Lammas

I know I'm a couple days early but here are some ideas and knowledge for August 1st.

Here a site that explains what Celebrating Lammas is about http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/lammas.html. And here is the symbolism of Lammas http://www.widdershins.org/vol9iss3/03.htm.

Here is how to make a corn doll for those of us that have never made them. I think the kids are going to be making these this year.



Here are some yummy sounding recipes
Perfect Corn Bread
Stuffed Mushrooms
Noodles in Faery Butter
Lughnasadh Recipes

Gotta Run
Yart

Challenge #8

I know that I was suppose to post this on Monday. But we were downtown at the Children's Hospital getting stitches out. Then yesterday we started with pre-band camp. And I had to work Bingo last night. So a couple days later and here I am.

1. Garden work: Had to get out there and tie up all the tomatoes. Weeded some of the squares. Pulled out the bolted spinach.

1A. Harvest something: Cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapeno's, sweet yellow peppers and beets.

2. Preserve something. Nothing was preserved this week.

3. Food storage. I am getting 2 litter bottles filled up with emergency water.

4. Other preparedness tasks: We fixed the backdoor, put a new piston on, and got a new tip on the one window pane so that it would stop falling out. Used silicone on the broken window so that it's ready for winter.

5. Try a new recipe: No new recipes this week.

6. Financial preparedness: Got one big bill paid off. So now we are snowballing that money on to the next bill.

7. Work on local food systems. Shopped local again this week. I am looking into going to the big city to see what they offer. I know that they are doing a big community movement. But I'm trying to find out what.

8: Learn something. I am learning how to knit dish towels.

9: Serve someone. I'm working on a baby shower for my brother.

Gotta Run
Yart

Challenge #7

I can't believe that I have been doing this for 7 weeks now. This is very kewl

1. Garden work: Weeding and watering, we were able to get the grapes in the ground.

1A. Harvest something: The tomatoes are just starting to change from green to red. Cucumbers are so good.

2. Preserve something. Nothing was preserved this week.

3. Food storage. I got 5lbs of clear jel and also went grocery shopping again. 36 rolls of TP, and a bunch of canned goods.

4. Other preparedness tasks: We got a couple of trees that were cut down. DH got a chainsaw as an early Christmas gift. So we have been cutting and stacking wood. This is such a great skill to have.

5. Try a new recipe: Nothing new this week. Just the stand by's hotdogs, hamburger helper and the like.

6. Financial preparedness: Still working on getting caught up. This really doesn't change week to week.

7. Work on local food systems. I shopped local this week. Went to the farmers market. I am starting to talk to some of the regulars. This might net me some information.

8: Learn something. Don't take everything so seriously. With the bike issues and almost losing DH, kind of puts a new perspective on a lot of things.

9: Serve someone. Not this week. But we have been on the receiving end of some really good people's actions.

Gotta Run
Yart

Summer from Hell

Like I said before I would write when I had a chance. Well, I have a few minutes.

DH was on the Harley in front of me. We were in the car. All of us were heading 3 hours away to go to an Amish community. We have done this trip countless times. This time some thing happened. We are going along. I see DH look down, then a puff of white smoke, then the smell of something burning. He veered right to the side of the road and I veered left. Seconds to decide what to do. I finally get to the side of the road. We don't know what happened. He says that the back wheel locked up. He clutched and the wheel started moving again to get to the side of the highway. Mind you we were doing 70 when this happened.







Luckily, we were able to get off the highway and on to a side road. My brother had to come down and get us. He couldn't find all of his tie downs so we did the best we could to get to the nearest service center. Of course the bike is only tied down in the front what happens next...... You guessed it. The bike falls over in the trailer........... Dent in the tank.... Not to big but a dent none the less. So then they decide that this is for the best.



Get the bike home and head back out to the amish community. Then Friday morning they start taking it apart (DH and DB). And here is what they found.

Swingarm


Sprocket


Wheel


See the bolts broken off.

So now all the toys are broken... the blue that you see behind the swingarm isn't running the timing is off..... Like I said I think I am just going to sit in one spot and not move. It might be safe that way... LOL!

Gotta Run
Yart

Kniting Notions

I know I'm up and about really early this morning. I wanted to get a jump on things and then decided to take it slow.
I got up and took the dog out. I am doing this now to make sure no one harms him. Not sure what these people are capable of. But I took my knitting with me. I am learning how to do the ribbing. How I wish I could show you my progress. My memory card for my camera died a couple of weeks ago and I haven't had the money to get a new one. But I digress. The class I'm taking is a lot of fun. I have met some very interesting people.
I have heard it said that knitting is the new yoga. If that's the case then I was zenful for half an hour this morning.... LOL! Now I'm not knocking yoga... LOVE IT! But sometimes you need to learn a new move or two.

It was cold here last night. If I had a wood burner it would have been stoked this morning. Brrrrr. DH and I went out for a ride on the bike the other night and I had to toss on a hoodie. I told him that fall is in the air. Even if it's the beginning of July. I think we are in for a bad winter this year. We had our first power outage the other day with the rain storm that blew through here. It got me thinking yet again about food storage. With being in the city some of the things that I do seem even backwards to me. But the food storage is one of those things that needs to be looked at every month. And especially when something happens to bring it to the forefront again. Sorry, bit of a ramble.... LOL!

For the rest of this month I am going to clean out the freezers and can what I can. I know there is meat and veggies in there. I think there might even be some fruit. That way the freezers will be clean and ready for if DH gets to go hunting this year. Plus I know I have cantelope & watermelon in the fridge that I need to do something with. I'm thinking jelly!

This turned out to be longer then I intened.

Gotta Run,
Yart

Challenge #6

Last week was another one of those weeks. I have been beating myself up about not posting like I feel I should. But this summer has brought about a few changes here. So I will take life one day at a time. I will post when I can.

1. Garden work: Weeding and watering

1A. Harvest something: Lots of jalapeno peppers, all of the broccoli is done so are the peas and beans, lettuce, swiss chard are still growing.

2. Preserve something. Nothing was preserved this week.

3. Food storage. I was able to put some meat that I won off of a raffle ticket. 5lbs of hamburger and 5lbs of kielbasa dogs.

4. Other preparedness tasks: Working on the knitting. I also took a class of sorts on wild edibles.

5. Try a new recipe: No new recipe but a new item. Hot Rod Bob's BBQ sauce. Very good even picky monster liked it.

6. Financial preparedness: Still working on getting caught up. This really doesn't change week to week.

7. Work on local food systems. I shopped local this week. Went to the farmers market. I can't wait till it gets bigger

8: Learn something. Learned that there are some wild edibles right in the neighborhood. Raspberries, wild grapes and mulberries.

9: Serve someone. I was at the legion helping out with a steak dinner.

Gotta Run
Yart

Wednesday Musings

DH and I are trying to get in more exercise.... Well, more planned exercise. So far it has been really random. Like most things in our lives due to scheduling exercise gets put on the backburner.

There is also an art fair going on in town. I think that we will be going through it tomorrow. I haven't gone in like 20 years. Usually I am out of town. So it should be fun.

There is also a farmers market today in a town just down the road. We went last week and picked up a couple of things. I am hoping to get a couple more tomatoes. Mine are still green on the vine. But that is because I have been dealing with aphids. My peppers are looking better. They had bacterial spot. I treated late but they seem to be doing good. Even because of my best efforts.

The garden is doing well. The lettuce and spinach are starting to bolt. But that is ok, I am going to try and collect seeds.

Gotta Run
Yart

Tuesday's Musings

I know I said I would get here yesterday. But I had tons of stuff to do. We have an appointment with the orthopedic doctor on friday. Had to call the band director to tell her teenage monster wouldn't be going. I was told that yes she would go and they would make all accomidations for teenage. That way she doesn't loose her spot. Kewl!

I went to knitting class last night. I learned the continenal method of knitting. I can now knit and purl. I have a whole skein to practice on till the next class where we are going to learn how to yarn over...... Can't wait.

Gotta Run
Yart

Recap

Like I said before DH has been off work for almost 2 weeks with vacation. It was a really good thing he was. We have been having difficulties around here a plenty. Frist we are approached by one of the local police. He proceeds to tell us that our dog supposidly bit another dog. Huhhhhh? The only opening in the fence that we have is a 1" - 1 1/2" in gap at the bottom of the gate. We have a 6 1/2 foot privacy fence that goes all the way around the yard. So we freak! Then we wait most of the week for the dog catcher to come.... Needless to say we are scared that our dog will be taken and put down. Well, he come by and talks to us. He said we did everything right and he doesn't see how it was possible for our dog to get his snout out of the yard to bite the other dog. Or for the other dog to have gotten under our fence (Shar-pei). By the way we have a rottie/chow mix. If he had gotten a hold of the other dog I'm fairly certain there would have been a bottom bite mark. Which there wasn't. So that was the begining of the week. Think it won't get any worse... Guess again.

Usually on Fridays the monsters go and visit Grandma. So they went, we went home to get ready to go out. I'm just out of the shower when the cell phones start going crazy...... Teenage monster is down and can't get up...... We take off like a bat out of hell to get to her. Get to the park where they are playing and sure enough. She is down and can't get up..... Laying on her side. So DH looks at where it hurts and she says that it wasn't a pop it was a crack that she heard. We carry her to the truck... (the hospital is 300ft from where we are standing, no point in calling an ambulance). Get her to emergency, they take x-rays. Sure enough its broke. And it is the type of break that will require surgery. So off to the Children's hospital we go. They do surgery at 1:30am. She got released from the hospital at 2pm on Saturday. She is doing really well. Getting use to the crutches. Luckily, she doesn't have a cast they have her in an immobilizer. In 10 days we go to she the doctor that did the surgery to see what happens next.

So now there will be no band camp for this year. I am hoping that she will be able to still be in the orchestra band for the 9th grade. This is really screwing up a lot for her. Good thing DH already had this part of his vacation. The next one will be the end of the summer when she will be up and moving around again.

Gotta Run
Yart

Challenge #5

Due to a fluke in scheduling...... DH is off again this week. So I will try to get back to the regular scheduled programing by next week. I am going through withdrawls. I was able to get all the pictures off my camera right before the memory card died so I do have some pictures to share.

1. Garden work: I am fighting aphids still. I am using warm water and dawn dish soap. I am also fighting off bacterial spot with copper spray.

1A. Harvest something: I have been bringing in lots of lettuces, spinach and swiss chard and 1 jalapeno pepper and a head of cauliflower.

2. Preserve something. Nothing was preserved this week.

3. Food storage. Nothing again but it is a pay week.

4. Other preparedness tasks: Working on the compost again.

5. Try a new recipe: Lasagna Spinach Roll Ups

6. Financial preparedness: Still working on getting caught up. This really doesn't change week to week.

7. Work on local food systems. I shopped local this week. I got some really delicious tomatoes. They were super expensive but I so wanted homegrown ones.

8: Learn something. I learned some of the laws concerning dogs this week. Long story maybe more on this later.

9: Serve someone. I am working on putting together a benefit dinner for my friend that had the heart attack.

Gotta Run
Yart