Daily observations of my simple life.

Off On A Journey:

Tomorrow, I'm leaving on a journey to Texas. I'll be meeting two ladies I have corresponded with via e mail groups.  I'm also going to look at land .

I'll have more to say when I get back.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 03:50 | link | comments

Desert Marigolds:

When I moved to Arizona from California I was taken with the beauty of the desert marigold. With beautiful silver green curly leaves almost like dusty miller they put for an abundance of the bright golden daisy blossoms. Sadly I had no desert marigolds on my property and I looked longingly at others gardens where they grew.

On my evening walks I began plucking spent blossoms full of seed and carrying them home to scatter. I now have a number of these beautiful plants growing on my property. The last two evenings I have filled my hand with these seeds to carry home and continue to spread the seed here and there.

I am amazed that as dry as it is there is new grass and young greens popping out of the ground. I believe it's like 112 days without rain, yet these couragous plants poke their heads through and thrive. Not like last year when I was out cutting the fileree with scizzors to feed the horses. They were thick and about a foot high. This year they are tiny little thrifty plants.

 

Posted by: cactusandquail at 17:43 | link | comments

Seasons of a Navajo:

Last night I watched a  tv show. A show called, "Seasons Of A Navajo".

In a beautiful setting the Navajo people in the film lived mostly outdoors and from the earth. They made flat bread on a barrel stove, sat under trees and did weaving. The boys herded the sheep and they all planted and harvested the corn. There shelters were rustic and simple and there lives were filled with respect for all life, and the earth. They had an outdoor firepit and an indoor place to eat. Most of their activities were outdoors.  I have always been drawn to a life like that . It's a life that takes a community.

This Spring I'm going to put four peeler posts in and put up my screen house out by the wash where I can see no houses. I will put in a firepit and fix roll up blankets for the sides. I will put in a desk and a couch and sleep there sometimes. Yes. I will read and write and bead and cook over the fire, like the seasons of a Navajo. 

Posted by: cactusandquail at 17:30 | link | comments (4)

Grumpy Old Lady:

That's the way I felt most of the day. Can't say why, maybe it was getting home from a few errands yesterday and looking up from my front gate to see another old trailer maring my view of open desert and the mountains. Yup, there it sits back windows looking out at my back porch. Last summer I was so happy to have my new back porch, I could sit out and look across the desert undesturbed at the mountains. Then my neighbors put an old trailer right in the view line. Now there's another one. Sigh. I'm guessing because of the rising prices they plan on selling the front property and moving into the two back properties. That means all their other junk will go with them. Guess I'm going to have to get busy and plant a mini forest to protect my privacy. I am a private person and now if and when they move in they will be looking right out at me wherever I am on my property except in my front yard.

My dog and I took a long walk yesterday evening and that calmed me but I found myself feeling agitated this morning. Still I planted a new salad garden, swept the back porch, and cleaned the horse corral. I took another long walk this afternoon and reminded myself I still have lots of open space to hike in.  Development is like a progressive desease, even though you still feel healthy you know it's only a matter of time before it spreads and we'll all be suffering from the terrible side effects. Traffic, crime, smog, congested living, loss of views, and privacy.

My poor dog, when I'm in a bad mood she tries to cheer me up by wagging her tail which just annoys me. Chuckle.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 00:38 | link | comments

Pumpkin Bread:

There has been a request for my pumpkin bread recipe. Before I give it I want to make some explaination of my taste. Some people may not like my recipe because it is not sweet and salty in the usual way. I have always been a whole wheat healthy type cook so my recipe is based on those kinds of ingredients. My recipe is not one of those perfect recipes in the since it has a real standard recipe base.

This is how I make it.

In a large bowl I put two 1 cup scoops of wholewheat flour, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/4 cup of soy flour, 1/4 cup of wheat germ, one 1 cup scoop of powdered milk, 1&1/2 TBS of baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda. Stir this all up good. Then add 1 handful each of dried cherries, dried cranberries, white raisens, and chopped apricots. Then add 1/2  - 1 cup of coursely chopped walnuts. Stir these all up so it's well mixed.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a quart measuring cup put 1/2 of a 29 0z can of pumpkin, 4 eggs, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 TBS of molasses, and water. I think about 1 cup. Beat well so it is well mixed and then stir into the dry mix. I adjust the water as needed after the flour is all mixed in good. The dough should be just slightly drier than muffin mix. Oil with olive oil , and flour lightly a large loaf pan. Dump the mix in , smooth out the top and push into corners and bake for at least an hour. Make sure it's done clear through and remove from pan while still warm. Cut down sides and gently lift loaf so it comes free and then turn upside down and jiggle gently. Let cool and then enjoy toasted with cream cheese or buttered with jelly or whatever pleases you.

I usually go to Trader Joes about twice a year and stock up on nuts and dried fruits.  I also get their mosturizing lotion. It's a take off of a very expensive herbal lotion but much less expensive. These shopping ventures cost me about $75. - $100. and keeps me well supplied with these staples. I try to buy pumpkin when it's on sale. I'm hoping to grow my own this year.

A loaf lasts me about a week as I usually have a nice slice once a day and once in a while I'll have two slices a day.  I don't use much other kind of bread. I read a book last year about the healthiest foods and pumpkin was on the list.

I also love steamed sweet potato. I just slice a long slim sweet potato in about one inch slices with the skin on. I have an insert that I put in my pan. I put water in the bottom of the pan and the insert with holes in it on top. Put your sweet potato slices in, cover and turn on the heat. Steam till they're tender. Once steamed it is easy to remove the skin. I love these hot or cold for a sweet treat.  I never buy sugar. My sweets are fruits, and sweet potato, a little molasses.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 16:57 | link | comments (2)

Hens and Things:

I have two silkie hens left from my chicks I ordered last Spring. A little black silkie hen and a darling fluffy legged white one. Silkies are setting machines, but the little black hen doesn't seem that smart. In the fall they finally hatched out 10 chicks of which I still have nine. It took almost 6 weeks and I had to help by putting eggs in the incubator. Hens kept laying eggs under the hens so it just kept on and on. The white one is much smarter. She begins sitting on the black ones nest just about when it's time to hatch, then she takes charge of the chicks.  Last month the black started setting again . I decided I wasn't going to help, whatever happened happened. So she keeps kicking some eggs out of the nest, they get cold and then of course they won't hatch. Whenever the black hen needed to take a break the white one would go in and sit on the nest. Now the last couple days the white one is also on the nest full time. She was looking kind of maternal this morning so I'm wondering if there's not a chick under her.

I love the silkie breed they are so family oriented, they help each other.  The little roosters will take over the chicks once they are feathered out, about 6 weeks. That way the hens can start setting again.

Yesterday, I found another hen in the garage setting. It was an egg stash I knew about and always took some of the eggs but left some. Now I have been stashing fresh eggs under her. Problem is she's way up high on a shelf. I'll have to move her when it gets time for the chicks to hatch or they'll fall off. For now I'll leave her be. She's setting on a picnic basket. Very cute.

My first hatch has mostly roosters, I think. I can only see maybe three young hens at most. Problem is they are all different and it will be hard to decide which roosters to keep. Later, I'll decide.

This weekend I made my pumpkin bread again. I love it toasted and it's a quick bread, full of dried fruit and nuts, healthy and yummy.

There was such a strong wind yesterday I couldn't go out without being blown away. Feather and Sage ran around as did the peacocks. It makes them excited.

I watched Oprah's show on the avian flu awhile back. After the show I decided the best I could do was feed the chickens sour kraut everyday.I've read on several reports that chickens fed sour kraut don't get it. Oprah's guest said the fear is not great unless it goes from human to human. In that case we're on our own and should have 18 months of food and water stockpiled, plus gloves and masks for the duration. That said, I'm not going to get excited about the probability.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 19:09 | link | comments (4)

Lenny and Vivian:

It's been almost two years ago in the Spring when I went to the swap meet and there was a man with chickens and genuea fowl. I bought a couple hens and a pair of genuea's, male and female. I had never owned genuea's before. Once home they stuck around for  a few weeks. They enjoyed each others company and talked softly to each other all day long. Then one day they disappeared. A day later Lenny the male returned without his lady. He was a lonely bird but a real comedian. He loved to play that he was running away , going across the fence and making his loud call so I would have to come after him. He'd chase the fat pidgeons that come and raid the chicken food and in general was the yard watchdog.

Finally one day this fall I traveled up into the mountains to a beautiful isolated ranch owned by a lady named Georgia. I knew she had peacocks and I wanted to replace Carlos. Once there I decided to get a lady genuea fowl instead, for Lenny.

I chose a beautifully polka dotted purplish lady and placed her in the carrier for the long trip home. Why would I travel so far? Because I love the country and it was a wonderful outing. This ranch is set against the mountains in prestine desert. Georgia bought it years back for $20 thousand, 40 acres. She raises cactus, peafowl and genuea fowl plus goats and also does some real estate on the side. That's how I met her, she was selling some property she had bought and wanted to sell.  Her place has the character of an old western village, sort of. She said that she had just had a talk with her children about estate planning because now her little ranch is approaching the million dollar value with the area being discovered and bought up.

Once the lady genuea was home I caged her in the barnyard for a few days so she could get adjusted. Lenny was soft talk and joy. Finally I released her and Lenny took charge. She rejected him at first but now they are inseparable, except at night.  I spent many a day walking the two home as she wanted to wander and it was on one of those walks home that the name Vivian popped in my head and the names stuck.

It is a true love story. Lenny perches on the barn at night as the yard guard but Vivian prefers the chicken house. as her roost.  Every night Lenny reluctantly says good night at the chicken house door . I have even seen them beak to beak, kissing goodnight. Lenny is restless in the  morning running back and forth in front of the chicken house door until I come out to let Vivian out. If I am a few minutes late he flies to the garage and begins his loud chatter. Obedient, I head on out to let out his lady love. What a dear couple.  

Posted by: cactusandquail at 17:08 | link | comments (2)

Martha Stewart?

I need to do a Martha Stewart and clean and organize my house and garage. January is over and I'm feeling the need to get in and clean out stuff, dust,  clean cobwebs and organize. It's so much easier to sit at the computer on the web doing stuff than doing what really needs to be done.

I'm making small progress on my new lifestyle and Doc says I need to do arobic exercise. Get that heart rate up, sweat a little. Sonora living said that taking a ballroom dancing class would improve your health and help you avoid alzheimers. Learning new patterns and socialization is all good. Now I've got Martha Stewart on and there's Richard Simmons promoting his new sweatin tape. Guess dancing is a good way to go. Do they have motime dances? How about motime Martha Stewart clean ups?

I'm also feeling like I would like to go out in the hills by myself and just hang out in nature for a few days. Makes me wonder why I have burdened myself with all the animals to care for. But--- I love my little ranch. I must begin my search for a nonintrusive, responsable person to live on grounds so I can go out and camp.

I belong to a group on Yahoo called "Dropout". It's people who aspire to find a lifestyle outside the system, no jobs, simple life, unhendered. I have some gypsy spirit in me, there are times I wish I could somehow crate up my chickens, load up my horse and burro and just travel around.

Today is a mixed bag of desires. What choices shall I make?

Posted by: cactusandquail at 18:30 | link | comments

Changing World Technology:

A web page was brought to my attention about a month ago.

http://www.changingworldtech.com.

This is an amazing new technology that can take waste, all kinds of waste and make diesel through a thermal conversion process. The waste included is human waste, agricultural waste, plastics, old tires, food wastes and more. Cruising around the web page gives a person an idea of what is planned and hoped for. Right now they have a plant open in Mo. that is taking turkey waste and making diesel.

This technology gives me hope as waste is a huge problem in today's world. Imagine the tugboats sitting off shore from New York City full of garbage being made into diesel .

Just wanted to pass that on. It is a privately owned company so can't invest in it at this time except through Conagra Foods which owns a percentage of the Mo plant. Seems like they are asking communities to bring the technology in to solve waste and fuel problems.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 03:22 | link | comments (2)