Neighbors

Neighbors - in the country you hope for good ones as you're bound to depend on them at some point for something. When things are sailing along, you might share a beer or a glass of wine on the spur of the moment. Other times, someone may just pop by to say hi. But when you're in a pinch, a good neighbor is worth his weight in gold.

Over the years my neighbors have taught me what kind of fuel to use on a burn pile (diesel, not gas), which side of the fence post to run the fencing (inside, not out), how to burn a field (against the wind) and how to run a chain saw. They've given me their wine, a burn barrel (hmmm, fire theme) and friendship. They've helped me and I've helped them.

But this week I was flabbergasted (don't get to use that word much). Melissa knew I was working on a kitchen remodel. Bill was on his way up from San Fran. Out of the blue he offered to haul up and install some inexpensive, but very nice granite slabs. Really - why? Just cuz he wanted to... how nice! Shall we say the kitchen project is off to a great start!

My neighbors are more than folks that live near me, they're my friends.

The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it. - Emerson.

Lula Belle

Last night I stopped to feed the goats on the way back from a walk with the dogs. As I was putting down grain dishes, I noticed Lula Belle was missing. I'd remembered seeing her grazing by the fence that morning so she couldn't be far. Upon further investigation, I found her in the exact spot, but she wasn't grazing - her head was stuck between the wires in the fence. Poor thing, she'd gotten her head and horns thru the same small hole and couldn't get out. And no matter what, I couldn't twist her head in the right way to pull her out either.

I went back to the shop, got some tools and returned to cut her out. As I began to work, she began to chew on my pant leg - I realized she'd probably been stuck there over night and was starving (well as starving as an overfed goat can be). 45 minutes with a hack saw (steel rod fencing doesn't want to be cut with a pair of wire cutters), sawing a little to close to her head for comfort, and I was able to open the fence enough to free her. Surprisingly she didn't seem any worse for wear and was back in the shed just in time for another hail storm. Lula Belle is the most mild mannered one of the bunch, but is usually the one to get herself into a bind.

Crispy Critter

I was driving into town this morning when I started smelling burnt Chinese food, specifically what I imagine burnt fried rice would smell like. This would have been fine had I been going past a Chinese food joint, but I was driving thru grass fields. I didn't want there to be anything wrong with my car, so I tried to ignore it - this works really well, if you want something to go away just ignore it and it will :)

This little trick didn't seem to be working today, so once I was in town I decided to go see Matthew the mechanic. This guy is great - loves to figure things out and go over all the possibilities in great detail. It always takes at least 2 guys to look under the hood and make comments (yep, that smells bad... sort of like burning pine needles... doesn't smell like oil... nope, don't see any oil leaks). There was smoke coming from under a tin shield over the catalytic converter (the thing that makes your exhaust emissions less toxic, I think). Matthew expertly poked under there with a long bent wire and dislodge a few chard bits. The conclusion... either I have some hunk of pine needles stuck in there (which I don't) or a poor little field mouse wanted to get warm and dry and instead got barbecued to a crisp. I feel bad enough for the mouse, but now I have to smell his poor chard remains until they're completely gone - yuck!

Goat Pedicures

Trimming goat hooves is no fun for anyone. The goats don't like it and I don't like making them uncomfortable. But, it must be done and everyone feels better after a little pedicure.

Usually the goats resist being tied up and its a wrestling match to keep them still, so I talked a friend into helping. Mark was great with the animals (until Sally tried to head butt him) and everyone did pretty well - especially Blanche, who just stood there patiently. Fortunately, the hooves weren't in as bad a shape as I'd imagined... I should have done this 2 months ago and was feeling guilty about neglecting it for so long. I'd forgotten their hooves are softer this time of year because the ground's damp from all the rain, so the trimming went quickly. It was almost so easy, I felt silly having asked for help... next time I'll be doing it myself.

It's not what we do that's so important, but how much we love what we put into what we do: we should all do small things with great love.
- Mother Teresa

Rise and Shine

I'm not a fan of getting up any too early, especially in the dark winter months, but there are days when it can't be avoided. Yesterday I was resisting - I was so cozy in bed and it was still dark out. But, I needed to take the dogs for a quick run before some early morning meetings. I should know better... there is no such thing as a quick run when you're on a tight schedule. You never know what you'll run into, but there's usually something.

So out the door we went with hardly a hint of light in the sky. Once we were out the gate, Bogart and Eloise began sniffing and circling the field wildly (please, no deer to chase or skunks to mess with). As the light began to come up over the hill, they started running full force and I could see what they were on to... a herd of 40-50 elk about 150 yards away. I started to yell "come" and "leave it", but that's just stupid - why would you come when there's a herd of elk right in front of you!

The elk began to move and I thought for sure the dogs would be chasing a stampede all the way to the woods (no short run on a tight schedule), but then the elk stopped. The dogs ran right up to them, probably said "good morning" and started back. The elk just watched and didn't move until I got within 50 yards.

This morning I saw a lone coyote crossing the field as we returned from a long walk. Both sightings were well worth getting out of bed.

Happiness in a Bag of Beans

Recently, Kate gifted me with a bag of beans. No ordinary beans, these came from a gourmet food shop she visited near Napa... there were corona, canellini and another un-named variety all wanting to be transformed into something fabulous. As excited as I was to have varieties of beans I normally don't have access to, I also loved the story about the shop... you enter this old house thru what seems to be the kitchen door and you arrive in a room, with walls covered in business cards that have probably been there 50 years. The shop is filled with the best imported salamis, finest olive oils and other food treasures. You don't even label the beans as you scoop them from the bin - the proprietor knows each bean and its price.

The cannelinnis found themselves into my favorite vegetable soup recipe:

Havenhill's Soup au Pistou

This is the French version of Minestrone and is topped with sauce au pistou or basil sauce. Traditional recipes for basil sauce are similar to pesto without the pine nuts, but I use my favorite pesto sauce, which I made at the end of the summer and is waiting in the freezer for this batch of soup or a bowl of pasta. This soup should be made with the seasons - vary the vegetables with what you like and what's in season. In the summer it can be served cold. Anytime of year add some crusty bread and a hunk of cheese and you'll have a delicious meal.

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound dried small white beans (canellini or Great Northern), soaked overnight
1Tbsp herbes de Provence
1 pound pumpkin or winter squash, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, core removed and flowerettes separated
1 1/2 pound zucchinis, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 (14.5) oz can chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Pesto (recipe follows)
Freshly grated Parmesan

In a stock pot combine the olive oil and onions and saute until the onions are fragrant and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Add the beans and pumpkin. Stir to coat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water and simmer, partially covered, until beans and pumpkin are just tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and simmer 5 more minutes. Then add the zucchini and tomatoes. Simmer another 5 minutes or until all the veggies are tender, but not mushy.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a generous dollop of pesto and Parmesan cheese.

My Favorite Pesto

Pesto is easy and can be altered to your taste. I started using this as my base many years ago. It came from a guy at my farmers market in Denver - he sold the best basil and lettuce (that's it). Try to make pesto at the end of summer with fresh basil and freeze in little half-pint jars - you'll be delighted in the middle of winter. Once you open a jar, just make sure to keep a layer of olive oil on the top and it will stay bright green in the fridge for weeks. I make my pesto thicker for adding to soups and then I can thin with olive oil or broth for pasta or pizza sauce as I like.

4 cups basil
4 cloves garlic, minced (add more if you like)
1 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup olive oil (more if needed)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt to taste

Combine the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add more oil as needed and salt to taste.