The time is now

I occasionally have to do something that I would prefer to think that I will do "Some time in the future."  Most times if the task has to do with a major goal then it will end up on a list or in the calendar in due time, but some require a bit of prodding.  There is no time like the present, carpe diem, don't put off 'till tomorrow what you could get done today, etc.  I can rah-rah all day wit this motivational art fodder however it always seems to come down to the same question for me, if I don't do it now what will be the change that will make me do it then.  Since I am too logical to believe my own hype I usually end up just getting it done and being happier for it.  Sometimes it is good to think about where we get the strength to do everyday things as well as those tasks that require just a little more strength.

-TODD

Best new bread recipe

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on a new recipe for Apple, Raisin, and Pecan bread.  The product is so good that I literally ate almost the entire loaf by myself, so good in fact that my wife ate some and she does not normally eat the breads.  So here it is:

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 green apples diced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine, melted
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Cream ½ cup butter, gradually adding sugar; beat until light and fluffy.
2.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3.  Dissolve soda in buttermilk; add to batter, mixing well.
4.  Stir in flour with a large spoon.
5.  Add vanilla, and stir well with large spoon.
6.  Stir in apples, Pecans and raisins.

7.  With a basting brush lightly coat bread pans with applesauce then sprinkle with all-purpose flour.
8.  Spoon mixture into the 2 prepped loaf pans.
9.  Drizzle melted butter over loaves.
10.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; stir well, and sprinkle over loaves.
11. Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes.
12. Cool in pan 5 minutes; turn out on wire rack.

You can make half for one loaf but I fully recommend that you make two the first time because it will disappear very quickly. 

Growing the future

The next generation of garden is ready to spring forth, right now there are 3 different cucumber pots getting ready to be transplanted.  Also in the mix, is a yellow jubilee tomato plant to add some variety.  Unfortunately the last crop just did not pay out and the garden has been marking time waiting for rejuvenation.  I almost always start everything in Jiffy pellets and that is the case here also, Yesterday the last two to sprout were transplanted into 4" pots and the largest is already in an 8" pot all in the miracle grow soil.  I am noticing that the Miracle grow comes dryer than the Scott's so a new tip is to spray the soil as you go for more uniform wetness as compared to watering the plant in as normal.  I am avoiding going too crazy before any potential move but it is always a strong decision to grow more veggies.

-TODD

Gardening going forward

The next generation of garden is ready to spring forth, right now there are 3 different cucumber pots getting ready to be transplanted.  Also in the mix, is a yellow jubilee tomato plant to add some variety.  Unfortunately the last crop just did not pay out and the garden has been marking time waiting for rejuvenation.  I almost always start everything in Jiffy pellets and that is the case here also, Yesterday the last two to sprout were transplanted into 4" pots and the largest is already in an 8" pot all in the miracle grow soil.  I am noticing that the Miracle grow comes dryer than the Scott's so a new tip is to spray the soil as you go for more uniform wetness as compared to watering the plant in as normal.  I am avoiding going too crazy before any potential move but it is always a strong decision to grow more veggies.

-TODD

Skin care...intensive skin care

Yesterday I got most of the tanning chemicals and oils ordered from Knoblock's, a premier provider to the tanning industry.  I am considering doing the deer hide if I get one this week, tanning is a valuable skill that I have long been interested in for this purpose and since I am getting started anyhow I am looking forward to getting as much use out of my new skill as I can.  Snakes are also on the list, I have officially begun seeking a large snake hunter who is in need of a partner.  It is interesting that I have had this on my mind so much of late and yesterday I found a show filmed in Miami-Dade County that features the Fire Dept. chasing these snakes it is called Swamp Wars and I do believe that they may have the coolest job ever.  I need to know if I have the strength to handle a 20 foot snake.

-TODD

Missed the woods for the trees

I am doing my annual fall dance between the woods and the homestead.   At home I have a wife and animals plus a little garden that keeps me interested and sometimes fed.  As of last year I have added another dimension i.e. the lake.  The lake is awesome for gators and pigs and friends, but not so much for the family. I am looking forward to a potential move in the near future that will put me within walking distance of a wilderness area and bring that aspect of my life closer to my home life.  Balance is what I am looking for, balance of things I like and things I love.  So far I am incorporating everything relatively well but it looks like my life is coming into even closer alignment with my goals and desires and then who knows what we can add next if I just have the strength to plan and live these daily dreams.

-TODD

Hey you have got some thick skin.

In anticipation of bringing the next gator back to the house for full processing and tanning I am beginning to research the process and appropriate materials.  FloridaFishandhunt.comFloridaFishand Hunt.com  is a website that I am new to but I really like their layout and information, click the link and check out their alligator skinning and butchering plan.  The info is about the same as you would find anywhere else bu the photos are a nice touch.  tanning skin and processing wild meat is a skill that hearkens back to the beginning of time and will serve me well into the future.  I will include photos and maybe a video or two when I start everything it should be a strong lesson.

-TODD

Well, that's just peachy

This afternoon I put the peach seed into some soil.  I liberated the seed from the pit via table vise after letting it dry for a week or so.  Planted 4" deep in Miracle Grow the little seed may bring big things.  I did mention the soil I am using since I am just beginning to use it, sort of a trial.  So now I have an avocado that has a nice root going and the shell is splitting on the seed, cherries and a plum are cooling off in the fridge prior to planting, and two oranges starting in 4" pots.  The goal obviously is to grow a bit of fruit and I am starting it in anticipation of having some ground of my own soon to plant it in.  I intend to do a bit more with the citrus by bringing in some lemon, lime and grapefruit but the oranges are the guinea pigs.  Hopefully I can work out the kinks of starting seedling prior to establishing my own mini grove.  I know the title leads toward the peaches but I am including a picture of the avocado 2 minutes ago.  I hope the root is strong!

-TODD

Can't keep a good man down

I was able as you can see to access the Blog.  A software program was to blame (a toolbar) for keeping me out.  Since the last post, we got an 11 foot gator for the freezer, turned some venison into homemade burger, got the IRA onto an auto pay program and got the next crop ready to go into the garden. This year we are growing yellow Jubilee tomatoes.  I am sure that I have missed something, but the good news is that I can share some strength with you again.

-TODD

And so began a grove...

I decided that if I live in Florida and I start trees I had ought to try my hand at citrus, good old fashioned Florida Oranges.  Not being the Citrus expert I looked to what is rapidly becoming my go to resource for how to start trees from seed, EHow.  Check out the page I am referencing during my first foray into the culture of this ideally suited South Florida plant.  I do have video, all of my thanks go to DVDSoft, without their free video converter software I never would have been able to share this poorly shot video with terrible sound...I guess that that will have to be next on the list of improvements.  All questions of quality aside, there will be more to come on the presentation front,  In the mean time check out the video and tell me what you think.

-TODD

Sharing is Caring

I thought ahead a couple of months ago and handed out some calabaza seeds to my co-workers.  I had been wanting to try to grow them myself, however my space limitations prohibited me from doing so.  When I got to work this morning one of my associates let me know that I have one coming my way and it is nearly ready.  I have been handing out seeds at work for nearly as long as I have been gardening but this was a new barter for me, each staff member got six seeds for the price of one calabaza (tropical pumpkin,)  not only do I get some produce that I can't grow at home but so do my friends with the added benefit that maybe one more person will get the itch to grow something they might otherwise overlook.  I guess that in our circle we are stronger together.

-TODD

What to do now?

Well, No gator this week, I guess that will have to wait a few days on that.  Since that is the case, I will be spending more time in the gardent this week to bring it back from it's hunting season coma.  The first step for me is going to be to do an evaluation of what the soil and climate will support and compare that to my particular uses and needs.  I am hoping to put in some Cherokee purple tomatoes and a few more bell pepper plants, these are all relatively easy to care for and fit in well with our diets.  If these will fit the rotation plan as well as fitting the criteria listed above then I will be starting the greenhouse up tonight and hopefully have some seedlings by this time next week if everything gets off to a strong start.

-TODD

Throwing away the wrapper

All of my life I have bought things and thrown away the wrapper, as a child I may have even been guilty of playing in the box a time or two.  Now I am an adult that is interested in doing more with what I have and getting more out of myself and my time.  So now the wrapper is a gator hide (or two,) and if I am so lucky a deer hide.  Well these are more than mere wrappers I know but the fact is I should be recycling everything that I can and the future uses of the leather will far exceed the cost of the process.  I went to Ehow and pulled up the process for the gators and will be trying it myself, with any luck I will be posting a lot of cool info about the process and results.  The material list is short and the work is detailed but I cannot get past the strong feeling of pride that I get from providing directly from nature to my family.

-TODD

Save some for later

I had to look up a shipment tracker for my box of MADE IN USA LED light bulbs from LEDNovations.  yesterday and go claim my box that was on hold in my wife's shipping and receiving area.  The first bulb is already in the wall and the others on standby.  It has become much easier for my to have American Made products, green products or other goods that matter to me by buying ahead.  We maintain a pantry area and thanks to the Man in the Can I am looking forward to starting canning later this year but this is my first foray into stocking up on not just supplies for everyday emergencies but also for the emergency that is everyday,  When I need that bulb it will already be waiting for me.  That is an easy answer that I like, buy extra and there is no good reason to find yourself compromising your values later to avoid an inconvenience, like buying Japanese bulbs rather than American just because imported bulbs are more available.  Stay Strong.

-TODD

The Strength to do it all.

"Have you given up on the garden?"  This is the question my wife asked me yesterday.  I thought about it and said, "No, why?"  Well it turns out that when I neglect thee garden for hunting season bugs still come, soil still dries out and the leaves still grow.  I have this tendency you see to focus 100% on one thing and take it as far as I can go, and while I am blazing new trails the old ones grow over.  This year when we get the new house I will put in a self-watering garden and try to make things workable for that quarter of the year that I would rather hang from a tree than water a plant.   That is just how things work in my mind If I like it, I love it, if I want it to continue however, I have to make it into a system; a watering system, a ring of marigolds to keep the bugs out, a pre-planned schedule to keep things working.  Strength  of all types is built over time including the strength to live a life I can be proud of, so next time I find I am marching full force into something new I will remember to look closely at the parts of my life I need to bring with me and make them  automatic.  So maybe next September my wife won't have to ask if I still garden.

-TODD

Making it Count

Whether I am going out hunting (like tonight,) buying LED light bulbs (waiting on a shipment right now,) running the garden or just learning a new recipe I know that I am making it count.   I have a list of goals that I have written about before.  Each goal has a number and every time I plan to do something even a s simple as reading a book I check to see how doing that moves me measurably toward my goals and which ones.  It can be one activity like reading an investment book, well that activity moves me toward my goal of being a steady long-term investor and my goal of being well read.  This activity gets two different numbers to demonstrate that it serves two goals.  Doing this little activity allows me to see all the progress that I weave into my life and gives me something to be grateful for every day.   I also go through my goals and plans book regularly and make a list of things I can do that materially moves me closer to all of my goals, having an activity like this to keep me on track gives me strength and it takes strength to make it count every day!

-TODD

P.S. I will be out in the field almost every day for the next week so posts will be irregular.  I will be taking notes and photos and hopefully I can figure out how to get my videos out on the blog also.

Meat Eater

Well I am in the process of getting some venison for the upcoming year and the season is off to a good start. Over the weekend I saw at least four different deer including two bucks. Where I hunt the rule is bucks only so even though does taste better, this year we will be eating one of the boys.  I did get some video of one while on my stand yesterday and I am still trying to get it to load onto the blog.  Finding the bucks and patterning their daily movements is the key to bringing one home, right now I have two different bucks staked out and I know what times of the day they are moving so it looks like a nice meal of venison is not too far off in the future.  Wild meat is not only free of Antibiotics and steroids but is also much leaner and heart healthy.  I am looking forward to going into the process of making homemade sausage when I have some meat to work with.  There is nothing stronger than an American who can survive on their own skills.

-TODD 

The Goal

This weekend is the magical opening weekend for big game archery season. This is my chance to fill the freezer with some free-range steroid and antibiotics free meat. This is also my chance to be in the wild for two to three days at a time each week for a quarter of the year. I don't know which aspect of hunting in the wild appeals to me the most but I do know that I would not want to live without any of it. I hope to have a couple of videos to post when I get back.

-TODD

A little strength at a time

Well I got a little programmable timer a couple of years ago and finally put it to good use. The coffee maker that has two lights on it as well as a backlit LCD clock display now comes on only from 5:00 AM until 9:00 AM. A small victory I know but one less phantom load taking a daily bite out of my wallet. So now I am looking around at what I can apply my 4-plug mechanical timer on...hmmm, I'll find something I'm sure and it will feel at least as good. A little strength in an ordinary day is just what the doctor ordered. By the way the timer cost me less that $5.00.

-TODD

Getting it right and SHARING it!

Well I have been playing around with the idea of adding media to the blog. So far I have come up with some ideas and the best seems to be video. I tried over the past weekend to video a wild deer to add to a blog post about nature and finding food in it, but the quality is so bad that you can only tell it is a deer for about 30 seconds and It is apparently a buck for about 10 seconds. The video is from my phone which takes excellent images but leaves something to be desired as a motion picture camera. My thought here is that I can share more through the use of video but if the video is poor so will the message be, so I will be using a Nikon coolpix that I have available to me until I fund a camera...MADE IN AMERICA of course. The Nikon while owned in Japan and made in China is free for my use so that is where I will start. Look forward to some cool videos covering the topics from the blog to be coming up as well as some garden images, the garden images will be up when the storms pass and I can take them. I am very excited to add this feature and hope that I can document some strong ideas. The strength of one life is compounded by bringing that strength to others.

-TODD