Can You Eat Me Now?

I am always searching for locally grown, organic food for my little family. Locally grown especially. Nothing like Buy Amer.. I mean Buy Saskatchewan. Once not too long ago I bought a jar of pickles. Everyone grows cucumbers here so I didn't even look at the label. I couldn't even believe that my $3 jar of pickles was shipped all the way from The Philippines! The Philippines I tell ya. Come on.

The other day I was looking on a local free classified ad site and came across an ad for Free Range Eggs $2 a doz and Free Range Chicken $3.50/lb. I contacted the farmer right away and wouldn't you know it? The farm was 20 minutes from our little town. Score!

I talked with her on the phone and she said the chickens are grain and flax fed, roam around outdoors and had just started to lay. I'll take them. 4 dozen please. She went on to say that the chickens for sale were about 5 or 6 lbs each and had never had any animal byproducts. The only thing they had was chick starter when they were well... chicks. Free Range. Yes, thank you, I'll take two. That was when the conversation took a slightly unpleasant turn. I'll go pick a few out from the flock and have them ready for you tomorrow. (That meant as we spoke they were still pecking happily around the farmyard, totally unaware of their fate.) Gulp. Yes, I'll take two. Never had a fondness for chickens.

She mentioned that they had some Free Range, grass fed beef as well. (Raises eyebrow) I do enjoy myself a nicely grilled piece of beef tenderloin. Love Beef Burgundy. Even Bolognese. Go on. She said he roams around the pasture, we had him inside last winter but he likes it outside more. (Starts to squirm) I fully expected her to say "and his hobbies are watching butterflies and finding gopher holes." We haven't slaughtered him yet. (Gulp) Slaughtered is such an awful word.

I'll get back to you on the beef .

PS The eggs are lovely. Beautiful shades of brown, beige and white. Hard shells. Dark yellow yolks. I'll let you know about the chicken. It's in the oven.

Free Range Kids.

I just finished this wonderful funny book about letting our children have the freedom that we had when we were children. For reference I was born in 1965. Yes, I know. Long time ago. Moving on..
This was such an excellent book and the back pages worked to dispel parents fears from A to Z. The B section was

Bats (Aluminum). She went on to tell us why aluminum baseball bats are no more dangerous than the old fashioned wood counterparts. Then she wrote:
Bats (Vampire) Avoid these. Funny. You get the gist of the tone of which the book was written.

Lenore Skenazy supplied worried parents with statistic after statistic which proved that it is actually as safe for children now, and in some areas safer, as it was in 1970, when I was five.

So picture me, sitting on the sidelines of Athena's swim class on Saturday. A long row of parents all watching every move their little ones made, commenting on form, style and whether or not private lessons will be needed. And there I sit, not paying attention at all, reading my Free Range Kids book. Halfway through the class, a man taps me on the shoulder to tell my that he thinks my girl got hurt. Sure enough, the teacher is helping her out of the pool and she is crying. She has a small goose egg on her head. I go over, a little embarrassed that I hadn't witnesses the event because of course I was busy NOT being a Helicopter parent and I was doing my own thing. Ahem.

She was okay, just forgot to open her eyes while swimming and bonked her forehead on the wall. She jumped back into the pool in less than an minute and I... went back to my book.

Next day. My older daughter Jill's 24th birthday. We had all just come back from the city after watching Eden's (her daughter) soccer game. The girls were out in the back yard trying to find Parker (see earlier post about our squirrel). Eden knocks on the back door to ask me if they can play in the front yard. Of course they can. I go into the front room where Jill and Clint are watching Paul start a fire in the fireplace. I start to tell them the story printed above when she says " Why are the girl in the front yard?!!" She is from the city."Is this why you are telling me about your book?" I tell her that Athena plays in the front yard all the time and that she is perfectly safe in our little small town. About 10 minutes later I hear Jill scream and Paul run out the door. The neighbors dog (Dutch Shepherd) got loose and was running and growling after the girls. All turned out well once again but geesh! What are the chances?

I still recommend you read this book if you have children or if you are thinking of having children. And then read "Last Child in the Woods. Saving our children from nature deficit disorder." And then shoo them outside to play and don't worry so much.

Our New Pet (Kind of)

Just a few weeks back I was lamenting to my daughter about the lack of wildlife in our small Saskatchewan town. Although from my yoga studio window I can see for miles on end, miles of rolling prairie, I don't see much wildlife at all.

As soon as we are on the highway things change. We see deer a lot, albeit mostly as roadkill. Speaking of roadkill there is an abundance of that. Coyotes, fox, porcupine, skunk and just the other day I saw a dead badger too. I know there is wildlife around. Lots of it.

Anyway, the other day I saw a squirrel run by on the other side of the road. First time in 4 years have I seen one here. I literally squealed with excitement, right Jen? So naturally, I busted out the bag of peanuts in the shell, which I had just bought, coincidentally, the weekend before. I thought it would be a long shot, but no. At lunch time he was quickly taking peanuts and burying them in the front lawn, running them up trees and hiding them in the woodpile.

It wasn't long before he had taken them all so I replenished the pile in hopes Athena could see him after school.

Of course he came back. Of course he has since emptied the bird feeders and cleaned up the last remaining apples on our crab apple tree. I am sure in the spring we will have sunflowers growing everywhere from the seeds he will inevitably forget. We'll likely find peanuts stashed in the oddest of places but we don't care. We'll enjoy him all the same. Athena named him Parker.

In other news, Paul took Athena to visit her Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend. She goes about twice a year and I HATE it. She is only 2 1/2 hours away but I have always liked my children to sleep under the same roof as I. I know she'll have lots of fun though and she'll get to eat at McDonald's too. Big highlight for her. They have three schnauzers that she plays with and her cousin Maddie, who is her age as well. On the upside, Paul and I will have the weekend alone. We are planning to go to a movie. Yes, you heard it right, a movie. The last movie we went to in the theatre was 6 years ago. 6 YEARS! After that we are going out for dinner. We plan to do some yoga together on Saturday and Sunday mornings and he will go to the gym in the city and I'll do a bit of shopping. The weather is supposed to be wonderful, in fact it is 16 degrees Celsius as I type this.

Speaking of yoga, my practice is going very very well. Still doing the 75 minute class but I am noticing subtle changes in the asana. Things are becoming more aligned, more centered. I had a fitful practice today because I am still thinking about the family email debate about H1N1 which kind of took a turn for the worse. I started out asking a simple question and it all let loose from there, turning into a debate and who knew more than who. Yikes.

Last night on The National there was a feature about if the media has been irresponsible in reporting the news. One of the doctors interviewed said a resounding Yes. He said we should keep everything in perspective, something he feels the media does not do. He said that 200,000 Canadians die every year. 4000 die of the seasonal flu. Some of them children. Then he said when all is said and done they expect 200 -300 deaths from H1N1. He went on to say that a child is 20 times more likely to die from a car accident that from Swine Flu and that this is NOT a major health event. Perspective. It is all about perspective. And fear mongering. Lots and lots of fear mongering.If you want to check it out click here and start around the 26 minute mark.

Whoa, long post. Have a great weekend all. I know I will. ;)

Wall Art

Take a look at my newest wall art. Actually I have had the piece for almost a year and just couldn't get the location quite right. It now hangs in the kitchen where my trusty Renoir print used to hang.





That Renoir used to bring me such joy and I have moved it with us everywhere and it has always been in my kitchen. It just doesn't appeal to me as it used to.

This does! So, dear family, if you are reading this, and I know school pictures have already been taken, please drop a picture of my nieces and nephews in the mail, or a family picture for that matter, so I can add them to my display!

Homeschooling. Round Three

My husband has been subtly suggesting that I home school Athena. He has been making little comments, little observations. This is brand new. For our older girls it was all me, all my idea. All my WORK! Make no mistake, work it certainly is. And dedication. And time. And... well, anything else that means WORK.

But the school year is already two months in. Dare I do it? Makes me wonder.