Harvesting

Growing season is ending here in Wyoming (even with our ongoing Indian Summer), and since Jason and I are headed off on our work road trip tomorrow, I had to hurry up and harvest some more veggies. There have been some definite surprises in the veggie patch this week, along with some really cool Cauliflower.

I dug up the rest of the potatoes yesterday, and came up with this one - J is for Jason! I ran over to show Jason his special potato, but he was less than impressed. I still thought it was pretty cool, though!

Then, today when I was pulling out a zucchini plant that hadn't been very productive and was WAAAAAY overgrown, this sucker showed up:

To give you some perspective, that zucchini weighs 5 pounds and his ginormous. I guess I know why the plant wasn't very productive - all it's energy was going into that one zucchini!

Then, I finally harvested the Romanesco Cauliflower. Chef Tony specifically requested these babies, and they're pretty incredible looking. They're "fractal", meaning that no matter how close or how far away you look at them, the smallest nodule mimics the whole. Maybe Wikipedia can help explain it better: "Romanesco broccoli resembles a cauliflower, but is of a light green color and the inflorescence (the bud) has an approximate self-similar character, with the branched meristems making a logarithmic spiral. In this sense the broccoli's shape approximates a natural fractal; each bud is composed of a series of smaller buds, all arranged in yet another logarithmic spiral. This self-similar pattern continues at several smaller levels." In the US, it's actually called a Cauliflower, because it looks more like one, but it TASTES like broccoli. Whatever - it's incredible looking, and I'm very excited to have grown it!

Alright! Well, those are the updates from the Ranch. Tomorrow? We're planning on driving about 750 miles to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That's a LOOOOONG drive!

Baking again

Sunday I actually felt like baking for the first time in a LOOOOONG time. Of course - I was missing one ingredient from every recipe I wanted to try. I'm not a good enough baker, especially gluten free, to just wing it without the missing ingredient. After all, gluten free baking is more about Chemistry than baking. Finally, hours later (after Heidi got home from town and I was able to steal some chocolate from her), I finally got to the baking process.

What did I make? Gluten Free Tagalongs. Yes - the Girl Scout Cookie. MMMM. You know the one with a cookie and peanut butter covered in Chocolate? THOSE are Tagalongs. They are delicious. And I haven't had one in more than two years.

So, I found this recipe from Jules Gluten Free.

I'm not reposting it here, because, well, it's her recipe and I didn't tweak it at all. And I didn't photograph them, cause they aren't all that pretty - I had trouble dipping them without making a mess. I will say that the process took a long time, I had to chill the dough after I made it. Two hours later, I baked the cookies. Then I had to let them cool. I made the peanut butter filling, spread it on the cooled cookies. Popped them in the freezer for twenty minutes. Then I finally dipped them in Chocolate, and had to let the chocolate set up.

But I WILL tell you that they are delicious. To die for. The Tagalong of my dreams, only better cause there are no preservatives in it!

MMMM. Thank you, Jules, for bringing me back to Girl Scout Cookies.

Now go, see the recipe and try them!

Uncle Pete

Dad (on the Right) "keeps" Pete from running on his wedding day. These are the clowns they've always been.

My Dad's life-long best friend, whom he met at age 5 on the first day of Kindergarten, the man I know as Uncle Pete, passed away today at the age of 56. He was diagnosed months ago with cancer, and he fought it with everything he had. He leaves behind an incredible wife and two handsome sons, both in college.

Pete, Dad and their friend Butchy (yes... Butchy) raised some serious hell - I've only heard bits and pieces of their many stories. They played football together. They grew up together, in and out of each other's homes, having adventures. Getting in trouble. They were brothers. As my mom put it, Pete was more a brother to my dad than his own brother was. And Pete's mom was a second mother to my dad. Pete was there when my parents met. It was as important to my dad that my mom meet Pete's parents as it was she meet his own. That's the kind of friends they were.

My heart is broken. For his wife Tracy, for his sons Robert and Brian, for my dad, for Pete's mother. But I'm not heartbroken for Uncle Pete - because his struggle is over, and he is celebrating in heaven, waiting patiently for his family to someday join him.

Death is not sad for the ones who have already passed on, but for those of us who are left to pick up the pieces and learn how to move on again.

Please pray for Uncle Pete's family - for moments of laughter and joy, for fond memories, for friends and family to surround them and support them as needed, and that they are able to gradually heal.

Jack

I know I've waxed poetic about my weekly LoveBombs before, so I'll keep this short. This week's bomb really got me. It was for the family of a twelve year old Virginia boy who died in the flash flood. A freak accident, and a family that has had a hole ripped in it.

The specific post was by his Aunt - her words from his service. And let me tell you, it is so powerful and a reminder that we often get our priorities seriously skewed as adults. You should go and read it - no pressure to leave a comment at all - her words are incredible and worth a read.

At the gist of it were these guidelines, pulled from the life lived by this young man:

"Be Kind.
Pay Attention.
Think.
Play.
Never Give Up.
Share Others' Joy.
And every day- tell your loved ones how treasured they are."

The one that hit closest to home was Play. Here's what she said, "Play. Be creative, experiment, think things through from every angle and share my gifts with the world. When I enjoy something, I want to enjoy it BIG. And play together. Throw a ball in the yard, even if the to-do list beckons. Snuggle and chat at bedtime, even if it is late."

Wow. Thanks, Jack.

Indian Summer

After two weeks of cold weather - long sleeves, jackets, morning frost and (just two days ago) long underwear, we have suddenly found ourselves in the middle of an Indian Summer. The daytime temperature got up to the mid-80s today, and the short sleeve shirts that I'd packed away in a suitcase, ready for Florida, were suddenly pulled out.

It was gorgeous today. Beautiful. The leaves are starting to turn red, so it looks like Autumn and feels like Summer. A classic Indian Summer, and it's supposed to last through the weekend. I plan to bask in the warm weather before it inevitably turns cold again.

I love Indian Summer!

The wild Hops vines (yes... wild hops - there's some beer making happening here on the ranch!) on the Bunkhouse have suddenly turned red.

The sunflowers are still blooming!

Back to the Bunkhouse

Yes... we are back in the bunkhouse. Today we had a day off (owed from last weekend), so we went to town for breakfast and to check out a couple of photo galleries. Then we came back and made the move. I forget how much "stuff" we have with us! I'll have to be really organized in getting it all packed up to travel in a month. Jason took advantage of the opportunity to mostly pack up his clothing. After all, he'll only be here until he leaves on his road trip September 29. After that, he'll be here a few nights at the most when he returns from his trip, and then we're off to Florida with the dog and the hummer.

The bonuses on the move to the bunkhouse? DirecTV. Oh yes - no more DVDs and Hulu (although that may continue as well...). Also, the heater in our cabin was hooked up to a smallish propane tank, one that runs out on occasion or on which the pilot will go out unexpectedly. By moving back into the bunkhouse (which has central heat), we eliminate the need for anyone to have to come and help me every time the wall heater needs service. Plus, I'm not out on the edge of the ranch buildings like we were - and with Coyotes very present on the property, plus the occasional bear or wolf, I'll be a little more comfortable alone for three weeks.

So, we're back in the bunkhouse. This is the beginning of the end of our season. Wow.

Oh! And quick update, my parents' visit to the ranch for my birthday has been approved! Hooray!

Indy doesn't care much where he sleeps, as long as Froggy is with him!

Road Trip Update

Okay! I have some more details to share about our upcoming road trip. We are leaving on Thursday, Sept 29 and driving for two solid days until we get relatively close to Ann Arbor. Why? Because on Saturday we have TICKETS FOR THE MICHIGAN/MINNESOTA GAME!!!!!!!!!! Back to the Big House I go. We've already ordered Jason his first MICHIGAN shirt, so he'll be dressed for the occasion! So excited to get to spend a day in Ann Arbor, to show Jason my school and to see the changes for myself. I'm definitely going to stop by my old co-op (where I lived for 3 years) and see what's changed. :) Who knows? Maybe they'll even let me in the door! And you know? That makes me think of a couple of good stories (one in particular) that I should write on this blog. Hmmm....

Jason's trip keeps getting extended, so now he'll be gone for the entire month of October, arriving back at the Ranch sometime around the 27th/28th, when we'll spend one day letting him rest, and then pack up the car and head for Florida. Because he's going to be gone so long and it will be SOOOO quiet on the ranch (the rest of the seasonal staff leaves on Oct 1), I'm going to ask the Ranch Manager if I can have some family here for my birthday weekend. That'll break up the quiet and give me something to look forward to. Fingers crossed for me, okay? I'm nervous about asking because they've already given me the opportunity to drive with Jason to New Hampshire... Well, the worst they can say is no, right?

Our next group grew suddenly from three guests to six. That's the way it works sometimes - people invite themselves up here. What can you do? They've changed their dates from this weekend to next week, so I have a couple extra days to get the cabins ready. And then we'll head out on our adventure before they're gone. When I get back to the Ranch on Oct. 5, I'll start closing down cabins for the season.

I harvested some of the Red/White/Purple Potato blend today. Still excited about potatoes! Tony's using them in tonight's dinner. :) They're mostly dirty in the photo, but you can see bits of color. This is the output from just 5 seed potatoes, and it doesn't even include the ones I pulled out to save for next year's potato crop!