Frittata

I am guilty of letting my toddler watch a little bit of TV at night. In fact, I usually am watching it with her.

On one of the channels we watch is a woman who comes on named Helen Cavallo. A chef that does a segment called “That’s Fresh”. It is usually about a minute to two minute commercial that shows how to make a healthy meal/snack. Last night, the item she made last night was Frittata.

This is the recipe that she gave last night. This recipe is also listed again at the bottom of the YouTube video, which I have linked to the bottom of this post.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL FRITTATA IN A SKILLET

Ingredients:
 

5 eggs
¼ lb sliced Ham, diced into ½ inch cubes
½ cup of grated or shredded low or reduced-fat cheese of your choice
1 cup of frozen or fresh peas
½ teaspoon olive oil (1/2 teaspoon more to grease the muffin tins)
Beat eggs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper

Sauté the peas in olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they cook through. Add the diced ham and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the eggs to the cooked ham and sprinkle with cheese. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until bubbles start to form on top. Then place the sauté pan in a 350 oven for 5 minutes, until the eggs look firm and have set. Let cool and slide onto a platter. Slice and serve!

TO MAKE FRITTATA CUPCAKES…

Follow the same ingredient list and directions, but instead of dicing your ham into cubes, line the bottom of a greased muffin tin (use a ½ teaspoon olive oil on a paper towel and coat the muffin tins,) with a whole piece of sliced ham so that it forms a cup. Cut off any extra ham and add to egg mixture. Pour the mixture of peas, eggs and cheese into the ham cups

Place the cupcake pan into the oven and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until the cupcakes look firm and have set. Let cool and they will pop out of the tins. It’s a great back to school frittata. Serve for lunch or anytime!

I am going to try this recipe this morning when my daughter wakes up. I am going to make the cupcakes.

Here is also the YouTube link to the 1:33 minute segment. It looks delicious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4xowPif3s&feature=share&list=SP7CA4CB7DB6667D31

Enjoy this recipe!

People disappoint me...

I have a gripe this morning, and I promise to keep it short.

What in the world is wrong with people. Our kids are buried heads down into electronic devices or in front of a television. Parents can’t stay off of their cell phones, ipads, iPods, i-whatever the hell is in their hands at all times. We don’t disconnect from our jobs, people or anything anymore. There is no such thing as “unplugging” unless we go on vacation, even still, people have all of their devices….

Children are being started in playschool when they are 2….2? Really? Why are we sending our 2 year olds to school….my gosh, why are we sending our kids to school before they are 5? Why can’t we as parents be responsible for their early education? When did we start handing over something as important as the ground laying bricks of our child’s curiosity in learning to other people?

I have been doing some research recently on homeschooling curriculum for my 2 1/2-year-old daughter. Yes, I know, it is early and she is young, but at the same time, she is very advanced intellectually for her age. It is not because I have pushed her, it is because I am a stay home Mom and we “play” a lot. Just that when I play with her, she doesn’t realize it, but she is learning at the same time. She has the vocabulary of someone twice her age, and the comprehension that mirrors her vocabulary. I often times forget that emotionally she still is only 2 1/2 with what she understands.

I may be accused of “pushing” her, but we play. Our play is outside, in the world, exploring and having fun. We admit, she does watch TV and yes…I do use it as a babysitter when I am cooking supper. I know all the experts tell me this is wrong, but then again, if I am working over a stove with hot items…a bit of “mind numbing” Little Einsteins isn’t going to upset me too severely. Besides, thanks to Little Einsteins…my daughter has an appreciation for music and art, already!

Back to my gripe though, why are more kids not outside? We are outside playing everyday. I look forward to taking her out there and exploring in the sandbox, chasing bubbles around the yard, picking up sticks in the yard that fell.

I actually can answer this myself though. Most of the people I see now days have the mentality of my husband (whom I do love dearly, but is really quite lazy when it comes to parenting). After a long day of work, everyone just wants to sit and relax, so it has been easier to give the kids either a game to play with their hands, or a show on TV for them to watch so Mom and Dad can relax after a hard day at work. My husband is notorious for plopping my daughter in front of the TV and letting her sit there. When I say something, I get the telltale, “I am tired, I am sore, I just want to relax” attitude. Which in turn I get the “It isn’t like you work all day, you don’t understand” remark. Let me be the first to tell you…staying home isn’t a picnic. My work just differs…yet isn’t any less important.

As adults…why are we not more interested in outside activities? I get the “That sounds dumb” from my husband when I ask him to go and play with his daughter and blow bubbles while I finish housework or supper. What is “dumb” about sharing a bit of joy and play with a small child?

There are probably no easy answers to any of the above questions. Someone will always have an excuse for why things are the way they are. I don’t have to like it, nor do I have to agree with it. The only thing I can do it keep doing what I am doing, and hope that someday, my daughter will appreciate that I stayed home and nurtured her the way I did.

We need rain...

We are suffering a horrible drought in our part of the country right now. We have gotten about an inch rain, though, in the last couple of days....but not enough.

This is a picture of one of the lake shores near my home. It is down about 4 feet....I am standing in a spot I should not be able to get to....
I hope we get more rain soon.

Goodbye Hummingbirds...

I changed my calender over this morning, like everyone else did and started to come to grips with it now being September. I came to the realization the Autumn is knocking on our doorstep. The first thing that comes to mind when September hits, is not that we here in the US celebrate Labor Day, the last big “hurrah” of the summer, but that it is time once again for my hummingbird feeders to get taken down and put away into storage for another year. It is really a sad time, I do enjoy very much, the little hovering friends that visit my feeder from about Mother’s Day in May through Labor Day.


I for one really enjoy the changing of the seasons, and look forward to the leaves changing color, and the geese flying south for the winter. Which brings me back to the little hummingbirds. How does something so small make it so far south. All I can do is hope that they have a safe journey to where ever they may go, and that I will be waiting here next year, feeder full…ready for their return.

A new blog...

I have created a new blog via WordPress. I invite you to check it out. It is going to be my main blog from here on out.

I needed to go a new direction with my life...and my new blog is it.
Chequamegon Living

Drought on the river....

We went for a little trip to the Big Falls area here in northern Wisconsin recently. The drought was obvious as we came on down to the water. As you can see the water is very, very low. In spring, when the ice and snow are melting, you can't see any of these rocks at all. In fact, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near them as they can drag you under in the current. Right now, not so much. In fact, I felt perfectly safe letting my 2 year old daughter play amongst the rocks and bounce around them as we made our way across the river.

This is a picture taken from the road to the Falls. I am standing on the bridge. This is a great river (normally) to kayak down. Not much kayaking going to be done on it in it's current state.

Moon Gardening

Wondering how my Moon Gardening did this year?
Well, considering we were in a huge drought, we did alright!

I am not overly happy with some of the results…but what I did get is more than what most people got. Here are the numbers…as of right now.

Peas: Crap shoot harvest…my daughter ended up eating all these off the vine.

Carrots: Still in the ground…not sure yet on the harvest

Zucchini: Count at this time…. 5 harvested, with 3 more still coming (one plant)

Tomatoes: 8 pints of Salsa, 6 pints of pasta sauce, a bunch of dehydrated, still have more ripening on the vine (5 plants)

Acorn Squash: 3 total (2 plants) this one didn’t fare to well with the drought.

Peppers: outside factors harmed these….got enough for the salsa….

Corn: waiting to see what I end up with…this, like the peppers had an outside factor that harmed them.

Cucumbers: I ended up with 14 pints of pickles…sweet, dill and bread ~n~ butter…very happy with this result (2 plants)

If the weather would have been better, I am sure I would have had more. Most of my neighbors are not getting much of anything….I am living like a king with my harvest compared to the other gardens in the area….

So…Moon Gardening….success!

A bit of the bounty....

As I sit here this morning. I thought I would show you a picture of one of my shelves in the pantry. This is just a small portion of what I have been doing the last few weeks. I am slightly disappointed on the amount I got from my garden. The drought we are going through did not help...and since I am technically on city water...it is quite costly to water.

Now, I know someone is going to say..."Why didn't you have a rain barrel?" Well, I do...but with the water being so scarce...the barrel is dry as well. So anyway, I have a bit more to do in my garden. My zucchini are getting to the end, my tomatoes are just about done. I am happy with what I got from them. 8 pints of salsa, 6 pints of pasta sauce, and I will have 2 pints of dehydrated...not bad for a drought.

My corn suffered the most. It didn't do well at all this year, neither did my peas. Oh well, next year is a new year!

A morning post.....

Hello all…

I decided to stop on in and say hello this morning while waiting for my salsa that is in my canner to time out. I have been gone for a week, and folks, I miss ya! I had to check out the tags on my dashboard, and realized in the week I have been off, I have missed a lot.

I hit some of my favorite blogs….caught up on what they have been doing, but it still isn’t the same. With that being said though, the break was needed. I spent the entire week last week either canning or dehydrating…and one day, both! I am doing another batch of salsa this morning…and tomorrow, plan on hitting the butters….apple is in order for this week. I also have more dehydrating to do as well.

With that being said….I am going to leave all of you again. I am truly sorry that I am not posting like I was, but I will be back and all will be back to normal after the harvest is done. I want to thank all of you that are sticking with me while I am gone and holding out until I get back. I will not disappoint you! I have been jotting a lot of ideas down on paper, so when I get back, there is going to be quite a few posts from me! Stay tuned…and until I am done with my garden and harvest…many blessings to you and yours!

Preserving, preserving, preserving...

Today is Thursday August 9, 2012. This morning I am working on more of the preserving that I have been doing all week.

Monday, I attempted to make jelly...and well I thought I had failed. It turned out runny and more like syrup. So I labeled it as such and went about my merry way.

Tuesday, I made a killer batch of salsa that leaves you sweating and wanting to cool down the inside of your mouth which seems like it is on fire. (My husband is ecstatic about the salsa!)

Yesterday, Wednesday, I tried my hand at making more jelly. The top picture is from that excursion. I can successfully say, that this batch of jelly turned out wonderful, and it set up just like it was supposed to. As I was putting my jars down in storage yesterday afternoon...I discovered the "syrup" I had made on Monday set up, and is now jelly as well. So that turned out wonderful...it just took a bit longer.

Today is Thursday. Today I am dehydrating tomatoes. Now, you are probably asking why am I dehydrating tomatoes? Well, really the answer is quites simple. Less storage space. Instead of making tomato sauce, and tomato juice. I dehydrate the tomatoes down, once dry, run them through a blender and I will have tomato powder. The powder, depending on how much water you mix with it, can be juice, sauce, get my drift? I can cut out a lot of excess storage requirements for my tomato products if I dehydrate and powder.

As I go through the stages of dehydrating the tomatoes, I will keep posting so you can see just how easy it is. I have very little storage space in my cellar right now for a lot of extra jars of tomato products, and have a ton of tomatoes coming...this was what made the most sense to me!

SALSA

Today is salsa day. I have been busy canning all kinds of things...pickles, syrup, jelly, and today...salsa. 

 This years crop of vegetables is suffering a little bit from the dry weather we have had, but none the less....with vigilant watering, my garden is faring okay. My corn isn't doing very well....but that is another story to say the least.



All in all though, it has been an okay year. I did get 14 pints of pickles done...I have zucchini coming out of my ears, and my tomatoes are actually just starting to come. I have a lot of dehydrating to concentrate on once I get all of the canning done that I want.

 I still have plans on making a corn salsa if the corn does a major improvement...but I am thinking that is going to be something I will have to go and buy at the farmer's market in the next town over.



In Full Swing

Well, as I sit here this morning, I am again canning more pickles. Today's flavor is bread and butter pickles. I am trying a few different flavors to see which I like the best, then I will know what I want to continue to make in the future. Actually, I probably will continue to make all the flavors, as I am not sure what flavor my child will like the best.

The harvest is in full swing here, as I am getting a bit out of my garden. To be honest, my garden isn't doing as good as I thought it would. My peas are spotty, and we have resorted to just eating them straight off the vine. My daughter gets a kick out of being able to pick them and eat them herself.

My corn I started about 2 weeks later than most people, so as some of the corn around here is tasseled out...mine is not. My chili peppers are doing great. Them I am having a great go at. Unfortunately, my green bell peppers....well, let's just say I am glad the farmers market isn't far away.

My zucchini is producing just enough for me. I am glad I have what I do...no more, no less. My acorn squash is going to be coming out of my ears...LOL Oh well.

As for my cucumbers, I am getting enough to pickle, and my tomato plants are full, and starting to ripen. I am a bit disappointed with them, as I thought that my fruit would be bigger, but I have a lot, so I will be able to start canning my salsa soon as well. I also want to try corn relish this year....I like corn relish, corn salsa...whatever you want to call it. I have liked it when I tried it before...I think I am going to try making some of my own. I had thought about zucchini relish, but I think I am going to keep it simple this year. I don't want to go overboard.

That is what is happening at our place. =)

Zucchini Pickles...

I canned my first batch of pickles for the 2012 season this morning. In stead of all my jars filled with cucumbers, I filled 2 jars with zucchini slices. I am going to see how that works. I didn't do anything different than what I would do with cucumbers...so we will see.

I didn't think to take a picture this morning, but they look good. I am actually really excited about how they may turn out. I will let you know.

If you are looking for my recipe...I will be honest...I cheated. I used the Mrs. Wages Kosher Dill Pickle packet you can buy at your local supermarket. I didn't mix a big batch together, just for the fact that I only wanted to make the small 4 pint batch to see how it would work out with the zucchini. I am going to do more later...like I said, I just wanted to try the zucchini.

The news in my life.....

Good Morning all...

I hope this post finds you well and life is treating you the same. It has been a couple weeks since I have posted anything. Quite frankly, I have been busy. It has been a terrible busy couple of weeks around here.

The garden is getting to the point where I am starting to harvest and get ready for canning items. I have been looking for new recipes to try along with some of the old favorites. We have been foraging for wild edibles when given the chance and just beating the heat. We had a week almost week and a  half of terribly hot and dangerous weather. My child and I spent many hours at the lake cooling off and staying refreshed.

Today brings us to the 19th of July. Wow...we are over halfway to Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah...whichever holiday you celebrate. Even if you don't....then the Winter Solstice (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere).

Back to my garden. I realized as I planted this year...that I got some of my seeds mixed up. When I thought I was planting cucumbers for pickles, I guess I planted acorn squash...So instead of 4 plants of cucumbers, I have 4 acorn squash...and only 2 cucumbers. I seemed to do okay with zucchini...as I only have 2 of those plants, but I think I am going to use zucchini to make pickles this year as well as cucumbers. I am going to try something different. I will let you know how that turns out. In face, I will probably be pickling early next week...so watch for that post coming up.

Hmmm...what else is new...Not much. Life, like anything else keep going and going and going. I didn't even honestly realize it has been so long since I was on here until I checked in. I guess being an active member of the nature community, I take advantage of the outdoors when I can. With the weather being so nice, we are out there a lot.

On that note, I hope you all have a wonderful day. Like I said, look for posts next week on pickling. I will post my recipes as I go along as well. Many blessings to you and yours!

Happy 4th...a day early!

I want to wish all of you in the US a Happy 4th of July. As the barbecues are rolling and drinks passed around. Remember why we have this "freebie" day off in the beginning of July.

Be safe as well... =)

Let's garden a bit today, shall we?

Geez folks, I know I haven't done a very good job with my moon gardening updates on here, but there honestly isn't much to do beside weed and water until it is harvest time.

We have started to get some berries off of the raspberry plants I planted this year, I have tomatoes coming, lots and lots of little chili peppers...and my squash are all blooming. One of the things about this year, everything is about 3-4 weeks ahead. We had that strange warm spell in March and then it never really got cold again, and things have suffered just as some things have flourished.
Things that had suffered were my blooming lilacs...they budded out too quickly, and when we had a frost roll through, froze all the blooms...there was not a single bush in the area that bloomed. My blazing stars are all about 4 weeks early, as are my mountain lilies. My irises have already bloomed and are done.

Speaking of my vegetables, I will be canning in the next month already...it won't even be August and I will be canning. I dont' think I am ready for that, but it is what it is...and I will have to get my stuff going when it ripens.

Anyway, the point of this post this morning. I like to plant two round of peas. They are my toddlers favorite snacks to grab while out working with me. Last year, as she discovered the joy of helping Mom harvest, she would sit her little hinder down next to the peas and just pull them off the plant and eat them, pod and all while I harvested other things. Well, our first round of peas are up and going to be blooming soon, so I decided it was time to see when I could plant my next round...and low and behold...we are close.

As a re-cap, peas like to be planted in a 2nd quarter Moon phase under the Moon signs of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces or Libra. Well, we are in the 2nd quarter, and today is a Libra, and tomorrow and Friday are Scorpio...guess what I am going to be doing today later...you got it, planting my second round of peas. =)

Now, in Moon gardening, you can even harvest by the Moon as well. As there are certain days that are more favorable than not. I do that as well, but not as much...when the vegetable is ripe and ready, I am not going to wait another 3 days for the phase to be right...I am going to pick the little thing and get it used or at least stored so it don't go bad. Anyone who cans and preserves their own home grown food knows, you deal with it as it comes. Which is what I will be doing.

As I stated above...there isn't much to do right now, beside weed. There is a separate section in my almanac for weeding...and the optimal times for that coming up are as follows:(all times are in EST)

July 4th (8:26pm) to July 7th (12:29am) - 3rd quarter
July 9th (8:14am) to July 11th (7:30pm) - 3rd quarter/4th quarter
July 14th (8:26am) to July 16th (8:31pm) - 4th quarter

On July 10th at 9:48pm...the Moon goes from 3rd quarter to 4th quarter...just so you know. Have a most wonderful and blessed day! )O(

Delicious Milkweed

Happy Solstice to everyone. I hope you are enjoying this new season we have just jumped into.

My daughter and I went out today and connected with nature after the bout of storms we had yesterday. We got another 1 1/2" of rain...my garden is doing wonderful. Unfortunately, the rain barrel I put out has a slow leak...so my entire barrel of water is now gone and out. I should have checked the seals before I put it out yesterday, oh well. Nothing that can't be fixed.

Anyway, my daughter and I went venturing today, and today I was on the look for the common milkweed flower bud clusters...and did we ever find a gold mine. There are milkweed plants everywhere, if you know what and where to look.

 Here is the Common Milkweed my daughter and I were hunting today. We were picking the clusters of flower buds off the plant. I ate a big serving of these for lunch. I cook the bud clusters by boiling them for 5-7 minutes, then draining the water and adding just a hint of butter and salt. The flavor reminds me of broccoli. Very delicious.

Here is a large section of milkweed plants growing. When I see this, I see a bounty of food.Some of the plants were in full bloom, but a lot were just starting to get the clusters. A week or so, those that are in full bloom with offer up a large bounty of edible pods, while I should still be able to get some bud clusters as well.  

It didn't take us long to get quite a supply of clusters, and I have enough for me to have a least 3 servings of 1 cup. My husband doesn't eat my wild edibles, for he thinks I am crazy and going to poison myself...and he won't let me feed our tot any of the wild stuff until "she counts her age on two hands". So as of right now, it is just me eating the wild stuff, but I think I will be able to get him on the wild edible bandwagon eventually....LOL

Hello again my friends....

I have been in hiding on my blogger page for the last couple of weeks. Life is getting hectic again...how does that happen? It seems as if I have all time time in the world in the winter months to get stuff done, but now that the warm summer is just about upon us...I am running out of time...sigh...

Anyway, I have some updates on my Moon Gardening...my garden is looking awesome! Point blank...awesome. I am going to have a wonderful harvest this year. I am super excited! By the way things are growing, I will be able to start canning in little over a month. I am happy about that, as I don't want to have to can everything all at once. I will get burnt out, but as of right now...I can see a staggering bit of growth, which will be good for me!

Something else that I started doing is foraging for wild edibles. I recently was introduced to the "wild edibles" that are around and starting incorporating them into my diet. I have to say, so far, I like what I have tried. I am in awe that some of the food that I was told as a child that was poisonous is really edible and quite good I might add. My favorite right now is wild leeks and cattail shoots sauteed in butter with rice. I would like to try and harvest wild rice, but the more I read into that...I realize that is something I will be trying in years down the road. I don't have the time to deal with that work at this point in time. Having a toddler is going to be a huge burden on that project.

Right now, though, I am getting ready to try cattail spikes, and later rhizomes and laterals. I am ready to try the milkweed that is growing in my yard, I am told the pods are delicious, and the sumac shrubs are starting to get the signature berries so I can make some sumac-ade. It will be an interesting year. My husband isn't totally on the "wild edible" train with me yet...and won't let me feed our tot any of it. Not until I know more and have experienced more myself. I agreed to his request...as he just has the safety of his child in mind...and I respect that.
What else have I been doing...oh that is right...I got into geocaching as well. I have turned into a geocaching nut...and enjoy the search for objects with my most wonderful GPS unit. It is really an interesting hobby...using multi-million dollar satellites to look for little Tupperware containers....LOL

Anyway, on that note, that is where I have been and the reason I have not been posting on my blog here. I hope you are having a great warm weather season..and will be enjoying the Solstice this week...

)O(

It's June...

June 1st.

June is the official start of Summer for most of us. Kids are out of school for the summer vacation, weather gets hotter, days are longer. The growing season is in full swing and we find ourselves outside more and more each day, knowing that (especially where I live) the summer is fleeting, so we pack as much into it as humanly possible, then wonder why it seemed to go so fast.

I am guilty of that just as much as anyone. Warmer months for us around here also means it gets busier. More rituals are planned outdoors, other celebrations as well. Graduations, cook outs, camping, religious festivities, carnivals, fairs…you name it, before long our weekends are booked, and we feel as if a weekend “off” would be nice. Sound familiar?

Full Moon for June falls early this month…on Monday the 4th at around 7am (CDT). This moon has the feel of humor with a bit of itchy feet as well. You may be drawn to move, travel, do something to just “get away”. I know I am feeling it already…the draw of the full moon is having an effect on me, and it isn’t even here yet.

I am craving freedom, I just want to go….that has a lot to do with the fact that this is my Full Moon….a Sagittarius Full Moon. Sagittarians are philosophical people, yet being members of the Fire element, we are also outgoing, energetic, very action orientated. We crave long journeys and the never ending search for higher knowledge. We are in our element with this moon this month. It will feel like it is all coming together…and I can say with personal affirmation…I can feel it already.

As I leave you all this morning with the upcoming Full Moon only days away; take time to reflect on your own internal feelings. What have you got going on in your life and how is that being influenced by our Moon? How is she pulling your emotions, actions, feelings of every kind? If you can, meditate on these things. Get a bearing of where you are truly at and where you are going. You may find this will help you slow down a bit where you have been thinking that things were spiraling out of control! Many blessings to you and yours….

)O( Rev. EagleBear

A shamanic lesson....

It never ceases to amaze me the strange turn of events that unfold in a shamanic journey. It is common knowledge, that when one journeys, you let your "spirit" so to say go and take you where it wants. You never ever try to force it, for it is futile. Only when you surrender yourself to the journey, do you get an accurate feel of things...
With that being said, today, I went on a small journey. Like journey I go on, I come out of it piecing together what I felt, seen and work at comprehending what was presented to me. Today, a gazelle....
I came out of my journey with a response to my self literally asking..."A gazelle, WTF self? A gazelle?" Of course, I find myself scouring through all of my reference guides to discover a gazelle isn't in any of them. Why? I don't know, not the foggiest, so I find I have to jump on my computer and see what the "mass" resources of the Internet have suggested. As I read the description of "meanings", it is what I was interpreting in my own mind, but needed a confirmation that I was thinking the right thing...(I have a tendency to not listen to myself...) The following is one of the many definitions I found in regards to the gazelle showing up in a journey...

The Gazelle's wisdom includes awareness, speed, grace and agility, beauty, ability to manoeuvre, vertical movement.

Gazelles are members of the antelope family and are top of the menu for big cats. Therefore they are vulnerable meaning they must constantly be extremely alert to in their surroundings.

Their main predator is the cheetah. Though gazelles are capable of reaching high speeds, cheetahs are able to run faster. They like sneaking up on their prey and then making a dash for it. Hence, the gazelle has the ability to zig zag swiftly from side to side, often outwitting the cheetah and putting themselves out of the cheetah's straight line run of attack. They are most likely to be caught when stopping to see if the cheetah is still following them.

Similarly, those who try and escape depression, fear, negative emotions and habits of the past by resorting to food, alcohol, or other forms of addictive behaviour, often find themselves stopped in their tracks, with the negative emotions they try to avoid at their throats. This can lead to a blockage in the throat chakra and cause ill health in relation to this area. There is a lack of communication with oneself or others to overcome here.

From the gazelle we can learn that with awareness and skill, we can be at ease with our own vulnerability. The ability to discover and explore new paths and to change direction when required is the best way to free ourselves and to prevent ourselves from being consumed by the hungry beasts of the past, lurking in the shadows of our minds. Reclaim your energy, don’t waste it on futile thoughts or efforts. Put all your energy into a positive way of living and thinking. This ability also ties in with the gazelle's vulnerability. When we step onto an unknown path we feel vulnerable. Gazelle shows us that with awareness and skill we can be comfortable discovering and exploring the unknown. Life is an adventure. Grasp it with both hands and a heart filled with anticipation and eagerness

Then another thing hits me while I am reading, the gazelle is a member of the antelope family which leads me to some of the same traits, okay so 90% of the same traits as the gazelle...makes sense.
Now it is time for me to decipher what all this means at this time and how I am supposed to incorporate all this information into my current position... Even being a practicing Shaman, I still get stumped as to why certain things appear at certain times, but they are never wrong. Remember that if you go into a deep meditation, be in journey work or whatever....let your mind go where it wants and do what it wants. It is never wrong, and whatever you see, decipher and you will get answers to anything...trust in your journey!
Have a blessed day! )O(

Rockin' out Leo..thank you Military

Well…Happy Memorial Day Weekend to those of you in the US.

Sitting here just now, realized we are under a Leo influence and thought “Wow, what a great weekend to have a cookout and have friends over”. I ran to the store, got the supplies I needed while the hubby made the phone calls for an impromptu, short notice cookout.

Leo, for those of you who are not familiar with it’s influence, is a great time to entertain guests and have social interactions. Leo is also a time where people will say how it is in a very frank and nonchalant manner…but in general, is great energy for having celebrations. Go figure, it is a holiday weekend, and a lot of kids are graduating…what a perfect reason to celebrate!

Then there is the whole reason all of us should enjoy this weekend. Memorial Day, it conjure so much emotion for people for different reasons. I have family members that all served in the armed forces, my husband included. I have friends from high school that are still in…looking down the barrel of their 15th year. (I realize this last sentence ages me) Take a moment to think about those who are serving, have served and have lost their life in service. I don’t care if you agree with it or not, but all these men and women sacrificed for our safety and well being. Ask the Lord and Lady to watch over those that are still overseas and that they can make it home to be with their own families one of these years for this very weekend as well.

As I leave you for the rest of the day, please be careful this weekend in whatever you do. Be thankful for the freedoms that you do have, honor those that have served and especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives.

May the Lord and Lady bless you and yours, and also everyone in our military as we honor all of our Vets this weekend, past and present!

Blessed be )O(

Stuggling again.....

I hate when this happens...I have about 4 things that I want to blog about...and none of them are remotely related, so I can't put them together, and by golly....it would take too long to put them separate. So here I sit, trying to decide which one I want to write about today....then I get frustrated and decide...screw it....I just can't do it!

On a different note....we are entering into a Cancer Moon...which is literally going to happen here in the next 10 - 15 minutes. (7:31am CDT) and I am ready for it. I have a lot of planting that needs to get done in the next couple of days....today is going to be the best weather....but the kicker is...I have some follow up doctor appointments (thank you genetic degenerative arthritis that I got from my Mom's side) to deal with today.

That, compounded on top of I want to run out and put the crosses on the cemetery today for the weekend coming up...I have to go run out to my parents' farm today to get some more edible plants that are prime for harvest...I feel like I am running out of time in a time sensitive situation....sigh...
Anyway, on Moon gardening again...real quick like....

Here is the plan for the day....if you are moon gardening with me....later today and tomorrow is prime time for Corn, peas...oh gosh...as I look at my list...it would be easier to tell you what NOT to plant... Cancer is a fertile / fruitful sign...and with the growing 1st quarter Moon....yeah...almost everything can be planted right now. At least for common garden vegetables. Now is not the time for tubers, underground type veggies...such as carrots, potatoes, radishes, rutabaga, onions...that sort of thing...
Plants like I stated above...corn, peas, cucumbers, herbs, kohlrabi, lettuce, sunflowers, beans, tomatoes, watermelon, squash varieties (they like 2nd, but Cancer as well)...have at 'er. If you have any questions...shoot me a message in my inbox...and I will gladly get back to you and answer any questions you may have...

As always...have a very blessed day to you and yours.

Blessed be )O(

Happy Monday!!!

Good Morning, okay, maybe the 3 exclamation points on the end of my title is a little much. It is Monday though, and we are in a 1st quarter moon....let's get some magic rolling!

Okay, so maybe not today...we are in a Gemini moon...barren as barren can be...but either way....we are in a 1st quarter. This next 2 weeks are going to get busy for moon gardening. In fact, this Thursday happens to be a optimal time to plant most of the rest of my stuff in my garden...my peas, corn, sunflowers, etc., etc....and I am ready. I have done all the preps, patiently waited...now ready to rock out the planting!

Today though, we are sitting in Gemini...what does a Gemini influence do for us? Well, according to my Moon Almanac, this is what is stated for a Gemini influenced moon....

A Gemini's Moon energy is masculine, dry, barren and airy. People are more changeable than usual and may prefer to follow intellectual pursuits and play mental games rather than apply themselves to practical concerns.
This sign is not favored for agricultural matters, but it is an excellent time to prepare for activities, to run errands, and write letters. Plan to use a Gemini Moon to exchange ideas, meet people, go on vacations that include walking or biking, or be in situations that require versatility and quick thinking on your feet.

On a different note...did any of you get to see the solar eclipse? I did not... =(

We had storms and rain all day here, when the time rolled in to be able to catch a glimpse, we were still completely cloud covered. It was disappointing, but I have family out in the western Rockies of the US that got a dang good view, and took some amazing pictures. I will have to see if I can steal one of their great shots for posting...my parents caught it as well. They are on the road traveling right now (must be nice to be retired) and were able to catch it from where they were. Which now brings up this question for all of you...did anyone get to utilize that awesome power in any magical workings yesterday? What a wonderful energy that was felt...even cloud covered, I could sense it....new moon and solar eclipse....what an awesome powerful event we had.

Before you even think of asking...no, I didn't do any magical working yesterday, unless you consider the huge undertaking of cleaning a very dirty toddler during that time...LOL That transformation could have been considered magical! ;)

Anyway...on that note, I leave you all today...have a great Monday or what is left of it, depending on your location! Many blessings to you and yours!
Blessed be )O(

It is on.....gardening wars.....

Well...
This morning, I am on a mission. After thinking that my husband was seeing the light on moon gardening....we got into a discussion last night. It all started because my tomato plants are HUGE and he said I needed to transplant them. Yes, I know I do, but the time is not right...for one, we are in the 4th quarter and a barren sign none the less, now is not a time to plant anything. I need to wait until at least a 1st quarter with a fruitful or semi-fruitful, and most optimal is a 2nd quarter and Scorpio.
He told me I was "off my rocker"...really? Really? Oh, it is so on...
I got into how and why I plant by the phase of the moon, the scientific studies that go along with the support of the theory, and after a 20 minute soap-box rant by me...he looked at me and said..."Your point?"
Grrrrrrr... So I decided to do this...I have enough plants, I am going to transplant some of my peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers today...in a barren 4th quarter phase...and then wait until the time is optimal....a 2nd quarter and fruitful sign. I am going to document everything, and take pictures so he can see the difference. Right now we have bets on what is going to happen. This is going to get interesting around here... (besides, who bets on the survival and success of plants in their garden...besides us that is?)
So, at this point in time, I have some of my plants outside, waiting patiently to be planted. I sure hope they don't die...I will be very upset, and mad at the hubster...but my point will be made. Come on moon almanac...don't fail me now!!!
Have a great and blessed day to you and yours. =)
Blessed be!

Memorial Park

I had to share this picture with all of you. This was taken at a grove of trees near my home. It is a memorial park...each one of the trees is dedicated to someone in memory of...or in honor of...very beautiful!

Morning rambles....

I realized this morning looking over the last few weeks of my blog here, that I have had no creative juices flowing what so ever. When something like that happens, I consult the lunar phases….
Right now we are in the fire sign Aries…this is an action orientated sign…now I could sit here and tell you that I didn’t write anything interesting in here because Aries was ruling me early, but tell ya what…that would be the biggest load of crap I could serve on a platter to you.
In all honesty…I know why I haven’t been on here much posting anything really interesting and thought provoking…I have been working so hard in my yard getting it ready so I can transplant and put plants in it in the next 2 weeks…that I put tumblr on the back burner. I am following my moon almanac so close as to when to plant my plants…it is ridiculous. In fact, my husband thinks I am damn near off my rocker…but I am making a point. I was going to do this gardening this year, entirely by the phases of the moon….and so far I have done great.
Speaking of gardening by the moon….remember back…when I was planting chives? Well…my second planting didn’t come up either….so I am starting to think it is the seeds and not me….so I cheated. I will admit it, I cheated, cheated, cheated….I have a gal pal that was thinning out her chives in her garden…and I grabbed some of hers and put them in my garden. Here is the funny part…..my hubby knows I was having a hell of a time getting my chives to grow…and he isn’t very observant with my garden…so one day I had nothing…a couple days later…he sees my chives and comments..”Wow honey, your moon gardening really does work” and walked away…
No, I haven’t had the heart to tell him that I got them from my friend and gave up on the seeds….LOL
On that note, you have a great day, many blessings to you and yours.
Blessed be!

Let's do some more gardening....

Good Morning all...

I know it has been some time since I did a piece on moon gardening, and well, to be honest...we had some crappy weather that hit, and quite frankly, once we planted our first set of indoor starters...there was nothing to do with them until later besides water them...and you don't need me reporting on when to water them.

As I looked at my calendar yesterday, I realized that is must be getting close to start our next round of indoor babies....and guess what....it is. In fact, tomorrow. The only seeds I have to start now (which I can sow directly outdoors, but want to see if I can start indoors) are acorn squash and zucchini squash.

Since both are squash varieties....we look in our handy, dandy moon phase book and see that squash do best when planted in the 2nd quarter, under the signs of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces or Libra....so as we look in our little phases book...I see that from 10:04 pm tonight (EST or CDT whichever you prefer) the moon will be housed in Libra until 2:02 pm Friday the 4th. At which that point there will be a moon void from 2:02pm -10:20pm where then the Moon will enter Scorpio and be in the good time until 11:35pm on the 5th when the Moon goes full...and then we are in the 3rd.
So if that mumbo jumbo up there screwed you up, and you are confused....here is what is ideal planting times....(For my squash plants)

Wednesday, May 2 10:40pm - Friday, May 4th 2:02 pm = Libra - good time
Friday, May 4th 2:02pm - 10:20pm = Moon void - do nothing
Friday, May 4th 10:20pm - Saturday, May 5th 11:35pm = Scorpio - good time
Anything after 11:35pm (full moon) now in 3rd...different plants can be planted

Now, I realize some of you are not planting or starting squash....that is fine...other plants that can fit into this same time frame are as follows:

Asters, Beans (pole and bush), bulbs, canes (raspberries, blackberries), cantaloupe, chicory, clover, cosmos, daffodils, dahlias, any deciduous tree, eggplant, gladiolas, gourds, grapes, hay, herbs, hops, horseradish, kohlrabi, lilies, morning glories, oats, okra, onion seeds, peach trees, pear trees, peas, peppers, petunias, pumpkins, rice, sunflowers (in the Scorpio time), tomatoes, and watermelon

I also noted that herbs can be planted now as well...and for some reason, my chives did not come up starting them in the house, so I have decided I will also plant my chives again tomorrow...into the ground directly. Now, I know that it is getting later for some of these plants depending on where you are, and for some of you it is early.

With that all being said....let's do some gardening...Have a great day! I will update you tomorrow on how things go...after the planting! =)

A blessed day!

Blessed Beltane to my friends in the northern hemisphere

Blessed Samhain to my friends in the southern hemisphere

Dandelion Jelly

Here are the blossoms for the dandelion jelly, all separated out, no greens at all. I needed 4 cups of blossoms to make the "tea". The tea is the blossoms with boiling water poured over the top to steep overnight.

This was the production I had going on this morning. My jelly, getting ready to boil, the lids on the back burner and my make shift boiling water canner..a.k.a my stock pot.

 Also, yes, that is a smart phone sitting there....I am not totally ready to give up modern technology just quite yet....;)

Here is my 3 pint jars in my make shift canner.

The end result. I only made 3 pints, I didn't have 1/2 pint jars...otherwise, the recipe would have looked more impressive. I ended up with enough "tea" though, I can make another batch of jelly! I was able to try a little bit of this today, from leftovers in the pot...and it has a sweet honey flavor. I like it. This is going to be a keeper for me! 

Here is the recipe:
3 cups of dandelion tea
4 1/2 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Pectin:
Choose one of these options, whichever form you are looking for....

1 box of powder pectin (for a syrup consistency)
2 boxes of powder pectin (for a jelly consistency)

Mix all in a kettle until boiling, boil for another 2 minutes.
Pour into either pint or 1/2 pint jars.
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
If above 5000 feet, process in canner for 15 minutes.

Makes 4 cups of jelly!

Note, I gave you two different amounts of pectin...that is because, I made mine with 1 box...and ended up with syrup...I believe that 2 will give you the jelly consistency. The recipe only calls for 1....but I am just giving you my experience!

If nothing else, here is the link that I got from Simply Canning!
http://www.simplycanning.com/dandelion-jelly.html#axzz1tWfbMrbm

Click on that, it will give you detailed instructions, much better than mine!

Moon Gardening....

Here are the plants we started a few weeks ago. Well, they will look different now, I have thinned them out.

I have a problem when I thin plants out like that....I can't always just thin them...I end up planting the good plants that I took out, and putting them into their own container, and it is no wonder I end up with a million and one plants by the time my garden starts to grow, and I run out of room.
Anyway....I will have to look, but I believe sometime next week, we can start a few other things indoors. I want to try starting cucumbers, squash, and zucchini indoors...at least give it a go. I know in the past I have just planted them in the ground directly, but since I have so many plants...I am will to try and see if I can do it this way.
As for cutting my lawn to decrease growth...I failed miserably at that the other day. i just went out and mowed it...then I came in and double checked my correspondences....oops...I cut in an increase growth period...so I guess I will have to look at that again soon. Anyway...as always, I will continue to answer any questions you have in regards to moon gardening if you send them to my inbox. While I am at it, I want to thank those of you that were patient for my answers to your questions while I was away for a few days. I am sorry, but thanks for your patience!
Have a very blessed day!

I will be missing from here for a bit....

Due to personal family issues...this blog is going to be inactive for an undetermined amount of time. I will be back eventually...but right now...other things are going to take priority.

Thanks for your understanding

Gardening by the Moon....

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do - Jerome K. Jerome

Plenty of work to do...that is me, yet the weather is not cooperating, so nothing is getting done.

I am sure some of you are getting frustrated with me that I am not posting as regular as you thought I would be on the subject of moon gardening. I am sorry. Today, I will promise that this post will make it up to you. Even though I can't do anything in my garden doesn't mean that you can't...right?
So this is what is going on today.....we are in the 4th quarter of the moon....and as I sit here in front of my computer this morning, in the middle of a moon void. What does that mean? Well, the moon is transitioning right now, from Pisces to Aries, now is not a good time to do much of anything really....just sit and wait. Here is what you can do though, plan on what you are going to do when the moon finally makes its way to Aries. KILL WEEDS!!! Today is a great day to kill weeds, that and prune (if you can) to retard growth. That means mow your lawn, dig out them weeds, kill pests, that kind of thing.

Today is NOT a good day for planting anything...other than maybe biennial bulbs...that is it. Today would be a good day to harvest root/tuber plants for food though, (example potatoes, dandelion roots, those kind of things) Since I doubt any of you have potatoes ready for harvest....if you really want to harvest something, go get yourself some dandelion roots...

Note, the following is based in herbal home remedies that have been known to work and researched by pharmacists (I am not one, just have a medical guide to herbs) and is by no means a substitute for professional medical advice, still consult your health care professional before diving into any herbal treatment.

Dandelion is used for things from constipation, fluid retention, liver disorders, rheumatism, weight reduction assistance, gallbladder problems and a few other things. As as dried root, you can either make it into an infusion, a tea, a tincture...any of the sort. Before you do though...please make sure you are not taking any prescription drugs already that can interact with dandelion root...and please....please, please DO NOT USE DANDELION IF YOU ARE:pregnant, nursing, on diuretics, any drug for lowering blood pressure, or drugs that lower blood sugar. This herb (if you are diabetic) may make your blood sugar drop too low, to a very dangerous low level. Basically, do your research before you start using herbals....be smart about it!
Other than that...folks....have a great day! Blessed be!

Gardening put on hold....

For those of you who are gardening by the moon with me....we are now in a state of hold here....the weather has taken a drastic turn where I live, we have had about 4-5 days where the temps have dipped into freezing zone...so much to the point that the National Weather Service has said they are no longer going to issue freeze warnings due to the fact that all tender vegetation is frozen back into hibernation, and all larger plants (flowering trees and such) are back into a hibernating state.

What does this mean for us (me) and our moon gardening...well for me...it means I am not going to be doing much of anything other than cleaning up sticks and branches that fall from the trees, raking debris and regular early spring yard work. Until things change and the temps rise back up to where they should be....I will be like Mother Nature...and putting any reference in my blog to moon gardening on hold until things warm up. What I will keep doing though...for those of you that live in warmer climates and send messages to my inbox...I will still continue to answer and help you out with anything in regards to moon gardening.

A reminder...it is easiest if you tell me the timezone and temp zone you live in....I can give more accurate information for you if you do that....and plants you are working with...otherwise you are going to get a general response that applies to my zone and area....which will more than likely not work for yours.

Today we plant.....some of the plants at least

Hey all of you Moon gardeners with me....
Today is the day....at least if you live in the US that if you want to start some plants indoors....we do it.
Our Moon is in the 2nd quarter today and goes into semi-fruitful Libra at 11:32 EST or CDT today...so anytime after that depending on what your timezone is....you can go ahead and start planting your tomato and pepper plants. Also chives would be great today...now...as you notice, these are the only ones I have mentioned right now...because these are what I am planting...other ones that you could start and plant today...(I am including those that can be directly sown for the purpose of different places people live) I have also included flower that can be sown today....they are all as follows:

bush and pole beans, cantaloupe, cosmos, dahlias, eggplant loves today, gourds, hops for those of you that grow your own...kohlrabi, oakra, peaches, pears, peas, petunias, pumpkins, squash, sunflowers, any ornamental tree, and last but not least...watermelon can be started today.

Have fun planting today for those of you that are....=)

Starting plants indoors....by the moon

Okay folks, this is our agenda for this week in regards to gardening by the phase of the moon.
Yesterday or the day before....geez, I'd have to go back and look and quite frankly, I am too lazy to...I mentioned that we are going to start some seeds indoors this week...and if you wanted to jump on that bandwagon with me...get your stuff in order. This is what we are going to do.
For starters, if you plan on putting tomato or peppers (in my case both) into your garden...you should start them indoors roughly 6-8 weeks before you plan on putting them in the ground outside. Now....tomato and peppers are both 2nd quarter favored plants. They all also do best when planted in the moon signs of either Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces.... Here is the deal...I want to plant my tomato and pepper plants into my garden outdoor when the moon is 2nd quarter Scorpio (when the time is good) which happens to end up falling on June 1 and June 2 this year. I need to plant them 8 weeks earlier to be the appropriate size. Eight weeks out is roughly this week...also in keeping with the 2nd quarter deal...right now....here is a problem. This whole week is considered a barren week due to all the correspondences...except for this small about 24 hour window from Thursday the 5th at about noon (my time...CDT) to Friday around 2pm (my time again) when the moon goes full. Here is the catch....the moon will not be housed in Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces...instead it will be in Libra at that point. I am going to go with it...why? Well...Libra is a semi-fruitful aspect...not as good as the three mentioned above...but fruitful more than the days prior which are all barren as barren can get. Besides, that is the only time we have to get these things started...and semi-fruitful is better than barren any day.
I also discovered that I will need to start my chives at this point....(chives are perennial, but there were none here, so I have to start some) Chives, being an herb also fall under the same rule of thumb as the tomato and pepper, so I will be starting them as well on Thursday.
So there you have it...that is the plan for this week...
Also, I thought I would add, for those of you mowing lawns already this time of year....April 1-5 is a great correspondence time for mowing to increase growth and lushness of your lawn....keep that in mind, if you want to mow your lawn to slow growth...the 2 week stretch of the 7th - 20th would be more appropriate if that is your intention.
I know personally my yard is not ready yet for mowing, so I have to not worry about this yet...I do have weeds to deal with in my garden...but I will not be doing any weed killing until the 9th....where I have a two day window until the 11th...but I will get into that more next week.
Have a blessed day...and as always...if you have any questions in regards to your own garden and gardening by the moon....feel free to shoot me a message. I will remind you that I always answer private messages back to you privately...I do not publicize any message that comes to my inbox...so don't feel that I will put your name out there if you are unsure about anything like that....=)
Take care and have a great day!

Some random nature pictures...

 Here is a picture of the first little stream that we came to...It was very picturesque....then again...when isn't a pristine little stream not a sight of beauty?

Another little stream we came across. I think in the course of the day...we ran into 3 if not 4 little streams in all of the ground that we covered. Being that it is spring, and the leaves have not popped yet...we can see everything.

Just some beautiful clouds that were in the sky yesterday...I wanted to share these with you as well.

This was water rushing out of a culvert, I thought it looked really neat from this angle.

A muskrat...swimming by us. We stayed really still, and he / she came right on by...as if we were not there. Nature at it's finest!

And it begins...

Okay folks….as I stated yesterday…I am going to be doing a gardening by the moon (lunar phases) series, (if we want to call it that) this spring / summer. Anyway, as I stated yesterday, I am getting raspberries to plant either late today or tomorrow (least that is the plan) for this is the best time for raspberries. As a bit of info canes (raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries) do very well when planted in the 2nd quarter under the moon signs of Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces…
Okay, so when the lady called me to get the berries…(woot woot)…this falls under a great time to plant them in my own garden. I can get them today, and either plant them late today when the moon goes into the 2nd…or tomorrow (Saturday)
Sweet, couldn’t have been happier with the situation. Well…welcome to headaches that are associated with gardening by the moon. This morning, it is 34 degrees F, rainy, cold, miserable and perfect…”I don’t want to be outside in this shit because I am going to get sick” weather.
Like I said, welcome to the headaches. Due to scheduling conflicts with the woman’s job, both of our families and such…this was the only day we were able to dig up the raspberries for transplant into my yard in one shot and the only couple days this month that will be favorable for the berries to be transplanted. The next prime time to plant canes isn’t until the 5th of May…and it is a small window on the 5th of May…see my plight? Gardening by the moon requires a bit more planning and work than some realize. Now, I could get these plants next weekend…or the weekend after, but I don’t feel they will do as well as they would if I got them this weekend and had them planted by late tomorrow afternoon….see how this becomes difficult?
Now, also let me make this perfectly clear…it really doesn’t matter when we dig them up…it is when they are “planted” that is what we are concerned with. The woman and I could very well dig them up say Sunday this weekend…with the moon sitting in Leo…that won’t make a difference, but these poor plants will then be sitting in pots until May when the lunar phases align correctly to be planted in my ground, and that is what I meant in the above paragraph where I said I feel they wouldn’t do as well….because they would be sitting out in pots for that long.
So here I sit, waiting to see if the woman even wants to attempt to dig them out today or not. If she still wants to, I will go over and, yeah, probably get a cold, but get them out of her garden. Otherwise….well….as you read above….going to have to go about it a bit differently.
Have a great day all…and I will keep you updated on what happens with this.
If you have any questions in regards to planting by the lunar phases, and want answers to planting questions before I get into any of the main vegetable planting (which won’t be until the end of May for my location) feel free to shoot me a question in my inbox…I will get an answer for you!

Gardening by the moon....

I decided that this year as I garden, I am going to let you follow me on my adventures with gardening by the moon. This is not a new concept…there has been actual scientific research dedicated to planting with the lunar cycles.
I only started my research a few years ago. I wanted to see if there was something to it. I have had a moon almanac for a few years…and there is a huge section, actually much of the front of the almanac is dedicated to gardening by the moon. It goes through each and every day, giving detailed moon times….specifically for gardening.
Now, I didn’t pay much attention to that section the first year I got a moon sign book….and only half way through my second book / year did I even care to look at it. I thought the concept was way out there, and really quite full of bologna!
Then I decided about my third year with the book, I was going to do my own scientific trial on the gardening with the moon. I made sure all the variables were the same….soil composition, watering, sunlight exposure….I went down the list…(after all…I do know some things about scientific observation and research). The only thing I did different, was plant one set of seeds when the almanac said was a favorable time, and another set of the same seeds when the lunar time was not as favorable. Guess what….low and behold, the seeds planted in the favorable lunar phase were bigger, stronger and yielded more produce…and I didn’t just do this with one variety of plant, I did this with a hand full of species of plant….to get an accurate (at least somewhat) result. The result was the same…with each one of the varieties of the seeds sown.
I also did studies on when the moon book said to kill weeds….I did the same kind of scientific study as above…used a sectioned off piece of weed infested area….did one day of destroying when the phase was favorable, and one when it was not….guess what…same thing happened. When the moon book stated that the phase was favorable for destroying weeds….I had less weeds grow back compared to the section right next to it where I did not follow the lunar phase….
So here we are into another year of gardening coming up….and without a doubt, I am planting in accordance with the lunar phases… In fact, starting Saturday….I have raspberry plants going in….and Saturday is a good day…for canes (which is what a raspberry is) since according to the phases….2nd quarter moon, with the moon housed in Cancer is one of the good days to plant canes. I could do it tomorrow…but only after the moon goes into the 2nd phase, and that would put it at about 4pm my time before I could start planting them…
Mind you, there is a bit more planning when gardening by the moon….especially if you start your own tomatoes and pepper plants, and whatever else….that all has to fall into play as well….
So follow me this year, as I plant and do all my gardening…by the moon!

3600 Calorie Bars...

I picked up an interesting little ditty in my survival bag. It is a 3600 calorie Main Stay bar. It has enough nutrients to give a person a minimum of 1200 calories a day for 3 days. I have it in my BOB (Bug Out Bag) supplies along with the other articles of my 72 hour emergency rations.

I actually picked up 2 of them...one for myself and one for my child. I have been working on getting a fully stocked BOB for myself and my child....yet have not done any preps for a BOB for my hubby. He is with the notion that I am nuts and wasting our money. So here is my train of thought....If you think it is a waste of money...then I will NOT be getting you any supplies....so there.

(Now, you do realize, I will eventually get him some as well....as he will I am sure be happy if we need them.)

Anyway...back to the bars...I was looking at these 3600 calorie bars...and they are good for 5 years....so I am thinking...that in the last few months of their shelf life...I am going to be eating them....so they do not go to waste...and ordering new ones. Rotate stock....isn't that what they tell you to do...I hope they taste good yet when the time comes.....I am thinking...if it comes down to me having to eat them....the tot will be about 7 then....not that information matters....I can replace 16 meals with 400 calories blocks of this bar....sounds almost like a detox / diet plan to me....LOL

Anyway....if you are like me, and packing a BOB, and have not heard of these bars...check them out. I got mine from a great site in emergency preparedness....If you want the address...this one I am not going to give out....you can shoot me a message...I will get the address to you if you don't look like a spammer....;)

Have a great day!

Blessed Ostara!

To all of my friends that follow the path of the Nature Religions....may the Blessings of this time of year be abundant for you and yours!

Spring is sprouting.....

I have crocus flowers that are starting to bloom.....I am so excited. As soon as I get some definite flowers...I will be posting pictures....I love spring flowers.

My own deodorant....

Well....

Today is the day I start to use the homemade deodorant that I made a few days ago. I am ready to switch over. Sigh....

This is scary...why I don't know...but let's see how this works. =) Wish me luck!

Heirloom Seeds...

I also got my heirloom seed catalog in the mail yesterday. I went with a company that sent out a paper catalog. I know in this day in age...that things are trying to go paperless...but I like to still have the hard copy in my hand.

With that being said...here is the site that I went to for my seed information....mind you...if you do not live within the US...you cannot order from this company....sorry if you are from out of country, but I don't make the rules....

www.anniesheirloomseeds.com


Check them out if you are interested in heirloom seeds. I have gone through the book, and found that I am going to be ordering about 30 dollars worth of seeds...I know I could go to the local store and get all my my seeds for about 10 dollars...but I am wanting to make sure that I don't get GMO seeds....so I will pay the extra money to ensure I can get what I want.

Also, I will be able to save the seeds I don't use...I have a small yard, and small garden area...I don't need 25 squash seeds this year....I will only start about 10...hope for 5...be happy with 3....if you know what I mean.

Anyway....have a great day....time to get my stuff in order and get my seed order out. I am excited and ready to go!

By the way...other heirloom sites include www.heirloomseeds.com, and www.seedsavers.org

Good luck, and have fun shopping....

Homemade Deodorant

Good Morning all....

I am back and in full force today....

I was working on some stuff yesterday, and decided to make myself a batch of homemade deodorant.
Yep, you read that correctly....homemade deodorant.

I have been reading more and more about how the aluminum in deodorant is bad....and I even said a few weeks ago I was going to do this....well....I think I am ready to jump off of the aluminum additive in deodorant bandwagon....

Here was the recipe I used....

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons coconut oil. (soften....not melt)

I mixed the 2 dry ingredients together, than I added the softened coconut oil to the dry...and mixed it all up until it was uniformly together. I ended up adding a little more soda and starch...not really sure what the consistency is supposed to be...but then...when I was happy with the mix...I put the deodorant into an old deodorant container that I had saved from a while back just for this purpose.

I then put the mix into the fridge to set up the coconut oil again for about 45 minutes...now it is sitting in my bathroom, ready to use for when I finish up the last of what I have left.

Now, you can add tea tree essential oil to the recipe above...I did not this time....I wanted to keep it simple and basic at this time. I want to see how this works before I go and spend more money that I don't need to spend at this time.

I have also been reading that when you switch from a store brand with the aluminum in it to the homemade stuff....you have to let your pores clear out...for roughly 2 - 3 days...that means....you can't put anything under your arms for that amount of time....you need to let the aluminum crap that is in your pores get out. That is why I want to do this right now...during this time of year....it isn't overly warm....and I don't have to worry to much about stinking too bad.....

I am going to see how this stuff works...and I will let you know if it is worth the time it took to make and pack in the container or not. I have heard nothing but rave reviews on all of the online forums and information sites I have been to though from people who make their own.....let's see if I am going to be one of those as well.

Missing in Action.....

Sorry folks, I have been missing in action. Our furnace took a poop this last week on us...and ended up having to get a new boiler, water heater....and well....that has kind of consumed my time.

I just wanted to let you all know I am still here....and will be posting more soon.....just that the warmth and sanity of my family came first.

Have a great day!

"In Private" browsing....

Just thought I would throw this out there for all of you who read my posts. I want to let you know there is the option to have "in private" browsing on your computer.

What does that mean?


This means search engines like Google can't track what you search, where you have been and as soon as you close your browser...your search history is completely gone.....

If you use Internet explorer...when you open up a page....go to your upper right hand corner where the little settings icon is (looks like a little sprocket). From here, scroll down and click on the word "safety", where another little window will open up, now click on the "inprivate browsing".

There it is as simple as that...now you can close your original window that you opened that isn't in private...and you are good to go. I recommend that when you leave all of these windows....if you sign into any of your accounts on anything, you sign out of them and continue on as if you are in a public setting for all intense and purposes...

That is my tip for the day....to keep "big brother" from watching your every move...and not just that....hackers as well....have a great day!!

Heirloom Seeds...

Hey folks...

I am doing some research on different heirloom seed companies right now...and going to be doing some price comparison to let you know which ones are the best. I hope to have that information for you real soon!

Stay tuned!

I want you to check out this link.....

Here is some of the main reasons I want to live a simpler life...and get off the grid...and not rely on our Government...
By the way...I am investing in heirloom seeds....and not buying from the local hardware store....see this link....

http://youtu.be/T-IJikX1144

Leap Day 2012....the storm of the year....

Here is the snow that we recieved on Feb. 29, 2012...yep, you are reading that correctly...we got dumped with 17 inches of the white stuff...

Here is the mailbox on the street....only a little bit is showing out right now....but hey, at least ours isn't buried in the snowbank like the neighbor's!

This is the view from my house to my garage....just a path to get us to the garage.....sigh....

Live Eagle Cam for your pleasure!

Here is a special treat for you all today. Here is a link to the Eagle Cam I have been watching for a few days....it is a Bald Eagle sitting on a nest of 3 eggs at this time.

Have a wonderful day!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/3064708

Artisan Bread

Sorry the picture is rough...I took it with my web cam.

Here is the book that I am trying to make recipes out of at this time. It is called, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by co-authors Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois. A good friend of mine gave me this book...and when I read the title....bread in 5 minutes a day....I had to try it. All of these recipes are your specialty breads....yes they do have plain white and wheat breads, but I am talking about breads like Boule, Broa (Portuguese Corn Bread), Baguettes, Pita, Prosciutto and Olive oil flat breads....most breads that you would find in a specialty bread shop on the corner in the corner shops in large cities and European cities. There are over 100 recipes for different breads in here. I am making the first one, at the front of the book...the traditional Boule..(artisan free form loaf).
The way this book works...you make enough dough...a high moisture content dough and store it in your fridge for up to 2 weeks...hence why it is bread in 5 minutes a day. There is no kneading, just take 5 minutes to grab the dough out of the fridge and shape and go...they don't count the resting and baking time in the five minutes, because during that time you will be doing something else....(like making the rest of supper) So, I have a batch of dough mixed...and I will be tossing it in the fridge here in an hour....and tomorrow, I will make some fresh Boule.

Oh and one other thing....the longer the dough is stored, the more of a natural sourdough flavor is supposed to come out, with out having to have a tradional sourdough starter.....I will let you know how this works! =)

Drying Onions...Oxygen Absorbers

Here are the onions on the dehydrator. I was curious as to how much this was going to end up being.  One side note that I didn't think about...the smell of my house took on the smell of onions, and for that matter, I ended up with watery eyes for the first 3 hours of the drying process. Note to self....next time, do onions in the summer....when windows can be opened...

Here is one of the packages of oxygen absorbers that I received. They came in a packet of 10....here's the deal with these...If you are going to open them, make sure you have 10 jars or 10 containers that are ready for them...Once the bag is open...you have about 15 minutes to get them into the containers and seal them back up.

Okay, sorry for the horrible picture....this one turned out terrible...but anyway...this is a pint jar. this is what I ended up with for my 3lb bag of onions. I would have been able to fit all of them in this jar, had I not put the oxygen absorber in here as well. The benefit of having the O2 absorbers is that now these onions will be able to be kept in a long term situation. Instead of 2-3 years....we can not count on these lasting 15-20....a much better investment.