Toaster Oven Treat

Applesauce Bread 

Have you ever sliced some quick bread and then put it in the toaster oven? Hummmm, you gotta try it.  Bike man made a batch of applesauce bread this afternoon.  The bread turned out nice and moist, however, Bike man likes his quick bread sliced and then toasted to the crunchy level.  Gotta top it off with either whipped cream or ice cream.  A real nice apple treat for apple lovers.

It's hard to believe it was 34 degrees today and it's December 15th.  Wow!  Instead of running outdoors in snow, I was running in the rain.  Concentrating on Christmas plans tonight, however, yesterdays school  tragedy has left me feeling a little numb to celebrating this holiday.  Just spending time with my family, minus all the gifts and special foods is what I will be concentrating on this Christmas season.

Disturbing Day

I couldn't concentrate at work this afternoon, couldn't think and my thoughts just hit a road block.  After learning of the Newton, Connecticut elementary school shooting during my lunch break, my thoughts were concentrated on the grieving families.  I did come home tonight and head out on a dark night run with my neighbor Jill, but our running conversation focused around the tragedy today.  I'm  feeling a very heavy heart tonight.  God bless the little children, who are now in the arms of Jesus. 

The Count Down

These December weeks have been busy and I just realized today that we only have 12 days until Christmas. Yikes, I need to get going!  Unseasonably warm weather, so I'm taking advantage of the situation and continuing to run my normal route at night after work.  Bike man has his bicycle on the trainer, but may consider riding outdoors if the warm temperatures continue.  The studded tires are now on the mountain bikes, however our lake doesn't have enough safe ice to ride on, so we'll wait until we have a good base of thick ice.  Twelve inches is my idea of "safe" ice!!!  Tis the season my friends......

Santa Delivers

Santa's Got the Right Idea!  

Embracing the Storm

Galloway Creek

Winter is finally here!  Spent the afternoon outdoors with Bike man and a few of his college students that are participating in a salt-monitoring  project concerning local creeks in our area.  While the students were busy taking water samples, I was busy capturing the beauty of the snow storm today with my Canon T2I.  We all trudged through at least 10 inches of snow to reach the creeks.....good workout for the legs.  Thank heavens for wool socks and Sorel boots.

Hanging Around

Even the telephoto lens couldn't quite catch  a close-up of the beautiful snow geese swimming at the mouth of the Hay river.  Our lake has frozen over, however, warmer temperatures than normal have kept the mouth of the Hay river still open.  While out on my run today, I could see these white things floating in the open water.  Bike man discovered the honking sounds later today, so he determined it was snow geese verses swans.  After living on the lake for 29 years, we have never seen snow geese at this time of the year.  Very strange since past years Bike man was already ice fishing!

Winter will finally arrive tomorrow with a blanket of new snow....so the weather man says!

Protecting the Land

Winona LaDuke

Bike man and I attended a speaking event last night at UW-Stout in Menomonie.  Winona LaDuke, from the Anishinaabe Native tribe, gave a one-hour talk about environmental issues concerning our planet.  I have to admit I really didn't know anything about her, but many of my co-op friends have followed her environmental activism for years.

LaDuke is the founder and Co-Director of Honor the Earth  and works nationally and internationally on climate change, renewable energy, sustainable development, food systems, and environmental justice.  She is also a Harvard graduate!  I was so inspired by this woman.....really, I mean totally inspired.

In a nutshell, I just want to say I was so interested in hearing about her background as a Anishinaabe native and how she stressed the environmental ways of her people....don't abuse the land....only take what you need.....and give back to the land.

Besides her environmental advocacy, she also works to protect Indigenous plants and heritage foods (seeds) from patenting and genetic engineering (GMO's).  I was also taken back by her basic question.  Do we, as people, want to be around 1,000 years from now?

If you answer yes, then consider taking an interest in our natural resources and protecting the land and water around you.  I think the Native people understood our environment better than the white people!

Note:  Anishinaabe Tribe of Northern Minnesota