Humble Abode

I have been spending most of my time at the trailer lately--we have even slept there almost every night this week. Sure, there's no running water, no power, and it was only yesterday that we started to be able to put gray water down our sink to the septic tank--but that's part of the fun! It's summer! Why not live a little?

I've been busy cleaning, painting, and unpacking. Jason has been working on getting the skirting put on the trailer, and bucking up firewood for the wood stove we will be putting in the addition. Most of our clothes, etc., are still at Magnusson's, as well as our beds, but hopefully we will get most of our stuff moved this weekend.

So, a few photos, for those of you who have been asking:

Not exactly a beauty, but it's four walls, and that's all that matters.

Jabin making a funny face for the photo. The boys are having a snack on the floor in front of a built-in hutch in the dining room. I have not re-painted those oh-so-attractive doors yet--it's kind of low on the priority list. I'm thinking of sanding off what's there (it's that textured spray-on paint) and doing it distressed blue with bits of red showing through. What do you think?

We've been setting healthy records with our diet lately. Hot dogs 4 times a week! Whee!! (Can't wait for the power!)

Gotta go pack some more. I'll post more photos of the inside once I get my "afters" taken on the paint job!

Happy Friday!

Our Acreage Has Grown by Four Feet

Meet Shiloh.


He is the first animal of the four-legged variety to join our little "farm." We got him from the S.P.C.A. on Thursday.

I first went in on Tuesday, just before closing time. There wasn't time to really spend with any of the animals, but I asked the gal helping out there which dogs were at least two years old. She said she would ask, and then told us that "any of these dogs here would work, except that one, who isn't good with kids."

Shiloh's cute face caught my eye. Jude and I both thought he looked like a puppy, but after being told that he was over two, I shrugged. Our dog Jenna retained a very "puppy-ish" look well past two, so I thought this might be another example like that.

Wednesday we came back specifically to learn more about this cute little brown dog. Like the day before, while all the other dogs were barking and carrying on at our presence, he simply looked at us, all alertness. We took him for a walk, and he was energetic, but still manageable. We took a few photos to show Jason, and knew that if he said it was okay, this would be the dog we took home, despite the fact that the young guy who was volunteering had now reduced his age to a year! Oh, well, I thought. At least he won't have much "puppy time" left.

The next morning, after a trip to get dog food, we went and "adopted" our new boy. As the administrator was filling out the paperwork, she had Jabin pick a day in December to serve as his birthday.

"December?" I asked.

Hmmph. Eight months. So much for an adult dog who won't chew on everything. Good thing he is to be an outside dog only!

So far, he has worked out really well. He has not shown any sign of wanting to leave the yard--we tie him up at night, since we are not sleeping there, because we don't want him to run off after the wildlife or to come looking for us. He is a little shy of Jason, and we wonder if he may have been abused by a male before the S.P.C.A. got him as a stray. He sure has glommed on to me, though. And he stays with the boys while they are playing in the yard, for the most part (if he isn't with them, he is usually resting close to the trailer door, where I am working). He isn't keen about loud noises, and the only time I have heard him bark has been when there is a gun report echoing from the shooting range across the road, or when a vehicle has driven in. He isn't fond of the generator we are currently using to run the chop saw, either.

However, the first night, I spent about a half-hour with him on leash, and by the end he was starting to get the hang of "down" and "heel." He seems intelligent, and really hasn't chewed anything yet, although he's had opportunity. His biggest bad habit seems to be that he is a bit of a kleptomaniac! He absconded with Jason's tape measure yesterday, and has tried to do the same with several other tools!

So, not the perfect dog... but definitely lots of potential! All in all, I think Shiloh will end up being a good addition to our crew, as long as we work with him. I guess I don't mind getting a puppy that much after all. And really, who could resist this cute face?

Generation Gap

When I was a kid, I loved playing cards. With only one sibling and no friends close by, and the sibling sometimes prone to be contrary and NOT want to play with me (or vice versa), I early got the hang of Solitaire, or transforming other games into games that could be played alone. Now, as an adult, I realize that this strengthened my math skills and my sense of independence. (Maybe not my social skills...)

Yesterday afternoon, our van arrived at our property with two of the three kids asleep. Jude and Jabin were snoozing peacefully in their chairs, so Noah came into the trailer with me while I worked, quietly playing with toys for a few minutes, and then deciding on cards. During the spring, the boys had learned several card games--War and Memory being the two favourites. I have tried to teach Noah a basic form of Solitaire, but he has not done it enough to really get the hang of it. No matter--Memory (sometimes called Concentration) can easily be adapted to a single player.

Noah set about ordering his cards into neat, face-down rows. I would check in on him once in a while to see how he was doing. His progress was slow and meticulous, and the rows were neatly marching in line on the living room carpet when he finally began playing. After a while, I asked him how he was doing?

"Good!" he said. "The computer not winning!"

See, now I know why when I was a kid playing against myself it was always kind of boring... Because when you win against yourself, where is the glory in that? It also means that you've lost against yourself too, right?

But beating the computer... especially when you are not used to doing so... now that is really accomplishing something!

Where was my imagination when I needed it most?

About Canola

Here is a great article about why canola oil may not be the panacea that many people think it is. Yet one more example of how the traditional oils like butter and coconut oil, naturally high in heart-healthy saturated fat (did you know that our heart needs this?), have been demonized by those who make money from the consumption of manufactured, poly-unsaturated oils, while these "new-fangled" oils have been promoted as the "answer to all our problems," health-wise. Has anyone stopped to think that many of the health problems we are now trying to solve did not exist before these "new" oils appeared on the market in the first place?

Canola Oil: The Good, the Bad and The Ugly: (NaturalNews) Corn oil comes from corn: sunflower oil from sunflowers, sesame oil from sesame seeds, peanut oil from peanuts, olive oil from olives, Canola oil from...Canolas? What is a Canola? And why is the word "Canola" capitalized?

Canola is an engineered plant developed in Canada. The oil is derived from the rapeseed plant (an excellent insect repellent, by the way.) The rapeseed is a member of the mustard family. Rapeseed oil has been used extensively in many parts of the world, namely India, Japan, and China. Before the rapeseed was genetically engineered, about two-thirds of the monounsaturated fatty acids were erucic acid. Erucic acid was associated with Keshan's disease, a condition which is characterized by fibrous lesions of the heart. In the late 1970s, Canadian plant breeders were able to create a variety of rapeseed which produced a monounsaturated oil which was much lower in erucic acid. This "new" oil was originally called LEAR oil (Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed.) Neither "rape" nor "lear" created an appealing image: hence, Canola ...("Canada" and "oil.")

The good:

Canola oil is marketed as an oil very low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Diets high in saturated fats have been blamed for the incidence of higher levels of heart disease (although recent research is supporting the value of select saturated fats such as grass-fed beef and organic butter.) Studies involving a traditional Mediterranean diet which is naturally high in monounsaturated fats are pointing to lower rates of both cancer and heart disease.

Canola oil also possesses a beneficial omega-3 fatty acid profile. Recent research touts the myriad benefits of omega-3's.

Polyunsaturated oils have recently come under increased scrutiny. Yet, studies involving olive oil, a monounsaturated oil, point to positive health benefits and disease prevention. Being that Canola oil is a monounsaturated oil, this may make Canola oil superior to other polyunsaturated oils such as sunflower, corn, and safflower oil.

Canola oil is, for the most part, tasteless, -- making it a good choice for baked goods.

The bad:

Canola oil took the market by storm, as it is relatively inexpensive to produce, especially compared to olive oil. Olive oil has a long history of scientifically documented health benefits. The problem with olive oil is that there is not enough olive oil in the world to meet the industry's needs. In addition, olive oil is too expensive to use in most processed foods. Canola oil has filled this need for a mass-produced, publicly acceptable form of a monounsaturated oil.

Olive oil is the gold standard, documented with extensive research. Quality olive oil (Extra Virgin, Cold-pressed) is manufactured by this simple process: The olives are pressed, the oil collected. The food oil industry is promoting Canola oil as an equally healthy twin to olive oil. This is deceptive, as there are few studies involving Canola oil and human health. (Numerous animal studies point to serious and deleterious effects of canola oil on rats and pigs.)

In addition to the genetic modification, the process of making Canola oil is troubling. The procedure involves a combination of high-temperature mechanical pressing and solvent extract, usually using hexane. Hexane! Even after considerable refining, traces of the solvent remain. Like most vegetable oils, Canola oil also goes through the process of bleaching, degumming, deodorizing, and caustic refining, at very high temperatures. This process can alter the omega-3 content in the oil, and in certain conditions bring the trans fat level as high as 40 percent.

The Ugly:

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find products that do not contain Canola oil. A popular "crafty" mayonnaise brand boasts the phrase "With Olive Oil," along with a picture of an olive and olive leaves on the front label. Upon reading the fine print in the ingredients on the back label, you discover that Canola oil is listed at the top of the long paragraph, olive oil near the end. Even worse are products promoting that they are made with olive oil, yet listed in the ingredients, the manufacturers state: "May include olive, Canola, or sunflower oil." The consumer thinks they are buying salad dressing made with olive oil, yet it could be Canola or sunflower oil. This is insulting to the health conscious population.

Canola oil is victim to both hype and hoax. To view both the hype and the hoax, visit Snopes.com and type in: "Canola Oil."

The only way to prove either hype or hoax is to do more human studies evaluating the safety of this mass-produced and consumed human-engineered oil. The FDA claims that genetically altered/engineered foods are perfectly safe. (They made this same claim with Thalidomide and Vioxx.)

At least the FDA has taken a stance to protect babies from the unknown risks of Canola oil. The FDA prohibits Canola oil from being used in infant formula. Shouldn't we know why?

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2009, February 13)

MG Enig, Trans Fatty Acids in the Food Supply: A Comprehensive Report Covering 60 Years of Research, 2nd Edition, Enig Associates, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, 1995

Wall Street Journal, June 7, 1995, p. B6

By Cindie Leonard.

Top 5's

This is just a little "survey of me" of my current faves:

Top 5 favourite recorded albums:

1. Steven Curtis Chapman - Declaration
2. Josh Groban - Awake
3. Alison Krauss - Now That I've Found You
4. Bianca Ryan - Bianca Ryan
5. Mark Schultz - Stories & Songs

Bonus (because I couldn't decide): Casting Crowns - Lifesong

Top 5 favourite fiction books:

1. Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. Pay It Forward - Catherine Ryan Hyde
3. A Voice In The Wind (series) - Francine Rivers
4. Otherland (series) - Tad Williams
5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo

Top 5 favourite movies:

1. You've Got Mail
2. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
3. The Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (okay, all three really)
4. Happy Feet
5. Gladiator

That's all the top 5's I feel like narrowing down right now. I thought of doing top 5 favourite songs, but I think the sheer impossibility of me deciding on only 5 favourites would put me into a nervous breakdown, so we're just going to stop here.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Money Talk

Yesterday, we were in the van on the way to town when Jude pipes up.

"Mom, I know how to make a hundred and five dollars!"

"Really? One hundred and five?" I asked, thinking the number of choice a little odd. In my mind, I'm imagining what scheme he might be about to relate. Sell 105 rocks for a dollar each? Get 105 people to give you a buck if you can skip for a minute? Hand-drawn counterfeits of a one hundred- and a five-dollar bill? Who knows with this kid, right?

"Yep. You take five, and you add a hundred to it, and that's how you get a hundred and five!"

Ah. Simply working out the addition of the numbers. Now I get it. Only one thing missing.

"And then you have to put a dollar sign in front," I added.

"Oh."

Now, if only he could make a dollar for every time the perfectly correct usage of the English language ambiguously implies multiple meanings, he could be a millionaire!