Happy 4th of July Weekend

My Green Thumb

My newly transplanted succulent clippings

Yesterday at the grocery store, I lamented having to buy fresh rosemary. "It was so nice having a spice garden last year," I said with a sigh. The Wrangler looked confused. "Huh? You still have a spice garden." It was my turn to look confused. "I do?" I haven't given a thought to that bowl o' plants on the patio since March. I assumed it was dead. Turns out, my spice garden is alive and well. Thanks to the Wrangler's periodic watering and care. And no thanks to me. I don't think that this exchange in the produce section did much to build the Wrangler's confidence in my lavender farming abilities.

Well, there's no use setting oneself up to fail. I am a rather relaxed, not to say neglectful, gardener. Thus, my latest gardening project involves succulents--water-retaining plants that can pretty much fend for themselves. I bought a collection of succulent cuttings and am planning to plant a living picture as soon the cuttings have settled in. (See the instructions in Sunset magazine.) I'm debating whether to take the easy way out and purchase a living picture planter kit from the Succulent Gardens that includes the frame and cactus mix for the cuttings. Somehow this seems like cheating, though. A true cowgirl would build her own frame...but on the other hand, an urban cowgirl might buy hers online. Why do I feel like I'm at a crossroads?

Heartfelt

Pieces of roving stabbed into a thin piece of artfelt paper

This afternoon a friend and I took an artfelt class at Strands & Stitches, an adorable knitting store just a few blocks away. What is artfelt? Well, as the Artfelt website states, "It's not needle felting. It's not wet felting. It's not fulling." Good to know. Although, I've never heard of any of those things. My rudimentary description: you take various colors of roving (strips of flimsy wool fiber--yes, this is an alpaca tie-in), twist into shapes, and place on a piece of special artfelt paper. Using a barbed needle, stab the pieces of roving into the artfelt paper. To save your table top, be sure to place a piece of foam or tacking board between the artfelt paper and your table.

After it "felted" in the dryer

Immerse your design in water. Cover the top side of your design with a piece of plastic (like a plastic grocery bag), and then place a rolled dishtowel on top. Roll the design into a tube shape (around the dishtowel) and then put the tube into a trouser sock. The process does not ruin the dishtowel or sock. Throw it into the dryer for about 15 minutes, and then unroll. Place your design, paper side-up, in the sink, and pour boiling water over it to dissolve the paper. Rinse and allow to dry.

Finished product: a camera case for my niece

Mouse House

We have a mouse. That's what you get when you leave the patio doors wide open to enjoy the ocean breeze on warm summer evenings. I made the discovery yesterday when I noticed a large chunk missing from a loaf of bread. Don't get me wrong, a mouse in the house is gross. But I've gotten much more relaxed about things like this. I see the barn cat kill mice all the time when I'm at the stables. Rodents are part of ranch life. Of course, that doesn't mean I want one in the house and eating my bread.

The Wrangler is on mouse patrol. He's done this once before, a couple Octobers ago when a mouse broke in and ate all our Halloween candy. I don't mean to criticize my better half, but it must be said that Operation Mighty Mouse wasn't the smoothest or most aggressive campaign. The soft-hearted Wrangler's weapon of choice is the catch-and-release trap, which provided our clever guest with many delightful appetizers (cheese, crackers, candy) but did not, uh, do the trick. After a week of empty traps and stolen bait, the Wrangler was forced to admit that the catch-and-release traps were doing nothing more than just feeding the fellow.

He conceded that it was time to move on to a traditional snap trap. At bedtime, I'd corral the puppies into the bedroom while the Wrangler set the traps in the living room and kitchen. During the next 20 minutes, the puppies and I would hear a SNAP! and then the Wrangler shouting "ouch!" Then another SNAP! and the Wrangler's "arghh!" And yet another SNAP! followed by a "darn it!" (Unlike this urban cowgirl who's been known to launch a few decidedly non-ladylike words on occasion, the genteel Wrangler does not swear.) I kid you not, our late sweet Doberman Como actually turned to me, rolled her eyes, and mouthed the word, "dufus." We weren't sure whether it was the Wrangler or Homer Simpson in our kitchen trying to set a snap trap.

Flash forward to the present. We now are on Night 2 of our ground war. Here's hoping it's over in a...snap.

Viele Köche verderben den Brei? Not in this case.

I've mentioned before that a bunch of us prepare a meal at the Friendship House once a month. We plan the menu, do the grocery shopping, cook the food, and serve it to about 40 residents. The one thing we do not have to do is the dishes! Our gentle leader John takes pride in ensuring that every dish is made from the best ingredients and served with soul. This month we planned a German menu. John bought a feast's worth of wurst and sauerkraut from Mattern, a German deli in the city of Orange. Mattern is one of those places where people stand on line for 45 minutes to place their order. Judging from the sauerkraut, I can attest that it is worth any wait.

It's hard to pull off a German meal. When you're messing around with all that wurst, pickled cabbage, pork, and potato salad, it really can go either way. I admit that I had some misgivings going into this on Saturday. Minutes after arriving at the Friendship House, John put three of us to work peeling peaches and washing berries for the fruit cobbler. The other three started peeling potatoes for the potato salad--using a treasured recipe from John's friend's grandmother. No mayo. Just vinegar, sugar, green onions, and bacon for seasoning. Served warm, of course.

It's hard to gauge which dish was the piece de resistance, but I think I have to go with the bacon-wrapped pork loin. Yeah, you heard me right. We took two pork loins (5 lbs each) and wrapped them unabashedly in bacon, browned the meat, and popped it in the oven. We basted the meat with a syrupy mixture of vinegar, honey, onion, rosemary, and raisins. We thought there would be a ton of leftovers, but there was absolutely nothing left in any pot, dish, or pan.

Dinner always tastes delicious at the Friendship House. It's a combination of our hard work, the fun of cooking with friends, the gratitude from the residents, and truly good food. Next month is Kansas City-style BBQ.

A Bath for Dash

Scrappy Doo was looking and smelling great after his bath tonight...until a certain Wrangler who was supposed to be supervising the pets outside got too absorbed in his guitar and didn't notice that the Russells were chasing baby birds and rolling in dirt in the side yard.

Show Time

I competed in my first horse show this weekend--a practice show hosted by my riding school. My goal was simple: anything but last place. I'm pleased to report that I exceeded my goal. Out of the five riders who competed at the Beginner level, I placed third in the flat class (where judges look at the horse's movement) and fourth in the flat equitation class (where judges look at the rider's position). Not too bad for someone who just started lessons a few months ago, right? Well, my honor demands that I tell you the entire story. A seven-year old and her pony took first place. You can see why I'm concurrently proud and pathetic.

The day of the show, I entered the arena atop the magnificent Miki Moto, a beautiful warmblood gelding who stands 18 hands high. As I trotted past little girls on their spunky ponies (under 14.2 hands), I felt mildly like someone in a scene in a Will Ferrell movie or SNL sketch in which a hulking adult mows down tiny tots to win a 50-yard dash, does an overly exuberant victory dance, and makes an "L" with his thumb and forefinger as he brushes past the kids who lost. Luckily for me, I was never in any danger of soundly defeating all the aspiring National Velvets and thus looking like a Will Farrell character. My young competitors, although still Beginners, have been riding for a year or more. They looked awesome--it certainly wasn't a case of the judges just letting the kids win.

I was fairly nervous before the show. I knew that I'd be the only adult, which is kind of humiliating. Why are there no other adult beginners? And why did I wait until now to start lessons? Even though I wasn't aiming to win and knew that I wouldn't win, I didn't want to--as the Wrangler says--"stall out." (The Wrangler came to one of my lessons and asked why I sometimes "stall out" or, in other words, just stop my horse and sit there for a minute. I'm sure my instructor would like to know the same thing. The answer is simple: sometimes there is too much to think about at once. I'm like a PC that freezes up when it has too many apps running.)

All in all, my first show was a great experience. First, I didn't stall out. Second, I loved shopping at the tack store for my show outfit. Third, there's a cross-stitch sampler-worthy moral lesson in here (maybe something like, "it's never too late," "you have to start somewhere," or "you're not all that"). Fourth, it's good to get my hotshot lawyer ego taken down a notch or 10 (losing to a seven-year old will do that nicely). But most of all, it was just plain fun to spend the morning with horses and people who love them.

I Scream, You Scream

I followed the Wrangler's advice and made a batch of ice cream tonight. The man knows what he's talking about. I just mixed organic whole milk, cream, vanilla extract, and sugar in a bowl, dumped the mixture into the freezer bowl, and turned on the ice cream maker. Twenty minutes later we were scarfing down a nice bowl of homemade ice cream. As I made room in the freezer for the leftovers, I shook a fist at the gelato (a/k/a my rookie mistake).

Here's the Scoop...

...on my Memorial Day Weekend Project: making artisan blueberry lavender gelato. I don't know what the deal is where you live, but here in SoCal, gelato shops easily outnumber ice cream shops. Gelato was pretty popular about 10 years ago, but it hasn't been trendy for a while. We've long since moved on to cupcakes (Sprinkles) and tart yogurt (Pinkberry). Even though gelato, an Italian ice cream that contains half the butterfat of American ice cream, is yummy, I'm a little surprised that there still are so many gelato stores. Personally, I'd prefer a few more DQs. Our closest DQ is 25 minutes away, and there is nothing like a dipped cone from DQ. At any rate, there is something elegant and refreshing about gelato, and serving a dainty scoop of homemade gelato on a hot Memorial Day weekend sounded like a very urban cowgirlish thing to do.

Friday: Stopped by bookstore to pick up Torrence Kopfer's Making Artisan Gelato, which includes a recipe for blueberry lavender gelato. Picked up ingredients on the way home: whole milk, heavy cream, all-natural blueberry jam, lemon, blueberries, sugar, and eggs. I already had the organic dried lavender buds. Yes, I have no eggs or sugar on hand, but I have plenty of organic dried lavender.

Snap! Upon reading the recipe in its entirety, I learn that this (and all the other recipes) require an ice cream maker. I have no idea why this did not occur to me sooner. What was I thinking--I would just shake the ingredients in a Mason jar and--voila!--icy gelato?

Saturday: Went to Williams Sonoma and purchased a 2-quart ice cream maker. Gave the device a knowing look: although the brand supposedly is top-notch, we received as wedding gifts a fancy toaster, blender, and food processor made by this brand. Each appliance suffered a fatal meltdown well before our first anniversary. I'm onto this ice cream maker. I fully expect it to crash and burn after two uses.

Went home, donned apron, rolled up sleeves, and...learned that I had to freeze the ice cream maker's double-insulated freezer bowl for 24-48 hours. Are you kidding me? Forty-eight hours from now, I might not even feel like making gelato. Ever. Hello, I gotta strike while the iron is hot.

Sunday: Ah, the liquid in the freezer bowl is nice and frozen. Let the artisan gelato-making begin! First, I bring the milk, cream, and lavender buds to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes. I strain the liquid to remove the lavender buds. I dump the liquid back into the saucepan, add sugar, and stir until the mixture reaches 170 degrees. I also attempt to simultaneously separate and then whisk four egg yolks with sugar.

Oops, I've let the liquid in the saucepan boil and scorch. I dump out the liquid, wash the saucepan, and redo the milk, cream, and lavender steeping step. After 15 minutes, I strain the liquid, add the sugar, and do not stray from the stove until the mixture reaches 170 degrees.

Okay, time to temper the egg yolks (keep them from cooking) by slowly adding about half the liquid to the egg mixture. I pour the yolk-liquid mix into the saucepan, add the jam, and stir until the custard reaches 185 degrees.

Next step--puree the blueberries in food processor. I do have one of those--somewhere. Take short 1/2 hour break to locate said food processor, which still is in box. Puree the blueberries. Clean up blueberry juice that inexplicably is running down the cabinets and also staining the sink. Whisk blueberry puree and lemon juice.

Whew. Am I about done yet? I strain the custard into a clean bowl, stir in the blueberry puree, set the bowl in an ice bath (I am running out of bowls here!) and stir occasionally for 30 minutes. Then--WHAT??--I have to chill the mixture for eight hours or overnight. I mutter a choice unladylike word or two.

Monday: I plug in the new ice cream maker, add the gelato mixture, and let technology do its thing. I notice that the ice cream maker is rather loud. The dogs notice this as well. Dash is barking crazily at the appliance, and Fenway is cowering in the corner behind the couch. "How long does this thing have to run?" the Wrangler shouts over Dash's barking and the propeller plane-like ice cream maker motor, trying to sound only curious and not annoyed. Luckily, only 25 minutes. Which is no time at all, relatively speaking.

Yes, the finished gelato looks great and tastes delicious, blah blah blah. But, while I never say never, it will be a cold day in you-know-what before I do this again.

Dash 1, Vet Techs 0

This recent picture of Dash was taken by our favorite professional photographer, Stephanie Rue.

The Wrangler took Dash to the vet's office early this morning for a quick blood draw. Our little scruffy pet is getting fixed on Friday, and the vet recommended a pre-operative blood panel. "Good luck," I said, doubtfully, as the Wrangler headed out of the house with Dash tucked under his arm. Dash was eyeing us with suspicion, and I just had a feeling.

A half hour later the Wrangler returned. "It didn't work out," he announced flatly. Looking smug, Dash casually strolled past us to join Fenway on the patio. As the story goes, three vet techs unsuccessfully attempted to restrain the squirmy monster for a few seconds to obtain a blood sample. Not only was he wiggling like crazy, he screamed like a banshee each time a vet tech so much as grazed his fur with the needle. The vet techs finally gave up.

Good thing Dash's blood test was only optional. I guess his is a small victory in light of what's in store for him on Friday, so we'll let him bask in his triumph today.

Montana on My Mind

Photo taken while on horseback Thursday afternoon

I just returned from my cowgirl adventure at the Mountain Sky ranch in Montana. We had beautiful weather the entire vacation. On a typical day, my sister headed out for a 7AM hike while I slept in. She spotted a mama and baby moose and some fresh mountain lion tracks (and acquired a wood tick or too). We headed out on horseback around 9AM--walking, trotting, and loping through and alongside streams, bushwhacking through forests and meadows, and stopping for a picnic lunch at the top of the mountain. We returned to the ranch around 4PM, spent an hour or so learning to fly fish at the fully stocked trout pond, and did our best to stretch our tired muscles in a restorative yoga class. We joined the other cowgirls for beer and appetizers on a hay ride behind two beautiful Clydesdales, and then feasted on a five-course dinner. We two-stepped to live guitar music in the cozy lounge, and then headed for a quick soak in the outdoor hot tub under the zillions of stars in the big Montana sky. We headed back to our cabin, read for a bit in front of a crackling fire, and then called it a day.

But we all have to come back to reality at some point, right? Or do we?

Stay tuned.

Just 12 Years To Go

Last December I blogged that the Redrock Farm in Chelsea, Vermont will plant a Fraser fir for me in May and care for it until it is ready to harvest in approximately 12 years. Twice a year I'll receive pictures of it with a yardstick so I can track its progress.

It's hard to believe that five months have passed and it's already May. This morning I received word (and photos) from Redrock informing me that my tree has been planted! Hello, little tree. Looking forward to a spectacular Christmas tree in 2022.

I Get Funny Mail Sometimes

Outstanding in the Field

Outstanding in the Field is a traveling farm dinner series or "restaurant without walls." For over 10 years, the people behind Outstanding in the Field have set long tables in places such as organic farms, mountain tops, ranches, or ocean coves. The goal is to help people reconnect with local farmers, chefs, and ingredients. The food for these dinners usually comes directly from the fields in which these events take place.

Founder Jim Denevan has a beautiful cookbook that includes profiles of regional farmers and recipes using seasonal ingredients. I just bought the hardcover book on sale as a Bargain Book for only $5 on the Barnes and Noble website--check to see if the deal still is being offered. It's well worth the five bucks.

Photo from Outstanding in the Field website.

Anniversary

Holy cow, I just realized that today is the one-year anniversary of my Rainy Day Ranch blog. Thanks for sticking around.

Over the past year, we've lost a best friend (beautiful Miss Como) and gained several new friends, including a certain scruffy monster from Texas. I started some projects that fizzled--playing the fiddle, vegetarianism, running, artisan chocolate-making--but I learned something from each failed endeavor. My dusty fiddle reminds me to concentrate on learning to play one instrument really well instead of struggling with three (the 10,000-hour rule!). I missed bacon too much to stick to my veggie diet, but I have a new awareness of what goes on my plate--and a new concern for how it gets there. Training for two marathons and failing to come close to running them made me realize that there's no point in taking up an activity that I dread; English-style horseback riding is proving to be a much more enjoyable way to satisfy my itch for a physical challenge and some mental discipline. My disastrous attempts involving artisan chocolates and, let's face it, candles, soaps, and jewelry too, helped me to better appreciate and admire the special talents of my friends who are much more proficient in these areas.

It's fair to say, though, that the bigger picture hasn't changed much. My visions of the Rainy Day Ranch become stronger and more focused each day--kind of like Harry Potter's visions of Lord Voldemort, but in a good way. I know we're getting very close. And I'm still determined to get me some chickens.

"Beets are a dish best served cold."--Dwight Schrute

A couple weeks ago we met some friends at Tanaka Farms for a cookout tour (during which we pick the veggies for the farm staff to grill for us). We caught the tail end of the winter crop season, which meant that we picked sweet Maui onions, celery, kale, bok choy, and beets. The veggies were diced, augmented with a few chunks of tofu, drizzled with olive oil and Lawry's seasoning, and nicely grilled. I had never eaten a beet and was pleasantly surprised. It actually tasted pretty good. (Although maybe that was because the rest of my meal consisted of such things as celery and kale....)

This weekend our friend John stopped by with some beets freshly plucked from his garden. Having just sampled my first beet two weeks ago, I'm not sure how to prepare beets in a way that will do them justice. The Wrangler told me to try boiling them, but boiled beets don't sound very sassy. Any ideas?

Loam Sweet Loam

I'm back...it's been a busy month here at the RDR. I guess I should start by revealing the results of my soil test. As I left off, the soil sample in my Mason jar settled into layers. The bottom layer is sandy and is about 4 cm high. The next layer is silt, which measures about .5 cm. The top layer is clay, which also is about .5 cm. The total height of all layers (not including the water) is 5 cm. I divided each layer by the total height of all layers and then multiplied by 100. So, my soil is 80% sand (4 cm divided by 5 cm, multiplied by 100), 10% silt (.5 cm divided by 5 cm, multiplied by 100), and 10% clay.

Using these percentages, I identified my soil as "loamy sand" on the USDA's soil texture triangle. Incidentally, the soil textures in the lower left corner (sandy loam and loamy sand, in particular) are ideal for growing lavender. This makes me roll my eyes, as I don't plan on growing lavender here at the cottage--I want to grow it on my ranch. And I'm sure that no matter where I end up buying my ranch, the soil on said ranch will be far from ideal for growing lavender.

So Here's the Dirt...

My lavender class assignment this week is to test my soil type. I learned in class that I don't need a fancy professional analysis; anyone can perform a simple soil test. I dug down about five inches and collected a few samples from various locations in my planting area. I put some dirt in a glass Mason canning jar, added dishwasher detergent to break up the dirt, filled the jar with water, and shook vigorously.

Over the next day, the soil will settle into distinct layers. I'll measure each layer and do a little math to determine the percentage of clay, silt, and sand. I'll take these numbers and find where my soil falls on the USDA textural triangle. I'll explain this in more detail when I figure out my percentages tomorrow.

A Prerequisite Pursuit

Back in college, I was this close to choosing a geology major (because geology rocks, hee hee). The only thing that came between me and my mineralogy was the prerequisite physics course. As I recall, the required physics class began at some ungodly hour, like 7AM, several days a week, for two full semesters. Even then, I had the good sense to know that a 7AM commitment was utterly unrealistic for me. It probably was more like 8AM, but even so. And this, my friend, is why I decided to pursue a career that did not require early morning physics labs.

But here I am years later embarking on a delightful new hobby, English horseback riding, only to be faced with another dreaded prerequisite: yoga. Well, concurrent requisite is more accurate. And it's not exactly required. It's merely recommended for flexibility, balance, and core strength--traits possessed by good riders.

Eghh. Yoga? Really?

I know everyone does yoga these days (if they're not doing pilates), especially here in California. I just personally hate it. Call me old-school, but there's something about a room full of strangers exhaling hot breath all over the place, bending into unattractive positions, and flashing their bare feet with dirty soles. I can't even think about bikram yoga, which is done in a room that's heated to a minimum of 105 degrees. I'm not at all a germaphobe but...ewww. I looked into private yoga lessons, but they cost about as much as the riding lessons. The Wrangler is so not one of those stereotypical husbands that throws fits when the wife spends a little dough, but when I casually mentioned adding private yoga lessons to the mix, I did get a lecture of sorts on not wasting money. Apparently, smelly group lessons are the, as the Wrangler says, "non-stupid" option for someone who may be a wife, and who may live in Orange County, but who is not one of the Real Housewives of Orange County.

But I can't let my fear of group yoga stand in the way of good horsemanship. Yoga isn't a physics lab, and group lessons won't be that bad. They can't be that bad. I just hope they aren't at 7AM.

The 10,000-Hour Rule

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell posits that greatness in any field requires not necessarily an innate talent or genius but rather 10,000 hours of practice. We can all be concert pianists or pro golfers--or at least pretty darn awesome--by the time we've spent approximately 10,000 hours honing our craft. Clearly, I'm on my way to Olympic glory in the dressage ring. Only 9,990 hours to go.