Horseless Friday: Mount Ascutney

I climbed Mount Ascutney with a friend and my brother. Ascutney is a good day hike. It took us about 3 hours to reach the summit and 1 1/2 to walk down. We took the Weathersfield Trail. The Cascade Falls are halfway to the summit. The second half of the trail is steeper. There are a rocky outcrops along the trail with good views.

Little Cascade Falls form a deep gorge near the trail head.

Lichen grows on an uprooted tree.

Cascade Falls

Looking over the edge of Cascade Falls

Mottled rocks

An impressive boulder 3/4 of the way to the summit

Lichen and moss grow around a cairn near the summit. The trees are mostly stunted evergreens at this elevation.
The view from the West Peak

Horseless Friday: Hot Dog!

On Fridays I do a "Horseless" post. This Friday is a tasty review. I follow the blog of fellow Vermonters at Sugar Mountain Farm. They raise pigs and package family piggy products. I love to eat anything piggy. So I had to try their hot dogs.


I selected a package. I also purchased Vermont made potato bread buns. My husband and I shared our hot dogs with my mother and brother.


We cooked them in an iron frying pan. The casing is natural. It browned pleasantly and had good "snap". The dogs had an even texture. They were easy to chew but also had enough toothiness. The flavor of the pork was mild, slightly sweet and lightly spiced. The spices were a bit like mild sausage spice. My mother said they tasted "Christmasy". We tasted the maple and also thought we tasted clove or mace.

Toppings varied by individual preference. Being a good half German, I had mine with "the works": sauerkraut, pickles, onions, mustard - but please - no ketchup!

Everybody liked them. My brother who is notoriously hard to please, ate two. They were gone before I could take pictures. So I borrowed pics from the original blog.

Since we enjoyed them so much, I'm very happy to give them a "plug"! I bet they'd be even nicer on the grill or over a campfire. Next time! You can find out where to buy them if you click here.

Horseless Friday: Snapping Turtle Nursery

Recently I stayed home sick from work. I went out in the yard to sit in the sun. But look what I discovered! Two female snapping turtles were laying eggs in our lawn.

Our house is built in a pine swamp. Up until four years ago the woods went right up to the house. The previous owners cleared out four acres around the house to facilitate the sale. So I've surmised that these two ladies were probably born in the vicinity of our lawn, years back when it was a wooded swamp. Now they had returned to lay their own broods.


We also found this toad making tracks away from the snappers. He obviously did not want to be lunch. Can you see him?

There are two types of snapping turtles: Common, such as these two girls and Alligator such as my husband remembers from when he lived in Alabama.

Snappers can "snap" fingers and such. So I was careful around the girls. They came back many times over 5 days to lay more eggs. After they were finished we roped off the entire area to make a "turtle habitat". We didn't want the lawn crew to crush the eggs. Eggs incubate from 9-18 weeks.


A few days later we found a baby in the drive way. Obviously she was from an earlier laying. We brought her back into the swamp and she seemed right at home. Perhaps we'll see her again many years down the road.

Horseless Series: Your new cat

I'm going to do a short series on introducing a new cat to your household. Are there any broad or specific questions you have about:

- Choosing the "right" cat?
- What equipment a new cat needs?
- Helping your new cat adjust?
- Introducing your new cat to your other pets?

Or do you have a story you'd like to share?

I'll credit you and include a link to your blog, if you have one!

Disclaimer: I'm not a vet. Just a cat owner who dotes on her felines. I'll share my experience, link to more authoritative resources, or ask for suggestions from the crowd. :)

Horseless Friday: Oops, I did it again!

My husband and I visited our local humane society again... We left with our wallets a little lighter after our donation. But there seemed to be an extra passenger in the car going home...


As you can see, she's made herself quite comfortable in our guest room. She likes the new quilt we got and she says she's thinking of staying.

We already have two mature female cats, Sprite, age 7, on the left and Scout, aka "Baby" age 12, on the right. And yes that is a cat tooth brush in the background. What can I say? We're a childless married couple. Of course we brush our cats teeth!

We've both noticed more animals than usual being given away lately. Perhaps it is the recession, perhaps it is fear of the recession. Our two girls are great. But we'd been contemplating adding another member to the family, so it seemed like it might be time to "do our part".

I -timidly- asked if there were any "quiet, senior female cats" available. I knew where this could lead... They showed us 8 year old "Scout".

"That's my baby's name!", I said. Scout rolled over on her head.

"Baby does that all the time!", I said. I picked her up. Scout licked my lips and purred.

"Can we bring her home tonight?", I asked.

So "Scout II" came home with us. I've started calling her "Toots" because it grew out of "Two". Toots is staying in the guest room for a few days. Then it'll be short visits with the other ladies until they acclimate.
Read more tips on introducing a new cat to your household here.

So far, so good. The ladies have been sniffing and playing tag under the door. I haven't heard a single "hiss".

I wonder how she'll feel about brushing her teeth?...

Horseless Friday: Have a cookie

I do a horseless post every Friday. This Friday won't you have a cookie?


I baked this cookie platter for our company's holiday party. I would send you one. But I regret that I cannot seem to fit a cookie through my phone line and it got my DVD drive all crumby when I tried.

The Chocolate-Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies recipe came my favorite cooking show, "Good Eats" on Food Network. You can view the transcript and recipe here on the Good Eats Fan Pages. The other two recipes I copied from a cookie cookbook that I borrowed years ago. I've since forgotten the name of the book. The recipes, rewritten in my own words, are below.

Happy Baking!

Cherry Poppy Seed Twinks

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TBs poppy seed
1/2 cup cherry preserves

Time
15 min prep + 20 min cook


Directions

Preheat oven to 300F. Combine sugar, butter and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat well. Add flour, poppy seed, salt, baking soda and blend through.

Drop 1 tsp balls on lightly greased cookie sheet. Make thumb-size dents in the center of each and fill with preserves.


Cookies will flatten out as they cook. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.

Chocolate Shortbreads

Ingredients

Shortbreads
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter softened
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
Decoration
3/4 cup dark chocolate (for melting)
1 tsp shortening
1 TB or more topping such as crushed walnuts

Time
15 min prep + 30 min cook


Directions

Preheat oven to 325F. Combine powdered sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch and mix evenly.

Divide into 4 even balls. On a lightly greased cookie sheet, roll each ball into a patty 1/4 inch thick and about 6 inches across. With butter knife, score each patty completely through into 8 even pie slices. Prick each slice 3 times with a fork.

Bake for 15 - 25 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove and allow cookies to cool completely.

Gently cut wedges apart and remove from sheet with a spatula.

Prepare a cool place with wax paper. Bring to simmer a double boiler (or a small, empty pot inside a larger pot with enough water to cover most of the way up the sides of the small one).
Add the chocolate and shortening and stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat. Drizzle or dip shortbread wedges in chocolate and dip in crushed walnuts or other toping.

Place on wax paper to cool.

Horseless and iced in!

Normally I do a "horseless" post on Fridays. But this Friday I was iced in without electricity. We awoke Friday morning to about a half inch of ice coating everything; while more was layering on. Our power had gone out around 2am that morning. There were downed trees and tree limbs. My husband and I were unable to get out for work. The radio told us it would be a while before power came back.

So we drained the pipes. Then we gathered with our "girls" (our kitties) in front of the fire. Our power came back late that night. However, the power at the barn was out until Saturday night.

My husband and I were reminded of the "great ice storm" of 1998. That storm was more serious. The 1998 storm had me, like many locals, caught by surprise. I ended up trapped in my car about 10 miles from home on a dirt road.

Though inconvenient, ice storms leave a beautiful, diamond encrusted world behind.

These are photos of mine from this weekend. NOAA has this excellent site on the significant 1998 storm. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the fantastic photo gallery.

Horseless Friday: Baby basking

Do you see it?...
....

Horseless Friday: Happy Halloween!

I do a horseless post (almost) every Friday. But ok, I can't resist this time...

Trick or treat!

I found this photo here.

Clipped from the Wikipedia entries onHalloween and Trick-or-treating:

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain.[...] The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Even.[...] The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols in America, and is commonly called a jack-o'-lantern. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga.

The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2).

So, get out your Rutabagas! For some more photos of trick-or-treating ponies, visit this gallery courtesy of the ClickRyder email list.

Or if you are feline-fine, visit this gallery of costumed cats!

Horseless Friday: Winter is on its way

I do a horseless post (almost) every Friday. This Friday I've observed that winter is on its way. This month we've had a thick fog every morning at sunrise. The fog has been leaving a white frost which melts by midmorning. Wednesday night we had some snow flurries over the midnight hours, although nothing accumulated for long. Every year it has snowed before Halloween in the 15 or so years that I've lived in Vermont. Although I sometimes tell my southerly friends that after enough global warming, I'll be enjoying Florida weather up here in January.

Horseless Friday: Go nuts! (for hickory nuts)

I do a horseless post every Friday. This Friday I've gone nuts; for hickory nuts! It's fall here in Vermont and the wild things are getting ready for winter. As my husband and I took our stroll, we found that the hickory trees along side our road are dropping their bounty.

Identifying Hickory nuts

There are a number of hickory tree species native to North America. Did you know that pecans are part of the family? Many of the species are hard to distinguish.

Hickory nut memories

Nuts can be enjoyed fresh or dried until the green husks turn brown. Then remove the outer husk and crack the shell. They can be used any time you'd go for walnuts or pecans. Here are some unusual recipes I found. But if you are feeling very adventurous, go wild with hickory nuts and brussel sprouts! I have to try that!

Horseless Friday: Fisherlady of the seven seas

I do a horseless post every Friday. Last week I was invited fishing with two of my lady friends. I'd never been fishing before. But I know I've mentioned before how much I love seafood. And it's always fun to go out with the girls. So what better way for 3 classy young ladies to spend a girls-day-out than on a deep sea fishing boat with a few dozen stinky sailors?

Bright and early, we drove out to Hampton Beach for Al Gouron's fishing tours. It was a lovely, sunny morning. We boarded the good ship "Sea Star" and readied our rods and bait...

Look I caught one! No, that's actually our bait; whole mackerel. Let me tell you those suckers are oily and stinky. I got fish oil all over myself. But that is just a fisherlady manicure.

We trolled around for a while. In a matter of minutes the sky went from sunny to gray. Then it began hailing. Fisherladies do not fear the elements! We pulled on our raincoats undeterred. As the hail turned to a steady rain, the fish began to bite!

The big Bluefish put up a fight worthy of any sporting lady. The kindly sailors on the boat offered to help us haul in our prizes. But I quickly figured out a use for my horse riding muscles: hold the rod between your legs! Although I imagine I may have scandalized even the most sullied pirates, it did save me from being reeled overboard by the fish.

Ah, our booty! The crew filleted our prizes for us with machetes. By the time I got home I was a tired and smelly sailor. But at least I had dinner already planned.



I hear Bluefish is best grilled. But since we don't have a grill, the broiler did fine. Skin side down, I lightly mayonnaised the fillets and seasoned with fresh herbs and lemon juice. Six minutes under the broiler for medium rare and juicy. Delicious fishes!

Horseless Friday: Berries!

I do a horseless post every Friday. This Friday my husband and I went berry picking in our backyard. Berries come in two types: yummy and yucky. We check our field guide so we can tell them apart!

Yummy berries

Raspberries grow by our pond.

Blackberries have been growing so profusely that we plan to brush hog this fall.We found 10 blueberry bushes when we moved in. I was so good not to eat any. This year we have twice as many. Still not as many as we'd like. I must resist the temptation!

Elderberries have a bitter, minty taste that isn't appreciated as much today. In the days of our great grandparents they were enjoyed as jelly, syrup, and wine. Maybe I should try using them in a recipe.
Yucky Berries


Nightshade is poisonous but pretty. They look like little tomatoes because they are the same family. But I still wouldn't eat them.
Bush Honeysuckle is invasive. It's listed some places as poisonous. I don't think the berries are very toxic because as a kid I dared my brother to eat a bunch. He is pretty normal today...
Baneberry is supposed to be quite toxic. However they are very beautiful.

Horseless Friday (Oops make that Saturday) - a visit to our Humane Society

This is a day late and perhaps a dollar short. I missed doing my usual horseless post this Friday.

Mom and I had a nice ride with the boys today. After that I cleaned up at home, grabbed my devoted horse-husband, and we went to the Springfield Humane Society.

"There's only room for one on this blanket!"

My cat, Scout, who we call "Baby", made me promise not to bring anyone home. We have two cats, Scout and Sprite. Baby says she'd prefer to be the only cat in the house. She'd rather not have to share her bed, sunshine, and humans, and she occasionally has to remind Sprite.

So we visited the animal shelter to renew our membership and leave a donation. No new cats, I promise, Baby!

"Can I come home with you?"

My husband and I really liked "Ginger". She had a quiet, gentle sweetness. Maybe she wouldn't push Baby's buttons.
"Buttons already pushed! NO, Mom!"

"Hello, are your bookshelves a mess? Do you need any bookends?"

Well, let's see, there are so many more cats... Here are the twins, Marco and Matthew. The folks at the shelter call them the "Brat Brothers" because they love to run around together and get involved in everything.
"Oh, no. Don't even think it, Mom. Looks like double trouble to me!"

Ok, Baby. I promise, no cats stowed away in my purse. I was only visiting, I swear. Please let my cashmere sweater go. We'll just stick with visiting and fundraisers.

Baby and I will miss the Annual Paws Around Town Walk this year because I'll be at a horse show. But I'd love to bring Armani to the Freddy Pelland Memorial Ride.

If only I had my own horse trailer... Honey?

Horseless Friday: My Houseplants

Every Friday I do a post on a horseless topic. This Friday's post is mostly photos, since my husband just reminded me that it's past my bedtime. As I've mentioned, I love houseplants. I started with house plants since I spend a lot of time inside in the dark during Vermont's winters, when I'm not riding in the dark at the barn. It all started with a couple clippings from my mother's Pothos. But now my mantel has been taken over by clippings, and I'm on the hunt for pots at yard sales this summer.

Some of my favorite houseplant resources:
*Hortiscope
*Dave's Garden
*Houseplants on Extension

African violets in my aunt's old onion soup crocks.

Fresh Wandering Jew clippings from my sister-in-law.

Cuttings of Pothos, Philodendron, Spider Plant, a Sweet Potato (from the supermarket), a variegated Spider Plant, and Ivy from my wedding bouquet. By the way, it's easy to sprout ivy from a bouquet and a nice way to save a memory. Set the end in water (you can dip it in "rooting hormone" first) and wait a week.
More cuttings and a Croton I rescued from someone's trash and a tiny jade tree sprout.

Finally my center piece, a 7ft tall Yucca. It had been growing at my local Home Depot for so long they'd discounted it because I can only assume it had eaten the other houseplants on display.
"Feed me, Seymour"

I hope you are feeling inspired to start a few little cuttings of your own. I've been learning about houseplants as I go and there have been a few -err- casualties along the way. If you have any stories, resources or tips of your own you'd like to share I'd love to read them!

Horseless Friday: Newborn fawn

Every Friday I do a post on a non-horsey topic. This Friday I'm posting pictures of a doe and her fawn, born in our backyard! We missed the birth itself, but we noticed mom and baby behind our porch as the sun was coming up. Mom is part of a small herd of 8 does that live behind our house. Or considering they were here when we moved in two years ago, perhaps we live in their front yard? Each dawn they head out and return at dusk and go to sleep in a thicket. We see bucks come by often during their season. So we were very excited to see this newest member of the family. Mommy was nervous so we shot the pictures from our master bathroom window, rather than trying to approach. You'll need to click to view the photos full size to see the fawn.

Here is cute web page geared for kids interested in learning about deer.

A little head peeps out.

The doe cleans her fawn.

The fawn tries to stand up.

The fawn begins nursing.