Lisa – Page 4 – A Doe in the Foothills

Duties, Delays and Docs: A Summary

I did not mean to stay away this long. It’s been a wild month.

I got caught up with a writing project I was working on for a client, which was way more work than I originally anticipated. Then, my family and I passed around this awful Ping Pong cold for a couple weeks. We spent Samhain, and my birthday, sick and it put me further behind on my project. Lovely, LOL. Thankfully, my client worked with me through it and extended the deadline.

Then, I had to train for the Election Day duty I signed on for a few months ago. It wasn’t easy to do so much sitting for 15 hours straight but, considering that some countries don’t have democratic elections or ones in which citizens are involved at all, I felt honored to have been part of it.

A visit with my primary care doctor uncovered an issue (enlarged vein) that a previous doc found way back in 2012 but never mentioned to me. Why? Who can say, but it was the same doc who messed up a surgery I had that year and got kicked to the curb. Oddly, another doc missed it in another ultrasound done 2 years later. I have a check-up with my new specialist scheduled for sometime next month, so I’ll bring it up then and discuss my options.

I finally have a moment to breathe, in between events and with my project draft now in review. With any luck, it won’t need much, if any, editing and we can move on to the next phase. Fingers crossed, especially since I’m in discussion for another project that will ride alongside this one.

So, I apologize for not getting my Samhain installment posted on time. My OCD isn’t happy about it not getting done and I’m hoping to get it before Yule’s installment. In any case, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday…eat well and enjoy the time with loved ones!

Original Stenciling? Oh, yes, please!

My old house obsession just got majorly fed. I found a Maine lovely with an 1800 build date, complete with 9-over-6 windows and original stenciling. Color me stoked!

The stenciling is thought to be inspired by Moses Eaton. He, and his son Moses, Jr., were renowned Early American stencilers in the late 1700s-early 1800s. Examples of their work still survive and are icons of Early American home decor. Seeing as Moses, Jr. did go into Maine during his career, I wonder if the work could be his after all?

Back in the day, the wallpapers the rich enjoyed were out of reach for poorer households. So, they did like they do now…DIY their way to a sexier home! This meant floor treatments (i.e. oilcloths, handmade rugs, paint, etc.) and stenciled or muraled walls. Paint could still be expensive but smaller designs, rather than full coverage, made it doable.

Wall stenciling_crossett library cite — Example of wall stenciling. Photo from Crossett Library (link to flickr)

Not everyone had the skill to do a righteous stencil job. When possible, it got hired out to folks like the Eatons. And, if you couldn’t tell already, I’m a Moses Eaton fan. My ebay wishlist is full of Eaton-inspired stencil patterns. Once my house and budget is ready for my decor plans (some ugly paneling to replace with drywall), my living room will feature some stencilwork along the doorways, wainscotting, and ceiling beams. Worry not…when I get there, I will post pics!

This Circa home is pretty close to a time capsule home, in my opinion. Suits me fine…they’re my favorite kind of old house. When you can feel the history just from the pictures, you know it’s something special. If you’re an old house junkie like me, you’ll definitely appreciate the original cook hearth, woodwork and (yes) the stenciling.

Enjoy! 😉

Fall into Mabon

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are falling, garden harvests are happening, and back-to-school schedules are being settled into. We’re on the cusp of my favorite season – Autumn. Time to celebrate Mabon!

Mabon, or the Autumnal Equinox, is the second harvest celebration of the Pagan year. Today, day and night are in equal balance, with the Wheel turning toward the coming winter.

Often celebrated as a wine festival and widely known as a Pagan Thanksgiving, it is a time of balance, relaxation, and completing tasks. Mabon offers a brief respite between harvesting summer’s bounty and storing it away to last the winter. It is also a time of reflection, as we look on the year thus far to see what worked for us and what didn’t. What didn’t work is a lesson on improvement and a plan to look ahead, to do better next time.

My Autumn Doll — This is Autumn, a doll I made at a spirit doll workshop a few years ago.

Many foods and drinks are associated with Mabon, as it is a time of plenty. The cornucopia is overflowing! While wine is a common component, apples (cider…mmmm!) and root veggies also play a role. Fall leaves, acorns and pinecones are frequent decorations on the Mabon altar, representing the continuity of life even as the world turns increasingly cold and dark.

Ways to celebrate are as unique as those celebrating. From a simple meditation to creating gourd art to a full-blown ritual with the coven, pick what works for you. So, pour a glass of wine/cider, eat a little root stew and sit outside to enjoy the fall leaves blowing about you. Or have a bonfire and usher in Fall with some good friends and music. Or teach your kids to make gourd art. Or….oh, just get out there and have fun already!

*Featured photo isn’t taking caption…photo by OakenHoof, found at http://cloggin.co.uk/content/incredible-edible-harvest-festival

Maple Apple Bourbon Sauce

One of the things I wanted to do with this blog is share recipes, both my own and those I find. This is one I created a couple years ago when I needed a sauce for pork chops. It’s quick, easy and so tasty…enjoy!

1/4 c. apple butter

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

3-4 tbsp. REAL maple syrup

2-3 tbsp. bourbon/whisky (any you like will work…I plan to try apple pie moonshine next time I make it)

garlic & pepper, to taste (small dashes work well for us…just enough!)

Combine ingredients and stir together. Add to chicken or pork, either before or after cooking. Yields us enough for a 4-person meal (4-6 chops or so)…increase as needed.

Hocking Hills – To Log Or To Preserve?

In something of a follow-up to my post about The Wayne being in danger of fracking leases, I am now posting an alert to a danger in the Hocking Hills area.

Hocking Hills is a popular tourist destination, and a total gem to locals. There is so much here – history, natural beauty, activities such as camping and hiking, and great food culture too. Unfortunately, some see all that amazing and immediately think it’s something to tear up for profit.

An area of the Hills known as the Spruce Run watershed is under consideration for logging. This section, near Conkle’s Hollow, is home to rare Hemlocks and boasts gorgeous rock formations.

Luckily, instead of running full steam ahead, the ODF (Ohio Division of Forestry) is also considering preserving it and wants to hear from the public about it. Comments will be accepted through the end of September. Together, we can help preserve a natural treasure and keep it recognizable for future generations.

Honoring Appalachia’s Granny Tradition

Even in Appalachia, the term ‘Granny Women’ is one most folks don’t hear (or use) anymore. It’s become obscured by the hectic pace of modern culture, and hidden under the overgrowth of history. Its practicality has devolved into superstition. Its relevance, now considered obsolete. Luckily, the phrase, and the knowledge that comes with it, is making a comeback.

The Granny Women were the ones who answered the call for healing in their communities. Doctors were not always available, and many preferred their local healers anyway. They knew the herbs their mountain provided and where to find them. They knew what ailments the plants treated, how to extract the medicine from them, and which formulations worked best. Their midwifery skills saved the lives of countless babies and mothers.

They were known for having extraordinary gifts, from “blowing away” pain to forecasting the future. They were revered for their dedication to their communities and their accuracy in practicing their craft. They did not charge for their services, giving unselfishly of their time and energy. However, grateful families often gifted them things, such as food and handmade goods, for the help they provided.

Fortunately, this crucial skillset survived the decades that attempted to leave it forgotten on the shelf of history. In fact, it is being rediscovered and even gaining credibility through science. We now know how willow bark helps with pain. We know about the synergy of plants and that it makes a better medicine than isolating just one plant compound. It is not snake oil selling. It is tradition in action.

wild apocathary — (a wild apothecary I envy, photo from Joan on Flikr)

Now, don’t let the Granny reference fool you. The gift does not discriminate whom is worthy of wielding it. Young and old, male and female…doesn’t matter. Often, it travels through families. Sometimes, it’s taught by another healer. One thread runs through them all: Faith, and a lot of it. God speaks and works through them, and they don’t question it.

While they traditionally identify as Christian, often referencing God/Jesus and using bible verses, their work could easily be called witchcraft by suspicious, jealous, or self-righteous folks. Their magic consists of ancient knowledge passed down from their Scots-Irish ancestors and the Natives they encountered, and they make practical use of it. They know there is nothing evil or wrong with what they do. They have a gift and are simply answering the call to use it.

Are you familiar with the term “Granny Magic”? Do you, or someone you know, practice it?

A Mansfield, MO Charmer

I found this lovely old house charming even before I realized why Mansfield, MO sounded so familiar to me. Mansfield is where Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband, Almanzo, settled.

For those who don’t know, she wrote The Little House series (affiliate link), which inspired a TV show in the ’70s. I watched the re-runs as a kid (and again as an adult), but didn’t read the books until this past summer. They’re written in a way that’s easy for kids to read but detailed enough to hold an adult’s interest. In addition to guiding my mind back to a time my ancestors would have recognized, those pages demonstrated a few good homesteading methods. 🙂

This house is said to be a similar style to the one Almanzo and Laura built on their Missouri Ozarks homestead (compare). As usual, when I see old houses, I find myself wanting to back-date the decor. The home has good bones, though, and is adorable in any case. And the setting…well, it’s tough to beat! Click the image for more pictures of this lovely property.

Wayne National Forest: Still Not Safe

Wayne National Forest, or “The Wayne” as it’s called locally, is Ohio’s only national forest. It covers over 240,000 acres of southeastern Ohio’s Appalachian foothills region. Home to a special eco-system that includes endangered species, such as the Indiana bat, it’s beautiful and rich with history. Some have even claimed it to be haunted.

It has also been under threat for some time.

The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have seen fit to lease and auction off parts of The Wayne to the oil/gas industry for fracking.

If you’re new to the concept of fracking, it’s the use of highly pressurized liquid to fracture wellbores in deep-rock formations, such as shale. This is done in the hopes of stimulating the flow of natural oil/gas reserves trapped deep underground, so it can be more easily pumped out.

As you can imagine, there is much debate as to whether or not this is a safe option for fueling our energy needs. Industry PR proclaims it as wholly safe and an economic boon to whatever area it’s performed in. They like to paint naysayers as well-meaning but ignorant of the process and its benefits.

Environmental concerns abound, from the polluting of downstream waterways to the increased seismic activity in fracked areas. Pipelines have burst, wells have caught fire, and major damage to the surrounding landscape has resulted. Far from just “an ignorant outcry”, these are well documented incidences.

Fracking pollution diagram — Diagram of fracking-related air & water pollution

Despite this, the Forest Service and BLM have willfully ignored the concerns of the public and neglected to perform the assessments necessary to making an informed decision on the matter before opening forest land to leases and auction sales.

Another auction is set for next month, on Sept. 21.

It seems that, as many public groups are guilty of, the dollar signs they saw came before the job they are tasked with performing. Several environmental groups are suing these agencies for their neglect.

One of these groups, Ohio Environmental Council, is beefing up their formal protest with a webinar on LTE writing. LTE (or letters to the editor) are not just for opinion pieces. It can be a very effective tool for activism and is a grassroots method of building awareness and stimulating local action for issues that can affect everybody. The webinar will take place on Friday Aug. 25 at noon (EST).

If you’re a concerned citizen, there are many ways to affect change, locally or otherwise.

It can be as simple as a donation to a favorite related non-profit or contacting your political representatives. It can be as complex as regularly attending protests and town hall meetings or becoming an official spokesperson for your cause. You can be as public or private about it as you’re comfortable with.

The most important thing is to not let complacency take hold. As the Flower Children were fond of saying, and Nahko sings: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”.

Happy Lughnasadh!

I wanted to pop in today to wish everyone, Pagan or not, a Happy Lughnasadh. For the record, as it’s a dicey looking word (many Gaelic words are), it’s pronounced “loo-nah-sod” or “loo-nah-sad”.

In Pagan tradition, Lughnasadh (or Lammas, meaning ‘loaf-mass’) is the first of the 3* harvests. It introduces the transition of summer into autumn and is often celebrated as a grain festival. By some contrast, the next holiday, Mabon (or Autumn Equinox) is often considered a wine festival.

There are many ways to celebrate, from a simple meditation to a full-blown ritual. It could be a baking of bread that is consecrated (blessed) before eating. If eating freshly harvested foods, don’t forget to save the seeds, for it is said that, if they sprout the next year, one should plant it as a connection with the Divine. This seems to go especially for trees, such as apple. However one chooses to revel, the main point is to mindfully recognize where the Wheel of the Year currently sits and express gratitude for/reflect on/celebrate/etc. your place as part of Nature.

There is also some lore involved with the holiday, much of it Celtic, but I won’t get too far into it today. I intend to create a series on the Pagan holidays soon enough, so there’s no need to be redundant. 🙂

As I said before, whether you’re Pagan or not…enjoy your day!

*According to some traditions, Samhain (pronounced sow-en, not sam-hane) is not counted as the third harvest.

The Garden’s Coming Along Nicely

I know. It’s been a while since my last post and I missed this past week’s Misplaced Myths. I apologize. A lot’s been happening and there were unforeseen complications recovering from my recent surgery. Life happens, but I’m still here because I’m too far gone 😉

One of the things I wanted to use this blog for is to document my adventures as a wannabe homesteader. I say wannabe because I’ve barely gotten the garden together, after several years of trying. In my defense, my problems with keeping plants alive started only when I tried to over-do it and go too big at once. This year, I decided to start small.

We took down the fence last year and rebuilt it this year. It delayed putting the garden in, so I didn’t get my cools in this spring and worried I was too late with my warms. In the garden, I got some maters, okra, sweet peppers and a watermelon plant in. In the shady side at the back, I transferred collards and 2 types of lettuce. In the “corn/grain patch” on the other side of the barn, I planted heirloom corn and came back a couple weeks later and planted green beans with them and transplanted my yellow squash.

Fast forward, something like 1 or 1.5 month, and things are coming along nicely. The corn’s near shoulder-height (so glad I went with a 90 day heirloom and not the typical 120 day sweet corn!) and some yellow squash are forming. The maters are flowering, as is the watermelon plant, and the okra is gaining on the maters. The collards and lettuces are lively and growing.

Of the failures, it looks like the peppers may not have survived and the green beans don’t seem to have sprouted at all. I may have misjudged the peppers readiness for transplant, though, and the green bean seeds were from a couple years back. May be contributing factors…

The yields aren’t likely to be huge, since I only planted a small bit, so there won’t be any canning this year. I will probably be processing some to freeze, if it isn’t all eaten fresh. I may still try to put in some cools for a fall harvest before it’s too late. Been a while since I’ve had carrots I grew myself. May try for those and some beets, cabbage and what-not. I have seed onion, shallots and purple potatoes that I’ll give a go…I believe they can over-winter for a late spring harvest if planted and thickly mulched before the frost (but don’t quote me on that – I’m still a novice). I’m hopeful for a more cultivated green thumb and an ever-expanding garden as time goes on.

I wish I had a picture to post. Still gotta replace my worn-out digital cam. Maybe there will be a pic come harvest time.

If you’re gardening this year, how are your plants coming along? Leave a comment and let me know!