Things i'd like to learn;

In anticipation of the new quarter and the amazing class i'm going to be taking, i decided to make a list of all the things that i know i'd like to know. (Which is incredibly short, i noticed. probably because there is so much i'd like to know that i don't even know of yet.) So, here goes.


I would like to learn:
how to crochet
more about my family history
how to identify every plant in my yard
why i always lose my head when the tree turns into a gem display case (more on this later)
how to bake apple pies
how to grow the most delicious vegetables
what deer eat
a lot about the olympic national forest
how to fix the sewing machine from 1926 that my mom gave me
how to build my own house
how to raise animals to eat
how to train a dog real well (so i don't end up with a Miles to the umpteenth degree)
how to design patterns for clothing in my head
how to fix a drywall patch
what type of bird is hopping around my backyard right now (i see a sparrow, a robin, a stellar jay and a mysterious yellow one)
how to teleport
how to make time to paint
more about gabriel garcia marquez
how to be a better person
how long it takes to ride my bike to school
and other things...

Since sliced bread?

For the past week or so all of the bread we've been eating I have made. So i made these colossal loaves and we've been eating pieces off of them until we needed a chisel to get a slice off. (The small remnant will be sparrow food tomorrow) And while homemade bread has a tremendously better taste, is more rewarding, and lasts longer, I finally understood the meaning of that old saying about sliced bread.
Eric & i got off work today, completely exhausted, and stopped by the Co-Op to buy some bread and coffee. I haven't had the time or energy this week to bake any, since we've been doing a huge project at work. So, when we had whipped up some baked beans and sat down to eat them I finally understood the luxury of sliced bread. You didn't have to saw at it, reducing some percentage of it to crumbs that necessitate a kitchen sweep after your toast. You didn't have to do anything to eat it in order to make it consumable. I was genuinely excited about this small victory and was sharing it with Eric when he interrupted me,
"Honey, are you trying to say that it's the best thing since sliced bread?"

Yep. That's exactly it.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

You need:
2 cups of flour (i use organic pastry flower)
4 eggs
1 butternut squash
a few tablespoons of olive oil
some salt

First: Make your ravioli dough by mixing your flour with two whole eggs, and two yolks. Mix well, adding water as needed. Place in fridge to cool.
Next: Cut your squash in chunks and cover with olive oil and salt. Place it in a baking pan and bake at 400.
After the squash has cooled, scrape the innards into a bowl & pour the oil in with it.
Pull the dough out of the fridge and roll it flat. Cut the dough in rectangles and put a dollop of the squash on one side of it, fold the rectangle and seal the edges with your fingers.
Drop them into a pot of boiling water. Cook for 7-10 minutes and dress with your favorite sauce.
Enjoy!

Victory Gardens

Thinking about Spring (which will arrive, i hope) is making me itch to get out in the garden. Since I'm a beginner, I'm planning small and doing lots of research. I'm growing heirloom vegetables from Uprising Seeds, putting out rain barrels to water with over the summer, planning my winter crops, rotation and planting times, not to mention I've been building that compost heap for more than a year now. Before planting my first seed, I've been dedicated to this garden.
Going to alternative elementary school has had a big positive impact on my life. I recently found a little construction paper journal from 2nd grade that says, "gardening is my favorite center. i like to see cool bugs. i like to watch plants grow." & after a few years of meandering through literature, I'm right back there. I love the interesting bugs in my garden. I love watching plants grow. & now I've added to that list of what i love about gardening: touching dirt, eating what comes out of it, even thinking about seeds sends shivers up my spine (they're SO AMAZING).
I haven't felt such a stirring call for a long time.
& i think part of my life-dream that is shaping itself constantly (and voraciously) i owe to the fact that Obama got elected. I've never been excited about a politician before. When i read his speeches, and look at his initiatives I see a spark that is a roaring flame in my generation.
Almost everyone I meet, at school, or my brother's friend who started kids-vs.-global warming, is passionate about saving the earth. We weren't inspired by the "green initiatives" in the stimulus bill, but maybe people who aren't involved in helping to end global climate change, will be interested after reading them.
It is immensely satisfying to be close with the land where you live. To know it's smell, it's color, and it's fruits. & the people i have learned this from do not do it for any reason other than the stirring call of their heart.
BUT, a few generations ago, there were small gardeners who produced 40% of all the vegetables in the United States. & these Victory Gardens are a great inspiration for us now. When many people are out of a job and hungry, it makes sense to work directly for your food by gardening. Any excess veggies can be donated to your local food bank, to provide low-income people with fresh nutritious food.
I like to think of my garden as a Victory Garden for the earth. (I know it's cheesy. I can't help it, I'm an emotional person) Not only am i reducing my carbon footprint by eatings foods that are from my backyard instead of shipped halfway across the planet, but plants reduce the carbon dioxide in the air. Also, I'm supporting a whole healthy eco-system right in my own backyard. Also, I'm building muscle (weeding, anyone?) and regaining knowledge that many people have been forced to forget about, where our food comes from.
I'm really excited to plant my starts in the yard. Can you tell?

PS. Check this out!

Fishing Weekend;

We went on a fishing/camping excursion up to Wallace Falls and the Skykomish river. Here is where i saw an eagle swoop from the tree above Eric's head. The bird was so majestic, i felt very humbled by his presence.

Look how beautiful Wallace Falls state park is! I just couldn't believe how clear the water was there, having just melted from snow. We camped there friday night, slightly dismayed that the State Parks website had mislead us. There really wasn't anywhere to fish there.



Here we're at the Skykomish, watching the sun rise over the cascades. Didn't catch jack here. But met some really nice fishermen and watched the sky turn all of these lovely colors. I bought Eric a fly fishing pole for his birthday and just couldn't wait till the 23rd to give it to him, so after camping friday night in Wallace Falls we came back and FEDEX had worked a miracle. It had arrived!


Eric is using his new pole in the Skookumchuck.

Me admiring the Northwest light. Glorious weekend accomplished.