Saturday, November 21, 2009
Vacation, Day 1
We're in Ardmore, OK, currently. We'll wake up early tomorrow and head to Turner Falls, which should be beautiful. Hope it's not too cold!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Composting Game
Well the leaves are starting to fall "in force." My favorite game of "ask strangers for their [insert composting material]" strikes again.
I got a 55 gallon trash bag full of leaves. Woo hoo!
I got a 55 gallon trash bag full of leaves. Woo hoo!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
I give it a 7.5
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| From Blog Photos |
By the way, I forgot to take my own picture of the finished cornbread, so I just picked one online that looks remarkably like mine.
Here is the recipe
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
BANG!
Sorry I've been away for a few days. This is why:
For 2 years I haven't been able to harvest a deer, and this year, I was ready. Didn't see anything Saturday morning (except a couple doe) but that evening, I feverishly watched the road near the stand. A quick glance to the field and back, and the deer was standing right there.
I hastily grabbed the gun and swung it out the window. The deer noticed. No time to care or worry, though. By instinct I put the crosshairs right behind the shoulder, and squeezed the trigger. The rest is history.
12 points; by far, the biggest I've ever seen in person.
Over 160 lbs. field dressed.
18.5" inside spread
BOTH ears notched
The base of the antlers are so large in diameter, I cannot close my hand around them fully.
Needless to say, I am stoked. I'm having it mounted, and just like my grandfather's big buck, I hope to still have it to remember these memories 35 years later.
Goodnight all, thanks for checking in.
 |
| From Hunting |
For 2 years I haven't been able to harvest a deer, and this year, I was ready. Didn't see anything Saturday morning (except a couple doe) but that evening, I feverishly watched the road near the stand. A quick glance to the field and back, and the deer was standing right there.
I hastily grabbed the gun and swung it out the window. The deer noticed. No time to care or worry, though. By instinct I put the crosshairs right behind the shoulder, and squeezed the trigger. The rest is history.
12 points; by far, the biggest I've ever seen in person.
Over 160 lbs. field dressed.
18.5" inside spread
BOTH ears notched
The base of the antlers are so large in diameter, I cannot close my hand around them fully.
Needless to say, I am stoked. I'm having it mounted, and just like my grandfather's big buck, I hope to still have it to remember these memories 35 years later.
Goodnight all, thanks for checking in.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What a Day
I made my first homemade bread. The taste was impeccable, if I say so myself.
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| From Blog Photos |
Last:
17 hours and 46 minutes....
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
45 hours
In 45 hours, the weekend starts.
But this isn't just any weekend, it's symbolic to me, in a sense. It's the first weekend (opening day) of hunting season. It's a time of the year when I spend more time with family, celebrating birthdays, holidays, or just cold days.
It's a time when everyone just seems to become friendlier - wishing people "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas." I cannot wait.
Now, on to the good stuff. I got a recipe out of the only Mother Earth News magazine I have, for a plain-jane artisan bread. It's been rising for nearly 2 hours, so it's getting close to being done. I can't wait. Here's a few pics:
My wife said "why does it smell like beer?" lol
Thanks for stopping by!
But this isn't just any weekend, it's symbolic to me, in a sense. It's the first weekend (opening day) of hunting season. It's a time of the year when I spend more time with family, celebrating birthdays, holidays, or just cold days.
It's a time when everyone just seems to become friendlier - wishing people "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas." I cannot wait.
Now, on to the good stuff. I got a recipe out of the only Mother Earth News magazine I have, for a plain-jane artisan bread. It's been rising for nearly 2 hours, so it's getting close to being done. I can't wait. Here's a few pics:
My wife said "why does it smell like beer?" lol
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Dangit!
Do not put eggs in your compost bin.
Not much to say today. I just know if I start missing days, I'll never be back. Good night all, and have a pleasant Wednesday.
Not much to say today. I just know if I start missing days, I'll never be back. Good night all, and have a pleasant Wednesday.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hamburgers in the Dark
Barefoot, outside, in the cold. I love it.
Of course, it's only 67 degrees out. A wonderful temperature here in Texas. On Sunday, I decided we would have hamburgers tonight. I did not take into account it would be dark outside, thanks to Daylight Savings Time. Thank goodness there is a full moon looking down on my BBQ.
So, let me formally introduce myself and my situation. My name is Stephen, and my wife's name is Katie. We have two "children" - our dogs Sparky & Jenny, both of whom are Boston Terriers.
We live in the Metroplex (or Metromess, if you prefer) in a suburb between Dallas and Ft. Worth, and south of Arlington. The reason we moved to this particular house was because of many factors, but the main one was the lot size.
Now, before I tell you what the lot size is, you have to promise not to laugh afterwards :)
Our lot is 1/3 of an acre, situated on the edge of a subdivision. On three sides of us are 55 acres, 18 acres, and about 15 acres. As my grandpa said during our search for a house with a lot of land (and near our jobs, and in a good school district, and being a "new" house, and 100 other requirements we held our search to)... "the reason land is so expensive now is, they're just not making it like they used to." We had so many requirements that it eliminated a LOT of properties. That is nothing against the house we're in - it is absolutely perfect, minus being in an HOA. That's another story I'll get to later...
So, what to do with all this land? Well that's why you're here. Whether it be gardening, composting, or heck, breaking the HOA rules and doing some other "homesteading" duties, we'll see as the years go on.
Well, the burgers are done, so that's a wrap for me. Thanks for checking in.
Of course, it's only 67 degrees out. A wonderful temperature here in Texas. On Sunday, I decided we would have hamburgers tonight. I did not take into account it would be dark outside, thanks to Daylight Savings Time. Thank goodness there is a full moon looking down on my BBQ.
So, let me formally introduce myself and my situation. My name is Stephen, and my wife's name is Katie. We have two "children" - our dogs Sparky & Jenny, both of whom are Boston Terriers.
We live in the Metroplex (or Metromess, if you prefer) in a suburb between Dallas and Ft. Worth, and south of Arlington. The reason we moved to this particular house was because of many factors, but the main one was the lot size.
Now, before I tell you what the lot size is, you have to promise not to laugh afterwards :)
Our lot is 1/3 of an acre, situated on the edge of a subdivision. On three sides of us are 55 acres, 18 acres, and about 15 acres. As my grandpa said during our search for a house with a lot of land (and near our jobs, and in a good school district, and being a "new" house, and 100 other requirements we held our search to)... "the reason land is so expensive now is, they're just not making it like they used to." We had so many requirements that it eliminated a LOT of properties. That is nothing against the house we're in - it is absolutely perfect, minus being in an HOA. That's another story I'll get to later...
So, what to do with all this land? Well that's why you're here. Whether it be gardening, composting, or heck, breaking the HOA rules and doing some other "homesteading" duties, we'll see as the years go on.
Well, the burgers are done, so that's a wrap for me. Thanks for checking in.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
How to look crazy, steps 1 and 2
So the other day, I was driving home and I called my sister
"Hey, I have a strange question"
sis: "umm, okay, what is it?"
"You know how you have a rabbit you're raising for FFA?"
sis: "yea?"
"Can I have it's poop?"
...silence...
sis: "what!?!???"
"It's for my compost pile!"
lol, so that was one strange conversation. Then, I got off the phone, and pulled into my driveway. Across the street, the house that is still empty had a crew working on the landscaping. I hesitated for a sec, then ran across the street. I asked him if he was just going to throw that grass away. He looked at me like I was insane for a minute, and said yes. I asked him if I could keep a bag of it. Now he was SURE I was certifiably insane...but, he said sure. I grabbed it (WOW that was a heavy bag) and ran back across the street.
^^ above is a post, shortened a tad, I made on the CAF Locals website. ^^
So here are a few pics of my recycle bin area. I got inspired from a TV show about a couple who recycles a lot of stuff they have laying around, and turns it into useful things. I thought I would try the same, so here's what I've got.
Compost bin - a large tub which originally contained grain or minerals for cattle. Got it for free from my grandpa.
Rotation bar - I was throwing out an old broken lamp, when it occured to me it was really just a bunch of pieces screwed together. I have turned that lamp into about 4 things now.
Frame - Just some spare wood pieces I had from random projects.
So far we have composted the following items from around the house.
Bell Peppers
Bananas
Shredded newspaper
Dryer lint
Grass clippings
Rabbit droppings
Eggshells
Bread
Napkins
Doing this not only helps out your garden, but helps get rid of a lot of other stuff that normally just gets thrown in the trash. Save a few trash bags a year!
Thanks for checking out the blog.
"Hey, I have a strange question"
sis: "umm, okay, what is it?"
"You know how you have a rabbit you're raising for FFA?"
sis: "yea?"
"Can I have it's poop?"
...silence...
sis: "what!?!???"
"It's for my compost pile!"
lol, so that was one strange conversation. Then, I got off the phone, and pulled into my driveway. Across the street, the house that is still empty had a crew working on the landscaping. I hesitated for a sec, then ran across the street. I asked him if he was just going to throw that grass away. He looked at me like I was insane for a minute, and said yes. I asked him if I could keep a bag of it. Now he was SURE I was certifiably insane...but, he said sure. I grabbed it (WOW that was a heavy bag) and ran back across the street.
^^ above is a post, shortened a tad, I made on the CAF Locals website. ^^
So here are a few pics of my recycle bin area. I got inspired from a TV show about a couple who recycles a lot of stuff they have laying around, and turns it into useful things. I thought I would try the same, so here's what I've got.
Compost bin - a large tub which originally contained grain or minerals for cattle. Got it for free from my grandpa.
Rotation bar - I was throwing out an old broken lamp, when it occured to me it was really just a bunch of pieces screwed together. I have turned that lamp into about 4 things now.
Frame - Just some spare wood pieces I had from random projects.
 |
| From Blog Photos |
 |
| From Blog Photos |
So far we have composted the following items from around the house.
Bell Peppers
Bananas
Shredded newspaper
Dryer lint
Grass clippings
Rabbit droppings
Eggshells
Bread
Napkins
Doing this not only helps out your garden, but helps get rid of a lot of other stuff that normally just gets thrown in the trash. Save a few trash bags a year!
Thanks for checking out the blog.
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