Qwatra!

Letter to God

2011-07-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

This is an email forward I got today. It was such a cute story I just have to share it here :)
....................

Letter to God:

We don't know who replied……, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Baby Quail!

2011-02-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

My first quail hatch is over. Aren't they cuuute!! I have 24 healthy babies that hatched fine on their own, three died while hatching during the night, I assisted 5 out of their eggs, but 2 of those didn't make it, so I had 27, but three babies drowned in the chick waterer in scarcely a quarter inch of water. After thinking for a minute I put marbles in the water- no more drowned babies. I'm back to 24. Of the other 21 eggs that didn't hatch,... I'm thinking maybe quail eggs don't keep as well as chicken eggs if you wait to start incubation? Or maybe they were not held at their ideal temperature while waiting? ..., live and learn. I think I'll start a new batch, but I'll add eggs to the incubator daily as they are laid. I'll have 7 babies a day at the end, but I can keep them in a couple of groups if the bigger ones start picking at the smaller ones. After a couple weeks they'll be close enough to the same size and I can introduce them to the bigger pen all at once.

subscription feeder update

2011-02-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hi all :)
If you have a current subscription to our email updates (as of 6pm Wed), please take a moment to re-subscribe to our new email sign up box (same as before). I know it doesn't look any different, but it redirects info back to me from a different account now.
Thanks :) ... sorry for any inconvenience :(

Delilah :)

A New Year

2011-01-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

It has been such a lovely winter. :) I have so enjoyed the snow. As usual, much has happened and now I'll be writing about it all at once.
Loki found a new home with some experienced snake owners who I know will take good care of her. But I miss her so much! :( She was the perfect size. Big enough to really feel weighty, but small enough to manage- not too heavy to lift, not to big to house, and not to expensive to feed, and most of all, not to big to be dangerous - except for maybe a bite on the nose! ouch! (I'd hate to be that guy!)
I can't wait to have dwarf Burmese and super-dwarf reticulated pythons. Both of these normally giant snakes only top out around 7 to 8 feet in the dwarfs. (about the size Loki was) If this year's breeding season goes well, I can expand into the larger room in the basement and have a couple of these bigger snakes. I'm looking at granite Burmese, but there are so many pretty retic varieties... I can't make up my mind where I want to start!
Also I want to get into carpet pythons. Yesterday I brought home Toby- a male (unconfirmed as of yet) coastal carpet. I don't know anything about him unfortunately. He's just a pet shop boy. But he is a super sweet snake and I just love him! Here's a picture of him asleep in his new house.

Here's a blurb I wrote about his trip home from the pet shop:
Toby had a pretty stressful trip home. He HATED the pillowcase. I've never seen that before. Usual...ly snakes LOVE pillowcases. But then again I've never seen a claustrophobic cat before and yet our cat, Turbo, freaks out if you put him in a cat carrier. His eyes dilate and he howls and starts panting and clawing at the door. That's kinda what Toby did. I thought he was in pain or something like his tail was bent maybe, so I opened the bag to see if he was ok. He stuck his head out and crawled up my neck and then he was fine. So his bottom half was in the pillowcase and his top half was around my neck like a scarf. We thought about just letting him ride home like that but I was afraid if the car noise (vibration) frightened him I'd stress him out even more trying to keep him still. So back into the bag he went. He was not a happy camper. He kept pushing at the bag all the way home. Then it was to the bath tub. Not only was he dirty, but he was dry as a bone getting ready to shed. I thought a nice warm bath would be a comfort, but no, he hated that too. :(
So he just got a quick warm dip, a quick run through the towel and another scan for mites, and then he went down to his new home which thank goodness he seems to adore! He crawled all over his tree branch and started rubbing his nose on everything. I expect I'll find a shed in the morning.

Here's a couple new pictures of Amina. She's friendly, curious, and growing like a weed. She gets into everything. Here she is helping Nef with her makeup.

And here she is climbing the fig tree and looking out the window at the snow.

Update on Loki

2010-12-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that Loki's health has greatly improved. :) Unfortunately, her attitude has not :( She still hates to be held and hisses at even the slightest touch on her body. She tollerates being petted now, but hisses and squeaks the whole time. It's been a great way for me to monitor her respiratory infection without disturbing her too much. I just listen to how raspy her hiss sounds. The real test came at feeding time. I gave her a 2 pound f/t bunny last night. At first she didn't recognize it as food. She literally laid on top of it for an hour without even looking at it. So plan B- I fished it out and warmed the belly by the heater for a bit, and then dangled the front end of the bunny over the door and gave it a shake or two. She came up and looked at it and thumped it and held on kinda like she was tasting it. I gave it another shake to convince her and she took it. She then proceeded to eat it from the wrong end. It took her forever to get her mouth around the butt and back legs! I dare say it's been quite a while since she has been fed something that was the appropriate size! lol I was planning on giving her antibiotics at the advice of a friend, but now I don't think I'll need to. As she ate, I listened for her to gasp and strain like she did at her last meal of 3 rats (which was all I had at the time). This was a full size meal and she ate it without a single gasp, whistle, or raspy breath. Her breathing was smooth and even. I was thrilled. :)
Now... maybe since she has a full belly she won't be quite so grouchy! :) I'll give her a couple of days alone to digest this bunny and then we will see how she feels. Personally I think she just needs a boyfriend! I'll report more later... I should film our social session!
Here's the video of her eating her bunny, butt-end first. (Silly snake! try from the nose next time! It'll be much easier!) It took her so long to get the rear in her mouth I was worried that she would get tired and spit it out and give up. (I've seen that happen) But she kept at it. Once she got her mouth around it, it went quick and I missed most of her swallowing it as I had gone upstairs to eat a snack myself.

Maize Morado- Healthiest Corn on Earth?

2010-12-06T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have discovered a new (old) corn! A deep purple (almost black) colored strain of ancient corn that has come under much investigation of late for its alleged high levels of various health-beneficial antioxidants.
"Purple corn, a variety of Zea mays, is an Andean crop from low valleys locally called maiz morado. Purple corn can be found mostly in Peru, where it is cultivated in the coast, as well as in lands almost ten thousand feet high. There are different varieties of purple corn, and all of them originated from an ancestral line called “Kculli”, still cultivated in Peru. The Kculli line is very old, and ancient objects in the shape of these particular ears of corn have been found in archeological sites at least 2,500 years old in places in the central coast, as well as among the ceramics of the “Mochica” culture. "
http://www.pulpastore.co.uk/detox-your-world-organic-purple-corn-flour-500g-203.html

Here's a great article on some of the research that is being done:
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/act.2007.13210

Here's another article about this corn as a cancer treatment that states "anthocyanins from purple corn and chokeberries not only completely stopped the growth of cancer cells, but also killed about 21 percent of cancer cells without having any effect on healthy cells."
http://healthrecipes.com/purple-corn-cancer-treatment.htm

I bought some seeds listed on eBay and can't wait to plant them this year! I have heard reports that they grow fast and big- up to 15 feet and can have 3 ears per stalk. It's traditionally used to make chicha morada, a sweet drink http://peruvian-cuisine.blogspot.com/2008/11/drink-recipe-chicha-morada-purple-chica.html
I can't find much information on its uses for fresh eating or as a flour. I'll just have to find out for myself I guess! :)

Snake Beeding Season! YAY!

2010-12-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

We're off to a great start this year! Our star boy, Kye, a Mystic male has already bred 3 girls- Mala, a bumblebee; Vanya, a Mojave; and Bambi, a spider.

Also we have Pete, a cinny pewter, who has bred with Bana, our other bumblebee; >

and Spot is breeding with Fern (below) - this is our het pied pair!

So we could possibly have any of the following:
mystics, mystic potions, cinnabee, bumblebee, mystic bee(?!),... and pieds! :)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T00:51:00.000-08:00

Again I find myself far behind in reporting the goings on around here.
Near the end of summer our ducks left us for a home in the country with a big pond. Everyone around here grew quite tired of the poo, the feathers, and the fact that the poo, the feathers came into the house regularly under the paws of the dogs. (yuck!) So for a while we were eggless again. And oh how I miss my ducks! *cries*
I got to thinking about quail again and around mid October I think it was, I got 10 Coturnix quail. It was supposed to be 8 girls and 2 boys, but it turned out to be 4 girls and 6 boys! There was much fussing and fighting until I was able to acquire 3 more girls. Now everyone seems to be getting along for the most part. I have 3 girls and 3 boys in one cage and 4 girls and 3 boys in the other. Still too many boys, but it looks like the situation will work out until I can hatch out babies in the Spring. The little eggs are so much fun! We've had them scrambled, boiled, fried, and we made stuffed quail eggs for thanksgiving dinner. They taste just like chicken eggs, but are far more nutritious! (See my previous post about quail eggs- http://qwatra.blogspot.com/2009/09/raising-quail.html)
So other than quail eggs we had:
SMOKED turkey- I'm spoiled now for smoked turkey- for one, just heat and eat! Two- the flavor is melt in your mouth great!
Baked Yams- nothing fancy, just baked, mashed and topped with a bit of brown sugar, walnuts, and a handful of tiny marshmallows. They were a smashing hit!
My Mom's Amazing cornbread dressing- You have never HAD stuffing until you've tasted my Mom's stuffing. Cornbread base with celery, onion, apple, carrot, and walnuts!
Basic green bean casserole- always a favorite
Neffie's garlic mashed potatoes- yummy!
We cooked a pumpkin to make pumpkin pie, but never got around to it. It's still in the fridge though, so we need to do that before it goes bad.
Outside it was all white. In fact, we have had the snowiest November on record!
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=13582075
"SPOKANE, Wash. - Well, it took until the last day, but we did it! November 2010 is officially the snowiest November on record. KHQ Chief Meteorologist Bill Kelly says that as of 10pm Tuesday night, the record was officially broken with 25.7". The average snowfall for the month of November is 7.1" "

Let it snow! Outside the weather may be frightful, but inside our fire is quite delightful! I am really enjoying the winter. :) It's nice to relax, reflect, spend time with Don and Nef and actually PLAY together! We have lots of firewood, lots of groceries, and lots of love! So I say bring it on winter! We're loving it!

Loki the Burmese Python

2010-11-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

Well I have acquired a snake I'm going to call a rescue. She is a 7 foot Burmese Python with a bad attitude. I've had her for about a week and a half. When I first got her home, she did not want to be held or even touched. After working with her over the past few days, she has calmed down quite a lot and will already let me hold her. We still have a long way to go though, because she is used to getting her way, and when she wants down, she won't take no for an answer! Suddenly a 20 pound snake feels like she weighs 40 pounds! She is still hissy and fussy, but I think a lot of that noise may be due to her stuffy nose. Poor thing has a respiratory infection- no wonder she's so cranky! I'm keeping her kennel (more on that in a second) right in front of the heater, so she can crawl to the front and get really warm. I hope she will start feeling better soon.
So I brought her home immediately when I met her, leaving her cage behind to fetch at a later date. I put her in a large dog airline crate which she took to like a fish to water. She hid in the far corner and stayed there for several days. Then she moved up into her water tub and stayed there for another few days until she shed. After shedding she felt much better and came to the front of the kennel to greet me when I came int the snake room.
We then took her crate and all upstairs to the bathroom for a nice warm bath. She happily got into the warm water and then refused to come out! Determined not to handle her roughly, I suffered a lesson in patience and persistence to coax her back into her kennel. As soon as her nose was in the door she went straight to the back and coiled up again. So much for a first outing!
We repeated this process the last couple of days, and today she was quite social. She came out of her kennel on her own when I opened the door, and she let me carry her up the stairs to the living room. She sat with me on the couch for about an hour, and then we went to the bathroom to the tub for dinner where she ate 2 big rats quick as a wink.
So I started running some warm water into the tub for her to sit for a bit and get out of "hunt" mode, but she suddenly struck the water coming out of the faucet banging her nose hard on the metal. I felt so bad! I reached for her to pull her away so she would not hit her nose again, but as I started to tug her, the brat bit me! Then, thinking my arm must be a nice big bunny, she spun around my arm. The bite didn't hurt a bit. Her wrapping tight around my arm didn't hurt a bit. But her teeth pulling on my hand hurt like Hell!!! I wish I had gotten a picture of her twisted around my arm, but I was kinda focused on getting her OFF! First I poked her tail, but that made her spin tighter and her teeth pulled even more. OUCH!!! So I held as still as I possibly could until she started loosening up a little. Then I poked her belly under a coil on my arm. She loosened up a bit and I poked her again and she unwound and let go. I did get a nice picture of the bite, look at all those teeth!

Sadly, I know I won't be able to keep her. (Mom, I know this is good news to you ;) )
I just can't invest so much space to just one snake. I would love to breed half dwarf Burmese. Their size is much more manageable and much better pet quality. I will be keeping Loki long enough to get her sociable, and to get her respiratory infection all better. But then I think I will try to find her a home with one of my breeder friends.

Cutest video ever!

2010-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

I bumped into this video clip online today. This has to be the cutest thing ever! A little duckling is feeding the fish!

Back to Vegan... mostly...

2010-08-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

I am trying my best to get back towards a vegan diet. A few years ago, I did an all vegan diet for a whole week. I felt 10 years younger! It made a HUGE difference in the way I felt, my mental alertness, my sleeping, no joint pain or stiffness, my flexibility improved drastically. But it is so hard to stick to that diet, especially when everyone around you is eating meat and eggs and ice cream and all kinds of treats and goodies and things that smell so good. :(
But since my daughter wants to eat healthier now too, we have been trying to do better. But it's HARD. Especially when you let yourself get hungry, then you can't think clearly and you follow instinct to the old fatty foods you're used to. .... *thinks*.... We need to plan better and be prepared with healthy foods when hunger hits.
I think that eliminating all the processed foods and all animal products and as much cooked food as possible from our diet (I have those in order of importance) is the way to go.
'Processed food' includes most anything in a box or can. Refined sugar is the #1 thing to avoid at all costs! This stuff is POISON!
I highly recommend the movie (documentary) Super-size Me. I had been wanting to watch it for some time and we just watched it the other night. It really drives home just how bad a high sugar/ fat diet can be. Not only the making-you-fat part, but what it does to your liver, your mood, your mind, ...it's impressive.
We live in a processed world.
--Sandwich meat- chopped, pressed, water added, and then preserved with sodium nitrate.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/16361276/
"During the cooking process, nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. It is also suspected that nitrites can combine with amines in the human stomach to form N-nitroso compounds. These compounds are known carcinogens and have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain."
--Boxed cereals- good luck finding a cereal that does not contain BHT
http://www.sweetpoison.com/food-additives-to-avoid.html
"added to oil-containing foods to prevent oxidation and retard rancidity. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, consider BHA to be possibly carcinogenic to humans, and the State of California has listed it as a carcinogen. Some studies show the same cancer causing possibilities for BHT"
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/04/05/12-dangerous-food-additives-the-dirty-dozen-food-additives-you-really-need-to-be-aware-of.htm
http://biorganic.ifrance.com/biorganic/ad ditives.htm
--Nuts- healthy right? Wrong! Nuts from the store are cooked, usually way over-cooked and loaded with added unhealthy heavy processed and overheated oils. Olive oil, nut oils, sunflower and safflower oils, and other natural food oils start out as healthy, but once they are heated they become carcinogenic health nightmares! The oils break down and are no longer food but become poison!!The answer- RAW nuts.

Garbage in- disease out.
Healthy, real food in- healthy, strong body out.

To put it in a nut shell, it's really quite simple.WHOLE. RAW. REAL.
It's so obvious it's ridiculous, but so difficult it makes you wonder just how brainwashed we all really are. Why is it easier and less expensive to eat a hamburger than it is to eat an apple? WHY?!?! ...and is it really?
It is obvious. So obvious in fact that if you really look at the reality of the situation, why not skip the boxes and eat the food that looks like food!

Lory laid 7 eggs!

2010-07-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

This was a few days ago on the 6th. So they should hatch between... Aug 30 to Sept 3 or so. I can't wait! Pete was the father, so babies could be Pastel, Cinnamon, or maybe pewter like daddy if I'm really lucky! Or who knows? Maybe they are both het for something... there's always a chance.

Summertime!

2010-07-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

We're having a bit of a heatwave, 94 today. Not too bad I guess, but Orio wants in:

The ducks too are trying to beat the heat.... time for a nap!

ducklings!

2010-06-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

Aren't they insanely cute!!!
...and only 24 hours old!

Tumors in African Soft Furred Rats

2010-05-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

I have been breeding African soft furred rats for a couple years now. I find them to be less smelly than Norway rats, and they are prolific breeders....
However, in addition to being nasty biters (ouch) they are prone to developing nasty rapid growing tumors. Within a week an affected rat can go from having rough-looking fur (tumors developing underneath) or a sore on the eye, ear, or under the jaw; to numerous bumpy, sometimes bleeding, lumps all over their body. I did a bit of research and found a bit more info on this problem:
http://www.metalmonkeyexotics.com/blog/?page_id=333

"Tumors

"ASF's are prone to spontaneous, fast growing warty tumors. From my readings in various papers, the warty and ulcer like tumors known as keratoacanthomas and squamous carcinomas, are associated with a papillomavirus (MnPV). The tumors can be seen in the vaginal region as a clustered mass, along the tail as bumps, on the back and hind quarters as warty black growths, or on the face of the animal. (Pictures can be found here)

"They will develop warty tumors, patchy hairloss, and osteoarthritis as they age past approx 9 months, although it can be younger, or delayed as much as 14 months, or not at all.

"So far, it would seem that the tumors develop after 9 -12months of age, although not all will get this condition.I have at least one Amber colored female well over 14 months of age that still has not developed any skin tumors or growths.

"The tumor development can be very fast and spontaneous. I've had one female just recently (6/1) who within days developed fast growing tumors all over her body, under the skin and on the skin surface. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't remember to before she was euthanized and destroyed. It was disturbing to see the alarming rate that the tumors grew, she had just reached approximately 8-9 months of age when these tumors developed."

Though I try to cull affected animals as soon as I notice them, I haven't been able to make a noticeable improvement since I have a colony-style environment. I am seriously thinking about trying to do some strict selective breeding to see if this problem could be at least reduced or delayed if not irradiated (I could work on the aggressiveness and biting too) .
Also, ... is there something in captivity that is causing this? Are they missing something in their diet? Do they need a different bedding? Do they need some light exposure?
I need to do more research. ....

Windstorm Today

2010-05-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Don wrote this up for us in an email- quite a day today!
"We had winds gusting up to 60 mph for around eight hours today. Our neighbor across the street lost many roof shingles (ours is fine) but the real news was a large tree that fell 600 feet down the road, destroying a parked car. No-one was hurt. It was also a dust storm with the winds coming across the plains before hitting us. Things are calmer now but quite chilly."

Our first Cayuga egg! :)

2010-02-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

This morning when I went to let the ducks out of their barn I was greeted with a dark oval jewel! The first egg of the year! And it's perfect! :) It's about the size of a jumbo chicken egg as you can see in the picture. As soon as the girls start laying regularly, we'll order our runner chicks and give them to a Cayuga mom, and let her do the work of raising them! Then this winter, we'll still have fresh eggs! Runner ducks are the egg laying queens. Nearly an egg a day all year long. That's some amazing production skills!

Pete and Jewel

2010-02-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

Pete is a busy boy! Jewel is just over 1300g. She's small yet, but maybe we'll get 3 or 4 eggs from her this year. Hopefully she'll eat a few more times and get her weight up. She's an African import, so who knows? She might throw something new :)

A Good Lock!

2010-02-11T00:19:00.000-08:00

This is Pete and Tika! Tika has some insanely bright yellow on her lower half; it will be interesting to see if pastel babies will pick up some of this yellow. Other than that I suppose she is a normal. Pete is a pewter, so I could have baby pastels, cinnies, or maybe a pewter if I'm really lucky! I can't wait!! :)

Since I had the camera, I filmed the rats munching their veggies. Aren't they cute?

Snowflake Images

2009-12-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

I saw this article on http://spaceweather.com/
Beautiful, aren't they!

SNOW FLAKES: The industrial district of Marl, Germany, isn't known for its natural beauty or outdoor photo-ops. But maybe that's because people just haven't been looking closely enough. On Dec. 18th, resident Martina Borchert discovered this scene in her own backyard:

"These crystals landed on top of a rusty old bird feeder," she says. "Normally they would have melted instantly, but the temperature outside was -4 C, and that gave me time to arrange a photo shoot using my Canon EOS 350D and a 60mm macro lens. Two hours and one cold nose later, I stored more than 800 snapshots on my hard drive!" Here is a selection of the best: #1, #2, #3, #4

circumhorizontal arcs

2009-11-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me these pictures of a beautiful rainbow phenomena that happened here on June 6, 2006. This one was taken Just over the Idaho border:
Here's a link to the other image:
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/chaim8a.htm
This one was taken from downtown Spokane.

It made National Geographic news! You can read more about it here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060619-rainbow-fire.html

It's Nice to Have Help Raking Leaves!

2009-10-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Around our house, one of the most fun of all chores is the annual raking of the leaves. Of course it usually takes 4 times longer than it should because of all the help we get! ...That will make sense when you watch this:

Spring Fats/ Fall Fats

2009-10-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is an extremely good article!
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100245164
I'll quote part of it here:

"While researching a book on omega-3s, I realized that the essential fats—the omega-3s and their close cousins, the omega-6s—change with the seasons. It might sound like a small idea, but it may soon fundamentally change the way you think about food.
First, let's start with omega-3s, what I'll call the spring fats. These are likely the most abundant fats in the world, but they don't originate in fish, as many believe. Rather, they are found in the green leaves of plants. Fish are full of omega-3s because they eat phytoplankton (the microscopic green plants of the ocean) and seaweed. In plants, these special fatty acids help turn sunlight into sugars, the basis of life on Earth. The spring fats speed up metabolism. They are fats that animals (humans included) use to get ready for times of activity, like the mating season. They're found in the highest concentrations in all the most active tissues: brains, eyes, hearts, the tails of sperm, the flight muscles of hummingbirds. Because fish have so many of these fats in their diets, they can be active in cold, dark waters. These fats protect our brains from neurological disorders and enable our hearts to beat billions of times without incident. But they are vanishing from our diet, and you'll soon understand why.
Next up are the omega-6s, what I'll call the fall fats. They originate in plants as well, but in the seeds of plants rather than the leaves. The fall fats are simply storage fats for plants. Animals require both—omega-3s and omega-6s—in their diets and their tissues. But omega-6s are slower and stiffer than omega-3s. Plus, they promote blood clotting and inflammation, the underlying causes of many diseases, including heart disease and arthritis. Omega-3s, on the other hand, promote blood flow and very little inflammation, which may prevent things like heart disease. The proper mix of these two fats helps create tissue with the right amount of blood flow and inflammation. But because they're in constant competition to enter our cells, if your diet consists of too many omega-6s, your body will be deficient in omega-3s. And that is what's been happening to us as we've been eating more and more seed fats in the form of soybean, corn and other vegetable oils."

Continuing with this line of thought...
The notion of seasonal foods is certainly not new. Cycles and seasons have been celebrated and honored throughout the ages. It is only recently that we have forgotten why. Globalization has made any food available at any time, anywhere on Earth. Our modern heated houses mean our bodies are no longer stressed in the winter cold and so no longer burn winter fat. We have quite effectively removed the seasonal cycles from our lives and our bodies suffer the consequences. Artificial lighting has disrupted day/night cycles creating a sleeping disorder pandemic, lighting also interferes with lunar/menstrual cycles in women, and the seasonal lengthening and shortening of the days is obscured by modern artificial lighting. Chickens will lay eggs all year, cutting their life span in half as a result. In humans, it contributes to the growing (pun intended) obesity pandemic and high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, ...
How much healthier would we be if we simply brought our bodies back into the natural rhythms of nature?

Harvest is in

2009-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

My mom just sent us a box of home canning that she had done this year. It was like Christmas in October! There were 2 jars of beans that were broken, but all the rest were fine and are very much loved and appreciated. Her pepper jelly is beautiful! I am so glad to get a jar for the holidays. I was going to make some but that was one of the things I just didn't get around to doing. We had a cold snap down to 18, so it killed our fall colors this year. We are so sad. :(
I brought in a ton of green tomatoes and have them all in the basement. I managed to grow a good many beans despite the late start and... I wonder ... the freeze hit before the beans were dry on the vines, so I brought in the beans I had for seed and hung them to go ahead and finish drying,.. as long as they look mature and black when they are dry, they should be ok as seed, right? A gardening friend gave me an All American Pressure Canner. (what a gift!) I didn't have enough beans to bother canning this year, but I'll hopefully get a better start next year. I did make a few pickles and some canned tomatoes with vegetables. I've already used over half the tomatoes though! *giggle* I add tomato paste and meat and have spaghetti sauce, or add it to Spanish rice mix for a hearty Spanish rice, or use it as soup base, or add meat and chili powder and make chili. I didn't make jelly this year, but we still have plenty from last year, so we're set on jelly. We harvested all the herbs and have them drying all over the kitchen. We had seven good size pumpkins, and a friend of ours gave us eight butternuts.

OH! I grew Ruby Queen corn- everyone agreed it was the Best corn they had ever tasted by far. It wasn't a bumper year, but I didn't do too bad, all things considered.

Chickens, Ducks, and Wolves... oh my!

2009-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Many critters have come and gone since my last post... er... the one before the 2 quail posts, that is. Back then I had chickens, so that's where I need to begin. As I feared, my family and neighbors were not fond of constant chicken chatter. These were some exceptionally noisy chickens. I honestly think a rooster would have been quieter! Warning- set your volume low before watching this one!

So I had to find them a new home. As luck would have it, a very nice couple from a farm in Rosalia (a small town to the south) came to pick them up. They have about an acre fenced off for their flock of chickens, they told me, with lots of grass and bushes and a small pond- sounds like chicken heaven!
So I have flat given up on the idea of chickens. But I have not given up on the idea of eggs! As you can see from my quail posts, there are other egg options out there for urban egg production. I found a source for quail, but we need to make an enclosure for them first. But we still had the chicken pen and barn....so I thought, Ducks! Like quail eggs, duck eggs beat chicken eggs for nutrition. So we bought a few ducks off of Craigslist to try them out. I had read that khaki Campbell ducks lay more eggs than any chicken breed- almost 300 a year! And that's without light supplementation! So I decided to get a few. Nope, not for me. They were as noisy as chickens! So they went. I had read that khaki's were developed from runner ducks, another type that lay 300 eggs a year, so we tried a black runner female. We had also gotten some Cayuga Ducks. These have since become my absolute favorite! They are exquisite! And they are Quiet! The runner was a bit noisier, but not too bad.
Now... unfortunately we learned the hard way that an Arctic wolf though not all that interested in a chicken is terribly interested in a duck!!! One day I had the ducks out of their pen in the backyard. The dogs were inside, the back door was locked. ... Or so I thought. Orio opened the door when no one was looking and went out in the yard to play. It didn't take him long to find that a duck made a great toy. I went outside to find him trotting across the yard with a dead duck in his mouth. He saw me and came prancing over to me to ask me to throw it for him. I fell to pieces! It was the Cayuga female! All I could do was just hold her and cry. Don made sure Orio knew he had screwed up royally! Afterwards I wouldn't talk to Orio for 2 days. But as if that weren't enough, about a week later, tragedy struck again. The ducks were put away in their pen, the dogs were out. No one was looking. Suddenly Dori came running to the door yipping and barking to tell us Orion was getting into trouble. No one realized that our Arctic wolf had had a taste of his natural food source and decided that was what he wanted for dinner. He plowed his way under the gate to the duck pen and killed my remaining 2 ducks! Luckily I only had 2 at the time, the Cayuga drake, and the runner. I was so furious I came frighteningly close to killing him!
So Don is going to rebuild the duck pen for me. It will be taller, thicker wire, and he will run it underground and fan it out so that if Orio tries to dig under it, he'll hit wire. Nothing is entirely wolf-proof, but we can at least slow him down enough that we can catch him before he gets too far. I now have 3 pairs of show quality Cayugas. They are absolutely beautiful! No way is that wolf going to get any more of my ducks!!!

Raising Quail

2009-09-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I found a very informative article on raising quail!
Click Here
From Backwoods Home Magazine which I highly recommend! Housing requirements, feeding, nutritional values of the birds, nutritional values of the eggs, great article!!

Quail Eggs- Perfect food?

2009-09-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

I have still been researching the best critters for producing eggs. When I thought of quail I immediately hit the internet to find out if this might be a good idea. I ran across this article about the nutrition in quail eggs:
http://geniuscook.com/quail-eggs/

"Quail eggs are small speckled pearls that nature gives us. Since ancient times, this delicacy has been prized as a dietary and healing food. While quail eggs are so small (10-12 g), they are packed with many biologically active substances we need to be healthy. They are an abundant source of useful trace elements and vitamins. Their nutritional value is 3-4 times higher than that of chicken eggs. They contain 13% proteins while chicken eggs provide a bit more than 11%. Quail eggs contain 140 μg vitamin B1 compared to 50 μg in chicken eggs, and they contain twice as much vitamins A and B2. And quail eggs provide five times as much iron and potassium as chicken eggs. They also are richer in phosphorus and calcium.

Due to their amazing content, quail eggs are considered as a dietary food. The thing is quail eggs do not have “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and are very rich in “good” (HDL) cholesterol, so even seniors can eat them. Unlike chicken eggs, they do not cause allergy and diathesis. What’s more, they can help fight allergy symptoms due to the ovomucoid protein that is even used in the production of some antiallergic drugs. Regular consumption of quail eggs can help against many diseases.
Health Benefits of Quail Eggs

Quail eggs:

* are a remedy against digestive tract disorders such as gastritis, stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer.
* can help cure anemia increasing hemoglobin level and remove toxins and heavy metals from blood.
* help in the treatment of tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, diabetes and vegetative-vascular dystonia.
* have strong anticancer effects and may help inhibit cancerous growth.
* help eliminate and remove stones from liver, kidneys and gallbladder.
* may accelerate recuperation after blood stroke and help strengthen heart muscle.
* are a powerful stimulant of sexual potency. They nourish the prostrate gland with useful substances, phosphorus, proteins and vitamins and therefore help restore sexual potency in men.
* promote good memory, enhance brain activity and regulate the nervous system.
* strengthen the immune system slow down aging of organs and increase the life span.
* improve skin color and strengthen hair making it shiny and voluminous. That’s why quail eggs are used for facial and hair care masks.

If kids eat at least 2 quail eggs daily, they grow better and are less likely to suffer from infectious diseases."

With a nutrition resume like this it is worth some serious consideration!!! I know quail are easy to raise and don't take up much space, are pretty quiet, don't stink, ... hmmm.... I might be on to something!

A Zorse is a Zorse... of Course!

2009-08-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have seen zebra/ horse crosses before, but this one is just stunning! Meet Eclyse!

More Eclyse Pictures
More info and pictures here

Eclyse the Zorse - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Summer 2009 Part 3

2009-07-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Summer brings lots and lots of summer squash. Good old fashioned crook neck is one of my favorites. I didn't get any seeds planted, but I bought a few starts at our local garden store and now have plenty for us, the dogs, and the chickens!

The garlic is in bloom now. They have such neat-looking flowers.

The corn and pumpkins are looking great! They grow so well together! The corn is much darker green this year with it growing in the pumpkin vines. I'm convinced! This is a great way to grown them both! Another great trick from our Cherokee ancestors!

Here's a beautiful pumpkin blossom.

This is a little rubel blueberry that had something happen to it during shipment. We thought for sure it was dead. But it looks like it is going to make it! I must say though that the rest of the blueberries we got from Hartmann's were the best plants I have ever received in the mail! Actually, they were even better than a lot of plants I see at nurseries! I will definitely be shopping with them in the future!

Here's the blackberries I still have not planted, sitting on the back patio. I may keep them in the shed over winter and plant them next spring. They have grown enough this year that maybe we'll get a few berries next year! I hope so! :)

The strawberries are producing like crazy already. We're getting 8 or so a day. Yay for strawberries!
It won't be long before we can make strawberry cake, strawberry ice-cream, strawberry jam, strawberry sauce for cheesecake. Yummy!

New Chickens!

2009-07-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Now that I am pretty sure I have a good setup for the chicken coop and yard to keep "Big Nose" out of my eggs, I decided to get chickens again. After searching for a week or two I found a lady who needed a good home for her flock that she had rescued along with some other animals from an abusive situation. I had to do a bit of research to find out what kind of chickens they are. I think I have decided that they are Wyandottes. There are a Black, a Golden-Laced, and 5 Columbian, one of which is a rooster. Well, being in town, dot dot dot, no rooster, so I had to find him a home. Luckily it didn't take long. There was a catch. This rooster is sterile! I have a couple of friends out in the country that have chickens, so I called around. I thought it might be hard to find a home for a sterile rooster, but I got lucky! One of my friends said that she didn't need a rooster, but she has a friend with some laying hens including some younger hens she was raising up. She had lost one the other day to a hawk and was desperately looking for a rooster to protect the flock. She did NOT want fertile eggs, just eating eggs- so this rooster was PERFECT! And as luck would further have it, my friend was already in town and volunteered to drop by and pick up the rooster for her other friend. The only sad part was I never got a picture of him. :(
The hens have spent the last couple of days getting used to their new coop and yard. Today I let them out into the whole backyard and they have been all over the place checking everything out. I have a ton of pictures! Click a picture to see it larger. Enjoy!

Summer 2009 Part 2

2009-07-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

So... where was I? Ah yes, holy cabbage. Ok, so slugs aside, everything else seems to be doing great! I have several kinds of tomatoes as usual, this year I have Grape, Early Girl, Brandywine, and a Russian Black. I have lots of green tomatoes out there, so it won't be long till I have fresh tomatoes!

I also have several kinds of peppers. I have purple, yellow and red bells, and cherry. I've picked a few already and there's lots more up and coming.

In the salad department we have enjoyed red leaf and romaine lettuce, but it is going to seed now, so it's time to plant more.

We have lots of onions and some garlic that is just beginning to make heads.

We have no shortage of violas that have blanketed all the free space in the garden. What a splash they make in fresh salads!

Our comfrey has really taken off this year! This versatile medicinal plant is certainly a welcome sight in the garden.

There's still more to report, so it looks like I'll be posting part 3! Stay tuned!

Summer 2009

2009-07-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I made a post to this blog! Has it really been this long?! I suppose so, since so much has happened. I was so late getting my garden in this year that I came close to not planting one at all. But now I am so glad I did! Everything is coming along nicely. :) The fruit trees are doing well, not much in the way of fruit this year, but they are growing like weeds! We do have a few pears and a couple of apricots.

We planted blueberries this spring and actually grew a couple dozen berries.

We also bought 50 Tristar strawberries which are doing well and are already producing berries! That's Tristar for ya! :)

Not everything is growing as well as I would like. My chicken powered bug patrol is currently out of commission- I gave my chickens to a friend to keep for me until I was better able to keep Orion from eating all my eggs! So this season I have had a slug problem! Slugs ate my Cherokee beans to the ground! GGGRRRR!!! After replanting the beans and distracting the slugs with a blanket of leaves from the box elder tree, I have a couple dozen struggling plants that look like they might make it.

The cabbage has not escaped the slugs either. Holy Cabbage Leaves, Batman!!

There's much more to report, but I'll have to finish later. I'll post part 2 tomorrow! :)

End of Summer

2008-10-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, summer has come and gone here in the Northwest. They say our low this Wednesday will be 29! BRRRR!!! I have most everything harvested and I have been making jelly all week. I have made crab apple, plum, grape, plum, some green pepper jelly, and more plum. Oh! Did I mention plum?

Our old Damson Plum tree as usual makes more plums than the chickens, the squirrels, the dogs, the neighbors, and us together could ever eat. (Though Orion tries his best to eat them all).

This year was pretty successful considering it was our first year back home and the soil was in pretty pathetic shape. No one told the pumpkins or squash that though, they pretty well took over the whole garden! Next year they get staked!

I found out that my favorite summer squash is the white patty pan. Not only are they quite tasty raw, steamed or baked, they were the most prolific in the garden.
And aren't they just the neatest shape? They were definitely my favorite crop this year.

Here's a few more of my favorite pictures from this year's garden...

Homegrown Revolution

2008-07-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

This is what we all need to be doing, right in our own back yards, right now. The term "Victory Garden" is back. I think it applies now more than ever. After watching this video, visit YouTube for more just like it. There is a gardening revolution sweeping the nation, and I'm proud to be part of it!!

http://pathtofreedom.com/ <--Visit their website!! EXCELLENT!!

A Rainbow of Eggs

2008-07-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

I found this on BackYardChickens.com
Who knew there were so many color possibilities among chickens! Since I have a Maran rooster (now living with a friend in the country, more on that later) and Ameraucana hen, maybe I can breed some gray, or maybe green layers.

Clockwise, starting with the white:
1. Leghorn
2. Light brown layer, like Barred Rock
3. Medium brown layer, like Rhode Island Red
4. Marans
5. Cross between 4 and 8
6. Cross between 3 and 8
7. Cross between 2 and 8 (typical Easter egger)
8. Ameraucana or Araucana

Grow Garden Grow!

2008-06-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have my first squash blossom! YAY! It's sooo pretty! It's one of my zucchini plants. Isn't it pretty! *points*
My tomatoes are doing great now. I Burned them by watering them in the heat of the day. They looked pretty pitiful for a few days. But now they're greening up and I have a few flowers too!
I saw a honey bee the other day around sunset. That's the only one I have seen this year. I have seen several small little bees around,... not sure what kind they are.
I'm pretty happy now that I have a lot of plants up and growing. Let me think... I have corn, tomatoes, several kinds of pumpkin, patty pan swash in white, yellow, and green, some acorn squash, zucchini, crook-neck squash, purple potatoes, cucumbers, several kinds of beans, turnips, peppers of all colors, shapes, and heat levels, onions, garlic, okra, watermelons, and several types of unusual melons to try. Hooray for Summer! :D

Spring Report!

2008-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Only 2 and a half weeks to the official start of summer! We've had a busy spring. Luckily, some of the work we've done in the past when we lived here 10 years ago has survived to greet us this spring. Here's a few of our bright sunny tulips.
The first thing we did was plant a mini orchard of fruit trees along the North side of the backyard. I helped Don plant an Italian Prune, a grafted combo of apples, a combo of cherries, a combo of pears, and an apricot. They all budded out nicely and all had a few flowers. So it looks like we may have a few fruits this year from each tree!
The next project was to make a garden. Back in February, I planted trays of seed and had them up and beautiful by March. Grif built a lovely greenhouse... that Orion ventilated for me. Which killed all my plants. *Grumbles something about big obnoxious rowdy oversized dogs* We gave up on the greenhouse idea and took it down. I decided I needed a fence to keep out Big Nose and Jack Rabbit! (Orion and Dori). Grif did a fine job of making a beautiful wood fence.... that Dori dove under and Orion went through. So we lined it with 2 by 4 inch vinyl-coated wire. But then they both wiggled under the gate. So I put a row of firewood logs under the gate. I have to step over, but it's worth it to keep them out.
I started new trays after we got the fence up and now have new seeds ready to go out as I get the beds ready. I bought several tomatoes and pepper plants that were already good size. so they were the first to go in. I planted about 8 different kinds of tomatoes right in the bed. The seeds will hopefully be up soon. I also have one corn bed planted. I'm gonna try this new Mirai. They say it's the sweetest corn ever. The seeds were really funky looking- all shriveled up. They didn't look like corn at all.
More to post soon! I'll take more pictures as I get the garden done. Next up, strawberries!

Chickens Again!

2008-06-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

We have chickens again! I returned the 2 little roosters a while back and ordered 2 dozen Black Copper Maran eggs from mail order place. BAD idea! I asked to be notified when the eggs were shipped so I would be expecting them. Well we came home one chilly 37 degree day to find my box of eggs sitting on the porch! I rushed them inside and turned on the incubator. When the temperature seemed stable enough, I put the eggs in and hoped for the best. Only 11 developed, and only 5 hatched. There was another problem as well. This breed's eggs are supposed to be dark chocolate burgundy brown. These eggs were not all that dark; in fact, they were not much darker than regular brown eggs. It was a big disappointment. Soon after my 5 little chicks hatched, out pet shop had a few amaraucanas come in. I brought home the cutest little white chick to add to the flock. We still don't know which are boys and which are girls, but we are getting a bit of an idea. There's one in particular- quite aggressive and tends to run off by himself. We figure that one must be a boy. But time will tell! About a week ago we brought home 3 more amaraucana chicks from out pet shop. These were sexed and are supposed to be hens. They are all a cute soft buffy brown. Sorry, I don't have pictures of them yet. So the total is 4 Marans (we lost one to a local Cooper's hawk- my daughter caught it in the act!) and 4 amaraucanas. Out of these we will hopefully have 2 girls out of each group. If my marans don't lay any dark eggs though, I'll be shopping for replacements next spring.

Chia -- Superfood!

2008-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

The famous Chia 'pets' grown on clay pots are a superfood known and cultivated by Aztecs over 5000 years ago. We need to stop playing with this plant and start EATING it!!

There are two varieties, the cultivated Mexican Chia, Salvia hispanica, which grows naturally on clay soils (hence chia pets), and the Golden Chia (Salvia Columbariae). This is our northern variety. It hasn't been cultivated, but was collected from the wild by the indigenous California people. It's a little annual sage that doesn't look like a sage. The leaves are deeply dissected and very crinkly. 2 or 3 neat flower globes grow on each square-stemmed stalk from a 1-2 foot plant. Highly variable, this native can be found in clean areas between the chaparral, on south slopes on rock, gravel, or disturbed soil. In the desert it grows only a few inches high.

Taste-wise, chia seeds have a nutty flavour, and are a healthful addition to the diet sprinkled on cereals, yogurt or salads. You can also eat them whole or mix them into flour when baking bread, muffins or other baked goods.

Chia (-hispanica) is an oil seed; two-thirds of Chia oil are Omega-3 essential fatty acids (polyunsaturated) with only 10% saturated fatty acids, making them a better source of omega 3 fatty acids than flax-seeds. In addition to its extremely high Omega-3 content, Chia has other nutritional qualities: antioxidants, fiber, vitamins B1, B2, B3, plus minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and copper.

A great benefit of the chia seed is its durability. Unlike flax-seeds, it can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid, and does not require grinding. Two tablespoons of chia - about 25 grams - provide about seven grams of fiber.

In a preliminary study from the University of Toronto (2006), researchers gave 21 diabetics either a supplement made from chia, or grains with similar fibre content. The results were interesting. After three months, blood pressure from the chia group dropped 10 points diastolic and 5 points systolic., while the blood pressure from the grain group remained steady.

Chia hispanica

Chia columbariae

Snowy Winter

2008-02-02T01:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while. But it's winter, so not much gardening is going on at the moment! We are having a lot of fun, though. We've had ridiculous amounts of snowfall, and the guys are getting buffed shoveling all that snow! Be sure to click on the pictures to see them full size.

Meet Orion, our new puppy. That's right, puppy. He's more like a baby bear than a baby dog! He's a malamute mix according to Spokanimal (our city animal shelter). I think he looks like he may be part Arctic Wolf! He is so lovable and playful. He and Dori get along great, though he wears her out!

Christmas was relaxed. We didn't go crazy with shopping and cards and cooking and gifts and stress and headaches and sleeplessness and... blah blah blah.

So as you can see from the cats, we had a very pleasant Season.
When we went to cut our tree, there had been very little snow. People at the tree farm were commenting on how strange it was to cut Christmas trees without snow on the ground. But not long after our tree-cutting trip, it started snowing, and it has never stopped! I'm not sure what our total is, but we've got a couple feet out there! I have really enjoyed it, but I'm starting to get itchy for Spring! I'll start starting seeds soon! :) YAY! I am SO looking forward to a great year of gardening!

The Cock Doth Crow

2007-12-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up hearing a very strange sound. At first, it sounded like a macaw,... but I don't have any macaws right now! I heard it again. It sounded like one of my chickens, but something was terribly wrong with it! I ran to the kitchen and looked into the dog kennel. Both of the chickens were standing there looking at me. Then Daisy (the millie) looked at me, held her head in the air,... and crowed? It still sounded like a macaw- sort of a hoarse squawk. But it looked like crowing. So I guess she's a he? I'm so sad! I can't keep a rooster! Not here in town! And certainly NOT in my kitchen!!!! I haven't heard another peep out of either of them since this morning. The millies are known for being quiet... does that apply to the roosters? If she... er... he crows 3 times every day at mid-morning... I could totally live with that. But I doubt very seriously this boy could really stay that quiet. I'll wait a few days and see what happens. Maybe I can work a trade with a local breeder or something? Or maybe I'll take them back to the pet shop and wait till spring like I originally intended.

First Snow! WOW! Winter Wonderland!!!

2007-11-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

Our first snow!! We had 3 maybe 4 inches! Dori was so cute in her red sweater that she loves to wear so much! We need to get her some littel boots to wear out in the snow. We let her stay out for a little while, but I just had to make her come in before her paws got too cold. The second picture is (left to right) Nef, me in back; Dori, the one with paws; Bianka, Nef's friend next door; and Skylar, a long-time friend of Bianka's and a new friend/ interest of Nef! EEEK! We all had a blast playing in the snow. I got a couple of video clips you'll see in a composition a bit later.

This morning when we got up everything was a winter wonderland. The sun was shining, the sky was that deep winter blue, and everything glittered and sparked in wintery- crowned glory! It has been a BEAUTIFUL day! :) --And more snow on the way tomorrow!!! YAY!!

MALLEE!!!!

2007-11-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

Remember a while back I mentioned the local pet shop where I saw a pair of Mallee Ringnecks? They were listed "not for sale" and had a cockatiel-size nest box sitting on the floor of their dark enclosure. I knew they would never breed for their owner in those conditions. I had asked the pet department manager (who personally owned them) if he ever decided to sell them, I would be interested in buying them. Well, not long ago he called me and asked me if I still wanted them. I of course said "you bet!" He said he was moving, and couldn't take the birds with him. He gave me an unbelievable deal on them! I brought them home and have them in a large parrot cage in the office until spring. We'll be building the indoor/ outdoor flights, and these active little emeralds are gonna LOVE it!! :) The male (the one that's a tad bigger and brighter) we named Sprite, and the female is Fern.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving and a huge meal with all the trimmings. Hickory smoked turkey! If you've never had smoked turkey, oh you simply MUST give it a try! We are absolutely spoiled for smoked turkey. I think this is the 7th or 8th year we have had it. Next year though, we will have our own smoker and we can smoke our very own! I wonder.... can we keep a turkey in town? Hmmm.... maybe I should stick to buying one from one of our local farms.
I'm so proud! I made the most perfect pumpkin pie ever! The recipe I use is from The Spice Hunter, their Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend. Just a sniff from the jar is enough to send you to memory lane and thoughts of the holiday season. The pie was so pretty I had Don take a picture for me while it was cooling on the counter. Unfortunately, we were having such a good time that that was the ONLY picture we took all day! So I have no more pictures for the blog. Sorry :( I'll try to do better through the rest of the holiday season. :)
That's my mom's home canned pears and bread and butter pickles there on the counter with the pie. :) Better than anything you could ever hope to buy from a store!!! :P

Even More Snakes!

2007-11-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

We got another Craigslist adult female dry shed tank included snake. lol Same story, different day. We named this one Lory. So now we have 3 adult females. YAY! :)
This is Lory in her new home:

I also got more mail-order snakes! I have a pair of Mojaves, a yellowbelly male, a pair of het Axanthic males ... well, two,... not a pair and a trio of Bumblebees!!! *buzzing noise* I need to get pictures of everybody! EEK!! *happy dance*

Our first chickens!

2007-11-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

Meet Daisy and Zeeba, our first chickens. We don't know much about them, unfortunately. We found them at a local pet shop and the owner wasn't very helpful. What we were told is that a lady brought them in, they should begin laying in a couple of months, and they are bantams, (duh) the blond one is a "Millie" and the zebra one is a "cochin". Hmmm... So I hit the internet and did a bit of research. It looks to me like Daisy, the blond feathered girl is indeed a "Millie", short for "Millie Fleur", French for "thousand flower." But this is actually the name of her color pattern. The name of her variety is called the Belgian d'Uccle. Her color and markings are just amazing. I've never seen anything like it! Don's eye was captured by our other newcomer, Zeeba. This little hen is apparently a Silver Sebright. Both of these little girls are super sweet and very quiet. A good thing since they are spending their nights in our kitchen in a large dog kennel! We had planned to get chickens in the spring, after we built a small coop in the corner of the back yard, but when we saw these,... surprisingly, even Don didn't want to let them get away! We built a run for them to spend the day until they get used to the backyard. I want to give them free range of the whole yard, but I don't know if that's going to be possible with our neighbors' 3 mean dogs. They said they will put up a privacy fence this spring. I hope they do! Another possibility is clipping their wings. (the chickens, not the neighbors) I may just do that anyway to be sure they stay safe and in our yard.

Cattails!

2007-11-04T11:17:00.001-08:00

If you have never popped a cattail, releasing the millions of seeds into an autumn breeze, then you have missed one of the finer points of life! But who knew cattails were so versatile? I've read that cattails are highly nutritious and are a wonderful survival food. They are an excellent source of starch, containing ten times the amount of an equal number of potatoes. Virtually every part of cattails is edible, and they have a wide variety of uses. In spring, the new shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. The young flower heads can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. The pollen can be collected in the summer and mixed with flour to provide nutrients and protein. The winter rootstock can be boiled and mashed much like potatoes, or can be dried and ground into flour. I've never tried any of these folk remedies, but according to tradition, the fresh root of cattails can be pounded and used as a poultice for infections, blisters and stings. The sap from the green leaves can be used as a topical antiseptic, coagulant and mild pain reliever. The boiled leaves can be used as a wash for irritated skin. The root flour or young flowers can be eaten to relieve diarrhea. The fuzz from mature female flower heads can be used to relieve scalds, burns, diaper rash and weeping sores. The pollen is homeostatic and astringent. Take It internally for internal bleeding, menstrual pain, chest pains and blood stagnation. So the next time you're picking cattails, you might try taking a nibble!

More Snakes!

2007-09-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

My new snakes arrived today via mail. You can mail snakes? wow!
I was really scared - totally on pins and needles the whole time. But they are alive and kicking and seem to be just fine. I got a pair of ball pythons, a male pastel and a female spider- wow is she neat looking! I also got a pair of Brazilian Rainbow Boas- These snakes are spectacular! Here's pictures:

Merry Maybon!

2007-09-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Maybon, or Second Harvest, is an ancient holiday feast from Northern Europe held on the Autumn Equinox. Since we just moved, and aren't even finished unpacking, we don't really have much to harvest. :( But that didn't stop us today!!! :)
Don suggested we go to Steptoe Butte. We had a super fantastic day! And what a harvest! :)
First we came across the wild apple trees growing in the ditch along the east side of the road along the edge of the wheat fields. They were LOADED with small, plum-size apples! We all picked handfuls and loaded Grif's backpack. I'll use them to make apple jelly! Then on the opposite side of the road we picked some cattails and wild oats to make a fall wreath for the door. Nef decided to pick some fresh mullein leaves to dry for the medicine cabinet. On our way up the butte, we stopped to have a look at the rose hips. The bushes are absolutely covered! They are still orange and hard, not quite ripe yet. They won't be ready until after we have a good hard freeze. That's when they get really sweet! YUM! And we'll make tons of rose-hip jam! -A great source of vitamin C during the winter!
We saw more apple trees, more mullein, lots of butt er-n-eggs, and Grif (always prepared ;)) used his handy pocket snips to cut some teasel heads for more decorations... probably that wreath! But the best part of the whole day was V THIS GUY V we saw on the way home!

Cloncurry vs Mallee

2007-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I was reading up on the Mallee or Barnards parakeet, the latest addition to my favorite birds list. I had seen pictures of this bird before, but not a single one has ever come close to showing what this bird looks like! Our local pet shop has a pair, and that's where I first saw them. WOW! such brilliant green! I knew I had seen pictures, so I went home to look it up. I indeed found the picture, but it was dull and subdued compared to the brilliance of the real thing. In my book, it gives the name Cloncurry as another name for the Mallee. But this is incorrect according to this article I found while looking for a better picture. I did find a pic that was pretty good, You'll see it below. I think this is a bird I'll be looking for to breed here at Qwatra! :)

http://www.birdkeepinginaustralia.com/articles/article22.html

"The Mallee ringneck parrot is also known as the Mallee parrot, Ringneck parrot, Barnard's parrakeet or buln buln. It is often confused with its close relative, the Cloncurry parrot. Both the Mallee ringneck and the Cloncurry are the same size but their body colourings are different and more distinct than the Twenty-eight and Port Lincoln.

They are approximately 34cm in length including 17.5cm of tail.

The male Mallee ringneck has an overall blue-green body plumage, a red frontal band above the beak and blue cheeks. They have a V-shaped brown-blue band extending from the eyes, back around the head, to meet a narrow yellow collar at the nape. There is an irregular band of orange-yellow across the belly, with the back and mantle a deep blue-black. The shoulders are yellow; the outer webs of the flight feathers blue, the underwing coverts also blue. The central tail feathers are blue with a faint edging of white. The eye is dark brown; bill is pale grey; feet and legs are grey.

The female is very similar to the male, but the back and mantle are a dark grey-green. The hen is slightly smaller, especially in its head size. Immature birds are duller than the female. The normal call sounds something like 'Kwink-Kwink-Kwink' and, when disturbed, the alarm call is a harsh metallic shriek."

......*snip*......

"The Cloncurry is of similar size and stature as the Mallee with the sexes alike. The Cloncurry has a general plumage of pale green; no red frontal band; a wide pale yellow band across the belly; the wing coverts are green; and the tail feathers get darker as they go down the tail, almost to a blue. The feet and legs are grey-brown. The female is paler than the male and slightly smaller. Immatures are duller than the adult birds and may posses a russet frontal band which disappears after a few months.

They have a call, courtship and mating habits very similar to a Mallee. They seem to be a quieter bird and more docile among my collection of ringnecks. The male Cloncurry is the clown of my collection, as he usually hangs upside down on the aviary roof and moves from one side to the other. He is usually seen to roost this way too."

Bayberries!!

2007-09-05T09:12:00.001-07:00

This bayberry candle comes from a friend
so on Christmas eve burn it down to the end.
For a bayberry candle burned to the socket,
will bring joy to the heart and gold to the pocket.

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite books was The Little Mailman of Bayberry Lane. Ever since, I've always loved the thought of making my own bayberry candles. Now that I'm home and am putting down some roots, I can finally make that little dream come true! On our south fence I'm going to put a row of bayberry bushes. They'll make a beautiful hedge, and with any luck, I'll have a ton of bayberries to make a few candles! To make the candles is pretty easy. Just boil the berries and the waxy coating floats to the top. Pick up the wax when it cools, remelt it with 20% beeswax (Bayberry wax alone is too brittle and will crack), then pour into candle molds or dip tapers. Voila'!
Northern Bayberry is native to the East Coast, but it is hardy and adaptable to a wide range of conditions, so I should be able to grow it here without much effort. There is a high demand for real bayberry candles, and they are quite expensive, so maybe I can even make a few dollars!
Here's the bayberry in Summer dress and decked in Winter silver! Such a beautiful bush! I can't wait!

Second Snake!

2007-09-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

We got another snake a few days ago. Almost the same situation as our first- adult female, tank and heat lamp included. She was covered in dry, pealing shed. She has a tight cross mark on her right eye from eye cap retention; I hope she is not permanently blind. :(
I sat down with a warm wet towel and rubbed off all the dry shed and I think I got off all the old eye scales. Her eye... not sure how well she can see, it is definitely dented. Maybe time and a few good sheds will heal it.
We've named her Rahja and our other female Tika. We took them both outside today and let them play in the grass. They loved it! I don't think either one of them had ever been able to do that before. Neither of them wanted to go back inside. We'll have to bring them out whenever we can on nice warm days! :)

Lunar Eclipse!

2007-08-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

How cool! We had a total lunar eclipse last night. Don took this wonderful picture in our front yard at 3:12am. The moon and its habits are so fascinating and beautiful! And I adore the magical glow it sheds on the garden at night. Oh! I need to make a moon garden. (click here too) This is a very special spot in the garden especially for nighttime flowers and creatures. It is a quiet place to sit on summer evenings, with fragrent flowers like moon flowers and jasmine. Nighttime visitors include frogs, crickets, bats, moths....and the neighbor's cat...
Here's a couple more links with some cool facts and folklore about the moon and its phases: Click here or click here
Oh here's a neat gadget for the moon garden: Solar Flowers

First Snake!

2007-08-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I've been looking through Craigslist and today found my first ball python! It's an adult female. She's in decent shape except for a stack of eye caps from bad, dry sheds. She came with her 40 gal tank and heat lamp, so I'm all set! I have my first snake! :)
Here's a picture of her on black velvet:

HOME AT LAST!!! Much to Do!

2007-08-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

We've been home now for a week and a half. Oh it feels so good! Yesterday we went to Riverside State Park and saw an osprey and a bald eagle! What a nice welcome home! These are two pictures Don took on that hike. The day before we went up to Mount Spokane to look for huckleberries, but the bushes were very small and bare. Not enough rain this year. (sorry, I couldn't find a good link on the huckleberry. Ours is the Vaccinium Membranacem. I'll have to take some pictures and post some info on these)
The yard was a bit of a mess to our dismay. Our property management people left the automatic sprinkler system on for us, but no one mowed the yard for the month our house was vacant. The grass grew up over the sprinkler heads, so they were blocked. So we had this dead brown yard with brilliant green spots all over it!!!! I should of taken a picture! 'Didn't think about that till just now. Sorry. Anyway, now its mowed and starting to recover. We used the thick clippings from the green spots to start a compost pile. Grif made a quick frame with a 10 by 3 foot piece of hardware cloth from the hardware store on the corner.
We also had to trim up our box elder tree. We want to remove this tree because it's a fast-growing, and very brittle tree. NOT a good tree in a climate where the limbs break under heavy snow and ice in winter (as in the ice storm of 1992!). It's gonna take a lot of work to get this tree in decent shape before winter sets in.
When I left before, I had a nice hedge of black currents along the southern fence. All but 3 frail bushes are dead and gone. So I think I'll put in a row of bayberry. They may be a bit hard to find, but it will be worth the effort! On the other side of the yard I want to put in a row of high bush blueberries and maybe bilberries underneath.
I need to build a home for our allowed 3 chickens. Our yard is covered in maple bugs! But a week of chicken-grazing should take care of that! We have also found several hobo spiders around the yard and have killed 4 in the basement. Yikes! But again, I think our chickens will gobble them up.
Much to do! Much to do! :) I better get to work!

MAIN MOVING DAY!!!

2007-07-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

So now we are up to our ears in movers! Not much time to say anything. Oh how glad I will be when this is done!!! We are about half finished I would say, and we only had ONE packer yesterday! But for the first time, WE could pack too! And wow what a difference that makes! It was tiring, but we get a LOT of packing done! They are supposed to send 3 guys today to help us, so we should get most of the rest done today. YAY! Well,... off to the boxes!

Baggage Away!

2007-06-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

Well the move has officially started! Our unaccompanied baggage was picked up today, and that went very well! Don and one of the packers talked non-stop the whole time about military history and crash sites on the island. As it turns out, this guy knows the guy that owns the land where this crash site is that Don has been hoping to get access to. (Did that make sense?) Packer-guy is going to set it up for Don and call this weekend and probably hike with him to the site. Don was stoked!
So only 3 weeks until the main pack starts. I have much I want to get done, so I'll be quite the busy bee! I have sewing projects I need to finish, I have more computer files I need to sort and get backed up, I need to get the yard sale together for not this weekend, but next (the 7th), and we still need to get the bushes in the backyard whacked back down to a reasonable size. I swear, whoever thought it was a good idea to plant bougainvilleas as a hedge obviously never had to maintain them!!!! They can be beautiful, but What a pain!! LITERALLY! The thorns are horrible! But at least this is the last time I have to deal with them! YAY!!

Less then 60 Days!!!!

2007-06-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

The countdown has passed the 60 day mark!!! Woo Hoo!!! Less than 60 days to go!!! YAY!!!
It's time to start getting ready for our garage/ houseplant sale. And it's time to start packing our fragile things that I don't trust the movers to pack, -like Don's airplane models, and my glass hummingbirds, our wedding cake top, ...oh, yes, I have to get that big amethyst geode packed in its crate.
OH! the packing/ moving dates are finalized, by the way.
The movers will pack/ pick up our unaccompanied baggage on 26 June.
Our household goods are to be packed 16, 17, and 18 July and picked up on the 19th.

Dragon Fruit

2007-05-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is one of the neatest, coolest fruits ever! :)
I first experienced a dragon fruit when my hubby brought one home from our local grocery about a year ago. I had never seen one before, and I had no idea what to do with it. So it sat in my refrigerator for, gosh, it must have been 3 months! Finally, when I was cleaning out the fridge, I decided to cut this strange fruit open and see what it was like. What a surprise!! The inside was translucent white, scattered with tiny black seeds. I smelled it, poked at it, and finally decided it had not gone bad. So I tasted it. Again a surprise! It tasted like,... well... dragon fruit! -Very delicate, light, and tropical. We bought several more, but again, they sat around. We just didn't know what to do with them. It's funny how we humans can be such creatures of habit! But, even though we haven't adopted these fruits into our diets yet, they have been in the back of my mind. So I finally decided to bring them to the front of my mind and do a bit of research on them. I found quite a few recipes; blended in smoothies and sorbet, balled in fruit salad, or just sliced and served! The first thing I learned to my complete and total shock was that my mother had a rather large dragon fruit plant as a houseplant when I was a kid! I just never knew what it was! It never made any fruit, as dragon fruit needs 2 or more plants in order to set fruit. But I do remember the stunning flowers! I also remember how easy it was to grow. I've read, too, how this plant is easily grown from cuttings or from seed simply collected from the pulp of the ripe fruit. So add dragon fruit to the list of plants we will be growing in our greenhouse!
Just look at all the varieties at this link!
Pine Island Nursery
Guess what! dragon fruit grows wild here in Hawaii! I've seen them on several hikes in misty areas of the island, though I've not seen any with fruit. If I had known what they were, I'd have brought home a few cuttings! Here's an article in our local paper about growing dragon fruit here in Hawaii:
Honolulu Advertiser, Island Life

Yikes! New Vaccine --Problems!

2007-05-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri14.htm

"Problems with the cervical cancer vaccine starting to emerge.

"Five schoolgirls at Sacred Heart Girls' College in suburban Melbourne, Australia, were confirmed to have taken ill after receiving an injection of Gardasil, the newest vaccine to be mandated for young girls. Soon after the vaccination, twenty-six girls were seen at the campus medical clinic; five were admitted to the hospital after being injected. Two of the girls kept in overnight in observation for dizziness; one had temporary paralysis and loss of speech.[1]
*snip*

"Histidine, an amino acid, readily converts into another amino acid, histamine, when it enters the body. When released, histamine causes redness, swelling, itching and allergic reactions leading to widening of capillaries, decreased blood pressure… people can faint. The vaccine also contains Polysorbate 80, an agent used in creams, ointments, lotions, and multiple medical preparations including vitamin oils, and anticancer agents. Polysorbate 80 is a can cause potentially fatal reactions in including anaphylaxis, characterized by a sharp drop in blood pressure, hives, and breathing difficulties… people can faint."

There are better ways to prevent cancer than poisoning your body!

eat a healthy diet of fresh RAW fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables
exercise EVERY day for at least half an hour-- more is better
do not smoke
do not drink alcohol in excess (more than 6-8 oz per day- depending on body weight)
get 10 to 30 minutes of sunshine on as much bare skin as possible EVERY day (unless it's raining!) double that in winter- triple for winter in northern climates
drink filtered tap water or bottled water
And this one may surprise you-- practice a religion or spirituality- The act of seeking God/Higher Power is VERY health-promoting!*

* Caution- Negative religious ideas such as unworthiness, self-sacrifice, fear, and death are detrimental to health. Avoid these pitfalls at all costs! Keep it positive! Ideas such as oneness, unity, love, abundance, sharing, life, and resurrection; these concepts are life-enriching and health-promoting.

Red Capped Parakeets

2007-05-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

For certain, I want to have a couple of pairs of red-capped, or pileated, parakeets in our Avian Garden. I have kept this species before, and I adore them! I have been turning over every stone on the internet and I can find very little information on this, one of my most favorite of all aviary birds! I did manage to find ONE breeder. I sent an e-mail and hope to hear back soon. I also found ONE good article about them, here.
I can't believe there is not more about them on the internet! These birds are so pretty with their purple chest, dark red head and vent, greenish yellow cheeks,.... I just love their colors! :) Their song is quite pleasant and quiet. Even rosellas are noisier. And they are quite tame and curious! They have a bad reputation according to the article I mentioned, saying they tend to be "flighty and timid". Indeed, those must have been wild-caught birds, because the two breeding pairs I had several years ago were friendly even when they were on eggs! I hope I can find a pair! If there is anybody out there who knows of any breeders of red capped parakeets, please let me know!!!! Just post a reply here or send me an e-mail!

Sunny Sunflowers!

2007-05-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

One for me, two for the birds! *giggle*
...and healthy for us both!

Every garden needs a few sunflowers! They attract birds, squirrels, bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, they add huge splashes of warm color, and they are packed with nutrition!
It would take a bit to list all the species of garden birds that love to eat sunflower seeds. If you leave a few heads standing overwinter, you are sure to have lots of feathered company on those chilly days! Some of my favorite sunflower-eating birds are cardinals, chickadees, orioles, and blue jays (east) and mountain jays (west). Oh and don't forget the furry company of fluffy-tailed squirrels and chipmunks!
Isn't he cute! ->

Which variety to plant? There are so many to pick from! They come in every shade of white, yellow, orange and red. With flowers as big as a turkey platter or as small as a button. Some grow on huge stalks that would make Jack's bean stalk jealous, while others spread out and grow on short branching bushy-like plants.
Hear are just a couple varieties. From left to right, moonshadow, the joker, and velvet queen.
Sunflowers are nutritional powerhouses! Just a quarter-cup of seeds has over 90% of the US RDA of vitamin E!! Have a look at this link and read all the benefits of adding raw sunflower seeds to your diet! No wonder the birds eat them! (Check out this link)
Here's a question I haven't been able to answer. In my bird raising studies, I have always heard that black- oil sunflower seeds are better for birds because of higher protein content than other varieties. I cannot find any information on differences between seeds when I look up nutrition facts for humans. But I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that eating black-oil sunflower may be a tad healthier than eating regular sunflower seeds. The birds seem to think so. I think I will listen to them!
(See that image of the white sunflower above? Notice the whorl the seeds make? Isn't that a nice fractal?)

Want even more nutrition out of your sunflower seeds? Sprout them! This is a quote from here:

"One can think of the sprouts as pre-digested seeds. Unsprouted sunflower seeds are high in fat and protein. However, sprouting activates the seed, with many changes as it sprouts: dramatic increase in enzyme levels, seed fats are converted to essential fatty acids and carbohydrates, proteins are converted to essential amino acids and/or sugars, and vitamin levels (on a dry basis) increase substantially. Due to their activate enzymes, sprouts are much easier to digest than dry seeds. Further, as the seed sprouts its flavor is enhanced - sunflower sprouts have an earthy flavor and are very popular.

"While the sprouts are pre-digested seeds, the greens [sprouts that are allowed to grow a few days] are a tender baby vegetable, high in chlorophyll, and a substitute for lettuce. Sunflower greens have a slightly salty taste that some compare to watercress. They are rich in chlorophyll, enzymes, vitamins, proteins, and the most important "nutrient", the life force. Some writers report the greens are a rich source of lecithin and Vitamin D. Additionally, unlike most expensive freeze-dried supplements such as spirulina and algae, sunflower greens that you grow are alive up to the time you eat them."

Another Moving Update!

2007-05-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Reservations, Appointments and Deadlines, OH MY!

We have reservations for the hotel in Spokane,
We have reservations for the hotel here,
We have reservations for the critters for the kennel for the last 4 days on the island,
We have appointments for the critters' health certificates,
We have appointments for the kitties' shots (soon, before the moving stress begins)
We have reservations for the critters on the plane

..... I know I'm forgetting something.... umm.... OH YES!!!! OUR airline reservations! giggle, just kidding. We have those too.
I think the only thing left on the checklist is the movers. We have to wait for them to contact us. We have the dates set, so .. everything should be ok. But I sure do wish they would contact us and firm up those dates for us.
Overall this move has been super smooth. I hope it stays that way. But I guess we have done this so many times-- ha! We're experts by now! :P

Purple Cauliflower!

2007-05-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

It's a bit confusing to try to find the origins of the purple cauliflower. According to one website, it originated in Denmark. According to another it was the Netherlands. According to Wikipedia, it originated in Italy. But from my research, it seems the first and only true purple cauliflower is the Purple Cape Cauliflower, an heirloom variety that came from South Africa in 1808. Since then there have been a few hybrids. One is Violet Queen, a cross with a purple variety of broccoli. Then there is Graffiti, a hybrid (I suspect with Purple Cape) This one is reported to be sweeter and nuttier than white cauliflower, and even retains its color when cooked! (color stays better if a tsp. of lemon juice is added to cooking water)
I think I will try both Cape and Graffiti in my garden.

The purple color is due to formation of anthocyanins also found in red cabbage and in red wine. Anthocyanins are healthy compounds belonging to the group of phenolic antioxidants. This is one reason why many doctors recommend drinking a glass of red wine every day.

Setting a Sundial

2007-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Do we really need digital watches and clocks to tell us what time it is? I guess if you're an accountant working on Wall Street you have to be a slave to schedules. But if you're a gardener, a sundial can be an even better way to tell the time.
I put this post under the sustainability label because sundials do not require industrial technology to build or maintain and cause no pollution. But they are an attractive, and useful decoration in the garden. Not only can you tell the hour, you can easily follow the path of the sun throughout the year, learning the direction of light and shadow in your garden. It takes a bit of education to get the most out of your sundial, but learning is always fun, and getting a better understanding of the movements of the sun throughout the day, the season, and the year, can be very rewarding for a successful gardener.
There's a couple ways to learn about setting and reading your sundial. There's quite a few books on the subject if you really want to get serious. Here's a couple that are highly rated:
...
Or, Another way to learn is just do it! Make a simple sundial or buy a fancy one and put it in your garden. Then ... watch! Observe your sundial and compare it to a conventional clock. Make adjustments as you learn.
Sundials come in so many styles and mediums, it's easy to pick one that fits the personality of your garden. They can be made of brass, concrete, colorful tiles, carved stone, resin, or wood. They can be combined with zodiac wheels, a compass, or in combination with flowerpots, fountains, or birdbaths. Here's a cute one. The gnomon is a sailboat!

Easter Egger Chickens!

2007-05-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

YES! I can have a few chickens! I just checked the laws and we are allowed to have chickens in the Spokane city limits as long as they do not smell or wander, and NO ROOSTERS!
SO! What kind of chicken(s) should I get? Easter Egg Chickens of course! I want one chicken that lays brown eggs, one chicken that lays pale or pinkish eggs, and one chicken that lays blue or green eggs!

Believe it or not, the blue egger will be easier to find than a pink (actually just light tan) Blue eggs are laid by Araucanas or Ameraucanas. The blue egg shell is a dominate trait, so crossed breeds will also lay blue eggs.
Wikipedia has an excellent article on the blue egged chickens: Araucana
Here's another article: click here.
If you read a bit about the araucanas, you find out that this is a mutant breed to say the least. These chickens are missing the last vertebra on their spine and completely lack a tail! I like chickens with tails (not to mention all their vertebrae) so I will stick more to the Ameraucana type. Here is the history of that breed: ameraucana.org

For my brown egger, I think I like Marans the best. Welsumers also have brilliant colored eggs, but I think maran eggs are spectacular! Dark rich mahogany-colored! Just look at these pictures! Also, The most common feather color of the British maran is cuckoo, my favorite chicken color!

So, now for the light tan to pinkish eggs. For now, somewhere in the neighborhood of this color. (like the eggs in the left of the right picture above) This is a bit more unpredictable. I think it may be sort of trial and error with a few brown-egg chickens until I find one that lays light eggs. There are a couple of breeds that are known for lighter eggs, and I will look for one of these. Prehaps after some breeding efforts, I can develop a chicken that lays pink eggs. Wish me luck! :)

Dreaming of Home

2007-04-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

92 days left until we move. Time seems to be almost at a standstill at the moment. *sigh* I can't wait to have 4 seasons again! It's almost May,... in about 4 months, I will be smelling the crisp aroma of autumn! Feeling that chill on my skin! Seeing the leaves in their blazing glory of red, orange, and yellow, And going out to the giant pumpkin patch in Green Bluff to pick the perfect jack-o-lanterns for the front yard! Look! Green Bluff has a website! http://www.greenbluffgrowers.com/
But I'm getting a season ahead of myself. Summer in Spokane is almost like living here in Hawaii. The temperature is mild, the weather is wonderful, and the lush landscape can look almost tropical. Just look at this picture:
This isn't a rain forest in Brazil, this is the Little Spokane River in it's summer dress! Here's another picture:Isn't it pretty when the water sparkles like that! And here's a picture from up in the mountains around Mt Spokane:

I just love looking at pictures from the Northwest! We have a million pics too, but they are all the old fashioned kind piled in boxes. One of thse days I need to sit down and start going through them. Maybe someday I'll get caught up with our scrapbooking. HA! Now I'm really dreaming!

Giant Water Lily

2007-04-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

From: The Living Rain Forest

"The Giant Amazon Water Lily was discovered growing in the River Amazon in 1801, and first grown in Europe in the mid 19th Century. Known as the “Giant Water-Platter,” the structure of its exceptionally strong leaves inspired Sir Joseph Paxton to construct an immense conservatory at Chatsworth House, in which the lily flowered for the first time in Britain. The leaves of the Brazilian species, Victoria amazonica, reach six feet across and can support the weight of a well-balanced adult.".....

Wow! That's amazing! I knew of these giant lilies, but I never know you could actually sit on one! I would love to grow these someday, but I don't think my whole pond will be much bigger than one leaf of these giants! Not for a few years, at least. The flowers are one foot across!

Here's another article click here where the story of the giant lily gets even more interesting. Check this out:

"Travelers to the Amazon observed that each huge flower opens for only two nights and that large brown beetles are often inside. In the 1970's, a team of scientists from Brazil and The New York Botanical Garden were the first to unravel the complex relationship between the beetles and the flowers. ...
....On the first night, the flower unfurls and scarab beetles are drawn to its butterscotch-and-pineapple scent and pure white color. They are also drawn to its warmth. The researchers found that the flower actually heats up. If the air temperature is 80° F then the inside of the flower can be a cozy 98° F. The beetles crawl inside to stay warm and eat special supplies of sugar and starch. Later that night, the flower cools, closes, and the beetles are trapped inside. As it closes, the flower changes color from white, to pink, to purple. All the next day the beetles stay inside, munching their special food.".....

2007-04-28T00:19:00.000-07:00

Making Your Own Herbal Hair Shampoo
By Rudy Silva

Here is a natural shampoo that you can make. First collect the following items:

4 oz of castile soap with any scent is that available – plain, peppermint, eucalyptus.

½ oz of rosemary - stimulates the hair follicles and helps to prevent premature baldness

½ oz of sage – has antioxidants and keeps things from spoiling and is antibacterial

½ oz of nettles – acts as a blood purifier, blood stimulator, contains a large source of nutrients for hair growth

½ of lavender – controls the production of sebaceous gland oil and reduces itchy and flaky scalp conditions

2000 mg of MSM – provides organic sulfur to your scalp, which improves the health and strength of your hair. It also helps to drive herbal nutrient into the skin and follicles where they can do the most good.

One empty 8 oz plastic bottle, or any other empty shampoo or soap bottle.

Mix the herbs in a mason jar, which has a lid. Boil 2 cups of distilled water. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixed herbs into the boiling water. Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove. Let the herb mixture sit for 30 – 40 minutes. Put the 2000mg of MSM into the herb mixture after 30 minutes of cooling. After 40 minutes and the MSM is melted, strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.

Pour 2 to 2 1/2 oz of strained herbal tea into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Now, pour the 4 oz of castile soap into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Cap the bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

The shampoo is now finished and ready for use. Use this as a base for all of the shampoos you make. You can add different herbs as you learn what these herbs do and how they help your hair. You can vary the ingredients according to your taste. But now you have a shampoo that has no additives that can harm you.

We're gonna try this out! I'll report back after we've used it for a while.

(about the picture- translation- "frizzy head?" ... "enjoy the benefits of hair soft and manageable with no frizz")

Rosellas!

2007-04-27T03:21:00.000-07:00

Rosellas are one of my all time favorite birds! Native to the forest lands of Australia and surrounding islands, they are not loud and squawky like most parrots. In fact, they have a very pleasant voice. They are inquisitive, playful, and are usually quite tame when raised in captivity. And WOW! What colors! There are 8 main varieties in the wild. Not everyone agrees where to draw the line between the species. If you ask me, if chihuahuas and St Bernards are the same species, then rosellas must be all one species too! But hey, what do I know?
Anywho, I will tell a bit about the 8 main colors found in the wild. Numbers refer to the picture below, left to right. Click on the picture to see it full size.

Green Rosella- or Tasmanian Rosella- Platycercus caledonicus- 37 cm- from Tasmania and the larger islands in Bass Strait
Crimson Rosella- or Pennant Rosella- Platycercus elegans- 36 cm- east and south east Australia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island
Adelaide Rosella- Platycercus adelaidae- 35 cm- Southern Australia
Yellow Rosella- Platycercus flaveolus- 33 cm- lives along the Murray River
Northern Rosella- or Brown's Rosella- Platycercus venustus- 28 cm- northern and northwestern Australia
Mealy Rosella- or Blue Rosella, includes Blue-Cheeked, and Pale-Headed Rosella (white cheeks)- Platycercus adscitus- 30 cm- Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia
Eastern Rosella- or Common Rosella, includes the Golden Mantled Rosella- Platycercus eximius- 30 cm- South-eastern New South Wales and South-eastern South Australia
Stanley Rosella- or Western Rosella- Platycercus icterotis- 26 cm- Coastral Areas of South-western Australia

We Have Orders!

2007-04-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well, the military was finally gracious enough to 'order' us to go home. It took a bit of doing. What happened was that Don retired between the time when the military did things the old fashioned way, with a pen, paper and PERSON, to doing things the new way, with a click and a prayer. In the 3 month time rift between the two systems, Don got lost in hyperspace. No one seemed to know how to handle it. So after the people at Hickam told him to contact Randolf AFB in San Antonio, TX, and then the people at Randolf sent him back to the people at Hickam, Don had had just about enough. He went in to Hickam this morning, armed and ready to threaten them with a formal complaint, but he was pleasantly surprised when they decided to print the orders. Thank goodness somebody had a teaspoon of common sense for breakfast this morning!
This picture is of Nef and me sitting on the cliff watching for whales in the distance. But also out there over the horizon is Washington!
Yes, it is breathtakingly beautiful here. But there are also places in the Pacific Northwest that are just as incredible. My heart is there, so that is where I want to be. But I will never forget the beauty I experienced here in Hawaii. I will miss it! (yes! it is that cold. On 'winter' days here when it is cloudy, cool (in the high 60s), and misty rain driven by strong wind, it can feel downright cold! I'm glad we had our cosy wraps with us that day! It never hurts to be prepared around here!)

Plants can call for help

2007-04-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

I just read a really neat article on page 14 in the May issue of Organic Gardening about how if a plant gets attacked by, say, aphids, it sends out a chemical distress call that beneficial insects can hear loud and clear. Then the "5th ladybug army battalion" storms to the rescue, attacking the invaders with a hungry vengeance. The chemical distress signal the plants exude is called methyl salicylate. A healthy plant can send out this chemical 911 that predatory insects can smell from far and wide. They come in droves to feast on the attackers, making harmful sprays in many cases unnecessary!

Isn't this a cute picture?
The ladybug looks like
he's sitting down. What
a way to enjoy this tasty
little red aphid snack! The
picture above is an attack
of yellow aphids.

The Ryukin

2007-04-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Another cute little chubby goldfish that looks very much like the Oranda (from a few posts back) is the Ryukin. These fish do not have a bulky hood, but instead they have a deformed high spine and distended belly, making them sometimes appear vaguely like an angelfish from a profile view. Again these have basically the chubby shape I like in a goldfish, but the hunchback effect is not something I go for. And ryukins just look like they must have an aweful bellyache! I wonder what would happen if I crossed Ryukins and Orandas? Maybe we'll find out! *sly grin* Here are the two types side by side. On the right is a young Oranda. On the left is a Ryukin. Notice the smooth transition from head to back on the oranda and the angle of the ryukin.

Here's another Example. Oranda on the left, Ryukin on the right:

Yellow Cardinal

2007-04-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

I grew up with the charming, bright, chirpy North American cardinal. When we moved to Hawaii, I got to know their cute, feisty South American cousins. But I just found out there is another cardinal! The yellow cardinal! Here's the
Bird Life fact sheet
The yellow cardinal is from Argentina and surrounding areas in Southern South America. It is a threatened species due to capture for trade as a song bird, as well as deforestation of its habitat. I hope the Argentine government takes steps to save this jewel! What a cute little bird! I hope I get a chance to see one someday.

Make Your Own Toothpaste!

2007-04-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

From Oramedia: Dental Self-Sufficiency. This site is a MUST SEE! There are two e-books available there that everyone should read. I am searching for hard copies! Here's some info from the site on making your own toothpaste:
"Proctor and Gamble and Lever Brothers-and any number of other manufacturers-would like us to believe that the only proper way to care for our teeth is with expensive, highly flavored toothpastes that come in non-biodegradable, throwaway, zinc-and-lead (Now plastic -ed.) tubes.'Tain't so !".............
" MAKE YOUR OWN TOOTH POWDER. Thoroughly mix 3 parts baking soda (the cleanser and sweetener) with part salt (the abrasive) and funnel the compound into a short small-mouthed container such as a pop or beer bottle. You'll find that the creation has a satisfying, different taste and leaves your mouth feeling very fresh and soothed. If you'd like, add a few drops of peppermint or wintergreen oil to the concoction - or mix the home "brew" half-and-half with a commercial tooth powder - to give the dentifrice a more pleasant flavor.........
" MAKE YOUR OWN TOOTH PASTE. This formula is simply an extension of the tooth powder recipe: To each half cup of homemade powder, add 3 teaspoons of glycerin, 10-20 drops of flavoring (peppermint, wintergreen, anise, cinnamon or whatever) and 1 drop of food coloring. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and add just enough water to make the concoction "tooth-pastey". Spoon the substance into a small refillable plastic squeeze bottle or any container that dispenses easily and won't leak. VoilÁ! Toothpaste!"
"... homemade creation won't be as smooth...but I know you'll find it more satisfying, less wasteful and - above all - less expensive. You'll be able to make a year's supply of toothpaste (for a family of four) at a total cost of around a buck and a half!"
Much more information at that site!

Going Off-Grid

2007-04-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Sustainability is one of my favorite topics. If we would all live this way, there would be no pollution! Here's a great website full of articles and resources about solar and wind power, composting toilets, greywater systems, and much more! Have a look around!

Here's a great article on setting up a wind generator system.
click here
Here's a magazine! Cool! If you're interested in the subject of Home Power, this magazine is for you! Older articles are all online! This is a huge recourse on renewable power! A real must see!

Home Power Magazine

Breeding Hoodless Orandas

2007-04-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the oranda goldfish. I love their long fanned tails. I love there chubby bodies. But what I DON'T love is the oranda "hood"- a bumpy, overgrowth of flesh that grows on top of the fish's head as it gets older. Like this poor guy:

I have always thought that this feature made an otherwise elegant, streamlined fish look top-heavy and very uncomfortable. So I have decided to focus my efforts on breeding hoodless orandas. My favorite colors are calico, and panda. Here's a coulpe pictures of pretty calicos I found online. Also, I found a couple of neet articles. The first, a fish school? No, I mean a school for fish! Just have a look... it's really cute: fish school
And this is a great article on the oranda from Koko's Goldfish World

Oversized Tomatoes!

2007-04-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

Nothin' says "fresh from the garden" like a home grown tomato! And I just love those big monsters where ONE slice is almost too big for a sandwich! I think it was Beefsteak that my Mom always planted. But I've heard the raves about Brandywine, and I thought I might give it a try, too. It will be interesting to compare size and flavor of these two mega-maters side by side. .... hmmm.... maybe I'll cross them and develop my own variety!
Here's an article on more than you even wanted to know about the Brandywine tomato: click here
and here's a great article on growing Beefsteaks: click here

Cinnamon!

2007-04-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Nef aksed if we could grow cinnamon. We use lots of it around here, at breakfast on toast, in our cookie-making or (of course) fresh hot cinnamon rolls! Yummy! I know almost nothing about cinnamon, so I Googled and found these:
this source
another source
cinnamon article
It looks like they are not all that easy to grow.... but I like a challenge! :)
We will need a place to keep it in winter, as this is a tree that must not freeze.
Who knows? Maybe we can sell cinnamon in a few years?

The St. Vicent Amazon

2007-04-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parrots of all time is the St. Vincent Amazon. This seriously endangered parrot lives ONLY on the Island of St Vincent in the Caribbean. Part of my vision is to be able to join the effort to save this breathtaking bird and provide and protect a sanctuary for this feathered rainbow. For more information:

http://research.amnh.org/users/russello/ConservMangWorkshop.html http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0006DF41-A667-1C75-9B81809EC588EF21 http://www3.upatsix.com/gallery/smyth/fact_sheet.htm

Plumeria sprout

2007-04-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Look! My plumeria finally sprouted!

Leadbeater research

2007-04-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

If ya know anything about breeding Leadbeaters Cockatoos, you know of the high risk of the male killing the female. Well, I think I may have found a way to reduce that risk. First, Leadbeaters MUST have a very large flight with plenty of activities and distractions to keep Dad busy. It's already pretty common knowledge that you can't breed Leadbeaters in small enclosures. And here's my idea: Have a small flock of budgies in the flight. Provide plenty of cover for them to duck and dodge the larger birds. ...but this would provide a great outlet for Dad's protective instinct and aggression. He could chase the budgies around and hopefully leave Momma-bird alone.
I'm researching breeders as we speak to get on the wait-list for babies in spring 2008. If I'm lucky, maybe I can get a yearling pair.

Moving Update!

2007-04-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

The date is officially July 31. Don still has to get orders cut, (The military has to order him to move home?!) but this will be our fly-out date. The movers will be here a couple of weeks before, so that leaves us 3 months to enjoy our time left here in Hawaii. I hope the trades die down a bit. It isn't much fun being outside when the wind is hauling 90-to-nothin!
Lately the sky has been absolutely breathtaking! Crystal-clear deep blue and brilliant puffy pure-white clouds. And afternoons when we have a rain shower- a blazing rainbow across the puffy clouds and blue sky! Truly a site to behold! Here's a picture of one such rainbow at Hickam Air Force Base (next to Pearl Harbor for those who don't know)

Pickin' up Paw-Paws....

2007-04-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

After reading about the American Paw-Paw several years ago, I decided I would just HAVE to grow some. It's a beautiful undergrowth tree, prefering to grow in the shade of larger trees.
The fruit is reported to taste like vanilla- banana custard.
Here's a few webpages with pictures and some good info about the Pawpaw.
http://www.cdr3.com/pawpaw/
http://www.druidry.org/obod/trees/pawpaw.html
http://fogcity.blogs.com/jen/2005/08/pawpaw_a_local_.html

Woah! Pawpaw as a treatment for cancer?!
http://alternativecancer.us/pawpaw.htm
well THAT settles it! Pawpaw is DEFINITELY going in the garden!

The Best-Tasting Corn in History!

2007-04-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Mirai, The Best-Tasting Corn in History!
Story from Park Seed

"The story of this corn's wild popularity is incredible. It was bred on the Ahrens family farm in Illinois by J. David Mackenzie, a plantsman from Cornell University. As the economy worsened for family farms in the early 1990s, the Ahrenses hired Mackenzie to research new strains of sweet corn for market use. When he discovered Mirai®, he was really just trying to create a more disease-resistant variety. But one taste changed all that......"

WOW! It sounds like corn has arrived at perfection! I guess that means I'll be giving this variety a try this year!

Update- I grew a batch of this corn. My family was not impressed. I found a variety that we like much better. Ruby Queen. Look for a later post on this variety.

Carrots

2007-04-14T14:12:00.001-07:00

I was doing a bit of research on which carrot varieties I want to grow and a ran across this article.
http://www.cals.wisc.edu/media/news/02_00/carrot_pigment.html
Who knew there was so much to know about carrots! Did you know that orange carrots are relatively new? Check out this quote:
"Surprisingly, purple and yellow carrots were grown and eaten as long ago as 900 AD in Afghanistan, says Simon. People began cultivating orange carrots only about 400 years ago, and most of the world eats them today."
Cool!

On the Move!

2007-04-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is it! Qwatra is coming to life! I have spent the last 20 years on the move with my hubby as he served his country in the US Air Force. Now it is time to put down some roots and build our own little world. The world of Qwatra! At the end of July we will be moving back home to Spokane, Washington! At first I will begin Qwatra in my own backyard, growing a big garden and setting up my breeding birds and a koi pond. But in all honesty, My goal is much bigger!
This has always been my dream..... always? hmmm.... Well, ok that's a lie! ;)
I grew up on a small farm in Mississippi, and I HATED working in the hot muggy sun-beaten garden, getting pricked by plants, bugged by bugs, stung by wasps and ants. When I left home with my new husband for a life of adventure, vowing never to spend a moment in a garden ever again, little did I know that what I once hated, I would grow to adore with a passion! As the years went by, I longed for the fresh taste of a sun-ripened tomato, the crisp, green flavor of fresh-picked lettuce. To my astonishment, I missed the smell of the earth, the buzz of the bees, and the rewarding satisfaction of holding in my hand a basket full of food I have grown myself

The green garden is just one facet of life on the farm. Over the years we also had chickens, rabbits, cows, ... One of my favorite memories of childhood is going to the hen-house to collect eggs. Growing up in the country gave me a lifelong love of wildlife and the wonderful diversity of nature. As kids we kept all kinds of "pets" from snakes, lizards, frogs, and turtles, to an occasional wild songbird who never seemed to be happy in captivity, so after a few days, I never had the heart to keep it confined. We had several ponds and streams to play in, and we frequently caught tadpoles, minnows, tiny catfish and other fingerling game fish to bring home and watch in a big washtub until finally Mom bought us an aquarium. (Of course we caught a lot of other fish that were eating size!) We grew up in nature. We hunted and fished and cut fire wood. We canned, dried, pickled and preserved the harvest. Though days were long and life was hard at times growing up on a farm, I would not trade it for the world! I am so wholly and completely grateful for the opportunity to experience the joys and trials of farm life as a child!

And NOW...

I want to give back to the world what nature has given me!
Qwatra is my Garden of Eden. It is my passion and goal to bring all the elements of creation alive in this beautiful place I call home. I want to share in the love and joy of nature, share its knowledge of complete health and healing medicine, share its bounty and abundance with others, and share the beauty with all who pass my way!

With heartfelt joy I say,
Welcome to Qwatra Gardens!