HandCraftedLife

In which I present a poem: Mamaw

2011-11-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

“Mamaw,” according to urbandictionary.com,

is “hillbilly or southern talk for grandma.”

I’m not southern but maybe was a hillbilly,

because that was her name.

Mamaw made egg noodles from scratch.

Strung all around the kitchen,

everywhere you turned.

Thin pieces of dough hung out to dry,

just like laundry.

Which she also hung out.

Didn’t get a dryer until the new house was built

somewhere around 1974.

I liked the old house better.

It had drafty windows and whole rooms closed off in the winter

to keep the heating bill down,

but it also had an attic and places to hide.

But they built the new house.

One level concrete ranch.

And stopped keeping chickens.

And started doing laundry inside.

And every Sunday we came over for dinner and watched TV.

First “Hee Haw” and then “World of Disney.”

But Mamaw didn’t totally give up her old ways.

In the fall we foraged mushrooms in the woods.

And I can still see those egg noodles

Hung out to dry.

Occupy the vote

2011-11-07T18:32:00.001-05:00

It's fall. And you know what that means! Time to get out the vote! Now, I've heard quite a few reasons for not voting, with reasons ranging from apathy to anarchy. Here's my response.

I don't have time.
I don't buy it. You have time to stop for a double latte, don't you? Or go for a run? Or eat lunch? Polls are open from 6 am - 9 pm. I don't know about other locations, but it takes me about 10-15 minutes to get in and out of my polling place.

I don't know any of the candidates, so I'd rather not vote at all.
Well, the best solution is to learn about the candidates. To check your polling place, view your ballot, and get contact information for your elected officials, go to this website in Monroe County: http://www.monroecounty.gov/etc/voter/index.php.

It's the day before Election Day. You don't possibly expect me to learn about all those people in that time, do you?
Okay, I know it's late in the game. Although I'm generally an advocate of voting for the person, not the party, my guess is that there's a political party that lines up with your beliefs, at least roughly, even if it's not one of the major parties. See who's running on the third party lines that may be more in keeping with your values.

The politicians don't really represent me and therefore I'm going to boycott the system.
This is an odd one to me. Do you think the "politicians" care that you don't vote? Actually, the status quo politicians are the ones who benefit when you don't vote. They would love for you to stay home and watch TV/play video games/surf the internet. Anything but get involved.

Voting doesn't matter. It's all money and politics and no one cares about the little guy anyway.
This is the one I really want to talk about. I agree that we need campaign finance reform. But not voting does nothing to accomplish that. Sit down while I tell you a little story.

In 1999, I was a project director for a university that was among the first round of grant recipients to implement legislation to reduce violence against women on college campuses. The request for proposals spoke of the need to change the rape-supportive culture that is too often found on campuses, and to make sure that services were inclusive of the needs of all women, including women with disabilities, African American, Latina, Native American, and Asian American women, and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women. Funded programs were expected to aim for fundamental change in social norms, and the concomitant policies and services.

In 2000, we elected a new U.S. President. When the grant came up for renewal, the RFP included no talk of social change, no talk of women of color, of women with disabilities, of non-heterosexual women. Instead, the RFP was aimed at improving facilities, such as increased blue lights and better police communications systems, and victims' services, such as victims' hotlines and counseling services. All of those things are good and necessary. But they are also very much about supporting the status quo culture that presumes that rapes will happen; we just need to deal with it.

That's a very different message from the first RFP which held out hope that social change actually could and should happen. It was a great deal more challenging to continue to work for social change while also complying with the requirements of the second round of funding. Inevitably the priorities of the project had to shift.

No doubt you now know where my political allegiances lie. That's okay. The message is the same. Whether you preferred the first or the second set of priorities, the policies, and policy-makers matter. Even those as far away as the federal government.

Okay, fine, I'll vote in a Presidential election, but what's the point of voting in the local elections?
Do you care about your school district? About the health of your local economy? About whether there are services for the needy in your town, city, and/or county? About any variety of issues from property taxes to lead prevention to accessible day care? About how your tax dollars should be spent? Then you need to vote in your local election.

Last point:

Some countries' citizens are so grateful to vote that they will risk their lives to vote. Is voting a panacea? No, not at all. But it's the least you can do.

Eat food, mostly plants, organic and local

2011-08-06T17:18:00.000-04:00

Well, the complete advice, stolen from Michael Pollan, is: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (You should go read his article. I'll still be here when you get back.)

I think Pollan's advice is pretty darn good, but for what it's worth, I'll share my own priorities when it comes to making choices about what kind of fuel I'm going to use to keep my mind, body, and soul in good shape for as long as possible. (And I don't emphasize the "not too much" part, because if you're following this advice, it's not really an issue. There's rarely a risk of eating too many locally-grown, organic, unprocessed fruits and veggies.)

1. Eat food.

When Pollan says, "eat food," he means, don't be confused that everything that is edible is actually food. Many things are "food-like substances." You know, like the orange powder in the box of macaroni and "cheese." Or that Twinkie you snuck. Or the diet soda you can't live without. (Been there, done all of those things.)

Those items are barely, if at all, food. Look at their ingredients list. Do you recognize the ingredients? As Pollan says, if your grandmother wouldn't recognize an ingredient as food, it probably isn't. Instead, it's a chemically produced compound that happens to be edible and probably exploits our innate physiological responses to sugars and fats. Remember, not everything edible is food.

This advice is in keeping with T. Colin Campbell's advice to eat whole foods. If it comes in a box or a shrink-wrapped package, chances are that it's not whole food (although I have heard tell of shrink-wrapped apples...why??) Anyway, I prefer to avoid processed foods as much as possible, although there are exceptions...I'll get to those later.

2. Mostly plants.

Pollan and Campbell's research (and many others) emphasizes the benefits of a plant-based diet. They vary, in that Campbell recommends no animal products at all, and Pollan is more moderate. I wrote in my last post about my own reasons for a plant-based diet, which includes no dairy or flesh food of any kind, eggs from my own chickens, and occasional locally-sourced honey.

And now, 2 more criteria that I've added.

3. Organic as possible.

I don't like to eat chemicals disguised as food, and I don't like to eat food that's been sprayed with chemicals. I know that eating this way can be more expensive, but when it comes to food choices, I'd rather spend more money on food and less on health care bills. (I don't mean to imply that all health problems can be avoided through diet, but I am convinced by the research that diet can at least reduce the risk of most major diseases.)

4. Grown as close to home as possible.

As evidenced by the pictures from my garden throughout this post, I love to grow my own food. I grow several types of herbs, tomatoes, green beans, Swiss chard, peppers, tomatillos, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cucumbers, squash, carrots, beets, spinach, mustard greens, and bok choy. I just put in some brussels sprouts, a first for me. These are all grown on a very small urban plot.

Still, I couldn't begin to grow all the food we need, so I spend a lot of time at local farmers' markets, and can and freeze as much of the local harvest as I can.

Now, applying these 4 criteria sounds great, in theory. In practice, it's a little harder. For example, is it better to drink locally-grown goat's milk, or processed and packaged soy milk? Criteria #1 and #4 are in conflict with #2. For now, my choice is to primarily make my own nut milk (but locally grown nuts aren't readily available, compromising criteria #4), and supplement with packaged almond or soy milk. Overall, though, I do have relatively few processed foods in my pantry. In fact, I ran a 5k this morning where we had to bring a canned food item for a food pantry, and I struggled to find something!

This approach requires one thing that a lot of people struggle with: time. It takes more time to can, freeze, and cook most of your own meals. Still, I feel there are few better ways to spend time than providing a healthy and truly satisfying meal for myself and my family. I have a full-time job and I am a doctoral student, 2 time-consuming activities. However, I also have the benefits that come along with adequate financial resources, and as someone who has in the past struggled to make ends meet, I know how much time being financially stressed can suck up, from transportation difficulties to child care to lost sleep from the worry.

However, a quick internet search turned up some creative ideas and resources that may be helpful. I just found The Poor Vegan website, for example.

Check out those barbecue tofu fries!

Another great resource is 101 Cookbooks, which focuses on in-season produce and easy-to-replicate healthy recipes. The recipe archive is well-indexed, and includes a list of vegan and vegetarian recipes.

For me, the important thing is to be thoughtful and intentional about one's food choices. You might make different choices than I make, but if we are both doing our best to nourish ourselves and our world through what we eat, we can't help but improve both.

On going (almost) vegan--And why

2011-07-28T19:53:00.000-04:00

I wrote here about my intention to go vegan between May 9 and July 4. I promised to try to blog along the way, but, um...that didn't happen.

However, I did go vegan, and still mostly am. The first week was just slightly challenging, but because I was already vegetarian, and had been vegan before, it didn't take long to get into the swing of things. I complemented my diet with vegan-related reading and adventures. Today's post will focus on WHY I've made the change to a plant-based diet, and my next post will focus on HOW. My two reasons are based on animal welfare and human health. (An animal-based diet also has significant implications for the environment, but my views on that have not changed for a long time, so I'm not focusing on that here. Still, it is one of my reasons, and I encourage you to read up on it, if you aren't aware of the effects.)

For one, I re-read Peter Singer's Animal Liberation. His principle argument is that animals are sentient beings with their own interests, and that to ignore these interests is morally indefensible, in much the same way that ignoring people's interests on the basis of sex or race is reprehensible. Anyone who has spent any time with animals knows that they have definite desires and moods, and that they can also have quite a bit of intelligence. I have to agree with his central premise. If you're inclined to disagree (or agree), read the book. He makes the argument much better than I ever could.

So, as far as my own ethics, I really cannot justify eating animals or anything they produce that has been gained via inhumane conditions, since I don't need them to survive. And, in fact, the second book I read leads me to believe that not only do most people not need animal products to survive, they are in fact quite bad for us.

I'm speaking of Cornell professor T. Colin Campbell's The China Study, which reports his own research, as well as decades of nutritional research, that indicates that a whole foods, plant-based diet is the best for promoting health and preventing a myriad of diseases. Again, he makes the case much better than I could, so I encourage you to read the book before deciding if you agree or disagree.

(These books are just a couple of those that have influenced my thinking. Another is John Robbins' Diet for a New America; his latest work is The Food Revolution.)

The health impact of diet was punctuated by the recent news from my mom that, a decade after she had open heart surgery, she now needed to have stents placed. Although her numbers are kept low in part by medication (whereas mine are not), our actual blood cholesterol profiles are similar, with both of us low in good (HDL) cholesterol and high in triglycerides. Mine are only slightly concerning at this point, but I wonder how much worse they would be if I had a more animal-based diet. (My mom is okay, and I hope I will be able to persuade her to change her diet even more than she already has.)

My vegan adventure was volunteering for a work party at Farm Sanctuary. (That's where all the pictures for this post are from.) It was so great to spend time with the animals and contribute to an organization that has done a great deal to improve the conditions of farm animals in the U.S. Also, as someone who grew up in rural Indiana, amidst horses, pigs, and cows, I still cherish the fresh country air and good honest physical labor.

You may have noticed that my title says almost "vegan." We do still have our backyard chickens, and I eat their eggs. I know exactly how they are treated and I feel very comfortable that they are living a happy chicken life. Although I bought them from the farmer who raised them with great affection, I know less about where they originally came from, and I will need to consider that if and when we decide to increase our flock.

Also, in my post of May 9, I wrote, "learning about local and sustainable food systems has led me to believe that meat and dairy can be humanely raised and in some situations may be the most sustainable option. So, I have added locally-raised goat's milk yogurt and cheese, as well as butter." I feel less comfortable with this statement now. For one, Peter Singer writes about how most agricultural practices involve separating mother and child fairly early on, which undoubtedly causes distress for both. I need to learn more about this.

For now, I am not eating any other animal products than my own girls' eggs. I do plan to visit the local goat farm, which offers regular tours, and see what I learn and how I feel after that. As one of my friends said, "You probably won't be happy with how any animals are treated unless you're taking care of them yourself." That's probably true, at least when it comes to food-producing animals, but for now I am maintaining a somewhat open mind on the subject.

Based on this, I'm uncomfortable with identifying with the label "vegan," although I am grateful for the contributions that vegan activists have made towards raising awareness about inhumane treatment of farm and research animals. And I am happy to join forces with vegan organizations (such as Farm Sanctuary) in common cause to improve the lives of animals.

However, many vegans are adamantly opposed to backyard chickens; unfortunately, some articles on vegan websites grossly misstate the conditions and risks of raising backyard chickens. Having a relationship with animals is actually a great way to gain more respect and compassion for animals. At the same time, it is true that one does not need eggs to survive and be healthy.

Also, most people who identify as vegan avoid honey. And yet, there is a growing movement of locally-based beekeepers striving to keep a healthy population of bees around, as they are necessary pollinators, and Colony Collapse Disorder is a significant ecological problem. These choices, to me, are not clear-cut.

T. Colin Campbell prefers the phrase "plant-based," which I think is what I'm going with for the moment. The identity label, anyway, is less important to me than the impact of my choices, for me, the animals, and the environment.

Next time--more thoughts on intentional food choices, and some tips on how to make the change!

Food & Garden Update

2011-06-29T17:23:00.000-04:00

Most dinners in June involve some combination of greens from the garden, local veggies and/or fruit, and grains. The grain here is farro, grown not too far away by Cayuga Pure Organics, and available at Abundance Coop or online here. That chicken-looking stuff is Gardein chik'n scallopini (vegan). Most of our dinners are eaten outside these days; they are just waiting for us on the porch here in this picture!

We have had a LOT of rain (thought obviously not as much as other parts of the country) and cool temperatures, so things are growing quite well. Including the weeds, but I left those out of the pictures!

For the first year, my carrots are very happy. I already thinned them once, and I should probably do so again, but I have a hard time pulling up living things (unless, of course, they are inedible).

Perhaps from this picture, you can understand why we are eating salads for dinner every night!

Well, salads or something grilled, pizza, in this case. I follow the directions from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes' web site.

One final salad for today. This one with mint and greens from the garden, and peas and mulberries from the farmers' market. Yum!

More garden pictures here.

What are you eating from your garden and local farms?

Remaining intentional

2011-05-09T09:32:00.000-04:00

Traveling outside of my usual environs often provides me with a perspective I can't get in my everyday routine. Sometimes it's a perspective on some problem or situation that's been troubling me, sometimes it's creative inspiration, sometimes it's a re-evaluation of that everyday routine. On a recent trip to Toronto, I got some perspective in all those areas. For example, Toronto's a great place to be reminded of the fun of bike commuting. Rochester's cold and rainy April has not inspired me to get on my bike as much I would like.

In particular, though, I realized that my food choices have become less intentional than they used to be. I have been vegetarian for about 17 years now, much of that time vegan. Then I began to feel uncomfortable calling myself vegan, because, really, it's impossible in our interconnected lives to be truly vegan, I believe. Also, learning about local and sustainable food systems has led me to believe that meat and dairy can be humanely raised and in some situations may be the most sustainable option. So, I have added locally-raised goat's milk yogurt and cheese, as well as butter. However, some other much less local and nutritious items crept in, such as SunDrops in my trail mix.

Even before this trip, I had been toying with the idea of re-veganizing my diet. And the amazing food I had on this trip sealed the deal (above, vegan "chicken" cutlets with mango and asparagus). So, I am committing myself to eating vegan from now until July 4. After that, maybe I'll add a few things back in. Maybe not. I'll try to blog/tweet about the adventure along the way.

In other news, though not unrelated to being intentional, check out these beautiful silk embroideries on display at the Textile Museum of Canada. Millions of stitches in these textiles, all by hand.

It was a wonderful weekend away to celebrate my birthday and the end of the semester, and enjoy some much-needed time together.

And be reminded of what really matters.

Finding beauty

2011-04-07T20:55:00.000-04:00

Hello, dear HandCraftedLife. You were my first blog, and I do still care for you. It is true that I have been distracted by various other online and social media sites. But I still return to you when I want to be reminded of the beauty in life.

These pictures are from Lamberton Conservatory at Highland Park, and show that although it is still cold out, the plants and animal are responding to the lengthening days of spring.

And another place for beauty is the The Albright Knox Art Gallery. These pictures are from the current exhibit "Surveyor."

Since I began this blog, I have become a Ph.D. student, along with maintaining my full-time job and a couple of part-time jobs here and there. I'm loving what I'm doing, but most of my writing energy is going into my professional life right now. I will still post here when I can, and I hope some of you are still following me!

If you want to check out my other online presences, here's the deal:

Facebook:
You can follow my HandCraftedLife blog on Facebook using the NetworkedBlogs app: http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/index.php?ref=ts

Twitter:
handcraftedlife--updates on stuff I'm interested in
CCEdJWhite--for higher education/community college-related updates

And, a real life paying gig:

Chronicle of Higher Education 2-Year Track Blog:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/author/jwhite

Oh, and I just joined academia.edu. Search for Julie White.

Let's keep in touch.

On acting strange

2011-02-14T19:25:00.008-05:00

I had the afternoon off from work today, so I walked to the bus stop around mid-day, amidst melting snow which revealed the detritus of urban living--wrappers, banana peels, and unidentified objects which I chose not to look at too closely. Sometimes it's better not to know.

So, I get on the bus, which is starting to fill up. Now, I'm usually one of a very few people dressed in conformity with the norms of the "professional" workplace, and today was no exception. (Don't let that image above, from the website, fool you.) This fact seems to either encourage people to sit next to me, or repel them until there is no other choice. I never know which way it's going to go. I generally don't chat with other passengers, but if they start a conversation, I'll participate. One time I spent the whole 15 minutes talking to a passenger who recognized me from work and wanted to know why he couldn't get in to the college.

Another time I saw a former student who was amazed that I was riding the bus. Most people around here don't ride the bus unless they have no other choice of transportation. (Truth be told, I prefer my bike, but today was too windy and icy to deal with.) He said, with a smile, "You haven't forgotten where you came from." I smiled, even though the first 12 years of my life were spent on a small farm with one parent a factory worker and the other a lineman for the electric utility company. I didn't ride any form of public transportation until I visited Chicago as a first-year college student. And I'll admit that I was slightly terrified at the time.

Today, the seat next to me remained empty for a few stops. A young woman got on, and said loudly to a woman in front of me, "ExCUSE me." A minute later, I hear her say, "Well, I SAID excuse me." I don't hear the other passenger's response. The young woman says, "Oh, well, you got mental problems. God bless you." And she moves directly across the aisle.

Next stop, a few people get on, including a rather grizzled looking older man, holding a napkin up to his nostrils. As with the trash on the street, I prefer not to look too close as to why he's holding it there. He sits in the seat now vacated, next to the passenger alleged to have "mental problems." Meanwhile, the woman across the aisle is talking on the phone, saying, "This woman has mental problems. I don't know what's wrong with her...I'm sitting across the aisle from her now." (If I could hear her phone conversation, I imagine the passenger in question also could.)

Another minute later, and the grizzled man moves to sit next to me. He says, in a monotone voice, "That woman has some kind of mental problem." At this point I begin to think I'm on one of those candid camera-type shows. It's getting surreal. I still can't bring myself to look at the man, still holding the napkin up to his nostrils, and I just sort of grunt something in reply.

Apparently displeased with my lack of enthusiasm, he moves to another seat in the back. Another person gets in and sits next to me, and the rest of the short ride is uneventful.

I get off the bus and walk the short distance home, frankly anxious for the fresh air and lack of drama. Still, I am glad for that bus ride. I'm glad to be reminded of the full diversity of human experience.

I'm also reminded of a conversation on NPR about how colleges should respond to students who seem to be in distress. Several of them said that college administrators should take strong action whenever anyone "acts strange." That seems an inappropriate bar for action; when someone is threatening, or disruptive to learning, yes, but whenever anyone "acts strange"?

By whose norms and values? There were quite a few people "acting strange," at least by some people's judgment, today on the bus. But I didn't feel threatened by any of them. Only can someone who never encounters people of different social classes, abilities, challenges, and ways of living, make such a statement.

It's too easy for some of us to go directly from our house to our garage, get in our car, drive as close as possible to our place of work, work with people who are pretty much just like us, then turn around and reverse the whole trip. When you're so encapsulated like that in your own private property and homogeneous culture, with little contact with fresh air, you can forget that there's a whole big world out there.

Get yourself out there! As long as you're nice to me, I promise to smile when you act strange.

(Now, go read Jenny Joseph's warning just to get yourself in the right frame of mind.)

Holiday leftovers transformed

2010-12-28T21:08:00.005-05:00

One of our holiday traditions is to make pizza together on Christmas eve. (There's T. and DD admiring our handiwork.) My mom started it as a way to have a low-key meal during the otherwise hectic season. I love it because it's something that we can do together.

However, we invariably have a ton of the toppings left over, as I try to have a variety so that there's a lot to choose from. This year our leftover toppings included: onions, vegetarian ground "meat," pineapple, artichoke hearts, several types of cheese, and roasted peppers.

By adding a couple of staples, I've gotten 2 meals out of these leftovers.

Lemon-Garlic Linguini Mediterranean

The first was a pasta dish with sauteed leeks, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, feta, sundried tomatoes, and a dash of olive oil. I sauteed all of those briefly and tossed with lemon garlic linguini from my favorite pasta vendor (and all around cool people) Artistic Eats NY. (I added the leeks and the sundried tomatoes, which I had dried over the summer.) YUM!

Butternut Enchiladas

Tonight I made enchiladas by sauteeing the onions and the fake ground meat, and adding cubes of butternut squash which I had previously roasted. I filled tortilla shells with this filling, topped with the leftover pizza cheese, and poured tomatillo sauce (which I had made with my garden's tomatillo windfall in late summer and frozen) over all of that. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Leftovers provide a great opportunity to experiment. In this case they also gave me incentive to clean out the fridge, which turned into a 3-hour job. We won't talk about what I found in there.

Now I just have to decide what to do with the pineapple!

Snow cookies

2010-12-25T17:29:00.004-05:00

I know that Christmas day is, for many, a hectic day. For me, it is usually the first quiet day in the whole month of December. T.'s agency's big fundraiser is the first weekend of December, and the rest of the month is generally busy with school work, grading, and getting prepared for the new group of students starting in January.

Our family celebrations take place the few days before Christmas and go through the morning, then DS and DD head off to celebrate with the other side of their family.

So...I finally made Christmas cookies. Just one batch. But this one batch is all we need. These are from the cookbook Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Winter Food to Warm the Soul, by Diana Henry, whom I heard on The Splendid Table. (I've only made a few things from this cookbook, which I got from the library before I decide to purchase, but so far, they've been amazing.)

Here's the idea: Beat 1 stick butter, 1/2 c. confectioners sugar, 1/3 t. salt together until combined. Mix in 1 egg yolk. Mix in 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour by hand and bring the dough together in a ball, kneading lightly.

At this point my dough was still way too dry, so I added some canola oil until it just held together. (I have found this to be a common problem with the recipes in this cookbook. It was published in England, so I'm not sure if there's some difference in ingredients?) Anyway, use your common sense and add enough oil until it looks like a fairly stiff cookie dough.

Refrigerate for about 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Let the dough warm just a bit (Henry doesn't recommend this, but I found it helpful), then roll the dough out to 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Cut out cookies and put on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. (I think mine were thicker than 1/8 inch, and they took about 12-14 minutes.) Let cool.

They were very buttery and good without the frosting, so I may not do it next time, but if you want to frost them, mix 1 c. sifted confectioners sugar with enough water (or vodka, Henry suggests) and lemon juice to make a drizzly frosting. If you scoop some up on the tines of a fork and it drops in a slow but steady stream, it's the right consistency. (I think mine was a bit thick, as evidenced by my rather globular frosting job.) Drizzle onto the cookies. Henry recommends sprinkling on some edible gold powder when the frosting is nearly set, but I didn't happen to have any gold fairy dust around.

Speaking of common sense and cooking, one of my favorite gifts this year is a book called Cooking for Geeks, which takes a hacker's approach to cooking, giving you just enough scientific information to help you understand how various ingredients work, with a healthy dose of encouragement of innovation and experimentation.

That approach worked great with these cookies, which are buttery rich and small enough to be slightly addictive.

Happy whatever-you-celebrate!

Cabbage: Not just for coleslaw any more

2010-12-12T19:29:00.009-05:00

I'm home writing (er...blogging, at the moment, and perhaps there was some online holiday shopping)...but I have to eat, right? So I whipped up these quesadillas, with sauerkraut from Small World Bakery, artisanal cheese and cabbage from the Public Market, and apples from Donovan Orchards. (We get a box of apples throughout the winter from Donovan's, which is about the only local fruit you can find around here in the winter. They harvest them in the fall and keep them in storage and parcel them out to the Winter Apple Club members.)

Place a tortilla in a cast-iron (or other) skillet set on low. Add a couple of spoonfuls of sauerkraut, some apple slices, and some grated cheese. (Measuring--who needs it?) Fold the tortilla in half, let warm for a minute or so. Then carefully flip to warm the other side. Cut into wedges and eat. 1 apple, approximately 3-4 ounces of cheese, and about 2/3 of a pint jar of sauerkraut made 5 quesadillas today. I originally saw this recipe in a cookbook, but I can't recall which one. It's so simple that I've been making it ever since.

Ironically, I made these quesadillas because I wanted something different than the cabbage lasagne that was leftover from the weekend. Um...they're both basically just cabbage, cheese, and some kind of fruit. Oh, well, they actually taste very different. Here's how you make the cabbage lasagne.

I've never made this the same way twice. All you need are tomatoes and/or sauce, cabbage, and cheese. I've used fresh tomatoes as well as canned tomatoes, and this time I used my own canned tomato sauce. I've used every kind of cheese imaginable; I went for a chevre/feta combo this time. (My goat cheese is from Lively Run Goat Dairy. )

Blanch the cabbage leaves until tender but not totally limp. Add some sauce to the bottom of the lasagne pan to moisten the bottom, then make layers of cabbage/cheese/sauce. Repeat until you're out of ingredients. End with a little cheese or even fake Parmesan. You could also sprinkle on some dried herbs, or maybe some roasted peppers. Hey, I just thought of the roasted peppers. I canned some this summer so those will be my next experiment! (Vegans, I'm pretty sure this would work well with soy cheese as well, or maybe your own homemade vegan cheese. The cookbook Veganomicon has some good substitutes that I've used in regular pasta lasagne.)

The cabbage lasagne recipe is from Ed Espe Brown's book Tomato Blessings and Radish Teachings, which was the first cookbook I read that encouraged me to experiment and improvise. I've been doing so ever since. (I also googled cabbage lasagne and found lots of recipes. But trust me, you really don't need a recipe for this.)

Someday I will learn to take better food photos. It's item #175 on my list of "Things to Do after I Complete the Dissertation."

Holiday gnomes

2010-12-11T06:44:00.004-05:00

I made these a couple of years ago for a holiday swap with other creative folks. I haven't had time to organize a swap for a couple of years now, but it is a wonderful way to support each other and helps with having a less consumeristic holiday.

I was reminded of these little cork people when this free pattern from Kristin Nicholas came across my Facebook news feed.

I love them! They could be ornaments, or finger puppets, or wine toppers (although I have to be honest and say that I don't really understand the point of wine toppers. Feel free to enlighten me).

These may be my next potato chip (can't stop at just one) project.

Gifts for your favorite bike commuter

2010-12-10T08:40:00.003-05:00

(picture from Cyclelicious)

Check out my post at sew green for some gift ideas, including DIY panniers and trailers, why fenders are essential, a bicycle Christmas stocking, and more!

When mushrooms take over the world

2010-11-21T20:54:00.002-05:00

I recently took a 4-day business trip. When I left, there was only one little mushroom peeking through, about the size of those at the bottom of the picture, from my white button mushroom kit from Territorial Seeds.

When I returned, I feared that little white mushroom, now about a half pound, would take over my kitchen if not promptly dealt with. So, I obliged and sacrificed it to the saute pan, along with onion, garlic, pepper, herbs, and tomatoes, to go along with some spinach garlic pasta.

If you haven't tried a mushroom kit, I recommend them! They only require daily spritzing with a little water, and, as you can see, the yield is quite satisfying.

Just don't leave the mushrooms alone in the house for any length of time. I think they may grow to fill the kitchen otherwise.

Green tomatoes and other fall delicacies

2010-11-07T15:49:00.008-05:00

If you read to the end of this post, you'll be rewarded with a recipe for a pasta sauce with green tomatoes which I cooked up today. Meanwhile, a brief recap of where I've been the past several weeks.

As you can see above, I climbed a mountain. My first high peak in the Adirondacks, Cascade Mountain. Although it's considered easy by experienced hikers, I wouldn't exactly say that. You are still going uphill, after all. And on the way back, you're going downhill. Which sounds easy, but is not, particularly when it's very muddy. The view at the top was completely worth it, however. I can't wait to go back and climb another one

We also lost 2 beloved family members, our cat of 17 years, and one of our chickens, Sarah. She's the one with the hernia, which finally got the better of her. Anyway, we decided to get a new girl to keep our flock at 3. Here's Lena, a Golden Brabanter who hates to be caught, but once you catch her, she will sit in your arms forever while you pet her head. She's still young, but she should be laying within a month of so.

I also had a very productive garden this year, including peas, tomatoes, Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, oregano, mint, parsley, carrots, peppers, chives, TONS of green and dried beans, and pounds and pounds of tomatilloes.

There was much cutting of flowers. Here are some fall mums, lamb's ears, and marigolds. And those goofy looking cupcakes were for our local Chicken Club potluck. I am capable of more refined decorating, but had no time, and really, since when does one expect a chicken club to be refined?

Somewhere along the way, my DS became a college senior. I'm still not quite sure how that happened. Here he is at his senior recital. It was fantastic, and so HIM.

And finally, today I had to figure out what to do with the more than 2 pounds of green grape tomatoes which I foraged in our community garden. (They were volunteers near the fence and no one was picking them. Clearly they needed to be rescued.) I wish I had a picture, but food pictures are not something I've mastered yet, not to mention the fact that we ate it way too fast to remember to attempt a photo.

Pasta Sauce with Green Tomatoes

(Quantities are approximate).

Saute 1 sliced onion with 2-3 garlic cloves in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Once onions are soft, add 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of halved grape tomatoes, still green (or any green tomato). (I halved these the evening before and stirred in 1 tbsp or so of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar at that time.) If you did not add olive oil and balsamic vinegar before, add a little to the skillet now.

Cook 5-10 minutes, until tomatoes begin to soften. Taste for tartness. Add some sugar to counteract the tartness. (I added about 1-2 tbsp.).

Cook another 5-10 minutes until tomatoes are quite soft, but not falling apart. Stir in some sliced chives or whatever fresh herb you happen to have. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta of your choice. Mine was Pappardelle's Pasta Chipotle Pepper, purchased from Artistic Eats.

Enjoy!

The privilege of biking in the rain

2010-11-04T20:29:00.002-04:00

Hey, guess what? I wrote a post! But you have to go to sewgreen to read all about it.

But I promise to come back and tell you all about my late summer/early fall gardening adventures!

Right after my son's senior recital and reception, where I am feeding who-knows-how-many college students!

Me and the beanstalk

2010-09-04T20:58:00.003-04:00

I was a bit bean-crazy in the garden this spring. The newest wonders are the violet podded stringless, again, from Territorial Seeds. These were 15 inches long, and still taste good.

I have beans growing in various places, but this is my main support for pole beans. Do you notice that orange string going out from the left side of the photo?

I had to tie it to the fence to support it, after the 40 mph wind gusts blew it over today. Fall may be coming to put an end to all this growing, but for now, I still have tomatoes, beans, potatoes, herbs, tomatilloes, and Swiss chard going strong. I have rutabagas just coming up for the fall, and plan to put in some more beans, lettuce, and peas before the gardening season winds down.

After a while, however, 2 beans of pounds per week gets to be a lot of beans. Fortunately, I found this recipe to give me a new way to eat them. It's got Indian-inspired spices, and with a little more tofu, makes a great one-pan quick entree. I also used chevre instead of creme fraiche.

I would love more bean recipes, if anyone can point me towards some!

Cucumber hog

2010-08-30T20:34:00.002-04:00

The bottom cucumber is a normal-sized cucumber. The other is a freakish accident of nature wrought by a cucumber that was obviously purposely hiding from me so that it could hog all the plant's energy for itself.

And it probably isn't even going to taste good.

In which I rescue a small dog

2010-08-29T19:29:00.007-04:00

That's what my legs looked like after I saved Zoe's life this weekend. (Actually, this is about an hour afterwards; unfortunately, there was no camera available to document the extent of the muck that went up to my knees.)

You remember, Zoe, right?

One of our favorite weekend things to do is to put Zoe on the bike, bike a few miles on the Genesee Valley Greenway, lock the bikes up (probably unnecessary since it's very rural and there's practically no one around, but having had multiple run-ins with bike thieves, I never leave my bike unlocked) and then take a walk and let her run.

Well, T. and I were walking along, chatting about how it felt to have both kids back at college, when we realized that Zoe was nowhere to be seen. Generally this means she has stopped to roll in something that smells like it's been dead and rotting for at least two weeks, so we walked back to find her, calling her all the while. Usually she then comes running, but this time, we still didn't see or hear her.

Finally we realized that she had gone off the trail, into a swamp-like area, looking for water. Unfortunately there was mud that looked like it would swallow a rhinoceros whole between her and us. She was muddy all the way up to her belly, which tells me she had gone through it and wasn't about to come back.

We called for a few minutes and tried to get her to come back, but she was not budging. Before I go any further, I should tell you that another member of our household, our sweet kitty, died this week at the age of 17. It has hit T. hard.

As I was looking at Zoe on the other side of the muck, all I could think was, "I don't think Tanya could take it if we lost another animal this week." I had this image of Zoe moving further away from us and into more muck, and maybe drowning in it.

Way too dramatic, I know. But enough to motivate me to step into the muck to get Zoe. I imagined myself as one of those cartoon characters that disappears into the quicksand. I sunk in up to my knees, went a few steps, grabbed Zoe and handed her to T.

With a great deal of force, and grateful that I was not wearing open-heeled shoes which undoubtedly would still be back in the mud, I lifted my feet out and got back on the trail.

And promptly walked back to the bike so I could get home and clean up!

I suppose I should now thank our kids for merely leaving dirty dishes out and the gas tank empty. I'm glad I didn't have to haul you out of muddy quicksand.

Now, don't go getting any ideas...

Revitalization

2010-08-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

A local suburb has transformed a little segment of the Erie Canal from warehouses and a coal tower into a tony shopping and eating destination.

It's truly picturesque, and part of its charm is that some of the buildings still look like this.

The tall building below has been transformed into office space, and the glass elevator is quite impressive looking.

The Erie Canal is a noted cycling/walking/paddling/boating attraction as well.

I highly recommend an evening stroll along the canal. For restaurant and retail recommendations (including a good bike shop!), check it out at RocWiki.

Food, glorious food

2010-08-19T19:30:00.000-04:00

I bought a trifle bowl this summer, just so I could make fruit trifles, using whatever fruit is in season, and the vanilla cake recipe from Warren Brown's "United Cakes of America." I love this cookbook. He also includes Puerto Rico and D.C., citing their deserved constitutional rights! This trifle has fresh local peaches and huge blackberries.

I planted about 10 varieties of beans this year. This is the Yin-Yang bean from Territorial Seeds. Gorgeous.

Here are some of the fresh bean varieties.

This one is called Violet Podded Stringless.

Here's one day's harvest: tomatilloes, beans, cucumbers, peppers, more dried beans, and cherry tomatoes.

Meanwhile, my neighbor's squash is taking over my driveway. It's all good, though. We are both curious to see what kind of fruit there is. There are at least 2 varieties, and one appears to be a gourd variety, and the other might be zucchini.

More updates to come! I hope you are enjoying the joys of late summer!

Late season garden

2010-07-26T18:05:00.002-04:00

Perhaps you're thinking that's not a very impressive picture. But consider that a mere hour and a half before, that ground looked something like this:

Actually, even that picture was after about 20 minutes of weeding. I forgot to get a true "before" picture. This is a community garden plot that I and others have tended (or not) for the past three years. This year, there was some delay in getting it started, partly due to the fact that the building behind it was scheduled for demolition. As you can see, it's still standing, along with the painted "telegraph office" announcement that probably looked funky at one point in time.

I was so impressed by the mullein that I had to leave it standing as well. Anyway, then there was a misunderstanding about whether another party wanted the plot, and several weeks later, at the end of July, feeling guilt-ridden at its unsightliness and unable to let a little piece of land on which I could grow MORE vegetables go to waste, I cleared the plot and re-planted.

I have no idea whether it will produce or not. I mixed in quite a bit of compost and planted mustard and turnips, which should be fine, as those are supposed to be good for fall harvesting. I also planted some beans with short growing seasons (55-60 days). I have no idea if they will do well or not, but at least it's better than the overgrowth of weeds.

Someone planted daylilies somewhere along the way, so this is what it looked like when I left. Mullein is supposed to be a good dye plant, so maybe I'll grab some of my natural-color yarn and give it a shot!

DIY canning labels

2010-07-13T19:33:00.004-04:00

Half the time, my preserves, jams, and pickles wind up sitting on the dining room table for weeks, simply waiting for me to stick labels on them. More often than not, I've run out of the store-bought labels and it takes me that long to get to the store.

But thanks to a tip from the HomeGrown community, as long as I have a package of sticker paper for my printer, I can get more labels any time I need them.

Shown above are labels from Homegrown as well as A Sonoma Garden. And here's another idea which uses card stock instead of sticky labels.

Oh, and that super neat hand-writing. Not mine. These jars a joint effort with me and T.; I pick and/or purchase the fruit, chop/hull it, make the jam, process the jars in a water bath, and print out the stickers. She writes the label, much more neatly than I ever could. Sounds like a good deal, yes?

Heat wave survival tips

2010-07-06T12:14:00.007-04:00

After reading this interview with the author of the book "Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)," I am more determined than ever to avoid air conditioning when possible. Based on the people around me, I seem to be more affected by heat more quickly than others, and I have developed some coping strategies.

In no particular order, here are Julie's Top Heat Wave Survival Tips.

1. Find a body of water. Play, boat, kayak, lounge. I am a huge fan of kayaking, and there are several places in the Rochester region. I wrote about a favorite trip here. The picture above is at Keshequa Creek in Sonyea State Forest.

2. Make a refreshing drink. I will soon be trying Frappucheapo. Meanwhile, a household favorite is herbal lemonade. Steep about 3 cups of lemon balm or mint (easily...too easily...grown herbs in any garden or pots) in a gallon of water for a couple of hours. Add one cup of lemon juice and sweeten to taste. I use a couple of tablespoons of honey or agave nectar. Incredibly refreshing!

The lemon balm would take over my driveway if I let it.

3. Window fans. We have 2 in our bedroom. Blow the hot air out during the day; turn around and blow the cool air in at night. I can't tell you how wonderful these are.

4. Spring rolls. When it's too hot to even grill, my standby is either a big salad, fruit, or if I have a little energy, spring rolls. These can be made quickly with whatever you happen to have around. I keep the wrappers on hand, and fill with some combination of lettuce, herbs, tofu, veggies, and/or cellophane noodles (which don't have to be boiled, just soaked briefly in hot water, so you don't even have to turn on the stove). Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

5. Public library. Or an air-conditioned public space of your choosing. You could go to a coffeeshop or movie, but libraries are so wonderful, and FREE! Remember libraries? That's where we went to read things before we had the internet. Check them out!

6. Take some cues from pre-AC days. People kept their windows closed to keep the cool air in, drank lots of ice water, took it easy during the heat of the day. I recently visited Chautauqua Institution, where most places don't have AC. Their tree-lined streets made it feel quite cool, and notice the awnings on the houses, which also keep the sun away.

Feel free to share other survival tips in the comments! I'm sure I've left many out!

Blossoms

2010-06-27T13:32:00.010-04:00

On Saturday of this weekend, we got a great deal of rain. On Sunday morning, I awoke to these new blossoms in the garden. Above, mountain bluet.

Datura.

Oriental lily.

Zucchini.

Strawberry.

Dill.

Bean.

Pepper.

Tomatillo.

Arugula.

Borage.

Daylily.

Gerbera daisy.

Hanging fuchsia.

Painted tongue.

On a quiet Sunday morning, with everyone in the house and most of the neighborhood still asleep, the garden had its own celebration.

Biking is hot!

2010-06-24T20:11:00.002-04:00

Head over to sewgreen for my tips on managing bike commuting and business attire!

A perfect meal

2010-06-09T05:59:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, T. and I sat down to a perfect meal. Here are the ingredients:

lemon parsley mafaldine from Artistic Eats NY, available at the Rochester Public Market, mixed with lemon juice, my own fresh parsley, capers, and extra virgin olive oil and just a bit of grated Pantaleo cheese (like Pecorino, but with sheep's milk) from V.M. Giordano's at the Market;
grilled ricotta salata, also from Giordano's, drizzled with agave nectar (you could also use honey);
all on a bed of fresh salad greens from my garden;
also, fresh strawberries from my garden;
a shared bottle of Chimay ale.

Fantastic! Seriously, I should open a restaurant. Except then I'd have no time for gardening!

I also brought in a bundle of oregano and mint to dry, and the last batch of pac choi for now, ready to bolt with our early warm weather.

I love gardening season!

Perennial?

2010-05-26T22:10:00.004-04:00

Last year, we were very lax about allowing the chickens to trample our garden, and yet, the ferns, Solomon's seal, and lady's mantle came back just as beautiful as before.

I just watched this interview with a photographer who's been documenting the oil spill. The pictures are amazing and so sad. Will the waters and earth on which we have trampled be so resilient?

Getting an early start

2010-05-09T18:51:00.007-04:00

It's about time to check in with the veggie garden, don't you think? I get such joy from growing my own food, and each year I feel like I get a little better at it. I'm so excited that we've already been eating several meals from the garden this year!

We've had a very early spring here, which means I planted seeds of lettuce, kale, tat soi, pac choi, and Swiss chard in early March. For a couple of weeks now we've been eating several salads a week.

This is a bed of micro greens from Territorial Seeds, which is my favorite seed company. In fact, they're a little bigger that intended; they really can be harvested after 2-3 weeks.

I planted the Swiss chard at the top of this picture last fall, covered it with straw, and left it alone until early March. (I did the same with the kale in the picture below.) After I uncovered it, it grew quickly. And in front of the chard is red mustard, also from Territorial Seeds, which grew quite fast as well. It's good in salads when small, or as a cooking green when a bit larger.

I've also planted peas, which are a few inches high, broccoli, and carrots. The carrots don't seem to have germinated well, and in fact, I've never successfully grown carrots. Don't know if it's me or my soil. Otherwise, though, the gardening season is off to a good start.

In the next post I'll brag about my perennial beds! It's that time of the year, after all!

Makes me want to learn to crochet

2010-05-09T18:36:00.002-04:00

Popping in to share this photo from Rochester's Public Market, of this woman waiting for the bus. I love the sweater!

Also, I just added a button if you want to follow me on Twitter for short sustainability-related posts, username handcraftedlife.

Happy Mother's Day!

Chicken psychology and other important news

2010-04-22T17:32:00.002-04:00

Let's start off with a pretty picture. This is a bloom from the dwarf peach tree we put in last Easter. I am so excited! All of our fruit trees have blossomed (a bit early, which I hope won't be a problem), and I hope we will get a little bit of fruit this year. It's supposed to take 2-3 years before they really start producing.

As for the chickens, we have put up fencing to keep them out of the perennial beds. However, we have learned that two fences are better than one. You can see that there is a tall fence just in front of them. When we just had that fence up, they were constantly trying to squeeze through or fly/jump over. Coincidentally, we noticed that there were a lot more weeds in the section outside the fence. Wanting them to take care of some of the weeds closer to the beds, we put up a shorter fence that we happened to have in the garage, and made a little opening for them to get through. Now that they can get through one fence, they have very little interest in getting through the second. I am very fond of the girls, but I can't say that they're exactly the brightest!

Last fall, I planted collards and turnips and covered them with straw. Now that the spring weather is here, they are growing strong! You can also see some seedlings that I planted about a month ago.

I also planted this bed with micro-greens, and they are growing quickly in this beautiful spring we're having in the Northeast. (Yes, I need to thin both beds soon, which is always painful for me to do.)

I'm excited for more garden and chicken adventures as the weather warms up!

Inaugural bike ride

2010-04-19T18:01:00.001-04:00

I'm proud to call this city home. This is the Frederick B. Douglass/Susan B. Anthony bridge, over the Genesee River in Rochester, New York. We were recently named #50 on Bicycling magazine's list of bike-friendly cities.

And, I am lucky to work for an organization that includes people who think that riding your bike on a blustery April morning is a grand idea!

The ride was a part of our college's festivities celebrating the inauguration of our fifth (and first woman) president, Anne M. Kress. We rode to raise money for scholarships for students in need. Here is Dr. Kress thanking us and sending us off. She later noted that her spring cardigan wasn't exactly appropriate for the 40 degree weather. (She is still adjusting to our Northeastern climate after moving here from Florida. Most people move the reverse direction, that's for sure!)

This is the indomitable Susan, who was the chair of our committee and my compatriot in composting (we worked hard to ensure that all the waste from the day's luncheon and reception was composted).

We visited all 4 of the college's sites, first stopping at the Applied Technology Center. We had a police escort along this section, which is a heavily traveled road. I felt very important! Actually, I was the ride leader, so I really was grateful for the help.

We followed a map developed by Karen and Brian of the Rochester Bicycling Club. Most of the ride took us along many of Rochester's finest trails.

This is the Public Safety Training Facility, which has a bike trail running right behind it. This was my first time leading a ride, and there were some much stronger cyclists than me on the ride, so right about now I was feeling a bit stressed. So I took off at 18 mph after this stop, and had to slow down. T. reminded me that I still had a lot of the ride ahead of me.

Between the Applied Technology Center and this shot, we were on trails the whole time. That's actually when we passed the bridge shown in the top photo. When we got downtown, they were doing some construction we hadn't expected, but fortunately we were able to get through. Here's the campus where I work, right in downtown Rochester.

On the way back, the wind started to get me. I never really thought about the fact that the leader takes all the wind. So, once we were back on the trail and it was just a straight shot, a couple of other people got ahead and I just relaxed for a bit.

And finally, back to the largest campus, just in time to change for the rest of the day's events!

I tend to find riding in a group a bit stressful, so I'm not quite sure what possessed me to agree to actually lead this ride, other than enthusiasm for the event and my usual not-quite-realistic optimism about life in general. However, this was such a supportive and laid-back group that I really had a wonderful time.

Community celebrations should make you feel good about your community, and this ride was one of many reasons that the inauguration did just that for me.

Finishing, recycling, upcycling

2010-03-17T13:30:00.006-04:00

One night this past weekend, when the house was quiet and I was itching to make something, the sewing machine came out. Most of the time it sits very quietly underneath its handmade cover, just looking pretty and waiting patiently. To tell the truth, we aren't on intimate terms just yet. My sewing skills are extremely rudimentary, and my pattern and cloth-cutting skills even worse.

So, just to build my confidence by doing something I do know well, I first finished up the mittens you see above, from the Subway Mittens pattern, with a pocket for your bus/subway pass (Ravelry link), for the lovely Rachael, in exchange for one of her fanciful paper dolls. For you knitters, the yarn is Noro Kureyon. The glass bead was made by local artist Linda Lawrence. Yes, I know it's spring, but in this climate, it's foolish to put your winter clothing away before May 1. (It snowed on Mother's Day one year.)

Anyway, then I decided to try some sewing, but at least with a familiar fabric.

This is a sleeve for my new netbook, made from a thrifted and felted cashmere sweater. The cashmere is lovely to sew, and it came together quite easily. You can see the bottom of the sweater at the left, where the ribbing is. I added the button, purchased a couple of years ago at (I think) second storie market. Unfortunately, I don't have the name of the artist.

That bunny makes me smile every time I pull it out of my bag.

I know, this kind of looks like a shower cap. It's a bowl cover, to use instead of lots of wasteful plastic wrap, from this tutorial. I used a thrifted plastic table cloth and some elastic I picked up for a quarter at Craft Bits & Pieces consignment shop. (I LOVE this shop and need to make another trip!) I made 4 of them before I ran out of elastic.

And finally, I made some hankies. My sinuses must be in cahoots with Kleenex, for all the tissue I've gone through in my lifetime. Well, no more! I cut squares about as big as I thought I wanted them to be, using pinking shears to minimize fraying, ironed down the hem, and just sewed all the way around. There's a fancier way to do a nicer hem, but I didn't want to work that hard, given the intended purpose.

Although these are all quite simple, as sewing goes, they are all extremely useful, and they helped me and my sewing machine get to know each other a bit better. Maybe next time I'll try something crazy like working from an actual pattern.

North Country mittens

2010-02-19T14:34:00.008-05:00

I'm happy to have some knitting on the blog, since knitting blogs like the Yarn Harlot and Mason Dixon Knitting inspired me to start blogging in the first place. Actually, I also have to credit my friend Rachael's blog, which made me think I might actually possibly write something people would want to read.

Anyway, my DD (Darling Daughter) goes to college in what is referred to by we New Yorkers as the North Country. As you might imagine, it's mighty cold up there. She requested a pair of super warm mittens. As a knitter and as a mother, I had no choice but to oblige.

These are called Thrummed Mittens, in the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits magazine, or you can purchase the PDF for download here. (Ravelry link here.)

The yarn came from a yarn swap with friends, where we all brought yarn with which we'd made our peace and acknowledged that we were never ever going to knit with it. I love orange, so I snatched up several skeins! The fleece is from a local farm, though I've lost the tag now.

They were a lot of fun to make, although a bit slow, because I had to take the time to make the thrums. (The thrums are the white fleecy part.) To make them, you pull off wispy bits of fleece and roll them together slightly, then use the thrum instead of yarn to make the pattern. As you can see from the first picture, which shows what they look like when turned inside-out, the fleece thrums create a very warm layer. Also, wool felts (as you know if you've ever put a wool sweater in the washer), so over time, the idea is that the thrums will create a more solid layer of fleecy goodness.

Despite the bad dorm lighting, the recipient appears happy!

An hour for the earth, and each other

2010-02-12T16:50:00.009-05:00

Last year, there seemed to be quite a buzz about Earth Hour. The concept is to turn off your lights for an hour, to demonstrate support for reducing energy use and minimizing human impacts on the environment.

Of course, it takes WAY more than a commitment of an hour a year to actually make an impact, and changing your food and transportation choices are some of the most important changes you can make on a daily basis to reduce your carbon footprint.

But what struck me about it, when T. and I participated last year, was not the effect on the movement to reduce climate change, but instead the impact on our relationship. With no lights on, just candles, there really wasn't a whole lot we could do other than sit on the couch and be together. We really do try to pay a lot of attention to our relationship, but this felt different.

We took it a step further and turned off all electronics and unnecessary appliances, with one exception--our stereo. We thought about the fact that, before electricity, people really had to be together in a very different way, once the sun goes down.

We have recently decided to have a weekly Earth Hour. Every Friday night, I make a quick dinner, something easy, like a big salad or leftovers. We turn everything off, again, except the stereo, because we love jazz in the background. We light candles all over the house and dine by candlelight.

Once we finish dinner, we usually move to the living room and just talk about whatever's on our mind. We might just chat about what's going on at work, or things in the news, but often it gives us the space to dream about the future, reminisce about the past, re-visit our goals as individuals or as a couple, and always to feel deeply grateful for the life we share. It's also a lovely transition from the work week to the weekend.

Tonight we had a little bit of excitement. We have 2 cats, and generally each of them chooses a lap while we sit and relax. Today our cat Alex was rather skittish, and she jumped onto the coffee table where we had small tea candles. Now, we've had those candles lit a million times over the years. But tonight, Alex waved her bushy tail, as she does when she's feeling annoyed, and it caught fire! Faster than we could grab her, it went right out, thank goodness!!

So, tonight our Earth Hour ended with the smell of singed cat hair! Fortunately Alex is just fine, though a bit startled.

I highly recommend a weekly Earth Hour...just remember that bushy tails and candles are not a good combination.

Poem for knitters

2010-02-04T18:00:00.004-05:00

My friend Jason Crane and I share many common interests. We both cycle and blog about it at times. We both care about peace and justice and try to figure out what we can do about them. We both blog about parenting occasionally. He interviews famous jazz musicians and I listen to jazz. (Okay, he's got the cooler gig on that last one.)

He writes poetry that calls to mind crystal clear images and emotions we almost forgot we'd had. I used to write poetry, and he is inspiring me to do it again.

And, he wrote a poem for me. But really, it's for all knitters and handcrafters, and I think it really captures the essence of craft.

Read it here.

Exciting news!

2010-01-28T21:49:00.002-05:00

I am excited to have been chosen by sew green as a contributor!

If you've found me through sew green, please look around, check out the archives, and let me know what you're interested in reading more about, both here and over at the sew green blog.

If you haven't checked out sew green, I encourage you to do so. As it says on their call for contributors, the sew green bloggers "post on a wide range of topics, from knitting green, to cosmetic info, to DIY laundry soap and pads, to sustainable agriculture book reviews, to green building/architecture, to tales of chicken keeping, to responsible and fun gift ideas, to cloth diapers. As none of us are necessarily experts on all things green, we aim to share here what we are learning and what we are doing in our own lives to live more responsibly. We are a crafty-artist-designer bunch, hence the name of our blog."

I have no time to blog right now, but I can't wait to jump aboard!

Jumbo

2010-01-10T21:50:00.001-05:00

These are two recent eggs from our girls. As you might remember, one of our three chickens, Sarah, has a hernia. So, she doesn't lay much. Every once in a while we'll find an egg with a very thin shell which we think is hers. But she seems happy and healthy otherwise.

The light blue one is from Ella, who is an Aracauna. She has been our most consistent layer, and her eggs are certainly beautiful. They also have the most golden yolk.

But would you look at that brown egg?? That's from Bessie, a Barred Rock who's a bit younger than the others. Ever since the solstice, she has been laying consistently, and the eggs keep getting bigger and bigger. Ella's egg is probably the size of a large, if you were buying it in the store. Bessie's is at least jumbo size. It wouldn't even fit in any of our egg cartons!

It's been frigid here (for us, anyway...temperatures in the single digits with wind chills lower) and snowy. People always ask us how the girls do in the winter. Obviously, just fine!

As the days lengthen, their laying is becoming more regular, back to almost daily. With more people to feed (kids home from college) during the darkest time of the year, I had to buy eggs twice at the store this past month. Hopefully I won't have to now that the light is returning.

Yet another year in review

2010-01-03T20:18:00.020-05:00

I got the idea for my last post from turkeycookies. Now I'm going to do it again, but this time with some of my favorite family happenings (at least those I caught in pictures). However, this time, I couldn't restrain myself to just one picture for some of the months.

January
Skiing at Tug Hill, New York

February

Keeping warm at an indoor water park in Niagara Falls, Canada

March

TJ's sophomore recital

April

The girls enjoying the spring sunshine

May

My fashion plate of a daughter

June

This was a big month--Brianne's high school graduation outside the Eastman Theatre.

Visiting TJ at Round Top Orchestral Institute

Brianne receiving the band award from her much-loved high school band director

Brianne's senior recital, with 2 of her best friends and their trumpet teacher.

July

Taking a break from hiking

August

Keeping cool in the dog days of summer

TJ playing at a local coffee shop

Me in the Adirondacks

September

On a hike near Ithaca, New York

October

A lovely tea spot in Old Town, Montreal

Roller derby!

Reunited in Ithaca, New York

November

A before-work bike ride in Genesee Valley Park

Apple picking

December

Christmas

Holiday flower and light show at Highland Park's Lamberton Conservatory

It was a good year!

Favorite sights of 2009

2009-12-31T14:53:00.005-05:00

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Why I get off the couch

2009-12-28T13:58:00.004-05:00

This morning, as I enjoyed the first cross-country skiing of the season, I pondered why I exercise, especially in weather I would have at one time in my life thought inclement (as opposed to my current belief, which was so aptly stated by a Waldorf teacher, that there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing).

I'm the first to admit that I'm not the most athletic person in the world. I'm a very slow and uncoordinated skier. I've recently taken up trail running, and I am even slower at that. I'm a decent cyclist, but still not that fast compared to serious cyclists. I'm actually pretty good at yoga, but I don't think yoga is supposed to be a competitive thing! Recently I've been taking spinning and BodyPump classes, and much to my surprise, I particularly love BodyPump.

My experience with it exemplifies my experience with exercise overall. I started doing it for health-related reasons, specifically to strengthen my upper body after my whiplash injury in March. I hated it for a good month. I can remember getting in the car with T. after one class and just swearing a blue streak. I was feeling incompetent and frustrated; I could only do the exercise with an unloaded bar. After I got the hang of it and finally started to see improvement, I began to love it. Today, 5 months later, I'm one of the stronger women in the class. (You'll allow me to gloat just a bit, won't you, given the fact that I really will never win an athletic contest of any kind?)

Anyway, that’s what usually happens. I take up some form of exercise because I know it’s good for me, I hate it for quite a while because it never comes naturally to me, and then I start to notice the changes in my mind, body, and mood, and I begin to love it.

I love feeling strong, being able to open the jars that are stuck, carrying a heavy bag of potting soil, or being the only woman at work able to change the big water cooler tank. And exercise always improves my mood and clears my mind. A couple of days ago I was in an unusually foul mood brought on by a series of nights of interrupted sleep by things like barking dogs, playful cats, late-night teenagers, and a coughing sleep companion. After a couple of hours exercising, I was a new person and actually fit for human company. Exercise gives me the space to re-gain perspective about what is really important in life.

As for going out in inclement weather, truly, if you are dressed for it, there is beauty in all types of weather. (However, the gym membership is still good for those days when there isn’t enough time or hours of daylight to get outside.) It still doesn’t come easily though; I can feel how easy it would be to remain sedentary. Many days I would be just as happy to curl up on the couch with a good book or knitting project and a cat in my lap. But, usually after some encouragement from T. (who is athletic), I get off the couch and out into the weather.

And I’m always glad that I did. In fact, I recently ordered studded snow tires for my bike. Not because I really love the idea of biking in the snow--although once I get out there, I know I will love it. But more because I like the idea of getting somewhere on the strength of my own body and will, and I really miss that in the winter.

And besides, would you look at that picture at the top of this post? Even though it’s a cell phone picture, surely you can see the beauty of being the first on the trail, with the snow still hanging on the tree limbs, the quiet of the woods, the whistling of the blue jays.

I wouldn’t have been able to see that from the couch.

Fresh salad in December

2009-12-07T21:12:00.003-05:00

Just popping in to show off my garden success! This weekend we had 2 big platefuls of greens--arugula and baby lettuce. I added some apples, which we have in abundance, along with some local cheese and toasted hazelnuts.

I've covered the garden beds with straw, and it looks like my collards, Swiss chard, turnips, and broccoli will last at least a little while longer. I cut most of the arugula, but I've read that it's pretty cold-hardy as well, so perhaps I will get another harvest.

I also covered my tiny spinach seedlings, in hopes that it will overwinter and I will have spinach in the spring.

I am grateful that I don't have to rely on my garden for subsistence, because I know it would be a ton of work. And I am grateful that I can rely on my garden for some of my food, to remind me to be grateful for those who produce most of the food I eat. And because food grown just outside my back door tastes amazing!

Feasting

2009-11-29T15:36:00.005-05:00

Around here, Thanksgiving is not exactly traditional. We started with a potluck the weekend before with a group of dear friends, who we know through many different networks, but are held together by a common meditation practice. It was so lovely because it felt like the food had all been prepared with such love and consciousness. Unlike the Thanksgiving dinners of my own childhood, this left me feeling pleasantly satiated, but not over-stuffed and lethargic.

This year, we joined a winter apple club through a local orchard, which means we get a huge box of organic apples at the beginning of every month. And don't forget, we also went apple picking this fall. Lots of apples this year!

So, our fall menu has included things like dried apples, apple celery salad, snacks of apples and cheese, and for the potluck, I brought pumpkin apple soup and apple strudel from this month's Veg News magazine.

On the actual day of Thanksgiving, it was just T. and me, as the kids spent the day with their dad's family. I wanted to use as much from our fall garden as possible (which I'm happy to report is really doing quite well). So I made a version of this turnip soup, using turnips from the garden and substituting one third of the turnips with Jerusalem artichokes, also from the garden. It was fantastic. I also made a salad with lettuce and baby kale and Swiss chard from the garden. Not to mention a loaf of apple bread.

The day after was our day to celebrate with the kids. Our tradition is actually to go out for Ethiopian food, for something completely different. It's great food to share and linger over as we catch up on each other's lives. We then went to choose our tree. T. and I had agreed to get a smaller tree, to avoid the tree falling-over debacle of last year (don't ask). T. pulled out a 3-foot tall tree that looked more like a bush. The rest of us vetoed it, through much laughter, and found one that's more like 6 feet tall (we used to go for 8 or 9 foot tall trees). We were able to get it up, with a relative minimum of swearing. (I can't be the only one whose Christmas tree tradition typically includes swearing, can I?)

And then we had hot chocolate and...more apples! Specifically, apple tart with caramel sauce. Oh my goodness, this was amazing.

Finally, our weekend feasting ended with dinner at the home of dear friends, who made a big green salad, Thai-inspired soup with tofu, red curry, carrots, lemongrass, and coconut milk, a rice pilaf, and butternut squash.

A lovely holiday weekend of feasting on food, family, friends...

Hold the presses!

2009-11-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

After a long hiatus, I am finally blogging about biking again.

Here's hoping it inspires me for more frequent blogging about crafting, sustainability, etc. too, here at handcrafted life!

Enjoying the season (and seeking seasonal gardening advice)

2009-11-13T20:46:00.012-05:00

I miss blogging! You'd think with both kids at college, I'd have more time, but somehow the grad. school/working full-time/attempting to take care of other life tasks with intentionality seem to still cut into the blogging time. Fortunately DD came home and requested apple-picking, giving me not only a photo op but a nice excuse to slow down and appreciate the season.

The apple orchard was beautiful. (Rochester folks, we went to the Apple Farm in Victor and it was really nice. I believe they have a sale this week. And, they will be offering u-pick until we get a stretch of weather below 25 F.)

There were tons of apples on the ground. We grabbed a bunch for the chickens, who LOVE apples. We didn't know this, but you're supposed to ask first! They gave us a reduced price, but if you go, please ask first! (Do as I say, not as I do.)

T., Zoe, and I have also been enjoy walks in our local gem, the Mt. Hope Cemetery, perfect for spooky October nights (and the rest of the year).

And now, on to some less exciting pictures, but (for me) very exciting gardening. This is the first year I have tried to garden so late. You can see that I'm not the neatest gardener in the world, as evidenced by the leaves I haven't bothered to rake out and the dried stalks of dill still left. Here are some turnips and collard greens. I think I planted something in the middle there but it didn't come up.

Here is my arugula bed, which has pretty much been going strong all gardening season.

And here we have some younger collard greens and Chinese greens. They're supposed to be cold hardy, although I'm still covering everything on cold nights, since we've only had a couple of nights of frost so far, and it's supposed to be fairly warm still for quite a while.

Here's some kale, just coming up recently. Again, I'm hoping it will last through the winter, but I'm not really sure how these things work.

Swiss chard (and a little head of lettuce), which in my experience can survive for quite a while in the cold.

And more turnip greens, along with broccoli, which have little florets on them that thrill me to no end. Can't wait till they're big enough to eat.

Fall/winter gardeners, any advice? Will this stuff last? Do I have to cover it every night once it gets below freezing?

Soup therapy

2009-10-16T19:24:00.005-04:00

(This is just a gratuitous, updated picture of the girls, because really, can you ever get enough of chicken pictures? That short green fence is supposed to keep them out of the garden, but I can't say it's totally effective.)

Aaaanyway...if your life revolves in any way around the academic calendar, September and early October are hectic! My life revolves around the academic calendar in 3 ways: work, graduate school, and getting my kids off to college.

All of which leaves not nearly enough time for my creative pursuits. Last night one of my classes ended earlier than expected, and I had time to make some granola and also my standard, never-the-same-twice red lentil soup. If you're in the market for an inexpensive, easy-to-make soup that can be made with whatever you happen to have around, this is for you. I have to give credit to my (non-blogging) friend Hilary for the basic idea of this soup.

Here's what I do, with rough approximations of ingredients and amounts.

Julie's Red Lentil Soup

1--Saute in olive oil or ghee, some combination of these vegetables--peppers, onions, garlic, shallots, hot peppers. (Last night I used shallots and two jalapeno peppers.) You could add some freshly grated ginger if you like. You can also add dried herbs of your choosing here--ginger, oregano, thyme, basil could all be nice.

2--Add whatever other veggies you have on hand, particularly root vegetables or cruciferous vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, beets, cauliflower. (Last night I used turnips from my garden.) Saute for a few more minutes.

3--Add 4-8 cups of water or vegetable stock and heat to boiling.

4--Add 1-2 cups of red lentils. (Amounts of water and lentils are variable because you can base it on how many veggies you have, how much soup you want to make, and how thin you like your soup.)

5--Simmer until everything is tender and the lentils have started to break down. This could be 20-40 minutes, depending on the type of veggies and how mushy you like your soup.

6--This step is optional, but highly recommended. After it's been simmering about 15-20 minutes, add whatever fresh greens you have around, such as spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, etc. (Last night I used the turnip greens and collards from my garden.)

7--Simmer until it's done the way you like it! Just a few minutes before you take it off the stove, add whatever fresh herbs you have around. (Last night I used the last of the chives and basil from the garden.) Add about 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice at the very end.

This is good on its own, but even better with cheese, if you ask me. I add fresh goat cheese.

As I said to a friend after making this soup, cooking is my medicine and my religion. All the craziness of early Fall melted away, and that's even before I tasted the soup.

p.s. Coincidentally, 101 Cookbooks has a similar red lentil soup recipe today that includes rice.

Dahlia season

2009-09-23T16:31:00.002-04:00

September in the garden is fabulous. This is the first year that I have grown dahlias, but it most definitely will not be the last. I got these as tubers, back in May,at the Proud Market of the Rochester Civic Garden Center, from the Rochester Dahlia Society. They have done much better than any that I have gotten as plants. They're so big and bushy that I have tomato cages around them to contain their exuberance!

Most of my tomatoes were hit by the blight, but my tomatillos are very happy, as are the pumpkins twining around them.

I have had green beans ALL summer, and they just keep coming.

And for the first year, I'm planting a fall garden. Peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes are all poking their heads up. Looks like I need to thin, which I have a very hard time bringing myself to do. It seems like such a shame to just destroy perfectly good little plants, so I usually try to transplant them elsewhere in the garden. It doesn't always work, but I feel better for the attempt.

More pictures of my September garden are at my September 2009 set on Flickr.

Transitions

2009-09-10T20:57:00.011-04:00

For her eighteenth birthday, back in the spring, DD's best friend got a tattoo. DD went with her and got one too. The best friend's mom went with them and got one too. I went with them too, but I hadn't found the right design, so I deferred. It was really fun, though, two best friends and their moms. When each girl got her tattoo, the mom held one hand and the best friend held the other. The other mom chattered on to help distract them from the sound and piercing of the needle.

Funny, that seems to be just what young adults need at this stage of life. Their peers have a huge influence on their choices, from clothing to body art to socializing and beyond. They need to have close relationships with their peers, because becoming intimate with people outside the family is essential for their self-development into mature adults.

They also need to have adults in their life, in strong supporting roles, to serve as additional role models and resources outside their family.

And yes, they need their parents. We have more and more of a background role as time goes on, of course, but it seems to me that they still need to know that we are there for them. And when something big happens in their life, be it a source of joy or pain, they are likely to want us in on it in some way.

After the three of them got their tattoos, DD made me promise that we would go back before she left for college, and I would get one, as soon as I had a design. Well, summer always goes too fast, and before I knew it, we only had a couple of weeks left. In fact, she text'ed me from an out-of-town trip to say, "We need to get you your tattoo. Oh, and btw, I want another one too!"

Schedules being what they were, it came down to the LAST night before she was set to leave, and we agreed we would go get the tattoos. I still didn't have a design. I figured I would just get something small in a non-public location, just for the experience of it. However, I really liked hers and indicated that I would consider getting it, but I wasn't sure how she would feel about that. Turned out, she was fine with that, so off we went.

The first tattoo shop we tried didn't have time for both of us before closing time, so we went to another place that came recommended. I have to admit, although I have two tattoos, I didn't quite know what I was in for. My others are pretty small and not too intricate. This one took about 1 1/2 hours for me, and 1 hour for DD (hers is smaller). And yes, it hurt. By the time we finished, it was 9:30, and we still hadn't had dinner! We went off to DogTown for some veggie sandwiches. (By the way, I really liked our artist. He had a great demeanor, and he stayed very late so that we could both get ours done!)

The whole experience was a memorable way to mark the transitions that we each are facing. Here it was, her last night before college, and (although she had been with friends virtually every moment that week), she was spending this night with me. I feel very grateful for that.

The very act of getting a tattoo can represent self-expression, independence, commitment, a turning point. It seemed like all of those to me, and I think to her as well.

And this time, not only was I by her side as she got her tattoo, she was also by mine to support me.

How climbing a mountain is like raising a child

2009-09-01T22:10:00.011-04:00

In the beginning, everything looks placid and beautiful. You look at the adorable pictures of other children and mountains and think that this will be a piece of cake.

Then, you realize that you are actually climbing a mountain, not just looking at a pretty picture of one. It turns out that the actual climbing requires a lot more endurance than the picture-gazing. At these moments you swear at your partner and blame her/him for making you do this/not making you completely and totally happy and comfortable/the size and steepness of the mountain.

Occasionally, you notice that the mountain/child really is a work of wonder and beauty.

You reach the summit, and if you're lucky, you and your beloved are still together, albeit a bit dorkier and more middle-aged than you remember becoming.

After taking a good long time to celebrate and enjoy the view, you start downhill. You figure you're practically done now. After all, downhill means easy, fast, once again, piece of cake. Then you get a late night phone call, or some other wake-up call that no, you're not done yet. For example, perhaps the sole of your boot (which you've only worn four times, but has fallen apart due to disuse of about 12 years) falls off just as you begin your descent. It looks something like this.

And then, a little further down, the other one falls off. You now have very little support, and even less traction, and the trail is extremely slippery. You are not really sure if you can get through this without some major injury or trauma.

Still, with the patience of your partner (and probably quite a few other friends and family members), you make it down/through the latest trial, traveling much more slowly and painstakingly than expected, using 2 instead of the usual 1 walking pole.

Again, you celebrate, this time over a delicious romantic dinner.

And then, quite willingly, you make plans to train even harder for the next mountain, and vow always, always to enjoy the view.

(For more Adirondacks pictures, see my August 2009 Flickr set.)

Living, not blogging

2009-08-19T21:46:00.008-04:00

So it's been almost a month since I last posted...but I have been too busy living life and enjoying these precious summer days to sit down and write about it. Instead, how about some pictures to catch up? Starting with above, there has been creek-walking.

DS was home for a few weeks and thus there was cello playing...here at a gig at a local coffeehouse. (Hence the bad lighting.)

He has such a fierce determination when he plays.

There has been much cycling.

Some kayaking.

And much grilling on my new grill...this is grilled pizza with tomatoes, basil, rosemary (from the garden), and grilled squash from the farmers' market.

And now, it is sunflower time...

Regular blogging will resume shortly...

Dogs on bikes

2009-07-25T20:36:00.003-04:00

When T. and I go on vacations, we always take Zoe (pictured above). We also always want to get out on our bikes. This presents a problem, because it is always too hot to leave her in our car, and the other campers wouldn't appreciate our leaving her in our tent. We know that she would bark the whole time. Our previous solution has been doggie day care. but this year, I finally convinced her that we should get a doggie bike basket. If you want to bring your canine companion with you, this is a good solution for a small dog. (Zoe weighs 8 pounds.)

T. had her handlebars shortened in order to fit her better, so the basket only fits on my bike. It really didn't slow me down much at all and I kept up with her pretty well, especially surprising since she's generally faster than me. Zoe was unsure about it at first, but seemed to settle in pretty quickly.

So far, I've only taken it on bike trails and side streets. I would be hesitant to bike on a busy and/or hilly road with it, because the extra weight on the bars takes some getting used to, and I felt like it slowed my reaction time.

A great bonus is that it seems impossible for another rider to pass without smiling and saying, "Aawwwwww," with the inflection rising at the end.

(Cross-posted at RocBike.)

How to know if you approve of your son's girlfriend

2009-07-22T20:05:00.003-04:00

1. When you ask her what she's planning to do with the few weeks of the summer that she's not working, she replies, "Play in the street."

2. She loves the fact that your chickens are named after female jazz vocalists (since she's a jazz bassist, no big surprise there).

3. After getting your okay, she proceeds to feed herself directly from your garden, snacking on raspberries, peas, and green beans as you chat.

4. Oh, and she gives your son a hard time for eating breakfast at McDonald's.

My chicken has a hernia

2009-07-18T21:08:00.002-04:00

That's a catchy blog title, huh? For a while, we've noticed that Sarah (she's the red one above) doesn't seem to lay very often, although she does sit in the nest box regularly, and recently, she and Bessie each decided that it was TIME to lay an egg, so they just both got in.

Anyway, we took her to the chicken man (who is wonderful, if you're local and in need of a good chicken man), and he said she had a lot of fluid in her body cavity. He gave us the name of the one vet he was aware of in our county who sees chickens.

The vet thinks she has a hernia. We think she was born with it, because she's always seemed like she had a little extra in the breast/body. Being chicken newbies, we just thought that was her usual physique.

Anyway, she's not in pain, and surgery would probably be more traumatic, so she'll live out her (not very egg-productive) days in our little backyard.

She's the top hen, and she has a wonderful personality, so we're happy to have her.

However, I have been lobbying for a bigger coop so we can get another one. We'll see how that goes. I usually win these arguments; it just takes a while.

Garden update

2009-07-17T19:06:00.004-04:00

So, the picture above shows the vegetable garden beds at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. See how tidy and orderly they are?

Well, this is what MY garden beds look like...

Those beds are a mixture of peas, green beans, lettuce, greens, and volunteer sunflowers and tomatoes from last year's garden. Kind of untidy and wacky, but extremely productive...I think the garden reflects the gardener.

The beans are just starting...

The black raspberries are over.

As are the peas.

But so far, I have hardly had to buy veggies from the market...I've had tons of greens and peas, and the green beans are becoming very productive now. Plus lots of fresh herbs, some Jerusalem artichokes, and brand new potatoes...not to mention eggs!

There is something to be said for messiness.

Edible, Sustainable Garden Tour tomorrow

2009-07-17T09:46:00.003-04:00

If you're in or near Rochester, check out this Edible, Sustainable Garden Tour. I did it last year, by bike, and it was very inspiring!

Balancing act

2009-07-11T13:15:00.009-04:00

Who would have thought that gorgeous young woman was once this charming youngster?

Well, actually, I would have. (Full disclosure--that top picture was taken by a photographer looking to build her portfolio.) While DD is definitely gorgeous, that top photo isn't really her personality. This one is more like it...

That's her promoting the South Wedge Farmers Market with a good friend.

She recently did something even cooler...

But that was quickly followed by a common second-child complaint, "When DS graduated, he got a whole blog post." (Here she is burying her brother in sand...)

Anyway, she graduated from high school on June 25, and so far...no blog post. I tried to explain to her that I'd been on vacation, and that I did put pictures up on my Facebook page, but to no avail. She wants her own blog post! Well, okay...she deserves it, that's for sure! And this is a child who has had the will and determination to get what she wants, from day one, so far be it for me to deny her now!

There are many qualities I admire in DD. She is fierce in defending her beliefs and her loved ones. She is joyous and passionate. But what I am appreciating in her right now is this--she is helping me figure out how to do this being-a-parent-of-young-adults thing. (It helps that she is a remarkable young adult.)

The parenting experts say that at this stage, young people need autonomy but also connection. As a person who's worked with college students most of my career, I wholeheartedly agree. As a parent, I can say...that's a tough line to walk. How much autonomy? How much connection? When? Where? What if _________ (fill in the blank of whatever your biggest fear for your kid is)?

But it seems to come so easy for DD, which makes it come easy for me. The connection part is awesome. We have a ritual of going to the public market every Saturday morning. How many 18-year olds would get up at 8 am on a Saturday morning to hang out with their mom at a farmers' market? She has a summer job at the campus where I work, so we ride or bike together most days. When one or the other of us has been busy, and we haven't seen much of each other, she's as likely as I am to say, "We need to spend some time together." When she broke up with her boyfriend, she first went to her best friend's house, but then she came home to cry on my shoulder.

The autonomy part isn't so hard either. She's so conscientious and responsible that I don't worry (too much) about her hanging out with friends, using the car, and so on. But what I love about her is that she knows how to set boundaries, even with me. The subject came up of us being "friends" on Facebook. She firmly said, "There is nothing on my Facebook page that you don't know about. But there is friend space and family space, and that is friend space."

I wasn't sure how I felt about this, until I realized...that is her way of saying, "I am a separate person and I get to have my separate space that doesn't involve you." And you know, she's right.

Soon she will have a lot of separate space, and I will have a big adjustment. She will be at college, and I'll be going to the market on Saturdays by myself or with friends, which will be fine in its own way, but not the same.

But until then, I will enjoy hearing about her burgeoning skills and excitement at working with young people at her job, watching her play the trumpet with a local marching band, biking with her, and chatting about life over coffee and breakfast...not to mention her easy smile and laugh around the house.

And come September, I will take heart at knowing that she has what it takes to make it on her own. And also at the fact that we've already made plans to have regular phone calls via webcam.

Autonomy and connection, remember?

How to become a better cook

2009-06-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

Cook with what is in season. That is the single thing that has transformed me from a pretty good cook to a most-of-the-time-great cook (if I do say so myself).

It started 8 or 9 years ago, when 2 things happened simultaneously. First, my family joined the Genesee Valley Organic CSA program, receiving fresh shares of produce throughout the summer and fall. Then, the natural foodstore where I shopped went out of business. Eventually through a lot of people's hard work, the store re-opened as a cooperative. In the meantime, a few people organized a buying club, renting out a small space in my neighborhood where we got staples and produce year-round, again much of it locally grown.

These days, eating local is all the rage, and you don't need special circumstances to do it. For me, I now grow a lot of my own food and get the rest from our three-year-old local farmers market.

Either way, using what I have readily available forces creativity in the kitchen. It's hard to follow a recipe precisely if you stick with what you have in the pantry/garden/market. That single fact forced me out of my cooking comfort zone and got me to experiment and improvise much more in the kitchen. Now I understand the characteristics of individual ingredients/herbs/spices and have a sense of how they might go together, although I still use cookbooks to give me new ideas and inspiration.

Last night I made a Wild Rice Salad with Asparagus, Feta,Walnuts,and Strawberries, loosely inspired by this recipe.

I can't give exact amounts (since I didn't keep track!), but here are the general instructions.

1. Cook up some wild rice. (I use a rice cooker and love it.)
2. Cut up your asparagus and steam if for 1-2 minutes. You want it to stay crunchy.
3. Mix together, along with some feta cheese and toasted walnuts.
4. Mix in John Robbins' tahini dressing from May All Be Fed. (This is my all-purpose salad dressing, and I used it in a slightly different way here.)
4. Give it a little more "juice" with some good quality olive oil and a few dashes of balsamic vinaigrette. My favorite balsamic is from Artistic Eats and my favorite to-die-for olive oil is from VM Giordano's, both available at the Rochester Public Market.
5. Serve with sliced strawberries on top.

Enjoy!

City girl in the country

2009-06-17T21:08:00.009-04:00

Last week I visited Texas, where T's parents live (Austin), and where DS is studying at the Round Top orchestral festival/institute.

Apparently evolution is a hot issue in Texas. This graffiti was on a walking trail. (I think it was the Lady Bird Lake Trail.)

It was great to see DS. Here he is (second row) warming up. He seems to be thriving there, despite the 101 F heat. The festival was founded by pianist James Dick, and he performed with the orchestra in the evening concert. It was one of the best classical performances (pianist and orchestra) I've seen anywhere. (I might be a little biased.)

The grounds were also amazing. They have historic buildings from across the world, and very comprehensive herb gardens. Also shown below is the graveyard showing the time it takes for certain materials to decompose. The grounds are a funky mishmash of Roman ruins, historic US buildings, and whatever else seems to have struck their fancy.

We also visited the Blanton Museum of Art,, where T's stepmother is a docent. She is very passionate about the museum, and I can see why. Their contemporary collection was wonderful, and introduced us to some Latin American artists that we don't see up here in the "North."

The picture above is from inside an installation by Cildo Meireles, critiquing missions established in South America to convert indigenous peoples.

All in all, a wonderful trip, which had the added bonus of really making me appreciate the temperate Northeastern climate.

There was much more, and you can see pictures at my June 2009 Flickr set.

(As to how traveling across the country fits into sustainable living, I will simply say that we cut our usual vacation down, and we haven't visited T's parents in several years. And it's hard for me to turn down an affordable opportunity to see one of my kids perform with a world-class ensemble.)

Country girl in the city

2009-06-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

I spotted these petals on a walk along the Genesee Valley Greenway, a fifteen minute drive/40 minute bike ride away from my home near the "Center City" of Rochester.

At times I do long for the country. A recent post by knitwear designer Kristin Nicholas about the tenth year anniversary of living on a farm with her family reminded me why. Growing up in Indiana instilled a deep love of the rural landscape.

But it also made me realize how much I appreciate living where I do. By living close to where I work, go to school, and do much of my business, I not only drive much less, I also feel embedded into my community. It's very common for a friend or neighbor to pop by to share gardening info, neighborhood news, or just to chat.

I walk across the street to get a pedicure from my nail technician neighbor. I walk a couple of blocks for coffee, bike about 10 minutes for my yoga class, 10 minutes the other way for graduate school, and have my choice of any number of restaurants if I want to eat out. Many of my friends live in this neighborhood, and it's so easy to stay connected because of that.

The cool thing is that I still get to enjoy some "country," through my backyard garden and chickens, of course, but also through the many patches of nature within walking or short biking/driving distance. Although I enjoy and value visiting other regions and cultures, I am truly a person that wants to feel rooted in "place." I want to know my backyard, my neighborhood, my city, my county, intimately. I'm pretty close to knowing the first two that well, but it will take years to know the city and county so well. And I love that. The natural world is so rich. I sometimes wonder if people took the time to really know their own patch of it, whether they would be so reckless towards it.

When we visited the Greenway, the trail was coated with the petals of blossoms from the trees. Truly, I cannot think of anything, at this moment, more enchanting.

p.s. If you think my neighborhood sounds intriguing, check these websites for details: BASWA and SWPC.

Chicken update

2009-06-08T21:58:00.000-04:00

In the afternoon, the girls like to take a dust bath. They find a patch of dirt, wriggle around, jockeying for the best position, and finally they settle in for a good half hour to an hour.

It's a very peaceful time of the day.

I don't watch regular TV, but "chicken TV" more than makes up for it. And there are no commercials.

Getting excited about the harvest

2009-06-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

It may only be June 4, but tonight's picking of a full bunch of radishes has me psyched! Last year I tried to keep track of my harvest, listed below. As you can see, we had a lot of peas and tomatoes!

I don't think I'm going to do such a detailed catalog this year, but I will tell you that so far, I've harvested several radishes, some baby lettuce, 2 bunches of rhubarb,2 bunches of chives, several onions, and sprigs here and there of dill, oregano, mint, and lemon balm.

I'm also really happy to have found a source for local organic grains. I picked up my first order tonight from Small World Bakery at the South Wedge Farmers' Market .

I love market/garden season!

Harvest 2008

Basil (3 lb.)
Collards (5 lb.)
Cucumbers (15 oz.)
Dill (6 oz.)
Green beans (4 lb., 2 oz.)
Jerusalem artichokes (5 lbs.)
Lemon balm (1 lb 6 oz.)
Lemon verbena (6 oz.)
Lettuce (3 lbs, 10 oz.)
Mint (3 lbs., 14 oz.)
Mustard greens (4 lbs.)
Nasturtium (1 lb. 6 oz.)
Oregano (2 lb., 1 oz.)
Parsley (1 lb. 10 oz.)
Peas (5 lbs.)
Peppers (2 oz.)
Sage (12 oz.)
Shadberries-foraged (1 lb., 4 oz.)
(1 oz.)
Strawberries (4 lbs.)
Swiss chard (3 lb., 3 oz.)
Tomatoes (62 lb., 11 oz.)

Container queen (and an asparagus recipe)

2009-05-27T21:42:00.004-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, T. and I took a picnic and hike at Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area. Although this particular view was nice, the hiking overall was so-so, with poorly marked trails and a lack of biodiversity.

Our picnic, however...now that's another story. The context of this is that I have a weakness for containers. I can be pretty non-consumeristic, but it is hard for me to resist the newest and prettiest knitting bag/travel coffee mug/bike panniers/storage bins, etc. So, for Christmas, T. got me this...

Untie the bow, and you have your placemats and napkins (and yes, it's intentional that even the water bottle matches...water bottles are containers, too, you know, and I must have the perfect one for each occasion.)

Remove the carrying bag, and you have four tiers of dishes for your picnic food, and the lid for each tier can also be used as a plate. You can also see the silverware in the picture above...there's a set on each side.

Remove one of the lids and you have this...

Well, you have to make your own. Adapted from this recipe, it is simply steamed asparagus (locally grown of course), teeny radishes and herbs from my garden, and John Robbins' tahini dressing from May All Be Fed. Yum!

(You can buy your own cool picnic or lunch container here.)

"Don't buy any food you've seen advertised"--Michael Pollan

2009-05-19T12:24:00.002-04:00

Discussing topics ranging from pork operations' connections to swine flu to the Obama's organic garden, Michael Pollan covers a lot of territory in this interview with Amy Goodman, at Alternet.

His biggest piece of advice--if you've seen a food advertised, it's not real food.

I was thinking about my granola and granola bars recipes. I don't think I've seen any of those ingredients advertised....Maybe peanut butter, but the peanut butter I use is all natural and processed by a locally-owned worker-cooperative, Once Again Nut Butter.

Homemade granola and (new!) granola bars

2009-05-18T13:28:00.006-04:00

When I met T., she lived on oatmeal, bagels, banana smoothies, and protein bars. She has a much more varied diet now, and a favorite of both of ours is my homemade granola. This recipe literally takes 15 minutes, at most, to throw in the oven. And I'm going to share with you a few tricks to make it even easier.

It's adapted from this recipe by Mollie Katzen. I've made it so many times I pretty much have the recipe memorized, with my variations.

Mix together, in a large bowl:

--4 cups rolled oats
--1 cup ground flaxseed
--1 cup sunflower seeds
--1 cup peanuts

You can vary these last 3 ingredients based on whatever grains/nuts/seeds you have around--wheat germ, coconut, sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, etc.

In a separate container (I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup), mix:

--3/4 cup canola oil
--1/2 cup agave nectar

(I use agave instead of honey or maple syrup because my friends in acupuncture/ayurveda tell me it's a much healthier choice for a sweetener. It tastes great.)

Pour the agave/oil mixture into the large bowl with the oats mixture.

Mix in:

--1/2 tsp of salt
--1 cup rice protein powder

(I prefer the plain protein powder flavor over the vanilla, because I think the vanilla gives it more of a "processed foods" taste).

Pour onto a 13x18 inch baking tray, which has been covered with parchment paper. (I tried oiling/spraying it, and the granola still stuck and made clean-up a real hassle, twice as time-consuming as actually making the granola.)

Bake for 35-45 minutes at 325 F. Let cool. Store in glass jars in the freezer. It becomes crunchy and yummier as it cools, and keeping it in the freezer helps it retain the crunchiness. (She recommends crumbling 1/3 cup of sugar on after it comes out of the oven. I don't find the added sweetness at all necessary.)

Now, if you, like me, have a kid in college who loves your granola, or you, like me, have limited time for even this much cooking, I recommend you make 2 batches of the recipe at once. Do everything above twice, with 2 large bowls, 2 baking trays, etc. It's easy to pour each ingredient, one in each bowl, at the same time.

You could also use the second batch to whip up some homemade granola bars. You see, it is a sore point in my relationship with T. that I cannot get her to stop eating processed protein bars. I am opposed to them because they are highly processed and it just kills me to spend that kind of money on something I'm sure I could make myself. She loves the convenience of them, and let's face it, when I'm not around, she doesn't eat anything that requires ANY kind of preparation. Besides that, up until now, I have not found an adequate homemade substitute. However, we have managed to stay together for 13 years despite the stash of protein bars in our cupboard.

I think I may have found the solution. Inspired by Jody's recipe and the one at Bittersweet, I came up with the following granola bar recipe.

Combine these ingredients in a pan and heat to boiling, over medium heat:

--1/2 cup of sugar
--1/2 cup of agave nectar
--1/2 cup of peanut butter

Pour over 3 cups of the above granola. Mix together really well, pour it into an 8x8 glass pan, use a spatula to make it even, and put in the fridge to harden.

I just had one, and WOW! These are great! I would like to find a way to do it without the sugar, as it's not good for me, and they're a little too sweet for my taste anyway.

Now, we'll have to see what T. thinks...

Public service announcement

2009-05-12T18:33:00.002-04:00

Dear men-who-hang-out-near-the-underpass-on-the-trail-I-ride-home (and I don't mean to be sexist, but you are always men),

1--Why do you hang out there? It's stinky, full of broken glass, and creepy. Then again, maybe that's why you hang out there.

2--How many of you are there? Although I have never seen any one individual more than once, and you are of different ages and races, I must assume that you all belong to the same tribe, as your behavior is unfailingly obnoxious, and at least 5 of you are there EVERY afternoon/evening when I bike home, regardless of the time.

3--I hate to be the one to break this to you, but..."Hey, baby, can I get a riiiide?" does not actually inspire women to cancel their plans for the evening, do a 180 on their bike, and jump your bones. (p.s. Nor is it particularly original.)

4--Whether out of aggressiveness or cluelessness, it's just not charming when you hog the whole trail. Would it really kill you to move over, for just a second, so that I can pass?

5--I would like you to know that I plan to continue to take this route. For one thing, alternate routes involve alarming amounts of cars anxious to escape their work days and head home. For another, I don't think you're really dangerous...you just want to display your machismo so your buddies don't notice your inadequacies.

Finally, you don't get to hog the trail. I have just as much right to be there as you.

Sincerely,

Every-cyclist-(especially female)-that-passes-by-you

Hojack Trail

2009-05-12T17:23:00.000-04:00

I wrote about local rail-trail, The Hojack Trail over at RocBike today. Head on over there if you're interested in knowing of a cool local trail to hike or bike.

Poking my head up

2009-05-10T12:31:00.004-04:00

Just like the asparagus in my garden...after a long winter. The asparagus has been storing all its energy to culminate in the spring growing season. As for me, summer is my time to store up energy for the rest of the year. And I mark summer by when I can start bringing flowers in from the garden...

These are the first flowers from sweet woodruff.

The forget-me-nots are in full bloom and the bleeding hearts are just shy of full bloom.

Just a few blocks north,the Lilac Festival is in full swing.

But I prefer to visit in the early mornings before the crowds get there, when I can get up close and personal with the lilacs and snails.

In the garden, the strawberries are blooming, the lettuce, radishes, and peas are poking through the soil, and rhubarb is ready for picking.

More early spring pictures are at my Flickr set here.

Fashion sense

2009-05-03T18:28:00.000-04:00

Just loving DD's fashion sense.

That's all.

Birth and death comes every spring

2009-04-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

Magnolia blossoms...

Weeping cherry trees...

And daffodils, a flower I didn't pay much attention to until 1979, when my best friend died in the spring, on April 7. They were her favorite flower, and the service had daffodils everywhere, as I recall it, anyway.

The funeral home, along with a mention of Tracey's death, is featured prominently in the book written by one of our classmates, Driving with Dead People. And I blogged more about that here.

Tracey introduced me to make-up, alcohol, and Clair de Lune. Clair de Lune stuck; the others, not so much.

I'm pretty sure we would still be having great adventures together if she were alive.

Foraging marsh marigolds

2009-04-27T16:27:00.009-04:00

The girls love foraging in our backyard for greens and grubs (and they also quickly discovered that our new bird bath is a giant watering hole...it's so like Sarah to jump up on top of it.)

Me, I've taken to foraging in our backyard too, but just for greens. Last year, I identified the flower you see below as a creeping buttercup.

Actually, I mis-identified it, which I realized after seeing a page on Michael Warren Thomas' site which identified a whole field of similar looking flowers as marsh marigolds.

Remembering from my copy of Euell Gibbons Stalking the Healthful Herbs that marsh marigolds are edible, I did some research to make sure that they truly are marsh marigolds. After all, if I can dig them up and eat them, it feels so much more satisfying than digging them up and throwing them in the compost.

In case you're ever asked, marsh marigolds have heart shaped leaves, and creeping buttercups have leaves divided into three sections (there's a much more botanically correct way to describe that, but that's what I got after decoding the botany speak).

It took 3 changes of water to get the greens clean, and then 3 doses of pouring boiling water over them to get out the bitterness, but it was worth it. I also foraged some chives from a walk in Oatka Creek Park. They had tons of marsh marigolds as well, in case you don't happen to have any growing in your improperly drained back yard, like I do. Gibbons recommends that you just cut off the leaves, if you're foraging them in the wild.

After consulting Euell Gibbons and Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, I made a fresh spring greens tart from the marigold leaves and the chives, with chevre from Lively Run, our girls' eggs, and some other random cheeses I had around.

It tasted great!

Zoe enjoyed the foraging at the park as well...jumping in the water to cool off.

Missing person

2009-04-24T17:08:00.001-04:00

The sister of a fellow knitter is missing and was last seen in Florida. She had just left a domestic violence shelter and has a substance abuse problem. Am trying to help get out the word...it's the least I can do...

Urban orchard

2009-04-19T18:06:00.006-04:00

On Easter Sunday, T. and I took a ride out to Miller Nurseries. A good friend had been the previous day and brought us some dwarf fruit trees, which only whet our appetite for more. We decided we must add a mini fruit orchard to our urban homestead.

So, in addition to the four-varieties-in-one multi-grafted apple tree that we bought a couple of years ago, we now have Brown Turkey figs, Moongold and Chinese dwarf apricots, an X-tra dwarfed Bing cherry tree, and Garden Gold peaches (that's the peach tree below and its bud above).

It doesn't look like much now, and it will take a year or two, but I can't wait to harvest my own fruit!

And if any of my readers, have fruit growing tips, please pass them along...this is new territory.

A shawl for the girls

2009-04-17T00:45:00.000-04:00

In case your chicken doesn't like handknit sweaters, there is always the ever popular chicken shawl.

(via the phenomenon that is Mason Dixon Knitting)

I wonder how our girls would feel about a little shawl to combat that springtime chill in the air?

And I love it when I can tag the same post with both "chickens" and "knitting"!

Nice day for a bike ride

2009-04-16T21:03:00.004-04:00

Nice Day for a Bike Ride
(In 4 parts)

Ride to work
First day in the seat since my whiplash injury.
A few aches, but I'm feeling okay.

Ride home
Three teenage guys are blocking the path.
Two move, but one stays square in the middle and looks me right in the eyes.
I know a challenge when I see one,
and I'm not in the mood for it.
There's room for me to pass, but barely.
As I pass, I sarcastically say, "thanks for moving."
Not really smart.
But ignoring men who harass me gets old.
The guy mocks me, "thanks for moving."
On a good day, I figure I can out-bike someone who's bikeless.
But my first day in the seat, with an achy back, is not really my best day.
I'm a little concerned they'll take chase.
I look in my rear view mirror. No sign of them.
I hear "Fuck you!" yelled at my back.
I want to flip them off, but I refrain.

I start to fume, reflecting on every rude act I've experienced or heard about over the past few weeks.
I'm pretty sure that the phrase, "Kids these days," pops in my head.

As I near my home, I see a boy on his bike, meandering along the sidewalk.
He cheerfully yells out, "Hello!"
I say hello, though not so cheerfully.
Undaunted, he says, "Nice day for a bike ride!"
Smiling now, I say, "Yes, it is!"

Ride to yoga class
Feeling stronger now.
I come upon a couple of young boys on their bikes.
One says hello.
The other rides up alongside me.
I say, "are you gonna race me?"
He smiles and starts pedaling.
I shift my gears and start to pull ahead.
He says, "Oh, you've got gears, that's why you're faster."
I smile and keep moving.

Ride home
Twilight.
Sounds of the neighborhood as I pass by.

Yep, nice day for a bike ride.

Practicing resurrection, part 2

2009-04-15T17:06:00.006-04:00

(Taughannock Falls State Park, April 5, 2009)

A couple of days ago, I wrote about my hope for new beginnings.

I urge you to read or listen to the sermon from the Unitarian Universalist minister, Kaaren Anderson, who reminded me of that hope. Click here.

(Edited to add what I meant to put in the first time: scroll to the bottom and click on the sermon for April 12 titled "Practicing Resurrection." Thanks, Jody!)

Gardening in a small space

2009-04-13T17:14:00.001-04:00

A friend asked about those garden beds in my previous post. They are made of recycled black plastic, available here.

I live in an urban area, and the only sunny area is on my driveway. I tried to convince T. that we should get rid of it and plant grass, but she was NOT having that. So, this is our compromise. Seriously, they work great. You can see from my sidebar how much I harvested last year. I expect to do even better this year, as I've gotten an earlier start, plus every year I learn a little more.

In a couple of weeks I will interplant more veggies in those same beds. I garden very intensively, which means that the plants are very close together. Our compost, enriched with chicken manure, should provide more than enough nutrients. In addition to being able to plant more stuff, planting closely together means I don't have to mulch. I just pick out the occasional weed. Weeding is minimal once the plants are established.

The circular thing is a strawberry pyramid (although I can’t remember where I initially bought it). My berries did very well last year, and once they are done producing, I usually plant some small pepper plants, beneficial flowers, etc...whatever is left over from my spring garden shopping splurge.

Speaking of which...boy, did I splurge yesterday...pictures and more to come, once they're actually planted. Let's just say that in a couple of years I hope to have a miniature fruit orchard to add to our urban homestead!

Practicing resurrection

2009-04-12T11:26:00.002-04:00

(I wrote this post yesterday, the day before Easter, but wasn't sure whether to post it. Then I went to church today. I've taken the title of today's post from the title of Kaaren Anderson's sermon. I'll post the link to that sermon when it's up. Meanwhile, here's my practice of resurrection for today.)

While some people are celebrating Passover, and others Easter, me...I'm celebrating the return of Spring and the belief in new beginnings.

Today I prepared this year's garden beds, and I planted peas, lettuce, radishes, dill, Swiss chard, and spinach.

I also learned about a tragedy that has happened to a former friend of mine. Now, I don't have many "former friends." There are people I've lost touch with out of neglect, but whenever we reconnect, each is wholeheartedly welcomed back into the other's life.

But this person...I still can't really make sense of what happened. Although I don't imagine we could be friends again, in many ways I miss her deeply. When I learned of her tragedy, one with which I can deeply empathize, I felt such sadness.

For all of us who are mending the holes patched over from disappointment, betrayal, loss, I wish for the belief in new beginnings.

Spring trio

2009-04-11T17:40:00.004-04:00

Daffodils from my garden, pussy willows, Swiss chard, and ramps all from the Rochester Public Market.

Mending

2009-04-09T16:30:00.001-04:00

More posts soon on handcrafting a life...lately I feel more like I've been mending rather than crafting anything new. I know that's part of the deal, but it can be unnerving to have a reminder of how fragile life truly is. I was in a minor car accident, and I've been totally caught off guard by how this has affected my body. I've just been trying to keep my head above water while coping with the whiplash.

So, in lieu of a more substantial and thoughtful post, for today, here's the update on other happenings...

The girls grew (a lot!) They are now all laying, although Bessie (the black and white one, who is younger) just started and seems to be rather inconsistent. On sunny days they love to settle down in the dirt for a nice dust bath. You can tell the pecking order...Sarah (the Rhode Island Red) gets to pick her spot first. Then Ella, who is very placid and our most reliable layer of eggs, which are a beautiful shade of blue, and finally the baby, Billie. Once they settle in, they will lie there for a half hour or more.

I got to help celebrate the 40th birthday of a dear friend! (This is the look on her face when we all yelled, "Surprise!") The longer I live, the more I realize that long-time connections are so important. Even though I don't see most of my friends nearly enough, or say it nearly often enough, it feels so important and wonderful to have a community of people whose lives intersect with mine in so many different ways throughout our lifetimes.

I got to see the mountains of Reno from my hotel room. Beautiful view (except for all the concrete at the bottom...I don't understand the human compulsion to put ugly concrete boxes and tacky neon signs near beautiful sites of nature...even been to Niagara Falls?).

One of my favorite bakeries ever went out of business without any warning! So sad...

And I got to go to DS' sophomore recital. He's the one with the cello! He received a standing ovation (and I wasn't even the one who started it!)

I will keep mending, with the motivation of cycling season already well underway!

When I'm feeling better...

2009-03-24T19:37:00.002-04:00

I will write a proper post about how vulnerable it makes one feel to be in a car accident, however minor, along with how being a parent makes your heart burst over and over again.

Don't worry, everyone is okay...just suffering from soreness due to whiplash...meanwhile, DD was featured on a local news channel:

Click here to watch the short video wherein she relates being a loud person to playing the trumpet!

On chickens and Thomas Friedman

2009-03-10T17:17:00.002-04:00

From Homegrown Evolution: "How will we know when our country has climbed out of its current morass? A city will cite someone for not having chickens."

This comment came after reading about a family who keeps 19 Barred Rock chickens on a 2 1/4 acre lot in a rural part of the town of Lancaster, Texas, who have been told that the city is going to crack down on a ban against chickens. Read about that here.

It's odd to me that people get so upset over chickens. There are several folks in my urban neighborhood who keep big dogs. I love dogs, but they bark, they poop everywhere, and if not taken care of, can really stink up a place. Chickens squawk, but rarely as loudly as a big dog barks, they poop in their run or in our yard, and, like dogs, if not taken care of, can really stink up a place. And in the case of both dogs and chickens, owner attentiveness eliminates the smell issue.

As a vegetarian and former "farm girl," it's curious to me how we privilege certain animals over others. As a culture, we seem to think that animals who have no purpose other than our amusement are somehow different from those who provide us with food, clothing, medicines. Thus, we dichotomize domestic animals and "farm" or "research" animals. The truth is, all animals are capable of experiencing pain and pleasure. Our "girls" (as we call our chickens) have distinctive personalities, let us know when they are hungry or want to roam in the yard, and yes, provide us with beautiful and delicious eggs. And we are as attached to them as we are to our cats and dog.

And it's not just about animal welfare. When the fundamental principles of our society are coming into question by people like Thomas Friedman, who, in his Sunday column in the New York Times , called our current economic and environmental crisis "The Great Disruption," we know we need to do something different.

Chickens may seem like a minor issue, but, as author and chicken owner Marye Audet writes, "In the Depression a family could survive with enough land to plant a garden, a few chickens, and a goat. Many families did just that. Apparently they did not live in Lancaster."

Is sustainability only for the privileged?

2009-03-06T21:46:00.003-05:00

The snow is gone now (wasn't I just writing about surviving the long dark winter?), but until recently, if I wanted to bike, it meant dealing with a lot of snow, slush, and ice.

I rode in it a couple of times, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. For one, I don't have studded tires, and we have had an extremely icy winter. Jack and Adam of Team RocBike have both written about the joys of studded tires, and next year I may finally take the plunge.

But there's another reason I haven't ridden, and it's got me coming up with the counter-intuitive notion that bike commuting is actually a form of privilege. Hang with me here...not for many people, of course, I know that. Many people cannot afford cars, and while Rochester's public bus system isn't as awful as I thought it would be, it's often not very convenient or time-efficient.

So I'll own my privilege...I am solidly middle-class, and I could afford a reasonably nice car if I were willing to go into debt for one (which I'm not...my current car is 13 years old, has 135,000 miles on it, and is literally rotting/rusting away.) But I do have other trappings of a middle-class lifestyle--professional job, kids with multiple commitments, and pursuing a higher degree to boot.

In winter weather, when it comes to bike commuting, the sad truth is partly that I just haven't had the time. When I have to work all day, then pick up my daughter and deposit her somewhere, then head to class for the evening...not to mention fitting in necessities such as purchasing and eating food along the way...there's not a lot of leeway in the schedule.

Which is what got me thinking of bike commuting as a form of privilege. There are lots of women with a similar schedule to mine--for them, it might be working in a low-wage service job, picking up the kids from day care, then coming to class at the community college. Different details...same challenges. Honestly, I can't imagine trying to convince any of them that bike commuting is a practical alternative.

And there are a lot of other things promoted by sustainability advocates, including myself, that are probably not practical for folks struggling to put food on the table. Things like eating local, organic food, tending to chickens, buying environmentally-safe cleaners. Some things are too expensive, others too time-consuming, and still others practically inaccessible due to their lack of availability in some neighborhoods.

It would be great if we lived in a society where these things were more practical. In my mind, such a society would pay a living wage, would provide free or very inexpensive education at least up through the bachelor's degree, free child care, and a public transportation system that was multi-modal and had multiple routes. But we don't live in that society.

I think those of us with privilege have to be very cautious about chastising others for not living a sustainable life when societal structures are designed to foster just the opposite, and focus more energy on changing those actual structures.

What do you think?

More winter survival tips

2009-02-17T17:15:00.000-05:00

This one is easy for those of us in Rochester...Lamberton Conservatory at Highland Park. They keep it so warm that I always make sure to wear layers, because I will get too hot in my usual wool sweater. I love going there to read, knit, and even nap (though I'm not sure how the other visitors feel about that...it's hard not to fall asleep when it's so incredibly warm.)

Surely there is some place where you live where you can have contact with real live blooming plants!

The bleak mid-winter

2009-02-16T17:49:00.000-05:00

Although I promised not to complain about winter, I will tell you a little about some ways that T. and I have found to survive it. It gets a little harder in February, when the color of the sky is gray...really, it is not just gray, it is the very incarnation of grayness. It could not be any grayer. If it were any grayer it would be black. (The picture above was taken on a rare day of relative blueness.)

This picture, on the other hand, was taken at an indoor water park in Niagara Falls, Canada. T. and I went there and enjoyed being in a place warm enough to wear a swimsuit. This slide is the little kids' area, but there were also tons of big people slides, not to mention two adults only whirlpools. This is not normally the kind of place that we would think to vacation, but given that it's more in keeping with our budget than a trip to the Caribbean, it was a feasible way to keep from going nuts during our eternal winter (oops, is that complaining?)

The next day, we walked across the street and saw this.

(That's a little closer to the gray we're used to seeing.) The falls were majestic, even with all the ice.

I never thought I'd be one of those people celebrating Valentine's Day at Niagara Falls, but there you have it. Seriously, we had a lot of fun!

As a side note, the Canadian bellhop (who stood by the elevator and chatted with us as we waited for the one working elevator to come...we don't pay people to do things like that in the U.S., unfortunately) said how much he's enjoyed this winter because it reminds him of the winters when he was a kid.

We could learn a lot from the Canadians.

Wordle of the day

2009-02-11T07:39:00.003-05:00

My friend Jason led me to this cool tool to create a Wordle. Mine is based on my blog. I really like the fact that "nature" is the biggest word.

Click here to see it larger.

Why buttonholes are gendered

2009-02-09T21:49:00.002-05:00

No time for a real post, right now...but I promise one soon!

Meanwhile, you must read what the Yarn Harlot has to say about buttonholes.

I promise you non-knitters that it has very little to do with knitting and a great deal to do with social history.

Not to mention I love a good rant.

Transcendentalism and 6 other things

2009-01-30T17:21:00.004-05:00

Jody over at that which rolls tagged me to share 7 random things about myself and tag 7 other blogs. I just finished the 25 random things note happening at Facebook, so I am feeling in danger of over-sharing. But I like Jody's blog (which you should go read), so I'm going to do it, albeit through a bit of cheating...

1. I identify deeply with the American Transcendentalists movement. I couldn't possibly describe why better than Ralph Waldo Emerson (though I would use non-gendered language, of course):

"To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, — he is my creature, and maugre all his impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me. Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight. Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or a mourning piece. In good health, the air is a cordial of incredible virtue. Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear. In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth. Within these plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he should tire of them in a thousand years. In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances, — master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature."

2. Whew...that was a lot to read, but don't worry, I got the hard stuff out of the way...the rest is pure fluff. So now I will give you some corny pictures of birds (which I can't seem to resist photographing, even though I know it's corny). I think this one is pretty cool...it's a Tufted Titmouse (no snickering) flying down to join the cardinals and blue jay below.

3. Another corny bird picture (I told you I was going to cheat a bit)...the Tufted Titmouse landed on T.'s outstretched hand. These birds are very tame. A lot of people visit Mendon Ponds, to hike, feed the birds, and in this weather, ski.

4. You can see more corny bird and nature (and family and chickens and maybe even a few decent actual photographs) pictures at my flickr page (screen name my45thyear).

5. I love making things (you knew that already...more cheating), but it gives me an excuse to show you the scarf and hat I made for my delightful friend Rachael, with a super-creative artist/writer's blog that was one of the inspirations for this here blog. In a swap for the scarf and hat, Rachael gave me the most amazing piece of art. You can get a peek here.

(Knitters...the scarf is Entwined and the hat is Robin's Egg Blue Hat. More details at Ravelry, screen name handcraftedlife.)

6. In fact, I love making things so much that I am making a surprise knitted gift for a completely unsuspecting friend, for no reason whatsoever than to let him/her know that I am thinking of him/her. Do you know who you are?

7. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I have an unusual thing for the serial comma. You don't know what that is? Obviously you didn't read what I said the first time.

Okay, enough of that...in the sidebar I've added a gadget to "Follow me," if you want to follow me through your own blogger page. You can follow publicly or anonymously. I'd love to have you join!

And now for the tags...like always...those tagged should not feel obligated to join, and those reading should definitely read the blogs I've tagged!

1.Berlin's Whimsy (beautiful photographs and thoughtful writing)
2.Elemental Stitches (fellow grad. student who does amazing embroidery...her most recent was a mandala)
3.Getting Stitched on the Farm (knitwear designer Kristin Nicholas writes about her process, and her life on a sheep farm in Western Massachusetts...it's lambing season now...don't miss her pictures and stories)
4.True Stitches (textile artistry at its finest)
5.Pipe Dreams and Purling Plans (knitter, spinner, designer, sustainability advocate)
6.Crunchy Chicken (pushing the green living/sustainability thing to a whole new level)
7. Pistols and Popcorn(just great writing about life in NYC)

Gray and more gray

2009-01-18T22:06:00.002-05:00

This picture of a remnant of the railway that is now Lehigh Valley Park was supposed to look like the one below, but I rather like the blurred image.

Around here, many have taken to complaining about the weather. It's true, it's been colder than usual, and there's not a lot of sun right now. I had to adjust the exposure on these pictures to keep them from being even more monotone and gray.

But in the light of bad economic news for many and fighting in the Middle East, I've taken a private oath not to complain about these things, because first, I can't control them, and second, I can live with them. (I am aware that some people who deal with SAD can't say the same, and to them I recommend...get a Happy Light, get tested for vitamin D deficiency, try acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Fortunately, these have all had a major impact for T., who used to routinely get SAD in the winter).

And third, complaining about cold and gray weather strikes me as a privilege. If my neighborhood were being bombed, or I had lost my sole means of supporting my family, then I could complain. Instead, I'll cross country ski and try to think of ways to do some little part in healing this world. Any ideas?

Chickens and knitting, together at last

2009-01-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

This is an organization in the UK...not sure if they're still accepting sweaters, but what a great cause...notice the difference between how the rescued battery hens' feathers look and the pictures I've posted of our own girls previously...

My holiday top 10

2009-01-05T19:24:00.001-05:00

I had several scintillating and thought-provoking posts planned over the holidays, with titles such as "In defense of an indulgent Christmas" and "In defense of nose-piercing teenagers," (I guess I was feeling a little defensive!). But if I had written about what was utmost on my mind, the title would have been something like, "It sucks to be sick on vacation." Nothing clever or remotely interesting to be said on that topic. So, let's move on, shall we? Perhaps I can weave in some of my previous thoughts, as I present the highlights.

1. Although this Christmas tree looks perfectly harmless, it was an experience from hell. I blame T., who really didn't want to get a tree and thus brought negative tree karma to the whole situation. We didn't have time until 3 days before Christmas to get the tree (my preference is to put it up in early December). When we got it home, we realized we had inadvertently tossed out our tree stand with last year's tree. We drove out in weather referred to in these parts as a "wintry mix," which sounds rather charming, but is actually a veiled way of saying that there is a sheet of ice on the roadway, to buy a really poor-quality stand.

We finally got the tree up, with the assistance of DS (Dear Son), just that moment returned from college. It was pretty for about a week. Then, the morning of Dec. 26, when I was home alone, unable to rouse myself from bed due to aforementioned unpleasantries, I heard a HUGE CRASH. I was a little afraid to come downstairs, but when I did, the tree was on its side. It was thoughtful enough to land strategically between the computer and the printer, thus causing no damage and breaking no ormanents. So, it could have been worse.

2. There were multiple knitting incidents in the conservatory at Highland Park. Highly recommended.

3. There were multiple hand-knit gifts, partly as an outcome of aforementioned knitting incidents. I made the beret below for DD (Darling Daughter), which is the Raisin Beret. Fun pattern. T. made the matching seed stitch scarf. (Cute girl, too, right?) This picture is before the nose-piercing, which I think looks great on her. (Note to parents of teens--don't sweat the body art...there's a lot of other stuff to worry about when they're this age. Save your energy. You're going to need it.)

And I made this hat for DS, aptly named A Very Plain Hat (available to Ravelers here.) Again, a recommended pattern.

And there were creatures peeking out of stockings (again, available to Ravelers here.)

4. There was joy for all of us that DD got into her first choice college.

5. And joy for her upon reading her gift certificate for a brand new trumpet to take to college.

6. There was a quiet Solstice celebration for T. and me. We used to celebrate with the kids, but it's incompatible with being between the ages of 18-21 (and perhaps older...who knows?).

7. There was cross-country skiing at Salmon Hills Outdoor Adventure Center.

This picture is somewhat misleading. Although for much of the time Zoe did indeed trot along beside us, I was unable to get a picture of two of the most entertaining happenings. First, we were all trotting along...actually, Zoe was trotting, T. was gliding, and I was...plodding, but happily so. When along comes a man and his dog, engaged in something called Skijoring.

Zoe, all 8 pounds of her, thought that this was her cue to race. She disappeared, and returned very shortly, having obviously been outstripped.

Then there was the time I fell on a very minor downhill (which won't happen again, since I took a lesson and now think I am quite as good a skier as I need to be, thank you very much). As a very advanced skier was going by, he yelled, "Hey, good thing you have a rescue dog!" Ha ha.

8. There was indeed indulgence. I must say that, besides stockings (which are events unto themselves, but contained mostly items that are edible, practical--think socks and underwear, or handmade), the gifts you see under the tree above are all that we had. But you already heard about DD's gift, and if you have a musician in the family, you know about the cost of instruments. And DS' big gift was similarly music-related. And mine...ah...also education-related...a Kindle. The plan is that it will make it much easier for me to read the many articles I need to read for my doctoral research, without needing to print them out and thus use tons of paper. But since I've been on a little break from school, I discovered that it's also very useful for downloading knitting patterns and keeping track of where I am and what modifications I've made.

And after some guilt...after all, I'm supposed to be about sustainability and simplicity, right?...I've decided to embrace the seasonal indulgence. And the book, The Battle for Christmas, helped me justify it, by talking about the history of Christmas as a traditional season of excess and partying. Since my idea of excess is generally a glass of wine once a month, the occasional specialty coffee, or watching The L Word at Equal Grounds, I've decided I can still live with myself.

9. And yet, there was simplicity, specifically, Epicurean Simplicity. A highly recommended book...author Stephanie Mills is to prose as Mary Oliver is to poetry. She would likely shudder at the very thought of a Kindle, but she is never holier-than-thou, recognizing that while it's important to live a life with the least environmental impacts as possible, we all make trade-offs.

10. And there were several lovely gatherings with dear friends, though I missed a rousing game of Bananagram because I was in bed (did I mention I was sick most of vacation?)?

All in all, though, I am remembering how very lucky I am, and hoping 2009 brings still more presence and grace into my life and into the world.

And more eggs

2008-12-18T11:30:00.004-05:00

Maybe I'm imagining it, but I really don't think I've ever seen egg yolks so yummy golden. They tasted amazing too!

Ella has begun to lay nearly every day. Sarah is still much more sporadic. (Perhaps intelligence is measured differently in the chicken world?)

(From left to right--Ella, Bessie, Sarah)

It finally stopped raining/snowing/sleeting long enough to let the girls out in the snow. At first they weren't too sure if they wanted to come out, but they finally wandered out. They were all too happy, though, to go back in to the relative warmth.

Here are few hard-to-get close-ups.

Our first five eggs...I promise I won't post a picture of every single egg they ever lay!

And then there were two

2008-12-12T12:43:00.002-05:00

We always knew that Sarah would be the first chicken to lay an egg. She definitely has a personality that implies intelligence and competence (stop laughing, I'm serious!). Ella is kind of like the little sister that just follows her around.

Sure enough, just a few days after Sarah's egg, we found this lovely blue egg in the nest box.

Good job, girls!

Quick gifts

2008-12-10T20:49:00.001-05:00

Not that I've done it yet, but if I get around to making some handmade gifts (in addition to jams, soaps, and salsas already made), it will be these:

--little knitted toys from Knitted Toybox.
-- the wool stockings in this month's ReadyMade (just repurposed wool sweaters/blankets, cut out and sewn together).
--sewn bird ornaments from PurlBee. They have knitted ones too, but I think the sewn ones are cuter.

If I actually do any of these, I'll post pictures!

Any other great ideas?

Fruition

2008-12-09T19:27:00.002-05:00

Our very first egg, from Sarah, on the coldest day yet of the year (Monday). Hopefully Ella won't be too far behind. (Bessie, on the other hand, has a few months to go.)

And yes, that's a golf ball in the corner...apparently it helps them know where to lay the eggs.

Radical Knitting on Colbert Nation

2008-12-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

Kay and Ann of Mason Dixon Knitting fame just brought my attention to Colbert Nation's cutting edge report on subverting the masculine paradigm through knitting and crochet.

Go to the Colbert Nation home page and click on the pink cozy-covered tank.

More holiday gift ideas (and a good cause)

2008-12-04T17:38:00.002-05:00

For the Rochester readers:

METRO JUSTICE’S 26th ANNUAL

Alternative Fair

Put your money where your heart is…
Support SOCIAL JUSTICE
when buying HOLIDAY GIFTS

FRIDAY, NOV.30, 6-9:30PM
SATURDAY, DEC.1, 9:30AM-3PM

First Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Road South
$3.00 suggested donation (ages 12 and older)

• HOLIDAY SHOPPING for the WHOLE FAMILY
Clothes, toys, games, pottery, jewelry and more - hundreds
of fair trade, earth-friendly and/or locally produced gift items
• Exciting NEW VENDORS plus YOUR OLD FAVORITES
• LIVE MUSIC, delicious FOOD, and FREE CHILD CARE

Building is accessible to all

* For more information, call Metro Justice at 325-2560

Want some pumpkin?

2008-12-01T07:35:00.002-05:00

The 50-pound Cinderella pumpkin that's been adorning our porch for the past month met its end this weekend. There was creamy pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, minestrone with pumpkin, pumpkin bread pudding, and, of course, pumpkin pie. And there is a LOT of pumpkin in the freezer.

The girls got the leftovers...about 20 times as much as you see in the picture...can you believe, still no eggs, after all this great food?!

Something new

2008-11-29T12:41:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at collage for some time, inspired in part by all the artists in my circle. But two-dimensional art feels way out of my league, and my drawing ability is the artistic equivalent of a tin ear. Collage felt like it might be a good medium for me to dip my toes into non-fiber art. T. has also been wanting to try it, so last Christmas I got her a collage kit, and we agreed we'd sit down together for our first go at it.

Finally, yesterday, we sat down and did it. I worked on a few pieces, but this bird is my favorite.

I think I'll be exploring birds for a while. (Even I can even handle drawing a rough outline of their shape!)

Reason enough to skip Black Friday

2008-11-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but the mere mention of Black Friday causes paroxysms. Consumeristic madness at its best. I've seen some of the artists that will be featured at Second Storie here in Rochester, and they are well worth checking out! If you're buying holiday gifts this year, I hope you'll consider Second Storie, or your own local art/craft scene.

Night chickens

2008-11-26T17:20:00.001-05:00

We STILL don't have any eggs, but our favorite chicken farmer told us that if their combs are red, they are ready to lay. Bessie's too young, but Sarah and Ella need to start earning their keep! He said they need at least 14 hours to lay, so we have given them their very own night light.

I think they are still adjusting to it. As you can see from this picture, they seem to think that it's roosting time, light be damned!