Quick point of advice. I never bothered to change my paypal login password since I first opened the account nearly ten years ago. That password was hacked yesterday, and I checked my email this morning to see that my account had added a mailing address, and purchased over 400 bucks in shoes from an internet store! After a tense morning, I was able to resolve this issue, and my accounts are safe again.
Lesson learned: Change your internet passwords more often than once every ten years!
And to the delinquent in Richmond, Virginia: BUSTED!
Monday, July 19
Friday, July 16
Preparing the Day
The Passionate Homemaking blog recently posted a short but poignent article on How To Prepare the Day. Although it was prompted by the idea of preparing the day for our children, I believe it applies equally well to preparing the day for ourselves. Worth reading and taking to heart for all of us.
Thursday, July 15
Time Flies
Somehow, much more time has slipped by without me updating this blog than intended. What can I say, summer is a busy time!
Eric and I have made a couple of our annual treks recently, which I'm sure has something to do with it. First up, we headed to Lake Champlain for more wheat. I distressingly ran out of hard red wheat (the kind that grinds up into bread flour) and spent about a week and a half trying to figure out how you write a menu that doesn't contain bread before we finally got out there! Now I am happy to report that we're stocked back up and bread has returned to our menu in some delicious new ways! Incidentally, starting from scratch meant lots of time spent grinding flour... and not blogging. *sigh* (The picture, incidentally, is Champ. He's the Lake Champlain monster and shows up on the wheat bags. So adorable!)
Secondly, we did our annual Finger Lakes Winery Tour. As usual, it was self-guided. As it has been a long time since we hit the Seneca Lake shores (a long time since we've been wine-ing at all, actually), we decided to head there. I am pleased to report that we discovered several pleasant places we hadn't been before and came home with a handful of crisp, fruity new vintages. As a reference for anyone else looking to head for the wine trails, we found one of our longstanding opinions to still be holding true: Seneca Lake wineries have some of the most casual and least attentive or professional staff of all the lakes. The quality restaurant experiences are also vastly reduced. Those don't have to be problems, but it helps to know ahead of time! Also a word to those looking to spend a day relaxing on the lake - many wineries are dog friendly! They may not advertise it, but if you ask many will allow you to bring well behaved furry companions inside or to walk along the lush vineyard edges.
We also headed to Giant Mountain for a hike. We'd hoped to do more hiking this summer, but the weather has not been cooperative to say the least. Giant Mt. is out past Lake George and, like most NYS hiking trails, does not particularly feel the need to conform to the distances or formation marked out on trail maps - lol! We had a good time anyway until I decided that I'd had my fill of sheer rock faces that turn 90* angles with nothing to hold on to. Seriously, if you slip on one of those you're going head first down the mountain with no way to catch yourself until it's way too late. Who considers that a trail? Oh wait... border collies with four pad feet firmly planted on the rock face and their invincible daddies... *sigh* My boys were all set to keep going, but apocolypse boots or not I decided I was done. They were very nice about it and we agreed to try the other trail up the mountain next time in hopes of better luck. That or I'll just up my insurance policy and rewrite my will before we try again!
Most of the rest of this non-blogging time has been spent in the kitchen. I learned how to make whole wheat tortillas from scratch; it's so easy I wish I'd learned ages ago! You can find the recipe I used here. I made limoncello (lemon liquor) from scratch; vastly cheaper than buying it and quite delicious. An excellent hostess gift and convenient because the recipe makes a generous amount and a little goes a long way. Other new recipes we liked were Soaked Dutch Babies, Stuffed Zucchini and homemade mayo! Seriously, stop buying mayo stuffed with preservatives. It's super fast, cheap and easy to 
make your own! I also made homemade lasagna noodles and fettucine. Yum! The bounty coming in from the CSA has been impressive, and we have to do very little grocery shopping. I could never have anticipated how fiscally rewarding this CSA adveture would be - there's no way we could have gotten the equivalent amount of product a la carte from farmer's markets for what we paid up front. I got adventurous with the beans they sent and canned up a batch of spicy green beans. I love my canner!
Incidentally, I'm systematically reviewing all the canning/dehydrating/preserving resources I can get my hands on. I've begun constructing a chart of their relative usefulness, content and helpful notes that I"ll publish here in the fall (end of the canning season). If you have any resources you recommend, please pass them on! If you would like a sneak peak at the chart for your own reference, drop me a line and I'll send you what I have. Kudos to my parents who succumbed to our bad influence and bought a dehydrator! If you don't own one yet, hurry up! This is the best time of year to stock up on produce and preserve it for the winter!
Have you ever wondered why Amelia Earheart or Charles Lindbergh was considered an aviator but modern flyers are called pilots? I recently learned that it has to do with how they fly - aviators actively fly until until their plane has reached a complete stop. That's a necessity with tail-dragger airplanes, which were the standard in pre-WWII planes. Post WWII, tricycle gear (the modern standard) became prevalent and landing and taxi-ing became easier. People flying the newer model generated the nomenclature "pilots". Why does this matter? Because my handsome husband has begun earning his aviator endorsement! This beautiful plane, while not the exact one he's flying, is the same model - a Luscombe A8. They haven't been manufactured since the 40's, but are still flying! Amazingly, they have no electrical systems! No built in radios, GPS, or anything else electrically regulated. Eric is having a fantastic time and has been blessed to find a wonderful flight instructor willing to teach him the art of flying tail-draggers.
Eric and I have made a couple of our annual treks recently, which I'm sure has something to do with it. First up, we headed to Lake Champlain for more wheat. I distressingly ran out of hard red wheat (the kind that grinds up into bread flour) and spent about a week and a half trying to figure out how you write a menu that doesn't contain bread before we finally got out there! Now I am happy to report that we're stocked back up and bread has returned to our menu in some delicious new ways! Incidentally, starting from scratch meant lots of time spent grinding flour... and not blogging. *sigh* (The picture, incidentally, is Champ. He's the Lake Champlain monster and shows up on the wheat bags. So adorable!) 
Secondly, we did our annual Finger Lakes Winery Tour. As usual, it was self-guided. As it has been a long time since we hit the Seneca Lake shores (a long time since we've been wine-ing at all, actually), we decided to head there. I am pleased to report that we discovered several pleasant places we hadn't been before and came home with a handful of crisp, fruity new vintages. As a reference for anyone else looking to head for the wine trails, we found one of our longstanding opinions to still be holding true: Seneca Lake wineries have some of the most casual and least attentive or professional staff of all the lakes. The quality restaurant experiences are also vastly reduced. Those don't have to be problems, but it helps to know ahead of time! Also a word to those looking to spend a day relaxing on the lake - many wineries are dog friendly! They may not advertise it, but if you ask many will allow you to bring well behaved furry companions inside or to walk along the lush vineyard edges. 
We also headed to Giant Mountain for a hike. We'd hoped to do more hiking this summer, but the weather has not been cooperative to say the least. Giant Mt. is out past Lake George and, like most NYS hiking trails, does not particularly feel the need to conform to the distances or formation marked out on trail maps - lol! We had a good time anyway until I decided that I'd had my fill of sheer rock faces that turn 90* angles with nothing to hold on to. Seriously, if you slip on one of those you're going head first down the mountain with no way to catch yourself until it's way too late. Who considers that a trail? Oh wait... border collies with four pad feet firmly planted on the rock face and their invincible daddies... *sigh* My boys were all set to keep going, but apocolypse boots or not I decided I was done. They were very nice about it and we agreed to try the other trail up the mountain next time in hopes of better luck. That or I'll just up my insurance policy and rewrite my will before we try again!My quilting class is turning out to be phenominal! They have fabric covered walls in the classroom so you can put your finished squares on the wall and see what your quilt will look like when it's finished. We put mine up last class and it looks amazing! So excited! More pictures on that after I finish my "homework" for this week - nine block patches. They warned us that this can turn into an addictive hobby, and I absolutely agree. I'm hooked!
Most of the rest of this non-blogging time has been spent in the kitchen. I learned how to make whole wheat tortillas from scratch; it's so easy I wish I'd learned ages ago! You can find the recipe I used here. I made limoncello (lemon liquor) from scratch; vastly cheaper than buying it and quite delicious. An excellent hostess gift and convenient because the recipe makes a generous amount and a little goes a long way. Other new recipes we liked were Soaked Dutch Babies, Stuffed Zucchini and homemade mayo! Seriously, stop buying mayo stuffed with preservatives. It's super fast, cheap and easy to 
make your own! I also made homemade lasagna noodles and fettucine. Yum! The bounty coming in from the CSA has been impressive, and we have to do very little grocery shopping. I could never have anticipated how fiscally rewarding this CSA adveture would be - there's no way we could have gotten the equivalent amount of product a la carte from farmer's markets for what we paid up front. I got adventurous with the beans they sent and canned up a batch of spicy green beans. I love my canner! Incidentally, I'm systematically reviewing all the canning/dehydrating/preserving resources I can get my hands on. I've begun constructing a chart of their relative usefulness, content and helpful notes that I"ll publish here in the fall (end of the canning season). If you have any resources you recommend, please pass them on! If you would like a sneak peak at the chart for your own reference, drop me a line and I'll send you what I have. Kudos to my parents who succumbed to our bad influence and bought a dehydrator! If you don't own one yet, hurry up! This is the best time of year to stock up on produce and preserve it for the winter!
If anyone else is spending lots of time in the kitchen, check out Raising Homemakers' Kitchen Secrets. There was some great stuff in there I didn't know but I'm glad I do now!
Have you ever wondered why Amelia Earheart or Charles Lindbergh was considered an aviator but modern flyers are called pilots? I recently learned that it has to do with how they fly - aviators actively fly until until their plane has reached a complete stop. That's a necessity with tail-dragger airplanes, which were the standard in pre-WWII planes. Post WWII, tricycle gear (the modern standard) became prevalent and landing and taxi-ing became easier. People flying the newer model generated the nomenclature "pilots". Why does this matter? Because my handsome husband has begun earning his aviator endorsement! This beautiful plane, while not the exact one he's flying, is the same model - a Luscombe A8. They haven't been manufactured since the 40's, but are still flying! Amazingly, they have no electrical systems! No built in radios, GPS, or anything else electrically regulated. Eric is having a fantastic time and has been blessed to find a wonderful flight instructor willing to teach him the art of flying tail-draggers. 
Any other random info from the homefront. From the reading pile: "Waste: Uncovering The Global Food Scandal" had great promise and a good concept, but got lost under the ponderous weight of it's facts, figures and caveats. I didn't finish it. "Last Child In The Woods" was also well intentioned, and intially interesting, but belabored it's point long past a reasonable conclusion, meandering into unneccessary and fruitless territory. Skim it or skip it. I watched three food documentaries and they were all vast disappointments: "Good Food, Good Business", "Food Beware" and "King Corn". My politely scathing reviews are available on amazon if you would like details. :0p
I keep reminding myself I need to be gentle with my reviews because I'm writing my first book. It's on long distance relationships, which I think I'm pretty qualified to expound upon... ;0) I've got a good start, but if you have experience with long distance or know someone who does, please send your thoughts or their contact info my way!
I think that pretty much covers everything that's new here. Sorry for the long post!
Saturday, July 3
Hodge Podge
First up: book reviews! Two phenominal books that need to be on everyone's reading list - Diabetes Rising and The Unhealthy Truth. They will rock your mind. Lower on the priority list, but also an excellent read is Hunting Eichman, about the search and capture operation that brought Nazi Holocaust engineer Adolf Eichman to justice years after he escaped postwar Germany and resettled under a new identity in Argentina.
Also, if your library doesn't offer NetLibrary start petitioning for it now! A free online service you can sign up for with a valid library card, NetLibary offers hundreds of ebook titles downloadable to your computer or portable device (iPod). The titles auto-return themselves at the end of the set period (21 days), so there's no waiting for titles to come in from other libraries or racking up overdue fees! I usually have something playing in the background while I'm cooking (and now while I'm quilting) and it's a great way to keep both hands and mind productive!
Next up: recipes! For a couple years now I've sworn by Bolthouse Farms' "Green Goodness" drink. Despite several people's gagging at the sight of it (yes, I know it looks like liquified seaweed), it tastes fantastic and is madly good for you. Unfortunately, it is also expensive. So imagine my joy when I discovered the make-your-own recipe on the Passionate Homemaking Blog (where I borrowed this nifty picture from, incidentally)! After getting kale in our CSA bag on Thursday, I whipped up a Green Smoothie this morning and it was delicious! So now I share the recipe with you - enjoy! (Also, if you like Uno's Rattlesnake Pasta, hop over to Recipezaar and pick up the recipe - it's a perfect copycat!)
More good news: if you like to can, check out these reusable canning lids! Unlike the standard lids which can usually be reused a couple times, but are really designed to be disposable, these lids are designed to be reused up to 20 times! Reviewed here by the amazing Patrice Lewis, they are worth passing along to anyone you know who's serious about putting up the summer's bounty.
For anyone who uses Mary Kay products, make sure your consultant tells you about the newest updates to our corporate recycling program! We're now taking flip tops (from hand cream, cleansers, moisturizers, etc.) and the plastic shells (that eyeshadow or blush comes in) for recycling! More on that as the program rolls out further.
Last but not least, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Have a picnic, watch some fireworks, and be very, very thankful that you are an American!
Also, if your library doesn't offer NetLibrary start petitioning for it now! A free online service you can sign up for with a valid library card, NetLibary offers hundreds of ebook titles downloadable to your computer or portable device (iPod). The titles auto-return themselves at the end of the set period (21 days), so there's no waiting for titles to come in from other libraries or racking up overdue fees! I usually have something playing in the background while I'm cooking (and now while I'm quilting) and it's a great way to keep both hands and mind productive!
Next up: recipes! For a couple years now I've sworn by Bolthouse Farms' "Green Goodness" drink. Despite several people's gagging at the sight of it (yes, I know it looks like liquified seaweed), it tastes fantastic and is madly good for you. Unfortunately, it is also expensive. So imagine my joy when I discovered the make-your-own recipe on the Passionate Homemaking Blog (where I borrowed this nifty picture from, incidentally)! After getting kale in our CSA bag on Thursday, I whipped up a Green Smoothie this morning and it was delicious! So now I share the recipe with you - enjoy! (Also, if you like Uno's Rattlesnake Pasta, hop over to Recipezaar and pick up the recipe - it's a perfect copycat!)More good news: if you like to can, check out these reusable canning lids! Unlike the standard lids which can usually be reused a couple times, but are really designed to be disposable, these lids are designed to be reused up to 20 times! Reviewed here by the amazing Patrice Lewis, they are worth passing along to anyone you know who's serious about putting up the summer's bounty.
For anyone who uses Mary Kay products, make sure your consultant tells you about the newest updates to our corporate recycling program! We're now taking flip tops (from hand cream, cleansers, moisturizers, etc.) and the plastic shells (that eyeshadow or blush comes in) for recycling! More on that as the program rolls out further.
Last but not least, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Have a picnic, watch some fireworks, and be very, very thankful that you are an American!
Tuesday, June 29
Thankfully fixed
Like just about everything bought at that oversized industrial sales complex that begins with a W, my vacuum cleaner wasn't expected to last long. Add on top of that resolve the fact that I have a Border Collie who sheds a winter coat every Spring/Summer and a Wife with hair three feet in length, life expectancy of a household cleaning device is more-so decreased.
I have managed to keep my vacuum running strong with a complete disassembly and total cleaning every six months or so, as well as slashing and removing whatever has accumulated on the roller brush every week. So, I was disturbed when Jamie tried to clean our carpet, and the vacuum rattled something fierce. After six years of use, the roller brush's drive belt lost a few teeth, and was causing a terrible vibration as it struggled to keep the rollers in motion. Turns out you should replace it every six months. Oopsie!
After a week of waiting on a certain courier's "express" delivery, the replacement part arrived, and I was able to reassemble everything. I noticed a couple cracks in the plastic on the backside, and can you tell I'm a jet engine mechanic when I reinforced it with safety wire?
Now repaired, I tested it out by cleaning the apartment. It pulled two full bags of dirt, dust, leaves, carpet fuzz, and puppy fur out! Not bad for a piece of equipment whose manufacturer's warranty expired sixty months ago.
I usually end with some conclusion or moral. What could I pull out of this? Hmm, I guess it would have to be: "A vacuum cleaner is a power tool, and thus carpet cleaning is a man's job." I'm sure my Bride will have few objections.
I have managed to keep my vacuum running strong with a complete disassembly and total cleaning every six months or so, as well as slashing and removing whatever has accumulated on the roller brush every week. So, I was disturbed when Jamie tried to clean our carpet, and the vacuum rattled something fierce. After six years of use, the roller brush's drive belt lost a few teeth, and was causing a terrible vibration as it struggled to keep the rollers in motion. Turns out you should replace it every six months. Oopsie!
After a week of waiting on a certain courier's "express" delivery, the replacement part arrived, and I was able to reassemble everything. I noticed a couple cracks in the plastic on the backside, and can you tell I'm a jet engine mechanic when I reinforced it with safety wire?
Now repaired, I tested it out by cleaning the apartment. It pulled two full bags of dirt, dust, leaves, carpet fuzz, and puppy fur out! Not bad for a piece of equipment whose manufacturer's warranty expired sixty months ago.
I usually end with some conclusion or moral. What could I pull out of this? Hmm, I guess it would have to be: "A vacuum cleaner is a power tool, and thus carpet cleaning is a man's job." I'm sure my Bride will have few objections.
Doctors with Lasers
Last January, I resolved to get rid of a severe inconvenience that plagued me since 3rd grade . . . the need for eyeglasses. In standard terms, with 20/20 being considered perfect eyesight, mine scaled beyond the 20/200 mark. I couldn't read a book title in my hands without glasses!
Like many problems, you learn to live with it, but my latest expenditure at Lenscrafters really got under my skin. Since I live a very active lifestyle, I resolved to get the strongest lenses and frames available in January 2009. After 400 bucks, I had a pair of heat treated titanium frames with shatter resistant, scratch resistant, glare resistant lenses. I figured nothing could get the best of this eye wear. They were junk within nine months!
So, I paid Dr. MacRae a visit at University of Rochester's Flaum Eye Institute. After two concurrent eye exams, the standard "Danger Speech," and my grilling to get the most information short of observing the procedure out of these physicians, I forked over my credit card, and said my goodbyes to 17th century corrective doctrine.
With the help of some Valium, I slept for 18 hours after the surgery. The following handful of weeks were ailed with frequent problems of focusing on a close object after focusing far away. Now, it is four months after surgery, and I have 20/15 vision . . . better than what is considered perfect vision! It was expensive, but no problems with hassling around every morning, looking for my glasses. No more tearing out eyelashes while forcing my eyelids open to accept a new contact lens. None of that crap!
Which is good, because in my line of work it's better to not have to bother with glasses, especially when I'm playing in the snow, 250 miles away from the nearest supplier of saline solution, and digging a snow shelter into the Greenland ice cap that I would call home for a few days. So in conclusion, if you hate your glasses, find one of these Lasik centres.
Like many problems, you learn to live with it, but my latest expenditure at Lenscrafters really got under my skin. Since I live a very active lifestyle, I resolved to get the strongest lenses and frames available in January 2009. After 400 bucks, I had a pair of heat treated titanium frames with shatter resistant, scratch resistant, glare resistant lenses. I figured nothing could get the best of this eye wear. They were junk within nine months!
So, I paid Dr. MacRae a visit at University of Rochester's Flaum Eye Institute. After two concurrent eye exams, the standard "Danger Speech," and my grilling to get the most information short of observing the procedure out of these physicians, I forked over my credit card, and said my goodbyes to 17th century corrective doctrine.
With the help of some Valium, I slept for 18 hours after the surgery. The following handful of weeks were ailed with frequent problems of focusing on a close object after focusing far away. Now, it is four months after surgery, and I have 20/15 vision . . . better than what is considered perfect vision! It was expensive, but no problems with hassling around every morning, looking for my glasses. No more tearing out eyelashes while forcing my eyelids open to accept a new contact lens. None of that crap!
Which is good, because in my line of work it's better to not have to bother with glasses, especially when I'm playing in the snow, 250 miles away from the nearest supplier of saline solution, and digging a snow shelter into the Greenland ice cap that I would call home for a few days. So in conclusion, if you hate your glasses, find one of these Lasik centres.
Saturday, June 26
Works in Progress
So, I took pictures of our CSA bounty this week... and then I lost them somehow. Sorry. I guess you'll have to take my word for the fact that it was great! Strawberries, raspberries, swiss chard, lots of lettuce and some radishes. We made a HUGE salad and I've got some strawberry rhubarb preserves started right now. Here you can see the pears I canned (with brown sugar syrup!) and the watermelon pickles.
I'm very lucky to have a handy husband. He was able to take the vacuum apart and figure out that the reason it abruptly stopped working was a ruined belt. Turns out you're supposed to replace it every six months... and we haven't replaced it in six years. So the new one is on order and hopefully we'll be back to working order soon!
I had a fantastic time yesterday hunting through the quilting store for fabrics to use in my first quilt! Class starts on Tuesday and I'm very excited! I needed two colors, each with three variations of light to dark, and one accent color. Debbie, the lady at the store, was phenominal in helping me make sure everything matched and complimented each other and the quilt design. Other than that, not much to tell. Today is a work-around-the-house day. More fun stuff soon!
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