EE's family has been making this for decades.
Holiday Punch (aka Christmas Punch)
The Christmas punch recipe was intended to be made in a percolator, but I have just made it on the stove -- it works better that way -- the percolator clogged up from the pineapple juice pulp. It also works great in a crockpot.
9 cups of cranberry cocktail
9 cups of pineapple juice (unsweetened)
1 cup brown sugar
Put into cheesecloth bag, drop into punch:
4 teaspoons whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon (broken into pieces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat to desired temperature, stir and remove spice bag.
Make a half-recipe for smaller groups.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Recipe Corner: Key Lime Pie
My mother used to make this recipe. It's probably originally from the 1950's or early 1960's. I have no idea where she got it from. As the years went by, the recipe no doubt evolved a bit. That's why many of the ingredient amounts are rather vague. This was one of my father's favorite desserts. We used to have it for special occasions such as his birthday.
The version here is based on a verbal description my mother gave me, along with my memories of how we used to make it.
Key Lime Pie
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (about 13-15 ounces)
3-4 eggs, separated (I usually use 3)
lime juice to taste (usually about 1/2 to 1 cup)
lime zest (optional; we hated it as kids buy I like it better now)
green food coloring (optional)
a pinch of sugar
1 baked, cooled pie crust (graham cracker or regular)
Separate the eggs.
Beat the egg yolks until straw-colored and thick. Add the condensed milk slowly (while still beating), and then the lime juice, lime zest, and food coloring. The amounts of lime juice, zest, and food coloring are to your taste.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Use a clean bowl and clean beaters for this. Towards the end of the beating, add a pinch or two of sugar, and, if desired, a bit of lime juice and/or zest.
Pour the filling in the pie crust. Pour the meringue on top. Swirl the top decoratively with the spatula, making sure the meringue is at the edge of the pie crust (to make a good seal).
Bake the pie in a preheated 350F oven until the meringue is golden brown (but not too brown). This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
Then eat it up, yum.
The version here is based on a verbal description my mother gave me, along with my memories of how we used to make it.
Key Lime Pie
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (about 13-15 ounces)
3-4 eggs, separated (I usually use 3)
lime juice to taste (usually about 1/2 to 1 cup)
lime zest (optional; we hated it as kids buy I like it better now)
green food coloring (optional)
a pinch of sugar
1 baked, cooled pie crust (graham cracker or regular)
Separate the eggs.
Beat the egg yolks until straw-colored and thick. Add the condensed milk slowly (while still beating), and then the lime juice, lime zest, and food coloring. The amounts of lime juice, zest, and food coloring are to your taste.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Use a clean bowl and clean beaters for this. Towards the end of the beating, add a pinch or two of sugar, and, if desired, a bit of lime juice and/or zest.
Pour the filling in the pie crust. Pour the meringue on top. Swirl the top decoratively with the spatula, making sure the meringue is at the edge of the pie crust (to make a good seal).
Bake the pie in a preheated 350F oven until the meringue is golden brown (but not too brown). This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
Then eat it up, yum.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Recent photos
Today is less busy than many of our recent busy days. So I'll inflict photos on everyone.
Here is our yard after a recent snowstorm.
I had mentioned ice fog earlier. That's when ice crystals condense out of the fog onto everything. Here is a photo of the ice fog on Douglas fir needles.
Here are some recent flower photos. I'm sure you'll recognize the striped geranium that has been featured in other photos this past month.
The solid pink geranium is still blooming away. I won't inflict more photos of it today.
We have another geranium blooming -- a dark red one with a slightly different flower form. I can't remember the variety name. The colors don't come out right on any of the photos I've tried taking. It's not really orange or pink, honest! Since I don't feel like playing around with photo-editing software to adjust the colors, I'll skip the photos for now.
This other photo is another holiday cactus. This is a variety called Nicholas. It's the first bud to open on this particular plant.
The color is a rosy red, closer to red than the other zygo cactus flower I shared. The petals have less white on them than the other one.
The last few zygo cacti are on sale at the local grocery store. I've been resisting, though I'm not sure why.
That's enough photos for now!
Our cat is at the vet this week. We already miss him. Our other cat goes around looking for him every now and then. I will be glad when we can bring him home, and I will be delighted if the treatment works.
Here is our yard after a recent snowstorm.
I had mentioned ice fog earlier. That's when ice crystals condense out of the fog onto everything. Here is a photo of the ice fog on Douglas fir needles.
Here are some recent flower photos. I'm sure you'll recognize the striped geranium that has been featured in other photos this past month.The solid pink geranium is still blooming away. I won't inflict more photos of it today.
We have another geranium blooming -- a dark red one with a slightly different flower form. I can't remember the variety name. The colors don't come out right on any of the photos I've tried taking. It's not really orange or pink, honest! Since I don't feel like playing around with photo-editing software to adjust the colors, I'll skip the photos for now.
This other photo is another holiday cactus. This is a variety called Nicholas. It's the first bud to open on this particular plant.The color is a rosy red, closer to red than the other zygo cactus flower I shared. The petals have less white on them than the other one.
The last few zygo cacti are on sale at the local grocery store. I've been resisting, though I'm not sure why.
That's enough photos for now!
Our cat is at the vet this week. We already miss him. Our other cat goes around looking for him every now and then. I will be glad when we can bring him home, and I will be delighted if the treatment works.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas
Christmas was a couple of days ago (I know you guys probably know that but...) we went over to our grandparent's house and one of our aunts and one of our uncles were their. On Christmas, we stayed home but the day after Christmas we went over to our grandparent's house because they live close to us. One of the things I got was Bone by Jeff Smith it is a graphic novel and it is REALLY good!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Winter Break begins
School is out for the winter break. This is good. I'm hoping that we can catch up on sleep and relax for a bit. That's probably delusional.
Three family members got new glasses last week.
A family cat has been diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism.
The roads are icy, the temperatures are low, and the wind is wicked. We haven't had snow for a few days, but there's some in tomorrow's forecast.
Even though we are taking a break from school and music lessons, our social schedule is still heavily booked. People keep heading off to sleepovers and parties. It's fun but not good for catching up on sleep. We're still in the throes of various school-transmitted viruses.
We've added an electric ice cream maker to our household appliance collection. It doesn't require salt and ice. The bowl goes into the freezer for a day or so. Then, one takes the bowl out of the freezer and puts it in the machine, fills the bowl with ingredients, and turns on the machine. Twenty to thirty minutes later, a semi-frozen concoction is the result. One can either eat it immediately or let it harden in the freezer for a bit.
Our initial results were very acceptable. The machine makes about one to one and a half quarts at a time. We made a basic vanilla ice cream. There were no leftovers. It took less time to eat than to make.
We have grand plans for mango or raspberry sorbet, green tea or chai ice cream, and many other interesting flavors. No doubt we'll post the successful recipes to this blog.
----------
The cat thing is going to be interesting. Apparently, the best treatment for hyperthyroidism is an injection of radioactive iodine. It destroys the over-active parts of the thyroid while leaving the rest of the thyroid untouched. The cat stays at the vet for a few days and then comes home after its radioactivity levels have fallen.
We are told that we'll be needing to use a special cat litter for a week or two and that we'll flush the results. I don't think that will work with our septic tank. I wonder what the other options are?
We also have to be careful about how much time we spend with the cat for a week or two as the radioactive iodine continues to decay. It's OK if the cat spends time with other cats, though.
I hope that the treatment is successful. From what I've found on the internet, it works as a cure 90-95% of the time.
Here is a photo of our cats. The one with the thyroid problems is the black one. They're both around 6-7 years old now. We got them from a local animal shelter a few years ago.
Three family members got new glasses last week.
A family cat has been diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism.
The roads are icy, the temperatures are low, and the wind is wicked. We haven't had snow for a few days, but there's some in tomorrow's forecast.
Even though we are taking a break from school and music lessons, our social schedule is still heavily booked. People keep heading off to sleepovers and parties. It's fun but not good for catching up on sleep. We're still in the throes of various school-transmitted viruses.
We've added an electric ice cream maker to our household appliance collection. It doesn't require salt and ice. The bowl goes into the freezer for a day or so. Then, one takes the bowl out of the freezer and puts it in the machine, fills the bowl with ingredients, and turns on the machine. Twenty to thirty minutes later, a semi-frozen concoction is the result. One can either eat it immediately or let it harden in the freezer for a bit.
Our initial results were very acceptable. The machine makes about one to one and a half quarts at a time. We made a basic vanilla ice cream. There were no leftovers. It took less time to eat than to make.
We have grand plans for mango or raspberry sorbet, green tea or chai ice cream, and many other interesting flavors. No doubt we'll post the successful recipes to this blog.
----------
The cat thing is going to be interesting. Apparently, the best treatment for hyperthyroidism is an injection of radioactive iodine. It destroys the over-active parts of the thyroid while leaving the rest of the thyroid untouched. The cat stays at the vet for a few days and then comes home after its radioactivity levels have fallen.
We are told that we'll be needing to use a special cat litter for a week or two and that we'll flush the results. I don't think that will work with our septic tank. I wonder what the other options are?
We also have to be careful about how much time we spend with the cat for a week or two as the radioactive iodine continues to decay. It's OK if the cat spends time with other cats, though.
I hope that the treatment is successful. From what I've found on the internet, it works as a cure 90-95% of the time.
Here is a photo of our cats. The one with the thyroid problems is the black one. They're both around 6-7 years old now. We got them from a local animal shelter a few years ago.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
'Tis the Season...
...for school concerts.
We went to one last night. It was a band concert. Plant-crazy played the flute. A fine time was had by all. Imax may get to play clarinet with them next time, by special permission, as well as playing the recorder in a different class concert. But that will be in the spring.
Next week will be copper's concert. They'll be singing.
All of our friends are busy with the winter concert schedule, too. I include those who are performing in various ballets, ice-skating programs, etc., as well as those who are musicians.
There's something special about making music in a group. There's also something special about having an audience.
In our household, various family members have experience with the following instruments. Some of it is merely beginner/novice experience, self-teaching and noodling around. Some of us have had actual lessons and more serious experience on some of the instruments. Most of these are instruments we have around the house, available for impromptu music-making.
piano (and keyboard)
flute
clarinet
recorder
Irish tinwhistle (aka pennywhistle)
ukelele
baritone (tuba)
French horn
drums/percussion
autoharp
melodica
ocarina
harmonica
plus a few more.
We played a hammered dulcimer and a bowed psaltery at the most recent Renaissance Fair and liked them, too. Perhaps we'll add them to our household inventory.
We also have some interest in making our own instruments. It would be fun to play instruments we built ourselves. As usual with these kinds of things, the internet has much useful advice (no doubt along with plenty of useless advice). Our local library has some good references, too, especially through Inter-Library Loan.
We went to one last night. It was a band concert. Plant-crazy played the flute. A fine time was had by all. Imax may get to play clarinet with them next time, by special permission, as well as playing the recorder in a different class concert. But that will be in the spring.
Next week will be copper's concert. They'll be singing.
All of our friends are busy with the winter concert schedule, too. I include those who are performing in various ballets, ice-skating programs, etc., as well as those who are musicians.
There's something special about making music in a group. There's also something special about having an audience.
In our household, various family members have experience with the following instruments. Some of it is merely beginner/novice experience, self-teaching and noodling around. Some of us have had actual lessons and more serious experience on some of the instruments. Most of these are instruments we have around the house, available for impromptu music-making.
piano (and keyboard)
flute
clarinet
recorder
Irish tinwhistle (aka pennywhistle)
ukelele
baritone (tuba)
French horn
drums/percussion
autoharp
melodica
ocarina
harmonica
plus a few more.
We played a hammered dulcimer and a bowed psaltery at the most recent Renaissance Fair and liked them, too. Perhaps we'll add them to our household inventory.
We also have some interest in making our own instruments. It would be fun to play instruments we built ourselves. As usual with these kinds of things, the internet has much useful advice (no doubt along with plenty of useless advice). Our local library has some good references, too, especially through Inter-Library Loan.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Another foot of snow, another snow day
The title of this post says it all. There's more than a foot of snow on the ground and it's still snowing. It was windy last night, so of course everything is drifted. The sun is trying to come out from behind the clouds, so perhaps this snowstorm is winding down.
I didn't really want this evening's events to be canceled. Oh, well.
The Palmer Divide creates interesting rain-shadow effects. The area to the south of us didn't get as much snow as we did.
Most of last week's snowfall is melted, at least in the sunny areas. We did have above-freezing temperatures, which helps. Even with sub-freezing temperatures, the strong sun combined with the dry air leads to rapid snow disappearance. Some of it is melting and evaporation, and some is sublimation. Areas in the shade stay snowy for a lot longer.
Oregon Photos
Here are a few photos from our trip to Oregon this past fall.
The above photo is from Macleay park, one of the parks that makes up the Forest Park system. It's a small stone structure at the point where the Wildwood Trail intersects the Macleay trail. It's called the Stone House (duh), and was originally built by the WPA in the 1930's as a public restroom. It was seriously damaged in the Columbus Day windstorm of 1962 and never repaired. These days the building looks like some kind of otherworldly ruins in the forest, something out of a fairy tale. Ferns grow on the railings and walls and roof. Kids (and adults) love wandering around in it and on it.
The WPA and similar Depression-era projects were considered to be frivolous even at the time. But I'm glad they happened. They've left us a treasure trove.
Here's a photo of the ferns on one of the stone railings leading upstairs.
The small room behind the door show in the top photo often has interesting graffiti on the walls. I have no idea what this example means, but I thought it was both aesthetic and enigmatic.
The Macleay trail is a nice one for fall and winter hiking. Ditto for the Wildwood Trail and all the other trails of Forest Park. They are pleasant at all times of the year, but especially when snow and ice cover the high country trails. Some of the Forest Park trails can get astonishingly muddy, but that's about it.
I didn't really want this evening's events to be canceled. Oh, well.
The Palmer Divide creates interesting rain-shadow effects. The area to the south of us didn't get as much snow as we did.
Most of last week's snowfall is melted, at least in the sunny areas. We did have above-freezing temperatures, which helps. Even with sub-freezing temperatures, the strong sun combined with the dry air leads to rapid snow disappearance. Some of it is melting and evaporation, and some is sublimation. Areas in the shade stay snowy for a lot longer.
Oregon Photos
Here are a few photos from our trip to Oregon this past fall.
The above photo is from Macleay park, one of the parks that makes up the Forest Park system. It's a small stone structure at the point where the Wildwood Trail intersects the Macleay trail. It's called the Stone House (duh), and was originally built by the WPA in the 1930's as a public restroom. It was seriously damaged in the Columbus Day windstorm of 1962 and never repaired. These days the building looks like some kind of otherworldly ruins in the forest, something out of a fairy tale. Ferns grow on the railings and walls and roof. Kids (and adults) love wandering around in it and on it.
The WPA and similar Depression-era projects were considered to be frivolous even at the time. But I'm glad they happened. They've left us a treasure trove.
Here's a photo of the ferns on one of the stone railings leading upstairs.
The small room behind the door show in the top photo often has interesting graffiti on the walls. I have no idea what this example means, but I thought it was both aesthetic and enigmatic.
The Macleay trail is a nice one for fall and winter hiking. Ditto for the Wildwood Trail and all the other trails of Forest Park. They are pleasant at all times of the year, but especially when snow and ice cover the high country trails. Some of the Forest Park trails can get astonishingly muddy, but that's about it.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Winter Weather
Brr! Today was cold! It was about 10 F at 6am, and down to 9 F by 3pm. It snowed all day, a few inches of pretty fluffy flakes that piled up but squooshed down under any weight at all. The roads are a bit slippery, but it's not too bad.
Yesterday, we had ice fog. After a day of sub-freezing temperatures, low clouds, and fog, the trees were coated with small ice crystals on the upwind side. It's pretty. The crystals are still there under the snow.
Our evening activities got canceled tonight due to the weather. Bummer. What's the problem with a little cold and ice and snow? I had to go to town anyway to pick up children from school.
Just for the heck of it, here's a photo.
This is from our September trip to Oregon. It's South Falls, one of the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park. The trail goes behind the waterfall. This photo shows a few small specks that are people walking along the trail. The falls are close to 200 feet high. The entire hiking trail visits close to a dozen falls, often going behind them. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors. Even those who can't hike very far are often willing to walk the short distance to South Falls.
One often sees photos of the various waterfalls in the park on scenic-vista calendars. Usually, the leaves will be turning or flowers will be in the foreground or everything will be covered in snow and ice or something equally dramatic. This was taken on a normal late-summer day, nothing terribly dramatic except for the falls themselves. Even the falls aren't terribly dramatic, since late summer water flow isn't as impressive as it is earlier in the year. It was a worthwhile visit anyway. It always is.
Yesterday, we had ice fog. After a day of sub-freezing temperatures, low clouds, and fog, the trees were coated with small ice crystals on the upwind side. It's pretty. The crystals are still there under the snow.
Our evening activities got canceled tonight due to the weather. Bummer. What's the problem with a little cold and ice and snow? I had to go to town anyway to pick up children from school.
Just for the heck of it, here's a photo.
This is from our September trip to Oregon. It's South Falls, one of the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park. The trail goes behind the waterfall. This photo shows a few small specks that are people walking along the trail. The falls are close to 200 feet high. The entire hiking trail visits close to a dozen falls, often going behind them. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors. Even those who can't hike very far are often willing to walk the short distance to South Falls.
One often sees photos of the various waterfalls in the park on scenic-vista calendars. Usually, the leaves will be turning or flowers will be in the foreground or everything will be covered in snow and ice or something equally dramatic. This was taken on a normal late-summer day, nothing terribly dramatic except for the falls themselves. Even the falls aren't terribly dramatic, since late summer water flow isn't as impressive as it is earlier in the year. It was a worthwhile visit anyway. It always is.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
claranet
I`m lerning how to play claranet.
playing the claranet is fun.
my favoret music is FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
playing the claranet is fun.
my favoret music is FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Snow photos
We had a snow day for school today. The sun came out and melted some of the snow. I'm sure we'll all be back in our regular routine tomorrow.
EE has posted today. I think Imax might make a debut on the blog today, too.
Here are a bunch of photos. Also notice the new header photo, taken this morning. Well, if you're reading this in a few months, it will have changed. But I assure you that it's very appropriate for December!
The view this morning:
And a visitor who strolled by while I was taking one of the above photos:
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Here are a few more photos, assuming I can fight blogger long enough to get them posted and stuck in the right place. These are geraniums. (Duh.) The striped one is a rescue. A family member found the plant, sans pot, in a dumpster and asked if we could bring it home. Sure, why not? So we did.
It survived the trauma of abandonment and is doing well. The flowers are cute.
The other geranium is a plain old normal geranium. It's happy enough to bloom in December, which is good enough for me. It's been growing in our house for several years. We're rooting some of its branches to give it a few clone-siblings.
The holiday cactus bloom from earlier this month is history. There are more buds on the plant that will open soon. The other impulse-purchase holiday cactus also has some buds that will open soon. Our older plant is setting its buds, too. They weren't there when I took the original photo, but they were there a few days later. They are still small. I expect we'll get flowers in January, as usual.
EE has posted today. I think Imax might make a debut on the blog today, too.
Here are a bunch of photos. Also notice the new header photo, taken this morning. Well, if you're reading this in a few months, it will have changed. But I assure you that it's very appropriate for December!
The view this morning:
And a visitor who strolled by while I was taking one of the above photos:
--------------------------
Here are a few more photos, assuming I can fight blogger long enough to get them posted and stuck in the right place. These are geraniums. (Duh.) The striped one is a rescue. A family member found the plant, sans pot, in a dumpster and asked if we could bring it home. Sure, why not? So we did.It survived the trauma of abandonment and is doing well. The flowers are cute.
The other geranium is a plain old normal geranium. It's happy enough to bloom in December, which is good enough for me. It's been growing in our house for several years. We're rooting some of its branches to give it a few clone-siblings.
The holiday cactus bloom from earlier this month is history. There are more buds on the plant that will open soon. The other impulse-purchase holiday cactus also has some buds that will open soon. Our older plant is setting its buds, too. They weren't there when I took the original photo, but they were there a few days later. They are still small. I expect we'll get flowers in January, as usual.
Astral Conjunction
Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent Moon will be very close to each other in the sky at sunset tonight (about an hour from now). Looks like it will be clear weather for viewing. When I looked last week with my son's telescope, Venus and Jupiter were still quite a ways apart, but Venus has been moving at close to its maximum of 1 degree (about 2 moon widths) per day!
See this NASA briefing.
See this NASA briefing.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Winter weather
The weather service forecast a 10-30% chance of up to a half inch of snow for the past few days. They got it wrong. I think there's at least a foot of snow on the ground, and it's still snowing. The wind is blowing, too. School is already guaranteed to have a 2-hour delay, and will possibly be canceled. It depends on when the snow stops.
Although we've had a few snows so far this fall, this is the first big storm of the season. We can always use the precipitation.
Poor NOAA. They've not been very accurate this month. To be fair, the Palmer Divide is a tough area to forecast. Most weather maps stick their labels over the area, thus avoiding the issue. NOAA is forced to come up with something anyway. The spot where we live is lumped in with some other areas in the Rampart Range that aren't on the Divide and aren't even on this side of the Ramparts. We find it more accurate to look at the forecasts for a couple of local towns and extrapolate from there.
We took a few photos. I haven't downloaded them from the camera yet. I want to get a few more in the morning. It's always glorious to see the sun shining on fresh snow.
It might be time to change the header photo for this blog from autumn colors to winter snow.
High-country hiking is probably over for the year. It's time to haul out the snowshoes, yak trax, and snow-proof clothing. We also enjoy winter hiking at the lower elevations. There's not much snow on the ground most of the time, the rattlesnakes are hibernating, and the prickly pear cacti are dormant and not as vicious.
Here's a cactus photo. I don't remember exactly where I took it, but it was probably on the banks of the Arkansas River near Buena Vista. I can't remember if it was this spring or last spring. Many small prickly pear cacti were nestled in the pine needles, full of sharp cactus spines and pretty yellow flowers.
In winter, the prickly pears flop over on the ground and get all reddish and wrinkly. The spines don't seem quite as threatening. The cacti around here easily survive -20F to -30F temperatures during the winter and bounce back quickly in the spring. They are very tough plants. The flowers are beautiful.
I don't have any photos of the local rattlesnakes. We usually back off when we see or hear them instead of reaching for our camera. Our instincts are for survival rather than photography.
Although we've had a few snows so far this fall, this is the first big storm of the season. We can always use the precipitation.
Poor NOAA. They've not been very accurate this month. To be fair, the Palmer Divide is a tough area to forecast. Most weather maps stick their labels over the area, thus avoiding the issue. NOAA is forced to come up with something anyway. The spot where we live is lumped in with some other areas in the Rampart Range that aren't on the Divide and aren't even on this side of the Ramparts. We find it more accurate to look at the forecasts for a couple of local towns and extrapolate from there.
We took a few photos. I haven't downloaded them from the camera yet. I want to get a few more in the morning. It's always glorious to see the sun shining on fresh snow.
It might be time to change the header photo for this blog from autumn colors to winter snow.
High-country hiking is probably over for the year. It's time to haul out the snowshoes, yak trax, and snow-proof clothing. We also enjoy winter hiking at the lower elevations. There's not much snow on the ground most of the time, the rattlesnakes are hibernating, and the prickly pear cacti are dormant and not as vicious.
Here's a cactus photo. I don't remember exactly where I took it, but it was probably on the banks of the Arkansas River near Buena Vista. I can't remember if it was this spring or last spring. Many small prickly pear cacti were nestled in the pine needles, full of sharp cactus spines and pretty yellow flowers.In winter, the prickly pears flop over on the ground and get all reddish and wrinkly. The spines don't seem quite as threatening. The cacti around here easily survive -20F to -30F temperatures during the winter and bounce back quickly in the spring. They are very tough plants. The flowers are beautiful.
I don't have any photos of the local rattlesnakes. We usually back off when we see or hear them instead of reaching for our camera. Our instincts are for survival rather than photography.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Nutcracker season
The time from Thanksgiving to about New Year's is Nutcracker season. The ballet, that is. It seems to be a seasonal favorite. The local cities have productions, either locally produced or performed by out-of-town ballet companies. The local ballet studios add plenty of cute kids to the productions.
We went to one tonight. A friend of ours was in it. She was charming and lovely, as always. We enjoyed the show. What's not to like? It may not be grand and novel art, but it is fine entertainment. The costumes were attractive, the scenery was simple but effective, and we liked the way the snow machine dripped occasional bits of snow throughout the ballet and not just during the snow scene.
The weather matched the show. It's snowing up here. Down there, there were only a few flakes. Up here, there are a few inches. We made it home safely. It is still snowing.
This version had a live orchestra. Some of them only have canned music. We enjoyed listening to music played by actual musicians directly in front of us.
The locals in the show included a choir and several dozen cute young dancers, ranging from little ones, 4-5 years old, to older dancers in their teens.
We all agree that we ought to get out to cultural events more often. They're usually quite fun.
We went to one tonight. A friend of ours was in it. She was charming and lovely, as always. We enjoyed the show. What's not to like? It may not be grand and novel art, but it is fine entertainment. The costumes were attractive, the scenery was simple but effective, and we liked the way the snow machine dripped occasional bits of snow throughout the ballet and not just during the snow scene.
The weather matched the show. It's snowing up here. Down there, there were only a few flakes. Up here, there are a few inches. We made it home safely. It is still snowing.
This version had a live orchestra. Some of them only have canned music. We enjoyed listening to music played by actual musicians directly in front of us.
The locals in the show included a choir and several dozen cute young dancers, ranging from little ones, 4-5 years old, to older dancers in their teens.
We all agree that we ought to get out to cultural events more often. They're usually quite fun.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Recipe corner:vanishing oatmeal raisin cookies
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Pikes Peak or Bust
Recently, a fun new geocache series was published. There are 15 caches at various points around Pikes Peak on the Ring The Peak trail. Each cache has a clue representing one digit of the 15 digits of the coordinates of the final cache. I've found all the clues and am planning to head to the final location tomorrow.
The system is 63 miles long and about 80% complete. There is a major missing section on the southwest side between Seven Lakes (Portal 8 on FR 379) and Pancacke Rocks area (Portal 6). Another smaller section is missing on the northeast side between Chipita Park (Portal 2) and the Waldo Canyon trailhead (NW of Portal 1). The highest point is 11,400 ft in Bull Park (near Portal 8) and the lowest point is 6,400 feet at the Barr trailhead in Manitou Springs.
Some of my favorite parts:
- Horsethief Park/Pancacke Rocks -- Portal 6. The trail up to the rocks gains a lot of altitude but once there, it is gently rolling. The rocks in the area are horizontally oriented layers that have eroded to look something like stacks of pancakes. HikerRon has a cache at the end of this trail.
- Pipeline Trail, between 9 and 10. I got onto this segment via the 7 Bridges Trail near Gold Camp Road and walked southwest toward Frostys Park. The trail is nicely flattish and passes through a great canyon that feels really isolated. I hid a cache there a while back called 66 Minutes Out of the Way.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A mid-November weekend
Last weekend, we decided it was time to clean up the plant stand and do some re-potting. The geraniums and coleus plants had gotten totally out of hand. Several Euphorbia trigona plants were outgrowing their pots. Ditto for several other plants. And we wanted to start a few cuttings.
After much hacking and slashing and playing in the dirt, we were done. It was a lot of fun.
The sunset was glorious.
Here's the view in the other direction, towards Pikes Peak. We might use this for the blog heading one of these days.
When the outdoor world is brown and cold, we enjoy having indoor greenery and flowers.
Here's a blooming geranium. The flowers looked nicer a few days ago.
We started several cuttings of coleus and geraniums. We have good luck with some varieties and bad luck with others. I hope we can get some rooted cuttings of the harder-to-root varieties.
A week later, the geraniums are sitting there. It's too soon to know what will root and what won't, but nothing has obviously kicked the bucket yet. The coleus are doing their usual thing -- the easy-to-root varieties are obviously doing well. The harder-to-root ones are sulking badly. Bummer. Oh, well. We buy coleus on impulse. If we can keep them going, that's great. If not, we'll buy more next time we get overcome by impulse.
Here's a view of some Euphorbia trigona plants. The big one is well over 6 feet tall. We still need to re-pot it, since it's gotten rather top-heavy. We didn't have any big enough pots around the house last weekend and thus had to buy a new, larger pot. The smaller one is maybe 4 feet tall. It's in a smaller pot which is sitting on an end table.
The large Euphorbia trigona is several decades old. The cutting came from the Denver Art Museum. EE was on a school field trip and found a piece of the plant on the floor next to the main plant. He took it home and secretly put it into a pot at home that already had another plant in it. A few months later, his mother discovered the new addition. ("It followed me home, Mom. Can I keep it? It's so cute!") It's been around ever since. A few years ago, we brought it to our house, where it has thrived. Really thrived. We've repotted it a few times, started several more of the plants, given away endless numbers of cuttings, and we're about to go through the process yet again.
We tend to acquire new houseplants during the cold months. Here are a few acquisitions.
This first one is a Euphorbia suzannae. It's so cute! It followed me home. It's small, maybe 2-3" tall. We'll see if we can keep it happy.
This is a holiday cactus, sometimes known as a Zygocactus or Schlumbergera. They're sold this time of year as Christmas Cactus, though I think most of them are technically a Thanksgiving Cactus aka crab cactus. The plant had a few small pinkish buds when I bought it on impulse. One flower opened this morning. I really like the way the petals shade from white on the inside to a lovely magenta/fuchsia color on the edges. I have no idea what the variety name is.
I'll probably buy more holiday cacti when they go on sale. They're so cute!
After much hacking and slashing and playing in the dirt, we were done. It was a lot of fun.
The sunset was glorious.
Here's the view in the other direction, towards Pikes Peak. We might use this for the blog heading one of these days.
When the outdoor world is brown and cold, we enjoy having indoor greenery and flowers.
Here's a blooming geranium. The flowers looked nicer a few days ago.
We started several cuttings of coleus and geraniums. We have good luck with some varieties and bad luck with others. I hope we can get some rooted cuttings of the harder-to-root varieties.
A week later, the geraniums are sitting there. It's too soon to know what will root and what won't, but nothing has obviously kicked the bucket yet. The coleus are doing their usual thing -- the easy-to-root varieties are obviously doing well. The harder-to-root ones are sulking badly. Bummer. Oh, well. We buy coleus on impulse. If we can keep them going, that's great. If not, we'll buy more next time we get overcome by impulse.
Here's a view of some Euphorbia trigona plants. The big one is well over 6 feet tall. We still need to re-pot it, since it's gotten rather top-heavy. We didn't have any big enough pots around the house last weekend and thus had to buy a new, larger pot. The smaller one is maybe 4 feet tall. It's in a smaller pot which is sitting on an end table.
The large Euphorbia trigona is several decades old. The cutting came from the Denver Art Museum. EE was on a school field trip and found a piece of the plant on the floor next to the main plant. He took it home and secretly put it into a pot at home that already had another plant in it. A few months later, his mother discovered the new addition. ("It followed me home, Mom. Can I keep it? It's so cute!") It's been around ever since. A few years ago, we brought it to our house, where it has thrived. Really thrived. We've repotted it a few times, started several more of the plants, given away endless numbers of cuttings, and we're about to go through the process yet again.
We tend to acquire new houseplants during the cold months. Here are a few acquisitions.
This first one is a Euphorbia suzannae. It's so cute! It followed me home. It's small, maybe 2-3" tall. We'll see if we can keep it happy.
This is a holiday cactus, sometimes known as a Zygocactus or Schlumbergera. They're sold this time of year as Christmas Cactus, though I think most of them are technically a Thanksgiving Cactus aka crab cactus. The plant had a few small pinkish buds when I bought it on impulse. One flower opened this morning. I really like the way the petals shade from white on the inside to a lovely magenta/fuchsia color on the edges. I have no idea what the variety name is.
I'll probably buy more holiday cacti when they go on sale. They're so cute!
Friday, November 14, 2008
10% chance of snow, with little or no accumulation expected
That was the forecast as of last night. This morning, with 2" of snow on the ground, the local forecasters conceded that the chance of snow was as high as 60%, with up to an inch of accumulation expected.
We got 4".
That's life on the Divide.
This was a typical upslope snow. We got 4". The areas about 1000' lower and a few miles east got about 2-3". The area about 1500-2000' lower and maybe 10 miles east got about 1-2". I didn't wander farther than that, so I don't know how much other areas got.
The weather has cleared now. It's clear but cold. The sunset is very colorful. (And I forgot to snap a photo until the light dimmed.) The snow is compacting quickly and even melting in a few of the sunnier spots that got plowed. Tomorrow's sunrise should also be pretty, with the pink early morning light making the snow glow.
We had a dusting several days ago, but I didn't take any photos.
The leaves are gone for the year. A few trees at lower elevations still have a few leaves, but most of the deciduous plants have given up and gone to sleep for the winter. I like the lacy look of the bare branches against the sky.
We got 4".
That's life on the Divide.
This was a typical upslope snow. We got 4". The areas about 1000' lower and a few miles east got about 2-3". The area about 1500-2000' lower and maybe 10 miles east got about 1-2". I didn't wander farther than that, so I don't know how much other areas got.
The weather has cleared now. It's clear but cold. The sunset is very colorful. (And I forgot to snap a photo until the light dimmed.) The snow is compacting quickly and even melting in a few of the sunnier spots that got plowed. Tomorrow's sunrise should also be pretty, with the pink early morning light making the snow glow.
We had a dusting several days ago, but I didn't take any photos.
The leaves are gone for the year. A few trees at lower elevations still have a few leaves, but most of the deciduous plants have given up and gone to sleep for the winter. I like the lacy look of the bare branches against the sky.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Recipe Corner: Taiwan Potstickers
We spent several months in Taiwan one year many years ago. While we were there, one of EE's co-workers shared his (the co-worker's) mother-in-law's recipe for potstickers. I don't know if she was native to Taiwan or if she had immigrated from the Mainland. I don't know where she got the recipe or if there were any secret ingredients or methods she didn't share with us.
This recipe needs some photos. Maybe we can do another post on potstickers the next time we make them. I do want to get this recipe written down somewhere so that it doesn't get lost.
This recipe can be used for boiled dumplings or for the fried/steamed combination we call potstickers. It makes 32 potstickers.
Dough
3 cups flour
~1 cup hot water
Add very hot water (even as hot as boiling) to the flour to make a dough. Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes. The food processor will work for these steps. If you use a food processor with a dough-kneading blade, run it for only 1-2 minutes.
Let the dough rest for ~ 1 hour (optional, though it does help)
Divide the dough into 32 equal pieces. This is easy to do -- divide into halves or quarters, divide each piece into halves or quarters, and then do a final dividing so that you have 32 pieces. I usually divide into quarters and work with one quarter at a time. Each quarter gets divided into 8 pieces, so I quarter the quarter, then divide each blob in half just before I roll it out. Each blob is maybe 1" or so in diameter, about like a pingpong or golf ball.
Roll each dough blob into a circle, maybe 4" in diameter, on a flour-covered surface. I need to measure this the next time I do it. The rolling-out can happen at the same time as the filling and sealing occurs.
The texture of the dough and the thickness of the resulting circles is something that's hard for me to describe. Experience helps me understand what works best. The dough needs to be soft but not too soft, and neither too sticky nor too dry.
Filling
1 package of ground pork (~ 1/2 to 1 lb.)
~1" of ginger root, peeled and minced
~2-3 scallions (green onions), chopped
~1/2 of a small head of Chinese cabbage (see note for what to do with it)
a few tablespoons sesame oil.
We aren't too picky about how much of each ingredient we use. Each time it's a bit different. The ground pork in this country is different from what was available in Taiwan. I don't know how to describe it, or if it's possible to get the same kind of stuff here.
The Chinese cabbage gets sliced and chopped. Then, sprinkle it with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, squeeze out some of the excess moisture.
Mix together all of the filling ingredients. This can be prepared ahead of time.
Assembly
Put a blob of filling into each potsticker wrapper. Seal it with a little bit of water and flour. (We fill a small container with water and add some flour; this serves as the glue to hold the wrapper halves together.)
We sometimes divide the filling into equal blobs so that it comes out perfectly. Other times, we eyeball it. This may require a bit of adjusting near the end, or we might end up with some leftover filling.
If you're going to make these as boiled dumplings, seal the wrapper completely. For the potstickers, we'll seal the top but leave the sides a bit open. That's how they did it in the restaurants we went to in Taiwan. We put them on a floured baking sheet to await cooking, often grouped in sets of four for easy counting and handling. Yes, we need to add photos.
If you want to boil dumplings, it works like ravioli. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the dumplings, and simmer for a while until they're cooked. Drain and eat. But we usually make potstickers instead.
Cooking
Put about 1/4 cup peanut oil (or other high-smoke-point oil) into a cast-iron frying pan. Yes, you can use a wok, but our wok is smaller than the monster woks in Taiwan restaurants. Also, since we have an electric stove, it's hard to get any wok hot enough. The cast-iron skillet works better for us. Heat the skillet until the oil is barely smoking.
Add ~10-12 potstickers to the pan. Immediately pour in a teacup full of water with a pinch of flour mixed in, so that the potstickers are sitting in about 1/4" of liquid (water plus oil). Put the lid on the pan, leaving a small hole for steam to escape.
Cook the potstickers until they smell like they're done. The steam will have almost stopped at this point. Remove the lid, take out the potstickers, and put them on a paper towel to drain.
Continue cooking until all the potstickers are done, adding more peanut oil when necessary. The already-cooked ones can stay in a warm oven if you'd like. Serve them with sauce. Eat them up, yum. Leftovers are good, too, if you have any.
Potsticker Dipping SauceMix approximately equal amounts of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, plus sesame oil, and chili paste (sriracha works fine) or hot chili oil. We like the Taiwan brands of soy sauce, though the Korean ones work well, too. The Japanese brands taste different and are a bit harsh for this sauce. I sometimes add a small bit of warm water to the sauce, too.
Final NotesThis recipe makes a huge mess. There will be flour all over the preparation area. The cooking area will be spattered with oil droplets. The pan will have bits of stuff stuck to it (they're called potstickers, duh). The oil spattering can be reduced by putting paper grocery bags or newspaper on all surfaces near the stove. The rest is certainly cleanable. The mess is worth it.
This recipe needs some photos. Maybe we can do another post on potstickers the next time we make them. I do want to get this recipe written down somewhere so that it doesn't get lost.
This recipe can be used for boiled dumplings or for the fried/steamed combination we call potstickers. It makes 32 potstickers.
Dough
3 cups flour
~1 cup hot water
Add very hot water (even as hot as boiling) to the flour to make a dough. Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes. The food processor will work for these steps. If you use a food processor with a dough-kneading blade, run it for only 1-2 minutes.
Let the dough rest for ~ 1 hour (optional, though it does help)
Divide the dough into 32 equal pieces. This is easy to do -- divide into halves or quarters, divide each piece into halves or quarters, and then do a final dividing so that you have 32 pieces. I usually divide into quarters and work with one quarter at a time. Each quarter gets divided into 8 pieces, so I quarter the quarter, then divide each blob in half just before I roll it out. Each blob is maybe 1" or so in diameter, about like a pingpong or golf ball.
Roll each dough blob into a circle, maybe 4" in diameter, on a flour-covered surface. I need to measure this the next time I do it. The rolling-out can happen at the same time as the filling and sealing occurs.
The texture of the dough and the thickness of the resulting circles is something that's hard for me to describe. Experience helps me understand what works best. The dough needs to be soft but not too soft, and neither too sticky nor too dry.
Filling
1 package of ground pork (~ 1/2 to 1 lb.)
~1" of ginger root, peeled and minced
~2-3 scallions (green onions), chopped
~1/2 of a small head of Chinese cabbage (see note for what to do with it)
a few tablespoons sesame oil.
We aren't too picky about how much of each ingredient we use. Each time it's a bit different. The ground pork in this country is different from what was available in Taiwan. I don't know how to describe it, or if it's possible to get the same kind of stuff here.
The Chinese cabbage gets sliced and chopped. Then, sprinkle it with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, squeeze out some of the excess moisture.
Mix together all of the filling ingredients. This can be prepared ahead of time.
Assembly
Put a blob of filling into each potsticker wrapper. Seal it with a little bit of water and flour. (We fill a small container with water and add some flour; this serves as the glue to hold the wrapper halves together.)
We sometimes divide the filling into equal blobs so that it comes out perfectly. Other times, we eyeball it. This may require a bit of adjusting near the end, or we might end up with some leftover filling.
If you're going to make these as boiled dumplings, seal the wrapper completely. For the potstickers, we'll seal the top but leave the sides a bit open. That's how they did it in the restaurants we went to in Taiwan. We put them on a floured baking sheet to await cooking, often grouped in sets of four for easy counting and handling. Yes, we need to add photos.
If you want to boil dumplings, it works like ravioli. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the dumplings, and simmer for a while until they're cooked. Drain and eat. But we usually make potstickers instead.
Cooking
Put about 1/4 cup peanut oil (or other high-smoke-point oil) into a cast-iron frying pan. Yes, you can use a wok, but our wok is smaller than the monster woks in Taiwan restaurants. Also, since we have an electric stove, it's hard to get any wok hot enough. The cast-iron skillet works better for us. Heat the skillet until the oil is barely smoking.
Add ~10-12 potstickers to the pan. Immediately pour in a teacup full of water with a pinch of flour mixed in, so that the potstickers are sitting in about 1/4" of liquid (water plus oil). Put the lid on the pan, leaving a small hole for steam to escape.
Cook the potstickers until they smell like they're done. The steam will have almost stopped at this point. Remove the lid, take out the potstickers, and put them on a paper towel to drain.
Continue cooking until all the potstickers are done, adding more peanut oil when necessary. The already-cooked ones can stay in a warm oven if you'd like. Serve them with sauce. Eat them up, yum. Leftovers are good, too, if you have any.
Potsticker Dipping SauceMix approximately equal amounts of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, plus sesame oil, and chili paste (sriracha works fine) or hot chili oil. We like the Taiwan brands of soy sauce, though the Korean ones work well, too. The Japanese brands taste different and are a bit harsh for this sauce. I sometimes add a small bit of warm water to the sauce, too.
Final NotesThis recipe makes a huge mess. There will be flour all over the preparation area. The cooking area will be spattered with oil droplets. The pan will have bits of stuff stuck to it (they're called potstickers, duh). The oil spattering can be reduced by putting paper grocery bags or newspaper on all surfaces near the stove. The rest is certainly cleanable. The mess is worth it.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Black Sabbath and Beethoven
I have finally decided to join the modern music world. I am loading CDs into my computer, and will load a variety of things onto an mp3 player. Most of the other family members have already done so. I am the laggard.
My musical tastes are somewhat eclectic -- ethnic/world, classical, rock, punk, country, blues, folk, alternative, some New Age, and several other genres, depending on how you define the genres.
I am going to have to set up some playlists, so I don't necessarily listen to Black Sabbath followed by Beethoven. Not that there's anything wrong with the juxtaposition if one is in the mood, of course.
I'm not sure why I finally decided to do this. I think it's because I've recently been listening to different versions of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata (Sonata #23, Opus 57). I've listened to versions by Arthur Rubenstein, John O'Conor, Vladimir Horowitz, and Tatiana Nikolayeva. I'm probably going to search out a few more. It's been a pain to find the CDs, deal with changing them in the CD player, listening only to the tracks I had time for or was interested in, and having to be near the CD player instead of being able to listen wherever I was.
It's very interesting to listen to the different interpretations of the Appassionata. All of the pianists are both talented and skilled, way beyond what I'll ever be able to aspire to. Beethoven is a brilliant composer, and this is an amazing piece of music. The way that different people bring out different aspects of the composition is very satisfying to listen to.
I hesitate to give even a mini-review of the different pianists' versions. I am not much of a music critic. I also need to listen to them again. I haven't even had time to listen to the full sonata on each CD. I like all of the versions, for different reasons. So far, the John O'Conor version seems tame and understated compared to the others. I might well rate it higher when I listen to it again.
I will give an opinion about Black Sabbath. I almost always prefer the Black Sabbath version of a song over the later Ozzy Osbourne version. So there. Too bad I haven't yet figured out how to crank the bass up to 11 on my computer's speakers. Black Sabbath is even better when you can hear it through your bones.
My kids seem to like both Black Sabbath and Beethoven's Appassionata sonata. They listened to the Vladimir Horowitz CD with me last night. Mr. Horowitz is a fine, fine pianist, even without the bass cranked up to 11. We all enjoyed his Appassionata performance thoroughly.
My musical tastes are somewhat eclectic -- ethnic/world, classical, rock, punk, country, blues, folk, alternative, some New Age, and several other genres, depending on how you define the genres.
I am going to have to set up some playlists, so I don't necessarily listen to Black Sabbath followed by Beethoven. Not that there's anything wrong with the juxtaposition if one is in the mood, of course.
I'm not sure why I finally decided to do this. I think it's because I've recently been listening to different versions of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata (Sonata #23, Opus 57). I've listened to versions by Arthur Rubenstein, John O'Conor, Vladimir Horowitz, and Tatiana Nikolayeva. I'm probably going to search out a few more. It's been a pain to find the CDs, deal with changing them in the CD player, listening only to the tracks I had time for or was interested in, and having to be near the CD player instead of being able to listen wherever I was.
It's very interesting to listen to the different interpretations of the Appassionata. All of the pianists are both talented and skilled, way beyond what I'll ever be able to aspire to. Beethoven is a brilliant composer, and this is an amazing piece of music. The way that different people bring out different aspects of the composition is very satisfying to listen to.
I hesitate to give even a mini-review of the different pianists' versions. I am not much of a music critic. I also need to listen to them again. I haven't even had time to listen to the full sonata on each CD. I like all of the versions, for different reasons. So far, the John O'Conor version seems tame and understated compared to the others. I might well rate it higher when I listen to it again.
I will give an opinion about Black Sabbath. I almost always prefer the Black Sabbath version of a song over the later Ozzy Osbourne version. So there. Too bad I haven't yet figured out how to crank the bass up to 11 on my computer's speakers. Black Sabbath is even better when you can hear it through your bones.
My kids seem to like both Black Sabbath and Beethoven's Appassionata sonata. They listened to the Vladimir Horowitz CD with me last night. Mr. Horowitz is a fine, fine pianist, even without the bass cranked up to 11. We all enjoyed his Appassionata performance thoroughly.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Recipe Corner: Crockpot Black Bean Chili/Stew/Soup
This is easy and convenient to make in the crockpot. I use different methods depending on how much time I have, whether or not I'll be home during the day, and so on. It's not an authentic chili, but it's pretty good anyway.
* 1 cup black turtle beans (uncooked)
* ~3 cups liquid
~1 pound meat (such as ground buffalo, ground beef, chili-grind meat, stew meat, diced leftover meat from a previous meal, etc.)
1 can (~14.5-15 oz.) diced tomatoes (or equivalent)
1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped (optional, of course)
various herbs and spices, salt, pepper, seasonings, etc.
* You can use a can (~15 oz.) of cooked beans instead of the dry beans + liquid. There will be more comments about the beans later in this recipe. The liquid can be whatever you like as long as it's not too acidic. I use water, stock, beer, etc., or a combination.
--------------
The basic method:
Brown the meat if it's something like ground beef. You can skip the browning for stew meat or for leftover meat, though it does add some nice flavor. Make sure the meat is in small chunks. Drain most or all grease that's released by the meat.
Throw the meat in the crockpot. Add the chopped onion, the canned tomatoes, 1 cup of dry beans, and 3 cups (more or less) of liquid. Turn the crockpot on and walk away.
Near the end of the cooking time (in the last half hour or so), add various seasonings and adjust the liquid level if desired. My usual seasonings for this are chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne to taste, and maybe a bay leaf or two. If I'm feeling especially ambitious, I might add a sploot or two of Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, hoisin sauce, miso, lime juice, etc. (not all of them, of course). I haven't been ambitious enough to add sour cream or yogurt or cheese to this yet.
I use the "low" setting if I have 6-8 hours of cooking time available. If I only have about 3-4 hours, I'll use the "high" setting.
Depending on the consistency (how much liquid there is) and the spices and what-not, this can be a chili, a stew, or a soup. If you think it's a soup, you can smash some of the beans to give it more body.
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No, you do not need to pre-soak the beans in any way. I will wash them and pick out any rocks or dirt. But that's it. They might take a little bit longer to cook than pre-soaked beans. But who's in a hurry? It's easier than all the planning ahead that would be necessary if I did want to pre-soak them. You do need to make sure that the cooking liquid is not too acidic before the beans are done. After the beans have softened to your liking, you can add wine or other acidic ingredients if desired.
In my experience, the flavors of the herbs and spices tends to get lost after several hours of crockpot cooking. That's why I add them shortly before serving. If your experience is different, feel free to add the seasonings whenever you like.
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The low-time, soccer-mom versions:
Version 1 (which I've never done, since I don't usually have canned beans around the house):
Replace the beans and liquid with a can of already-cooked black beans. Adjust the liquid level to your liking; you won't need the 3 cups you'd need for dry beans. Add the meat, tomatoes, and onion. Turn the crockpot on and walk away for several hours. Heck, you could probably do this one on the stove in less than an hour if you're really short for time.
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Version 2:
This is the first version I ever did. I realized in early afternoon that I was going to be running around all day and still needed to make something for dinner. For most of the day, I'd be home for 30-45 minutes, then head out again for 1-2 hours, then back home, rinse and repeat, all the way until bedtime.
Rinse 1 cup turtle beans (uncooked). Put them in a saucepan on the stove. Cover with plenty of water (about 3 cups, probably, or maybe a little bit more). Bring to a boil, give a quick stir, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer.
After that gets started, brown up a pound or so of ground beef. (We usually use ground buffalo instead.) Put this in the crockpot with a small can of diced tomatoes and a small chopped onion. Turn the crockpot to high.
About an hour to an hour-and-a-half later, add the half-cooked beans and their cooking liquid to the crockpot. Toss in a bay leaf if you're feeling festive. Turn the crockpot to low.
When you're at home, you can turn the heat to high. When gone, turn it to low. It's ready to eat in 3-6 hours, depending on how often you're home and when you're ready to eat. Add seasonings in the last half hour or so of cooking (or even just before serving).
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If you eliminate the meat, this would be vegetarian (duh...). I sometimes make a version of this with winter squash instead of meat. The squash is cut open, peeled, seeded, and chunked, and tossed into the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. If the squash/pumpkin is too hard to peel, I microwave it for a few minutes.
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Last night's version was more of a stew than a chili. We used leftover diced meat. There was more liquid than usual. And I didn't spice it up in a chili-like way. It was good anyway.
* 1 cup black turtle beans (uncooked)
* ~3 cups liquid
~1 pound meat (such as ground buffalo, ground beef, chili-grind meat, stew meat, diced leftover meat from a previous meal, etc.)
1 can (~14.5-15 oz.) diced tomatoes (or equivalent)
1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped (optional, of course)
various herbs and spices, salt, pepper, seasonings, etc.
* You can use a can (~15 oz.) of cooked beans instead of the dry beans + liquid. There will be more comments about the beans later in this recipe. The liquid can be whatever you like as long as it's not too acidic. I use water, stock, beer, etc., or a combination.
--------------
The basic method:
Brown the meat if it's something like ground beef. You can skip the browning for stew meat or for leftover meat, though it does add some nice flavor. Make sure the meat is in small chunks. Drain most or all grease that's released by the meat.
Throw the meat in the crockpot. Add the chopped onion, the canned tomatoes, 1 cup of dry beans, and 3 cups (more or less) of liquid. Turn the crockpot on and walk away.
Near the end of the cooking time (in the last half hour or so), add various seasonings and adjust the liquid level if desired. My usual seasonings for this are chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne to taste, and maybe a bay leaf or two. If I'm feeling especially ambitious, I might add a sploot or two of Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, hoisin sauce, miso, lime juice, etc. (not all of them, of course). I haven't been ambitious enough to add sour cream or yogurt or cheese to this yet.
I use the "low" setting if I have 6-8 hours of cooking time available. If I only have about 3-4 hours, I'll use the "high" setting.
Depending on the consistency (how much liquid there is) and the spices and what-not, this can be a chili, a stew, or a soup. If you think it's a soup, you can smash some of the beans to give it more body.
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No, you do not need to pre-soak the beans in any way. I will wash them and pick out any rocks or dirt. But that's it. They might take a little bit longer to cook than pre-soaked beans. But who's in a hurry? It's easier than all the planning ahead that would be necessary if I did want to pre-soak them. You do need to make sure that the cooking liquid is not too acidic before the beans are done. After the beans have softened to your liking, you can add wine or other acidic ingredients if desired.
In my experience, the flavors of the herbs and spices tends to get lost after several hours of crockpot cooking. That's why I add them shortly before serving. If your experience is different, feel free to add the seasonings whenever you like.
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The low-time, soccer-mom versions:
Version 1 (which I've never done, since I don't usually have canned beans around the house):
Replace the beans and liquid with a can of already-cooked black beans. Adjust the liquid level to your liking; you won't need the 3 cups you'd need for dry beans. Add the meat, tomatoes, and onion. Turn the crockpot on and walk away for several hours. Heck, you could probably do this one on the stove in less than an hour if you're really short for time.
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Version 2:
This is the first version I ever did. I realized in early afternoon that I was going to be running around all day and still needed to make something for dinner. For most of the day, I'd be home for 30-45 minutes, then head out again for 1-2 hours, then back home, rinse and repeat, all the way until bedtime.
Rinse 1 cup turtle beans (uncooked). Put them in a saucepan on the stove. Cover with plenty of water (about 3 cups, probably, or maybe a little bit more). Bring to a boil, give a quick stir, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer.
After that gets started, brown up a pound or so of ground beef. (We usually use ground buffalo instead.) Put this in the crockpot with a small can of diced tomatoes and a small chopped onion. Turn the crockpot to high.
About an hour to an hour-and-a-half later, add the half-cooked beans and their cooking liquid to the crockpot. Toss in a bay leaf if you're feeling festive. Turn the crockpot to low.
When you're at home, you can turn the heat to high. When gone, turn it to low. It's ready to eat in 3-6 hours, depending on how often you're home and when you're ready to eat. Add seasonings in the last half hour or so of cooking (or even just before serving).
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If you eliminate the meat, this would be vegetarian (duh...). I sometimes make a version of this with winter squash instead of meat. The squash is cut open, peeled, seeded, and chunked, and tossed into the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. If the squash/pumpkin is too hard to peel, I microwave it for a few minutes.
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Last night's version was more of a stew than a chili. We used leftover diced meat. There was more liquid than usual. And I didn't spice it up in a chili-like way. It was good anyway.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Local Ghost Story
The "Spur of the Moment" is a local roadhouse and bar. According the the Perry Park Sentinel, it has been around in one form or another since the stagecoach days. According to a local real estate firm's website, it's the current incarnation of an old business called the Larkspur Cafe, dating from the 1920's or 1930's. In any case, it's been around for quite a while and is a local landmark of sorts.
There's a ghost story associated with it.
Shaun Boyd, an archivist with the Douglas County Libraries, was quoted as saying that a ghost named Fred White sometimes hangs out at the bar. One presumes that he's a former patron or employee.
"Boyd said people working at the bar have reported seeing a friendly-looking ghost wearing a cowboy hat and kerchief pulling bar taps and tugging on patron's ponytails. The ghost will reportedly turn off lights and switch on the jukebox for fun, Boyd said."
We don't hang out at the Spur, so we can't give any first-hand reports one way or the other. We can report that the Spur is still a popular hang-out, offering food, drinks, live music, and lots of non-ghostly locals.
There's a ghost story associated with it.
Shaun Boyd, an archivist with the Douglas County Libraries, was quoted as saying that a ghost named Fred White sometimes hangs out at the bar. One presumes that he's a former patron or employee.
"Boyd said people working at the bar have reported seeing a friendly-looking ghost wearing a cowboy hat and kerchief pulling bar taps and tugging on patron's ponytails. The ghost will reportedly turn off lights and switch on the jukebox for fun, Boyd said."
We don't hang out at the Spur, so we can't give any first-hand reports one way or the other. We can report that the Spur is still a popular hang-out, offering food, drinks, live music, and lots of non-ghostly locals.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Pumpkins on Parade
We've been to several Halloween parties this month. One of them featured pumpkin carving as an activity. We brought pumpkins and carved them. They look quite lovely when lit by a candle at night. I'm not sure they'll last until Halloween, so I took these photos today.
This beautiful model features the eyes as windows to the soul. The rest of the design is a variation on a classic theme. It was designed by our youngest, carved by one of the adults, and further decorated by the designer.
Here is the pumpkin designed by the middle child. It combines a classic pumpkin theme with an added piratical flair. This handsome squash displays an eye patch and a hat in addition to the X'ed eye and the raffish goatee. The skull-and-crossbones carved into the lid glows most alarmingly in the night.The design was conceptualized by the child, drawn onto the pumpkin by me, and carved by the main knife-wielding adult.
The oldest child came up with the concept for the pumpkin to the left. It is an ominous-looking spiderweb. The spider was drawn on afterwards. The knife-wielder did most of the actual design work during the carving process. It looks wonderful when lit by the candle inside.If we manage to take a photo of these pumpkins at night, with lit candles inside, we'll share the photo with everyone.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Recipe Corner: School-Lunch Bread
We make this bread-machine loaf in order to have bread for the week's lunches. It is a simple bread which keeps well enough to use for the whole week. If there's any left over at the end of the week, it becomes garlic bread or croutons as part of a weekend dinner.
Put the following ingredients in the bread-machine loaf pan, in this order. Do not mix; let the machine do it.
1-1/4 cups water
"some" olive oil (probably a few tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
4 heaping teaspoons sugar
3-1/2 cups flour (we use the local all-purpose flour)
"some" dry milk powder (probably a few tablespoons)
1 heaping teaspoon yeast
Put this in the bread machine. Use the "French Bread, rapid" setting and the 1-1/2 pound loaf size. On our machine, the time-until-done is 2 hours and 22 minutes. Hit the start button and go away.
Caveats, comments, etc.:
1. We live at a fairly high altitude, above 8000'. People living at other elevations might have different results. In particular, we often need less yeast than we would at a lower elevation. The texture of the final bread is probably a bit different than it would be at a lower elevation. Add similar caveats for our local flour versus someone else's, our low humidity, etc.
2. We will usually monitor the dough for the first 10 minutes or so. Sometimes we need to add a bit of water or a bit of flour, or we have to use the spatula to re-unite stray unmixed ingredients with the main dough blob.
3. We will often remove the dough-mixer thingy from the dough as the last rise begins. But not always. It depends on how busy or absent-minded we are.
4. The variations seem obvious -- use a different oil, use buttermilk powder instead of milk powder, replace part of the all-purpose unbleached white flour with something else, etc.
5. We buy baking yeast in bulk at the local natural-foods stores. We get a little bag for a few dollars. We store it in the refrigerator. It will remain good for at least a year or until it runs out. A package of store-bought yeast is a bit less than a tablespoon of yeast (maybe 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons), for comparison.
We make a lot of different kinds of bread, both in the bread machine and by hand. This one tastes plain but good, keeps well enough, and is willingly eaten by all family members. Thus it has become the default school lunch bread.
Put the following ingredients in the bread-machine loaf pan, in this order. Do not mix; let the machine do it.
1-1/4 cups water
"some" olive oil (probably a few tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
4 heaping teaspoons sugar
3-1/2 cups flour (we use the local all-purpose flour)
"some" dry milk powder (probably a few tablespoons)
1 heaping teaspoon yeast
Put this in the bread machine. Use the "French Bread, rapid" setting and the 1-1/2 pound loaf size. On our machine, the time-until-done is 2 hours and 22 minutes. Hit the start button and go away.
Caveats, comments, etc.:
1. We live at a fairly high altitude, above 8000'. People living at other elevations might have different results. In particular, we often need less yeast than we would at a lower elevation. The texture of the final bread is probably a bit different than it would be at a lower elevation. Add similar caveats for our local flour versus someone else's, our low humidity, etc.
2. We will usually monitor the dough for the first 10 minutes or so. Sometimes we need to add a bit of water or a bit of flour, or we have to use the spatula to re-unite stray unmixed ingredients with the main dough blob.
3. We will often remove the dough-mixer thingy from the dough as the last rise begins. But not always. It depends on how busy or absent-minded we are.
4. The variations seem obvious -- use a different oil, use buttermilk powder instead of milk powder, replace part of the all-purpose unbleached white flour with something else, etc.
5. We buy baking yeast in bulk at the local natural-foods stores. We get a little bag for a few dollars. We store it in the refrigerator. It will remain good for at least a year or until it runs out. A package of store-bought yeast is a bit less than a tablespoon of yeast (maybe 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons), for comparison.
We make a lot of different kinds of bread, both in the bread machine and by hand. This one tastes plain but good, keeps well enough, and is willingly eaten by all family members. Thus it has become the default school lunch bread.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
First Snow!
We got the first real snow of the season last night. It arrived with thunder and lightning and a 20 degree drop in temperature. We had rain, sleet, snow, graupel, slush, and other early-season cold and yucky varieties of precipitation. And wind, too, of course. The Palmer Divide gets a lot of wind.
We had about 3" of snow over a layer of slush and ice this morning. Temps were down in the 20's, a contrast to the mid-50's we had yesterday afternoon before the front came through.
These photos are from this afternoon. Things looked much the same earlier except that it was dark and everything was covered with snow, not just the ground.
The paved roads were in dreadful shape this morning. Everything was incredibly icy and slippery.
I guess it's not summer any longer. I say that every year.
The Local Inspector
This guy was peering in our window last week. He came through the yard with 3 or 4 of his buddies. They nibbled on late-season weeds and aspen leaves before heading across the road and down the hill.
Our cat was quite intent on the visitors. He didn't get as excited as he does when he sees birds or rodents, but he was definitely paying attention. We call anything that entertains the cats "Cat TV". This was the Deer Channel. The cats like the Deer Channel, though it's not quite as thrilling as the Grouse Channel or the Chipmunk Channel.
A Late Season Rose
This is a rose that was blooming in front of Lewis Palmer Middle School last week. It was pretty and I had the camera with me, thus the photo. I have no idea what the variety is, but it must be something pretty darn sturdy to survive in front of the local middle school. I wonder if there will be any more roses this year, or if the buds all died with the snow?
We had about 3" of snow over a layer of slush and ice this morning. Temps were down in the 20's, a contrast to the mid-50's we had yesterday afternoon before the front came through.
These photos are from this afternoon. Things looked much the same earlier except that it was dark and everything was covered with snow, not just the ground.
The paved roads were in dreadful shape this morning. Everything was incredibly icy and slippery.
I guess it's not summer any longer. I say that every year.
The Local Inspector
This guy was peering in our window last week. He came through the yard with 3 or 4 of his buddies. They nibbled on late-season weeds and aspen leaves before heading across the road and down the hill.
Our cat was quite intent on the visitors. He didn't get as excited as he does when he sees birds or rodents, but he was definitely paying attention. We call anything that entertains the cats "Cat TV". This was the Deer Channel. The cats like the Deer Channel, though it's not quite as thrilling as the Grouse Channel or the Chipmunk Channel.
A Late Season Rose
This is a rose that was blooming in front of Lewis Palmer Middle School last week. It was pretty and I had the camera with me, thus the photo. I have no idea what the variety is, but it must be something pretty darn sturdy to survive in front of the local middle school. I wonder if there will be any more roses this year, or if the buds all died with the snow?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Watson's Falls Rock Pile Caves
Ok, jp has been after me to post something, so here it is. Yesterday, I went to a neat area called Watson's Falls, a small stream near Devils Head. The interesting part is a cascade of waterfalls inside a large pile of huge boulders. In and around the boulders are lots of passageways and larger cave rooms. All with the sound of and some with the sight of the cascading waterfalls. And of course, hidden somewhere inside is a geocache.
It's great fun inside (though no place for small kids). With 4WD, you can drive to about 1/2 mile away.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A Palmer Divide Journey, Mid-October, 1873
Isabella Bird was a well-to-do English lady with a taste for travel and for publishing books about her travels. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains is her account of an autumn she spent traveling in the region on her way back to England from the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). She started in the Sierras of California. Forest fires were smoldering as she boarded the eastbound train. She arrived in Colorado and ended up stranded for several weeks due to a Bank Panic. Although she had funds in her accounts, the banks wouldn't cash any checks. She spent time in Estes Park while waiting for things to ease. Then she continued on her way.
In mid-October, she rode a horse from Denver to Colorado Springs. She came through the Palmer Divide, describing places that are quite recognizable today. Some of the details have changed, some she didn't get quite right, some place names have changed. It's still quite interesting to read about the area as it was 135 years ago.
The weather in mid-October is unpredictable. It can be warm and sunny one day; cold and snowy the next. Blizzards with 2-3 feet of snow are not all that unusual, though they do not occur every October. Ms. Bird encountered a typical October snowstorm on her way through the region. Brr! I wonder if we'll get one this year?
Here are some excerpts from letter 10, written in Colorado Springs on October 28 and describing the previous week's events. I've skipped several bits and added a few extra paragraph breaks.
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The rocks really are that scenic. The sunsets really can be that spectacular. And yes, the cold and snow and silence are all features of our winters. I've hiked in that kind of weather. But it's always been a short journey, with a warm car and warm clothes at the end of it. It must have been an exceedingly cold and unpleasant trek on horseback in October, 1873.
The area Ms. Bird referred to as Pleasant Park is now called Perry Park. An upscale rural subdivision is there now, though the geology is still lovely and mostly accessible. I find the reference to the servants interesting; the homogeneity of the current population makes me suspect that this part of Colorado has a "sunset town" history.
The "top of the Divide" with its "frozen lake" is the site of Palmer Lake. Its elevation is 7225', not the almost 8000' Ms. Bird claimed for it. The hills around Palmer Lake are certainly higher, of course.
Monument Park was a famous tourist attraction in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was an area of interesting eroded buttes and spires that is now part of Colorado Springs. There are many famous photographs of the area in old archives. It no longer exists except in these old accounts. What's left of it can be seen in places like Woodman Valley Open Space. Probably some suburban houses have bits and pieces in their back yards or in small suburban green spaces. It's quite possible that some of the spires have finished eroding and fallen to bits after all the tourist activity and construction activity. I'll probably babble about Monument Park in some future blog post.
Glen Eyrie is just north of Garden of the Gods. Both are in modern Colorado Springs. I'm not sure if she considered them to be separate places or if she's referring to the whole valley and ridgeline.
There are many more people here now than there used to be. But parts of the area are almost as wild and empty as they were in 1873.
We usually get our first really awful weather no later than Halloween. Sometimes it's earlier. Halloween is notorious for its dreadful weather -- snowy, icy, cold, windy, and so on. Rarely we'll have weather that is merely cold and windy instead of actively dangerous.
The entire book is fun to read. It's not Deathless Literature for the Ages. It's interesting for its glimpse into the western US during the 1870's, and for its portrait of an English Lady Traveler. Ms. Bird writes about her travels, shares tales told to her by others, gives her impressions of the locals, describes the places she visits, moralizes at random moments, and name-drops quite shamelessly.
In mid-October, she rode a horse from Denver to Colorado Springs. She came through the Palmer Divide, describing places that are quite recognizable today. Some of the details have changed, some she didn't get quite right, some place names have changed. It's still quite interesting to read about the area as it was 135 years ago.
The weather in mid-October is unpredictable. It can be warm and sunny one day; cold and snowy the next. Blizzards with 2-3 feet of snow are not all that unusual, though they do not occur every October. Ms. Bird encountered a typical October snowstorm on her way through the region. Brr! I wonder if we'll get one this year?
Here are some excerpts from letter 10, written in Colorado Springs on October 28 and describing the previous week's events. I've skipped several bits and added a few extra paragraph breaks.
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That night on which I last wrote was the coldest I have yet felt. I pulled the rag carpet from the floor and covered myself with it, but could not get warm. The sun rose gloriously on a shrouded earth. Barns, road, shrubs, fences, river, lake, all lay under the glittering snow. It was light and powdery, and sparkled like diamonds. Not a breath of wind stirred, there was not a sound. I had to wait till a passing horseman had broken the track, but soon after I set off into the new, shining world. I soon lost the horseman’s foot-marks, but kept on near the road by means of the innumerable foot-prints of birds and ground squirrels, which all went in one direction. After riding for an hour I was obliged to get off and walk for another, for the snow balled in Birdie’s feet to such an extent that she could hardly keep up even without my weight on her, and my pick was not strong enough to remove it. ...---------------
I rode twelve miles, but it was “bad traveling,” from the balling of the snow and the difficulty of finding the track. There was a fearful loneliness about it. The track was untrodden, and I saw neither man nor beast. The sky became densely clouded, and the outlook was awful. The great Divide of the Arkansas was in front, looming vaguely through a heavy snow cloud, and snow began to fall, not in powder, but in heavy flakes. Finding that there would be risk in trying to ride till nightfall, in the early afternoon I left the road and went two miles into the hills by an untrodden path, where there were gates to open, and a rapid steep-sided creek to cross; and at the en-trance to a most fantastic gorge I came upon an elegant frame house belonging to Mr. Perry, a millionaire, to whom I had an introduction which I did not hesitate to present, as it was weather in which a traveler might almost ask for shelter without one. Mr. Perry was away, but his daughter, a very bright-looking, elegantly-dressed girl, invited me to dine and remain. They had stewed venison and various luxuries on the table, which was tasteful and refined, and an adroit, colored table-maid waited, one of five attached Negro servants who had been their slaves before the war.
After dinner, though snow was slowly falling, a gentleman cousin took me a ride to show me the beauties of Pleasant Park, which takes rank among the finest scenery of Colorado, and in good weather is very easy of access. It did look very grand as we entered it by a narrow pass guarded by two buttes, or isolated upright masses of rock, bright red, and about 300 feet in height. The pines were very large, and the narrow canyons which came down on the park gloomily magnificent. It is remarkable also from a quantity of “monumental” rocks, from 50 to 300 feet in height, bright vermilion, green, buff, orange, and sometimes all combined, their gay tinting a contrast to the disastrous-looking snow and the somber pines. Bear Canyon, a gorge of singular majesty, comes down on the park, and we crossed the Bear Creek at the foot of this on the ice, which gave way, and both our horses broke through into pretty deep and very cold water, and shortly afterwards Birdie put her foot into a prairie dog’s hole which was concealed by the snow, and on recovering herself fell three times on her nose...
The snow began to fall in good earnest at six in the evening, and fell all night, accompanied by intense frost, so that in the morning there were eight inches of it glittering in the sun. Miss P. gave me a pair of men’s socks to draw on over my boots, and I set out tolerably early, and broke my own way for two miles. Then a single wagon had passed, making a legible track for thirty miles, otherwise the snow was pathless. The sky was absolutely cloudless, and as I made the long ascent of the Arkansas Divide, the mountains, gashed by deep canyons, came sweeping down to the valley on my right, and on my left the Foot Hills were crowned with colored fantastic rocks like castles. Everything was buried under a glittering shroud of snow. The babble of the streams was bound by fetters of ice. No branches creaked in the still air. No birds sang. No one passed or met me. There were no cabins near or far. The only sound was the crunch of the snow under Birdie’s feet. We came to a river over which some logs were laid with some young trees across them. Birdie put one foot on this, then drew it back and put another on, then smelt the bridge noisily. Persuasions were useless; she only smelt, snorted, held back, and turned her cunning head and looked at me. It was useless to argue the point with so sagacious a beast. To the right of the bridge the ice was much broken, and we forded the river there; but as it was deep enough to come up to her body, and was icy cold to my feet, I wondered at her preference. Afterwards I heard that the bridge was dangerous. ....
The rest of the day’s ride was awful enough. The snow was thirteen inches deep, and grew deeper as I ascended in silence and loneliness, but just as the sun sank behind a snowy peak I reached the top of the Divide, 7,975 feet above the sea level. There, in unspeakable solitude, lay a frozen lake. Owls hooted among the pines, the trail was obscure, the country was not settled, the mercury was 9 degrees below zero, my feet had lost all sensation, and one of them was frozen to the wooden stirrup. I found that owing to the depth of the snow I had only ridden fifteen miles in eight and a half hours, and must look about for a place to sleep in.
The eastern sky was unlike anything I ever saw before. It had been chrysoprase, then it turned to aquamarine, and that to the bright full green of an emerald. Unless I am color-blind, this is true. Then suddenly the whole changed, and flushed with the pure, bright, rose color of the afterglow. ...
The next morning was gray and sour, but brightened and warmed as the day went on. After riding twelve miles I got bread and milk for myself and a feed for Birdie at a large house where there were eight boarders, each one looking nearer the grave than the other, and on remounting was directed to leave the main road and diverge through Monument Park, a ride of twelve miles among fantastic rocks, but I lost my way, and came to an end of all tracks in a wild canyon. Returning about six miles, I took another track, and rode about eight miles without seeing a creature. I then came to strange gorges with wonderful upright rocks of all shapes and colors, and turning through a gate of rock, came upon what I knew must be Glen Eyrie, as wild and romantic a glen as imagination ever pictured. The track then passed down a valley close under some ghastly peaks, wild, cold, awe-inspiring scenery.
After fording a creek several times, I came upon a decayed-looking cluster of houses bearing the arrogant name of Colorado City, and two miles farther on, from the top of one of the Foot Hill ridges, I saw the bleak-looking scattered houses of the ambitious watering place of Colorado Springs, the goal of my journey of 150 miles. I got off, put on a long skirt, and rode sidewise, though the settlement scarcely looked like a place where any deference to prejudices was necessary. A queer embryo-looking place it is, out on the bare Plains, yet it is rising and likely to rise, and has some big hotels much resorted to. It has a fine view of the mountains, specially of Pike’s Peak, but the celebrated springs are at Manitou, three miles off, in really fine scenery. To me no place could be more unattractive than Colorado Springs, from its utter treelessness.
The rocks really are that scenic. The sunsets really can be that spectacular. And yes, the cold and snow and silence are all features of our winters. I've hiked in that kind of weather. But it's always been a short journey, with a warm car and warm clothes at the end of it. It must have been an exceedingly cold and unpleasant trek on horseback in October, 1873.
The area Ms. Bird referred to as Pleasant Park is now called Perry Park. An upscale rural subdivision is there now, though the geology is still lovely and mostly accessible. I find the reference to the servants interesting; the homogeneity of the current population makes me suspect that this part of Colorado has a "sunset town" history.
The "top of the Divide" with its "frozen lake" is the site of Palmer Lake. Its elevation is 7225', not the almost 8000' Ms. Bird claimed for it. The hills around Palmer Lake are certainly higher, of course.
Monument Park was a famous tourist attraction in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was an area of interesting eroded buttes and spires that is now part of Colorado Springs. There are many famous photographs of the area in old archives. It no longer exists except in these old accounts. What's left of it can be seen in places like Woodman Valley Open Space. Probably some suburban houses have bits and pieces in their back yards or in small suburban green spaces. It's quite possible that some of the spires have finished eroding and fallen to bits after all the tourist activity and construction activity. I'll probably babble about Monument Park in some future blog post.
Glen Eyrie is just north of Garden of the Gods. Both are in modern Colorado Springs. I'm not sure if she considered them to be separate places or if she's referring to the whole valley and ridgeline.
There are many more people here now than there used to be. But parts of the area are almost as wild and empty as they were in 1873.
We usually get our first really awful weather no later than Halloween. Sometimes it's earlier. Halloween is notorious for its dreadful weather -- snowy, icy, cold, windy, and so on. Rarely we'll have weather that is merely cold and windy instead of actively dangerous.
The entire book is fun to read. It's not Deathless Literature for the Ages. It's interesting for its glimpse into the western US during the 1870's, and for its portrait of an English Lady Traveler. Ms. Bird writes about her travels, shares tales told to her by others, gives her impressions of the locals, describes the places she visits, moralizes at random moments, and name-drops quite shamelessly.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Some Local History (but not too much)
I found a few books on local history at the neighborhood libraries. Here are a few quotes.
These days, people talk about the Divide, but they may also refer to the Palmer Divide or even to Monument Hill. I'm not sure how far eastward Matthews thought the Divide extended. These days, it's considered to extend eastward to Limon.
Part of the area once known as the Pineries is today referred to as the Black Forest region. Front Range and Rampart Range are used interchangeably, though the Rampart Range is only one part of the much-longer Front Range.
Here's another interesting snippet from Carl F. Matthews:
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I don't think people quite realize how big the timber industry used to be around here. There were sawmills all over the place from the mid-late 19th century through the mid-20th century. This is in spite of several large fires. The trees went for firewood, telephone or telegraph poles, railroad ties, mining timbers, general lumber, and charcoal manufacturing. Pike National Forest was established in part to keep the Rampart Range and environs from being devastated by over-cutting.
Here's a quote from another book that explains something I've wondered about.
We've seen some very steep and straight trail-like features on, for example, Raspberry Mountain. We had speculated that they were some old water-piping route. But perhaps they're old timber slides.
Ms. Lavelett has a very odd sense of humor. She includes a section on Halloween pranks. Apparently, it was considered the height of hilarity to fool around with outhouses. One year, the women's outhouse had a sign saying "Democrats Vote Here," while the men's outhouse was given a sign saying "Republicans Vote Here." Most of the other examples of humor, both Halloween and non-Halloween-related, also involve poop.
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Since I'm on the subject of the old timber industry, here's a quote from The USGS: Geological Survey Bulletin 707 (Itinerary): Guidebook of the Western United States: Part E. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Route. The author is listed as Marius R. Campbell, and the publication date is 1922. He quoted Smith Riley, a former district forester, for much of the following.
Since it is such a cool online resource, here's where to find it. I might well quote from it again someday.
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/geology/publications/bul/707/
Although logging is not a huge industry here at the moment, the fire danger remains. I'm pretty sure that the big fire near Pikes Peak referred to in the above is the one thought to have covered almost the exact same area as the big Hayman fire of 2002. There are references in other local history books to particularly devastating local forest fires, including several on and near Mount Herman. That's one of the reasons we have the Monument Fire Center here. It used to raise seedlings to replant areas burned in previous fires.
The title of this post promised "not too much" local history. I'd better stop writing soon unless I want to change it to "way too much."
One of the things I want to do in this blog is ramble about the local area, including its history. Get used to it.
What and where is the "Divide," you may ask --The above is from Early Days around the Divide, by Carl F. Matthews and E.C. Matthews, Sign Book Co., St. Louis, MO, 1969.
Between Colorado Springs and Denver, beginning about at Monument and extending to Castle Rock, an elevated plateau reaches eastward from the mountains. It is about thirty miles in width at the Front Range and tapers to a point a few miles north-east of Peyton; it ranges in elevation from 7,000 to 7,500 feet. This ridge is the birthplace of a number of creeks which run into the South Platte and Arkansas Rivers and on many old maps is shown as the "Arkansas Divide," but today it is simply termed the "Divide" by most of those people who live upon or near it...
The Divide area comprises parts of El Paso, Elbert and Douglas counties...
A century ago the Divide was heavily timbered with fine Ponderosa pine which gave the name of the "Pineries" to large areas of it; today that name is almost forgotten.
These days, people talk about the Divide, but they may also refer to the Palmer Divide or even to Monument Hill. I'm not sure how far eastward Matthews thought the Divide extended. These days, it's considered to extend eastward to Limon.
Part of the area once known as the Pineries is today referred to as the Black Forest region. Front Range and Rampart Range are used interchangeably, though the Rampart Range is only one part of the much-longer Front Range.
Here's another interesting snippet from Carl F. Matthews:
In these modern times people may wonder how a family of six or seven managed to live in a one room house. They just pushed the furniture around, and it was all very simple. At meal time it was a dining room, at night it was all bed room. If they had company and there wasn't enough beds; some covers were spread on the floor.Carl F. Matthews was born in the region in 1885 and spent his life here. He died sometime before the book was published. His younger brother finished it and guided it through publication.
People were glad to have a house of any size and we never heard anyone complain.
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I don't think people quite realize how big the timber industry used to be around here. There were sawmills all over the place from the mid-late 19th century through the mid-20th century. This is in spite of several large fires. The trees went for firewood, telephone or telegraph poles, railroad ties, mining timbers, general lumber, and charcoal manufacturing. Pike National Forest was established in part to keep the Rampart Range and environs from being devastated by over-cutting.
Here's a quote from another book that explains something I've wondered about.
In 1875 ties were being cut on top of Mt. Herman and slid down the mountain. Some of the big slides on the Mountain can still be seen.That's from Through the Years at Monument, Colorado, by Lucille Lavelett, Palmer Lake Historical Society, Palmer Lake, CO 2004.
We've seen some very steep and straight trail-like features on, for example, Raspberry Mountain. We had speculated that they were some old water-piping route. But perhaps they're old timber slides.
Ms. Lavelett has a very odd sense of humor. She includes a section on Halloween pranks. Apparently, it was considered the height of hilarity to fool around with outhouses. One year, the women's outhouse had a sign saying "Democrats Vote Here," while the men's outhouse was given a sign saying "Republicans Vote Here." Most of the other examples of humor, both Halloween and non-Halloween-related, also involve poop.
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Since I'm on the subject of the old timber industry, here's a quote from The USGS: Geological Survey Bulletin 707 (Itinerary): Guidebook of the Western United States: Part E. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Route. The author is listed as Marius R. Campbell, and the publication date is 1922. He quoted Smith Riley, a former district forester, for much of the following.
The Pike National Forest includes the mountains west of Denver and Colorado Springs. It includes most of the drainage basins from which Denver, Colorado Springs, and many smaller towns, having altogether a population of about 350,000, derive their domestic water supply. In addition to this supply its streams furnish water for irrigating 400,000 acres of rich agricultural land at the foot of the mountains.
The region now included in this forest furnished an immense amount of timber during the early development of local industries, about 500,000,000 feet b. m. having been cut prior to its establishment as a national forest...
In Gilpin County considerable areas of forest land were practically denuded, for trees of all sizes and even stumps were removed and utilized. This cutting was followed, from time to time, by fires which fed upon the "slash" left on the cut-over areas and killed the remaining trees. The bare hills then permitted a rapid run-off of water after heavy rains, which caused considerable destructive erosion. Similar conditions mark other parts of the Pike National Forest, but erosion has not cut so deeply into the slopes, and owing to generally favorable conditions, many areas have naturally become reforested.
In the early days all ranch buildings were constructed of logs, and even furniture was made by the settlers. The trees also furnished the entire supply of fuel. In many localities they serve the same purposes to-day—the ranchers and new settlers put up their own buildings of logs obtained from the national forest under free-use permits, or established ranchers can purchase at a low price, equal to the cost of administering the sale.
From 1875 to 1895 most of the railroads of the mountain region were built, and practically all construction was done with local timber. Most of the cutting was done by small operators, with sawmills of 6,000 to 10,000 feet b. m. daily capacity, who would locate or purchase a small tract of timber land and then cut not only that but the timber on adjoining Government land. The operators of that day paid little or no stumpage for their timber and cut only that which was the most easily obtained or which was best suited to their purpose.
Since 1905, when the forests came under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service, the Government's timber has been sold to private purchasers at fair rates of stumpage, and cutting has been restricted to trees whose removal would benefit the remaining stand...
The amount of timber cut in the Pike National Forest for the year ending June 30, 1921, was 3,420,000 feet b. m.... In addition, about 1,000,000 feet b. m., mainly of dead material, was granted free to settlers and miners for their own use....
In the early days of settlement in this country the forest suffered considerably from fires... The present fire-fighting methods and organization were unheard of. In 1869 a fire started by hunters on Pikes Peak is said to have burned intermittently for eight months and to have covered many thousands of acres, though there were several times during this period when a small crew of men could have extinguished it. Similar fires covered about 250,000 acres in the Pike National Forest...
Forest fires still cause great destruction in the national forest... The possibility of fires in the Pike National Forest is great, because eight railroads traverse it, 5,000 people live in it, and 250,000 tourists seek recreation within its borders.
Since it is such a cool online resource, here's where to find it. I might well quote from it again someday.
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/geology/publications/bul/707/
Although logging is not a huge industry here at the moment, the fire danger remains. I'm pretty sure that the big fire near Pikes Peak referred to in the above is the one thought to have covered almost the exact same area as the big Hayman fire of 2002. There are references in other local history books to particularly devastating local forest fires, including several on and near Mount Herman. That's one of the reasons we have the Monument Fire Center here. It used to raise seedlings to replant areas burned in previous fires.
The title of this post promised "not too much" local history. I'd better stop writing soon unless I want to change it to "way too much."
One of the things I want to do in this blog is ramble about the local area, including its history. Get used to it.
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