Spring is looming...

Photo from JDPayne.org

...Yes, Spring is looming in the near future, and today I am feeling like a deer in the headlights.  For starters, I have a monstrous head-/chest-cold, that makes my head feel like it's in a vise, and my torso is tired from cough spasms.

But more notably, there are a LOT of things heading my way this Spring:

• The home birth of our 6th child.  All of our other children were born in hospitals, so this is a bit of a leap out of our comfort zone.
• The beginning of construction of our home in the woods near Whitefish, MT.  I know virtually nothing about house-building.  I'm very nervous.
• Both of my jobs really tend to ramp up in the Spring, Summer and early Autumn months.

I know I should be extremely excited about all these things, and I truly am, but it does feel a bit overwhelming at times.  Your prayers for health, wisdom, provision and protection would be greatly appreciated.

Happy New Year!

Skill of the day -- Squirrel Pole

Right up front, let me just say a few things:

1. I prefer eating the conventional meats (beef/chicken/pork) as much as the next guy.
2. When given the path of least resistance, I'll probably take it, same as anyone.
3. I did not grow up on a farm, in the backwoods or in a third-world country.  I'm a Southern California native, who has taken up residence in NW Montana for the past 2 years.
4. I have never eaten squirrel meat, so I don't know how it tastes -- but I'm curious.
5. I have eaten wild rabbit, which I have hunted, dressed and cooked myself, on more than one occasion.
6. If you are offended by people harming furry little forest creatures, please stop reading now.
7. Always practice safe trapping and hunting habits.
8. I believe there's room enough for all of God's creatures... right next to the mashed potatoes.

OK, now that that's out of the way...

Today, I decided to try my hand at making a "Squirrel Pole" trap. Of course, I used "found" materials: a ratty old 2x4 and some old electrical wire.  The wire sheathing was a nice shade of "forest brown", which I figure will serve to camouflage the snares.  Apparently these type of traps are supposed to use several of these "nooses" down the length of the pole, but I was feeling lazy, so I only used 2 -- top and bottom.

Why in the world would I want to trap -- let alone eat -- a squirrel or two?  Well, there are a number of reasons:

1. Squirrels are plentiful, and generally very healthy.  They're everywhere!  They're also "cage-free" and "free-range", fed on natural fruits and nuts.  From what I understand, most states (at least mine) don't require any licensing or "tags" to hunt or trap squirrels.
2. Trapping is silent, productive and (mostly) free.  Nothing attracts unwanted attention like even a single gunshot, even from the humble .22 rifle.  If we ever find ourselves in a situation (like during the Great Depression) where many, many families only had food on the table if they could hunt/trap/gather/grow it themselves, I want to be prepared to feed my family without having to rely on whether or not the grocery stores' "cellophane-wrapped meat packs" were available.  While hunting can be effective (if one is skilled at it), it requires constant maintenance for the duration of the hunt.  Trapping is more efficient in that (a) you can re-use your "ammunition" (traps);  (b) you can effectively harvest from several places all-at-once, thereby increasing your take; and (c) you "need not be present to win", so to speak.  Set the trap now, check on it later -- even 24 hours later, if the weather is cold.
3. Squirrels are very easy to "process".  They are much, much easier to handle (field-to-freezer-to-table) than are deer, elk or any other larger game.  Heck, my 7-year-old daughter could skin & gut a squirrel... and probably will, at least once, if I have anything to do with it.  (Yes, that is one of the requirements of growing up in my household: getting exposed to dressing wild-caught game, large and small, on land and in water.) 

There are probably many more reasons to familiarize yourself with the hunting/trapping of wild food sources... what do you think?  Leave a comment below, and let me know about your experiences.  I'll let you know what ever came of my modest attempt at squirrel trapping, ASAP.

Have a productive day!
Psalm 24:1

Let's Do Some Reading!

Howdy friends!

Here are two articles I just printed, and plan to read with the Mrs. in the next day or two:

• "Food Forest Gardens", by Jason T.
• "Exchanging Fear for Fear" by Kevin DeYoung

Will you read them with me, and add your comments, below?  Thanks!

Dandy Lions

This week, I've been assigned the monumentally important, earth-shaking task of... cleaning up around the shop.  You know — spray weeds, demolish old fences, etc.  Now I must confess that my thinking is being radically altered in the way of re-purposing old materials: I'm attempting to always think outside the box ("O-T-B") when it comes to "de-comissioned resources", so to speak.  But make no mistake: I'm not a disciple of the Anthropogenic Climate Change movement (AKA "Global Warming").  Too many slippery slopes into pantheism and too much bad science, yessir.  However, I do try to practice what Yahweh commands humankind to do in Genesis 1:28 — "...replenish the earth, and subdue it..." (KJV).  Perhaps "replenishing the earth" implies that in order to continue to enjoy the earth's natural resources (water, wood, plant life, minerals, etc.), we ought to squeeze every bit of good that we can out of whatever it is we're working with, and not be quick to discard things, as is the custom of our wildly-consumerist culture here.  Anyway, back to our story.

I was getting ready to spray the unwelcome "weeds", when I realized that the plants in question were mostly dandelions.  Now even a cursory search for the health benefits of dandelions will reveal that they are far more useful than they are given credit for.  And these particular dandelions had the healthiest, most perfect leaves I have ever seen on such a plant.  I mean, they grew en masse back in North San Diego, but they always seemed a little dingy and dirty — not something you'd want to throw on a salad.  But these... well, they were Montana dandelions.  'Nuff said.

Before spraying the doomed shrubbery, I clipped the leaves and soaked them in some hand soap for a while.  After I tackled that pesky fence for a while (recovering about half of those 2x4's and 2x6's for building a square foot garden, later), I came back and rubbed, rinsed and dried the dandelion leaves.  Man, are they pretty!  Check these out:

The Dear Wife and the kiddos will be joining me for lunch today, and I plan to impress them with my scavenging/gardening/re-purposing "skillz".  Now, what will YOU do today, to think "O-T-B" and re-purpose something?  "Leave" (pun intended) a comment, if you will.

Have a blessed day, friends.

Update:  I just ate a couple of the leaves, and they are a little on the bitter side, at first, but the after-taste mellows quickly, leaving the satisfaction of knowing how happy my liver will be to receive them.  ;-)

S.A.D. and Technology

I like TLA's.  Most of them are pretty functional and cool (USA, GFA, CGO, I-N-O, etc).  However, I'm not big on ascribing a TLA to every malady a person can experience (e.g. ADD, etc).  Still, I've been hearing a lot about SAD lately — or maybe its just that I'm more aware of it, since I'm heading into a long, snowy Winter for the first time.  Anyway, a friend who's lived in the area was telling me about a "sunrise simulator" he bought, to help him wake up with what would feel like the rising sun... even when the sun doesn't peek out at all, for days.  So I've been looking into things like this, wondering if it could or would make a difference in my or my overall outlook, heading into the cold, dark season.  Does anyone reading this blog have any advice or experience with this topic?  Please leave a comment, if you can.

Have a sunny day!