The Dash

I had the pleasure of camping recently at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty, Indiana.

I love their bike trail!

If you don't know about my OCD camping ways - have a gander at THIS (in fact, you may want to read it after you've read this rather morbid post-I have tears rolling down my cheeks from laughter after reading it - that's one of the things I love about blogging - going back and reading where I was a year ago)

I'm happy to report, that no citations were issued for excessive foil usage, and I didn't even notice too many messy towel violations.

I've discovered that Benadryl helps me sleep through any serial killer fears.

It was a good trip.

I even got to meet a blog friend!

M and I have been corresponding back and forth for about a year - I knew she didn't live too far from the campground and asked her if she'd like to stop by for a visit.

I'm so glad she said yes.

What a doll!

I absolutely love meeting you guys - and so does the BoyChild.

What a smile, eh?

What I found most profound about this camping trip, and I thought today was a good day to talk about it - since it was 9 years ago today that I was preparing for my own mother's funeral - was the fact that there's a cemetery smack down in this state park.

I'm just gonna say this -

I love cemeteries.

I love walking around and seeing the old headstones.

I like imagining their life's story.

I like figuring out how old they were when they passed.

I loved that Aaron was as into it as I was.

There was so much heartache in this cemetery.

Look at the ages of these children if you can -

And these - all from the same parents -

Leaving the cemetery I was struck by the fact that I haven't really experienced heartache.

Yes - I've lost my parents -

yes, I've lost friends and have had 'normal' heartaches -

but my heartaches seemed to pale in comparison to this poor woman who lost all of her children, three at birth.

I realized how incredibly blessed my life has been.

Relatively easy.

More joy than heartache - which perhaps has something to do with my perspective of things.

I didn't want to forget - so I took a cutting of this rose from the grave.

Why do I like cemeteries so much?

They remind me that there is an end.

They remind me that I'm alive now.

That's it's not too late.

It's not too late to change, it's not to late to make amends, it's not to late to speak a kind word, and show love to the people in your life.

If you are reading this blog, you've been given a great gift -

(no - not reading my drivel!)

You have breath in your nostrils.

You are alive.

You are living your " - ".

One day, there will be a date after that dash.

Jayme Goffin

1962 - ?

Make the most of your dash today.

It's not too late.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsY6UrFIsNs

Nuts Over the Squirrel

I'll call this your formal introduction to the Squirrel. I know I've touched on it here and there, but you've never seen the inside. It's difficult to take inside pictures, cause it's so dad gum small. Then there is the lighting issue....I've not figured out how to adjust the balance of light...so, hope you can see these ok.

This is the dining area. It folds down to sleep two like crayons in a box, or one comfortably.

This is on the way out of the camper, on the right is a storage closet that we have a microwave in, and store the food. The couch area that you see there actually pops up to bunk beds. Primordial dwarfs would be comfortable. Aaron does ok.

This is what you see when you first walk in the camper. It's a work in progress. I named the camper "The Happy Squirrel" after finding that picture of the squirrel drinking a cup of coffee online. The squirrel looked so happy, and I don't know, it was just one of those things that can't be explained why we named the camper 'The Squirrel". It gives me a good theme though. The name of the paint I used was called Seasoned Acorn. I think it was providential.

Here's another pic of the same area, you can see the floor and the fridge a little better. I wanted to be comfortable and have the conveniences of a fridge, microwave and toaster oven. I can crank out some tasty meals here between that and the grill.

I force The Squirrel on friends and family. I make people go in it even if they don't want to~ It's my playhouse. I honestly wouldn't care if we ever really took it anywhere or not. It's a lawn ornament!

Here another dark photo...it's of Aaron and his Math Tutor. Holly Keithley. She is an absolute gem. She is actually the one we bought the camper from! She was so excited to see how we'd fixed it up. Aaron and I often have school out in the camper. Friends come over and we sit and have a glass of wine. We call it Squirrel Therapy.

Here's a nifty little thing you can make for camping. Fire starters. I love these for so many reasons. The main reason is that they WORK. So easy to make a fire with these. The second reason is that they are made from garbage. The frugality of that really excites me!

You'll need:

Empty paper egg cartons, left over candle stubs and dryer lint.

Carefully melt the candle stubs on low heat while you divide your dryer lint equally.

After the wax is melted, pour a generous portion into each section.

Now just let that dry completely. Tear them apart. (sorry, no pic of that!). You just light the paper and boy does it take off. I keep mine in a Ziploc bag in my camping tote. They work so well! I'm going to make a few little flannel drawstring bags and put about 8 in each, and give them as little gifts to all my camping friends.

Til tomorrow....

A Blogging Bottleneck....

That is what I'm having. A bottleneck of blogging. It's not that I can't think of anything to write, it's that I'm thinking of TOO many things!!! Cooking, crafting, gardening, chickens, goofy things...I don't know where to stop or start.

I interrupt this blog to thank you readers that are here, and sticking with me while I learn how to do this. I'm not really a blogger, I just play one on the Internet.

I've never even introduced you to the new girls on the block. While Helen was recuperating, Anne (who has since been renamed to Fifi LaFew, because she seemed like a nervous French woman while she was alone....seriously, I imagined her in a beret, chain smoking and drinking strong coffee)...so Fifi, formerly known as Anne, needed company. I figured she was lonely. Chickens don't like to be alone. Soooooo....I got six more babies! Oh yes I did. Two Buff Orpingtons, two Black Australorps and two Rhode Island Reds. I'm in heaven. I've named one Mrs. Puffington, the others are still waiting on names. Wait...a moment of silence for our fallen fowl. Thankyouverymuch.

I never got to fully tell you about all my yard sale treasures. Those bowls? Oh yes. They are pink. And they are Pyrex. I got the set for $1.50. Don't hate, don't hate. I managed to get pictures of everything I bought that day, but did I post them? Of course not! The deal of the day that got away.....bless her heart, this lady kept me talking at her garage sale about her dead Chihuahua . I tried to be polite and look around even though there was nothing there to see. I have no idea why it MORTIFIES me to be perceived as rude. Where did that behavior come from? So I listened to her for a while talk about her little dog that was born half dead, and only managed to live for a couple of years all the while on shots and iv's or something. I'm sorry that I kept thinking "Lady, I'm sorry, but....there are deals to be had!'. Just keepin' it real here. Don't you know that the VERY next yard sale I get to, I witness a young man buying a TABLE FULL of antique cameras for $20. These are the cool cameras that Pottery Barn uses for decor. I can't even think about it now.....arrrgghhh.

I delivered the Strawberry Jam to the winner last night! Shorty was the winner and he was one happy camper. Of course I made him eat some right then and there for me. This is magical jam. It changed Shorty's life. He wins the jam, next day he gets a job. He was IN a jam, then WON some jam.....get it?

I guess I'll just spill the beans about Project D365NR. It stands for Dinner 365 days, No Repeats. We've been going for a week now. I'll be happy just to pass my four month record. There is no reason we can't make it this time! I'm determined! This was an Italian Potpie that I made. It was 'good'. Not type out the recipe blog worthy good. I'll let you know about those.

The family will be happy when I can get a better camera, and get good pictures right away so they can eat their food warm.

I had company stop by the Squirrel last week for a visit. This is the lovely Lisa. Love that girl. Haven't seen her in almost a year, and she up and tells me she's moving to Texas. She came by for some wine and long overdue conversation. She's talking to Donna on the other side of the Cramper, oh, about four feet away.....Don, I didn't post your pic, cause it wasn't too good of you. Oh ya, I got yer back baby.

This is a new little super cute girl I met this week. Her name is Dana and she works at Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell. I put her name on my Direct Deposit at work. All of my money will now go directly to her. She is helping me design my dream garden. I'll be blogging all the before and afters. I can't wait to see what we make together.

Sunday, we drove to the town of North Judson, Indiana. I publicly apologize to this town, because I've been badmouthing it since. But look, it does have a large ice cream cone sculpture, so it can't be all bad.

We took a ride on the historic Engine #765 for two hours through the countryside of Indiana. It pretty much looked like our backyard. It was fun though. I never realized what a lonesome sad sound those train whistles had when you are ON the train. I just imagined what it would have been like, years ago, on that train, leaving a loved one, sad, burning up, dressed in long black taffeta clothing. Good Lord it was stifling on that train. How DID the women do it back then??

Here's the keeper of the Coop Keeper. Glenco. :-)

I liked this old door for some reason.

Ye Olde Coop Keeper looking out the window. What is up with my hairdo?? This is right before I embarrassed the samhill out of myself on the train. All I can say is 'thankyoujesus' for open windows. I'd had a protein drink for breakfast. If you've not had one, you don't know about the gastric distress they can cause. Suffice it to say I probably could have powered the train. JUST before we got to the final destination, I just couldn't....I tried...I so couldn't...I was turning blue, and green....and well.....I waited until the whistle blew.............it was HORRID. I never put my head up again. No eye contact....let me off this train...................

What's that Helen? I shouldn't be telling such things on the Internet? I should go to bed now? Ohhhh...ok.

Night night.

Camping Recipes

The Long Awaited Recipes......

Yes. Those are canned biscuits. Don't hate. Aaron still hasn't forgiven me. I just wanted to make it a lil'bit easier this time. The sausage gravy recipe that I'm about to share is from a book called 'Cooking From Quilt Country' by Marcia Adams. It's an Amish cookbook. Many don't know, but it was all because of the Amish that I live in the house I do. I'll have to share that story sometime.....This is my favorite gravy. I make it the day before we go camping and then just reheat it.

Sausage Gravy

1 lb sage-flavored bulk sausage, as lean as possible

2 T finely chopped onion

6 T flour

1 quart milk

1/4 t. ground nutmeg, rounded

1/2 t. poultry seasoning, rounded

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Dash of Tabasco

Crumble the sausage into a large saucepan, and saute over medium-low heat, breaking the meat into small pieces while it cooks. Do not allow it to brown or get crisp. When meat is about three-quarters done, add the onion and cook until the onion is transparent.

Drain off all but 2 T of the meat drippings, you don't have to be too precise about this. Stir in the flour with a whisk and cook over medium low heat for six to seven minutes, or until the flour turns golden and bubbles up. Pour in the milk all at once. and add the seasonings. Cook and whisk until the mixture thickens. Place biscuit halves on each plate and top with sausage gravy.

Here is the recipe for Diva Don's great Italian Breakfast Strata. It's also a cook aheader and reheat. Hey, there are better things to do whilst camping than cook!

Italian Sausage, Bell Pepper and Fontina Breakfast Strata

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup finely grated Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch wide-strips
• 1 1-pound loaf rustic French bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 2 cups (loosely packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Whisk first 7 ingredients in large bowl; sprinkle generously with pepper. Set aside.
• Place sausage in large nonstick skillet; push to 1 side. Add bell pepper to other side of skillet. Sauté over high heat, breaking up sausage with fork, until sausage is cooked through and bell peppers are brown in spots, about 7 minutes.
• Arrange half of bread slices in prepared dish. Pour half of egg mixture over. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then half of sausage-pepper mixture. Repeat layering. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge. Bake strata until puffed and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

You'd think I'd have some pics of the food that actually came out of this ashpile! It looked and tasted pretty darn good. I made a chicken and rice casserole in the large dutch oven and a basic yeast bread in the small top one. It's been years since I'd seriously done any dutch oven cooking, and I felt it time to dust off ye olde pots and do it again. I'm getting into it again, and will cook in the backyard alot this summer like this. It's hot. It's dirty. Why would I do that with a perfectly good stove in an air-conditioned house? I dunno.

Here is the bread recipe that I made. I really doubted it at first, with just a quarter of a teaspoon of yeast, but it worked! It had a nice texture and taste. It has to rise for 18 hours, so plan accordingly! Please note that I did not preheat my dutch oven, nor did I let it sit for an hour after baking!

No Knead, Dutch Oven Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Why do I have a black chicken?? Find out, and hear all about the carnage on the next blog post from.....Tales from the Coop Keeper!!!

My Favorite Day Camping

I've got to preface this post saying I'm disappointed. Disappointed that the pics just do not 'capture' the feel I had that day, that, and the photos that I got from Donna are too small to post here. She's going to try to get me a larger file. OK...

The day started with a good hearty breakfast from the cooking Diva Donna. (Recipe to follow in next post). I actually slept pretty good in the Cramper. The showers were nice and warm and clean, and my coffee, well, my coffee...it always tastes better when camping, was delicious.

We decided to drive to town, because we'd see a couple little cute places on the way in. We found this place. It simply had a sign out in front "Rhubarb" We pulled in, and this little old man met us. He asked how much I wanted and then proceeded out to the field to get it. I don't know why, but to me it just doesn't get any better than that. There is something about little old people and gardens that just slays me.

He brought it up in the wheelbarrow and then his wife came out and helped him cut all the leaves off. They didn't seem to mind that I was taking pictures. I'm sure they thought I was crazy. I'm used to that.

I love this picture. So simple. So lovely. The lovely green leaves against the red wheelbarrow. There is so much beauty in the simplest of things. On they way out he asked if I'd like some asparagus that he'd picked that morning. I got 5#. It's the most tender, beautiful asparagus I've eaten. Makes me kick myself that I've never gotten a bed of it established here.

We stopped at a farmstand. It wasn't local produce, much too early for that, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and I did get a mighty tasty watermelon. The lady that ran the stand was from Spain, and had the most beautiful accent.

Misc. pic....My sister Cindy, Aaron's mother enjoying a darn good cup of Joe. Oh where is Aaron? Where are all the teenagers at anyway? Kayla? Aaron? Kyle?? Assshhhllley? Where are you? Sleeping in the popup? Ohhh, that is right. Only saw you at meal time!

Trailer Trash Dave. (Donna's husband) Serving us scrambled eggs.

Peeking at my bread rising in the camper. The recipe will be shared in the cooking post.

There was another vintage trailer at the park. This one is from 1965. The people that owned it were kind enough to let me in and tell me all that they've done to it to fix it up. I asked to take their pic, but they declined. I didn't think they'd appreciate me taking pics inside. They were quite friendly and told me a about a Yahoo group that is all about Vintage Trailers. They came by and admired The Squirrel.

That is one of the things I like about camping the most. Meeting different people. Hearing their stories. Finding out where they are from.

The pictures that I'm missing are from this little place we'd found called Bonnie's. What a delight this place was! I'm going to post the pics as soon as I get them. I desperately need a new camera if I'm going to do this blogging thing! Bonnie's was a little road side place that sold Hosta's for $3, a dozen brown eggs for $2. I was really hoping to see her hens, but no one was home, and there was just a little cash box sitting out to pay. I bought one Hosta, a variety that I didn't have, and a dozen eggs. They were so beautiful!

The day ended with a nice supper cooked over the campfire in dutch ovens. It was such a nice laid back day. I think what I enjoyed the most about the day is that it reminded me so much of my beloved Aunt Jean that passed away nearly two years ago. These are the things she loved to do. She had such a wonderful connection to the earth. The way she lived her life was so simple. She loved and lived freely and deeply. She could cook you a wonderful meal with a chicken carcass and a potato. I loved her. LOVED HER. I miss her terribly. I worry that our generation of iPods and Twittering has lost the connection with the earth. In a fast paced world, where everything is at our fingertips, gone are the days for most, where life clicks on at a simple pace. The chickens are laying, the strawberries are ripening, we pray for rain, and we know our neighbors. There is no rushing a garden. My heart cries out for a simpler life. A quieter life.

And then I came home. HA! You aren't going to believe what I came home to. Stay tuned......

I'm Baaaaaacccckkkkkk.......

Here you see The Squirrel in it's natural habitat! I finished sewing the awning, and I'm thrilled with it. Would have cost me about $300 to buy one, and I made it for $60! Still much tweaking to do to the campsite itself. I'm not loving that green grass, and I don't like all the 'clutter' about the table. Note the vintage cooler on the top of the table. Love that thing. I'm always on the lookout now for vintage camping gear.

Much to say, where to start. It was a good time. Relaxing, exhausting, all at once. I'm afraid I didn't get too many pics! My camera died on my at the most inopportune moment. My friend Donna sent me some pics, but I'm not sure how the quality is going to translate here. Anyhoo.....Here we go. I'm just going to blog a quick bit about getting there, really the second day was my favorite day, and that is a going to be a separate topic, and then the food will be another topic as well! I've still not figured out how to put more than five pics per blog.

The biggest thing to tell you about the day we left is how calm I remained. I know it may sound silly to some of you, but well, I grow horns when we are getting ready to go somewhere. Be it for the day, but especially when overnight is thrown in the mix. All of the sudden, I seem to think that I need to leave the house in TIP TOP shape. I'm talking about cleaning out cabinets, etc. I also get very rigid about the departure time. (In my best German accent) "Ve MUST leaf at EXACTLY 2pm!" Where does this come from? I've no idea. Well, I determined not to be that way, and realized that if I weren't enjoying ALL of this, from the getting ready, to the going, to the coming home and cleaning dirt and pollen out of every crevice in my body and camper (lovingly referred to as the CRAMPER now), then I've no business going. OK....well, you get the picture. I was calm as a cucumber, and we left when we were ready. It was refreshing, and I'm sure my family appreciated it. I'm realizing that I CAN control my controlling nature! Mwa ha ha!

We went to Tippecanoe State River Park in Winimac, Indiana. It's not far from us, about an hour an a half in a southeast direction I believe. Far enough to feel like we are getting away. Here is one pic that I managed to get of the park! It was very green there. VERY GREEN. Pollen everywhere. Our white Jeep was green by the time we left.

Let's see. Mosquitoes? Check! Dirt? Check! Rain? Check! We had them all! Wouldn't be camping without feeling filthy and homeless all weekend. I'm not sure that I'd go back to Tippecanoe. Now, there is a very lovely canoe ride that you can take, but the river was too high this time from all the rain we've had. Other than that, there wasn't much to do, and we didn't do much! The trails were under water as well. We ate. We napped. We walked around the campground. We played Scrabble. We played 'Would You Rather' a lot by the campfire. I have no idea how we got on the subject of a monkey lover, but we did, and that was what we used constantly, falling into fits of laughter each time. "Would you rather have your eye lids removed, or would you rather have a monkey lover?" I'm giggling now. Someone shared a story about someone having a monkey that was on Prozac, and it tearing the owners' face off....

Ok..I'll change the subject.

I'll blog about my favorite day next. I'll also be sharing a few recipes. Donna made a fantastic Italian Breakfast Strata. I made some killer bread in the campfire. I'll share my favorite recipe for Sausage Gravy too.

Isn't life a hoot?

:-)