Terror in the Night

Desperate shrieks pierced the night and tore me from slumber. The handbag I was selecting from the dream department store vanished forever into the fading mist of REM. She was screaming for help from out there in the dark, begging us to save her.

Mr. Nature banged his knee on the dresser as he fumbled for something to put over his sleepy summer clad form. He ended up with shorts and no shirt. Next, he stumbled down the hall to get the spotlight flashlight and to attempt to slide his feet into shoes before braving the night air. Still the terrified cries came from somewhere under the moon.

My flashlight was not in its position by the bed, and my shoes were not by the front door. I rooted around the floor by the closet to see if I could find something to put on my feet to save them from the sharp gravel, and wondered where on earth the flashlight had managed to take itself.

Crunch crunch crunch, flutter flap grumble cluck. These were the sounds coming to me from out there as Mr. Nature made his way outside to face the predator. How could this happen? How did something manage to get in the coop? Did it manage to kill one of our egg-bearing girls?

Down at the coop, he found that there were only three of the five chickens. Olive came from out of the darkness, but Ruby was nowhere to be found. The coop door was closed, but we had not latched it shut earlier in the evening as we always do at dusk. The dark does not come until almost 10pm this time of year, and other chores threw the routine off just enough to alter the usual closing up of the coop. It appeared that two of the five had not made it in for the night, and now one was fox food. Mr. Nature tended to the four others and made sure the coop was secure before we went back in to attempt a return to sleep.

Except neither of us could sleep. It was getting light by this time, and Mr. Nature felt that Ruby was still out there and might be okay. He went out again into the gray haze of dawn, and there she was under the apple tree. Alive, alert, but in a daze of shock. He whispered to her. He queried whether she was alright.

Upon hearing his familiar voice, she came out of the play dead stance and began to run for the coop. Relieved, he followed her there and placed her inside for some much earned safe relaxation. Here is one of the few piles of feathers we found once the sun arrived:And here is Olive, looking a little bare breasted after offering up her feathers to the wily fox.
Thankfully, Mr. Fox went hungry, and none of our egg laying pets had to offer her life. We are thankful for this blessing and the safety granted to our girls in the lapse of our usual care. Miraculously, we still got our usual four eggs for the day!

Now, I'm off to catch up on some much needed sleep...

Quinoa Cabbage Wraps

This is the season of salads and raw vegetable crunch. I decided to throw together an experimental dish the other day, and I really liked the final result. I actually ordered from Chef Mr. Nature, and it was ready when I got home in the evening.Although it is not local to me or even my country, quinoa is a grain (a seed considered a grain) I can really get behind. It is light and nutty flavored, and it is easy and quick to prepare. It is similar in size and texture to couscous (but couscous is a pasta made from semolina wheat) and it is similar in taste to brown rice, with a kick. It is gluten-free and full of protein.

Mr. Nature had his mixed all together with the other ingredients in our summer repast, as seen in the bowl above, while I had mineall separated into a little production line of items to place onto raw cabbage leaves. We had sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, bellpepper and onion mixed in with the quinoa. Then there were black beans to lend their robust goodness to the mix, and fresh cilantro to sprinkle on top. (I had planned ahead and soaked the beans overnight. Most beans should be soaked before cooking.) I spooned a little of the quinoa mixture and a little of the black beans onto a cabbage leaf, topped it with cilantro, rolled it up, and munched contentedly.

I also added a little hot sauce to a few of my roll-ups just for some spicealicious fun for my tongue. It was a tasty dinner that I could really feel good about eating. I think I will do it again!

Tomorrow?
How do you eat your quinoa?

The Raw Milk Speakeasy?

More and more, I believe that food is my platform. Food is what we need at our most base level to stay alive and healthy. Our population is alive, but for the most part, not healthy. I believe that is due to a direct link with the food we eat. Or don't eat. Both. I think that my voice is to be used on the issue of navigating the food folly of our modern age. More and more, it is what I think about and talk about and study the most. And more and more, it is what is being legislated out of our control.

I read Chickiepea's blog, and find that we are on similar food paths. Today, I read about her visit to a farm where raw milk can be obtained, but it is unspoken that raw milk can be obtained there. Have we really reached a point where we have to go to a Speakeasy for MILK?!

Here is the post. And here is my comment to the post (comment below), wherein I mention that I fell off my usual food wagon this last weekend. I share my comment with you because it is off the cuff, and I want to know how many of you out there feel the same? How many read my blog for food information, and how many are on similar food paths? I think my blog is hankering to take a detour further into the world of NATURAL, wholesome food.
My comment:

Here, here! It is very difficult…near impossible these days to get completely away from industrial Big Ag and Big Food. I am also amazed at how much knowledge in our collective network of brains that has been lost in just a few generations. I don’t know how to can my own food (but this year I am doing it for the first time). I don’t know how to identify nearly as many plants as my grandparents could. I don’t know how to grow and raise ALL of my own food, though I am attempting to get to that point. It seems as though we are on track to not even be ALLOWED to be completely self-sufficient. Where then would Big Food, Big Ag and Big Pharma get its income earmarked to arrive from me?

I ate junk food this weekend because we were on a drive into CA, and my daughter saw a sign she remembered from a few years ago when we used to allow it on occasion, and I gave in. I did it because it was the only fast food that, a couple of years ago, I still thought was even remotely safe, (though I no longer think so) and because I was nostalgic for the time when I did not know all that I now know and when I believed that those foods were okay. I did it because I miss eating without reading entire ingredient lists and the naivete I once possessed. I did it as a farewell forever to that particular food…a last fling with my old self.

I find it ironic that health food has become the backward thing to eat, and that even “health” food (labeled to be healthy and good for you!) is not healthy food. It is often not even food at all, but laboratory created foodstuff labeled as "heart healthy" or "cholesterol lowering" or "low fat" or "high fiber."

I find it equally ironic that the raw, natural, homegrown, healthy food of our grandparents and great-grandparents and beyond has almost become contraband. It saddens me that we have lost this heritage that very few seem to even know is gone.

Do you Kefir?

I have only made kefir once, but I really love to have it on hand, and am exploring the grains and the process. Here is a video I found that discusses some of the information:

Super Cool Chicken Coop!

On Saturday, we went to a neighboring town for some fun and festivities. We attended their Artisan and Grower's Market, and there was a man there with this chicken coop for sale. It was already sold by the time we arrived, but it had yet to be picked up, so we got to take a gander.
It was made completely from used and reclaimed materials that he had lying around at his place, or that he picked up here and there in his travels. He will be making another one and will have it for sale there at another upcoming Saturday Market sale. Oh, that I had an extra $1,500.00 or so lying around to purchase one! Or that I had the materials and know-how to make my own...
It has plenty of windows for ventilation, a big, roomy nest box with an EASY access door, a small door on one end to let the girls in and and out, and a full sized door on the other end for easy access and cleaning.I think that its only shortcoming was that it was lacking wire on the inside of the windows and needing better (and more) roosting bars. The one roost was too high up and too close to the end wall to be very functional. I am proud of the coop (we call it the hen dog house) I made last year, but this one is at least 100 times better, and would look so cute in my yard!

It is added to my "someday" list...
Wouldn't it look great next to my gypsy wagon?
With the milk goat tied out to graze nearby?

Madeline's Great Adventures

Madeline's Great Adventures is on its way! If you have followed my blog for very long, you will know that we love Madeline stories and videos here at our house. I was recently asked to review another Madeline DVD that will be released on June 29. This one is a collection of six Madeline stories and runs 132 minutes.

We had a few of these stories on VHS, but had not updated to DVD, so we jumped at the chance to review the new collection. We loved it! Included in this collection:

Madeline and the Magic Carpet (new to us, and very entertaining!)
Madeline and the Lost Crown (also new to us)
Madeline and the Gypsies (new to us)
Madeline and the Forty Thieves
Madeline on Safari
Madeline and the Pirates

These are all fun stories to watch over and over, and Amilia even acts them out on occasion. If you like Madeline, or even if you have never experience Madeline but have young children, then you must try this DVD!

Here is the info:

Madeline’s Great Adventures

In Stores June 29, 2010 From Shout! Factory

Join little Madeline, her loyal canine companion Genevieve, puckish next-door neighbor Pepito and her 11 delightful classmates from Miss Clavel’s Parisian school when Shout! Factory releases Madeline’s Great Adventures on June 29. Sit back, gasp and laugh as Madeline and her friends encounter royalty and pirates in this animated, fun-filled DVD. A must-have for Madeline fans and DVD collectors, Madeline’s Great Adventures will retail for $12.99.

Watch as Madeline and friends encounter their very own Arabian lamp, a visit from the Prince of Monaco, a band of pirates and even track down 40 charitable thieves in Madeline’s Great Adventures. Inspired by the beloved classic books that introduced us to a dozen delightful girls who live in an old house in Paris covered with vines, Madeline’s Great Adventures is full of spirited fun and is sure to win your heart while providing hours of entertainment.

*I did receive one copy of this DVD for
purposes of this review.

Happy Father's Day!

I do not say it enough, but Mr. Nature, you are
a spectacular Father.

I appreciate all the little things, and all the big as well.
You are so selfless, and I thank you for
all your hard work.

You are always there to make sure we have eaten,
to make sure that we are warm,
to make sure that we are happy,
and to make sure we are hydrated.

You are fun and funny,
and I love that we so often
work together to get our home
chores completed.

I love that you do so much
to make the yard look nice and
the garden grow and the
outdoor maintenance
be complete.

I cannot give you all that you
deserve on this day, but I
can tell you how much
we love and appreciate
all that you do for us
every day.

We love you!
Happy Father's Day!

Striper Striper the Wondercat

Striper is keeping himself mostly out of trouble this year. He learned his lesson after the catnapping, er...kidnapping. He has been happy to stay home and keep all body parts intact, including his toes.

He saunters around with so much vim and vigor that I sometimes wish I could travel in his paws for a day or two. He carries fierce poetry in his soul, and unlike those of us in the human realm, his poetry will not be stifled.

He lives each moment and each day with the same strength and determination as the one before, never wavering in his confidence and sense of purpose. He plays, he gives affection, he bucks like a bronco at a rodeo, all with the same intensity. He hunts with ferocity.

His poetry is in his movement, his gait, his stealth, his defiant stare. His poetry lives.

What of ours?
Where does ours go
when it dies?

A bad crop year?

Last summer's photo reveals that we already had an abundance of blooming lavender at this time of the year. This year, the lavender buds have yet to break out into color and bloom. And where are the bees? I have seen nary a bee this year yet. The five little peaches that were trying to grow on my peach tree have failed to thrive for lack of pollination. And the apple tree is besieged this year by some kind of bug of the I-know-not-what variety. Winged, red, flying, and causing the apples and the leaves to wither and curl. What will I do without apples this year???

Between the strangely long cold that delayed spring's arrival and the sporadic and seemingly endless rain and frost causing the garden to be planted late, I am not sure what we are in for this year in crop yields.
do you know this bug? is there an organic application for my tree? will I have any edible apples?

time to stop and see the flowers

these daisies and poppies don't have much smell, but I definitely need to take time to stop and see the flowers! Have you stopped to look at the flowers lately?

California Dreamin'

We had occasion to drive through northern California this weekend, and this beautiful snow covered Mt. Shasta was there to greet us. I have not before seen this much snow left there this late in the year. Thanks to all the cold and stormy weather this spring, the snow is still thick and white on the mountain.We also passed through the "mythical" State of Jefferson where the "Jefferson Barn" greeted us as we drove. You didn't know that individuals in northern California and southern Oregon were attempting to secede in 1941 to create a 51st state called Jefferson? Read about it at www.jeffersonstate.com.

We glimpsed the dragon that lives in a field beside interstate 5, and witnessed quintessential Americana,may God Bless you on your travels...