Warmer Days

New adventures have continued here.  Tom and I got out one afternoon for a nice snowshoeing trip.  It was only for just under 3 miles, but neither of us have been out snowshoeing much and this trip seemed to be a small challenge.  Along our way we found an area with many older White Birch trees, whereas many areas here are dominated by Poplars.  We both came back with sore knees, but it was great just to get out together.  Grizz went with us.  The trip began by snowmobile, so we've had to teach Grizz to ride calmly, half way laying in my lap between us.  He quickly gets over the engine noise, but staying balanced sideways on a snowmobile is no small feat for such a large beast.  Teaching him to duck when low branches come our way will be miraculous.

I have been hearing much from everyone about the lack of rain in California.  We've had a fair share of snow, but really it has been much warmer for January than we had anticipated.  The thickly laid snow began melting and then freezing again, leaving a lake of ice covering our yard and drivespace.  The warm temps then brought rain instead of snow which didn't help matters.  It was the lake of ice that kept me trapped inside on some days.  I became afraid to walk out there even with good boot treads as the result of a few falls. One great thing about having such a large pup is being able to teach him to stand still and strong while allowing me to pull myself upright by grasping his face or shoulders and leveraging myself up again after an icy fall.  (He didn't always appreciate this at first, until he realized why I was doing it, then he stood stronger each time I needed him.)  Grizz started missing out on his outdoors ball time because he often fell and slid past his beloved ball with legs spread out in all directions.  Hearing the crack sound of his jaw or head hitting the ice was enough to end our game time. We had a truckload of sand and ice spread around which improved the drivespace greatly.

The unseasonably warm weather has also begun calling some of the Grizzlies out of hibernation early.  I haven't seen any yet, but I'm keeping my eyes open during my hikes, and always taking Grizz with me.

Green grass started peeking out above the melting snow, though I knew it would not stay for long.  It was a great reminder to me that Spring planting season will be upon us eventually!  During a trip to town, we bought many of the veggie seeds I would like to grow.  According to the Farmer's Almanac info I found online for this region, the date of the last Spring frost here is expected to be around June 5th.  June 5th????  That still shocks me as I am used to California where you can grow many vegetables outdoors year round.  June 5th is so far away.  Here there is expected this year to be a growing season of about 84 days, with the first Fall frost being August 29.  I will definitely be starting most of my seeds indoors and then placing them in my mini-greenhouse until I can plant them out in the garden.  Even though the growing season is much shorter here, a bonus is that the daylight hours are longer making everything turn out just right.

Hopefully I can buy some chickens soon and start getting some fresh eggs.  I love farm chicken eggs.  There's a bit of work to do to get their coop ready before their arrival sometime around April or May, I think.

Its snowing a again and I have some work to do outside.  Have a great day!

Yogurt in a Crockpot

Hello all!  Time has been flying by fast for me.  Though I keep planning to write much more often here, I find myself keeping busy starting my business instead.   Not much has been changing around here otherwise.  We have had much snow and Spring is so far away so I will not be getting out to do much foraging for a while.  Soon I will post about some winter foraging that I have been doing.

Grizz has continued growing to be a wonderful dog. Now at 6 months old, he is a big 55 lbs of bouncing puppy joy.  Grizz just had his first snowmobile ride.  It will be good to train him to stay comfortably on a snowmobile or quad for when we take long trail trips.

I love making homemade yogurt, and found a method that uses a crockpot to heat the milk, and then turned off to cool for a bit before adding the yogurt culture.  Then, the crockpot just rests for hours while the yogurt culture works its wonders.

Homemade yogurt is a beneficial probiotic for healthy digestion, though there are many controversies involving its use in the regular diet.  I recommend using only organic, raw, grass-fed milk from local farmers, but its difficult to obtain raw.  There are many varieties available including Greek-style which has a higher protein content.  Yogurt the only dairy product that I regularly consume.  Pasteurized milk irritates my stomach, though raw feels just fine to me.   The yogurt culture I purchase currently is an organic pasteurized Greek-style.   I flavor my yogurt portions (usually with fruit and maple syrup or honey) only just before I eat it, but I also love to include yogurt in a smoothie for breakfast made with apple, oatmeal, honey and yogurt.  I also add it to soups instead of cream, or use it to make a delicious tangy cream cheese!  Do not use any yogurt culture that contains pectin.  I choose unflavored, but I have successfully used a vanilla flavored yogurt as the culture.

There are several methods of making yogurt easily found online, (or your local library), but here is the instructions I use to make it in a crock-pot:

Makes 1/2 gallon yogurt.

1.  Pour 1/2 gallon milk into a crock-pot with ceramic interior.
2.  Heat milk until thermometer reaches 175 degrees F.
3.  Meanwhile, let 1 cup yogurt set out to warm to room temperature.
4.  When crock-pot has heated to 175 degrees, unplug the crock-pot and allow it to cool until 115 degrees.  You may occasionally stir it to prevent a top-skin forming.
5.  Stir in 1 cup organic yogurt culture.
6.  Wrap the unplugged crock-pot with bath-sized towels, and let set undisturbed for 10 hours.  The resulting yogurt should be thick and delicious.

Store in the refrigerator and use as desired, saving 1 cup to use as a culture for your next batch of homemade natural goodness.  Enjoy!

Here's some more interesting and useful info on yogurt:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=124

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!

This past year has been met with some incredible changes for me.  ...and I'm not stopping there!  I am excitedly looking forward to more fun and adventure this new year.  We have many plans to start, and accomplish if God wills. 

I have spent much time the last few weeks working and studying graphic illustration.  I started researching an expected earnings potential, and doing case studies of other graphic illustrators and photographers selling similar stock.  That really boosted my eagerness to get started.  Then I got busy learning this illustration program, and have kept quite busy at it.  I had full intentions to write in this blog once a week, but have fallen short of my goal.  I am glad though, as I have taken the much needed time to get the graphic arts business off the ground.

Daylight hours are finally increasing. Yay!  The days can be quite short here in the fall and winter.  I have found the need to get myself outside for a bit of exercise regularly and it has really lifted my spirits. I haven't really been down, but for a few moments, and then I spring right back up again.  I feel very blessed to have such a loving husband and a very beautiful land to call home, and of course a snuggly fuzzy puppy.  Grizz has really been a goofy fun dog.  I have been enjoying my days, a gentle mix of busy excitement and some kick back relaxation.  It has really been great to have someone loving to cook for, and then in the evenings, after dinner, I love it as Tom and I take turns reading through the Scriptures.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Day, and keep it up all year long. 

The End Of The Rainbow

Yay! I'm so excited this morning!  This past week, I've had some up and down moments.  I have been actively working at starting a computer graphics business.   I love learning to work on the illustrations, but then I get a bit frustrated when it comes to the marketing.  Let's just say I do not have a talent for reading and understanding contracts.   It is very important to find a good venue for selling my designs and for me to find the right target market to suit me.  There are times when I think too broadly and want my designs to appeal to everyone, but this leaves me with no direction or motivation.  Art is not about selling, it is about expressing yourself.   I have realized this week that if my artwork does not appeal to me first, then I won't be motivated to create.  So, why am I so excited? I started forming my business plan.  This forced me to consider what my goals really were.   While struggling with that, I discovered a target market that appeals to me!   Trust me, that's exciting because I will now be able to focus all my attention on ideas I like.  The focus of my designs will be of homesteading, nature, and healthy living.

This past week I started an online portfolio for my photography.  I love getting to share my photos with you.  Please see them and leave comments on ones you like.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildlivingarts/

 

A few days ago, I make another trek up the hill behind our house.  I was happy during the last hike to find an open area with lots of blueberry bushes, and raspberry plants, and a tree that I think is a hazelnut (but I can't be sure until the snow melts away and the leaves spring to life again).   This time I was anxious to get all the way to the top near the bluffs and have a good look around.  Everything was so beautiful in the crisp morning air.  See the rainbow  that overlooks our place down below?  I know I'm in the right place for me.  In the other photo, the foreground is a hill covered with thornless raspberries.  That's where you'll find me come berry picking season.



 

Christmas is Coming!

This past couple weeks have been a wonderful time of settling in to routine a bit more, and also a road trip to Dawson Creek for a few errands.  My plan for the first month or two had been to just relax and just ease myself in to life in this new place.  Everything is so very different here than what I had previously known.  This week I felt an urge to get started working on my artwork and ease myself to the task of starting a home based business.  There is much to do and plan.  Setting a schedule for my day has a few more bugs to be worked out, though I think I will never accomplish everything in a day that I would like to.

The drive around the loop to Dawson Creek (Home> Chetwynd > Dawson Creek> Fort St John> Hudson's Hope> Home) was gorgeous, and a long, long drive.  Along the way I felt a renewed love of the area with the crisp pure air and a hope for the plans and dreams my husband and I have made for our future.  It was great to just get out for a day while accomplishing a few tasks for myself and Tom.

Christmas will be here soon!  I am so excited to be able to celebrate Christmas with Tom.  Our first Christmas together will always be special.  There's no doubt we can expect to have a white Christmas.  I've never lived where the snow stayed for more than a few days.  It has been quite a bit colder here, but I have still been getting out for walks down a trail or two.  I will need to get a warmer coat soon.

The photo above is the view from the hills up behind our house.  There, I found the motherload of blueberry bushes and raspberry plants.  I can't wait until they are all set with ripe fruit.  My mouth is already watering with the thought of berry smoothies, berry pies, jams, and berry sauces to cover everything.  This morning I made crepes for breakfast and dreamed of the berry syrup I would use on them.  For now, though, I was quite pleased with the sweet smooth maple syrup sent up from my Mother-in-law in Wisconsin. Delicious!

Learning To Breathe

The weather here is far different than any other place I've known.  Here, it is often just as warm or warmer during the night then it was during the day.  One morning, when we woke up it was 20 degrees warmer than it was the evening before.  I always thought that when the sun went down at the end of the day, the temperature had to decline.

I have a special project for you.  Ready?  Take a deep breath in, then let it all out.  Simple, right?  Not always.  Before moving to BC I thought I breathed well.  It was during my first visit here last year that I became aware of how much better I felt, and breathed, and slept.  I was so much more relaxed.  Then, when I returned to California, I began a quest to clean up my immediate environment.  I became more aware of the existence and effect of chemicals in my house.  As many of you know, I am very sensitive to numerous common household chemicals and food additives.  We all live in a toxic world and so we cannot entirely eliminate all the chemicals from every surface and from the air we breathe, but I want to do as much as I can.  Product labeling does not require that ingredients are listed on the labels of cleaning products.  Additionally, I've learned that terms used on cleaning product labels such as "organic" and "pure" may be false.  

Shortly after I moved here,I was able to make my own chemical free laundry detergent with great results. I would like to share it with you.  Below, I also included for you the youtube video that I like for making the laundry soap. There are several variations on the internet, but they all seem to have the basics in common.  The gal that made this video is just funny too.  I really needed a toxin and perfume free soap. The bonus is that it is very inexpensive to make.  Each batch makes 10 gallons of liquid detergent, and uses very little of each product per batch. 

If you search for other videos, search "homemade liquid laundry detergent".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgY-Poz2Fiw

Here's the variation of the recipe I used:

First heat about 6-7 oz grated soap bar in 4 cups water, stirring until it is dissolved (about 10 minutes)(I cut this short with a drink mixer)  =)

Fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full of very hot water.

Add the soap mixture.

Then add 3/4 to 1 cup Borax, 1/2 cup Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup Baking Soda

Stir well. (paint stir stick works great)  Fill the bucket the rest of the way with very hot water, and cover for about 24 hours.

Stir again.

Fill a smaller container 1/2 full of Wash detergent, filling the remainder with water.

For each full washer load, use 3/4 to 1 cup detergent.

Now that the snow storm has blown in here and turned the land white, I still have much to keep me busy here.  I have been learning to cook a wide variety of the wild meats, mostly Moose.  They are so much better tasting.  Wild meat is much leaner and free of the hormones and antibiotics used in farm raised livestock.

To prepare for the coming spring, I have much time to learn about mini-greenhouses and cold frame gardening.  We live in a Zone 2 climate.  Gardening will be much different here.  We purchased a mini-greenhouse and I am anxious for Spring to be able to use it, but here, it seems Spring is a long way off.

Spring will also bring with it an explosion of wild herbs and the return of much wildlife.

Update: Nov 17, 2015: I still love this laundry soap, and I have yet to need to make a new batch.  It lasts a super long time!  It cleans very well for "regular" everyday laundry, but needs something extra for heavily soiled clothes.

Grizz and Starting Over

Yay!  I have finally settled the problems that I had posting on this blog site.  Silly me.  The trouble was all caused because I had not updated my browser.  Thank you all for your patience.  Even after I learned what the difficulty was, I then was delayed by being really busy.  Thomas was off work for the past week and our days were filled with fun, and a bit of work. Yesterday, Tom was out hunting and got a nice big Whitetail buck, so we spent the afternoon cutting and wrapping meat.

I am loving my time here.  There is so much to learn and so much to do that excites me!

First, our new pup, named Grizz, is turning out to be a wonderful pup for us.  He has grown up a bit and is now close to 40 lbs at 17 weeks old.  I love to watch Tom and Grizz play together in the evenings.  During the day, Grizz spends his time guarding the front porch and curiously explores small bits of the yard now.  I bring him in occasionally to gain "house skills", but he gets too warm to stay indoors for long.  He is a very smart pup and easy to train.  He has already learned to 'heel' on and off the leash.  He fetches and returns sticks and his ball.  Grizz loves his squeaky ball!  Today we had great fun and exercise when I took him out hiking in the snow.  He's going to be a fine trail companion.

There will be many adventures to share with you about gardening, all the plants and animals I encounter here, and healthy living ideas.  I have long been interested in organic gardening and foraging wild edibles.  There may not be Chamomile planted here yet, but there is a lot of the Pineapple weed, which is a close relative. I made a nice cup of tea with it last night to relax.

I have spent some mornings gathering Stinging Nettle leaves before the snow started. I was vaguely familiar with them in California, but have learned much more of their usefulness. We have a large patch of Nettles in the front yard. I steamed them and put them in the freezer to use like spinach later. They are very healthy, but this nutrition comes at a price. I have been stung on the fingers and hands several times now.  The stinging produces a numbing effect which lasts about 10 hours. There has to be a better way to harvest free healthy vegetables.

It has been very nice to get to see all the gifts from my bridal shower again. Most of my belongings have been boxed up ready for the move to BC ...for the last year.  I still have a lot of organizing to do before I can do some decorating and things will be limited since it is not our own place. But still it is fun to be able to start all over.