Ants

Last night, I must've had ants in my pants. I couldn't sleep much at all.
I could blame the new baby, which is probably what it was (I had a hard time sleeping with Ana in the early months too, isn't that wierd?). But, I will chalk it up to excitment over a bovine nature.

Today, Dan will be returning from Minneapolis with four gallons of fresh milk in tow. We haven't had fresh milk for a few months because it just hasn't fit with our schedule (and gas budget) to run over to Wabasso to get it. But now, oh my yes, my head is filling with thoughts of yogurt, cheese, butter and a tall frosty glass of over the top tasty milk.

Corn!

So, I guess I forgot to include the actual belly shot that last post. Here it is. And while I may not look a ton huger, I feel huger. And that counts for something right?

In other news, today we Wambeke's ran into a bit of luck. Dan and Helen got a call from their friend Bruce Bot, he had a pile (and when i say pile, I mean PILE) of sweet corn with their name on it. So, they toddled over to the Bot place and came back to our house. We got down to the business of cooking up the corn and throwing it all into freezer bags to enjoy throughout the fall, winter and spring.

Here is Ana and her first ear of sweet corn. She loved it, and her dad couldn't be any more proud.

She has started smiling for pictures, which is really nice for us. But sometimes her smile kind of comes out funny, you know, because it's posed and all.

A Place to Call Home

Looking for a place to live?

Dan & I still own the place in St. Paul that we called home for the first 3+ years of our marriage. (Many readers of this blog undoubtedly remember the place well.) We've been renting it out to a nice young couple from our old St. Paul parish. Alas, the husband has now graduated from law school and they are off to bigger and better things in a faraway state.

So, effective September 1, we have a vacancy. Do you know of anyone who needs a nice place to live? We are, of course, looking for nice people who will be clean, quiet, and take good care of the place. In return, those folks will have Dan as a pretty swell landlord, as well as a nice place that's centrally located and priced a little cheaper than similar units in the same neighborhood. If you know anyone, pass along the details below:

Attractive & modern 2 bedroom, 2 bath condominium in beautiful Highland Park. 950 square feet. Amenities include: wood-burning fireplace, private laundry, private balcony, detached garage, outdoor swimming pool. Near bus line and airport. 2250 Benson Ave., Unit E. Photos available online at: http://tinyurl.com/6mofep Rent: $975/month, plus heat/electric. Available September 1. Call Dan @ (952) 290-0764 or email at djwambeke@yahoo.com.

Belly Watch.

Well now, it appears that I'm incubating another baby Wambeke. We told our parents earlier this week, and now that all of Lyon County knows about it (thank you Helen), we figured it was cyber spaces turn.

So, round abouts mid-March we'll be having a little peanut to cuddle and coo over. Ana has no idea. Poor thing.

And while I can't eat anything that resembles food at the moment (I've been eating a lot of Party Pizza, and Dan is on his way home with a stash of Ramen Noodles), we are looking forward to the fun part: the belly watch!

Yes, in the middle, at almost 8 weeks, I look about how I did when Ana was 16 weeks. It's like my stomach muscles said, "Oh yeah, we remember this. We don't have to work for another year or so." I mean, come on. Couldn't they at least try?

And between running after a toddler, lying on the couch, and picking vegetables, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post. But keep clicking, I'll be doing my best.

Get out!

Was the title of the email Dan sent me with the following information.

Loome Theological Bookstore, of Stillwater, is changing owners.

Loome is the greatest bookstore ever.

Basically.

It's the largest second hand theological bookstore in the United States and is the go-to for theologians, universities and everyone else around the world. Every spring, Dan and I happily pick a Saturday to wander over, money jingling in our pockets. And then we leave five hours later, pockets silent, books under our arms, and exuberant smiles on our faces.

Well, it seems Dr. Loome is retiring and sold the business to two young guys. One of which was our Natural Family Planning instructor when we got married. Chris has worked there for as many years as we've been married and we get to catch up with him on our annual pilgrimage to the Greatest Bookstore on Earth (aka Loome) I'm sure he and Andrew (the other new owner) will continue to lead the iconic bookstore down the path of righteousness.

Here's the whole scoop with thanks to Dan for letting me know of the change, and northlandcatholic for providing the link:
http://northlandcatholic.blogspot.com/2008/07/loome-theological-booksellers-in.html

Gianna Update: Gianna is cancer-free! Praise God! After receiveing a diagnosis of stage four cancer, four rounds of chemo, and lots of prayers, the doctors were able to remove the tumor on Monday. The tumor was tested for any living cancer cells, but there were none!!! The cancer is dead, and the Samountry family is breathing, like, the biggest sigh of relief ever.

Viva Il Papa!

What follows is a post that i actually wrote last week. Due to a series of events, I wasn't able to get to posting it until now. So, enjoy my time-machine with a blast to last week when World Youth Day was in full swing in Sydney, Australia.

---

Great times are being had in Australia. And Dan and I have been wistfully reliving some of our good times we had down under when we visited years ago. If only we were there to see the Pope! That would've made it even better.

My friend Tim is live blogging the event for the National Catholic Register. In today's post, Tim posted some great pics of folks even I know from Minnesota! What I love about these pics are the youthful, attractive faces of vowed religious and ordained priests who live chaste, simple lives for God and His children. This is the face of the Church. Not a dry, withery, down-in-the-mouth kind of Church that some imagine.
I remember a time, a number of years ago I brought a friend of mine to work with me where she met my co-workers. She was young (eighteen at the time) and really kinda cute. After she left, I mentioned to one of said co-workers that she was entering a convent. He just about hit the roof. (Rebecca, Janie and Mark: it was Steve. Are you surprised?)

"You mean people still do that???" And, "But she's cute!?!" He was stunned. His bewilderment took me by surprise. But I guess most people think of religious as quaint and as outdated as the Sound of Music.
Then there was another time, years ago again, when I was sharing some pictures with a friend of mine. I was showing him who was who and what we were doing, etc. I mentioned that one of the friends in my picture had just consecrated herself as a lay consecrated (they take all the vows of a religious, and live in community, but are still considered laypeople according to Canon Law).

"Oh, yeah. I could see that. She looks like a nun."

What the heck does that mean????? Because the picture wasn't flattering? I assured him that she really was cute. He just nodded. Sure, then why is she running away to the nunnery, is what he was thinking.

So, when I see these wonderful faces who are joyfully living their vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience to Christ and His Church, I am thankful that more and more people are getting to see this face of Christ.

So funny.

Dan sent me this picture. Ha Ha, Dan.
As you can tell, McCain isn't Dan's favorite.
Who is his favorite? It's not the other guy either.
He doesn't have a favorite, which is fair.

Farewell, Starbucks, old friend. by Dan

Word hasn't been leaked from corporate headquarters yet as to when this debacle will take place, but a local barista has confirmed that, yes, the Marshall Starbucks is one of the 600 to be cut loose. And it has now appeared on this map of known or rumored closings.

Why does this grieve me, like a teenager's angst over the end of a relationship that was always suspected to be Too Good To Be True?

Was it the coffee itself? Are beans marketed by Starbucks really the Source and Summit of all things java? No. When even McDonald's beats Starbucks in a taste test, you know something's going on. Even without McDonald's, coffee just as tasty could be had elsewhere in town.

Then was it the Starbucks aura, that siren song of the Starbucks mermaid that I fell victim to? Perhaps there's some truth to this. Starbucks projected something: urban, sophisticated, enlightened. Being a Starbucks customer projected something, too. Against the ignorant hordes, swilling cheap beer and leaving the empty containers lying all over the road ditches around me, I could proclaim, by the mere presence of a paper cup in my hand, that I am Better Than That. Yes, sir, I am a Grande Nonfat Mocha man, with just enough civilization in me to know how to pronounce that correctly. I shop at Starbucks, where Corporate Social Responsibility is the mantra, and enlightened eco-consciousness is the modus operandi. (Okay, so maybe that McDonald's Unsnobby Coffee campaign has some truth to it...)

I suppose it was also a case of holding up the facade of Marshall as Bigger Than It Really Is. It's true that I moved from a metro area back to this rural abode because I love it here; it's also true that I knew there would be some sacrifices to be made in the retail department. (No Target? No Barnes & Noble? ugh.) But this - my one serious urban delight - was not to be denied me. I could move to the country, and still have my coffee cup too. And further, whenever urban friends would ask, with scrunched up noses, where the heck this "Marshall" was, and why I was moving to the middle of nowhere, I could pull out my trump card: "You know, we have a Starbucks."

Even more than this, though, it was your near-unlimited availability. Oh, Starbucks, I shall miss your Convenient Hours. Need a little extra boost with that 5:30AM wakeup time? No problem! Starbucks is open. Wondering how to kill a little time after the evening news? Go to Starbucks - they'll happily host you until 11. And Sunday, dear Sunday, the one day that screams "Coffee Shop!", being designed by God himself for lounging about, you were open ALL DAY LONG. Oh what a glorious thing that was. No one else within 60 miles will provide me that pleasure.

And the best part was, I had you almost all to myself. I never had to fight with long lines; there was never a rush to snag the best lounge seat; your employees always looked so happy to see me.

Wait a sec. Oh, now I see. Our time together really was Too Good To Be True.

In which Ana can't keep her clothes on.

You know how the saying goes.

If you can't beat them, join them. And remember to lay out a diaper on their chair seat.

Yesterday I went to pick some of my chamomile blooms. Aren't they sweet looking? I grew them from seed this year. Last year I bought an already started plant, and I think I got this many blooms over the course of the summer. I'm glad I took the plunge this year. Definately paying off. This winter, it'll be chamomile tea every night. Ahhhhhh.

And as the bounty continues, I tried a new recipe using our zucchini: Zucchini crusted pizza. It turned out deliciously. Here's the crust before I added the sauce, basil and mozzerella. Yes, I did already cut off a chunk. I had to see how it tasted.

Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Dan here. Joy asked me to post a review of my most recent read, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which is a story about one family's return to the farm and year-long quest to become "locavores" - eating only locally-grown food: either produced by themselves or purchased from other farmers in their own county. This book was recommended to us by Joy's cousin Justin, upon learning of Joy's newfound garden obsession and also our self-identification as Crunchy Cons (i.e. "conservatives" with some downright hippie-ish habits).

The book is well-written and easy to read, a delightful account of a family's year-long adventure into a more self-sustaining lifestyle. Worth the purchase price alone (at least according to Joy) are the recipies that are included at the end of each chapter. In addition to knowing good food, however, Barbara Kingsolver has a knack for bringing to life engaging narratives that illustrate the many trials and ecstasies of her foray into the "simple" life. Whether coming to learn that her sick turkey simply had a horrible case of.... lovesickness, or sharing her travails with (and violations of) the local superstition in her neck of the Appalachians of never, ever saying "thank you" when given the gift of a plant (lest a curse immediately descend upon the flora), Barbara conveys the wonderment and learning that accompanied her adventure in an enjoyable manner.

But this book isn't just a nostalgic trip down a bucolic memory lane. Ms. Kingsolver has a firm purpose in mind. Simply put: she became a locavore to prove that you, too, can become a locavore. Many have criticized her for hypocrisy in this endeavor: at the beginning of the year, each of the members of her family were allowed one luxury food item that they could import from outside their county (between the four of them, her family was thus allowed the otherwise off-limits delicacies of coffee, chocolate, imported dried fruits, and imported spices). Later in the book, other splurges were revealed, too. I myself won't jump on board that judgment train, however - she joyfully accepted sacrifices few of us could endure without at least a lot of grumbling (a whole year without bananas? WOW.). Kudos to her family for that.

But her underlying motivational philosophy is not above reproach. She does manage to raise many good points, such as the fact that our society, so used to seeing only the beautiful (and sanitized) displays in the grocery aisle, is now almost completely ignorant of the real origins of our food. She relates the story of her husband's young friend Malcolm, who recoiled with horror at the sight of carrots being pulled out of the ground, "How'd you get them in there?" and had trouble coming to terms with his new knowledge that the vegetables on his plate had once touched.... dirt. Also worthy of note is her contention that the way that the modern food industry has prized a product's ability to preserve well for shipping and look good on a shelf (for obvious reasons) has led to both a loss of flavor in the products as well as diversity in the products. There are many varieties of vegetables, well suited to particular climates and palates, that are at risk of becoming extinct because they are no longer planted. I agree with her that these are worth preserving. Fortunately, the increase in gardeners' interest in heirloom vegetables is helping to reverse that trend.

But that's as far as Barbara and I travel together, separating just when we come to the topic of morality. She is elusive enough that she can't be pinned down to a well-defined position on the ethics of our food purchases, but she is, at the least, out of balance in her analysis here. She is very critical of industrialized agriculture, for which everything must be given the most negative possible spin. You mean the companies are seeking profit? It must be sinister corporate greed. (I ask: Isn't profit the same motive of the vendors down at the farmer's market?) You mean big farms produce lots of waste? It must be environmental pollution. (I ask: doesn't a waste management plan for that waste - if it is carried out properly - return those nutrients to the soil, just as it would with a small organic farmer?) Clearly, there are some problems with modern agribusiness, as with the case of Percy Schmeiser, a small-time canola grower in Saskatchewan, who was sued in 1998 by Monsanto for the lowly crime of owning seeds containing one of their patented genes (it seems pollen had drifted, uninvited, into his field from a neighboring field, and yet he was held accountable for planting the resulting seeds). But tarring the entire industry without recognizing the good that is also inherent is unfair.

That, then, is the crux of my criticism of Ms. Kingsolver's arguments: although she leaves such sentiments somewhat vague, she comes perilously close to assigning a negative moral value to the intrinsic nature of certain acts, rather than to the circumstances surrounding them, which is where the moral content (if any) should be. Using fuel to transport vegetables from California to the East Coast? Simply bad. (I ask: but isn't it a good thing that it can be transported so that, for example, New Yorkers can enjoy a salad in December?) Farms growing larger and larger? Simply bad. (I ask: but isn't it a good thing to leverage economies of scale to improve efficiency, and therefore lower the cost for the consumer?) Everything certainly comes with a price - transporting the vegetables increases demand for fuel, which drives up the gas price for all of us, and as mentioned before, cheaper goods don't necessarily mean tastier goods. Further, it might be downright wasteful to bring in cheaper goods when it will cause other goods to be thrown away (as happened to tomatoes grown in Ms. Kingsolver's county when cheaper imports arrived from California). But that's where the debate and analysis needs to take place - in the realm of the circumstances surrounding the issues, with a balanced understanding of the various positive and negative elements at stake. At times, Kingsolver does just this, but often she simply blurs the distinction, as when she confesses her guilt for having lived out 25 years of life in Tucson, Arizona where, owing to the desert, nearly all food must be imported from elsewhere. In her own words, "I'd moved there as a young adult, then added through birth and marriage three more mouths to feed. As a guest, I'd probably overstayed my welcome." And I thought "Catholic guilt" was the only kind that haunted people for years....

Most of my time spent reading this book took place with either a mocha (imported coffee and chocolate) or a lemonade (imported lemon and cane sugar) in one hand. As you can see, while I have become more committed to buying locally grown food whenever I can, I nevertheless happily remain a "globavore" - enjoying the edible delicacies of faraway lands guilt-free. So go ahead -read this book. Enjoy her stories of life on the farm. And learn a few things, while you're at it. Just don't set aside your critical thinking skills. And most important, don't feel too guilty for enjoying life a little.

Rejoice!

We have a new Bishop!

After a few years of patient waiting, the vatican has announced that Fr. LeVoir of Stillwater will be the new Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm.

Duly noted that I have held Fr. Joseph Johnson would be our new bishop. But, we can't always be right.

Abundant prayers for Fr. LeVoir who, I am certain, will lead our diocese faithfully and in God's holy will.

In other news, I think Ana has already begun the protest of her crib. She was very adamant about taking her nap in the bed today. So, it seems we will be putting the side gate on it this afternoon.

A Surprise of a Day

I wasn't expecting this sunny Saturday to be much more than every other Saturday. That is, putzing about the house doing chores and nothing out of the ordinary. But a few neat things did happen. Including one bad thing.

First, I nearly sold out at the Marshall Farmer's Market this morning. What a nice feeling. I sold all of my odd looking zucchini, the two new baskets of mulberries Dan and I picked last night, my lettuces, almost all my beets and peas, and all my cilantro and scallions. I received a lot of comments about my choice to grow heirloom vegetables. It gave me a bit of a lift!

Off to home, where I had priming and painting to do in our study. I did that with Dan for a while (ana was at Grandma's so we could get the room done) ... and it was rather ho-hum and the fumes started to get to me. So, I went out to check on my patch of winter squash. Now is time for the bad surprise. Squash vine borers. Ugh. All of one type of squash was killed. And I found several other plants with eggs under the vines, or newly burrowed larvae, or BOTH! So, I spent a good part of the early afternoon squashing the eggs that I could find (which was totally gross and not at all like squeezing plastic bubble wrap which is what I kept telling myself it was), and then talking Dan into fishing out the larvae before the plants die. As fun as egg smooshing and larvae fishing is, we never got to finish the job because then Dan's good friend Tim called. He was only an hour away and wanted to visit for the day. Woo Hoo! Saved from the larvae!

So, Tim and Dan had a grand time touring the farm, the pasture, and Marshall. And I got to call it quits of the eggs (ew). We had a great time visiting with Tim.

We didn't get the room finished and the vines need to be tended to tomorrow still. But hey, it was a great day. And now it's time for bed.

Good night all.

Oh, and here's a cute picture of Ana for the grandparents.

Success!

I brought a carload of mulberries and various other produce fresh from the garden to Walnut Grove tonight for the farmer's market. There were already cars upon cars of folks milling about at 4pm when I got there. Between the five of us vendors, we made out pretty well. I sold all of the mulberries.

Happy.

I am definately seeing Earning of the Dollar in a new light since trying to make this farmer's market thing go. All the planting, weeding, watering, watching, harvesting and washing, and finally selling. I have a much greater appreciation for farmers. And the value of a dollar? Let's just say money came a LOT easier when I was answering phones at MSRS in my pre-Ana days.

I see a lot of good things that are happening with this way of life. I don't have near the idle time I had before. We are eating a lot better. And I have this great (farmer's) tan.

And here is further evidence of our cloud viewing capabilities. This photo was taken towards the west at 9pm this evening. The only clouds on the radar at that time were the mega storms going through the Twin Cities. Yep, these are them.



And, of course, we didn't see a drop. In fact, the storm developed right above the farm. Ask Dan how he knows.

Harvest

Things are gearing up for the big garden harvest already. Within a few weeks, we won't have much time to do anything but harvest, can, pickle, freeze and, of course, eat.

Right now, we're getting the beginning trickles of a few things. Beets, herbs, and a few zucchini. I tried growing both hybrid zucchini, and a french heirloom called Ronde de Nice. The Ronde de Nice is really taking off and creating fruit much earlier than it's hybrid brother. Here's a shot of one that I picked this morning.



With our zucchini bounty, and Dan's aversion to it, Ana and I have been gobbling up zucchini pancakes for lunch these days. It's a tasty way to make use of this nummy veggie and Ana loves them dipped in ketchup. I love them dipped in my homemade ketchup, which is unlike store bought. I'll have to post that recipe soon too. It's also good topped with cheese, yogurt and, of course, applesauce. Here's the zucchini pancake receipe:

1/3 c. flour
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 beaten eggs
salt to taste
oil for frying

Mix all ingredients, except the oil. Der.
Heat up the oil in a large skillet (iron or what have you)
pour about 1/2 cup of batter for each cake and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Oh, hurt me.

And, for a slightly different flavor, you can add a few chopped scallions and a Tablespoon of fresh mint. Our pasture has Wild Mountain Mint, which is also a native prairie grass. So, we've been availing ourselves of that resource. But whatever mint you have, it makes this simple dish even more satisfying.

Our beets are coming in so nicely!

I only wish we had planted more. They're going rather fast between fresh eating and pickling. And the greens are so tasty.

Lucky for me, Ana loves them. So for today, we'll be having beets for lunch.

Jokes!

Well, it seems it's joke time again. I love these Bible jokes. Because how can you expect to be taken seriously if you can't laugh at yourself. Know what I mean?

Is menopause mentioned in the Bible?
Where can it be found?

Yes.... Matthew 14:92: 'And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way to Egypt.'

Happy Days!

One of the best days of my life.

We found a mulberry tree on our property, with all kinds of ripe berries just waiting for us to pick them and eat them up right there on the spot.

We didn't of course, we waited until the tree was positively identified, and wasn't some poisonous imposter. And THEN we picked them and ate them. Here are the ones we didn't eat. And there's a lot more where that came from!

Lately, when we go to Hy-Vee, the check-out clerks have been giving Ana helium filled balloons much to her delight. Well, delight after a few minutes of "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Here's a shot of said delight. See how fuzzy it is? That's how much happiness was in Ana's body.

Update (3:30 pm): As noted (correctly) by Mary, see Ana's resemblance to a certain cartoon character (that she already knows and loves)???

Bread Update.

Well, I thought it might be time to update everyone as to how I'm enjoying the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. And that would be: very, very much.

I am still in awe that I can make a 100% wheat bread so light and delicious. Laurel writes that the long twenty minute knead is what makes these loaves so tender and light.

Here is the Buttermilk Bread that I did today. with my freshly ground wheat of course. The results, as you can see, were not bad. I only wish I had more than one 8 by 4 bread pan as these loaves are 1.5 pounds. Until then, I can always do with one bread loaf and one round loaf. They turned out a bit too tender for my taste. I like a bread with more earthiness. But Dan and Ana love these loaves. So, I'll go with it.



Here is the recipe my bread loving friend:

1 1/2 c. hot water
1/4 c. honey
1 1/4 c. cold buttermilk

dissolve honey into the water and add the buttermilk. The resulting liquid should be lukewarm.

5 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 t. salt
2 t. instant yeast

knead the dough for a good 20 minutes, but don't go over or it will tear in the final proof. Form into a ball and set in a warm, draft free place to rise. It will take about an hour and a half. Press the dough flat and form it into a smooth round again and let it rise once more. This time it will take about 45 minutes.

Press the dough flat and form into two loaves or two rounds (or one loaf and one round as the case may be) and let rise for the last proof. This should also take about 45 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dough is ready, pop 'em in the oven and let them bake for around 40-50 minutes.

Take the dough out. Once you have waited as long as you can (usually about 15 minutes for me), slather on the butter or jam or honey or what have you. Pour a tall glass of cold milk. And you are golden.

Dan the Cook!

For years Dan has been asking me to learn how to make Pad Thai, his favorite thai dish. For some reason, I haven't. So, one day I told him that he could learn and make it his specialty. If you don't know, Dan is to cooking as I am to the internal workings of computers. But, he did it anyway! I am so proud:

It was delicious. That's our friend Teresa who brought her little one Elena over to see our kittens. Elena's not in the photo unfortunately. Doesn't the Pad Thai look tasty?

In other news, our garden is looking blossom-y thanks to the help of our potatoes and our walking onions.