Stewards of the Earth and Future Goals

We have decided to try and reduce our carbon footprint.  My mother has been doing this for years and preaching how we can leave this earth a better place.

We are starting small... we have been looking for a calf or two to buy and raise to sell.  We don't even eat beef.  We agreed tonight not to buy a calf or add to the methane issue in our state.

We already try to eat local as much as possible but we will continue to eat vegetarian at least 3 days a week. That includes all meals. Someone at work rolled their eyes when I said this. He said all I have to do is go out my back door and this dinner.  Well, not quite, but I guess our message is partially getting through. (even though we could do this in an apartment too)

Turn off and unplug.  We usually do well not using much electricity and our bill proves it. But when winter really hits we heat the greenhouse and our chicken coop.  The coop, I may look into a small single solar panel to see if that would work.  I need to research how to warm the greenhouse in the winter without a heater.  I have read about adding compost piles in the corner of greenhouses to heat them. It will be an experiment worth trying.

Recycle - we will update you on this. We will recycle aluminum, food scrapes (we already do this) for the animals and the compost. Friends send me their old jeans to reuse and fabric that people don't use. Minimize our packaging. We put out a lot of trash for only two people. 

I do have quite a commute and last year changed my gas guzzling vehicle to a more efficient  vehicle which gets 44 gallons a mile and runs partially on battery.  I will stay more in town, especially during bad weather or traffic issues not to contribute to emissions.

Goal to plant more trees.  Now that we have our well and water issues resolved for now we can plant more trees.

I am lucky to married to someone who feels this is an urgent issue and we will work to do what we can in our little area of the world to help where we can to be "good stewards".

Like everything we post here we will have successes and fails but we will share what we learn along the way.  For every small change we make there is a potential for a big impact that we may never see. 

Faith- We haven't talked much about it here but on the homestead we are doing our best to hear the call of God.  We do go to mass and visit with our priest once a week.  We are slow and small but our faith keeps us going.

Taken from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops:

 "Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works."

---the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 198

Halloween fun, crafts and a couple quick recipes.

I woke up in the middle of the night and looked out the window. I thought the barn was on fire and smoking. I  went out to find it was just the fog rolling in very fast, almost like a mist.  Ah, autumn was definitely in the air.

After mass today family came over for the Sunday afternoon. 

It is time for our Halloween fun.  First we made a Halloween ring toss. I found a piece of plywood already cut so my son took it outside and spray painted. I got some glow-in-the-dark plastic knives at the Dollar Store, cut the skulls off the handle so they could stand up on the board. 

We used a large glue gun and some toothpicks to brace them on the board. 

We used a large embroidery hoop to toss over the knives. 

Next it was time for lunch. I took a can of Grands biscuits and snipped them with kitchen scissors , baked as directed and they came out looking like pumpkins. We put a nut in the center so it would have a stem. 

The we made Dump Chili. We call it that because you dump everything in .  First saute one chopped onion and three chopped garlic cloves. Remove from the pot. Brown a pound of hamburger and drain. Add back the onion, garlic and a packet of original chili spices. Add two cans of tomatoes, red beans, black beans and pintos -don't drain any. Add salt and pepper. Let it all heat through. Serve with jalapeno slices, cheddar cheese and sour cream. I'd have a picture but everyone ate it all. 

After lunch we made bean bags, filled with dried pintos for a bean bag toss.

We carved pumpkins and with that comes toasted pumpkin seeds. 

My daughter-in-law and I made what we call Spicy Drunken Pirate Pepitas.

In a pan we put a teaspoon of bacon fat, mini bottle (the travel size 50ml) of rum - it all cooks off, a tablespoon of brown sugar and a large pinch of sea salt.  Saute and stirred constantly for 15min. 

Then put on a cookie sheet, salt again and sprinkle with chili powder, put in a heated oven at 275* for an hour. 

The turn out crispy, sweet and salty. 

And all while my sister finished up another lap quilt. 

Time to clean up and a walk. Here's to a new week. 

peace

Saturday 10 - 29 -2016

It has been very dry here.  No rain, let alone any snow. We are used to snow on Halloween and kids needing to have a costume where they bundle up but not this year.  Our week coming up is scheduled to have high 60's and 70's. Colorado has no humidity.   We need rain.  Some crops are slow coming in due to the heat. 

We did get alot done.

The guys rototilled under the gardens and opened the fence up to the goats to come pick over the leftovers. 

The goats enjoyed themselves.

I was teaching my sister to make a log cabin quilt. She's really going after it. 

I wanted to start a red dress to kick around in. (Yes, my sewing/craft room is this messy!)

Midday we had to get out and get up for a walk. The dog came too. No matter how much we want to sit and sew all day we do need to stay fit too.

Tumbleweeds were every where. 

The guys went out to get a load of wood from someone who had a tree that was cut down by the power company. We always need alot of wood for the winter.  Winter will arrive before we know, just as we get used to this warm weather.

As the guys got the wood unloaded my sister completed a top to a lap quilt  and has started another.

We were in the house so long Mr Buttons came looking for us. 

Time with family is always good and you can never go wrong with everyone around and pitching in.

The day is closing and it's time for tea and a movie. 

Peace!

Stressful weekend

It was a long and stressful weekend.

1)The furnace died... okay, we can handle it we have a wood-stove.

2)The vacuum died...again, not a big deal. We have wood and cork floors for a reason.  Use a broom.

3) Grand-kids came over - yay! Then had to go home due to an asthma attack - sadness.  Something you never want anyone to have happen to them.

4)Then the kicker - Dude fell hard and bruised his ribs, lungs and  dislocated his shoulder. He is in pain and it hurts to breathe.

I knew I was on my own with the homestead. At first I thought how the heck am I going to do this? Then I thought, I can and I will.  I couldn't sleep so I got up and... yep, you guessed it if you know me by now... I made a list.  I figured I wanted this life, I need to make it happen.  I needed to learn the feed schedule of all the animals and not just my hens and bees.  I needed to hook the hoses back up since it will be nice all week and water my strawberries, grapes and raspberries.  I don't want to lose them. Same with the trees.  We live in drought territory. I don't know how the homesteaders did it way back when and can't even fathom how they did it during the dust bowl.

It is always great to have like-minded friends and friends going through similar things.  I saw my friend Frankie in our little store in town, who gave me words of encouragement and love.  Thank you sister.  Also, to Adriana, a gem who took my shift without even asking on Monday, so I could focus. Wow. These things are priceless.

Dude came out with me and guided me while I hauled everything.  Yep, he wanted to help but I told him absolutely not.

Now need to balance the outside chores with the inside chores. Sunday I did laundry and changed beds until there was no more to do. I got all the laundry put away and bed made except one. It will get done.  Dinner will be zippy or in the crock-pot.

We had steak in the crock with onion soup mix, half a can of water and mushroom soup, with parsley potatoes and salad of cucumber, tomato, red onion, avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper and iceberg lettuce cut chunky style.

The next dinner will be spaghetti with Italian sausage and a salad. 

Saturday my stepson and brother-in-law will be here to help cut wood. Yay!

I am so thankful to God for the nice weather!

I did get the morning chores, worked in the greenhouse and made it to a crocheting group.  I am still learning alot. Here are some pictures from the group today. 

Marjorie is crocheting a tablecloth.  So pretty. 

Me? mine is a small pumpkin pie. I hope it turns out. 

 Motivation can really get a person moving... because then I had to go to my job in the city. 

Dude is resting and hopes to be moving more tomorrow. We are both determined. 

peace, health, and happiness