Ode to the Hand Me Down.

Whoever said Hand Me Down's suck wasn't living on one income. There really isn't a feeling like having to pass up the shiny, new and prohibitively expensive toys at the store, only to come home to a truckload of just as good toys free for the taking with my smiling bro behind the wheel (he's just happy to get rid of them).

The last shipment included the best toy if you are looking for shrieks of giddiness from Ana while awake, and loud in-her-sleep proclamations of "car!" in the middle of the night.

That's right. It's the ubiquitous Little Tykes plastic car. These things must last forever. Because it has lasted through my brother's 3 kids and still has plenty of vroom left.

Here's Ana, lounging in her favorite outdoor patio furniture piece. As you can see, it was taken when it was still warm. Probably around labor day, the last warm day of the summer.

The Best of Friends.

What fun. Ana and her friend Elena actually play together now. Note that it's no longer a staring contest. They interact beyond grabbing each others toys and everything.

It began last week: Dan and I took Ana over to Teresa and Seth's house to play with their little girl Elena and to enjoy great food and a fabulous episode of the Office. And for once, they kept each other busy for almost the entire three hours. To an exhausted parent, it was a liberating three hours.

Anyhoo, tonight Teresa brought Elena over to play with Ana (and to give me someone to talk to, thank God). And play they did!

Here's a shot of the two monkeys, Ana having recently made the fatal error of exposing her stomach. Poor Elena just couldn't resist.

Still a little city.

Because there's still a little city girl in me, Dan and I gave Ana to Grandma today and spent a few hours in Cathedral Hill. We had some business in St. Paul anyway, so it was a nice excuse to take some lunch at the Day by Day Cafe, browse Uncommon Good Books (Garrison Keillor's bookstore) and otherwise enjoy the old houses and fall leaves of St. Paul's beautiful neighborhood.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Straw numbers.

Today was a beautiful day on the prairie. The sun was out and the wind was at it's best. There IS a reason Ma, Mary and Laura wore sun bonnets tightly fascinted with reinforced ribbon and not those dainty little straw numbers.

Our rooster has been doing his thing, roosting around and cockadoodle-doing. Ana is fascinated by him and his behavior and calls him "Doo doo" after the noises that he makes. Here he is leading the hens to where the tomatoes are ripe and tasty.



Tonight we also harvested our pumpkins and loaded them up onto Dan Sr's pickup for the market tomorrow morning. Well, Dan and Dan did it. Me and Ana watched.



In other news, I'm trying to get Dan to try my Raspberry leaf tea with the promise that it will get his uterus in shape for the birth. So far, no go.

I will leave you with another wonderful pic of Ana circa three months enjoying a little sleep-in time with mommy. Gotta love babies who will sleep in once in a while. Unfortunately they turn into toddlers who are up at the crack of dawn EVERY. MORNING. And insist on being "uppa" even before mommy has her contacts in. But isn't she so cute with her fuzzy little head and her tiny mouth hanging open?

I nearly forgot, well, okay. I did forget because it started yesterday. But I was going to mention it in this morning's post.

Anyhow, yesterday began 40 Days for Life. Why 40? Because Jesus fasted for 40 days before he was crucified. So, in our teeny tiny efforts to be like him, we fast or pray for 40 days for a specific purpose. Now the purpose is for babies.

I think Amy Welborn said it best: this is not a ‘wedge issue” that “right-wingers” bring out this time of year for fun, not a “single issue” about which some wackos inconveniently and inexplicably obsess, but lives. Check out her blog for more ideas or this one for more information.

Love Taps.

Only 4 months along and I'm already nesting.

Last week I tidied up our newborn stash of diapers by adding another dozen kissaluvs, a nice fitted diaper, to make Dan's life easier. I also purchased some so soft wool longies to make babies bottom so breathable and warm. I got them super cheap from a nice mommy in Park Rapids. They retail at $35 and she sold them to me for $10, which is, like, 5 minutes of picking tomatoes and then 20 minutes of selling them.

As that guy from Dances with Wolves would say with that silly stoic expression: Good trade.

Here's a belly shot to appease Mary.



The little rascal has been kicking mom in the tummy for about a week now. They are like little love taps. It's so sweet. (Insert Mark's barf here)

This weekend we'll be selling our pumpkins at the farmer's market. So get out your carving knives and roasting pans. It's almost October!!!

Headed towards Fall.

Even though we're having an indian summer, I'm still thinking about how to warm up little Ana through the winter. So, a few weeks ago, I headed towards The Purple Iris, Marshall's knitting shop, with some time to browse. I left with some super soft ocean blue wool yarn and this really cute pattern.

Isn't it the cutest sweater? I was so happy to have found an age appropriate and somewhat vintage-y looking patter. And yes, those are owls lining the chest. And yes again, that means that I'm learning how to do cables. Which, I am shocked, are really easy! In fact, I didn't have to consult anyone when I tackled my first cable. And it turned out beautifully! Pictures later.

Onwards to my brief review of Jewel by Bret Lott. I heard of it years ago when I was purusing Image Journal's best 100 books of faith. Well, now it's 100 writers of faith. But back then it was best 100 books of faith. Anyhoo. Dan and I were driving napping Ana around Powell River near Vancouver a month ago. We were having tons of fun taking turns popping into these neat used bookstores and buying up their classics shelves when I found a copy of Jewel. I remembered it from the list, and thought, why not. I still hadn't found a copy of The Cross to finish the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, and with all the rain I was looking for a good read. $3. I bought it.

It started out wonderfully. The characters were so rich and the story line was promising. It is about a woman named Jewel who, with her husband and five children, live in the backwoods of Mississippi during the 1940's. Their sixth child is born with Down's Syndrome. I won't give anything more away, except that the story is about the joy and hardships the family go through in order to keep the blessed child and care for her during a time when there wasn't a lot of information on children with Down's Syndrome.

What I appreciated most about the story is that it honestly portrayed the hardships of marriage, even when both husband and wife are good-hearted. But I was disappointed that halfway through the story, it seemed to loose the depth that I loved in the first half.

I am happy to say, however, that I did pick up The Cross at Barnes and Noble last week and am having a wonderful time reading it.

So, back to my book. Good night all.

Tuxes et al.

Thanks to everyone who are writing letters to Judge Heydinger on our behalf! And of course, thank you for all your prayers! Continue with those prayers, that God's will be done, whatever that is. Here is the link giving all the information for writing these letters again just in case you missed it last post: http://cetf.us/2008/07/18/write-letters-to-judge-heydinger/ You can either write a letter by snail mail, or by email.

This morning Dan and have ditched the wee one with Grandma and have set up mission command central at our Starbucks. Today we are writing letters to our Senators and Representatives, and later today we will be going door to door to our neighbors to make sure that everyone knows, with plenty of time, what is happening.

When we moved here last year, little did we know that our new way of life would be in jeopardy so soon. It'll be a long road. But we will keep you informed every so often with updates.

Until then, it's a busy weekend at the Shire! Aaron and Ben are coming over tonight to spend the weekend hunting. Here's hoping they get a couple of fat geese so we can have some tasty goose sausage Aaron makes. I hold that they are WAY tastier than any hormel sizzler. Then tomorrow morning Dan, Ana and i are heading to St. Michael for the Becker family reunion. And let me tell you, with that family, fun WILL be had!

Well, that's all for now. I'll leave you with my all time favorite Pretty Good Joke:
Penguin to his fellow penguin: It looks like you're wearing a tuxedo.
Fellow Penguin: What makes you so sure I'm not?

First Starbucks, Now This... (by Dan)

Speaking of exalting our crosses, dark clouds are beginning to form over the 'shire. No, this isn't Lord of the Rings, but it well could be. Instead of Sauron's evil eye gazing from the tower of Barad-dur, there is a different evil lurking from a different kind of tower, plotting nonetheless to possibly destroy all that is pure and good about the Muffinshire.

Simply put: Muffinshire could fall victim to the CapX2020 initiative. This project is sponsored by a consortium of energy companies, for the ostensible purpose of meeting Minnesota's energy needs into the future. The backbone of this initiative is three major 345kV transmission lines (the big suckers - approx. 150 feet tall), one of which will stretch from Brookings, SD to the Twin Cities, which yes, runs right through our part of the world.

Exact routes are not yet finalized, but a process has been underway to determine them. The alarming find is that the 'shire is on the short list of routes around Marshall - we're along one of only two possibilities. First learning this a month ago, I didn't panic, since there is plenty of room in the field across the road from us to build it. It would be annoying there, yes. But life-changing, no.

Then I found out that our neighbor, who attended the most recent Open House on the matter, said that he was told the line would likely go on our side of the road, not the open field side. It doesn't make any sense to me why this would need to happen (except maybe that it would be cheaper to buy us out than to do some negotiating with East River Electric, which already has a smaller transmission line on the other side of the road) but that's what he said. Houston, we have a problem.

When these lines are created, a 75-foot right-of-way on both sides of it is established where they don't purchase the land, but they do buy an "easement" to it, and they cut down all the trees and prevent you from putting buildings or trees back on it. Placing the transmission line on our side of the road could require the removal of our entire western grove of trees for the right-of-way. This includes our maple trees and some of our mulberry trees. This would open the 'shire up to the winter winds and destroy the aesthetic value currently provided by having mature trees surrounding our house. Worse, the dominant feature left in its place would be an obnoxious electrical line. The kicker, though, is the safety issue. The line would be less than 100 feet from our bedrooms. The official position is that Electrical-Magnetic Fields (EMF's) have not been able to be linked with childhood leukemia, but the fact is that enough contrary suspicions continue to be raised in the scientific community that studies are still being done. For that reason, I think "prudent avoidance" is the right course of action here, but this wouldn't give us the option to prudently avoid anything. We simply don't want Ana or the Wee One In Utero to be that close. For these reasons, this would, in my opinion, make our home uninhabitable, even though the utilities would not declare it as such and would certainly not compensate us as such (as long as they stay 75 feet from your house, they've met state regulations and consider it good enough).

We can pray that they select the other route, but that's not right either - that just gives the problem to somebody else. In fact, we have friends who live near the other route.

This is ultimately a matter of prudential decisionmaking, so if you disagree with my view here on energy policy, so be it. This is one of those areas where, for being "conservatives" and all, Joy & I lean pretty left. But the more that I've been reading up on this the more disturbed I become. This transmission line project seems to be more of the easy route for utilities, instead of the smart route. It will be expensive to build ($1.8 million per mile), and that cost is passed on to the ratepayers (that's you, Xcel customers!) - at least $27/year per customer in 2007 dollars. It will be inefficient - long distance transmission loses electricity through "line loss." It will only carry a small amount of Minnesota wind power, as the majority of the power on the lines will be coal power from S. Dakota being transported east into Wisconsin. And it will scar the landscape and detrimentally affect lives (possibly ours!) all along the route. Worse - it's all unnecessary - there are other options to utilize newer technology and upgrade existing infrastructure that would negate the need for it. But building new transmission is what the utilities already know how to do, so that's what they want to do more of.

All I ask is that, out of sympathy for Muffinshire, you do a little research into this issue. As a citizen of Minnesota, you have a right to an opinion and to have it heard. Check out the CapX website, linked above. Then read the counterpoint offered by the Citizens Energy Task Force. If, like me, you come to the view that this is unnecessary, send a letter before Sept. 26 to the administrative law judge in St. Paul that is reviewing public comment. It's the only action left that could possibly help stop this project. (Snowball's chance in hell and all that, but you never know...)

After Sept. 26, the issue is largely out of our hands, except to plead with them to put it past somebody else's house. At that point, the integrity of Muffinshire's continued existence may have the same certainty as a coin flip....

A day of treasures.

In my bleary eyed typing of a blog post yesterday, I completely forgot that it was Exaltation of the Cross Sunday. Which is my second favorite non-feast day Sunday after Good Shepherd Sunday.

It is so much my favorite because it encompasses the mystery of our lives: that we are to exalt the tortured suffering and death of a man. But it is this suffering that would lead to the ultimate joy: eternal life in God for man. And we too are called to this same embrace of our own crosses in life. Whether they be dealing with irritating co-workers, a tantruming two-year old (gee, where did I get that example?), or the biggees like illness and major disappointments. We are to imitate Christ and embrace these sufferings. By doing so, we become like Christ, and resurrect in his joy.

What wonder. What contradiction. What happiness.

Okay, and then I wanted to tell you about Ana's all time favorite snack. It is so easy and so healthy for her. PLUS, all you mom's and dad's, I guarantee you won't be able to stop eating it too. Just go and git yourself a couple of sweet potatoes at the store (or grow them, whatever), cut them up into 1/5 inch cubes, drizzle with olive oil and some sea salt (or regular salt, what have you), and roast them at 400 for 30 minutes. Maybe stir them a few times during the roasting so they brown evenly.

I tell you, these do not last more than an hour in our house. Even DAN likes them. He called them "delicious," I kid you not.

Oh, and lastly. Ana and I went to see our midwife today and heard the little baby's heartbeat. I am always so preoccupied with Ana, that I didn't even think about it until I heard it. I tiny little soul growing in my womb. The tenderness of the moment took me by surprise. What a treasure.

A Full Saturday

Yesterday was a notable but very tiring day. Which is why I'm posting this first thing this morning and not last thing last night.

Yesterday, besides learning about the variety, scope, and volume of tantrums a two year old can take on, Dan and Dan Sr. moved what will be the chicken coop to it's new home.

Here she is, Dan Sr. ready to move her out. Sometime before Dan was born, this shed was retired from being a hog feeder. Since then, it's spent it's time resting in the shade of many overgrown trees and weeds. Once, twenty years ago, it bit Dan in the ankle as he tried to leap from it's roof to the roof of the shed next to it. Ask him to show you the scar. Nasty.

Here it's actually being pulled by Dan Sr's beautiful Oliver tractor.

And, now it's on the cement slab where it will house many chickens for hopefully years to come. It needs some work, obviously. A new roof, some patchwork on the walls. But the structure is there. And I think it's mighty handsome. Kind of like Dan.

Well, enjoy your Sunday. I'm going back to my carrot cake and coffee.

Yes, I'm eating carrot cake for breakfast.

And when Ana wakes up, we're having french toast.

So there.

Marriage Proposal Potatoes

As promised, the aptly renamed Marriage Proposal Potatoes which are really just garlic mashed potatoes:

3 pounds russet potatoes
2 big ol heads of garlic
3/4 c. milk
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons sour cream
garlic salt

Wrap the garlic in tin foil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour. Set aside after they are done and wait until they are cool enough to touch.

In the meantime, bring a big pot of water to boil and quarter your potatoes. No need to peel, the peel makes them all rustic looking. When the water boils, throw in those taters and boil until they are fork tender, about 15 minutes or so. Drain potatoes and return to their pot.

The garlic should be cool by now. Squeeze each clove out of it's skin and into the potatoes. Nuke the milk and the butter until the butter is melted and the milk nice and warm. Add these guys, and the sour cream to the potatoes. Blend it all together and salt to taste.

OKAY, here is my caveat. I used some specialty garlic that my friend Sunny grows. It is a kind specifically for roasting. But I don't see why the kind in the grocery store can't produce just as tasty results. So have at it people.

The week in review.

What a week!

The apples are finding their way into our house by the grocery bags. What wonderful neighbor surplus! So, we've been spending much of our free time making apple muffins, apple sauce, apple butter, baked apples, all kinds of apple goodness, before they all go bad. Tasty.

We were the lucky receivers of 3 grown hens from our friend Lila whose new pullets just started laying. So, we're up to 5 eggs a day. Life couldn't be any better for egg lovers like us!

Here is one of Dan's favorite dishes. It's great for this time of year when the potatoes are so huge out of the garden. It's easy, and only takes about 40 minutes to prepare from start to finish:

Spanish Omelette

5 medium potatoes, red or yukon gold but russet would work too
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
5 eggs

Slice the potatoes and onion about 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the slices, along with the garlic, evenly on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside.

Beat the 5 eggs in a bowl and add the potatoes and onion mixture. Gently stir so that all of the potatoes and onions are coated with eggs.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick omelette pan over medium high heat. Add the eggs, potatoes and onions mixture and cover. Lower the heat to medium. While it is cooking, gently shake the pan so the omelette doesn't stick. Cook until it is well set, about 7 or 8 minutes.

Here's the tricky part. Remove the pan cover and place a plate over the pan. Carefully flip the omelette onto the plate so that the cooked side is facing up. Slide the omelette back into the pan, so that the uncooked side is now facing down. Cover and continue to cook for another 1 or 2 minutes, or until the entire omelette is cooked through.

Remove and devour.

You can eat this omelette warm or cold. I like to serve it with a salad, but Dan likes it all on it's own for dinner. Yum.

Speaking of potatoes, I made an AWESOME dish of garlic mashed potatoes last week that got me a marriage proposal from our parish priest. It was that good. I'll post that recipe tomorrow. It was so easy.

The Candidates Aren't Willing To Go There.

What should be the biggest concern to the citizens of the United States? Health care? Foreign policy? Budget crisis? No. The biggest threat to be taking over the country is:

There will be no more of that, Grampy.

Grandpa to me as he leads Ana into the T.V. room: Grampy and Ana are going to watch Psycho.

I think I like her.

I've been mulling it over and over in my head.

Do I, or do I not, like Sarah Pallin.

With what little time I have to think and research these things, I had come up with a few pros and cons. Well, one of each. And they're the two issues that I think about the most. Other than education.

Con: She is not a good friend of the environment. I said good friend. She appreciates this earth to whom we have been charged stewards, but isn't willing to bend over backwards to protect it in the way at least I think it ought to be. But, she is a republican, and while she is an outdoorsman, she believes in limited government.

Okay, but that's just one issue. And a rather bland one in comparison with the issue with which, I think, she is a stand out.

Pro: She is, unequivically, pro-life. And so am I. I know I there are readers of this blog who believe that every woman should be able to make her own choice. But, just hear me out for a few minutes.

Any woman can say that she believes in the sanctity of life. But by Sarah Pallin choosing to bear a child with severe special needs while at the same time governing a state, and making room in her life for a pregnant teenage daughter and that daughters boyfriend, she is telling us something about her character and moral courage. Instead of choosing abortion for her mentally retarded son, or suggesting abortion to her teenage daughter, and thereby saying "I don't have time for you and your problems," she has shown (and proven) to anyone who wants to listen that women can do it. And we can do it with grace, dignity, and femininity. We are stronger and tougher than what abortion supporters might have us believe.

This is what the New Feminist looks like.

Reruns.

One thing I've been noticing I've been doing with great frequency lately is looking over Ana's old baby pictures. Must be a pregnant lady thing. But really. Who wouldn't want to look at this hours old face over and over and over again?

Happy Labor Day!

Love, love, love days that Dan has off of work. Today, we made a visit to the Minnesota Zoo before sckeedadling (how do you spell that?) back to the shire. Dan's thirst for maps was temporarily quenched, mommy need to see cute animals was met, and Ana ... well, Ana had a stare down with a Grizzly.

Ana's and the Grizzly's nose were a mere 3 inches apart for an uncomfortable fifteen seconds, with glass in between of course. But that didn't stop mommy from getting the eeby jeebies and shuffling Ana away, much to the merriment of the surrounding parents and their children.

Three cheers for fun family days!

Here's Ana picking out her favorite fishies.

And Ana beating the heat in the zoo's sprinklers.

After the zoo, it was already 1:30 and Ana still hadn't taken her nap. So, around two minutes after the engine started, she was in the land of fairies. Clutching her new bear, of course.

Mom was soon to follow. No new bear though.