Draft 2021

Earlier this summer I released about 400 teeny tiny preying mantis babies in my garden. Actually, it was more like dumping them quickly out of the sack before they cannibalized each other and before I had to touch any of them. That I was alone at the time also accounts for the fact that I have no photos of the release. I literally dumped and ran. While I can appreciate insects and their importance in the ecosystem, please, please, don't make me touch them! One of the recurring nightmares of my childhood involved waking up and being completely surrounded - floor, walls, ceiling - by worms. Writhing, wriggling, earthy-smelling worms. There was no escape. Thirty-some years and four children later, I'm much better about insects - and worms - than I ever thought I'd be. The girls and I also released about a billion lady bugs in the garden - the good kind, not the invading evil imposters . My daughters were there to protect me for this release, which is why I have pictures (taken

There is something about the colors of fall. Is it that last gasp of brilliantly vivid beauty before winter's icy grasp? The glowing warmth and repetitive symmetry of a pumpkin pile... A little brilliance to tide us over until spring... Nature's glowing herald announcing a season of rest ...

Are horses practical animals? I wonder.

I have a confession to make. While I have pledged not to turn on the heat until November 1, we won't exactly be without a source of warmth until then. On Tuesday we're having a woodburning insert installed in our unusable fireplace. I know, I know... what happened to the poverty party and frugality? All I can say is, the purchase is likely symptomatic of a larger pattern and indicative of the etiology of our debt. Huh? Okay, basically, it illustrates why we owe so much money in the first place - buying on credit. But, in my defense, I do have a plan. Really, I do. We're working on next month's budget right now, well, later today. And in the budget I will be frugal and wise. I promise. But for now, I'm going to enjoy my new fireplace.

I simply love beans. I don't remember having legumes often as a child. I think we only had them in chili (kidney) and ham and beans (navy). Over the years, I've discovered so many delicious legume recipes, probably in part because we have eaten a predominantly vegetarian diet for the last 25 years. I used to think it was too much trouble to use dried beans, so for years I bought them canned from the grocery store. But then I discovered how truly easy it is to cook with dried beans and how much better the food tastes when I prepare them from scratch. I found my favorite bean recipe, Tuscan-Style Cannellini Beans with Rosemary and Garlic , just last winter in The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook , by Jack Bishop, a gift from my dh a few Christmas's ago. This recipe is so easy and so wonderful I sometimes make it once a week throughout the fall and winter. The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) of dried cannellini beans or any other small white beans (I've

I've posted a few times already about our financial woes - all self-inflicted, of course. I've decided to join Bossy's Daily Poverty Party as a way to keep myself focused on debt reduction. I'm hoping to post a list of our debts and keep a running tally of our successes, but I'll need dh's okay before I can do that. We're in much better shape than lots of people in that, as long as Michael doesn't lose his job, I think we can climb out of debt in about 2 years, with dedication. So, this being my first poverty party post, here's what this week has looked like. Yesterday Melissa and I went to the county health department for our flu shots - I gave a $20 donation, which is much less than the shots cost at any of the local pharmacies. Then, on to Michael's craft store, where I returned about $90 worth of yarn and sewing supplies. The yarn wasn't right for the project and I'm hoping to borrow my friend's rotary cutter and cutting board. S

I've wanted to learn to make soap for a long time now and was tickled to find a soap-making class at Prairieland Herbs in Woodward, IA. Michael took the class with me and was like a kid in a candy store. "Dr. Science" delighted in the basic chemistry involved in making soap with lye. I have to admit, it was fun to see him enjoying himself so much, since I was the one who wanted to take the class, but not alone! The class was taught by Karla Moore of Heart of Iowa Soapworks . She's a great teacher and loved the fact that Michael understood the chemistry of saponification. (Can anyone say "teacher's pet?") We brought home 4 pounds of soap, lightly scented with Rosemary and Peppermint essential oils. It will be ready to use in about 6 weeks. We definitely plan to make more soap here at home this fall.

Why I didn't fold my laundry today. Now, as for why I didn't do the dishes, vacuum, dust, or cook... umm, I'm thinking, I'm thinking!

So, what have I been doing with the tomato supply that just won't quit? Well, we've been giving some to neighbors - a little good will can go a long way - and the rest I've been making into this sauce. It's actually called "Oven Roasted Canned Tomatoes," and I've made it that way and it's fabulous. But, oh my, with fresh tomatoes? It's out-of-this-world fantastic! The recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Country-Table-Farmhouse-Kitchens/dp/0684813254/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223685171&sr=8-1 , by Lynn Rossetto Kasper. Once you've chopped the ingredients, the sauce practically makes itself. I guess at the amount of tomatoes to chop - I'm sure I use several pounds- when spread out, they'll pretty much fill a large cookie sheet. Oh, and I don't bother peeling them. We don't even notice them in the finished sauce. The original sauce calls for 28 ounces of canned tomatoes

One of my family's Thanksgiving traditions is our "Thankful Corn." Each person at the dinner table receives 3 kernels of Indian Corn. We then pass around a small bowl, with each person placing one kernel of corn in the bowl while telling something he/she's thankful for. By the time everyone has shared their thanks (no repeats), the amount of corn in the bowl shows how much there is to be thankful for, even though each person only listed 3 things. Last year, we saved our thankful corn and planted it this summer. At first, we didn't think it would survive, then we were sure it didn't have enough light to tassel. We hand pollinated the few tufts of silk, but were sure it was planted too late for the ears to mature. Then there was the anxious waiting for the right time to pick - not too early, but before the squirrels or raccoons beat us to it. But this was the-little-corn-patch-that-could - and it did! Above you see our two ears of Indian Corn, grown from las

Dear Mother Nature, I am writing to thank you for the abundance you have provided me this year. My garden continues to produce tomatoes and basil, we harvested the last of our butternut squash (6) last week, and still have to dig the sweet potatoes and garlic. You have also provided for me through the gifts of friends and neighborhood trees (apples), my CSA, and farmer's markets throughout the area. I have a bushel of apples in the basement, quarts and quarts of applesauce and pie apples in the freezer, pickles to last the winter, jam up the wazoo aplenty. We have enough frozen corn and green beans to last the winter as well. I have canned tomatoes and frozen sauces and salsa. We have wonderful locally and sustainably reared beef and chicken in the freezer, along with quarts and quarts of frozen raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. I have a bushel of onions waiting to process for the freezer and a bushel of potatoes to pick up Saturday from the farmer's market. I have ga

Lots has been happening in my life here, but Saturday I got a call that overshadowed it all and halted me in my tracks. My mom has had a severe and sudden attack of diverticulitis. Friday she was fine, Saturday she was in the hospital with IV antibiotics, morphine, a gastric tube, catheter and facing surgery. We are in a wait-and-see situation, the infected area of her colon is more inflamed, but the infection hasn't perforated the colon. Doctors don't want to do surgery - unless they have to - until the infection is cleared up. So we wait another 24 hours. One of my sisters flew down to Arkansas from New York for this week, another sister will fly in from Pittsburgh the following week and the third week will be my turn. It is hard to be so far away, not to be right there, not to be holding her hand (thought that would probably drive her crazy!) She will require surgery no matter what, it's just a matter of when. She will need a bowel resection; basically, they cut apart th

I am conflicted. I think that could be my motto. I'm trying to reduce my debt, but I must have a functioning fireplace. But I want to move out of my neighborhood in 3 years, meaning we'll never recoup the cost of said fireplace. I can't live without a working fireplace for 3 more years! That's the rest of Sarah's childhood and half of Melissa's remaining childhood. Fireplaces are very important to me. But we'll never recoup the cost of the improvements we've made to this house. I want to plant apricot trees in the sideyard, and they are half off right now. I also need spring bulbs and ground cover for the hill in front of our house. But if we move in 3 years, does it really make sense to plant apricot trees? Ah, yes, but with the economy the way it is, I may not be able to move in 3 years afterall, and then I'll sure wish I'd planted those apricot trees! We're planning to sell our Prius to eliminate the car payment, canceling cable again and

When we stopped at Spook Cave in McGregor, IA, on our way home on Sunday, we were greeted by this lovely waterfall. Early settlers in the area often heard strange noises coming from a hole at the base of a hill near Bloody Run Creek. The cave was finally discovered in 1953. This little muskrat was swimming in the creek at the cavesite. I've never seen a muskrat swim before - he was fast! This is a muskrat house we saw earlier in our trip. The cave wasn't actually spooky at all, despite having to ride through it a small boat. It always does freak me out a little when all the lights in a cave are turned off, though. Fortunately, the teenager giving the tour flipped them back on pretty darn fast. There weren't many interesting formations in the cave, just the ones you see here. We did see a couple of sleeping brown bats. I can't imagine having the nerve to crawl in through the hole with only a flashlight, as the cave's discoverer did. It was a fun stop on the way ho