Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday.  We started with 15 at the table for Thanksgiving.  I think Thanksgiving is our favorite day of the year and we love to invite anyone looking for a group to share Thanksgiving with.  This year we thought we had 20, so I made the table 18 feet long, then with 5 cancellations we ended up the same size as last year with a 14' table... SO we had a little extra room.... No harm done.  We killed and ate two turkeys raise by one of our Co-op members.  My first time to de-feather and gut a turkey.  That was interesting.  The turkey turned out great and supported our philosophy to get our food as fresh and clean as possible.  Turns out those lovely big breasts are not natural, so we had a little less white meat than we might like, but thinking of the alternative (eating the hormones that make the turkey breasts grow) I am happy with our choice.

Tunnel Drive in Canon City

Mom and Dad came up for Thanksgiving and we walked Tunnel Drive here in Canon City and went up the Cog Railway up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, and of course had to stop at the Olive Oil and Vinegar tasting room.... My favorite place in Manitou Springs.

The river and Royal gorge train
from Tunnel Drive

On the Cog Railway

On Top of Colorado

 December was a whirlwind as usual.  I had a lot of database work and we had a couple Christmas parties etc... the usual.  The weekend before Christmas we headed down to Albuquerque, and spent the weekend celebrating with Kelsey and Sara.  My parents, of course, got in on the fun as they are back from Japan. Josh (Mike's eldest) and Carla just happened to be in Albuquerque that weekend too so we got to go have a visit with Carla's Mom and Step-dad at their spectacular house in the foothills of the Sandias!  If I can find some photos I'll share.

Since Monday Josh and Carla were flying back to Phoenix, and we were driving down the same day, we stole the baby Kaylee for the drive.  They were worried that she would be ornery in the car for that long, but I guess it's true, children act differently for their parents than for other people... She didn't squirm once and was perfect the whole way... And I had to take a moment to thank whoever invented those baby foods that you just squirt into the baby's mouth, no spoon, nothing.... Wonderful especially when you are in the car.

We spent Christmas week in Phoenix.  Carla (a blood tech at the hospital) works nights and had to work both Christmas eve and Christmas day night, so since it was all us adults and a 1 year old we decided it would harm anything to move Christmas Eve and Day to Thursday/Friday rather than have Carla be struggling to enjoy the holiday.  So Christmas Day after Carla slept and got up (1pm or so) we decided to take the boat out for a bit.  Gorgeous Day, half an hour from their house, about 2 other boats on the lake.  Carla even decided to don the wetsuit and go for a ski.. How many times can you say you went water skiing on Christmas Day!  Unfortunately after a long shift and little sleep her strength didn't allow her up and shortly she became nauseous.... Still proud of her for being the only one to give it a try!

Our Christmas Day (Friday) found Mike and Josh tackling a broken waterline problem in the yard.  Turned out it was the neighbors line, just leaking on Josh's property.. Oh well, we keep saying when the Mosers get together we should have a project.  I was amused as the weekend before when my Mom invited us over for breakfast, I snagged this photo!

Unfortunately, we had hoped to do some hunting or even shooting on the weekend, but Josh got a headache and so we stuck around close to home.  Still a great visit for us!  Late Sunday, we headed back to Albuquerque for the night and Monday Convoyed to our ranch with my parents, and Monica (my sister) and David drove down from Northern Colorado to spend New Years together.  We played games starting Monday night and didn't stop until Monica left late New Years Day.  Aside from Monica coming down with a stomach flu on New Years Day, that was a fun visit too.  After my parents left on the 2nd, and I had to get back to work.... that was a hard transition.  I still wanted to play.

But now 2014 has started and we have BIG plans.  We have been converting our kitchen to gluten free for the past few months, and that has gone well so we have decided to go all out Paleo.  For those who don't know, Paleo eating is eating like a neanderthal man.  The theory is that many things we are eating today are not native to humans and our bodies really are not well suited and have not evolved to eating them.  In a nutshell if you are eating Paleo you are not eating gluten, or any grains, no dairy, no legumes, no white potatoes, and no sugar.  What you do eat is meat and vegetables, fruit (esp berries), seeds and nuts, including eggs and quality fats.  We are starting with a 2 week cleanse and ready to go.  We want to be strict for at least 9 months or a year and allow our guts to heal.  Then most people relax a little and you just listen to your body to see what you can add back.  So that is one big effort for our focus.

Our second big effort currently is that we are starting a new stock trading class with Revolutionary Trading.  I've loved their style for the past couple of years since we have discovered them.  We decided to be part of their elite trading class for the first quarter of 2014.  After we decided that the time was right for us now, they announced that this will be his last year, and perhaps his last quarter teaching, so I'l doubly excited.  This starts at the end of the month and I am trying not to commit to anything, so we can stay dedicated to these to ventures... Yep, pretty difficult for me.

So all told if we can focus on Trading classes, eating Paleo and keeping up with my work, that is enough for the next few months!  Hope you all are having as much fun!

I'm Back!

I continue to be surprised at the number of people who tell me they love (and miss) my blog.  I must admit I miss it somewhat too.  I thought Facebook was a replacement for the blog, but I don't tend to give any detail on Facebook nor post regularly.  Also I tend to miss lots of other peoples posts on Facebook, so I understand the frustrations of trying to keep up.  So lately I've been thinking I should start to blog again.  The Universe seems to agree... Tonight's story is too long for a Facebook post.

Last week on our way home from Salt Lake, we stopped for the night to visit friends in Cedaredge, a small town in western Colorado, in an area famous for it's produce.  So we left there with a box of tomatoes, a box of peaches, and a box of Pears.  Mikes parents had sent a half a box of tomatoes home with us and our Cedaredge friend Gloria had given us a large butternut squash.  SO... started out the week with a lot of plans for my spare time.

Monday morning I started in and dried a batch of tomatoes, Tuesday I dried peaches and froze some, and ate some.... (we finished up the peaches).  The pears were not quite as ripe, but by Thursday it was time to dry pears.  I also wanted to make a pie of the squash, and can some tomato sauce.

Anyhow, I had a class this morning and returned home about 3pm... Looking at the squash sitting on the counter (for the last week) I decided it was time to cook that for dinner, and make a pie of the remaining squash.  I also had enough squash to put one pie worth in the freezer... yea!  So just as I got started on that Mike came in and pointed out to me that the tomatoes were pretty ripe.  I said "Ok, I'll make tomato sauce tomorrow."  He said "I'm not sure you understand... I don't think they are going to make it to tomorrow."   Humm.  Guess I'd better get started on that sauce.

I was hoping to find a pie crust for my pie in the freezer, but did not.. so alas pulled out the cookbook to make some pie crust.  When I noticed a recipe for pear pie on the same page as my normal pie crust.  Fact is, I still have a half a box of pears to use up... If I'm going to make pie, I might as well make enough crust for both.  Unfortunately, the pear was a double crust, (my recipe for pie crust makes two) so I make two recipes, leaving one crust for the freezer... nice, since I had enough squash for one more pie for the freezer.

I continued through dinner on my little cooking spree, digging out the canning jar and cleaning them up, cutting up pears, making tomato sauce, etc.  Mike was patiently waiting a piece of Butternut Squash pie (Oh did I mention this was my first time to make butternut pie, and my first time to make pear pie, and my first time to can tomato sauce.... Humm, think I may have had a little too much going on?)

Anyhow.. the squash pie was supposed to be coming out of the oven, but it wasn't setting up at all.  I kept cooking it, and cooking it, and cooking it to no avail... The top seemed to be burning, the crust was over crispy, and the insides were as runny as milk.  Mike gave up and went to bed... It was about 20 minutes later it dawned on me that I hadn't put the eggs in the pie.  Aargh.  Took the pie out, put the pear pie in, finished canning the sauce.  I decided to scrape the filling out of the pie, add the eggs and try again.. But not sure how this would work, and not sure the crust wouldn't spontaneously combust.. AND being that this is the first time I made this new pie... I decided I better use my extra crust and my extra squash and make one brand new pie, as well as redo the old pie.

Well 23 minutes left on the timer.  My feet are screaming at me... I hope they let me go take the pie out of the oven... guess I'll have to let you know tomorrow how the pie is.  Or with all this pie around here, maybe you want to stop by and share a piece!

I do like to blog... maybe I'll start that up regularly again... Oh and guess I have to change my title again, as the Weston Price cookbook thing was a complete bust.

Sourdough Starter (p 489) - Sourdough Bread (p 490)

Late-March Mom came up to town for a Send Out Cards Treat-em-Right seminar in Denver (tech-center).  Monica and Dave came down for breakfast before the seminar.

Chatting with them, and on the topic of making bread (Monica has started bread making recently) we started talking about making Sourdough.  I've been making my own for about a year.  The starter I got (from a Weston Price Demonstration I went to) is about 150 years old.  Perfect!  Monica was planning on coming down in a couple of weeks for her birthday weekend.  I said "I know, lets make bread when you are down, and I'll give you some starter for your birthday present."  So that is what we did.

Now the sourdough I usually make, you get the starter out at 8am on Saturday, refresh it with flour and water, sit 3 hours, refresh again, sit three hours, if you want to give some starter away (like to your sister for her birthday) refresh again and let it sit three hours.  Then take off the starter to save, make the bread dough, and rise all night in the refrigerator.  In the morning warm it up, knead it, let it rise again (usually for a few hours) then cook.  The refresh is 236 grams of water (110 degrees) and 150 grams of flour.  I never use whole wheat in my starter, although most of my friends do.  The starter to save is 250grams (each).

You all may know that I have made all the bread we eat for the past 3-4 years.  The only bread we buy is Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns, and tortillas.  The recipe I use is : 2-2/3 cup water (110 degrees), 3 teaspoons yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 3 Tablespoons Honey, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, and roughly 6 cup of flour (until it doesn't cling to the bowl).  (Recipe thanks to my Cousin, Heidi)

I have modified the sourdough recipe based on the above regular recipe to 1-2/3 cup water,  2 teaspoons salt, 1 Tablespoon Honey, 3 Tablespoons olive Oil, roughly 6 cups of flour, or until it doesn't cling to the bowl.  The regular bread recipe makes 2 loaves, the sourdough makes 3.

Because of this project I also wanted to try the bread from the Nourishing Traditions.  In this case I started with the starter 7 days before Monica came.  The Starter is 2 cups of rye flour, 2 cups water.  Cover with cheesecloth, set out in a warm spot.  Daily stir, add another cup of flour and some more water to make it soupy.   After 7 days it should be ready to go..  Mine was just a mess, and never amounted to much. 

My warm spot was inside my oven with the oven light on.  On day two the starter bubbled up over the top of the bowl, and ran all over the inside of my oven.  And then never showed signs of life again.  The book says this will happen, but whatever, it didn't make good bread either.

Monica and I followed the recipe on page 490. Sourdough starter, 13 cups spelt flour, 2-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1-1/2 cups of water.  The bread never rose, was hard and not tasty.  Really didn't cook through, you know the kind... I think I'll stick with my regular recipe for bread.

That weekend we also finish Dave's 16th century garb for his Choir performance in the Society for Creative Anachronisms... That was probably more interesting than the bread.

#2,3,4/773 : Basic Ingredients : Yogurt, Whey, Creme Fraiche, Water Kefir (p 84 - 87)

Many of the recipes in the cookbook use basics that you have to make, not found in a store.  So I thought I'd better get up a good supply of some of those to use in other recipes.

Yogurt (p85)

Fresh Yogurt w/ Blueberries

So, OK, you can find this in a store.  I have been eating a lot of Greek yogurt, (Fage 0% - Costco).  My favorite breakfast is frozen strawberries, frozen cherries, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of Pumpkin Flax Granola Cereal (also Costco).  It fits into my weight watchers program well.. Anyhow.  Not completely sure why people would make yogurt, especially since I cannot buy raw milk.  The Fage product is good quality and has no fillers.  I don't think I can make it cheaper either, so I probably will not continue to make that, except if I need some Whey.

But anyhow, It is 1 quart of organic whole milk, heated to 180 degrees, (do not boil) cooled to 110 degrees, then stir in some yogurt as a starter and put in a warm place for 6-12-24 hours (I'm sure you shouldn't leave it too long, but I the time I perhaps should have checked it fell at inconvenient times, and so I'm sure I left it longer than I should, but it still turned out fine). 

Nourishing Traditions say 1/2 cup of starter.  Wild Fermentation says 1 Tablespoon.  In that book he says if you put too much it will be sour and runny... I found that was true.  The flavor was nowhere near as good with more starter.

I don't have any sort of incubator so I took an insulated zipper "ice chest" that we have, put our heating pad in the bottom of it, and with the warmed mixture in a glass container I packed towels around it.  It worked great, except that the heating pad we have turns off after about 10 minutes.. SO I had to turn it back on every time I walked by.  Nice how our government take care of us, eh?  I hope I can find and buy a heating pad without this "safety feature".

Whey (p 87)

Whey

Immediately when the Yogurt was done I put it in a strainer (some "yogurt cheese maker" that I have used for years, but any strainer with small holes will do).  This strains off the whey, which in the past I have thrown away (or a whey), but turns out has wonderful nutritional value.  So I started collecting that in another container.  What is left behind is sweet creamy Greek yogurt.  Was very good, put as I said may not do it all the time.





Creme Fraiche (p 84)

Creme Fraiche is a product used a lot in Europe in cream sauces etc.  It is about half way between a heavy cream and a sour cream.  It is not as sour as sour cream and therefore could be put on fresh fruit and is delicious, without the added sugar we put in our whipped cream.  This is made that same way as yogurt, using whipping cream and existing cream fraiche as a starter.  This was the hardest part, finding the starter, but I did find it in the health-food store, and incredibly easy to make and quite delicious.  This would be worth it to make, since it is so hard to find in the store.

I wanted to make Piima Cream and Milk Kefir too, but will have to order Piima cream starter online, and haven't done that.  Regarding the Milk Kefir, also I'd have to order online.  I am more interested in Water Kefir, as it could be another option to drink, since we don't drink soda or anything like that.. And it is nutritious to get the fermented water in our diet.  So I did buy Water Kefir grains and have been making that. 

Water Kefir (not in NT)

1 quart of water
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of hydrated grains


The grains eat up the sugar and multiply.  The water ferments with good bacterias (pro-biotic).  You can drink it straight, or mix with fruit juice.  The last batch I grated a little ginger into and let it sit for the night.. It was plenty powerful!  and reasonably good.  Think that might be a way to keep it going in the future.  Anyway my Kefir grains are growing so fast I am giving them away!  And have Kefir Water coming out my ears.  Not sure what to do about that.  Not sure how to slow them down.

#1/773 : Red Cabbage, Dutch style (p 377)

So shortly after deciding to do this project I started thumbing through the cookbook to decide what I might make first, when I realized that there are a lot of strange things in here..  Perhaps I should have asked Mike if he wanted to EAT all the things in this cookbook, so I did.  His reply was "Well, yes, we are trying to change what we eat... but within reason, right?".  I laughed.  Then later that afternoon continuing my thumbing I was talking to Kelsey on the phone and related the story.  When I found Root beer.. "Like, ya know, I could make Root Beer sometime."  "Yum", she says.  "Or", turning the page "Pottrnger's Liver Cocktail (p612)", which is a mixture of Liver (1 small Chunk), tomato juice, Tabasco, squeeze of lime, and Whey.... Humm, decided I better start with the more palatable first!

So I started with Red Cabbage.  This recipe was surprisingly simple and yet delicious.  First recipe down and already I've added a recipe to our regular repertoire!

Red Cabbage, Dutch style (p 377)
1 med Red Cabbage Shredded
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
2 apple pealed and sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon wine vinegar

Rinse cabbage place in heavy pan.  In a small pan mix bay leaf, cloves, salt, honey, with cinnamon and water, bring to a boil.  Pour over the cabbage and cook gently for about 20 minutes.  Move to serving dish.  Toss with vinegar and butter.

The first time I made half a recipe.  It was so good I made it for movie night the next week.  I made a whole recipe to serve the 5 of us... It made a Whole lot!  I'd recommend 1/2 a recipe.

Shifting Gears....

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

I've been giving a lot of thought to this bogging business lately.  I have to admit I have been struggling a lot with the idea of blogging lately.  But a comment from a reader (you know who you are) really made me think about it this week..  It has been coming for about 2 years, it has to do with the one sided-ness of a blog.  I am open and willing to share every detail of my life with others.... probably more than anyone really wants!  But I find myself losing connectedness with my friends because while they know everything about me, I know relatively little about what is going on with them.  This is something that has bothered me about blogging ever since I started, but lately I have been trying to focus on building stronger relationships through Send Out Cards, and I am surprised, and disappointed, at how weak some of these connections are.  I do really owe an update to everyone, and I do know how many people read and enjoy my updates, but haven't been able to make myself sit down and do it... one of those things that when you delay, it only becomes harder.

My lack of updating has not been for lack of topic to tell you about.  Mike's family came to visit shortly after my last post.  Such a momentous occasion, complete with photos, deserved a post.  We were so tickled to have his 3 sisters, two brother-in-laws and parents all visiting for the weekend.  What a special treat for us.

After that of course we enjoyed the holidays, Thanksgiving here at the ranch again and Christmas at home followed by a two-week trip away from the ranch, to Albuquerque, visiting all of my family, New Years in Phoenix, hunting quail with all of Mike's boys, followed by a visit to Mike's parents in Salt Lake, and a Send Out Cards meeting.  It had been so long since we were gone for so long, without worrying about animals at home!

BECAUSE, most significantly, we delivered our last alpacas to their new home in Wyoming in December, they took the dogs too, and coincidentally the trailer as well.  Since then we have been finishing projects around the ranch, and selling equipment/supplies and are on the verge of putting the ranch on the market. (Not really needing 35 acres, 4 outbuildings and especially a couple thousand dollar mortgage.)  (If you know someone looking for a ranch in Colorado, send them to http://www.alpacaranchforsale.blogspot.com/)

Where we will end up... no one knows.  We keep kicking around options, but we don't want to make any decisions yet.  As long as we end up someplace with good water, and good high speed internet, we will be fine.  We got rid of the chickens because they were not laying well this year, and costing more than buying free-range organic eggs at the store.  So aside from a few feral cats that are around here, we have no animals to care for.  We enjoyed the animals, but now are still getting used to freedom again.  We even joke about not keeping sourdough starter because we don't want that kind of responsibility! 

I noticed last week, riding up the chairlift, that A) we were skiing for the first time in three years, B) I had recently hit a bucket of balls at the golf coarse for the first time in 6 years, C) square danced for the first time in 25 years, D) Went Geo-caching for the first time in 4 years... I asked Mike why we stopped going out and "doing fun stuff" he said "Alpacas" (As in time and money sucking).  Wow, food for thought.

(Click to enlarge)

***and Shifting Gears Now!***
AND NOW...   I love that you all read the blog.  I do apologize for not writing more often... in the meantime I have decided to shift gears, especially since I can't write about alpacas anymore.  You know that we have been on this journey to improve our health through better food choices and holistic philosophy.  Lately I have even considered becoming a food advocate.  Somewhere on the path we joined an organization called the Weston Price Foundation.  This organization is based in principles for eating discovered by .. no other than Weston Price, a dentist in the early 20th century who discovered improved health in indigenous peoples of the earth with certain diets.  We believe that many of the illnesses we see plaguing our society today are an unintended consequent of modern convenience food that the American diet embraces.  While trying to answer the needs of a growing population, we have all but destroyed our food sources and that may just destroy us.. but I digress.  Weston Price Foundation promotes a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions (by Sally Fallon).  I've run across it in many kitchens, although haven't found many people cooking much from it.  Some of the principle of Weston Price way of eating are very different from what I am used to.  Recently we got our own copy of the cookbook, and rather than let it sit unused on my shelf, I want to try everything in the cookbook, and blog about my findings here. (Yes, ala Julie/Julia).

In the process of starting this project I found another site doing exactly the same thing, (http://thenourishingcook.com/), but as someone pointed out to me, there are a billion blogs talking about the cute things their kids say, and yet that doesn't stop the next person from doing the same thing... No doubt mine will be different, and besides that it who cares if it's not.  The goal here is to try to incorporate some of the principles of the diet into our regular diet.

I'd like to say I'd keep my comments to that topic alone, but I know that is a lie.  So I'm shifting gears, but still driving the same car.. Want to come along?

One last Alpaca Roadtrip

As I write this we are on our last leg of our final 4000+ mile road trip to deliver 14 alpacas to the east.  We started our 9 days ago and spent the first two days driving across Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and into Kentucky where we made our first Alpaca delivery before heading onto Columbus, Ohio, where we delivered 9 rabbits for our neighbor. The next day poured rain on us all day while we drove to Martinsburg, West Virginia (spitting distance from DC) for the next alpaca delivery.  Those folks entertained us and put us up for the evening, and the next day headed on toward our delivery in Georgia, in the Smokey Mountains (about 5 miles from the North Carolina border).

This day we had planned to slow down a bit and hoped to drive the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but within about 5 miles we recognized that was a very impractical idea.  For one thing the fog was so thick that we could not see 15 feet in front of the truck.. So we stopped at the first visitor center, and picked up literature then headed back to the main highway.  I suppose this was best because as it was we didn't make it to that Georgia delivery point until 7pm.

With plans to get back to Asheville that evening, our day was just too long and we stayed the night in Franklin, NC, in the Smokies.  But we were still in Asheville, to my Uncle Charlie, and Aunt Cordie's house, by breakfast.   Nice because A) we got to arrive refreshed, and B) we got to drive up the steep hill to my uncle's house and park the truck and trailer in the daylight.

We spent 2-1/2 very relaxing days in Asheville; visiting waterfalls and other local sights, getting in a few hands of Mah-jongg, and eating wonderful meals!  We thoroughly enjoyed the pampering that always is showered on us at Charlie and Cordie's, and yet after contemplating the 2-16 hours days of driving ahead, we decided that it might be nicer to meander and see a few sights along the road on the way home with our empty trailer (ie. no animals to take care of), and we chose to leave 1/2 a day ahead of our original schedule.

So leaving at noon, heading toward Tennessee,  our first top of interest was to be the botanical gardens and model train exhibit in Nashville.  But then we realized we would be getting there at 5:20 pm, and they close at 5pm.  So while Mike drove I kept seeking out sights of interest along our route using the GPS and internet on my smart phone.  I hit on a stop that fit the bill perfectly.  A treehouse that some crazy guy built and built and built.  It was free, 5 miles off the highway and would be good to stretch our legs and imaginations.  I looked up the exit and announced my plans just as we passed the exit.  With the next exit 9 miles away we decided to save that for the next trip...  (http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/ministers-house-the-worlds-biggest-treehouse.html)

We did get off the highway in Nashville and drove by a few sights.  The most noteworthy was the Parthenon, an art museum that is a full scale replica of the parthenon in Greece.  But at rush hour, driving around in downtown Nashville traffic was not too fun and so we went on.  We stopped at a hotel about an hour later in time for Mike to catch his online class.

Day 2 of the return trip we drove across Kentucky and Illinois.  We got to Saint Louis around noon and planned to stop at Union Station, an old train station in downtown renovated to house shops and restaurants.  Thought that would be an interesting place for lunch and stretch the legs a bit.  But there was no where that we could park the truck and trailer in or around the spot...   So we went on.  We did stop for lunch a few miles later (at a Steak n Shake) and took a walk around the strip mall before continuing down the road, and somewhere along the way we stopped for a restroom stop at a Harley Davidson dealership.  That's always fun!

The one spot that we noticed on our way east, but didn't stop because we had a trailer full of alpacas, and may in fact be the reason we decided to take the slow road home, was a marble factory (yes, small round glass things) outside of Kansas City.  So when all else failed we plugged that into the GPS and it said that we were going to got there at... you guessed it... 5:20, when it closed at 5:00.  AND it didn't open until 10am, so we wouldn't be waiting for that.  We did pull off the road and drive by to make sure it should stay on our list for "next time" also, and indeed it will.

After another nights good rest we started out on our final day and mid-morning stopped at the "Cathedral on the Plains" a beautiful Catholic Cathedral in the middle of Kansas.  That turned out to be a wonderful stop, and we took a few photos below.

All in all the trip went smoothly.  Our only snafu was that the people picking up the rabbits from us in Ohio had a car breakdown and we ended up driving an extra 4 hours to deliver the rabbits.  After trying the Blue Ridge with no success we decided that we would have to return in the next year or two and drive the full length by motorcycle, maybe camping along the way.  That sounds like more fun anyway, and will give us an excuse to get back to the neighborhood!  Love it!

Juice Fasting

Early in the year (January I think) we watched a documentary called "Simply Raw" about a study of 6 people with diabetes (one or two type I the rest type II) who they put on a raw diet for 30 days.  It effectively eliminated their diabetes (I don't have any information about the follow so don't ask ;-).  I do believe, from our past personal experience and from our studies, that if you give the body what it need it can do miraculous things.  The body wants to be healthy, only trouble is... what is it the body wants?  A lot of fruits and vegetables in the raw form sounds like a good answer to me...  I also think a good cleanse ever year or so is a good idea for the body.  I decided this summer to try to eat raw for 30 days.  So summer has nearly come and gone.. trouble is.  I don't really know how to go about eating raw.  I don't want to bore myself with salads continually (and I don't think salad dressing is raw anyway) and how do you get the protein etc.

Last month we saw another documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead".  It is downloadable at Netflix, and very interesting.  It's about a guy from Australia who had Urticarial vasculitis, a form of hives that attacks you a few times a week for no apparent reason, very painful, and incurable.  His only recourse is to take massive amounts of steroids, which of course are killing him in other ways.  So he went on a 60 day juice fast, flew to America, drove coast to coast meeting people and telling his story.  He is now 80 pounds lighter, living a raw lifestyle and completely off the steroids and no more urticaria.  I decided this would be a good cleanse for my body and meet the goal of 30 days raw, so last Monday I started a juice fast.

My neighbors lent us a juicer, and then actually we got one in an alpaca sale, so suddenly we have two champion juicers at our disposal.  We would like to purchase a Breville, but we can decide that at a later date.  My Sister, Nancy, actually discovered the movie, and has started juicing also juicing on Friday.  She bought the Breville so Ill have a chance to try hers.  Of course with our crazy schedule, it was tough to find 30 days that I could juice in the middle of conventions, cruises, work travel etc.  But we're going for it.  So far so good at day 8.  I haven't gotten too hungry.  The goal is not to get hungry at all, just drink more if you need to.  You are giving your digestive system a break by juicing and yet you still have all the calories and nutrition you need because you are eating a huge pile of veggies and fruit.

Here is what I eat in one day.

Next step is to cut it up :

And finally, 8 cups of juice should last me the day.  Bon Appetit!

Salt Lake on a bus.

On May 15th Send Out Cards chartered 3 busses to go from Denver to the Salt Lake Treat-em-right Seminar (Send Out Cards 1 day motivational seminar).  My Mom and I thought that would be a fun adventure, so she came up from Albuquerque, picked me up from the airport (coming from Chicago of course) and we spent the night at Rose's house and got on the bus at 6:30 the next morning.  Well we were right about adventure.  Only two hours into it, the highway was closed due to SNOW in Wyoming.  Thought about rerouting to I-70, but chains were required there!  So after a little resourcefulness the Bus driver found a way around the road closure and we were back on track again.  However the re-route shortcut took us over about 5 miles of dirt road, which after the 24 hours of POURING rain, was kind of a Mud-slide road.  After ward the bus driver informed us that although he was sliding all over, his main concern was not stopping, lest he get stuck n the MUD.. Luckily the adventure ended there.  And as much fun as it was going, it had lost it's enamour by the bus ride home, which was from 7pm until 4am, and then a 3 hour drive back to my house where we both CRASHED!  I think we've done that, and don't feel the need to do that again.

Because we rode the Thursday bus, we had a full day on Friday to ourselves.  An absolute on the adjenda was to visit the Send Out Cards plant.  The bus was going to take all that wanted a ride over at 10 am, but I thought "Gee, I really don't want to arrive with 52 other people for a tour" so we grabbed a cab, got there at 9am and had a private tour.  SO glad we did that!  It is wonderful to be able to walk right up to the machines and ask all the questions you can think of.  I had been 2 times before but this was Mom's first time, so the personal attention was fantastic.

Our tour ended just as the bus showed up with the other 52 people, so we thought we would hang out a bit and catch a ride back to the hotel with them... However sometime within that waiting period I had the bright idea to give Mike's brother-in-law, Keith Caraway, a call.  I knew the building he worked in was within sight of Send Out Cards, but wasn't sure which one it was.  So when I called him, he was delighted and popped over to say hi.  He got there just as the bus was leaving so we abandoned the ride back to town idea and went to lunch with him.  He then put us on a city bus that took us back to town and actually dropped us right at the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake where we had decided to go see the IMAX movie.  Perfect!  Then the free trolley in Salt Lake took us back to the hotel just in time for the evening's Send Out Cards event so we could get all motivated in our busines again.

I must admit I've been to 4 treat-em-rights now, and you would think I know what they want me to know, but these are self improvement seminars, and it amazes me every time what more I learn about myself!  Can't wait for the next one.

The next event I was excited to participate in was the first Saturday in June in Chicago.. My last day in Chicago.  I was excited to still be there and be able to attend their local "Super Saturday"  (another training event popping up around the country).  We have Super Saturdays in Colorado about once a month (unless something else is going on, like bus trips to Salt Lake) and I find them every inspirational.  The one in Chicago was much smaller and very intimate, which was great.  And it just so happened that the speaker/trainer for the day was none other than Jordan Adler, the number one month earner in Send Out Cards.  He recently bought a 4th home in Chicago, and so likes to hang out there!  Anyway, what a great opportunity to get to take part in.

Big changes previously alluded to...

So on to the big changes.. In January we decided we would like to get out of the alpaca business in 2011.  We have nothing bad to say about the business model, but due to the economy, our business plan just is not working like we had hoped, and rather than keeping ourselves tied down to a business that is costing us in feed and vet care instead of making a profit by now, we would rather turn our attentions to other pursuits.  We still fully believe the alpaca business will bounce back when the economy bounces back for those who will wait, but A) we are tired of waiting, and B) We are losing our faith in WHEN the economy is turning around.

SO, we are liquidating our herd and have been selling alpacas fairly rapidly.  We are down to 24 now, which is far from the 100+ we had here only 2 years ago.  We have some unbelievable deals for super quality animals, and some have taken notice.  We have no regrets on the path we have taken.. especially as that journey has led us to the direction we are now moving in.  In the meantime we had 3 babies last week and have 5 more due before the end of the month.  So it's hard to know haw many alpacas we own on a given day.

The Cria at play!

Last September we took a Rich Dad (Robert Kyosaki) weekend course on Options trading and got very turned on by that.  So Mike has been educating himself to be able to contribute to our household via that vehicle.  And I, as most of you know am TOTALLY immersed in Send Out Cards.  The company just gets better and better (and the checks just keep getting better and better).  I believe in the product, in the heart of the company, in the law of attraction, and the good things that come with appreciating others.  It has been truly transforming in my life, and I am so excited about the prospects this company has to help others lives as well.  The income opportunity is something that so many people in our country these days are begging for, and even if the opportunity is not for you the product is something that is changing the world for the better every day.  Send Out Cards has just removed all membership fees for retail customers (unbelievable value for FREE!) and they are going to open up globally in the next few months.  I truly believe Send Out Cards is going to make a lot of billionaires in the next 5 years....  But I'm gushing and saying too much.... I just can't help myself!

But as mentioned in the earlier post.. It's too easy to get distracted and let the Send Out Cards business stagnate.  So to help me to stay focused, 4 weeks ago I joined a mentoring program that runs for 1 year, in which you must dedicate 15-20 hours a week to Send Out Cards to complete.  This is going to be a serious commitment, to keep up all the other things I have going, but I want my Send Out Cards business to flourish, and this is going to be what it takes!  SO.. my friends, you may not see another post for another year!!!  ;-)

Mike's Busy Schedule and Allergies

Two things happened with Mike the same week I left for Chicago, 1) his Dad called and asked him to do some work at his house, and 2) He was diagnosed as allergic to all Milk products and Eggs in any form.  The latter has been a huge challenge for him, and now that I'm back home full time I'm in for a shock on how careful we are going to have to be with our diet.  He is being treated for the allergies now, so hopefully this isn't a life long issue, but we will have to see.  Just this week he was told he could start eating dairy again, so we are keeping our fingers crossed!

When his Dad called for the work, we thought I was only going to be in Chicago for a week.  So he was going to wait until I got home to take care of the animals.  But every week my appointment got extended further.  So we finally decided he had better just go do it.  So the two weeks encompassing Easter he went to Salt Lake and installed wood flooring at his parents house.  Instead of going home, I flew to Salt Lake for the weekend and for the holiday.   That worked out well.

He now has a contract to finish up a friends basement in Loveland (3 hours north) so now that I am am home he will be spending much of the next 2 months up there working on that.  This is the woman he helped finish her house up in Eagle's Nest, New Mexico, back in 2003 or so.  It should be a good job.  I also have some prospect of new contracts on the horizon... So everything is looking fine on the home front.

1/4 year in Chicago

OK, My sister Monica just got back from 2 weeks in Italy and posted a few posts to her blog... She has inspired me to catch you all up on what has been going on around here... Huge changes in the works, slowly changing our lives... That's in a nutshell.  Here's the detail.

Rose, Mom, Kris, & I 

February 11 two of my Mastermind team members, one from Denver (Rose) and one from Boulder (Kris), headed down to Albuquerque to pick up my mom, and then on to Phoenix for a Send Out Cards "Treat-em-right" motivational and training seminar.  On the way down I got a call from Gilbane, my primary client, saying that they had 4-6 weeks of work for me.  It would involve one week in Chicago, getting facetime with the client, and then the rest of the work could be from home on the ranch.... Just my style of contract.  They wanted me on site on Monday Feb 14... the day I was planning on returning home from the Phoenix trip.



Well, anyone who has been following our life for long knows that we are in no position to turn up our noses at any billable work, so I got down to my best talent... problem solving, and got it all worked out.  When we passed back through Albuquerque to drop my Mom back off at home after the Phoenix trip, Kris and Rose would drop me off too, and I could fly to Chicago from Albuquerque.  Kris and Rose needed to get home of course, so they would take my car to my house for me where they had left their car.  Then Monica (my sister), who happened to be planning a trip to Pheonix herself, passing through Albuquerque on the day we were returning to Albuquerque from Phoenix, would meet up with Mike in Pueblo, who would hand off a packed bag with my dress clothes, and work computer, and I could fly off to Chicago.  Then at the end of the week I'd fly back to Albuquerque, just in time to be picked up by Monica, heading back home, who could give me a ride on home to Colorado...

Worked out great!  Anyway, they loved me in Chicago.. I fit right in with the team, each of us filling a needed role.  So as soon as I got home, they called to say, "You need to come back, we need the who team here at the table until this job is done."  Well, I've lost count of the weeks, but humm... some 16 weeks later was still in Chicago.  Going home Friday evenings and returning on Monday mornings.  Bright side is I've never spent any time in Chicago before, so now I've seen the sights, down side is, by now I could care less, and I go to work in the AM, and back to the hotel in the evening........ Not an inspiring lifestyle.

I only stayed over two weekends in Chicago.  Those weekends I got out to see

• Navy Pier
• Frank Lloyd Wrights House
• Unity Temple
• Lakeshore Drive
• Willis (Sears) Tower and the Ledge (4' deep glass boxes that extend out of the building on the 105th floor!  What a trip!)
• Magnificent Mile Shopping
• Second City Comedy Club
• Pizza at Ginos
• Hershey Shop
• Millenium Park
• Historic Water Tower
• Garrett Popcorn
• Northwesten University
• Frank Lloyd Wrights Robie house
• O'Bama's house,
• and went to a German Beer and Brat Fest..

So I did see a few things.

Frank Lloyd Wrights Unity Temple

Too cloudy for the Sears tower today!

A VERY COOL model of the city, made by a 3-D Printer.

(Go see it in the Santa Fe Building if you get a chance.)

Millineum Park

The LEDGE!!

 The view from the Sear's Tower

(I stayed to watch the sunset)

Pizza with my Cousin Hillary, whom I haven't seen in 20 years!

I've also learned a new appreciation for those that try to do Send Out Cards part time while working full time, because by the evening, back in my hotel room, I have to really push myself to pick up that phone and do some Send Out Cards... If I didn't totally believe that Send Out Cards has the potential to support me and allow me to retire in comfort, I wouldn't give Send Out Cards another moment.  My business was stagnant for 3 months before I decided to do something about that.. More on that later.

My calorie intake and exercise routine has also given me somewhat of a challenge, but by the end of April I'd been there long enough that I was able to start disciplining myself on those issues too.  So tough though to stick with it!  Aargh. 

I came home from Chicago yesterday and at this moment have no plans to return, my bank account is breathing a sigh of relief, so I am careful not to complain.

After I wrote ALL the detail... I decided to take pity on you all and break it into 4 blog posts... Guess I really should post more often, so they don't have to be so long!  Watch for the other posts in the next few days.

The Holidays 2010

With the holidays in Full Bloom we are happy to be down to 39 alpacas.  Suddenly chores are done in no time at all and it almost seems a shame to call them "chores"  they should be "delights"  ;-)  Of course "I" can say that, because I am not the one to do them regularly.  Mike does have that burden, and in the cool mornings and dark evenings I am very thankful for that too.

Speaking of thankful, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving at home.  We were planning to go to Salt Lake and visit Mikes family for the holiday, or as a secondary plan had been invited to a friend's house, but with all of our travels and goings lately, Mike and I looked at each other on the Thursday before Thanksgiving and said, "Gee wouldn't it be nice to stay home".  I thought there is no way we would not be spending the day alone at that late date, but started calling anyway, and low and behold found a bunch of people with no plans and we ended up with 14 at the table.  Wonderful!!

Since I have been home (1 month now), most of my time has been dedicated to the launch of a new product.  It is a legacy book, to track all your data from your life, bank accounts, insurance policies, monthly payments, family recipes, collections, etc.  The name is My Life's Info, and there is a spiral bound version and a database version.  It is a product that everyone needs.  Join our fanpage (mylifesinfo) on facebook or visit the website http://www.mylifesinfo.com for more information.

Also since it is the holiday season, Send Out Cards has been picking up hot and furious!  I've also started a blog to support my team on that, since the team is growing and I want to assure that I can provide support to my downline.  (That blog is at http://sendarealcardblog.blogspot.com/ and a fanpage on facebook called SendaRealCardFans).  If you have not decided to send cards the cheap and easy way (by becoming a customer or distributor of ours) keep in mind you can send an occasional Greeting card without any membership, at http://www.sendarealcard.com for $2.99 (which includes postage AND a custom photo), so a MUCH better deal than going to the grocery store.  I'd also love to introduce you to the complete system by helping you send out your Christmas Cards.. Believe me it will change the way you communicate!


OK, well enough on all that.. That is just where our head has been buried lately.  Can't breathe... and LOVING it!  We are also thankful to be spending Christmas at home.  The house is all decorated, and we are just waiting for Santa.  Kelsey and Sara are coming up for a week before Christmas and my parents are coming up for Christmas day.  Then they will go up to my sister, Monica's house for a few days and we may go with them for a day or two there.  But in general, we are staying close to home!  Yeah!