A Patch of Desert

Disposable Calzone-shaped Spaceships

2011-10-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

Charissa was telling me today that the thing she really wants is a disposable calzone-shaped space ship.

They're cool. And convenient too.

Here's what it looks like:

Reading to the kittens

2011-09-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Katie's reading a bedtime story to a couple of the kittens ...

They have short attention spans ....

Water fun

2011-08-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

The swimming pool is finally up! And conveniently located right out the front door. It's still filling, but the fun has already begun....

The water is freezing.....fresh from the well.

Having a bad day?

2011-07-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

The website at this link contains a button which will help.

Swallows

2011-05-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

Dave and I spotted a large swallow colony this evening:

Swallow Colony

More around the corner.

I tried to get pictures of the birds too, but I guess my camera's not good enough for that! If anyone wants to visit, it's off Old Clear Creek Rd, west of Costco, right here:

View Larger Map

The Skill of Doing Nothing

2011-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

I worked at that all day yesterday. It's not easy to do nothing when one is the proud(?) possessor of a large pile of unwashed dishes waiting in the kitchen, laundry, floors in need of vacuuming (and kid-stuff scattered about in the way), not to mention 6 kids and a husband in the house.

So I didn't quite manage to do absolutely nothing, but I did very little....and it was hard work!

Today I get to make up for doing nothing yesterday by trying to do everything. :)

... and I will also try to practice the skill of delegating.

Honey Wheat Bread

2011-02-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

I do a lot of bread baking. Almost all the bread we eat is homemade--and that's a lot of bread. I've always loved fresh bread. There's something fascinating and magical (or should I say scientific? I get those mixed up all the time) about mixing a few basic ingredients together, subjecting the resultant mass to certain conditions and seeing it transform into a beautiful, airy loaf of fragrant deliciousness.

Bread's not really hard to make, and it doesn't take much actual hands on time, but there's a lot of waiting time... I gave up bread making for awhile when I had too many little kids, because I'd always forget the bread and let it rise too long or something. But it's also something of an art. Yeast is alive. I'm going to tell you how I made the loaf in the picture, but there's no guarantee yours will come out right. It probably will, but maybe it won't. I still get the occasional flop--after 15 years of practice.

Honey Wheat Bread

In a bowl, stir together:

2 cups white flour
3 cups whole wheat
1.5 Tablespoons dry yeast (or two packets)
1 Tablespoon salt

Add 2.5 cups of warm water--about 115 degrees, and I just estimate by touch--warmer than body temp, but not too hot to touch comfortably. Temp is not highly essential--too hot will kill the yeast, too cold just means it will take longer to rise. 120 is too hot.

Add 1/3 cup oil and 1/3 cup honey.
Stir to combine, I like to use a wooden spoon. But if you have a good mixer with a dough attachment, just let your machine take it from here--it probably has instructions.

Put a cup of white flour on a clean counter and dump out your dough, which should be pretty sticky at this point. (Or do like me and just knead it right in the bowl.) Turn the dough over a couple of times so it's well coated with flour, and try to avoid getting sticky dough all over your hands.

To knead, push into the dough with the heel of one hand. rotate the dough a quarter turn and fold it with the other hand, and repeat. Knead 2 or 3 minutes. The dough will gradually pick up the rest of the flour while you knead. Add more flour if it absorbs it all and is still very sticky--I needed about another 1/2 cup--but adding too much extra flour will make the bread dry. Now let the dough rest about 10 or 15 minutes. (This is a "busy mom" trick that cuts down on the hands-on kneading time.) Then knead another 2 or 3 minutes. By this time the dough should be soft and elasticy, and maybe slightly tacky, but not really sticky.

Now, put the dough in a big, lightly oiled bowl. Put the bowl in a big plastic bag (I use a small trash bag) and leave it in a warm place to rise. Or you can cover with plastic wrap, or a damp cloth. Or you can put it in a big pot and put the lid on. The point is to keep the dough moist. This will probably take around 2 hours--maybe more.

When the dough has doubled, press it down to deflate it, cut in half and form into loaves. I like to make big french style loaves:
Put the dough on lightly floured surface and press into a long flat slab with the heel of your hand. Don't tear the dough, just work it gradually into the shape. Fold top third down, pressing firmly along seam to seal. Fold bottom third up, pressing again along seam. Mine were about 14 inches long. Place seam side down on lightly oiled cookie sheet. I use one big sheet, or use two regular sized ones. But leave room for them to rise. They won't get much longer, but they will get wider.

Put the cookie sheet(s) inside plastic bags and let rise again till doubled. This rising will be quicker than the first--check after about 45 minutes. Mine took about an hour, but it will depend on the temp of the dough and the temp of your house.

When it's ready to bake, place the cookie sheets gently into a preheated 350 degree oven about 35-45 minutes. The temp of a finished loaf is 195-200 degrees. You can test for doneness by thumping the bottom of the loaf--it should sound hollow--but I'm not very good at telling that way.

Let it sit for 15 minutes before you cut it--if you can resist that long!

Pollyanna

2010-10-31T01:48:00.000-07:00

Pollyanna, by Eleanor Porter, is a great classic that my kids and I enjoyed listening to at Librivox during the summer. I love Pollyanna's attitude about finding something to be glad about in everything, and how this endears her to everyone around her.

I read it when I was a kid, and remember being unimpressed, but my girls all loved it. They like a lot of things that I like now, and didn't when I was young. Not sure why exactly that would be ... something to do with homeschooling, maybe?

Anyway, I highly recommend the book. And Librivox, also. Librivox is a site full of public domain books that have been recorded by volunteers. It's all free, has tons of classics available to listen to, and some of the readers are very good.

State Fair 2010 Part 4

2010-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here's my last bit of miscellaneous photos from this year's fair.

Pow-wow

Robin was taking one of the rabbits up to the judging table when she was snagged by a news crew ....

She's looking at me: "What do I do?!!!" I said: "Just go" -- so she left them with just the other kid to interview. :)

Dave's talking to a "mountain man" here. An interesting guy... selling handmade rope, rope making kits and books, maps, and other stuff.

And that's all.

State Fair 2010 part 3

2010-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Arts

I think Robin did a really nice job with this crocheted doll. And the judges thought so too!

This is a wire sculpture cat that Charissa made. It's a cat hunting a mouse. A lot of entries were displayed in glass cases, which made it difficult for me to get a good picture. (The bright spot is just the reflection of the flash.)

This is a beaded skunk, by Robin.

Here's a pencil sketch of Dave, by Charissa.

And a watercolor of somewhere in the Southwestern US, also by Charissa.

A crocheted washcloth by Robin.

And a crocheted scarf, also by Robin.

State Fair 2010 part 2

2010-09-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Showmanship

In showmanship, the kids are judged on how well they handle their rabbit (or other animal), their knowledge of the animal, and their own appearance and carriage.

Robin's in this group. They've just come to the table, and are listening to the judge's instructions. Many times showmanship is done individually, but this time they had the kids in groups.

Robin's checking teeth in this picture. They do a thorough exam of the animal, checking for health, abnormalities, sex, coat condition, straightness of limbs, etc. The judge may ask them questions about their breed of rabbit to test their knowledge.

He's asking Robin some questions in this next shot. She needs to work on not fiddling with her hands while she's talking.

Robin did well ... except she wore open-toed shoes, which is a no-no.

Next is Katie in action ...

And here she is all done, and waiting for the judge to finish talking to everyone.

The bunny's getting bored and asking Katie how long he's going to have to sit there.

The Starving Poet

2010-09-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

Robert Southey, the poet, comments on the rewards of an author: "It was well we should be contented with posthumous fame, but impossible to be so with posthumous bread and cheese."

My daughter, who wants to be a writer and artist, says, "I totally agree with him!"

State Fair 2010 part 1

2010-09-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

Quiz Bowl

This is a fun event where teams of 4 kids compete against each other answering agriculture related questions such as: What is the body temperature of a chicken? ... How long is the gestation of a rabbit? .... How many teeth does a dog have? ... What is the name for the blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart?

Robin is on the team in the picture above. Katie is in the next one.

Our 4H rabbit club provided most of the contestants for this competition -- three of the four teams -- and took First, Third, and Fourth place.

Here they all are, showing off their ribbons:

The funnest part (for me) is watching the kids hit their buzzer too soon, and then try to quess what the rest of the question was going to be. They're pretty good at it too!

Sunflowers

2010-09-09T09:14:00.000-07:00


I brought in a little sunshine.

I decided to turn the llamas back into their paddock--which I planted this year with corn, squash, beans, and sunflowers.

The first thing they did was eat the rest of the sunflowers.

Some stuff grew, but not as well as I'd hoped, and I didn't get anything edible. In hindsight, it would have been better to plant it to alfalfa, which has the ability to break up the desert hardpan and improve the soil.

I think I'll do that next year. Meanwhile the llamas are making short work of the half-dried-up 2 foot tall corn and the weeds.

p.s. I know I promised State Fair pics--I'll get to that soon! It takes me awhile to recover after the fair.

State Fair week is here

2010-08-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

It's been especially busy this week because it's the week of the Nevada State Fair--now officially renamed the "Wild West Fair"--or something like that. They actually have a pretty good set of shows going. We watched part of the Pow-Wow (Native American dancing) and caught most of the main Wild West show. They have a "Spanish Dancing Horses" show--Andalusians probably--which I hope I can get to see tomorrow.

Josh has enjoyed watching the Wild West show, parts of horse shows, looking at all the pigs, and watching a dairy goat show. He "knows" about goats, since we have them, and speculated about how much milk the different goats had--based on udder size. He also found the different ear sizes and shapes interesting, since our goats are mini LaManchas with almost no ears.

The twins have prefered to spend most of their time in the rabbit and poultry area, collecting feathers, drawing pictures of birds, and climbing up and down the bleachers.

Katie and Robin have mostly been doing various rabbit showing events and helping man the club's booth.

The kids art projects have done well: Charissa has a Grand Champion ribbon on a wire sculpture she made, and Robin on a crocheted doll. I can't remember the details of the other projects--it's too late at night--but I'll update on that soon.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures and more details up by Sunday, but now I need to get to bed so I can get the kids back to the fair by 8:30 or so tomorrow morning!

Job's Peak in the Morning

2010-08-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is looking south from our property... Job's Peak at sunrise. Too bad I can't edit out the power lines!

I'm not sure if it shows in the picture, but there's still a bit of snow up there--in August!

Bunnies at 14 days

2010-08-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Baby bunnies really grow fast...

And the kids are enjoying them ...

Here's the mom:

Charissa is 15 years old!!!

2010-08-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Her birthday is on the 12th--I'm behind on posting, and I'm afraid I didn't get much in the way of pictures....

We went to Panda Express for her birthday dinner (her choice)--and I thought I had pics there, but they seem to have gone missing. Then went to Borders Books where our friends Tom and MaryKay play folk music once a month:

... and drank sodas ...

... and Patrick read us a poem in his lovely Irish accent--which I believe he wrote for Mother's Day last year ...

... then we came home for late night cupcakes and presents--but I didn't get any pics of the presents, just blowing candles--and yes, Robin is already nearly as tall as Charissa ...

And that was it.

Lookout Post

2010-08-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

The haystack is a great place to watch for the arrival of friends....

More Unexpected Babies

2010-08-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

This time it's rabbits... about 10 days old in these shots, and just opening their eyes....

Boy Warrior

2010-08-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

Josh has been big into sword play lately. Here he is with his sword and cardboard shield.

I took this shot as I was jumping backwards out of the way of this unexpected attack:

He's actually getting quite dangerous. He used to be happy just wacking swords, but now he's realized that the point is to hit the other person. This makes playing swords with him a lot more challenging and fun.

But I do need to teach him some chivalrous ideas--such as not stabbing people in the back without warning! LOL

The 'New' Toy

2010-08-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

We bought a travel trailer last weekend!

It's an old 1971, and needs a little bit of work, but for $500 it was a good buy.

The girls have been hanging out in it, doing projects and puzzles and math worksheets...

And Charissa is begging to have it for her own 'house'. She's tired of sharing a room with a sister, LOL.

Morning Drive

2010-08-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

Charissa and I took a nice morning drive to the lake on Monday morning. Lake Tahoe, that is--around here, that's usually what people mean when they say "The Lake." Of course there's lots of other lakes around, but, anyway...

Charissa was on her way to a 5 day backpacking camp, which was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute, but since I didn't bring my cell phone, we didn't know until we arrived at the meeting place.

It was a beautiful morning--the lake was gorgeous, as always, and I'm glad we were able to take the drive.

Here's a couple of lake pictures:

I drove past the best picture taking spots before I thought of stopping, but oh well!

Here's the disappointed backpacker:

That was supposed to be a shot of "Contemplative Charissa" but she saw me coming and it turned into "Charissa Trying Not to Smile."

And then she lost it altogether:

Isn't she a cutie!

This series was really messed up, with too much background light. But I played with the editing tools, and came up with this:

She wasn't too upset about missing her camp--she was thankful to be able to go home and go back to bed!

Chick Surprise

2010-07-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't expect to find this today!

The little black hen was getting so beat up by the others that I stuck her in a little 'safe house' to recover. She insists on laying her eggs in the far back corner--where they're nearly impossible to get out--so I haven't been collecting them.

And this morning there she was with her little brood:

Ducks! 3 days old.....

2010-07-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Splashing in their water dish.

Mom needs a drink, too.

Time for a walk.

Carson City Rendevous

2010-07-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went to the annual Rendevous last month--except for Charissa, who's been very 'teenagerish' recently, and prefers to do her own thing. :)

We got a little peek at the civil war...

And saw the Union and Confederate headquarters:

And even got a picture with President Lincoln and General Lee. You can only see me, Robin, Josh, and Katie. The twins got shy and are hiding behind.

After the War, we headed out to the Wild West....

... where we found our friends, Tom and Mary Kay, making some music. They play folk music at Borders Books here in town, on the 2nd Thursday each month, from 6:30 to 8pm. We're usually there. You can sample their music here.

Unfortunately, the fun was interrupted by a gunfight....

Luckily, no bystanders were injured, and the ladies sucessfully defended their town.

A trip to the General Store for treats finished off our day ...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

A Scottish Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you, light without and light within.

May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it.

And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in the window of a house, bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.

And may the blessing of the rain be on you, may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines, and sometimes a star.

And may the blessing of the earth be on you, soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it.

May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God.

And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.
Amen.

Superman's blanket

2009-12-21T03:46:00.000-08:00

I just had this conversation with Josh yesterday. (he's 2 and 9 months)

Him: Can I watch a movie?
Me: Yes, do you want to watch Superman?
Him: No! I don't like 'uperman.
Me: You don't?! Why not?
Him: I don't like his blanket.
Me: [thinking...blanket?! what blanket? ohhh--the cape!] You mean you don't think a big man should carry his blanket around all the time?
Him: Yeah.

Halloween

2009-11-11T11:04:00.001-08:00

Charissa was too grown up for Halloween this year, so it's just the younger 5 in this picture. We went to our church's Harvest Festival, where the kiddos had lots of fun and collected a ton of candy. I have more pictures on my Flickr page.

Big Trees

2009-10-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

We went to Calaveras Big Trees National Park. The kids have never seen the giant sequoias before and were suitably impressed. Charissa missed out since she's in school this year, and Robin missed out since she was camping in Yellowstone with a friend.

Here's the girls sitting on "The Big Stump" with the cut log end visible to the side. The grooves you can see were made by the miner's drills since there were no saws big enough to cut the tree. The tree was felled in order to take a cross section to San Francisco as a side show.

This next picture is of the kids standing in the bottom of a fallen tree. (Sorry for the blur.)

Here's Katie standing on a fallen log.

I have a few more pictures on Flikr here.

Fairy Houses at the park

2009-10-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

The kids make these during a trip to the park about a month ago. (When it was still warm!) Unfortunately, the fairies who live in them are very shy, and wouldn't let us get a picture of them.

The one above is Karli's, and below is a close up of it.

Next is Jessie's:

And Josh made one too, with Robin's help:

My boy

2009-01-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

My boy plays with dolls--

--- and I think it's the cutest thing in the world!

(His dad isn't so sure ..... LOL)

Night Sledding!!

2009-01-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

It snowed around Christmas which made for some fun sledding for a couple of weeks down our driveway as well as on the big hill down the road. It's almost gone in this shot (our driveway), but still enough for some late night fun!

Wood Heat

2008-12-15T23:33:00.000-08:00

We just finished installing our wood burning stove, and fired it up for the first time last Friday. So far it's working great for us. It even keeps the house warm all night. I load it up with hard wood at night, shut the damper down low, and go to bed. In the morning I have a bed of red coals that's still hot enough to ignite a stick of dry pine.

It's so much more fun that just flipping a switch to get heat.

I really enjoy building a fire.

I like splitting wood.

I like hauling it into the house.

I like watching it burn.

It just feels good.

DailyLit.com

2008-11-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat website:
http://www.dailylit.com/

Pick your book(s) from their large selection, and they send you in bits daily, three days per week, or weekdays only. If you get too busy, they'll let you "pause" delivery.

I just started the poems of William Blake.

Last of the harvest

2008-10-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

Dawn 10/07/08 by Charissa

2008-10-07T13:00:00.000-07:00