Smoke Signals

I used to sit back and watch the news and think how grateful I was to live in a relatively safe geographic region.  No hurricanes, no shark attacks, no tornadoes threatening my henhouse or precipitating the building of a new farm every year.  Possibly the threat of sliding into the ocean at some point in time, but that really never ruffled my feathers too much!  The seasons came and went without warranting planning ahead or any major changes in behavior.  We have found life with four seasons catches your attention a bit more.

First it was preparing for winter, which if you've been reading since the beginning, was interesting.  Daily we worked to get running water, a concept about as foreign as sending a letter is today.  We worked for our heat supply, we de-iced, we bought new snow boots out of necessity,  and we hunkered in.  Then it was the "break up," dealing with the mud, flooding the well (and once again working to get water), enjoying the greenery etc. Now it's the heat of summer, and we have a whole new slew of obstacles.  WATER is key for any home operation, whether you think about it or not.  Try going without running water for a day... even an hour.  Droughts are in full swing all over the state, and our area is no exception.  Luckily our well is holding up great, and we have a pool full of liquid gold if necessary.

BEES... apparently bees like water too, and when you put a pool in the middle of the high desert, it's like an oasis in the Sahara with a pool boy and swim up bar.  We are infested by yellow jackets!  I am talking swarms.  We have not even been able to use the pool for a week or so, due to hostile air attacks, and I am currently battling an irritating welt on my leg.  Cam has researched everything on the internet for bee removal, but I think the neon oasis sign is overriding any small deterrents we throw their way.  That being said, we are down one wasps nest...... Thanks to my lovely 20 gauge and a drive by sneak attack that blew that baby to smithereens!  That was a rush!  Unfortunately, I think the bees relocated closer to the oasis and swim up bar.

FIRE.... We all knew that this year was going to be dry, and it's been so dry and hot that fires seemed almost inevitable, it was just a matter of how big and where. Currently there are 4,000 acres burning down by Lucerne on Lake Chelan, temporarily shutting down my cousins job there.  Depending on the wind, the smoke from that fire can get pretty thick, even in our neck of the woods.  Yesterday, we left to take the kids to the lake and skies were clear, and on the way home it looked like a war scene.  It makes the sky such a strange color, and I hate having that thick smoke hang in the air.  We have not had any fires too close to our place, and are praying they can get control of those that are burning and that they stay in the remote areas away from homes.

Nature is a bit on the angry side right now it seems, but there's something to be said about noticing the world around you.  Realizing that there are forces outside your control, that if set in place, could significantly alter your routine.  Makes you respect what's happening a bit more, and opens your eyes beyond the monotonous.

5 Point Buck On Our Journey

I've had a nice long weekend thanks to my clinical schedule and 12 hour shifts.  It's been nice to be home with the family and we have gotten the chance to explore a bit more.  We took the back roads from our place to Conconully, through the mountains to Winthrop scouting a bit of hunting ground,
and checking out a new area.  It was quite a bumpy trek, but we saw some awesome high mountain country and even hit 7,000ft at one spot.

Sunday morning was interesting as well.  I had gotten up early to get some homework done before everyone woke up; the kids love to request coffee cake for breakfast when Mom's home, so I found a new recipe online.  I was just measuring out flour and bam... the power goes out, and suddenly we are back in survival mode.  So we threw the coffee cake in the BBQ, got a bucket of water from the pool and continued on.  The outage didn't last for long but it definitely makes you stop and think about what supplies or tools you are lacking.  After we filled our bellies, we were off fishing.  It was already around 90 degrees though, and the fishing was slow.... as in just fishing, no catching, so after an hour or so we called it a day and headed back to the barn.

Today we have been shooting our bows, and Cam's been getting some work done around here... weedeating, spraying some weeds in our meadow, and cleaning the joint up a bit.  If the house doesn't get started soon we have plans to start some fencing and a little goat pen.  You never know the power could go out and a growing family needs milk and butter!  This afternoon we have another hike on the horizon, and I'm hoping to get into some berries one of these days.  It will be back to work for me tomorrow, so I'm enjoying life on the ponderosa for now... finals week is looming and I will have a lot to do in a little time.  Hard to concentrate with goats, pigs, horses, and bee boxes on your mind!   

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel

From Sugary Sweets online

For the Cake:
• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup buttermilk 
For the Filling:
• 2 pkg (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg 
For the Streusel:
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cup all purpose flour

Instructions

1. For the cake, grease and flour a 13x9 baking dish and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt on low until combined. Beat in softened butter until mixture is crumbly. Add in eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and beat until fully combined and fluffy! Pour half the batter into baking dish, spreading evenly.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Pour over batter. Top with remaining half of cake batter.
3. For the topping, mix sugars with cinnamon and salt. Add in butter and combine fully. Add flour and mix with hands until fully combined. Pour crumb topping over batter, sprinkling with hands until evenly distributed.
4. Bake cake in a 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes, until fully cooked. Cool completely and serve.