Life in the Great Land

Making Food (Part 2)

2012-01-20T00:09:00.006-09:00

Okay, it's time for the next steps in the processing of our pigs. I'm going to concentrate on the final processing steps to render a carcass into food.

This man really gets into his butchering!

We used the last of our shrink bags on the hams. We froze them fresh and I process them into ham as I use them. Our Thanksgiving ham was brined for 4 days and roasted. It was FANTASTIC!!!

Charlie was grinding the second pig. Because we use so much ground meat we went ahead and ground most of the smaller pig. We ended up with ribs and about 50 lbs of burger. We didn't find anything wrong that we could point to to explain the unthriftiness but he's good eatin' nonetheless.

Making Bacon

Here is the Wikipedia artle about bacon

Bellies and the ingredients for the brine. I did not use any nitrate sources, just salt, sugar and spices as our forefathers did it.

I boiled 3 gallons of water and poured it over everything. It took about 3 hours for the water to cool and I put the bellies in it, suspended from a rack.

It cured for about a week and then we smoked it for a day. Dad built a smoker a few years ago and it's so great to have!

This is the set-up. These are all smoked and ready for slicing.

The bacon doesn't taste like store bacon and for that I am glad. It just cemented it more clearly in my mind that all the commercial flavor is from questionable ingredients. I prefer home-made bacon thank you!

I don't remember where we got the slicer but I sure am glad that we have it.

Making Head Cheese

Here is the Wikipedia article about headcheese. I had been looking forward to creating this incredibly nutrient-dense food for many, many months. I think I wanted to name one of the pigs Head Cheese, in fact! Now that I have done it, I look forward to creating it with a steer head too! Beware, there are pictures of pig eyes and tongues and teeth. I made no attempt to disguise the appearance of the heads.

The heads waited so patiently to be processed.

This is the bigger pig, skinned and ready to go in the pot. I even brushed the teeth and rinsed them with vinegar.

I put celery, carrots and onions in with the head and boiled it for about 4 hours.

I picked the meat off the head, including the tongue and pulled out the brain. Everything except eyeballs, went into the head cheese.

This is my 3 gallon stock pot, that was nearly when I pulled out the head. I boiled down the liquid until I was maybe 3 cups. It took on a very silken appearance and was thicker than cornstarch gravy.

I looked up a recipe and it said to roughly chop the meat, so I did. come to find out, most people mince it finely so it has more of a potted meat texture. Oh well, next time I'll do better. :P

While the first cheese was setting up I skinned the second head and got it boiling.

Each head filled a regular bread pan to the top. I was amazed that it worked out so perfectly! I poured the reduced stock over the meat and set it aside.

The first cheese, gloriously gelled!

I roasted all the bones and boiled them up into bone broth. I reduced 24 quarts of broth to half a gallon and froze it. Whenever I have need of some I just take the tub out of the freezer for 10 minutes, scoop out a spoonful and put the tub back in the freezer. It takes up much less space and is so much easier than trying to deal with all that regular broth.

I hope you enjoyed my journey into making food. I continue to experiment and create my own food and I thoroughly enjoy it. Due to dietary restrictions, I will be making butter, buttermilk, yogurt, cream cheese and cottage cheese for the next few months. I will be taking many pictures and posting those processes as well so stay tuned!

~Pam

Making Food

2011-11-08T16:06:00.011-09:00

First, my disclaimer: The following post contains pictures of dead pigs, both whole and, gutted and skinned. If you find such things distasteful then you are welcome to leave. Otherwise, enjoy the process!

We got started around 9 am on the 25th. Charlie came down from Wasilla to help us process the pigs and I was glad that I didn't have to do any of the killing. I don't like it (what can I say, I'm a girl). Dad did the deed and I went out to help get them onto the trailer for the trip to the barn.

They decided to do Bacon first, don't ask me why. Dad made a gambrel many years ago to do moose and it has come on very handy. He set a clamp on the I-beam in the roof of the barn and used the come-along to hoist the carcass up.

The chickens were in the big, fat, middle of everything. Because we have no way to heat the water, we chose to skin them. I wasn't happy about losing all that skin and the fat that was attached but it couldn't be helped this time. When the barn is done, our butcher room will have the equipment necessary to scald and scrape. In the meantime, we skinned and the chickens were gathered around trying to peck bits of meat and fat off the hide. I had Dad carve the big chunks of fat off the skin so I could save it for lard.

I was so busy collecting fat, kidneys and liver that I forgot to get pictures of the skinning, gutting and splitting process but I'm sure you get the idea. I had to go in and make dinner while they were doing the smaller pig so I didn't get pictures of that one either. oops

Here are the feet, leaf fat and, as "luck" would have it, the missed testicle from Pork Chops. I can't believe that happened! When a boar is raised in confinement and fed a commercial ration his meat is usually so rank that it is inedible. Sped, our first pig, was this way. Mom couldn't stomach the smell of it cooking, I didn't care for it but Dad just ignored it and plowed through the entire pig by himself. Gah!
I couldn't smell anything on his fat, he was raised on pasture and was not fed a commercial food so I was hoping that he wasn't tainted.

When rendering lard (or tallow for that matter) you need to put a little water in first so the fat doesn't scorch before it starts to melt. This was the leaf fat from the bigger pig that I rendered the first night. They didn't take any fat off the second pig until it came in to be butchered. I got a little over half a gallon of rendered lard the first night. Some was leaf lard and some was regular lard.

Dad was pointing out the various cuts and asking me if I wanted them reduced a little more. Some primal cuts are fine as they are, some need to be made into final cuts. Here we have a couple roasts that were left as they were, a shank and the ribs/chops.

Part 2, coming soon...

It's Autumn Already!

2011-10-04T19:42:00.006-08:00

And, strangely, I am so very happy! It has been a crazy-busy summer and I am ready for a break. Our hay is reserved and the money is in the bank tomorrow so I am finally going into winter with all the hay I need to see me through! Yippee!!!
I went around taking update pics of the farm today and I forgot the coolest thing. We hung a zipline off the barn, going down to Cody's pen so that I don't have to haul hay to him. I just hang a bale on the trolley and let it go. We tested it and it works great. The only issue is, Cody started banging it around with his horns before I got down there to put it in his feeder. Once I got down there he was very well behaved and waited until I got it untied and in the feeder before he started ripping big mouthfuls out of it. I think it will work great.Bonnie and her boy LeBoeuf. He is nearly 3 months old and weighs about 220 lbs. He's gaining about 70 lbs a month
Happy boy! I ♥ milk slobber. :)

Daisy slicked of very nicely and is busy growing her winter coat. Her coat isn't nearly as long as Bonnie's but it's definitely getting thick. I ordered the kit from Biotracking and we'll find out this month whether or not the girls are expecting. If Daisy is pregnant then I am drying her off at the end of November, just in case Lulu managed to impregnate her before he was butchered. I hope not because that would mean a January calf!

Sweet Pea and LeBoeuf, big sister and little brother. Sweet Pea is almost 7 months old and weighs almost 300 lbs. For those who don't know, that is not very much. I am a little worried about her being 500 lbs by July, when I want to breed her. I hope that better nutrition and being on mama's milk until she's 8 months old will help her with the weight. She is only2 inches taller than LeBoeuf, at the hip and 4 months older than he. I think shes' going to be a very petite cow.

Cody's feeder is a deli case that Dad scrounged many years ago. I used it for a hothouse for awhile, then she moved it and it just laid there. I wanted to use it (and may still) as a broody house for hens. For now, it works fantastically as a cow feeder. We almost have his pen done so for now, he is tied to the big birch, inside the pen. He shares a side with the girls so he's much happier and not so noisy.

The Bourbon Reds are growing great. It looks like we have at least 5 toms but the two younger ones may be toms as well, just behind in growth. I'm not closing them in this year, like I did last year because that much testosterone cooped up all winter is begging for catastrophe. When they are 6 months old they are going to be transitioned off the commercial grower ration and go onto sprouted grain, organic corn, suet blocks and clabbered milk.

Bacon and Pork Chops have a date with the freezer on October 25th. For some reason Bacon passed Pork Chops in growth and he will have no problem reaching 250 lbs before the 25th. Pork Chops has something wrong with him and isn't growing as fast. He may be a bit under 250 at butcher time but we can't let him grow any more because it would be too cold. All his calories would go to warmth, not growth. I can't wait to have two freezers full of yummy pork and organs to make things like, head cheese and scrapple! I'm going to make gallons and gallons of pork stock and I might make some gelatin powder so I can make my own Jell-o! Ooo yummy. I'll be documenting the processes and will be posting pics and recipes and taste reviews. :)

~Pam

Awkward

2011-09-09T23:31:00.003-08:00

I don't know why it seems like such an awkward thing... My daughter is dead. Oh but wait, she isn't my daughter. I didn't carry her in my womb. I didn't share the joy of knowing I created a new life with the man that I love. I didn't lay there on the table while the tech moved the wand through the gel on my bulging stomach. I didn't know the indescribable joy watching the baby within move on the screen. I didn't push her into the world. I didn't adopt her even. I was simply her babysitter. But in my heart, she is as much mine as any child I will ever give birth to. I can't imagine my life if she had never been in it. And I miss her with the ache of a mom.
But again, it is awkward to talk about. When she died everyone was on hand to console her parents. Oh, how sad, their daughter is gone how hard it must be for them. But what about me? I was there nearly every day of her life. I fed her and changed her and bathed her and dressed her and cuddled her and took her temperature and gave her medicine and kissed her boo-boos and told her no and kissed her face and slapped her hand and snuggled during long nights of crying. I did everything that a mother does for her child, but nobody came to me and gave me the hug meant to console. Very few people called to offer a shoulder to cry on after she died. I am deeply grateful for the people who did but it was so awkward, so I didn't talk about my feelings. Instead I wrote and I cried and I stuffed and I moved forward with living.
I wanted so desperately for her parents to have another baby and I was ANGRY that they never would. Did I ever say that she called me mama? Whenever I went out of her sight she would stand in her crib/playpen and call softly, "Mama? Mama?" I playfully told her, "I'm not your mama! I'm Pam!" but it touched me that she had such a precious name for me. I know that she knew her mother and her mother was special to her, as they are to every child, but I still thrilled to hear that word.
Last month a couple that I know from an internet forum lost their twins at 14 weeks gestation. I was heartbroken for them but I can't let them know that I know the pain of losing a child because it's awkward. I know that my, "I know how you feel because..." will not be welcome. I don't know how they feel. I don't know the struggle with infertility and the hope that shoots through them when the test comes back positive. I don't know the devastation of knowing that this long and painful journey is going to end in heartbreak. But I know what it feels like to have your heart ripped from your body. I know that feeling of being underwater while the world continues on. I know the rage at the fact that the whole world isn't in mourning with you. Don't they understand that YOUR BABY IS DEAD? I know the incessant "what ifs" that plague your days and fill your dreams. I know the regrets and the questions. I know what it's like to be on your face crying out to God, asking him to take you too just so you can see the face of the child that is gone. I know what it's like to cry so hard that you throw up and still it doesn't ease the pain. I know the ache of empty arms and a shattered heart. But I can't explain that, because it's awkward.
I thought this burden had grown lighter. I thought the wound was a scar but tonight I realized it was a scab, a deep one that when peeled, allows freshets of blood to course down. It feels like the day after she died all over again. There's that familiar lump in my throat and that catch in my chest as I fight to suppress the tears because it would be awkward to have to explain them.
I know it's awkward but I miss my baby girl.

Beautiful Poem

2011-08-25T22:37:00.003-08:00

I'm not "into" poetry but this one spoke to me. ♥♥♥

The Highlanders
by H. D. Sloan

Over from a land called Scotland
Where the natives like their meat,
Came this rugged breed of cattle
That, my friends, you cannot beat.

From the stories told on Scotsmen,
They are thrifty folk indeed.
So they naturally raised cattle
That they did not have to feed.

I see cowmen in this country
Hauling hay and freeze their nose.
If their cattle were Highlanders,
They could sit and toast their toes.

Once my neighbor raised some cattle,
But were of a different stock.
Every spring before the snow left
He would have his cows in hock.

Borrowed money to buy feed with,
Boy! Was he in a rut.
If he tried to save a dollar
Then they died from hollow-gut.

He would cry and cuss his banker
'Cause he'd pound his desk and shout,
Seems like every time he saw him
He would have his stinger out.

Told me when he met Saint Peter,
(If up there the cowmen dwell)
He would ask him if it snowed there,
If it did he'd go to Hell.

If my friend had raised Highlanders,
He would now be riding high.
And would never doubt the climate
Of that big Range in the sky.

Yay!! Pictures!!!

2011-07-30T18:02:00.003-08:00

Our little farm has two new additions and a returned member. Earlier this month, the family that I work for wanted to buy Cody to use as a herd sire. I gave them the price and waited to hear back. Apparently, in going over the last winter's memories and crunching the numbers they decided they weren't ready for a bull... or their other two cows either. I was at the top of the list for a new home and I jumped at the chance!! Of course, right? Anyway, we had taken Cody over there to breed their cow so he had to come home and then we brought home Daisy, the Dexter cow and her daughter Sweet Pea, the Dexter/Jersey heifer. Sweet Pea is 4 months old and super chunky but also super short. LeBeouf isn't yet 3 weeks old and he is nearly as tall as she is. They are half-siblings and I hope she is a dainty little thing when she grows up.

~Pam

Cody in the foreground (obviously), Daisy and Sweet Pea behind him.

Daisy still has her winter coat. I'm hoping she finds the mineral feeder soon so she can start building herself back up.

Sweet Pea, watching Jasher. The only dog she had ever seen was Hezekiah, the Akita who liked to chase her. She's polled (naturally hornless) and she's pretty friendly. I was worried but the family did a good job socializing her.

We are treating Cody like a bull now, as in, I don't move him, ever and he only gets to come in the corral whenever there's a cow in heat. Most likely we will end up keeping him as our herd bull which means he will be breeding Bonnie. It's not a big deal because we are breeding for beef anyway. Sweet Pea will be ready to breed sometime next fall and I am really excited to see what the Jersey influence does to her milk. The family wasn't milking Daisy so I'm not sure how much she is giving but I'm going to find out soon. :)

He's HERE!!!

2011-07-12T17:52:00.004-08:00

Bonnie finally calved, 10 days late, on July 11th. He is very tall and taped at 75 pounds!! Yikes! She delivered him alone and without incident around 6 am. I'm incredibly thankful that everything was okay and now I'm holding my breath as her udder edema is slowly going away. It's very painful to let down right now and this calf is not that bright or aggressive. I managed to get some out of her left side this morning but not nearly enough. I'm going to try hot compresses tonight and see if we can get her to let down through the pain so I can get that milk out. If the calf doesn't start to nurse that side then it will dry up or it will get mastitis and end up infected and icky. Either way those quarters need milked.
In a week or so I am going to band him and in 18 months or so we'll have lovely, grass-fed beef for our freezer. :) :) :)
So, without further ado, here are the pictures of his cuteness, LeBeouf!

This is 12 hours old, nice and dry!

He's doing much better about nursing and has finally realized that there are at least 3 teats for him to choose from. Her left, rear quarter is still really swollen and the teat is not easy for him to nurse, plus he's really tall and that quarter is really low that I'm not so sure he even knows it's there.
We'll see how much I can work that quarter tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be easier on him.

~Pam

New Turkeys!

2011-06-22T00:38:00.002-08:00

A week ago Saturday Dad and I paid a visit to our friendly, neighborhood hatchery and brought home 5 Bourbon Red turkey poults. We got 1 that was 2 weeks old and 4 that were 1 week old. Last Saturday we went and got two more that were 1 week old. We ordered 6 but she lost so many that we had to split the order up and we went ahead and got an extra one. We're hoping for at least one tom to replace the tom that died last summer. Actually, 2 hens and 5 toms would be perfect. I can't wait to see what a cross between these and my Standard Bronze hen will look like.
As soon as the poults are ready to go outside at 6-7-8 weeks, then we will butcher the turkey hen that is gimpy. She can't really raise a clutch of eggs because she will break them so she's not much good as anything but food. I will keep 2 hens, if I get that many, to be breeders.
They will be ready to butcher this spring and I am already salivating at the thought of homegrown turkey. I know I love the taste of the Bronze so we'll see how these compare.

From The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, which puts Bourbon Reds on the Watch list:

Bourbon Red Turkey

The Bourbon Red turkey is named for Bourbon County in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region where it originated in the late 1800’s. It was developed by J. F. Barbee from crosses between Buff, Bronze, and White Holland turkeys though the initial steps actually took place in Pennsylvania, where Buff turkeys of darker red hues – called Tuscarora or Tuscawara – were bred and then taken west with settlers bound for Ohio and Kentucky. These dark Buff turkeys would be the primary foundation for the new variety.

After some years of selection, Mr. Barbee was able to produce consistently good-sized dark red turkeys with white wing and main tail feathers. He christened these “Bourbon Butternuts.” For some reason, perhaps because the name did not appeal to the public, the birds did not attract attention. Barbee rechristened them “Bourbon Reds,” Bourbon for his home county and red for the rich, chestnut color of the plumage. The name change seemed to work, and better sales were reported.

The Bourbon Red variety was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1909. It was ambitiously selected and promoted for utility traits, including a production-type conformation with a heavy breast and richly flavored meat. Early breeders of the Bourbon Red also claimed that their birds would grow as large as any Mammoth Bronze, a precursor to the Broad Breasted Bronze. The Bourbon Red was an important commercial variety through the 1930s and 1940s. As time went on, however, it declined in popularity as it was unable to compete with the broad breasted varieties. Since 2002, renewed interest in the biological fitness, survivability, and superior flavor of the Bourbon Red has captured consumer interest and created a growing market niche.

Bourbon Red turkeys are handsome. They have brownish to dark red plumage with white flight and tail feathers. Tail feathers have soft red bars crossing them near the end. Body feathers on the toms may be edged in black. Neck and breast feathers are chestnut mahogany, and the undercolor feathers are light buff to almost white. The Bourbon Red’s beak is light horn at the tip and dark at the base. The throat wattle is red, changeable to bluish white, the beard is black, and shanks and toes are pink. Standard weights for Bourbon Reds are 23 pounds for young toms and 14 pounds for young hens. Since, however, the Bourbon Red has not been selected for production attributes, including weight gain, for years, many birds may be smaller than the standard. Careful selection for good health, ability to mate naturally, and production attributes will return this variety to its former stature.

The Bourbon Red is an attractive bird for either exhibition or just for the backyard. They are active foragers, and would probably do well in a pasture production system, either as purebreds or when crossed with white turkeys. They also present an attractive carcass when dressed, since the light pinfeathers leave no residue of dark pigment showing the feather follicles as with the Bronze. Unfortunately we have no recent information on growth rate, feed conversion or egg production for any of the rare varieties. Documentation of performance information is urgently needed so that this variety can be promoted for use in sustainable agriculture as well as for backyard breeders.

5 baby turkeys, ready to grow and feed our family.

Farm Happenins'

2011-05-21T18:18:00.007-08:00

I'm back from the abyss of Non-Blogging Land. Sorry about that but I do have some consolation! Here are some pictures of what's been keeping me so busy that I didn't have time to share my innermost thoughts and feelings.

~Pam

Craig, The Egg. 2 years and a total Mama's Boy, in a good way. He's tough as nails and no sissy.

Callie Ann, Mouse. 4 years old and caught between 3 older brothers and 2 younger. She can't decide whether or not to be The Princess or as tough as the boys.

Orrin, Tubby. 13 months old and would be velcroed to Mama if he could.

This is the land being cleared so we can run pigs on it this year. It will be seeded behind the pigs and left to grow this year. I'm hopeful that it will be awesome pasture next year. So cleared pasture and pork... Win, win!!!

Dad and his slave, er volunteer pulling wood up onto the driveway.

Tomas, Toady. 12 years old and extremely handy to have around. He is chainsawing up the joint so I don't have to.

Back of the chicken coop and the gate to the pen. Dad says it's hokey but I think it looks like a fortress!

Happy chickens!! The roosters have an uneasy truce and everything is peaceful most of the time.

Mama Turkey, patiently incubating a clutch of chicken eggs. She started with 8, I managed to feel 4 but we'll see what hatches the first week of June.

Bonnie, uncomfortably gestating. She is due on June 22nd and is bagging up really well.

Happy piggies, nestled in their new straw bed. I cleaned out bad grain and chopped/chewed straw and gave them a new bale. They were squealing and running around. Bacon flopped on his side and rolled around in it while Chop just burrowed into it.

The front of the coop with the chicken door.

The roost. It's big enough for 22 chickens with room to spare but some have to roost on the nestboxes or on the bungie that holds the door closed. Silly chickens!!

Nest boxes. They came with the chickens so they know what they are for. It's nice to have clean eggs.

Cody, being a bull. He is 13 months old, 800 lbs and about 45 inches tall at the hip. I'm sending his away in July to, hopefully, breed a Dexter cow. I'm not sure that he is old enough but we're giving him the opportunity. Hopefully, they will love his personality and buy him so I don't have to feed him through another winter.

The side yard/pasture. Bonnie gets to graze for the first time tomorrow afternoon. It's not as lush as it will be later but it's ready to be grazed. We need some rain so the rest of the pasture will green up and they can both go out.

Eating throught the freezers, again

2011-04-01T11:47:00.002-08:00

I know I promised a list and pics of meals and all that snazzy jazz. But, when I organized the freezers I realized we had about 400 lbs of fish, a lot of moose that is bloody tasting, Sped bacon and organ meats. I don't have the ingredients for many of our favorite ways to have halibut so we've been eating the same things over and over again. It's not exciting and it's not inspiring so I haven't bothered taking pics or documenting anything. I am, however, super thrilled to have all of the freezers cleaned and inventoried. I know exactly what we have and which freezer it's in so that's super cool. One of my goals for this summer is getting the chest freezer moved out of the laundry room because it doesn't seal very good and needs to be someplace that stays cool. That will really cut down on out electric bill.
When I think of something profound and exciting to post I will be back!

~Pam

If I had a farm...

2011-02-21T12:13:00.002-09:00

I'd be over the moon ecstatic! My friend Tori over at http://www.sunfromabove.com/ just posted something very inspirational for me. I often dream of what I would do with a farm, the animals I would have and the produce I would grow. Most often my fantasy takes me to a warmer climate where the options are more numerous, both for produce and critters. For instance, Tori's family's farm in Iowa immediately brought to mind a farm stand in the yard where neighbors could come from all around to buy from me. They pick up their eggs and we discuss the Lord and they get a gospel tract and an invite to church on Sunday. I am always willing to discuss my farming and explain that the Lord gave us stewardship of this planet. We're to dress and keep it, not rape and destroy it. The Lord put Earth here to sustain us so we'd best do it right.
I've replaced the miles of corn with acres of lush green pasture and row upon row of heirloom produce. I grow many varieties of melons, tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers, tomatoes, corn etc. Children come and watch the laying flocks cruise around the pastures eating bugs and scattering cow patties. Turkey hens carefully shepherd their poults while strutting toms defend their families. Heritage hogs, Red Wattle or maybe Ossabaw, grunt and sigh in the the shade of an oak tree. Spry piglets run and squeal and romp around their patient parents, living the life they should until it's time to meet the butcher in October. I don't know the raw milk laws in Iowa but on my farm I sell raw milk, yogurt, cream, butter and cheese to anyone who wants it. The lovely white gold is produced by those beautiful cows lounging in the sun, rumens stuffed with grass. I have many breeds, both dairy and beef, because each has it's strengths and it's weaknesses.
Beside the barn is my orchard. I grow apples, pears, cherries, some hardy peaches and apricots. My favorite tree of all is the plum tree. I LOVE plums picked fresh from the branch. I love them more than my grapes or even my strawberries. It's a little bit of a struggle to keep the tree producing but did I mention how much I love plums?
Before the sun sets I need to be out picking up what's been harvested. I bought a couple of older horses from a local family that couldn't afford to keep them anymore. I don't know what breed they are but they are gentle and easy to work with. They trained to pull the farm wagon in two days and that makes them awesome. They stand patiently while I hitch them up. I hate the noise of a tractor so my trusty horses pull the wagon down rows of plants. Many of the local teenagers come here in the summer to make a few bucks harvesting. I don't hire illegals, no matter how little they work for. I prefer to give the local teens a sense of pride in their community and hope to educate them about the need for farms of this ilk.
As I pull up to each worker they load the wagon with basket upon basket of goods, then jump on for the ride. We chat about the weather and they tell me about Farmer So-and-So down the road apiece. Monsanto is suing him for letting his corn get contaminated by their patented GMO corn. I shake my head in sadness, then grin as my high tunnels come into view. I do not grow sugar beets, alfalfa or soybeans, but I do grow many varieties of corn. To protect my beautiful plants from contamination I built a dozen high tunnels. They are similar to greenhouses only they don't get as hot during our Iowa summers. Agents from the big corporation descended on my piece of paradise once. They accused me of stealing their product by "allowing" GMO corn pollen to fertilize my heritage corn. When I showed them my high tunnels their heads hung in disappointment and they slunk off my farm. They aren't getting their hands on anything of mine!
Spring and summer is spent sowing, growing, tending, selling and repairing. Fall is spent harvesting both plants and animals, and making sure I have enough food put away for me and my animals. Winter is spent sitting in front of my fireplace sipping homemade cider and watching the snow fall. There's a peace in my heart from knowing that I used the time that the Lord gave me to provide for my family and my community in a way that stewards the land and furthers the Gospel of Christ.

Now, let's put this fantasy in Alaska, which is far more realistic for me. Up here there's 28 acres that I can use to create my farm. A full third of it is actually swamp land that I intend to use as a water fowl hunting area. It is not protected be The Wetlands Act so we're going to clean out the stream and build a pond. Hopefully it will attract cranes, ducks and geese in the fall, during hunting season. Our lifestyle fills the freezer with fish and the odd moose. Because of this the pressure to grow my own meat is reduced. I can concentrate more on plants since our growing season is so short.
Our pigs are temporary, no breeding. But, they get to fully express their pigness while they are here. We are building pens that will be 10' x 10' for them. They are movable pens so the piggies get new ground to root and destroy every couple of days. Two pigs can be incredibly destructive so we're using them to loosen stumps and clear land that we can later use for pasture. When the ground freezes and our pigs have reached a desirable weight then we will put them in the freezer, starting with new pigs next spring. I do intend to find a source for heritage pigs in the state but not this year.
My wonderful cow, Bonnie, is already a pasture fed, grain-free cow and she has provided a bull calf for us to beef, unless she has another bull calf her second time. If number two is also a bull then Cody gets a stay of execution and hopefully will live a long life breeding someone else's cows.
My turkey family is short a tom this year. He had a heart attack when Marathon Oil Company drove a brush hog ten feet from the coop. I am currently in contact with a lady who has her own hatchery in Sterling. She may have an extra Bourbon Red tom this spring that she is willing to part with plus I am on her list for poults. If she doesn't have a tom at least I will have some more turkeys to raise. I intend to keep a hen and butcher one of the hens I already have. She was injured by the tom last summer and is not getting along like I want. I doubt she would successfully breed, even to a lighter tom, and then I'm not sure she'd be able to protect her babies from foul weather and the odd eagle. I'd rather butcher her now than find out she's not up to the job and lose an entire batch of poults. Their pen will be moved as well, to the other side of the barn which is a good 200 feet from the pipeline. Their pasture will be large and lush and the perfect place to raise pastured turkeys for Thanksgiving tables.
My plan for a garden is somewhat complex and yet so simple. I want three permanent corrals somewhere close to the house. They will be the garden. The first year I will let the pigs clear the first one. That winter it will house the calves and finishing beeves. In spring and summer I will put my meat chickens in it. It will lay empty that winter. The next spring and summer I have a tilled and fertilized plot to grow my veggies in. They will rotate so I don't grow in the same one year after year. The corral that is attached to the barn is for my momma cows and the current year's babies. Each spring the rich manure and leftover hay gets carried out and placed in a mound to begin composting. If someone wants some they just have to come and get it.
In a neat row, next to the pipeline, we have teeny, tiny apple trees. We have yet to harvest a single apple but every year we have hope. We rejoice over every single new leaf that bursts from each branch. Next to our apple trees is a row of raspberries. Those we have no issues growing. They thrive in our climate and produce big, succulent berries year after year. This spring I will scope out a place for a blueberry bed. Because we have neutral soil the spot needs amending and forethought. I cannot simply plunk them in the ground and forget about them. I will move my gooseberry and give it a buddy so I actually get gooseberries from it. Because of the plans for the pasture the lilac doesn't need moved and I'm sure she will be so happy when all the shading cottonwoods are cut down. My beautiful Red Leaf Rose is sending suckers every which way in an attempt to survive marauding cattle. I will cut out the suckers and prune the poor thing this spring. Then I will sink posts deep into the ground on both sides so cattle chains don't get drug over the top of it anymore.
Because he is almost a grown up, Cody is spending the summer at the neighbor's house, being her lawnmower. I couldn't do it last year because Bonnie didn't like him being out of her sight. She will have a new baby to look after in June and Cody will be just another cow.
I sit at the computer, gazing wistfully out the window as snowflakes swirl and dance, knowing that my farm is waiting for me, in two short months.

If I had a farm I would be over the moon ecstatic, but I am building a farm and that is so much more satisfying.

Eating Through The Freezers

2011-02-15T18:49:00.003-09:00

It sounds simple right? Make a list of what's in the freezer, make up the menu from your list and don't go grocery shopping that month, voila! Actually it's much harder than yo might think, especially when freezer inventory is interrupted by 3 weeks of the cold from Hades and then a mastitic cow. Fortunately, my cold has abated enough that I can finally contemplate finishing the job and my poor Bonnie is walking around in a cloud of peppermint from the balm that I rub on her udder twice a day.
Stay tuned for a riveting series in the month of March as I try and find new and creative ways of eating liver, halibut and salmon roe. Actually, I happen to like all three of those things so maybe I'll have to get creative with the pig kidneys and turkey giblets. Hm, sounds good already!

What's on my mind

2010-12-12T18:46:00.006-09:00

I read an article that made me so angry and I need some catharsis right now. According to the FDA, factory farms used 29 MILLION POUNDS of antibiotics in 2009. That's not for "sick" animals you understand. That's just in the feed and used as preventative. That's INSANE!!! No wonder there is now another strain of MRSA rearing it's ugly head. But, that's the FDA for you. It is a communist organization run by greedy pinheads.
That's not my catharsis. It's just the rant and the reason for the need. Whenever I read or hear anything about MRSA my thoughts immediately turn to sweet Raisa, who has been dead for almost 20 months now. She's been gone almost twice as long as she was here and that makes me angry. I know that God had a plan and I know that she was leaving one way or another, but MRSA is a savage and horrifying way to go. If our government was any kind of competent then this particular virulence would never have happened but there you go.
Anyway, I thought about posting this on Raisa's birthday or the anniversary of her death but I decided today was a good day. The week after she died I started writing down all of my memories of her. I know how memories are, as they get replaced with the minutae of life and I always wanted to have them to go back to, to remember the good times. So, here they are:

1.It all started when Raisa showed up with one of her horrible diaper rashes. I had been studying the benefits of coconut oil and decided to use it on the rash that responded to nothing else. Having coated her thoroughly, I diapered her and turned her loose in the playpen/crib, leaving the little tub of oil within easy reach for the next diaper change. Unfortunately, it was within reach of her tiny fingers too. 15 minutes later I happened to really look at her and realized she had gotten hold of the tub and eaten all the coconut oil, smearing a goodly portion across her cheeks, chin, lips, eyebrows and forehead! She looked like a miniature gangster, with her greased hair. A Dapper Dan baby!

2.I had been teaching Raisa to respect the switch by switching her hand while saying “no”. Her playpen was next to a shelf that had many colorful and enticing things to play with but she was becoming so good about looking and not touching. I put the switch on this shelf so I could deal with discipline immediately. As we’re watching tv, I hear a small clatter in the rungs of the crib and look over to see the switch laying on the floor. When she saw me watching, Raisa ducked her head and peeked at me under the top rail, knowing she had been busted. It was too funny to get mad!

3.The first time she discovered her bouncy seat could also serve as a swing. She routinely bounced the seat but she couldn’t figure out how to get it to keep bouncing when she picked up her feet. She had been sick with a cold and hadn’t been in it for a month or so but the next time I put her in it she immediately began to swing it back and forth instead of bouncing it. I looked underneath and watched her pick her feet up and hold them until she had swung to a stop. She did this for hours!

4.She had the cutest chipmunk laugh and she always had a grin for me when she came.

5.The morning that she was born was sandwiched between a week of clear, sunny weather and clear, sunny weather. It was the stormiest, snowiest day I have ever seen in April. It snowed just for her! I had been sleeping with the phone for a week because she was four days late and when Kiki called at 4:30 a.m. I was immediately on high alert. It took an hour and a half for Tony to bring the older girls but I was so blitzed I couldn’t understand why he had his tiny car. How on earth could they squeeze a laboring woman into that miniscule backseat? India filled me in later. They had called an ambulance, duh! Nearly born in the ambulance, Raisa almost didn’t wait for her daddy to get there before she made her appearance.

6.Her favorite chewy was the top rail of the crib.

7. You had to be careful while carrying her cause she would grab anything and everything.

8.Kissing her mouth sounded exactly like a duck call. She loved being tossed up. (And caught)

9.She had just started playing with the ties on my hood during church, just like Phaedra did.

10.Her tired raspberries were just like Phaedra’s.

11. Just like Phaedra, she couldn’t resist an animal.

12.She carried things in her mouth while she crawled. If it was too big to fit in her mouth she crawled with it in her fist.

13.If she put something in her mouth that she wasn’t supposed to then she would take it out and put it on her head when she was busted.

14.She loved to stand backwards in her crib and yell at us when we weren’t paying attention to her.

15.When she couldn’t see me in the kitchen she would call out “Mama, mama?” until I showed myself.

13.She loved to play with her sisters, no matter what they were doing. She even wanted to have her teeth brushed like Phaedra, though she could never seem to keep her tongue out of the way.

14.Putting her in her car seat usually put her to sleep. She hated wearing the hats.

15.She snored! Softly but definitely.

16.She hated pacifiers but would suck on her thumb or index finger to fall asleep. It made it really hard to take her temperature.

17.Dad called her Rufus, Mom called her Snicklefritz, I called her “Hey You and Baby Girl”, Phaedra called her Raisapie, her parents called her Raisa Rea and Snickerdoo.

18.She loved to play peek-a-boo in her car seat.

19.When she fell asleep her body temp rose five degrees!

20.She slept on her face with her butt in the air.

21.When she was younger she needed to be on her side to sleep. It made it tricky to put her in the swing.

22.Her hair kept wanting to part in the middle. It made her look strange.

23.She had six teeth, three on top and three on bottom.

24.She hated showers.

25.She was ready to go to a big girl car seat.

26.Her favorite place to be tickled was her tummy, right at the bottom of her sternum. If you tickled her with your chin she would shriek and grab your head.

27.She could hold her own bottle and she loved kefir in her bottle.

28.Her favorite vegetable was sweet potatoes and she didn’t care for peas.

29.She crawled as softly as a hippo. You could always hear her palms slapping and her knees thudding on the floor.

30.She liked the bag of pine cones hanging in front of the Stoker exhaust.

31.Blue was her favorite color.

32.The day I changed her diaper and found a small handful of dog food! Then changed it four more times as what had been behind the dog food came out.

33.If she got into trouble while she was crawling she would put her head on her hands and start to cry.

34.She could stand alone, with a toy in her hand.

35.She loved to bang on things with her palm.

36. She would wrinkle up her nose and breathe really fast. She thought it was the funniest thing in the world!

37. I caught her with Jasher "berries" in her mouth. She was very upset when I dug them out and threw them away.

~Pam

Mom's New Camera

2010-10-14T19:19:00.006-08:00

Mom got a new camera (Sony Cyber-shot) on Saturday and took some really nifty pictures when she took Kathy to Anchorage for her last chemo treatment.
Swans
Same swans, closer view using binoculars in front of the camera. It's a trick Uncle David told her about.
Sunrise in Homer
The tugboat that Uncle David brought back from... Kotzebue?? Nome, maybe?? Can't remember right off hand but it was really far north, in any case.
Frost on the dock in Homer on Sunday morning. BRRRR!!!
Phaedra Thyme on Saturday night.
Kathy, showing off her dental work, er, smiling.

There are more pictures but blogger is being a pain so I will attempt to post the rest of her pictures at a later date. We are taking Ripple home tomorrow morning and I need to get to bed!

Night,
~Pam

Yikes!!!

2010-09-25T16:07:00.004-08:00

Has is really been three months since I posted?! So much has happened this summer and I can't believe I didn't blog about it! Oh well, here's what has happened.

When we last checked in on the Arndt farm we had taken Ripple home and were anxiously waiting for Bonnie to miss a heat cycle. Well, she did and then nine days later she got into horsetail (which stimulates uterine contractions) and lost the calf. I wasn't sure that it had happened since she wasn't here at that stage of her pregnancy with Cody. I marked it on the calendar and twenty days later she tried to jump Cody, bled off two days later and I was sure she had slipped the calf. Well, Mom pulled rank and called the neighbors before I could get Ripple's owners on the phone and we brought a little Dexter/Jersey cross bull over to try again. I was not told he was a cross or I might have gotten my way with Ripple but it is what it is. His name is Lou Lou and he is so LITTLE!! Cody, 400 lbs, is just a little smaller than Lou Lou and they spent Monday night pushing and shoving and being boys. Lou Lou won the test and was able to guard his new woman until she was in heat Tuesday night. Since she started standing for him about 7 pm Tuesday night I'm not sure if he ever got the job done but we'll know for sure in 21 days. I've heard that, if the size difference isn't too great, they will find a way. Just to be sure I am going to bring Ripple back on October 11-14. If she doesn't settle to Lou Lou then Ripple will be there to take care of business, and if she does settle to Lou Lou then I can be sure of it, based on Ripple's behavior. If she settles to Lou Lou and has a heifer then I have a plan in place for sending her to a happy future as someone's milk cow. If it's a bull then he will be castrated and eaten. I am not going to try and breed a mongrel bull to anyone's cows.Lou Lou, Cody and Bonnie

Cody is still growing like a weed on his mama's milk. We are still getting 1/2 gallon, milking once a day and that is still fine for us. It gets a little on the skimpy side sometimes but then we milk and we have milk again!! I'm getting closer and closer to being settled on his future. By the time he is big enough to butcher I'll be more than happy to see him go I'm thinking, especially when I walk the store aisles looking at grain-fed beef selling for $5 per lb. We can raise Cody for less than that!!

Next summer I will be buying some meat chickens early in the spring and we'll butcher in the fall. I refuse to buy the hybridized excuses for chicken that they call the Cornish X, but I might try Freedom Rangers. They are hybridized for faster growth as well, but not at the expense of their hearts, lungs and legs like the Cornish X. I've heard good things about them so we'll see. A hatchery in Sterling has many heritage breeds so I might get some and compare the two for flavor and vigor. Mom wants a laying flock but I'm not sure how feasible that will be next year. I've discovered that introducing one new project a year is perfect for my family. Trying more than that and something ends up being neglected or just plain forgotten.
The south side of the barn

The barn is getting there. Charlie came down for two weeks to help put the walls up but had to leave before they were completely leveled and in their permanent positions. Being around them when nothing but ropes were holding them up was freaking me out. I hate moving them with the handiman jack cause I can see it slipping, shooting into me or Dad, the wall falling and squishing me, a family member, a pet or all three. Thankfully they are in their permanent positions, balanced on concrete blocks, more concrete blocks and wood blocks. One wall ended up about 2 feet off the ground, just to be level but that's what we get for living on a hill. Dad has the corral door framed and we're just waiting on PFD's to be able to finish it off. When the floor is in the hay loft then Dad will be up there building trusses and we're hoping Charlie can come down for a couple days to help set them and get the tin on. Dad wants to be able to store this year's hay up there but I might end up buying the 1,200 lb round bales and those will be hard to get up there! We'll see what happens.

Mom is nearly at her breaking point at work. Her supervisor is addled and not really up to doing the job anymore. Unfortunately, she's union so there's nothing that can be done. We're just hoping Mom can outlast her.

Dad may have a part-time job as a jack-of-all-trades at the neighbor's. The gentleman has three businesses going and needs consistent help that's also reliable. Dad fits both criteria. They attend church at the Baptist church a few miles away so our schedules are the same as well. I have a job there for the winter at least, helping the wife while she homeschools the three older children. I'll be riding herd on the three little ones, 4, 2ish and 5 months. I'm kind of looking forward to it. They do things different than I do and she is a different kind of mother than I will be but she's nice and she's willing to let me handle the babies as I need to. I'll also be doing chores outside as needed, which is great since they own Lou Lou and his Dexter lady, Daisy. I think Daisy is bred and due this spring. I need to get my hands on her to know, but she's not that docile right now. They've only had her since early summer so she's not entirely comfortable with them yet. I am really excited to work with their cows and maybe see their calf hit the ground. The wife is very "into" farming. She was raised up north so this is her first opportunity to be a farm wife and she is like a sponge!

The turkey front is not looking good. Marathon Oil Company brush hogged the pipeline, ten feet from our turkey coop. The excitement and stress of protecting his ladies from the attack was too much for poor Tom and his heart gave out. He left no offspring to comfort his widows. He died a hero's death and will be honored at Thanksgiving... with a roast.
The hatchery in Sterling also carries Bourbon Red Turkeys, which are an heritage breed. I'm going to buy six or so this spring and keep a tom to breed my Standard Bronze girls. I think the cross would be much more marketable than a straight Bronze. Tom, dressed, weighs about 50 lbs and not very many people need a turkey that big. I'd love for them to be profitable.

Okay, you are all caught up and I make no promises that you will hear from me again before Christmas!!

~Pam

It's me again!!

2010-07-15T23:37:00.004-08:00

Wow this summer sure has flown by! It's the middle of July already, Bonnie is (hopefully) pregnant again and the sun is finally shining. If you'll harken back to my previous post I was complaining about the lack of rain and the heat, well we've had two weeks of rain and near freezing temperatures at night. I just can't win!!!!

On the up side, we had a bull visiting from Homer this week. Dad and I went and picked him up on Monday, Bonnie was in standing heat on Tuesday, Dad and I took him home on Thursday. I really hope she took and I don't have to get him again. He's very calm and even-tempered but he's still over 1,000 lbs of hormonal male animal and he's a little intimidating. Dad and I had to lead him about 100 feet to the corral when we got him home and it was HARROWING!! Cody, tied on the outside of the corral to keep him out of the way in case Ripple decided to make a run for it, decided he didn't like the new guy and challenged him. Ripple didn't care that the challenger was a baby, he started pawing and snorting but Cody didn't shut up. Bonnie was tied inside the corral and she was very, very curious about Ripple. She was one day from standing heat so her hormones were raging and she was trying to get Ripple to come close enough to smell but not close enough to mount her. Ripple does have a mind of his own and no ring in his nose so he pretty much goes where he wants, when he wants. He is considered uncontainable so he is tethered all the time. I was terrified that he'd bend the stake we had him on, break through the fence and wander to the highway, getting plastered by some little old man and his wife in their rented motor home in the process. EEK!! Dad pounded two stainless steel rods into the ground right next to the other post so he was held by a steel post and two stainless ones. I wanted the third one because it is so tall. Bonnie can run in a circle and her chain will fling right off her stake so the tall post prevented that from happening as Ripple walked in circles following Bonnie around the corral. If I have him back next summer I think the tall stainless will suffice. He was so incredibly patient in his wooing of Bonnie. He tried so hard to get her to come close enough to smell on Monday night and Tuesday morning but as soon as she was ready she walked right to him. I've got it marked on the calendar so I know when to start watching for signs that she's going back into heat and she starts that early enough that I have lots of time to get him again if I need to.

Cody is still being a baby bull, goofy and testing boundaries. I measured him on his 3 month birthday and he weighs 278 lbs!! He is getting big so fast and I know that I really need to be on my toes to make sure he knows his place. It's important that he grows up as a subordinate cow, not the boss. Bonnie is pretty god about keeping him in line, but he will probably take her place as top cow before the winter is over.
The milking is going amazingly well. I am still separating 8 hours a day cause Cody has a little more growing to do before I'm comfortable separating for longer and I am still getting half a gallon a day, sometimes a little more. I want him to get the best start so he grows quickly and gets to the size he needs to be, whichever way his life goes. He is for sale, available in October, if anybody wants him!!! (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

This is Ripple

Cody at 3 months old

After 18 years, Midnight has finally left us. She got sick a couple weeks ago but was eating and drinking just fine so I didn't worry too much. I did what I could to help her recover and I told her last night that I didn't want to have to make the decision for her, so if she was going to go, then go. It's much easier when pets go on their own terms since there's no what-ifs. She will be missed.

Busy, busy, busy

2010-06-01T19:22:00.003-08:00

Sorry for the delay in posting!!!
Okay, life as a milkmaid is MUCH better. Cody is learning how to graze and I started separating them for a few hours about three weeks ago. It went to 8 hours separated last week and Bonnie is settling nicely into the routine. I get half a gallon a day now, YIPEE!!!!! She lets down her milk without having Cody in there nursing sometimes, but usually I have to use him. Mom has decided she likes milking so I'm the calf wrangler. I measured Cody, to figure his weight and he's around 135 lbs now. He's getting pretty shaggy, instead of fuzzy but he's still the cutest thing! His horns have erupted through the skin and are about half an inch long now. Lead training is going really great, most of the time!!
On memorial day the family, India and Phaedra went to Homer to meet the family who owns Bonnie's next baby-daddy. He's so beautiful!! I just LOVE Highlands! The family isn't "into" Highlands like Obsidian's owner and I though. They run a head of 30 Angus up on Kachemak Bay, above Homer. They have a few cows that spend all year by the house, the Highland, their Yak cow, a couple Galloway and some milk cow/Angus crosses that they use for milk. They really like the novelty of the Galloway, Highland and Yak. I had my camera with me but it never occurred to me to take a picture of any of their critters! I will take some while he's here, at the end of July.
Hm, so far this year we have pitiful grass, not enough rain and it's been too hot. I really need it to cool off and rain for about a week so the grass will get a move on and Bonnie can start putting on weight. Her milk is nice and yellow but she is too skinny.
The turkeys are breeding... sorta. One of the hens is nice and broody but the other one is injured somehow and she's not really in the mood to sit a nest. The tom is strutting around, flexing his wings and turning colors but his job is done for the year. I really need to get their pasture fenced off so he and the injured hen can run around outside and leave the nesting hen alone. Her nest was scattered today, probably by the tom but I gathered her eggs up and gave them back to her in the other nest box. Hopefully they didn't get too cold and will be fine. I'll candle them pretty soon also. I'm really hoping for a few poults this year.
That's all the new news I can think of for the moment so, until next time.
Later,
~Pam
AIN'T HE JUST THE CUTEST THING?!

This is three days worth of milk. The creamline is much better when she lets down without Cody.

Wow!!

2010-04-20T14:38:00.003-08:00

Having a milk cow is very different than I thought it would be! Hopefully, it will get better. I have to keep reminding Dad that he's never been in this territory either!
Bonnie isn't giving much milk, but that's because she doesn't have much... yet. Her calf's name is Buffalo Bill (Cody). I call him Cody and he is a tremendous help when I'm milking. She stands very still while he's nursing, lets down great and lets me milk the other side. When he isn't nursing she is kicky, tail-swatty and cranky. I had to use the Kick Stop on her yesterday because Cody wasn't interested in helping me. I hope he's hungry today! When I get a halter for him I plan on separating them for a couple hours before milking, just to make sure he's hungry. I don't want to separate them for a long time since she doesn't have much milk and he needs the best start he can get. It's fairly common for first-timers to not have much milk. With each lactation, amounts go up so hope springs eternal.

~Pam

Happy Birthday!

2010-04-14T11:36:00.003-08:00

The Arndt family farm has grown by four feet! Bonnie's bull calf was born at 12:35 am, today. She was in active labor for a couple hours and pushed him into the world standing up, completely silent, in six big pushes. He's fuzzy and adorable and nearly dry. I took him into the laundry room after seven hours because the temps dipped to freezing and it started snowing. He's almost ready to be reunited with his worried mother. She is calling for him and he's getting hungry. He had colostrum before I took him and she's got three more quarters ready and waiting for him. Hopefully he dries fast cause the window for the colostrum to be most effective is closing fast. Here's pictures of his first few hours:

He'd just hit the ground! She was more interested in the flashlight. Goofy cow

I moved him to a bed of hay, that he refused to stay on or near. He was on his feet in 15 minutes.

What on EARTH just happened to me?! He's fuzzier now and dried to a reddish-brown.

More pictures of him dry and them together to come soon.

Later,
~Pam

Springtime in Alaska

2010-03-19T23:12:00.003-08:00

It's not pretty, or lush or gradual. Springtime in our part of Alaska is a three day event, beginning with sunshine and ending with rain. Okay, I exaggerate! But not by much. We've been in the 40's this week and I think spring has most definitely sprung. No calf yet, but she's getting closer and closer. More experienced eyes tell me she should go right on schedule but Bonnie is a contrary cow and can't make things easy on me. She'll probably calve on Easter, while I'm at church and Mom is in the house!!! I wouldn't put it past her.
Here are some pics from our place this spring... Enjoy!
~Pam

It's a stream of water, not an icicle... or snot

Dirt!!!!

They weren't doing anything cause he was more worried about me than her. She just refused to move when he stepped on her.

Milk Training!!

2010-03-06T20:35:00.002-09:00

I was outside shooting another video for the series I'm doing on milk training and I got a really good video of Bonnie's calf rolling and flipping inside of her. I've never seen or felt it so distinctly.

~Pam

The rest of the month...

2010-02-23T14:05:00.007-09:00

I intended to post the meals each day but... best laid plans of mice and men. Okay, here they are, again, missing a few because I forgot to take pictures.

Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle and Blaukraut

Two showshoe hares, thawing. I cooked a chicken leg for my mother since she doesn't like rabbit.

Blaukraut is braised cabbage.

Maybe it's the German heritage, but I really liked this.

Spetsiota and Salad

Onion, olive, cucumber, tomato and feta salad. It's your standard, Big Fat Greek Salad and is a staple in Mediterranean countries.

Spetsiota (Halibut and Tomatoes)

Yummy!

Chicken Poutine

I spent hours trying to find the best way to make my fries crispy. I settled on blanching them in sugar water. The water's brown because I use succanat, instead of white sugar.

Brown gravy, made from scratch.

This was FABULOUS!! And so very worth the wait.

Meatloaf, baked potatoes and green beans

This is the only picture I took of this meal and it's the ingredients for the meatloaf. My bad!

Bao and egg noodles

I made my own five-spice mixture. I forget what's in it but it's an easy recipe to find.

The dough was really, really soft and very sticky.

I put them in this pan to rise, intending to steam them, as the directions call for but they stuck together. I put on an egg-wash and baked them instead. They still turned out wonderful.

If I'd had snow peas I would have used them instead but, anyway. I started preparing this meal at noon and had it done around 6:30. The dough needs three rises.

Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn

Dad's birthday meal.

I ate too much and hurt myself so badly. But, I remembered to make enough potatoes for leftovers!! I'm always bummed when there's no more potatoes.

Bouillabaisse

Get started about two hours early on this cause there are a lot of steps. Almost as many as the Bao.

I ate a couple pieces of toast, dipping it in the Rouille while I was making the toast.

Jerk pork, rice and peas

Sped steaks. That's the color of them!

Marinating overnight in the fridge.

Dad was the only one who liked this meal. I might try a different recipe for the marinade if I made this again.

Well, that's all so far.

~Pam

Last Week's Food

2010-02-09T15:02:00.005-09:00

This is going to be very picture heavy and yet it will be leaving out a few meals cause I forgot to take pictures... oops. Enjoy!

Two packages of halibut and a package of black bass, thawing in the sink

I decided to make thick fries. They were thicker than this picture makes them seem.

My super, duper favorite fryer. I use it a LOT.

This is Dad's favorite fry mix. We can't get it here so a friend of ours (Jason) gets it from his mom in Michigan and brings it to us.

Fish and chips, Alaskan style. The dip is honey mustard since Dad dislikes vinegar and we didn't have mayo or sweet pickles to make tartar sauce.

Next, was Matzo Ball Soup, again, Alaskan style

I mixed the dough about four hours ahead of time and set it in the fridge. When I do it again, I'll make it the night before and mix it better.

Chicken, carrots, green beans and broccoli simmering away in stock.

When the carrots were nearly done I added the matzo balls and clapped the lid on for about half an hour... they were big matzo balls!

Yummy!

Next, is Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle and Blaukraut but I'm having issues with the mouse so it may be awhile before I get those pictures posted.

~Pam

Ribs, Potato Salad, Corn

2010-02-01T22:10:00.004-09:00

Since Mom fixed chicken strips and french fries last night I just couldn't bring myself to do the fish and chips. So, I did the ribs that were scheduled for tomorrow. Enjoy!

Thawed ribs, ready for rub

Homemade BBQ sauce. I didn't care for it but everyone else said it was good. I didn't follow a recipe, just threw stuff in from memory.

Potato salad, ready for mixing

Yummy! I ate one rib since they are so big. Uncle Dave walked into the kitchen sucking BBQ sauce off his fingers, lol.

~Pam

February groceries

2010-02-01T20:46:00.002-09:00

I managed to stay within my budget this month and I even have money left over! Not much but it's there so... there.

First stop was IGA for meat. It's not organic or free-range but since Dad has to have meat with every meal and prefers it red I do what I can.

Beef Burger, fresh, buy one, get one free- $29.62, for 16 packages of meat, when broken down.
Bay Scallops, frozen-$3.42 for a 1lb package
Shrimp, frozen-$1.80 for 8 oz. tub
Sea Scallops, frozen- $14.39 for 1.44 lbs
Mussels, frozen- $7.99 for 2 lbs
Chicken leg portions, frozen- $17.80 for 20 lbs

Total+ tax= $77.27

Save-U-More was the next store and I am more impressed with it every time I go in. A few years it was bought out and revamped. Their organic selection continues to get bigger and might rival Fred Meyer some day.

Balsamic Vinegar, organic- $5.39 for 18 fl. oz.
Coconut Milk, organic- $4.78 for two 14 fl. oz cans
Brown Rice Macaroni- $3.69 for 16 oz package
Chinese Noodles- $7.09 for 5 lbs
Mushrooms, sliced- $9.39 for a case of 12 cans
Decaf Coffee, organic- $6.59 for 1 lb
Olives- $8.91 for nine cans
Oysters- $22.32 for eight cans
Feta- $7.39 48 oz
Butter, organic- $8.29 for 2 lbs
Tomato Paste, organic- $6.79 for a case of 12
Diced Tomatoes, organic- $8.79 for a case of 8
Mozzarella- $12.99 for 5 lbs
Cheddar- $11.89 for 5 lbs
Corn, frozen, organic- $6.99 for 3 lbs
Almonds, raw- $11.99 for 3 lbs
Misc. animal foods and paper towels- $87.15

Total+ tax=$237.83

Fred Meyer was our last grocery stop.

Olive Oil, organic- $10.99 for 17 fl. oz
Potatoes, fresh, organic- $23.03 for 21 lbs
Pine Nuts, raw- $3.85 for 4 ozs
Cucumber, fresh, organic- $1.79 for one
Matzo Meal- $5.49 for 16 ozs
Cabbage, fresh, organic- $2.59 for one, green
Bell Pepper, fresh, organic- $2.58 for one, red
Hot Dogs, organic- $12.98 for 2 packages of 8
Chicken, organic- $20.72 for one, whole
Bulgur- $1.99 for 1 lb
Salad, organic- $3.98 for 10 ozs
Oranges, organic- $3.82 for 4 lbs
Garlic- $5.69 for 32 0zs, chopped
Onions, organic- $2.99 for 3 lbs
Carrots, organic- $2.99 for 2 lbs
Poblanos- $1.07 for 2
Clam Juice- $2.69 for 8 fl. oz.
Peanut Butter- $2.50 for 14 oz
Misc. pet items- $48.47

Total+ tax= $165.44

Total for the trip- $480.54

I have a line on a CSA just down the road for the summer and hopefully we'll get some moose. We get 5 doz. eggs, $4 a dozen, a week from a lady in Nikiski who pastures her birds and does not feed them soy. I refuse to buy milk anymore since I am sooooo close to having all I need. I think I could get raw milk in Homer but I refuse to pay $12 a gallon for it.
Well, there's the grocery list for perusal. Next, is our first meal of February.

~Pam

February Menu

2010-01-27T15:15:00.002-09:00

I decided to post the really nice menu for February, finally. I've been meaning to post this stuff for many months but am just now getting to it. I think I finally got a handle on the "out of control budget" so I'm going to try some new dishes this month. I get $500 a month for groceries. For those of you who don't live in Alaska this may seem exorbitant but this is just barely enough to make it, and it's even more tight since I buy mostly organic food. I got tired of the same old food so, in the interests of accountability and comparisons, I'm posting the menu, the grocery list, the receipts, what ingredients are local and I'll post directions and pictures of the dishes as they get made. Enjoy this gastronomic journey through the month:

1- Coming from England, it's the classic Fish and Chips. We eat this at least once a month but we use halibut that was caught during the summer.
2- Ribs, Potato Salad, Corn The ribs come from the pig that Dad got in Ninilchik and the eggs are pastured, soy-free form Nikiski. I'm going to made BBQ sauce for the ribs.
3- Matzo Ball Soup I don't make this exactly right. I make a chicken noodle soup and use matzo balls instead of noodles. I'm not Jewish so I don't really care if it's kosher or not I just love the taste of them.
4- Spaghetti, Green Beans, Mozzarella Bread I started using buckwheat noodles last month, even though they have more phytic acid than rice spaghetti. The buckwheat noodles are cheaper and organic where the rice ones aren't either one. I use sausage from our pig. I am going to make the bread for the mozzarella bread.
5- Hasenpfepper, Spaetzle, Braised Cabbage I'm using snowshoe hare that my father harvested... with the van. Eggs for the Spaetzle are from Nikiski and the flour is fresh ground at my kitchen table.
6- Pizza It's UFC night but I'm thinking I might make a couple pizzas instead of going to Papa Murphy's.
7- Corn Dogs, Tater Tots I found recipes for both of them and they're really easy to make in a healthy way.
8- Fried Macaroni, Peas Classic dish from my childhood
9-From Greece, Spetsiota, Tomato, Cucumber and Olive Salad I'll do the bread crumbs myself and use halibut that was caught during summer.
10- Salmon Lasagna, Corn I use home-canned salmon from my own pantry to do this and it's better than it sounds.
11- French Canadian fast food, Chicken Poutine I can't wait to have this!
12- Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans Standard fare at our table
13- Bear Stew, Sourdough Bread We have some black bear left that the neighbor shot and this is a really easy thing to do with is.
14- I talked Mom and Dad into going out for Valentine's Day so I get to scrounge this night!!
15- Chinese Bao, Egg Noodles Steamed dumplings I'll stuff with some sort of pork product. I'm not sure if I can find the egg noodles. Stay tuned for a menu change if I can't.
16- Dad requested Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli for his birthday. I'll also make a mayonnaise cake, with home-made mayonnaise.
17- Chili, Cornbread I'll use bacon from our pigs and maybe sausage, maybe not. Eggs for the cornbread are from Nikiski.
18- Jamaican Jerk Pork, Rice and Peas I can't make it as hot as genuine because Mom can't handle hot but I think I can get close. I'll use our pork.
19- French Bouillabaisse, Gratin Dauphinois(maybe, maybe not, depends on what Dad wants) Using chunked halibut from summer, and maybe some rock fish. I might get scallops, oysters and shrimp from Homer if they aren't asking ridiculous prices this time of year.
20- From the Middle East, Musakhan, Tabbouleh I'll probably have to make bread for this dish.
21- Crock pot Pork Chops, Green Beans this is for Sunday and Mom requested something easy. Again, the chops are from our pigs.
22- Omelets This is the start of our GAPS week. We decided to do one week a month on GAPS since we can't really afford to do it all month this time of year. The eggs are from Nikiski.
23- Bacon, Scallops, Wilted Salad I can't wrap the bacon around the scallops cause the bacon's too thick but they still get put on the same plate. The bacon is from our pigs.
24- Stuffed Cabbage Will probably use sausage form our pigs
25- Salmon Salad Similar to tuna salad but with home-canned salmon. Salmon was caught last summer and eggs for mayo and egg chunks in salad are from Nikiski.
26- Lentil... Something Lentils are allowed on GAPS and I have a lot of them that I need to do something with them. Any suggestions?
27-Hungarian Chicken Paprikash, Csipetke, This is the end of GAPS week.

We will shopping for March's menu on Saturday so the last day of February is blank, depending on what's left over at the end of the month. I hope you enjoy this journey and get some ideas from it. If you have suggestions or ideas please feel free to tell me.

~Pam

100th post!

2009-12-29T19:24:00.007-09:00

I decided to devote my 100th post to my greatest passion... Bonnie! I know, I know, "You have a cow! Get over it ya weirdo!". Bonnie is a frequent subject for this blog but I've been very heavily involved in "cow stuff" lately so it's on my mind.

For those of you just tuning in to this saga, Bonnie is my Scottish Highland/Shorthorn cross, family cow. I bought her to be our beef/milk cow. She gives birth to the beef and provides the milk, in case you couldn't figure that out. This journey did not start with the purchase of my cow, it did not start with the Craigslist ad I placed, looking for a cow. It didn't even start the year before when Dad said I could have one if I could find one. This journey started when I was 3 or 4 when my parents started buying raw milk in Montrose, Colorado. I believe it's illegal now, but it wasn't then. I remember watching my mom skim the cream from yellow milk in a gallon, glass jar. It was the coolest thing. I remember not liking the taste of fresh butter since it tasted nothing like Country Crock. Margarine was our spread up until that time and I was not used to the creaminess and slight tang of real, fresh butter.
My Grandpa and Grandma Arndt always had horses, they still do in fact! I associate the barnyard smell with my grandparents. Not in a bad way either. That smell is the smell of my childhood. I loved being with the horses, not riding them necessarily, but just being there with them.
The first five years of my "adulthood" were sprinkled with failed diet after failed diet. I had spent many years learning to enjoy sweets and sugar highs and it was showing. Five years ago I first learned of the Real Food movement. I decided that nothing else was working, I might as well investigate this too. It was a revelation to me! Real food held the key to my out-of-control weight. I'm not blaming food for my issues, it is all about me and what I choose to put in my body. I had been breaking my own body down by not providing the nourishment that it needed. And something had to change!

Two years ago, a local ranch put a sign out, advertising raw milk for sale. Kathy jumped on it, in the hopes of helping her grandson and his wife with their autistic son. Unfortunately, Jadrik's digestive damage was too extensive and he was reacting to the milk. So... She gave it to us and a passion was born. I had converted my family to organic milk, from the store, some months earlier but that milk, fresh from the cow, was the elixir my starving body was craving. I didn't skim it for the first few months, as all of us needed the full compliment of fats, vitamins and minerals it had to offer. About this time I found the Weston A. Price Foundation and my passion for Real Food was renewed. But, six months after discovering the wonders of raw milk, the ranch dried their cows, in preparation for freshening and our raw milk was gone. This was a big blow to our health, as we went back to store bought milk. I went from a quart of milk a day to nothing. I can't stand the metallic taste of store bought milk anymore. I decided to do something about this situation. I asked my parents for a cow.
My mother is not an animal person. She did not grow up with anything but a family dog. No horses, no fish, no birds... nothing. She never has gotten into the farming thing and she never will. She was very reluctant to plunge into the time and expense of a cow. I did a spreadsheet, charting our dairy product usage and our beef usage. The expense of a cow, when lined up, was significantly cheaper. With my parents' grudging permission I turned to my main source of research, the Internet. I spent a year searching, comparing and researching the different types of cows. Almost immediately, the dairy breeds were out as well as the beef breeds. Jerseys, Guernseys, Holsteins and Ayrshires give way more milk than we need and it takes forever to beef up the steers to butcher size. Herefords and Angus are not milking animals, are enormous (Herefords are bigger than Angus) and that cancels them out as milk cows. I needed a dual purpose breed. I discovered a wealth of them too... Outside. I settled on the little-known Dexter. They seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I could not find a single one in the state of Alaska. I looked for almost a year before giving up on the idea of Dexters. It seemed as the the Lord was not in this plan so I was not going to keep pushing and get myself into something that He was not in. I almost gave up hope. I decided to give one more try to find something, anything that would work as a family cow. In stepped the Highland. I had never really considered them as I had always thought of them as a rare, beef breed. Remember, I didn't want a beef animal. I did a little more research and discovered that THEY were the animal that I was looking for.

Scottish Highland cattle are uniquely adapted to rugged climates. They were developed in the windswept, barren-ish Highlands of Scotland (duh) to be easy keepers, self-reliant and tough as nails. The shaggy hair provides weather-proof insulation as well as contributing to the fine marbling of the meat. Highland cattle do not put on a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, like other cattle. They have hair for that. Every breed of cattle needs more calories to survive when the temperatures reach 32 degrees. Highlands are the only breed that can hold out until -18 degrees. Only then do they need more and better feed. In fact, my Bonnie is so rugged that she loses body condition when her food is too good. She needs large quantities of average hay rather than good hay. Her body is so efficient at ringing the last vital nutrient from her feed that she can't eat enough good hay to keep her rumen working. Her brain shuts her down before she gets the quantity her ruminant system needs. This was one of the major selling points for getting an Highland. Average hay is much, much cheaper than the high quality "horse" hay.
Second, Highland milk, while not abundant, is very, very rich. Jersey milk, the most butterfat for the dairy breeds, is about 4%. Highland milk is 10% butterfat. That makes is just a tad lighter than half and half. I don't know about you, but that sounds so wonderful. Especially for my fat-starved body. I was concerned about the calf though. I don't want to feed commercial milk replacer as it contains huge amounts of soy and GMO ingredients. Those are two things that have no place on this property. My father, in attempting to dissuade me, and with an air of doom, kept reminding me that I HAD to milk twice a day, every day. First of all, so what! Second, no I don't! Many people only milk their cow once a day. Many other people leave the calf on the cow and only milk when they need to. Highlands give an average of a gallon a day. Three gallons a week is more than enough for us and even may be too much at times. I only need to milk Bonnie, provided the Shorthorn blood doesn't make itself known, three times a week. That's Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning! The rest of the time I can leave her baby with her. The baby will grow more and stronger, the maternal instincts of my Highland cow are fulfilled by being able to mother her baby and we still get her milk. If the Shorthorn blood comes through then she should have more milk. Shorthorn is a dual purpose breed. Some would say that there's two breeds of Shorthorn, milking and beef, but they are the same breed with the same genes so milk production it greater than the Highland. I'm kind of hoping for a little bit of Shorthorn break-through in the production department, though I'm not holding my breath.

My biggest reason for wanting a cow is the current administration. Our president is going to do his level best to destroy the hope of small farms and pave the way for the monopoly of agribusiness. I know he's saying the opposite but, as they say, actions speak louder than words. With his endorsement of NAIS, GMO's and big government the small farm is on it's way out. My cow is my rebellion against the system. She is my declaration that I know what's best for me and my family, not the government. I neither need, not want it's interference in MY farm. I refuse to pack up and move to the city so I can collect a welfare check. I can do it myself, thank you very much. It's harder to be self-sufficient in Alaska, admittedly, but I am going to do what I can to become less dependent on the grocery store.

Now the health benefits of milk, specifically raw milk. I know that the USDA claims pasteurization does not destroy any of the nutritional benefits of milk but I don't buy it. The USDA HAS to say that since the law is, you must pasteurize your milk. I choose to be skeptical of government claims of safety and I'll drink my milk raw, thank you very much. I know how pasteurized milk makes me feel and I know how raw milk makes me feel. Raw milk doesn't make me react the same way as pasteurized. I get nauseous and grumpy and sneezy when I drink store milk, even organic. My milk will be raw and my eggs are soy-free, free range. Woohoo!

When I bought her my mom was really unhappy about her being so young. She was nine months old. I had her bred when she was almost two years old. It's been a long year and a half but the culmination of this dream is due in three months. Everything seems to be going really good and she is bagging up quickly. Not really quickly, but her udder is bigger every day and her teats are getting longer, in preparation for nursing her tiny calf. Her calf, if it's not twins, should be between 50 and 70 pounds. That is a small calf, for those of you who don't know. A typical Holstein calf is between 80 and 100 pounds at birth. With a wide pelvis and a small calf she should have no difficulties birthing, even if the calf is breech. Hopefully, there won't be any problems and I am not borrowing trouble in thinking about it too much. I have the vet's number and I know how to tell when she's having trouble so I'm prepared as well as I can be.

I am completely in love with my cow and my arctic farm. I want to get a garden in, with vegetables that do well up here so I don't have to baby them so much. I hope you enjoyed my Bonnie post and if anybody has a question or two, I really do like comments from people!

~Pam

Random...Stuff

2009-12-16T17:52:00.004-09:00

First and foremost I would like to say that Rishon is a very cute and content little boy... And that's all you get to hear about him. If anyone wants to know who I'm talking about, go to the Hoffmans blog, on the right sidebar.

I saw a new commercial today that made me hackle faster than anything I've seen lately. It is for Plan B Emergency Contraception. Or rather, Oops, Forgot That I Didn't Want A Baby Abortificent. You have 72 hours to take this particular product to prevent a pregnancy, not, prevent a baby from being conceived but making sure your womb is unfit for life. And that's not even the part that made me the maddest. The first "woman" that they showed, grinning from ear to ear as she steps up to get her prescription is sixteen if she's a day. First of all, that is NOT a message that young teens need to have. I trust I need not write a sarcastic, hypothetical conversation so you get the picture here? Second, if my trusty birth control had failed during my latest drunken "sleep-over", I would not be grinning at the pharmacist unless it was accompanied by slightly hysterical and panicked cackling. Third, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET PREGNANT THEN KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON!!!!!!! Tried and true, 100% effective, and severly underrepresented in our society. I have no qualms telling anyone who wants to know that I use this particular brand of birth control (the latter, not the former), and so far I have yet to make a mad dash to the doctor for this prescription. I understand that assaults happen, but those women were not the target of this commercial and that is a whole 'nother can of worms that I don't have the time, tonight, to get into.
On a similar thread, I heard something that needs to make the headlines somewhere. In the state of Alaska, it is legal for girls as young as thirteen to have an abortion without parental notification. However, it is illegal for anyone under sixteen to engage in sexual intercourse. Huh?! Most of the people I know are currently working to get the first law changed though I'm not sure how successful it will be. We'll see.
Again, another similar thread... Bonnie is still doing great and I felt the calf move the other day. She was really agitated and I saw her right side rolling and flipping like crazy. It was like there was something alive in there! I put my hand on her side and the calf pushed against my hand, hard. Hopefully, it'll be that strong when it's born. I can't wait!!!
Okay, that's all my random stuff for this evening. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a happy (boozeless) New Year.

~Pam

It's a boy!!!

2009-11-30T10:37:00.003-09:00

Jason and Jo had their baby last night and it's a very large boy. I talked to one of the aunts this morning and I guess the midwife said he's over nine pounds. That makes sense, considering the size of his parents. (They are both tall, for those of you who have never met either of them). He was messing around with his cord and tied it in a knot so they had to take him by emergency c-section but he and Jo are fine today. Her mom is going to be here for two weeks I think and I would imagine the rest of her family, or most of it anyway, is going to be coming down soon. I thank the Lord that he safely delivered another baby to our extended family. He's not a replacement for our precious Raisa but he is a reminder that even with loss, great joy comes with the birth of a baby. That is something that my heart had forgotten. I was dreading them having a girl but I am glad they have a healthy baby in any case. They are using some of Raisa's paraphernalia and I wasn't ready to see a baby girl in the carseat the Raisa wasn't done with yet. I'll take pictures, lots of them and, for those of you that care, you can stare and drool to your hearts content.
In other news, I am back home now. Kathy made it back from Colorado on Friday and resumed residency of her home. I hadn't realized just how nasty my house had gotten! It's a shame that two grown adults can't keep four rooms clean for three months but there you go. My plans for renovating the upstairs are kind of in limbo until Mom decides if she wants to redo the whole house. She would like it to be ranch-style, instead of two story but that is a major renovation and will take some money and time. I'd like for her to be able to do it next fall and early winter but it might not happen that quickly. In any case, I don't want to put time and money into finishing the upstairs only to have it be torn down in six months... We'll see how things progress this year.
Bonnie is still pregnant, our Thanksgiving turkey was delicious, even if he infected my dad's finger and Mom's knee is healing still. I went to the dentist last Monday, to have an impacted wisdom tooth pulled and I still have a huge knot of... something, in my cheek, causing pain. I don't know if it's a blood clot, a bruise, unused Novocaine or what but with warm compresses, Ibuprofen out the wazoo and time it seems to be going down. The socket and my jaw are fine now but since the maniac who pulled it jammed a needle into the joint of my jaw and rotated it around without pulling it out I can't open my mouth very far yet. On the plus side, it's a great diet plan.
Dad has cellulitis in his right middle finger. He was gutting our turkey and he nicked his knuckle while inside the cavity. I swelled up and we pestered him into going to the ER. He's on a general antibiotic until they can identify exactly what is in his finger. If it's sensitive to the one he's on then they'll just leave him on that one. If it isn't sensitive then they have to switch them until they find one that is. He said that it's feeling better today so hopefully it's healing and he won't have any permanent damage. He's just amazed that he reacted that way since it's never happened before with elk or moose. I reminded him that we didn't slaughter this bird, he died from hypothermia and he was gutting him hours after it died. The bacteria load in this bird was decidedly higher than in a freshly killed animal. And don't lecture me about the dangers of eating such a bird. He was skinned, cooked very well, and none of us got sick, so there! And, he was delicious.
Charlie made it down for Thanksgiving this year. He's still at GCI, working tech support for wireless internet and loving every minute of it. He's kind of thinking about looking for a house. A buddy of his is willing to go in with him on a large parcel, build two houses, (or one if there's already one there), and subdivide later. It's what we did with Jim and Kathy. He's putting down roots in Wasilla. At least he's still in Alaska. He's four hours away from us but that's not too far that it's a major hurdle if we need him for something. Hopefully, he'll be able to help put up the barn this spring. I really, really, really, really, want a sheltered place for Bonnie to calve, now that I know for sure that she's pregnant. It was nice of her to start bagging up this early, just so I can stop wondering and hoping. The other day, Dad came in and told me to go check on her since there were a dozen ravens ringing the corral. Usually, there's something dead for that many to come. I grabbed my coat, just knowing in my heart that she's miscarried and my dreams for milk this year were dead. But, there was no calf and Bonnie was standing in the middle of her corral, gazing around at her new friends while they eyed the chunk of pig intestine that had brought them in. Nanook had laid it by the corral and they were trying to find a way to get Brandy to quit chewing on it so they could have it. I hung onto the fence for awhile, waiting for my heart to stop pounding before yelling at them and my dogs. Stupid critters anyway!!!
All the turkeys are together now. We have to pick a new breeder tom since we ate ours for Thanksgiving but I get to pick him this time and I want the dominant one. Like I wanted the first time, but was outvoted. We sold one of the older hens to some friends and I keep forgetting to ask them how it was. Now we just need to take care of a hen and a tom and our turkey killing will be done for the year. I might ask Uncle David to help with it when he gets here in January. I can't stand being part of the killing. I'll pluck and gut all day though, that doesn't bother me.
Okay, this is getting crazy long so I'm gonna tack a cute picture of Riley and Phaedra on the end and then call it a post.
~Pam

They were watching Tony and my parents put the trusses on Kathy's porch

2009-11-15T17:29:00.002-09:00

Wow, I'm really falling down on the blogging job. Sorry about that.
Nothing is really new here except the things that naturally happen when you live on an arctic farm. It's cold, finally snowy and the critters are wishing they lived in Florida. Honest! I saw the three breeding turkeys perusing a pamphlet for Disney World the other day. I think it came by airmail... get it?
We finally got some snow last week. It's not nearly enough to last the entire winter but at least it's something. It gets cloudy and snows a bit then clears off for a couple days then gets cloudy for a few hours and then clears off, etc. It's very weird.
Sped, our crippled piggy, meets the butcher in two days and the four butcher turkeys, I think, are getting butchered on Saturday. It's not too soon for Thanksgiving but they will have time to come out of rigor. I can't imagine trying to cook a turkey that is in full rigor. YUCK!!!
In happier, less gory news, I milked my cow tonight! No calf yet but she is bagging up. She's only half-way through her pregnancy but it's pretty common for first-calf heifers to bag up four months early. I was freaking out, imagining her going into labor around Christmas and trying to save this tiny, premature calf but I guess it's normal so I can quit panicking. As for the milking, I was checking to feel the progress of her bag, since I'd noticed that it was loosening up last week, and felt a hard, dried thing on one of her teats. It came right off and she was leaking a little so I squeezed and out came a drop of milk! Cool huh? She doesn't have any problem with me messing around with her udder, so long as she isn't eating. When she's got food in front of her then she wants to be left alone. So much for distracting her with grain or something while she's being milked. She even moves her leg back to make it easier. Hopefully, she'll be a great milk cow.
I've decided to move out, or up rather. We have two bedrooms and a bathroom, unfinished, upstairs and I've decided to turn them into a suite for me. Mom hates the idea of taking her sewing stuff upstairs and I can't fit in my room anymore, (hahahaha!!! I'm not that big, but I have a lot of stuff). It'll be nice to have a room for sleeping and a room for hanging out, doing crafts or goofing around on my laptop while Dad is watching tv downstairs. We already have a toilet, it's just not installed and a shower and vanity don't really cost that much. I can't wait to get started!! Mary Beth quit her job so I don't watch Kelley and Riley anymore but she is going to try to get hired on when WalMart opens in February. She stilll owes me a couple hundred and I think Bonnie is pretty much set for hay so, yahoo!!!!!!
I was going to post pictures of my mayonnaise making but the pictures are on my camera still... which is at Kathy's... down the driveway, sooooo, maybe next time.
Nothing new is going on with anybody else in the family so far as I am aware. Except, our van is paid off so Mom and Dad's medical bills are going to start getting paid off and when they are, Dad is going to get his shoulders looked at by the same guy that did Mom's knee. Dad doesn't realize it yet, but that's the plan. Mom's knee is still a little sore but healing great. Hopefully she can refrain from injuring herself further for awhile.

~Pam

The Countdown Begins

2009-10-24T18:01:00.002-08:00

The pig and four of the turkeys are on their detox diet before they get butchered. We detox them to rid their bodies of the soy that's in the grower. We are getting the pig butchered by a professional but the turkeys are being done here. We've got one of the turkeys sold I'm pretty sure and if we can get some help with the butchering then I might pay the help with a turkey. If they can stomach it after the process that is. We'll see. We are keeping three of the turkeys, a tom and two hens for breeding stock. I'm pretty sure, in our political climate, that the fewer animals we have to buy the better. I'd just as soon "the man" not know how many food critters we have.
Bonnie is doing great. I think the calf is moving around a lot because she is constantly flicking her tail at her haunches and staring at her butt. I feel sorry for her, kind of, but I know she'll get used to it and might not be so confused next year, or the year after...
I managed to get some brome hay since she doesn't like timothy and alfalfa is ridiculously expensive. I think I have enough to see her through most of the winter now with the remnants of a round bale of timothy and 16 bales of brome. Dad built a feeder so it's not on the ground anymore, being stomped, peed and pooped on. Hopefully, the waste will be kept to a minimum this year.
Charlie is still in Wasilla.
Mom is stil at the district.
Dad is stil unemployed, but working on Kathy's house.
My work is fixing to be cut severly since one of my moms is quitting her job. Nov. 7 is her last day so I'm not sure what's going to happen there. They are trying to buy a house so I'm not sure if she's going to be looking for something else or if they are just going to tighten their belts and deal with it. At least, with the new custody agreement, I know the days when I have India and Phaedra, and it's pretty predictable.

The weather up here is being weird. It's frozen a couple of nights but when it clouds up, indicating snow, it usually warms up and rains. It's odd for October to be so close to over with nary a snowflake in sight. At least it's warm though, instead of really cold but just no clouds. Nothing says autumn like walking through the backyard, trees still clinging to the last few, yellow leaves, feet whooshing through the ones on the ground and having turkeys gobbling. I love this season, it's my favorite one.
Okay, that's all I've got for now. I'd post a really good picture I got of Baby Hoffman, but I need to get Jo's permission first since she was between Baby Hoffman and my camera. (If you don't know who I'm talking about then disregard the above monologue. If you do then pop on over to her blog and ask her if I can post it. Heehee)

~Pam

What a strange week!

2009-10-10T09:36:00.003-08:00

So, strange things have been going on this week. It started when Tony and Kiki went to court for their final settlement conference and Tony got awarded visitation with India. They switch Phaedra every week and the week that Tony has her, he gets India for four days too. India's biological parents (specifically her mother) were trying to keep her away from Tony but she was really suffering from the lack of a dad's influence. Hopefully this will even things out for her a little.
Then, schedules are being changed and shifted and my life is very, very hectic of late.
Then, the kids have all been sick but I've managed to avoid the brunt of it, despite repeated and severe exposure. I chock it up to cod liver oil, oysters, kefir and kombucha in massive quantities. I have sore tonsils and a bit of extra mucus but that's about it. WooHoo!!!!!
And finally, I managed to give Riley a syrup shower the other morning. I was leaning over, giving the bone from his pocket to Dozer, so Riley could eat his french toast and I heard a very indignant, "PAM!". I looked at Riley and started laughing as the pool of syrup on his head started dripping down his face and onto the chair. All three of us (me, Phaedra and Riley) had a good laugh while I wiped most of it off so he could eat. He had a shower when he was finished and he was nice and clean when his mommy got home.
We had giant wind last night. It somehow shorted the power at Kathy's. Apparently, the transformer is bad so it's not gonna be a couple minutes to get it fixed. I was really grateful that my dad got the buildings bolted together. That trailer, perched on it's eensy, weensy blocks, would have hit the ground last night without that giant addition holding it steady. I'm thanking the Lord for keeping the trees upright and off all of the houses and critter. And I hope I never go through wind like that at night again. During the day is fine cause I'm aware, not laying in a bed, helpless to dodge crashing foliage.
So, all in all, a very strange week, but it had it's moments.
Later,
~Pam

This is Turnagain Arm, in June.

2009-09-16T22:19:00.003-08:00

K, this is gonna have to be fast since it's late and I got Riley in the morning. I haven't found a website that documents the size of a calf the entire pregnancy but I did find one that says how big they are for the first six months. At this time her calf is between mouse and rat sized. I guess a disclaimer is needed here: She has not been palpated or pregnancy tested but she was in with Obi for three heat cycles and didn't cycle after the first week she was there. We know she cycled while she was in Talkeetna since Obi can tell the difference between a receptive and non-receptive cow and he was definitely interested for a week or so. Soooo, barring a positive pregnancy test, which are expensive and complicated (ever try and predict where a cow is going to pee?), I'm just going on Obi's instincts and assuming she is pregnant.

Night,
~Pam

P.S. Bovine pregnancy tests actually use blood or milk, not pee but the joke wouldn't work that way.

Bonnie is...

2009-08-21T19:39:00.002-08:00

Almost home and pregnant. Tony's plan to bring her home next weekend, to give him time to put a roof on his addition, fell through when Bonnie got loose again. This time she ate everything in his garden, except the potatoes, and then refused to go back into the corral. He spent two days trying to catch her before calling in reinforcements. He got a lead rope on her but never could keep a handle on her long enough to get her tied back up to her tree. Last time I talked to him he said he was going to get some more hands to help and then tie her to the tractor and then it was into the trailer. I called last night and talked to his son who said they had caught her and nobody got hurt. I imagine Tony will be glad to be rid of her. I guess I've got some planning to do if I want to convince him to do this again next year. Or plan to have Obi down here next summer, either way, it's going to take some planning.
So, in honor of her first pregnancy I present a ticker to mark the days. Tony thinks he knows the day that she was bred so we're going by that, July 4th. Also, if I can find something, I'm going to post how big the calf is during her pregnancy. Stay tuned cause I'm still searching for such a thing.

Girl Videos

2009-08-08T23:18:00.005-08:00

These are montages for India and Phaedra. There is music so crank up the music! Raisa's is in the April archives for those who missed it.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Making Real Butter

2009-07-24T18:48:00.006-08:00

So, for the past month or so that we've been getting our raw milk I've been shaking the cream back in. We needed the extra fat, in a readily assimilatable (check it out, I created a word!) form and I was just plain lazy. A few days ago I decided that it was time to start making butter instead. I skimmed last week's gallons (two) and got two pints of really nice, thick cream. Think about that, each gallon had a pint of cream on it! And one of them wasn't even a full gallon. I love those cows!
On a side note, butter from GRASS-FED cows is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it assists in the conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A in our own digestive tracts. The beta carotene from the grass is converted to vitamin A by the cow and excreted into the milk because babies cannot make vitamin A at all. Considering the diet of the typical American, y'all need more grass-fed dairy in your diets. Good stuff it is!
Anyway, here's my process for making butter. Actually, I sometimes make the kids do it by shaking jars but that's only when I want them to be busy for awhile. :-) We even have a song for it: "Shake Shake Shake
Shake Shake Shake
Shake Your Butter
Shake Your Butter!"
Sorry, got a bit sidetracked there. Now, on to MY butter-making:

This is the second pint. You can see the line of cream at the top of the milk.

Two pints, ready for butter-making. This is very close to the color of the cream. The pure white cream that you buy in the store isn't naturally how it should look. Yellow cream comes from the beta carotene in the grass that happy cows eat. But not necessarily in California.

Taking a whirl in the food processor. I used to use the blender but the cream gets too thick and makes a pocket above the blades, thus preventing the formation of butter. I like the food processor better cause it holds more and it's faster.

This is the butter and butermilk, separated. I haven't added any colorants to it and it really is this yellow. Again, the beta carotene does this to it.

separating the butter and the buttermilk. I might give the buttermilk to Carol so she can make me a buttermilk pie. Or I might make buttermilk pancakes or buttermilk waffles? The possibilities are endless! I let the butter drip for awhile and then went to my next step.

This is the butter, floating in a bowl of cold water. I work the butter while cold water, from the faucet, rinses the extra buttermilk away. I can't save it all! You work the butter in cold water so it doesn't melt and stick to your hands, and you have to knead all the buttermilk out so the butter doesn't develop a rancid flavor. I worked in some salt after this, in the food processor but I forgot to get a picture.

Finished butter, in a pint jar. I got almost a pint of butter and a pint of buttermilk. Not bad for a day's butter-making.

Later,
~Pam

Creation of Real Food and hair pics

2009-07-21T03:11:00.004-08:00

The pig roast was last Saturday and it was a smashing success! We had many more people this year than we did last year and not as many leftovers. I took Kelley and Riley (Kathy's grandkids and my newest charges) to it this year. The girls were not available for the pig roast so they missed out on the fun. Anyway, here's some pictures of the piggy experiment that my dad conducted. He knows that the method works, just maybe not on pigs...

Dad tried to skin him with air. He inserted an air nozzle just under the skin and pumped the piggy's skin full of air. The pig is no longer living for this! Unfortunately, it doesn't work on hogs. It just seemed to inflate his fat, rather than separate the skin from the fat. Oh well, lesson learned. He and Jeff (the ex-owner of Pastor and Anita's house) skinned him and Pastor roasted him Friday night/Saturday morning. He was delicious!

And now, on to the newest hair pictures...

This is India's hair. It's growing back from a big chop that I did about five months ago. She thinks she needs to have it cut again but really, she just needs to be taught how to take care of it.

Phaedra's beautiful, brown hair. Her hair is darker than this picture because of the flash but you can tell how long it is. It's naturally straight and these are the remnants of braidwaves. I believe, unbraided and brushed straight, her hair is down to her tailbone. She, unlike India, never wants to have her hair cut. Her dad trimmed the ends a few months ago but she has grown back those missing inches and a little bit more I believe. She needs to be taught how to take care of her hair too. But her Dad needs to learn as well since he lets her leave it down all the time so it gets tangled and dirty and damaged cause she's just 4 years old. Apparently, he CAN braid, but he just doesn't. I guess it's a short-haired guy thing.

Well, that's all I got for this post.

~Pam

Well, hmm...

2009-07-14T23:53:00.002-08:00

It seems Bonnie faked me out last month. According to Tony, she did not cycle when I thought she should. He thinks maybe she was just going into season when we got her down there and maybe she has already been bred. Obsidian was very interested in her, in a more-than-friends sort of way, for about a week. Tony saw some mounting behavior but not the actual deed itself. It's not surprising since a cow is in standing heat for a very brief period of time (standing heat is when she will stand still, in case you couldn't tell). He's got the twenty-first day of her visit marked on his calendar so he'll know to start watching her then. If she goes back into heat, as evidenced by Obi's behavior then he'll be able to tell and if she hasn't cycled again in that time then she was bred as soon as she got there. My cow might already be pregnant! I just got the coolest idea!!! It'll be the next post though, not this one. Forgive the randomness of the post, I am exhausted. Aren't I always?

Things continue along back at the ranch. Dad's deckhanding plans fell through so he's not sure what he's going to do for money this summer. This is especially bad cause we NEED to get a barn up before spring, and for that we NEED to get the concrete poured before it freezes and that's going to cost major coin. I don't think my piddly paychecks are gonna get that done but we'll see. Mom is still doing summerschool stuff for the district and starting to gear up for the start of regular school. Charlie is still keeping on in Wasilla, doing the same old stuff every day.

Well, I don't have any new hair pictures to post that aren't on Facebook and I think that anyone who's interested in that stuff is already on there so...

I'm gonna end this before my brain melts. Night!

~Pam

Moodini, Part Three

2009-07-06T01:21:00.002-08:00

All righty, this may come out a little garbled and delirious cause I'm really tired. But, I can't go to bed cause I'm waiting for Phaedra to get here cause she's going to her dad's house tomorrow cause her mom doesn't want to see the guy and it's just a crazy mixed up mess.

Here's the second part of the story that I'm sure you've all been just been on pins and needles for.

I called Tony (Asher is his last name, come to find out) on Sunday afternoon, just to check on my child. He said everything was going great, Bonnie and Obi have really gotten to be buddies. and he only wanted to skin her once! In twenty four hours she had already been threatened with her life!
Apparently, sometime Sunday, Tony was out in his driveway pulling logs down to his sawmill. He happened to glance up toward the house and saw this white cow in his garden, chomping on his cabbages! Since the only other cow on the place happens to be black, he knew immediately that Moodini had struck again! He grabbed a pail of grain and ran over there. When he got to here she realized her cabbage chomping fun was over and just waltzed right back into the corral with Obi. Upon closer inspection, Tony discovered that she had somehow unhooked the line from her halter!? Still can't figure that one out but she hasn't done it again.
I called him yesterday evening and she is staying tied up like a good girl now. He's going to start watching for signs that she's going into heat this week though. Hopefully Obi is better at detecting it than I am and she won't rebuff him. It'd be really nice if she takes the first time so Tony can bring her back at the end of the month, confident that Obi did his job. I'd keep my fingers crossed if I believed in that sort of thing.
Night,
~Pam

"Nonstop to Talkeetna"

2009-06-28T22:22:00.003-08:00

For those of you who might not get the title inference, it's an almost quote from the movie "Snow Dogs". I have watched that movie a few times and it still gripes me but I guess you'd have to be an Alaskan to get why. Anywho, that's not the topic for this particular post. Dad and I drove my poor, unsuspecting heifer to Talkeetna yesterday. She made the acquaintance of the most magnificent beast, Obsidian. He's an Highland bull, in case you couldn't tell.
I had to drag her out of "bed" at 6 a.m., shove her unwilling body into a trailer and make her stand for six hours to get there. Okay, I didn't force her to stand, she was in a trailer and could have laid down if she wanted to. She didn't have to ride backwards either but that was what she chose to do. I kind of understand, "I know that I got in here through these things, now if I can just get them open somehow!" We stopped in Wasilla to see Charlie and have breakfast at IHOP. (I had an omelet, just so you know) and then moved on to Talkeetna. In actuality we turned off the road before we got all the way to Talkeetna but it's easier to say that we went there then try and explain the directions.
Tony's place is a lot like ours in that he's got his own thing going. His cow corral is right next to the house so that made me feel better since he can see everything that's going on out there. His corrals are really big but they are made from electric tape and barbed wire, neither of which are familiar to Bonnie. Which leads us to a really funny story and the entire reason for this post. And now...
"The Bonnie Saga or Moodini, Part Two"

It is a beautiful, sunny day as we roll into Talkeetna, towing our charge behind us. We could tell that she sensed something because our white, Explorer began to jerk and sway with the movements in the trailer. As we, uncertainly because I left the directions at home, turn down a twisty, dirt driveway my father looks at me and raises his eyebrows.
"I don't think this is it"
"It's the twisty one after the straight one and that 's what the directions say... I think. I'll call Mom and ask her to run home and read them to me if you want."
"No, if it's not then we'll ask directions or turn around and try another driveway."

As the SUV rounds the last bend a small, log cabin comes into view. Standing in front is a slight man, long bearded in Carhartt overalls. Through the trees I catch a glimpse of an immense, shaggy blackness. Butterflies erupt in my stomach as Dad hollers out the window that we're looking for Tony.
"That's me." Mr. Carhartt says and sticks out his hand. After Dad shakes it he introduces me and the chatting begins. As we slowly fall from the cab, it was a LONG ride after all, we run through the various pleasantries that perfect strangers seem to do. When I pop the side door on the trailer, to check my baby Tony comes around to check her out too. He notices right away that she is mixed blood but he doesn't seem to mind cause she is beautiful after all. Dad is unsure about how she will react to being in a strange place so he unloads her. Actually, he throws open the door and stands back as she flies from her confines. My sweet cow doesn't freak out though and I am able to lead her safely to the first corral. As Tony turns off the electric fence and pops the divider out I let Bonnie wander around and sniff things. It seems at times that she is a dog, with the incessant need to explore her world with her nose. She is incredibly interested in the small paddock that holds an eight week old heifer calf, the product of an illicit affair with the Black Angus bull down the road. As I lead her to the, now open, corral that houses her future baby-daddy she doesn't seem too nervous. I, on the other hand, can't help noticing the massive animal moving in our direction. He is GORGEOUS! All horn and hair and patient, rolling gait, getting closer and closer. I ask Tony if I could just turn her loose, he says sure and I reach for Bonnie's chin. Normally, this is her signal to bolt from me, kicking up her heels and playing but as she takes her first hop she finally notices that boy that is so close to her. Her jump seems to change in midair, from vertical to horizontal and she bolts away from him. Fortunately, she also bolts away from us. Tony has very nicely put a rope on Obsidian's halter so that occasionally he would step on it, slowing his progress and allowing his reluctant mistress to scamper away. As he moves past us I can't help but admire the sheer power of him. His horns are so perfectly formed and as he moves through the trees he tilts his massive head to accommodate them. Perfect!!!!!
Parched from the long ride, Bonnie stops at the water tank and is rewarded with an eager nose shoved into her... Well, that part doesn't need description, I think everyone gets the picture. As she moves around the tank, a persistent Obi follows her until she stands still long enough for him to get a decent sniff. While he curls his lip, testing her readiness with the organ in the roof of his mouth, she moves on to the enormous pile of hay, just laying there waiting for her. Of course, being a healthy male, Obi has to make sure she is absolutely, positively out of of heat before he can relax and they make several rounds of the corral before things calm down. But as Bonnie becomes less concerned about Obi, she becomes more curious about her new home. As we're standing there watching, she meanders over to the side and sticks her head between two hot wires and begins stripping a sapling on the other side. Panic ensues until the fence is restored to it's position and Bonnie's head is on the same side of the fence as her body.
"She's never been around electric fence before so she may not realize..." My sentence is halted by Bonnie's jerk as she touches her wet nose to another section of fence and is given a shock. Maybe she'll get it now and not stick her head through it again? HAHAHAHA!!!!! Not my Bonnie! Five minutes later, I must run out the gate, around the corral and grab her with my bare hands as she meanders around in the woods outside the corral! She had nonchalantly stepped through another section of fence while we all stood there and watched her and poor Obi, powerless to make his new female stay inside with him. As I start to pull her back to the fence she stops to pull a few weeds up and gazes at me with her big eyes as she chews. When she realizes that I intend to put her back with Obi she gladly goes back through the fence and canters to the other side. I realize that this could get old, chasing her though fences so I sidle up between them and grab her halter. Apparently, Obi takes this as his signal to throw his big shaggy head onto Bonnie's back, preparing to attack, er mount, her. Of course, since she is not receptive, Bonnie lunges away from him, crushing my right foot in the process. Okay, it's not crushed! Not even broken but it sure hurts real bad!
I allow Bonnie to drag me to the hay and stand there, foot throbbing as Obi ambles up behind and starts to get friendly again. I'm prepared this time and warn him off, pushing his nose to the side. He's not that tall and I'm wary of the horns but I've got control of her and it's my job to watch her back... and other rear parts. Tony comes to the rescue with a lead rope and a chain. Since Bonnie gets chained up all day, every day I tell him that it shouldn't be a problem having her tied beside the hay. He's leery since he had a cow that got tangled in a rope, panicked, fell and broke her back. I assure him that she is familiar with being tied and can untangle herself. So long as she can get her rear end away from Obi if she needs to then she'll be fine. And with Bonnie safely restrained in the corral, Obi standing protectively close, we saddle up and hit the road. It's been an eventful trip but I, for one, am eager to get home. Have a fun stay my Bonnie

The End

Stay tuned for the continuation of our story, or " Cow Among Tony's Cabbage"
In the meantime, here's some pictures so you can better appreciate the previous events.

Night,
~Pam

This is the Highland/Angus heifer calf. She's coming home with Bonnie. But she's not gonna stay. The owner of our borrowed trailer wants her.

This is Obsidian, ambling through the trees, in pursuit of his latest lady.

Bonnie was approaching him this time and he turned to look at us. When we left she was trying to get him to play with her but he's too dignified for that.

Saurekraut

2009-06-22T09:53:00.003-08:00

Well, my cousin Andrea asked me about the sauerkraut a couple posts ago. I started to type a reply to that comment but realized that there was too much information for that method. A post seems the best way to convey all of the intricacies and the nuances of such an art.

Watch the tutorials on YouTube!

There, post finished.

Later,
~Pam

Just kidding Andrea!

Okay, I made my sauerkraut using the salt-only method. This is the second batch I have made this way. I am considering using the "cheater" way but just haven't gotten around to it.

Salt Method Of Making Sauerkraut:

One head of organic cabbage (I say organic cause it cancels a lot of the health benefits if you use cabbage that's been grown with synthetic fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides)
Unrefined Sea Salt (it still has the trace minerals in it that can only make you healthier)
A crock or glass jar (one head of cabbage filled a gallon jar)

Shred the cabbage very thinly. I mean THIN. You've all seen sauerkraut! Alternate layers of cabbage and salt in your container until the container is full. You don't have to completely cover each cabbage layer with salt though, just a teaspoon or so ought to do. Remember, salt is pretty powerful and you don't want your sauerkraut to be too salty.

After the container is full, use your fist or a mallet, or something equally blunt to crush the cabbage until juices are released. Try to get enough juice to cover the cabbage completely but if you can't then cover it with salt water. Try and shoot for juice coverage though so you don't get too much salt.

Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least two weeks. The warmer the ambient temperature the faster your kraut will ferment. I had to leave mine out for a month since I made it in January, in our chilly kitchen. Start tasting as soon as you want and when it's fermented to your tastes then put it somewhere cool so it'll last longer. This is how I made my first and second batch. The first batch had cabbage, beets, kale and beet greens in it so it was a really nice shade of pink but it was too salty. This batch is much better in that regard but it is purely cabbage. I tried to make pickles the same way but I really need to do it with gherkins instead of the slicing cucumbers you buy in the store.

Now, the "cheater" method and the easiest way to predict results and also the best way to ferment salsa and relish is to use a yogurt starter. Instead of layering the product with salt, just fill your container, crush and add starter that has been put in water. (1/4 cup water per packet of starter seems to be the consensus) . You can buy yogurt starter in most health food stores. I've been toying with the idea of making relishes and some salsa since the company that makes those products doesn't ship to Alaska for whatever retarded reason.

Now, the reason for the salt, in case you don't know. Salt kills bacteria, most of them anyway. Salt in your ferments will retard the growth of putrefying bacteria long enough for the lactobacilli to take over. Lactobacilli produce lactic acid, which pickles things. Using the starter simply adds the lactobacilli from the get go so there is no contest with the nasties and your product ferments faster, better and you're better able to predict the final result. There's the added bonus of not getting it too salty. I haven't done it so far cause I wanted to do it the "right" way. I wanted to make authentic sauerkraut, authentic kefir and authentic sourdough. I'm loosening up a bit and might give the starter method a try. I'll let you know how it goes. You can also use whey from making cream cheese to make your ferments. Just put some yogurt in a cloth, suspended over a bowl. The clearish liquid that drains out is whey and it is loaded with the same bacteria as the yogurt. The drained yogurt can be used as cream cheese and makes a really great, healthy spread for bagels and stuff!

Okay, now for the mini lecture cause you knew it was coming. The health benefits of fermented things have been known for centuries, but Western civilization has forgotten. And since it has been forgotten and phased out of the typical American menu, it's harder to get people to at least try a fermented product. Fermenting something increases the nutritional content, makes those increased nutrients more available for our bodies, makes food easier to digest, introduces probiotics to our systems and tastes down-right delicious. Digestive issues can often be resolved with the introduction of fermented food.
There are many, many, many things that have been or can be fermented if you are creative enough to try. Happy fermenting!
Later,
~Pam

2009-06-21T19:53:00.003-08:00

Life is so surreal sometimes. At times it seems like I'm fully in the moment, I'm fully aware of my life and what's been happening to me over the past three months and then I seem to fade back into this world of just existing. I often think of Raisa and what she meant... means to me. She is still a huge part of my life, just a huge missing part. Sometimes it's like she was just here yesterday and I know I'm going to see her tomorrow. I'm looking through pictures of her sisters, laughing at the funny ones, sighing at the sweet ones and absolutely falling apart when I realize that that sweet baby girl is in the background and I had never noticed her before. Some days are good, some days are bad and some days are so completely lost to me. I can spend an entire week, busy about my life and be brought to a standstill by the "sudden" realization that she is never coming back, that I don't get to hold her and breathe in that sweet smell that was so uniquely her and I end up on my knees, wracked with grief so raw that I can't breathe. It seems strange to others that I am so attached to her but she was like one of my own babies. I couldn't love her more if I had given birth to her and it still wrecks me to think of life without her. She was taken so suddenly and I never had the chance to see her or say goodbye. Her parents were there for her entire struggle. They were there to say goodbye when she took her last breath but I never got that chance and that hurts a lot. They split her ashes so she could be buried in Alaska, by her mother's family and in South Dakota, by her father's family but I have nothing. I have pictures and memories and some of the things that were used for her while she was here but I have nothing of HER. Not a lock of hair, not a handprint, not a footprint... Nothing but what I carry around inside of me and that will never be enough. I know my memories of her are already fading, being replaced by new ones of her sisters and the rest of life and it's like saying goodbye all over again when I can't remember things.
The pig roast is quickly approaching. What's that got to do with this post? Everything! The pig roast at Pastor and Anita's last year was where I got to parade her little eight week old self around and show her off. Everyone cooed and sighed and everyone held her. I know people just do that to babies but that day it was about Raisa, MY Raisa, not some anonimous baby that belonged to someone else. Angela took a picture of us that day and I cherish that picture. It reminds me always that she was here, that I touched her and held her and loved her. It reminds me that for one brief, golden year, my life was better because she was in it and even though, at times, it seems that grief has enveloped my entire being, I know that I'll see her again. I'll be able to touch her and hold her and love her in person again.

~Pam

Somethin' freaky this way comes!

2009-06-18T13:44:00.004-08:00

So, this year has been weird. We've had eighty degree temperatures, lupine like crazy and some of the strangest wildlife I have ever seen.
We saw a moose with three calves the other day, the first I've ever seen. One of the triplets was a lot smaller than the other two and it made me wonder if perhaps it wasn't a foster. That would be cool if it was and it makes it!

There was a really strange squirrel in the bird feeder.

And there's a giant mosquito hangin' around in the driveway. It took three strong men and a trailer to make it go away! Unfortunately, it polished off a couple of kids before it could be vanquished.

~Pam

My favorite...

2009-06-15T11:04:00.003-08:00

This is my favorite shelf in the entire refrigerator. Left to Right: Partially drunk gallon of raw milk, full gallon of raw milk with the cream risen, sourdough starter and lacto-fermented saurkraut.

YUMMY! YUMMY! YUMMY!

~Pam

2009-06-08T16:22:00.004-08:00

Vacation Bible School 2009 was over on Thursday. We had a pretty good turnout. A couple kids from the neighborhood came but since "my" kids were out of the state or Daddy was home I didn't bring any. Bummer. But, the girls are back in the state, Anchorage and I should have them tomorrow. Kelley and Riley are coming over on Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat and Sun so my schedule is officially full. Dad is deckhanding again so my days should be full of children and empty of Father this summer. I can't say as I'm disappointed.

The Diamond M called today and we are getting raw milk again!!!!!!!!! I have missed it so much. Since we are at the bottom of the list I guess we get called when the supply gets to be more than the demand. We're getting our two gallons a week, $6 a gallon and Mom can swing by and get one on her way home, Wednesday and we can get the other when we go shopping on Saturday! I'm too excited can you tell?

Bonnie still has her date in Talkeetna at the end of the month. I guess the whole crew (Dad, Mom, Kathy, Me and Bonnie) are going. Mom has never been to Talkeetna, Kathy just wants to get away, I want Dad to go in case something breaks on the truck and to see the setup, maybe get some ideas from someone who farms in Alaska, and I have to go cause I'm footing the bill and cause it's my cow that's why! June 26th is when we're taking her up. I guess we're gonna get a room and spend the night so that Kathy doesn't have to ride all the way up and back in one day. Tony (the cow guy) and his kids will bring her back in August, after she's been bred. They are just gonna come down and go fishing or something. I guess this area is one of their favorite places to fish. I wonder why? I am too excited about that too, can you tell?

I managed to make a tiny, little infinity bun today. It feels cooler than it looks. I'm excited to be doing neat things with my hair. It makes me feel justified for having long hair, as if I need it. And again, I'm excited. Can you tell?

Well, I've run out of very exciting news so I'm leaving now, can you tell?

~Pam

VBS

2009-06-01T23:20:00.003-08:00

Vacation Bible School started today!!! Yay!!!!!! We didn't have the turnout that we were expecting tonight but we have three more days yet. I helped Miss I-Can't-Do-Crafts-To-Save-My-Life-Jaime do the... crafts. The kids made bookmarks to put in their Bibles, or a favorite book. Hopefully more kids will show up tomorrow. I'm sure having an evening VBS makes it hard for some parents but we are only a small church and evenings are the only times we can all be there. At least some kids get to come! It'll be great fun irregardless.

We moved the turkey poults outside today. I can't remember if I posted about them or not and I don't feel like searching so y'all get to read about them again, maybe. Dad and Uncle Dave went to Nikiski and picked up a pig about two weeks ago. It was the last one he had and it's back feet are malformed. Actually, they are straightening out nicely now but they were very malformed. The guy also had a lot of Standard Bronze turkey poults for $6.50 each. We got six of them. Standard Bronze turkeys combine the size of the Broad-Breasted Bronze with the ability to mate and raise their own young. A large Bronze tom can stand close to four feet tall and weigh 30 pounds or more. The largest tome of the six we had last year was at least 50 pounds, live. I have to carry the carcass with two arms cause it's so heavy. I love the size, so nothing will mess with them, and the natural brooding. One of the poults died about four days after we got them but the other five moved outside today. Dad, Mom and I built a steel "tractor" yesterday. It's fifteen feet in diameter and about three and a half feet tall. It's covered with concrete reinforcing mesh, then wire over the top of that. We put it in the corral because Bonnie leaves bug traps all over the place and she never eats the grass. It can be chest high and she'll turn up her nose and eat the hay. Stange cow! This way, the turkeys can eat the bugs that are attracted to her "offerings" and the grass but be protected somewhat better with her in there. I just hope she doesn't shove it around and end up squishing them. She's outside grazing all day so nighttime is the only dangerous time for them but she's sleeping then anyway. Hopefully, we'll have a bird yard built before winter so the turkeys can go to their own place over the winter. We're gonna wait until next spring to decide which turkey's to butcher so we can get a pair.
Okay, that's all the news I have for this post. If I think of anything else it'll just have to wait!

Night,
~Pam

P.S. Jaime got her hair cut! It is a lot shorter than she thought it would be. The hairdresser (Mrs. Lambert) told her it would be two inches shorter but since Jaime has had long hair for years she was unprepared for how short it is. She's glad the damage is gone, but kinda bummed about the lost length. I feel for her! Maybe we could have a "hair party"! Sounds fun!

2009-05-28T16:20:00.003-08:00

Okay, how many of you have ever heard of sealing teeth? I have never heard of this and I can't imagine that it's been around that long. Anyway, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Dental sealants are a dental treatment consisting of applying a plastic material to one or more teeth, for the intended purpose of preventing dental caries (cavities) or other forms of tooth decay.
Since the 1970s, in the United States, the incidence of tooth decay on the smooth surfaces of teeth has declined, in part because of fluoridation becoming widespread in public water supplies as well as improved dental hygiene among the public. However, because the teeth in the back of the mouth (molars and premolars) have numerous pits and fissures on their biting surfaces, certain areas of these teeth are often difficult to clean even with vigorous tooth-brushing. To remedy this, research into dental sealants began in the 1960s and by the early 1970s, the first generation of sealants became available and were approved by the FDA.

Dental sealants are usually applied in a dentist's office. The dentist, dental hygienist or assistant first cleans and dries the tooth to be treated, then paints a thin layer of liquid plastic material on the pits and fissures of the tooth. After application of the plastic liquid, blue spectrum natural light is shone on the applied material for a few seconds to cure the plastic. Alternatively, some brands of sealants self-cure via a chemical process.

After curing, the plastic becomes a hard, thin layer covering the treated portions of the tooth. Despite the incredible pressures effected on teeth during chewing each day, dental sealants may remain effective for five years or longer, although sealants do wear naturally and may become damaged over time. Bacteria and food particles may eventually become entrapped under the dental sealants, and can thus cause decay in the very teeth intended to be protected.

Okay, so they've been around for thirty years and I am just now hearing about them? Perhaps I've just not been paying attention but boy I am now. Just think, to reduce the hassle of making sure your children eat healthy food and nagging them to brush their teeth you can just take them to your dentist and have their teeth coated with plastic! Isn't technology wonderful?
I'm not intending to attack anyone's parenting decisions but who in their right mind thinks that this is the superior dental hygiene choice?
It's been demonstrated over and over and over that teeth do remineralize. And it's been demonstrated over and over that by never starting your children on refined flour and sugar products you can prevent cavities. Despite what the dentists and the FDA would have you believe, dental caries are NOT caused by leaving food on your teeth. Many "primitive" peoples never brushed their teeth, let alone set foot in a dental office and yet their incidences of dental caries is remarkably low. I found a copy of Dr. Weston Price's book, "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" online and I've been relishing reading it.
This article also mentions that cavities are going down due to the widespread fluoridation of water sources but that's not true. I don't have all my information on fluoride right here so y'all will have to investigate that for yourself.

Bottom line: Feed your children the right food. Instead of an Oreo, go for an organic, soaked oatmeal cookie. They taste way better than nasty Oreo's and they won't drain your child's body of the minerals it needs to develop properly. Instead of Mac and Cheese from a box, make it from scratch with organic, brown rice pasta. My girls get so excited when I make "cheese noodles" from scratch. Instead of sugary soda, make kefir soda. No GMO's, no sugar and probiotics all rolled into one tasty package.
Making parenting decisions that sacrifice the health and safety of your children for your own convenience is not the right way to parent. I can only hope that when the time comes for me to start making nutrition choices for my children that I'll make the right ones and not take the easy way out.

~Pam

Sourdough Success!

2009-05-19T14:13:00.014-08:00

My first Real Food Wednesday post!
Anyone else struggle with making an authentic sourdough loaf of bread? I mean real sourdough, not yeast bread, flavored with something sour. I made an authentic Alaskan sourdough starter last year and have managed to make maybe six loaves with it. My biggest struggle is with making a high loaf without the incredibly tangy flavor. The longer you leave sourdough to rise, the more sour it is. Well, the best loaf I ever managed, in terms of height, was after a 48 hour rise and it was nearly inedible. We ate it with soup the day I made it but it would be worthless as a sandwich bread and was sour enough to cause a pucker. Well, I believe I've stumbled upon a good compromise loaf. The recipe is for a soaked flour bread, (to reduce phytic acid) but I can use my sourdough starter as the soaking medium. I diluted the starter as the recipe called for and left it in the bread machine to soak overnight. When I got ready to put the rest of it together this morning I discovered that it had risen a little while not getting very sour at all. Don't get me wrong, I love sourdough bread, just not so sour that you pucker when you eat it. I figure, a twelve hour rise is the most that I want and if I can get the phytic acid reduced before hand and then use yeast to assist the wild yeasts I'm gonna go for it. I'm not sure how I can get the true sourdough that I want but in the meantime this is a good compromise.

I started with fresh ground wheat (hard red):

I didn't manage to get a picture of the mess I made when I forgot the grinder was running and it overflowed.

Next, I mixed my starter, the flour, maple syrup and water in the bread machine:

This takes a lot of the work out of it.The recipe uses a Bosch. I think I'll talk my husband into getting me one for my birthday... As soon as I get a husband that is, since I'll never finagle one out of my parents.

Then I left it to soak overnight and in the morning, this was what I found:

I activated the yeast in a small bowl with water and honey:

I had to knead the yeast mixture, the ascorbic acid (dough enhancer) and the salt in by hand since the bread machine just couldn't break through the gluten cloak that had already formed. This was what it looked like when I put it in the machine to rise again before I baked it:

I can't get a good picture of what it looked like before I baked so y'all will have to use your imaginations!

A nice, fresh, loaf of bread!:
I went to the neighbor's for an hour and a half so it got a little dark.

I'm really impressed with this brand of yeast. It's made by Rapunzel, the same company that makes Rapadura, unrefined sugar. I like that it's organic, so no GMOs and they put a lot of it in the packet because they can't supercharge it in the laboratory. It's $1.50 a packet so it's not a great deal and I'm going to keep working on making a pure sourdough loaf. In the meantime it's a great way to make sure my family has healthy bread to eat.

We cut into the loaf as soon as we could cause I was a little late getting dinner on the table. It is wonderfully light (for wheat sourdough) and has that marvelous sour tang but it's not so overwhelming, even after 12 hours. The bread machine is awesome cause I can turn on the bake cycle for ten seconds or so and then turn it off to make it warmer in the machine. It took about three hours for the bread to rise as high as it did and I might have let it go a little more if I'd been home. For those of you who want the recipe here it is:

In you bread machine start with-

1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups water
5 1/2 cups of ground flour (you can replace 1 or 2 cups with unbleached white flour for a lighter end result)
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup coconut oil, butter or palm oil, melted

Work it together using the dough setting then cover the "pan" with plastic wrap, close the lid and let it sit for 12-24 hours.

After soaking, activate the yeast by combining:

1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp honey
1 packet organic yeast

After activating the yeast, combine it with the soaked flour and add the remaining ingredients:

3/4 Tbsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ascorbic acid (I used homeopathic vitamin c tablets)
1 cup unbleached white flour, if necessary (usually not necessary and wasn't for me)
Sunflower seeds, if desired

I had to knead for about ten minutes to get everything mixed into the dough. When it was done I rolled it into a ball and put it back in the machine. Turn the machine to 'bake' for about ten seconds. Don't walk away and forget it or you'll end up with a brick!! Let the dough rise until double then turn the machine on to bake and walk away. I had to cover the dough while it was soaking and rising with plastic wrap because the machine doesn't seal. The bread can't rise if there's a crust on top. Slather on a thick layer of organic (cause I can't get grass-fed right now) butter and munch away!!

Enjoy,
~Pam

FIGHT BACK FRIDAY!!!!

2009-05-15T13:13:00.005-08:00

I've been meaning to do a post for Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays Blog Carnival for some time and I finally know exactly what I want to post about.
Last year our supply of raw milk dried up and I don't believe they have cows anymore so I had to improvise. Her name is Bonnie and her first attempt at calf-making will be in July so hopefully, we'll have our own supply of milk around April 2010.

Our turkey's were not pastured, technically, but they were not sheltered from the elements, bugs or grass either. Having spent the last six weeks of his life on a soy-free diet, this bad boy was delicious. I am working on building a one acre bird yard so they can truly be pastured.

The pigs are being temporarily housed with us but it is a wonderful learning opportunity and I have asked for the lard when they are slaughtered. We are going to do pigs later, when we have a large parcel that we can let them roam around on.

The eggs ($3 a doz.) are soy free, and summer pastured, laid about 40 miles from us. I think it's worth it! And during the winter the yolks were as orange and tall as they ever were in the summer so I know those hens have access to lots of good quality hay. Can you spot the Aracauna egg?

This journey has been a long one, full of pit-falls and setbacks but I truly believe I'm on the right track of optimal nutrition for my family. I am learning to avoid sounding preachy while still getting my message across to those I care about. And the best lesson I have learned, as my pastor always says, is always demand proof! Never take someone else's word for things without doing the research yourself. You can't convince a group of people without being sure of your position.
Best of all I revel in my newfound identity as a FOOD RENEGADE!!!!!

~Pam

Last service

2009-05-14T21:42:00.003-08:00

Raisa Rea was laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon at the Spruce Grove Cemetery in Kasilof. It was a really poignant scene and would have been much less emotional if they hadn't invoked the protection and blessing of Elohim, the god of Kolab. Being as almost all of Kiki's family is mormon, it was perfectly natural for them to have "Aunt Linda" ask "god" to bless the service. Kiki's sister read some things about Raisa since not everybody in the family had even met her (it's a huge family). At the end she said she couldn't wait to be reunited with Raisa, "as we all will". At that point my heart cried out since I know for a fact that if anyone there is trusting in the mormon gospel then they are never going to see her again! But, then was not the time to say anything and hopefully, I can recognize witness opportunities as the Lord presents them. Anyway, here's some pictures from the service and what her burial site looks like now. Jaime, Ariana and I went to the cemetery after church to see it when nobody else was around.
Mom, signing the guestbook

A duty that no parent should have to perform.

This was Wednesday night with Jaime and Ariana

There was condensation on the inside of the glass and I'm kind of worried about the glass as the temperature fluctuates over the year because they sealed it with silicone. Hopefully, it'll be fine for many, many decades.

For my Raisa

2009-05-09T20:16:00.004-08:00

In a hospital bed, a child lays dying. Her parents beside her are huddled and afraid. Their confidence waning, they feel the end near and hug their baby close, hearts torn and souls aching.

Round her bed sight unseen, an army stands guard, angels of God sent to escort her Home.

Filling the room the enemy waits and watches as another young soul is snatched from their grasp.

“Forget her” he says “others are despairing. Get to it imps, there’s fear to sow and anger to reap .”

As the phalanx grows tighter, the imps melt away and the angels know her time draws near.

Her small chest rises and falls but does not rise once again and her young soul rises up, loosed from her coil.

As her parents realize their baby is gone, alive and whole she is taken by the hand.

Able to talk for the first time, she asks, “Where are we going? Is it someplace bad?”

“Never fear child, the Father awaits your arrival in Heaven.”

Her guardian steps forward, holding tight to her hand and all together they leave, for realms beyond.

Now I have no way to know what happened after she left us. I can only speculate, based on my faith in God’s word.

As she approached the Lord’s throne she looked to her right and saw a being of beauty, shining so bright.

When she stopped before the King, her guard left her side and she stood alone, so small in God’s sight.

The Adversary stepped up, opened his book with a smile, placed his finger inside and searched for her name.

As his finger moved down, his smile faded and he glared, her innocence sealed.

“I have nothing for her. You took her too soon. But I know of others, her family you see.

They’ll hate you, you know, for taking their baby. I’ll be there to feed it, with lies and deceit. They’ll never accept the sacrifice of your Son, I’ll see to it.”

“How soon you forget Lucifer that I have a witness down there. A whole group of people are my ambassadors to her family.

My peace I give them, their faith shines through.

In time they’ll see it and yearn for it too.

Try as you might, my children stand strong.

They’ll tell of my love and my faithfulness too and when they are ready her parents will join me.

It’s hard on a family when a young one comes Home but I’m still there with them, and I want them here too.”

The girl stood agape, her mind so expanded as she knew where she was, and to whom she’d been handed.

As her knees hit the floor, from her lips burst forth praises, she knew she was in Heaven before the Father and Jesus.

From his throne Christ stood and reached out His hand.

As she took it and stood, he smiled so kind and said those words, I yearn to find,

“Welcome Home ”

Raisa's Memorial Service

2009-05-07T20:52:00.004-08:00

This is the piano at the front of the church and the slideshow of Raisa's pictures that played before and after the service.

The spray from Tammy's. I really
like this arrangement.

This is the guestbook table at the back of the church.

Raisa's memorial was really nice. Tammy's Flowers did a really nice job with the flowers and Pastor made a really nice program and preached a really nice message. Since neither Kiki nor Tony are church-attending people it was short, and sweet and very, very to the point. Rest assured, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Raisa Alexandria Rea walks the streets of Heaven this night and the only way to join her is to repent of your sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I've done exactly that, seven years ago. It makes me so sad to hear people leaving the repentance out of their salvation. Without repentance there can be NO salvation. You cannot "be nice to people" and earn your way into Heaven. God doesn't just turn his back on our sin, we must repent of it before the Father allows Jesus Christ to cover our sins. That is exactly tha attitude of one of Raisa's parents. 'Just be nice to people, and treat them how you want to be treated and don't worry about it', is what I hear all the time. India, poor India, knows that isn't true but she can't just pipe up and tell one of her parents that they're wrong. By that same token, the other parent was raised to belive that salvation repentance was a repetitive act and that a priest must absolve you of your sin before you can get to Heaven. Neither view is right and I've had discussions with both of them about this very subject. Neither is willing to accept the truth yet because that would mean that family they loved, that they thought were in Heaven, probably aren't. That's a hard pill to swallow for some. I know that some of my dearly departed family members are probably not going to be there when I get there but I have no way of knowing which ones so I assume none of my family is saved and attempt to share the gospel with them all. Really, the Lord is the only one who knows for sure who is one of his and who isn't but I can't assume anything other than all the people around me, without a solid testimony of God's saving grace in their own lives, is lost. It's a grave assumption but necessary for me to do my duty as a child of the King.
Well, here's some pictures of the service. The girls are coming tonight so I gotta hurry and wrap this up. Night!
~Pam

This is Raisa's vault/monument at the cemetery
It will have rocks all over it and even inside
of it when it's done.

India's all clear

2009-05-06T11:19:00.004-08:00

The doctor gave her the all-clear yesterday. He didn't know that she had been kept out of school and his exact words were, "I don't understand why people keep freaking out about this MRSA thing". Tony didn't say what he was thinking and I have to commend him for that. "People freak out for good reason you jacka**". Needless to say, Tony will be finding another pediatrician to go to. That doctor is a member of the school board and even Mom's supervisor, a man with heavy interest and friendships on the school board, advised Mom to go to someone else. I've never been impressed with the man's medical knowledge since he couldn't tell a friend of mine had a broken collarbone. Even though she was skinny as a rail and the other one was undamaged, for comparisons. He isn't that great a doctor but he is an elder in the Mormon church in Soldotna so everyone in that organization goes to him for everything. I'm going to point Tony to the naturopath in Soldotna as an alternate doctor. I've been learning some things these past few days that really make me wish I had a time machine. And I think the best thing for India's compromised immune system is a doctor who understands how the body is supposed to work to heal itself and can help her rebuild her immune system instead of ignoring her body until something is wrong with it and then treating symptoms.

~Pam

2009-05-04T22:47:00.000-08:00

I forgot to tell you guys that I'm making some oatmeal cookies tomorrow. I'm trying the soaked oatmeal recipe from Cheeseslave's blog (check the sidebar). She explains why oats need to be soaked much better than I can. I'll take pictures and post them for you guys to drool over.
Coming soon: Soaked chocolate chip cookies. I have dessert for church on Sunday.

And, I'm only five inches from my goal of waist-length hair. Only 20 inches till I'm at classic length, where I'll maintain and allow the thickness to catch up before I think about trying for thigh length or even ankle length. I still need to check my growth rate but I should be at my first goal by the end of summer since my hair grows like crazy then. I'd post a picture if I thought anybody but me really cared about my hair!

~Pam

2009-05-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, Raisa's memorial service for the church is set for Thursday at 6 pm. I say it's for the church because her mother plans on having a ceremony at the cemetery when they bury her ashes and then a buffet at the Clamshell (the bar that Kiki works in) next week. I understand that the people who are there are her friends and most of her family feels quite comfortable in a bar but I have issues with that. Then again, most Kasilof memorials are held in a bar cause those are the social gathering places most of the year. And since I'm not the mother I really have no say so I'll just keep my mouth shut and try to figure a way out of it. I have no desire to be seen in the Clamshell but how can I bow out of Raisa's family's service for her? What a pickle! I'm sure the Lord will work it out for me so I leave it in His, more than capable, hands.
The girls go to Kiki tomorrow and India's follow-up appointment is tomorrow as well. Hopefully, the doctor will give her the all-clear and she can go back to school. She really misses it, strange as that sounds and it's really crazy having her around during the day. She is used to a routine and she has been quite the handful since that routine was disrupted. Last time I saw it, her spot was almost gone, it doesn't itch at all and the inflammation of the surrounding tissue was gone as well. Now all she has to do is heal from the band-aids and she'll be back to abnormal... I mean normal.
Phaedra's daddy is talking about cutting her hair. He is having trouble with the ends since she is tender-headed and it breaks his heart when he hurts her. I tried to talk him out of it since I'm pretty sure it has stopped growing for now and it will start to split if he cuts it. And then they have to keep on top of the trims or it gets really bad and you have to give it the big chop like what I did to India in February. The hairdressers (you know who you are) weren't coming down, weren't staying long enough or were too pregnant to cut hair these last few months so I couldn't get it done by a trained professional. Kiki was going to take her in and get a layer cut but never got around to it. India had gone from waist length hair to nearly armpit length in three months so I finally stood her in the bathroom and cut it off. It's grown back about an inch and a half since but it is much neater and not nearly so fragile. I might start doing search and destroy on them too.
Here's some more pictures for those of you who desire them. And Andrea, how is beauty school working with the no poo?

Night,
~Pam
This is the lake in the side yard. The culvert under the driveway has either collapsed or it is frozen still and this water has not drained. I'm hoping it sticks around until July so I can take the girls swimming in the backyard. It's still too cold even though the temps have been approaching 70 this last week.

I saw this raven in Anchorage last month. He landed on the car next to us and posed quite beautifully for this shot, but only this shot.

Phaedra Thyme, decked out and ready to sing her heart out!

Pix and stories

2009-04-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

Pastor's driveway tried to eat our van on Wednesday night. We were picking up the hog food since we're housing their piggies until they get a permanent pen built. Their driveway is being swept away underground. You can hear the water rushing under the gravel but since it's underground, you can't tell that there's nothing to support your vehicle until you've fallen in.
This is the orchid that the ladies in Mom's office got for us when they found out that Raisa was not going to make it. I'll fight like crazy to keep this one from dying. I've managed to keep Mom's Mother's Day Paphiopedilum alive for six years now so I might just have a handle on this orchid thing. This one is an hybrid of four different species so it is much easier to take care of than most pure species. It really needs to be repotted but I can't do that until it finishes flowering and contrary to past experiences, this one is continuing to flower. Most of my other ones dropped their buds as soon as they came into our house. I think maybe this one is going to make it. They also bought an huge bag of potting mix, especially for orchids and with the fertilizer already mixed in. That seems to be the worst thing for me, fertilizing my plants. I might just up and repot them all this year since I'm sure they all need it.

This has been my sleeping buddy since the girls left the Saturday after Raisa died. Grandma Kathy gave this teddy bear to Phaedra at the airport and she left him here when Kiki came and got them. I was like a crazy lady that night, trashing my own house, hoping that the girls had left something behind that I could hold and feel and be connected to them through. The teething toy was in Raisa's crib, exactly where she left it that sunday. I carry it with me when I wear a skirt with pockets. I know it sounds weird but it really helps keep me calm to be able to run my fingers over the scrapes her new teeth made. Knowing that it was something that she played with and something that she enjoyed helps her not seem so far away. Since Phaedra left her Dora doll behind on Monday it sleeps with me too but I am much more attached to the teddy bear.
Speaking of Grandma Kathy, (Tony's mom) she left Sunday night. The girls stayed with me from about 1:15 on Sunday afternoon to 2 or so Monday afternoon. I had a full 24 hours with my girls and it was just wonderful. India's spot is healing really great, she only has one more week on the antibiotics and her rash from the band-aids is healing up great too. She has had enough of MRSA! I hope she will be much more diligent about washing her hands now and not picking her nose.
Also, I am back on the "no poo" wagon. I've been using Desert Essence Organics for a couple of years but my hair was in really great shape when I was no pooing. I let a hairdresser scare me into going back to commercial products. I think that $10 each for shampoo and conditioner is really ridiculous when I can wash my hair for a year on $15 of baking soda, lemon juice and eggs. And my hair is healthier without even the most miniscule amounts of silicone on it. Also, I have decided to not get it trimmed again until it is the length that I want which is terminal length. I'm really curious about how long I can grow it. I intend to do search and destroy of individual split ends every day for awhile. That way I stop the splits without sacrificing length. Win-Win!!!!!
(Well, don't tell Jaime, but my real hair length goal is for mine to be longer than hers which is waist length. I'm not competitive or anything!)

Night,
~Pam

2009-04-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Raisa!

Life and Stuff

2009-04-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

Tony got home on Thursday. His mom came home with him and I'm not sure how long she plans on staying. Probably till the memorial service is over. Speaking of which, it has not been discussed, let alone planned. But that's okay. I suppose it's been really difficult for Tony since we've been here for a week, testing life's waters without Raisa in it but his life has kind of been on hold. He said that it's like he's been underwater. It still hits me sometimes, that feeling of standing still while life goes on around me. It doesn't seem real sometimes, that she's gone and then I'll find something that was hers or that is where she left it and it hits me all over again, like she just died yesterday. As I've said before, it probably makes it more bearable that I haven't seen her since she got sick. I never saw her in a hospital bed, having a machine breathe for her or agonized over medical decisions or had to sit there and watch her take her last breath, knowing that there was nothing I could do to save her. I never felt the excitement of a parent, feeling her move around in my belly, or being so scared that she would be born in the ambulance because the Lord picked the stormiest morning in April for her to be born. My pain is a transient pain. My pain is for the moment as I've still got my own family in my future (Lord willing). Their pain will last for the rest of their lives. And while I'll miss her every day, my sorrow will fade to nostalgia, to be replaced by unspeakable joy when we're reunited in Glory. We may not remember who we were to each other here but our reunion will be joyful nonetheless. I fear that her parents will miss out on that day.
On the one hand there's this sense of urgency, to get the memorial service over so that there's some sense of closure but on the other hand it's hard to say good-bye all over again and since she was cremated, there is no rush to bury her. I guess we wait on her parents to be ready to say good-bye and I can't imagine the pain that even contemplating that generates. How do you plan a memorial service for the child you only met a year ago? How do you say good-bye to, not only her and all she meant to you but to all the hopes and dreams you had for her? I know they were already imagining her first birthday, her first day of school, her first fight with a sister, her first best friend, her wedding, her first child... I know they were because I was, and I wasn't even invested in her life like they were.
The best I can do is be an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. And through it all let the Lord's peace and faithfulness shine through so that all can see and desire Him too.

Night,
~Pam

Other pieces of my life

2009-04-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

Think Spring people! Think Spring! This is the goal team! We gotta play through the pain and squash the other guys! Don't let them beat you and lets take it to them! We gotta fight,fight,fight, let's WIN!!!!

This is one of Redoubt's eruptions. Mom and I went to Cathy Perry's house to watch it since we could sit inside, drink coffee and discuss current events. All while getting pictures like this. The mountain should be white this time of year but so much ash fell just in this one eruption that it turned gray. It is again white since it's snowed since then but for the little bit that it was gray it was really cool.
Sunset on Cook Inlet, filtered through volcanic ash. We caught the last ten minutes of sunset and it just got more and more orange. Redoubt is off to the right, ejecting a plume of steam and ash.

This was a few days before Raisa passed away. They were blowing off steam and having a great time too. It was really nice having them with me and times like this kept me in AK, mentally, and in the present.

Well, they are almost here since Kiki is going back to work today. It'll be easier when she has something to occupy her mind all day. Ask me how I know. It's weird how, I totally agree with her going back to work, getting on with her life since sitting around all day, thinking of the loss and the pain won't change anything, but I feel so guilty when I think of doing the same. Maybe that's the way it happens when someone who is so precious to you is taken. Maybe it'll help that I haven't had the three of them together since Raisa got sick. I've had a month to get used to the feeling of two instead of three. I had a dream last night that all three of them were with me and India was carrying Raisa, running with her. India fell down and Raisa was so scared. I scooped her up and comforted her while she cried and clung to me. It wasn't until I woke up that it hit me that she wasn't going to do that ever again. Never again is she going to cry, or be scared, or be made to do something that she doesn't like. I will be able to hold her again, but not this side of eternity. I guess it's a time span that I'll learn to live with and it renews my fervor to reach her parents.
Well, the other two are here now so I gotta wrap this up.
Later,
~Pam

P.S. India's spot looks fabulous. Her rash from the adhesive on the band-aids is still kinda rough looking but the spot itself looks amazing. Hopefully the rash won't open up and get infected too. Kiki has been bathing the whole area in peroxide so the chances of it spreading are slim. WooHoo!!!!!!!

India's spot

2009-04-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

I got a call from the the doctor this morning and India's spot is positive for MRSA. We delayed giving her the antibiotics until we knew for sure but Kiki is going to put her on them now. The wound was healing without them but just to give her parents peace of mind she is going to start taking it. The sensitivity test, test to determine what antibiotic kills it, said that it is sensitive to Septra, the antibiotic that was prescribed.
I did tell India that it might be the germ that made Raisa so sick but that we had medicine to make it better if it didn't start doing that on it's own so she will probably not panic when Kiki tells her.
Tony soon will be on his way home with Raisa. They had her cremated and he had to find out if he could fly with her. His mom and a friend are with him and they are renting a car to drive down from Anchorage. He'll be here sometime Thursday. Soon, the family will be reunited and can begin to heal.
I'm not sure what they are going to do for a memorial service but we're having one at the church, irregardless.
The girls do know that she is gone and that Daddy is bringing her home. I think they are dealing with it okay.
I have my moments, usually at night, when I can't seem to draw a breath without tears but I know that she is okay and I will see her again. I only hope her parents have that same assurance.

~Pam

2009-04-17T23:15:00.001-08:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2009-04-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

Raisa Alexandria Rea

April 26, 2008 - April 17, 2009

Until we meet again, I'll miss you Snicklefritz

Final thoughts

2009-04-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

This will be our last post for a couple of days. Raisa's parents have decided, based on medical advice, to release their precious baby to the Lord. They will spend her last days in a private room where they can finally hug and cuddle and rest with her before they have to say good-bye.

India's spot has been cultured and we await a final verdict on it. Aggressive antibiotics have been prescribed, just in case it is MRSA. Mom is going to have a discussion with her parents before we start giving it to her to make sure they really want to give them to her. Antibiotics can weaken the body and might make her more susceptible to any other MRSA germs she contacts. I'll let you know what was decided when this is all over.

Thank you for all the prayers. I truly cannot tell you all how grateful I've been, knowing that so many people have been before the throne of Grace on her behalf. And even though this is not the outcome we desired we can still rest in the knowledge that God is in control and His will be done.
Love,
~The Arndt Family (and India and Phaedra)

Glimmers

2009-04-15T05:55:00.000-08:00

This child keeps her family on a roller coaster! Raisa's right lung has healed enough for her to use it and her respiratory support is down to 50%. She has taken over the other 50% herself. All cultures from the pockets of bacteria have come back negative for MRSA. That's good but with a catch. MRSA can mutate to another form in the middle of treatment so it may have mutated to another form that they aren't testing for. Hopefully, it is dead and will cause no more damage.
The efforts to wean her off her medications continues slowly. They had her sedation down really low yesterday but had to give her some to help her rest during the night. Again, they aren't sure if she feels pain but it's cruel to assume she doesn't. I guess she had her eyes open a lot but she is not tracking and her eyes are no longer rolled back in her head. Could mean she's coming back and could mean nothing. When they press on her fingernails she opens her eyes but that is all the response she has. The neurologist told Kiki that his opinion will probably be rendered in 24-48 hours. Since she is on morphine they have to withdraw it slowly or her numbers start to go wacky from withdrawls as her body has become addicted to it.
It continues to be a bumpy ride but my bumps are decidedly less severe than those her parents are experiencing. Please continue to pray for Raisa's safe return and for peace and comfort for her parents.
~Pam
P.S. Please pray for India as well. We discovered a suspicious spot on her side yesterday and are taking her to the Dr to get it checked out. I have my suspicions about what it is but will hopefully find out today.

Resolution of sorts.

2009-04-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well, the situation in Seattle is not as hopeful as was believed. Raisa continues to put up a fight and her parents are making some decisions about her care as the days go on. Kidney, breathing and learning difficulties can be dealt with but a complete vegetative state will not happen. They are going to begin cutting back on the sedation beginning tomorrow so they can get a better understanding of her brain function. On the drugs it would appear that she has lost all higher brain function but her parents are not giving up on her yet. The next few days will decide what will happen with our precious baby girl's life.
India wanted to say something to her family while they are separated. I tried to get Phaedra to say something on an earlier video but all she did was pull faces and smile bashfully. I'll try again later.

The girls are going to stay with us until this is all finished so their parents know where they are at and they don't have to call around to find them when they have news. This is the bumpiest ride, emotionally, that I have ever been on and I can't imagine how exhausting and draining it has been to the parents. I still covet prayers for her safe return to us and as Kathy Montgomery said yesterday, "It ain't over until it's over!"
~Pam

Prayer!

2009-04-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

Raisa was flown to Seattle Children's Hospital last night. She made the trip and is now safely in the PICU. The panic that some may have heard about last night was false information. If you don't know what I'm talking about then don't worry about it. We still haven't heard from Tony since he checked into the PICU at about midnight, Washington time. Mom called the hospital and the nurse at the nurse's station in the PICU assured her that Raisa was there and she was alive. We have a message at the nurse's station for Tony to call us, no emergency just want information. Tony... If you are reading this then CALL US!!!!!!!
The whole "family" down here was up all night in prayer and I'm not going to church today so I can wait by the phone and India should be coming today.
~Pam

I guess the setbacks have begun.

2009-04-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

Raisa was put back on the other respirator today. The other one was too much for her poor lungs to deal with. Unfortunately, it caused more damage to her left lung (the good one) so that her CO2 levels are too high now. They aren't at panic levels but too high is too high. The new respirator causes her lungs to stay inflated, not infalte and deflate. Her ph is a little too high as well. I remembered to ask about the MRSA and it is still being controlled with the same antibiotics. The pocket in her chest cavity is refilling and they had to put the tube back in her chest. It's a couple steps backward but at least it was not total and catastrophic failure. There is still hope and He's still on the throne, totally in control of the situation. Her heart continues to beat regular and strong.
In other news, Riley, Kathy's nearly two year old grandson may have chickenpox. I am considering telling Tony and Kiki so the girls, India and Phaedra can come and be exposed. On the other hand, I think India has had chickenpox and I don't think Phaedra's daddy could intentionally make her sick right now. Riley's mother was hoping that he doesn't have it until Kathy and Mom told her that it's better for him to get it now. Chances are it'll be a milder infection, it's easier to deal with in a child his age and having your body fight a naturally occuring infection is infinitely superior to being vaccinated. Oh, have I posted a rant on vaccines yet? No... I guess that'll have to come when the current crisis is resolved.
Night,
~Pam

It keeps getting better and better!

2009-04-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the doctors took all of the IV ports out of one of Raisa's arms so she only has two of them now, one in one arm and one in the top of her head. She is off of the beta blocker and the epinephrine that was keeping her heart beating correctly and she is doing wonderfully. Her sedation has been lessened as well and is now being given to her through her feeding tube instead of IV. They are still waiting for her lungs to heal some more before they can take her off the respirator and wake her up all the way. I still don't know when she might be able to have visitors but hopefully she will off the respirator in less than a week. I might go up with Pastor and Anita next week, Monday or Tuesday to see them. I had wanted to go today since it's a no work/no pay day for Mom but then she started talking about all the things that needed to be done and I knew I couldn't go today. I've been a ball of stress and regret today but hopefully I can go next week.
I guess that's all today. I might try and post some pictures of the eruption that I actually saw come out of Redoubt but I might do that later. Either way, stay tuned!
~Pam

Wonderful News!!!!

2009-04-09T00:54:00.000-08:00

No, Raisa is not 100%. She is still critical and in a coma and isolated. The wonderful news is that her surgery went so great that the surgeons were able to move one of her drainage tubes while they had her on the table putting her on the different dialysis. It's great that she was so strong that they felt comfortable doing that. And, Tony talked to the kidney doctor, for the first time by the way, and was told that he expects her kidneys to come back 100%. They are shut down but she is not in renal failure as I feared. I've heard of this but not that often. I guess serious illness shuts them down without damaging them so they can bounce back when the body isn't dealing with so many toxins. Strange!
Anyway, I really hope the housing situation is straightened out by tomorrow since Tony's room was only rented for two days. He said he's going back to Hickel House tomorrow so I guess it's all right. Kiki told the nurse that she would camp out on a couch in the PICU if she had to but I really hope it doesn't come to that.
The big ball of stress in my chest has eased somewhat and I can finally draw a deep breath and think of what it's going to be like when she gets home. I know that her life is still in danger but I'm really hopeful that she's going to come home. Every day that she doesn't get another infection is another day that her lungs have to heal so I've been going one day at a time.
Well, we stayed at the pastor's house too late tonight and I'm sooooooo tired so g'night.
~Pam

What craziness!!!!

2009-04-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Well, no surgery today. The two children who were scheduled ahead of her went a little long so by the time the surgeon was ready for her she had been off dialysis too long so they decided to just hook her back up and do the surgery at a later date. Tony will call with an update about that tomorrow.
In other trying news, both Kiki and Tony have been kicked out of Hickel House, the hotel for families right behind Providence. Kiki didn't want a room with Tony since she has her boyfriend with her and the tension there was not good. The nurse she talked to thought she was trying to make Denali Kid Care pay for another room but Kiki was willing to pay for another room. She can't afford a hotel room and cab fare so instead she came home. Tony was told that the room he was in belonged to Kiki so he had to leave. Someone was kind enough to rent him a room in a hotel and he has Mom's van so he and Phaedra are in a hotel room tonight. Kiki, hopefully, will be able to go back up tomorrow since the room situation was straightened out after she left. I am really furious with that insane nurse. What kind of woman yells at the mother of a critically ill infant? I understand that she thought Kiki was trying to do them wrong but give me a break! I talked to Kiki a little bit tonight and hopefully helped her realize a little bit of the other side of this situation. She doesn't understand what Tony's problem is since they are getting divorced, he shouldn't be such a jerk around Eric. I told her that it's really hard for a man, and kids for that matter, to watch someone else moving in on his family. Kiki's parents are still married so this is not a situation she is familiar with. Her first husband, India's father, disappeared for five years while Tony was establishing himself as the dad in that family. But Tony isn't leaving so Eric can move in and maybe that's what's got her so confused. Anyway, I really hope they can get something worked out so the tension isn't so high. I know it's not good for either of them and it's not good for Phaedra to be in the middle of it. Not that she's being fought over, just that it's not good for her to be in such a tense situation.
I think before this is done that I might just polish the outside of my house. It's been really stress-relieving to be cleaning all day but it's really killing my back. I'm not sure I'll be able to get the whole thing cleaned but I can't just sit around all day waiting for news either. It's kind a lose-lose situation. Well, I get a clean house so that's not entirely lose there. I guess I've rambled enough.
Night,
~Pam

Some good, some bad

2009-04-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

Raisa had a CAT Scan today and she does indeed have some brain damage. They won't be able to tell how severe it is until she wakes up. She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow to put her on the other type of dialysis. I guess her right lung is still severely damaged and and her left lung isn't as healthy as the doctors thought it was. The surgery is one that can be done right in the ICU but the risk of infection is too great so they are doing it in the operating room. They are watching her very carefully to catch any potential infections. The doctor also said that the possibility exists that she will have to be on dialysis for the rest of her life. I don't think that's the end of the world though. People live for decades on dialysis and the possibility of a transplant exists until we get socialized medicine. Hopefully our president will not get that accomplished until she has either healed, or has a new kidney. I know that sounds like all bad news but the fact that I didn't have to post about her funeral makes it amazing, wonderful and very optimistic news.
Tony said that since moving onto the other respirator her color is amazing and her fluid retention is still going down so the Lord continues to heal her tiny body even as the doctors fret about what-ifs. I continue to praise Him and take comfort in the fact that, should her time here be just about over, I will see her again!
India is still with Brad and Phaedra is still her daddy's steadying hand and his grounding rod. As hard as it is on me to not have either of them here I can't complain since they are where they need to be.
I'll post the outcome of her surgery tomorrow, as soon as I know how everything went.
Night,
~Pam

New developments

2009-04-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Raisa continues to improve. They switched respirators yesterday. Instead of the kind that blows small, quick puffs, she is now taking full, deep breaths. While they were switching machines, she continued to breath on her own. The tube in the left side of her chest has been taken out but there's still a tiny tear in her right lung so she is still draining from that side. She is being taken off dialysis and they are going to irrigate her abdominal cavity instead. Her fluid retention is coming down so they feel safe discontinuing the dialysis. The doctor feels that cleaning out her abdominal cavity will help with the fluid as well.
I think she is scheduled for a CAT Scan today but I can't remember if it's today or not. The doctors say there's a possibility of brain damage but it's my opinion that, so long as it isn't severe, her brain is still young enough to compensate for the damage. And even if it is severe, WHO CARES! She's still Raisa and we will all still love her!
The Lord continues to move in mighty ways in the Providence Hospital PICU. The setbacks that they were expecting haven't happened and we're praying that they never do and she continues to get stronger and stronger. The timeline is the same, a couple more weeks and she can either some home or get transferred down here. I hope they keep her till she can come home since this hospital is not at all the best place for a sick person.
Phaedra is in Anchorage with her daddy while India's father has her at Kiki's house. I don't know how long Brad is in town so I don't know when India is coming back. I imagine Tony is going to keep Phaedra until India's father is gone or tensions get to be too much for her in Anchorage. He doesn't think it's fair that India can spend time with her dad and Phaedra can't. This makes me realize more and more how badly I want my own children. I have nothing to do now except think and that's not fun under the circumstances. I can't tell them how hard this is on me since I can't see any of them and I want my kids back! Man this is hard!
Well, at least I have the time and energy to give the house the thorough cleaning it so desperately needs now. Besides, cleaning helps me relax and destress and I could really use some of that now.
Later,
~Pam

How great is our God?

2009-04-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Raisa's infection was identified today as MRSA. WebMD has this to say about this nasty bug.

"Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a type of staphylococcus or "staph" bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics. Staph bacteria, like other kinds of bacteria, normally live on your skin and in your nose, usually without causing problems. MRSA is different from other types of staph because it cannot be treated with certain antibiotics such as methicillin.

Staph bacteria only become a problem when they cause infection. For some people, especially those who are weak or ill, these infections can become serious.

MRSA infections are more difficult to treat than ordinary staph infections. This is because the strains of staph that are known as MRSA do not respond well to many types of antibiotics-the types of medicines that are normally used to kill bacteria. When methicillin and other common antibiotic medicines do not kill the bacteria that is causing an infection, it becomes harder to get rid of the infection.

MRSA bacteria are more likely to develop when antibiotics are used too often or are not used correctly. Given enough time, bacteria can outsmart antibiotics so that these medicines no longer work well. This is why MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria are sometimes called "super bugs."

Sounds pretty nasty huh? But the Lord was all over it and led the doctors to give her an effective antibiotic from the beginning. They discontinued the other three, that weren't doing anything and put her on two different ones that they know will combat this strain. She is still in critical condition and MRSA is contagious so her mommy and daddy are still the only ones allowed to see her but we're taking India and Phaedra up tomorrow anyway, to visit their parents. Tony was almost in tears when I told him we're bringing them and we're leaving him the van. Kiki's mom and boyfriend are up there right now and Tony deosn't care for either one of them. I presume he has been stuck at the hospital since he got there while the other three are free to come and go as they please. Unfair to say the least. Anyway, tomorrow is going to be crazy so, night all.

~Pam

Raisa Update

2009-04-01T17:56:00.001-08:00

I called Kiki this morning and have some new information.
The infection is in her blood and it may be a combination of three different bacteria, two bacteria that are growing differently or just one that is growing three different ways. They should know what strain of bacteria they are dealing with in the next 24 hours. She is on dialysis to help her little kidneys filter the antibiotics out of her system. Without the dialysis, fluid would build up and they absolutely don't want that. The ball of infection in her chest is being drained and her stomach is draining as well so the pressure has eased on her lungs and heart.
The blood that she was puking up was from an ulcer. Her body was so stressed from fighting the infection that she got an ULCER! Her body was fighting so hard that she wasn't showing signs of being sick until it was almost too late. When she got to Anchorage they induced her coma and she flatlined. They were prepared for it and she was intubated and put on a drug to make her heart beat correctly immediately. It is necessary to keep her under so that her body quits fighting itself while the bacteria just multiplies.
Her extremities are receiving the correct amount of blood now and she is not going to lose any toes or fingers but she does have some spots of pooled blood in her skin that will fall off and heal kind of like frostbite. She is responding to stimulus when she comes out from under the drugs occasionally.
Best case scenario, no major setbacks, she is looking at being in Anchorage for three weeks. Her birthday is in three weeks. My poor Raisa will probably spend her first birthday in the hospital. Right now, because she is so weak and susceptible to germs, Tony and Kiki are the only people allowed in the PICU, other than staff. We're planning on taking the girls up early next week so they can all have family time, even if the girls can't see Raisa yet. And, it appears that both Tony and Kiki are going to stay in Anchorage until she comes home so the girls are with me until then. PRAY FOR ME!!!!!!!! :)
Night,
~Pam

Raisa

2009-03-31T22:08:00.000-08:00

For those people who haven't heard, Raisa is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Her daddy took her in to Peninsula General this morning when she was puking up black blood. Her respiration was really shallow and she was lethargic and would not respond to her name. She also puked blood in the ER and had a petit mal seizure. They medivaced her on the helicopter, her mommy by her side, soon after. Tony came out to Kathy's and waited for Kiki to call and let him know if he needed to go too. When she called and told him that Raisa was not breathing on her own, they were doing CPR, he hit the door. Mom bought him a plane ticket to Anchorage and Kathy gave him some quick spending money for clothes, food, a taxi or whatever. 45 minutes after getting that call he was at her side too.
The last update we got, at 7:30 was that the doctors found a ball of infection in her chest cavity that was putting pressure on her lungs and heart, infection in her stomach and possibly in her blood. Her heartbeat was in the 200's and was fibrillating. She was defibrillated twice. They have her stable now, with tubes in her chest and her stomach and, since they don't know what bacteria is causing the problem, ever antibiotic that they can think of. We've heard pneumonia and meningitis but they aren't sure which one. Well, they probably know, but we don't. She is in a medically induced coma and on a respirator. The next 48 hours will be touch and go.
India and Phaedra are staying with us and Kiki's sister and boyfriend are going up tomorrow.

This has been one of those days that really tests a person's dedication to the Lord! I'm so proud of India though. She is really scared that her baby sister is going to die but she is also assured that, if she does, they'll be together again some day. To watch a seven-year old girl, a worrier and a fretter, just completely give her sister to the Lord was something amazing. Phaedra, of course, doesn't completely realize what's going on. Which is as it should be I guess. Her dad took her to the hospital and she got to help them with Raisa. She held the oxygen tube to her nose and her dad was very careful to not break down in front of her. We're still laughing and playing and hugging and kissing even as we worry so she has complete confidence that whatever's happening is being handled.

I know that Raisa is in the hands of the Lord this night, as she has been every night of her life and whatever happens will be his will. I too, have thrown myself at His feet and I know that I can accept His will, even if it's taking her Home. That doesn't stop me from begging for his mercy though and praying constantly for her safe return to us. I covet your prayers for her too.
I'll try to update this as often as we have news.
Night,
~Pam

KABLOOEY!!!!!!!

2009-03-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

This is some of the ash we got off the Dakota on Thursday. It's like small grains of sand, not powder.

This is Dad's Dakota on Thursday afternoon. We'd gone to Ninilchik and found nothing. This happened while he was parked at Kathy's getting wood.

Well, the sky has not collapsed and we are not reenacting the closing scenes from Pompei. Redoubt has been really active but not so as we've noticed much. Dad's stories from 92 kinda ruined my first ashfall. We got some from the first day of eruptions but haven't gotten anything the past couple of days. Ninilchik got a nice dusting but not really anything that could be called disaster levels. Dad and I went to Nikiski on Saturday to get our eggs and while we were going down the road to the egg lady's house we saw Redoubt erupt. That was the first time I'd seen it cause it was socked in the first time and all of the others were over before I heard about it. Anyway, it took twenty minutes of so for the ash cloud to be over us and the egg lady said we were about 40 miles from Redoubt. It was really cool but it suddenly got COLD when the cloud covered the sun! Here's some pictures that I took, standing in their front yard and driving back home. We were out from under the ash cloud by the time we got to Kenai. (Again, get a map)
Later,
~Pam

This is when we first noticed that it had erupted

In the McCoy's driveway, watching the ash spread

The cloud was nearly over us, about ten minutes after we got to the McCoy's house

This is the leading edge of the cloud. It was so big that I couldn't get it all in the viewfinder.

About half an hour after the eruption, I was pointing the camera almost straight up.

On the way back home. The streaks is ash falling.

It must be spring fever!

2009-03-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is the picture on Tony's first Father's Day/Christmas present. It has both girls giving kisses and the lyrics from "Butterfly Kisses"

I can't believe it's still winter in these parts. From our computer you can see and feel the gorgeous sunshine coming in the window but not the snow so it seems like spring is just out the door! I know that if I step outside I will be hit with a blast of frigid wind but it's hard to convince your body of something if it doesn't want to believe you. I feel like going out and combing Bonnie but I was just out there and I know she is not matted again, besides which, it's still COLD and the wind is blowing, driving the temps down even further. It's a bummer. I wish the clouds would roll in so it would look as cold as it is. When I was out feeding Bonnie at ten I heard a raven in a tree, calling for a mate and the eagles are paired up and driving away other birds. I have yet to see a death-spiral but I watch all eagles as intently as I can, just hoping.
I was going through my pictures the other day, making a DVD for Tony of his girls when I discovered some pictures I took when Phaedra was a toddler. I bought my first camera when she was about eleven months old and started taking as many pictures of them as I could. I had forgotten how CUTE they both were. India, understandably, is not as baby cute as Phaedra but she was still very much a child then. She has grown into a pseudo-adult, with many of the responsibilities, worries and fears of adults. Her family falling apart has caused her to grow up too fast in so many ways. I guess that's a fact of life for kids from broken homes.
I took some pictures of my Bonnie yesterday, while India and were watering her and they turned out great. So, here you are!

Are you hay?

I HEAR ANOTHER COW! I HEAR ANOTHER COW!! Bummer, just another snowmachine
What is going on here?

Assorted pics

2009-03-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Some mountains on the way to Anchorage
The wind was blowing snow off the tops of the mountains on the Anchorage side of Girdwood (get a map)
This was a waterfall just before driving down onto Turnagain Arm. It was a solid chunk of ice, maybe eight feet tall and fifteen feet wide.
Peek-a-boo! I was saying "yuckers" when she put the wipe in her mouth and she would put it on her head and peek at me as if to say "Who me?"
A chickadee at our feeder.

This is Mt. Redoubt on a clear, sunny, Sunday afternoon.

Do da do

2009-03-14T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we're back in the computer world since our catastrophic failure last week. Oh wait, none of y'all know about that! The video card in the computer died, retired or ran away from home and we consequently, had no computer. I SOS'd Charlie and he walked me through taking the external one out and hooking the monitor up to the internal one. It's not as powerful but it gets the job done.
I guess life goes much the same now as it did two... three weeks ago. The only difference is break-up is peeking it's head up and winking at us. I don't believe for a minute that it's here yet but there's water on the road from melting ice and the birds are singing their spring songs. Wait, they always do that when it's above 0. We're getting seed catalogs and Dad ordered the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. I was drooling over the pictures and envisioning a giant bird yard. One acre, divided into quarters isn't too big is it? That way I get pastured birds, they can free-range, eat as many plants and bugs as they want and I get land cleared at the same time! Which reminds me... Jaime. When you buy eggs, if the hens are "vegetarian fed" then they are full of soy. And free-range, vegetarian-fed is just a joke. Hens that are truly "ranging" will stampede to devour a cloud of mosquitoes. Chickens eat bugs!!!!! Last time I checked, bugs are made of meat.
Okay, mini-rant over. Where was I? Oh yeah, my bird yard. I want my acre divided into quarters so I can rotate the birds. I want turkeys and geese. I think they can get along okay so long as they aren't crowded and no bear in his right mind would mess with them. Kiki tells a story about a friend who had a little dog and a turkey who were best buds. The neighbor's unneutered dog would come over and rough up the little dog occasionally. Well, I guess the tom got tired of this because he snuck up behind the neighbor dog and nailed him in his delicate parts. The neighbor dog never came back. Geese and turkeys together would be a pretty nasty combination I'm thinkin' . Also, if I can get the right breeds I can maybe register with the Ark of Taste. That's a small group working to preserve heritage breeds of livestock and produce. They have a pretty impressive list on their website. They are working against agribusiness and the government's push to eliminate family farms through NAIS. I can feel another rant coming on so I will stop with this, anyone who voted for Obama cast their vote against family farms and real food.

Dad keeps plugging along. His shoulders still hurt but then again, they will never stop unless he goes to a doctor who knows what they are doing. His sleep has been a little off lately but I know it's not because of the CPAP. We were on the GAPS diet but it is too expensive to maintain this time of year and I transitioned to the Nourishing Traditions way of preparing food as soon as was feasible. We are all still doing good with the weight thing except my father thinks he was losing weight because of the supplements, not the restricted carbs. The GAPS diet is a monosaccharide diet so all starches were out, along with any sugar except honey. That is what caused the dramatic weight loss, not the CLO or the kefir or the bone broth. I can't convince him though so I'm still restricting carbs to a couple meals a week.
Mom continues as she has been doing. She's a little less laid-back though. Her wannabe supervisor is turning into a fruitcake. That's not being mean though, the woman is very paranoid and weird. She didn't used to be that bad but she's been subsisting on Lean Cuisine and white bread so I think her brain is fried.
Charlie is still working tech support for GCI in Wasilla. He really likes it I guess, or he wouldn't still be there. He's supporting his roommates though and that's kind of eating into his money plans. Dad has give him some advice in that area but Charlie has never been one to do what anyone else thinks he ought to. When he's ready to bite the bullet and kick them out then he will, but not before he's good and ready.
I'm still expecting to take Bonnie to Talkeetna in July. I haven't heard anything about that being changed so I guess it's still a go. She's starting to shed some of her under-layer of hair so I think maybe spring is really on it's way. Although she was tricked last spring when it got cold again, but to be fair, she was still a baby then. She will be two years old in September, hopefully to calve the first time the next April. I'm so excited and plans for the barn, I think, have been finalized. We really do need one in time for the calf. I'm not worried about her being outside all winter through her first pregnancy, except for the feed bill. but even with that, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much she doesn't eat. Dad had figured a couple tons at least, I went way overboard and wanted at least six tons, to make sure I had enough and she is just barely into the second half of the first ton. I think I can afford the six hundred dollars for a ton and a half of horse hay next winter. I want her to have really good quality hay while she is growing a baby. She has been supplemented with grain and two hundred pounds of alfalfa hay this winter so I'm sure she has gotten all the nutrition that she needed. And she YELLED at me when the alfalfa ran out. She tried to eat Phaedra's coat even. I might get another couple hundred pounds anyway, just to finish out the winter. Everett, the guy I bought her from, was way off on her size though. She is really short and if she tops 1,000 pounds I'd be shocked. She's still cute though, even if she is a grown-up lady cow. And she even has horns. They're only three inches long but hey, a horn is a horn is a horn.
I guess this post is officially finished. Oh, and in case you didn't notice that I got a comment on the previous post, I did, so there! No, seriously her name is Jaime and she's a good friend of mine and a sister in Christ. Hopefully she'll be better about posting than I am but her blog should be funny, even if she isn't... Better about posting I mean, cause the woman is a riot, well you know what I mean right?
Later,
~Pam

YAHOO!!!

2009-02-16T07:53:00.000-09:00

Guess what everybody!! For those of you that have been up here, Jason Hoffman got married last night! For those of you that haven't been up here or didn't go to church when you were, Jason is a member of the our (Dad and I) church, in Ninilchik. He married Joanna, Jo, Humphrey, the second daughter of Pastor Humphrey, the pastor of our "mother" church in North Pole, Plack Road Baptist Church. They have a website, for those of you who don't remember, prbcak.org. Anywho, she has seven brothers and sisters and, needless to say, they are really bummed that she is moving six hundred miles away but really happy for her to be married. I imagine it's a weird combination and kind of hard to deal with. Though it could be worse. We have a missionary who's in the Middle East and single, at least she didn't marry him! This way, they can see her with only twenty four hours travel time, down and back. I expect to see them a lot in the first year. I know the other girls that have gotten married and moved away have racked up a lot of travel time in the few years since their weddings. Though, they both moved to Texas.
I feel bad that her family is so sad but I'm super excited for her to be down here. The only complete family we've had down here is the pastor and his wife. Their son was here for awhile but he's married with a brand-new baby daughter, in North Pole. So, since their children are both married, they are a complete family. But now we have a YOUNG family! Yahoo!! It doesn't hurt that I really like Joanna.

So, one down, one to go! Caleb Humphrey is engaged to a woman named Lisa. Caleb is Joanna's younger brother. He's staying in North Pole though, with his new bride, you know, after their wedding.

Also, I really like Jason and Jo's love story. It's so much better than the typical, western engagement. Typically, American weddings happen after the physical union is already established but Jason and Jo had their first kiss at their wedding! It's so great! It was such a testimony to the teens and preteens at church. And, I can't think of anything more to say about it so I guess I'll quit going on about it.

In other news, my life is getting busier and busier and busier. Tony has a job now, in Nninilchik, so I might possibly have the girls every day now. When he was helping out at the video/liquor store a few months ago he got his schedule arranged so that he didn't work the days that he had the girls. He might shoot for that again but I'm not sure how that would work where he's at now. Also, Justin and Katrina, Kathy's grandson and granddaughter-in-law, might have me watch their sons when Justin goes back to work. He's a welder on an oil platform down here but he's been laid-off for three months. The platform keeps calling his boss and cancelling their services so he's not sure when he's going back to work. Since the money is great, he can't take another job, so Katrina got a job as a manager at Taco Bell. I think she was working there when they met. Anyway, they have an almost two-year-old and a two-month-old. Jaddrik, the older, is autistic so they have him on organic, gluten and casein free with special vitamins (which is healing the autism by the way) and Joel is still breastfeeding. When Justin goes back to work Katrina is going to need a babysitter and guess who happens to be experienced at that! I remember changing Jaddrik's diaper for the first time after three years of girl diapers. Intellectually, I knew what was in there was different than what I was used to seeing but I was still startled. Weird, I know.

Dad's been doing great with the CPAP but his shoulders still bother him. Mom thinks it might well be a pinched nerve or something but the shoulder doctor that Kathy recommended was a QUACK and wouldn't do anything to fix it. I think it's very telling when the doctor takes x-rays, finds nothing wrong so prescribes some free samples they had laying around the office. Western medicine in all it's glory folks! Well, I got little ones now so I better be wrapping this up.
Later,
~Pam

Can you feel it?

2009-01-20T19:57:00.000-09:00

There's an impending sense of doom settling over this nation. The stench of thinly veiled communism rides the wind. I think I'm gonna retch! Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the man personally, since I don't know him personally, but I hate and despise the stand he has taken on so many things. It frustrates me to no end that one of the leaders in our fight to remain free has taken his leave and left the fight to a man with no original thoughts and no inkling of the morals that this country was founded on. This man, with his hand on the Holy Bible, the Lord's book, swore to uphold our Constitution while at the same time, planning to eliminate it during this term. It may be that in the next six months it's illegal to speak out about the sin in our society. It may be that thousands of people who claim Christ are thrown into prison for speaking out against homosexuality, fornication, pornography and other heinous acts of abomination. I really hope that I'm wrong.
I have the utmost respect for the position that he holds but I refuse to respect the man himself. I cannot, in good conscience, cast my voice for the brand of change that will be sweeping our nation.

In other news: I think I have a baby-daddy lined up for my darling Bonnie. She has been kind of restless lately, mooing her head off and prancing around whenever she catches the faintest whiff of testosterone be it man, cat or squirrel. There's a bull in Talkeetna, black, four years old and I guess, a sire several times already. He came from Colorado so there's absolutely no chance of he and Bonnie being related. Yahoo! I have to pay for gas to get her there, $200 stud fee and then come home and wait. I guess the guy likes to fish so he and his kids are gonna take a weekend and bring her back so they can go fishing. I don't have to pay for the gas to get her back. Double Yahoo!! That beats the $1,000 I was envisioning, just for stud fee. Hopefully, with gas prices set to go up again he won't up the price on me. At least I've been successfully hoarding my PFD to buy more hay if I need it and to possibly get her A.I.ed. This way, I can maybe do this every year and not have to worry about having to inseminate a few times just to make sure she takes. The Creator was so clever when he made bulls with a built-in heat detector. Triple Yahoo!!! (just cause I'm so excited). The aforementioned romantic liason is set to take place in July, for an April 2010 calf. I can hardly wait! I guess it's really time to get to work on planning the barn and putting up some more paraphanelia. I knew farming took a lot of "stuff", but holey moley!
Also, I need to get it set in stone, for sure, what kinds of birds I want to raise. I really like turkeys, but you only get the meat. Ducks and geese are the same way and we can get them wild here. Chickens provide meat and eggs but I can get eggs fairly cheap around here so I don't know if that would be worth it. Since we're going to the barter system soon, as the dollar will not be worth the paper it's printed on, I need to plan my little farm now, while I can. I also need more compost barrels or a crib since the floor of Bonnie's shelter is about a foot taller than it was when we built it. I'd say yuck but I can't tell you how much I love the smell of a barnyard. It reminds me of Grandpa and Grandma Arndt's. They had horses the whole time that I was growing up and it was awesome to be at their place. Yep, I guess I'm really a farmer at heart. Well, y'all get a picture that I took on the way to church the other morning so enjoy. I happen to love this composition particularly.

First Day on GAPS

2009-01-05T13:09:00.000-09:00

So, this is the family's first day on the Gaps Diet. This is not an effort to lose weight, get fit or look better. This is a detox diet and a healing diet so that our bodies are healthier, better functioning and less toxic. I am very convicted that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is not the best diet for the human body and therefore it is a sin for us to continually subject ourselves to those toxins. As it is wrong to smoke, it is also wrong to consume toxins with our food. Anywho, this is not a lecture...

Day One

Pre-Breakfast: 1 glass warm water, just cause I was thirsty

Breakfast-Lunch (since my hours are weird right now): Moose, carrots and onions in home-made turkey stock with garlic and home-made saurkraut juice for the probiotics. Dandelion and peppermint tea.
The Dandelion is a liver detox and the peppermint is a digestive aid.
Cod Liver Oil

I'll probably make the same thing for dinner, but I'll use home-made beef stock for a different flavor and maybe some broccoli or squash.
All of this is organic or home-grown and will be for as long as I can afford it. It's not really more expensive since I don't buy anything in boxes and only the carrots come in a bag.
For the duration of this detox we are eliminating all carbs, dairy and sugar. Honey is allowed since it is already simple sugars. I don't think I'll partake since I'm battling yeast right now but Mom and Dad can have honey if they want. And before you all shudder and shake to think of giving up your donuts I have to tell you that you don't feel deprived at all. At least Mom and I don't. Dad still whines about the sugar but that's because he's just doing this to make us happy. I hope that he'll start to feel better and soon he won't miss the carbs. It helps to increase the saturated fat you're eating so your body has something to work on that's healthy in between meals. Eventually, we can add carbs back in, as our digestive systems heal but that day is at least a month away. Dairy can be added as it can be tolerated but refined sugar is not something we will ever add back as a regular menu item, or be in something on a regular menu item. Having done a post on sweeteners I will not go into details here. Soy will not be on the menu any more and every label will be read so we can avoid any and all chemical additives. It's a lot of work but I feel convicted and that is not something I'm willing to ignore just because it's inconvenient.

Hope you are all staying warm since we're below zero for a while. I'd take a picture of the thermomenter but it's too small to get a clear picture, suffice it to say we're the warmest we've been in two weeks and it's -13 degrees. I guess now is the time to do wood and coal so... Later!
~Pam

This was too fun to resist!

2008-12-30T20:59:00.000-09:00

I've seen this on other peoples' blogs and can't help but think of smartaleck answers for them so you guys get the brunt of my sarcasm!

1. Started your own blog-obviously
2. Slept under the stars-lots and lots of times! There's nothing else to do during summer break in Montrose, Colorado
3. Played in a band-yeah, clarinet in school
4. Visited Hawaii-no, and don't really care to
5. Watched a meteor shower-yep, the result of living outside for three months a year
6. Given more than you can afford to charity-no
7. Been to Disneyland-yes but southern California is hotter than all get out in May so we only went one day
8. Climbed a mountain-how tall does it have to be to be considered a mountain?
9. Held a praying mantis-of course! I raised six of them from egg to adult.
10. Sang a solo-only in the shower!
11. Bungee jumped-no!!!!!!!
12. Visited Paris-no
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - yes and it's not that exciting if your boat is tiny.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch-i have many hobbies that could be considered art that I had to teach myself
15. Adopted a child-no, but maybe someday
16. Had food poisoning-yes and I still can't even look at an eggroll
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty-no
18. Grown your own vegetables-that's what I was doing when I wasn't sleeping under the stars
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France-no
20. Slept on an overnight train-no, never been on any kind of train
21. Had a pillow fight-with 27 cousins you're bound to get into one kind of fight or another
22. Hitch hiked-yes
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill-never had a job where I would want to do this
24. Built a snow fort-no, Colorado didn't get much snow where I lived
25. Held a lamb-yep, bum lambs are the cutest!
26. Been to Royal Gorge-not so as I can remember
27. Run a Marathon-not on your life!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice-no
29. Seen a total eclipse-yes
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset-who hasn't
31. Hit a home run-yeah, once or twice in P.E.
32.Been on a cruise-yes and worked one for a summer out of Juneau
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person-no
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors-Umm, that would take a lifetime!
35. Seen an Amish community-no
36. Taught yourself a new language-not yet, but I'm working on it
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied-yes, temporarily, for a few seconds at least
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person-why does this one specify 'in person'?
39. Gone rock climbing-do indoor rock walls count? I went rappelling in fifth grade.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David-no
41. Sung karaoke-no
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt-several times!
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant-no, but my mother did
44. Visited Africa-no
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight-yep, and it was FREEZING!!!
46. Been transported in an ambulance-no
47. Had your portrait painted-I believe so
48. Gone deep sea fishing-halibut?
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person-no
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris-no
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling-can't say as I have
52. Kissed in the rain-well, I kissed my behind good-bye when I got caught out in a lightning storm
53. Played in the mud-of course!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater- Indiana Jones, I'm not sure which one since it was forever and a day ago
55. Been in a movie-not that I know of
56. Visited the Great Wall of China-no
57. Started a business-yes but it was a scheme perpetrated on me by unscrupulous business people
58. Taken a martial arts class-once
59. Visited Russia-no, but I can see it from my house. (Just kidding!)
60. Served at a soup kitchen -Bean's Cafe in Anchorage on my senior trip
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies-no but I've eaten them
62. Gone whale watching-yes, on several of the cruises
63. Got flowers for no reason- from little kids
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma-no
65. Gone sky diving-no! Why jump from a perfectly good airplane?
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp-no
67. Bounced a check-no
68. Flown in a helicopter-no
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy-many, many, many
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial-no
71. Eaten Caviar-no and I can't say that I want to
72. Pieced a quilt-some of one, helping my mom
73. Stood in Times Square-no
74. Toured the Everglades-no
75. Been fired from a job-I was temporarily laid-off... nine years ago. Does that count?
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London-no
77. Broken a bone-not that I haven't done my best but no
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle-no, they scare me
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person-yep and I even remember the wrinkled Navajo weaver who sits outside the visitor's center
80. Published a book-no, but soon
81. Visited the Vatican-no
82. Bought a brand new car-Matchbox?
83. Walked in Jerusalem-no, maybe someday
84. Had your picture in the newspaper-yes
85. Read the entire Bible-probably
86. Visited the White House-no
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating-refer to earlier posts
88. Had chickenpox-yes, still have scars
89. Saved someone’s life-not that I'm aware of
90. Sat on a jury-yes, and it was fascinating and so satisfying
91. Met someone famous - Dennis Weaver in City Market in Montrose, Colorado. I even got his autograph. Jeff King, Jon Little, Paul Gebhardt, Deedee Jonrowe, Doug Swingley, Mitch Seavey, and Lance Mackey used to be my neighbor. I know that they are mostly famous up here but this does not specify!
92. Joined a book club-yes
93. Lost a loved one-yes, I lost Charlie in the store once.
94. Had a baby-sure, baby chickens, baby cats, baby dogs... Not the right kind of baby? Then no.
95. Seen the Alamo in person-no
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake-no
97. Been involved in a law suit-no
98. Owned a cell phone-no
99. Been stung by a bee-yes, too many times to count
100. Been to a birthday party where they put something on your eyes and have you feel through a bowl of rice for different objects-umm, no and have never even heard of this. Sounds creepy

Okay, friends and "family"

2008-12-19T19:11:00.001-09:00

This is our new cat... Fred. He's an intact, male, tabby who's also maybe a calico. If he is a calico then he is worth a lot of money. He showed up when I was housesitting and Mom finally coaxed him out from under the house a week later. We fed him for a month before he would come in the house. Since he can come and go as he pleases he is a great cat. He's bigger than Midnight and Ashley but Baby (haha) is still the heavyweight in this house. We advertised but nobody has claimed him so he belongs to us now.
This is my pastor, Ron Lambert, and his wife Anita. He is a wonderful pastor and he is so funny. He has a million stories and can make any situation seem hilarious.
See? He's a camera ham too.
This is Jaime, a friend and fellow member of the church. She's one of the guitarists, along with Pastor and she's really good.
This is Ariana, a friend who comes with Jaime. In case you can't tell, she's an albino which she thinks is a really funny joke. She's very up front about it and has no problem making jokes at her own expense. I really like her and it's my sincerest desire that she would be saved. She has been through a bible-study and acknowledged her lost condition but the repentance and specifically, faith in Christ is missing. Please pray for her.