My Mountain Home

When I'm 64!

And that day is today.  It sure sounds old, but I feel so young.  I'm much healthier this year than last--maybe that's why.

 

First thing I did today was get my hair cut short, not just shorter, but very, very short!  I'm thinking ahead to hot days in the garden and how I detest having hair blow into my eyes and mouth.  It's so short now I don't even have to comb it!  

The seed packets are beginning to pile up and I've been sorting them into piles according to when they get started indoors or planted outdoors.  There is so much work to do to build new beds and be ready, but alas, with 2' of snow still on the ground and lots more falling from the sky, it will have to wait.  Meanwhile I'm setting up grow lights and will begin starting seeds tomorrow.

 

Seeds!

It's a very exciting time when the seeds are spread out on the desk.  I also ordered a copy of Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening.  My plan is to major in the vegetables that do well here and then plant a few other things.  New raised beds will double the size of the garden this year :)

Kitchen Goal of the Month

Kelly the Kitchen Kop has this as a regular feature on her blog.  I'm going to participate this month and see what happens.  I love setting goals, taking on new projects, planning what to do next, but I'm not so good many times with the follow through. I'll start small!

 

My goal in the kitchen this month is perfecting a recipe for whole grain crackers.  I want something like a Wheat Thin but less sweet, something like an Akmak but more flavor, and something more sturdy in its crispiness than short.  I've tried two recipes so far, both of them very rich and tending toward the pie crust end of the continuum than what I'm after.  I may try olive oil or coconut oil for the fat next time with sprouted kamut flour, then add some herb flavoring or some seeds.

 

Back to the Real World

The micro version of the blog was so ugly and unuseful I was "forced" to upgrade.  I'm trying at this point to get things back to normal.  Right now I can't get Facebook to link, and I'm sure other problems are going to surface.  And maybe no one will ever see this because I don't know if I've lost all of my few-in-number followers.  We shall see.

 

I have some new avenues of interest.  Vegetable gardening is a big one.  Although we have a plot and have produced a crop for quite a few years, I wouldn't say I've been all that into it.  Once I've planted the seeds I like to skip right to the harvest.  I'm planning on this year's growing season to differ.

 

Another new interest is cooking in the manner of Nourishing Traditions.  I've basically quit eating processed food this year and am focusing on Real Food, things that do not generally come in packages.  Since last summer I've lost almost 25 lbs which is just a step along the way to health.

 

The third interest is firearms.  Not sure where that is going yet.

 

 

Free is good!

I've debated continuing or pulling the plug on the blog all year.  I don't seem to post very often, yet I hated to lose everything.  I was very surprised to learn that Typepad has a free "micro" option, so I took the middle road.  It's not that user friendly but at least it will afford me the luxury of changing my mind down the road.

Sliding into Spring

Well, goodness gracious.  A couple of months have slipped by with no posting, but that doesn't really surprise me considering last year's track record.

I'm really enjoying the color in the house this year--so white outside for so many months.  Here's how the kitchen turned out.  The bright, clear yellow is very pleasing and happy.  I cut some wall words to place over the back door.

Outside, early morning, we are treated to sunrises such as this:

and this:

I joined Weight Watchers on the last day of November and am down about 12 lbs.  It's been slow, but healthy but last week I discovered the secret that makes it easy!  I've eliminated all processed and refined foods and no longer experience any cravings or out-of-control eating.  

One thing I'm doing is making sprouted whole wheat flour like this:

soaking the grain overnight

draining it and letting it sprout for about 8 hours

drying it in the dehydrator until it's dry enough to grind

The resulting bread is wonderful, and easy on the tummy.

This month a couple fellow members of Long Valley Fiber Folk and I are teaching classes in nuno felting and flower pounding.  Really fun and the scarves are beautiful!

The view out the kitchen window still looks like this, but Spring is coming.

Rag Rug

 
I meant to post a picture of the living room rug I wove on the new Glimakra Ideal.  It's made of three bed sheets that I dyed blue, with a cotton warp.  My thinking was that, since I can fit three sheets in the washing machine, this rug could go in just fine.  I wove a long piece, cut it in two, released fringe at both ends, and sewed it together in the middle.  It replaces, for most of the year, two very heavy Greek flokati rugs that were a bear to clean.  I mean several hours in the laundromat with the commercial size washers.  I put a rug pad under the new rug and the dogs love it--which is mostly why we have a rug there.

I was hoping it would actually hold up in the wash--and not fall apart, or turn white!  Well, last week Dieken upchucked on it so into the wash it went, and came out fine! It didn't take two days to dry, like the flokati, either.  I may put the flokati out on the 25th for a couple of days as it does add a cozy note, but I'm sold on rag rugs.

I used some Pendleton selvages to weave another yard on that same warp, and will finish the warp with more sheets, white and yellow flowered ones alternating.

 

Weaving has not been at the top of the craft activities lately though.  I've finished about 45 of the 50 Christmas cards so far.  New holiday paper, and new inspiration arrived in the mail today, so those last few cards are still fun to do.

I'm planning on doing some packets of homemade cards for gifts this year, and I have a few other secret projects in mind.  Hopefully I will not neglect the ole blog like I have for the first 10 months of the year!

Pressure canning on the deck tonight. Chicken Gumbo Soup=yummy!

Eastern Oregon RV Trip-September 2010

We spent two nights at Union Creek Campground about 15 miles out of Baker City, Oregon.  On the first day we went through the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center which had wonderful dioramas and displays.  

We also drove to Sumpter and looked at the dredge.

The next day we drove up to Wallowa Lake Campground near Joseph, Oregon.  On Tuesday we drove to Hat Point overlook, seeing Hells Canyon from the opposite side from what we've seen from Idaho.  The road was fairly scary, 16% grade, narrow, no guard rails, and sheer dropoffs that must have been at least 3,000' down.  We drove down the Imnaha Canyon on the way back.

The following day we hiked up Hurricane Creek.  I went 4 miles, while Richard went on another mile or so.  He saw the waterfall; I saw the inky caps.

My loom is ready to weave another rug and this time I'll use this! These are the selvages cut from Pendleton yardage and will make a nice thick and soft rug. As soon as I get them untangled.