Chicken Treats

Aidan was attacked by our rooster yesterday.

Perhaps "attacked" is a bit harsh.

Though it did peck his leg and leave a small abrasion.

Aidan thought Rooster Bob was just coming over for a friendly chat, but when RB pecked him, Aidan ran into the house with RB chasing him.

Aidan grabbed a plastic sword and headed back outside, at which point I suggested we not antagonize RB, but instead make chicken treats.

Aidan was so excited to make them that it just could not wait. So last night, HE and Aidan whipped up these treats.

And today we fed them to our chickens.

Aidan's Chicken Treats

some chicken scratch grain

layer crumbles
carrot
celery
spinach
flour
water
Finely chop the carrot, celery and spinach. 

Mix with the remaining ingredients. 

Form into small balls. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Beeswax

This week while I was outside hanging laundry I was visited by Beatrice, the honeybee. 

We are on a first name basis. 

Though she is a little camera shy, so I couldn't get a photo. 

But here is a bit of wax HE rendered today from Beatrice's hive.

We've been doing a lot of rendering this weekend. 

Would you like to render an opinion on these topics?

Yes, this is from last fall.

We are a bit slow sometimes.

lemon balm tea

I'm enjoying a cup of lemon balm tea (dried from our garden last year). The house is quiet. HE took a friend of Aidan's (and Aidan) back home and will pick up Erica (at one of her friend's homes) on his way home. I'm waiting for the SUPERMOON! Hopefully the clouds will hold off until it rises.

In the meantime I can show you my lard.

Yup, lard.


It's supposed to be good for you.

Did you try it?

I'm not gonna try it--you try it.

Let's get Mikey..........

okay, seriously though. This stuff is supposed to be good for you. Better than the white stuff they sell at the grocery store. When we ordered our half a pig, the farmer asked if we wanted any fat to render into lard and being adventurous, we said yes. It's been in the freezer for a few months, but I took it out today, had HE cut it into pieces and then warmed it on the stove. After passing it through a cheesecloth-lined strainer I put it into these jars and then into the freezer. Pretty easy. I'm excited to use it.

We also got a few jars of "cracklins". Having read the Little House on the Prairie books, I always pondered that word (it being the first time I had encountered it), but never took the time to discover exactly what it meant. Well, it's pig meat that gets fried in the lard as you melt it. And back in Laura Ingalls time it was definitely considered a treat. The recommendation I received was to use it in cooking things like cornbread, refried beans and any other dish that could use a savory boost. I'm excited to try that too!

But for now, it's time to go do a little moon watching.

Aaaah, Spring!

Rally

It was like being at a parade, a circus and a fair all rolled into one. Well, okay a fair without any rides.

Or cotton candy or funnel cakes.

And I didn't see any elephants or clowns.

Or ladies doing acrobats on horses.

But it was patriotic, entertaining and fun.

The rally was one of the most amazing demonstrations of democracy I have had the privilege to be a part of.

HE, the kids and I with the capital in the background.

Folks were cheerful and polite.

And really creative:

We arrived between 10:30 and 11:00 to watch the Tractorcade--Wisconsin farmers in support of worker's rights.

I love the smell of freedom in the morning!!

Or maybe that's cow poo. In the Badger state you can never tell.

Or maybe they are one and the same.

Then, we walked around the square partway to State Street to find a restaurant and grab some lunch. At this point the crowds were slightly larger than your average summer farmer's market crowd.

And the sun came out!!

On our way back to the capital square we witnessed the Union Taxi parade:

And the crowds were definitely getting heavier. As we arrived at the top of State street we could hear someone speaking over speakers set up at the top of the steps nearest the capital building. I knew I recognized that voice and my suspicions were confirmed when I asked someone standing there (we were too far away and had no view through the crowd of any of the speakers) it was indeed Susan Sarandon.

We continued working our way from State street counterclockwise around the capital--going with the flow, and stopped at Ancora coffee for a hot beverage (in a ceramic mug:-) and then ventured back outside to head back to State street ~counterclockwise~ to listen to live music and wait for the 14 Democratic Senators to arrive and address the crowd at 3:00.

Folks chanted "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" to the Senators. There is nothing like hearing silence from a crowd of 100,000 as they listened to each of the Senators, followed by passionate cheering after every few words. It was very moving. Later, at dinner Aidan said "my eyes got wet when the people were chanting". I know how he felt.

Jesse Jackson followed the Democratic 14 and asked us to take a moment to pray for the victims of the tragedy in Japan.

We did.

And then we headed home. 

With our hearts full to bursting.

I have never been more proud to be a Wisconsinite.

First They came...

~Pastor Martin Niemoller~

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

We will take Wisconsin back.

 

Japan

Last week, we began a unit on Japan. We were nearing the end of our study of Ancient Egypt and the kids wanted to learn more about the culture they are somewhat obsessed with.

Yes, obsessed. Manga drawing. Japanese graphic novels being borrowed from the library by the dozens. Sushi anytime they can get it. And they occasionally get one of a series of Japanese animated shows, called Inu Yasha.

And then yesterday morning, while the kids were still in bed, I turned on the morning news to catch the weather and the latest Wisconsin happenings. And saw the images from Japan broadcast over the airwaves. As the time passed and our local morning show transitioned to the Today show, the images became more devastating. Aidan woke up and cuddled with me. He asked me what the pictures and videos were.

I explained what had happened and we continued to watch the news for quite awhile. Erica woke up and we explained it to her. Aidan needed reassurance that we were safe from a Tsunami (being a bit of a worrier, he wanted to be sure that a Tsunami couldn't come out of Lake Michigan). I assured him I did not think that was possible, and even if it was, we are quite a ways from the coast of Lake Michigan. Erica didn't ask a lot of questions. Eventually we turned the TV off and turned to our studies.

I didn't bring up the earthquake or the tsunami during our studies, except to show the kids on the globe where they had struck and how far the tsunami was expected to travel--mind boggling even to me. As the next few days unfold and the extent of damage is revealed to the world, I will share that with my kids.

And we will find a way to help our Japanese friends.

Homeschooling Conference

HE and I have signed up to lead two more workshops this year at the Wisconsin Parents Association Homeschool Conference in Oshkosh this May. We enjoy this conference and always get a lot out of attending.

We'll be leading a workshop on how to homeschool when you don't have much outside support--either a homeschooling group, supportive friends and family--or like us, you live out in the country, so resources aren't always convenient. We hope it will be a good discussion with lots of suggestions and ideas that parents can take home and create a richer and more supportive environment for the their homeschooling adventure.

We're also excited to lead a second workshop for all ages that will consist of a variety of math and science challenges, activities and games. We'll break into groups, explain each challenge, set the timer and see how everyone does. It should be a lot of fun and educational as well.

If you read this blog and homeschool, or are interested in homeschooling, and you are free the first weekend in May, check it out Wisconsin Parents Association. The conference details are available now.

"Studying" in the dorms.

We'll stay in the dorm rooms as we have done the last two years. It makes an inexpensive conference downright cheap. And is always a bit of an adventure for the kiddos.

Hope to see you there!

Field Trip

We concluded our study of the Ancient Egyptian civilization with a field trip up to St. Paul. The Minnesota Science Museum is hosting the King Tut exhibit through September 5th.

We left early Sunday afternoon and arrived in St. Paul around dinner time. With our recent awareness of waste and waste reduction in mind we began our mini-vacation. For dinner we chose a Japanese restaurant--our default for dining out.

First problem: disposable chopsticks. In retrospect we could have asked for forks, but we all like to eat sushi with chopsticks and the idea didn't hit until well after our meal. So, I will plan to make a little pouch for chopsticks and stick it in the glove compartment of the car and we can bring our own next time!

Second problem: leftovers. Of course most restaurants only have styrofoam containers for leftovers and carry-outs. We did have leftovers of salmon teriyaki. The kids didn't like theirs (they need their heads examined!) but it made a great lunch for me today! This one is easy to solve--I will put a couple of food storage containers in the back of the car along with our grocery bags. Problem solved (for next time).

Another conundrum was disposable napkins we used during our meals at the hotel and museum (they had cloth napkins at the Japanese restaurant). I'm going to make a small napkin holder for the car that we can take into a restaurant and use our own cloth napkins that I can then wash at home, for the few occasions that we eat out.

On Monday morning we headed over to the museum for our 10:30 reservation to the Tut exhibit. We also had tickets to see the movie "Mummies" --no not the Brendan Fraser one. Definitely worthwhile.

As we walked through the exhibit, I enjoyed it in a way I haven't enjoyed other exhibits we have seen mostly because I had larger pool of knowledge and understanding of the time period. It's amazing to think of these artifacts being thousands of years old and the workmanship of the culture. Extraordinary. The kids didn't like all the "reading" but they did enjoy looking at the various pieces of history. Erica's highlight was the Ancient Egyptian toilet seat. Aidan liked the whole thing.

It was very cool to see a game of Senet that was found in Tut's tomb in one of the displays. HE and the kids made our own version of this game as one of the projects for this unit.

Each of the kids made the playing pieces out of Sculpey clay. Aidan made vessels and Erica made (big surprise) animal heads. One of them also made an alien head to include with the game. I'm not sure why...

HE looked up instructions for playing Senet online. Apparently no one really knows exactly how to play, but two researchers think they have an idea. If you are interested, just do a web search.

The rest of the museum houses their permanent exhibits, many of which have hands-on components that are engaging for adults and children. There are a huge variety of learning opportunities as well as fun. If you haven't been to this museum it is really worth the trip.

Soaking

I did something last night that I haven't done in years...

I took a bath.

sorry, no photos...

It's such a simple pleasure and so easy to do. As I sat in the tub I wondered why I don't take baths more often. It was so nice.

Most of the time I don't think about it. When I do think about it, it seems there are always a million other things I should/could be doing. It's just another example of how the busyness of our lives precludes self-nurturing. We often don't make the time to take good care of ourselves and then it catches up to us. How can we be good parents, partners and friends if we are run-down, malnourished and sleep-deprived?

It's Sunday. Plan to pamper yourself today.

Paint your toenails, take a bath, go for a long walk, meditate, read a book, run, start a blog, go to bed early, give yourself a facial, do yoga, sing.

Ask yourself what you need and then make it happen.

Just this once.

Ask your family to give you this small gift.

Balance

It's a bit tricky in today's culture--balancing what's good for the environment with what's good for our bodies. Convenience, time constraints, finances and product availability all contribute to create confusing and sometimes difficult decisions.

HE went shopping for our groceries today at the Willy Street Co-op in Madison and we discussed ahead of time how to approach this task with our new waste reduction in mind. We've been shopping here for more than 10 years and have always felt that we do a pretty good job re-using containers and buying in bulk. But we realized after review that lately (meaning years) we don't always plan ahead and that means that we are using bags available at the store for veggies and bulk items, not to mention purchasing packaged items that can be bought in bulk, such as oil, pasta, tamari sauce and even apples. Why do we do this? Simple: convenience.

Even butter comes in four individually wrapped sticks, surrounded by a cardboard box--unnecessary extra packaging. Today HE bought this:

thinking it was $4 and change. It turned out to be $8. 45!! Yikes. We do prefer organic dairy products, but I guess if less packaging is almost double the price I won't feel too bad about the cardboard packaging. We burn them in our masonry heater anyway, so it's being recycled.

Maple syrup was purchased in a jar today. The important thing here is to get a "tare" weight, which is the weight of the container empty. You don't want to be paying extra for your product--especially when it's $17.00 worth of maple syrup! Yikes again! But this will last us months...

Veggies and other produce go into cloth bags. The co-op sells them, but you can also make simple ones that tie up at the top (I'll see if I can whip one up soon and post it here). It's a good idea to get a tare weight for these as well. It may be quite small, but all those pennies eventually add up.

Here in Portage we have a grocery store that does sell some items in bulk and I have to confess that I haven't examined their bulk items too carefully. We also have a nice health food store, the Tangerine which also has a selection of bulk items.

Yup, it takes a bit of extra planning, maybe 30 minutes. Once you start collecting containers, keep them with your reusable grocery bags in the trunk of your car and, most importantly, take them with you when you head into the store. Put a sticky note on your steering wheel or purse--or ask your kiddos to be the grocery bag "police".

Remember, vote with your dollars and if your store doesn't carry something you would like to see in bulk, ask the management.  Look for other options. In the meantime, do your best--balance what's best for your family with what you can do comfortably for the environment. Make it feel good.

Balance, not perfection.

Spring...

Whoopsie-daisie, I meant to include a link to Pioneer Woman's website. Have fun looking around over there, if you haven't already!

I was wakened this morning at 2:30 by the sound of rain on our metal roof. It was so unfamiliar. When was our last big rain? And yesterday I saw and heard a large flock of geese flying in V-formation across the top of the sky.

And tonite--way cool, I saw a sedge or siege (I looked it up) of sandhill cranes in a local cornfield. Signs that spring is indeed on its way.

Cooking

Pioneer Woman is slaying me.

Actually it's her cookbook.

Really it's the recipes.

Well, okay so -- not slaying me. More like tickling my tastebuds.

I cook.  A lot. And I like cookbooks and have way too many of them. I have been avoiding PW's cookbook for that reason, but I finally decided to give in. After all, I could just check it out from the library rather than go out and purchase it right away. But I quickly discovered that this is one cookbook that I would use. A lot. I have been going through and picking out recipes to try, in no particular order.

Well, okay. Carbs first, if you must know.

French Breakfast Puffs--ooh, la, la.

Basic Breakfast Potatoes--divine

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes--wow

And Heaven, help me Patsy's Blackberry Cobbler--can I get an Amen! This brought back some kind of childhood memory. I'm sure my grandma used to make a version of this cobbler that has been missing from my life for ... well, for a long, long time.

Nothing lasted quite long enough to be photographed (except for the cobbler, which had to be pried out of my hands). And granted, I have only scratched the surface, but oh yum. Yummy, yum, yum. What I love about this book is that the recipes are so down-to-earth and I would use every one of them.

It's true--I just paged through the entire book just to double check that I wasn't about to tell a lie. Every single recipe. How often does that happen?

Except maybe Ivy's Prune Cake with Buttermilk Icing. But if Marlboro Man likes it, then I'm game.

So this one's a keeper. Not this actual copy--the library would be mad at me if I never returned it. I'll go out and get my own.

After I eat the rest of this cobbler.

Thanks for sharing your recipes, PW!

Garbage

A few weeks ago, as I tied up the garbage, I noticed that we seemed to be putting a bag of garbage from the house out to the garage bin only about once a week and I remember thinking "that's pretty good--I wonder if we could reduce even more."

And last year, actually Christmas of 2009 a friend of mine gave me a 2010 page-a-day calendar and on each page was one thing you could do to reduce, reuse or recycle. I dutifully tore off the pages as the year slid away. And patted myself on the back many times and thought more than once "well, we already do so many of these things. I mean really we didn't need this calendar."

Or so I thought.

Then, last week, I discovered the Zero Waste Home and was blown away by this family's dedication to our world. Extreme? Yeah, maybe. Impressive and inspiring? Definitely.

Truth be told, I know and have known that we could do so much more to reduce our waste and even as 2010 drew to a close and I recycled the plastic base of the calendar (or tried to--Aidan actually decided that he "needed" it), I knew that we would need to up-the-ante this year. We reduce our consumption where we can, we reuse items that can be put to multiple purposes and we recycle the rest, which makes us feel good. But the first step--refusing to consume things we really don't need or seeking out items that have less or no packaging--that requires a whole nother level of commitment.

Yes, I realize "nother" is not a word and "whole nother" is not a phrase, but I like saying it:-)

When we designed our home, we purposely left off the basement and the attic. We knew we would need storage. But we also knew that when we had larger storage areas, thinking "this is cool, now our stuff won't get all discombobulated and disorganized", we tended to fill those spaces up with more stuff. And the stuff collected dust and well, in one instance, cat pee....

but that's another story.

Of course, we "need" certain things and our culture and lifestyles have developed a system whereby we purchase these things, in multiple layers of packaging more often than not. But as I perused the Zero Waste blog, I discovered many creative ways to circumvent all those layers of packaging. And while I see now how much more we can do, I am ready to stop being complacent and complicit. My dollars are my votes. We can no longer wait for companies to "do the right thing". We need to let them know what we will accept and pay for. If we care about our planet, our home; if we care about our children's futures then we will do this.

Less garbage in 2011 sounds good to me!