Hello Again

Hello my friends, I am back, if only for awhile. The December Project is not very far ahead, so I thought that maybe I would annoy you people a bit more before I disappear again. Deal?

The biggest news in our neck o' the woods is the many new additions to our farm animal population. Mama Pig popped out a few piggies while back, and ate all but two of them, so, I guess that's an improvement. We have one boar piglet and one sow piglet now, named Porgy and Bess. ( I wanted Rodgers and Hammerstein, but was overruled. C'mon, now, those names were cool!). We have also hatched two chicks, named Lightning and Thunder. I was not at all responsible for those names. Jennifer is fully guilty. I wash my hands of all such cheesiness. We have also obtained two goldfish, because of my giving in to Sarah's puppy dog eyes at the WalMart fish tanks. Sheesh, I need to work on that if I am going to be any sort of firm mother. But she is surprisingly still interested in them. Their names I can't remember, and since Jennifer named them, maybe that's all the better.

It was 39 degrees this morning. Remember when I was going on about how I couldn't wait for the cold, to snuggle up with a blanket and yaddah, yaddah, yaddah? I was thinking 50. Just cold enough to need a blanket. Not five blankets and a pair of itchy wool socks. Yes. I am a wimp. So?

Thankfully the stove was, as Dad puts it, “clickin'” hot. And I was sticking logs in it like wood was going out of style, so we had to open a window. But I did get up and make a very good hot breakfast. (iffn' I do say so myself!) Complete with a cup of my famous coffee that you can float a spoon in. Dad didn't say anything about it, so I figured he didn't mind. Oh yeah, Mom, Jennifer, and Sarah are gone for the week, so I am in charge of all the cooking, cleaning and such. So pray for my Dad, maybe he can put up with my cooking until Mom gets home. I made beans and sour cream cornmeal biscuits for supper, and didn't get any grumbles, so that was good. Robert doused his biscuits in the Miller's honey that we received from Renee' over at Reforming Renee' a few days ago.

The cold weather has kept me huddled inside, so I have read a lot. I read a book called One Second After, by William R. Forstchen, about an EMP going off above the USA. It was interesting, and it made me realize how many people are on so much medication that they would be dangerous without it. People that should be in mental institutions, but instead are doped up, walking the streets. A few days without a pharmacy would really make a dent in our population, and that is a frightening thought. It says something like a quarter of our population is on some king of anti depressants or anti anxiety meds. It also brought to my attention the thousands of elderly patients in assisted living homes that might be abandoned. The staff generally has no real care for a person that they don't know, and the family is sometimes far away. I was saddened by the thought of a large percentage of these elderly that should be being cared for by their children or close kin, who are being cared for by total strangers in a place and around people they are not familiar with. I have now started into the Love Comes Softly book, and am almost through with it. Also, The Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. I am doing more reading these days than normal, but I am glad I have been supplied with good reads.

Well, need to start the fire, as the evening has brought a bit of a chill.

Thanks for reading,

Tracy

To Be Continued....

Hello,

I am taking a break. With Ranch Fest and the December project coming on, I need to step back and take a breath. I am going offline for possibly quite awhile. Priorities need to be rearranged, and I need to concentrate on that.

If you want to place an order for a fleece blanket or other item, and you can't snail mail it, email it to editor@lazarusunbound.com. I will still be able to fill orders for the blankets, or aprons, until the 16th of November, and then starting again on the 5th of January, Lord Willing.

I appreciate all of my followers, and thank you for all of your attention and comments. Stay tuned for Part Two.

Tracy

Autumn Chill and Fall Showers

Hello there.

It has been raining here for over three days now. Thank you, Lord! Our catch water system is at nine hundred gallons, plus the 135 gallon cattle tank out front, plus the multiple buckets and containers full. This water will last us a loooooong time. Thank you, Lord. It has also been a bit cool, which I am enjoying thoroughly. I am so glad to light candles and make tea in the evenings again. I am a winter person, and it may sound weird, but I love to wear cozy clothing. I just love wearing fuzzy sweaters and shawls and warm mittens and scarves. I love the glow of candlelight, and I love cooking on the wood stove. I know I may be getting ahead of myself with the tiny chill that always comes with rain, but it reminded me that I am really looking forward to winter.

With the rain has come mud, and lots of it. So, we have been staying inside a lot and playing games and reading books. I did get some chicken canned. I have been changing sheets and sweeping things out and going through clothes, to keep busy. I have also been trying out new recipes. I have really fallen in love with a cookbook called Backwoods Home Cooking, which was put together by the people who put out the the great magazine called BackWoods Home, which we have had a subscription to on and off through the years. Anyways, the cookbook has been my go to many times for hard to find recipes. Today, I made egg noodles for chicken noodle soup, and the most scrumptious blueberry muffins today. I had some leftover blueberries that were going to go bad within a day or two, so I made a quickie batch of these muffins. Yum! I also made potato soup, which was VERY good, also a recipe from the Backwoods Home cookbook. After we ate the potato soup, I added longhorn beef and multiple home canned veggies, and it became a hearty beef stew. If you are interested in the cookbook, I looked real quick an found a few copies on Amazon.

Well, I have to go and get to bed, because I have a cow to milk in the morning.

Peace,
Tracy

An Apron and other things.

Hello. Sorry I have not written in awhile, I have been busy canning and orgnizing stuff for winter management. I have canned 7 pints of chicken, 5 pints of mesquite jelly, and 8 quarts of prickly pear juice in the last five or six days. It may not sound like a lot, but it gets tiring. I also have been making an apron out of a tablecloth that belonged to my great grandmother, which was inspired by an apron that my great-great grandmother made, which was given to me by my grandmother. Whew. So there. It's a inter-generational apron. ( I don't think inter-generational is a word, but you get what I'm sayin, right?) I was really going for a Pilgrim/Amish look. I love the length. It's so practical.

I have also started making fleece blankets again, and am going to begin selling them. I made one today just to figure costs and time. I really enjoyed it. These blankets are two layers of coordinating or contrasting fleece. I made the other side of this blanket light pastel purple. I can make them in almost any theme. I can get prints or solids. Just specify the style and size you want, and I will do my best to find the perfect patterns and colors. You can also go to Walmart, and pick out what you want, and email me the details, and I will see if my Walmart has it, or if they can order it. But, with the December project, starting on the sixteenth I will not be able to make them. So, either put in a order now, or I can start making them again starting on New Year's Day.

Okay, this is a 1 yard blanket. I can make up to 4 yards. Here are the prices:

• 1 yard: $20
• 2 yards: $30
• 3 yards: $37
• 4 yards: $45

I can also make scarves, pillows, triangle shawls, and dog toys and beds in the same style. Just let me know if you are interested.

• Braided dog toy: $6 or two for $10
• Dog bed: $10
• Triangle shawl: $15
• Throw pillow: $10 or two for $15
• Scarf: $10 or two for $15

My email address is:

editor@lazarusunbound.com

And you can send a old-fashioned letter and a money order or check made out to Danielle Bunker to:

Tracy Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Tx
76878

Well, I have to go put sleepy chillins to bed. Y'all have a good night and a blessed Sabbath.

Tracy

An Award

Okay, my good "BloggerLand" friend, Victoria Rebecca, has awarded me with an Amazing Blog award. Thanks, Victoria!

Five Interesting things about Victoria:

1. She wears head coverings.

2. She dresses modestly.

3. She works hard on her education.

4. She has a totally awesome blog.

5. She strives to serve her Lord with all her heart.

Okay, ten things about me,

1. Victoria and I were born on the same day.

2. I raise Californian rabbits.

3. I don't like sewing.

4. I love to write poems.

5. I have a big ol' pig that's going to have piglets any day now.

6. I have the goofiest cat on the planet.

7. I am studying to become a midwife.

8. I like to decorate home spaces.

9. I have a rabbit with only three legs.

10. My favorite subject is medical science.

Very random, I know. It's the best I could do.

I'm awarding:

Renee'

Jordan

Debbie

Judy

The Siffords

The Sustaires

Mia

Jennifer

Dad

That's only nine, but that's all I can do. Sorry.

Thanks again, Victoria.

Tracy

P.S. If you received an award, here are the rules if you want to play along.

1. Write five (5) interesting facts about the person who gave you this award.
2. Jot down ten (10) interesting facts about yourself or your hobbies.
3. Pick your ten (10) most deserving recipients and describe them.
4. Leave a comment on the recipients' blog to tell them they've been tagged.
5. Paste the award badge in your side bar.

Yellow Black Mouth Cur Dogs

Before I go into today's topic, I want to write a bit about the Mesquite Jelly I made yesterday. I thought it wasn't going to 'Jell', which means solidify into a jelly consistency, but it did, so that's why I called it syrup in the last post. I will have to change the recipe pretty drastically, because I don't like the way the flavors turned out. So once I fix it I will post the recipe I have altered to make a better jelly that's pleasing to the palate. And Mom made Challah bread with Mesquite flour. It was awesome. She made a lot of it, and it tasted amazing.

On to the topic. We have two dogs, as you might have seen in the pictures I posted with my siblings cuddling them. Sugar is a female, and she is about knee high. She is the most intelligent dog I have ever seen. It was like nothing to teach her obedience and she catches on to basic sentences accompanied with hand gestures pretty fast. She can sit, stay, lay down, shake, crawl, and jump. She knows what "Go into your crate" "Go under the couch" "What did I tell you?" which is usually said when she disobeys a direct order on purpose. If you ask her if she wants to go outside, she puts her ears up and lets out a hefty bark. She is learning to control her excitement when we round up pigs or cattle, and to pay attention to commands at that time. She has incredible muscle definition, and she has a great stance. She is fast, fast here meaning amazingly fast. When she runs flat out, the speed she gets will astonish you. We never have to smack her to get her attention, because she pays very close attention to voice tone. She knows your emotions just by hearing you speak. She will be sad and downcast whenever you are angry, even if you aren't angry at her. She is by far the best and most amazing dog I have ever been around.

Then there's Pepper, our male. He's still a puppy, and acts like one. I am sure, one day, by some amazing transformation, he will lose his puppy rebellion streak and get some coordination. Maybe. He know how to speak, sit, lay down and stay. He will go in his crate if you ask him to, but you have to really get his attention if you want him to stay still for any amount of time. He also likes to constantly remind us where he is by barking randomly without any rhyme or reason. He has very much of a hound dog bark, more of an 'ooooof' than a 'woof'. He is so clumsy. It's hysterical sometimes. He just doesn't watch where he's going. He's like a cartoon. He will trip on the slightest obstacle, and literally run smack dab into trees. No kidding. He will be running along behind Sugar, and she will run around the tree, rock, board, etc. He will just keep running. Smack! Faceplant! He will yelp like someone is ripping his arm off, and run over to me, begging for sympathy. I am crying with laughter by this time, knowing exactly what was going to happen..... Silly Dog.

The Yellow Back Mouth Cur (YBMC) is a dog that is acclimated and indigenous to the central Texas area. The Old Yeller that was written about in the book was a YBMC. Of course they used a fat old Yellow Retriever in the movie. These dogs are used mainly for hog hunting. Here is a site of a breeder near Dallas, I think. And if I'm correct, the dog on the front page is Sugar's Pa. I think I am right, but that doesn't always work well for me. Here is a clipping from the home page which I found interesting:

This Site is dedicated to the Texas Hog/Cow Dog, (Yellow Black Mouth Cur), one and oldest of only two breed of dogs indigenous to Texas. Meaning, the only dogs that originated here in the good ole Lone Star State. The Dog depicted in the novel by Fred Gibson, (Old Yeller), was a Yellow Black Mouth Cur. The difficulties of life in frontier Texas in the 1800’s were difficult at best. The Yellow Black Mouth did not only help in the daily "goin on's" of Frontier Texas, (finding/working hogs, finding/penning cattle, hunting to feed the family, etc.), but the Frontier men also depended on Old Yeller for protecting the family in there absence. Needless to say, without the presence of this ole yeller dog, life in Frontier Texas would have been even more difficult and possibly impossible. Thanks to old Ranch families and dedicated Hunters, the Yellow Black Mouth Cur dog has survived to present day. These dogs have been line bred, for the most part, for nearly two Centuries. Being, for the most part, kept in the family for generations. These Yeller dogs are probably the best kept secret in the dog world! In my experience, of more than 40 years, of hunting North American game from Squirrels to Bear, there is not a better all-around dog!

Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed meeting my dogs, and have a wonderful evening.

Tracy

The Medicinal Mesquite

Thought I'd share a amazing article I found online. I will write later about the mesquite bread and syrup we made today. Enjoy and Happy Friday.

Mesquite, The Rediscovered Food Phenomenon

Growing up in South Texas meant that chewing on mesquite pods was a part of childhood, like kids from Iowa sucked on honeysuckle. The sweet taste of the bright yellow beans was a favorite treat of the young cow pokes and Native Americans. Little did these children know that for 2,000 years mesquite was a source of nutrition for Native Americans and indigenous peoples in the arid regions of the Earth.

Ask most Americans about mesquite and they will know it as a source of flavoring on the grill. They talk of restaurants that promote their mesquite grilled meats. They report using this extraordinary hard wood to add a distinct smoky, sweetness to grilled foods. Some have used wood for fuel, furniture or flooring. Unfortunately, few have experienced the delectable flavor of the ground pods.

The mesquite tree grows in the desert regions throughout the world, areas not suitable for most agriculture. These trees can be found in the US from central Texas to southeastern California and up in the Utah. On 25% of the planet spices of mesquite, prosopis, can be found growing without any assistance from fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation or capitalization. These trees take little cultivation. The amount of nutrition supplied by mesquite trees is quite astounding. In the Southwest of the US the tree is considered a weed by many ranchers who attempt to eradicate it in order to grow grass. In other parts of the world the pods are still harvested and ground into meal or flour. This is sustainable agriculture at its most basic level, people supporting life naturally off the plants that grow around them.

For Native Americans in the Southwest and Mexico mesquite meal was an integral part of their daily diet. As these communities have moved away from the native desert foods and became more sedentary, obesity and diabetes has grown at an astounding rate. It is reported that 50% of the Pima and Tohono O’odham peoples have diabetes that is one in every two adults over 35 years of age suffer from diabetes. The removal of mesquite from their diets is believed to be one of the key reasons for these figures.

Diabetes is growing in the general US population too. Pediatricians are reporting it in children as young as 5 and researchers have seen a 70% increase in ages 18 – 22. Why are all these figures significant to an article about mesquite? Mesquite is a food that works to balance blood sugar. For 2,000 years the Native Americans in arid regions relied on mesquite as food staple. For 2,000 years a major part of their diets helped to regulate blood sugar. Diabetes did not exist in these communities when there diet consisted of native plants with mesquite being consumed in great quantities.

Researchers report that mesquite is highly effective in balancing blood sugar. The natural sweetness in the pods comes from fructose. Fructose does not require insulin to be metabolized making it safe for diabetics. The high rate of dietary fiber, pads are 25% fiber, causes the nutrients in mesquite to be absorbed slowly preventing the spikes and valleys in blood sugar. With a glycemic index of 25, mesquite requires a longer time to digest then many grains. The digestive time for mesquite is to 4 to 6 hours unlike wheat that digests in 1 to 2 hours. These factors result in a food that maintains a constant blood sugar for a sustained time and as a result prevents hunger. Here is a food that supports the diabetic’s diet and helps maintain a healthy insulin system in those not affected with blood sugar problem.

Mesquite flour not only stabilizes blood sugar but it tastes great with a sweet, slightly nutty with a hint of molasses flavor. Further this food delivers a big hit of nutritional value. It is high in dietary fiber and protein including lysine. The ground pods are between 11% and 17% protein. Mesquite is a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc. Mesquite is low carbohydrate, low glycemic and low in fat.

This fragrant flour can be used in baking or as a seasoning on food and in drinks. In baking it the taste becomes quite strong if over 25% mesquite is used. It’s hard to beat the taste of pancakes, muffins, cakes, corn bread or cookies baked with the addition of mesquite. It can be sprinkled generously on food as a seasoning and used in breading for meat and fish. One mesquite specialist adds it to morning smoothies and finds he doesn’t get hungry mid morning. Mixes are now available that combine mesquite with other gluten free flours make experimenting with this amazing flour easy.

How can you lose trying a native food that:
* Has sustained desert dwellers for centuries
* Has a low glycemic index
* Is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc
* Adds vegetable protein including lysine to the diet
* Supports sustainable agriculture world wide
* Can be used as a tasty condiment or in baking

Found At: http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmesquite.html

Until Next Time,
Tracy

Praying for rain..

The beautiful stone smokehouse.

Those clouds look promising!

Scrumptious Prickly Pear punch.

Tracy

Sarah's Farm Life

Looking out at the freshly disked cow pasture.

Going to find Pita.

Until Next Time,
Tracy

Ma and Pa Doll

Log Cabin Couple

I love this picture. I think 'Pa's' face needs a good scrub on the ol' washboard, no?

Peace,
Tracy

Siblings and other things....

Jennifer, and Pepper, the male Black Mouthed Cur Puppy.



Robert and Sugar with their sad faces on.

Sarah Grace with a goofy smile.

Tracy

Bull Pictures

Our current herd bull, sire to next year's calves. Isn't he breathtaking?

Still More coming,
Tracy