Hydration

Couple things..


Drink half your body weight in ounces per day. A 200 pound person should consume 100 ounces per day to stay hydrated.

Consume equal parts water to caffeinated beverages. 8 Oz of Coffee = 8 Oz of water above and beyond your normal intake

Dehydrated people often mix the signals for hunger and thirst. If you drink water when you want to eat and wait 15 minutes you may find you are simply thirsty and your mind is just telling your body it needs intake. People who switch to this method will probably lose 20 pounds over a year

Party Animal ? GAK

I didn’t know it but home entertainment centers run around 1700 dollars. After I stopped laughing I asked my wife if she would settle for a built in wall unit. Currently the unit is under construction.
After creating sawing and hammering for the weekend I went to the store for a cheese puff. I can’t tell you why I have a need to have a cheese puff but there was no getting past it so off I went. I had a small bowl full and that was good enough. Later that day my wife brought in a bowl of multi-grain chips? and some kind of prepackaged spinage dip. This morning I was sick such horrible stomach pain.
I think it was stomach pain its been so long since Ive had an upset stomach perhaps that use to be normal and i didn’t pay any attention. Well I won’t be having store bought dip any longer either now ..
Yesterday I cut a watermelon open... I will plant those again next year.. Wow was that good

Depressed

I read a book called Kitchen Literacy , interesting.

A movie called Food fell into my world last night, depressing

I made it though the movie until the chicken farms. Then I had to stop. I understand the need to mass produce food. I understand there are alot of people to feed. Should a McDonalds Hamberuger with bun and fixings cooked packaged that comes from a resturant where 5 paid employees touch it before you cost less than a head of lettuce ?

The Eggs

Well today I went to get my eggs. Today I had to go to the coop and get them myself ... fresher then fresh I guess. I also picked up a fryer hen and ordered up 20 pounds of hamburger. So fresh eggs a chicken and grass fed beef. Trying to stay local  is working well today 

Vacation Bust or Boom .. well a bad day fishing ....

30 MPH winds. Lightning and storms. A cold front. all things that shut off fish and stall a vacation. We did bring home some fish but not nearly enough so off to the lake this weekend I guess.

Sunsets however .. were very nice

and I did .. well .. I did ride a Jet Ski

and Julie did get to play loon hunter

SAVED

The "Blossom Rot" is subsiding and the Black Krim cherry tomato's are OMG good.













I'm working from home today and low and behold Alyssa was looking for cucumbers .... So I showed her how I make them and she did it. Its a long long story but ladies and gentlemen this is a miricale

Almost done

it's coming out well

Vacation

Soon fishing and a short vacation. The best part you would think would be a few days off ... but it could be that my new Livewell cover for the boat is almost done ... some varnish some stain and just a bit more detailing and poof on it goes.  The plan will be to burn the waypoints in as we fish .. then 100 years from now it will be worth 10,000 dollars on Ebay.

Focus on the good focus on the good focus on the good

During the traffic reports and delays this was my view.

My tomato's turning red but rotting on the bottom ... I waited and waited... pppppphhbt .. what can I do ?

Breakfast

Breakfast for two Some crackers a few grapes ... caraway seeded cheese and some beet kvass.

Putting up some stock from yesterdays chicken dinner

 

Watering

 

...and my favorite cup ... only with Dunk'n Doughnuts coffee the only good coffee

Deal Day At The Store

Today ... Bonanza. my local store was buy one get one free on chicken thigh .. London broil ... bone in chops ... and sirloin tips ..I purchased 120 dollars worth of beef for 60 bucks

I packaged it all up and we are good for a couple weeks. A deep sigh of relief. Between this and the fish we catch we will be good for at least a month on protien. I wish I had more vegitables and had not wasted all that space on cabbage and rhubarb ..

I went to the local butcher for some chicken, pork fat and tallow -- no luck. He did give me a couple smoked beef bones for the dogs though ... man were they happy

Now if Jak would leave Addisons' Bone alone .. grrr

I have attempted the FRIED GREEN TOMATO

I have decided to scare the other tomato’s in to turning red by trying fried green tomatoes. They were pretty easy... And well... Tasty... I will make them again. I also think when I left for work today there was a red tomato so it may have worked.


 I also found a recipe for green tomato pie .. this is how I got it so we will have to play with it ..but I'll bet its good.

click the photo so you can read it

Cabbage beans and cucumbers-- oh my

The garden is giving up the goods! Last night we had cabbage, brussel sprouts, beans, some peppers and couple FRIED green tomatoes along with some chicken thighs. The whole thing was about around 5 bucks for the chicken. With lots left over for lunch.

The night before we had a small celebration so I had purchased food. I went to famous Dave’s and for 60 bucks got enough sides and meat to feed everyone.

I asked the youngest if on Thursday he had a choice between Famous Dave’s or a repeat of the Garden dinner what he would choose. He said he didn’t like the famous Dave’s all that much. He said there was not much meat on the bones and it wasn’t very flavorful just covered up with sauce.

That’s what I’m finding too. The things I thought were so good either have no flavor or are so over flavored they just aren’t good. I don’t think I could convince people to eat fresh or local just by talking about it. Just like I don’t think I could convince them to drink Beet Kvass. I think if I feed it to them for a month … heck even a couple weeks the difference in health and tasted would be noticeable for them when they returned to their normal life.

It’s a tremendous deviation from what we have been use to. I guess 8 months ago I would have said it’s a lot more work I find that interesting. The payback from all of this deviation is worth it to me which I find REALLY interesting. Unplugging and working together with my wife on bread and all of the other mini projects we have to sustain ourselves and eat better lets us chat and laugh more. The two hours we spend watching a movie is spent in silence staring at a TV. The two hours we spend on a project is all talk and togetherness followed by a better way of life.

Is it just? Because as I watch the news it seems like the entire country is facing some kind of technology repulsion.

Rye Bread

Back Home. At 50 pounds less my flight home was far less cramped on the regional air jet. Those planes are not my favorite. I spend those two hours with a woman who had managed 3 bloody Marys prior to the flight. Normally I don’t speak with people on the plane but since this wasn’t going to be an option with her we chatted. She didn’t like kids--her life was too hectic--she drank a lot and -- preferred not to call time off a vacation, since to her it should be called a holiday. (Planning out a schedule for your holiday makes it a vacation). GREAT IDEA.

That holiday thing sounds really good to me so I'll adapt that to my thinking --the lord works in mysterious ways. This new philosophy will meld very good with -- Tourists bring back souvenirs explores bring back stories.


Tillie Telle Time has been suggested for Julies new you tube video career. Shes famous amongst her friends and family now. This weekends project I think will be Rye Bread and Beet Juice.

I was so happy to get my beet juice when I got home I cant even tell you.


Still no red tomatoes and since no one picked the cucumbers while I was gone .. I shudder to think what mutated 12 pounders I have out there ... we shall see this evening I guess. Hello weekend

Wednesday

Blahh blaah blaah

Me ? Lots of book smarts not practical application. It's been a humbling 8 months on the self sustained / eating locally/ survival skills side of my mini hybrid lifestyle experiment. I am getting the results I need though.

I know food comes from the garden plants and chicken comes from a dead bird but when do you harvest them. How do you know. How do you care for the plants? How do you kill those damn cabbage munching moths? Does this look right? why didnt that can seal? why is this bread different then yesterdays good grief

 .... If your idea of prepping for an event is reading good luck. If youre interested in growing food and you think your ready because you read a book good luck. If your ready for a cultural melt down because you watched a tv show, read a book and have an emergency first aide kit in the bathroom, good luck. If you think your going to heaven because you own a bible good luck. So much to learn so little time.


The garden.

I’m sure to some extent, from a hobby point of view; experimentation in the garden is good if you have the room. If not Gardening is not at all about wonderful exotic beans, Okra and the rhubarb crisp you were dreaming of the day you planted. It is instead completely about what foods can sustain you and foods that you can preserve. Also one needs to consider the output of a plant vs. the space it takes. At least I think that’s right-- I’m still wiping “stupid drool” off my chin.

Planting is not about choosing 8 rhubarb plants where beans could have gone. It is not an experiment in red OKRA where a tomato could have gone. It is not about 16 large cabbage and broccoli plants where corn could have gone. It is not about pride and conversation pieces it is completely about -" thank goodness I’ve got food." Next year we rethink our strategy.

On the upside I have wonderful cabbage and okra, more cucumbers that I can ever pickle or eat and just the right amount of tomatoes. As an afterthought I put in a watermelon where a cucumber had failed. I have 7 watermelons and this will be enough. I all ready know going forward each year I will plant a single watermelon vine to remind me enough is a feast.
Midstream Mainstream

I’m not home this week I’m in the great state of Texas. This morning my yogurt came in a plastic tube. It sure was sweet- almost like candy it had lots of sugar and gelatin and some artificial flavors. They place them out for you to take. You could take a bunch and toss them in the fridge in your room. They taste good and it takes nothing to throw a few in your laptop case for later. It takes me 13 hours to make mine and I’m carful about portioning it out into reusable jars so I’m sure it stretches through the week for the whole family. Two extremes on the yogurt scale, which is better? My way is better for my body but the other feeds the masses. Maybe it’s not about pass fail and changing the world but instead doing what’s right for you. As long as you arent being a sheep and have thought it through its your own dang bussiness

I’m more curious also as I eat in restaurants this week.

I’m enjoying the eye rolls from the restaurants when I ask if the vegetables are locally grown and if the fish is farm raised or wild caught. I think I have a new label. Instead of angry white conservative I think people are seeing me as a environmentalist tree hugging bean sprout eater. I have to laugh. Im not sure what I am anymore I do know now the fuel waste it takes go get the Chinese grown tomato to my plate instead of the one grown 8 miles down the road. This understanding causes me to pause.

Sure is a lot of waste in the world. I saw the Book of Eli with Denzel Washington a few weeks ago. They used this line

Eli: People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn't. We threw away things people kill each other for now.

Enough Is a Feast

 Overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport.

They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said,

''I love you, and I wish you enough.''

The daughter replied,

''Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed.

I wish you enough, too, Dad.''

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking,

''Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?''

''Yes, I have,'' I replied. ''Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?''
''I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,'' he said.

''When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say,

''I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?''

He began to smile. ''That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone..''

He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more.

''When we said, 'I wish you enough', we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.'' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

Pickles

OK... 5 jars of pickles.. let’s keep our fingers crossed. Originally I was going to put the in the crock but I decided that i needed that for a new batch of sour kraut so in the jar they went. I had to quarter some of them into spears and that was kind of disappointing but I'm sure that will be good when they finally get ready to eat.
Nutrition wise I’m not sure its worth the time and effort since pickles are pretty cheap. These have garlic and peppers so the zesty will be the pay off.

I had the afternoon off. This allowed me to do my normal weekend chore early. Yogurt granola kvass sprouting dehydrating all was finishing up this morning. That means I get an extra day for education this week. That’s never a good thing my wife gets really nervous when I learn new things. Perhaps I will make sausage this weekend.

Dinner

I had some bread with butter and honey and two wonderful delicious pickled eggs for dinner today washed down with some beet Kavass. This was my second batch of Kavass. I used some red sugar beets and some candy cane beets. I wasn't sure if I had to use the red beets but the farmers market only had what it had --so away I went. Along with mixed beets I cut the salt in half. I am thinking they use the salt more to pull the juice and not to preserve. Since its a lacto fermentation process and I'm using whey I didn't see the need for the extra salt so "thwap" I cut it in half.

The result was wonderful I still got a lovely deep red color and the taste was far less like revved up gator aide, The results are immediate. My energy is up and well other things are very regular almost text book.

Beets will be a staple in the garden process. It seems if I get the soil right it will be a good crop and will be easy to store into early winter. I don't much like them but they make me feel great.

I think there needs to be a video on this stuff. I'm sure Julie wont let me put her in the next one so I guess it will be me. Maybe Ill sing too ... they're gonna put me in the movies ... they're gonna make a big star out of me .. I think thats Buck Owens actually ..hmmm. Stay tuned

and here you go ---- I am learning how about that

"Salt inhibits putrefying bacteria for several days until enough lactic acid is produced to preserve the vegetables for many months. The amount of salt can be reduced or even eliminated if whey is added to the pickling solution. Rich in lactic acid and lactic-acid-producing bacteria, whey acts as an inoculant, reducing the time needed for sufficient lactic acid to be produced to ensure preservation."

And then you wake up open your bible and

1-It's better to be poor
and live right
than to be a stupid liar.

2-Willingness and stupidity
don't go well together.
If you are too eager,
you will miss the road.

3-We are ruined
by our own stupidity,
though we blame the LORD.

Things are changing

Julie and I have spent the last 7 months trying to find a balance between the world we live in and the world everyone dreams about. It seems that cultures can only hold so much at once. They are a living and breathing things within themselves and as the new is introduced the old is archived. The people who are bridging the gap between pre and post internet, cable TV and Internet world are starting to look around. We see how we have begun to trade anticipation for instant satisfaction in all parts of our life's. It's not a new story the mature of days gone by had the same rant but the speed of change is gaining momentum and the velocity of the culture along with it.

Instant satisfaction is like a drug. People seem to need it now its kin to an addiction. I wonder if this leads us to pick and choose our belief structure as well. I hear "I'm spiritual" now more than I hear the word Christian. I'm all for a self check on the major Christian religions but at what cost. Will we begin to pick and choose what parts of the scriptures we enjoy and ignore the rest or perhaps worse yet will we morph scripture to fit our needs. I hope not.

Anyway like I was saying we have spent months learning about nutrition and prepping and being prepared. Things are starting to pay off. We rode out the storm last night by grabbing a quick pack I made a few months ago. Just a few things like flashlights, first aide, batteries, a weather radio, games, snacks etc. The sirens went off the power was effected but we were ready. We had communication entertainment and have stocked enough food and water to get us through a small event. We didn't have to look for anything.

Tonight for dinner, cucumber salad and beans from the garden. Bread from flour we ground and bread we made. An almost free meal. The feeling of confidence we had started to trade for ease of the world we live in was being nurtured and it feels wonderful.

Seek don't wait to be sought
Waste less
Keep less
Connect more
Find your strength in the simplicity of God and your peace in the nation of family.

Holy Red Stuff !

Wow .. next year I grow BEETS ! Did you ever wonder whats in a beet ?



Vitamin

A44.9IU1%Retinol0.0mcg Retinol Activity Equivalent2.7mcg Alpha Carotene0.0mcg Beta Carotene27.2mcg Beta Cryptoxanthin0.0mcg Lycopene0.0mcg Lutein+Zeaxanthin0.0mcg Vitamin C6.7mg11%Vitamin D~ ~Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)0.1mg0%Beta Tocopherol~ Gamma Tocopherol~ Delta Tocopherol~ Vitamin K0.3mcg0%Thiamin0.0mg3%Riboflavin0.1mg3%Niacin0.5mg2%Vitamin B60.1mg5%Folate148mcg37%Food Folate148mcg Folic Acid0.0mcg Dietary Folate Equivalents148mcg Vitamin B120.0mcg0%Pantothenic Acid0.2mg2%Choline8.2mg Betaine175mg


Minerals

Amounts Per Selected Serving%DVCalcium21.8mg2%Iron1.1mg6%Magnesium31.3mg8%Phosphorus54.4mg5%Potassium442mg13%Sodium106mg4%Zinc0.5mg3%Copper0.1mg5%Manganese0.4mg22%Selenium1.0mcg1%


So that in mind it was time to make some Beet Kavass this morning.

1 Large Beet - Fresh Firm
1/8th cup whey
1/2 Tb Sea Salt
1 Quart Mason Jar

Cut Beet into one inch chunks. Place in jar. Dissolve salt into whey and add to jar. Fill jar with filtered water leaving one inch headroom. Seal the jar and place it on your counter for 24 hours to ferment. Place jar in refrigerator. 4 ounces in the morning -- 4 ounces at night. When the jar as a few ounces left fill and repeat the process. This can be done one.

I also sprouted some wheat berries and they were dehydrated again this morning so I jarred those up and put them in the freezer.. I keep them in the freezer so when I mill them the flour doesn’t get to hot.

DANGER

I have purchased Rennet ..... everyone back away slowly

Breakfast

Yogurt and Granola ... mmm had enough for breakfast I think Ill beg for poached eggs tomorrow. I should grind me some of that breakfast sausge too get er done. Today I also had a piece of rye toast made from sprouted grain that I milled down myself. Julie would not allow a photo of an imperfect loaf. I thought it was great but then Im guy what do I know.

Prolixic Spew

You're all dying to find out whats on my mind Im sure.

I find what started out as being able to live simpler and praying more is turning into a modified Prepper /Self Sustained Living'er meets Life off the Grider meets Tree Hugopotamus. It’s an interesting mix and completely unexpected. I was so far from the sprout and granola crowd I could have been a spokesperson for Ding Dongs and Cake Rolls. The waste in my life was and I can see now still is enormous. That being said should we cut down forests? Yes. Should we build power plants? Yes. I think what I advocate – I’m still working on this- is a sensible blend of the two worlds. You can live off the grid but take a chain saw. I understand the romance of a hand saw but thinking like that should lead to abandon the say and chip an edge to a rock to make an axe. Like they say you can’t fix stupid.
I have pain daily along with other stuff I took pills for. I spent years trying to regulate it all with pills. Now I just live different- or try to do my best. When I fall off the wagon and eat pizza or fast food or boxed food because I didn’t prep correctly the pain goes right up. The fatigue comes slamming back instantly. So I now make my food fresh and control what goes in it. I eat meat and am just fine with chickens hooked up to a feeding machine. What I’m not ok with is buying twelve eggs and then tossing 6 because the sell by date is 3 days past.
You want to lose weight but still watch TV? Make your own food. And I mean make it not microwave it. I eat less because I appreciate the effort it takes my wife and I to make a loaf of bread and when I think about making one I eat a piece instead of 6. I eat smaller more often not because that’s what’s best for me but because I want to make it last.
I had a salad at a restaurant on Saturday; I was out celebrating a birthday with a friend. They brought me two dinner rolls to go with it. They were processed grain enriched and bleached. Not very good for me it will spike my sugar and has not real food value for me. When we were done I looked around at was remaining there were buns grizzled meat hunks half eaten fries. We had more than we needed and it was second nature to walk away. That second nature lends itself across barriers from food to electronics to three showers a day to credit cards and on and on. I hear stories of the filthy rich being sad and the poor being so very happy. I see kids with everything say they are bored. Instant communication fast food and microwave dinners all combined into a live style removes the appreciation for a thing. I wonder how this crosses over to family. There sure is a lot of divorce, me included. I guess if I knew now what I didn’t know then.
I’m not going to live without my cell phone but I turn it off. I recycle but I’m still going to use plastic trash bags. I’m going to combine the things we have advanced to with the things we built our foundation on. Too much of anything is a bad thing but everything can be good in moderation. So I’ll continue to weave the things that make life good into the fabric of my family and when I’m done I think I will have been better for it.
I fed the dinner rolls to the birds.

GRINDER YES !

Kitchen Aid Mill has arrived I went right to it I took my sprouted grain out of storage and ground it up. So how did it go. It was slow but the temp was low. The guide says I can do 10 cups before I have to rest it. I did two it was working pretty hard so I didn't push it

I think it worked like a champ I ended up with three cups of rye flour. Julie went right to work baking. Perhaps we will have results tonight. She made half a loaf and will make large sandwich buns.

The garden put out two more cucumbers that went right into the bowl, you can see them in the photo above. I also pulled out enough bush beans for a side dish. Looks like chicken and barley with rice for dinner. It smells great.

Cucumbers and onions in vinegar as a side dish, it's like heaven. So I'm feeling pretty cocky today making my own food. One step closer... One step closer

A good Sunday

And my wife drove off with the camera. I was so proud

Started the day with yogurt and granola still working on the cranberries so again this week it will be cranberry granonla but Ive switched to blue agave nectar. It's runnier than honey so the moisture content seemed to be up so I had to bake a bit longer however it has a lower GI so overall better for us.

I used 1% milk today for the yogurt also something new. The yield was much more than I expected -- at least as much as with the whole milk -- and I had much more whey it doesn't make sense Ill have be more attentive next week and do some measuring. The texture was also different much more like a curdle until i got the whey out. I used a had mixer to blend it down to a smoother less lumpy consistency but it tasted OK so again better for us overall.

I had extra eggs so I picked 9. Yup with red pepper flakes and other hot secret spices, I think I will love them however Julie did shake her head at me but heck its a protein snack I figure.

I also took some time today to make farmers cheese with cranberries. Breakfast food perhaps.

I did some research on nut butter and made some spread today. So I can see now how stupid it was to by almond butter last time I went to the store. OY ... I made mine out of cashew for about 50 cents -small batch. It was almost better than anything I have ever made and has great omega fats.

Mushrooms were on sale ! so I also pickled a little over a pint for three dollars. Ill get a mushroom in my martini for the next week or so.

The Kraut is moving along well. It smells though so I had to turn it. I used an onion in this batch as well so that's probably why but I can tell its going to be very tasty.

I found a recipe for beat juice and whey. Its suppose to be the king of king tonics .. Ill try it. It will make me feel better to since I tossed today's whey I have way more then I can use now.

Today was goto the store any buy meat day. Im sure they have some study that tells them they should print a flyer of cupons instead of just marking the item down but it would seem they could save any difference by not paying for printing and cart guy clean up. I guess that's why I don't own a grocery store.


What I found odd was that I was angry at the waste created by the fliers. Im so far from liberal and tree hugging it caused me to pause. I was angry because it was stupid wasteful and not necessary. I can see I will have to meditate on this. Perhaps this is a part of the change consuming my life. It started with a pot luck where someone brought home made kraut one year ago. Today I made my own cheese to put on the crackers I made after I picked the broccoli I grew.

Any way all topics for when I get back into this blogging thing, for now Ill just focus on the day when I'll be eating my pickled eggs.

Green Plants

Last night I started to sprout some rye. Let the sprouted grain experiments begin

The lillies are in full bloom

Wow time flies ..

Where were we. I’d say at this point we have been able to purge 45% from the house however I have indulged my fantasy of a Man room and so more on that another day.

I’m down 50 pounds now that we eliminated almost all food that is pre-packaged. I’m looking at for a small grain miller now so I can make some sprouted grain flour. It seems to be my new obsession. Boy once you start learning what’s bad? Yikes!.
I’ve updated my granola recipe. I only use honey at this time no other fluid. Its nicer not so heavy and it doesn’t cluster up.
My first garden ever -- is on the grow. I learned an awful lot about it I didn’t do to well however. I will have cucumbers tomatoes cabbage and broccoli.
The raspberries are also coming in well. The beans not nearly enough and way to much rhubarb. For the first year though the asparagus is really nice looking lots of ferny tops not near enough room .. I think I will have lots of watermelon.

So any help on grinding sprouted grain would be good ... will it be worth the investment?

xxxxxxxxxxxzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lawn manicured mowed and trimmed. Garden first 4 x 8 built and prepped. Grill cleaned painted and ready. deck staked out. Jerky is drying ....long day

Whew ok

Purge is successfull first garage sale over .. profit . I guess you call it profit ...600 bucks .. thats alot of 50 cent items I gotta tell you. What a great couple of days for it thought I think today ... I got a sunburn. I unloaded a table a futon and my beloved recliner.

In the mean time all 17 yards of mulch is down the decking has arrived for the deck and I was able to purchase mitor saw to complete the raised gardens.

As a bonus my friend has offered me his 265 gallon fuel tank. My neighbor has a welder and I know a guy with a plasma cutter. I can smell the pig roast now. Invitations have been sent for Big Boil 2010. Big Dinner is a way for us to meet people strangers and people from afar. If we hit it off in a bar or on the street or if you are a neighbor your invited. Unplug and sit down for family style dinner with a prayer. We started with 7 people. Over the last year we have reached as many as 45. Takes some planning but you can see families having clean family fun. Stay tuned for photos.

Different things

Discovered Coconut oil. Granola is now made with weigh and coconut oil .. This means the protein count is up and the cholesterol level is down interesting all the things you find.  It would seem the sacrifices we made to move faster and be more convienent have led to our multiple health conditions. No one hates tree hugging liberals more than I do but I can see now what drives there passions.

WWII forced us to abandon many things that we never went back to. More than butter and lard which it seems are better for you but also family time which we sacrifice for speed of living.

OR ......... Enough is a feast

A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

If you don't send this to someone you care about....Who cares?
George Carlin

Praying for patience and tolerance..

What do you pray for ?

HEY it worked ...

So I have been practicing --drying and preserving and creating from scratch. I’ve been purging excess and applying the philosophy waste not want not.
This diet kind of thing I’m on says NO fruit this week. I looked at the table and the 17 wonderful pairs I JUST bought and was angry because they were going to spoil.....
…..Wait says I ... I will dry them ... TODAY was a good day Today was a Freedom Day

Whats your montra

People should be more courteous. What have you done to pay your blessings forward. What have you done to honor your God

Not as we take but as we give not as we pray but as we live.

I was reading about freedom days on a blog somewhere out there. It spoke about becoming less reliant on ... well everything. One of the points it made was that you didn't have to stock pile three months of food good all at once. You could instead do a couple jars of pickles here and a can of sauce there and if you did a little every day when you turned around if would be much more than you realized.

What if you didn't save the world what if you carried a someones groceries. Picked up a lunch for a family at a restaurant. sent someone a gift out of the blue just because. A rain drop by itself is just a rain drop. In a heavy wind it might not even hit the ground. A rain drop surrounded by 300,000 other raindrops  in that same wind is a hurricane.

Not as we take but as we live. Not as we pray but as we live.

More Dog Snacks

Ive been using my cracker recipe for the dog biscuits. Its a cup of flour and a quart cup of liquid. The dough should hold but not be sticky. I roll them on a cookie sheet so they are about 2/8 thin inch to 3/8 inch thick I use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into squares. I bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Instead of water I use Whey - the by product from the Greek Yogurt. I also take just a bit of beef base for some salty beefy tatse. This week I added just a bit of food coloring into the dough ball just to make them fancy.

They are cheaper then store bought and I know whats in them. Try it you dogs will thank you

Clean up weekend

This weekend all seeds get started. I will order the mulching for the Acre Gardens. The garage sale pile will be started. That will be a monster amount of work. I hope for a sunny sunday and a bonfire we shall see. In the meantime the Morning glory curtian is growing like mad and we think will be wonderfull. I think clean up once the vines croak may me nasty but .. the vines will keep the beating sun out of the kitchen and the house much much cooler.

On the food front

Using food linking and theory based on insulin levels (I am Type II)

Surviving Milwaukee by going to the grocery store ==
Avoiding food from a packages==
No artificial chemicals or sweeteners ==
Some coffee, black ==
200 ounces of water per day.== YEAH ITS ALOT

This Morning after triple checking each

Loss 19 Pounds
Blood Pressure 111 over 78
Blood Sugar 1 hour after meal NON Fasting 135

Ignorance is BLISS

There is corn syrup and dextrose in store bought jerky ... good god. Looking at what I eat is all new to me but not to the rest of you I’m sure. I Read the labels and stand agape, no wonder I'm a prize winning pig boy with high blood sugar. I also knew "Healthy" foods and "Fat Free" weren’t all that good for you but it would seem upon educating myself they actually are worse. Boiled down.. Chemicals bad.
In one week ... eliminating crap from my food intake and drinking half my weight in ounces of water I’ve lost 17 pounds.
Raw nuts, organic eggs, fruits and veggies with no calorie counting -- no sugary pops no artificial sweeteners .. Always combining carbs with proteins ..
Interesting.

Travel

I find myself away from home today. No yogurt no bread and eating in resturants. The food is really salty and the portions are gigantic -- free refills on a large soda ? really? It all use to seem so normal.

Man when the power goes out this country is screwed

Holy Hanna

4 weeks off the drugs now and we have been able to maintain the processes we have built. They boy continues to pitch in hopefully the dog waste will be picked up today without the need to point it out. Baby steps patience...
Garage sale will be April 9th 10th and 11th. If you’re in the area you should check this one out -- tread mills elliptical and all the modern garbage the suburban dream seduced me into.
The Effexor haze has worn off and I looked in the mirror I’m not sure who that person is but he needs a shave and needs to be at least 200 pounds lighter. Yesterday began the quest... I have a 250 dollar bet with a lovely woman in Arizona on who can reach their goal first. Mine is 40 hers is 22. I’m guessing Ill win although I can’t understand what I’m eating that maintains this kind of weight. It must be portion size and booze. So booze is out... ouch and protiens are up.
I’m starting today with a week of raw foods. That should ease up my enzyme world according to my wife so let’s see. I’ll be in Milwaukee Then Portland followed by SanFransisco so it may be hard... or easy to do this we shall see. I don’t like to drive in these cities so maybe it will be good but the restaurants ugh. In Milwaukee you can get a meal ... I’m just saying.
Anyway the theme from Rocky plays and the game is on.

Sustaining the starter

I’ve had some really good luck with the yogurt. I moved to the dehydrator process. I let it sit in the dehydrator for 12 hours then strain it in the colander. This batch was made with whole organic milk I got two quarts out of one gallon. I also used the last bit of yogurt from the last batch I made. The last batch contained some probiotic supplements.
It got TOO thick this time I think ..
The granola this week is clover honey with Turkish apricots and craisins... it was a nice flavor change.

Snack

Snack Stick for breakfast smoked to perfection

Auction Day

Great day at the auction I got a Harison Sprayer its metal with a full brass sprayer handle for 3 bucks .. 40 Ball Jars no chips in like new condition for 20 bucks 40 feet of chicken wire and 5 tomato supports for 2 bucks and BEST OF ALL .. I got that 70 gallon stock tank ! I had to goto 45 bucks but it was worth it. Its the black Rubbermaid one so thats HALF Price !

Today I make beef sticks !

I also got an Allis Chalmers Crome name plate and a slow moving vehicle sign for the ManFort. But those are bonus parts

RAIN !!

! hope this rain fills the lakes .. I know it wont be enough but Im so happy to see it.

Oranges WOW

May I suggest you add dried oranges to your yogurt? The taste with the tangy yogurt is unreal and they hydrate back up YUMMO. I finished last night the first gallon of yogurt in the goliath dryer. The Cullturelle I added really changes the texture and color. The yogurt is bright white and super thick! Like cream cheese thick. It is wonderful..
The new bread maker is working out really well the long loafs are nicer. We have been using the meat slicer to cut the bread makes slicing a snap.

David and Goliath

OK .. well then.

The larger dehydrator came .. 9 trays instead of 4 .. I thought maybe it was just going to be 5 more trays ? NO .. its gigantic it would swallow my other one whole and again yet one more. The trays are also larger. I put a bowl containing a GALLON of yogurt in and I think it would have held a 3 gallon container .. wow.

Not sure i wanna sell the other one now .. yikes ..

Thinking outloud

There is a lot of planning and work to get this process working. In reality being simpler is actually harder. Initially there was how do you do it and what will we need to get phase. So there was conversation.
Then came the I can’t believe we just did it horary for us phase. So there was more conversation.
Next came the get your process working and set up your flow so you work smarter not harder phase. So there was more conversation.
We now are making our sausages—breakfast, dinner, brats, summer sausage, jerky and grinding seasoned pork bullets for spaghetti and or HOT DISH. So there is conversation on how to divvy it up.
We make our own granola and yogurt. We dehydrate foods we find on sale. We bake our own bread and 90% of the meals are from “Home Made”. So there is much planning and conversation surrounding food shopping.

There is talking about a garden … what kind of garden… what to plant… where to plant. … talk talk talk talk

There is an awaking in about the things you can buy in the store that are horrible but save more time.. save more time so you can … well I’m not sure? work more to afford them … this is weeks of talking

Seems your to busy talking, working ,planning or enjoying the success of your efforts to fight or become distant.

I wonder if that’s the holds true for being a Christian. If your busy living like one there is not time to argue about it.

Things are good and getting better.. I don’t ever wanna go back

The Blue Ski

Rescued from obscurity at my local “Vintage Decorations Shop” was the wonderful blue ski. It looked to be cutting edge and had FREESTYLE boldly branded across the bottom. It’s my belief that this ski was destined for a life of adventure on the slopes of the world.


When it was created it dreamed of hooking up with some young daring trickster and doing 360 double cork screws while floating effortlessly across the sunny blue and white slopes of Jackson Hole. This ski was made to take on the world and have groups of girl’s ohhh and ahhh at its abilities. How did it end up here, exiled from its purpose?

So many of us never got to adventure the way we hoped to. So many of us know others who were destined to see things they never got to see or do.

Here is to you blue ski. Let’s take you out and show you the things you never got to see.

Follow its journey on FB

The Blue Ski

More ManFort Math

Having given up true suburban 21st century living I am accustom too ……….
I started at 5:30 am .. Strained the yogurt this morning and added the raisins and dried oranges to the home make honey almond granola and packed up 6 tub’s of yogurt breakfast. . so let’s see ManFort Math time … one gallon of whole milk makes me 12 jars of yogurt so that’s 19 cents per jar for the yogurt.
I have about a week’s worth of granola. That works out to about 53 cents per container .. so my half cup of yogurt granola breakfast is 72 cents .. hmm that’s about 5 bucks for 7 days of breakfasts .. or .. 1 trip to McDonalds. (YUM YUM but BAD BAD)
I also control exactly what goes in it this concoction. I also have no added sugars or preservatives and since I use yogurt from the previous batch I made where I introduced the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Bacteria Strain its even more super healthy that it started out. Lactobacillus GG is one of the most effective most studied strains of good gut bacteria at balancing out the causes of gas, bloating and stomach upset. It’s a bit more complicated than that but with better digestion, your immune system is stronger and ready to fend off bad bacteria. In essence it will strengthen the immune system and boost your immune response.
For lunch for the next three days we will have Lentil soup. The soup has carrots an onion and a bag of lentils so it cost about 2.63 cents for the stock pot full .. Im not counting the pork and or pork stock since it came from the bones left over from sausage making I saved instead of throwing out. Let’s see more ManFort math then… I got 6 bags of soup not including the soup I had yesterday .. that’s 44 cents a bag.
So for breakfast and lunch today I will have spent 1.16 cents ? huh .. prior to this
….The Greek Yogurt with Gourmet Granola would have been 3 bucks and the soup would have been 2.50 I would have had a cup of coffee .. 1.50 and a pop with the soup so 1.35 that adds up to 8.35 cents ? So I saved 7.19 cents. That will be my first three days of the week so .. I could actually be saving 22.00. Id count the two pieces of HERB AND GARLIC BUTTER BREAD but since Julie makes the bread and it’s about a buck a 2 pound loaf ?
I know I know some people don’t eat breakfast or lunch every day .. instead they have a couple snacks .. maybe a candy bar or a bag of chips and a big dinner but that’s why it’s called ManFort math
Gosh No Wonder I have extra cash lately

Wow .. what a rollercoster ..

Best to keep it simple otherwise Im sure a lightning bolt will crash down

Made Granola .. I did NOT add OIL .. instead I added Whey .. the result is that it is a bit chewy. It is not crunchy or as crsip as it has been however it is very tastey and should fill the bill pretty well

 Um .. I dehdrated oranges to place in the granola along with the rasins. I sliced it very thin so it dried really fast and should give a nice punch to the yogurt.

Today Julie broke out the pork bones and made lentil soup .. not sure what was in it. I know tomatoes and pork .. 6 left over bags so three days worth of lunch

Ill wait to speak on the rest... perhaps a nights rest is in order.. engage brain .. then mouth

well .. God just handed me my ass again

Long story short I have AS long story short Im in pain every day .. every day. A good day on the pain scale is a two a bad day is a 9 and Ive seen some 10's or crippling pain. Im 44 I got it when I was 21.  Ive had everything lost everything Ive been hospitalized on a death bed. Ive lost a child in reality I could go on and on.

Over the last couple months im an 8 on the pain scale everyday. It comes to a point with pain where it isn't so much about the pain as it is the anticipation of the pain that's where I am lately. It's been taxing. Work has been a bit taxing as well since I'm intimately involved in one of the largest bank mergers ever. My wife and I have been crabbing at each other and today more crappy news in the wake of some recent fortune. I snapped. I was wrong

About 4 PM I railed out against my God. I told him I believed, I told him my faith would not falter but I wanted to know in no uncertain terms what the bleep the bleeping deal was and why my lord why me rolled off my tongue. I also did that publicly how embarrassing.

I got in my car and went to a tobacco shop for some pipe tobacco. Ive never done that before. Standing and staring at the cases of goodies the store owner came over and said he was sorry for my pain. He asked if I has AS because well ... he did to.  We began to talk and finished each others sentences with the glee of finding someone in life you knew understood what it was to live like this etc etc.

As I was concluding the purchase another man jumped in. He wasn't very well spoken or put together and pretty rough around the edges. He was a man who had led a hard life. He had been in car accident.and talked about his pain. I could see the sorrow in him but he seemed to be very peaceful. He then proceeded to tell me about his recent conversion to Christ.  How God had saved  him and he how he was on his way to bible study and I could come if I wanted.

KNOCK KNOCK .. I'm an idiot .

Neither of these personal topics are common conversations you have out of the blue in tobacco store with people you don't know on a Thursday afternoon. Obviously my God was letting me know I wasn't alone.

This happens to me every now and then and I have some pretty funny stories about God punching me in the head.

There before the grace of God go I.

Anyway welcome to a glimpse of my private wierd world.

Spring

40 again today .. this is the year spring will happen in march and plants will be bearing fruits in May. Unless we have the state basketball tourney .. then all bets are off ,,,

Anyway I have purchased an old pipe for the ManFort Room .. now i look .. um .. ManForty ?

Mom called... Kelly is a cute little girl

We got mom a bread maker and were fortunate enough to have a lovely young lady drop off supplies PRIOR to the breadmaker arriving. She was thrilled thought Kelly was wonderful and thanks all of you for her gift. She says she will stay home tomorrow and wait for it to arrive LOL .. I hope she likes it and makes tons of raisin bread

Thanks everyone

Dogs win

Well its official we make more whey then we can eat so the dogs are gonna get biscuits. I added the whey into some flour with a bit of beef broth. The perfect dog treat ? perhaps not but if the dogs get excited and I can give them whey protein and whole wheat well then its at least as healthy as bulk by the pound stuff.

So if I made the whey and the broth and recycled it into something nice for my puppies .. Im counting this and an independence day.

 

Growing a bit as a person

Whew, pretty good day. Gathered the family together along with a new old friend and sent mom a bread maker I think she will be happy and I got to share the joy with others …

That’s new for me, sharing. I kind of like it. It’s not just about giving credit to others its actually allowing them to be physically and monetarily involved. Giving away credit to someone else was always easy but letting them help .. not so much. I think I grew some today.

Well like the song says “it’s time to win some or learn some.”

Today I got a raise wow.

Today it was yogurt without granola poop. I talked to Lisa E and she was talking about drying oranges ..I bet that would be good in yogurt.

Last night I cracked the seal on our 3rd batch of sauerkraut. This batch was the same recipe except I used only white cabbage and I added purified water to get the juice level really high. It was very good and a bit sweet actually. I gave a jar away to a coworker.

Upgrade

Lisa will be taking my dehydrator. It seems she likes the yogurt to much to part with it.  I will upgrade to the Excalibur 3900 and it will only cost 69 dollars. That means double plus on the capacity and I can do a gallon of yogurt at a time.

Who can suggest a good over the counter Probiotic Brand? I understand there is something called Culturelle?

Back to work.

Saturday came quickly and Julie was sick. The last night in the fish house was a bit chilly. Saturday came along with this agonizing pain I cannot shake. I was able to clean out the junk drawers and fix the cupboard doors. With Zach’s help I was also able to do the cupboards above the refrigerator and stove. Turns out I have 6 decks of playing cards and 5 pairs of sun glasses. It was a big junk drawer. I filled one more tub with excess and put it in the garage sale pile.
Saturday night I was able to take a friend and his son fishing. What could be better than that?

Sunday was take the ice house of the lake day. The 4x4s were frozen into the ice so we had to remove them with a sledge and a hatched. Once that was done the casters went on the house and we loaded it onto the trailer ... arrival to storing the trailer ... 5 hours thank goodness it was nice out

Thank goodness Zach made the yogurt.

I guess you Just Do It

Sometimes I think about purpose. I must be here for a reason. I was talking to a person just today about how they learned things. They learned by doing personally I learn visually some like and instruction manual.
I wonder if that’s how God talks to folks. You have your Gospels written by a blue collar guy and an educated guy a soldier... and each one says mostly the same thing story wise but what a difference in how the story is told. Some details added some details left out.
I had another conversation about talking to others about faith and or God I guess and I came to the occlusion it’s not about the result. That is to say it’s not about a miracle conversion or a wow moment but more about just talking about it. God will be in the conversation and the person will hear what he or she is supposed to hear. Like it the matrixes when Morpheus says you heard what you were suppose to hear.
I think I’ll have more respect for the long haired save the world guy on the downtown street next time. Maybe God is reaching out to just one person so they can hear what they need to hear at that time in their lives...
I dunno ... Simple is always better... enough is a feast.

Whey Bread and Meds

I’ve gone from every other day on the Effexor to now two complete days off... I’m pretty woggle... its like being drunk without the fun part its nasty but far less than the last time I tried I’m actually functional this time. I’m going to make it I think. Relief. I’ve begun to notice the subtle differences mostly in my drive and focus.
We used the whey to make a loaf of onion garlic bread. I woke up in the middle of the night wow was that strong garlic yikes... anyway the loaf was dense and did not rise as much but I thought it was very tasty.
Last night was some kind of spaghetti bake spaghetti noodles in a lasagna pan... it was very good but only 4 for dinner. I was able to vacuum pack 6 packs for lunches. Lunch will be very good.
Cody is on day 2 of his new chore schedule. Complaining increased and Julie is still trying to help him. Still there is great progress. He helped make the new sauerkraut as well last night. A personal victory

Kicking Meds

I think I have finally kicked the Effexor … Good god may I suggest none of you ever take that med. I still can’t believe the doctor put me on that. I can feel the focus coming back I can feel the grit of the world ... Now I guess we will see what we see.
On top of the rest of the pile of crap  ... I also have the HLB-27 Gene. In reading in my Probiotics books this was the first gene successfully transmitted to mice for research. The infected mice showed red and swollen joints. Studies showed that antibiotics did place this condition into remission but the Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG kept this swelling in remission.
My new regiment will be the tart cherrys and the Lactobacillus .... lets see what that does.

Whew .. OK where were we ?

Oh yeah.. Enough is a feast... Monday was Julie’s birthday so she got a shelf added to her front window. She has proceeded to plant Morning Glory in each pot. The 8 foot vines will cover the window we think and provide some shade. I just hope it cools the kitchen down some. I have always hated the idea of a shade there so I hope this is the solution.

I also took the opportunity to purchase some storage tubs while at Menards. We have begun to empty the cupboards keeping only the things we will be using often the rest will hit the garage sale in the spring. We have had some excess over the last few years and if you can find the house you will want to attend this one it will be quit a sale.

Cub had round steak on sale!! Jerky Jerky Jerky ... Most of it was attacked first off but I was able to defend my post and managed to pack up 5 3oz bags for personal hoarding. I guess I make good jerky if the youngest loves it.
Of the 5 pounds of sauerkraut I just fermented I have one quart left. I’m still trying to figure out where it went. I know it was very popular due to the garlic and peppers but wow... I want some. Of all things however seeing Julie put red cabbage juice in her martini to make it dirty was the greatest. I guess she liked it.
I had my first drink of Whey yesterday. It really had not a lot of taste and was a bit tart. Full of protein and good gut stuff I will be saving it to make bread and smoothies from now on.
Julie got a fruit thingy from mom for her birthday. The entire workplace squealed with delight