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| Artist's rendition (my 9-year-old) of a cube dog. |
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| My rendition of a shoe-stealing dog in a cube (well, it's more of a rectangular prism, or "cuboid") |
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Dog cubed
Monday, February 27, 2012
Hunk of Meat Monday: Rye ideas
I have been totally remiss about trying new recipes for the Hunk of Meat Monday recipe share. I get in a rut and make the same things over and over. So I'm not posting a Hunk of Meat Monday recipe, mostly because I haven't been trying anything new lately.
So maybe I just need a little push!? Hopefully you can help me out.
One of my favorite sandwiches in the world is a Reuben.Which is kind of funny because my dad's name is Reuben.
The one thing about Reubens, however, that is slightly problematic is that when you do the rye bread, which is really what makes a Reuben, you have to eat a few Reubens to get rid of the rye bread.
Rye bread doesn't make for very good toast in the morning. At least not with peanut butter or jam. And maybe not even honey. None of them seem quite right.
I think if you were going to have rye in the morning, it would need some kind of meat on it. Hey, maybe a slice of Canadian bacon, an egg and some cheese? Why not?
What other possibilities are there? Send me your suggestions. I would love to try some new rye bread concoction for breakfast!
Dawn
So maybe I just need a little push!? Hopefully you can help me out.
One of my favorite sandwiches in the world is a Reuben.Which is kind of funny because my dad's name is Reuben.
The one thing about Reubens, however, that is slightly problematic is that when you do the rye bread, which is really what makes a Reuben, you have to eat a few Reubens to get rid of the rye bread.
Rye bread doesn't make for very good toast in the morning. At least not with peanut butter or jam. And maybe not even honey. None of them seem quite right.
I think if you were going to have rye in the morning, it would need some kind of meat on it. Hey, maybe a slice of Canadian bacon, an egg and some cheese? Why not?
What other possibilities are there? Send me your suggestions. I would love to try some new rye bread concoction for breakfast!
Dawn
Friday, February 24, 2012
Flower Friday: A week later
I just didn't get around to posting all week long. I am not sure how the time got away from me, but the older I get, the more it does!
So here it is, a week later, and it's time for another Flower Friday post. This one is actually aluminium foil art by my daughter. It's kinda hard to take a photo of aluminium foil without it getting "funky." Trust me. It looks much better in person!
And yesterday, it snowed for the first time in a long time at My Two Acres. So my powerful penchant for petunias and pansies is really gearing up. (Funny how snow does that to a person!)
Until next time! And it might not actually be a week, depending on how much older I get before then!
Dawn
Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Fashion cents
When it comes to fashion, I'm not incredibly proficient. Just this morning, I put on some clothes, then asked my 9-year-old daughter if she thought what I was wearing matched and looked okay. She was brushing her teeth but gave me a thumbs up, so I felt pretty confident that no one would tell me that they were pretty sure I dressed myself in the dark.
The real problem for me is the difference between tungsten and fluorescent lighting.
Don't laugh. I'm serious here.
What looks good by the soft yellow light of your bathroom does not necessarily look as good in the glare of those big tubes that flicker in your office space.
When I was a kid, I loved wearing my bib overalls, torn jeans and baggy flannel shirts. Even when I went through my "I'm in a band" stage, I didn't get incredibly adventurous with my attire.
So now that I'm almost eligible for AARP, I'm pretty sure that I don't really need to START having any fashion sense. I'm actually pretty comfortable to have fashion "cents."(Meaning, I'm not going to spend a lot on designer duds!) I mean, I think I'm getting very close to that age where I get to say what I want and nobody can tell me how to dress.
Well, except for my daughter, that is.
Dawn
The real problem for me is the difference between tungsten and fluorescent lighting.
Don't laugh. I'm serious here.
What looks good by the soft yellow light of your bathroom does not necessarily look as good in the glare of those big tubes that flicker in your office space.
When I was a kid, I loved wearing my bib overalls, torn jeans and baggy flannel shirts. Even when I went through my "I'm in a band" stage, I didn't get incredibly adventurous with my attire.
So now that I'm almost eligible for AARP, I'm pretty sure that I don't really need to START having any fashion sense. I'm actually pretty comfortable to have fashion "cents."(Meaning, I'm not going to spend a lot on designer duds!) I mean, I think I'm getting very close to that age where I get to say what I want and nobody can tell me how to dress.
Well, except for my daughter, that is.
Dawn
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
21
Today, I followed a group of 21 fourth graders as they attended the Living Ag Classroom event at Agri-International at the Bismarck Civic Center. Organizers of the event estimate that more than 1,000 children would go through the exhibits. It was noisy and busy and there were all kinds of facts and figures on everything from canola oil to leeches. It was a complete hoot.
I had a number of them ask me if the video I was shooting was going to be on YouTube. They were incredibly excited when I said "yes." There were even a few of them who were keeping track of how many times they thought I pointed my camera their way. One little guy said, "You only videotaped me once."
And there were several that were very happy to share with me what they thought was fun about the event, and what they learned. Corn and cows seemed to make a pretty big impact, judging from what the kids shared with me. Oh, and the biggest turkey every recorded (around 86 pounds).
And yes, there will be a YouTube video. I hope that, when it is done, they share it with all their relatives and friends to help spread the word about how wonderful and important agriculture is to all of us.
Here are just a couple of things the kids learned today:
1. One cow produces between 90 and 100 glasses of milk a day.
2. Corn is used for food, fiber, fuel and feed.
3. Bacon comes from the stomach area of the pig.
4. A three ounce serving of meat is about the size of a computer mouse.
And that's just a small sampling. In fact, there was so much good information, I wish we could have gone through it all a couple more times.
But here's to 21 kids I know have a greater appreciation of agriculture and how much it influences their lives every day. Thanks for letter me share it with you.
Dawn
I had a number of them ask me if the video I was shooting was going to be on YouTube. They were incredibly excited when I said "yes." There were even a few of them who were keeping track of how many times they thought I pointed my camera their way. One little guy said, "You only videotaped me once."
And there were several that were very happy to share with me what they thought was fun about the event, and what they learned. Corn and cows seemed to make a pretty big impact, judging from what the kids shared with me. Oh, and the biggest turkey every recorded (around 86 pounds).
And yes, there will be a YouTube video. I hope that, when it is done, they share it with all their relatives and friends to help spread the word about how wonderful and important agriculture is to all of us.
1. One cow produces between 90 and 100 glasses of milk a day.
2. Corn is used for food, fiber, fuel and feed.
3. Bacon comes from the stomach area of the pig.
4. A three ounce serving of meat is about the size of a computer mouse.
And that's just a small sampling. In fact, there was so much good information, I wish we could have gone through it all a couple more times.
But here's to 21 kids I know have a greater appreciation of agriculture and how much it influences their lives every day. Thanks for letter me share it with you.
Dawn
Monday, February 13, 2012
Farmer love on a Valentine's Day box
This weekend, my daughter made her Valentine box. While most kids are making pink and red hearts and sticking them on their boxes, my daughter takes her green felt-covered box, heads up to her brother's room, makes a great deal of noise (I heard my son say to her, "What ARE you doing, anyway?") and voila...
It's farmer love on a Valentine box!
It is pictured here, in my vehicle, just prior to delivery to her classroom over the noon hour today. As you might guess, taking something like this on the bus was not really an option, so I offered to drop it off. When I walked into her classroom, I kind of disturbed the class momentarily as a couple of boys ran over and said, "Cool."
Nobody ever said a Valentine box had to be covered with hearts and flowers. And I think it's pretty awesome that my daughter chose to cover hers with pigs and horses and corn and cows! And I never thought I would say it, but thankfully, my son is a bit of a pack rat, because if it wouldn't have been for him keeping all these farm props in a box in his closet, this ode to agriculture would have never been possible!
I'll be spending time with her class tomorrow, as well, when they go through the Living Ag Classroom exhibits at Agri-International. I'm really excited to find out what these fourth-graders learn about agriculture after they spend time at all the booths.
Stay tuned!
Dawn
It is pictured here, in my vehicle, just prior to delivery to her classroom over the noon hour today. As you might guess, taking something like this on the bus was not really an option, so I offered to drop it off. When I walked into her classroom, I kind of disturbed the class momentarily as a couple of boys ran over and said, "Cool."
Nobody ever said a Valentine box had to be covered with hearts and flowers. And I think it's pretty awesome that my daughter chose to cover hers with pigs and horses and corn and cows! And I never thought I would say it, but thankfully, my son is a bit of a pack rat, because if it wouldn't have been for him keeping all these farm props in a box in his closet, this ode to agriculture would have never been possible!
I'll be spending time with her class tomorrow, as well, when they go through the Living Ag Classroom exhibits at Agri-International. I'm really excited to find out what these fourth-graders learn about agriculture after they spend time at all the booths.
Stay tuned!
Dawn
Friday, February 10, 2012
Flower Friday
I can tell I'm starting to get the spring itch. I know! It's only the second week of February, but this is what usually happen to me. So I'm going to post, each Friday, a flower photo. This one is courtesy of my daughter and her artistic abilities.
Dawn
Dawn
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sooper Pooper
I love it when I get news releases with subject lines that make me laugh. The most recent was one from NDSU Extension, talking about a Super Pooper Scooper school.
I mean, seriously, even though I'm not a livestock producer, I would consider going just because of the title of the school. Actually, the agenda sounds pretty good. The school will cover a lot of hot livestock management topics. So, if you are a livestock producer, I'd encourage you to take one of the three in.
I just wish I would have thought of the name first, because I'd like to have my own Sooper Pooper Scooper school at my house. Maybe then I could instill in my children the importance of "nutrient management" in our backyard.
When it comes to the scooping, I'm about the only one who has the stomach to pick up the dog droppings in the backyard. I was out there this weekend after the frosty weather, and got most of it cleaned up, because as you know frozen poo is easier to pick up than the squishy stuff, as long as it isn't frozen to the ground.
Even though we have the equivalent of two football fields for the Springer to do his business, he chooses the spot right next to the patio. Sometimes, he even gets it ON the patio. And because it's all concentrated in a small area, it makes for relatively easy clean up. But when it's all in one place, it looks like every dog in the neighborhood has been taking bathroom breaks in our yard. I'm thinking of calling it our Springer "nutrient containment pond."
So even though I may not be in attendance at a Super Pooper Scooper school, know that when it comes to animal waste management, I'm seriously with all you livestock producers in spirit!
Dawn
I mean, seriously, even though I'm not a livestock producer, I would consider going just because of the title of the school. Actually, the agenda sounds pretty good. The school will cover a lot of hot livestock management topics. So, if you are a livestock producer, I'd encourage you to take one of the three in.
I just wish I would have thought of the name first, because I'd like to have my own Sooper Pooper Scooper school at my house. Maybe then I could instill in my children the importance of "nutrient management" in our backyard.
When it comes to the scooping, I'm about the only one who has the stomach to pick up the dog droppings in the backyard. I was out there this weekend after the frosty weather, and got most of it cleaned up, because as you know frozen poo is easier to pick up than the squishy stuff, as long as it isn't frozen to the ground.
Even though we have the equivalent of two football fields for the Springer to do his business, he chooses the spot right next to the patio. Sometimes, he even gets it ON the patio. And because it's all concentrated in a small area, it makes for relatively easy clean up. But when it's all in one place, it looks like every dog in the neighborhood has been taking bathroom breaks in our yard. I'm thinking of calling it our Springer "nutrient containment pond."
So even though I may not be in attendance at a Super Pooper Scooper school, know that when it comes to animal waste management, I'm seriously with all you livestock producers in spirit!
Dawn
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Moon madness
I get up at dark-thirty most mornings to exercise, and I really, really like it when the moon is so bright the house casts a shadow in the backyard. I know it's a weird thing to be fond of, but I'm also the same person who likes the fast motion photography of sunrises, sunsets and clouds rolling used to depict the passage of time on television shows. I guess it must be the "film-maker wannabe" in me. For the last few days the nights have been clear and the conditions perfect for moon viewing. While the pictures don't fully capture the beauty of the moon rises I have seen the last few days, rest assured, they were totally cool!
Dawn
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The incredible, edible...
I picked up a bunch of brochures from commodity groups at the North Dakota Farm Bureau YF&R Leadership Conference back in late January.
Because I'm quite fond of eggs, I thought I would share some of the facts from the incredibleegg.org brochure I got at the conference.
Myth: Added hormones are used to increase egg production
Fact: Added hormones are NOT fed to poultry in the United States.
Myth: Egg yolks are high in fat and contribute little else to the diet.
Fact: Egg yolks contain 45 percent of the egg's protein, numerous minerals the majority of the egg's vitamins. They provide all of this for 59 calories (a whole egg has 75 calories). So unless your doctor has prescribed a special egg-free diet, you can enjoy nutrient-dense eggs.
Myth: Brown-shelled eggs are more nutritious than white.
Fact: Shell color is determined by the breed of the hen and does not affect quality, nutrients, flavor or cooking characteristics. However, since brown-egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more food, their eggs are usually more expensive than white.
Myth: Eggs are often infected with the Salmonella bacteria.
Fact: On average across the United States, only one out of every 20,000 commercially-produced eggs might contain the Salmonella bacteria. This means an average consumer will encounter an infected egg once every 84 years. Purchasing eggs from a refrigerated dairy case and properly refrigerating at home reduce the risk of food-borne illness.
And those are just some of the fact about the incredible, edible.....Man I'm hungry!
Dawn
Because I'm quite fond of eggs, I thought I would share some of the facts from the incredibleegg.org brochure I got at the conference.
Myth: Added hormones are used to increase egg production
Fact: Added hormones are NOT fed to poultry in the United States.
Myth: Egg yolks are high in fat and contribute little else to the diet.
Fact: Egg yolks contain 45 percent of the egg's protein, numerous minerals the majority of the egg's vitamins. They provide all of this for 59 calories (a whole egg has 75 calories). So unless your doctor has prescribed a special egg-free diet, you can enjoy nutrient-dense eggs.
Myth: Brown-shelled eggs are more nutritious than white.
Fact: Shell color is determined by the breed of the hen and does not affect quality, nutrients, flavor or cooking characteristics. However, since brown-egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more food, their eggs are usually more expensive than white.
Myth: Eggs are often infected with the Salmonella bacteria.
Fact: On average across the United States, only one out of every 20,000 commercially-produced eggs might contain the Salmonella bacteria. This means an average consumer will encounter an infected egg once every 84 years. Purchasing eggs from a refrigerated dairy case and properly refrigerating at home reduce the risk of food-borne illness.
And those are just some of the fact about the incredible, edible.....Man I'm hungry!
Dawn
Monday, February 6, 2012
Frost fever
There is something inherently beautiful about stuff covered in frost. Everybody likes to take pictures of it, and I'm no exception. So going on the premise that you just can never see enough frosty photos, I submit for your approval the following, which occurred on My two acres Sunday morning:
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| Frosty trees, peaking sun |
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| Karl Forester, closeup |
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| Karl, from a different point of view |
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| Frosty, the Birdbath |
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| What!?! No bird seed? You defrosting the bird feeder or somethin'? Dawn |
Friday, February 3, 2012
Oh, my achin'...
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| My monkey is an excellent skater. And this is only
her second time on the ice!
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It started off surprisingly well. I hadn't been on skates in years, but when I got on the ice, it was kind of like what they say about riding a bike. Oh, I was a little rusty and wobbly, but within minutes, I was getting into the groove and feeling like I was a better skater at almost 50 than I was when I was 30.
I only fell twice. The first time it was because I was holding my daughter's hand and she started to slip, and grabbed me and we both fell. But it was a soft landing with little impact.
Fall number two was a different story. One second, I was standing, the next my skates were not under me and I was landing on my backside. Hard. I don't think I have ever really seen stars, but I think I came pretty close with this little maneuver. In fact I have a bruise on my left wrist and a puncture wound on the back of my left hand where my watch dug into me as I landed.
But, being the toughie I am, I continued to skate for another 15 minutes or so. I also walked through the hobby store with my daughter, made supper and threw a load of clothes in the washer.
And then, it hit me: A wave of aches that sent me to bed for MOST of the rest of the evening with my backside on a cold pack.
Today? I have new aches and pains that weren't even on the RADAR yesterday after my spill.
The moral of this story, I think, is that even though you THINK you are a better skater 20 years later, your body just may not tend to agree.
Oh my achin'.....
Dawn
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Phil Day skating
Everyone is weighing in on the six more weeks of winter thing since Phil the groundhog saw his shadow. And I have seen more than one post about how, at least up in the north country, if we have six more weeks of the weather we HAVE been having, we're all gonna be pretty happy.
You can't complain when, on the second day of February, you have to run to the outdoor skating rink to see if it is actually still iced up. Which is what I did at lunch-time today. The temperature is in the 40s, but because the sun is still low in the sky and the area is somewhat shaded, the ice, while a little on the bumpy side, is still ice. (I guess if Phil would have been at the rink, he probably would NOT have seen his shadow because of all the trees.)
Why did I undertake this unusual Groundhog Day
See, Cherub#2 (also known as Monkey) learned how to ice skate last weekend, and she has been determined to go again. In fact, she has been bugging me to go every day this week, which is kind of hard when you put in a full day of work and then try to get everyone fed, homeworked and ready for the next day by 9 p.m.
But I promised her I would check the ice today, and if it was adequate, I would take her skating.
Guess what I'm doing this afternoon?
I have skates. I haven't been on them in about 15 years.
Let's just hope I don't break a leg!
Dawn
You can't complain when, on the second day of February, you have to run to the outdoor skating rink to see if it is actually still iced up. Which is what I did at lunch-time today. The temperature is in the 40s, but because the sun is still low in the sky and the area is somewhat shaded, the ice, while a little on the bumpy side, is still ice. (I guess if Phil would have been at the rink, he probably would NOT have seen his shadow because of all the trees.)
Why did I undertake this unusual Groundhog Day
See, Cherub#2 (also known as Monkey) learned how to ice skate last weekend, and she has been determined to go again. In fact, she has been bugging me to go every day this week, which is kind of hard when you put in a full day of work and then try to get everyone fed, homeworked and ready for the next day by 9 p.m.
But I promised her I would check the ice today, and if it was adequate, I would take her skating.
Guess what I'm doing this afternoon?
I have skates. I haven't been on them in about 15 years.
Let's just hope I don't break a leg!
Dawn
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