October

Mom's Birthday Party and Halloween Preparations !!!

The Hearth Monster

Ready for Trick-or-Treating and Ward Party

If....

If a person must begin a question with, "If you don't mind me asking," then DON'T ASK!!!

Friday & Saturday

Alta is ready for us.

Priming the snow machine and testing the lifts.

Relaxation at a SLC bed and breakfast.

Dave's Killer Bread

As I stood in the aisle at Costco with my monster of a shopping cart, my eye caught a very interesting label.


"Just say no to bread on drugs!"


"Killer taste and texture."


Seems that Dave had spent some time in the pen sorting out his life.  

"I was a four-time loser before I realized I was in the wrong game.  15 years in prison is a pretty tough way to find oneself, but I have no regrets.  This time around, I took advantage of all those long and lonely days by practicing my guitar, exercising, and getting to know myself – without drugs.  To my utter amazement, I started liking what I was seeing.  It’s been said adversity introduces a man to himself and I found this to be true.  If I had not suffered, I can safely assure you that you would not be reading this label on a loaf of my killer bread.  A whole lot of suffering has transformed an ex-con into an honest man who is doing his best to make the world a better place…one loaf of bread at a time.”

After reading about his loser life, I bought his bread just because of the label .  Check it out.


When I got home, I even watched the movie on his web site.  He looks just like the picture on the label.


The bread ain't  bad either.

Master Gardener

I learned:

• the best place to cut off a limb is the branch collar ridge
• 60 to 70 degree angles are best for branches coming out from the trunk
• pruners love their bypass pruners like chefs love a good knife
• there are three cuts to make when removing a heavy limb

How Do You Cook a Duck?

Every now and again a student comes along that makes one laugh out loud, who is so totally uninhibited and full of life that it takes one's breath away with the bizarre stories and comments delivered on a regular basis.  I have a feeling that I will have an arsenal or stories by semester end.  I should have been writing more of them down. See previous post:

Guns and Vinegar

Recently a couple of new stories made me laugh.  Since "Joe" is a hunter I asked him if he had any good recipes for duck.  Without batting an eye, he replied, "Why, yes Sister Smith, I do.  First you must totally skin the duck, clean it and prepare it whole.  Soak a cedar board in water and place the duck on it.  Then slow cook the duck on the board in the oven for about 3 1/2 hours.  When it's done, take it out, remove the duck from the board and eat the board."  He went on to say that he really didn't like duck, that it tasted like "a cross between a Big-O tire and liver."

Riddle

What do you call an ocean full of noodles?

-Apostasy-

Master Gardeners

my babies that are now safe inside

Enrollment is full and I made it into the class.  There I sat, shoulder to shoulder will fellow soil, compost, pest, propagation, and new-tender-green-thing comrades.

The excitement was palpable as we sampled tomatoes, took soil sample cores, evaluated each other's soil brought from home in canning jars, and shared best practices.  The course is every Tuesday and Thursday from now until December 1, at which time true gardeners  give it up for a month and begin again with seeds, mail order catalogs, planning, and seedlings in January.  On Tuesday I learned:

• have your soil tested by a county agent, just mail in the sample
• don't trust those selling "top soil", have it tested
• use the special recipe for soil from Square Foot Gardening for raised beds because of compaction
• at 35 - 38 degrees, your tomatoes are toast
• ripen tomatoes until late November by bringing them indoors to a cool location
• the earwig infestation in Utah is due to too much watering
• it takes three years for proper ripening of compost
• eco scrap has the best compost, lowest salinity

Holy Culinary Gag-Fest

In an attempt to choose more healthy snacks, I concocted a raspberry smoothie using soy milk, raspberries, and (supposedly) spinach. The lovely package of spinach from the freezer looked particularly fresh and green, so after putting half of the baggie in the blender, I thought, "What the heck!" and dumped the whole thing in. Spinach is flavorless in smoothies and very good for one. After the first throwback of the drink, however, I detected something amiss. My memory instantly cleared and I remember telling Hilary to freeze the leftover cilantro for future use.

GAG!

Not to be defeated, I threw in a lovely fresh peach, thinking that I might just be a culinary weakling. Second throwback, not even a possibility. A total waste: soy milk, raspberries, cilantro, and a beautiful peach (sorry Ashley and Paul).

Favorites

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the October 2011 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints:

• Look how far you've come.
• Teach as Christ would teach.
• Sin has many faces. It leads some to revel in their own perceived self-worth, accomplishments, talents, wealth, or position. They count these blessings as evidence of being “chosen,” “superior,” or “more righteous” than others. This is the sin of “Thank God I am more special than you.”
• We have promised to become charitable. We promised to become witnesses of God.  We promised to endure.
• "My brothers and sisters, I declare to you, that there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the spirit which can come to us as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments." Thomas S. Monson
  

....milestones....