For traditional homesteaders, acquiring livestock is usually a matter of what kind and how many.  Living in a suburban/urban environment limits those possibilities even further.  Of course large animals and those usually considered "farm livestock"  are pretty much restricted to agricultural zones.  The one exception that is quickly becoming popular in the backyard homestead are chickens.  

 

 These lovely ladies have been added to our homestead.  I have found them very entertaining to say the least. The red one is Lucy, the trouble maker.  The large white'sh one is Peggy and most dominate of the group.  LC , short for lemoncello, is the yellow/golden one.  She is at the bottom of the pecking order due to her size and a gimpy leg.  She's also the friendliest  of them, allowing me to pet her and pick her up.  And every hen flock needs a Henrietta in the group.  I think she is the prettiest of the group. A black and white Silver Wyandotte.  

   Three of these gals give fine light brown eggs and miss Peggy produces blue colored eggs.  We get 4 eggs every day which really stack up.  We are not big egg eaters. I do use them in cooking or hard boil them for a snack.  The extras we give to neighbors or freeze dry for storage.  

    During the summer when the plants are growing we keep them in a run. After harvest we let out to scratch and dig in the garden beds.  They turn the soil and fertilize it at the same time while looking for those juicy worms. Sometimes it looks like they are digging to very center of the earth.

   So if you want a good source of protein  and comic relief , get yourself a flock of chickens.

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The blog name is still the same.  

My Almond Milk

I make my own almond milk.  With a touch of lactose intolerance, almond milk works best for my cereal and smoothies.  I bought the beverage in the store for years until I began reading the ingredient labels.  There were almonds, water and depending on the style, vanilla, and something to sweeten it.  But then there was natural flavoring, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, gellan gum and ascorbic acid.  Some brands had ingredients I didn't know.  Now apparently Almond Breeze has had to recall some of their cartons because they contain real dairy milk!  Making your own almond milk or any nut milk is easy. 
Start with almonds that have been hulled but not roasted or salted.  In a bowel soak the almonds in spring or distilled water for a few hours.  I like to do the soaking overnight.  

Next I rinse them and pop them into my blender.  I have a Ninja/chef with variable speed.  You just see it to the right in the picture. If you want to you can add a bit of vanilla or sweetener.   I only add about a teaspoon of vanilla to mine. Blend till it's a slurry.  From here you can put it in a nut milk bag and hang it up over a bowl.  I use an old bed sheet and put it in a press.  I like the press as I can get every drop of goodness from the almonds.   Afterwards the bag will have almond meal left behind.  The meal can be used in cooking, given to chickens or tossed in the compost.. I often send it to my daughters farm to give to the pigs.  I get bacon in return!  If you want a cleaner milk for your family try making your own.  It's not hard, it just takes a bit of time.  Bon Appetito!

My press.

What is Happening??

Yes, it has been awhile since the last post.  The craziness  that is going on in the world in the last year is a bit overwhelming.    Once more California is on fire and my farmer daughter's property is threatened by fire yet again.  The pandemic has caused stress for all and as a mom I worry for my children (adult children). Not that they could get sick, but because I see the anxiety in their eyes.  I really want to hug them and tell them that it's going to be all right.  But the whole shelter in place and physical distancing makes it difficult.  I'm sure you all understand. , 

Last August 2019, Robert had his heart surgery.  Here's a picture of him 6 weeks post surgery.  He just got  thumbs up to resume his daily activities.

We had to travel to Palo Alto for the surgery and He was in hospital for 10 days.  I have to say that the VA there in Palo Alto really has it together.  I was very impressed.

Christmas we gathered in Inverness/Point Reys. It was beautiful, and so much fun to have the whole family together.

The oyster bar and Christmas sweaters.

Lastly the garden is coming along slowly.  

Stay healthy. Stay safe.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Not too long ago recycling was a patriotic activity.  No one was paid to recycle.  Everyone participated by recycling their waste metal, rubber, paper, and even fats.  Besides the usual glass, plastic bottles and aluminum cans; tools, clothing, toys and even clothing can be recycled.  Sending your unwanted items to a charity shop is a good way to recycle items.  But how about clothing that you have loved into a sad state?  How about mending those items or even up-cycling them to be loved again?  It's not hard to do but it does take a bit of time.  Be creative or traditional with your repairs.  Bold or subtle.  There is no right or wrong way, just be you.  Here are some samples of my mending and a couple of books to get you going.

Over view of three of my mending projects.

I loved the jacket with the fall theme, but found it a bit short in length and the sleeve.  So I added some lace to it.

My favorite pair of capris got a bit thin.  I added a bright patch with a bit of stitching over the top.

Typical spot for clothing to wear.  I added these elbow patches from my stash of fabric before they developed holes.  It looks good too!

Roberts favorite work pants. Patriotic theme patched up the rip and he's back to work.

Two of the books I keep on my self.  I also use the internet a lot as well.  "Make Do and Mend"  is a series of pamphlets  published by the British government during WWII when new clothing was in short supply.   "Mend it Better" is a much newer book devoted to interesting ideas for mending.

Have fun and happy mending.

An open letter

PTSD sucks!  And it's not just veterans returning from war that deal with it.  PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event.  Hurricane, floods, earthquake, tornado, and fire can have multiple victims.  But it can happen to a single person, like rape, physical, emotional or sexual abuse or even death of a love one.  Here in California we have witnessed devastating wildfires and you probably know someone that was affected by the fires.  So how do you know if someone has PTSD and how can you help?

Symptoms:

1. Intrusive thoughts such as repeated, involuntary memories; distressing dreams; or flashbacks of the traumatic event. Flashbacks may be so vivid that people feel they are re-living the traumatic experience or seeing it before their eyes.
2. Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event may include avoiding people, places, activities, objects and situations that bring on distressing memories. People may try to avoid remembering or thinking about the traumatic event. They may resist talking about what happened or how they feel about it.
3. Negative thoughts and feelings may include ongoing and distorted beliefs about oneself or others (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted”); ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt or shame; much less interest in activities previously enjoyed; or feeling detached or estranged from others.
4. Arousal and reactive symptoms may include being irritable and having angry outbursts; behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way; being easily startled; or having problems concentrating or sleeping.  (American Psychiatric Association on line 2019)

Often depression is a large part of this order.  Telling the person to cheer up doesn't help.  Don't tell them how strong they are or will become from this.  Don't tell them that God has a plan or God will help them get through this.  Don't patronize or pity them, it only makes them angry.

Here are a few things that can help:

1. I believe you. (This is the most important).
2. I’m here for you.
3. What can I do to help?
4. I know that you don’t want to live your life in what feels like a constant and never ending state of pain and misery and I know that you ARE trying hard enough to get through it the best you can with what you’ve got.
5. What happened to you was never your fault.
6. What happened to you, should never have happened and you did not deserve that.
7. I admire you so much for the way you are dealing with it.
8. I am proud of you/your courage/strength.
9. If you need me for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me; I am and always will be here for you, to the best of my abilities.
10. You are not weak or bad or wrong, you didn’t deserve this and you could not have stopped it.
11. Thank you for surviving.
12. I’m sorry they hurt you.
13. You’re a good person.
14. If you need to talk, I’ll listen.
15. I want you to feel good and safe.
16. How can I help you feel safe?
17. You are loved and cherished.
18. It’s okay to be hurt and angry, these feelings don’t make you a bad person.
19. I won’t preach forgiveness at you.
20. What you are experiencing is real. I believe you. And I believe in you.
21. Your uncontrolled emotional breakdowns were not because you were a selfish, but because you were in an indescribable pain.
22. I’m proud/impressed with the progress you’ve made (maybe give examples).
23. Just tell me what you need and I will understand.
24. You are not alone, no matter how much it feels like it.
25. We will make it through this together.
26. I’m so sorry those things were done to you.
27. Its not your fault.
28. It is not your shame.
29. I love you and I wish I could take your pain away.
30. (Medium online magazine 2019)

It's hard watching someone you love go through the challenges of PTSD.  It's doubly hard if you are suffering from it and trying to help someone else as well.  If this is the case remember to be kind to yourself.  Reach out to others.  Connect with others who are also dealing with this double burden.

Remember it is not your fault and you are not alone.  You are loved.

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