Sled Review

The Wham-O sled is big and blue. It is double seated and made from foam. It's shiny and tough.
We have another sled that is small and floppy. The Wham-O sled is better. We sled down a big hill where the road was frozen, "Weee"
I also reccomend the card game Bella Sara. It's all about horses and how you can take care of them.
And the chocolates that Caitlin's mom makes are really good too.
-Aslin


WHAM-O "Blade Runner" Sled
It's snowing! The streets are frozen! Perfect for sledding! Why waste this moment? Use a sled that works, like this one! We have two other sleds, both failed us... but the Wham-O sled saved the day! We cruised down the biggest hill in the neighborhood and the sled was barely dented. (Beat that Disneyland.) This sled has room for two people- although it is safer with just one. After a little practice it is easy to steer with you feet. (safety tip)
I highly recomend it.
Five (count 'em) stars!
*****
-Ukiah

The end of the garlic

1 yellow onion
1 bell pepper
5+ stalks celery
1/4 head red cabbage
1 small bunch green chard

basil, celery seed, sea salt
lime juice, tamari, sesame oil
5+ cloves garlic

1 lb rice noodles

Saute onion with salt, herbs until near translucent. Add remaining vegetables, saute until soft. Toss with lime, tamari, oil and fresh, finely minced, raw garlic. Serve over rice noodles.

And that's dinner.
And that's the last of the garlic from Farmhouse Herbs, Deadman's Valley, BC.
And, if we ever get our van back, we can consider returning to the farm next summer to harvest the garlic we helped plant last month.

Snow, too

If we'd spent today at Disneyland, we'd have missed the snow too. Not that we need an excuse for hot chocolate with breakfast, but it is really cold.

In Bloom

All last year, it sat in the kitchen window. Once a week, for an hour or so, I'd put the plant to rest in a deep bowl of water. Laura's instructions when we adopted this little orchid. If we were in southern California right now, I'd have missed this bloom.

The van's still in the shop. The attic seems to be squirrel-free. Tomorrow we'll check the situation of both.

Disco

We hung a strobe light in the attic today. Three little disco balls too. I might have hung more if it weren’t for Amanda’s warning. "At some point you might have to worry that they'll just come in to party."

"They." The squirrels. We’ve patched the holes, tried the live traps, and still they want to share our home. All my online research and conversations with “pest control” persons didn’t offer much reassurance. "Once they're established in a nest, they're hard to get rid of. " But, with the van still in the shop, we’ve got time to experiment with new methods. If the pulsing light and mirrored reflections aren’t enough to make the squirrels uncomfortable, the seven little bottles of fox urine we hung and generous sprinklings or pepper crystals should put a damper on their party. We're not shy about trying the ultra-sonic sound devices either.

Other often overlooked household care enabled by the van’s cylinder mishap?

• Cleaning the gutters
• Pruning the trees and thinning bamboo
• Plumbing repair
• Mulching, weeding, gardening
• Moss removal from roof
• Furnace cleaning

Tomorrow we move the washer and dryer. With any luck, we’ll be off before we find time to paint.

Stalled

We brought the van to the mechanic today. The third time in just over a week. Our plan to "swing through" home on our way south has been extended.
"At least you were home."
"At least you didn't break down in the middle of nowhere."
Everywhere we go, we're reminded of our good fortune. The master cylinder sprung a leak on the way to visit the family in Tacoma, not in the Badlands of Alberta or 20 miles into Deadman's Valley, BC.
I'm holding my optimism, in spite of Jack's parting words. We tried the quick and inexpensive fix twice with no luck. With a gentle voice, he prepared us for the worst. "Well, once we take off the head, we'll just have to see what kind of shape the cylinders are in..." Third try. A charm?

Fingers crossed. The appeal of sleeping in the garage (despite it's lovely garden surroundings- thanks Kailin!) is beginning to wear thin.

Canines

So, I went to the dentist on Tuesday and they told me what they were going to do. They put a gas mask (whatever that mask is called) on me. It was vanilla gas, to make sure you breathe in the smell. They took small metal pliers and grabed hold of my tooth and say they'll count to three. Then, wiggle, wiggle and pull them out. That's how it happened. My canines were pulled out.

The gas made me feel floaty and my lip stayed numb for a while. Also, I was tired and couldn't talk right. I had to only eat soft foods like soup, yogurt. No pizza or nachos. I couldn't have my favorite bread, the crusty kind.

Now I have my wire for my top teeth. I can't chew gum, can't chew carmel, even some of my Halloween candy. I'm pretty excited since we're making Thanksgiving dinner foods tonight. I can eat stuffing, tofurky, potatoes, green beans, roasted almonds, and apple cider. ~ Aslin

First Tuesday in November

VOTE
Enough said?

Stories

Every day is a story, maybe an entire collection. Travels and new adventures aside, some of ours are worth telling, others not. Sometimes it’s difficult to know the difference.

Not yet discussed (discussed enough)…
• Draft root beer
• Infinity Solstice
• Dirty tomatoes
• Vacation Ownership
• Roadside signs for artisan broom makers
• Mulch- weed barrier or mouse habitat?
• Horse castration
• Ghosts
• Libraries
• Root cellars
• Family dynamics
• Guns-n-Roses
• The difference between organic and sustainable/ethical
• Cuba
• The olive tree incident
• Celebrity first-aid videos
• Fire
• Bears
• Mountain Pine Beetle
• Sin taxes
• George Bush’s claim of possible WMDs in the candy pile, his subsequent invasion of the pile and the uprising of a resistance movement fronted by Aslin the witch, Ukiah the young politician and other freedom fighters.