Finally, another post! (It's been awhile)

 Ari at here 21st birthday celebration at the Wilde Rover Celtic pub. Our friend Safe bought her a CD by our musician friend Dan (to the right).

 It's thistle season in the Northwest

Anni leading the way on our recent hike through the woods.

 Anni went to gourmet cooking camp for a week. Here's the salad Nicoise she made during
French cooking day.

 The sun is shining and the veggies are growing. Here we have sage, chives, zucchini, berries, Thai basil, salad, greens, peas, squash blossoms, Italian basil, mint, calendula, and tomatoes.

 We took a trip to the San Juan Islands aboard the Washington State Ferries.

 We had a wonderful breakfast at this restaurant overlooking the harbor.

 We laughed at the name of this boat from our home town.

 Why is Ari so enthusiastic about this tree?

 She loves its cool umbrella shape.

 Alex attempting to hit peak speed along the Sammamish River trail.

 Here's the set-up for my camping trip with my friend Lisa, who'd never been camping.

We spent Thursday through Sunday camping at the NW Herbal Faire.  We enjoyed organic food, workshops on Herbalism and more, terrific music, and friendly folks, all in a beautiful lake side setting in the Walker Valley, near Mount Vernon. And the weather was gorgeous!

A dragon fly resting on a wild cherry twig during an herbal plant identification walk.

 Rafe Pearlman provides some beautiful tunes at the Faire.

 While the farmer was away, the garden got to play and grow and grow and grow. This was the daily harvest when I got back on Sunday.

 And here's today's harvest. Veggies galore! Today we went to Pike Place Market. We ate hombows and chatted with merchants. Today's finds were fresh oysters, local apple sausages, mushrooms, peaches, cilantro, French bread, basil garlic pasta, giant tomatoes, huckleberries, and peanut butter doggie biscuits (for Barkley, the wonder doodle). It was a beautiful warm day in the Seattle area.

 What's in this beautiful mini bouquet? Thai basil leaves, mint flowers, radish flowers, dandelions, and clover flowers. Who says weeds can't be fun?

This one has radish flowers and mini flowers. It was our centerpiece for dinner tonight. A lovely, no cost, no mileage bouquet!

New Goal!

The funny farmers have added a new goal (#9) to the list. Whenever possible buy used, good for the environment and the bank account. One of our other goals this year was to do more with less. We'd love to travel more often around our region. Therefore, we are having adventures in buying used.

Today, Anni and I went shopping for cold weather gear for the gals. We hit two local used establishments, one a nonprofit for foster kids and the other our town's Value Village. We scored! Anni found 4 pairs of nearly new cords, a pair of waterproof boots, three sweaters, 4 long sleeved shirts, a tank top, a belt, a Zingo game, and a valentine book. I found waterproof boots for Ari, 12 current books, a down vest, a lacy evening dress, a shirt, and high end sweater. And the grand total for 33 really nifty (some designer) items was, drum roll please, $110. We put the money we saved into our vacation savings account - way cool!

While we putting these items away, we cleared out our closet of things that no longer fit our bodies or our styles. These were donated to another local nonprofit. We love win-win-wins

Weekend Wackiness

It was a busy first weekend in October! On Saturday, we went to the Salmon Festival in Issaquah. There was a long parade, hundreds of craft and what-not vendors, food, and of course the salmon were running by the hundreds in Issaquah creek. A good time was had by all.

Today, we headed across Lake Washington to the Seattle Center which was hosting a multitude of events. First on our list was Brickcon, the annual display of incredible things build out of Legos. We saw a town, outer space, castles, forest, a Chinese gate, a tribute to Japanese animation, a portrait of President Obama, steam punk vehicles and so much more all built with these hardy little bricks. There was much oohing and ahing.

Then we headed across the fountain to Arts Crush. What's that you ask? It's the kick off event for the performing arts in the Seattle area. Free tickets, 2 for 1 deals, and discounts abounded for plays, comedy, dance, and music. We left with 6 free tickets and a program of events to keep us busy during the L-O-N-G Northwest rainy season. Ari and I are headed to a play at Book It Theatre on Wednesday! We love win-wins.

And finally, we checked out the Northwest Tea Festival. $5 got you a ceramic tea tasting cup and then you were off to sample tea until you could hold no more. My favorite was a coconut tea from the tea purveyors out of Pike Place Market. Other winners were Choice's organic Fruity Rooibus and their Wild Forest Black teas. Our favorite tea concept was the little tea shop (3 Cups of Tea) in Bothell that donates profits to help build schools in underdeveloped countries (yes, like that book of the same name). Another win-win.

After all of our weekend adventures, we came home and put our feet up!

Quadruple Win:wins

Today was a beautiful day in the Northwest. We decided to have a day of fun.

First stop was the Seattle Friends of the Library book sale. It was huge! There was a whole warehouse full of books! Ari was in pure heaven! We left with 2 bags full. Ari found lots of scary books. Alex found an adventure book in his favorite series. Anni found 5 reading books, and I had a boxful of environmental books. All of our books were $1 a piece, and the money raised supports library programs. So, here's the first win:win.

Today was the Smithsonian's visit a museum for free day. You could print a coupon online for admission to many museums across the country. We went to the Experience Music Project (EMP) and the Science Fiction Museum at the Seattle Center for FREE! I liked the Jimmie Hendricks exhibit. The kids loved seeing all the sci-fi aliens and robots. It was WAAAAY COOOOL!, and our second win:win of the day.

After a quick lunch at the Seattle Center, we set off for home. Along the way we passed the Juanita Community Garage Sale at Marina Park. We pulled in for a brief browse. I had $9 in my pocket. I left with an antique wooden bowling game ($2), 2 really nice wicker lamp shades ($1 for the pair), a 3 tier serving tray ($1), and best of all new curtains ($5 for four 84" panels) for my dining room that are a perfect complementary match to the decor. I saved tons not having to buy new curtains, and we helped keep usable stuff out of the landfill. This was the third win:win.

And finally, Ari and I set out for RASP this evening. No, RASP is not short for raspberry. It's the acronym for the Redmond Association of the Spoken Word (used to be poetry). I read a humorous poem, in rhyme no less, featuring catapulting sasquatches, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Natasha and Boris, Ruby, a mayor and skipping. Lisa read a great piece about grits. There was also a featured author talking about her book and several other speakers. This goes on the last Saturday evening of each month. It's great fun, and FREE! The final win:win of the day.

NWEI

Hi everyone! Folks have asked us how we learned to do all the stuff we do on the funny farm. Well, it all started with a course and a book.

The course was Voluntary Simplicity from the Northwest Earth Institute and the book was Plenty. Well, Seattle's branch of the Northwest Earth Institute is offering 24 classes throughout the greater Seattle area this fall! Many are offered on the eastside of Lake Washington. These courses get my vote as both a win:win for all the wonderful information and cool folks you'll encounter and a real bargain.

So you are all invited to:

CATCH THE GREEN VIRUS!

Plan to attend an introductory presentation about Northwest Earth Institute discussion courses on:
§ Global Warming
§ Menu for the Future
§ Healthy Children, Healthy Planet
§ Choices for Sustainable Living
§ Discovering a Sense of Place
§ Voluntary Simplicity
§ Deep Ecology

The presentations will provide background information on these Northwest Earth Institute discussion courses. Those who wish to participate in a course will be able to sign up at the presentation, and the meeting days and times will be chosen then.

The courses are participant-facilitated, based on readings drawn from authors including: Wendell Berry, Vicki Robin, Linda Breen Pierce, Paul Hawken, Rachel Carson, William J. Doherty, Eric Schlosser, Juliet Schor, Joanna Macy, Donella Meadows, Lester Brown.

The classes are free. There is a small charge for the course materials.

These courses are developed and sponsored by the Northwest Earth Institute (http://www.nwei.org/) Please see the website http://www.nweiseattle.org/ of the Seattle chapter for specific information.

The mission of the Northwest Earth Institute is: Inspiring people to take
responsibility for Earth.

Please call Chris if you have any questions, at: 425-889-4724.

Fruit and Vegfull

Friday's garden harvest!

The first tomatillos of the season! Along with some beans, chives, and parsley.

The tomatoes and basil.

The haul of squash, 8 more! Zucchini 100: 73 + 8 = 81 to go!

Here are the bumpy gourds we found at the farmer's market yesterday. (That's the wall I painted last week behind them) Also at the market this week, we found terrific local oysters from the Washington coast. We BBQed them up for Saturday's dinner along with some spicy sauce, a pot of fresh corn from the market, potatoes from our garden, and cherry tomatoes (garden). We also found some long thin yellow beans from the Root Connection farm, berries, raspberry lavender sauce, potatoes, and a yellow heirloom tomato.

Yesterday evening, we went for a walk along the Sammamish river. As we were drinking our evening coffee, we noticed all the ripe blackberries on the bushes. As we finished our drinks, we filled our cups with juicy berries which I froze for use later in the winter.

This morning, we decided to pick blackberries near the same location for jam. (Local food foragers are free to pick berries in our local county parks where the bushes are unsprayed.) We set out with our buckets to see how many we could pick. We had a contest to see who could fill their bucket first. We found a mathematical correlation between picking the most and getting stuck the most by the pricklers. I picked the most and needed the most Bactine and bandages. (ouch!) We turned our berry bounty into 2 apple-blackberry cobblers and 14 jars of jam! yum!

Our jam making was a real win-win. Many of the jars were garage sale finds from our friend Lisa, the berries were free foraged, and the water used in processing the jam will be reused to water our plants tomorrow!

Cookies and a Win:Win!

These are the cookies Anni and I baked this afternoon

because when you feeling icky,

you NEED chocolate chip cookies,

made with local WA walnuts and

organic, fair-trade dark chocolate chips.

Can you say "YUMMY!!!!?"

David mentioned that a couple of folks he knows are interested in the Full Circle Farm CSA program. To learn how wonderful it is, please check the link in the right border. If you reference us when you sign up, we get a free box (many thanks).

When is a bargain truly a bargain?

When it's necessary, fun or beautiful,

doesn't cost a bundle, and does some good besides.

We call these win:wins. And here's our latest:

While returning library books this afternoon, we scanned the Friends of the Library bookshelf.

Here, you can purchase fiction and nonfiction books, for kids and adults, magazines,

and sometimes even movies and music for as little as a quarter per item.

We 5 recently published books and 5 nearly current popular magazines.

The cover prices on these 10 readables was $105.

We paid $4.25 in total!

We got great reads at a terrific price,

and the Friends of the Library got money to help run their programs,

truly a Win:Win!

And best of all when were done with the items,

they can go back to the Friends of the Libary for another go round!

Mountains, Masks, and Many Spices

David took a trip up Mount Index this morning.

Here are some of the awesome pictures of the rushing river rapids,

winter trees, and big boulders.

In other news, Alex finished up his role in the Seagirl play.

This time, he was the main narrator and an eagle.

After three shows, he's ready for a break!

We made our Sunday family dinner again tonight.

We made an Indian meal this time with fish in a fresh green sauce,

korma potatoes, spicy cauliflower with green peppers, and a pea and mushroom curry.

We pretty much used every pot and pan in the kitchen, but it was absolutely delicious!

And finally...

After weeks of searching for a writing book my class is using with no luck,

I found it at the half-price bookshop!

along with another title that was just $1.

This definitely qualifies as a win:win.

I got the book I needed and one I wanted for a great price.

Someone else was able to sell and recycle their used book!

Apple Chutney and the Bee

10 Jars of Apple Chutney

Lisa, Alex, and Ari striking poses before the start of The Putnam County Spelling Bee this evening. David and I saw this musical on Broadway during our trip to New York a couple of years ago. It was so great, we wanted the older two kids and friends to see it too. It was a total blast! Very funny!

The chutney was why there was no posting yesterday. I was preserving! The kids say it's become an obsession! But I say necessity, to deal with lots of green tomatoes and apples! The whole house still smells like chutney! Bring on the masala veggie burgers!

More news tomorrow as I'm going to close now and figure out how to use the very special green gift David gave to me. No, not my very own personal leprechaun or a giant boogie. Not even a bag of peapods or a jar of dill pickles. Not an evergreen tree or a 4-leaf clover. It was a green Nikon Coolpix camera that gave a donation to a green cause apon purchase. David got a great deal on the camera and a very big kiss, I got a very cool camera with a zoom lens (yahoo!), and the charity got a donation. I just love triple wins. The instruction manual for the camera is 3X bigger than the camera and twice as thick. I feel a techno-oh-no headache coming on, but for the sake of close-up, I'll chance it. Pass the tylenol.

Down on a different funny farm

Here's our friend Lisa on the banks of the mighty Snoqualmie River (that would be the beautiful river pictured to the right).

Today Lisa and I worked with the Helping Hands group out at the Full Circle Farm's Ames Creek site in Carnation.

What did we do? We worked with WA Conservation Corp guys to plant trees and shrubs (Douglas fir, Red Cedar, Willow, Dogwood, Snowberry. and one tree type I can't remember).

Why? We're replanting the river bank with native species in order to help stop the invasive species and to provide a more optimal environment for the river's salmon run. The fish need shaded, cool water. First we had to dig holes through the matted reed grass and then stop the soil from dropping through the reed grass while we planted the tree or shrub, all to the aroma of a nearby dead and decaying coyote. It sounds grim, but we had a great time! We also harvested some beets (not me!) and red kale (yes, please!). Full circle also gave us some celery and leftover lunch pears and apples.

It was a great win-win-win-win effort. We had fun, got some exercise, and a bit of produce. The farm got some volunteer labor. The local food bank got lots of veggies donated by the farm, and the salmon got a much improved habitat. We also had a great time chatting with the other volunteers, a diverse group including honor students from Newport High School, two former cheese guys from Whole Foods, a writer, and many fine other folks.

In other news, we swung by the Redmond farmer's market on the way home. (Lisa needed hazelnuts.) In a strange cosmic consequence of "It's a Small World Afterall", it turns out that the hazelnut farmer's family is from Colchester, Essex, England. Perhaps his relatives know my aunt and uncle???

Today's dinner selection was inspired by all our local goodness. We made an Italian parsley (CSA) and hazelnut (farmer's market) pesto over organic penne and served it up with the last of our cherry tomatoes (garden). For dessert, Alexander made a delicious applesauce cake with the applesauce I made the other night, yum!