Apples, start to finish

For the first time since leaving our house in Oregon (where we had mature pear and apple trees), I harvested apples from our own fruit trees.

The apples were neither large nor abundant, but not bad for a first crop.

Despite the trees' youth, most of the fruit was still above my reach. At my height, this isn't uncommon. The fruit-picking basket came in handy.

I only got nine pounds, but hey, it's a start.

Since we didn't have any more apple pie filling in the pantry, I decided to turn the whole batch into pie filling.

I used fruit pie filling directions I got years ago from the county extension service.

Blanching the apple slices.

Starting the filling.

The filling, thickened.

Adding the blanched apples to the filling.

As usual, on days I have kitchen projects, I have the remarkable skill of dirtying every dish in the kitchen.

Seems like a lot of work for just five quarts of pie filling. But it's pie filling from our own apples -- and that's a thrill!

How hard is it, really?

I was searching for something on the blog when I came across something I posted in 2012: "Take the challenge: ONE WEEK without spending!!" (I'll pause for a moment for you to hop over and read that post.)

I'd forgotten about that entry, and with chuckles I read it out loud to Don before speculating how long it had been since I'd spent any money. Let's see, today is Tuesday, and I was in Coeur d'Alene for errands last Monday, so that's a week without spending any money. Ta da!

To us, going weeks (that's plural) without spending is just par for the course. After all, we're rural and we work at home, so it's not hard. But I began to wonder how difficult it is for others. A quick Google search later and I came across this 2009 article: "The agony of seven days without spending."

Agony??!!

And that was just one article. I came across another, and another, and another -- all relating the difficulties of not spending money for anywhere from a day to a week to a month.

I read all these testimonies on the hardships of avoiding take-out food and restaurants, of resisting the latest lipstick color or on-sale sweater, of the eternal demands from parking meters and toll roads.

And I wondered: Are we really so unusual that not spending is no biggee? I don't mean to sound sanctimonious or snotty, I'm really curious. Apparently these "spending fasts" don't include regular bills such as electricity or mortgage, but instead focus on discretionary spending and everyday money drains.

How do others feel about this? Is not spending money for a set period -- say, a week -- easy or difficult?

Napa in flames

My hometown (Napa, California) is in flames.

The sheer quantity of fires which sprang up overnight and roared into infernos before winds of 35 to 50 mph makes me think arson is the cause, though that's just speculation on my part and has not been confirmed. But whatever the source, fires through Napa and Sonoma Counties are clocking a tragic toll of burned homes, businesses, and wineries.

It's hard to follow what's going on from this distance, but familiar place-names are leaping out at me from every news article. My parents moved outside Napa in 1972 when I was 10 years old, and I grew up in a semi-rural area a couple miles up Monticello Road on the east side of the valley. I believe parts of Monticello have been evacuated, but I don't know the status of my childhood home. (My parents retired and moved elsewhere several years ago.)

It breaks my heart to think of Wild Horse Valley Ranch at one end of the region (where I took horseback riding lessons as a kid) to Stornetta's Dairy at the other end (where every schoolchild took multiple tours) being burned -- not just because of the structures and livelihoods, which are bad enough; but because of all the animals (horses, cows, etc.) unable to be evacuated.

This article noted, "For long time Napa Valley residents the massive fire rekindled memories of the 1981 Atlas Peak wildfire. In that blaze, 23,000 acres were burned, $36 million was done in damage, 65 structures were destroyed and 11 people were injured."

I remember the Atlas Peak Fire eerily well since it nearly burned us out. It was terrifying.

Please pray for the hardworking emergency personnel and firefighters, as well as those displaced or burned out.

If there are any blog readers in the area, please check in to let us know you're safe and to give us news.

Mr. Darcy visits the lake

Knowing the importance of exposing a young pup to as many different experiences as possible while young, Don and I took Mr. Darcy to the lake so he could learn to splash and swim before the water gets too cold.

At first he was very cautious about this enormous expanse of hydrogen hydroxide.

Don tossed a stick right close to the shore, and Darcy was reluctant to get his feet wet to retrieve it.

But that caution didn't last long. Pretty soon his natural retriever instincts kicked in, and he got bolder.

Don tossed the stick in a bit farther each time, and Darcy bravely went after it.

This was repeated until Mr. Darcy was far enough out to actually paddle a bit. He was getting fairly tuckered by this point, so we went out on the dock.

He definitely has an instinct for water, this pup, so we'll be bringing him to the lake as often as possible (weather permitting).

So far Mr. Darcy is shaping up to be wonderful dog -- obedient, eager to please, playful, loyal. He's definitely a people-dog and always wants to be with us. It's so endearing in the evening to have him lie down literally on my feet while I'm reading a book.

For those who have been asking, we'll be looking for a lab pup for Don probably in the spring. Two young puppies in the house at the same time would be a bit much; but once Darcy grows up a bit, having another puppy would be far more manageable. Until then, Darcy flies solo.

Oh no, not another hurricane...

It's becoming chillingly familiar:

Yet another natural disaster is targeting the weary and hard-hit people on the southern and southeastern coasts.

I get email updates from Lisa Bedford (the Survival Mom), and this morning I received this: A Round-Up of Hurricane Survival Resources.

And it occurred to me, not for the first time, the dedication and effort of this woman to help people prepare themselves for life's cataclysmic uncertainties.

If you're in the possible path of Hurricane Nate, please please take advantage of Lisa's recommendations.

Better ten years too early than ten minutes too late

Daisy Luther at the Organic Prepper had an interesting post up recently: "FEMA director urges Americans to develop 'a true culture of preparedness' but no one is listening."

Okay, here's the first thing that sprang to mind even before reading the article: For years now, preppers have been dismissed as tinfoil-hat-wearing nutjobs. The indoctrination has been so deep that no one even thinks about preparedness until hours before a hurricane hits.

But apparently FEMA’s new director, Brock Long, is trying to change that. He has repeatedly said Americans do not have a “culture of preparedness.” Considering the poor guy has only been the FEMA director since June 20, he’s had to deal with a historic number of natural disasters during that short amount of time. I don’t blame him for trying to ramp up individual preparedness efforts.

But he’s fighting an uphill battle. Daisy writes, “It appears that Mr. Long has a mindset of self-reliance based on a couple of recent statements he has made to the media, but the MSM doesn’t seem too interested in his ideas about fostering a culture of preparedness, despite the practicality and essential nature of his suggestions.”

You see, for decades people have been assured the government will help them. They’ve been told not to bother their silly little heads about something as big and complicated as storing some food, water, and other basic needs. But Mr. Long is correct: without individual preparedness, government assistance can only, by definition, go so far.

Part of the problem is people think of preparedness as an all-or-nothing scenario. Either the world will end and zombies will roam the land – or nothing will happen (since, after all, it can’t happen to me).

But that’s not what preparedness is all about. Smart preppers prepare for the most likely scenarios first. And what kinds of emergencies are people are most likely to face? Job loss/ unemployment. Illness. Bad storms. Adult children who need a brief hand. Neighbors temporarily down on their luck. The list is endless, and not one of them involves the end of the world or roving zombies. As Lisa Bedford (the Survival Mom) notes, “Small disasters are far more common. They may only affect a family at a time.”

In the face of the natural disasters our nation has faced these last few months, it’s my humble opinion that people are foolish NOT to be preppers, at least to some degree. Lisa Bedford lived through Hurricane Harvey. She can attest to the truth of this.

As Daisy puts it, “A culture of preparedness is indeed the answer, and preppers have known this for a very long time.” It's nice to see at least one government official agree -- and vindicate our efforts.

Prayers for Las Vegas

Horrible, horrible.

It seems these days people are in danger no matter where they go or what they do.

I pray for the victims of this senseless massacre.

Hangin' around

Early one morning a few days ago, I was just about ready to release the chickens from their coop when I happened to glance out the window into our backyard.

Specifically:

I thought it was pretty cheeky of this young fellow to brazenly sit there in broad (though admittedly early) daylight.

I decided to wait a while before releasing the chickens.

This is our resident immature great horned owl which has been hanging around, grasping the concept of hunting on his own. In this instance, he was being warily watched (and eventually dive-bombed) by a kestrel, itself a predator.

The owl sat, unperturbed, for a good long while.

So, curious, I went out into the yard to see how close I could get.

As it turns out, very close.

The kestrel continued to dive-bomb the owl (the blurred shape at lower center).

Finally, wanting to release the chickens, I walked slowly toward the owl until he flew off.

He soared away behind the barn. Just to be safe, I waited above five minutes before opening the coop door.

We haven't lost a chicken yet to the owl. I hope to keep it that way.