River adventure

I have lived on the river for the majority of my life.
I learned to swim in it.
I have fished in it.
I have canoed and kayaked upon it.
I have played in it.
I have put my children in it from their infant days.
I have slept beside it and I have sat and contemplated life from it's banks.

It is, for me, peace and tranquility and a centering force.  When all the world around me is nuts,
the river is there , yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

Several months ago, I attended a class to learn how to monitor streams and rivers for quality of the environment.
I recently got my 'kit' for water testing from a 'friends of the river' group.  Kits were paid for by grant money and were instrumental in many of us being able to volunteer our time to begin to record and monitor on a regular basis.

The requirement is to routinely and regularly test the water according to the specifications of the Izaak Walton League of America Save our Streams Quality Survey.  Using standard scientific method, you sample several different areas (the same area each quarter) and do a count of macroinvertebrates. Having records over time may be invaluable if and when changes occur or the river economy is threatened.

Macroinvertebrates are sorted into Taxa Groups and the water quality is rated depending upon the quantity and variety of 'little critters'.  Group One organisms are not tolerant of pollution and their presence generally signified good water qualities. Group Two organisms can exist in a wide variety of water quality conditions and Group Three organisms are tolerant of pollution thereby signifying by their presence that the water quality is poor.

Group One macroinvertebrates were largely what was found in the class that I took, roughly 1/2 mile downstream from my own property river edge.  We found only a few individuals from Group 2 and no individuals from Group 3.

The last Sunday of October, I talked my main sidekick on the weekends into accompanying me to the river to do my first official volunteer testing.  He volunteered to drive me and while interested, at first was sort of "'ho-hum'  what are you up to now?"

First and foremost, I learned that it was VERY cold for October to go barefoot into the river.

It was achingly cold... and there's really no way around it, unless I had the forethought to have brought some waders with me. (Bet your bottom dollar that I'll do that in January!)

So, I start the sampling and right away, I get a number of very lively specimens.

Now, we aren't exactly going after the tiny fish, but this one was in the net. All counted creatures were released unharmed back to their home location after the count.

And there were numerous macroinvertebrates so small that I had to use the magnifying glass AND my reading glasses.

 A take away tidbit is that if you find snails, you can easily determine if they're indicators of clean water, or poor quality.  By holding the snail oriented up and down, if the operculum opens 'right facing', then it is a 'clean water' indicator.

A bit of an amusing observation is that as the organisms were sorted into the trays as they sat in the sunshine, and the water became warmer than the temperature of the river, they became much more active.

Overall, I was happy to determine that my little stretch of the river had excellent indications of being healthy and clean. Wetland conservation and sustainability is important now and for our future.

And by the time I was done, I had not only a willing participant sidekick, but an excited one who wants to see how the future surveys go.  I had also determined that 4 hands were necessary and 6 would have been ideal!

Renewed intentions

So, I intend to get back to visiting with you regularly.

I've actually intended before but so many things have taken the spotlight.

Seasonal employment has come and gone.  When added to the heat and humidity of summer, it zapped my desire to do anything more than really necessary and not even all of the necessary things.

I find myself headed into the holiday season with a serious backlog of household chores and an intense desire to sit on the porch rocker and watch the leaves turn their beautiful autumnal tones...
... and to pick up the pecans before the squirrels get to them...

... or to lunch with friends whom I have missed during all of this.

The knitting group at church goes on, and really merits a post of it's own.  It's a small group ministry and it's become so very meaningful to me, and I believe, to others.  We have taught beginners and brought together experienced knitters and crocheters of all ages to make items with our hands to bless others.  And on the way, we've discovered the blessings that always abound when folks of like-spirits get together and share their lives regularly.  You find yourself thinking of them on other days and other times, and praying for the concerns of their hearts and lives.

I love the cooler, crisp mornings, but kind of miss the longer daylight hours of summer. 
I enjoy planning a holiday meal and look forward to a time when kith and kin draw near.

New Fall Bread Recipe

One day this last week, I bought some Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled cereal.

I love really hearty grain mixtures.  This one is a blend of coarsely rolled whole wheat, rye, oats, flax seed, barley, and triticale.

I love these sorts of grains even more in the fall, just as the weather turns, which makes something instinctual in me want to bake bread.

I've been counting calories and attempting to behave, so have been making far less bread products.
With only two of us home most days, I really can't rationalize baking multiple loaves of bread, or multiple times a week.

In an effort to find a recipe for bread that worked with the cereal blend in the 5 grain cereal, I went to the website for Bob's Red Mill and spent a happy hour reading recipes.  Then, I printed off a recipe entitled 'Freckles and Warts' and proceeded to alter/change/exchange ingredients until I had what I now consider a perfect fall afternoon bread, that also makes perfect fall morning toast, and with which  I will make a positively yummy bread pudding or some fall morning french toast, depending on which way the wind blows this afternoon!

The bread is a mid density bread, with a barely sweet flavor and a pleasant chewy texture.  It has remained soft for several days and is so very fragrant.

This is a remarkably poor photo of the bread, but it does give you an idea of texture.

This is MY version of the recipe!

  And I'm not a fan of the descriptive name 'Freckles and Warts', so I'm going to be every so creative and call it 5 grain cereal bread!

Five Grain Cereal Bread

1 1/3 cup of warm water (I used it right from the tap)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1 cup of Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled cereal
1/2 cup orange juice
4 Tablespoons of demerara sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ginger   (all spices are ground spices and I didn't actually measure... I'm a spice tosser!)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons of buttermilk
1/2 cup of dried, sweetened cranberries


In a large bowl, pour the hot water, the juice (at room temp), the buttermilk and the oil over the 5 grain cereal.  Add the yeast and the sugar.  Let it sit about 15 minutes for the yeast to begin working and the grains to soften.
Add all other ingredients and stir until it comes to a ball of dough.  I needed to add a couple more handfuls of flour. Amount of flour always depends on moisture in the flour and in the environment, and practice teaches you what good bread dough 'feels' like.

I kneaded in the large bowl for four or five minutes, then tossed in the cranberries and kneaded till they were mixed into the dough.  I greased it lightly with a little olive oil and let it rise for about an hour, or until doubled.

I then shaped it into a loaf and put in a well greased glass loaf dish (because I couldn't find my best metal one)
and covered it to rise, until it was a good inch over the top of the loaf dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes and check it for doneness.  Mine was done to utter perfection.
Had I found the metal pan (which has a shape that I prefer) I'd have cooked it at 350 degrees and checked it at about 32 minutes.

Here's the printable recipe:  5 cereal bread

Oh, my...

I have really fallen down on my blog... and I promise to do better.

This has been more of a challenging summer and early autumn than I've had in a while.

So much heat, so many changes...

First and foremost, let me whine...  (yes,,, I am going to whine).

I'm a bit more than 5 months into the Tamoxifen regimen, which is a preventative for breast cancer in my case, and I'm still struggling with the side effects of the drugs.
The struggle has been far greater than I had imagined.

With that being said, I have seen the doctor several times and I'm not willing to go off of the drug, which greatly reduces future chances of cancer.  In the weighing and balancing of things, dealing with the side effects of tamoxifen is preferred to dealing with the side effects of surgery, chemo and radiation that I've watched a number of friends and family endure.  Its' not a promise or a certainty... this tamoxifen regiment, but it's a pretty good shot ... and so I continue on the drug.  Pretty much the only issue is some serious hot flashes... hot flashes on drugs if you will, which are far more manageable during the day, than at night.  I've always been a person who needs their sleep, I LIKE to turn in early and I love to rise early for the day.  Lack of undisturbed sleep has been a serious issue this summer.

I struggle onward with this issue.

Ok... that's enough whining.

Uhm... maybe not....

I've been temporarily back at work... such is the life of the part time folks of  state parks.  State parks in every state, and national parks as well have suffered tremendously in the economic melee that has been our lot these last years.  Having found something that I absolutely adore doing, and knowing what it takes to run a park while short staffed, and having much respect and admiration for the dedicated few who persevere when it would be so much easier to look elsewhere, I am again facing the time of 'job not funded.'...

It's not that I can't find things to do... I can... It's that's where I want to be... where my heart is...
and it's tough, tough, tough to not just get up and go.

Somedays,,, a lot of days,,, you simply don't get what you want.

Ok, so NOW, maybe I'm done whining...

Okay... so maybe not...

The heat this summer really laid waste to the garden.  We had some vegetables, but everything burned up supper early, even given the best efforts that we could manage.  As folks on a country well, we are not able to run water day and night to the garden, and so the garden is effected by serious drought and weeks of 90 to 100 degree temperatures do not make it easier.  I miss the gardens of better days... miss the leisurely stroll to pick 'supper' from the rows, in the late summer sun, miss being able to can and preserve for the winter and miss being able to share the bounty.

We are rethinking the garden... considering raised beds, which will be easier, I think, as we age.
Rethinking what to grow.
I've evolved to a more 'year round' garden perspective, rather than canning and preserving so much as I used to do, but instead, eating more in season,with what will grow at the time.  I'm liking that approach... it's working with the fewer mouths that I have to feed.

This summer we ran an experiment.  We did not purchase any plants, but started everything from seed.
I started at least a dozen types of heirloom tomatoes and also that many types of peppers from seed.
Some of the tomatoes were amazing... with the heirlooms faring much better with the heat and drought than the 'standards' that are sold in town.  The heirloom seeds were pricey, but I have saved enough for next year, making it a more cost effective process... certainly more effective than purchasing the plants at $3/plant.

The pepper experiment was a resounding failure... planted too late, they didn't survive transplant, leaving us with a deficit of peppers, which add much to our diet.  Will try that one again next year, but also be prepared to purchase some, if again faced with failure in the pepper department.

The other experiment was to purchase cheap seeds... at discount places, for things like squash and beans.
I'd really not consider it a success either... Perhaps, I'm snooty where seeds are concerned.

The cheap seeds did come up, but did not produce true to what they were supposed to be, in some cases.  The beans did not produce nearly as well as our previous 'high end' seed, nor did they hold up to the difficult weather circumstances.

The only area that did produce beautifully from cheap seeds were the lettuces... Amazing turnout from packages of seeds that costs ten cents.  Variety was nice, though not as much as from a pack of seed that costs $5, but for the price difference, fresh, beautiful lettuces were an acceptable 'cost cutting' measure.

Ok, so that's about all the whining I can take for today...

I promise to return with a better attitude, promptly!

Laughter in the night.

I've not said a lot about this latest venture of taking the last child off to college.

Largely, because it's sort of side swiped me and I'm not sure what to say... most days.

Perhaps we'll discuss that a different day.

But the experience has gone to prove that old adage that every child is different than it's siblings and hence you must react differently as a parent.

Now, this is not to say that things aren't going well... they are, but one of the differences is that he's been home both weekends that have comprised his college career so far.

Last night, quite late, he came grinning through the door... and regaled us with tales of the week and all that entails.

And then, really quite late, from my bed,  I could hear the laughter of two brothers... one of whom just graduated from the same institution and one, who's career there has just started.

Low, adult male voices, serious by turns and then the laughter... until the early hours,,, when I drifted off to sleep.

Oh, preciousness ... this sibling love.

Regardless of how busy I find myself, I've nearly always got my camera in my pocket.

While uploading the photos, I realized that the photos were sort of an essay in and off themselves.

I made myself a birthday apple pie... cute.. huh?

Young 'jakes' in the early morning, out for a stroll.

A celebration to honor those who fought and those who died in the American Revolution.

A frequent reminder that people still die for our freedom today...

And I caught my favorite fellow, rocking and reading on a Saturday afternoon...

August

So, here I sit on the eve of my fifty-first birthday...

taken quite by storm of having the last child leave home this week for college...

I will admit to the house being much too quiet, just now.  But we'll adjust, as we always do.

Physically, I am rather very tired of the extreme heat of the summer and looking forward to a few things.

... the fall garden, which begins to be my 'favorite' gardening season, while there's still warmth and sunshine to get things growing to carry into the late fall and after the crisp toastiness of the summer has worn off.

Gardening is so very different now than just a few years ago... we practice a 'graze' style harvest...

Instead of picking huge bushels and baskets and canning and freezing, I find myself living more seasonally.  I head to the garden and pick 6 collard leaves and 3 tomatoes and a single squash and make a pasta sauce... just enough for a meal.  A hand full of peppers, a small onion and a zucchini, tossed in with a chicken breast and some white wine or lemon juice also make a  nice pasta sauce.  A hand full of basil or two twigs of rosemary... two fresh hen eggs and a ripe tomato.

I've had to force myself to work on knitting projects for a knitting class of very special women at my church.  I love teaching others to knit, but simply haven't wanted to knit anything at all in the heat.  I look forward to cooler weather when sitting and knitting 'feels' right and the race gets on to make some new caps in advance of winter's chill.

I realized that it's been weeks since I sat on the porch... so long, in fact, that when I sat in the rocker over the weekend, it was 'dusty' and dirty from lack of use.  So it's time to dust off the rockers on the porch and rock a spell.

I look forward to planning Thanksgiving and seeing friends and loved ones gather in for what can only be described as a very rambunctious affair.  It's a highlight for me, and I very much look forward to it.