don't be surprised if you see me cruising town, hanging out of a limo window in order to make sure I have just the right amount of wind in my face as we take our leave of the reception.

Car Knitting

2010-02-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

In times of hustle and travel it is tough to get any time for side projects. I found a way to get around this by taking projects on the road (and strategies for not up-chucking my Wheaties along the way).

To avoid car sickness I recommend four things:

1.) Only knit if you are a passenger. I hope this one is for obvious reasons.

2.) Look up once in awhile. Momma always said to stop and smell the flowers, and traveling ain't fun unless you can take in the scenery.

3.) Stop knitting on winding stretches of road. These portions of the trip are often the best to offer to take a turn at the wheel (which often helps me if I'm feeling at all sick).

4.) Stitch and Bitch. Carry on a conversation or listen to music. It helps keep me distracted from motion sickness, which I think could be 80% mental (if you don't think you feel sick, you can actually convince yourself you aren't- at least for awhile).

I finished this pattern for fingerless gloves on the way to a holiday rendezvous. These were a present for my niece Katie. Because I had to start over a few times and didn't want to undo my stitches, I just started another pair. I'm almost finished with that second pair now.

Next was a sweater vest. I worked on this mostly in the airport on a trip to see my nephews. Not your typical sweater vest- this one has a scoop neck design and a rib that took a long time. It is the biggest project I've done in years and much of it was done off the ground.

I actually had someone ask me if I was from Europe in the airport because they couldn't believe anyone from the US still knit.

Collaging again

2009-12-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

Click to enlarge

Snow Builds Neighbors

2009-12-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

The snow is flying, with 8 inches on the ground and an 80% chance of more tomorrow. At this time of the year my neighbors always amaze me. With the excitement of snow brings out the "helper" in everyone on this street.

At least three people on the block have snow blowers and are constantly doing powdery drive-bys on my front sidewalk. The boyscout down the street is bringing by the popcorn we ordered a few months back, and his sister is volunteering to take care of the chickens during our winter vacation.Scott brought hot cocoa to our landlady next door who was snow-blowing the 'hood and later she brought over two huge pieces of beef roast from her ranch.

Then there are always the "well intended" incidents, with not-so-hot outcomes. Like the city snow plow truck that took out the back light of an Explorer a few houses down. Or the rocky hill I made Scott sled down, which didn't have quite enough snow on it to render the rocks harmless (he doesn't have as much padding as I do).

I say, live by these principles and it is hard to go wrong (I have this on my fridge and above my desk):

Chicken Come Home

2009-11-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

500 miles with chickens in the car isn't as bad as I thought it would be. If they can put 5 chickens in a crate on top of a bus in Central America, 2 in a pet carrier wouldn't be too bad.

After the first 200 miles it did smell a little farmish (they didn't take advantage of the rest stops we made and went in their hay).

At one point there was more anxious clucking than usual from Stella for about 5 minutes, and my suspicions were confirmed when Scott dumped out the carrier after we had gotten home and found a broken egg on the ground.

When you gotta lay, you gotta lay.

Stella and Edna are the two newest members of our urban farm and are now safe and cozy in their coop.

Chicken Shizak

2009-11-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

Officially, we are ready to be chicken owners. Now that it is legal for us to have them in town and our landlady is on board, we are getting two hens after Thanksgiving.

The plan is a wire-covered outdoor pen (to protect from predators, escapees, and our un-poultry-acclimated dogs) and a straw bale insulated coop.

I am such a wanna-be farmer. Look at our cars- we had three bales INSIDE and three on top. Each.

And, since I am all about renewable power and saving the world, we made it a passive solar chicken coop. Yep, urban yuppie pretender. Also, everything but the straw is recycled, reclaimed materials. Farm-happy hipster. Hokey yokel quack (or should I say cluck).

All I know is that they will be warm and cozy, and we even installed "wing" vents on the side that open to make sure we don't cook 'em.

You can't tell me this is a passing fad or that I'm crazy for being crazy for chickens. Check out This American Life this week: Poultry Slam 2008.

Or this other weirdo chicken freak in Durango.

Pantry is full

2009-11-10T14:18:00.001-08:00

After many evenings fogging up the windows (with boiling water, not necessarily hot love), the pantry is full of canned food. Until he realized all the work would pay off in the form of food this winter, Scott was not a fan of all the canning I was doing, and was somewhat miffed that we weren't using that time to go "roost" some "gnar-gnar" trails (ride bikes).

However, since it dawned on him that we won't need to buy salsa or tomato soup for the next five months, he feels better (and maybe a little bit guilty for not helping more).

I know, this doesn't come close to those professional Mormon stockpilers, or a survivalist, with their barrels of water and stashes of wheat flour, but it is a start. Here is the inventory:

Jam (apricot, peach, cherry, and pear)
Peaches
Pears
Beets
Apple sauce (chunky and smooth)
Apple butter
Apple cider
Peach butter
Zucchini relish
Pickled Zucchini's
Tomatoes (for pasta sauce)
Tomato soup
Salsa
Peach/ginger chutney
BBQ sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Cherries in brandy or vodka
Eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes in oil
Whole Pumpkin, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, and some apples

Not to give it away, but don't be surprised if some of you find Santa has filled your stocking with a sampling of these items come Christmas time.

A "Good" Apple

2009-10-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Two 40 year old apple trees call our backyard home. Both trees were trimmed this year by professionals. They were filled with blossoms this spring, and I swear that EVERY blossom turned into fruit this year.

Apple Harvesting started in August, with nephew Chris trucking them for his allowance, and it hasn't stopped yet.

I've made apple butter, apple sauce, barbecue sauce, sweet and sour sauce, apple crisp, canned cider, and multiple apple pies.

All our closest friends have come over to pick apples.

We rake up load after load for compost.

Two pickup truck loads (life sized) were hauled away for a cider party.

And yet, the lawn is still dappled with apples after the wind blows a little bit.

Just one more reason we should have goats (the dogs don't eat nearly enough to make a dent in our supply, and if they did, we'd be very sorry when we got home from work).

Harvest Recipes

2009-09-06T10:27:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy fall (no time for blogging). Here is some of what we've been cookin' up.

Squash Patties

(Recipe from June)

INGREDIENTS

8 medium yellow squash, shredded
1 onion, shredded
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Place the squash and onion in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and drain about 30 minutes, until no longer moist. If you have less time (like me) then decrease the salt and squish the moisture out with your fist.
In a bowl, mix the squash and onion, flour, cornmeal, egg, and cheese. Season with pepper. My squash must have been bigger than their concept of medium because I ended up adding another egg and more flour/corn meal to get it to stick with the correct consistency.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop squash mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls into the skillet, flatten with spatula, and cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. I used a lot more than 1 Tbs olive oil. I probably used 1 Tbs each time I cooked up 3 in the pan at a time.

I halved the recipe and still had LOTS.

Zucchini/Tomato Herb Casserole

This recipe came from Scott's mom Maggie. I tried it with the zucchini I had frozen using the technique below, and it turned out well.

Canned Peaches

Pick your own.org has some great peach recipes. See Peach Butter below...

Peach Butter

Zucchini Pickles
I haven't actually tasted these yet, but they look good in the jar.

Frozen Zucchini
It turns out a little "rubbery" once you defrost it and use it again, but it certainly tastes good and reduces the glut of zucchini this time of year!

June's Tomato Soup

Its the ripe home grown tomatoes that make it taste so good. I used this recipe:

110 ripe home grown tomatos

7 tbs flour

6 med onions

14 tbs butter

5 stalks celery

salt to taste

14 sprigs of parley (or can used dried)

4 tbs sugar

1 bay leaf

2 tsp pepper

dried basil to taste (or fresh)

Wash, blanch, skin and seed tomatoes. Reserve the juice. Chop onions, celery, parsley, bay leaf and basil. Place in a large pot with tomatoes. Cook until onion and celery are tender. Blend until smooth then return to boil. Mix butter and flour with tomato juice and add to boiling soup. Add salt, sugar and pepper. For a smoother consistency put through sieve (I skipped this). Fill clean jars to within 1 inch of top. Process in pressure cooker on 15 psi for 15 minutes (for my altitude).

What to do with a Girl like Zucchini

2009-08-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

August was Zucchini time. Better not blink or there will be one the size of your forearm on the plant. Here is what we did about it:

Freezing: Found this article. We'll see if it doesn't turn them to mush when I defrost them!

Canning: Since the cucumbers are getting a slow start, we'll see if we can't pickle zucchini instead.

Cooking: Zucchini Bread. Zucchini gratin. And my favorite, Grilled Zucchini.

Giving them away: Don't leave your car unlocked if you come around my house in August.

Apricot Yum

2009-08-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

My family helped a neighbor harvest her apricot tree awhile back and in return she gave us a bucketful.

We quickly got to work on making them into jam. I made 3 batches and also dehydrated quite a few.

I always thought that making jam was a pain, but I watched Melinda Shishim doing it with cherries a few weeks ago. I've been jammin' away ever since.

Essentially the process is this when using Pomona's Pectin:

1. Clean and blanch the fruit for a minute or so. This makes it easy to pull the skins off and pit them quickly.
2. Add lime juice and calcium water, and put it on the stove
3. Mix pectin and honey or sugar in a separate bowl, and then add to the stewing jam
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir to make sure the pectin is dissolved
5. Transfer the liquid into sterilized jars, wipe around the edges to make sure the tops will seal and add the caps (not tightening too much).
6. Place jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Add one minute for every 1000 feet in elevation
7. Allow the jars to cool. The jam congeals when it is completely cooled.

Pomona's Pectin requires much less sugar, making it a bit easier to swallow.

Thanks to my Mom for cooking with me last visit and Melinda for inspiring me to jam this year!

Goats at the Fair

2009-08-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

The County Fairgrounds, located conveniently across the street from my house, were the temporary home to GOATS this weekend for the La Plata County Fair.

There were some good lookin' nannys and kids, and I spoke to a guy who raises them- his kid took champion and first runner up with his goats. He said he knows a guy who is giving goats away right now- woe (and woa!) is me... my land lady would have a fit.

Also present were, chickens, pigs, cows (uck), sheep (eew) and an assortment of flashy fair rides.

Oink!

Cherry Tomato Woes

2009-08-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

My Sweet 100s are looking a little peeked. Anyone have any ideas about what's up?

Tomato Blight?

Under watering?

Aphids?

Busy Summer Pictures

2009-08-02T20:29:00.001-07:00

Canning Beets

Family Visits

Potato Harvest

Biking again

Harvest is ON

2009-08-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Starting to pull many things out of the garden, and before I give the excess away to the neighbors, I always weigh in my mind if I can preserve it or use it in some way. Here's what I got:

Kale: Cookin' it up with garlic, butter and breadcrumbs just like Grandma used to.

Beans: I picked and ate the first few Golden Bacau two days ago. Yum.

Zucchini: Slowly but surely it is coming out. We made fried squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese for dinner tonight.

Potatoes: Duh. These little diggers keep forever, and besides, we eat them as fast as we pull them out.

Beets: Canned up and ready for the middle of winter.

Chard: And it just keeps coming...

Finally Done with the Cherry Chores

2009-07-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

When you pick cherries from trees, it doesn't look like much. But when we got them home I realized we have LOTS of cherries.

I bought a dehydrator and started drying them in the form of cut up cherries and fruit leather. We also have two tubs of frozen pie cherries (frozen in sugar water 1 cup to 8 cups ratio).

I made jam after I watched Scott's sister Melinda work her magic with pectin and a little bit of sugar, but I don't think mine set up. I bought brandy and used it to fill the gaps in a jar of pitted cherries.

Cherries everywhere.

The Locovore's Dilemma

2009-07-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

I want to eat local, and from an article that I read recently, that means within 300 miles of where I live AND within the same state.

So, we tootled up to Paonia last weekend (about 159 miles away) and did the local thing I used to do every summer: picked cherries and ate more of them than my digestive system liked.

While we were in Paonia, we also stocked up on local meat from Homestead Market, a coop that sells locally produced meat from around the North Fork Valley.

We've also been patronizing the Durango Farmer's Market buying steak and eggs.

So, here is the dilemma: It is expensive to eat local.

Though my garden is supplementing much of the vegetables we eat, our portion of cherries cost $26 (thoughtfully paid for by Scott's parents), the dehydrator cost $75 (I opted for the less expensive model- they can be up to $175), the pectin, canning jars, lids, and hot water tongs can add up to over $40, and the electricity it takes to dehydrate a several batches of cherries for 14 hours at a time isn't nominal.

I know that if we break these costs down, it will be much less than compared with buying cherries at the store ($6 for a bag of dehydrated cherries!), but what about the meat from the farmer's market?

Farmers Markets have become so popular for tourists and the social elite that prices have gone up. I am not complaining (too loudly) because I know the amazing amount of work and care that goes into raising food, and it SHOULD be expensive to compensate these people for this nobel contribution to society. I know the difference between meat bought at Walmart and the Farmer's Market, but how can people afford it, especially during these rough economic times?

Luckily, I'm not the only one going back to the land to supplement my food supply. The revival of "victory gardens" and raising food at home is on the rise. 10% of Americans are returning to the land, saving money, and working together as families and neighbors to bring food to the table.

Why did it take an economic downturn for us to realize, gardening makes good scents/cents/sense?

Horsethiving Women Run Ruby

2009-06-27T19:11:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was finally spent on the river, with a group of awesome ladies from all over who came together to be in the flow. Victoria FittsMilgrim asked me to help guide this group for her True Life Coaching and Retreats.

Ruby and Horsethief Canyons were just the thing for my grant burn-out; a nice mellow run with occasional riffles, good conversation with amazing people, and the weather was perfect.

Even the bad weather was good. Wind took us by surprise the second day, but the river's high flows kept us moving down to Blackrocks.

Thunderstorms grumbled and lightening gave us a show as we watched a storm roll in at night. All at once a wall of rain, wind, and sand hit, and we all ran for cover.

The next day I hiked upstream and a lizard and I had a meaningful stare down. He won.

Waiting in the Weeds

2009-06-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Now is the time of summer when everything is planted and the only work that needs to be done is weeding. Sure, there is the fertilizing, or adding iron for plants looking yellow, but mostly it is wait n' weed.

While I wait, I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Big mistake.

I don't think I've ever been this impatient to produce 10 tons of zucchini before. It is just that Kingsolver makes everything sound so GOOD. The recipes are killing me. I know that I'll be knee deep in beans and tomatoes in the very near future, but I can't wait to try her peach chutney and sweet and sour sauce recipes.

Rather on focusing on what is not yet there, here is a report on Scott's corn experiment:

It isn't there yet. Unlike the peas at left, which are producing like crazy.

Out of 50 corn seeds planted, only about 4 have come up- one from the 18" deep planting, and the rest from the 6" planting. I'm still holding out for more to pop up, but they certainly will not be knee high by the 4th of July.

The rest of the garden, save the peppers, are thriving. I think it is too rainy and not hot enough for them. They do show signs of a little bit of new green growth, but no flowers.

Bike Wheels for Garden Deals

2009-06-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Just another product of the love affair between a green thumb and bike wrench...

Scott has lots of extra ruined bike wheels at work and it turns out they are fairly useful as garden "frames".

Behold the newly designed bean tent frame! I ran big wood screw through the axle hole in this wheel and drilled it into the top of a closet rod. Beans are just about to grab on to the twine that is strung through the spokes now.

Also, dig on the tomato cages a la cycle parts. These lovelies are now fully supported and ready to climb.

These wheels were landfill-bound, but we sprayed the black ones green (so they wouldn't absorb too much heat and burn the plants), and with some inexpensive wood and leftover chicken wire, we put them back to work.

And we can't forget the bike wheel turned Frank Lloyd Wright-style plant hanger that Scott came up with for our front porch. These are drilled into a vertical beam (on the left) through the spoke holes.

More junk turned funk in the garden!

Happy Garden

2009-05-26T17:49:00.001-07:00

Sure sign of a healthy, happy garden is Lady Love. This plant was filled with them, presumably because there was an aphid population blossoming there.

We've had lots of rain lately- good news for newly planted seeds and young plants. Unfortunately, the rain has been interspersed with hail, not such good news for the above said.

Luckily for this Amish Pie Pumpkin, the hail must have missed the small leaves and done little damage.

Enough chatter. I'm off to read the newest edition of Organic Gardening...

Microgarden Math

2009-05-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

There are some spaces in between that are fine left plain, but my poor-woman's quest for green this year has brought my attention formulas that can be applied in innovative, unpredictable ways.

For instance, the use of this equation this spring has become a theme:

J + P= :)

, where J= Junk and p= plants.

The opportunities for serendipitous encounters increase exponentially when you randomize your experiences. For instance, instead of driving to work, riding alleys, taking a new route every day exposes me to the amazing things that people throw away. I get inspired, bring them home, and plug them into the evolving green mass of my garden.

Fortunately, I live with another "crap" aficionado that appreciates well made old things and jives with my probability theories. Histalented sister provided the idea for this bike basket garden, and we put it to use this year.

Another useful equation:

M/(N + C)=( -W) + P

, where M=mulch
N=Newspaper
W= Weeds

Newspaper and cardboard layered under mulch created a path we can stroll through the garden on and is doing wonders as a weed barrier. We'll leave it in all winter and plow it in next spring to provide organic material for the soil.

Who says I'm not using my $25,000 college degree?

Gardening #5: Planning, Documentation, and My Clever Sister

2009-05-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

For how much I dig gardening (ha), I've never been very scientific about it. Since I'm a "trained scientist", this is a little surprising. However, my clever sister Karrie has provided the inspiration to get me kick started (check out that block wood print beet on the cover by Karrie!).

This gardening journal has been great- next year I'll be able to sit back and not make the same mistakes I've made year after year.

Like trying to grow Brandywine tomatoes in Durango's short growing season. Yup, I did it again this year, and I'm gonna end up with a hoarded stash of green tomatoes again come late August.

This journal has already helped the organization and planning process. My niece Kate helped me illustrate the garden plan this year.

I also discovered my ultimate dream social networking site: MyFolia. Check out the two gardens I've uploaded so far: http://myfolia.com/gardener/TSteely

Spring Seeps in the Mountains

2009-05-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is on the North Side of Wolf Creek Pass at one of my favorite camp sites:

99% Free and Recycled Garden

2009-05-04T20:22:00.001-07:00

Finishing up the mulching and landscaping on this plot, I realized that it is composed of 99.9% recycled materials and the only thing that is new and cost money were the strawberry and speedwell plants.

It is easy to get resourceful when you lack financial stimulation.
Here are where my materials came from:

Flagstone: Neighbor's yard. Who needs permission when it is just laying there? (Naw, I did ask).

Mulch: Local housing development's party for marketing their homes. I skipped the Open House and hot dogs, but motivated (in the rain) to borrow a truck and grab a load (thank you Dane!).

Newspaper Weed Barrier (under mulch): Raided from the Durango Herald's overflowing recycle can AND it was that day's paper. We read 217 copies while working.

Kiddy Pool: (for the dogs to cool their dogs) OK, I bought this new, but it was two years ago. I'm going to drill a hole in the bottom for a drain plug to do my part in combating West Nile Virus.

Plants: Thinned and transported from Paonia friends last year. Poppies, Phlox, catnip, and this year's garlic curtesy of Denise and Bob, Maggie (unbeknownst to her), and Purple Haze Garlic.

Lawn Furniture: Comandered when the boyfriend moved in two weeks ago (scored, in so many ways).

Quick Garden Update

2009-05-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

So much time, so little to do...

Mom asked me why I'm taking pictures in the dark. Well, that is the only time I have to garden these days.

Off to get a load of mulch in the rain!

Learning More Glass

2009-04-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend travels brought me to my mom's house, where she and my sister shared the expense of a glass kiln and buco glass supplies. I wanted to make more pieces that I could work on with stained glass, but found that this media was fun in and of itself.

Several pieces of glass were fused in the kiln. They needed to overlap enough to be stable once they "melted" into each other.

The kiln had to be prepped with paper between stone and anything glass.

This piece needed to hang, so I used a piece of fiber that was resistant to high temperatures placed between two pieces of glass to create a "tunnel" to run a string through for hanging.

The firing took about 8 hours through a cycle of super hot and then it needed to cool to room temperature slowly so it wouldn't crack the glass.

Patience pays...

Kids Coming Out

2009-04-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit at Johnny Seale's Goat Farm this week. The kids are jumping and bumping, berming and squirming, and looking so cute I could eat them up. Check 'em out!

(Click on a picture to enlarge)

More goat pics here

Learning Stained Glass

2009-04-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I've been going up to my friend Jill's house to work on a small stained glass project. She has the perfect space for it in a yurt. I bring a six pack of beer, she stokes up the fire, and we work on glass.

Jill and Jen are great teachers, showing me tricks and tips and taking the time to do it right. They have all the "gear" needed, including lots of amazing slabs of glass in hues from marbled violet to bright sky blue.

Last week we made a pattern (right), numbering the areas that would be glass. We then traced over and duplicated it, cutting out the pieces on the second copy and pasting them onto the pieces of glass we wanted to use. We then scored and broke the glass with special pliers (wearing protective eye wear, of course).

This week we used Jill's grinder to make our edges smooth, and then got to apply copper foil. It makes the glass really pop out.

Next time we get out the soldering tool.

Jill demoing copper foiling:

Quick Birthday Jammie Pants

2009-04-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

There is this long legged man,
we got the long term plan.

Pants made fresh just now,
got them hangin' on a bow.

___________________

I pilfered Scott's pants drawer and filched a pair to measure for his birthday present: flannel jammie pants.

He is a tall and skinny dude, so it was necessary to adjust one of my loose pants patterns for longer legs.

We're going camping for his birthday, so this is the pattern I picked (no bike patterned flannel at the store).

It was quick and easy because there are a lot of long seams to zip through, and the waist is just an elastic band, strung through the casing with a safety pin (trick to easily find where the end of the elastic is).

No telling him- it is a surprise!

Seedling Saga

2009-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a little seed. A quiescent kernel of DNA, cotyledon, protein, and prospective plant perfectly packed into a tiny bundle bursting with potential. Waiting.

Until one day it became warm, and the sun started shining for longer than usual. Water trickled into the seed's dark place of dormancy and something happened.

The seed started going through an amazing transformation. The water penetrated it's seed coat, causing the seed to swell and crack. Inside, the seed embryo was being nourished by sugars produced by hydrolyses of stored starch, maltose and maltase.

The embryo started respiring, dividing, and, according to the carefully laid out plans of the DNA, a radicle grew into a root, and a plumule grew into a shoot.

Once all the sugars and nutrients were used up inside the seed, it started drinking in water, nutrients, and sunlight, and transforming these ingredients into energy for survival.

And then something else happened...

A goat ate it.

How are the seedlings doing?

Glad you asked:

They are taking off and we've planted many to save money on starts this year. This is what works for me:

A plant/aquarium light to supplement light these plants get through a south-facing window
A heating pad turned to low placed under the water-tight tray
A clear top on just-planted seeds to conserve water until sprouts appear. If it isn't removed soon enough, the soil/plants will mold underneath.
A conspicuous lack of goats around the house

Gardening #4: Rototilling Time

2009-03-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend Scott set to work on tuning up the rototiller I inherited from my grandfather so we could get the garden beds ready for planting.

This rototiller is probably 20 years old, but my "Fix it up Chappy" oiled and scrubbed and replaced fluids and belts. It runs like a champ now.

Fall leaves covered the garden all winter, and the manure added last year and compost added this year served to make some dark chocolaty-looking soil when tilled up:

Very gratifying.

Now, if I only had some goat manure to add to the mix...

Gardening #3: Low Budget Patio

2009-03-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Its official: Spring is in full swing and there must be something like "vernal spores" in my bloodstream that have been lying dormant all winter. I think they are waking up and activating the part of my brain that has an evolutionary link to my beagle: I just want to dig.

Our backyard is rather large, but there is really nowhere formal to sit and barbecue or listen to the birds. So, I'm building a patio. I have no money to spend on it, so I'm going to scrounge building materials. But first, the excavation.

I would have put Maisy to work on the job, but she wouldn't follow my guidelines and I was worried it might encourage future unsolicited digging in the garden. Her trench, however, was a work to be admired by anyone with Spring Fever-dig-o-mania:

With inspiration from the dogs, I got to work. After some huffing and puffing and back-strained shoveling, the result is below with a few of the pavers I got from my neighbor.

Since this is a low budget operation, I'm using whatever I can find around the yard as patio material. I have a collection of random flat rocks that I threw in around the pavers.

There is also sand from an old sandbox I made for the dogs last year (a.k.a. Kitty's litter box) that is being used for packing between stones. The dogs seem to like this use of the sand just fine too:

I'm still scrounging for flagstones and sand to finish this up. I'm using our local Free Cycle site to request materials. If that doesn't pan out, I might have to resort to roving the neighborhood under the cover of darknss to liberate abandoned piles of flat stone (neighbors beware).

Spring Shirt

2009-03-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

Kitty Kitty Boom Boom is rearing its cute little head from the grave again: I used some fabric I got there for a spring shirt, probably the single best thing I have ever sewn.

I have been known to be a "gorilla seamstress" as my roommate likes to call it; sewing things to get them done as quickly as possible, without taking a lot of time and being impatient to see the end results. However, on this one, I took my time.

I ironed. I pinned. I clipped loose thread. But most of all, I experimented.

Amazingly enough, I didn't have a real pattern- kind of just winged it based on a shirt in a catalog (that I can't afford to buy), and a few hand-me-down shirts. I did create a rough pattern (at left) out of handy-dandy brown paper bag, and made it a bit bigger to allow for later tweaks.

Bias tape make the seems look nicer. Here is how to do it.

Zipper practice makes perfect- I'm finally getting better at this. Experimentation with a white band below the bust and spending time on the finishing touches was a big help- making sure the hem for both front and back lined up and ironing it before sewing it, and darting the bias tap into place on the arm and neck corners. I even put in a "tag" that is some strategically- colored ribbon that you can hang up the shirt on.

It is supposed to snow here tonight, but I'm well prepared for when the weather takes a turn for the warmer. I don't want to be caught out in the spring weather without the right gear (that would be super embarrassing in Durango).

In the meantime, I'm looking longingly forward to sunshine and warmer times, as seen here in the glamor shot at left.

Gardeing #2: Seedlings, Cover Crops, and Compost

2009-03-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Getting excited for spring as the days get longer and my attention span at work gets shorter (these are most certainly inversely related). My garlic came up already and was looking good as I was relocating my compost pile last night (at left).

I've been thinking about how to diminish weed growth in the garden without using weed barrier. Organic Gardening Magazine advocates the use of cover crops for many reasons, but they can also be used between flowers and vegetables if done right. Here are the benefits.

This article advises to plant cover crops after your veggies and flowers are at least 1/3 of the way through their growth cycle so that your green lovelies aren't out-competed by quick growing buckwheat or clover. The article also states the cover crop needs to eventually be mowed and then killed. Hmmm, I bet some goats could help with that (someday...).

Check out the progress of my seedlings:

Lettuce (weeks 1, 2, and 3)

Herbs (weeks 2, and 3)

Tomatoes (weeks 1 and 2)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2009-03-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

Traveling last weekend was a non-stop, action-filled trip. Here are some pics:

Planes:
Flight over the Wasatch with Rob Hunter
(Founder and Owner of Prepared Pilot)
Trains:
Boarding the train in Green River, UT
Tumble-weed Capitol of Nowhere

Automobiles:

The whole purpose of the trip was to
buy a new (used) automobile:

Just kidding, but I think folks in Green River
still use this for emergencies. Seriously.

The real deal: My new shiny ride!
Got 29 mpg on the drive home.

Non-stop Nephews:

Soccer, bikes, scooters, you name it, they are on it.

Weed Eaters: Goats who Earn their Keep

2009-03-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled across a website for people in the Northwest who leases there goats out for weed control. I had heard, or herd (heh, heh) of this before when I was doing conservation work, but forgotten all about it.

Jeepers! This is a way I could let my goats earn their own living while organically removing weeds. In our area, they are great for eating knapweed, yellow toadflax, and other pesky plants. The tamarisk and cheatgrass are a bit more problematic (tamarisk is more an unpalatable evergreen and cheatgrass will eventually wear a ruminant's teeth down due to the high silica content).

There are certainly pros and cons (as adequately outlined in this article), but with proper supervision, insurance, and site inspection beforehand, goats can be a great benefit to native ecosystems by giving them a chance to reestablish.

Gardening #1: Plotting and Planning the Plot

2009-03-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

There is a little bit of spring in the air tempting and teasing us here in SW Colorado. And as the year slowly progresses I am hampered by two undeniable facts:

It is March.
I cannot plant until June 4th (frost date here in Durango).

What to do? Plan and dream. And pick up over-wintered dog poop. Gross.

Though I don't have a greenhouse (another accessory that I hope to acquire someday) I've already started some lettuce, herbs, tomatoes and peppers in a south-facing window, supplemented with a grow light to get them started out right. The lettuce and herbs are poking their heads out, which is exciting!

The plot plan is coming together in my head, but I searched around for an on-line garden designing tool so I could get it all down. All I came up with for online planning were tools for landscaping, but they might be useful still.

Here are 10 garden plans from Better Homes and Gardens. These are complete with layout and plant keys. They are nice because they integrate both veggies and flowers.

Here are my basic necessities:

Tomatoes: Brandywine are my absolute favorite because they are big and juicy. Scott says he also wants cherry tomatoes, and I'm also going to try an heirloom Purple Cherokee variety and some Early Girls this year.
Peppers: I tried all kinds of peppers last year and Poblanos and Jalapenos were the only ones that really took off and fruited. I think it must have something to do with the climate here and short growing season (I always have a hard time getting my habaneros to fruit, let alone ripen).

Beans: I love making a bean tent (at left) with a couple of varieties of beans. I always get too many, but the neighbors love them so I share
Basil: Always have to have this for fresh basil all summer. When it comes time to harvest, I chop it up and put it in soft butter with garlic and freeze it for herbed butter all winter long.
Beets: You can eat both the leaves and the root! Yum.

Kale and Chard: I always crave leafy greens all summer. Butter and salt is all you need.
Summer Squash: Paddy pan, or scallop, and zucchini went crazy in my garden last year (see picture below)
Winter Squash: Butternut is my favorite ever, and then I'll have to do some acorn and pumpkins too.

Scott says he wants to concentrate on the sweet corn (we'll get some Olatha Sweet Corn seeds), peas, carrots, and cucumbers. Good thing we have a big plot.

My new hero: Johnnie Seale

2009-03-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Every time I drive to Scott's house, I drive very slowly by a beautiful piece of property with 12 (soon to be 25 or so) goats. Mr. Johnnie Seale is usually out feeding or caring for his goats on Lightner Creek Road and I stopped to speak with him at JP Acres last time I drove by.

Johnnie is a retired major league baseball player who sadly lost his very active wife Peppy to cancer five years ago (one year after she retired from teaching at Ft. Lewis College). He raises goats for the local 4-H club, meat, and some milk. He claims they are of the best stock, as he sends away for semen from the best bucks in the country and artificially inseminates his does. All 9 of his does will kid later this spring (one is due mid-March), and they usually produce 2-3 kids.

Since he is home caring for his goats almost all the time, he invited me to stop back by once the mud season is over and the kids start arriving. I can't wait, and I'm hoping to learn a lot by spending some time with Johnnie.

On a side note, I just found the Dairy Goat Journal that I might be subscribing to soon. It looks like my kind of reading...

I See Goat

2009-02-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

OK, back to goats. I diverged there for a couple of issues, but I'm back to my senses. Specifically the sense of sight.

I love photography and recently have been posting to My Shot on National Geographic's website. They have some amazing amateur and professional images here and I pulled these to share with you (just click on any of them to see a larger version)...

This one reminds me of traffic jams in Paonia, Colorado. Only those were sheep. Or cows. I think if I'd come across this I would have hopped out of the car and started helping to herd.

Any llama relation?

I don't think I've ever seen a more content-looking goat.

Intense dramatic gazes, seeping from the eyes of these youngin's.

And the Ultimate "Awwwwh!":

If these don't make you want to grab a goat and squeeze, I don't know what will.

Soul Collage

2009-02-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

For the last few years I've been getting together with a group of women to do Soul Collage, a process created and refined by Seena Frost. My good friend Barb Horn facilitates our sessions in Southwest Colorado (she was formally trained by Seena).

The basic process for our group entails:

meditation (optional)
eating yummy potluck food
ripping pics from magazines (only images that speak to you)
chatting, chatting, chatting
composing on a 5 x 7 card
entertaining anecdotes by Barb (really these are interspersed through the whole session)
writing "I am the one who..." statements for the card
sharing cards
doing readings (if you wish). Here is an on-line reading (interpret how you will)

There are no rules to Soul Collage- it is a creative process and many variations have surfaced, but Barb teaches about eventually having "suites" of cards to draw from. Cards might represent committee (inner child, victim, hero, etc.), companions (animal or those in your life), council, or community and readings can be based on these suites, much like Taro cards.

Soul collage is a creative outlet for what is happening in my life at the time. I usually do it in a group, so I also enjoy the social aspect, but ultimately I use this process to glean more about what is going on for me. In addition, the cards result in portable works of art that can be gestated and reinterpreted multiple times or even given as gifts.

Blah, Blah, Blog

2009-02-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that there must be a lot of cyber garbage out there. Meaning poorly written or designed blogs, web sites, and out of date information that no one gets any use out of. For instance this blog. Who would find any use in a blog about my compulsive goat fetish?

I never thought I'd write a blog. I didn't really have anything to write about. But then all of a sudden I had a lot to say. And now I can't stop writing.

So where does it all go? Are we polluting our servers and inundating our DSL lines? What information SHOULD be shared, and what shouldn't? And what can we define as "art"?

There is a recent blog by Daniel Tunkelang on the Noisy Channel that discusses cyber pollution. Many blogs I read, including this one, mostly cite junk e-mail as the biggest pollution factor. But I'd like to take the definition in this article (as follows) a step further:

Cyber Pollution: the waste of time and energy created by the inconsiderate use of commercial and personal electronic communication.

I would consider this to include out-of-date websites, irrelavent blogs, and expired documents.

So you could say I'm self-defined "trash".

However, in thinking about this pollution issue, I'm going to turn over a new leaf as a Marketing and Sales Manager for a software company: I'm going to do my part to fight unsolicited e-mails (including the ones I send out) and encourage our web manager to clean up an update the out-of-date portions of our website (that means YOU Aaron).

I'm NOT going to stop blogging though (you wish). I've got too many unsolicited, irrelevant, and out-dated thoughts going through my brain.

Book Reviews and Movies Too

2009-02-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

I've had a lot of time this winter to read and watch movies, something I rarely get time for during other seasons. Here are a few of my favorites, and some I did not like so much.

Books

A Thousand Splendid Suns
Written by the same author as "The Kite Runner" this book doesn't even come close to being as good. I bought this book for my sister for Christmas and started reading it (ha, ha June). It seems that Khaled Hosseini has a great handle on what it is like to be a young boy in Afganistan during the Taliban regime change (The Kite Runner), but had a rough time with writing from a girl's perspective in this book. I didn't finish it, mostly because I had to wrap it up and send it, but also because it was going no where for me.

Molokai
We'll written, interesting story, based on a leprosy colony that really existed in Hawaii. It was easy to get engrossed in the character's emotion, the scenery was great, and the sunsets incredible. Great winter book- I think I actually got a little bit of a tan.

From Baghdad with Love
Here is where I get a little critical- just because you have a great story line about two juxtaposed characters (a cute cuddly puppy and a tough marine in the midst of battle) doesn't mean you have the right to be a crappy writer. This guy actually like, uses like, like this. In many parts of the book. Very annoying. I am having a hard time finishing this one.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Incredible. Written in the voice of an autistic savant 11 year old, this book has great illustrations, is hilarious, and heart-rending. Mark Haddon worked with autistic kids for years before writing this fictional novel, disguised as a mystery.

Movies

Clerks
Someone (likely one of my male co-workers) told me I had to see this because it was a classic. I turned it off after 20 minutes. Ugh. Horrible acting. I don't care how many great lines came out of it.

Ma Vie En Rose
Belgium movie about a seven year old boy who wants to be a girl. Very touching and sad as his family deals with offended neighbors, his surprise dress up sessions, and even the loss of his father's job because of his "different" behavior.

The Big Lebowski
I just saw this for the second time. I know this is a classic Kohen Bros film, but I have two points:

There is no point. The cowboy narrator talks "The Dude" up like he is a hero, but I'm not impressed. He doesn't restore justice (the bad guy keeps the money), he doesn't get the girl, and he doesn't seem to transcend to anything deeper or more meaningful. Maybe THAT is the point. That there is none.
I don't care how wonderful Kohen Bros characters are. I can't stand Walter (John Goodman). Maybe the last scene where he is actually sorry, but other than that, he is a loud-mouthed idiot the entire movie

Countryman

My man and I got together for Jamaica night and watched this old movie from the early 1980's. It was awesome. Talk about a real hero, Countryman showers food on his community members (in the form of fresh caught fish), he can run for miles in minutes, put the voodoo sleep trance on untrusting rich guys, AND he saves the girl and her boyfriend.

To tell you the truth, I kind of have a crush on Countryman (much to the amusement of my own boyfriend).

All I got to say is "Love, Daddy".

RIP Kitty Kitty Boom Boom

2009-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Doing business in Durango is tough. Small town politics, a waxing and waning tourist season, and the draw for better opportunity has quelled many an entrepreneurial fire in this town (not to mention big box store and WalMart invasion). Such has been the fate of Kitty Kitty Boom Boom (KKBB), a fabulously flouncy fabric store.

What does this have to do with this writer's quest for goat amigos? Well, nothing, but I'm sad this store is gone, I like to sew (which will come in handy when I am more self-sufficient on a farm) and so I've dedicated this blog to them.

In fact, I'm making a skirt RIGHT NOW with delicious fabric from this place (I want to eat it like a goat would). Here is my step-by-step experience with making a simple skirt:

1. You'll need:

This is the fun part if you like color. I purchased a yard of fabric with a quarter yard of trim, matching thread, a 7" zipper, a paper bag (for making the pattern) and a set of eye hooks.

2. Measure the future wearer

My waist measures 32" so I made the waist of the pattern 17 inches wide (allowing 1/2 for seam allowance on each side) with the bottom tapering to 23 inches wide. I make the pattern first so I can make absolutely sure it is the right size before I cut the fabric, even going so far as to hold up the paper bag skirt to myself to make sure it is going more than halfway around me.

3. Cut. It. Out.

Fold your fabric in half and pin your pattern on (this will make both front and back). Pin the trim on the bottom, allowing for ½ seam allowance.

There is no going back now- cut it! Watch out for the cat's tail (this one is always campaigning for attention- Kitty Kitty Boom Boom apropos).

4. Get Your Sew On:

Put right sides together (the side you want to show on the outside) and sew the trim on the bottom of both pieces using a ½ inch seam. Then, pin the two right sides together and completely sew one side. The other side will be zipper side.

5. Zip Code:

The zipper is the hardest part. I'm usually scared of putting in zippers, but I'm going to take one for KKBB. I watched the middle section of this YouTube video and it helped me get up my gumption for the job.

Just remember to place the zipper head about 1½ inches from the top for the waist of the skirt- you’ll want to fold it over twice and sew to finish the top waist line once you’ve installed the zipper

6. Last and Largely Least:

I put a small hook and eye on the either side of the top of the zipper to assure closure. Especially after a pig-out at my favorite local restaurant: Zia Taqueria-their gigantic fish burritos are sure to cause a bulge, and judging by the length of their line at the counter during feeding time, they will not go the way of KKBB anytime soon.

Finished Skirt:

Virtual Cabin in the Woods

2009-02-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm so obsessed with having a farm some day that I "play" at having one, computer-style.

For those of you who have Facebook accounts, you might know about "My Farm".

As I tend my simulated livestock and harvest my pixelated fruit trees, it brings me some happiness and staves off my need for a real farm some day.

My nephews find similar gratification in that looking after their farm is the first thing they want to do every morning. They send me trees and animals (even goats!), and are so good at this game that their farms are huge and they have saved up enough farm cash to buy barns, wood sheds, chicken coops, and multiple other high-end farm accoutrements.

I would go so far as to say this game is educational for them, in that they learn about what crops produce the best money and, since the crops grow by themselves, they need to be checked and cared for often. It also allows me frequent interaction with these boys, which the 7 hour drive between us makes difficult.

I know that simulated farms and games will never give me the real in-person experience of playing with my nephews or working my buns off on a farm. But while I'm in the phase of sitting on those buns at a desk all day, it is the next best thing and gives fodder to my dreams.

Its All About Love

2009-02-13T05:18:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for love, and I want to share that I've finally found mine. Please note, I don't "think" I've found him, I know I have. And he feels the same.

This is new for me, because in the past I've always questioned if I was "in love". I certainly had love for many of my boyfriends, but somehow knew deep down that they weren't the one. It is true what they say, when you are in love, you know it. Undeniably. The best part (well, one of the best parts) is that he is OK with getting goats someday!

When I first met Scott (at left), I have to admit it was not love at first sight. I was in one of those questioning relationships at the time (I think he was too), and I came in the shop where he worked to get my bike tuned. We discussed his parents, who I already knew, and my recent move to town. That was it.

After about 14 months, I went back in to order a commuter bike and after constructing it, he asked me on a bike ride. I was flattered, of course, but I told myself he was younger (2 1/2 years) and at 6'3", I'd never be able to reach him (I'm 5'1").

Well, we figured things out (have you ever wondered how Chihuahuas and Great Danes make it work?), and though I never would have pegged him as my type, the chemistry is there.

Here's wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day (especially you, Hottie Scotty- Hollar Baby)! And for those of you who haven't found the love of your life yet, be patient- YOU WILL!

GoAnimate.com: Steamy love

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Chicken Coup

2009-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

I'm getting cabin fever, so to speak. It is definitely still winter here (snowed a foot last night), but I'm starting to yearn for spring. Spring and baby farm animals. I even had a dream last night that I was feeding a nanny and her kid.

The talk of our town recently has been a heated debate by the city council on whether or not to allow chickens in town legally. Here are some articles from our local paper:

January 19, 2009
January 21, 2009
January 23, 2009

February 6, 2009

I can't tell if this is a partisan issue or not. Lots of old-timing conservatives have chickens in the rural regions of the southwest, and lots of liberal greenies like the opportunity to be in better touch with where your food comes from. On the other hand, many conservatives think that chickens will smell up the town if owners don't keep their quarters clean, and pro-wildlife advocates don't like the idea of introducing "prey items" in town limits that will attract bear and mountain lions. It is an interesting debate that has ruffled many feathers.

There are pros and cons to both sides, but you can imagine which side I'm taking. All this chicken talk has gotten me so excited that I decided to draft some plans for a chicken coop and I'm drafting the 3-D version (to be posted later):

If Durango goes pro-chicken, this will be one of my many spring projects.

What do you think: Does being pro-poultry make us a blue town with a red comb on top?

Goat 101

2009-02-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm ready for some serious GHP (Goat Husbandry Particulars). Are you, or are you just browsing this to procrastinate some drab task at your desk job, Reader?

Anatomy:

I've been studying this goat schematic to familiarize myself with goat body parts (and to put things off. Just like you):

Thank you PropArtGanda. I now know my goat, and also vaguely where to find its Escutcheon- you must look somewhere near the nether regions under the pin bone. Turns out the Escutcheon is also plumbing speak for a plate used to cover the gap between a penetrating pipe and the wall surface from which it protrudes. Hmm.

This one is from Oklahoma State University's Department of Animals Science:

Goats have Sharks. At least they do in Oklahoma. And demonic eyes.

Thurl is something new for me. This goat has a particularly churlish Thurl. Is that a curl on this girl's Thurl?

I found this little doozy on choosing a goat: Clear eyes, shiny coat and a healthy appetite are important. I must look for a "well attached udder" if I want milk.

This article also says they'll need their hooves trimmed once per month and I should keep more than one goat or they'll be lonely. I know I have never met a well-adjusted billy that was an only kid.

Diseases

I'm not even going there this time, Reader. As you can imagine, delving into that topic deserves a whole blog unto itself. Look for it soon. I know you can't wait until the next monotonous moment at your job when you sink low enough to read about goat bloat.

Chicken Love

2009-01-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

What goes best with a little cabin in the woods and goats? Chickens of course! Ain't nothin' better than fresh eggs for Suzie Homemakin'.

Speaking from experience, chickens are one of the easier farm animals to maintain (I HAVE tasted farm life, but had to abandon it for big city life in Durango). Just don't get too attached, as these cluckers tend to die easily.

I grew fond of Gertrude, Henrietta, Etta, and Merle-Girl in the few years I had them. They would keep me company on summer lunch hours in the backyard, begging for food much the way dogs do.

Having hens only (Merle-girl and Etta pictured here), they were happy enough, but seemed to lack certain fulfillment in their chicken lives. Since no roosters were allowed within town limits, I was a pathetic substitute for Chicken Love. I'd reach out to pet them and they would get excited, crouch down, stamp their feet, and lift their tails as I'd stroke their back.

Gross, I know.

But I liked it because I could show them affection, and they liked it, well, because they were horny hens. Before you judge and accuse me of chicken bestiality, know that I had the purest of maternal feelings for my hens. Please continue casting your eyes on these words, squeamish reader, to be convinced.

One evening I came home to find Henry dead, Gerti gone, and Merle with a 7 inch gash in her back (I hadn't acquired Etta yet). The neighbor's husky dog had jumped my fence and had a violent play session with my girls, leaving one dead, one mutilated and taking the third one To Go.

Merle was hiding behind a bush, her usually beady eyes listless and in shock. I could see she would live, but needed to be sewn up before she got infected. I contemplated taking her to my very expensive veterinarian, but didn't want to pay the chicken emergency room charges (for gosh sake).

So I did it myself. I put her in my deep kitchen sink (she was quietly traumatized and didn't mind), proceeded to clean and disinfect her wound, and ran a big needle with thick thread through her back (9 stitches all together). I'd compare it to preparing a rubbed turkey for thanksgiving dinner, plus feathers.

She lived two more healthy years and laid eggs for the rest of her life. Sure as shootin', whenever I'd enter the yard, she'd still run over for Chicken Love.

Little Cabin in the Woods

2009-01-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

I'm on it. Everyone else is. So here begins the beginning of my blog career...

My intent is to use this space to and keep in sight and share my ambitions of goat ownership. I love goats. I want at least three. But before I can delve into the pleasures of bucolic bliss, I have a few steps to ascend:

1. Get some land.
2. Get the Goat Husbandry Particulars (GHP).
3. Have a sedentary enough lifestyle to be a responsible goat owner.

So, I'm thinking this will take a few years to accomplish because of the following obstacles:

1. Land in near Durango, CO (my current locale) is very expensive
2. I'm goat-ignorant (I just know I want goats with a deep burning desire, something akin to what a mother must feel for her unborn child)
3. I still want to get out and see some of the world

As I work my way toward pastoral possession, I'll be documenting my journey and lessons learned. Here are a few to get started:

Lesson 1: The Lost Language

Initial GHP research: A goat's latin or scientific name is Carpra aegagrus.

Not very important, but since I minored in biology, I though it relevant to include so as to get some use out of that degree.

There are many breeds of goats, but I mostly want one to pull a small cart around the yard, perhaps giving milk for cheese in a seasonal fashion (that means we'll have baby goats too!!). I'll be researching goat types in future blogs (if that isn't incentive to stay tuned, I don't know what is).

Lesson 2: Refrain from Goat Envy

My sister got her ears pierced when I was 7. She was 12, the acceptable age for being pierced according to my resolute mother. That period of longing in my life left an indelible mark on my psyche that I am still trying to get over. So, just because your sister has two cute pygmy goats now doesn't make her more beautiful or grownup than you. When you are her age, you can have goats too.

Lesson 3: Use your free time wisely

Third and final lesson for the day is the one I really want to drive home- Not having goats allows for ample opportunity to play. Something I should have kept in mind before I got my ears pierced, because the trouble with earrings is they weigh your ears down.

Or something like that.