Here are some interesting salt facts. 1 oz of sauerkraut (two folk-fulls) equals 243 mg of sodium.
I tell you, I could eat a quart of the first batch at once! It turned out great!!
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Kraut Facts
Rarely do I post twice in one day! Know that I'm posting this mainly so I will have it for future reference! Check this out - a bunch of kraut facts. Click on this link Kraut Facts and get inspired to add some live things to your diet.
Here are some interesting salt facts. 1 oz of sauerkraut (two folk-fulls) equals 243 mg of sodium.
So yeah, there is salt in the stuff. I put 1 tablespoon in 28 oz of cabbage mix vegetables. Like all good things, moderation is the key.
I tell you, I could eat a quart of the first batch at once! It turned out great!!
Here are some interesting salt facts. 1 oz of sauerkraut (two folk-fulls) equals 243 mg of sodium.
I tell you, I could eat a quart of the first batch at once! It turned out great!!
Branded
Getting a Wyoming brand is not easy. I made several attempts before, finally, the letter of acceptance arrived. Idaho approved the same brand which we were simply ecstatic about! Essentially, it is a K with a M on its side, facing the K. Some call it "K lazy M" brand (which certainly does not fit the "M" part of this team!) and others call it the "KiM" brand. Either way, it's our brand and even though there aren't thousands of cattle roaming around the plains with this brand on their right rear hip, hey, we've got a brand!
Mike has been learning how to use the ranch's plasma cutter. This along with his welding skills have produced some awesome brands for the Freedom place. It is now branded! At the front driveway, the below hangs, swinging slightly in the breeze.
Hanging off the east porch, this heavy piece of metal frames the hanger.
This last weekend, I sunk my mind into learning about bees while reading Beekeeping for Dummies which is a very thorough and good start to the current hottest backyard hobby. Before I jump in too far, it seems prudent to find out if I am allergic to the things as getting stung is inevitable. Appointment is made for a blood test next week. More to come! Might be honey in your next year's holiday gift!!
Mike and I watched the big lunar event this morning from the hot tub - a perfect viewing location! Hope many of you got to watch this unique event.
Mike has been learning how to use the ranch's plasma cutter. This along with his welding skills have produced some awesome brands for the Freedom place. It is now branded! At the front driveway, the below hangs, swinging slightly in the breeze.
Hanging off the east porch, this heavy piece of metal frames the hanger.
And here, on the side of the old wood barn.
This last weekend, I sunk my mind into learning about bees while reading Beekeeping for Dummies which is a very thorough and good start to the current hottest backyard hobby. Before I jump in too far, it seems prudent to find out if I am allergic to the things as getting stung is inevitable. Appointment is made for a blood test next week. More to come! Might be honey in your next year's holiday gift!!
Mike and I watched the big lunar event this morning from the hot tub - a perfect viewing location! Hope many of you got to watch this unique event.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
It's Tax Time Again
It's tax time.
Michael pours over papers, peers into the computer screen, and shouts out questions - "so when does your credit card charge you?", "why did you make two entries in two different months that are exactly the same?" Exasperation exhaled with his every word.
When we met, I had a handy little system to deal with taxes. Everything had an envelope with a title. Medical bills, rent, utilities. It made perfect sense to me (and still does!). At the end of the year, I'd take each receipt's amount, write it on the outside of the envelope, total the envelope and then total up all the individual envelopes and deliver them (with pride, by the way) to my tax guy in Dubois. I found Jerry in 1995. We still have Jerry doing out taxes. He called me the Envelope Gal.
Our taxes have gotten a bit more complex since then. This may be the apex year of complexity. The rental in town up to the middle of last year and then the purchase of the Freedom property. Now a new rental, a farm, and a house. There are 1099s that must go out (did you know you have to have one for your lawyer? - even the government doesn't trust lawyers!), credit card bills that have to be sorted out (thanks to my continued inability to make sense of Quicken), and a whole bunch of other stuff that I have stayed far, far away from.
I think he is getting close to being done. The questions posed with disbelief at my lack of understanding are beginning to wane now. Addressed envelopes are to be delivered to the post office.
Every year I try to improve. I try to get checks entered into the Quicken account. I try to get bills paid on time. This year's improvement plan includes turning over the monthly credit card statement to the internal accountant - Mike. I am hopeful that next year will be easier come tax time.
Meanwhile, I continue to create. That's where my brain is its most happiest! Dreaming of a new kraut recipe, making some kind of goat cheese with the half gallon of goat milk staged in the refrigerator, and tending to the work of a Fire Marshal and Battalion Chief.
Here is a photo for the day. Dreaming of warmer days ahead.
Michael pours over papers, peers into the computer screen, and shouts out questions - "so when does your credit card charge you?", "why did you make two entries in two different months that are exactly the same?" Exasperation exhaled with his every word.
When we met, I had a handy little system to deal with taxes. Everything had an envelope with a title. Medical bills, rent, utilities. It made perfect sense to me (and still does!). At the end of the year, I'd take each receipt's amount, write it on the outside of the envelope, total the envelope and then total up all the individual envelopes and deliver them (with pride, by the way) to my tax guy in Dubois. I found Jerry in 1995. We still have Jerry doing out taxes. He called me the Envelope Gal.
Our taxes have gotten a bit more complex since then. This may be the apex year of complexity. The rental in town up to the middle of last year and then the purchase of the Freedom property. Now a new rental, a farm, and a house. There are 1099s that must go out (did you know you have to have one for your lawyer? - even the government doesn't trust lawyers!), credit card bills that have to be sorted out (thanks to my continued inability to make sense of Quicken), and a whole bunch of other stuff that I have stayed far, far away from.
I think he is getting close to being done. The questions posed with disbelief at my lack of understanding are beginning to wane now. Addressed envelopes are to be delivered to the post office.
Every year I try to improve. I try to get checks entered into the Quicken account. I try to get bills paid on time. This year's improvement plan includes turning over the monthly credit card statement to the internal accountant - Mike. I am hopeful that next year will be easier come tax time.
Meanwhile, I continue to create. That's where my brain is its most happiest! Dreaming of a new kraut recipe, making some kind of goat cheese with the half gallon of goat milk staged in the refrigerator, and tending to the work of a Fire Marshal and Battalion Chief.
Here is a photo for the day. Dreaming of warmer days ahead.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Anaerobic Action
The first batch is very good. Containing an eclectic list of ingredients; red cabbage, green cabbage, beets, red onions, 2 blood oranges, cranberries, sea weed, ginger, mustard seed, and sea salt - the final taste is very good. Beautiful color too. I'm going to give it another week to "kraut up" a bit more. Yesterday, another 4 quarts were created.
Making fermented vegetables is pretty cool. First, one can snack all day and not worry about calories! I love crisp cabbage. The organic heads I bought were sweet and crunchy. All those bacteria are supposed to be darn good for one's gut. We eat a little bit as a side with any meal. From left to right - plain sauerkraut, a jar of garlic/carrot kraut, the original batch, and two jars of ballpark kraut. All these recipes can be found on this cool lady's site Holly Howe's Kraut which I highly recommend. Get a kitchen scale!
Have to go now. The chicken coop needs cleaning!!
Making fermented vegetables is pretty cool. First, one can snack all day and not worry about calories! I love crisp cabbage. The organic heads I bought were sweet and crunchy. All those bacteria are supposed to be darn good for one's gut. We eat a little bit as a side with any meal. From left to right - plain sauerkraut, a jar of garlic/carrot kraut, the original batch, and two jars of ballpark kraut. All these recipes can be found on this cool lady's site Holly Howe's Kraut which I highly recommend. Get a kitchen scale!
Have to go now. The chicken coop needs cleaning!!
Friday, January 19, 2018
Fire Investigators
Had you have visited the space where the training was held, you would have been able to view the classroom, the backs of the students, and the two instructors - also the author's of the Kirk's Fire Investigation, 8th Edition classroom textbook through the back room glass walls. Had you stayed long enough and had keen observation skills, you too might have noticed the two attendees seated directly behind me who spent the entire class glued to their iphones and computers. One wonders why they bothered.
Did the class offer me gems of new learning? No. Am I glad I went? Yes. There are many things one can learn, even if it's not what you were hoping for! I was reminded that I know quite a bit, actually, about fire investigations. We don't get many fires, so being reminded of my currently-held knowledge was a good thing.
And I got to listen to some good books while driving, see beautiful country, and arrive home - safe and sound - happy to be home, once again.
To add visual content, here is an ExploreMeKC Flickr picture for you today.
Tags: bicycles marshall michigan sidewalk fall
Did the class offer me gems of new learning? No. Am I glad I went? Yes. There are many things one can learn, even if it's not what you were hoping for! I was reminded that I know quite a bit, actually, about fire investigations. We don't get many fires, so being reminded of my currently-held knowledge was a good thing.
And I got to listen to some good books while driving, see beautiful country, and arrive home - safe and sound - happy to be home, once again.
To add visual content, here is an ExploreMeKC Flickr picture for you today.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
KCMeFlickr
This is the kind of picture that shows up on Flickr at times. Weird. Abstract. An image you don't expect. Jeffery City, Wyoming. Out in the middle of no where. Today, the wind was tame as I pulled a U-turn on the deserted highway to go back and grab this image. Note the past affects of the wind - the chairs tossed over, a piece of metal piles up against the car. The country has little to hold back the wind. It is a force as viable as the four seasons.
I ran into a friend at Moran, stopping there for a candy bar and bathroom break - both needed for the long road trip ahead. He was aghast that I was driving to Denver. With a face screwed up in disbelief, he exclaimed, "couldn't they fly you there??" I pondered this comment all the way up the sunlit Togwotee Mountain and down to the other side, rolling the posted 30 mph speed limit into Dubois, my town of Wyoming origin.
Turns out, I like to drive. I like to drive across this vast, open state. Pronghorn antelope dot the sagebrush landscape. Rivers are frozen white along the edges. There is no snow after one descends down the 9600 foot Togwotee Pass country. The roads weave through seams of rocks pushed up in lines of reds and browns. A sheep wagon sits alone out in the middle of the range. Cows gather to feed down a line of hay delivered by an unseen rancher. Horses keep their tails to the wind and browse brown dried up range grass. A windmill sits frozen in the day's wind. Golden eagles feast on road kill, giant-sized compared to the ravens they stand alongside in the ditches and borrow pits of the two lane asphalt highways.
Usually when I am tasked to make this jaunt across the Cowboy State, I go straight south to Pinedale then Rock Springs, pick up route 80 and head to Cheyenne. Today, graced with blue skies, (mostly) dry roads, and a sense of adventure, I chose the Togwotee Pass/Lander/Rawlins route. Lander has a very good grocery store. I bought a bag of food to keep me awake; carrots, celery, a container of fruit.
Turning south from Cheyenne, the wide open spaces begin to funnel in with increased traffic. Suddenly it is big city. I ponder the ability of Google Maps to take me right to my motel here in a suburb reportedly ten minutes from my fire investigation class on tomorrow's docket. How did we ever get anywhere without this amazing technology?
Books on tape usher me across the state. I finished the book Captivology and started A Man Called Ove . Michael read this book. I could tell how much he was moved by the book and now eleven chapter in, I see why. It is a wonderful story. Makes the miles go by, keeps boredom at bay, and entertains!
Tomorrow I go to learn. I am optimistic the day will be worth the two days of driving.
I ran into a friend at Moran, stopping there for a candy bar and bathroom break - both needed for the long road trip ahead. He was aghast that I was driving to Denver. With a face screwed up in disbelief, he exclaimed, "couldn't they fly you there??" I pondered this comment all the way up the sunlit Togwotee Mountain and down to the other side, rolling the posted 30 mph speed limit into Dubois, my town of Wyoming origin.
Turns out, I like to drive. I like to drive across this vast, open state. Pronghorn antelope dot the sagebrush landscape. Rivers are frozen white along the edges. There is no snow after one descends down the 9600 foot Togwotee Pass country. The roads weave through seams of rocks pushed up in lines of reds and browns. A sheep wagon sits alone out in the middle of the range. Cows gather to feed down a line of hay delivered by an unseen rancher. Horses keep their tails to the wind and browse brown dried up range grass. A windmill sits frozen in the day's wind. Golden eagles feast on road kill, giant-sized compared to the ravens they stand alongside in the ditches and borrow pits of the two lane asphalt highways.
Usually when I am tasked to make this jaunt across the Cowboy State, I go straight south to Pinedale then Rock Springs, pick up route 80 and head to Cheyenne. Today, graced with blue skies, (mostly) dry roads, and a sense of adventure, I chose the Togwotee Pass/Lander/Rawlins route. Lander has a very good grocery store. I bought a bag of food to keep me awake; carrots, celery, a container of fruit.
Turning south from Cheyenne, the wide open spaces begin to funnel in with increased traffic. Suddenly it is big city. I ponder the ability of Google Maps to take me right to my motel here in a suburb reportedly ten minutes from my fire investigation class on tomorrow's docket. How did we ever get anywhere without this amazing technology?
Books on tape usher me across the state. I finished the book Captivology and started A Man Called Ove . Michael read this book. I could tell how much he was moved by the book and now eleven chapter in, I see why. It is a wonderful story. Makes the miles go by, keeps boredom at bay, and entertains!
Tomorrow I go to learn. I am optimistic the day will be worth the two days of driving.
Monday, January 15, 2018
Road Trip
Tomorrow I head west toward Denver. A day of driving for a day of training followed by another day of driving. I am confident it will be worth the effort.
Another blog theme - "The Things I Love" will document the many things I have just fallen head over heals about at the Freedom place. In no particular order, I will describe these things that amaze me and continue to remind me of how thankful I am we were able to get and have this wonderful place. I will forever be astonished that we pulled this off!!
The light. The light in the house is amazing. In the winter, the open cathedral style face of the house receives the winter's full southern sunlight. One can watch the thermostat click up, degree by degree, heat passively heating the inside air. To work in the kitchen on a sunny day requires the shades be pulled or one is blinded by the intense light beaming across the counter tops. The glass dining table was a find. I cover the cloth chairs when we leave to preserve their color. I love the way the light plays on things in the front room. A dried-out weed, plucked from the strawberry garden and standing now in a hand blown glass jar shimmers in the sun. The woody carcass finds a new home and becomes art.
When we finished the renovation of the rental house, the fogging windows replaced and shimmery cleaned, the light poured throughout the space. Now, the renters have the shades pulled, the light blocked off with brown fabric and plastic blinds. Each to their own. I prefer the light. Bright, shining, and warm. (Probably why skin cancer showed up on my lip this year!)
The sun is now on its northbound path. By the heat of the summer, the sun's rays will hit the side of the house rather than the full front windows. Brilliant planning! Location, location, location. I wonder if someone thought about the sun when this house was built or if it was just sheer luck.
(Yes, that is an indoor bug zapper. I am in the midst of a war against the flies. When the sun shines, they appear, inside and out. Mike ponders, "are you a redneck if you use your bug zapper as a night light?" He has a point. However, I have a battle. So far, the flies are winning. In the end, the flies always win.)
Another blog theme - "The Things I Love" will document the many things I have just fallen head over heals about at the Freedom place. In no particular order, I will describe these things that amaze me and continue to remind me of how thankful I am we were able to get and have this wonderful place. I will forever be astonished that we pulled this off!!
The light. The light in the house is amazing. In the winter, the open cathedral style face of the house receives the winter's full southern sunlight. One can watch the thermostat click up, degree by degree, heat passively heating the inside air. To work in the kitchen on a sunny day requires the shades be pulled or one is blinded by the intense light beaming across the counter tops. The glass dining table was a find. I cover the cloth chairs when we leave to preserve their color. I love the way the light plays on things in the front room. A dried-out weed, plucked from the strawberry garden and standing now in a hand blown glass jar shimmers in the sun. The woody carcass finds a new home and becomes art.
When we finished the renovation of the rental house, the fogging windows replaced and shimmery cleaned, the light poured throughout the space. Now, the renters have the shades pulled, the light blocked off with brown fabric and plastic blinds. Each to their own. I prefer the light. Bright, shining, and warm. (Probably why skin cancer showed up on my lip this year!)
The sun is now on its northbound path. By the heat of the summer, the sun's rays will hit the side of the house rather than the full front windows. Brilliant planning! Location, location, location. I wonder if someone thought about the sun when this house was built or if it was just sheer luck.
(Yes, that is an indoor bug zapper. I am in the midst of a war against the flies. When the sun shines, they appear, inside and out. Mike ponders, "are you a redneck if you use your bug zapper as a night light?" He has a point. However, I have a battle. So far, the flies are winning. In the end, the flies always win.)
Long Weekend
Thanks to some trading for duty officer work, I am enjoying a long weekend at the Franch. Thank you fellow chiefs!! Payback will be next weekend when I am on duty both Saturday and Sunday. Sad face!
Projects this weekend have included painting the potting shed door, hooking up Mike's new laptop, getting the Nest thermostat installed, and trying to figure out how to view the cameras online.
The color of the door on the potting shed is exactly what I wanted! I have a silk Ryan blouse that is this color and was able to find this color for an exterior paint. Take a look -
Projects this weekend have included painting the potting shed door, hooking up Mike's new laptop, getting the Nest thermostat installed, and trying to figure out how to view the cameras online.
The color of the door on the potting shed is exactly what I wanted! I have a silk Ryan blouse that is this color and was able to find this color for an exterior paint. Take a look -
It is 23 degrees this morning and socked in with a half mile visiblilty. Fog latches on to all things outside. The hoar frost is thick, new growth that will disappear with a touch of a finger, a breath of wind, or the coming of the sun - should the sun come out today.
Our dining area was graced with friends and a wonderful meal last night. Six at the table works just right. A pork roast with Mike Bressler's sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, big green salad, and a creative dessert. I turned a half gallon of goat milk into fresh goat cheese and made some thin crackers for appetizers. Using the quickly ripening fruits brought from home, I made a blueberry-mango-pineapple pie. Some were doubtful on this combination, their minds quickly changed with the first warm bite. Thanks Mom for teaching me how to make amazing crust!! I got the touch from you!
A soak in the hot tub started this day and will finish it as we pack up to head back to Hoback for the week ahead.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Flikr Explore
On my iPad, I have the Flikr Explore app. Most nights, as I lay in bed annoyed that once again, Michael is reading with the light on (grrrr....we have discovered our upbringings were much different as children - he could read before he slept, Sandy and I were told "lights out" "go to sleep". I don't ever recall reading before bed), I will open this app and look at the pictures for the day.
Some are stunning. Some are excellent. Some are good. Some are dumb. Still, it is always photographically inspiring. Inspiring in other ways too. The other day I decided that we should go to Norway. Every time I see an image from Norway, it resonates with something deep inside me. What's up with that?
Two days ago, there was a beautiful image from inside a frozen waterfall taken in Starved Rock State Park. You can check out the day's images at this link FLIKR Explore
There is a ton of information on the internet on how to get "explored". There is no pay and rarely is one's name even on the photo. It is simply something to brag about.
Having been a photographer in the past, I learned early that you can take all the beautiful pictures in the world, but if no one ever sees them, what's the point? It seems clear, recognition by others is what makes artists keep creating art.
Caring more about my blog readers than the Flickr browsers, I have am going to post an ExploreMeKC picture every now and then. Am I doing this for you or for me! Ahhhh, and that is the question, isn't it?! Let's just say it is for both of us. If you like the image, share my blog site with someone else who might enjoy following the blog and enjoying more ExploreMeKC images.
The folks in the know advise tagging images with lots of tags. So expect these too.
I might even load one or two up into Flikr......
Here is offering #1, ExploreMeKC for today, January 10, 2018 - which is, by the way, the day after Dad's birthday!! Hope you had a great day, Dad!!
lunchtime/packtrip/cowboys/wilderness/Wyoming/
Some are stunning. Some are excellent. Some are good. Some are dumb. Still, it is always photographically inspiring. Inspiring in other ways too. The other day I decided that we should go to Norway. Every time I see an image from Norway, it resonates with something deep inside me. What's up with that?
Two days ago, there was a beautiful image from inside a frozen waterfall taken in Starved Rock State Park. You can check out the day's images at this link FLIKR Explore
There is a ton of information on the internet on how to get "explored". There is no pay and rarely is one's name even on the photo. It is simply something to brag about.
Having been a photographer in the past, I learned early that you can take all the beautiful pictures in the world, but if no one ever sees them, what's the point? It seems clear, recognition by others is what makes artists keep creating art.
Caring more about my blog readers than the Flickr browsers, I have am going to post an ExploreMeKC picture every now and then. Am I doing this for you or for me! Ahhhh, and that is the question, isn't it?! Let's just say it is for both of us. If you like the image, share my blog site with someone else who might enjoy following the blog and enjoying more ExploreMeKC images.
The folks in the know advise tagging images with lots of tags. So expect these too.
I might even load one or two up into Flikr......
Here is offering #1, ExploreMeKC for today, January 10, 2018 - which is, by the way, the day after Dad's birthday!! Hope you had a great day, Dad!!
lunchtime/packtrip/cowboys/wilderness/Wyoming/
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Aerobic Activity
There is a gal in Jackson who makes really good and interesting fermented vegetables. The name of her company is Daily Roots and by clicking on her link you can find out all the goodness of eating fermented vegetables.
I've always stayed away from these kraut-like things, mainly because of the salt. Turns out, there is not nearly as much salt as I thought. Especially if you make this stuff yourself.
For my last purchase from Daily Roots, I paid $13/pint and $23 quart for fermented mixes. They make great gifts. I'm all about supporting local businesses, but at that price, well, I figured I could figure out how to do this....!! I recall pickles in a big, heavy crock, a blue label impressed in the crackly ceramic container. It was not an event I took part in or paid any attention to at all!
I found a book on Amazon called Fermented Vegetables . I liked the cover! One more Amazon order for a good fermenting jar made by Kilner and then off to the grocery store I went!
Here is what is in my first (rookie) batch: red cabbage, green cabbage, 3 beets, 2 blood oranges, 3/4 sliced red onion, some cranberries, a 1/4 of seaweed, ginger, mustard seed, and sea salt. The books says, "it all depends" on when it is done. Four or five days.....a week....they say you know when it tastes right! That should be hard to know that moment when it tastes right, having never done this before.....
Here is the jar, packed and full. Ready for some aerobic action!!
I've always stayed away from these kraut-like things, mainly because of the salt. Turns out, there is not nearly as much salt as I thought. Especially if you make this stuff yourself.
For my last purchase from Daily Roots, I paid $13/pint and $23 quart for fermented mixes. They make great gifts. I'm all about supporting local businesses, but at that price, well, I figured I could figure out how to do this....!! I recall pickles in a big, heavy crock, a blue label impressed in the crackly ceramic container. It was not an event I took part in or paid any attention to at all!
I found a book on Amazon called Fermented Vegetables . I liked the cover! One more Amazon order for a good fermenting jar made by Kilner and then off to the grocery store I went!
Here is what is in my first (rookie) batch: red cabbage, green cabbage, 3 beets, 2 blood oranges, 3/4 sliced red onion, some cranberries, a 1/4 of seaweed, ginger, mustard seed, and sea salt. The books says, "it all depends" on when it is done. Four or five days.....a week....they say you know when it tastes right! That should be hard to know that moment when it tastes right, having never done this before.....
Here is the jar, packed and full. Ready for some aerobic action!!
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)