DARK RYE BREAD

Our brand new Bulk Foods store opened on the weekend...oh me oh my! I was like a kid in a candy store...well I guess I really was! In my glory as I walked all the freshly scrubbed aisles. Barrels of chocolate, nuts and grains....ohhh where do I start?! Focus...time to check the list....I was on a mission...ingredients for dark rye bread.

This was a fabulously easy recipe and we will definitely give it another go.

In a very big bowl add:
3 cups of flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 pkg yeast
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 Tbsp salt

In a medium sized pot, warm the following:

1/3 cup molasses

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp oil

2 cups water

Add the warmed mixture to the dry ingredients.

Beat on low for 2 minutes.

Beat on high for 3 minutes.

Add 3 1/2 cups of rye flour by hand.

Knead, shape into loaf, cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Punch down.

Divide and shape into 2 round loaves.

Place on greased sheet.

Brush with oil.

Slash the tops.

Cover and let rise for an hour.

Bake at 400 for 25 - 30 minutes.

For a first try - it was great! I'm sure we'll get to tweaking it over time, but it was still deliciously hearty with a big bowl of soup!

So let me slice you some while we dream about our next adventure to the Bulk Foods Store! Pass the butter....

FLU PREPS

Honestly, I don't know if we should be concerned/worried/paranoid about the whole swine flu deal. There was only 1 reported case in our area. But if it was mild, maybe lots of others had it and didn't recognize or report it?! You know?? But now it has mutated and we're coming into the regular flu season...tons of kids heading back to school along with our big girl...

So we made a family plan.

First and foremost....if there's even one whiff of it, our big girl will be pulled from school faster than you can say this little piggy went to market! All extra curricular activities - terminated!

Secondly, I put together one of these and stashed it front and center in the panic, I mean, pantry room:

So here's what I've stashed in there:

Aspirin

Vitamin C

Vapourizer

Tooth brushes

Rags

Bucket

N95 masks

Vicks

Werthers candies

Vicks Inhaler

Halls cough candies

Sucrets

Liquid soap

Benylin all-in-one

Little noses saline spray

Decongestant nasal spray

Children's tylenol cough and cold

Children's liquid tylenol

Disposable gloves

Hot lemon drink

Kleenex

Lysol spray

Lysol wipes

Paper towels

Face cloths

Thermometer

Garbage bags

Old pillow cases (8)

Baby monitor

Copies of our health cards, immunizations records

Phone number for Telehealth

We stocked enough soups, jello, frozen juices, frozen berries and even frozen bananas (for smoothies) to last for weeks. We even stocked some new pillows so I can throw ours out after a bout with this flu.

I guess my fear is that I'll get violently ill and won't be mobile for awhile. Having everything bought and in one spot ensures that Big Daddy won't be running around trying to find stuff that we need or have to go out with 2 kids at some weird hour of the night to get medicine or supplies.

See, I'm not so weird afterall...

Guess I better not tell you about our "quarantine plan" then...hehehehe

WELL, SHOOT!

As promised, Big Daddy and Uncle Bill set up a little shooting area down by the garden so I could practice with my 12 Gauge. Waaaay too much fun! lol

The fellas talking it over:

Big Daddy in action:

Yeah, that's right - holding my ears! The noise from a shotgun blast just rattles your body!:


Weapons down please:

Checking the target:

After a few rounds, they had me load 2 shells in and fire - I guess I didn't have it back to the right position when I took that second shot....oh yeah, that left a mark on my arm! LMAO It was really heavy too.

Reach for the sky - you dirty horse thief! lol:

Now let's try the rifle - much easier with a scope. The kick made me take 2 steps backward.:

Anyone can hit a target, but it takes a real pro to hit the post holding the target hehehe! The fellas hit 2 each, closest to the bullseye. I hit the bottom ring and see that white flowery weed. I put the stem through the post as my marker:

I'm pretty sure you could slot gun people into 4 categories. There's Cautious, Comfortable, Cocky, and Crazy.

I'm definitely in the Cautious category....we are very particular to do everything on the checklist. The whole time we are holding a gun, we are thinking, "holy crap I'm holding a gun!" lol The hair on the back of our necks is standing up and we're very aware of the power and danger that's in our hands.

Big Daddy and Uncle Bill are in the Comfortable category....they grew up around guns. They still understand that it's dangerous but they aren't bristled by it.

The Cocky gun owner is the one that doesn't give a crap about what category other gun people are in, while in their presence. They are a little reckless. I've met a few hunters in our area that fit this category. They don't seem to have a healthy fear of what's in their hands.

Then there's Crazy. I can't even imagine the mindset it would take to shoot someone on purpose!!! But that bear that's terrorizing my gas cans better watch his step! lol

RANDOM SHOTS FROM THE WEEKEND

Baby ducks heading to the water with their mommy:


Is this a poppy?:

The bees were lovin' this:

Choke cherries aren't quite ready:

Storm rolling in:

Big Daddy pruning one of the apple trees:

Look at these handsome fellas out for a walk:

He'd go great with my taters eh?:

ALL IS NOT LOST...

Have you ever lost your way? I mean, have you ever planned for something...spent endless hours researching and making calculations, purchasing the right resources, working the plan to the best of your abilities...while others sat back and watched you or maybe worse, scoffed at your plans and hard work?! Then to have it all blow up in your face! You start to question your plan...and worse...you start to question yourself and everything you believe in! You just lose your way....

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore and Prozac was looking reeeeal good, we headed up to the cabin for an extra long weekend. I got a surprise!! My garden - my source of embarrassment - had survivors in amongst the knee high grass and dogbane that had taken over. I couldn't believe it!! After a few hours of tilling and weeding, we now have.....

POTATOES - lots and lots of tasty little potatoes:

ASPARAGUS - 64 pencil thin ferns:

RASPBERRIES - 6 plants that even had tiny fruit on them:

BLUEBERRIES - 2 healthy plants

TOMATOES - small plants but they are flowering:

.....and no need for that Prozac prescription.

ALL IS NOT LOST!

15 MINUTES LATER, THE POLICE CAME.

It has been a month of weirdness around here....

LAND:
Let's start with our shipment of plants from the East Coast...the strawberries were D.O.A. and everything else was on life support. We had snow the last day of May and 2 very hard frosts during the first week of June. Hundreds of dollars of asparagus plants and berry bushes were destroyed!

HOUSE:
Next came the busted sewer lines, sewage back-up and subsequent clean-up. $9500 and our insurance company won't cover it.

VEHICLE:
The brakes and brake lines went on Big Daddy's old beater. Another $1000

JOB:
There have been oodles of employees walked out the door where Big Daddy works. Benefits and holidays have been slashed. Wages are probably next on the chopping block.

KIDS:
Thursday night as we were not so patiently waiting for Big Daddy to return from the States, I was in my jammies and blowdrying my hair when I hear this scream! Not the kind that says "hey she has my toy". No this was the kind that means "I'm terrified and in extreme pain". As I raced to the kids' room, I met Ry in the hall looking reeeeeally guilty. I'm yelling "where's Jay?" Then the closet door opened and my wee babe, with eyes the size of saucers and a terrified face steps out still screeching! Again, I'm yelling "what happened...where are you hurt?" She reaches for me and puts her little foot in my hand...OMG!! I'm yelling again "OMG, OMG"! Her baby toe was squished beyond recognition! It was a mad dash to get some clothes back on, throw the kids in the van, and off to the hospital we go.......

What a scary place...

The women in the glass booth wore masks. The nurse who did the initial assessment of J's injury was less than helpful. The waiting room was crowded with masked patients - mandatory if they come in with any flu-like symptoms. All I could think about was - we're here for a toe and we'll probably catch something dreadful just waiting. Anyway, 1 1/2 hrs later and with only 1 person being called in to see a Dr.....we were outta there! At this point J was able to walk on her hurt foot and the toe was back to its normal shape and colour - just a few layers of skin missing.

SAFETY:
Friday morning there was an "incident" here at home. I won't get into any specifics but let's just say I wouldn't have been much of a match for this 6', strongly-built stranger who was "high" or in need of one. 5' 4" me, dress and apron on, alone with 2 little girls....I locked all the doors and windows, called the police, watched and waited....

I must say, the 2 officers were fabulous!

I was really upset by the incident!
I'm upset that I allowed the incident to scare me!
I don't want to live afraid!
I'm upset at myself for becoming emotional in front of the police officers as I apologized to them for having to call!

There were lessons to be learned from all the stuff that has happened over the past 30 days...big lessons...and I feel like I'm being tested. A little like Job....but without the boils....but there's always tomorrow. LOL

GLOBAL WARMING AND GARDENING

FRIDAY: Temperature - pretty warm. My shipment of 225 strawberry plants are D.O.A. Just a slimy and/or blue mold mess. Fence is still not complete. It's a beautiful day nonetheless.

Path leading down to my garden:

SATURDAY: Temperature - a tad cooler but nice for planting 9 raspberry plants, 6 blueberry plants, 72 asparagus crowns, 1 rhubarb and 28 hills of potatoes. Bugs - well let's say I could hardly see out the mesh of my bug hat! Fence is still not complete. It's a beautiful day nonetheless.

Mama planting the garden:

SUNDAY: Temperature - cold enough to snow! I now have the entire garden on life support! Fence is still not complete. It's a frustrating day - we went home...

Big Daddy working on the corner posts:

Snow falling on May 31: