August | 2013 | Build Me a Dream

Time to Redefine our Lives in Oregon

Archive for August, 2013

Chicken, Beef, Septic Systems, and Pancreatitis

I learned a lesson this past week, the hard way! Actually, our dog, Tucker, suffered the most. Tucker is a 12 year old. German Wirehaired / German Shorthaired Pointer mix. He’s a good old boy that is all wiry….with the exception of his spots, the top of his head, and his ears…they are smooth, and short. Tucker is the last remaining pup from a litter bred by Tony’s dad’s German Shorthaired Pointer, and his Uncle’s German Wirehaired Pointer. He is a friendly, rambunctious, goofy, chase-that-ball-till-you-drop, great dog and buddy. Tony brought him home one morning when he was just 7 weeks old, and sat him on top of my son while he slept. Will woke up to that little scrunchy face staring down at him….never have you seen a happier little boy than that moment. I’ll never forget it!

What a handsome pup!!

Little boy Tucker!

Well as time goes on…little boys and puppies grow older. Will is now 24 and Tucker is 12. Will is in the prime of his life, Tucker is settling into old age. What do chickens, beef, septic systems, and pancreatitis have to do with an old dog named, Tucker? Here is that story…..

Since moving to our home in the woods, I have gotten to experience living with a septic system vs. the well defined sewer systems of the bay area in California. There is a shift of thinking for cleaning products, use of a garbage disposal, keeping an eye on your leach field, and arranging a Honey Truck visit every so often. One thing that is a big no-no (which I have always done being connected to the sewer system) is putting pan drippings down the drain. Recently, I’ve found creative ways to rid ourselves of that product. The most recent is to pour it into a container, refrigerate it so most of the fat rises to the top, remove that fat, and use the flavorful drippings in my dogs’ kibble as an extra treat. I don’t use all of it at once, but divide it between 3 dogs, and about three feedings. Sounds good…apparently, not for my old guy!

The other GREAT idea that I have had recently, is to buy a whole chicken…use the white meat for people consumption, and give the dogs the dark meat including the skin, and the fat-removed-drippings as stated above. I would then boil the bones to get a good broth…and add the de-fatted drippings to the broth. Again, this would be added to their kibble over many feedings…divided by three dogs. Economically speaking…this was way cheaper than buying canned dog food…and healthier…so I thought, but apparently, not for my old guy!

As with the chicken story above, I buy beef…the kind that is marked down to where I can get like 3 pounds of beef for about $8.00…this would last me a good 8 feedings times 3 dogs…so 24 meals! A great alternative to buying canned dog food….apparently, not for my old guy!

So this week, our old Tucker dog became very ill. He started vomiting, and within a 14 hour period wherein, it became very noticeable that this was not just a minor event, and we could get him into the vet’s office…he threw up 12 times. He was also drinking a ton of water. He was very ill, and his life was totally in the balance. His pancreas was totally inflamed, with sky-high values of Lipase 2,300 (highest normal level is 1200) and Amylase at 9,000 (highest normal level is 750!!!) He was a really sick boy. So it was either pancreatic cancer, or pancreatitis caused by something he ate. This can happen when dogs get into the garbage, or eat foods with a high fat content. You know that sinking feeling when the world kind of zeros in on you, and that dark curtain kind of lowers down over your thinking when you realize…you could have caused the problem? That is exactly what I felt when the vet told us what was going on with our Tucker boy. AHHHHHH!! The night before, I had bought some fried chicken from the grocery store…it seemed really greasy, so I took the fried skin off the chicken, but I fed the dogs the dark meat. Obviously…the grease had saturated the meat of the chicken….hoping that it wasn’t cancer…the alternative was that I hurt him by the food I gave him the night before….I’ll take that…just don’t let it be cancer!!

Tucker feeling really badly.

Over the next few days, a lot of IV fluids, no food, rest, and then a reintroduction of a special EN (Gastroenteric) diet Tucker has gotten stronger!! His pancreatic levels are down to 1,826 and 1,000 (huge reduction from 9,000.) Although still too high, way better than before. We have to be careful from here on out…no more beef, only white meat on the chicken…no skin, and no more de-fatted drippings. He’s not out of the woods yet, and he’s kind of a day-by-day doggy now, but he’s home, and he’s wagging his stubby tail!!

Tucker feeling better!!

Category:

Chickens, Dogs and Chickens, Homesteading, pancreatitis, septic tank

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Blackberries + Sugar = Jam!!!

I’m almost embarrassed to admit how excited I get over those little, basic, skills that people have been doing as part of normal, everyday life for countless centuries. Being a newbie at all things even remotely related to homesteading, (with the exception of growing small planter gardens) taking my blackberries and turning them into something I can spread on toast (preferably San Francisco Sourdough!!!) makes me so happy!! I feel like an out-of-the-ordinary homesteading geek…..meaning if other homesteaders (I totally do not even feel that I am qualified to fit into that category) read this blog, they would probably think I’m a geek-homesteading-wanna-be! This is all such a huge experiment for me…I feel like a kid in a candy shop!!

Last summer was the first time I attempted to make blackberry jam. Looking online, I found that you can make jam with our without pectin. Pectin?? What the heck is Pectin?? So I chose not to use that unfamiliar product, and go with what I knew….berries and sugar. I found a recipe at http://savorysweetlife.com/2009/08/how-to-make-blackberry-or-raspberry-jam/ that allowed me to do just that.

Basically, its 1 cup of sugar, to 1 cup of berries and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. That’s it! Simple and to the point. I like fruit products that are a little more tart than sweet, so I reduced the sugar amount to about 3/4 of a cup (or a little less, but more than a 1/2) for each cup of berries. I also prefer seedless jam, so I blended just the berries, then smashed the liquid through a strainer leaving the seeds behind. The result was a very smooth, tart, yet sweet, delicious blackberry jam. Without Pectin, it doesn’t last as long in the fridge…but in my home, it gets eaten up pretty quickly. So here is the process…(most of these pictures were taken from last year’s jam production.)

The stars of the show….Wild Blackberries!

The Ninja blended berries!

Blended blackberries getting ready to separate the fruit from the seed.

The pulp and seeds left from working the blackberry juices through the strainer.

Now combined, sugar and blackberry juices boil for 5 minutes.

The boiled jam now simmers for 15 more minutes.

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Had a bit of a spill over here…sticky mess!

And all of a sudden…it’s blackberry jam time!!!

Uhhmmm…YUMMMM!!! Blackberry jam on sourdough toast!!!

Category:

Blackberries, building a new home, Great Dane, Harvesting, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Wild Blackberries

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The Gift of the Vine – Oregon’s Wild Jewels

Who’s picking those berries??

Ever wonder where that purple mustache came from on your German Wirehaired Pointer’s mouth? Every wonder why your Great Dane runs an 1/8th of a mile down your driveway and stands staring at the bush growing by the pond? Ever wonder why you buy this product in the store when home-grown is soooo much better?? Wonder what I’m talking about???

WILD BLACKBERRIES!!!!!!

The start of our Wild Blackberry season!!

While the neighboring honey bees were hard at work pollenating our wild blackberry bushes, my angst about very little bees in my garden grew. However, this year’s crop of blackberries is tremendous, even with the lack of water we’ve had this summer. No doubt their roots are tapping into the year round pond in our front pasture, and although the fruit is smaller, it is abundantly positioned on the vines and packed with berry yumminess!! We have so many yet to ripen….

Waiting on the precious jewels of Oregon.

Wild Blackberries still to ripen

This is why my dogs stare at the bush growing by the pond, and come back with purple moustaches…

The last couple of years, I’ve learned a few things about picking these gorgeous, yummy, jewels of Oregon. It is best to go berry picking in the evening as the sun is setting, or in the morning just as the sun is starting to rise. If you don’t, you’re going to be contending with honey bees, bumble bees, and wasps…none of which I want buzzing around my hands, arms, or face. Be prepared to pick more than you need, because half of what you pick won’t make it to the bucket…your mouth (or your dog’s) may exhibit a purple hew after picking. Wear long sleeves, as those thorns really do not want to give up the treasures within their vines. I’ve yet to find gloves that can really work for picking berries. Any suggestions?? Finally, make sure you remember what you were wearing when it comes time to do your laundry…you’ll want to pretreat those blackberry spots left on your clothes…or you can always tie dye if you forget. 🙂

Glad I was wearing long sleeves!

Who’s picking those berries??

Penni helping to pick…Tucker is back there too!

Not bad for 15 minutes worth of pain, scratches, and fun. This is true family bonding time… 🙂

The 15 minute bounty!!

Category:

Blackberries, building a new home, Great Dane, Harvesting, Homesteading, honey bees, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Wild Blackberries

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The Skies Have It

I’ve always been taken by the sky. If you think about it, there are no comparisons to any other type of canvas one can paint on. Within varying shades, the background remains virtually the same. The medium, however, varies not by content, but by texture, shading, brightness, and color. When the sky merges with, and becomes part of the skyline, the impact is even greater.

Growing up and living most of my adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had a merging sky – skyline referred to as the Bay Area’s natural air conditioner. This would occur as the coastal fog would come inland enough to hang, literally, on top of the bay area coastal mountains, creating the appearance of huge waves. This meant the jet stream was coming inland from the ocean, bringing with it that cool air and fog that creates those iconic pictures of the Golden Gate. It’s spectacular!

The Golden Gate Bridge in fog.

Arial view of SF Bay Area coastal fog by photographer Simon Christen

Unfortunately, in the absence of the fog, the skyline turns more of a brownish color rather than blue. Call it particles, or pollution…it totally detracts from the beauty of the canvas, however, creates some very wonderful sunrises and sunsets.

The skies of Oregon have been a welcomed surprise by the creative hand of the Master Artist. He paints a moveable, ever-changing display of undeniable beauty. In contrast to the Bay Area where so much of the majestic artistry compounds on the skyline, in Oregon, the sky gets most of His attention. It’s amazing, every time you walk outside, the canvas has been repainted.

These past two weeks or so, the sky has had some outrageously beautiful stories to tell, with the last couple of days expressing vivid beauty from pain. We’ve had the threat of thunder storms creating “ahhmaaazing” sunsets, culminating, yesterday, in Severe Thunder Storm Alerts on the radio and T.V.. all day warning of quarter sized hail, winds to 60 mph, 1/2″ to 1″ of rain, and ground to sky lightning. Imagine the attention those warnings got from someone, Me, who is used to seeing fog on the hills as a significant weather occurrence. (If you want to talk earthquakes, that’s another story.) Here are some photos of our incredible Oregon sky taken the past 2 – 3 weeks…and then a little video of a lightning storm (not mine, nor even from an Oregon storm…just a beautiful video.)

What a gorgeous sky!!

Awesome, yet, intimidating!

Twenty minutes of incredible beauty!

Category:

Bay Area Fog, building a new home, Great Dane, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley

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Animal Antics

Nature, domestic and wild, is really a great form of entertainment. During the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed a myriad of heartwarming animal antics that brought with them tears, laughter, and contemplation. For true effect, I’m writing about them in time order….

The five “Fine Wines” were moved to the chicken house (actually this was more like 4 weeks ago) and merged with the four “Shakespearean Untouchables” with great excitement!! They loved their new house! Benedict, our young-but-oldest rooster, set down the law very quickly. He chased the smaller hens around a lot, and was especially attentive to, Merlot, our younger rooster. There was some mild pecking going on from the older group, but no blood was ever drawn, nor feathers plucked. The most heartwarming thing that occurred every night through their transition was that no matter the disdain from the older brood toward the younger, at night when seeking safety inside the house, everyone was accepted to roost. There was some cackling going on as they all found their spot, but the chasing and pecking was at a minimum. The inherent understanding of the dangers that could befall each other if left outside was incredible to witness. I am continually amazed and entertained by my feathered friends.

The Roosting Broods

Two young red-tailed hawks have left their nest and are looking for a feeding ground. The chickens have learned to listen to the birds in the trees, and run inside when they strike the alarm. Benedict’s eyes have learned to watch the skies for dangers and darkness. He leads the brood in and out of their house as safety permits, and has determined the level of darkness that he will allow them to stay outside…after that, he rounds up any hens that are outside, into the house…it is so cool to watch. Here is the call that brings the brood indoors….

http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/166694/play

Our Great Dane, Penni loves, loves, LOVES our neighbor’s dog, Daisy. Daisy is a true farm dog, of the Great Pyrenees variety, that protects their livestock. Daisy and Penni have a through-the-fence friendship. They actively run back and forth, stick their heads through the fence squares to say, “Hi,” and just lay down and spend time with each other. One day, Penni seemed confused by Daisy. Daisy was just laying there, Penni was trying to engage her, but it was a no-go. Penni looked back at me several times, so I thought I should check things out. As I approached Daisy, I saw something very strange…then it dawned on me…Daisy had a snout and mouth full of porcupine quills. PORCUPINE QUILLS??!!! I didn’t even know we had porcupines in our neck of the woods, but it makes perfect sense…we’re in the woods!! Long story short, Daisy’s human took her to the vet…wherein she was not only de-quilled…she gave birth to 6 puppies!!

This unfortunate guy made his way into the chicken’s yard area….

I didn’t see it, but he didn’t last very long. I found the brood close to it…the snake was already dead.

It seems that it is that time of year again….the Peacocks have arrived!!

This picture was taken last spring…they made a visit to the chicken yard this past week.

Beyond all of this…Tucker has gotten into burr bushes 5 times in the last 3 days,

Our poor Tucker doggy and those darn burrs.

the family of quail living under a wild blackberry bush have been exercising their bevy of tiny wonders, deer mommies are cautiously bringing out their spotted fawns from under cover, and the neighbor’s goats have been kidding and telling the world about it.

The highlight of all these animal antics, however, has to be the running of 1500 ducks down the main creek winding through town…..Enjoy!!