12 Happy Chickens

Our Barn

The shadow maker

Morning frost that gave me a gentle reminder the world is more magic than ever.

Last week husband and I took a trip to Sioux Falls to see a specialist for a spot on his nose that wouldn’t go away. Since late July he has had this spot that started out looking like a pimple but after a month or so, would bleed when he would shower every morning. I had him go into his regular DR who didn’t do shit. He told him not to worry about it, that it was just a skin irritation and froze it off- which didn’t work.

About a month later, it started growing and was still bleeding on a regular basis so I called and got a referrel to a specialist. We have been sitting here waiting, wringing our hands, wondering… Husbands mother has had skin cancer, breast cancer, his uncle has had skin cancer removed from his nose as well, and his father died of cancer when husband was 14 years old.

So, last week they removed what was there, sent it in and next week we should know the results. The DR thought husband would have to go back in and have more removed due to family history. They have you come in early in the morning, and take layers of skin off. With each layer, the skin is tested. They only take what they need this way, but my MIL has been back a few times over the years so we think this is what we will be looking at.

Did you know if you burnt your face as a child you have a 50% chance of getting skin cancer? I didn’t till last week. 

Anyhow keep us in your thoughts.

***The test came back positive. We will be spending the day in Sioux Falls on January 15th to have it removed.

Another ritual we have on Saturday nights is to light the house by candle light and have a few drinks. It gives us time to discuss the weeks events, what is going on for the following week and just time to be quiet with ourselves or crank the tunes- which is what happened last night… It’s our thing we do when winter sets in and we can’t be out on the deck watching the satellites whiz by.

As we sat last night, watching the flames dance we could hear the snow hitting the windows and it was a really cozy feeling. We don’t have a fireplace or a bear skin rug so this is the next best thing.

The weather man was right this time…Well I don’t know if we will get the 6-10 inches that he said, but at least it looks like winter now. Can’t say I’m for all the Christmas B.S but winter non the lesss.

Rituals. We all have them right? Whether it be how you do your clothes each week, do the dishes every night after work or that special bath you take just for yourself. Today I thought I would share one of mine with you- it’s nothing big and fancy mind you but it is something that I look forward to each year because by the end of November I am complaining non-stop about the darkness that covers my world everyday at 5 o’clock and it gets me through the roughest part of winter.

Back in ‘95 I lived in New Mexico for a couple of years. Mostly I hated it. I was homesick, I was an outsider among the Navajo Indians and Oil field workers and I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere. Luckily it was one of the best things I did for myself because I didn’t have anyone to look to for my happiness but myself. Yes, I called home more than not and blubbered uncontrollably when I thought of home, but at the end of the day it was just me, my two cats, my bird, and the four corners area of New Mexico to be explored, and I did.

I embraced the land more so than the people because I was painfully shy and it was easiest thing for me to do. I rented a horse by the month and rode out across the hills above town. I spent a lot of time at Navajo Lake in the sunshine. I went to the ruins, learned about the Navajo and Hopi Indians and made friends with myself and surprisingly came to the conclusing I like myself!

As time went on I did end up with many friends who were wonderful teachers of the area, the Navajo history, and life when it was all said and done. I miss them especially now when life is a bit quieter and I can sit down and think of them for a bit, and that brings me to the first part of my ritual.

Each year I order Pinion incense and start burning it around the first part of December- (I couldn’t help but jump the gun today). One of my favorite memories is of the smell of winter in Farmington. Anytime I would go outside or drive around town you would smell pinion smoke coming from all the chimneys and it was a soothing, calming, “home” smell for me. Now, it brings back memories of a time that I thought I hated and it makes me long to be back there. I have many feelings that roll around within me when I smell pinion, one is that sometimes I think we (I) get too caught up in depending on others for our happiness and forget that we can take care of ourselves just as good- if we are put in the position. It was one of the biggest lessons I learned while being there.

My other ritual won’t actually happen until Solstice but I don’t want to be without so I order early. I like to burn Bayberry candles for solstice and I finally found real bayberry candles that smell just wonderful. You can order both the incense and bayberry candles from Isabella if your interested.

*According to tradition, bayberry candles burned to the nub on Solstice, Christmas, or New Years will bring health, wealth, friends, and good luck in the coming year.

So what are your rituals? Do you have anything special you do for yourself?

Wild Geese 

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on you knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-

over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

~ Mary Oliver

I. can. not. get. enough. veggies! Luckily I use to drive truck and have some very good friends that still bring me prezzies every once in a while. My good friend Matt stopped at a farmers market in Salinas Ca. and brought me yummy organic zucchini that was fresh picked on Saturday morning (which is about as close as I’m going to get right now). Our meal consisted of pork chops from our local, natural half of hog we just bought and zucchini with pine nuts & garlic. We also had winter squash from our garden but it wouldn’t fit on the plate.

You can still have greens to eat during the winter months, if you’re patient. I’m not very patient, but I just can’t stop looking longingly at my empty garden, wishing I could take my morning walk out to grab what I need to make a fresh egg scramble for breakfast or a nice fresh salad for dinner.

Lettuce is very simple to grow- you just need a flat of soil (the rubbermaid totes work well) with good drainage. I use about 6-8 inches of soil. Just sprinkle the seeds over the surface of your planter, sprinkle with a layer of soil and water. You might cover the whole container with plastic wrap or a plastic cover to create a greenhouse effect to help your seeds sprout. I have my lettuce out in my shop and usually the day temps are between 60 & 70 degrees and when I am not in there the temps sit around 50 so a cool room with a sunny window should work but I use a grow light just to give them an extra boost.

To harvest your greens, you can do two different things; wait until they’re an inch-and-a-half to two inches high, then shear off what you want with a pair of scissors and eat them greedily. They should reach that height in a week or 14 days after after they sprout or back to the patients thing, and wait ’till they leaf out. You can keep doing succession plantings throughout the winter to have a continuous supply which is what I have been doing the last 3 weeks.

You can use any type of greens you like-lettuce mixes (I use seed savers) are good as you’ll get a variety. I also like to do a lettuce mix with bunching onion, snow peas, and mustard greens mixed in. You could also add broccoli, other types of beans, cress, radish, bok choy, etc. Whatever you like,  you’ll just be glad to have something fresh when the winter is starting to seem like it will never end! Which is starting to happen to me already….

So, here I am a few days slack of writing and I still have nothing….Just a plain ol blank page staring at me. So, as usual lots have went on, but nothing that leaps from my brain, to my fingers, to the key board. Right now I’m baking muffins, so I figured I’d share something yummy with ya’ll…

 Buttermilk Muffins w/ Organic Blue Berries

• 2  1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups butter milk
• 1/3 cup canola oil or butter melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Fresh fruit or chopped dried fruit of choice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray, oil, or butter muffin pans. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another and combine. Top with Streusel before baking- bake 25 minutes.  Makes 12-16 muffins

 Basic Streusel

• 1/4 light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons cold butter

Mix together with fork and top muffins for a yummy treat that’s good for you… For the most part!

Meet Squeaky Monroe. He has like the other 3 cats I have in the house- shown up on our property unannounced and taken my heart against my will. I try my hardest to ignore them and hope they will sleep in the barn happily, but for some reason they always pine for me on my door step ’till I can’t stand it any longer. Which never takes too long…

Squeak is not coming into the house, because quite frankly 3 cats and 2 dogs is enough right now. BUT he has been neutered and now resides in the company soap shop. He has food and water, 60 degree comfort day and night and will never have to worry about too much again.

“Cats are magical…the more you pet them the longer you both live.”

~Unknown