Living off the land

My hubby decided to get creative the other day. Behind our lot is a field with a ton of weeds. Among those weeds grows some wild wheat. I say "wild" because no one planted it.

But, to my hubby, wheat is wheat. He thought, "this will be a great lesson for the kids." He gathered a bunch of it, put it in a pillow case and gathered the kids around. He put it on the patio and told the kids to hit the pillow case with sticks with all the energy they could muster.

Then we had the fun part. Separating the wheat from the non wheat. It helps if you have a bit of wind to blow the chaff away. After some effort we managed to get it all separated.

After grinding it into flour with our wheat grinder he made a loaf of bread.

This makes "living off the land" take on a whole new meaning.

Now, speaking of living off the land. We also planted a real vegetable garden. This has been thriving for the first time since we moved out to this house. We have been able to keep the deer away (for the most part) as we planted marigolds which the deer to NOT like.

We also discovered that if you plant green beens between rows of corn they grow a lot better.

In the bottom picture you will see our squash patch. We are growing zucchini (there is a joke about them that I will tell in a bit), bumpkins and spaghetti squash.

We are also growing carrots, leaf lettuce, chard, and tomatoes.

Now for the joke about zucchini:

Why do Mormons leave their cars locked during church in the summer time??

Its so their neighbors don't fill them up with zucchini while they are in church.

If you have ever grown zucchini you would understand why this is so funny.

Now I just hope my tomato plants will grow a bit faster.

Another one of those memes

I picked this up from a friend's blog. I have more serious blog subjects forming in my head, but as yet they haven't reached the surface or found themselves in print. So, I thought I would fill the space to day with something a bit more trivial.

In five words, explain what ended your last friendship?

A huge (let me say that again) HUGE misunderstanding (that was more than five words...oops!

How was your prom night?

Prom night...oh my that was so long ago I don't remember

Do you have any famous relatives?

Not that I know of

Have you taken out loans to pay for college?

No, I paid as I went or went when I could pay.

What did you receive last in the mail?

A book from a friend (Thank you, JB, btw)

What beverages have you drank today?

Orange Juice

Do you leave nasty messages on people’s answering machines?

No way, that would not be nice.

What’s the most painful surgical procedure you’ve had done?

Surgery??? oh, hmmm....don't recall having surgery ever.

What is out your back door?

A patio with a picnic table and a natural gas grill

Do you usually go out on the weekends?

Yes, my hubby and I go play DnD with friends every Saturday night.

Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?

I don't go to the ocean often enough to know what it does to my hair.

Have you ever visited a planetarium or do you even know what one is?

Yes, I have even taken the kids to the planetarium.

What is your favorite flavor of pudding?

Tapioca...fresh out of the pan...nice and warm...mmmmmmmmm

Describe your keychains:

My keys are all on great big paperclips.

Where do you keep your change?

Where ever it lands...in my purse, on the night stand, in my pocket, in my coin purse, in the car....

When was the last time you got up and spoke in front of a large crowd?

A few months ago I spoke during church...oh and I also spoke at a convention on the subject of twins.

What kind of winter coat do you have?

Mine is short, denim...

What was the weather like on your graduation day?

Sunny

Do you sleep with the door to your bedroom open or closed?

Usually open

Is there anything purple within 20 feet of you?

Yes, a bottle of cough medicine (children's)

What is the strangest thing you’ve put in the microwave?

Ice cream...to melt it slightly so I could scoop it out of the container.

Can you speak any Japanese?

NO

Do you look good in the color yellow?

Ya, I have a few shirts that are yellow...very nice...IMHO.

Do you spit or smoke?

That is just gross

What is your favorite color(s)?

Pink, army green, teal...

Ever played an instrument?

I play the piano a bit and used to play the violin a bit.

Do you believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch?

No

Ever been to a palm reader?

I don't believe so.

Did they tell you the truth about your future?

N/A

What are you thinking about at this very moment?

How to answer this question

Have you ever received a black eye?

No

What is your biggest current disappointment?

That I lost a good old friend

What are some of your favorite drinks?

Root beer, lemonade, strawberry lemonade

Do you have anything that hurts on your body at this time?

Not if I stay sitting

Have you ever ridden in a taxi?

No

What is the last alcoholic drink you had?

Lets see....I had a sip of champaign in 1986.

Did you do anything special last night?

My family and I went to see a local production of the Sound of Music....VERY Well done!! [new idea for blog entry]

What is your very favorite food?

Anything Italian, Gyros, Tilapia, Tacos...

Independence Day (to me)

On July 4th 1976 I was just 10 years old. Many of my family traveled to a central Utah town of Richfield, where my cousins lived, to participate in the celebration of the big Bicentennial observance of our nations birth. There was a parade, of course, with lots of candy, a picnic in the park and, of course, the grand fireworks show that capped the day off.

Two of my uncles brought the contraband firecrackers (still illegal in Utah) and bottle rockets (also still illegal in Utah). They set up two alluminum cans with a sparkler laying across like a bridge between them. They then set up bottle rockets up against the sparkler...they lit one end and we watched them all shoot one or two at a time into the sky in rapid succession.

In other years my parents would pile all the kids into the back of a pick up truck (open bed) with couch cushions for padding and set out for Salt Lake City to see the big fireworks display at the local ballpark. We had the best view as we sat in the back of the truck with the ballpark just across the street.

Several years after I got married we invited my parents over for a holiday bbq. My dad brought a few empty 2 liter pop bottles and some dry ice. This, along with some water make up the ingredients for dry ice bombs. I repeat the account as I wrote it a couple years ago here at Paperclippings.

Several years ago we had my parents over for a 4th of July picnic in our back yard. My Dad liked to make "dry ice bombs". These are made by using a 2-liter pop bottle, dry ice and water. Usually they go off sending the pop bottle several feet into the air. On this particluar day, one of the "bombs" failed to go off.

This makes for a tricky situation as it still could go off at any time and so handling it is not very safe. (Note to anyone thinking of doing these: I believe they are illegal for this reason...well and they are considered an explosive.) If my Dad had been at home he would have pulled out his shot gun and diffused it in that manner. But we were at my house and the only thing my husband had of the kind was a sling shot with metal pellets.

So, he pulls out his sling shot (wrist rocket), aims at the undiffused "dry ice bomb" and fires. The pellet flew from the wrist rocket, bounced off the dry ice bomb and flew back hitting my husband squarely in the forehead.

He and my Dad made a trip to a medical facility and found that he did not need stitches. But upon being asked how this happened my Dad replied that my husband had been cleaning his sling shot when it went off.

Since that time my pyro-technic [read maniac] husband has decided to keep it legal...with a twist. He mounts several rather noisy and colorful grounder fireworks onto a board and connects them with either cannon fuse or magic whips. He lights one end and sits back to watch it with the rest of us.

But the 4th of July is more than just for blowing things up.

As the song, America the Beautiful says:

"Oh, beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev’ry gain divine."

and the Star Spangled Banner:

Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!

Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land

Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

A sample of the work my husband put together for the 4th of July: