...Lovin' From The Oven

Cranberry Cream. This is my weakness.

Woke up at 4 am and started baking right away. I have a lot of people to feed today. Not the least of which are our wonderful volunteers.

PeanutButter Creams all packed up
and ready for hungry volunteers.

Last night I made a quadruple batch of my PeanutButter Cream bars. (My husband and I refer to them as cobbler although in reality I think they are really more like a crisp.) They do best when they have had time to rest and for the flavors to meld. They are my husband's favorite.

This morning was a quadruple batch of Cranberry Cream bars. Almost like a cheesecake with a top and bottom crust. So creamy and smooth with just a touch of sour bite from the whole cranberries. This one is my favorite and is my weakness. Men really like it, but women flip out for it. Some like this one hot from the oven but I love it after it has cooled in the fridge for a while and it becomes so smooth and creamy.


Last (baking right now), is the original recipe that I created so many years ago from left-overs from a thanksgiving dinner. When you put so much work into making whole cranberry sauce and there is so much left you just can't bear to throw it all away. I always have Granny Smiths and oatmeal and baking supplies and thus a star is born. This one is filled with piping hot, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and is the best when fresh out of the oven and warm. It makes a wonderful breakfast. When I had trouble waking up my oldest daughter in the morning I found that baking a batch and wafting a freshly cut piece under her nose would get her instant attention.

I love to feed people, especially that moment when they try one of these three recipes for the first time. They have no idea what they are in for. The wonderful thing is that these bars/cobblers/crisps are full of good things that taste wonderful but provide good energy for hard work. Think of a morning bowl of oatmeal jazzed up with fruit or peanut butter. I hope that these small tokens that have been baked with love will show our volunteers how much they mean to us and that they have become part of our family.

Snuck a picture of the CranApple as it baked. The juices from the apples and cranberries have started bubbling and you can smell the carmelization in the crust.

Community



Jax helps Mike bring in supplies while Flying Eagle watches (& intercepts Jax from actually getting inside! LOL.)

 KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR US
First, we wanted to share with you that we have potentially earth-shatteringly good news this weekend but we are keeping it under wraps until we are sure it will come to fruition. Even if it does we have come to know that we are in such urgent need of an electrician and plumber that we may have to end up hiring one. So, to repeat a previous plea: if someone knows a licensed electrician and/or plumber who may be interested in guiding us (or perhaps be willing to give us an off-season discount or maybe they need some graphics or website work done in exchange?). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send them our way!



Jax and I "hang" in the car.

 FINALLY LEARNING TO ACCEPT MY LIMITATIONS
This weekend was a flurry of activity as we met many new friends who wanted to be a part of our "adventure" (as I have come to call it in an attempt to stop the nervous twitching I get every time I think of the enormity of it all). This weekend my CFS caught up with me and I tried to do some work on Saturday and I had no strength left. I quickly realized that I was just in the way and it was best that I watch kids and let other stronger folks do the work I could not handle. For those that know me, you may be shocked. I am always the one that wants to jump in waist deep into berry vines or pick up a sledgehammer. I guess I have finally figured out that managing CFS is about learning that I can't be that hard-core "no one can outwork me" farmgirl anymore.

Chris greets brand new friend,
Mario,who has come to offer help.

I spent most of the day watching Jax either in our vehicle or walking around the neighborhood visiting neighbors (babysitting was not to be had and our usual refuge was not available). Sunday I was still too exhausted to do much but that was just fine because I had all three boys to watch today. I got to spend most of the day warmly snuggled up at a friends home (our aforementioned "usual refuge") watching Titan A.E. and the Shirley Temple version of Heidi with the boys. (They had a tough time for the first ten minutes watching something in black and white but after that they got sucked into the story. Mwhuahahaaaa!) My husband and Flying Eagle ended up running the show and meeting and greeting most of our visitors.




COMMUNITY
We had several people stop by to give advice and guidance and some jumped right in to the mayhem itself. Everyone that stopped by was kind and supportive and it really made us feel great to see so many strangers come by to be a part of the ahem...fun.

One of our volunteers was Mike Cano of Cano Painting. As we talked he promised to return early next week to help us prep the walls and trim, I asked him if he had a website so I could link it to our website and he said that he did not yet have one but really wanted one and hoped to get one together someday. (He had before and after pictures of his work that he really wanted potential clients to see.) I told him I would be happy to help (nothing fancy, as you can tell our own website doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles as my webmaster knowledge is pretty basic) and he became so excited. We all started grinning like happy dorks at how well it all seemed to work out for all of us. This was the perfect example of what Chris and I hoped to embody with this project: people helping each other as equals- community.

Illustration of the "community solution
puzzle" in today's church program. 

Sunday morning we went to church and I almost laughed aloud when I saw that the theme of today was on "community". It felt like today's message was perfect for us. Our pastor had a hands-on puzzle and invited everyone to try and help solve it. He had three butter knives, three glasses and a plate as a "roof" that needed to be supported by just the three knives and glasses at a certain distance from each other. Children and adults alike amassed the table and worked on the problem until the solution was found: the three knives had to be interwoven in a pattern where all three were supported and provided support to the others. It was a visual demonstration of "community" our pastor said. I was so simple and beautiful and profound and exactly what Chris and I hope that our barn raising achieves. This project has become less and less about the house itself and more and more about the connections we are making with those around us.

It may take a couple of days to get our Week 7 gallery up as we are doing some revamping to the galleries but in the meantime here are some more pictures from the weekend....

Justin came out of nowhere and became an instant part of the family. He threw his whole heart (and body) into the work and has been a source of great advice and enthusiasm. He has promised to return mid-week for another session and has been doing research and sending us lots of information.

I met Paul at Home Depot on Friday and was impressed with how extensive his knowledge was of the construction of the old East Sacramento houses. He said he owned a home in Tahoe park and has been a handyman for several homes in East Sac area. He was kind enough to drive down all the way from Shingle Springs (well, he did have a job in Fair Oaks but still he drove all the way down her just to help us!). Thanks Paul!

Somehow Stu snuck by me (I think I was putting Jax down for a nap) so I didn't get to meet him but I was able to snatch this quick shot. I have been in constant contact with Stu on email and he writes me pages long email as the loving but firm "Uncle" giving us reality checks and lots of advice and ideas. I can't wait to meet him in person, he certainly does have a way of writing an entertaining (if prolific) email.

Bernie (yes, that is her name) visited us and said she would love to come play in our garden once the time came. She is just about to turn 76 and is an eleven year breast cancer survivor. She asked if she could invite her lady friends to come play in the garden as well. I can't wait until spring and we get a bunch of ladies together to do some real mudslinging. :)

We are keeping one of our visitors secret because he is part of our hopefully HUGE COOL surprise. I hope it works out because it would be AWESOME! Stay tuned folks!

BEFORE WE GO...
Shout out to Shannon who drove and escorted me into Home Depot even though I was as weak as a kitten.  Thank you for taking such great care of me when you are already so busy with your own life. You ROCK SHANNON!

Permits and Tigers and Bears! Oh, my!

With offers of help coming in things have been very hectic trying to talk to so many folks. I am late on getting some blogs up but I hope you folks will be understanding. A lot of folks have mentioned permits and to answer, Yes, we have visited the nice folks at 300 Richards Boulevard and sat and talked with them at length. Actually, I guess we came at a pretty good time (it was a Tuesday morning) because we were able to talk at length and in great detail. Many drawings were made and a lot of guidance given. We have stacks of paperwork all filled out so that by the time we enter our building phase (yes, folks we are still working to clean stuff out, gak!) we will have everything we need.

I will have to say that although the folks at the city office were very nice and helpful the costs of permits in the city of Sacramento and what is required as compared to other cities is bordering on the outrageous. I know the city government is hurting for funds so I guess it is just another sign of the times. We just do what we need to do to get it done right.

Speaking of getting it done right... We are in MAJOR need of an eletrical contractor and we understand that this may eat up a big portion of what funds we have scraped together but if someone knows someone who may be interested in guiding us (or perhaps be willing to give us an off-season discount or maybe they need some graphics or website work done in exchange?). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send them our way!

Okay, back to work on this cold rainy Sunday...

Ironic

So I had promised to do my next blog on "How is your CFS doing?" but because it is TOTALLY SUCKING right now. I am going to have to wait until I feel better (please, please let that be tomorrow!) because I can barely even type these few sentences at the moment. :-(

WE HAVE A NEW (to us) STOVE!

A member of the MyFolsom.com community saw the Bee article and posted it to the forum on the website. We quickly got an offer for a stove that needed to be re-homed after the original owners remodeled their kitchen. When asked if the oven worked we were assured that it had just baked some pies before it was recently removed. I am so excited to know that when we move in we will have a working stove and oven. I cook 2 - 3 meals a day and bake pretty much daily so it is such an important appliance for us to know that we have.

I am not sure if the donors wish to remain anonymous but their screen name on MyFolsom.com is "puppylover". If they give me permission to post their names I will update the blog but in the meantime...

THANK YOU PUPPYLOVER! and thank you to Chris V for posting the article and helping encourage support. We have other MyFolsomites who have also pledged support so we will keep you posted. What an awesome group of folks!

Floor Plan and "Wish List & Give List" added to website

Hi folks, due to popular demand (and a desire to not look like a babbling fool everytime folks say, "What do you need? How can I help?") we have added a "Wish List & Give List" page to the website as well as a basic floor plan we put together last night. (I had nightmares about measurements all night long.) So take a look!

http://www.grovetribe.com/WishandGive.html

Frugal Tip # 4 – Clearing Out Blackberry Vines Yourself (No, seriously!)

When Flying Eagle has to leave Flo shows up to take his place in the battle against the vines.

A good friend of ours offered to front us the money to have our backyard cleared out for us to save us time and energy so we could focus on the house itself. He sent someone over to look at the yard (JUST the backyard) and the guy said he could clear it out (no landscaping mind you, just clear out weeds and suckers) for ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! My husband and I looked at each other with incredulous looks on our faces. We thanked the gentleman and told him that there was no way that much money could be spent on clearing out the backyard.

We had worked inside all day Saturday and found that without any money for materials we were facing the backyard. We had a couple of friends stop by to help us for a few hours at a time and we dove in to the sea of green matter. Of course, the most challenging part of the project was the monster blackberry vines that had literally grown to over ten feet tall. When we had first moved in to this property about thirty three years ago it was full of blackberry vines and given any kind of leeway they will take back over aggressively. For many years we kept a moderate sized hedge of them and during summers made blackberry jams and syrups (for ice cream and pancakes). My older sister was a master canner by the time she moved out on her own.  As I became a teenager it fell to me to keep the blackberry vines in check and when we decided to populate the ENTIRE backyard with a vegetable garden I was sent to do battle with the hedge to make room.

If you have ever tangled with blackberries you know how punishing they can be. Those thorns produce their own kind of piercing, stinging pain that takes about a week to subside once they tag you.  Here are a few tips I developed over the years to make it a bit more manageable:

GEAR UP
No matter how careful you are, they will grab you and it is up to you to make sure that what they really grab is fabric and not skin. One secret is doubling up on all clothing:

Wear a long sleeve shirt that is closer fitting to the body and then cover that with a loose, thick long sleeved jacket or work-shirt of a very thick material (chamois/felt/padded “lumberjack” jacket etc.). Thrift stores usually have some on hand as they are not in demand fashion items that fly off the rack.  Same with pants, if you can manage a pair of pants inside a pair of heavy jeans or coveralls that is your best bet. Heavy, thick-soled ankle-high boots are also a huge plus. Gloves of stiff, thick leather (again I double up on gloves and even then I still get stuck). Goggles are a MUST! You can also choose to wear a hat to protect your head and a mask or handkerchief to help cover your face. The less skin exposed the better.

TAKE THE ZEN APPROACH
If you have ever practiced Tai Chi then I can explain handling berry vines is like practicing push-hands with a Grand Master: KEEP YOUR TOUCH VERY LIGHT AND BE WILLING TO GIVE. The only thing that may have a chance of taking on the vines themselves is the sole of your boots or your tools. I avoid touching them with my hands at all and when I do my grasp is feather-light. If a vine swings towards you, give way or step back. In hand to hand combat, the vines will most likely win.

 

HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS
Your #1 tool is a hard-tined garden rake. This is what you will use to do the actual handling of the vines as if you had an extra-long arm with metal fingers.

Second is your cutting tool. This can be a hedge trimmer (which only really works well if you really know how to handle it), long handled loppers (which only really works well if you have two people working) or, my favorite cutting tool for vines: a garden machete.

Tool Warning! First, always use extreme caution when using these tools. Second warning: when buying a garden machete check the thickness of the blade. A blade that is too thick will not slice well and is a pain in the tush to sharpen. You say you don't know how to sharpen a blade? Then you should probably grab a friend to handle loppers for you while you rake. It's more fun that way anyway.

TECHNIQUE (or everything I needed to know about trimming berry vines I learned in Tai Chi)
The most important thing to understand about taking out these thorny buggers is to use their own nature against themselves. The thorns cling to and clutch at everything so use that characteristic to press and roll them into compressed balls (or mini-bails).



Chris rolling a vine bail while I cut.

To start, I will throw the garden rake high into the hedge and use the weight of the tool and down-ward force to compress it down and away from where the vines originate from the ground. I press them down with the rake and sometimes the sole of my boot until they are so caught up in each other that there are no loose thorny arms swinging about. Then I cut the stems a few inches from the base. I then roll the big mass into a dense ball and will use either the garden rake or a pitchfork to move the mass where I want it. It will feel awkward at first but after a couple of rolls you will get the idea.



Vines have grown through the cement wall adding
yet more cracks to the now defunct Koi pond.

FINISH IT OFF

Once you have all the vine’s “arms” removed you may decide to take them out altogether. Blackberry vines are incredibly invasive and swift-growing. If you do not fully remove the roots you will have a large hedge again in no time. (Also prepare yourself to have to spot check regularly to tackle any new shoots that always seem to come up.) To remove roots I know of two ways: my preferred method is to dig out as much of the roots as I can and practice vigilance on removing upstarts. Some folks I know used to use this herbicide that you paint onto the cut ends of the vine stumps and it is supposed to go into the plant and kill it that way. Honestly, I don’t even know if that stuff is still available because I just like to dig the roots out. The fewer chemicals I deal with the more I like it.

The aftermath. Okay, a lot more clean-up
is still left but it was getting dark. :-)

In the end, it is always a lot of hard work and I will admit that there were four of us tackling the job that day and I was only able to handle about an hour or so of the day-long project before I became totally depleted. It was very hard because I grew up with a farm-girl mentality and love jumping into this kind of stuff and going at it all day. It makes you feel alive. But my body has changed now and I was forced to stand by and pick up garbage (ugh!) while the others got to do most of the “playing” with the vegetation. (Have I mentioned that CFS SUCKS?!?!! Yes? Well, sorry for the redundancy.)

So here are my tips on clearing out the pernicious vines but if all else fails I know a guy you can call and he will be only too happy to remove them for you. For a price.

Next Blog: “How is your CFS doing?”

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING AND SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE PROJECT AT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.GROVETRIBE.COM

We have also added a new THANK YOU page to the website this week! Take a look!