Farmer Helen

This summer I have created a nice garden.  It is fun and I enjoy the time in the yard.  But I will be surprised if this is cost effective.  So far I have spent the following:

Soil $120 for 2 yards delivered:  I once heard this quote:  "I would rather put a $5 plant in $30 soil than a $30 plant in $5 soil."  I learned the hard way last year that good soil is critical.  Our soil is mostly clay so I got 2 yards of planters soil delivered to mix in with the current soil.

Mulch $200 for 2 yards delivered:  I am really, really good at growing weeds.  Maybe the best in the neighborhood.  I do not like to use chemicals to keep weeds away but all the watering makes more than just the plants want to grow.  So I plant everything and then mulch like crazy.  I like to use Gorilla Hair Mulch because it matts down nicely and mostly stays where you put it.

Water:  Not only do I need to spend a bit watering the plants.  I also use quite a bit soaking the greens and then rinsing the greens as I prepare them to eat.  Hard to know the cost of water because we are on a tiered system.  The first 5,000 gallons of water is only .0024 cents a gallon.  The second tier is .00342 cents a gallon.  I usually never hit the 3rd tier that starts at 15,000 gallons and cost .0042 per gallon.  I like this tiered plan because it encourages conservation- the more you use, the more expensive it gets.

Seeds $12:  I bought radish and cilantro seeds.  I also tried to plant some pepper, lavender and carrots but seed but none of those germinated.

Starter Plants $70:  I bought six tomato starter plants at the farmer's market.  I know I could have gotten these cheaper but there is so much fracking going on near me, I wanted to know exactly where the plants were started and that there were free of fracking soil and chemicals.  Some other plants I got for fun were:  Bok Choy (already harvested- YUM!!!!), Kale (3 kinds), Swiss Chard, Brussel Sprouts, and Celery.

Garden in a Box $70 from  Center for ReSource Conservation:  This is my second year using Garden in a Box.  I love it.  This year I got the Xeric Greatest Hits for my perennial flower garden out front.  I also got the Savory Seasonings vegetable garden.

Ultimately I will say this is a fun hobby.  I will not be harvesting enough to cover the costs but at least I am making good use of the land, learning a little bit about farming and enjoying fresh picked greens.  Here are a couple pictures of the garden so far.  I hope to post and update around harvest time.

Biking in Hygiene

Bad News:  The mountains are still filled with snow which limits hiking choices.
Good News:  While trying to cross train, I learned that I happen live near some fantastic bike routes in Hygiene.  So while I am not wearing biker shorts (and have no plans to do so any time soon,) I am enjoying this new-to-me sport of road cycling.  Here is a video of one of my favorite loops- a 14 mile relatively flat trip that starts and ends right at home.... How lucky are we to live with such great routes right from our house?

Snowshoeing to Chuck's Hut

Since I moved to Colorado I have wanted to plan a hut trip.  So back in August I logged into the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association and looked for a family friendly destination.  Normally it requires a lot more planning than a few months so I  was surprised when I saw Chuck's Hut was available.  Granted it was for a Sunday night but I figured I would follow my dad's advice (via Huck Finn):  "Never let schoolwork interfere with your education."  I asked everyone if they were on board and booked the hut.
Fast forward a few months to mid January when I looked up my reservations.  I noticed a slight problem- our hut trip was for Super Bowl Sunday.  Well- no problem.  Usually we don't even know who is playing.  But as every week got closer it was more and more obvious that the Broncos would be headed to the Super Bowl this year.
Oh well- what's done is done and I was not about to give up our hut trip for a football game.  So we headed to REI, bought a backpack and some freeze dried meals, ordered a radio from Amazon and headed up to Vail Pass.  On our way we stopped at Dam Brewery in Dillon to get a good hot meal before our trek began.  From the trailhead it was 2.7 miles to Chuck's hut.  This does not sound hard but between the wind, the snow, the slight incline and the 10,500 altitude, it was far enough for a family outing.  After about two hours we arrived at the hut.  It was like a little dream in the woods.
And even the Super Bowl worked out fine because we were able to tune it in perfectly on the radio.  Here are some outside views:

And in case you want some more details, here is a short youtube video I made about our trip.  I would certainly tell anyone interested to go ahead and plan your trip- even if it does turn out to be on Super Bowl Sunday!

Goals Update

Here is my blog post from a year ago with some of my 2015 goals.  I wrote in red how I accomplished them:

Here are some things I hope to do in 2015 (in no particular order.)

1. Make it to my 50th state. About 14 years ago I was up to 49 states and I just have not had reason to visit my final state, Louisiana. Here is hoping this is the year I make it to New Orleans!  Has not happened yet- maybe 2016?

2. Complete an overnight backpacking trip. I don't think I have been backpacking since my Alaskan honeymoon almost 18 years ago!  YES!  Haunch Lake on the west side of RMNP.  AMAZING!

3. Go to more live music- especially a concert at Red Rocks and Rockygrass in Lyons.  YES! Steely Dan at Red Rocks and Rockygrass.  Love both those places.

4. Go on a Xc ski or snowshoe hut trip.  YES-  sort of.... We have a hut booked for next month.

5. Become a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. The competition is stiff but a girls gotta dream!  NO:(

6. Complete the RMNP Hiking Challenge: In celebration the the 100th Anniversary of becoming a National Park I want to hike 100 miles. I am going to use my friend's Rich and Holly's strict definition of unique miles which means six miles out and back will only count as three miles. In addition, I will make it a goal to get to RMNP at least once a month in order to see it in all the seasons.  YES! This was an excellent goal and we hiked over 220 miles (135 unique miles).  Still many more destinations to enjoy.  

7. Once and for all conquer my sweet tooth- not even sure if this goal is POSSIBLE but I sure do feel better when I stay away from sugar and flour.  YES! NO! YES! NO!  Depends on the day!

It's the Little Things

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope you had a nice holiday season.  As I was trying to think of what to get my loved ones for the holidays, I was struggling.  There are many things I love about having teenagers, but I have to admit buying legos and doll clothes was a lot easier than shopping for teenagers.  But I tried to find some little surprises they would like.  And it turns out while I am sure they would have gladly loved to get a $600 iPhone- they were still filled with joy to receive some gifts from the heart.  Usually after they open their presents I ask them to pick their top three gifts and pose for a photo.  Laurel took no time to grab the popcorn maker, a bottle of kernels and some snazzy leggings for her picture and Owen grabbed Harry Potter postage stamps, Deep Space book and some Lego Brick Greek Myths and Fairy Tales.  So again I am reminded that it is the little things that really matter.

Treasured Family Recipe

I am practically vegetarian so it may come as a surprise that the one meal I really miss is filled with only 5 ingredients and 2 are meat.  But the ratio is heavenly and I just love Ragout.  So here is what I know about this family recipe:  My paternal grandmother, Helen Ann McMahon would make this recipe.  She died months before I was born and so I never got to have her dish.  But thankfully my mom learned to make it and it was often the choice for a special birthday meal in my family.  I cannot recall the last time I had it but I requested if she could teach me while out here visiting.  So here are the details:

In a frying pan, brown one pound of bacon until crisp- in my opinion, the best you can find.  We got ours at Your Butcher Frank in Longmont, CO.  Then add 2 cups of finely chopped onion to the bacon and caramelize.
The rest of the recipe is best made in a cast iron stove.  We used our 14" Dutch Oven that we use for camping.  This was a bit of an overkill but worked better than a typical pot would have.  Transfer bacon and onion to the cast iron stove, along with the bacon fat because this provide all the seasoning a flavor you will need.  Add two and a half pounds of cubed London Broil and brown that.

After the beef is browned, add approximately two cups of carrots and two cups of potatoes.

 Stir frequently over medium heat.  After about two hours of slow cooking it will all be somewhat mushed together.  Add liquid (we just did water) if it starts to stick before everything is soft.

Usually we serve it with homemade coleslaw and bread.  I also like to have a nice glass of red wine with it.  It is hard to believe such a flavorful dish is made with only 5 ingredients and all the seasoning comes from the bacon and the caramelizing of the onions.  So there you have it- Helen McMahon's Ragout.  

Old Fashioned Road Trip

This month my mom came to visit us in Colorado.  I always try to balance her visits with some down time to visit around the house along with some sort of trip to experience something new together.  Grammy had mentioned she only had one state left to say she had been to all fifty.  Any guess which state was left?  No- not Hawaii...North Dakota!  I checked google maps and saw it was less than ten hours to ND.  But I did not want to simply drive to the border and turn around.  We had to DO something there.  I googled and read up on the state and decided a very fitting finale for Grammy's 50th state would be a stay at an Abby.  So we had a destination for our mini-roadtrip:  Assumption Abby in Richardton, ND.  We broke up the drive by staying in Cluster, SD  both on the way there and the way home.

We really enjoyed seeing Custer State Park and all the buffalo on the Wilderness Loop, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

As we drove to North Dakota I thought at first I had missed the "real" highway but turns out the two lane road in the middle of cow pastures really was the main way.  After we crossed into ND we took a slightly more scenic northern route on the Enchanted Highway, a road that also had large sculptures every few miles.

When we arrived at the Abby we followed the directions to locate our room.  I really did not know what to expect since I have never been to an Abby before but what a wonderful surprise.  We had two nice rooms at the end of the hall.  We went to morning prayer and ate the silent (and delicious) breakfast with the monks.  Then we walked around to enjoy the gardens and the prarie.  We visited with some of the monks and I really enjoyed their hospitality, friendliness and openness.  We also bought some soap made at the abby in the gift shop.  I went back for the prayer service before lunch.  Then we all gathered in the dining hall to say grace before a tasty lunch with quiche, salads and a ginger square dessert.  We would have liked to stay at the Abby the additional night as we had planned.  But after the drive up, I realized it was not realistic to drive straight home so we left after lunch so we could get to Custer and sleep before driving home the next morning.

Notice the nice t-shirts in the pictures?  Laurel designed them to commemorate the big day.  The front said "Grammy's 50th State" and the back had her photo inside an outline of North Dakota and it said "North Dakota or Bust!".

I continue to enjoy a good road trip- fun company, music, a cooler full of cold cuts and seltzer and the spirit to love whatever comes around the corner- be it a buffalo, a narrow bridge or a giant tin family.

We live in an amazing country and if you have not gotten out to enjoy it lately fill up the tank and get driving!