Truly Thankful

It Really Makes Me Wonder

I just can't get my attention around all the issues that swirl and twirl through my brain on any given day.  I have to take things 1 or 2 at a time just so my head won't explode.  So here is my ponderation for today.  Public schools, well, a couple aspects of public schools.  Not everything about public schools.

Now then, public schools are funny things.  More so these days than I recall them being in my ancient history.  It is quite clear that the children are not being taught the skills and social graces I was taught when I was a child.  Behavioral issues are extreme.  The numbers of socially inept children are much higher now than they were even 20 years ago when my oldest child started school.  This is very distressing.

On the first day of school, which is supposed to be free of charge, you are supposed to bring in "fees" and a list of supplies including several boxes of crayons, a couple dozen glue sticks, among other things.  When I went to school we got 1, JUST 1 box of crayons.  If you were a "rich kid" and you got one of the big boxes of crayons, you were expected to be generous and share those crayons with the kids who got the smaller boxes.  In other words, you learned social responsibility in the arts.

Today, each child is supposed to bring from 4 to 8 boxes of of 24 crayons.  Every couple of months or so, the classroom is issued a new box.  What does this teach?  In my mind it teaches:
1.  Individuality is bad, we must all be the same.
2.  When something is not new, throw it away.
3.  I don't have to take care of anything, the grownups will give me new ones.
4.  I don't have to share, no one else has anything different anyway.

Well, things will be even more interesting this year than in the past because this year we don't have the money to pay the fees nor do we have the money to purchase the supplies.  Some people without money believe that this is when they need to go to a government agency with their hands out.  Some people believe this is a problem that somebody else must rescue them from.

We believe this is a passing situation that must be accepted and lived with as best as possible.  Theoretically public education is supposed to be free therefore fees should be illegal.  A single box of crayons should last close to an entire year IF cared for properly.  In other words, we don't believe we require charity, we believe we need to act responsibly with what we have and what we don't have, we don't need.

After all, people have existed very well indeed without crayons, public schools, welfare, fast food chains, cars, electricity (the list goes on) for millenia.  I feel quite confident that we can do without some of the things others claim are so vital.  Things like soda pop and insulin.  Things like cars and size 60 bathing suits.  Things like crack addicted pregnant women and gangs.  Things like...

It Really Did Rain!

Yesterday, it was supposed to rain.  Honest!  Would I kid you about such a thing?  There was Tropical Storm Cristobal, hanging right off shore, and what happened here, barely 50 miles away?  We got 3 light sprinkles.  Not even enough to keep us from watering the gardens.

Today was a different story!  Today we got our chores and other daily stuff done then decided to head to the beach to see what effect (if any) Cristobal had.  We all piled into the car and off we went.  We made a brief stop at Everett's Seafood.  They were closed so that was a no go.  Then we swung over to Dr. Foam's Hall of Root Beer.  This place is GREAT!  The owner brews his own root beer, birch beer, sarsaparilla, and several other outstanding sodas.  Heck, he even makes Lime Rickeys!  Not that I have a clue what a Lime Rickey is, but when I get over this mind boggling love of Carmel Coyote ice cream, I just might try one!

Then, licking our ice creams like crazy to keep them from dripping everywhere in the 101 degree heat, we headed off to the beach!  HURRAY!  Once there we all pile out and head in our usual direction.  We have a standard 1 mile stretch that we walk every time we go to the beach.  It really gives the kids a chance to observe the diversity of shore structure even over such a tiny distance.  We also get to see a lot of really amazing stuff, last couple of times there was a dead shark, today there were MILLIONS of termites and strange as this may seem, locust legs.  Not whole locusts, not even a few bodies here and there, just the legs?!?!  Very strange.

Anyway, we reach our marker which is a pink house.  In the not to far distance we can see the rain clouds and even areas of rain.  We amble on a bit more, then, just as we are turning around, the ominous rubble of thunder.  Time to head back to the car!

We didn't have to head back at breakneck speed, thank goodness, but we didn't make any pit stops on the way either.  As we get into the car the clouds open up and pour!  It continued to pour all the way home.  It stopped, quite literally, as I parked the car.  Mike came straight to the computer to check it out and guess what?  That entire downpour was exclusive to Onslow County.  Huh?  Just us?!?!  Yep, and let me tell you, we are TRULY THANKFUL!

Rain? Yea, right!

Well, it did rain a little bit.  Short heavy showers, 3 or 4 of them.  I think we got a total of 1/2 and inch.  ::sigh::  We need LOTS more than that!  However, the garden is quite happy with what it had and we watered everything as well.

Bugs!  Bugs are the rant of today.  We don't have tons of money to spend on chemicals and I prefer to avoid the use of chemicals in any case.  So, the solution is to be out daily knock them off plants, preferably to a "clean" death in the bug jug. 

Yesterday, around the base of one of my biggest and most beautiful zucchini plants I was horrified to discover a dozen or more mating pairs of squash bugs.  This things are devastating to a garden because not only do they eat the plants and fruit, they vector disease to the plants they dine on.  Those plants shrivel up and die in a matter of days.  It's really horrifying.  What is the solution?  Somehow, I've got to figure out what their life cycle is and interrupt it.

Lots of our bugs over winter in the soil.  By keeping the soil turned through the cold season, maybe we can cause some of the bug population to be exposed to the cold of the season and so die.  Trouble with that notion is that the winters have not been very cold of late.  Someone should tell God that global warming is all a hoax.  Maybe Calvin Beisner ?

God has heaped many blessings on me and continues to do so.  Among my most treasured gifts are the increasing knowledge and wisdom that comes with age and contemplation of the world around me.  For these gifts, and they are indeed gifts, I am TRULY THANKFUL.

It's Gonna Rain!

I just came in from weeding the "driveway strip".  Well, not the whole thing, just the top segment where I have asparagus and rosemary growing.  My knees are moist from crawling along ripping out the grass at the edge and banishing (for the moment at least) all undesirable growths.

The storm clouds are gathering ahead of what has become a tropical depression that is likely to pass over us throughout the coming 24 hours.  It is very possible that we will lose power so I wanted to make a quick post to let those of you who read this, like my Mom and Dad, for day to day information to not worry if you don't hear from us for a while.  We will be just fine and dandy and we will report as long as electrically possible.

Meanwhile I was planning a little post to tell you a bit of what a day in my life is likely to produce.     These 4 loaves represent 1 of 2 batches of bread I made yesterday.   These were made using the sourdough bread recipe posted a few days ago.  One addition to the recipe here; however, is 1/4 c. oat bran.  I've discovered that I can add up to 1/4 c. of whole grain whatever without really compromising the quality of the dough or affecting it's ability to rise and produce a good crust.  So, naturally I always add something. 

Now, with the second batch I tried something else, I left out the malt.  I haven't tasted it yet to see if that made any sort of significant change.  When I do, I'll let you know.

Here is my other activity of the day, blueberry jam.  Nine quarts of the stuff. Now I won't have to worry about what else will go on my sons peanut butter sandwiches when they go to school.  I used 16 pounds of berries, 10 pounds of sugar, and 1 cup of lemon juice to produce this batch of jam.  Not bad huh?  The lemon juice is key to making it jell nicely because of the low acid content of blueberries.  And let me tell you, these jelled beautifully!  That jar in the front row on the right?  You see the lighter color near the lid?  That was the last jar.  Missed the 1/4" headspace by about 1/4".  Pretty good if you ask me.

Before I go, I wanted to tell you something else that occurred yesterday.  Keep in mind that those of you who live in more densely populated areas are not as likely to make these sort of encounters.  On the other hand, I would rather have these encounters than the sort you are more prone to.

Yesterday, Mike took the boys off on an impromptu fishing trip.  Being legally blind does have it's benefits and in this case, spending time with your kids rather than stuck behind a desk is one of them.  Anyhow, they went about a mile down the road to fish in the tributary that runs through these parts.  They were gone for a couple hours.  When they got back I hear about Robby giving fishing lessons to a young woman who was accompanied by a boyfriend who didn't bother to set up or pole or anything.  I also hear that Mike asked Robby to get something but Robby couldn't get it because his path was blocked by a snake.  When Mike went to investigate the snake decided to move on.  Mike (who is extremely good at measurements) said the animal was about 4' long and 3" to 4" in diameter.  Last, but certainly not least, Tommy had a run in with a snapping turtle who ate a fish straight from his fishing pole and then tried to snag another fish from their string!  How big was the turtle?  About 3' from head to tail!  When I went to prep the fish for cooking I got a good look at the chunk of meat ripped apart by it's beak.  YIKES!

For the fact that I'm not hungry, my family came home with toes, fingers, and everything else intact, we are gonna get a good soaking here soon, and life is very sweet, I am TRULY THANKFUL!

May I Direct Your Attention...

Greetings and Salutations on this glorious Friday morning!

For those of you who are interested in the more family oriented aspects of my blog, I would like to direct your attention to the new photo album I've posted entitled "July 2008".  All new photos, same old kids.  Hope you enjoy!

"So Like Umm... What's In It For Me?"

And the answer is!   FOOD!  Lots of it too!  What the heck am I talking about?  Well, let me just say that pencil pushers are not all there if they think their work is worth more than farmers. 

I've given a lot of thought lately to the prices we pay for food.  They are outrageous.  On the other hand, why should a doctor or an accountant or any other white collar worker for that matter get paid more per hour of labor than a guy who picks, oh, string beans?  Corn, watermelons, mushrooms, or any other delicious thing that we enjoy having on our meal tickets.  Why does the person who produces and bakes a few hundred, handcrafted loaves of bread a day deserve less money for the product of his labors than the mayor or governor? 

The answer is, THEY DON'T!  Somewhere along the line American's have developed extremely deformed values.  But hey, this is America so that's ok!  However, should the dentist who has charged me nearly $300 to repair one of my son's teeth be hungry for string beans this winter, but he can't find them in the grocery store because of whatever strange twist of fate that might occur to prevent food from being readily available... (think Ethiopian famine, think janjaweed militia obliteration of crops and humans, think our military machine before our civilian machine) I think I'll be able to help him out.  Let's see, 1 lb. of string beans should be worth about.... 

Let's see, it took him 45 minutes to earn the $300 and it took 5 minutes to pick the pound of string beans.  So, 300 divided by 45 equals 6.67 (approximately), so $6.67 times 5 equals $33.34 per pound of string beans.  OH WAIT!  I nearly forgot!  That would be if they were fresh.  If it's the middle of winter I'll have to sell him a bag of frozen ones and I packaged them in 1 lb 4 oz packs.  Let's see, it took how long to prep them?  Well, washing takes about 4 minutes per pound, tipping the strings about 10 minutes, blanching 1 minute, packaging 4 minutes so 5 minutes turns in what 24 minutes right?  So that should be $159.84 per pound.  OH WAIT!  It isn't JUST 1 pound of beans, it's 1 pound PLUS 4 ounces so that is, what $159.84 plus $39.96 which equals $199.80 for one of my packages of frozen string beans.

Oh but wait, that doesn't include storage costs....

Never mind, I'll just keep my string beans and eat them myself.  What the heck would I do with that kind of money in any case?  I can take care of my family without it and for that I am, TRULY THANKFUL!

What Happened?

Well, the latest batch of string beans are in the freezer as anticipated.  We spent about 3 hours picking blueberries.  I had never even seen a blueberry bush until we came to North Carolina.  We have several we have planted but it will be a couple years before we really get a decent harvest from them.  The patch we were picking in has been established for many years and the fruits were as big as your thumb and exuding their unique aroma like an exquisite perfume that graced the air for a moment before being wafted away by a passing breeze.  Heady stuff, I must say.

This morning I have the second of two batches of bread mixing as I write this.  Then I have to make breakfast for my guysletts, followed by chores and getting dressed and stuff, then I'll start a cobbler and I'll do some garden time while that is in the oven.  After all that is done, Mikey-Poo gets to go to the VA clinic.  I'm telling you, my life is fun, fun, fun! 

Life is a great thing when you know how much fun it is and when you can pass the days doing the labors that put smiles on the faces of the people around you.  I am TRULY THANKFUL.

Monday Run Around

Mike is the one suffering with "String Bean Shoulder" this morning.  Poor baby!  It really is a bit on the miserable side.  This morning I need to get them all blanched and in the freezer.  After that we pack up the boys and go blueberry picking.  We are like so totally out of jam!  No to mention blueberry Yum Yum ingredients.  A blueberry cobbler for dessert tonight would not be amiss either.  Just think of all the free radicals a hunk of that will chase off! 

Think I'm TRULY THANKFUL?  YOU BET I AM!!!

Here and There

There are now 20 lbs. of string beans in the freezer.  We bought a bushel of "Serendipity" corn yesterday and it will be processed and in the freezer hopefully by noon today.  Serendipity is a bi-color sweet corn in case you are wondering.  Corn color is important to folks around here who have developed preferences for one variety over another for "putting up".

The "Rattlesnake" beans we planted for our string beans have a roasted pecan flavor when cooked to the point that the sugars are allowed to caramelize.  So far, there are two ways that I've achieved this incredible flavor.  The first was by cooking them with a touch of water in a dutch oven to the point where the water had just evaporated.  The second was by lightly coating them with a blend of 2 parts flour and 1 part corn starch, dipping them in beaten egg seasoned with a touch of salt then frying them to golden brown in olive oil.  These I served with a dipping sauce of equal parts soy sauce and lemon juice.  Outstanding!

Yesterday was our 9th wedding anniversary.  A special day in our hearts no doubt, but also a day to keep at the various labors at hand.  Life is sweet and for all these blessings I am TRULY THANKFUL!

Sourdough Bread

Gotta make this a quickie today.  To much to do!  YIKES!

I do this step in a measure cup.  Blend then allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes at least:

2 c. starter
1 T sugar
1/2 t. dry yeast

In mixer bowl combine:

4 c. flour
2 t. salt
1 T malt powder

With dough hook, combine dry ingredients for a minute or two.  Stir starter mixture well and pour into mixer.  Rinse starter bowl with:

1/2 c. warm tap water

Add it to the running mixer.  Watch the dough come together into a rough looking mass.  Once it does, set the timer for 20 minutes and walk away.

When the timer beeps, stop the mixer and remove the ball of dough from the bowl.  Shape slightly and put into a glass bowl and cover with plastic.  All to rise until double, 2 to 6 hours depending on air temperature.  After this rise, shape as you so desire and allow to double again, 1 to 3 hours.  Bake in steamed or dry oven depending on how you like the crust.  I've also shaped it into small buns both plain and stuffed with roast pork and either steamed for 20 minutes or steamed for 5 minutes then baked to golden brown for 15 to 20 minutes.  Gotta try boiling them one day...

For wheat, I am TRULY THANKFUL!