Gnome and Friends

I finally finished my scroll saw project. Or, rather, the first batch of friends to come from it. I have more in various stages of done-ness. Completed and photographed are: a gnome, a tree, a bear, owl, and two hedgehogs. I had the best time just sawing around on a piece of wood and seeing what came of it. That's how the tree and the hedgehogs were invented.

The hardest parts about doing wood crafts, I think, are the many different steps you need to take before you get an end product. Sanding and finishing take forever. However, the results are totally worth the time and effort.

I would like to experiment more with the forest scene idea. Also, it would be neat to take a book and make the characters from it. What a cool gift that would make.

Willy

Over the course of the summer, Aaron and I befriended a local farmer named Willy. Every Saturday, Willy set up a table in the Southern States parking lot. (Southern States is like the farm/garden supply store. It's where you get seeds, chicken feed, donkey bridles, etc. In the summer, you can buy local produce by the peck and bushel. It's probably my favorite store besides Gabes.) Each Saturday, there is also a farmers market elsewhere, which is great if you're feeling rich, but the majority of those vendors are over-priced and too fancy. I like the idea of buying something directly from the farmer for a price that is good for him and for me. Willy's price is typically $1 for almost any pint of produce or bunch of veg. His maple syrup was under $3. His honey was $3, but we'd get 75 cents back if we return the jar. But why would we want to? Look how cool it is:


I think that what people have forgotten is that to buy food directly from the farmer, it doesn't have to be fancy stuff. It can just be things that you didn't get a chance to plant yourself. Another difference between the farmers market and Willy is that at the farmers market, they don't expect you to grow your own food. They don't really want to talk shop from the farming perspective, and if they talk shop at all, it's only from the business perspective. Willy gave us great tips on our garden all summer. He talked tomato blight with us. He asked how things were coming along. I wish there were more Willy's in parking lots everywhere.

lentil stew

It's fall and that means a different cuisine entirely. We've been on soup for about a month now, which feels so right. There is nothing more heartwarming than a big pot of soup on the stove.

I started making my lentil stew a number of years ago. I made it so much my last year in college that I had to give it a break the last two winters. It is really hardy, really flavorful and super easy. The secret is stuffing the pot with as many veggies as you can. Kale really adds to the experience and the vitamin content. Different kinds of lentils do different things. I like using the red lentils because they add a creaminess to the pot. If I have them on hand, I'll throw in a handful of brown or green. This time, I added a little bit of quinoa and it was great. It's really up to you. Violet gave us these beautiful bread bowls, so that was an extra special treat.

Lentil Stew, I'm glad we can be best buds again.

My Lentil Stew

6 carrots, sliced
3 potatoes, quartered
1 med. butternut squash, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1-2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves
as much kale as you like, leaves cut into strips, stalks cut into little nubs - separate the two
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped fine
heaping tbsp each of cumin and garam masala
a respectable amount of ground cardamom
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup lentils, red and other
1 can chickpeas
salt and pepper to taste, but don't skimp on the pepper
water (not sure how much, but enough to make it stewy but not soupy)

Saute onion in olive oil. When golden, add ginger, garlic, and the other spices, saute 3-5 mins. Add carrots and potatoes, cook a couple minutes, adding a bit of water if needed. Add crushed tomatoes and water. Add everything but the kale leaves. Cook until everything is just soft. Add kale leaves. Let sit for awhile before serving to give the kale time to soften. Makes enough to freeze some.

guard donk

A couple of weeks ago we took our friend Violet on an expedition to buy some alpacas and she came away with a donkey. Not only that, she's a pregnant donkey. And she's adorable. (However, I have to say that it was really hard not to get an alpaca ourselves and keep it over at Violet's. They are really cute, and their wool is really soft and sells for a good price. However, you need at least two because they are herd animals. I'll admit that I was a little heartbroken once again for living in town, but I think we'll have to have to have some one day.)


Donkeys are used to guard herds. They protect sheep, goats, alpaca, etc from coyotes and whatnot. For real! Daisy (that's what Violet named her) instantly took an active role in keeping Violet's dogs out of the barn yard, and as she's getting settled in, she's realizing that the goats are her herd. When Violet's little 5 lb. Yorkie got under the fence, we thought she was a goner for sure. Daisy keeps an eye on everything.

We keep telling Violet to call us the minute Daisy goes into labor so we can rush over and see the baby being born.

The more time that time goes on, the more I realize that I need a small farm. I'm not even kidding. Once we settle in to where ever we're going to be, we need have a place where we can have fun animals, but also be close to a city with real culture and the kind of values I believe in. I'm really getting tired of driving around in black clouds because people are actually proud to do environmental damage with their enormous trucks. If you need a truck (because you have a farm), fine. I can accept the need. Do you really need to have two huge pipes protruding from the bed of your truck that cough clouds black enough to obscure my view of the road every time you step on the gas? Do you really need to taunt me with your bumper sticker that says, "You just got sooted?" It really bothers me.

But enough about that. Back to Daisy.