Blasted birds!

Birds, Angry Birds. Blasted Angry Birds.  
Birds who use up all my time and phone battery.

While celebrating Christmas, Stephen got me started playing a game called Angry Birds. I put it on my iPhone. It's one of the most addicting, repetitive, yet challenging games I've ever played. I can't put it down.

This game is only availble for iPhones and Androids, so you can't find it for your computer. Just as well, as I'm already playing it far too much. 
 
This is how I'm spending my New Year's Eve. Playing Angry Birds, listening to the Weather Channel and Big Steve snore.


Yeah, good times.  Who says you need a party to have fun.

Happy Boxing day

Boxing day can only be truly a happy day if you leave out the holiday decorations but box up the wrapping paper and put away the gifts.

Christmas should last as long as possible - or at least until the new year.
Even baby agrees.

Actually, boxing day isn't at all related to boxing things up like people think. Boxing day was first about giving gifts to the hired help,  and giving them a day off after Christmas. Today it's a bank and shopping holiday, not much more.

Merry Christmas again

Yule Log over the fireplace. Presents, nog, egg burritos and lots of loud talking.
Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas garland and magic

Decorations make Christmas magical. Families decorate houses in anticipation of the season. Stores put out decorations in October helping us all get ready for the holidays. 
I'm glad they do. 
Long ago, and even today in other countries, Christmas isn't made public until December 24th. That's a sad thought, to only be happy for Christmas one or two days a year. 

I love the holidays. It's a time when people consciously, and purposely, consider the interests and needs of other people. It's the only time of year when generosity is foremost in popular thought.

Holiday generosity encourages reciprocity.  That's the best part - wanting to do good to someone in return, simply because it's Christmas.

I'm grateful for commercialized Christmas. If it weren't for commercialism we'd be trapped in a world centered only on personal achievement. It might be commercialism to some, but it reminds me how focused we really are on a single emotion; generosity. That's not a bad thing.

Holiday decor makes Christmas magical. My dad contributed to the magic every year by hanging garland on the ceiling. We had this green garland my mother kept in a big box in the attic, and along about December 20th, my dad would get it out and string it along the edges of the entire living room, then, criss-cross it in the middle and hang a big red bell where the two strands met. Every morning when I got out of bed, I would run down the hall and just stare at that garland, and smile. It was the beginning of my magical feelings of Christmas and I still look forward to all sorts of decorations every year.

I'm thankful for western commercialism. I'm thankful for sights, sounds, and thoughts of happy things. I'm especially thankful for Christmas generosity. That's the magic of Christmas. The longer it lasts, the happier people can be.

Road trip

William's dream chair..........men and their chairs!

Bittersweet snack

Baby loves oranges and cranberries - can you tell?

Alora

Alora's getting so big. We had a mini-party for her birthday. She even showed her daddy how she can walk (with a little help).

Let's play Christmas

Yesterday we went for a walk. Ethan and Alyssa helped me find the houses on the street that were decorated.

Later, Alyssa played a tune of Jingle Bells - I had to beg to get just a little song from her, she doesn't seem to like having her picture taken, but I manged a minute or two.

Friends

Good friends make everyone smile.

Welcome friends, and bring the fire extinguisher

Our dear friends Jenny and Ross arrived tonight, after a L-O-N-G drive from South Dakota. I knew they'd be tired after driving it all in one day, so I planned a lovely welcome; clean, warm bed, fresh towels, coffee ready for brewing first thing in the morning, and a nice hot loaf of banana bread for breakfast, baking in the breadmaker.  Such a welcoming fragrance, something to be glad to wake up for in the morning.

Except when it burns.

We managed to get the breadmaker out the front door and on to the porch. It's after midnight, 25 degrees outside and we've got the doors wide open, the fans going, just hoping (praying!) that the smoke detector doesn't go off and wake the baby. Geesh! some welcome!

I've never seen that much smoke pour out of anything meant to be eaten. It says alot for my cooking abilities. I wonder if the dog will drag the breadmaker off before we get up in the morning? 

First time for everything

Today we went to Breakfast with Kris Kringle (and his penguin sidekick).  Baby Bonnie wasn't too fond of her first ever live-walking-stuffed animals, she was more fond of getting away from them. 

On the other hand, she did a few other happier firsts - first bacon, first cantaloupe, first drink from a water fountain.  Those made her very happy. 


And I had a VERY HAPPY Birthday.



 

Christmas is here

Don't say it

I am such a rule breaker.  I know that the one of the top seven things you are NEVER supposed to take pictures of (and share with other people) are food, and yet I continue to do it. 

Pictures of food work great on a foodie blog, which this blog is not.  I know, I know. Rule number 2 says.....

I can't help it.  It's not often I find a pizza joint that serves gluten-free foods on its menu.  Of all the foods I miss eating, it's America's number one food: pizza. That, and oatmeal.  I know it's random, but I do really miss them both.

Pizza has diverse qualities. It saved my life once. It tastes great, and you can eat it one-handed while driving.  All great reasons to eat pizza, besides the cheese.

This pizza is from Steve's Pizza, a little spot just around the corner from my hotel. I discovered it on my last night in Rancho. The best thing about this pizza is that you can't tell it's different from the original ancestor.

That's a real art. Many gluten free substitutes don't make the cut, are a bad imitation of a once great bit of grub, or just taste gritty and make you glad you hadn't eaten gluten free replacement meals before. 

Not this one. Steve's really knows how to make the crust thin and flaky, just the right texture. Perfect toppings, lots of sausage, sauce, and grease.

Ok, I know what you're thinking, I need to read the rules book again about blogging. Well, maybe I'll do that, after I take a few more angle shots of this masterpiece. This is one pizza I don't want to forget.

Bend and stretch

Corporate America.  Providing cubicle environments with healthy lifestyle alternatives. That motto should be posted on every corporate door.  They recycle. They offer incentive programs for weight loss. They provide the best in corporate offerings. 

Like Mochachino, Hot Chocolate, limitless Diet Pepsi, Ping-Pong tables and tournaments, Chili-cook-offs (Monday),
And Yoga.

I'm in Rancho training this week.  This time I get to be the learner. Every day we walk down to the corner cafe for a salad. Some people take long walks.  Many of the people here are runners, some of them running miles to work each morning. The office provides showers and lockers so they can just jump out of bed, run to work, and get ready once they've arrived here.

That's one thing that's nice in California.  Health consciousness. More people here care about their personal fitness and take a proactive approach to it - not waiting until they are ill, then making doctor visits a hobby. Instead, it's so common to see people in this area concerned about what they put into their bodies and how they can prevent (or at least, defer) those multiple trips to the doctor office later in life. I have one friend who runs 22 miles for enjoyment each week. Another friend runs to work 7 miles in the morning, showers at the office, then runs home again at night.  He saves on gas and on gym expenses, plus he doesn't have to find time to exercise after getting home.  Smart.

Today during lunch we did Yoga. It was optional of course, and I was assured it was fine that I would be a clueless participant. It just so happened I had brought my Yoga clothes. I bring them with good intentions of exercise, but I never actually expect to find a Yoga class at my workplace.

These are some of the positions we tried today.  It's amazing how Yoga increases your stamina and heart rate, how much of a sweat you can work up just by balancing on one foot, and stretching.  I sort of liked it. But I did feel a bit of Déjà vu - like I was five again, and doing the activities with Romper Room. 

After almost an hour of bending, stretching, and sitting like a pretzel, I really did feel wonderful.  

Mustard, anyone? 

Clean but don't toss

I adore a clean garage. When we lived in Camarillo I cleaned out and re-arranged our garage once a week. It makes me nuts when I can't walk around in a garage or find what I need.  And I like things in neat little rows, not just jammed in there so it all fits.  

Now I clean out the garage less often, but I"m no less fussy about it.  At least on the first floor. The second floor is a different matter.

Some day, when my kids have the unpleasant task of cleaning out my garage, maybe they'll find a treasure or two.  But I seriouly doubt they'll get as lucky as the brother and sister in England who recently cleaned out their parent's garage.

A brother and sister from the town of Pinner in Middlesex, England, found a blue and white Chinese vase while cleaning out their deceased parent's garage.  They set it to one side while they went about sorting their parents’ stuff, then took it to Bainbridges auction house in nearby Ruislip for appraisal.  They were surprised to find the vase appraised at over a million dollars. 

Bainbridges auction house put the vase on auction. It was Chinese in design so drew the attention of a lot of foreign investors. Everyone was even more surprised when the vase finally sold at the outrageous price of 85 million (US) dollars.

Was the father of these siblings named Indiana Jones?  Who has crap like that in their garage anyway?


I can pretty much guarantee that is not going to happen for my children. Even with my unique occupation (haha!) I'm afraid there will be no high priced find like that in my junk. 

Just in case, maybe when you clean, don't be so eager to toss stuff out. You just never know!

Getting Married? Take a Number.

Weddings don't have to be extravagant. In fact, if you really want to do something low-key when you get married, try City Hall.

In New York city, if you want to get married at City Hall, you don't make an appointment. Monday through Friday, you just show up, take a number, then wait. 

There are even businesses that specifically market to City Hall couples. Michelle told me of one called City Hall Wedding Photographer, who offers packages for both planned City-Hallers and elopements.
  
Michelle, William, and baby have just flown off to New York for a wedding. 
A City Hall wedding.
Baby's godmother, Julie, is getting married and they didn't want to miss it. Home just over a day, they're off again on another adventure, a casual wedding at New York City Hall.

They've planned a nice day of it: getting their nails done, buying flowers from the corner flower vendor, then riding in a limo to City Hall for the big event. Afterward, Gluten Free wedding cake and a nice dinner.

So simple, so elegant, even relaxing. A wedding that costs little and still accomplishes much (at least the desired result).  Who could ask for more? I just wonder why more people don't do it?  It couldn't get much more romantic than that.

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

After 22 hours flying, waiting, flying, sitting, Michelle, William, and Bonnie Rose are "home."  At least that's what I call it. I'm just not sure they do yet. Shanghai was the first real "home" they've had together and I know it was difficult to leave. 

They brought with them a few more suitcases than they probably wanted to mess with, but I know they'll be glad, in the long-run, that they have them.  Michelle, of course, just had to go shopping one more time before packing to leave. Good thing she didn't have time for 2 shopping trips!!

After that long traveling, Baby was as energetic as I am after long trips; making faces at the dog, playing in the rocking chair, jabbering and being silly. It has to feel good, after that long, just not to be handled, you know



Welcome HOME Michelle, William, and Bonnie Rose.  We're all very glad you are here.

Garlic ball remedy

Today is worming day. 

Anytime you have animals, it's important to keep any wee creatures from living inside them. Parasitic creatures love to coexist within the warm bodies of larger creatures, including dogs, cats, people, cattle, and goats, to name only those that live with me. Most farmers use the standard chemical treatment, which does work, but only by poisoning the parasite inside. 

Just think about that, you're giving poison to your most beloved animals. It's easy to figure out that if you give too much, you'll see much more than the demise of a parasite.

As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of using chemical pest control, so for my goats I wanted to find an alternative. A farm by the name of Fiasco Farm and Molly's Herbals makes an herbal remedy for worm prevention primarily made up of powdery garlic. There are two formulas, a stronger one containing Wormwood and another for pregnant does or weekly maintenance. Since my females are all pregnant, I do a weekly maintenance program that harms neither the mother or the babies. As you might guess, you cannot worm a pregnant doe with chemical wormers. 

I mix up the power, adding equal amounts of the garlic stuff and Slippery Elm, another fabulous herb that helps the flavor of the dosage balls going down, as well as coming out. That's an important feature.  No one enjoys that burning sensation.  Especially when you're eating this much garlic how much burning there might be otherwise! 

My goats have learned to love this weekly treatment. They gobble up their designated share and fight over who gets the next ball of garlic. Some manage an extra bite or two, which won't hurt them. Even the babies have learned to love it!  Notice Basil sticking his tongue through for a nibble.  

People can eat this stuff and it doesn't taste too bad. Of course, you'd have to like garlic to be able to agree. Dogs sometimes like it, but it's dangerous trying to get a cat to eat it. I guess, in the case of cats, I need to stick to prescribed chemicals to keep them healthy.  It's a lot easier and safer to squeeze a wormer on the back of a cat's neck.  
I guess chemicals aren't always entirely bad. Especially when it comes to wild animals.

Jack-o-lantern soup?

I've always loved the autumn. Its crisp air, falling leaves, earthy colors. There's nothing like the smells in autumn, and walking on those crunchy leaves.

Autumn foods are spectacular, like hot cocoa, baked apples, or even apple butter. Yum!

And the pumpkins. I cooked the pumpkin up yesterday and it brought back memories. The kids and I used to go to the pumpkin patch every autumn to get enough pumpkins to carve plus enough more to cook. We'd cook up enough pumpkin for the upcoming holiday season. We'd roast the seeds. We'd light candles in the hollow heads to haunt us while we ate our pumpkin cookies.













 
But pumpkins don't get their due reward in the United States. They are strictly a seasonal food and that's sad. We Americans tend to think that pumpkin flesh is only good for pies and other sweet treats served during the holidays.

Simply put, this is not true.

All over Asia and South America, pumpkins are treated much like other squash, served year-round, in a variety of dishes. As they should be. Pumpkins are far tastier than butternut squash, more versatile than zucchini squash and definitely more useful than spaghetti squash.

While pumpkin pies, cookies and breads are scrumptious, there are other concoctions that make pumpkin flesh good to eat. Sauteed pumpkin is incredibly yummy. We do that to every other vegetable, why not pumpkin? Then there's Pumpkin soup, one of the best foods on earth. We had such a dish in Yangshuo (which Michelle and I ordered every single day, sometimes twice a day!). I vowed that, when I got home, I'd try making that soup. But trying to find a recipe for pumpkin soup, like the soup we had at the Giggling Tree has been entirely impossible.

Why do Americans insist on only cooking pumpkin with chicken stock, or with pumpkin-pie spice and brown sugar? Are we seriously that uncreative? Somehow, American chefs can figure out how to make a cake without flour, but can't figure out how to make a simple soup. I'm sure those other soups are tasty, and eventually I'll give them a try. But right now I'm just looking for plain old pumpkin soup. Is that too much to ask?

At least we asked the chefs at Giggling Tree how they made their fabulous soup. I'm so glad we did. Their answer - so simple - cooked, pureed pumpkin and canned milk. That's it. No chicken broth, no garlic, no weird spices. I decided to come home and try this soup myself.

The result?

A yummy autumn meal. One I plan on making, even year-round.

Case of the crock

I am forever trying to find uses for my crock-pot. You can only make so many roasts before you get sick of them.

Today, while washing my crock-pot after making a venison roast, I had an idea: why not cook my pumpkin in the crock? I've cooked pumpkin in the oven before, but the flesh dries out too much. I've steamed pumpkin on the stove but always get too much liquid in the flesh and end up having to squeeze the water out of the meats before using them. So what about the crock-pot?
















All I did was wash the pumpkin and cut it up. I put 1/2 the pumpkin in (that's all that would fit) and added 1/4 cup of water. I probably didn't need to add any water since the pumpkin has enough of its own moisture but I couldn't help myself. I hoped I wouldn't have to squeeze anything out.

I set the cook timer to 4 hours.

The aroma was amazing!! I came in from a long walk and was slammed by the fragrance of steaming pumpkin. I wonder if there are any places on earth that have autumn as a permanent season? I need to grow pumpkins, they smell better than apples.

Oh, and the best part? No squeezing out the water. It was the most perfectly cooked pumpkin I've ever made. Why didn't I think of this before?

To change or not to change

When I was a kid, I hated my hair. My mother kept my hair cropped short. I looked like a hobbit. I didn't even know what a hobbit was but I knew I didn't look normal. When I got old enough, I stopped cutting my hair. That was a change, one I made consciously. Funny enough, I haven't really changed my hair since. I guess there's a time for change, and a time not to.

All around me as a girl I saw people who hated something about their lives. Not surprising really since life in Michigan isn't spectacular anyway. I used to ask myself (and sometimes them) why, if they didn't like a thing, they didn't make an effort toward change. Most of the time when I asked them, they would just stare at me as if I just fallen off a distant planet.

People used to write in my yearbook "Stay just the way you are!" and I would think Why? The way I am is stupid. I do not intend to stay like this the rest of my life. At some point I want to be smart.
Some things about that did change, others parts did not.

As I got older, it never occurred to me to remain: I did not continue wearing the same sized clothing, I didn't keep my hair the same, I didn't stay in the same classroom with the same teacher, so why in the world would I think I had to stay in the same dreary place all my life?
So I moved.

Davey Crockett moved when he could see smoke rise from his neighbor's chimney. It made him a better person, he transformed from farmer, soldier, to trailblazer, to congressman, simply by making small changes throughout his life.

Look what moving out of Aunt Petunia's house did for Harry Potter. The changes that move brought affected not only Harry, but hundreds of people throughout the magical world. (Please don't tell me you have not yet read Harry Potter, that might just be grounds for not speaking.)

The reason behind making a change isn't important, it's the fact that you see that things are stagnant, moldy, stale; it's like you realize that you haven't changed your underwear in a very long time and something has to be done. There's good news and bad news about that, but it usually means things are going to transform in one way or another.

It never occurred to me to always live in the same town, or even the same state. I made that change almost without thinking.
Yet other things in life are not options to change, some choices, once made, have to stick. For instance: I am still married to the same man after 33 years. Or is it 34?

The point is, there are things in life we have options about. Just doing what's expected, keeping our hair short, living in the same town, staying a muggle, won't make life good, or rewarding. What makes life good is learning to grow and change, through change.

I'm glad I no longer live in Michigan, Missouri, or California. And I'm especially glad I no longer have short hair. I really look stupid as a hobbit.

Movers and shakers

The movers are coming tomorrow. Michelle and William will soon be home. They send their love to everyone and wish you all a Happy November.

We wish them a Happy Anniversary. Six years ago they started this exciting life together, in order to shake up their world. So far, it's been working out well for them. Now maybe they can get a little peace and quiet for a change.

Back in the trenches

Every place we've lived, Steve manages to figure out a reason to dig trenches. I have to admit, the finished product is always nice but it's comical when I think about all the ditches we've had over the years, and how much time Steve (and Luke) spent digging them. They sure did spend a lot of time on those trenches, digging them with no more than a shovel and a lot of muscle.
This year things are different. Steve has a new helper with a surname of Caterpillar.

Last winter it was so cold for so long, the water in the goat pens froze solid and stayed that way. I got a heated bucket but I had to carry water out to the animal pen every day. I would save up my 2-liter bottles from V8 and Diet Coke, fill them with water, put them in a backpack and haul them out to fill my heated bucket. While it was a good workout, it wasn't terribly efficient. So this year I wanted to install a self-watering system for the livestock, one that would also keep the water from freezing. I should have known it was easier said, than done.

If you don't already know it, Steve rarely does things simply. The nice thing is, the effort he takes makes a lasting product. Not only is he installing the water for what I want now, he's thinking ahead to where we're going to want water in the future. The trench he dug for this project is deep, to bury the pipes deep enough to keep them from freezing. It runs from where the water is now, all the way out behind the barn.

Digging trenches is hard work. At least he doesn't have to do it all by hand this time. The ground here is much harder (and rockier) than in California but his new track hoe has made this job a lot easier. I think he might even be enjoying it a bit - even though he's working on plumbing, his least favorite task of all.

What are Nana's good for?

Nana's been busy. We really did get some packing done during this past month. There's still much to do and Baby's a little confused. She's not sure what's going on, but she knows something is up. Nana's visit has brought a lot of change.

Since Nana came to visit, baby has learned to



Go places with Nana










Ride in a car and sing songs













Ride in a bicycle seat














Safely play with a chop stick










and probably a few other things I won't willingly mention, but should probably take the blame for. I have a feeling, from here on out, a lot of things are going to be my fault.

I don't mind. A person needs to leave a legacy somehow. Even if it is only loud burps and sneezes.

Me and my llama

A couple of weeks ago we went to a pet shop. Baby saw a puppy dog - a live doggy sitting on a desk, and was so excited about petting it. Next to the puppy was a stuffed white llama. At first Bonnie thought it was alive and immediately fell in love.

Now Bonnie has her own white llama. She got it for her birthday and named it Lily. Bonnie really loves her llama. This morning on Skype, Auntie Penny told us about a llama Sesame Street song, so I found it on YouTube. Baby has watched it now about a dozen times.
Thanks, Auntie Penny, for making Baby's day so entertaining.

You can do a lot in 3 days

Deciding on a vacation spot isn't always easy - especially when you know you have very little time. A vacation is supposed to be a time to relax, a time to renew your body and mind. That's what our trip to Yangshou was.








We walked along local trails, enjoying the fields and mountain scenery, sometimes pausing to take care of some important business.




















We were fascinated by the family tombs erected at the base of many of the mounds.











We crossed rivers on bamboo rafts and walked across narrow concrete bridges.












We stopped at the river to watch the rafts float by.











We cycled through the villages and countryside taking in the sights.

We took a long raft ride down the River Li.

We ate WAY too much, or just sat around a lot watching the baby explore.

Some of us even got time to read (yes, William is reading his Kindle while babysitting).

It was fabulous.