Of Skunks and Gratitude

Let me introduce you to my dog Shadow aka "Barkey" since he has to have a discussion over everything!  For those of you who are not familiar with where I live and how I live, let's just suffice it to say that I live in the country and with that reality comes a certain amount of interaction with Wild Life which can also make life seem quite wild and crazy from time to time!

Over the past three years, Barkey has had a love/hate relationship with (you guessed it) Skunks.  Now friends, I don't know how many of you have been in the path of a full -on Skunk discharge but for those who have never had the experience, it's not a great thing to be in the vicinity of.  It's not a smell that goes away any time soon either.  It lingers.....for days, sometimes depending on it's ferocity, weeks!

Well, last night around 10:30 pm, I had my dog outside by the front of the house and I caught a faint whiff of the little bugger and I called my dog, grabbed his collar, opened the front door and shoved him inside thinking as the full scent developed in the air that I had dodged the bullet this time - whew!  I came inside behind him and the house just reeked of SKUNK.....and for those of you that have never experience it, it hangs in the air inside the house for hours.  Even if the dog didn't get hit.  So, I, in my silly trusting way, Thanked God that he didn't come in with a face dripping yellow like last time.  The smell was so strong in the house that after awhile, I went over and started sniffing the dog.

Now, the dog is looking at me like I am nuts...(why is the crazy woman sniffing me) and I ran my hands over his head (sniff the hands - no skunk) ok - it's just in the air - double whew!  So I proceed to go to bed.  Now, Barkey sleeps on the bed with me.  We jump in - smell not too bad (still just hanging in the air - right?  fingers and toes crossed that this is the case)  All is well, until the dog decided to turn around and face his tail end towards me......Eewe.....!!!  Remember, dog was in retreat when Skunk let loose.  Okay - at this juncture, I am about ready to cry - not again, please not again.  Then what should I hear....the rumble of thunder in the distance...Okay, things really aren't looking too hopeful at this point since my big brave guard dog shakes like a leaf and tries to climb into my lap whenever thunder makes an appearance.  If I am in bed, it gets even worse as he tries to climb between my head and the wall, sprawling his hairy smelliness on my stack of wonderful down pillows.

I leap out of bed - of course scared out of his wits dog follows (I refuse to ruin my wonderful down pillows with that....stench) so I run out into the hall with scared dog right on my heels.  Down the stairs in the dark, flip on the light.....sit in my chair, silence.  I sit there for awhile, still silence.  Dog is laying there looking at me with his head cocked to one side, his lips kind of curled in a rather (sheepish) smirk.  By this time, my patience is wearing a bit thin - after all, now it's like 1:30 am and I have been awake since like, 5:30 am.  At this point, I listen for thunder again - silence.  I look at the dog.  "Well, Butt Head (that's what I call him when my patience has run thin) - You are on your own.....I'm going to bed, alone.  You will just have to deal with it!"  And friends, that's precisely what I did - I put up the baby gate at the top of the stairs,shut the bedroom door & climbed into my bed (after opening the window & removing the bed spread).  I slept the sleep of the weary and fed up - it was heaven.

Okay - how does one find Gratitude in a Skunk attack (actually it was just fall out - not an actual nose on butt interaction) - and that is where I am sincerely GRATEFUL!!!!  This morning, when I got up, the downstairs smelled a lot better - just a faint lingering odor of eau de Skunk.  The dog - well he survived the night without any more undue panic (again MUCH gratitude on my part).  Now comes the fun part, getting rid of the scent - or at least making it more livable.  This is the recipe that a friend gave me a couple of years ago after the very first interaction which was a face to butt encounter of not just one but 2 dogs that actually were dripping yellow.  (We won't go there ever again I hope...)

Skunk Deodorizer solution

1 large bottle Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tsp. Dawn Dish soap  (this cuts the oil in the skunk discharge and helps remove it)

Mix this together in a bucket (it will foam up when mixed)

Using an old rag (you will wish to throw it out) - wash the effected areas of your dog.  Let stand for 10 min. (have fun with that one....a good lead attached to a good post helps - believe me!)
Rinse the solution off the dog.

This is the best solution I have found - far superior to the old "tomato juice" in the shower routine of years past.  (Let me add that there is nothing like having a freshly skunked dog greet you in the outhouse first thing in the morning as had happened when we were first building this place many moons ago....followed closely behind with faces full of porcupine quills - we definitely won't go there!)

As of this writing, a significantly better smelling albeit damp Barkey is laying by my feet as I write down my tale of Gratitude .....now I am off to remove my wet clothes and take my bath.  Have a great Sunday everyone!

There Is No Place Like Home

Here it is almost the middle of June and I still have plants in the grow room!  Normally I have everything moved out by the first and today, I finally (despite the rainy weather) moved out the first few tomato plants.  I have cucumber plants that are huge with 5 inch cukes on them already still in their pots and the tomato plants have finally taken off in the last week to planting size. Everything started so slowly this year for some reason. I had planned to do all of this last week but you know how that goes...well, life happens and our plans don't always work out the way we think they will!

 Plants in the grow room ready for the greenhouse

Last week I spent with my 4 grandchildren while their mom had to be in the hospital.  All is well with Mom as of this writing, no worries in that regard.  I just have to say here that I know without a shadow of a doubt why we have our kids while we are young.  My mommy muscles are rusty and I don't translate toddler speak as well as I used to.  I also have to admit that being in town 4 days running was very draining as I am so used to my quiet, homestead existence.  I did get to enjoy my grandson's preschool graduation which was fun - complete with construction paper mortarboard hats with curly ribbon tassels.  I must add here though that I absolutely will not miss the sound of children's television programming - ever.

There is nothing like a stint in town to make me relish this place all the more.  I love walking out the front door and having the sheep calling out to me - baa baa (hey you - we wouldn't mind some more hay....) or just listening to the wind blow through the trees or the rain pounding on the metal roof and the clanging of my big wind chime on the upstairs porch as the thunder storms roll through.  Then of course there is the added pleasure of listening to my music while I work in the garden, extra loud due to the outdoor speakers that my kids got me for Christmas a few years ago.  A little Led Zeppelin, some Janis Joplin - summertime music.  The other benefit of living in the sticks.  As Dorothy learned - There is no place like home!!

Spring Rain & Cookie Baking

Volunteer Forget Me Nots

It was a long weekend here trying to get things working and ready for the spring planting.  Every year there is new issues to deal with with the sprinkler system.  I don't think there has ever been a year where some parts don't have to be replaced and this year was no exception.  Fortunately most of the system runs along the fences so there is no digging involved.  That is with the exception of the run that has to cross the driveway and lo and behold it decided to break this year so this year digging was involved with the repairs.  So on Saturday we got the line dug up and repaired.  All is well right?  Well....I put in a new digital sprinkler controller last spring and (you guessed it) it decided to wig out and isn't working.  It's one of those dicey things where it's on then it's not then it's on again.  Of course it's a week or so off of warranty.  The one it replaced lasted 15 years....To say the next cliche that comes to mind would smack too much of turning into my mother so I will let you fill in that blank!

Today it's raining.  I'm glad as my legs are protesting after my digging grass out of the garden rows yesterday.  I was trying to hurry so I could get my lettuce seeds planted as this round of wet cool weather moved in for the week.  It rained so hard that I lost my satellite dish for TV so what does one do then?  Why bake of course!  So today I decided to bake one of my favorite cookies - Scottish Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies.  Easy, rich and oh so good with a hot cuppa tea as the rain pours down.

Scottish Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter (no substitutes)             1/2 c. dark brown sugar - firmly packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract                           1/2 tsp. maple extract
1/2 tsp salt                                            1 3/4 c. unbleached flour
3/4 c. old fashioned oats                    3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts
course sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray  2, 8-inch round cake pans with no stick spray (I use Pam).

Cream together the butter, sugar, salt and extracts.  Add the flour, oats and nuts.  Divide dough in half and press evenly into the two pans.  Score the dough into 8 wedges for breaking after it is baked.  Sprinkle with course sanding sugar and lightly press into the dough.  Bake 25 - 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool in pan for 10 min.  Remove carefully to keep from breaking.  Cool completely.  Gently break along scored lines.  Store in an air tight container.

Homestead Anniversary

Thirty two years ago, I quit my job at City Hall in South Lake Tahoe and we moved to Northeastern Washington State.  My new husband was a city boy from Great Neck NY and I had never lived anywhere but in the mountains.  We had been married only 4 months.  We gave up playing music in a rock band on weekends and job security during the Regan recession and headed out with very little money, a contract on an 8 acre tract of forested land with no amenities and set out to build a homestead life.  A little over three weeks after we arrived, Mt. St.Helens erupted and we went from a world of green to living in what felt like a grade B black and white science fiction movie! 

A little help from friends and family

We began by cutting and peeling the logs to build our home.  Every time a tree hit the ground, ash would billow.  It was crazy.  We were living in a tiny 11 x 14 ft  log cabin that my Dad had built before my mom was able to retire and they got their home.  No indoor plumbing.  If you wanted hot water for a shower, you had to burn a fire in the wood cook stove that had pipes that ran through it to heat the hot water tank - even if it was 90 degrees outside.  I had an old six hole wood cook stove on blocks in the yard that had a water jacket and I did all my canning outside - fighting hordes of yellow jackets.

It took almost two years to get  the house to a point where it was able to move into.  By the time we moved in on Christmas Eve we had our first child just learning to walk.  The upstairs wasn't finished yet.  There were no cabinets in the kitchen - just an old metal sink unit and an even older electric stove.  Our only heat was an old Radium wood parlor stove.  Still had no indoor amenities.  It was heaven.  With our waterbed in the living room, our daughters crib and a couple of dressers we were finally able to unpack our stereo and have music again!  It was like waking up in a music store after two years of everything packed away.

We were the original recyclers.  The house was built with the logs we'd cut, peeled, dried, and turned to keep from warping and barn wood that we got from tearing a barn down that was going to be torched in a farmers field.  Now they would have made us tear it down due to restrictions on using used lumber.  I feel so fortunate that we built when we did.

What the house looks like today

What an adventure it's been!  We had a son and 3 years later,  Larry died in 1989 in a traffic accident.  Life moves on.... other relationships, more children, but the homestead lives on and continues to grow.  Gardens, livestock a couple more acres added to the original 8.  It's a grand life!  I couldn't let another April pass without honoring the spirit of this place and my journey here.

Ghosts of Summers Past

All of a sudden spring has sprung in spades!  Our temps have gone from chilly to nearly 80 and now we are heading back down into thunder storms and more normal temps.

For the past two days I have been taking care of all the lush plants that you can see in last years fall picture of my garden that I never got cleaned up last fall due to a very late canning season.  And of course I have to admit that by the end of the season I really don't care if it gets cleaned up or not!  Until...(you guessed it) Spring!!!

Then it's marathon sessions of pine cone picking, needle raking, and dead grass plucking all with the hope that the surprisingly warm temps don't jump start my perennials before I can get the afore mentioned debris off of them.

I think in retrospect, perhaps the fall clean-up is maybe the better idea in the face of all of this - however, we will talk about it again in November....In the meantime I am walking a little bent as doing "downward facing dog" for many hours at a time has taken it's toll on this not yet broken in body - it does take a few weeks until I work out all the kinks.  I think I'm glad it's going to rain and I have an excuse to sit and spin....Oh yeah - Happy Spring everyone!! (or Better late than never???)

Sewing for Tradition

For the past three weeks or so, I have been working on a Christening gown for my niece's new little girl.  I so love doing traditional white work.  I think I must have been Edwardian in my last life as I have such a draw to that type of clothing.

This particular gown had it's issues in that my embroidery machine was having density issues with the designs.  My theory is that it was the solar flairs messing with the magnetics of the computer.  What ever the reason, I ended up having to totally change my original plan and completely embroider the skirt a second time.  Eventually I got all the issues worked out and the gown finally came together.  I also made a slip with lacy trim and ruffle and a bonnet with embroidery on the brim.  I was in such a hurry to get to the shower yesterday that I forgot to photograph either one of them!  There is nothing like sewing with a deadline...

Sleeve detail

The picture on the right shows the sleeve details before I put the sleeve into the dress. It's so difficult to photograph the white on white details.

Skirt lace detail

Rather than gather the sleeves into the lace beading sleeve band, I put in tiny tucks.  The beading lace with the ribbon allows the sleeve to be able to be adjusted to the size of the child.  I do not like elastic on wee ones.

This picture shows more of the detail in the embroidery and lace insertion in the skirt.  The tucks on the bodice are in groups of three signifying the holy trinity - very traditional in a Christening gown.




I have made the gowns for all the girls in the family and some for family friends as well - for all those I love who still honor those family traditions.  I like the idea that those gowns will be kept and passed on like the ceremony they represent.

I respect every persons path to God what ever it may be.  It doesn't matter to me whether I believe the same way or not.  To me, faith is sacred whatever path it chooses to take.  So on this Easter Sunday, I pass on the love of my hands, my time, and my energy and by doing so, honor the sacred in everyone and wish blessings on the new ones.  Those innocent ones that still remember what God looks like.  Happy Easter everyone.  May this springtime ritual enlighten your spirit as the world begins it's new growth of the season.

Baking Nut Bread

The wind has been howling and we have had a deluxe mixed bag of weather to greet us today.  Dark skies, rain, sleet, snow and now a peek of sunshine - the first we have had in a week or more.  I think today is the epitome of April fool's and the joke is definitely on us!  So in order to chase the cold away, I decided to bake a nice nut bread.  Let's face it - there is nothing like carbs to comfort and warm the spirit on such a blustery day. 

When the sun broke through I ran outside to capture the blue sky that lingered for only a few moments before being swallowed up again.  As I came in the front door -breathless from fighting the wind, the smell of the cooling bread assailed my nose and whisked me back to grade school.  Although I  Risk dating myself - when we were kids, the lunch ladies actually cooked us real food in the cafeteria for lunch.  The hallways would smell of baking cinnamon rolls, or pizza made from scratch or taco filling simmering.  Funny how smells can be the catalyst of time travel.  It wasn't the greatest cuisine in the world but it was real food unlike the swill they feed today's children.  I can hear the trays clacking, and the monitor checking the tray before you could dump it's remains and head out to recess.  The salad actually contained leaf lettuce and we used to surmise that some of that lettuce wasn't lettuce at all but aspen tree leaves that they'd somehow managed to sneak into the salad to stretch the budget!  Kids!  But at least we had imagination!  Including how to avoid said "aspen leaf salad" by covertly hiding it in the empty milk carton so we could get past the tray monitor and go outside.  So, despite the weather, it's been a nice trip to Tahoe Valley Elementary School circa 1967 or so.  Here is the recipe so you can do your own time travel.  I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did.

Nut Bread

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees
Prepare a 12 cup Bundt pan or 2, 9 inch loaf pans by spraying with non-stick cooking spray

1 cup sour milk (1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp vinegar)
4 eggs - slightly beaten
1/2 cup canola oil                                       1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup oat flour (make your own by whirling rolled oats in a blender or food processor)
1/4 cup flax seed meal                               1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar                                   3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
3 tsp. baking powder                                2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Combine all dry ingredients and nuts in large mixing bowl.  Add the milk, oil, and eggs.  Mix by hand until well blended making sure there are no dry spots.  Spoon into prepared pan.  Bake 50 - 55 min for tube pan and 40 - 50 min for loaf pans.  Bread is done when a wooden skewer comes out clean.  If top looks like it's getting too brown, you can cover with foil for last 10 min. of baking.  Cool in pan for 10 min.  Then remove from pan and cover with towel until cool.  Enjoy!